Split (1)

train · 64k rows

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10956546	Empty Space	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi, Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Kushina, Umino Iruka, Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, Hatake Sakumo, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Dai-nana-han \| Team 7 (Naruto) - Character, Uchiha Sasuke", "Fandom": "Naruto", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by GiouYomi", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-20T00:00:00", "words": "8,439", "Additional Tags": "Canon-Typical Violence, Minor Original Character(s), Minor Character Death, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Denial of Feelings, Mental Instability, Mental Breakdown, Grief/Mourning, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Depression, Childhood Trauma, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I Tried, Eventual Happy Ending, Angst with a Happy Ending, Yes I know, I promise, Friends to Lovers, Overprotective, Pining, Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Complicated Relationships, Abuse of parentheses (you will see)", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Hatake Kakashi/Uzumaki Naruto, Namikaze Minato/Uzumaki Kushina", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/M, M/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Synapse /ˈsʌɪnaps/ or /ˈsɪnaps/, noun. From Greek sunapsis, from sun- 'together' + hapsis 'joining', from haptein 'to join'. A junction between two nerve cells, consisting of a minute gap across which impulses pass by diffusion of a neurotransmitter.XxXxXxXxXxThe first time he’s barely an hour old, red-faced and kicking with all his might in his father’s embrace, still learning how to breathe but already taking in his surroundings. His mother gives him a tired smile and closes her dulling eyes.He coos at her, reaching out in her general direction with more control in his limbs than an infant should have, but only succeeds at loosening the soft blanket wrapped all around him. He doesn’t think, can’t because he’s a newborn and his entire world consists of an upside down vanilla painted room, dead grey eyes peering at him and a jaw set into a resigned grimace.Hatake Kakashi is born into the arms of a fading woman and the house of a grieving father. His world is monochrome, black and white and shades of grey added afterwards, and even if after a few days his vision slowly starts being colored all he sees is silver grey hair and people dressed in black under a stormy sky.(He doesn’t know, doesn’t understand, but Kakashi is facing the first death of many to come.) The second time he’s grown up, not quite prepubescent but old enough to learn, to judge, and that’s what he does best.He’s shoved into a classroom at the tender age of 4, recently graduated from the stage of toddler. He doesn’t mind, because it’s the best he can do, and playmates don’t interest him anyway. He puts all his mind into studying and practicing, as much as his underdeveloped body allows and beyond, so it’s not that big of a surprise for him to place first in the final ranking exam.He deems his classmates unworthy, all children with no goal in life, and he doesn’t stop to think that maybe, just maybe, he shouldn’t have a goal either, not when he’s that young.But he does, and for that his peers hate him and his teachers fear him, for a child too bright in troubled times is surely a harbinger of misfortune. But that’s alright. All that matters are the proud smile his father gifts him with and the big hand in his hair, a touch so rare he cherishes it with all his little heart.Half a year later and he’s hailed a prodigy, and a few months fly by until he comes home with a metal plated headband clutched in his tiny hands.(He doesn’t say, nor does his father, but Kakashi feels as if on that night something has changed between them. For there’s pride in his father’s eyes, and it lights up Kakashi’s heart like little fireworks blooming in his chest, but also a heavy cloud of sadness, and the fire in Kakashi’s mind is quelled by incomprehension.)He’s put on a team, the members naturally older since he’s the only graduate of his age group, and it’s not too bad. Both of his teammates are ten, early graduates but not quite like he is. Skill-wise they are well matched. Their Jonin-sensei is nothing remarkable, brown haired and brown eyed with skin only a shade lighter. He’s kind and strong and that Kakashi can easily accept. Kindness is only a liability on the battlefield, and he makes sure that his teammates abide by that rule.It’s not hard for them to listen to him, because after only a week he establishes himself as the team leader. Asami is shy with ash black hair, all too willing to please with a mean kick to back her up. She has potent chakra for a girl, with a fierce personality she hides behind dropping puppy eyes. Yato balances her out perfectly, a spit-fire outside but a kind soul at heart, yet that doesn’t stop him from unleashing unforgiving genjutsu and volleys of senbon upon the enemy.They work together like a well-oiled machine, and their sensei never misses a chance to comment on it. Kakashi rarely answers to the praise, but silently basks in it.A year later and he’s six, drenched in blood and clutching a kunai even though the judge shakily declares him the winner. The sun has set outside the tall building, and Kakashi for one doesn’t find any pride in his achievement.He doesn’t cry, but allows himself a last glance at the frantic medics swarming around the two stretchers. Bile rises in his throat but he swallows it again, knowing that it won’t do anything and won’t help anyone. Kakashi is young, but old enough to understand that he will not be seeing his teammates again.Kakashi doesn’t turn back but silently regrets not having been closer to them.(Then Kakashi thinks of his father and the way the man had become a shell of himself, and it’s with renewed vigor that he turns to head towards his house on the boundaries of Konoha. He’s sure that the shamed White Fang will cheer up at the sight of his son, six years old and already beating people twice his age at becoming Chuunin.) The third time is an hour later, when Kakashi steps into the house and isn’t greeted by the barks of his father’s ninken. They must be out for a walk, he decides, and slaps away the anxiety creeping into his bones.The house is too quiet even for a summer night. The lights are off but Kakashi is used to such darkness, has been for months ever since his father had come home, battered and defeated with a somber yearning in his eyes. Maybe it’s the fearless curiosity of a child, or maybe it’s the morbid thoughts of a shinobi who only plays by the rules, but unconsciously Kakashi’s already preparing himself for the worse as he paddles through the lumps of clothing between the entrance and the living room.It’s weird, since the house cleaner’s laundry day is the first Sunday of every month, and it’s barely been a week since then. Kakashi has been away with the Chuunin exam for most of that time and as such could not have contributed to the mess, so he wonders how many uniforms his father had gone through every day.The gears turn in his head, but finally he decides that the detail is irrelevant. He’s dutifully aware of his father’s mental state since his last mission, and it’s not so uncommon nowadays to witness the man scrubbing ragingly at his shirts as if washing away some form of taints or having him stare absentmindedly at corners and empty rooms while muttering his wife’s name in a desperate tone.(It tears at Kakashi’s heart, not being able to do anything as he watches his father – his world – slip away gently and crumble under his touch, but he still tries. He won’t give up like he did with his teammates, and it’s unfair of him but to Kakashi it was only logical. Because Kakashi will never, ever love anyone more than this person who shares his hair, half of his genes and all his existence. Kakashi lives for no one but Sakumo, and that is painfully obvious.)The first thing he sees is red, on the door, on the floor, on the walls, on his hands, dripping off a bony white blade and mattering silver hair. Red, like the room, the scent in the air, the poppies blooming in their garden, the liquid soaking his pant legs and the hand constricting his chest until it burned and tore at his throat.Kakashi can’t breathe, but somewhere he tells himself it was only a fair punishment for failing his father. He never notices the brutal banging on the door nor the panicked yells right behind him. However, his mind does register a flash of bright yellow the shade of summer crops.It’s the last thing he knows before darkness engulfs him. (Distantly he hears a blood-churning scream, and only after it ends he realizes that it was his own. That night Kakashi’s world shatters, and it’s only through a miracle that he still holds his own cracked pieces together. But then it doesn’t matter anymore, because Kakashi is now a soldier, and Konoha always has uses for soldiers until they break and could not be mended.)He was wrong. Kindness is a liability to a shinobi, no matter where and when, because death haunts you even in the safety of your own home. Years later and Kakashi is twelve, six years into his bloody career and five under the care of Jonin Namikaze Minato.One might say he’s changed, his build no longer a child’s but a growing boy’s lean muscles and height, a dark mask now hiding his features from the world and himself. He’s only gotten better, his jutsu arsenal ever expanding and his weaponry skills refining by the day, and his taijutsu is nothing to laugh at either. Jonin material already, some whisper, and it’s entirely true.Yet for his guardian, if asked, Kakashi is almost the same as he had been when he had first come under the prodigious blonde’s wing. Still the same coarse-looking hair, the same sharp gaze, the same soulless dark grey eyes. Still plagued by the same nightmares, all cruelly happy at first with death knocking at every ending, and Minato wonders if the only good thing in all that is the way they have grown closer.Six years Kakashi has been a Chuunin and finally he has a team to call his own again, but he’s all but willing.As the silver haired boy stands in training ground 3 at the crack of dawn, he glances at the brunette beside him chatting incessantly and the idiotic Uchiha obviously smitten with her, and he sighs in resignation and annoyance.XxXxXxXxXxThe fourth time it nearly breaks him, because it’s Obito, Obito, his friend – his first – and it hurts so much more than it ever did before but Kakashi’s too far gone to care.Obito, you big idiot, he wants to say, but it comes out as nothing more than a choked breath.Kakashi wants to blame someone – anyone – the Hokage for assigning them this damn mission, Rin for being so weak as to get captured, Minato-sensei’s tardiness, Obito’s stupidity for rushing into things without thinking. Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum! But at the end it’s still him, always him.Still Kakashi who’s left behind, still Kakashi who is feeling betrayed. Still Kakashi who gives out his heart only for it to be torn apart savagely. Always Kakashi who comes back, a bit more cracked but never broken, and always alone.Always, always Kakashi’s fault, and no one can say otherwise because Kakashi’s the only one to know everything.(If only he hadn’t been born, his mother would be alive.If only he hadn’t left his teammates to hunt down another team in the Chuunin exams, and maybe they would still be alive today. Maybe not a team, Asami and Yato and Umino-sensei, but still alive.If only he had tried harder, been more open, more supportive, and perhaps the sword on his back would still be beside his father’s uniform, waiting to be strapped on.If only I had been quicker, Obito would still be here.)And Kakashi chokes on that thought because it’s unbearable, the ball in his stomach impossible to contain as he’s about to burst. Obito’s eye throbs in his eye socket and Kakashi rubs at the bandages, feeling the bump of the scar tissues and the burn lighting up the damaged nerves when he presses too hard.Obito’s eye, and it’s a kind of guilt he’d never felt before. Obito’s Sharingan, finally obtained after years and years of yearning, and it’s almost a sin for it to be his. I’ll become your eye… and see the future with you. (It’s also Obito’s life that’s his now, because that’s what it is – a trade that should never have happened.)He feels arms around his shoulders. He looks back to find Rin pressed against his side, wide eyes sad and unseeing and tears gliding down her cheeks, uncontrolled.Kakashi wonders how it must be for her, to lose Obito when she finally was beginning to return his affections, as subtle as it was. How it must have been to look into his eyes – eye, because the other one had been under the boulder – and gouge it out with all the love it held for her.Rin sobs pathetically into his shoulder, and Kakashi reaches back to embrace her awkwardly.(It hurts and stabs at his heart and bellows in his head but it’s alright because he’s not alone in this mess.Again Kakashi regrets, for the gap between Obito and him – between life and death – is more than he can bear.)XxXxXxXxXxA fifth time, and Kakashi’s coming to the end of his sanity. It’s myfault myfaultmyfaultmyfault whywhywhy I was supposed to protect her- His arm twitches, hypersensitive to the sharp sting of shattered ribs digging into his flesh. Why why are you smiling so- His forearm is strangely warm, encased in a human body, while his hand is cold in the chilly night.A muscle flutters around his limb. Once. Twice. Stop smiling nonononononono- Thrice. And the heart stops. No don’t you dare – don’t you DARE leave me alone! Nohara Rin’s corpse slide down his arm with a wet squelch, blood still squirting out like little fountains, splattering everywhere, on the ground, the grass, the rocks, her and him and the entire world. Why, Rin? Why? Enemy shinobis surround him but he couldn’t care less, blood thumping in his temples and his heartbeat roaring into his ears. Kakashi wishes he was blind, deaf, dead, anything but the waxing moon casting long shadows over the tall grass painted crimson, the stench of death mixing with a familiar scent – it shouldn’t be, never together, not pines and oranges because that’s Rin’s smell and it shouldn’t be mixing with death – and Kakashi drops, weightless. Didn’t we promise to live, for…? For a moment, he feels as if he’s underwater and the night sky is the deep ocean, about to swallow him whole as he drowns in the poison that is air.His head is pounding and his vision blackening at the edges, and Kakashi doesn’t quite know what is up or down and it’s a blissful kind of hurt.“Obito…” he mutters, with only Rin’s last fading warmth as his witness. I’m sorry, I promised to… protect… Kakashi falls, deeper and deeper until he doesn’t want to swim up again, not having the strength nor the will, and it’s with a relieved sigh that he succumbs to oblivion. Is this the future we’ve promised to see together? Obito? (For the first time Kakashi is sinking in his broken memories, and it won’t be the last.) A year crawls by, agonizingly slow, even if finally, the war is over and peace negotiations are going strong.Kakashi is taking as many missions as he could, thirteen and a Jonin standing alone against the tides of loneliness. He’s not the only one, for many have been lost and others left behind. It’s war, deadly cruel yet unforgiving even to those who live, and so Kakashi is not spared from active duty just as any other able shinobi.The village is weak even if victory is hers. She might still be standing whole, unlike Iwa with half its population gone or Kumo and the crater in the middle of its marketplace, but in the end Konoha still suffers.(In the end they all bleed and cry the same, Konoha or Iwa or anyone else, and it’s a startling realization for a youngster such as Kakashi who’s ever only known war. Who’s only known that enemies are to be eliminated and nothing more, no matter what Rin or Obito have told him. No matter the look in Asami or Yato’s eyes that time Kakashi kills when he’s soon-to-be six, because they’re all long gone.)He’s no different from anyone else yet it’s him whom people stop to stare at, him who’s the subject of many discussions late in the bars. Him who’s openly criticized or praised – look, it’s that man’s brat, I’m glad he can separate personal emotions from duty – and Kakashi ignores it as best as he could.But undeniably a fire burns deep within him, snarling and coiling and waiting to burst – how dare you, it says, how dare you insult me. Insult them – Obito and Rin and your own teammates who have given their lives for you to see a new day.He never says it out loud, rarely even talks now, and once upon a time Minato-sensei might have done something to help but the blonde is too occupied with village business to care much for his only remaining student.Hokage, the people whisper, and Kakashi knows it to be entirely true.He’s proud, just as he had been when he had received his first ninken pup – Pakkun – from his father, just as he had been when Rin had grown back an entire finger for him after a training accident, just as he had been when Obito had scorched him for the first time with the intensity of his Sharingan.(Half of the pair of eyes that’s Kakashi’s, and the silver haired teenager still despairs at the way the same eye never darkens with resolve and love and so much more when he stares at the mirror.)Namikaze Minato deserves the title, and Kakashi will be there to support him all the way, along with the redhead Uzumaki, and the growing ball of chakra – a child – in her stomach that Minato still believes him to not have noticed.It’s loss and the aftermaths of war, but Kakashi thinks that maybe, life can be good again.XxXxXxXxXxThe sixth time Kakashi dies and almost doesn’t come back.He’d been prepared, have known since long ago the dangers that came with the woman that is Uzumaki Kushina, from her clumsiness to her lava-hot temper all the way to the beast that resides in her belly.Kushina who was the jailer to her own prison, bound by the monster her seal cages.Also gently firm Kushina-nee with her kisses and hugs or her eggplant soup that she cooks with a mysterious smile, as if already knowing what he tries so hard to hide.(It’s a blurry memory, but Kakashi’s almost sure it tastes just like his father’s, before the mission and the depression and the war.)Kushina and Minato, secretly married for a year and happier than ever. She’s the heat to his sun, deep crimson red to complement his summer crops yellow, and she might not be the world to Kakashi but occupies a major part of it with the Yondaime. Because a part of it will always be reserved for Asami and Yato and Rin and Obito.Now Kakashi’s not so sure, for his world is not empty yet but all upside down, with Minato and Kushina still there but gone. Gone with only corpses left to look at and mourn, and it’s wrong – so terribly wrong – because it’s the Hokage and the strongest kunoichi in Konoha, because it’s Minato and it’s Kushina and how can they die?How can they leave Konoha after the war, their child, Kakashi?(How dare they leave him like this again? Haven’t they promised to make it all better? To show him what a family is?)For a few days the same questions turn and churn in his mind, never leaving him alone even during the bleak hours on the night, and soon enough Kakashi seeks out the company of the dead.He stays there for a week and it takes an entire ANBU squad to pull him away from the Memorial stone. Many months pass by, and for Kakashi they all swirl together into a ball of nothing.He has a new mask now, sturdier than the one he’s worn for already eight years. Streaks of black crossing the bone pale mask and bright red circling the sharp cut eyes, and Kakashi’s a predator painted in black uniform and dull white armor.He doesn’t mind. Like that he can pretend, to be strong, to be dangerous, to be fearless. To be emotionless like the soldier Konoha needs him to be. He can disregard the fact that he may be swaying closer and closer to the wrong side, trying to close the gap between him and his precious memories while dying inside.It’s alright to be like that.It’s alright as long as he hides from everyone and himself.Obito’s eye doesn’t throb anymore, not the fresh pain of transplanting something that isn’t his own. Yet the feeling of wrong and foreign still leaves a bitter taste on his tongue, for every time a target is slain it feels like it’s him bleeding out and not the dead shinobi at his feet.(He’s killing with Obito’s eye and that’s not alright, because Obito is entirely capable of doing so and coming out better. Because Kakashi cannot cope the way Obito does, Kakashi is left broken and haunted with death on his mind and his hands and so not good enough for the Sharingan. Kami, what mean is there to use a weapon that equally kills the enemy and its wielder?)XxXxXxXxXxOn a stormy night, the Hokage calls him.Kakashi rolls out of bed, uniform recently cleaned and ready to go with his mask propped up on top of the neatly folded pile, yet he bypasses it and heads for the Hokage tower in loose pants and standard Jounin shirt, dark blue fabric stretching up to rest under his cheekbones. He grabs a fresh roll of bandages before stepping out of his apartment, intending on making use of them on the way.Kakashi doesn’t acknowledge the blood-stained razor sitting next to his keys.He trots on Konoha’s well beaten soils, hands stuffed into his pockets and ignoring the wind blowing silver strands into his uncovered eye. The fresh humidity is unnatural against his bare skin, and Kakashi barely suppressed a shiver.When he arrives at the tower the secretary gave him a glance and ushers him into the Hokage’s office, shoulders tense and a look he’s never seen in the usually kind woman’s eyes.It’s a deep-rooted fear and the beginning of something ugly, and Kakashi doesn’t know what to say so he stays silent.The ANBU guards posted at a corner discreetly gives him a nod – Kuma, a year Kakashi’s senior and a proficient Earth user – and Kakashi steps into the room.As usual the scent of smoke and tea invade his senses, but it’s not an unpleasant aroma.Yet today something is different.To Kakashi’s hypersensitive nose it spells danger and something painfully familiar, like a scent he should know but has forgotten.Fireflies and sunshine mixed with the distinctive odor of warm fur, and Kakashi’s head swims with the rhythm of his heart beating around its cage.The Hokage turns around to face him, and only then Kakashi notices a bundle in the older man’s arms.Something pulls at him and he steps closer, wary and more tired than he’s ever felt since he’d become ANBU captain Hound. Kakashi’s newly bandaged wrist throbs with a dull ache.Summer crops a shade lighter than it is in his memories, an almost toothless smile and – Kami, please, please let it be real – twin orbs shining like the heavens stare at him, pierce Kakashi right to his core, and again, just like that night 9 years ago with his father’s blood on his hands, Kakashi’s breath is stolen by a being of gold and endless sky.XxXxXxXxXxHe watches the child.It’s slow going at first, with every day consisting of mostly sleeping, crying and eating. More often than not it takes a glare or two from the ANBU for the caretakers in the orphanage to answer the baby’s needs. It’s somewhat tiring, but the child is endearing, energetic enough to keep the entire ANBU squad assigned to him awake without needing a drop of supplementary energy – the black motor oil from the HQ cafeteria that they call coffee, that is.But eventually Minato-sensei’s son grows, day by day, until Kakashi starts having difficulties keeping the infant still in his arms. Soon enough he starts crawling, and it is entertaining to watch, to say the least.The little pup would crawl on the ground, the table, the chairs, anywhere he could reach. At least it’s still manageable, since coordination is a word that has yet to be included in the child’s non-existent dictionary.(Kakashi stays in the shadows, comes out only at night when the nurses finally go away to rest, and it amazes him how the infant would instantly wake up and roll in his crib to greet him with wide blue eyes and a soft coo on his baby pink lips. The night sky seemingly reflects in the child’s eyes, a gaze with so much depth it’s scary – Kakashi would stay there for hours, hypnotized, until morning comes and the little blonde succumbs to sleep.)Kakashi couldn’t wait for Minato-sensei’s son to start walking.(Somehow it feels like the empty space in his mind is slowly closing on itself. He can’t decide if it’s a good thing or not.)XxXxXxXxXxKakashi would like nothing more than to swallow those words and pretend he never, ever muttered them under his breath, because he’s sure the toddler had heard him and had started walking earlier than most just to torture him.Barely 8 months old and already walking with the help of whatever is low enough for him to hold on to, Kakashi thinks, and it’s unbelievable.Standing at his full height the toddler only reaches the base of Kakashi’s knees, and the silver haired teen wonders how the pup can move so fast with such tiny legs. Kakashi is an ANBU captain at fifteen, tracker extraordinaire and genius by both blood and fate, and the silver haired teen still cannot help but to be amazed by the toddler’s growth.Kakashi is tempted to bring out his ninken because he’s not sure his nose alone will be able to keep track of the kid for long, no matter if the orphanage is one of the tiniest around.And so time goes on, and the Yondaime’s legacy ages. Kakashi is there to witness it all, sometimes in the cover of night but now often just steps behind the toddler, and for a moment everything seems to be fine again.(Kakashi doesn’t hear the whispers just yet, but the ANBU talk. They talk about the hero, because they know only too well how to distinguish the fine line between savior and monster. They talk about Uzumaki Naruto with wonder and a hint of pride from those who guard him, for no one gets away unscathed from the boy’s sunny smile.In the shadows the senior ANBU would smile softly at captain Hound and the lack of razor-shaped wounds on his arms.Hound doesn’t hear but the Hokage sees, and the wizened man releases a sigh of relief.)XxXxXxXxXx“But Hokage-sama!”“I’m not enjoying this either, but orders are orders. Hokage I may be, I still cannot go against the entire Council.”Hound seethes beneath his mask, yet doesn’t voice his objections. The tension in his shoulders and the slight tilt of his head are enough to convey the message, and the Hokage answers him with a hardened gaze.“Hound, don’t make this harder than it has to be.” The hidden reprimand doesn’t still Kakashi like it normally would. The ANBU captain’s entire frame shakes with the anger bubbling underneath his skin.“Harder than it has to be? Hokage-sama, I’m not about to leave sensei’s son alone in this – this village! I’m not blind, Hokage-sama, and neither are you. We both know what will happen to him. I won’t in good conscience let him go through that!”Sarutobi stays silent, and Kakashi’s smouldering eyes rest fixated on the older man. It’s a lost battle, the silver haired teen knows, but he’s not about to accept it, not when it’s about Naruto’s life – his life, his world, and Kakashi is not about to let that go.Finally, Sarutobi lifts his head from his stack of paperwork, and suddenly Kakashi finds a pair of defeated hazel eyes staring into his soul. He sneers, knowing that it iss only an attempt at guilt-tripping him, and Kakashi doesn’t back down even when the gaze turns sharp and pierce Kakashi’s core.He lets the Hokage search him, dig out memories Kakashi had painstakingly buried away, and it’s a miracle he doesn’t flinch.“Hound.”Kakashi doesn’t react, but the Hokage continues anyway. “Pack for two years. It’s final.”“Hokage-sama!”Sarutobi slams down a scroll onto his table with enough force to crack the wood, and Kakashi stops.“I’m sending you away to Snow country. Sources state that trouble is brewing there, and I currently have no agent close enough to the royal family to keep an eye on the situation there. You are to guard the princess and report back everything you see. Pull back after 18 months if necessary, but stay as long as you can. Understood?”Kakashi nods briskly and turns around, stance stiff with rage, heading toward the exit. He knows that his blatant disregard of protocol is enough to put him on probation for improper conduct, but the teen finds that he doesn’t care.He’s halfway through the door when Sarutobi calls out.“Kakashi, I trust that you’re efficient enough to be back in half the time.”Kakashi grins, and he readjusts his Hound mask to distract himself from the unusual gleeful feeling.What the Hokage wants, the Hokage gets.(After all, Kakashi now has someone to come back home to.) “I’m sorry.”That’s got to be the first time in all his life he’s heard the man apologize, Kakashi thinks with a malice he doesn’t quite hide, but again he only came back from Snow last week and it’s been three years since he had talked to the Hokage.The mission took way longer than planned, with the mess that had been the daimyo’s assassination and the ensuing rebellion, and it had taken Kakashi some rather spectacular last-minute escape plans and more than a few Chidori to even get out of there alive with princess Koyuki screaming on his back.So Kakashi feels that it’s only fair to have terrorized the civilian Council with his most murderous killing intent and some pretty impressive kunai sculptures – that were totally not shaped like a few Council members that shall remain unnamed.(How dare they take Minato-sensei’s son away from him?)“If it can reassure you, I’ll put Cat on the squad.”Kakashi lifts an eyebrow incredulously, and the Hokage glares back at him without much strength.“I can do that much at least. The Council insisted on getting you off guarding duty, since you’re much more useful on the field than at home babysitting. We both know that it is true. However, they never said who’ll replace you.”Hound sighs, defeated. Even if it isn’t what he had in mind when he meant ‘taking care of sensei’s son’, assigning his past ANBU student is the next best thing to him doing the job himself. He wouldn’t trust his sensei’s child with anyone else.However, he won’t be telling the Hokage that anytime soon. Let Sarutobi sweat a bit more, the man deserves it. With that in mind, the eighteen-years-old puts on his best disgruntled look and smirks in satisfaction when the Sandaime averts his eyes.“Look, Kakashi, Yugao had been under your command in ANBU. While the Council banned anyone from taking care of Naruto openly, she’s good enough to keep an eye on him and ward off trouble, well, as much as the Council allows her to.”The Hokage’s gaze turns almost pleading, and Kakashi finally relents, still a bit reluctant.“Fine, but I have three conditions.”“Go ahead.”“First, he is to have his own apartment on the outskirts of the shinobi residential district. Barrier seals are also to be applied on his windows and his door to ward off intruders, preferably to be renewed every year. Second, he is to attend the shinobi Academy at age 6 under a… proper teacher, and exempt of all fees until graduation. Of course, the amounts are to be deducted from my account. Third, I am to be assigned as his Jonin-sensei upon his graduation. The Council is also to have no say in my decisions from there on.”Sarutobi blinks, once, twice, before pinning him with a bewildered expression.“Is that… all?”Kakashi blinks back. “Yup?”“I was expecting something… more.”The ANBU captain answers it with a grin.Sarutobi turns back to his papers and shuffles around a bit until he pulls out last week’s Konoha newspaper.“Well, looks like there’s a place available on Main street. Third floor, one-bedroom setting. The previous owner apparently has had enough of… late-night howling, it seems.”The Sandaime casts Kakashi a suspicious glance. “Isn’t it convenient that it’s the building right beside yours, Hound?”The silver haired teen’s smile is entirely unrepentant. “Just a coincidence, sir.”Sarutobi only shakes his head fondly, exasperated. “I’ll arrange for Jiraiya to apply the seals after Naruto moves in. He’s set to come back to Konoha next week. As for the Academy, that can be done easily. I’ll just have to write you down as his guardian for you to legally endorse his school fees. Of course, that information will be classified. It that acceptable?”“Perfectly, Hokage-sama. Also, I have a suggestion for his Academy teacher.”“Oh?” the Sandaime asks, intrigued.“I’ve been wondering about that new Chuunin at the mission desk… Umino Iruka, right? With the scar across his nose. He looks proficient, with the way the Jonins are literally walking on eggshells around him. I heard that he’s refused a promotion recently.”The Hokage smiles under his hat. “Are you sure? His parents died in the Kyubi attack.”“Maa, he doesn’t seem to be the spiteful type.”He can’t be, not when he’s Umino-sensei’s son, Kakashi silently explains.“Have you been following my shinobi around, Kakashi?” Sarutobi laughs, and if only a bit it lifts the heavy mood of planning Naruto’s near future – a future without Kakashi, the teen thinks, and for the hundredth time he curses the Council.When will the bastards stop making it their lives’ mission to ruin the pup’s childhood?“Well, I just had to make sure.”Another chuckle, and Sarutobi waves his hand. “It’s fine, Iruka-kun has already applied for a position in the Academy anyway. Told me he couldn’t become a teacher if he’s saddled with too many missions as Jonin so he refused the promotion. He’ll consider it after his first batch of kids marry and spawn, he said.”During the next hour Kakashi and the Hokage figure out the finer details to their agreement. It’s at twilight that Hound finally walks out of the Hokage tower.(For the first time in three years he doesn’t head directly for the orphanage, and it’s a new kind of wound that tears at his insides, like an old scar bursting at the seams. Kakashi never had to avoid those precious to him, and it’s almost as bad as Obito and Rin and Minato dying.Kami, a week and he’s already missing the pup.) “My first impression of you is…”Kakashi can’t bring himself to finish the sentence, because even if he’s been mentally preparing himself for a month it still doesn’t shield him against the bright eyes and the sunny locks of blond hair.He’d been watching of course; he’d been watching from afar for already nine years. But never once had he allowed himself to be close, not even enough to see anything more than an orange and yellow dot in a sea of people, and so Kakashi is entirely unprepared when his eye meets a dazzling summer sky he hasn’t seen in what feels like an eternity.“I hate you.”The Jonin flinches when his mind automatically begins to pick apart the emotions behind the look Minato sensei’s son tries to hide, because what he finds is no longer childish wonder but loneliness and a sinister edge that reminds him far too much of his own younger days.Hate, Kakashi figures. The unspoken word between the villagers and the burden that sleeps in Naruto’s belly, and perhaps also the word that defines what the blonde sees in himself.It’s also the word that Kakashi will never forgive himself for associating with the Genin. A seventh time and Kakashi’s breath almost stills.It’s not the rain, nor the pink-hued water drenching his sandals, nor the knowledge that he has failed yet again both as a shinobi and a teacher.Kakashi doesn’t grieve for Sasuke because he’s done that when he had first seen the cursed seal on the pale boy’s neck. Kakashi had seen the darkness, the hate that the dark-haired boy harbors and all the love that it speaks of in silence. Before the Chuunin exams perhaps, before Orochimaru and his twisted words, Sasuke could have been saved.For all the darkness the boy bears Kakashi isn’t as blind as to not see the clear bond forming between the boys on his team, no matter if it’s based on mutual rivalry or something more.Yet once again he’s too late, and as always it’s just as devastating.For a singular moment Kakashi grieves for Naruto, for a bond severed in all the ways it shouldn’t have been.(Just like it had been for him and Obito.)Kakashi knows that the Genin isn’t dead, his nose and his eyes and Pakkun are screaming it in his ears but somehow it doesn’t alleviate the pain in the slightest.(Somehow seeing the hole the Chidori had left in the blonde’s chest is almost as if he had shoved it there himself. It’s sickening, because it’s Rin all over again and he hates it.)But those are all just excuses.Because what he sees is not Minato’s son bleeding out and dying because of Kakashi’s failures. What he sees is sunshine blond hair brighter than Minato’s has ever been, dirty and damp with watery soil, whisker marks dark and outlining a soft jawline. He sees long and fine eyelashes hinting at the sky-blue eyes Kakashi so desperately seeks, thin angry red scars crisscrossing on the boy’s fragile looking wrists.The silver haired Jonin cannot figure out when the transition had happened between sensei’s son and simply Naruto.(It’s probably somewhere between the second or third time he’d had to drag an unconscious blond teen to the hospital, and the fifth time he’d had to ransack Naruto’s apartment for hidden razors.) “Kakashi-sensei.”His name is whispered with utter relief, and Kakashi can’t help but to chuckle.He allows the teen to stumble and slump against his back with a wince the blond shinobi doesn’t quite hide.“Rest now, Naruto. You’ve done well.”“The village?”“All fine. Thanks to you.” And he means it. He couldn’t fake the pride that’s about to burst in his chest even if he wanted to.Kakashi feels the tired smile pressed into his shoulder. With a small jump, he readjusts Naruto’s position to hold him more comfortably while trudging through the forest. The gentle swaying and the previous battle against Pein coax Naruto into a light slumber, the teen all but melting into Kakashi’s warm back.The silver haired man finds he doesn’t mind the extra weight and the wayward strands of hair tickling the exposed skin on his neck.Just as they are nearing Konoha – or what is left of the village – he feels a light mutter against his ear.“Hmm?”“I said, don’t die again, Kashi.”He doesn’t know if it’s the exceptionally bright weather or the unexpected nickname, but Kakashi grins wider than he had in over a decade. For some unknown and strange reason, Kakashi can’t detach his gaze from the tall blond figures standing strong against Madara.It’s stunningly similar, the way father and son square their shoulders and plant their feet stubbornly onto the ground, the way Kurama’s chakra sets their hair aflame and makes their blue eyes bleed into shining ambers.Yet their proximity only brings out the differences, how Minato is tall and slender, all speed and precision whereas Naruto will always be shorter but more compact and a heavy hitter like Minato could never be. How Naruto’s chakra feels alive while Minato’s is tainted and muted the way all Edo Tensei’s chakra are. How Naruto shines just that bit brighter with a charisma not unlike his father, but more condense, more…Kakashi cannot quite find the right word, but it’s probably why the Five Nations have gathered under the same banner just at the mention of Naruto’s name.The Jonin is startled out of his thoughts when a stream of black fire passes mere meters from him.Well, that was a bit too close for his comfort. He’s lucky to have avoided it with only singed clothes, and even then, it would have taken him out of the game if not for the blonde –Oh.Minato sends him a knowing smirk and winks before speeding off to meet another of Madara’s jutsu.Kakashi groans and resists the urge to blush before throwing himself into the fray.(He’s never cursed his ability to read lips before this, because he’s pretty sure his sensei had mouthed something along the lines of ‘Seeing something interesting, Kakashi-kun?’) “It’s been a month.”“Currently Konoha is under rebuilding and there aren’t any missions.”“… You’re avoiding me.”Kakashi jumps at the accusation but doesn’t answer.He doesn’t deny it either.The Fourth Shinobi War has been over for already a month and a half, and with Tenzo’s Mokuton the rebuilding is going smoothly. It’s been a few hectic weeks, but still a breath of fresh air compared to the stifling to and fro of planning and battles. Kakashi, as one of the major contributors to the hard-won victory, has earned a short period of respite.And he had spent all that time running away from the persistent, blond war hero.“Look, you know that I’m bad with subtle conversations so just tell me what’s wrong already.”Nothing’s wrong.Well, at least not on Naruto’s part.Kakashi knows that he cannot avoid the subject forever, but he had hoped for a little more time before he had to face the problem head-on. Apparently, fate is being a total bitch to him – like always – and so Kakashi is currently stuck between a wall and the raging fury of a Naruto who doesn’t seem to appreciate being ignored.Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.Sighing, Kakashi pockets Icha Icha since he hasn’t been reading it anyway, too busy trying to evade Naruto to be able to focus on anything else than all the possible escape routes he knows in Konoha.Sadly, Naruto still remembers quite well his prankster days and all the hidden passages in and out of the village, and coupled with his sensing abilities it’s just a plainly unfair game of cat and mouse.Kakashi’s attention is drawn back to the teen when the blonde’s expression becomes pinched, sharp canines softly digging into rose lips.“Is it… If it’s Sasuke, then I’m sorry. I know that he’s your favourite student and much more talented than I am but I didn’t have any other choice, and I know that it was a heavy price to pay but he’s back and-”The Hatake’s eye widens before he reaches out and grabs Naruto’s remaining arm hard enough to bruise.“No!” he cries out, and pauses a bit to let Naruto focus on his words properly.“No, it’s not that.”“Then what is it? Is it… is it because the Edo Tensei… because dad… Obito…” Naruto’s lips tremble and suddenly Kakashi is assaulted by a pair of pleading, watery blue orbs the man haven’t seen in years.“Kakashi-sensei, if you hate me, I…”Something dark lurks in those eyes, something dead but not entirely and a cold kind of fire that burns Kakashi’s thoughts, a wish and a desire reflected in a gleam he’s never thought of as anything other than excitement before. But now Kakashi is finally close, a breath away just like it used to be when the teen had been but an infant cradled in a cold ANBU’s embrace, and it’s devastating to see the child with the same color that had once lit Kakashi’s own gaze.He had seen it before, when Naruto had first joined team 7 and still plagued by spiteful words and carefully sharpened razors.He had hated Konoha for doing that to Minato’s son, and now he hates himself for bringing it back.“Naruto,” he tugs on a burnt orange sleeve and pulls the teen closer, “Oh Naruto, I don’t hate you. I’ve never hated you.” Kakashi runs gloved fingers through spiky tresses, longer than they usually are, and he marvels at their softness.“Naruto, I could never hate you even if I wished to. I’ve known that ever since the first time I had seen you in the Sandaime’s arms. I’ve been avoiding you, but it’s definitely not because of Sasuke. If anyone were to blame, it would have been me. Minato-sensei is gone, yes, but again he’s been dead for over a decade and I’ve had enough time to deal with it. It was more of a blessing, really, to be able to even see him again. As for Obito, well, I’ve been mourning his death since I was twelve. It would be silly to do it again, don’t you think?”Naruto steps just a bit closer. “Then why…?”“It’s… complicated.”The blond looks unimpressed.“It has nothing to do with you. It’s just… me.”“You?”Kakashi runs an agitated hang over his face, trying to gather his thoughts. “Well, I’ve told you before that I’ve been your ANBU guard up until you were about a year old, right?”Naruto nods, uncertain as to where Kakashi was leading this conversation.“Yeah, I’ve looked through the files. I know that you only left because of the Council, so I don’t blame you for it.”“Well, what you don’t know is that at first it was because of a mission in Snow country – Spring country now. I was supposed to take you back after that, but the Council had overruled the Sandaime and forced me to drop my position as your guard. I couldn’t really rain hell upon them, so the Hokage and I had an… understanding, of sorts.”“An understanding?” Naruto is definitely curious now.“I had a few conditions. I had arranged for you to get your apartment and made sure that the ANBU keeping an eye on you was trustworthy.”Naruto blinks a few times. “So it isn’t a coincidence that we used to be practically neighbors…?”Kakashi smiles. “Totally intended. I’ve also paid for all your Academy fees.”Naruto’s expression turns from confusion to dawning comprehension. “You did…? So that’s why my orphan allowance used to be much higher than the others’!”A few seconds later, the blond frowns thoughtfully. “Wait, but to do that-”Kakashi smiles under his mask. No matter how clumsy the blond teenager can be at times, he’s far from the knucklehead he’d been as a Genin.“I was your legal guardian, Naruto, if only for a little while. Up until I became your sensei of course, since it’s illegal for a sensei to have any close ties with his students to avoid favouritism. No one knew about the guardianship so it was easy to remove my name from your files.”“You did that for me…?” Naruto’s voice wavers and Kakashi closes his eye as he pulls the teen close, circling an arm around the blonde’s waist, mindful of the bandaged arm – half of an arm, really - and letting him bury his head into his chest.“Yes, yes I did. You know why?”He feels Naruto clutch at his Jonin vest and the silver haired man tilts his head to let bright blond tresses caress his chin, taking in the faint smell of fireflies and warm fur mixed with summer sunshine.“Because even before you were born, when Kushina hadn’t even started showing… You were family, Naruto. Like Rin, Obito and Minato-sensei. From the start.” Kakashi pauses, a bit out of breath and a bit caught in the moment.“But now… now, I can say that it’s because I love you,” he mutters, and it takes all his will power to not sigh when it feels like a weight is being lifted off his shoulders.Kakashi looks down to see bemused sky blue eyes staring at him incredulously.“You…”Kakashi is more relaxed than he’s been in years. Perhaps it’s the adrenaline, perhaps it’s the mood urging him, perhaps it’s Naruto’s sweet scent overwhelming him, but he raises an arm and swiftly pulls down the double layers of masks, letting them pool on his neck.For a few tense moments the blond in his arms scrutinize his revealed face, taking in the narrowed eyes, the thin scar over his left eye running to just a centimeter above the corner of his mouth, the high cheekbones from his mother and the strong jawline from his father, the slightly crooked nose, testimony to his long years as a shinobi, and his lips stretched into a gentle smile.Finally, a warm hand comes up to tangle into his hair at the base of his neck.“You silly Jonin.”A quick peck on his lips and suddenly Naruto is dancing away, a seductive smirk in place.“You coming or what? Iruka-sensei is getting promoted and the ceremony is not waiting for anyone!”Kakashi chuckles and follows.(There will always be a gap between them, age and experience and the shared pain they fight to keep away, but it’s a good kind of distance that Kakashi will not trade for anything else.Besides, he quite enjoys pursuing the blond, in all senses of the word.)
10968573	Dont Ask Dont Tell	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Jeremy Heere, The Squip (Be More Chill), Rich Goranski", "Fandom": "Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-22T00:00:00", "words": "2,097", "Additional Tags": "Be More Chill - Freeform, Gay (duh), Cheating, Post-Canon", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Rich Goranski/Jeremy Heere, Jeremy Heere/Michael Mell", "Series": "Jeremy Heere: High School Fuck-Up", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	It was totally a bad idea. Jeremy knew this; as he stood there amongst the sea of drunk classmates dancing haphazardly to the loud music, he couldn’t focus on anything other than that goddamn voice. ‘You can’t get rid of me, Jeremy.’ It had been repeating the same phrase since he woke up. The taunting, arrogant voice seemed to be blocking out any other voices around him. Rather than telling anyone, or asking Michael if he had any Mountain Dew Red with him, Jeremy had decided to take care of it himself. Worst mistake he made since purchasing the damn thing. It had been two whole years since the incident at the play, and he hadn’t heard anything other than faint, echoing, incoherent babbling every so often, so hearing the voice so clearly out of the blue scared the hell out of him. Luckily, Jake’s pre-graduation party was in full swing, meaning Jeremy had full access to any liquor of his choice. That’s how he ended up in the middle of a crowded kitchen, downing a half a bottle of vodka in one go. The alcohol stung his throat, but the tingling feeling he felt soon afterward was well worth it. ‘That’s not going to work. I’m a supercomputer, Jeremy. I am programmed to upgrade to my latest software every six months. I am no longer susceptible to most alcoholic beverages.’ He didn’t listen. He simply continued to take gulps of the liquid, hoping the stupid voice would just leave him alone. Rich was standing in the doorway of the kitchen talking to Jenna when something caught his eye. Looking across the room, he saw Jeremy drinking at an alarmingly fast rate. This both confused and concerned the shorter boy. Where was Michael? Shouldn’t he be checking on his boyfriend? Whatever, Rich guessed he’d just have to handle it on his own. He walked across the room, occasionally having to awkwardly shuffle around a drunk girl looking for her latest hookup until he finally reached Jeremy. “Hey, slow down there. Save some for the rest of us,” he said gently, ending it with an endearing smile. It took a moment for Jeremy to register what Rich had said. “O-Oh, sorry man. Wasn’t really paying attention,” he lied lamely, staring at the floor. ‘You couldn’t come up with a better lie?’ “Shut up!” Jeremy yelled out loud, rubbing his temples and groaned softly. “You alright? You seem a little-“ It finally clicked when Jeremy yelled at seemingly nothing. “..Dude, do you need some Red? Jake keeps some in his garage for emergencies,” he asked gently, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Yes.” Jeremy replied a little too quickly, the alcohol starting to take effect since he hadn’t eaten much that day, and he was already a lightweight to begin with. Rich, instead of saying anything else, took Jeremy’s hand, pulling the tall boy through the kitchen and shouting “Move, I’m bi!” to get through the crowd quickly. Eventually, they reached the garage, which was thankfully empty due to the fact that Jake kept it locked. Other than Jake’s parents, Rich was the only other person trusted with a key. Rightfully so, since the Mountain Dew Red was placed there in case the boy’s Squip ever decided to return on a whim. He placed Jeremy in a nearby chair since the taller boy was quickly getting more and more drunk to the point where he was having trouble walking right. Rich dug around in the refrigerator for a while, until he pulled out two bottles of the red drink. After all, if Jeremy’s Squip was acting up, who’s to say Rich’s Squip wouldn’t too? Jeremy mumbled a thanks to Rich, opening the bottle and hastily drinking as much as he could in one go. “Jesus, man. You’re really gonna need to piss soon, seeing how much you’ve drank in the past twenty minutes.” Rich warned, taking small drinks of his own bottle. He never really had a taste for alcohol, so he made it his own goal during each party to make sure everyone got home safely and didn’t drink too much at once. He called himself an innocent bi-stander. Chloe called him a pun slut. “Sorry, I tried to drink to get it to go away, but it said it upgraded so it can withstand alcohol. I’m freaked out, man.” Jeremy muttered, slurring his words a little. “I just don’t get why it came back so suddenly. It’s not like anything’s going wrong with me. I mean, I have friends now, a boyfriend even. I’m not awkward…well, I’m not as awkward. So what’s the deal? Why does it show up /now/, when everything’s finally going fine?” Rich shrugged, taking a seat next to Jeremy and continuing to sip the drink. “I dunno bro. Sometimes it just comes back and bites your ass when you least expect it. It’s awful.” Jeremy nodded slowly, rolling his eyes when the voice returned. ‘I don’t understand you. If you had told me you were gay in the beginning, I would’ve ditched the plan with Christine and helped you go after Rich. You’d both be the most popular couple in school by now!’ “I didn’t even know I was gay then. Besides, I’m not into Rich like that.” Jeremy argued, hearing the Squip glitch occasionally from the effect of the Mountain Dew Red. ‘You know you can’t lie to me, Jeremy. I’m inside your brain.’ “Shut up!” Rich flinched at Jeremy’s sudden yelling, but didn’t comment on it. They just drank in peaceful silence, until the taller boy spoke up. “Hey, have you seen Michael around? I think he might’ve left early,” he asked, his words steadily becoming incoherent to Rich. “I think he stepped outside for some air- or a smoke. No in between. Want me to call him to get you?” Rich offered, beginning to pull out his phone. “No no, it’s okay. I was just wondering.” “Oh…okay. How are you two lately?” Rich asked, trying to strike up a casual conversation. “We’re fine. Excited for college. He wants us to get an apartment together near campus.” Jeremy sighed, shaking his head to try and sober up a bit. Rich grinned, patting Jeremy on the back. “Dude, that’s great. Congrats!” “I said he wants to. I’m not quite sure about it yet…I mean, I love him, I really do. I just don’t know if I’m ready for a step that big.” The shorter boy noticed how Jeremy had begun to fidget in his seat a little, understanding that the boy was clearly conflicted about the situation. “Hey man, just remember this: if he loves you as much as you love him, he’ll be okay with whatever you decide. Just, look into your heart. What does it tell you?” There was a pause. Then another. And another. ‘Kiss him.’ Jeremy didn’t fight with the voice in his head, this time obeying and pressing a soft, gentle kiss to Rich’s lips. This kiss was totally different compared to the ones he often shared with Michael. Those kisses were filled with unconditional love and passion. This kiss…this one was different. Jeremy couldn’t exactly pinpoint what it was, but Rich’s semi-chapped lips firmly pressed against his made him feel like he was floating. The kiss didn’t last long, only a couple seconds before Rich pulled away. “…Holy shit…” “I-I know…” “You just kissed me.” “I know.” “We just kissed.” “Yes, I know, Rich.” “Really? Do you also know how wrong that was? You have a boyfriend.” “So do you.” “Not technically. Jake and I have an agreement. Don’t ask, don’t tell. We’re sort of together but we can see other people.” “Well…I won’t tell Michael if you won’t.” Jeremy replied with a smirk, clearly wasted as he leaned in for another kiss. Thankfully, Rich moved out of the way before it happened again. “I can’t believe I’m doing this…alright, fine. But not while you’re drunk like this. Go home, sober up. If you still wanna do…whatever this is tomorrow, you know where to find me.” “Wait, seriously?!” “…Don’t ask, don’t tell, right?” Michael had called his boyfriend a few minutes later once both boys had finished with their drinks and made their way back into the slowly emptying house, letting Jeremy know he had a headache and was ready to go home. Soon after, everyone had gone home, leaving Rich and Jake alone in the house. “Hey babe,” Jake said with a smile, hugging the boy from behind and pressing a gentle kiss to the back of his neck. “Missed you tonight. Find someone you like?” “Not really. Jeremy’s Squip came back, so I took him to the garage to get him some Red.” “Oh…is yours…?” “No no, I’m fine, but I drank some too just to be sure,” Rich assured, turning around in Jake’s arms to face him. “Oh, good. So…we’re alone…” Jake smirked, cutting off his thought with a heated kiss to his boyfriend’s lips. “God, you taste like booze.” Rich groaned, his face scrunching up at the burning taste. “Aw babe, lighten up! Stay with me tonight, please?” Jake asked, poking his bottom lip out in a plea. Rich smiled a little, pecking the boy’s lips once more before pulling away. “I wish I could, but I might have someone coming over in the morning to hang out. I’ll help you clean up around here before I go, though.” “So we have time for a quickie?” “I will leave right now, don’t think I won’t.” ** The next morning, Rich jolted awake at the sound of knocking on his door. Since coming out to his alcoholic father had gone worse than anticipated, he was forced to move out and get an apartment of his own. He had decided on a small studio apartment across town, since the rent was super cheap and he didn’t have to deal with the hassle of finding a roommate. Rich stood from his bed, stretching to wake himself up before walking towards the door. He ran a hand through his hair to seem at least somewhat presentable to whoever was on the other side of the door, before opening it to see a familiar tall, lanky boy with a nervous smile on his face. “Wow, didn’t expect you to remember anything from last night. You drank a shit ton of vod-“ Rich didn’t even get to finish his sentence before Jeremy kissed him, soft yet eager. He didn’t object; he simply kissed back with as much passion as the other boy. After a while, Jeremy pulled away from the kiss to catch his breath, a bright, excited smile on his face. “…So are you gonna let me in or are we just gonna make out on your doorstep?” Rich laughed and gestured for Jeremy to follow him inside. That morning was a very…interesting one for the both of them to say the least. A couple hours later, the two were laying on Rich’s bed, limbs tangled together under the patterned blanket and chests heaving in their desperate attempts to regain their normal amount of oxygen. That’s when Jeremy began to cry. Rich was taken aback when the boy’s body racked with sobs, but he turned on his side to hold him close, Jeremy’s back against his chest. “God, I’m a horrible person.” Jeremy cried, voice breaking drastically. It made Rich’s heart hurt, seeing Jeremy so upset. “No, you’re not. Why would you think that?” “I cheated on my boyfriend!” “I told you not to come here unless you were one hundred percent sure you wanted to.” “That’s the problem! I wanted to! Fuck, I still want to!” “I’m gonna need a minute if we’re going another round…again. Jesus, is your sex life with Michael dead or something?” Jeremy, who had somewhat begun to calm down, turned around in Rich’s arms to bury his face in his chest. “No…this is different, I guess? Something about it is just…addicting.” “I get what you mean. They were talking about something like that in psychology at the beginning of the year. Apparently doing something you’re not supposed to makes it so much more exciting.” “Shit, I’m screwed.” “You just were. Three times.” Jeremy smacked Rich’s arm lightly, looking up at him with a half-smile. “I’m serious. I hate keeping things from Michael. He can see right through me, Rich.” Rich shushed him, continuing to hold the boy in his arms despite the height difference. “Nobody needs to know.”
10923534	No Reason to Get Excited	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Brendon Urie, Ryan Ross, Jon Walker, Spencer Smith", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by ohnoscarlett", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2010-01-30T00:00:00", "words": "5,077", "Additional Tags": "NC-17 (sex, Language, Ryan is a girl)", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Ryan Ross/Jon Walker, Ryan Ross/Spencer Smith, Ryan Ross/Brendon Urie, Ryan Ross/Brendon Urie/Jon Walker, Spencer Smith/Brendon Urie", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Bandom, Panic! at the Disco", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	"No Reason To Get Excited" Band: Panic! at the Disco Pairing(s): Jon/Girl!Ryan, Spencer/Girl!Ryan, Brendon/Girl!Ryan, Jon/Girl!Ryan/Brendon, Brendon/Spencer Word Count: 5005 Rating/Warnings: NC-17 (sex, language, Ryan is a girl) Summary: Spencer had been pining, but four's a crowd. Notes: beta by cloudlessclimes,kueble, tuesdaysgone, and penceyprepster, or essentially everyone who would read this anyway. Title from Jimi Hendrix (and others), "All Along the Watchtower". “Are you afraid of vaginas, Spencer?” Ryan knew the answer before it was even out of her mouth, and before the scarlet blush swept over Spencer’s cheeks. Yes. Yes, he was.Ryan just liked to torment him.“Yours, maybe.” Ooh, ouch. Brendon snorted loudly, tipping over into Jon and giggling—no, laughing so hard tears streamed down his face. Spencer would have to kill him later, that’s for sure. Jon, for his part, at least kept it concealed behind his hand.Ryan unfurled from her customary slouch to stand regal and offended in front of them all.“I happen to have a perfectly wonderful vagina,” she said, nose in the air. “Just ask Jon. Or hell, Brendon, for that matter.”Brendon choked, spluttering and gasping, fighting for air; caught between his laughter and shock. Jon sat perfectly still, as was his wont. He liked to fly under the radar for the most part. Spencer looked at them both, considering. Ryan’s relationship with Jon was well-established. Essentially since the day they went on tour for the first time with Academy and Ryan caught sight of him. She had poked Spencer in the side and went, “Damn, who’s that?”It had been a rather vicious poke. There had been bruising.Brendon, on the other hand... Spencer hadn’t known about that. He actually thought Brendon was gay. Was pretty sure he was, really. Well, he hoped. Pretty much.“What, Ry, did you scare Brendon off pussy too?” Ryan glared at him. It was also a well-known fact that Spencer had had sex with a girl exactly once. And that girl had been Ryan.It had been a disaster.Seriously. Awful. Spencer had been sixteen and unsure about his sexuality. Ryan had been seventeen and confident. Sure. She was way more than he could handle. With breasts. But he loved her, and he figured, hell, if he could do it with Ryan, well then…Ryan made a much better friend, all things considered. Most days, anyway. And Spencer stuck with the dick. He much preferred the dick. Truth be told? Sure, vaginas scared him. Fear of the unknown and all that, right? Fuck all if Spencer knew what to do with a vagina. And all that other… stuff.But Spencer hadn’t really been getting much non-vag action, either. Ryan knew it, too, and she liked to pick the scab. Pour salt on the wound. Twist the knife. You know, wave all the dick she was getting right in his face. Spencer didn’t really care about Jon. Now, Jon was a great guy and all that, but he was strictly Ryan’s territory, and as far as Spencer knew had never even batted an eyelash at another guy. Not even Pete. Not even William Beckett! And Spencer had no idea how he could work with that in his face every day and not crack just a little bit.Maybe it had something to do with how quickly Jon came running to them when they asked him.Just a thought.Or maybe it was just Ryan and all the pussy he could ea—oh ick, ick, ick. Spencer shook himself and stalked off to the kitchenette to fish for some coffee.Spencer hadn’t known about Ryan and Brendon. He wondered when that could’ve happened. Brendon surely didn’t let on. Of course, Brendon seemed to play his cards awfully close to his chest. Spencer never really knew what was going on there.“You’re wondering about me and Brendon, aren’t you,” Ryan whispered into his ear. Spencer jerked and shot her a look. She just smiled sweetly and raised up on her toes so she could continue. “It was during Warped. We were filthy.” She paused, and Spencer actually thought she was done. But all she did was switch sides so she could hiss in his other ear. “He caught me in the shower one day. I was already all wet, so…” She paused again, and Spencer found his gaze drifting back over to the couch where Brendon still sat with Jon. Ryan watched him look at them. “God, he’s a fantastic piece of ass, isn’t he?”“Cut it out,” Spencer snarled under his breath. Ryan laughed.“You love it. You want him so bad you can taste it on the back of your tongue,” Ryan breathed into his ear. “I have.”“I said, cut it out.” Spencer shrugged her off. “What did Jon think of that, anyway?”“We weren’t exclusive,” Ryan said nonchalantly. Uh huh. “Besides, I’ve had a threesome. You?” Well, that explained Jon’s non-reaction to that little piece of news. How could Spencer have been so out of the loop? What else didn’t he know?“Can I just drink my coffee and not talk about this with you?”“Sure, baby. Whatever you want,” Ryan said laughingly.“God, I hate you,” he said as she walked away.“You love me,” she said with a swish of her hips.“Yeah…” God, she was a bitch.*Spencer managed to avoid looking any of his bandmates in the eye for about three days. That’s what it usually took for him to get over being embarrassed in front of them. He actually warmed back up to Ryan first. Strange as it may be, she was still his best and oldest friend. She just knew how to push his buttons. Jon came mere moments later. He and Ryan were never really very far apart, and Jon hadn’t really done—or witnessed, for that matter—anything seriously horrifying. Plus, he could commiserate with the putting up with Ryan’s shit.Brendon took a little longer. The bald truth of it being the fact that Spencer was indeed an eighth grade girl with a crush. And Brendon caused Spencer to blush and stammer on his best days. It wasn’t pretty.Now he couldn’t get the image of him, and Ryan, and Jon out of his head.The worst part of it was that he didn’t even have any details and yet a vivid Technicolor porno played on repeat inside his skull. * "So," Jon slumped down next to Spencer on the couch. "You want to nail Brendon." Spencer hummed absently. "Wait, what?" he squawked. Jon giggled and twisted away from Spencer's flailing elbows. "Jesus, Walker, you fuckhead! You don't just--" "What? State the obvious?" Jon smirked and threw an arm over Spencer's shoulders companionably. "I know, man, I've been there." Spencer squinted dubiously, but Jon only nodded. "Totally. He's bi, you know. That's why it works out so well with me and Ry. You should just go for it, dude, if you want. I bet he'd be into it, a little one-on-one." Spencer sputtered. It was as if his lips couldn't move fast enough to get out what he had to say. "You. I don't even--what the hell?" "Go for it, man," Jon repeated amiably. "I've seen how you look at him when you don't think anyone's paying attention." "Fat lot of good that does," Spencer grumbled. Jon hauled himself up again, brushing imaginary crumbs off the thighs of his pants. "I've also seen how he looks at you. Just saying." "Fuck." "Pretty much, yeah." * It came down to Brendon approaching him for Spencer to get over himself. "Are you mad at me?" Brendon asked sweetly, head tilted and eyes downcast. Damn but if he wasn't the prettiest thing Spencer had ever seen. "Of course not, B." It was true, after all. "Then why are you avoiding me?" he asked flatly. Spencer gaped and backpedalled furiously. "I'm not--" "You are." Spencer sighed. Well then. "I'm sorry," Spencer said finally. "I was trying to forget about looking like an idiot." "You don't have to apologize," Brendon said softly. "You didn't do anything. Ryan was goading you." "I let her." "Don't we all," Brendon added. "She has us all right where she wants us: twisted around her little finger." "Brendon..." "I know, Spence. I know. Just--" he trailed off absently. "Do you want to hang out? Just you and me? Ditch Cruella, and like, cease to be her minions for a while?" He let a little hesitant smile creep onto his face. Spencer echoed it, and it bloomed, along with a burst of something inside Spencer's chest. "I don't know if we're her minions, exactly..." Spencer said with a grin. "Oh, we are, Spencer Smith. Don't you forget it. Jasper and Horace, that's us." Brendon nodded conspiratorially. "What about Jon? Cruella only had the two guys," Spencer wondered, just trying to keep the metaphor running. "I don't know. She's probably just got him tied up somewhere--" "Whoa," Spencer cut him off. "I don't want to know." Brendon grinned again, sly. "You don't, do you? So you say," Brendon curved his body around Spencer, propelling him into the back lounge. "In the village. In the back of that car. She's a kinky bitch." "Brendon," Spencer choked. He could feel Brendon pressed against his back, laughing softly to himself. "I'm sorry. You had a bad experience. I know." Brendon patted his shoulder. "She thinks it was her fault, you know." "What?" "That it sucked and 'now you're gay'," Brendon stated; air quotes and all. Spencer boggled. "I've kind of always been--" "Yeah, tell her that," Brendon replied, picking at a hangnail on his thumb. "Didn't work for Jon. Didn't work for me." Spencer just stared at him. "You--" "Tried reasoning with her? Yeah, that didn't work out so well," Brendon chuckled under his breath. "That never works," Spencer agreed. "I know that now!" They laughed, and Brendon shoved Spencer the rest of the way into the back. "Come on. I'm in the mood for some Dalmatians!" "You're a freak," Spencer breathed out as he stumbled into the lounge. Brendon hip-checked him out of the way and turned, batting his eyelashes. "But you love me." Spencer sighed inwardly. "I do." Honesty's the best policy, right? Keep it mostly true? "I know," Brendon purred. The sound made Spencer go cold and hot at the same time. No. No, he didn't know. He couldn't know. But what if he did? Spencer was going to die. He curled up on the sofa and clutched a pillow, watching as Brendon crouched in front of the DVD player. His ass-watching was pretty shameless; no wonder he had been caught out. Brendon straightened and began humming Cruella's theme song. Spencer ducked his head, smiling to himself, and Brendon just got louder, transitioning to whistling, and throwing in a shimmy for what was obviously purely Spencer's benefit. Spencer threw the pillow at him. Brendon began to sing instead. "If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will!" "Yeah, that was pretty much the theory," Spencer admitted. Brendon cackled and tripped his way to the sofa, where he threw himself down at Spencer's side and howled with laughter until his face turned red and tears sparkled at the corners of his eyes. Spencer just sat back and watched him. He could watch Brendon all day. * It had almost seemed like Spencer had really been getting somewhere. Like Brendon had suddenly figured out what Spencer's deal was and was, well, not exactly totally on board with the possibility of getting naked at some point in the future, but maybe considering it... "Brendon--" "Yeah..." "Come on. Come on, come on--" "Ry..." "That's it. Yes, right--Brendon! Jon Jon Jon Jon Jon Jonny, please!" "Yeah, baby, ssssh." Spencer stood stock still on the second step onto the bus. Fuck. He had been incredibly fortunate to have never interrupted Ryan and Jon. His luck must have run out though. Or they figured that since their little secret was out they could fuck whereever they wanted, public spaces be damned. "Fuck," Spencer sighed. Then he backed carefully down the stairs and locked the door behind himself. * Spencer sulked. He wasn't proud of it, but he did it. He had really begun to hope. But no. Brendon belonged to Ryan, and it really shouldn't have come as a surprise. Ryan got everything she wanted. Ryan got everything he wanted. The inside of his bunk didn't care if he wallowed a little. "So." Spencer jumped and banged his head hard on the wall. The glare he turned on Ryan did nothing to prevent her from widening the gap where she had poked her head through his curtain and climbing in beside him. "I don't want to deal with you right now," he said, as politely as he could manage. Ryan surveyed him coolly before she snuggled up against his side and tucked her nose under his jaw. Spencer stiffened. "I mean it, Ryan. And I don't want cuddles, particularly from you." Ryan backed out of his bunk just as easily as she had gone in. * "What the actual fuck, Spencer! She cried. She came to me and she cried." Spencer didn't know whether to be more surprised/concerned/horrified that Jon was yelling at him, or what he was yelling at him about. He opened his mouth once, but closed it without a response. He didn't know what to say. "Seriously. This is not ok. You do not--" Jon jabbed a pointy finger at him. "You do not get to treat her that way. That girl is your best friend. It would do you good to remember that, once you get your head out of your ass. We love you, Spencer, but you have got to--" Something finally rose up inside Spencer. "I've got to what? Wait until you three are finished before I can get a turn?" he yelled back. Spencer never saw Brendon approach, or the punch he threw. * Ryan sat with Spencer in his bunk, holding his head in her lap and petting his hair. "I don't understand boys," she said; so softly he could hardly hear. "Me either," he groaned. Ryan chuckled and adjusted Spencer's ice pack so it dripped less onto her leg and more into his ear. Spencer squirmed, but eventually gave up and just dumped the thing onto the floor. "I'm sorry." Spencer sat up and looked at Ryan closely. "I am. I didn't know how you--" she took a deep, shuddering breath. "I didn't know you really liked him," she added quickly, casting her eyes downward. "Shit. Look, I'm sorry too. I guess I got... jealous. I guess," he mumbled. Ryan's head snapped back up and she wrapped her spindly arms around his neck. "Oh, Spence, I'm so sorry. We didn't leave you out on purpose. I didn't mean to leave you alone." She hugged him fiercely until Spencer was forced to loosen her grip for fear of choking. "I would've--I didn't think--you don't--" "What the hell are you talking about, Ryan?" Spencer finally interrupted. Ryan blushed. She actually blushed, and Spencer had a moment of bonafide terror sweep over him. "What are you thinking, Ryan?" he hissed. "You should join us," she said simply. Spencer just sat there for a minute. "I'm sorry, what?" "You should--" "I heard you just fine," Spencer said. "I don't--" "You don't want to," Ryan replied mournfully. Spencer found himself scrambling. "I just don't understand. Why would you--we didn't really--" Spencer paused, prodding at his swollen cheek and avoiding Ryan's eyes. "It didn't really go over so well the last time we tried, if you remember..." "I remember," Ryan said quietly, twisting her hands in her lap. "Maybe if there was more boy in the equation you could have fun, and even forget I was there." "I could never forget you." Spencer gathered Ryan into his arms and rocked her. He wondered how suddenly their positions had switched and he was comforting her. "I do love you, you know. I just don't know if it would work." "Think about it, ok? Please, Spence?" "Well, I'm pretty sure your boys are both pretty mad at me right now..." Ryan brightened noticeably. "Our boys. And they'll get over it," she said with some confidence. Spencer shook his head at her and shooed her until she finally left him alone. He needed some time to contemplate what he had agreed to do. * He didn't know what to do, actually. It wasn't like he could walk up to his best friends and be like, "I want in." First of all, it would probably set Jon off on a giggle fit to end all giggle fits. And secondly, he would have to die of embarrassment, because no. Furthermore, there was the issue of Ryan. Ryan was... Well. Ryan was a girl, was the thing, and that didn't really work for Spencer. He'd given it his best shot once upon a time, and really, that was quite enough. He loved her, sure, but he loved her like he loved his sisters: he wanted to make her happy. Anything else just kind of squicked him out. It was unfortunate. Spencer knew how very pretty they were together. It was Brendon. Spencer wanted him, and only him. Ryan and Jon would be like having sex with his sister and his best friend. Together. It just wasn't going to happen. The realization saddened him. He wasn't ever going to have Brendon either, because he wasn't going to pull them apart. So he moped. A lot. Ryan figured it out. Luckily, she wasn't mad and/or a bitch about it. "No, huh?" she said one day, sneaking up behind him and slipping her arms around his waist. She dug her chin into his shoulder as he silently shook his head. "I kind of figured, since you didn't jump at the chance, to, you know, jump--" "Not now, Ryan. Please," Spencer said morosely, cutting her off. "Ok, ok," she soothed. "I still love you, you know. Even if you don't want to fuck." "Ew!" Spencer jerked, sending Ryan into peals of giggles. "Oh, come on! You love me! You love me!" Ryan chortled gleefully as she hung on and tickled Spencer until he gasped and choked. She squeezed him breathless (Ryan really was freakishly strong) as she--sort of--let him recover. She dragged him bodily over to one of the couches and knocked him down, letting him drag her down with him. "Spencer, Spencer. Whatever shall we do with you?" she sighed dramatically. His response consisted of hooking an arm around her neck and ruffling her hair. Jon just shrugged as Brendon stared at him, way down on the other end of the bus. * "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I didn't mean to be cruel," Spencer apologized. Jon shrugged. He did that a lot. It kind of made Spencer crazy. "Maybe I'm not the one you should be saying that to," he suggested. Then he jerked his chin down the hallway. Spencer jammed his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet. "Man up, Smith." "Right." * Spencer was sort of surprised that Brendon actually opened the door to his hotel room. It kind of shocked him into submission. Silent submission. Brendon, for his part, just stood there, leaning against the door and looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face. Finally, Spencer took a deep breath and leaped. "Are you mad at me?" he asked. It was a tried-and-true starter. Brendon huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, but he didn't answer right away. "Not any more, no," Brendon said after a moment. "At least you're honest," Spencer mumbled, half to himself. Brendon snorted. "One of us should be." "I haven't lied to you, Brendon," Spencer retorted. Brendon raised an eyebrow and it was Spencer's turn to cross his arms, hugging himself defensively. "I haven't." "You've been keeping secrets," Brendon hissed. Spencer winced. Shit. "Can I come in?" Spencer asked sheepishly. Brendon shrugged. That was Jon's move... Spencer almost bristled, but Brendon turned to let him by, and he let it go. "I don't have anything to hide," Brendon said as he gestured to Spencer to get a move on. Fair enough. The inside of Brendon's hotel room wasn't where Spencer spent a lot of quality time. Not for lack of wanting, but Spencer never really was one for self-flagellation. On hotel nights, Spencer had his own room, and he stayed there. He could shower leisurely and sprawl out on his own bed. Unsurprisingly, Brendon appeared to have similar habits. The room was neat, but showed signs of habitation. Brendon was here. The gentleman in question was currently staring him down. At least the laser beams had been turned off. Spencer would have been toast. "Look, I'm sorry," Spencer managed to spit out. "I didn't mean to--" "What? Imply that I'm the band bicycle? Or say it where I could hear it?" Brendon had been truthful: he didn't sound angry; he sounded sad. It made Spencer hang his head in shame. "I'm sorry," he said again. "It was uncalled-for. I was just--" "Jealous?" Brendon interjected. "I got that. You not getting your turn and all." This time the shock forced Spencer's head up and he gaped at Brendon like a fish out of water. "No! That's not it at all!" he protested. "I had hoped for more from you, Spencer Smith," Brendon said in a small voice, sadness clinging to the edges. Something inside Spencer crumbled. He could feel pieces of himself falling to the floor. He actually looked down, expecting to see jagged little shards littering the ground at his feet. "I'm so sorry," Spencer whispered before twisting away and heading for the door. Brendon's hand shot out and latched onto his arm, wrenching him back around, face to face, before shoving him back and using his body to shut the door. Spencer's back slammed into the door a fraction of a second before Brendon's mouth connected with his. The combination forced the air out of his lungs, and Brendon took it. Took it like he was taking away coherent speech and the ability to do anything besides curl his fingers helplessly into Brendon's shirt. Spencer gasped and Brendon backed off, but didn't back down. "I don't understand," Spencer said against Brendon's lips, his hot breath ghosting over damp skin. "I liked what I had with Ryan and Jon," Brendon told him. "We're friends; I can trust them; no strings. It was fun." Brendon licked his lips and Spencer shuddered, drawing his attention to all the places where their bodies touched. "But I've always known," he continued, "that it was Ryan-and-Jon. That we're friends, but--but with you I thought maybe--maybe I could have..." "More," Spencer breathed. Brendon's eyes flashed dark and he nodded curtly. Spencer's blood ran hot and he fisted Brendon's shirt even tighter. "What was all this? Some sort of test?" "You passed." The sound Spencer made never got past his lips. Brendon's body was pressed against his, hot and hard and Brendon, and it didn't matter if Brendon had been playing him in some sort of weird, backwards vetting. Spencer didn't care, because Brendon kissed him again and ground their hips together and clutched his arm so hard that the imprint of his fingertips would last for days. Spencer groaned, and Brendon smiled against his skin. "Yeah?" Brendon ventured, not really asking. He knew Spencer was game. Even so, he stumbled when Spencer pushed him back. A dark look flashed in his eyes, just enough to enbolden Spencer, who pushed him again, and again, until Brendon bumped up against the bed and finally stood firm, sticking his chest out and thrusting out his chin. Spencer's laugh was sharp and bright. Brendon grinned wolfishly at him before lunging and hurling Spencer down onto the bed. "So that's the way you want to play it?" gasped Spencer. Brendon bounced on the bed once, hard, and Spencer found himself suddenly in exactly the same position he had been a moment before, only this time, Brendon was on top of him. Brendon pressed him down into the mattress and Spencer couldn't breathe. Brendon nudged Spencer's arms up over his head, circling his fingers around his wrists, and Spencer still couldn't breathe. Brendon rolled his hips. Spencer just gave up on breathing as overrated. He was going to die, and it was going to be on the heels of the hardest orgasm ever. That was ok. He had to go sometime. Brendon licked Spencer's bottom lip, and he jerked, surprised. Brendon laughed. "You know what?" Brendon teased. "Naked. There should be more naked." "Oh yeah?" Spencer countered with a smirk. "Yeah," Brendon growled, low in his throat. Spencer shuddered. Brendon's fingers immediately skittered up under his shirt, pushing it up until Spencer came to his senses and tugged it the rest of the way off. Brendon smoothed his palms down his chest, his head tilted thoughtfully. Spencer let him be for a moment, and just watched Brendon--beautiful Brendon, as he drank him in; looking down at Spencer as if for the first time. He only let it continue for a moment, then proceeded to peel off Brendon's clothes as quickly as he could. Brendon stood to shuck his pants. Spencer just stayed on the bed, squirming and arching as he wrestled with suddenly too-tight jeans. Brendon chuckled breathily as he surveyed the scene. Spencer huffed out an exasperated breath, and glanced up to see Brendon palming himself roughly with one hand and clutching a bottle of lube in the other. Spencer froze. A slow smile spread over Brendon's face. "I am going to fuck you," Brendon said matter-of-factly. "I am going to hold you down and I am going to fuck you." Spencer's mouth opened and closed. He simply neglected to say anything. He couldn't. It's not like he was going to disagree. Oh, hell no. And he wasn't going to do something so stupid as to try to be cute and coy. His input wasn't necessary. That was fine. Brendon took a step closer and climbed back onto the bed. Spencer watched as he settled himself between his knees as if he belonged there, confident as you please. Spencer caught a tiny smirk as Brendon popped the bottle top and poured lube into his palm. It made Spencer's entire body clench in anticipation, but Brendon's hand dropped down to leisurely stroke himself. Spencer squinted and blinked a few times. "Um..." Brendon grinned. "Oh, I'll get to you," he said. "Don't you worry." Spencer shivered. Brendon grinned. It would be infuriating if it wasn't so hot. Brendon really wasted no time after that. Sure, he had seemed to be getting off on torturing Spencer, but. No, no "but". Brendon liked to see Spencer squirm. Spencer gasped and writhed when Brendon unceremoniously thrust two fingers into him. He did it again when Brendon added a third. Spencer's eyes widened comically when Brendon teased with a fourth. "No," Brendon laughed. "Not this time." "Damn right!" Spencer huffed. Brendon pulled his fingers free, wiping them meticulously on the sheets. Spencer watched as he produced a condom (from somewhere) and took his sweet time getting it out of the wrapper and onto his dick. Then all at once, Spencer found himself pressed into the mattress, Brendon's warm hands clasped firmly around his wrists and his nose an inch away from Spencer's. "I'll do whatever I want," Brendon hissed. "And you'll let me. You'll let me, and you'll want me. You'll want it, whatever I've got to give." Spencer gasped again, and his hands opened and closed uselessly. He could feel Brendon's weight grinding his bones together. And he was right. So very right. Spencer nodded tightly. "Are you ready?" Brendon asked. Spencer nodded again. "Good," Brendon breathed against his skin. Spencer felt his eyes slip shut, and of course Brendon took that moment to slide into him in one smooth motion. Spencer's eyes popped open again, and he pushed ineffectually against Brendon's grip, succeeding only in grinding down and forcing Brendon even deeper inside him. Brendon dropped his head down to mouth at Spencer's shoulder. "God, Spence," he groaned and rolled his hips. "Do it, then," Spencer demanded breathlessly. Brendon set a grueling pace. He did as promised: he held Spencer down, and he fucked him. Hard. And Spencer met him thrust for thrust. They worked together. They worked. And that, as much as Brendon's hands on him, brought him over, shaking and moaning and bearing down hard. Brendon came moments later with a surprised noise in his throat. Brendon flopped down beside Spencer, panting. They were both covered in sweat, even if most of it belonged to Brendon. It was gross, but Spencer didn't care. It's not like anybody ever expected to come out of sex particularly clean. Spencer was covered in sweat and come, and he didn't care. He just lay back and closed his eyes and wondered where he'd be able to feel Brendon tomorrow. He had a few ideas. It startled Spencer when Brendon started stroking his wrists. Spencer hadn't yet bothered to move; he was post-orgasm boneless and intended to stay that way as long as possible. But Brendon had hoisted himself up onto one elbow and reached for him again. It was gentle, surprisingly tender, how Brendon swiped his thumb across Spencer's skin. Spencer watched him, and it was weird. Brendon seemed almost sheepish. "I'm sorry," Brendon said softly, looking down at Spencer's hands. "For what?" "I got a little..." Brendon flapped a hand. "Yeah," Spencer agreed. "Sorry," Brendon said again, but even quieter, if that was possible. "No." Brendon's head popped up, and Spencer rolled onto his side to look at him properly. "No, I wanted you to. I wouldn't have let you if I hadn't wanted you to." Spencer took a deep breath. "It's not like every time has to be like that. You don't--" "'Every time'?" Brendon teased. Spencer blushed. "Well. If you don't--" "No," Brendon interrupted again. "I want. Again. And again and again and again..." Spencer laughed and pushed Brendon's face away. Brendon just smiled and pressed back even closer, nudging and squirming until he was comfortable. "I want to do terrible, dirty things to you, Smith." "Awesome."
10978509	The Courtship Of Sansa	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Cersei Lannister, Sansa Stark, Jaime Lannister", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by goldandbeloved", "chapters": "12/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-23T00:00:00", "words": "12,616", "Additional Tags": "Lesbian, queer, BDSM, D/s, Brother/Sister Incest, Consensual Incest, Temptation, Sensuality, lesbian bdsm, Seduction, Lannicest, lemon cakes are aftercare, Lust, Submission, Older Woman/Younger Woman, mythology as foreplay", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Cersei Lannister/Sansa Stark, Cersei Lannister/Jaime Lannister, Cersei Lannister/Jaime Lannister/Sansa Stark, Lion-Of-Night/ Maiden-Made-Of-Light", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, Game of Thrones (TV)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/F, F/M, Multi, Other", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	The North, a constant ache. Ache of cold, of bones banging against bones, the ache of Cersei Lannister’s cramped and painful legs in the wheelhouse, the hot steam of sweat from drowsing ladies, the ache of her head from the atonal singing of a Stokeworth girl whom Cersei wants to claw. Cersei also wants to claw a hole in the wheelhouse, run free like a trapped beast.Instead she straightens her neck and raises her head high, silent imitation and communion with Jaime, imagining him somewhere outside. She envies him the snap of cold in his face, even the drizzle that stars his golden hair with clear gems of water. His eyes green as undying spring, his skin ivory and rose, his teeth white and sharp like a glorious beasts’ fangs, the golden hair rippling over his forehead like a wave of sunlight. If everyone could see you as I do, my beloved, all the world would be in love with summer. Winter would turn tail and curl into its darkness, whimpering like a wounded wolf, alone in misery as they would have us be, you and I. Cersei admires a bit of decent covetousness as it’s only proper, even the Stokeworths’ vulgar fawning over the tiny gold and emerald rings above the first joint of each her fingers. Slavering, but appropriate.The heat in the wheelhouse makes her dizzy, the words make her swim in nausea. “What beautiful emeralds, your Grace, just like your eyes! Tell us about them, they must be the finest gold from Lannisport…”They are.Cersei grits her teeth and pours forth a dram of pleasantries; she could pour them a glass of curdled swill, uglier than Flea Bottom bowls of brown and they’d lap it and thank her for her generosity. However, such crude obeisance is better than other things. After she’s waved them silent, the Queen pulls her crimson velvet and marten fur hood over her face, gives herself a moment alone with her thoughts, her inmost self. She stretches out her pale fingers, admiring the circles of gold around her fingers, watching them catch the failing light like tiny stars.She lets herself be beside Jaime for a moment, her breath catching in clouds in the darkening air, her lashes dusted with frost. Lesser creatures always hate beautiful ones.(She’d tear their lying tongues from their heads; she knows what they call him, what they call her. The court complains they can’t move for Lannisters cramming the Red Keep but they’ll come running for gold like pigs to the trough at any time—and she won’t let herself think of it, but bites the inside of her cheek.)Cersei hates their self-righteous faces, the roiling clouds of shame and scold, first this, now that but always rippling round to dark hair, horse-faces all their friends. Loyalties. Her father once said there was no one who loved the North like one who’d never grown to manhood there. She’d listened, Jaime hadn’t. Loyalties.That’s why Jaime isn’t here, it’s not his voice shouting to his brothers in this godsforsaken place.Jaime is in King’s Landing, kept there as the caravan left, his eyes a dark storm of emerald.It was spite, pure and simple and she’s poured out and swallowed enough to know the taste. Yet, her face stayed impassive though her eyes and heart raged. Cersei knows on her side of the wheelhouse there’s only Ser Arys Oakheart, his shaggy dark hair framing his face.When he dares look at her, Ser Arys Oakheart looks at Cersei like he’s a pup proud to bay at a rabbit, eyes huge and dark, waiting for his reward as if she’s mistress of the hunt herself with a pouch of smoked meats and marrowbones. (Cersei’s seen Ser Arys Oakheart’s eyes grow wide and liquid over love songs of princesses in towers, faraway lands, the same way he’ll sometimes gaze at her in dumbstruck, insipid wonder. Cersei knows it’s wonder only that she’s a woman and he can do things for her, be useful and loyal, that he’d lie at the feet of the Queen or a kitchenmaid if she asked him to. It doesn’t matter which. A puppy. A foolish, insipid, comely puppy.) His ill-marked ardor does not make the Lioness Queen feel beautiful, only makes her teeth ache, long for the bracing sweet and salt of her beloved, melting kisses and guttural, delicious coarse words that make Cersei’s golden heart flame red, her cunt grow slick with pleasure.(Ser Arys Oakheart blushes at the word cunt ,chides anyone for saying such things in front of ladies. Cersei wonders if he’d think an actual cunt would be toothed, snap off his cock or fingers. Ser Arys Oakheart doesn’t know about tongues.)Cersei remembers she doesn’t care and bites the inside of her cheek. Her blood tastes like metal, salt, the intoxicating red spice and sting of the finest hippocras. Jaime.And so, here she is, aching with miles to go to Winterfell. (Winterhell, Jaime had japed and she can only think of it named so. Like Greenshit. All the secret names and jests they have, the hiss and giggle between them bright and hot and lovely as a kiss.) Her back, her legs her neck, everything hurts and then there’s the Starks.Cersei hopes they've taxed the smallfolk into the ground for a feast and hall for her visit so there might at least be resentment at the wolves for a change. Oh, she wants to sneer at their wine, waste their delicacies, wants their hunger and frustration but it won’t happen. The Queen is looking for handmaidens. The Small Council says the North might have someone among their sorrowful, dour parade and she has to, though she thinks she’d rather watch corpses swinging from their gibbets. Cersei hates the North and never wanted to be here anyway. And Ned.Ned Stark will have to kiss her hand and smile. Too smug to even squirm. Cersei won’t enjoy it. Won’t enjoy any of it, even a single petty delight. She doesn't want a handmaiden, though she’ll have one whether she does or does not.Jaime thought otherwise, that there might be a drop of pleasure somewhere in the thing. He’d locked eyes with her, replete and momentarily sated, licking his lips, savoring, mirroring Cersei’s tonguing of her own bitten lips. “You’ll find a way, sweet sister.” Jaime had purred and nibbled at her ear as they lay in the dark, the scent of straw and blankets around them, breath of cooking fires from the keep, the river stench and sweetness of King’s Landing, then his own dear scent of musk and honey. Cersei sighed then, sighs now. Jaime can unhorse men, open them balls to brains. Her twin’s so sharp and quick he’s away as the newly dead’s last sight is their own guts in the dirt. Cersei growls inside at the particular cruelty that means the only thing she can knock over are trays of cakes, the only weapon she can wield is a barbed word or a vicious glance, if she’s lucky a subtle kick and gracious, lying apology. (If she could, she’d leave Cat Stark’s ankles black and blue since they’ll be seated together. She knows it for a surety, like the heavy, dull pain that brings on her courses.) She sighs again, her body nearly numb from pain, her stays jabbing at the small of her back. (There’s another place that hurts, far away like a voice from the bottom of a well.) You’re never alone, sweet sister. Not while I’m here. Not while I live. Angrily, Cersei tucks the blood-red hood farther over her face and tries to dream, tries not to think of where she’d rather rest her head. Tomorrow’s worse than a war and she’s the one who’s in the vanguard.Her dreams are fierce and furious, till she wakes as the wheelhouse rolls to a stop. Outside she steps out to piss (or whatever it is that Queens do.) Ser Arys Oakheart turns his head sharply, noticeably hiding his blushing face. Oh, such gentilesse. In the dark grey sky, the sun rises rosy red, the first beam of light cuts through white and grey clouds like a golden lance.Luminous. Like coins of sunlit hair, a bright smile. Jaime.It is sustenance in the land of their enemies."We’ll have to bring back a treat". Jaime had grinned. What is worthy to give in this land of frost and rock and misery? Cersei closes her eyes as the grey road unfolds before them. She wants a present too. Always does. The Lioness Queen thinks of their name-days, tumbling asleep in ribbons and silks that held their new toys. Tumbling in silks. Treats. Sprawling across beds like rich pelts.And Cersei can dream at last. Of something, as the wheelhouse rattles and shakes north. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- This is how the sun rises over Winterfell; like a great grey egg cracking, sunlight oozing down like pale, sickly yolk making the snow on the rooftops glitter, the slush dripping like dirtied crystal from spires and battlements.A raven stoops low, full of its thoughts, though right now it’s of the Maester’s gobbets of meat . Some say they can speak if you listen close enough.The raven squawks as it soars past a window, fans out its pinions as it glides home. The air vibrates in the room, sending it to quivering, echoing over bedclothes and furs, off the walls, morning. And quicker than a sunbeam, her eyes are open. In the quiet room, the dark bed covered with furs, her eyes are a summer sky, blue and crystalline and perfect and there’s not a jewel that can describe them completely. Her hair is a scarlet sea, her breath rises and falls in the morning’s sweetest song, as if she breathes the day into being.Her heart flutters like wings.Today. she thinks. Today something is going to happen.Her smile is so bright, one might think the sun hides behind the Northern clouds in shame. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Winterfell’s kitchens are hot, the air that escapes steaming outside the great doors. No one would notice, not the pot girls with loosened chemises boiling down hooves and horns for quivering subtleties that wiggle in the color that is somewhere between clear mustard and grey. It’s like one of the Seven Hells. Sansa’s come to look. She’s eaten porridge and a slice of white bread, nervous with excitement, making sure not one drop stains her sleeves. As any lady does, Sansa knows how to flick each sleeve back smoothly and elegantly, like a waterfall Septa Mordane tells her, though her own rough septa’s sleeves cling close, not like water at all.In the middle of cooks hacking at rabbits with cleavers, hot kettles of dates poached in wine, clouds of flour and the rich smells of bacon fat and onions, Catelyn Stark is having a moment with the head cook.Having a moment. Sansa knows that means her mother is angry Since she hasn’t yet been noticed, Sansa watches, as if all is silent, the stern line of the cook’s shoulders, the way the cook grips at the pestle as if she’d like to grind Lady Stark to shreds, rather than the long peppers and dried lemon peel for the fish course. Catelyn Stark lifts her head and marches off, clear that this is exactly how she meant this encounter to go even if Sansa’s sure it’s not really. A wrong turn and Catelyn’s elbow bangs at her daughter’s side. “Sansa.” Sansa can hear the frustration in her voice, already feels her mother’s spit-damp thumb rubbing at her cheek at a spot that isn’t there. There’s a telltale scent of Tyroshi pear brandy. Sansa keeps her face smooth despite wanting to jerk away. “What’s gotten into you and why are you here? Isn’t Septa Mordane minding you?” Catelyn rubs the bridge of her nose though Sansa’s only stood there being quiet amid the clamor and crowd of scents. One of the kitchen boys scrambles past the Lady of Winterfell with a bucket of bloody offal, umble for pies for the lower seatings, nearly diving over her full fur-trimmed gown. Lady Stark forms her hand as if to slap then drops it in exhaustion, russet strands clinging to her forehead.“Septa Mordane said I should see preparations for the Queen’s visit. She said it would be a duty of mine.” Like Catelyn Stark, Septa Mordane also has a headache. Her name’s Arya. As such, she assumes Sansa’s being a lady. Submitting to duty.Septa Mordane did say it would be a duty someday. Sansa is certain the Seven themselves would count today as a someday. It’s important.“Go. Before you muss your gown. Go...play the harp. Make sure you know their songs.” Catelyn sighs, looking daggers at the cook. “For yourself, be firm with servants. Don’t forget.”The cook catches Sansa’s eye. Sansa nods her head. “I’ll remember, Mother. You know I always take wise advice. “ Sansa’s azure eyes flicker sweetly at the cook. “Go. And no cakes. You need to look lovely.” Sansa’s lip grows firm, knowing she can’t glare at her mother. “Don’t. Arya….” Isn’t me. Sansa thinks, uncharitably knowing her mother wouldn’t care if Arya were fat. Instead she curtsies.Catelyn barely smiles.“We need you to be perfect.” A finger flicks an invisible crumb from Sansa’s high collar.“Mind. Pray.” Catelyn sighs. “Even the godswood if you must, just go.”“My Lady mother.”“Very good. Catelyn murmurs, though her attentions already turned to a dish of stripped and slippery ducks and pigeons, soon to be a pie.Sansa walks off past the cook; Lady Stark’s back’s already turned as she’s drinking deeply from a blue and red goblet with a leaping Tully fish. The cook drops a spoon, coy as a maiden fumbling a kerchief. As Sansa stoops to pick it up she feels a hand at her belt, quick fingers slipping something into the small blue bag of her pocket.In the godswood,Sansa sits by the heart tree, eating the broken cake the cook left for her, turning out her pocket not to miss any, eating the crumbs, then the pine nuts, then the apricot and last the candied ginger, slowly, so it lasts. Sansa closes her eyes, feels the slow fire of the spice spread across her tongue. She trembles, feeling her skin prickle and sting from pleasure, the heat of the ginger, the chill breeze against her ears that she still feels over her body. Every time she tastes candied ginger, Sansa wonders if this is what a kiss is like, the dizzying pleasure, the fire. She leans over the ground so nothing shows on her dress. Before she goes she looks at herself in the pool, as red and white as the weirwoods, her slate dress blending into the waters. Sansa wonders if she is something someone could want, prays that it be so. She wants to make them proud, to be proud. “You want to be beautiful.” whispers the water-girl, to the girl of flesh and blood and slate blue gown.“Yes.” Sansa whispers back. “Yes I do.”,the stray lock brushing her pale cheek. She’s not sure who she’s spoken to, but Sansa quivers, her stomach fluttering. Loosening the high neck of her gown, she can breathe easily again. She wonders how many scales and how many songs she will complete, reddened fingers on golden strings and Sansa worries because she wants her hands to be soft. She spreads out her skirts and kneels, sweet as the Maiden, though her heart hammers. Soon. she hopes. Let it be soon. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The air is silent as if all of Winterfell is waiting, everything hushed like a grey sky laden with snow ready to fall. For a moment, there is almost no noise, no clangor from the smith, no hurrying of servants or whickering of the horses and that’s when there’s finally a shout. The royal caravan is sighted--and finally all the silence has changed. Sansa quivers with excitement, shivering and vibrating like her harp strings as the last notes of Florian and Jonquil echo in the air. Now there’s nothing to do but wait. Sansa opens the shutters of her window to look out to see if she any of it, but there’s nothing yet. The cold air brushes roses on her cheeks as she looks out, her hair blown like russet smoke against the grey stone of Winterfell. Sansa watches, but there’s only the tiniest flicker on the horizon. It could be the wind that makes her eyes flutter, her vision blur. A blink and the road is in view again and Sansa thinks she can see something small and beautiful, a pearl or mote of gold. Sansa wonders what they’ll be like; if the stitching on their sleeves and coats will be in stars and whorls (as she likes to trace on linens, her needle flashing with its golden tail), how beautifully the horses will be groomed, how graciously they will move.(Sansa’s the only one who can speak this language; rarefied and lovely. While her brothers learn house words, smack swords together and her sister goes to chase the kitchen cats, Sansa’s learned a thousand words for beauty, hundreds of ways to be graceful, how to do tiny things. Like her Septa taught her, if she brings wine, Sansa puts her little finger on the table as she sets it down, to cushion it, make it not spill a drop.)Sansa knows dance steps, the obeisance given to one’s parents or one’s lord. She knows patience. She’s had to learn how to wait, how to be silent when she can’t run outside or mess her clothes, how to watch and listen. Her scents are rich strange ones; lemon peel, musk, Sept incense and perfumes. Sansa knows who wears what and how to tell, how in King’s Landing they carry pomanders of cloves, oranges and orris root to keep away any of the illness from the river.Winterfell does not speak this language either; her brothers and sisters wouldn’t know civet or violet only pines, horses, the bloody tang of the sand pail where they scrub their armour. Sansa tried telling Arya once and Arya said she was stupid, went off to play with sticks. There’s something different about her and Sansa knows this too well. She makes her mother anxious, never quite happy enough, her father looks at her with love, but confusion. Sansa knows she’s not like other girls, but can’t tell quite why.No one else wants to talk about silks or colors. She can put her palm up, but there’s no one here to form a square with her, let alone swirl with her down a line of lords and ladies. There’s certainly no one to explain the feelings she has, the way her skin sings when she wakes in the morning, feels her sleeping furs against her toes, points her foot to stretch out the moment of softness and pleasure, the frission of delight from silk on her cheek, the way it feels different when she pulls on her hose now, she makes sure they’re gartered at the knee with a bright scrap of ribbon. Sansa knows she likes it and it’s important, makes her feel like she’s glowing at breakfast all through the day. Is this what her father feels like with Ice beside him?. (Arya wouldn’t bite her lips to make them pink. Sansa’s doing right now, soft nibble after soft nibble, to match the blush from the cold air.) For now she watches from her window as long as she can, watching the pearl roll into the shape of a wheelhouse and tiny horses. A single opalescent flake drifts down from the stony sky and Sansa leans out, flicks out her tongue and catches it. If you catch the first snowflake of a storm, you’ll get a wish. Being upstairs and playing her harp, Sansa’s caught a few more, hasn’t told her brothers and sisters when they come in saying they did first. Sansa closes the window, sits back at her harp to soothe her troubled self. She has to be perfect, play the songs they like, be pretty and laugh and...Sansa closes her eyes and lets the notes fly up like golden sparks. Come to me, come to me she thinks like a prayer before she’s lost in the song. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Snow dusts Winterfell like clouds of white sugar on a honeycake; everyone’s toes are cold. Sansa feels it’s all right that at least things will look pretty for their guests, not enough to slow a wheelhouse or lead to mud, but enough to tidy over the rough edges, star it with crystal and pearl instead of rough grey rock.Sansa shivers in her somewhat sensible cloak. At least it’s blue, with a ruff of silver fur round the hood and a bit of trim in black and silver. She’d have rather had gold but knows not to ask for it since it seems to make people upset (but isn’t that what ladies wear?). The chatelaine bounces against her knee, tinkling like bells with its needles and scissors and other tiny things that Sansa carries but doesn’t know quite why yet. No one else carries one--and looking around, Sansa sees her siblings standing in the courtyard, shifting from foot to foot, surreptitiously kicking at rocks. Arya looks up and glares at Sansa then goes back to scratching the curve of a frown into the dirt in front of her.“Be good.” her lord father had said to all of them before they went to wait outside. “Remember, it’s important for Sansa.” And with the groan of disappointment--there’s waiting outside in best clothes---no watching at the forge, no practice or chasing cats, certainly no dueling with sticks and no looking at the kitchen maids (her brother glowers, then tries to make a kind face at Sansa with a smile. He just looks queasy.) Sansa had stood there and let them all stare, but there was nothing she could do--so here they all are in the courtyard shivering with ladies of the other Northern houses and all Sansa can think of is the faces her siblings are making at her. Occasionally she’ll catch her father looking over at her. Kind but confused, as if a majestic fan-tailed bird from the Summer Isles had appeared among the chickens. Sansa thinks about the joke about a dog that chased horses catching one, then not knowing what to do with it. What would a dog do with something like that, what would someone who kept chickens do with a bird coloured like all the summer’s flowers...and what do they do with me? then suddenly unbidden the thought of a sparkling glasshouse, flitting among fruits and flowers, landing on a golden glove, the sunlight coming through to show every colour of each shining pinion, putting fruits and lilies to shame, enough room for wings to blossom, enough warmth to spread them fully--and it’s at the though of the golden chain, the hood, the jesses that Sansa flushes and the chill air is too warm. Her cheeks turn rosy, flush her to the roots of her severely braided hair.It’s tight enough that it makes her eyes sting, but she keeps her head straight up. Septa Mordane has taught her to stand perfectly still and elegant and she hasn’t fidgeted once. Ladies don’t do that. If you fidget at a ball, someone might be looking and then where would you be?And as if time itself holds its breath, there is a silence; then the ringing of silver bells and the tromp, tromp of horses. Sansa is stricken; it’s so beautiful she doesn’t know what to say, the sounds, the cold air, the soft clouds rising from the lips of Northern ladies.Sansa exhales and with that the gates open, the story begins again. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The horses’ bells might as well be chiming inside Cersei’s head. Not even a subpar yet extremely potent Arbor Red can bring her silence since the Stokeworths started crying as the wheelhouse drew closer to Winterfell, further from home.Cersei doesn’t want to acknowledge them at all, so stubbornly she won’t even snap at them to be silent. So she sips from her cup, keeping the leather cover over it so as not to spill on her gown and is suddenly furiously angry. I am a Queen, not a babe to slurp thus. It’s an average humiliation, barely more than a ripple but Cersei is exhausted and angry. She thinks of Jamie. The thought of his furious, violently honeyed kisses is the only thing that lets the Stokeworth girl keep her dun, dishwater braid which Cersei already knows came from a merchant’s basket and there’s just no satisfaction to be had.With a creak, the wheelhouse settles, the door opens and the maids descend, scuttling to put up a step so their Queen won’t have to suffer the indignities of mud and snow.Cersei looks around her; with ladies kneeling it looks like a garden of frostbitten flowers, sad things for the root cellar, their heads like cabbages atop plain clothes, lichen, slate, sage, each one duller than the next, their hair knotted into braids.The Queen is suddenly pleased that her hair flows gold and free. She can already see Cat Stark peeking up, disapprovingly.Cersei swirls her cloak and shakes her hair over her shoulders. If Cat Stark thinks she’s a whore, at least Cersei’s the whore with her red leather slipper on the North’s throat. Or at least one of its daughters. Perhaps a whore, but I’m not the one pimping the North’s ladies in my courtyard. Cersei turns her stride to a leisurely stroll, the guards mirroring her, Ser Arys at her right elbow (too close for sure) not alerting them to rise yet. The Starks will have such a crick in their backs, though one would think given their history they’d be used to kneeling.There’s the guttural caw of a raven.Cersei wants to go home.There is nothing here at the end of the world, nothing among this sad collection of sad girls because if she’s going to have a handmaiden, she at least wants one who will make her smile in one way or another instead of the dour creatures that probably pray to trees yet will counsel her on her soul.Trees don’t care what I do.Then Cersei sees a flash of red. Vibrant, vivid, as deep as heart’s blood and where the blue cloak has slipped, the back of a high necked gown that she’s left undone, like a white arrow piercing, showing the softness of her skin. Cersei is startled and stumbles. That’s when Ser Arys Oakheart grasps her elbow, letting the Queen’s ankle twist in his eagerness. Cersei turns to him, snarling under her breath. “Never. Presume. To. Touch. Me.” Cersei jerks her elbow away and walks gingerly, tiny step by tiny step though you’d never know it from the way she swirls her skirt. She’s trying not to hurry, not to run, but she wants to see, wants to examine(wants to think about her fingers marking that skin, how pretty it will be striped by her claws, red and white)Cersei bites her lip and takes her position in front of this girl. She is almost afraid to touch, but she reaches out and gently,agonizingly slides a gloved finger under the girl’s chin, tilting her head up.It’s like falling into the sky itself, all of summer in those eyes. Cersei feels a shiver of delight inside her, as she feels the girl’s head turn just so slightly into her hand, resting there, letting the Queen’s hand move her as she will.Cersei lifts her up, out of the muck of Winterfell’s courtyard, dear Gods, her cheeks are flushed pink, her lips rosy.Someone is saying something but all Cersei hears is “Sansa Stark, Sansa Stark.” like bells. Cersei nods, stroking the girl’s cheek, surreptitiously reaching around to feel the pulse in her neck just how Jamie’s shown her he does it on the field.Sansa’s pulse is racing but Cersei’s ready to swoon. Oh, this girl.On the other side, Sansa feels like nothing she can imagine, struck down to her toes from the crown of her head and back again all from those long, slender fingers caressing her cheek. Mysterious and beautiful, like the mermaids and manticores and chimerae, all the women that lead men to their doom, all loose hair and fangs and unspeakable beautyand there’s one here. There’s the only one here.Sansa’s never seen anyone like her, a Lady. A Queen. Tall, imperious, wrapped in red velvet and marten furs, embroidered gloves that are beautiful and her eyes; lush and green as the jungles she’s imagined from books, strange and wonderful, the Queen’s hair woven of gold and starlight.Oh, Florian Sansa thinks in sudden fierce sympathy--and something else is within her, taking the path of lightning, as if she’s become a vessel of stars, her skin has become light itself and feels like it does in the mornings in her furs.Sansa doesn’t want to stop looking at this blaze of beauty, curves her head to softly fit to the Queen’s hand. Instinctively she knows she mustn’t let anyone see, though she is quite sure that her mother is murmuring prayers of delight right now, but not the secret, furious kind that Sansa has. Sansa wants to keep kneeling, Sansa wants to know, wants every word, every moment that this golden lady might bestow, wants to become.I want. Sansa thinks. I want. dares to link eyes with Cersei, then drops her lashes becomingly.Cersei looks back, closes her eyes and breathes the cool air in to soothe her hidden frenzy. spread across my bed, hair like a comet of fire, a dying man’s last blood, red as wine, white as snow, yourself the gift and sacrament I will teach you so many things, girl. So many things. Cersei looks into Sansa’s eyes. Smiles, full and luscious, intoxicating and sees Sansa shiver in pleasure. Cersei desires to stroke the back of Sansa’s neck till she pants and sighs, wants to see if she can undo the girl by a caress on the neck if she could make her scream in pleasure in front of what must be the whole North...Reluctantly, Cersei pulls away, lifts her chin and drapes her hood so no one sees, gestures for Winterfell to rise and allows herself to be carried off to the guest chambers where she can wash off the mess of the journey and have a few sweet moments before an interminable banquet.First, she’s sending for Jamie. Ser Arys Oakheart failed and now there must be proper guardsmanship. Cersei’s mouth almost crooks into a smile and if she prayed, she’d have to give the Seven something for giving Ser Arys Oakheart such a generous helping of foolishness. Cersei thinks of the pleasure of writing the letter, then writing privately telling Jamie of the treat she’s found, the curious, lovely girl, aching to be discovered, to be taken, all the games they’ll play.(Lionesses hunt, bring back that which sustains their pride. )The greatest pleasure will be the stolen one, the corner of the marten and crimson velvet cape in her teeth for silence while her hand works , mind flickering with red and gold and the marks she’ll leave on that pale skin and how the Stark girl will beg for them, what she’ll do when she feels what Cersei wants for the first time, eyes fluttering, gasping, arching the ivory bow of her back--Even with the promise of that delight, Cersei wishes it were time for the feast. As she leaves she sees the Starks milling, catches the blue cloak rushing into the keep. Someone else wants to be ready for dinner. A sweet shudder goes through the Queen’s body at the thought of each of them hiding, stealing their silent, bitten bliss. You won’t need to be quiet in King’s Landing, little sweetling. Cersei’s eyes spark green if anyone wanted to see but they are too busy attending to her. Her secret is safe. Sansa’s is too.In another wing, there’s a flurry of cloak and gown as Sansa runs into her room, snuggles into her furs. There’s not much time, but Sansa’s blood fizzes and spins and not even the slightest sound escapes her lips; it’s all jesses and hoods and a sharp, white smile and waves of red and gold around her...and as she thinks of the Queen she sighs, then lies back, replete for just a moment. It is as if summer has come to her, come to Winterfell at last. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Cersei finds her quarters tolerable once the Stokeworths have ceased their wailings and laid Myrish rugs over the rushes, draped around cold windows with Summer Isles silks, so that the room glows red like a beating heart. Cersei feels like she can at least drop her hood now and points at things she wants because she cannot bear the effort of speaking right now. One of the girls sprinkles resin and herbs into a brazier; clouds of frankincense and dried lavender rise in the chamber. Good. Cersei thinks as the other ladies cover her bed with furs and velvets, crimson and white and gold, good she thinks as she lifts her feet to have another soft rug put under them. (When her skirts drop, Cersei allows herself the brief indulgence of rubbing her cold feet in their damp hose on the newly warmed floor, noting that Winterfell’s hot springs seem to stop directly at the Lord and Lady’s bedroom. She’d considered taking the room, baring her teeh and looking angry, knowing they’d have to give her what she wanted; but this way she’s further away from the Stark’s marital bed, from their end of the keep. Cersei wants to roll her eyes and jape, but Ser Jaime isn’t here. Yet. Under her dress, Cersei shifts at her ankle; it’s still tender from the courtyard, from Ser Arys Oakheart’s clumsy, hideous courtesies. Cersei welcomes the sparkle of pain. Oh, Ser Arys Oakheart has helped more than he knows; and perhaps she should have sent him with more than a day’s worth of rations and a few more companions on the long, weary road back to King’s Landing--but undoubtedly someone with his hature can charm meat from the jaws of any Northern beast. Cersei twists her ankle, grits her teeth and yelps in pain, looking up with a quick flash of emerald. Rushing to her aid, and it’s Cat Stark, both of the ladies suddely face to face. Cersei plans what she’s going to say about her ankle, how she can’t bear to have a man’s hand on that delicate place, that she needs a lady’s hand--and Cat Stark made sure to mention Sansa’s household skills, management, handicrafts. Medicines. Cersei sees the sparkle in the Tully blue eyes, the excitement. Sansa will do her duty, to honor her family, just as her mother would have her do. Why, Cat Stark couldn’t be trembling in delight that she’s sending her daughter to a monarch’s bedchamber, could she?Cersei wryly thinks that it’s no wonder Lord Baelish adored Cat, since Cat Stark has the canniness of the finest whoremongers if her bright eyes and quick breath as she assures Cersei of her daughter’s skill are any indication--though the mocking bird was not to have his mocking bawd. She notes this to write to Jaime , plans to express her curiosity to her twin if Cat knows the pigeon’s blood trick but right now Cersei twists her face in pain, snarls, leaving a Stokeworth to put a goblet of mulled wine by her hand and slip away.Cat Stark slips away too, practically scampering down the hall. Cersei yowls, lets her escorts help her to lie across the great bed, gently prop up the ankle that Cersei makes sure still aches at any touch. They draw the curtains. In the warm dark of the great bed, Cersei sips her wine and waits for her little nursemaid. It’s like a song, really. With the taste of cloves, orange and Arbor Red on her lips, Cersei savours the moment. Since no one can see her she bites at her lips, tasting spices. It wouldn’t do to be pale for the Stark girl, and so Cersei nibbles till her lips are red, shakes out her hair, fans her gown around her so it’s most becoming. Soon the curtains will open and Cersei will be ready. She thinks Sansa will be, too. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Sansa’s heart flickers in her chest like one of the tallow candles on the mantlepiece; she’s been waiting, curious. No one has been nearby, not even the servants. It’s like Winterfell has tilted, the feast and the Queen pulling everyone closer, spinning everyone else out to the edges of the wintry world.(Her brothers and sister are probably outside in the Godswood, it’s not like Sansa doesn’t know where they all go. She’s just not welcome. There’s mud and sharp twigs and Sansa doesn’t want to climb things either. So there’s a gulf of dirt and trees between them, “You’d tear your sleeves.” Arya hissed at her. “Sorry.”, tossed an apple core at her shoes to spatter her hem. Sansa never tried to follow them again, thinks of them held in the ruby branches like a flock of friendly crows, eating swiped treats, even Robb. Sansa doesn’t want them to know that she cares, so she glosses on the half-smile her Septa has told her. Sansa knows she’s not as foolish as they think she is. She sees things they don’t. But she keeps her secrets, the strange one.)She’s heard whispers. She’s seen the looks her mother gives her father when she walks in the room, Sansa hears what the servants say, Sansa knows there are questions she has that no one wants to answer, things she’s on the verge of knowing but wants to keep to herself. Instinctively, Sansa knows it’s better not to ask. Instead, Sansa watches and listens till grace and courtesy come to her, strong and sure like a weapon fitted to her hand. A dip of the head and a flutter of lashes do things as does making sure her mother’s cup is filled, her father’s doublet is tidied; it’s a lot to manage to be beautiful and invisible at the same time.Now, she’s invisible again, but she’s waiting.Someone has seen her. Like Florian gazing at Jonquil, pale and sweet, clad only in swirls of hair, crystal and diamond droplets to star her skin. Oh Jonquil. Did your skin burn to be looked at so? Did he look at you like he was hungry? And Jonquil, did you want him to bite? Sansa trembles from the sweetness of it, her cheeks flaming pink. Then, her mother’s footsteps in the corridor and Sansa’s at the door before Lady Stark knocks. *** And here she is— almost at the end of a familiar corridor that’s now as far away as Yi Ti, clutching a basket of herbs, clean linen bandages, oils, packed tidily around a steaming pot of mint and spruce tip tea. her mother’s instructions echoing in her ear. Sansa is not wholly sure why Maester Luwin isn’t seeing to the Queen’s ankle himself. Perhaps it isn’t proper for their Maester to touch her, Sspta Mordane hasn’t explained this yet and Catelyn Stark has been less than forthcoming. Sansa remembers her whispered words at the end of the hall, her mother’s awkwardly sharp, hard squeeze of her hand, something important.“Gentility, Sansa. Do you understand?” Manners and gentility and Sansa’s not sure what to do if the Queen’s ankle is broken after all, but she takes a deep breath, straightens her spine, lengthens her neck, till it looks like a tower of ivory, as the singers all say. Sansa hopes she is in fact that serene, that implacable and somewhere that beautiful.The door opens though there hasn’t been a sound.Sansa’s eyes widen.It may be her home, but it’s no longer Winterfell here.The room looks nothing like Sansa recalls; it glows gold, each flame caught in the fire-lit strands of the tapestry, the frieze of ladies adorning each other’s hair and smiling in a Southron garden, trees laden with garnet-beaded fruits. One of them holds an embroidered hand to pass a tidbit to a topaz-feathered falcon. Across on the other wall threads of copper, silver and gold, hand-dyed silks, sunlight spilling like wine into an amethyst sea. And above in beads of bronze and pailettes of hammered gold-Sansa recognizes Casterly Rock. It’s a marvel. The Sunset Sea has come to Winterfell. Sansa won’t tell anyone. The air is heavy with frankincense and powdery sweetness that makes Sansa’s head swim, all around the rough furniture is covered with furs, velvets, tasseled Dornish cushions, feather-stuffed violet and crimson silk bolsters. No rushes to be seen, but Sansa’s feet alight in softness, the Myrish rug swirling in dizzying colours under her feet, waves of beauty lapping over the rushes and stones.Instinctively Sansa slips off her shoes. (There might be something on them and she wouldn’t want to stain such a beautiful thing.) The pleasure of the touch sends shivers over her skin, the carpet feels soft and lovely as if it too is spun from gold and sunlight.Sansa can see the great curtained bed, but the curtains are no longer handspun, heavy wool and grey fur, but scarlet with golden vines entwining around them, each leaf appliquéd with a golden coin, flourishes of ombre threads. At the centre a golden lion, eye citrine and carnelian, claws gilded mother of pearl, held up like the spikes of a crown.(This is one of the banners Sansa has traced with her finger as she learned her sigils and barrules, every sign of every great, lesser and small house. Some lords say they know them all. Ladies know better.) How did her fingertips not scorch from touching he simple lines of a lion even then? Sansa burns and flushes now--oh yes, she’s different. So different now from that small girl tracing lions and mermen, bears and trout. Of course her brothers and sisters see, perhaps that’s why.)Sansa’s heart pounds enough she thinks it must echo in the nearly empty room, all the ladies hurried off so the Queen won’t snarl or claw in her pain--and Sansa feels like the mouse in the story she heard once from a visiting singer. The only sound her heart, the crackle of the flames and Sansa realizes with nerves and a strange dizziness that there’s a soft, strange rise and fall of breath behind the curtains. The walk up to the great bed feels like it takes hours till Sansa’s at the curtain, one finger barely touching the velvet. Before she can say anything--“Come in.”The curtains part. Sansa sweeps to the ground, dipping her head, fanning out her skirts, her lips forming the words “Good evening, Your Grace.” as easily as if she’s been doing it all her life after all, not just to mothers or septas, but real. Her voice is low, but sure and Sansa hopes, beautiful.An image unfolds itself in her mind; her brother finally training with live steel, no dull blade or padding anymore. Sansa understands his shock and sudden grin before returning to drills and forms.Her head’s down, awaiting the Queen’s response. So quiet, only breath and fire and the wind creeping round the edges of windows, but it won’t dare to come in here.Sansa is quiet, waiting, then feels something brush at her cheek, tuck a russet curl behind her ear, what might be a tender touch at her ear, lingering at her earlobe.It feels different now. Sansa thinks of silks unfurling, tilts her head almost imperceptibly towards what she’s feeling, catches a hint of lavender, a breath of spiced wine and something else. Something rich and luscious.(The Queen of the Seven Kingdoms is grateful for the Stark girl’s dedication to courtesy; she can’t look up and see the brief tremble that shakes Cersei’s pale body, but her hand stays steady. How she wants to wrap her hand in that mass of flaming hair, twist it round her hand, make the Stark girl gasp and shake, slake her hunger by biting at those pink lipsNot yet. (Cersei knows the pleasure of the hidden caress, the secret, Jaime trying not to cough on his wine as she ran her bare foot along his leg at a particularly dull banquet where she was grateful for the gaucherie of the overlong, scratchy linen tablecloth—and for what it led to later, Jaime’s hand over her mouth, taking a particularly sweet revenge for her trick.Cersei hopes the cloth still bears a stain.)“Rise.”The word hangs in the air as Sansa lifts, Cersei swiftly propping herself on a cushion, tilting her head so her cheekbones are most becoming, her eyes lit wildfire green from the fireplace,Cersei decides she’s far too wounded to feast tonight. Far too much in pain.Sansa’s senses reel.Ivory and blood and gold wrought into -the word’s “woman” but that word’s for cooks and septas and sisters and maids and mothers and who’s in front of Sansa is not like that, nothing like that at all. Sansa can’t take in all this beauty, it’s like trying to drink honey in furious gulps instead of sweet drizzle by sweet drizzle. Honey and gold pouring over the Queen’s shoulders, making the scarlet brocade robe all the brighter, the curve of her body, delicate fingers with gold rings spiralling above the first knuckle of each finger, the gold hairpins and ruby beads tangled in her hair, the golden lion at rest on her snowy breast and her face and emerald eyes the sun has risen in the West and it’s all Sansa can do to stand when all she wants to do is kneel.“Your Grace.”Sansa is grateful for her endless drills in forms of address ; she knows what to say though her head spins, as she dips her head again, feels it lifted by a pale single finger. Sansa lets herself float, look into the deep jade sea of Cersei’s eyes, vast and deep as the snowy fields and woods spread out below Sansa’s tower. All the world is the Queen’s gaze.“Your Grace. Let me see to you.”And it’s Cersei’s turn to slip; oh those eyes gazing up at her, the blue of a Westerlands sky, the blue of cold stars alien and alluring and the sweetness of the girl’s smile. How lovely you will be spread below me, as the sea lies bare beneath the sun. Cersei wants to smile, but forces her mouth into a grimace, remembers which ankle is in pain. “Thank you.”Sansa’s fingers fumble with the hem of her gown and Cersei is ready to sigh from this delight. Idly, she thinks of what she’ll write of this to Jaime, how she’ll describe the girl’s touch strengthening, even as she’s tenderly shy. Cersei has noticed her blushes and is curious as to what her new treasure is thinking and how sooner than not, she’ll be making her tell, from kiss-bitten lips, all the dreadful thoughts that are hers, that no one understands. I do, sweetling. Sansa tries not to swoon, her hands reaching for bandages, herbs, ointments anything to conceal the light tremble, the warmth in the centre of her body, and she wants“Well, little Maester. Shall we begin?” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Sansa’s fingers are busy unfolding bandages from the basket and taking out the small stoneware jar of ground oats and comfrey mixed with cold mint tea. (The cook says it’s nicer on the skin that way and smells pretty; there’s something that feels awkward about having something muddy near the Queen, but Sansa makes herself pat it into a cake and smooth it between bandages, pausing to wipe her hands clean to spare her dress and more importantly, the Queen’s.)Cersei sips her mulled wine and watches; Sansa is solemn and dedicated to her task though Cersei’s also noticed that Sansa keeps her hands tidy. The girl shakes a lock of red hair out of her face. Somehow it looks elegant, makes the curves of her body lovelier. Cersei briefly wonders if the Starks would accept three to five Stokeworths for their girl, but knows full well it’s a price she’d scoff at herself. How can one put a price on a princess? A real, sweet-as-sugar one with trembling pink lips, fiery hair and a spark of something beautiful, uncanny, alluring—who waited in a tower. Singing. You don’t hide the loveliest ruby in darkness; instead you shape it to catch the light, snare it in a golden setting so that all may gaze at its beauty, place it at the loveliest finger or throat. Cersei looks at Sansa’s slender, deft hands, considering and savours another swallow of wine. And what shall I create for you, my jewel? A sudden rush of heat flows through her. Were Cersei a man she might have to cross her legs or tug at a shirt to conceal this, but as Cersei considers writing, this once she’s glad she’s not. If she was, Winterfell’s fairest daughter certainly wouldn’t be gently smoothing a poultice around her ankle in a way that feels like a caress.Cersei’s sigh of pleasure sounds remarkably like a moan of pain. Her poor leg, indeed. She extends, moving her leg closer to Sansa, pointing the toes of her foot as much as she can, so that it’s lovely. Sansa will appreciate it.Sansa moves with her, folding the bandage gently around the Queen’s foot. As she’s lifting the bandage up to wrap higher, Sansa hears a delicate jingle,feels a gold anklet bump against her hand. Sansa looks up, waiting. “That stays. You can wrap the bandage above it.”Sansa does, her fingers flying. “So much better. Your family should be very proud.”Sansa smiles brightly, then smooths her face back to gentle sweetness. “Thank you, Your Grace.”Cersei pats the cushions beside her, letting her fingers leave grooves to show the heaviness of the purple velvet, since she knows Sansa’s watching (and the pale violet scratches against the twilight deep nap of the velvet look almost s lovely as scratches on skin,)“Any good maester or lady knows a light heart helps heal.” Cersei smiles, a promise, a lure. “Sit with me and tell me of the North. Sansa.”Sansa manages to sit on the side of the bed gracefully, as if she’s a butterfly alighting. In the quick rustle of her skirts, Cersei catches a glimpse of grey stocking and a bright flash of ribbon gartering it below the knee before it’s vanished again. A sweet sharp grin, hidden with a sip of wine. Sansa balances, trying to be comfortable and not fall into or on the Queen. The blood rushing in her ears sounds like a flooded river and she’s trying not to be carried along; the scent of cinnamon and wine, with lavender and the sweet undefinable richness of this magnificent being beside her dizzies her from pleasure. Sansa hopes the Queen has not noticed her breath catching in her throat—then is suddenly sad she hasn’t.Sansa smiles tenderly. “I’m sure it’s very different than King’s Landing, Your Grace. Colder.”Sansa’s suddenly very nervous—perhaps she shouldn’t have mentioned the weather. Septa Mordane says it could be considered low, though when she told this to the cook, the cook said that everyone has weather, so it’s worth discussing. She peeks out from under her lashes; the Queen is listening. Intent.(and Sansa could fall forever into the viridian sky of Cersei’s eyes)“Does it please you?” Sansa pauses. Think before you speak. “The snows are beautiful, Your Grace.”Cersei wants to chuckle but hides it. Oh their Sansa knows this old dance well (and if Cersei had a gold dragon for every time she’d had to prate about the beauties of the Westerlands, she might well buy herself the tower at Oldtown to serve as her wardrobe, but it’s confined to the Red Keep. Sadly, there are no purses of gold for the parries and passes of conversation, though Cersei thinks it could be a reasonable motivator.)“The cold must be terrible.” Cersei looks at Sansa, watching. “All those poor creatures—don’t they need warm nests?” How insipid. Cersei groans inwardly, but now Sansa's looking at her with the utmost tenderness.“Please tell me if you are cold, Your Grace. I’ll make sure it’s warm and comfortable.”Sansa’s mouth is partly dry as she’s speaking and she’s sure the Queen can hear her heart pounding. “How sweet. As long as you’re warm in yours.”Sansa blushes.A hit. Cersei thinks. Heavy as Jaime’s lance unhorsing a man, solid and firm and how he will enjoy hearing about this. Cersei reaches out to brush Sansa’s fingers with her own. Sansa’s eyes grow bright, her breath a tiny bit faster, but she’s concealing it well. (How did the Queen know she’d been moving her hand closer and closer, inch by inch?)“Why you’re chilled.” “A bit. Your Grace.”Cersei puts down her cup and starts rubbing Sansa’s hand between hers, admiring how pretty their hands look together. (Perhaps a Volantene golden cuff with rings, a web of chains and moonstones across those lovely fingers. Exquisite.)“Such a good nurse. Promise you’ll see to me during my visit.”“Yes.” Sansa whispers. “Yes, Your Grace.” as her eyes flutter closed. (The pleasure of the Queen’s hand on hers is intense, vibrant. Beautiful. Instinctively Sansa knows she won’t be telling anyone about this—and daringly, she crooks her pinky finger to brush against the Queen’s. Well played, sweetling. Cersei mirrors, wrapping her finger around Sansa’s. Sansa smiles—beautiful, unforced, not the half-smile that every Septa has told every girl to use since the Dawn Age. Not letting her eyes fall away, Cersei slowly disentangles their fingers, reaching behind her for a Myrish throw in ruby and ochre, woven with rampant lions. Perfect.Cersei reaches up, stretching to fold it around Sansa’s shoulders. “If I’m to get well, I need to know you’ll be well too. Warm.” Cersei tucks in a corner. Even with this little bit, Sansa was made for gold and Cersei is satisfied that she was right.“Use this.”Sansa is dizzied from pleasure; the silkiness of the wrap, the jewelled wonderland around her and the Queen (my Queen, Sansa thinks protectively. )“Go now.” Cersei whispers though they’re the only people there. “I’ll rest. And you’ll come see to me tomorrow, won’t you?”Sansa nods, then recovers her composure. “Yes, Your Grace.” Her eyes flicker with disappointment, then pleasure that she’ll get to return. “Fly off to your nest, fly.”Sansa takes the basket and supplies, artfully moving them away from the Queen so she can recline. Cersei lounges on her pillows, smiles up at Sansa.“Tuck your head under your wing and dream sweet things. Stay warm.”Sansa reluctantly pulls the bed curtains, not wanting to have the Queen removed from her sight. Brazenly, she peeks just as they close—and is rewarded.“Sweetest dreams. Little dove.”Sansa can’t wait till morning. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Sansa awakens, feeling hands on her shoulder, shaking, looks up into her mother’s eyes. Even in the dim light Sansa can tell her eyes are bright, Lady Stark’s face is proud, worried—and a strain of hope for something, Sansa doesn’t know what. Her mother smooths her hair, wipes a smudge from her face and in moments Sansa’s in her slate blue morning gown and hurrying downstairs.In the kitchen, the kettles are already boiling, huge haunches of venison braised with mead and juniper berries beside honey possets and capons stewing in prunes and wine. The cook is boiling eggs, frying bacon, carving up bread and drizzling soft white cheese with honey, dried cherries and pine nuts. Catelyn Stark sits at the table looking at one parchment, then another scratching at it while the kitchen maids peel turnips. She crumples one piece and tosses it at the peelings.“Pay it no mind, Lady Stark.” The cook picks up the offensive message and tosses it into the hearth, but not before Sansa reads “B. Dustin reg-“Sansa looks kindly at her mother, pats her shoulder as Septa Mordane tried to do when Sansa was sad. Sansa hopes her pat will help more, but she’s not sure it will. Catelyn taps at her daughter’s hand distractedly. “Thank you, Sansa.”“You have things to do. You’ll have to be very grown-up.” Cat Stark looks at her. Hope, again.Sansa nods, feeling very strong from the confidence. It’s comfortable near the great hearths and warm.“I’ll do well. Mother.” Catelyn Stark smiles slowly, the furrows in her forehead smoothing as she looks at Sansa. “Of course. I know you will.” Since it’s warm, she doesn’t notice that Sansa flushes pink with pride.Sansa sits next to her mother, looking over the parchment and its tables and names. It’s cozy, doing things together. Lady things. “Why doesn’t Lady Dustin like us?”Catelyn Stark looks up, with a flash of annoyance in her eyes. Instantly Sansa feels sad, but she can’t undo it, so she bites her tongue instead.“Sansa.” Lady Stark shakes her head. “Sometimes…ladies don’t care for company. Banquets aren’t something they like. Try to understand.”(Sansa knows full well that her lady mother says a great deal about duty and having to do things one doesn’t care for, since Sansa has had to do many of them.)Catelyn pats Sansa’s hand. “There’s lots to do. And I need you to do something. “Sansa's mother gestures at the breakfast tray like it’s laden with jewels. And that’s how Sansa wakes with the sky still not lit, finds herself at the Queen’s door with a candle and breakfast. Other girls might not straighten their back, might not stand tall like there are books balanced on her head, might be petulant that they are not servants to carry trays, but Sansa’s not one of them. A tray is a key. Sansa wants to know what’s within. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- It looks like a scene from a song inside; the room still glows from the jewelled tapestries, the last embers in the fireplace., everything shimmering like a mirage. Sansa steps carefully, dodging a sleeping Stokeworth in her pallet on the floor, not spilling anything. (She’s left her shoes by the door so as to be wholly quiet and graceful.) She moves by instinct, quietly and softly, then nudges the curtain.If the Queen’s sleeping she mustn’t wake her.Then, a low whisper.“Come in.”Sansa parts the curtain as if to open the bed to the rest of the room, but feels it held closed.“Come in. Close the curtain behind you.”Sansa’s eyes adjust to the gloom, her small candle flickering over pale hands, a flood of golden hair, a chemise trimmed with Myrish lace, vibrant green eyes and a flash of white teeth, a smile. It’s like she can’t take in all of the Queen at once, focuses on every detail; thinks of songs where tip of toe to top of head every bit of a woman is beautiful. Perhaps it’s because they can’t look all at once either.She puts the tray on the bed, stands by the curtain waiting. Cersei looks at her, whispers.“Come in. Sit with me.”Cersei pulls back a comforter of wine velvet, smooths out a tawny fur.Sansa climbs up, slowly, making sure she doesn’t knock over the tray or fall or kick the Queen.When she’s settled, Cersei closes the curtain with an elegant flick of the wrist. Sansa’s candle flickers, casting shadows over their faces, catching gilt threads in the bed curtains, the bed suddenly a tiny beautiful room. It’s like they’re on a boat sailing a great wintry sea.Cersei looks at her breakfast and finds it somewhat plebeian, though she knows she wouldn’t be likely to have fingerfish or slices of chilled melon wrapped with savoury ham at Winterfell. How irksome. Then she looks over at her breakfast companion and the tray is much more to her liking.Cersei notices Sansa’s blinking the tiniest bit; an unavoidable consequence of waking the Lord and Lady and demanding breakfast from only the fairest handmaiden (the crestfallen looks were absolutely delightful.) She’ll have to be of some assistance to the sleepy girl.Sansa spreads out a napkin, then folds her hands as she waits to be told what is needed.Cersei is thinking about scuttling the tray to the floor, but Sansa’s with her. Sansa has eyes, ears, virtuous parents who might find such a thing distasteful. Though her eyes are delicately, appropriately downcast, Cersei can tell Sansa’s intent on the tray, looking to see what the Queen will take first. Cersei sighs, realizing she’s going to have to eat some of the breakfast anyhow. She tears off a section of coarse oat bread, tearing out the soft middle since she’s not going to gnaw on the crust like a puppy, dips it in the honey. Then she has an idea.“You should eat, too. It’s early.”Cersei’s glad for the dimness that hides the tiny quiver of her hand. In the candlelight, it looks steady. Sansa looks up curiously, not taking the bread right away. Cersei nods. Sansa is hungry, but she’s waiting; one can never be sure what a Queen will want and she eats first (except when she doesn’t want to Sansa hears in her head, drilled in from so many lessons. ) The bread, in Cersei’s fingers looks alien and delicious, the gold of the honey glazing her fingers till they shimmer.Sansa tilts her head, leans forward and nibbles the bread. One tiny bite, then another as Sansa realizes Cersei’s not moving, not making her move quickly. It feels warm and sweet. Tender. Too soon the bread is gone and Cersei’s taking another piece of bread to dip into the egg yolk. Sansa watches, seeing the Queen’s chemise slide off one pearl-pale shoulderand how Sansa wants to feel that skin against her cheek, knows it’s a softness unlike anything she’s ever felt. It’s all part of what’s been happening, this unfolding of herself. (“You’re not a girl anymore.” Catelyn Stark had told her when they’d had to let out Sansa’s best dress because the chest was achingly tight. Sansa got new dresses after that (and was somehow responsible for Arya having the annoyance of having to be fitted with Sansa’s old dresses.) “You’ll never be able to shoot a bow now.” Arya had growled at her and Sansa was sad for a moment, as if there had been a time when she and Arya might have ever ridden to the hunt together. “She’s a child. You’re not.” Catelyn Stark had replied when Sansa told her. “You need patience.”Patience is what Sansa had. Waiting. )Cersei chews and swallows the bread. She can think of a better use, and so she breaks off another piece of bread, dips it in the honey, scooping up a pine nut. She smiles.(It’s like a forest of bright blades, beautiful and terrifying. No one at Winterfell smiles like that. )Sansa trembles inside. Hungry. And so she leans forward again, licking at the honey once, twice, then she’s nibbling again, slowly. When she’s finished she sighs, flutters her eyelids in delight.Cersei is electrified. She slides the tray across the bed, lounges. Sansa starts to get up.“No. Stay. If you like.”Sansa’s head spins. She wants to be here, wants to know. “Yes, Your Grace.”Sansa slides back, resting against the pillows but very careful not to touch the Queen. Cersei smiles. “You can come closer. “And Sansa does, till eventually she’s beside Cersei, touching her, able to relax at the warmth. “Good girl.” Cersei purrs, letting her make herself comfortable (but she felt the shudder that went through Sansa. Someone likes being a good girl.) Sansa breathes deep in pleasure and comfort. No one is going to call for her here or make her do something; all she needs to do is be sweet and kind, do the things she knows how to do, enjoy the strange, lovely feeling of being next to Cersei, catching a glimpse of her bosom through the silk and lace. Teats are a terrible word for something so lovely. Sansa likes that thought, wants to save it to look back on when she’s in her bed again and needs pretty things. (She’s memorizing every texture, every moment, the light gathered in Cersei’s hair, her emerald eyes, the way it feels to dip her head to her, like nothing she’s ever known… )Cersei thinks—knows—she’s underestimated the need for a bedwarmer. The Red Keep is chilly at the dawn and dusk and no Stokeworth would ever be in her bed for any reason. A Stark, however, could be an asset. Especially this one.Cersei smiles, slides down to the pillow as the candlelight flickers, then fades out. “Well, sweetling. You’ve brought me breakfast. Shall I tell you a story?”“Yes, Your Grace. Yes, please.” Sansa whispers. “Thank you.”“My Lady will do.” Cersei smiles in the dark and the tale begins. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Once upon a time.” Cersei whispers, her voice a dark, sibilant purr above the distant sparks of the fireplace, the sniffle and cough of a mercifully asleep, away Stokeworth. Sansa relaxes at the familiar words. It’s been so long since anyone told her a story. Not one that wasn’t one she had to learn from; Sansa’s familiar with both her mother and Septa Mordane’s faces when they’re placing particular emphasis on duty, service or beauty. They don’t think she knows, but she knows the crease in the forehead just under Septa’s wimple, the brightness in her mother’s eyes, the too-wide smile.Cersei’s eyes are gold and green half moons in the tiny slant of light between the curtains. Sansa could watch them, like emeralds winking in the dark. No one here has eyes like that.An arm around her shoulders, a scent of musk, spices, lavender, a rich honeyed strangeness; Sansa feels it melting into her skin, like sugar melting into a warm, fresh cake. “Would you like to?”Sansa whispers in tones she hopes are sweet. “Yes, Your Grace.”Then Sansa’s head is resting on Cersei’s shoulder, her senses overwhelmed in a flood of sweetness with an undercurrent that makes her blood spin. She thinks of their hair spilling onto the pillows now, a flood of red and gold, blood and sunlight.Sansa closes her eyes, nestles close and the story begins.“Far away. ““There was only darkness and there were no stars. Not yet.”Cersei pauses, replete, listening to Sansa listen, her breath quickening, so close that Cersei can feel the warmth of Sansa’s skin against hers. It’s Cersei’s blood that flares hot; the sudden vision of something, someone pearl-grey and tender lying between her paws, the skin on her belly moon-pale, sometimes a wolf-cub, sometimes a girl, tilting her head back to gaze with eyes the blue of a placid seaand Cersei’s shaken. In her mind’s eye, the light changes till the girl, the wolf, shines like sunwarmed amber, then grown tawny, grown gold…Cersei does not hold stock in visions or fancies. Not anymore.Yet with the next sentence it’s her skin that prickles.“The darkness took form, shoulders, teeth, dark eyes, paws that fell soft as twilight. “Perhaps I shouldn’t tell you this.” Cersei remembers her own feints and parries, pauses.“I know how your mother feels about the Seven. I wouldn’t want to cause any trouble…”Cersei’s eyes narrow in the dark, because she wants very much to cause trouble. Instead, she waits.Sansa stiffens for a moment, not wanting the story to end, but she must take the chance.“Whatever you think is best, Your Grace.” Even though she can barely see, Sansa dips her head.Clever sweetling. Against herself, Cersei is charmed. Oh, you’ve learned well. Respecting your House while deferring to the Queen, not presuming to decide what will happen… and oh, you are very curious. Cersei could hear that in the sliver of hope in the answer. Sansa knows when to be silent and she wants to know so many things. “You’re a noble girl. I know you’ll keep my secrets.” Cersei purrs, running her fingertip along Sansa’s forearm, feeling a tremble of pleasure.“Far away from the Westeros and the known world, the great beast opened his eyes and looked into the void, proud and magnificent. And it was then he felt a cool hand, as familiar and strange as his own. It was pale and beautiful and her eyes were like silver wells. “Sansa curls closer, her eyes grown soft and heavy, half-drunk on the pleasure of her Queen’s presence, the warmth, the story, a new one. “Her hair was fire opal, her eyes were moons, her lips were star-flame. And the Lion-Made-Of-Night desired her. “ Cersei tilts to Sansa’s head, so close that they are almost breathing the same air. Sansa wants them to kiss, and she doesn’t know if it’s the lion and the maiden fair or her and the Queen and she’s never thought of kissing a Queen before, but it feels perfect, offering herself up like a sweetmeat,and Cersei gently shifts, tucking Sansa into her shoulder, trying to conceal her racing pulse,pounding heart, inwardly cursing the need to wait thinking of how she’ll tell Jamie, though if all is good he’s already on his way. I have something lovely for you. For us. Right now, for me. Cersei feels Sansa nestle closer, listening. Intent. “The Maiden-Made-Of-Light gazed at him. She was of the beginning but she had never seen anything as beautiful as him, wanted to caress his fur, be held in his strong arms, feel his teeth against her skin… Sansa holds her breath, shivering in delight, it’s like Florian looking at Jonquil, how she tossed aside her hair to show him her shoulder, the way Jonquil wants him to kiss her, but there’s something else here, something strange and beautiful. “And the Maiden-Made-Of-Light loosed her garment and as it fell away it shattered into bands of stars. That’s what the priests of Yi Ti say lights the sky far away from the cities, like spilled milk.”Cersei’s voice is low and soft , Sansa’s breath soft on her shoulder. Something runs through her, sweeter than creamy possets, like the feeling of promised victory, a child rocked to warm sleep and sweetest, Jamie’s head against her breast, the taste of his sweat and blood on her lips, still safe inside her. Sansa’s never felt anything this agonizingly lovely, the scent of skin and lavender, ghosts of smoke and wax and the taste of honey on her lips and the words of the story like a wave lifting her, then dropping her safe into her Queen’s arms(her Queen. How easy it is to think that here.)Soft whispers, this is the secret told in velvet and silence.“And the Maiden-Made-Of-Light welcomed the Lion of Night into her embrace. And she cried out with joy like any maiden who is a maid no longer, and clasped her legs about her lover, who snarled at her in pleasure and gripped her to him as lovers do.”Sansa sighs, the joy rippling through her body, like a pearl dropped in wine. She leans closer, not caring, wanting to hear more. Cersei’s head spins at the tale, the warmth of the wolf-girl in her arms, the delight in having her there with something that fizzes like the very rarest of Arbor Golds, something she can’t quite name but she’s got a tale to finish and she hopes Sansa will gasp and smile.(Cersei doesn’t often welcome making people smile. Smiles come with other things now, a flush of embarrassment that she tamps down at a comment about how her teats aren’t what they used to be, take a joke ha ha ha and Lannister hair’s gold but so’s piss and Lannisters stink worse and that’s how the very shape of joy turns into something that she never wants to see, the sound something she never wants to hear—Jamie’s smile is the only one she loves. She thinks she likes Sansa’s.)“And they mated for a thousand days and the sky shook and glowed with the glory of their love. The crown of their rapture was their child, The-God-On-Earth. Some say they could never cease their passions once they had been roused and the Maiden-Made-Of-Light gave birth to thousands of starry little cubs as well. The God-On-Earth’s brothers and sisters light the night sky as The-God-On-Earth lit the earth.”Cersei tilts her head down in the dark, catching the hint of chamomile in Sansa’s hair, like she’s a creature made of flowers something as unreal and ethereal as a starry cub. But she’s real, here, heavy and warm and beautiful. Cersei decides on an ending.“They’re still in love, bringing forth the stars. And some say the sunset is the Maiden-Made-Of-Light ’s loveliest silks that she wears to rouse her true love, the Lion-Of-Night to embrace her. And every night they remake and refill the sky with their endless rapture.”Cersei feels Sansa snuggle against her in pleasure at the happy end. Cersei has a bit more, her eyes sparkling in the darkness.“In Yi Ti…these are who they pray to. Not the Old Gods or the Drowned God. Not the Faith. The Great Lion and The Bright Lady who bring forth all things of beauty and grace, now and always. “ At the last word, Cersei’s voice drops low and soft. “No Smith or Father or Crone or Stranger or Mother or Maiden or Warrior, only the lovers who begin all and end all, each the mirror of the other endless and beautiful. Like love itself.”Cersei closes her eyes and she can almost believe it. It’s stronger here, somehow. Perhaps it’s because Sansa believes in love as truly and fiercely as any girl can. (It’s been argued the only true god’s between a woman’s legs anyway and that’s love too, or it should be.) It’s dark enough that Cersei can only feel Sansa’s smile against her skin, but it feels so bright she can almost see it. “That was wonderful.” Sansa murmurs. “Thank you, Your Grace.” Sansa lets herself drift to sleep, almost too pleased to close her eyes and miss a moment, but her Queen is holding her… As Sansa curls against her, Cersei can almost see her glowing with pleasure, the bliss of a love story, the indolent pleasure of falling asleep next to a Queen. Cersei doesn’t need to see Sansa to know she looks radiant, her slender body a cradle of stars. As Cersei closes her eyes, safe for a moment, secure in knowing here her power holds full sway, her own dreams are of sharp claws and lapis skies, rosy silks, blood-red hair.
10911150	The Ramen Store	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Persona 5 Protagonist, Sakamoto Ryuji, Kurusu Akira", "Fandom": "Persona 5", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Jerboagoat", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-15T00:00:00", "words": "505", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji, Persona 5 Protagonist/Sakamoto Ryuji", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	--> Hey dude. Can you meet me at the ramen place this afternoon? I hear they're having a sale today. <-- I'm on my way. --> Jeez, man! Chill out for a minute, alright? I'll be there soon, I gotta go get ready. <-- See you soon. Akira gripped the strap of his book bag as the train rattled down the tracks. Ryuji only asked to go to this restaurant when he wanted to talk about something. He would pretend it was just for the food, but he would undoubtedly bring up some deep emotions at some point in the night. Akira stared at the window, wondering what Ryuji wanted to talk about today. --Ryuji slurped down the last contents of his bowl, clanking it back down onto the table with a satisfied "aah". Akira thought for a moment that maybe Ryuji didn't really have something he needed to say, that they were just getting dinner, before Ryuji turned to face him. "Hey, dude? Can I get your advice on somethin'?"Akira nodded, preparing to be the best advice-giver this ramen shop had ever seen. "So, uh... Do you have any advice on, y'know.... Askin' someone out?"--Just be yourself. --Why do you ask?--[[......]]"Is it really that much of a lost cause!? Shit man, I don't know what I'm doing." Ryuji put his head in his hands. "It's just... I really care for this guy, he's..."--I understand how you feel. --[[It's a guy?]]--You should give up on this. Ryuji turned a bright shade of red. "W-What? No! No, of course not! She's a girl! Duh!" He awkwardly bounced his legs, turning his face away to hide his blushing. "I just.. Really like this girl. She's really nice and the time i spend with her just makes me happy, but I don't know how to tell her that, y'feel me?"--I didn't know you were the romantic type.--[[Who is she?]]"O-oh! Uh... You wouldn't know her, she goes to a school that's pretty... far away. We just take the same train sometimes."--[[What's her name?]]--What school?"U-uh! Um. M... Miku Hatsune. Y-yeah."--Are you lying?--That's a vocaloid. --[[You should sing a song for her.]]"Dude, you know I can't sing-Oh. You were- Okay. I'll admit that was a fake name. Sorry, man, I just can't bring myself to say his-her name. Sorry." Ryuji slammed his palms down onto the table. "But, y'know, I really like this girl, okay!? That's got to mean something, right!? She's cute, funny, she's an outcast in the same way I am, he's always there when I need him and is up for anything and he just fuckin'.... He's great."--She does sound great. --[[I'm glad you stopped calling me a girl.]]If Ryuji's blush before could be compared to a pink cherry blossom, the way he looked now could easily compete with the reddest cherry itself. "Wh--No, I, Dude, I mean, Come on! Man, I.. You know I wasn't-!!"Akira smiled. --[[Weren't you going to ask me out?]]
10995639	Starve the Ego Feed the	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Hunk (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Keith (Voltron)", "Fandom": "Voltron: Legendary Defender", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by Nuri (SpicyIsopods)", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-25T00:00:00", "words": "1,595", "Additional Tags": "Angst, Fluff, Shiro (Voltron) has PTSD, Keith (Voltron) Has BPD, Shiro is bad at food, keith is bad at lying, Nosy Hunk, Keith and Shiro are Siblings, Kind Of, broganes, Trauma", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Keith & Shiro (Voltron), Hunk & Keith (Voltron)", "Series": "Bite the Sky", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Hunk is in the middle of a late-night stress baking session when, sure enough, Shiro strolls in with a sheepish look on his face.“Fancy seeing you here, again,” Hunk chuckles, looking up from his mixing bowl, “Come for some leftovers? You really oughta eat more at dinner. You’re a big guy! You need big portion sizes!”“Nah,” Shiro shakes his head as he opens up a cabinet to rummage around. After a bit of digging, he pulls out a jar of jam (made from a fragrant fruit they found a few planets ago) and closes the cabinet.“You want some bread for that?” Hunk asks, quirking an eyebrow.“Nah,” Shiro repeats, then turns on his heel and marches back out of the kitchen.Hunk frowns after him but doesn’t follow. Clearly Shiro isn’t interested in explaining his late-night kitchen raids and baffling eating habits… so Hunk will just have to work at figuring it out.------------“Come in, dorkbutt,” Keith responds automatically when he hears a knock at his door.“Excuse you?” Hunk gasps indignantly as the door slides open to let him in.“Oh,” says Keith, swiveling his head to stare at his unexpected visitor, “You’re not Shiro.”“Well, I would hope not,” Hunk huffs, “If there were two Shiros, we’d have no shelf-stable food left in the kitchen at all!”“What?” Keith blinks, “What are you talking about?”“Your brother,” Hunk announces, “Seems to be part chipmunk.”“What?” Keith repeats, no less confused than he was before.“Every time I’m up late baking, Shiro comes in and grabs some seemingly-random nonperishable, then slinks off into the night,” Hunk says, finally getting to the point, “Plus, he never eats enough at dinner. Pidge eats more than he does! Ridiculous.”Keith’s eyes widen as he’s transported back to 6th grade. He had his own room in that foster home, and he rarely left it. He remembers slipping out in the middle of the night, heart beating in his throat as he gathered pudding cups and juice pouches to stash in his sock drawer, hoping no one would bother to count the next day. He remembers filling zip lock bags with chips and hoping the sound wouldn’t wake anyone and blow his cover. He remembers never asking for seconds at dinner, for fear of being told that he doesn’t deserve them. He knows what Shiro’s doing because he’s done it himself. But he can’t share that with Hunk, so instead he stammers defensively, “W-what d’you want me to do about it? I’m not his mom!”“Investigate,” Hunk says, a devious grin spreading across his face.“Why?” Keith asks, raising an eyebrow.“Because,” says Hunk, “I need to know whether I should be insulted or concerned. Is something wrong, or does he just hate my cooking so much that he’d rather eat jam with a spoon than another bite of the lovely dinner I made? He never even touches the leftovers? Hmph!” The Yellow Paladin crosses his arms and pouts.Keith already knows the answer to that, but he decides to play along, “Okay. Fine. How do we investigate?”“Easy,” Hunk says smugly, “I just need you to go in and talk to him. He’s more likely to listen to you than the rest of us, since you’re his little bro.”“So you want me to spy for you,” Keith observes blandly.“Exactly!” Hunk nods, “Oh, and keep an eye out for food stashes. I wanna know where all my ingredients are going.”Keith sighs, “Fine, whatever. I’ll spy for you. But only because he’s my brother and I care about him.”“Thanks, man,” Hunk gives his friend a hearty pat on the back, startling him, “I knew I could count on you.”“So, is that it? Or is there a reason you’re still hanging around my room?” asks Keith, trying unsuccessfully to hide the half-smile growing on his face.------------“Oh, hey buddy,” says Shiro as Keith invites himself into his room. He has an open-door policy for all the younger paladins, but Keith is the only one who seems to take him up on it. Which is a bit of a relief, if he’s being honest. Keith is familiar in a way the rest of them aren’t.“Konnichiwa,” greets Keith as the door closes behind him, but he doesn’t come sit on the bed like he usually does. He just stands in the middle of the floor, glancing around and fidgeting nervously.“Konnichiwa,” Shiro responds, cracking a tentative smile, “You here to learn more Japanese?” During their year apart, Keith lost a lot of the limited Japanese Shiro had taught him, so they’ve taken to reviewing together during their free time on the castle ship. It’s nice. Familiar. But Shiro’s pretty sure that’s not why his brother is here tonight.“Actually, uh…” Keith continues to fidget, “I wanted to uh… use your bathroom? Y’know, for uh… peeing?”Shiro raises an eyebrow, “Yeah, go pee.” He’s not sure what his brother is up to, but he’s positive there’s more to it than just borrowing his bathroom. Keith isn’t exactly the world’s best liar.Sure enough, Keith emerges a couple minutes later with a package of crackers in hand.Shiro is sure his heartrate doubles the second he recognizes the food, but he forces himself to keep a straight face.“Is there a reason you’re keeping crackers in your medicine cabinet?” Keith asks.“Is there a reason you were digging through my medicine cabinet?” Shiro retorts, hoping his brother can’t hear his voice shake.“Uh…” Keith stammers, “I needed a… thing?“Uh-huh,” Shiro drawls.“My point is,” Keith says, recovering his composure, “Why are you pack-ratting food like you’re preparing for the apocalypse? Hunk says you keep sneaking things out of the kitchen. How much food do you have in here?”Shiro frowns and tries to keep his breathing even. He feels like not enough air is reaching his lungs, but he can’t show signs of weakness. Not even in front of Keith. He’s supposed to be the leader. The big brother.“Shiro?” Keith asks, worry in his voice.Crap.“Sorry,” Shiro says sheepishly, holding a hand out for the crackers, “I’ll put it back.”“That’s not the point!” Keith exclaims, his voice cracking.Shiro flinches.“You think this is about missing food?” Keith squeaks angrily, “What the hell, Shiro? This is about you, not about some freaking missing snacks!”“I’ll apologize to Hunk the next time I see him,” Shiro says calmly.“Damnit, Shiro!” Keith shouts, stomping over to his brother’s dresser and ripping open the drawers. He pulls out dried fruit, something resembling granola, and some chocolatey purple powder, then marches over to the bed and dumps his findings beside Shiro, “We’re not pissed about the missing food—we’re worried about you!”Shiro blinks suspiciously up at his brother, “I’m fine. Don’t worry about it. Bad habit from living in the dorms. I’ll take it all back to the kitchen.”“People who are fine don’t do… this,” Keith waves an arm at the pile of food beside his brother, “I lived in the dorms, too, remember? This is…” suddenly he looks very small and frightened.“This is what, Keith?” Shiro asks.“This is…” Keith wraps his arms protectively around himself. He looks like he’s about to cry.“What, Keith?” Shiro repeats calmly.“Why are you scared of us?!” Keith blurts out, lashing out and smashing the side of his fist against the metal wall.“What?!” Shiro sputters out, his voice louder and angrier than he meant it to be, “Why would you think that? Why would I be—”He cuts himself off when he notices his brother shrinking away from him.Oh.In all the chaos, he’d almost forgotten that his brother has his own set of trauma to deal with.“I’m sorry, Keith,” he says, his voice somber as he gets up and wraps his arms around his brother, “None of this is your fault.”Keith returns the hug and nods wordlessly into Shiro’s shoulder.“I’m not scared of you,” Shiro continues, reaching up to stroke his little brother’s hair, “I’m not scared of any of you. I just… wanted to protect you. That’s all.”“By hoarding ingredients in your dresser?” Keith mumbles incredulously. When he puts it that way, it’s almost funny.“I…” Shiro pauses, “I want you kids to have enough to eat. So I save the leftovers for you. It… sounds silly when I say it out loud.”“What does that have to do with crackers in your bathroom?” Keith asks, pulling away to look up at his brother. It’s hard to tell whether he’s fretting or teasing.“I… was hungry,” Shiro responds sheepishly, “and embarrassed, so I just…” he gestures vaguely at the pile of food on his bed. After a moment, he and Keith both dissolve into nervous laughter at the ridiculousness of it all.Once the laughter dies down, silence falls back over them. They take a seat on Shiro’s bed and Keith leans protectively against his brother, as if his weight against Shiro’s side will somehow keep him safe. Shiro wraps an arm around his shoulders, tugging him close. It’s his job to protect Keith, not the other way around. At least, that’s what he keeps telling himself. He’s becoming less sure of that by the day, and it breaks his heart.Eventually, Keith breaks the silence, “So, uh… there’s leftover stew in the kitchen. You wanna come grab some with me before bed?”Shiro takes a deep, watery breath, “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks, buddy.”
10904445	before the construct	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": null, "Fandom": "Mystic Messenger (Video Game)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by EKmisao", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-14T00:00:00", "words": "2,222", "Additional Tags": "Canon Compliant, Post-Canon, special episode spoiler, extended ending spoiler", "Relationship": "707 \| Luciel Choi/Main Character", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "stories from the end", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	By now he had given me a special spoken passcode I could use for the front gate then the front door. Of course both of them knew whenever I arrived, but it had become somewhat normal for them, so they often ignored when I came in through the front gate and front door and just said hello when I appeared at the open door. The only other person who had such direct and straightforward access was Mary Vanderwood. Even Yoosung and Jumin had to be acknowledged at the front gate. This explains why, on that Saturday, I found myself being stared at by my own boyfriend as I stood at his door. "You're not Mary Vanderwood," he said. "Thank you?" He shook his head awake as he rubbed the back of it. "I...I just mean, I wasn't expecting you to come today." This was also clear, as he was in a tank top that showed his arms and chest, something I did not see very often. "The place is a mess." That was exactly what I came for. Well, not the mess exactly, but the reason for it. This was the Saturday before Mother's day. ...........................I had seen his apartment in various states of cleanliness, but he was right. This was one of the worst cases of messiness I had ever seen out of these two. Shirts were all over the floor. Not only were there empty and half-empty bags of honey butter chips on the floor, there were bags of other snacks as well as several empty cup-noodle bowls. There were many empty soft drink cans everywhere. This was also true in the kitchen. Whatever plates were used were left piling on the sink, amidst even more empty soft drink cans and water glasses. When I offered to switch places for once with Mary, she warned me that I was up for a lot of work. It was work that Mary was used to by now, having known and worked with Seven for many years. But this amount of mess was not even in Mary's warning. It was like...they were intentionally doing this. Maybe subconsciously, but they were doing this. Making a mess. And not because of Mary Vanderwood, though this was really going to get her annoyed. Not because of me, either, because they did not know I was coming. It was like they were enjoying the fact that they were answerable to no one, that they could make the mess they wanted without anyone getting angry, not even Mary. They would pick up the mess later, but for now they could make the mess they want. I was not having any of it, though. I slipped into the toilet (thankfully that was decently clean, though I started the toilet cleaner on the bowl), and I changed into a loose shirt and leggings. I headed to the living room and started there, picking up the discarded shirts. "What are you doing?" Seven asked, following after me. "The cleaning?" I said, gathering the shirts into a pile in my hands. "You don't need to do that..." "But I want to," I said. He took a deep breath and moved out of the way. Mary told me where to find the washer/dryer, as well as the soap and fabric softener. Neither twin had overly-delicate shirts or clothes, so I pressed the normal setting and set the washing machine to deal with their shirts. I would come back later to deal with the jackets (Exactly when were those jackets laundered last?), then the jeans. As that spun, I got out a trash bag and gathered the snack bag and soft drink cans from off the floor. I circled around Saeran, who was working his way through an RPG, as he sat on the floor in front of the TV. "Hyung, what is she doing?" he yelled, as his way of acknowledging me. "Well she said she was doing the cleaning today," Seven called back. Saeran harrumphed, then ignored me. Collecting all the mess on the floor then taking them to the larger neighborhood trash bin took some time, and by then the first batch of washing was done. I transferred the shirts to the dryer, started the jeans in the washer. I realized that if I was ever going to live with him, these were the same things I had to do for them all the time, so I hoped I could eventually at least convince them to toss things into a hamper. "Really, you don't have to do this," Seven told me again. "But I want to," I said again. I found where Mary said she kept the uncooked rice in the kitchen. I scooped out two cups then put that along with water into the rice cooker. While letting the rice cooker do its job, I washed the dishes in the sink. If they had no plans to celebrate the day, because there was no one to celebrate with or about, at least I could make them feel like there was someone looking out for them, the way a mom would. I guess, that was how it was in my head. So I was really asking to do the chores for them. But I guess I did not expect the chores to be like this. "Hyung! Make her stop!" Saeran called out from the living room. Seven answered from the kitchen. "I can't!" I looked in the refrigerator, and found way too many soft drink cans. I sighed. Still in the loose shirt and leggings, I headed out to the nearest grocery. Seven trailed after me, following me into the grocery, helplessly watched me grab at carrots and onions and bell peppers, a container of kimchi, a pack of sliced meat. "Seriously, this is very housewifely of you. What has gotten into you?" I could not tell him the way I said it in my head. "I want to make bibimbap. I already have the rice cooking. Is that okay?" "I...guess?" he said. "But why?" "Um...no big reason." Of course he did not believe me. .....................I chopped vegetables and cooked meat. During the process I kept hearing "Hyung! Why is she still here!" and "I do not know!" and "Make her stop bothering us and just go out on a date or something." "I...don't want to go out," Seven answered. "Ha. You don't want to work, either. You don't want to player-2 with me, either." "Look who's talking. You don't want to do anything besides finish that game today." "At least I'm finishing something. You don't want to do anything." "And you're just getting your mind off things." I scooped out rice and topped them with the cooked vegetables and meat. I called Seven in, hoping that he would in turn call in Saeran for lunch. But he came in, while Saeran kept playing on in the living room. "He'll just get lunch in his own time, I suppose," he said, shrugging. He kept watching me while we ate lunch, analyzing my presence and probably my intentions. But I did not know how to tell him what I was doing. How was I going to say that I wanted him to feel why everyone else was celebrating Mother's day tomorrow, because there was someone in their life who lovingly and willingly did these chores and ordinary things, as part of loving them? I wanted him to feel loved, besides in the talking and the gifting and the occasional dating, but also in the ordinary things of life. I had no idea how to say all that to him, and make him understand. But the more he looked at me, the more he frowned. "Is there something wrong with the bibimbap?" He shook his head, but the frown stayed. .....................After lunch, I took out the mop and bucket. I did not do a soapy mopping on the floor, partly because Saeran still kept finishing boss battle after boss battle on the floor. But I covered as much of the floor in the living room, hallway, and kitchen as I could. Saeran kept ignoring me, while Seven kept frowning at me. Finishing that, I folded the shirts while the jackets were running in the washing. And having done those, I headed back to the kitchen to wash the lunchtime dishes. His voice was hard, taut, tightly pulled back. "And do you plan to also wash all the cars?" "What? No! For one I don't know how you like--""I know you're not planning to replace Vanderwood. You're just feeling sorry for us." The voice was solid ice. It made me freeze in place, keeping my back to him. "What else are you going to do for us? Take us to the park? Get the bath ready? Tuck us to bed? Bedtime story?" "What?" I said. "STOP." It made me drop the spoon. His voice remained taut, icy, and terrifying. "I know what you're trying to do. Stop it right now." I knew he was not going to hurt me, but I could not keep my hands from trembling. I did not dare turn to face him, so I shut my eyes and endured the shouting over me. "You're here on a Saturday," he growled, "because you have to be elsewhere on the Sunday. You have made arrangements with your own family!" he accused loudly. "You're going to meet them tomorrow, because of a commercialized American construct holiday. You won't be here tomorrow because of that holiday, so you're here today, reminding me, reminding HIM," pointing outside to the living room toward Saeran, "that we do NOT have that." "No, that was not--" "You are under no obligation to comply with a stupid commercialized American construct holiday! Just because every other family does it, it doesn't mean you have to force it on me!" His voice grew louder, as it filled with more frost, more ice. "Remind me every chance, why don't you, how nice your life is, how good your family is, that you HAVE a family, just how nicely fucking NORMAL your life is before you met me!" He paused to breathe, to keep his voice from breaking. "You are under no obligation to be nice to me, just because you're sorry for me! Dammit, you just came into our messed-up life, you don't need to stay in it! Get out of our life, while you can!" Everything about me trembled now. I seriously considered walking out, and leaving, and never coming back. And I would have been right to do so, leaving a bad relationship while I could. But the shouting stopped. A heavy silence filled the kitchen, and the whole apartment. And I felt arms wrap around me, a chest rest over my back, and a head rest on my shoulder. I felt him shake to the core as he held me. "I'm sorry. I'm very sorry. I'm very very sorry." He kept saying it over and over again, shaking as he held me tightly, tears falling onto my shoulder. "I'm very very sorry. Please believe me. I'm very sorry." I wanted to believe him, I did. A part of me did believe him, even if a large part of me was scared. "I...can leave," I said, just above a whisper. "I can come back another day. I can also leave for good." "No. Please don't," he said, holding me tighter. "I am not my mother. I swear I will not be my mother. I will not tie you down to me. You can go find someone else, any time you don't love me anymore. You can go leave for someone else, any time I scare you enough. But I also hope you'll stay." He kept holding me in his arms, firmly but gently, as the shaking slowed to gentle tremors. "Please stay," he whispered, as if frightened of saying it louder, scared of a deep hope being said aloud. "I'm sorry, as well," I said, getting back what keeps me with him. "I...did not mean to hurt you. I hoped it would make you happy. I should have asked." "It's okay. I'm happy you're here. We both are," he said, keeping his head on my shoulder. "But. It's too late for both of us. The past is done. There's no getting it back." "So I suppose, next year I'll just call and ask about you two?" I asked. He kept his head leaned on me. "I dunno, we'll think about it when we get there, okay?" "Okay." He turned me around. "I AM happy you're here, okay." He wiped the tear off my cheek. "Maybe in a few years we'll be one of those half-normal families having lunch on a special American construct holiday Sunday." "How so?" I asked. "Because I'll have to treat you and our children to lunch, yes?" I wrapped my arms around him, and gave him another hug. A coughing from the kitchen door. "If you two are done being sappy, the console is free?" Saeran said. We laughed as we gave our thanks, as Saeran rolled his eyes while walking away. "Mario Kart?" Seven asked. "You think I'll let you win?" I challenged. "Let's see you try," he said, laughing, as he took up my hand.
10968501	Megalomaniac Xover	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Guts Man (Rockman), Nero L (Rockman), Duo (Rockman)", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by rocketnia", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-22T00:00:00", "words": "735", "Additional Tags": "Headcanon", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Rockman \| Mega Man - All Media Types, Rockman X \| Mega Man X, Rockman Xover, Rockman \| Mega Man Classic", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Guts Man nudged his way past the other Robot Masters to take a look at the planning computer. He dialed his earpiece. "Nero L! Do you copy?"The voice on the other side was tense but self-assured. "Yes, sir. The paradoxes the OVER-1 are causing are giving me some trouble. You wouldn't believe some of the ambiguities I'm dealing with here. I think we lost King.""Lost who?""Exactly. I'm sorry. I'll try to reestablish him another way. The thing is, everything after the Sigma timeline keeps rippling backward. It contradicts him.""That Sigma... I remember when he was just a strawman in Mega Man's self-absorbed webcomic.""Mega Man's what? Hmm. But Sigma's such a powerful ally, we couldn't--""Listen, Nero," said Guts. "You're doing fine work out there, but forget about King. Maybe he existed before, but he doesn't now, and we can't be bothered to care about characters who don't exist. We've got real people to save. What we need now is to destroy the OVER-1's and defeat Dr. Light once and for all.""Are you sure fighting is the answer to this one?"Guts Man lurched over and balled his fist. "You look in my face when you say that!" He had tried to turn away from the other Robot Masters, but Quick Man and Astro Man took a pause in their activities to give Guts Man some concerned looks."Sir, I apologize. I just mean the OVER-1 population are robots too, and--""You listen to me. Now's not the time to give the bad guys the benefit of the doubt. You think about that on your own time, when nobody's depending on you. Guts Man out."Guts Man clicked his earpiece back to the off position. Quick Man had gone back to typing, but Gyro Man was still standing there, wide-eyed, a box of spare Weapon Capsules in his hands."S-sir..." Astro Man started. "Do you need any--""HEADS UP!" Metal Man jumped right in between them.Astro Man's box of Weapon Capsules launched from his hands, but he caught all the capsules with telekinesis to put them back. He placed the box safely on a pile, and he skittered away."Did I interrupt something?" Metal Man looked at Guts Man and limbered up."What is it, Metal Man?" Guts Man folded his arms."Duo's back on Earth for some reason. Flight team's already on their way for reconnaissance."Guts Man spun around. "Bright! Bring the flight team on screen.""Sure thing, Guts Man!" Bright Man double-clicked a panel on screen that brought up a bunch of icons. He carefully dragged and dropped Gyro Man's face onto a projection screen icon. "Got it!"Another window opened up with an overhead view of the outskirts of Monsteropolis, a final stretch of transit depots and diners before the rolling green hills where Dr. Light's lab was located."Hi there, everyone," came Gyro Man's voice. "Are you all as eager to see Duo as we are?" Gyro Man pulled up to give the camera a good look of Wind Man, Cloud Man, Crash Man, and Storm Owl. Crash Man was flying on a DeluPipi, a purple bird robot which was typically used to transport and deploy swarms of Copipi."Where's Tengu Man?" Guts Man asked."You really want that jet setter on this mission, Boss? He used Evil Energy. Duo would never listen to him.""That's actually why I asked. And how's Storm Owl doing on the team?""I'm not exactly part of your team." Storm Owl turned his head all the way around to respond, an unsettling effect when he was still flapping his wings to fly. Bright Man and Commando Man giggled at the console. "What's that noise?""Nothing to worry about." Guts Man clapped them on the shoulders to get them to shut up. "Yes, General. I expect the Repliforce will provide a good example our people can aspire to.""Heh, heh! Thank you! Duo is not part of our historical records in the future. A robot who comes from outer space.... I wonder if his creators were as hypocritical as ours.""There he is!" Crash Man leaned forward on his DeluPipi and pointed out a glowing blue flicker on a hillside."We'll be standing by," Guts Man concluded. "Good luck out there."The Robot Masters all set aside their work and watched to see how this meeting would play out.
10901955	A New Beginning	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": "Akame (Akame ga Kill!), Leone (Akame ga Kill!), Ruby Rose (RWBY), Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Wendy Marvell", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by animedevilluvzyuri", "chapters": "96/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-14T00:00:00", "words": "701,298", "Additional Tags": "Crossover, Starting Over, Yuri, Eventual Relationships, crossover within a crossover, Word Count 600.000", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Akame/Leone (Akame ga Kill!), Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "RWBY, Akame ga Kill!, Fairy Tail", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	A/N: Yep you read the summary right. This'll take a bit different turn from how the anime ended so Leone is alive in this story. Hey she has to be to make this pairing work. Any case hope all of you will enjoy this. I know I will. Opening song Foreground Eclipse From Under Cover (Caught Up In A Love Song) Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New BeginningKill One: ReunionThe sounds of crunching of leaves could be heard on the forest floor. A lone figure wearing a black cloak was walking through the woods wandering aimlessly with no destination in mind. The figure wasn't paying any attention until several bandits suddenly appeared and surrounded the figure. All of them were laughing at their new prey. One of them walked up to the figure. "Didn't anyone tell you that you're walking on our turf? If you want to pass, you better have some valuables on you." The figure didn't reply back which pissed the bandit off. "Hey, are you deaf or something? Either pay up or I'm gonn-" The figure quickly drew a sword and slashed at the bandit's neck. He let out a gurgled scream while holding onto his neck. "Y-You bas…tard…" He dropped down to the ground dead.The other bandits readied their weapons after seeing what happened to their own. "Get that asshole now!" All of the other bandits yelled at charged right at the figure. However, that wasn't smart on their part. When the next bandits came in close to the figure, they all slashed across the chest. Within seconds they fell down dead. The same happened to the next few who came in close. The figure decided to go on the offensive and cut apart anyone in the figure's path. Any bandit in the figure's way was cut apart into two halves and several more pieces. The bandits soon realized they weren't dealing with any normal person.One of them started to back out. "W-What the hell? I'm getting out of here!" Other's had the same idea. No amount of money was worth being dead. They started to run away but stopped scared when the figure jumped in front of them. They started to take a few steps back while feeling fear coursing through their bodies. "Hey, come on now. You can pass. We won't bother you again. We swear!" The bandit's pleas fell on deaf ears as the figure went right through them and slashed them apart.All of the bandits were dead and the figure sheathed the sword. "How many people who have begged the same way have all of you killed?" The Wind blew through softly and blew back the hood covering the figure's head. It was revealed that the figure was Akame with those same scars she had bared since her battle against Esdeath. She looked at the corpses and sighed at the sight before her. "Yet more I have to bear." She continued to walk through the forest. While walking, Akame began to have some thoughts. "How long have I been traveling? I lost track of time some time ago. How many people have I killed since I started this aimless journey? How much blood have I spilled? How many screams have I heard?" These kinds of questions were often asked in Akame's mind. No matter how much she asked, there was no answer to them. Soon her walking became unfocused fell down onto the forest ground. There was one more question Akame had to ask. "How long has it been since I last ate?" Ever since she started this lonely journey, Akame never did regain her normal appetite. She figured it must've had something to do with the markings all over her body. She really wasn't the same after that battle. After everything she went through, Akame simply powered through everything on sheer will alone but even that was running out on her. So here she was, all alone in a nameless forest lying on the ground as easy prey for any nearby danger beast to come by and have her as a meal. In all honesty, Akame would rather prefer that. She had no purpose now. For most of her life, it was either being fooled into believing she was helping the Empire while seeing her allies being killed or fighting against the Empire while her allies were being killed one after another. Now that the Revolution was over and everything else will be right since then, what place was there for someone like her?All Akame had left were the markings all over her body reminding her of all the people, all the blood she had killed while using Murasame. She started to close her eyes. "Perhaps this is where I will die. What do I have worth living for now? Everyone I knew is either gone or dead. Maybe I'll see them again in the next life if there is one and if I'm even worthy of one. Can someone of my sins be forgiven?" Those were more questions that she knew will never have answers. Akame began to close her eyes and await whatever plans fate had in store for her. B The first thing Akame noticed when she came to was that she was warm. The next was that she could hear the crackling of a fire nearby. She opened up her eyes to see a campfire near her and it was night. Not only that but there was a cover over her which explained further why she felt so warm. Near the fire were several pieces of large meat impaled by sticks. Akame couldn't remember the last time she had seen food. Suddenly, hunger overcame her and snatched one the meats and ate vigorously. She didn't care who saved her as long as Akame remembered to be grateful to the one who brought her here. While eating, Akame failed to notice another person walking up behind her. "Well, I'm glad to see you're up and hungry."Akame stopped eating as she recognized the voice. She stopped eating altogether and looked back to see an old face. "Leone?"Leone grinned at her friend. "Hey, Akame. Long time no see." She was suddenly being hugged by the other girl. A bit surprising but it was welcome. "I'm happy to see you too." After their little reunion, the two were enjoying each other's company. "Seriously, it's really awesome seeing you again. It's been what, six months?"The other girl was a bit surprised hearing that. "It's been that long? I had no idea."The blonde nodded at the question. "Uh-huh. Although, you look like you've seen better days. You're lucky I came around when I found you."That did bring a question Akame has been meaning to ask. "What are you doing here anyway Leone?"Leone giggled nervously. "I was just passing through honestly. When I heard screams, I went over to where they were to find a bunch of dead bandits. A little further along and I found you unconscious."Perhaps it was coincidence or maybe fate. Akame was happy to see an old friend again. There was one thing that worried her. "And how are your wounds?" She remembered Leone was shot several times by the Prime Minister. It was luck that the blonde managed to pull through. She was able to kill him but as a result, she lost Lionel.Leone placed her hand on her stomach. "Not too bad. I can still feel some of the scarring. Then again you have some scars of your own huh?"Akame looked at her arm to see the scar running along with it. "It's not so bad. You kinda get used to it."The blonde looked at the scar as well. She knew Akame wouldn't be the same after she used Murasame's Trump Card. Still, she was beyond happy to see an old friend again. Even old feelings she had from before began to surface again. "So…how have you been doing Akame? See anything new since we last saw each other?"Akame just lowered her head and looked at the ground. "Some new sites but nothing else. I'm never in one place for long."The other girl could relate. "Yeah I know what you mean. I'm never in one spot as well."Akame chuckled. "I'm sure you owe some money from a lot of loan sharks."Now that was funny to Leone and she laughed. "Y-Yeah. Something like that." She muttered that part under her breath. "I'm telling you it sucks not having Lionel anymore. Sure I'm still strong in my own way but with it, I could've beaten the crap out of so many people that pissed me off."So it wasn't only Akame who was struggling to get by since their last meeting. She wondered about something. "Hey, Leone…" The other girl listened closely to hear what Akame had to say. "Do you ever sometimes wonder that with everything that we've been through, this what we deserve? Just wandering aimlessly surviving day in and day out."Leone gave that question some thought and leaned back. "Well, we kinda knew what was going be in store for us once the Revolution was over. It's like Tatsu-" She stopped herself from saying the name. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-""It's okay." Akame gave a weak smile. "It's like he said. We're assassins out of business. There's no place for people like us anymore."That comment brought Leone down a little bit. "Yeah, that's true. There isn't much for ex-assassins like us to do anything. Well, more so me than you. At least you still have Murasame. Me on the other hand…" She shuddered at her next thought. "You don't want to know."At least the two of them were in the same boat together. Akame sighed. "So this is what's left of Night Raid. Just forgotten in the shadows."Leone felt the same way. "Yeah, I know what you mean."Akame looked up at the night sky. "Sometimes I wish I can start over. A new start somewhere else."Again the blonde knew what the other girl was talking about. "I kinda wish for the same thing. Kinda of a funny thing actually considering where we are?"Akame looked at her friend and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"Leone giggled. "Well, there are rumors going around about this forest. Some say that an ancient deity or god lives in this forest and when hears cries for help or some wish, it'll help you out of whatever is troubling you. Kinda dumb if you ask me but hey."That did sound nice to Akame. "I kinda hope that's true. However…" She looked at both of her arms. "Do I even deserve a second chance with these scars around my body?"To her surprise, Leone placed her hand on Akame's. "If you ask me, I don't mind your scars. To me, you're still the same girl I…I…" She couldn't bring to say the next words.Akame knew what she was trying to say. "I know Leone but what we from before was just temporary. What was the term you used before? Friends with benefits?"Leone instantly regretted those words. "Okay, you're right about that but…I do miss you a lot whenever I think about you when I'm traveling. I know what we had before was more than that. I just couldn't bring myself saying those words to you. But you should still know what no matter what kind of hell you're going through, I want to be there for you so you won't have to shoulder the whole thing by yourself."This was the most sentimental Akame had seen from Leone. She too wanted to be a lot more than what they had in the past. Still, to her, it may be too little too late. "Are you really willing to commit such a thing?" Her answer was Leone suddenly coming over to her and pressed her lips against Akame's. Akame's eyes widened in surprise but the feeling quickly passed by and enjoyed the new feeling that was going through her body.This kiss lingered as long as it could until Leone broke the kiss while blushing a bit. "I don't care what kind of burden you have to carry. I don't care if you become a demon yourself. All I care is that I'm not going to waste this chance again being with you Akame. I…I love you." It was at that moment Akame felt something else going through her body. A familiar feeling. Out of impulse, Akame kissed Leone fully on her lips and caused both girls to be on the forest floor without breaking the kiss. The feeling within Akame increased tenfold. Never before she would feel something like this in her life. Unfortunately for the both girls, they had to break the kiss before things got too heated for the both of them. The two were breathing heavily. Leone couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe we should start off slow first."Akame smiled back at her. "That…would be a good idea." Although Akame wouldn't mind ravaging Leone on the spot, it was for the best to start over. After everything that happened between them, the two girls were lying together with cover on both of them and fire put out. Just as they were about to fall asleep, Akame had some last thoughts. "I do wish we can start over. Have a new life. Just me and you Leone."The blonde wrapped her arm around the other girl's body. "I know. I kinda wish for the same thing. Maybe it'll happen someday but for now, let's just enjoy the moment we have now."Sleep started to overcome them and began to close their eyes. "Leone…" The other girl just mumbled something in response. "I love you too." She didn't hear a response. Akame quickly fell asleep.Sometime after the two girls were sleeping, a mysterious woman clad in a pure white dress quietly approached them. The woman had an ethereal aura to her and a mysterious glow. She smiled sweetly at both of the girls and put her hands together as if she was praying. "I hear your cries of woe and grant your wish. You will no longer endure the pain you bear in this world. May the two of you live your lives anew into the next world." The glow around her became brighter and soon enveloped the area around them. B Akame began to stir and opened her eyes only for the bright sunlight to blind her temporally. She groaned as she sat up while covering her eyes with her arm. Once her eyes settled with the brightness, Akame looked over to her new lover. "Leone?" Again she didn't hear a response. She figured the other girl was still sleeping. Akame stood up and walked over to the lake nearby. She kneeled down and splashed some water onto her face in order to wake up. It did the trick but once the water settled, Akame gasped at her reflection. Her face was clear. Clear of the scars she had from before. "How is that even possible?" There was also one more thing out of place with this picture. "Where did this lake come from?" Akame ran over to the blonde and shook her a bit. "Leone. Leone wake up!"Leone groaned as she began to stir and sit up. "Just five more minutes…"It was one surprise after another when Akame saw her new girlfriend looked like. "Leone?"The blonde turned to her. "What is it Akame? Can't we just sleep a little more?"Akame really couldn't take her eyes off of the other girl. She wanted to tell her but it would be better if Leone saw for herself. "Leone…go over to the lake and look at yourself."Leone didn't understand what she meant by that. "What are you talking about? There's no lake near…here…" She looked at her girlfriend and saw that there was a lake. "Where the hell did a lake come from?!" The blonde ran over to it and saw her reflection. What Leone saw made her gasp. "W-What the hell!?" She saw very familiar animal ears on her head and her hair had grown out to be very long. Not only that but she looked a bit younger as well. "What the hell is going on?! How did I get younger? Why am I in beast form? Where the hell is my tail!? My claws!?" It was beginning to be a bit too much for her.Akame walked up to her trying to calm the blonde down. "I don't know. The scars on my body are gone as well."Leone turned to her and she was right. The scars she had from before were gone. This was beginning to be very strange for the both of them. "Akame…what the hell happened to us while we were sleeping?"The other girl wished she could answer that but there none to be found. "I don't know. All I do know is that we're in a very different location. This lake wasn't here before and you…you look like you're in your beast form but only half of it."The blonde looked around the area and discovered something unusual. "Wait a minute. This isn't even the same forest we were in before. This is different. Where the hell are we?!"That was a question Akame wanted to know as well. "I guess we should go and explore. If we're lucky, we may be able to find a village."That was as good a plan as any for Leone. "Yeah you're right. Come on let's go." Akame grabbed Murasame and the two headed off in a random direction. Sure enough, this wasn't the same forest they were in before. Leone kept messing with her new look. "Seriously this is weird. It's like I'm stuck between my human and my beast form. I wonder if I got any of my strength back. How am I like this anyway? Lionel was destroyed."Akame was wondering the same thing. The same could be said about her scars. "It is quite strange. I hope we can find the answers soon. Then again if we don't, I am happy to be traveling with you Leone."Well, maybe things weren't all bad. Still, there were a few things the blonde had to complain about. She looked at her arms. "It's kinda weird having my normal arms instead of my claws. Also…" She looked back and whined a little. "I don't even have my tail. That's just not fair. That was my favorite part."Akame giggled as she smiled at the blonde. "And why is that?"Leone just looked away for a bit. "Promise not to laugh." She glanced back to see Akame nod her head. "Sometimes when I'm alone, I go into my beast form and…play with my tail for a little bit." And that resulted in Akame laughing a bit. Leone growled at her. "I thought I told you not to laugh."Akame quickly stopped but couldn't stop smiling. "I'm sorry Leone. It's just that I didn't expect such a cute secret from you. If I have to be honest, I do like you having longer hair. It really suits you."Leone ran her fingers through her hair upon hearing that. "You think so? I could never grow out my hair the natural way. To be honest, I kinda like it this way too. I guess we'll have plenty of time to talk about these things once we figure out where the hell are we." That was something Akame could agree on. They walked a bit more into the forest until they came into a clearing with a large cliff in front. They stopped and Leone groaned. "Huh. Kinda of a dead end huh? No matter. Hopefully, I can jump up that cliff while carrying you Akame." Suddenly, Leone picked up a faint sound from her lion ears and became aware.Akame was also the same as she heard the crunching of leaves. She grabbed ahold of Murasame's hilt. "It seems we have company." The next thing they heard was vicious snarling coming from all around. She saw countless pairs of red eyes coming out from the forest darkness. They soon saw the beasts emerge out of the forest and they puzzled the two girls. "I've never danger beasts like these before."Leone had to agree. "Something tells me these things aren't distant relatives of Razor Wolves." The strange wolves continued to surround the two girls. Instead of feeling being threatened, Leone just grinned at the situation they were. "What do you say Akame? Want to have some fun just like old times?"Akame drew out Murasame. "Sure why not? It's been while. Now then…" She pointed her sword at the wolves and looked at them with threatening eyes. "We'll bury all of you." A/N: Ending song Luschka ( ルシュカ ) - moratorium ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New BeginningKill Two: Killing ImpressionsDeep in the Emerald Forest, a group of four girls was making their way to a destination while having a conversation to pass the time. The conversation however really wasn't the topic one of them wanted to talk about. "Look how many times do I have to say I'm sorry?"One of the girls, Weiss Schnee scoffed at Yang's complaint. "Sorry still won't be enough to forgive you, Yang. You're the only one out of all of us that failed the test and now here we are cleaning up your mess."The brawler of the group groaned. "But I seriously tried. Honestly. Come on Ruby back me up here."The leader of their group did feel a bit bad for her older sister. "I do kinda think you're being a little too hard on her Weiss. Can't you just give her a break?"The heiress glared at the other girl. "Can't you just do your duties as her leader and not her sister?"Once again it was up to Blake to be her partner's saving grace. "Don't worry Yang. The whole reason we're here is to help you out. We'll get through this no problem."The blonde was grateful for her friend's words. "Thank you. At least someone is supportive of me. Unlike a certain Ice Queen, I know of."Weiss growled at the nickname. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?!"Blake just sighed at the two girl's confrontation. "Come on now. The sooner we finish this assignment, the faster we can go back to our dorm."That was something everyone could agree on. There was one problem, though. "What was this assignment again?" Ruby asked.Weiss sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's to clear out a den of Beowolves and we're supposed to do it as a team. It's the only saving grace we have thanks to Yang's screw up."The brawler of the group was really becoming tired of the heiress' attitude toward her. "Oh, will you just drop it already Weiss? I was just off a few points on the test that's all.""A few points can make a difference of a pass/fail grade and you failed Yang. Even your sister did better than you." Weiss countered.Blake shook her head at where this conversation was going. "If this keeps up, I think our only hope of breaking this if some weird light came out of nowhere and took us all to a different world or something."As the leader of the group, Ruby did have the responsibility of calming tensions within her team. "Can we please calm down? Okay, so Yang made one little mistake. That's really not enough to be angry at her right? After all, mistakes can be fixed right?"Weiss rolled her eyes at the statement. "No Ruby. Sometimes mistakes can't be fixed. However, this one can. All we can do now is-""Wolf.""Exactly like Blake said. All we have to do is wolf-" And she suddenly turned to her teammate. "Where did wolf come from?"The Faunus girl pointed to the air. "Beowolf incoming!"The other three looked to where she was pointing and sure enough, a Beowolf was coming at them but not the way they all thought. "Move move move!" All four girls jumped back as a carcass of Beowolf crashed into the ground. All of them walked up to it to see what that all about. Ruby was more weirded out than curious. "Okay…since when did Beowolves started to fall from the sky?"Blake took a closer look at it and saw something unusual. "Look at its chest cavity." The rest of the group took a good look at it. "It's completely caved in."Now that made everyone else curious. "What in the world would do that?" Weiss asked.The Faunus girl looked at the outside edges of the cavity and found fresh blood. "This Beowolf was killed recently. Which means whoever did this is still around." She looked ahead at the path they were on. "And I bet whoever did this is up ahead."Now everyone had to be prepared for what's coming. Sure they killed more Beowolves than they could count but not once they've seen a kill like this before. The team took off to find out who or what did this and hopefully get to the bottom of this. One thing is for sure, Yang really liked this turn of events. It was one way to make an assignment all the more interesting.While they were running, the team found more of the Beowolves in a similar state like the one that almost fell on them. It was becoming all the stranger to them. "Jeez, what kind of a person is strong enough to chuck Beowolves after they're dead?" Yang asked."I don't know but it sounds like something you would do Yang." Blake joked. Yang couldn't help but agree with that.Suddenly another one started to fall onto them but they spread out and it missed them. "Who keeps doing this?!"Ruby wondered the same thing as Weiss. "I don't but this something or other must be really really strong if it was able to kill Beowolves like that.""Moreover I hope it leaves some for us. I really need the grade here." Yang added."We should be more worried about the one who's doing this in the first place." Blake warned.Whatever was doing this, if they did find out what then? Would the team fight against the one who was tossing dead Beowolves? That was an answer they'll soon find out. The path they were soon led to a cliff and they stopped. "Okay, so where's the thing that keeps sending these things?" Her answer came in the form of hearing something crash into cliff face below. Yang looked down to see another dead Beowolf. "Well, at least we know where they're coming from." She looked back her teammates who all had horrified looks on their faces. "What's everyone freaking out about?"Ruby just pointed at the lower level. "Yang…look."The blonde did just that and now understood what her sister meant. Beowolves all over were dead and their blood was spilled out of their bodies. There were at least half of them had their bodies cut into several pieces. It was a gruesome site for all four of them. "What…could've done this?" Blake wondered.Yang giggled nervously. "Yeah, no kidding. This makes our killings look tame."Ruby suddenly spotted something near the distance. "What's that?"The other three girls looked at the same direction and saw what their young leader saw. Weiss narrowed her eyes. "What in the…""Are those…people?" Blake asked.Sure enough, she was right. What's more is that they saw these two girls slaughtering the Beowolves that were surrounding them. They could even make out what one of them was saying. "Come on! Is that all you fleabags got!?" Several of the Beowolves charge right at her but the blonde girl of the two managed to hit one after another with devastating blows and they didn't get up from those hits.Meanwhile, the other girl seemed to be making quick work in killing the Beowolves in front of her. The odd thing was that they would just drop after the girl slashed them just once. That made Weiss a bit curious. "What kind of a sword is that?"While team RWBY was busy watching, Akame and Leone were kept busy by killing one Beowolf after another. After Leone kicked one after trying coming at her from the side, she was pretty happy that she was able to gain her strength from her Beast Mode. "Yeah! I still got it! Man, I forgot how much fun this was. Hey, Akame! What's your count so far?"Akame sliced the top part of the head from a Beowolf and fell down dead. "Eighteen."And the blonde was surprised hearing that. "Seriously? Damn, I better get it into gear." She gestured at the Beowolves around her. "Well, come on! Don't you have any balls or not!" Several of them ran right at her but Leone just smiled. Just as one came in close to her, the blonde managed to deal a blow to its side with a boom and sent it off flying. She then kicked the next one to the head and broke its neck. The third one Leone crushed its head into the ground. The blonde had to admit she was having the time of her life. "I'm back in action." She grinned at the rest of them. "Who's next!?"The four girls didn't know what to think about what they just saw. "I don't believe it." Ruby spoke.Weiss nodded in agreement. "No kidding. She took down three Beowolves barehanded. What kind of insane strength does that girl have?"She was right about that but Ruby meant something different. "No, I mean that Faunus girl there looks a lot like Yang."Yang noticed that as well. "Hey yeah. She really does. That's kinda cool and weird."Blake was a little worried about her, though. "If she's a Faunus then…what's she doing here along with that other girl?"While Leone was busy celebrating, she let her guard down for a second and that was enough for one Beowolf to come from behind and bit her on the left shoulder hard. The blonde screamed and instantly grabbed on to it. "You son of a-""Leone!" Akame quickly headed over to her stabbed the head. A few seconds later and the Beowolf dropped dead. The blonde held her shoulder and Akame was worried about her new girlfriend. "Leone are you alright?"The other just seethed in the pain. "Yeah, I think I'm okay. I really am out of practice.""Can you still use your arm?" Akame asked.As she did, another one came up right at them. However, a crushing backhand fist to the skull was all it took to kill it. The blonde smiled as she rolled her shoulder. "Yep. Good as new." She turned to the rest of them. "You're going to need a lot more than a bite if you want to kill me!" Leone charged at the next group.Again Weiss had to shake her head to see if she was hallucinating. "Ok that's shouldn't even be possible. No one could've recovered that fast from a Beowolf bite."Akame smiled as she was relieved that Leone was back to her old self. She turned around to deal with the next group in front of her. Rather than them coming to her, Akame rushed over to them instead and slash them apart as she passed them by while their blood spilled everywhere. A couple more jumped at her but Akame slashed through their chests and moved on to the next lot. The ones she did cut managed to stand up but then suddenly drop dead onto the ground. It was the same result every time Akame managed slashed at the Beowolves. Just one hit from Murasame and those she cut apart were dead in the next few seconds. It was something Ruby was wondering about for a bit. "What kind of a weapon is that other girl using? It looks like a plain old sword but those Beowolves are dropping like flies."While the four girls continued watching Akame and Leone kill off the remaining Beowolves, Blake noticed something unnerving about them. Yang saw how disturbed her partner was. "What's the matter, Blake?"The other girl continued to observe what she was seeing. "It's strange and ominous."Weiss wasn't in the mood for riddles. "Would you care to explain?"Blake saw the other two kill several more. "It's the way they're fighting. That Faunus girl over there, she looks like she's enjoying killing the Beowolves while the other wastes no time slaying them like it is second nature to her. One thing is for sure, they're experienced."Akame and Leone were almost done with the pack they only had a few more left to go. They went back to back. Akame wondered about something. "So what's your count, Leone?"The blonde grinned. "Twenty-seven. You?"Her girlfriend just giggled. "I'm still ahead of you by six."Leone just groaned. "Man. I hoped I would've tied with you. In any case, want to wrap this up together?" Akame wouldn't have it any other way. She nodded and that gave Leone the signal to start. The blonde took off to one of the first five Beowolves and delivered an uppercut into the air. The second one charged right at her but was stabbed right through by Akame's sword. The third one tried to jump her but Leone kicked it to the ribcage and sent it flying away from the two. The fourth tried to attack the blonde but Akame was able to cut it half. As the last one who Leone knocked into the air first started to come back down, both Leone and Akame turned around and landed their attacks simultaneously. Leone punched the Beowolf one way and Akame kicking it the other way. The result was the wolf being torn apart in half and both halves went to opposite directions. That was the last one. All that was left were multiple corpses of Beowolves scattered throughout the field. Leone stretched out her arms. "I say that was a good warm-up to get back into the swing of things. Wouldn't you say Akame?"Akame flicked Murasame to get the blood off of it. "I'd say so. Although I have noticed you were sloppy with your surroundings. Otherwise, you would've not been bitten in the first place."Leone sighed at that. "You're not going let me live that down you are?"After the fighting was all down, team RWBY finally had their opinion about the two girls they just saw. "Two people were able to take down that many Beowolves? Barehanded and with just a simple sword at that as well." Weiss surmised. "Just who are these two?"That was a question the others would like to know as well. "Should we say hi to them?" Ruby suggested.Blake shook her head. "I don't think that's wise. For all we know, they're more dangerous than any Grimm out here. I think it's wiser if we leave them alone and they'll go on their way."The other three had to agree with that. If they could do that to a horde of Grimm, no telling what they could do if they ended fighting against other people. Yang had a thought. "Should we report this to Professor Ozpin? I'm sure he would want to know about this."For a rare time, she had the right idea. However Ruby was thinking of something different. "You know…wasn't this the den of Beowolves we were supposed to go for your assignment Yang?"Yang and the other girls stood still as the wind blew past them and several crows cawed. The blonde of the group screamed. "Aw, crap!"Weiss put her hand on Yang's mouth to muffle the rest of the screaming and shushed her. "Be quiet. We don't want to alert them. We'll find some other den later. The assignment isn't due until the end of the week. For now, let's just agree to your plan and tell Ozpin about them."The blonde of the group nodded her head and the heiress removed her hand. "Right then. Let's get out of here." All of them started to leave.The wind continued to blow through Akame and Leone as their backs were turned against the cliff face. "You sensed them too right Akame?"The other girl nodded. "Yes. They showed up near the end. Four in all. Although I find their auras a bit unusual."Leone grinned in agreement. "Why don't we say hi? We're in a different place so I'm sure you won't be recognized." She turned around and went into a starting crouch position. She smiled. "Ready or not here I come!" The blonde took off and left Akame alone. She decided to follow suit and ran after her lover.Leone ran up to the cliff and jump high over it. She landed and started running again to catch up with the group that was spying on her and Akame. Speaking of said group, Yang groaned at her missed opportunity. "Man and after all the traveling we had to go through only to go back empty handed."Blake decided to cheer her partner up. "Relax Yang. It's not like that was the only den around here. We'll find another one."Ruby smiled at her older sister. "Blake's right. No need to worry Yang. We'll get this done soon enough."Weiss doubted that a little. "Let's not get our hopes up just yet."While they were walking, Blake's bow twitched a little and gasped. "Someone's coming and fast."She and the rest of the girls looked back and the leader was a bit worried. "What's wrong Blake?"Before the Faunus girl could give an answer, the person quickly caught up with them and jumped over the group. She landed right behind them with a small crater in her place and they turned to see Leone smiling at them. The blonde chuckled at team RWBY. "Well hello there." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New BeginningKill Three: Surprising New ExperiencesThe air between Leone and team RWBY was dead silent. The four girls could only stare in half disbelief and half fear. Except for Yang. She was staring at the other blonde's exposed cleavage. "Huh. That's a good pair she has."Weiss wondering how she found them so quickly. "I was sure we were careful not to be noticed." If she was here, her partner couldn't be far behind.This was one of those times Leone missed having her tail. If she did have it, the blonde could imagine it would be moving around playfully behind her. She chuckled at the group in front of her. "So…did you enjoy our little show back there? I have to admit the last thing I expected when I woke up, other than being in a different place was having an audience watching us."In this situation, it could go either two ways. One where they fight this mysterious Faunus girl. They do outnumber and doesn't appear she has any weapons (Or barely any other clothing according to Weiss.) The other was talking to her. Ruby decided on the latter. She slowly and carefully walked up to Leone. "H-Hello there. It's nice to…meet you?"And the heiress already didn't like what her leader was planning. "Ruby what are you doing? Don't walk up to her."The younger girl stopped and glanced back to her partner. "I'm saying hi to her."Weiss groaned at her answer. "Did you forget what she and her friend did to all of those Beowolves? She could to the same thing to you if you're careless."Although she brought up a good point, Ruby still thought it was worth a shot. "I know but we kill Grimm too. How is that any different from us?""You should listen to her." The young girl looked back at Leone. "You should be careful who you're talking to. For all you know, I can easily rip your throat out without a second thought."That comment right there made Yang a bit mad. "Make a move like that and I'll make sure to show you who the real beast is." She readied Ember Cecilia just in case.Ruby had a counter for that. "If you could do that, you would've done it right at the start instead of talking to me."Leone didn't expect that kind of answer from the younger girl. She just laughed at what Ruby said. "Hey, good observation. You're right. I could if I wanted to but I won't because you're not my enemies. Plus I may be helluva strong but even I'm not suicidal enough take on the four of you at once." There was one more reason why she wouldn't fight the four of them. "That and for four girls around Akame's age, their auras are very strong. There's a lot more to them than they're letting on."Ruby was very happy to hear that. "So we can be friends, right? We don't need to fight each other?"Leone thought about the proposition. "Maybe if you can tell me your names first."Blake stepped up this time. "How about you tell us yours first?"The blonde observed her for a few moments. "There's something different about this girl. I can't tell why, though." She decided to play by their rules. "All right then since you asked so nicely. I'm Leone."For some reason, that was a fitting name for her considering what the other girl looked like. Ruby thought it was good enough. "Leone. Nice to meet you. I'm Ruby Rose the leader of this group. The girl to my right is Weiss Schnee. The girl to my left is Blake Belladonna and the girl on the far left is my sister Yang Xiao Long."Leone looked over to Yang and discovered something very peculiar about her. She walked up to the other blonde with curious eyes. Yang felt rather uncomfortable that Leone was in her personal space. "Uh…hi there?"The recent Faunus girl took a closer look at Yang's look. "Huh. It's kinda like I'm looking in a mirror."Now that she brought it up, Yang and Leone looked very similar to one another like Ruby mentioned before. Weiss, however, had a different thought."Now that I think about it, she could pass off as Yang's and Blake's daughter. I mean she has Yang's looks and obviously Blake's ears and eyes. Either that or she could be her Faunus twin."Meanwhile, Blake was becoming a little jealous of how close Leone was to Yang but couldn't deny how similar both girls looked. "I wonder else these two have in common? Well, there is the fact both of them are good at hand to hand combat."Ruby decided to speak out Weiss' thoughts and squealed. "Oh wow, I was right. She does kinda look like you, Yang. She could be a long lost twin of yours."The older sister thought that was just strange. "You have a point Ruby but there's also the fact she's a Faunus. Still, a having a twin that is a Faunus does sound pretty cool."Leone raised an eyebrow at the word she heard. "What the hell is a Faunus?""Leone!" The four girls looked back while Leone looked ahead to see Akame running up to them. Akame's first thought was that she was relieved that none of them were fighting. "So they're just talking. That's a good sign."Her girlfriend giggled as she hugged Yang suddenly from behind. "Hey, Akame check it out! Are you seeing double or what?"Akame caught up to the rest of the group and stopped as she saw the girl her girlfriend was behind. Sure enough, she was right. "She looks similar to Leone. When she's in her beast form of course."Yang, however, was feeling something different. Leone's breasts on her back. It kinda freaked her out. "Holy crap she isn't wearing anything underneath that top. Also, damn those things are soft."Blake once again became jealous and had enough. She went up to the two blondes and separated them. "Alright, that's enough." She really didn't like how close Leone was to her partner.Leone just giggled and looked over at her girlfriend. "It's all right Akame. They're friendly."Once Akame walked up to them close enough, Ruby had a good look at the other girl's eyes and was a bit mesmerized by them. "Oh wow. She has really pretty eyes."Leone walked up to her girlfriend and hugged her from behind this time. "Right, I guess I should introduce you to this girl. Her name is Akame and she's one of the best I know of."Weiss became wary of Akame. "She's the one who slaughtered those Beowolves like it was nothing."Akame had her own thoughts about the group of girls in front of her. "Judging by their appearance, it looks like three of them are about the same age as me and I suppose Leone as well given her new look. The girl in red seems to be a bit younger, though."Ruby smiled at the other girl and approached her. "Hi there. I'm Ruby. The three girls behind me are Weiss, Blake, and Yang. It's nice to meet you Akame."Akame can pretty much guess who was who based on the names. She bowed to them. "Hello." It was like Leone said. They weren't enemies so there wasn't any reason to kill them. She was, however, interested in them.The young leader saw the sword sheath that was on Akame's hip and couldn't help but be a little interested in it. "I know I'm asking this all of a sudden but can I see that sword of yours? I'm kinda curious about it." She wasn't the only one who was wondering about her sword.Leone let go of Akame and both girls glanced at the sword. Akame turned to the younger girl and shook her head. "I'm afraid not. This sword I wield, it's very dangerous and very deadly."Yang crossed her arms under her breasts. "I'll say. I never saw a weapon that was able to kill a Beowolf in one hit. I'm guessing it's not useful for a sparring session right?"Akame nodded at the question. "Indeed."Now that the formalities were over, it was time to ask questions. The most obvious one first. "Okay so would you two mind telling us why you're here in the first place?" Weiss asked.The other two girls looked at each other and were unsure if they should answer that honestly. Leone chuckled nervously as she rubbed the back of her head. "To be honest, we're not sure either." It wasn't a total lie.It seemed to be a believable answer to the group. "Oh, so you're lost." Ruby spoke.That was good enough for the other two girls. "Yeah, you can say something like that." Leone answered back.Weiss was still suspicious of them, though. "Alright. Then you wouldn't mind telling us where you're from. I seriously doubt the outfit you're wearing is school appropriate."Leone took a look at herself and the back to the heiress. "Hey, when you have the looks, you have to flaunt it."Yang chuckled at that. "I hear that." Her teammates turned to her staring at the blonde. "What? She's not wrong."The heiress looked back at the other two girls. "And then there's you. I don't quite recognize that school uniform."This time Akame looked at herself. "School uniform?"Weiss put her hand on her hip. "Which brings the question, where are you two from because it's certain that you're not from around here."She wasn't wrong on that. However explaining still wouldn't be easy for them. The two girls looked at each other and then back to the group. "Remember when you asked we're lost? Yeah, that's truer than you think." Leone spoke."We were hoping you would tell us." Akame added.Now it was team RWBY who was a bit confused. "You don't know where you are?" Blake asked.The other two girls nodded at the question. Ruby was the first to answer. "Well, you're in the Emerald Forest."Akame and Leone just kept staring at them. "It's near Beacon Academy." Weiss spoke next.They still didn't understand. "Near a city called Vale?" Yang spoke next.Still nothing. "You're in Remnant." Blake spoke last.Now that they did understand. "A remnant of what?" Leone asked.Apparently, they are out of town. Way out of town. Weiss walked up to them and pulled out her scroll. She opened up her map app and showed the map to them. "This is Remnant." Akame and Leone took a closer look at it. One thing came to their minds. Leone swiped the scroll from Weiss' hand. "Hey!"The blonde was turning it all around wondering what it was. "What the hell is this?"Akame had the same question. "I don't know. I've never seen anything like it before."Now the group was more perplexed. "What you never saw a scroll before?" The heiress asked.Leone kept turning the device in her hand around. "No, I've seen scrolls before except they were pins with paper wrapped around it. This is not a scroll. It's…whatever this thing is"They also seem to be out of touch with technology. Weiss held out her hand. "Can I have that back please?" Leone tossed the device back to her. The heiress fumbled a bit before catching it. She glared at the Faunus blonde. "Hasn't anyone told you to respect other people's property?!"The blonde shrugged. "Not really. I usually break things." That was not the answer Weiss was looking for.Seeing their reaction to the heiress' scroll made Blake curious about something else. She walked up to Ruby and whispered something into her ear. Already the young leader wasn't sure of it. "Is that even a good idea?"The Faunus girl nodded. "Try it out. Just announce first."Ruby trusted her teammate and walked up to Akame and Leone. "Uh…hey…" The two looked at her and she giggled nervously. "Okay, I'm not attacking you. I just want to show you something."She took out something out from her back and suddenly transformed into a large scythe. That brought out the reactions Blake was thinking of. "What the hell!? What kind of a weapon is that?" Leone wondered. She had never seen a weapon like that before.""A transformative scythe? How is that even possible?" Akame wondered if this was a new Imperial Arms.Ruby shook her head. "You're half right. It also doubles as a high powered sniper rifle." She transformed her weapon into its gun form. "Cool huh? I call her Crescent Rose."The other two literally had no words to describe what they saw. Throughout all the battles they had been through, both former assassins had never seen or heard of a weapon like the one in front of them. Their expressions told everything Blake needed to know. "All right I think it is obvious now. You two are apparently from somewhere if you never saw scrolls before and weapons like Ruby's. So tell us."Akame tried to fit the pieces. They were in an unknown location with unknown monsters and unknown weapons they haven't seen before. It was then she figured it out. "We're in a different world." It was all there and Blake wanted to know where they were from. This put them in a usual spot. "Should we tell them? Would they believe us?"Thankfully Ruby came to their rescue. "Come on Blake there's no reason to ask them on the spot right there. I'm sure they'll tell us sooner or later. Right now they need our help.""Help?" The other three girls spoke at once.The young leader nodded happily. "Yeah, they're lost and need someplace to go. I say we take them to Beacon. I'm sure Professor Ozpin can help them out."And there she goes again trying to help those in need. Weiss had different thoughts. "Ruby we just met them. We just can't take random strangers to Beacon. We don't know anything about them."Her partner thought otherwise. "That's not true. I know they're good people."Leone chuckled quietly at her choice of words. "Oh if you only knew how many people we've killed."Weiss still wasn't convinced. "I still don't think it's a good idea."Ruby put her hands together and gave her partner the saddest puppy eyes. "Come on Weiss. Please?"The heiress had barely had any weaknesses. Unfortunately for her, Ruby's eyes were one of them. She sighed and turned away. "Alright fine. Just quit giving me that look."The young leader giggled happily and hugged her partner. "Yay! Thank you, Weiss!"The older girl instantly blushed at the close sudden contact. "L-Let go of me, you dolt!"Yang laughed at the sight. "I'm with Ruby on this one. Besides, I'm kinda interested in getting to know my doppelganger."Blake knew she was outvoted on this one. "All right fine but…" She turned to the two girls. "You will tell us everything. Got it?"The two smiled at them. "Understood. We appreciate your help." Akame bowed to them once again.Leone grinned at the group. "Yeah just show us the way to this…Bacon place."Weiss glared at the other blonde. "It's called Beacon!" B The journey back to Beacon was quite pleasant for the group of girls. Well mostly, since Blake kept glancing every now and then at Yang and at Leone, who looked like they were hitting it off very well. Ruby kept bugging Akame about her sword but she kept shooting the younger girl down. Weiss thought she was being very protective of her sword. Upon closer inspection, it didn't look that much different than Myrtenaster except it didn't have a rotating chamber. "There must be something about that sword that made it possible to kill those Beowolves easily, but there's nothing to it other than a simple sword."Their traveling soon came to an end when they arrived at their destination. "Well, here we are. Welcome to Beacon." Ruby announced.Akame and Leone gazed upon the castle-like structure. "Impressed" was one word for them to describe it. "What the hell is this place? It's like a freaking castle!"At this point, Weiss wasn't surprised by their reactions. "It's a school. What else would it be?""This is a school?" Both girls asked. Sure Akame grew up with somewhat of an education but she's never seen a school like this before.Yang chuckled at their question. "Yeah I guess it would be a bit much for people who haven't seen it before but it's really awesome."Another question came to Leone. "And you four…go to this school?""Yes/yep." All four answered at once.Once again they stared at the castle in front of them. They had the same thought. "What kind of school is this?"Ruby ran up ahead of the rest of the group. "Come on! I'll show you the way to Professor Ozpin's office! I'm sure he'll help you out!"Akame and Leone thought that this Ozpin person was the one in charge of this. There was one thing that worried Akame. "Are you sure we won't draw attention?" She hasn't forgotten what Weiss said about Leone's outfit. Sure back in the Capital, no one batted an eye but in a place like this, she does kinda stick out like a sore thumb.Blake had their answer. "That shouldn't be a problem. It's the weekend so a lot of the students aren't around right now. Plus we'll be taking the most discrete path to Professor's office." If they had it their own way, the two former assassins would just sneak around in the shadows.Ruby jumped a few times. "Come on come on! Just follow the leader!" She ran further ahead.Another question came to Leone. "Now that I think about it, how old is she anyway?"Yang giggled at the question. "If you want to know, Ruby is fifteen."That answer surprised the two of them. "She's fifteen?!" Ruby was younger than the rest of them.Leone had another thought. "She fifteen and uses a freaking huge scythe that's a gun, and goes to a school that looks like a castle. Man, we haven't been here a full day and already this is a little too much."The rest of the group followed the young girl. True to what Blake said before, there wasn't anyone else around. They soon came up a large door. Something about it made Akame and Leone feel a bit…nervous. Ruby knocked on it a few times. "Hello? Professor Ozpin? We need to talk to you about something important." They waited for a few minutes before the doors opened. When they did, a woman was in front of them. Both Akame and Leone thought that this was the person called Ozpin. "Oh, Miss Goodwitch." Apparently, she wasn't.Their teacher observed the group in front of her and noticed two new additions she hadn't seen before. Already she wasn't pleased. "Would you four mind telling me what two uninvited guests, one obviously dressed, inappropriately are doing here?"It was obvious she was their superior judging how she was talking to them. Ruby gulped. "W-Well you see Miss Goodwitch; we were on our merry way to do an assignment when we just so happen to come across them. I thought we could bring them…here…?" It was obvious she was cracking under her teacher's glare.Goodwitch sighed. "Miss Rose, while it is admirable you want to help these two young girls we do not condone bringing in strangers into the school. I'm afraid they'll have to-""Allow them in Glynda." They heard a different voice coming from the room. "Miss Rose wouldn't come here if it wasn't important. Let us hear them out." She didn't have much say in the matter and moved out of the way. The group entered the room and it wasn't what Akame and Leone expected it to be. In front of the group was a man with a cane smiling at them. "It's good to see you again Ruby and I see you brought along some new company."The young leader smiled at him. "Yes, sir. You see their names are-"Akame just suddenly walked up and bowed to him. "Hello, sir. Allow me to introduce ourselves. I am Akame and my companion is Leone. Your…students found us in the Emerald Forest and have graciously offered to help us in our time of need."Leone understood why her girlfriend was acting this way. "Well more or less it's true." She had her own thoughts about the man in front of her. "He kinda reminds me a bit of the Boss."Ozpin was pleased to hear out her explanation. "I see. That's to be expected of Ruby's team. So tell me what happened that brought this along."This time Ruby decided to explain. "Well uh you see sir, we were going to a Beowolf den for an extracurricular assignment when we saw these two fighting against a bunch of them. Seriously they wiped out a whole den by themselves."That intrigued Ozpin. He wanted to know more about this. "I see. Well from what I see, the girl beside you wields a sword but how did the other manage to handle them?"Yang raised her hand this time. "Well believe it or not she beat them barehanded. Seriously this girl is a lot stronger than she looks. Not only that but she was able to recover from a Beowolf bite like it was nothing." This was becoming all the more interesting to him.Weiss decided to explain this time. "It was Ruby's idea that she would bring them here and see what you can do to help them since they're obviously not from around here.""And that's pretty much all of it." Blake finished.Ozpin heard all he needed to hear. "I see. Thank you for telling us. Would you four please give us a moment with these two?"That was it. They told what they needed to be told. All of them nodded and started to leave the room. Ruby briefly placed her hand on Akame's shoulder and smiled at her. "Good luck." With that said, she left with the rest of her team.Once the doors closed, it was only the four of them left. Ozpin decided to speak. "I find it interesting that two young girls such as yourselves managed to wipe out an entire den and one of you fighting barehanded at that. That leads to me believe that you two are quite experienced in this sort of thing."He wasn't wrong there. "Yes, sir. You can say something like that." Akame answered.Ozpin observed them closely. "I can tell you two are from a faraway place. Very far away. To ease your concerns, whatever you say in this room will be kept only between us. You can tell us the truth."Well, he was the head of this school so they could agree to that but only on one condition. "We'll tell you everything but first can you explain what kind of school is this?" Akame asked.Ozpin thought it was a fair question. "Very well. Beacon Academy is a school that specializes in training young students like the girls you were with to become hunters and huntresses."Leone raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? That's pretty cool I guess. So what they're supposed to hunt would be those weird wolf things right?"Ozpin nodded at the question. "You're partially right. Beowolves are only one type of Grimm. There are many more species and some even more dangerous.""Grimm?" Akame wondered if that was what the animals here were called."Yes. You could say they are humanity's enemy. It is a long constant battle between the two forces. That's why there are schools like Beacon. To train those who want to become hunters and huntresses." It sounded pretty impressive to the two former assassins. This was a bigger deal than they thought. "Does that answer your question?"Akame nodded. "It does. In fact, I find it quite amazing."Leone had to agree. "Yeah, it sounds pretty awesome."Now that one part was done, it was time for the other. "Now that I answered your question, it's time to fill your end. As I've said before, anything you say will strictly only between us. Do that and I'll see what I can do to help the two of you."There wasn't much of a choice. He did seem he would believe what they would have to say. Akame sighed and decided to go for it. "Very well. We'll tell you everything although what we're about to say may come as a surprise to you."Ozpin just chuckled. "Then let us hear you out." B A day passed since Team RWBY met Akame and Leone and haven't seen them since. Ruby thought something bad must've bad happened to them. She was at her desk in class where the rest of the students were entering. Yang knew what she was depressed about. "You think those two are alright?"Ruby continued to whine. "I hope they're alright. We haven't seen them since we left Professor Ozpin's office."Weiss could only think of one explanation. "If you ask me he probably sent them off somewhere else."Her partner instantly didn't like that answer. "Did he do that?!"Blake had other thoughts. "I don't think he would although it is strange we haven't seen them in a while."Yang groaned as she leaned back. "Aw man and I really wanted to know more about Leone. She seems really awesome you know." And that statement irked Blake a little.Once everyone took their seats, their teacher Professor Portman arrived. He turned to the class. "Good morning everyone. I have a special announcement to make. Today we have two new students joining us. Please make sure you treat them well and welcome them with open arms." He turned to the door. "Come inside and introduce yourselves, ladies." Everyone turned to the door and it opened. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang gasped quietly at who they saw walked in. They stood in front of the class. "Allow me to introduce you to your new classmates. Akame Night and Leone Wild." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New BeginningKill Four: Terms and ConditionsOzpin was looking over the campus from his office while taking a sip of his coffee. He was still thinking about what Akame and Leone had told him yesterday. To be honest he was rather impressed of what they told him about the world they were from and what they were before. F "And that is all." Akame finished explaining everything about their world. About the corrupt Capital, the Imperial Arms, and who they were.Throughout the whole explanation, Ozpin was very into it. Glynda, on the other hand, was having a hard time believing it. The professor cleared his throat. "Well…that is quite the world you two you were in."Both girls were surprised by that statement. "Wait, you seriously believe what we said? You don't have any doubts or anything else?" Leone thought he would have a hard time believing a few things they told him.Ozpin just smiled at the two of them. "I see no reason why the two of you would lie. You explained everything without hesitation and said it with conviction. There is no doubt what you have said is true."Well, at least he believed them. However, there was still one more thing. "So now that you know everything, what will you do now?"The professor gave that question some thought and came up with a solution quickly. "From what I gathered, you two have nowhere to go and I can't let such experience go to waste. So here is my proposal. In order for me to help the two of you, why not enroll yourselves into Beacon?"Both Glynda and the two former assassins were taken a bit back from that offer. Leone took a step forward. "H-Hang on for a second. You want us to be…students at the school?"Ozpin nodded at the question. "Of course. However, this is the only way I can help you two out. Beacon is first and foremost a school for training those who want to become Hunters and Huntresses. If you two enroll, I can help out in some ways. If not…well, I don't need to tell you that."Well, the choice was obvious for them. Akame clenched her hands tightly. "If that's the only choice then…we'll accept."Leone turned to her girlfriend in surprise. "Wait seriously Akame?" She saw the look in her eyes. The blonde knew that look all too well. She sighed. "You are. Alright fine. We might as well. Still, it's going to be weird that we're to be students considering what we were before."Ozpin was glad to hear that. "Then it's settled. We'll give you the proper paperwork for your enrollment. Who knows, maybe you'll become far better huntresses then what your original profession was." One thing was for sure, if they went this direction, both girls could make something of themselves. F While Ozpin had no qualms about their enrollment, Glynda had different thoughts on the matter entirely. "Are you sure it was wise to enroll those two. Even if what they told us were half as true, what makes you think they'll assimilate to this new lifestyle?"While she did bring up a good point, Ozpin was confident in his decision. "What I have learned from those two, they have had no sense of purpose for quite some time. What I have given them is another chance to live their lives. I have no doubt they'll make the best what they can while being in this world. Of course with this kind of secret, it'll be a while before they can trust anyone else with it."Glynda still doubted his decision which was very rare. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"Ozpin just took another sip of his coffee. "Well, I suppose we'll see. It's up to them now at this point." B There was a bit more chatter in the school cafeteria. Mostly because all of the other students were talking about the two new students who were eating together. Leone certainly noticed. "Wow, I didn't think we would get this much attention. It's kinda unusual when you think about it huh?"Akame just took another bite out of her lunch. "It is strange. Most of our lives we would avoid attracting attention like this. I find it a little unnerving." She looked at her girlfriend's ears. "So how are you taking your new appearance?"The blonde looked up to her ears. "Well, considering I'm something called a Faunus now, kinda okay I guess. Also…" She wiggled around her sit looking a bit uncomfortable. "Do I really have to wear a skirt?"Akame giggled at her lover's new problem. "You're still not used to it?"Leone sighed. "You know I don't do skirts Akame. Seriously, I feel…so open down there and these uniforms, I just look weird. And don't even get me started on the bra." These were only the first of changes they had to go through. "So how are you enjoying the food at this place?"The other girl took another bite. "It's alright I suppose."The Faunus blonde played around with her food. "I guess you're right on that. It's not like yours or Su's cooking that's for sure." She took a bite out of her food. "So what's our plan?"Akame pulled out her own scroll. It was already opened to their schedule. "Well, I suppose after this we should just roam around the school and familiarize the layout for the rest of the lunch period then we move on to our classes."Leone pulled out her own scroll and squinted at it. "I'm surprised you already know how to use these things. I'm still trying to figure out how they work."The other girl knew Leone wasn't big on thinking. She was more punch first don't ask questions later. "I'm still learning about them as well but they are very useful. That woman, Goodwitch I believe her name was showed me the basics. It looks like they can be used for other purposes as well."The blonde looked closer at her scroll. "If you say so." There was one thing she noticed about Akame. She still wasn't eating the way she used to. "I guess even if the scars aren't there anymore, that doesn't mean they're gone." They decided to finish up their lunch quickly and go on their way to explore the rest of the school.While they were heading to the exit, a total of sixteen eyes were focused on them. "So those were the two girls were talking about before?" Pyrrha asked."Yep. That's them. Hard to believe they enrolled here." Ruby stated.Weiss just crossed her arms. "Yeah, that's not the right description. It's more like how they were able to enroll in the first place? They must've told Ozpin something."Yang wondered about that as well. "I hope they'll tell us what they told him. There's a lot more we don't know about them."Jaune had a suggestion. "Can't you just ask them? I'm sure they're reasonable."Blake just shook her head. "I don't think it'll be that easy. From what I can tell, it'll be a while before they can trust anyone else outside themselves."Yang took a closer look and had a thought. "Huh. Now that you mention it, they do seem a bit close.""Ooh ooh, I have an idea!" All of them turned to Nora dreading what kind of scheme she had this time. "We should totally have another food fight and invite them to join. It'll be fun!" She giggled happily.Everyone else sighed depravedly at that suggestion. Ren more so from him. "No Nora. We're not having another food fight." B Now that they were walking around the school, it seemed even more impressive the second time around. It would be a little more pleasant if Leone still wasn't fidgeting around with her skirt. "Seriously I don't really like this skirt. Sure you pull it off fine Akame but this really isn't for me."Her girlfriend sighed. "Well, you don't have a choice Leone. This is proper school code."The blonde groaned when she heard that. Of course, she would say that. "Yeah yeah, I get it. Doesn't mean I have to like it." She took a good long look at the other girl. "Then again I can get used to how you're looking in that uniform Akame."Akame chuckled at the compliment. "Are you saying you like a girl in uniform?"Leone chuckled back. "Your words not mine."Akame pulled out her scroll again and checked her schedule. "It appears our next class is with a teacher called Oobleck. After that, it seems we take a different class from each other."The blonde already didn't like the sound of that. "Aw man really? What kind of class do I get then?"Her girlfriend took her scroll and saw what class she was going to take. "Apparently it's a class for Faunus only."Already that sounded interesting to Leone. "No kidding huh? Well, I guess I'll learn more about these Faunus things." Something else caught her eye about their schedules. "Hey check it out. Apparently, there's a sparring class. Now that's something I can get behind."Akame didn't share her enthusiasm. "You know as well as I do we can't patriciate in the activities right?"And just like that Leone's happiness was shot down. "Oh right. Ozpin's conditions." Akame remembered clearly what they were. F Ozpin was looking over the paperwork both Akame and Leone filled out. The two were already dressed in the school's uniforms to get a feel for them. Already the Faunus blonde didn't like the skirt. The professor gave one last look before setting the papers down chuckled. "Night and Wild is it? Fitting last names for the both you. With these papers, you two are now officially students of Beacon Academy. Congratulations ladies." The only thing missing from this picture was a small applause. "Now that you two are students, you will be given a few things. The first are your own scrolls." Glynda walked up to them handed the two their scrolls and they took them. Having their own of these things made them quite curious about them. "The second thing is that a dorm room will be assigned to you."That part they can live with. It wouldn't be that much different than when they lived back at the base. Akame bowed to the professor. "Thank you for this opportunity. We're grateful for what you've done."While Ozpin was glad to hear that, he wasn't done yet. "Don't thank me yet. There's still one more thing I have for you two. Actually two things. They are conditions."Of course, there had to be something to add on to this. "All right. What are these conditions?" Leone asked.Ozpin held up one finger. "The first condition is quite simple. However, you should know that students who attend here are in teams of four and have partners of two such as you've seen with Ruby and her team. As of now, you're only a team of two. As long as you are, you will not be permitted to join or participate any of the team activities."Already they were at a disadvantage. "So what, we can't do mostly anything at this school?" The Faunus blonde wondered.Ozpin shook his head. "Not necessarily. I will help you with this problem. I'll search for others who will be part of your team. Once you have all four team members, you'll be allowed to participate in team missions."That was one problem solved. "So what's the second condition?" Akame asked.The professor held up a second finger. "The second condition is this. Considering your weapon's ability Miss Night and Miss Wild's lack thereof, you two must find weapons of your own. Until you do, any sparring matches you will not be able to participate." Well, of course, they were going to have that condition and for a good reason. "With that being said, maybe it would be better if I were able to hold onto that sword of yours so it won't fall into the wrong hands."Akame glanced over to Murasame and gripped the handle tightly. "I appreciate your concern sir but you mustn't worry about my sword. Only I can use it and no one else."Ozpin decided to trust her words. "I understand. I suppose all that's left is to show you to your dorm room. Starting tomorrow the two of you will be attending classes. We'll make sure to give the two of you your class schedules in the morning."Everything was set. All that's left is to look forward to what'll happen tomorrow. Glynda walked past the two girls. "Follow me you two. I'll show you to your dorm room."The two former assassins looked back to Ozpin and smiled at him. "Again thank you, sir, for this opportunity."Leone chuckled. "Yeah, thanks. I'm pretty sure we'll have a blast here."Ozpin held up his hand. "Think nothing of it. Just remember those two conditions." The two nodded and left to follow Glynda to their new home. F Remembering that made Leone sigh. "It's great and all that he's going to help out finding some new members for us but that weapon part is going to be tricky. I mean how are we supposed to find weapons like…what was that kid's name again?""Ruby." Akame replied.The blonde snapped her fingers. "Yeah, Ruby. It's not like we're going to find weapons like hers in some shop or something. Just how are we suppose to get our hands on them?"Her girlfriend had to agree with that. She couldn't use Murasame for sparring purposes so they're already at a disadvantage. Probably the biggest concern she had was using a different weapon. Akame had used Murasame for the longest time so there was a good chance it would feel strange of using another weapon. "What kind of weapon would you want to use Leone?"Leone gave some thought to that question. "Considering my fighting style, something close combat but with something similar to my claws back when I used Lionel. That's the only thing I can think of." She imagined weapons similar to the claws she used from before.Akame was having more trouble of imagining what weapon she wants to use. "I suppose this is something we'll have to figure out later on. The quicker we solve this, the faster we can participate in the activities."The other girl brought up a good point. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Still, what do you think of the idea of two new people joining our little group? I mean considering the history we have.That was another thing that worried Akame. The first group she was with were all killed. The same was with most of Night Raid. "Having two new members with us. Will…everything work out this time?" She had hoped so. The last thing Akame wanted was the same thing happening to her a third time. In a different world no less."Akame?" Hearing Leone's voice broke her train of thought and turned to the blonde. "Hey, are you okay? You seem to be a bit out of it."Her girlfriend just gave a small smile. "I'm fine. I just have some things on my mind that's all."While being distracted for just a moment, Leone suddenly bumped into someone and was knocked down to the ground. "Ah damn!""Ow!"Naturally, Akame looked kneeled down to the blonde. "Are you alright Leone?"Leone opened one eye to look over to Akame. "Yeah, I'm fine. What hit me though?""I-I'm sorry." The two former assassins looked to the person in front in the same position as the blonde. One obvious hint they saw was the person who was a girl had large bunny ears. She looked very shy. "I…I didn't see where I was going. I'm sorry to have troubled you both. I'll be going now." She stood up and walked away quickly.The two girls only stared at the other girl until she made a turn around the corner. Akame helped Leone stand up. "So I guess she was a Faunus too considering her…ears."The blonde patted off her skirt. "Yeah, you're right. To be honest it was weird seeing someone like her but she seemed nice. Leone did see one detail from the other Faunus girl while she briefly looking at her. "It looked like she was crying and I somehow doubt it was from our crash." Her train of thought was suddenly broken when they heard the bell ring. It freaked the blonde out a little. "What the hell is that?"Akame looked up. "I think that's the bell signaling that lunch is over. We have to go to our next class."Leone groaned. "Aw really? Well, let's get going then. We can't be late for class now can we?" She started to walk away and headed to the class.Akame couldn't help but smile. This was the start of their new life. She couldn't help but notice the situation she and Leone were in. "We were once assassins and now we're students. I must admit I never would've expected to be in such a place as this." While still reveling in her new experience, Akame suddenly remembered something and ran over to catch up with her girlfriend. "Leone wait! The classroom is in the other direction!" ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New BeginningKill Five: Bunny in PerilThe knob of the door began to turn and the door opened to reveal Leone and Akame entering their new dorm room. The Faunus blonde sighed. "Well, home sweet home I suppose." Their dorm room wasn't anything different from their rooms back when they lived back in the base in their world. Their room was a bit basic. When Glynda first showed them to their room, it was just four beds and several desks. Naturally, first, they did was rearrange the beds. They placed each of the beds in the corners and moved the desks in between them. They spent their first night sleeping in the same bed but that was about it. Leone laid down on the nearest bed to them. "Well, that was some first day huh?"Akame sat next to her girlfriend and smiled at her. "Yes, and we'll have much more like it. This is only the beginning. Speaking of, what did you think of your Faunus class?"Leone thought back to it. "Eh, not too bad. It was kinda weird seeing people with animal traits other than the ears. I did learn some new things about them. For one apparently, they can see clear in the dark like it was day. Boy, that would've come useful back in our missions huh."The other chuckled to that. "Yes, it would've." There was so much to learn about the world they're in and what Leone had become since then."Hey, Akame?"She looked over to her girlfriend. "Yes, what is it?" Her response was Leone suddenly tackling her down to the bed and was on top of Akame. She blushed at their positions. "W-What are you doing?" Her answer was Leone suddenly kissing her and the blonde's tongue invading her mouth. Akame moaned slightly as she felt how rough Leone's tongue was. "It feels so course." She really couldn't fight back if she wanted to. Her girlfriend was in permanent beast form so of course, she was stronger than the girl below.The kiss continued on until both girls had a need of air and Leone broke the kiss. Akame was breathing slightly heavily while having a deep blush on her face. The blonde rather proud of what she did. "You have no idea how long I've waited to do that." She leaned down toward Akame's ear and licked it before she bit it as well.Akame cried out by the sudden action. "L-Leone! Why did you do that?"She heard her lover giggle mischievously. "What do you think? I've marked you as mine." There goes Leone succumbing to her cat-like nature again. This wasn't the first time she bit Akame. She had done it many times before in their "flings" back in their world but Leone really hadn't said any of this before. Before Akame could speak again, the blonde decided to continue the kiss where they last left off. It was different than the last one as it was much more lovely and gentle. Akame wrapped her arms around the other girl's body and tried to get used to Leone's rough tongue.Once again, the need to breathe overcame them and kiss broke again. This time, both girls' faces were in a deep blush and both were breathing heavily. Judging by how hot Akame's body was beginning to feel, she knew where this course was going. "Leone, are you sure? I mean with the way you are now…"Leone smiled at her and giggled. "Come on Akame. It's not like this is the first time we did this back in my beast form. In fact, I do remember you saying how good my tongue was." Akame blushed as she remembered that one time where she and Leone did have that one night. The blonde decided to tease her a bit more. "You know Akame…we could invite Yang to join us sometime. I know you would like it."Of course, Akame's blush deepened and shook her head. "You don't if know if she's like that."The blonde thought otherwise. "I don't know about that. I mean if we look alike, who's to say we don't have the same interests as well. Besides, I remember you liked the fact of both me and Chelsea giving you all the attention if you know what I mean." Again that was a night Akame remembered very well. Too well in fact. "Well that aside, I know you want this just as badly as me. It's been six months. I think we're a bit overdue." Akame gulped at that. It was true that in the time Akame was traveling alone, she really never had to experience those same feelings again. It was one of the things she missed the most. "Do you remember that night we had? The one before the war started?" Akame knew what Leone was talking about. It was the night before the Revolutionary Army battled against the Empire. It was the night where the girls didn't hold back. It was closest they had to being lovers. It was also the night where Akame gave Leone the most important thing to a girl. It was the same for Leone which surprised her lover considering how beautiful she was. "I want us to have…more nights like that and a lot more to come after that so please…"Akame saw the wanting look in Leone's eyes. She was serious about what the blonde was saying. Leone truly wanted this to be real. The thing is Akame wanted it as well. They literally had nothing standing in their way now. No enemies to kill them, no death hanging over their heads, no war. They were free to pursue this relationship of theirs to wherever they want it to be. And right now Akame knows where she wants it to be. She relaxed her body and trusted Leone to do the next step. It was strange to her. They've done this multiple of times but this time, it felt different to her. This was to be their first night not as just a fling but as lovers. Leone understood the signal and kissed Akame once more before starting to remove her clothes. B The first thing Akame noticed when she started to come to was that she was warm under the bedsheets. The second was that there was a pair of arms wrapped around her body. The third however and it was the most obvious was that she was in the nude and so was Leone. Akame remembered their night well. It was even better than the night before the war. She only hoped they didn't disturb any of the nearby dorm rooms. Happiness swelled up inside of her. Akame couldn't believe it. She was in a relationship with a beautiful girl by her side and for once, she could see something positive in her life. She reached over to her scroll to check the time. Once her eyes focused on the time, she gasped. Akame instantly sat up and shook her lover a few times. "Leone. Leone wake up!"The Faunus blonde mumbled before sitting up as well. If it were any other time, Akame wouldn't mind staring at the other girl's perfect nude body for as long she wanted. However, she doesn't have the luxury of that this time. Leone rubbed her eyes. "Come on. Can't we cuddle for a few more minutes?"As much as Akame wanted that, there was basically no time. "I'm afraid not. We've overslept. We have five minutes before our first class starts!"It took a few seconds for Leone to register those words into her head until her eyes widened with shock. "OH CRAP!" The two girls scrambled to put on their clothes on. There was even a mishap where they had each other's bras mixed up while putting on their clothes. Once they were dressed, the two girls ran out of their room and used their former assassin skills to rush over to their class. Once they reached the door, Leone slammed it open. "We're here with two minutes to spare!" Everyone else looked at them like they were a bit nuts while Yang just chuckled at their sudden entrance. The lesson Akame and Leone learned today? Never have a night like last night to make up the six months they missed together before a class. B The two girls were thankful that lunch rolled around. Akame more than Leone. They chose the spot they sat down from before and started to eat. Over a table from them, once again team RWBY and JNPR were looking over at the two new students. Yang still chuckled at their last minute entrance. "Man, I thought our first day almost missing class was bad.""I wonder what made them almost late." Ruby asked.Blake and Weiss wondered the same thing as well. The reason they were late the first time was setting up their dorm room. An idea came to the brawler as she stood up and started to walk over to the two new students. "Yang, what are you doing?" Blake asked her partner.The blonde stopped for a moment and looked back at the Faunus girl. "I'm going to ask them to join us. It doesn't hurt to try." With that said, she continued to walk over to them. Yang really didn't see why these two would just eat by themselves. After all, they do kinda know each other and she would like to know more about them. She approached the two with a bright smile. "Hey there!"The other two girls stopped eating and saw Yang. Leone was particularly happy to see her. "Oh hey there Yang. What brings you to our neck of the woods?"The other blonde smiled at her Faunus counterpart. "I just wanted to ask to see if you and Akame can eat over with my group. They really want to know more about you two."Akame and Leone looked at each other and weighed their options. While they can't fully disclose everything about themselves, it would be nice to be part of a bigger clique. They wouldn't get anywhere if it was just the two of them. They looked back at Yang and Akame nodded. "We would like to take you up on that offer."Yang was glad that they agreed. "Alright. Let's meet up with the others then. You're going to like them."Leone and Akame picked up their trays and followed Yang back to her own table where her group was. The rest of the group saw them heading over to them. "I guess they decided to join us then." Weiss pointed out. Like before, Yang and Leone were enjoying each other's company. She looked over to Blake to see that the Faunus girl had a slight glare. This made the heiress curious. "What's up with Blake? Ever since Leone and Yang started talking to each other, she's been having that same look on her face."Once the three girls arrived, Leone and Akame sat in between Weiss and Blake. They saw another group of four sitting across from them and figured they were friends of Yang's as well. Yang sat next to her partner. "Ok let's get the introductions out of the way. Akame, Leone, meet Pyrrha, Ren, Nora, and Jaune aka Vomit Boy."And Jaune was insulted by hearing that again. "Hey!"The other blonde chuckled. "Any case, they're team JNPR."Leone waved at them. "Hey there."Akame just smiled at them. "It's nice to meet you."Pyrrha smiled back at her. "Same to you. Ruby and the others told us a few things about the two of you.""Yeah like how one of you beat a lot Grimm with your bare hands!" Nora exclaimed loudly."And that you have a weapon that supposedly killed Grimm with one strike." Ren added.Well, so far they only know what Ruby's team had told them what they saw firsthand. "Yeah, that's pretty much true." Leone confirmed. "What else have you heard about us?"The members of team JNPR looked at each other trying to think of another question then looked back at the two girls. "Well, we had hoped you would tell us more about yourselves." Pyrrha suggested."Yeah like how Leone looks so much like Yang's and Bla-" And Ren elbowed Nora to not spill the beans about Blake's Faunus heritage. That was a kept secret between all eight of them.He cleared his throat. "She was wondering why you look so much like Yang Leone."The Faunus laughed at the obvious statement. "Man, I've been getting that a lot lately."Yang laughed in agreement. "I know right?" Weiss just groaned as she didn't need two of the same people in her life that causes her so much grief.There was a small detail Pyrrha remembered what Ruby told them at one time. "Oh yes Akame. Ruby told us at one time that you refused to show her your weapon. Why is that?"Akame just looked away as she heard the question. "It's as I've said before. It's very dangerous."That didn't sound so bad to Nora. "Ooh, dangerous. I like your weapon already. It sounds really fun." The other two girls didn't think so. If only they knew the truth. "What's its name?"Now questioned confused them. "Name?" The Faunus blonde asked.Ruby giggled. "Yeah, your weapon's name. Like how mine is called Crescent Rose, Blake's is called Gambol Shroud, Weiss' is Myrtenaster, and Yang's is called Ember Celica."All of them sounded like really cool names to Leone. Akame saw no harm of divulging that bit of information. That part she could tell them. "Murasame. That's its name." She took a bite out of their food.Already Blake was curious about the name. "Murasame?" That added another list of questions on her list.Ruby just thought the name it was cool. "Ooh sounds mysterious."Obviously, the next question is what everyone else had in mind. "So how did you two managed to enroll here when we just met you two days ago?" Weiss asked.Now all eyes were focused on the two girls. Akame decided to tell them only what they needed to hear. "It was Ozpin's way of helping us since we have nowhere else to go. To be honest we're grateful for the chance." Ruby smiled when she heard that. She knew that he would help them out in some way but didn't expect him to enroll them here. "However, he placed a couple of conditions for us.""And what conditions are they?" Jaune asked.Akame took another bite out of her food. "Well for one, as long as it's just Leone and me, we can't join in any of the team activities." That part sounded reasonable to them. They can't do much with only two members. "However, he has offered to help us finding team members for us."Well, at least they weren't completely stuck. That did raise another question. "Well that's nice of him but I wonder what your team name will be."That resulted in Leone asking a question from her. "Team name?"Ruby giggled at the question. "Yeah, team name. Like how ours is RWBY and theirs is JNPR. You see they're made up of the first letter of our first names. Since yours already has an L and an A, you just need two more to make your team name."That did sound like a neat concept to them. Akame thought about it for a few seconds. "That sounds very interesting."Getting back on topic, Ren decided to ask the next question. "So what's the other condition you two have?"Leone sighed at the question. "Well, as long we don't have any useful weapons, we can't fight in the battles. Sure Akame has Murasame but let's just say it's really not good for practice. That's the part we're stuck on."A light bulb appeared above Ruby's head. "If that's the case, I can help you out with that." They turned to the young leader. She smiled at them. "I know a thing or two about weapon building."It almost sounded too good to be true. "Wait seriously? You can make weapons?" Leone was having a hard time believing that.Yang smiled at the fact. "Yep, she sure can. In fact, she built Crescent Rose herself. You can say she's a bit of a weapon geek.""Yang!" Her sister whined.Now that part surprised them both. "She built that freaking scythe?!" Apparently, there was a lot more to Ruby than Leone thought.Yang always loved people's reaction when she told them that little fact. They would never expect a young girl like her to make her weapons. "Yep. She's the most awesome little sister I could ask for."Akame's widened for a bit when she heard that and looked to Yang. "Ruby…is your sister?"The blonde smiled at her. "Yep, she sure is. Yeah, I know we don't look it but trust me we're sisters."Akame turned away and stared at her food blankly. "I see…"Everyone didn't know what was wrong with her but Leone did. "Akame…"Pyrrha noticed the sudden change in the other girl's mood. "Are you feeling alright Akame?"The other girl just kept staring at her food. "I'm fine." Even though she said that, obviously something was bothering her.Ruby decided to bring back the topic. "So anyway yeah I can help you with that. It just depends on what kind of weapons you would like."Akame looked over to the young leader and smiled at her. "Thank you for the help. As for what weapons we would like to have, we may need some time to think about that."Another lightbulb appeared above Ruby. "Well if you don't know, you can tag along with us with our assignment. It could give you some ideas."That did sound like a good offer but there was a slight problem. "That's nice and all but we can't do team stuff remember?"Ruby giggled at what Leone said. "I know that but your condition doesn't say you can't just watch us. Maybe seeing us in action will give you some ideas of what weapon you want."Yang loved the sound of that. "Hey, great idea. And I get to spend more time with Leone too." Yang talking more about the other Faunus blonde was really starting to get on Blake's nerves.It was an offer the two really couldn't refuse. "In that case, we'll be glad to come along." Akame agreed.It was all set then. All that was left was for Ozpin to look for two more members to join them. Now there was one question left and it was on everyone's mind. "Alright so now that we have all of that worked out, would care to tell us what you told Ozpin?" Weiss asked.Akame and Leone were still unsure of telling them that but they couldn't dodge the question forever. "Please stop!"A sudden cry came in time and every looked to where they heard it. Ruby and others saw a very familiar sight. They saw four others laughing and taunting a familiar Faunus girl. "That's the girl Leone ran into yesterday"The sight before them made the Faunus blonde a bit angry. Weiss sighed. "Looks like Cardin is at it again."Leone narrowed her eyes at the group. "And who's that?""Cardin Winchester. The leader of team CRDL and a total jerk to that girl Velvet. He keeps bullying her just because she's a Faunus." Blake explained. She didn't need to say any more of how much she didn't like them.Seeing Cardin pull on Velvet's ears brought back some memories from Leone. Old habits die hard as she rose out of her seat and walked over to where Cardin and his team were. Akame was instantly worried. "Leone be careful."The others wondered what she was doing. "Why is she going over there?" Jaune asked. That was what everyone else was thinking but one thing they do know was that this wasn't going to end well.While Cardin was busy getting his kicks pulling Velvet's ears, neither he nor his team noticed Leone coming up to them. "Hey, assholes." They heard her and stopped to turn around to see her.Cardin just smiled at her. "Well, what do we have here? Another one of you? What you came here to save this freak?" He had no idea he was provoking an ex-assassin and it was Leone on top of that.As much as the Faunus blonde would love to do what others pissed her off, she knew it would result in a lot more trouble for her and Akame. So she decided on the next best thing. Leone suddenly grabbed him by his shirt, lifted him up which freaked Cardin out and [G51] slammed him on the table so hard that it broke. The little spectacle drew everyone's attention from what they were doing. The whole thing freaked Cardin out and his team. He even saw how pissed off Leone was. "You know I really hate assholes like you that get your kicks by picking on others!" She raised her arm to Cardin's head. "Let's see how you like it when you're on the same end!" Akame really did think she was going to kill him. Thankfully it didn't come that since Leone punched the ground next to his head and it did leave a crater. "You think you're so badass picking a girl like her. Well, guess what jackass you're not! All it proves is that you and your little posse here are just weak little shits who are too scared to pick a fight with someone stronger than all of you!" She picked him up again high. "Think about that next time when you pick on somebody else!" Leone threw Cardin easily to the window and he crashed through it.Outside of the window where Cardin crashed through the window and screamed until he hit a tree, Neptune and Sun saw just that while making their way over to cafeteria. They just looked at each wondering what that was all about. Back at the cafeteria, everyone in it was silent at what they saw. "Miss Wild!" Everyone turned to Goodwitch who heard the commotion from outside and she didn't look too happy. "With me. Now."Leone didn't have much of a choice but she didn't care. All that mattered to her was giving Cardin a piece of her mind. She started to walk over to the teacher. As she walking over to her, Dove sighed at what just happened. "Jeez, what a freak. This is why all Faunus are just freaking animals."And in the next second, he and the other two were instantly knocked out by Akame. Blake looked to where she was sitting before and back to where she was now. "How? She was sitting next to us and all of a sudden she's over there."Akame glared at the three members who were lying around her. "What gives you the right to judge? A person, Faunus or not shouldn't judge by their appearance but rather by their actions. If any case, you four are the animals here.""Miss Night." Akame looked over to Goodwitch who wasn't too pleased by her actions. "You come as well."The former assassin closed her eyes and walked over to her. While doing so, Ruby smiled at what she saw and started to clap. Yang started to clap as well. Soon after one person started to clap after another until the whole cafeteria went into applause. As Akame joined up with Goodwitch and Leone, the Faunus blonde smiled at what her girlfriend did. "Awesome thing you did Akame."All three left but Ruby and the others decided to follow. As they exited out of the cafeteria, Neptune and Sun saw them leave and wondered who the two new girls were. Sun apparently saw a resemblance in Leone. "Yang?"For both of them to be escorted out by Goodwitch, it must've been bad. "I guess they're the ones that threw Cardin out the window." Neptune spoke."Sun? Neptune?"Both of them saw Ruby and the others. Neptune waved at them. "Hey there. What just happened in there? We saw Cardin being tossed out of the window earlier."Sun looked over to the two girls with Goodwitch. "And who were the two girls with Goodwitch? I've never seen them before."Blake narrowed her eyes at the two of them. "New students believe it or not."Once all three were out of sight, Glynda sighed at what just happened and turned to Akame and Leone. "This is your second day here and already the two of you are causing trouble. I know Ozpin has given you special exceptions but this is not the way to use them. You cannot be starting fights with others."As much as Leone hated being lectured, at least she had a reason. "Yeah but there's a reason why I threw that ass out the window."Glynda decided to hear her out. "Go on then."The Faunus blonde clenched her hands tightly. "That guy was picking on another Faunus. I just couldn't stand around while he did that so I had to do something."Apparently, she just wasn't picking a fight to Glynda. "So you were just helping out a fellow student in trouble?"Akame decided to explain. "Please understand. Yes, Leone's actions were a bit extreme but she doesn't act upon them unless she has a reason. Cardin was picking on a Faunus called Velvet and decided to help her out."After that explanation, Glynda sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. "Well, this isn't the first we have heard of Mr. Winchester's actions." She opened her eye to look at the two girls. "I will overlook this due to the circumstances but do please stay out of trouble. Just because you two are special exceptions doesn't mean you're above everything else."The two girls smiled and nodded at her. "We understand. It won't happen again we promise." Akame bowed to her.Glynda adjusted her glasses and turned away from them. "For your sakes, I hope not." She started to walk away from them but stopped as she had one more thing to say. "Oh yes and if you do have a personal grudge against Mr. Winchester, there is a way to do it officially. You can fight him in my class but only when you two have suitable weapons. Is that clear?"Leone loved the sound of that. "Getting to beat the crap out of him in public and we won't get in trouble? You betcha."Their teacher didn't say anything else and left the two of them alone. Well, they dodged that bullet but she was right. They weren't above the rules. With that set in their minds, Akame and Leone wondered what to do next. That made the Faunus blonde sigh. "So what we should we do now?"Akame pondered on the question. "I suppose we should go back to Ruby and the others." Her stomach growled in agreement. She never really did finish her lunch.Leone laughed at what just happened. "Probably a good idea. While we're at it, we might as well see if that bunny girl is alright. I think I kinda scared her when I threw that asshole out of the window."Her girlfriend smiled at that idea. "That would be a good idea. Shall we go then?" With that said, they started to walk back to the cafeteria where everyone else was. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New BeginningKill Six: Team RWBY DemonstrationTeam RWBY along with Akame and Leone were walking through a forest where leaves continued to fall off the trees. What they were doing there was that Ruby and her team was tracking down a Beowolf den to finally finish their assignment. Akame and Leone who were still in their school uniforms were with them to observe and find an idea of what kind of weapons they would want to use so Ruby can make them for the two girls. They were looking around at the forest. "So what's this place called again?" Leone asked.Weiss sighed at the question. "It's called the Forever Fall. You think the name would be obvious since we're surrounded by falling leaves from the trees."Blake thought to explain further. "It's also the place where there may be another Beowolf den nearby."That pretty much explained everything they needed to know. Mostly anyway as Akame still had a question about all of this. "So why do you need to partake in this particular assignment?"Yang just laughed nervously while Blake and Weiss sighed. "Yang here failed a test that graded us all as a team. So because of her, we have to take an extra assignment to make up for it." Weiss explained.The brawler of the group sighed at it. "And I told you I'm sorry. The sooner we get this done, the better I won't have to listen to you complaining about my performance any longer." That was something the rest of the team could agree upon. Yang looked back and smiled at the two girls. "So now that you two have been in Beacon for a while now, what do you think of it so far?"Leone grinned at the question. "Kinda awesome if you ask me. The only complaint I have so far is that I still haven't had the chance to show everyone what I'm made of."The other blonde loved hearing that. "Well, when you do get a weapon, maybe we can have a sparring match in Miss Goodwitch's class."The Faunus girl would love to enjoy that match. "You're on then. Question is, do you think you can take me? You've seen me fight before."That Yang didn't have a problem with. "True but you haven't seen me fight before. Besides, fighting the other students is way different than fighting Beowolves."Leone had to admit, she was right. "You got a point. Guess we'll just have to see and find out."While the two were enjoying their conversation, Blake wasn't as much. She really didn't like the way her partner was looking at the other Faunus girl. It was something she couldn't figure out why. "Am I…jealous that Leone is getting so much attention from Yang?" She threw that thought away. "No. I'm sure it's nothing…I hope."Ruby looked behind as well. "What about you Akame? What do you think of Beacon?"Akame smiled at the question. "It's nice. It's…an opportunity I thought I would never have." Truth be told Akame was glad she was getting a proper education in her life for once. Even if the education was similar to what she learned before, at least it didn't involve other people and assassinations.The group continued to walk through the forest until they arrived at a wide open clearing with a cliff overlooking them. There were multiple holes in the side the cliff and they all heard growling coming out of them. Multiple Beowolves started to come out of the caves while snarling at the group. This group wasn't as big as the one Leone and Akame took on but it was enough to satisfy the conditions of their assignment. Yang smiled at the challenge in front of them. "Well looks like we found the den."Blake counted each one. "It looks like there's twenty-eight in all."Ruby tried to do the math in her head. "Okay, so four of us and twenty-eight them. That leaves us…""Seven Beowolves for each of us. Fourteen if we take them in teams." Weiss calculated. She drew out Myrtenaster and rotated the chamber.The young leader nodded. "Right. This'll be easy." She took out Crescent Rose and transformed it into its scythe mode.Yang flicked her wrists and the bracelets around her wrists transformed into Ember Celica. Seeing them for the first time caught Leone's interest. "That's kinda cool."Blake drew out Gambol Shroud and readied herself for the fight ahead. Akame looked at the weapon closely. "That suits more of my style."Yang chuckled a bit. "First team to finish wins!" She instantly bolted at the Grimm in front with Blake following close behind."Yang! That's not fair!" Ruby called out. "Come on Weiss!" She began running toward the Grimm as well.The heiress just sighed. "It just can't be simple can it?" Weiss ran to keep up with her partner.Leone crossed her arms under her breasts. "Alright let's see what they can do."Akame nodded in agreement. "Yes. This'll be quite the learning experience for us."Ruby looked up ahead and saw that her sister may have a surprise start but that wasn't going to last long. She used her sembalance to quickly rush pass the first team leaving a trail of rose petals just in time for the first Beowolf to jump attack her. The young leader saw the attack coming and swung her scythe at the Grimm and decapitated it with ease. Ruby landed at the same time the corpse of the Beowolf hit the ground. Few more of them came charging at her but she switched Crescent Rose to its sniper form and fired off a shot for each. The bullets easily went through their bodies and dropped dead. Ruby did another one and tried to attack her from the side, but a glyph suddenly appeared and blocked the surprise attack. Weiss appeared and thrust her rapier into the Grimm and out of the other end was a large icicle. She removed Myrtenaster and stood by her leader. Ruby smiled at what the other girl just did. "Nice save there Weiss."The heiress just scoffed. "Well someone has to look after you. Otherwise, I'd never hear the end of it from your sister." A yellow glyph appeared from underneath her and launched her at the Grimm ahead of her. As she passed one, Weiss quickly slashed at the side and did the same with others. Once she stopped, the heiress just flicked her weapon. "And freeze." Ice suddenly came out of the wounds of the Grimm and fell down dead to the ground.As Weiss turned around to see another one trying to attack her from behind, Ruby split it in half with Crescent Rose and landed behind the other girl. Both teammates rushed to three of the Grimm and each took a side. Both girls were able to slash through their respective target before turning to each other and attacked the remaining Grimm together by swiping both of their weapons at it. As the Beowolf fell down dead, both girls couldn't help but smile at their teamwork. "Hey, we may win this after all. Don't you think Weiss?"Weiss just rolled her eyes at Ruby's words. "Let's just focus on the task at hand shall we?"After seeing their performance, Akame was pretty impressed by Ruby's fighting style. "Ruby may be younger but it's obvious she's very well trained. The way she uses that scythe shows her mastery of both forms the weapon has. I am curious as to where those rose petals came from. Perhaps that was her sembalance."Leone had her own thoughts about Weiss. "Okay so Weiss can be pretty good with that toothpick weapon of hers and it looks like it can use ice attacks. Great, just what we need." Seeing that ice brought back unpleasant memories to the Faunus blonde. "Also what was up with those things she used before? I guess that's her sembalance." Both Akame and Leone learned what sembalance was and what people could do with aura. If Leone could guess, her fast recovery ability she received from Lionel would be her sembalance. As for Akame, that has yet to be discovered. So far they were impressed by what Ruby and Weiss could do but now their attention turned to the other blonde and her partner.Yang didn't like how the contest was panning out for her. "Great. At this rate, they'll win.""Then let's pick up the pace." Blake ran up ahead to their small group of Beowolves and slashed at them. In the next moment, she transformed her sword into its gun form and fired at the remaining Beowolves surrounding her. They were all head shots and they went down quickly.A few were running up behind her but they were taken out by Yang's shots. The Faunus girl looked up to see her partner in the air and saw the blonde smiling. "Today's forecast calls for sunny with a chance of Yang!" She fired several more shots at the Beowolves around Blake and then landed behind her. Not for the one to stay still, the blonde rushed over to some of the Beowolves in front of her. They tried to attack in response but Yang delivered a quick blow to the chest to the first while firing off her shot at the same time to send the Grimm away. She did the same to the other one. Another one tried to attack her from the side but then Gambol shroud appeared and went through the head. Yang looked over to Blake who pulled the sword back to her. The blonde smiled at her teammate. "Nice save there Blake!"The Faunus girl smiled back at her. "I'm your partner. It's what I'm supposed to do."Their performance caught Akame and Leone's eyes. Leone grinned at what Yang's weapons could do. "I kinda like what she's using."Akame paid close attention to Blake's weapon. "An interesting use of a weapon."Both teams saw the remaining Beowolves and smiled. All of them ran toward to the nearest Beowolf and Ruby was the first to reach it. She slashed its body in half easily and another one right behind it. Yang came up from behind and fired a few rounds at the next Beowolf before landing in front of her sister and instantly punching the next closest Beowolves near her while shooting off at them. She fired a few rounds at the next Grimm before turning around to do the same with the next one, but Weiss suddenly appeared and used her glyphs to travel around them quickly while slashing at them at all sides with ice appearing out of their wounds. Once she was done, Blake appeared and shot at the remaining Beowolves with Gambol Shroud before landing on the ground before rushing over the last ones and cutting them down. As a final show, she threw her sword at the last Beowolf straight to the center of the forehead and pulled it back to her. All four girls looked around the area smiled. Ruby jumped up for joy. "Good job everyone! Looks like our assignment is done."Yang chuckled happily at that. "Awesome. Man, I wish testing was more like this."Weiss knew what the upcoming question was. "So who won this little bout?"Each girl recollected the Grimm they killed. Blake suddenly remembered. "I was the one who killed the last Beowolf so…I believe Ruby and Weiss."Ruby giggled as she suddenly hugged Weiss. "We won Weiss!"The heiress couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed by this with a blush added to it. "L-Let go of me, you dolt!"While they were celebrating, Leone and Akame now had a pretty good idea how the team fights. The Faunus blonde couldn't help but giggle nervously. "Hey, Akame?"Akame couldn't stop looked at the team. "Yes?""Now I'm really glad we didn't have to fight them when we first met." Leone thought they were pretty awesome.Yang turned around to the other two girls and waved at them. "Hey! How did you like the show!? Did you seeing us finally give you two some ideas for some weapons?"Both girls nodded at the question. "Yeah, we have some thoughts about them!" Leone yelled back.Hearing that perked Ruby up. "Really?!" She used her sembalance and left Weiss in a flurry of rose petals to where Leone and Akame were. "Can you tell me?"Akame just smiled at the younger girl. "Maybe when we come back to the school grounds. We'll tell you then."That was more than enough for Ruby. Yang suddenly came from behind hugged her. "Alright, little sis. You've won this round but next time I won't lose."Ruby giggled at her sister. "Oh yeah? We'll see about that."Seeing the two sisters act like this made Akame feel a familiar sensation running through her body. She smiled sadly as she lowered her head. "What's wrong Akame?"Akame raised her head quickly to see Ruby looking at trying to figure out what was making her feel sad. Her response was the older girl just smiling at her. "It's nothing." She turned away from the group. "Always cherish your moments for as long as you can as sisters." Akame started to walk away from the other group.The team had question marks over their heads. Weiss asked the question all of them were thinking about. "What was that all about?"Leone looked to Akame and knew what her girlfriend was talking about. "Does it still bother Akame? Of course, it does." She sighed. "She's not going to like this but I'm not going to entirely tell them everything." She turned to the team. "Akame had a younger sister herself some time ago. Seeing the two of you acting like that reminded her all of the times she spent with her."The team was surprised to know something about Akame that she had a younger sister. Blake noticed the key word in that sentence. "You said had. What happened to her little sister?"That was the part Leone really can't tell them. She could tell them part of the truth. "She passed away. Let's put it at that." The Faunus blonde really didn't want them to the whole truth. Leone started to walk away as well. All four girls looked at each other with this new discovery over their heads and began walking back to Beacon with Akame and Leone. B The walk back to the academy wasn't as joyful as the walking to the Beowolf's den. Leone and Akame kept their distance ahead from the team. They themselves had thoughts about what they learned about Akame. Blake was still having a hard time believing it. "So we finally learn something about Akame. Too bad it had to something about her losing her sister."Yang being an older sister herself couldn't help but have one terrifying thought. "You're telling me. I really don't know what I would do if I lost Ruby." She hoped something like that would never happen.Ruby was a bit saddened hearing that. "Yang…" She really didn't want to think what her life would be like without her older sister.The only who couldn't share the feeling was Weiss. "Sister huh?" She and her older sister weren't all that close so the heiress really couldn't know the feeling.Even if was something like that, the team now knew a little about one of the mysterious girls. They still wondered what their past was like. Meanwhile, Akame and Leone were having a discussion of their own. "You didn't have to tell them you know."The Faunus blonde sighed as she knew her girlfriend didn't like this. "I know but the way you were looking at Ruby and Yang, I know it reminded you of your sister. I didn't tell them the whole truth. There are some things that should be kept secret."That was something Akame could agree upon. "Fine, I'll allow that but remember, there are some things that need to stay…where they are."Leone understood that and left the conversation at that. Still, she couldn't help but worry."Does it still bother you that much Akame?" The Faunus blonde knew some things should stay in the past but there are those that are worse off if they're buried for too long.Suddenly her ears perked up when she heard a certain line from the other blonde. "Well, now that assignment is over now, I need a good way to relax."Weiss scoffed at what she heard. "Yang, all you do is relax when it doesn't come to homework assignments."Leone smiled at the opportunity and turned her head to the group. "Hey, Yang! If you want, I can give you a massage some time." And suddenly, Blake felt a bit fearful when she heard that.Her partner didn't seem to mind, though. In fact, she smiled at the offer. "Seriously? I've never had a massage before."The blonde smiled at her. "Ooh looks like I'll be giving you your first one then. I'll tell you this, I have magic fingers." And that didn't help Blake either. In fact, she was already imagining the worst out of the situation.Again Yang didn't seem to mind. "I'll take you up on that offer then."Akame seemed to share Blake's worries. "Leone…"Her girlfriend turned to her and leaned in close to Akame's ear. "Don't worry. You're the only one I give that has the happy endings" And that comment made Akame blush while Leone laughed. The four girls behind wondered what they were talking about. They continued to walk until they saw Beacon in view. As they approached the school grounds, Leone noticed a couple of people up ahead. One was just standing while the other was leaning on the wall. "Hm? Who's that?"Akame instantly recognized one of them. "It's that girl from before. The one with the rabbit ears but who's the other girl next to her?"As the whole group approached the two girls, the girl who was leaning started to walk over to them. They soon met in the middle and the girl in front lowered her sunglasses to have a closer look at the two girls in front. "These the two were you talking about before Velv?"Velvet nodded at the question. "Yes, Coco."Coco continued to eye Akame and Leone for a few more seconds until Leone had enough. "And you are…?"The other lifted up her sunglasses and clicked her tongue. "Coco Adel. The leader of Team CVFY. From what my little bunny had told me, you two put quite the hurt on Cardin and his buddies."Just remembering what Cardin did the poor rabbit Faunus was enough for the Faunus blonde to growl. Akame nodded at the statement. "Yes, that was us. Is there something you want to say to us regarding that?"Coco just smiled at the two. "Just to say thanks for sticking up for my little bunny. From what I heard, Cardin's been a real ass to her for some time now. If you haven't pretty much sent him to the infirmary, I would've done the same thing to that asshole myself. No one messes with my bunny." Velvet blushed at the nickname. "In any case, thanks. For what you did for her, consider us friends. Anything you need, don't hesitate to ask." She turned around. "Let's go Velv." Coco started to walk away.Velvet looked at her leader for a few seconds then turned to the two girls in front. "I know I didn't say it before but…" She bowed to them. "Thank you." With that said, the rabbit Faunus left to catch up to her leader.After all of that, Leone couldn't help but smile. "I think she was kinda cool. What do you think Akame?"Her girlfriend did indeed have some thoughts of her own. "She was…unique." There was something else she wanted to know. "Are those two perhaps…""Well, that was something." They turned around to face Ruby and her team. Yang smiled at them. "Looks like you two made some more friends."Both girls smiled at that fact. Now that they were done with the sudden meeting, Ruby walked up to them. "So since we're here at the academy now, care to tell us what weapons you want?"Akame just chuckled as she nodded at the younger girl. "Alright, we'll tell you then." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning Kill Seven: Out on the Town The young leader made a few more sketches. “Not now Weiss. I need to figure out how they’re supposed to work.”The heiress heard Yang laugh. “Might be better not to talk to her when she’s like this. Ruby can be pretty serious when it comes to weapons.”Weiss was already aware of that. “I can see that.”Blake looked over the designs. “So how are the designs coming along Ruby?”That was a question the young leader could answer. “I think I have it with Akame’s weapons of choice. Still, it's kinda weird she wants a weapon like this." She thought back to what Akame told her and the rest of the team. F Ruby was confused when she heard what weapon Akame wanted. “You want a what now?”Akame thought to explain a bit more thoroughly. “An extendable sword. I thought of this when I saw Blake throw her weapon at some of the Beowolves. I thought I could use a sword that could do the same but with a blade instead."Ruby finally understood what the other girl meant. “Ohh you want a segmented whip sword. That’s a cool choice.”Akame smiled at the younger girl. "Yes, that's it. I'm sure that'll suit me fine."The young leader nodded a few times. “Alright then. So what kind of gun do you want to go along with it? Gambol Shroud is also a pistol so maybe you want to that?”To her surprise, Akame shook her head. "That won't be necessary. Having a firearm may be fine and all but it doesn't suit me. Just the sword is enough for me." F Ruby continued to sketch out a few more drawings. “I don’t think I’ve ever met a person who didn’t want a weapon that could double as a gun. On the bright side, it does leave more room for me to focus on the blade and other things.”Yang thought the same. “Well I guess that’s a plus but she’s going to have a hard time fighting against most people who can shoot at her.”Weiss didn’t seem too concerned about that problem. “Maybe, but then again we haven’t seen her fight against another person yet so that’s still up for debate.” She looked at the other drawing for Leone’s weapon of choice. “Still struggling with Leone’s weapon?”Ruby looked over the design as well. “I think I almost have it. I can tell she really wanted this one.” F Once they heard Akame’s choice of weapon, Ruby looked over to the Faunus blonde. “So what weapon have you decided on Leone?”The older girl just grinned at the question. “Easy one for me. Something similar to Yang’s but I want mine to have claws. Cat claws to be exact.”Again Ruby was confused by her weapon choice. “So you want cat claw gauntlets?” Hearing that reminded Yang of two certain twins she fought against before.Leone nodded at the question. “Yep. I want the claws like on top of my fingers. You know like actual cat claws.”The younger understood the condition. “Okay then. If you’re aiming for something similar to Yang’s Ember Celica, you want it to fire off too?”Same as Akame, the Faunus blonde shook her head. "Nah you can leave that. Firing off gunfire may be cool and all but I'll just stick to what I do best." F Ruby sighed at the designs. “I guess they want their weapons to be like Jaune’s. Simple but effective.”“So are you almost done?” Blake asked.The young leader looked over several of each design. “Just about. I may need to run into town to get some materials.”And a light bulb suddenly appeared above the older sister’s head and turned to where both Akame and Leone were. Speaking of the two, Akame was helping out her girlfriend with a few assignments. It became clear that Akame was the smarter of the two while Leone was struggling a bit. “Do you understand now Leone?”The Faunus blonde groaned in frustration. “I think so but come on. I thought this was going to be easy.”“Nothing is ever easy Leone. You and I should know that by now.” Leone knew what her girlfriend was talking about. “Now onto the next topic.”Before they could talk about the next subject, Yang suddenly approached them. “Hey, you two.”They both looked to Yang and Leone smiled at her. “Oh hey there Yang. How’s the weapon thing going?”The other blonde looked over to her sister still going over the designs and back to the two girls. “Pretty well. My sister just needs some things to make them so she just needs to make a quick run into town and that got me thinking. How you would you two like to see Vale? I know you haven’t seen it yet so the team and I would like to show you around.”The two girls looked at each other thinking about the opportunity. It would be nice to see more of what this world had to offer. They looked back Yang and smiled at her. “Sure. We’ll take up that offer.”Yang was glad to hear that. “Great. Once classes are over, we’ll head over there. Just remember to dress out of the school uniforms and into your regular clothes.”And already there was a problem. One Leone was very aware of. “Uh yeah about that.”The other blonde wondered what she was trying to say. “What? What’s the problem?”Leone chuckled nervously. “You see, I kinda have no other clothes to wear other than the school uniform I’m wearing. Remember we came with the clothes we had from before.” Akame may have no problem wearing her old outfit but Leone’s was another.Yang was surprised to hear that. “Seriously? Then how do you two sleep?” They really didn’t want to answer that. Let’s just say together in one bed wearing nothing. They were that comfortable with each other. Luckily Yang already thought of something. “Never mind. I could lend you my other outfit but when we arrive at Vale, we’re going to do some major shopping on our own. What do you say?”Well, that was one problem solved. Leone laughed at the proposition. “Alright then. Count us in!” While they were talking to each other, Blake heard the conversation and wasn’t a bit too thrilled that the other Faunus girl was tagging along. B Leone and Akame’s first impression of Vale? Unlike anything they've seen before. It looked very different than the Capital. They were taking in the sights. "So what do you two think so far?"They both looked behind to Yang and the rest of them who were wearing their regular outfits. Akame was wearing her original outfit but Leone was wearing Yang’s other outfit. The brawler of the team even said she admitted that Leone looked attractive in her clothes much to Blake’s dismay. The two girls looked around at part of the town. "It's pretty cool I'll tell you that."Akame had to agree with her girlfriend. “So now that we’re here, what do we do now?”For Ruby it was obvious. "Well, I'm going around town to pick up the materials."She had her plan and Weiss had her own. "Well, I supposed we'll do some shopping around to fix Leone's wardrobe problem.”Of course, Yang had a plan of her own. "Right, and we show them all the awesome sights that we can see after that.” With that, they all agreed on something. “Fine then. We’ll return here in about five hours. That should be plenty of time for what all of us want to do.”Ruby smiled at the terms. “Sounds good to me. I’ll see all of you later.” With that said, the young leader left the team to do her thing. Now it was only the members of RWBY and the two former assassins.The heiress thought they should start now. “Well now…follow me.” She started to walk but then noticed no was following her. She turned around to face the rest of the group. “What are you all just standing around for?”Yang just laughed awkwardly. "Well, I was hoping to show them the fun places first."Weiss just rolled her eyes at what she heard. “Are you kidding me? What’s more important to them?”Leone sighed as she knew what to do. “Tell you what. I’ll go with Weiss and shop around with her. Akame, you go with Yang and Blake.” As much as the Faunus blonde wanted to spend more time with the other blonde, this was kinda her problem in the first place.Akame knew this as well. “If you say so Leone.”Well even if she didn't end up with the girl she wanted, Yang was still pleased she gets to hang out with Akame. "All right then! Come on, we'll show you some of the fun places in Vale." Let's go Blake." She started to walk away from the group. Her partner followed and was secretly glad that Leone was tagging along. Akame she could deal with. Akame looked at her girlfriend one more time before catching up with the other two girls.Now it was just Weiss and Leone. The heiress turned away. “Coming?”The Faunus blonde just smiled at the question. “You would be surprised how often I say yes to that.” B In all honesty, Blake was glad Leone wasn’t with them this time. If she had, then Yang would start a conversation between the two. For some reason she can’t quite place, it irked her to no end and didn’t know why. “Why is it that I always act this way when those two are close together? I don’t have any control over to who she talks to but the way they talk to each other so closely like that and how, why does it bother me so much?” She felt this familiar feeling the first time they spoke to each other and it was growing ever since. The Faunus girl knew what the feeling was. "Is this…jealously? Why would I be jealous of Leone talking to Yang? Also, why am I…afraid?"“Blake? Remnant to Blake?” The words managed to break the Faunus girl out of her train of thought and looked at the girl plaguing her thoughts. Yang sighed in relief. “That’s good. You’re still here with us.”Her partner just smiled at her. “I’m fine. I just…have a lot on my mind.”The blonde smiled at her. "Well, what better way to keep those thoughts away than having a bit of fun? Come on, the arcade isn't far from here. Let's go!" She started to lead the way. While walking, Yang was feeling a bit disappointed Leone couldn't be with her but Akame with them wasn't bad either. In fact, the blonde thought up of something. "So Akame, what can you tell me more about Leone?”And Blake felt more of those unpleasant feelings again. “Why do you always talk about her?”Yang didn’t notice and continued. “I mean, there’s still a lot we don’t know about either of you. What was she like before you two met?”The question made her stop and that in turn, the other two girls stopped as well. Akame slightly looked away. "There isn't much I know about her past. What I do know is that she…doesn't remember much from her early life. Not even her parents. From what I know, she spent most of her childhood trying to survive in the streets and taking up a job at a massage place. Leone may act carefree and happy all the time but I know better than anyone that she was alone with no one looking after her.”And hearing that made Blake forget about her strange feelings and felt sorry for the other Faunus girl. "So…she's been alone for a long time with no one around her. Leone…she just had herself and no one else. I can't imagine what she had to go through. A child Faunus wandering the streets alone. It's a wonder how she didn't end up as something else."Yang also felt a bit bad hearing the other girl’s brief explanation. “I had no idea.” She then smiled. “I guess she’s lucky to have you then huh?”Akame looked back at them and smiled. “Yes, and much more.”That led Yang to her other question. “So, what was she like when you two first met?”Akame just chuckled at the question. “Let’s just say she really couldn’t leave me alone for a time.” She walked past the two girls and stopped as she turned to them. “So shall we go to this…arcade as you called it?”The blonde was surprised to hear that question. “Seriously? You never heard of an arcade before? Oh, we're going to change that. You're going to love it." B Akame couldn't take her eyes off of what she was seeing. So many sounds and bright lights all coming from different directions in one place. In hindsight, she was amazed. Yang loved her reaction. “Pretty cool huh? You can even win prizes if you scored enough tickets.” She pointed over to the counter and Akame saw the different prizes one could get. The blonde looked around the arcade. “Since this is your first time here, let’s start you off with something easy.” She found what she was looking for. “Here we go.” They approached one of the games and as expected, Akame didn’t know what it was. “This should be easy.”Akame blinked at the game a few times. “What is it?”Blake was beginning to question where Akame grew up. “It’s called skeeball. What do you is put some money into it then nine balls come out. The point of this is to roll the balls into those holes at the end. Depending which hole the ball goes into, it's added to your score. The higher the score you have, the more tickets you earn."Akame seemed to understand it easy enough. Yang thought she should demonstrate. "Here I'll show you." She took out a coin and inserted into the slot. The machine powered up and several balls dropped into the open slot. The blonde took one of them and rolled it up to where it went into one of the holes. As it did, the number thirty showed up on the scoreboard. Yang turned back to the other girl. “Easy as that but the bigger points are kinda harder to get. You give it a try now.” Akame took up that offer and grabbed on the balls. She observed the targets carefully just like she was about to assassinate someone. Akame rolled the ball up and it veered a bit all the way to the hundred easily. The other two girls were impressed at what they saw. “Oh, nice. You rolled into the hundred.”Akame took another ball and rolled it into the hundred again. It was impressive the few times but then Yang and Blake's expressions began to change when Akame kept rolling into the hundred constantly without losing one ball. The numbers on the scoreboard were climbing. This continued until Akame had no more of the balls to throw. Tickets started to come out of the dispenser and became a small pile. Akame picked it up and presented it to the other girls. "I think did pretty good."Yang just laughed awkwardly. “That’s an understatement.” After organizing the tickets by folding them on top of one on the other, the three girls looked around to see what other game their new friend would like to play. There was one that caught the blonde’s eye. “Hey, I think you’ll like this.”Akame looked at the game and once again was confused by it. “And what’s this?”And Blake once again had to explain. “It’s called Whack-A-Grimm. What you do here is take the hammer and hit the Grimm that pops up. The longer the game, the faster the Grimm pop up and then go back You’re only allowed three misses before the game is over. Like the last game, you can get tickets judging by how high the score is.”Again, this was something Akame understood very well. “I see. So, it most likely tests your reaction time.”Yang looked at the game. “I guess you can say that. Give it a try.” Akame picked up the hammer and the blonde inserted the coin into the slot and the game started up.As the first Grimm popped up, it was immediately struck by Akame. Another one popped up and she struck down that one as well. It wasn’t long after that the game started to pick up speed but Akame didn’t lose track. Again, Yang and Blake couldn’t believe what they were seeing. “You got to be kidding me. How good is she?”Her partner wondered the same. “Apparently very good.” She paid attention to how Akame was hitting them. “She really wastes no time hitting the next one as soon as it appears.”Akame lost count how many she hit by this point. She was in her zone. However, as Akame was hitting them, something else was playing in her mind. The moment she hit one of the Grimm, she would imagine blood splatter everywhere. Her breathing became heavier as the game went on until all she could see was red and heard screams. For the first time, she missed a Grimm. She missed two more until it was game over but Akame didn't seem to notice. All she was doing was breathing heavily. Yang and Blake noticed and instantly went over her. The blonde put her hand on Akame's shoulder. "Hey hey, are you okay? You seem a bit out of it.”Akame recollected herself and breathed in deeply. “I’m fine. I guess I was…a little too into it.”“That’s saying something.” Blake thought it was something else but decided to lay off that subject later. Like before, tickets were coming out of the dispenser until there was a large pile of them. Yang picked up the pile and folded the tickets on top of each other.Both girls were surprised how much for someone like Akame who was a first timer to these games amassed too many tickets from just two games. They wondered if was a good idea to keep doing this. Yang had decided one more game before what to do with Akame's tickets. The next game she led on was a fairly simple one. "Alright, we'll try this one." They were all looking at a punching machine. This was one the blonde was most proud of. "This one is easy. It doesn't give out tickets but it does show how strong your punch is. See the score?" Akame saw the high score and it said seven fifty. "That's mine. Blake tried it too once and got…four seventy-five?"Her partner nodded at the guess. “That’s about right.”Yang smiled at her. “Yeah, so I want to see how you’ll do. What do you say?”Akame observed the machine. She was impressed there exists such a contraption that could measure one’s strength. She decided to give it a go. “I’ll give it a try.” That was all Yang needed to hear and put a coin into the slot. The machine powered up and a punching bag dropped in front as a number showed up.Akame took up a stance similar as to how she held Murasame when she was about to make the kill. Neither Blake nor Yang recognized the stance. Akame delivered a swift strong blow to the punching bag and it was sent back to where it was before. The numbers quickly climbed until it stopped. Both girls thought they were reading the number wrong. “N-Nine hundred thirty?” Yang had never seen a score that high. Not only that told her that Akame had the stronger punch but that was enough to literally kill a person.Akame didn’t seem as surprised and turned to the two girls. “So, I guess this means I beat your high score.”Yang chuckled nervously. “Yeah…I guess so.” She looked at the prize corner. “So how about we exchange these tickets you won for an awesome prize. With this much, you can pretty much get whatever you want.”Akame looked at the prize corner and observed each of the prizes. There was one that caught her eye and smiled. “I have a question. Can you save these tickets for later?”Both girls thought that was a strange question to ask. “Uh yeah, you can. Some people save on their tickets for the bigger prizes. Why?” Yang wondered why Akame would save up this massive amount of tickets.For Akame, the answer was clear to her. “Just for something I have planned for later on.” B “Thank you for shopping with us.” The doors opened and Weiss carrying several bags exited out of them with Leone closely following her.The heiress sighed at the shopping she had to do. “There we go. You and Akame should be set. I’m surprised you know about her sizes well.”The Faunus girl chuckled at that. “Well when you know someone for a long time, you get to know a few things about them.” She looked at the other girl closely. “You know I can carry those. I really don’t mind.”Weiss appreciated the offer but had to decline. “I’m quite capable of this thank you.”Leone left it at that and began to look around the town. Some ideas began to come to her. “Hey Weiss, I have a few questions.”The heiress wondered what the other girl wanted to ask. “Just as long they’re important.”They were important. To Leone at least. “What are some of the places that are good to eat around here?”And Weiss sighed at the question. “Why are you asking that? Are you hungry?”Leone shook her head. “No just wondering that’s all.”That didn't seem suspicious at all to the heiress. "Well, I know a few a good places that have reasonable prices if you want to eat.”The Faunus blonde understood that. Now for her next question. "Okay, that's good. Now, what about entertainment? Like a show?"Now that caught Weiss by surprise and turned to her. “A show? Really?” Leone just shrugged. A show was really the closest thing for what she was planning. The heiress just sighed. “Well if you’re talking about the movies, that’s where you’re supposed to go. What’s with these questions?”Leone just smiled. “Nothing you need to know.”That only made Weiss more curious. “With these questions, it almost sounds like she’s planning a date. If she is, who is she planning on asking out?” She decided to ponder on that later and looked in front again.While they were walking to pass the time, Leone noticed a newspaper stand and stopped in front of it. She smiled when she saw the papers. “Glad some things don’t change in between worlds.” She picked up the paper and began reading to see what’s been going on in the world.Weiss looked back and saw Leone was standing in front of the newspaper stand. She sighed as the heiress walked back to her. “I never pegged you to read the newspaper. What are you reading?”The article Leone was reading right now kinda made her curious. “Hey Weiss, who are the White Fang?”The question stopped Weiss' blood cold for two reasons. One was hearing about White Fang and the other was she couldn't believe Leone asked that question. "You're joking, right? You're a Faunus and you've never heard of the White Fang?"Judging by how she was reacting, this White Fang must be a pretty big deal. “I’m out of town, remember? So, who are they?”Weiss just sighed as she was the last person to explain this but had to if this wanted to keep up. “The White Fang are…a radical group of Faunus. They’re something close to a terrorist organization, trying to prove that Faunus is superior to humans. They would go to extreme measures to prove that. Funny thing is that they weren’t like this before. They were once a pacifist group whose major crime was rallies. That is until they elected a new leader and started to go down the path of violence. One of their major targets is the members of the Schnee Dust Company.”That rang a bell in Leone’s head. “Wait, Schnee? As in-”“My family yes.” The heiress turned away from the Faunus girl. "It's no secret that my family business uses Faunus labor as the driving force for the company. Because of that, we have targets on our backs. I've lost several family members because of them. Bringing us down is one of their goals no matter who gets hurt."And Leone recognized the scene around them. “Oh, I see. This must be a bit awkward for you then since I’m around.” She eyed the bags Weiss was carrying. “And why you won’t let me carry the bags. If people see me carrying your shopping bags, they may get the wrong idea huh?”“And she figured it out.” It seemed Leone was quicker than the heiress thought. “Yes. I will say I don’t approve my father’s way of running the company. When I finally take it over, I’ll change it for the better.” That was all the Faunus blonde needed to hear and suddenly took the bags away from Weiss. She turned back to her. “H-Hey! What are you doing!?”Leone didn’t seem to mind. “If you ask me, these White Fang guys are just doing a hell of a lot more damage than good. To me, I’d say they’re just ruining the image of other Faunus that isn’t a part of them and if anyone does have a problem with what they’re seeing, I’ll just set them straight. Also, I'm glad to hear you're willing to change something for the better. That alone gets my respect."Weiss was actually kind of touched by Leone’s words. “So, you can be humble when you want to.”The other girl just chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you can say I have a heart of gold when it comes to people like you. So, care to show me these movies and the eats?”It was the least the heiress could do. “I suppose since you asked nicely.” B Each group seemed to enjoy their time during their stay in the town. They soon regrouped and only waiting for Ruby to show up. While doing so, each group decided to pass the time by doing a bit of small talk. “So Weiss, how did it go with Leone?” Blake also kind of wondered how she spent the time with another Faunus.The heiress just smiled. "Just fine and we had a pleasant chat. She does act a bit different than you though. How about Akame?”Both girls just laughed a bit sheepishly. “Let’s just she packs more of a punch.”Leone snickered at that. “I can believe that. Akame may not look it but she can kick some serious ass.” She noticed the mass of tickets Yang was holding. “What’s with the tickets?”The two girls looked at them and then back to the other Faunus girl. “You would be surprised how good Akame is at arcade games.” Blake stated.Said girl smiled at the experience. “It was fun indeed. Thank you for showing me that.” She saw the shopping bags Leone was carrying. “I assume those are the clothes?”Leone brought up the bags. “Yep. We should be good. By the way, Weiss here is next in line for some big dust company."Akame was surprised to hear that. “Is that so? I had no idea you were of high importance.”Weiss just turned away. “That may be true but I would like it if you didn’t treat me any different.”The Faunus blonde wrapped her arms around the heiress. “Eh don’t worry about it. Chances are we’ll still make fun of you no matter who you are.”The heiress faked laughed at her words. “Thank you for that.” She looked around the area. “Just where is Ruby? She should’ve been here by now.”Yang pulled out her scroll. “I’ll call her to see where she is.”“I’m here!” All of them heard the young leader’s voice and turned to where they heard it. Ruby was walking over to them carrying several more bags then Leone was. She caught up with the rest of the group. “Sorry about that. Just needed a few more things.”Akame saw how many bags the younger girl was carrying. “Are those…”Ruby looked at the bags herself. "The materials needed to make your weapons? Yep, that's them.”Leone laughed happily at the news. “Awesome! So how long will it take?”The young leader tried to the math in her head. “One for each. You’ll have your weapons soon enough.”That was the best news they’ve heard yet. “Thank you so much for doing this.” Akame was very grateful she and Leone had met such great people in this world.Ruby just smiled brightly at her. “It’s no problem. You two are our friends now and this is what friends do for each other.” And there was that word. Friend. These four girls were their friends. For the first time, not since Night Raid and her previous team before them, Akame felt a familiar welcome feeling spread throughout her body. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New BeginningKill Eight: Sparring Match?"We're almost there. Are you two excited?"Akame and Leone were following Yang to her team's dorm room to finally receive the weapons Ruby had made them. Two weeks had never felt so longer than before and now the day was here. While walking over to Yang's team dorm room, they were having a little conversation. Mostly about their dorm room. "So how come you two haven't decorated your dorm room yet? You're allowed to you know."They were aware of that fact for a while now. "We didn't see a need to. We're just used to that kind of look.""Yeah, I have to agree with Akame." Leone added.Yang would have to give them a few tips about decorating at a later time. For now, the important thing is leading them to her dorm room. After making a few turns here and there, they finally arrived at the door to the blonde's team room. "And here we are. The door across from ours is JNPR's room FYI." She turned the knob and opened the door. "Hey I'm here and I brought Akame and Leone with me."Once the three entered the room, Akame and Leone were a bit taken back at how their room looked. It was decorated with several different posters, bookshelves with books in them, and the most obvious detail about the room was that the beds were put into a position similar to bunk beds with one being supported by ropes and the other being supported by several books. Seeing this gave Leone some thoughts. "Maybe we should decorate our room after all."Ruby was happy to see them. "Hey there! Welcome to our room! What do you think?"The other two girls looked around for a few seconds. "Are you sure the books are an appropriate support for the bed on top?" Akame asked.Blake who was lying on her bed reading a book decided to answer. "It's worked out pretty good so far."The young leader decided to cut to the chase. "Right so anyway, you're here for your weapons. It wasn't easy but I manage to make them.""And you owe me for taking your notes." Weiss added.Ruby sighed at that and looked over to her. "Yes and thank you for that Weiss." She turned back Akame and Leone. "Are you two excited?"Leone smiled at the question. "Lay it on us."The younger didn't need to ask again and went to Weiss' bed and reached something under from it. She pulled out three objects. A sword in a black sheath and two large silver bracelets. She presented them to the two girls. "Here you go." Akame took the sword while Leone took the two bracelets. "Check em out."Akame drew out the sword from the sheath slowly to admire the work. When she fully drew it out, she was impressed by the work. The sword was a bit heavier then Murasame and obviously wider in width. The center of the blade from the base to the tip was a midnight black while the edges were pure silver. Sure enough, Akame could see where the segments would break up to extend the reach of the weapon. The handle was also nice as it was easy to grip and there were a few mechanical features to it. All in all, Akame was pleased with it. "It's wonderful Ruby. You did a fantastic job with this."Ruby giggled when she heard that. "Thank you. I used Blake's Gambol Shroud as the base model and then added some modifications. Of course per your request, it doesn't have a gun feature. I did leave a chamber in the base for you to use dust. Just press the switch in the center and it should open up." Akame did just that and indeed an open slot popped up at the end of the handle. "There's also a switch on the upper side that'll make the sword extend but it has to be held down in order for the sword to continue extending as far as it could. Once the switch is released, it'll retract right back."That was something Akame could use to her advantage. She smiled at the sword and placed it back inside the sheath. "Thank you for the explanation. I appreciate for what you've done."The young leader just waved her hand. "It's no problem. Making that was pretty fun. Now then…" She turned to Leone who was already wearing the bracelets. "You're going to like those. Like I did with Blake's weapon, I used Ember Celica as the basis for your weapon. Leave your hands open and quickly flick your wrists."Leone did just that and the bracelets quickly transformed into claw-like gauntlets. Unlike Yang's gauntlets, though, they appeared to be like metal gloves with sharp pointed nails coming out of the tips of the gloves like cat claws. She opened and closed her hands a few times to get a feel for them. It was a strange feeling for her wearing something that was similar looking to her claws when the blonde entered beast mode. Overall, she liked them. "This is pretty cool. I can't wait to break these in."Again Ruby was glad to hear that. "I'm glad you like them. I was worried how it would look since you were specific about the design. As per your request as well, I didn't add the gun feature so it's primarily used for hand to hand combat. I did add a chamber in each for you to use dust for added effects. Just twist your hands to open them." Leone did just that and sure enough, one open slot opened up from each gauntlet." To turn them off, just flick your wrists again." Leone did what she heard and like the younger girl instructed, they returned to their original form. Now that everything was explained, there was one more thing to ask. "So now that you two have your weapons, did you come up with names for them?"The two girls looked at their weapons and indeed they have. Akame smiled at hers. "Yatsufusa. That's what I'll call this weapon."While Leone was smiling at the name her girlfriend had given it, Ruby and her team were a bit confused by the name. She looked at her weapon and smiled at the name she'd chosen for them. "And I'm going with Lionel for mine."The team questioned the choice of names they've given their weapons but decided to leave that. Ruby smiled at their choices. "Those are good names. Hope they'll work well for you."Akame placed the sheath where she originally placed Murasame. "I'm sure they will." She looked at the clock and saw the time. "Class is going to start soon. We should get going."That was something everyone could agree on. "We'll put these in our lockers for the sparring class. Can't wait to use those." Leone really couldn't wait to fight with her new weapons. Blake set her book down and all of the girls left the room. B The sparring class really couldn't come any slower for Leone. It seemed the whole day was dragging as long as possible until it finally came. Both she and Akame were in the locker getting ready for the class. Akame was in her original outfit readying Yatsufusa. "Are you almost ready Leone?"The blonde was just putting on her new bracelets. "Yeah, I'm good." She closed her locker. Leone's battle outfit differed from her usual one. Her new outfit wasn't that much different from her original one. Her top was replaced by a tank top with a sleeveless tan vest over it and khaki pants along with her original combat boots. She turned to her girlfriend and smiled at her. "So…ready to break these in?"Akame nodded at the question. "Yes. Let's go." She started to walk over to where the arena was."Wait Akame." She stopped suddenly and turned to the Faunus blonde. Judging from the look Leone was giving her, it was serious. "Remember, this is only a sparring class. Don't forget that."The other girl narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend. "I know. You don't have to remind me."Hearing that didn't seem to ease Leone a bit. "And I hope I don't have to again." With that said both girls left the locker room and headed toward the arena. B Many of the students attending the class were already present including teams RWBY and JNPR. Overlooking them all was Glynda waiting for two more. So far they were just spectators. Speaking of the devils themselves, they were approaching her and were wearing different outfits from their school uniforms. Not only that but they have seemed to have weapons in their possession. Leone was the first to wave. "Hey, there teach! How's it going?" And her teacher only glared at her in response. The younger blonde instantly let down her arm. "Oh…"Her teacher still glared at her. "It's Miss Goodwitch to you young lady and I see you've chosen to wear proper attire this time. Not only that but it seems you two have your weapons."Leone grinned at that. "Yep. We sure do.""We've fulfilled one of the conditions correct?" Akame asked.Glynda adjusted her glasses a bit. "Indeed. You two are permitted to participate. Therefore since you two have not battled once, you two will be the main participates for today's class." That seemed more than fair to them. It was their chance to shine. "Wait for the class to start on top of the bleachers."Both girls nodded and headed toward them. From what they've learned so far about how the class works, the ones who are first selected to fight choose their opponents. For Leone her decision was easy. Akame however… "So who are you going to fight Akame?"She gave that some thought and looked amongst the crowd. If there was one she could compare to, the choice was easy. "You'll see."Once everyone was her, class began. Glynda looked over all of the students. "Welcome, everyone. Now that all of you are here, I have an announcement to make. For today's class, we'll have two special classes. The two students who will participate are Miss Akame Night and Miss Leone Wild." Everyone turned to them and already there were whispers among them. "So which one of you will start off?" Akame was the one who stood up in response to the question. "I'm glad you volunteered Miss Night. Who will you choose to be your opponent?"Akame just closed to eyes. "Blake Belladonna from team RWBY."Blake quietly gasped when she heard that not believing what she heard. "She wants to fight me?"Her partner, however, was glad to hear this. "Alright, Blake. You get to go first."The Faunus girl still didn't know what to think of it but had no choice but to accept the challenge. "Very well then. Miss Belladonna, would you and Miss Night come down." Glynda ordered.Both girls stepped down from the bleachers and stepped onto the arena. As they were, three individuals were watching from the top of the bleachers. One of them was rather quite interested in how this fight will go. As the two girls stepped onto the arena, Blake drew out Gambol Shroud while Akame drew out Yatsufusa and stood across from each other. There was something the Faunus girl wanted to know. "So what made you decide to fight me?"Akame didn't let up her gaze. "An old saying. If two people fight using the same weapon, it is akin to something fighting yourself."Blake understood the meaning of that. "So she wants to fight me because I use a sword as well." Basic but understandable.Both of their images appeared on the screen with their aura gauges. Glynda looked between the two girls. "If both of you are ready…" She raised her arm and set it down quickly. "Begin."Akame didn't waste any time coming over to Blake. In fact, the sudden movement surprised the Faunus girl as she went on the defensive. She blocked the attack from the other girl in time but she felt the raw power behind the strike. "I knew she was strong but this is ridiculous." Akame didn't waste the opportunity to kick from the side and that broke off their previous stalemate. Blake groaned in pain from the attack. "She didn't waste any time going for an open opportunity." For not willing to give Akame another chance, Blake rushed over to her.As their two swords clashed once again, only Blake's rebutted from the exchange. Akame took this chance for another attack and slashed downward. Blake used her sembalance to make a clone and appeared behind her opponent. However, Akame stopped her attack in front of the clone and flipped Yatsufusa as she turned around to strike Blake on the side of her cheek with the handle. The sudden attack sent Blake away and hit the floor. Seeing this surprised everyone. Mostly team RWBY. Yang couldn't understand what just happened. "How? How could she tell that was Blake's clone?"That was a question only Akame could answer. "As soon as I felt her aura from behind, I knew the one in front was a fake. A good ploy but…" She saw Blake starting to stand up again. "It's no use if the opponent can sense one's aura."Blake wiped her mouth with her other hand and took a look at the images. Blake's aura gauge was a quarter down already. She looked back at Akame and wondered what just happened to her. "It shouldn't be that easy to tell that was a clone so how did she know?" Some things weren't adding up to her. The Faunus girl started to walk around her opponent but noticed some eerily. "The way she's looking at me with those eyes. It's like she's observing my every move." She had to admit it was a bit unnerving. It was a waiting game between the two of them to see who would make the first move.Apparently, it was Akame again who swung her sword while still in her current position. While doing so, she used Yatsufusa's main ability which was to extend the blade to where the target was, as it split into different pieces to extend its range. Blake was surprised by this and dodged to the side to avoid the attack. The extended blade hit the floor and the Faunus girl took this as a chance for a counter attack. She sprinted to where Akame was but the other girl came prepared for that. She lifted the extended blade back up and turned around once with the blade following her motion. Blake stopped midway seeing the blade coming at her again and blocked again with Gambol Shroud. As like before, Akame released the switch and the blade retracted back into its original form and she closed the gap between them. Again Blake blocked the attack and the two swords separated briefly from the exchange. Blake used this to her advantage as she regained her balance and swung Gambol Shroud at Akame. However, the other girl jumped into the air before the attack reached her. Akame swung her sword down while pressing the switch to make the blade extend again to where Blake was. The Faunus girl jumped back and the tip of the sword actually embedded into the floor. Seeing that was usual to her. "Just how much force did she put into that?"Akame released the switch and she was pulled back to the floor quickly. Blake didn't waste this chance and for once went on the offensive. Akame saw the attack coming and grabbed Yatsufusa while wielding it underhanded. She lifted her sword up out of the floor in time to block Blake's attack and that left the other girl open again. The Faunus girl did see this coming and quickly separated from her opponent before Akame had the chance to deliver another blow. This was the most careful Blake had to be during a fight and it was just a sparring match. She had to think about her next move carefully. "I can't tell what she's going to do next. If I attack, she'll just block and that'll leave me open for another counter from her. If she attacks, she'll have the advantage of the first strike. How can I fight someone like that?"Akame had her own thoughts about her opponent as flipping her sword holding it like usual. "She fights well I'll give her that but…" She gripped her handle tightly and raised her weapon as she pointed it at Blake.Leone knew all too well what that stance meant. "Akame, you can't be serious."She narrowed her eyes. "This fight is already determined."Blake saw the stance before and wondered what Akame was planning. There was also something else she was sensing. It could be her Faunus senses but she felt something…ominous coming from the other girl. Almost threatening. If she had to be honest with herself, Blake almost felt, a bit afraid. As she shifted her foot just a bit to the side, that was Akame's signal to attack. She launched herself quickly at the Faunus girl at a speed she didn't display earlier in the fight. Akame was already up front with Blake who had a moment of surprise before placing Gambol Shroud in front to block the incoming attack. The two swords clashed for a moment until Akame continued to attack while Blake had to defend. They continued their flurry of exchanges with their swords and then the Faunus girl found something out. "She's skilled. Much more than any student attending here and the strength behind her attacks, they're so intense." It was obvious that Akame was trained before and very well. During the clash, Akame managed to break it and left Blake wide open. She turned her body around and managed to kick Blake in the stomach with her leg. The kick managed to separate the two and held her stomach. Blake's aura gauge went down again to half.Before she could do a counterattack of her own while using this chance, Akame quickly ran over to her while making three copies of herself. Seeing this surprised Blake. "She can use my sembalance?" She had no time figuring out which one would be the real Akame and had to guess. The one closest to her was her choice and attack it hoping it would be the right one. With the sword passing through Akame and disappearing, it was obvious that was the wrong one. She sensed that same feeling from behind, Blake turned around and raised her sword just in time to block Akame's next attack. She felt the obvious difference in their power between the exchange. Akame immediately disappeared after their first confrontation and Blake looked around to where the next attack would come from. Keeping all of her senses open, she was able to tell where the next attack could come from. The Faunus girl was able to block the next attack but Akame kept repeating the same move all over but they became quicker than Blake could react. Not only was that but the strikes becoming stronger as well. When she sensed the next attack, Blake quickly turned around to block the next one but as she did, her sword went through Akame's. Blake's eyes widened in surprise. "Another afterimage?" The Faunus girl suddenly felt something wrap around her arm and saw that it was Yatsufusa extended. Blake saw that Akame was across from her.Akame pulled the sword to her along with Blake and pulled back her arm. As soon as the Faunus girl came in close, Akame delivered one more blow to her stomach and Blake let out a pained gasp as she dropped Gambol Shroud. Her aura gauge dropped again to red and that was the match. Akame pulled back her arm as she set the Faunus girl down gently and carefully removed the sword wrapped around her arm. She released the switch and the sword retracted to its original form. Glynda extended her arm to Akame. "The winner of this match goes to Akame Night."As soon as the match was over, Yang and Ruby instantly ran down from the bleachers worried about their teammate. Yang was the first arrive at her partner. "Blake, Blake are you alright?"She was relieved when the blonde heard the Faunus girl moan in pain. Yang helped her up while still clutching her stomach. "I'm fine. Just in a…little pain is all." She turned to Akame who sheathed Yatsufusa. Now Blake was sure about something. "That last punch. She held back just for my sake since I know she's packing more of a punch than Yang. She's much more experienced than the rest of us. Just who is she really?"Akame looked back at Blake. "It was a good match. Thank you."The other girl wished she could return the feeling but something felt rather off about her. She decided to respect the compliment. "Yeah…same here."Yang smiled at her partner. "Come on now. Let's get back to our seats. Ruby, can you get Gambol Shroud?" Her sister did just that and all three girls started to walk back to their seats.Glynda looked over to Leone now. "Miss Wild, it is your turn now. Who would you like to fight?"The Faunus girl smiled at the question. "Easy. Yang."As said girl set her partner down, she heard Leone's declaration and turned to her. "So I guess it's my turn.""Yang…" She turned to her partner who was still in a bit of pain. "Be careful okay?" If Akame was this well trained before the academy, chances are Leone would be the same.The brawler smiled at her like she had no worry. "I will be. I'll win this one for you." Blake smiled back sweetly at that. She really did have a great partner.Yang started to walk down again to the arena and Leone did the same. While she was walking down, Akame was walking back to her seat. The two briefly passed by each other. "I told you it was a sparring match."Akame half closed her eyes. "I know it was. I was holding back.""Of course you were." They continued to go their separate ways. Leone just sighed. "Even still, these girls aren't as experienced as us."As the two were coming down, Nora still had to speak her mind. "Okay seriously. Does anyone else see that Leone kinda looks like Yang and Bla-ow" And Ren elbowed his friend again.Leone's ear perked up when she heard that. "Why does she keep saying that? I'm Yang and Blake's what?" That was a question she would have to ask later. Right now her upcoming fight mattered the most. Both girls arrived the arena and stood across from each other. Leone smiled at the other blonde. "You had to know this was coming right?"Yang grinned back at her. "Yeah, I knew. In fact, I was wondering which one of us would be the better fighter."The Faunus blonde chuckled at that. "Hate to say it Yang, but it's obviously me. I'll still play around with you, though."Again from on top of the bleachers, the woman in the center couldn't help but smile at the match up. "Let's see how good this one is."Glynda looked between the two. "Are the both of you ready?"The two girls activated their weapons and assumed their positions. "Ready."Both of their images showed up with their aura gauges. Glynda raised her arm. "Then let the match…" She set it down. "Begin!"Yang didn't waste any time using Ember Celica's shots to shorten the gap between them and then kicked the other blonde to the side. She then turned around and elbowed Leone in the stomach then striking Leone in the face with the back of her gauntlet. Yang turned again and proceeded to give the other Faunus blonde a barrage of punches while shooting out her ammo at the same time. To continue this, Yang grabbed Leone's arm and threw her up into the air and then jumped above Leone as she pulled back her arm. She punched Leone straight back down to the floor with an extra shot for added damage. Yang landed on the floor and saw the result of her work. "That's got to hurt. Sorry about that.""Nah that's okay." Yang gasped in surprise as she saw Leone jump up like all the attacks she received from before didn't happen at all. She rolled around her neck for a bit. "That was pretty good. You really know how to start things off. However…" Leone stopped and smiled at the other blonde. "That's the only freebie I'll give you." Yang was surprised to hear that. "Don't get me wrong I'm not belittling you. When it comes to a fight, friend or foe I fight to win no matter what kind of fight I'm in." She gestured Yang. "So come on."Yang narrowed her eyes at the other blonde and took up her offer. She rushed over to Leone to give her another round like before. However, when she tried to deliver the first blow, it was blocked by Leone's hand. Yang quickly pulled back and attacked with her other arm but that was blocked as well. She wasn't about to give up yet. The blonde continued trying to hit Leone but each attack was blocked off successfully. She then tried to kick from the side again but that was caught as well. Leone chuckled while Yang looked worried. "Oh, crap." Leone spun the other blonde and she landed on the floor. The brawler took this as an opportunity to try and sweep across at Leone's leg's to make her trip. Leone did a backflip to avoid the surprise attack.As Yang jumped back up, the Faunus blonde saw an opening and rushed over to her. She pulled back her arm as her hand closed up and stuck Yang at the center. The force of the blow was strong enough to send her away. The other was still holding on but felt how powerful the attack was. "Damn that was strong. She really doesn't mess around huh?" She relaxed a bit. "Okay, let's try this again." Yang ran back at Leone.The Faunus blonde just grinned. "I'll give her guts that's for sure. Good thing I won't splatter them out of her." She ran toward the other blonde as well. As soon as they met in the middle, they began to exchange blows. Both were attacking and blocking each other's attacks. Leone was even deflecting the attacks where Yang would use her shots for added power. Even if the brawler was doing her best to block the attacks, they'd still hurt. Meanwhile, Leone was having fun with the fight. "Well, she's a good fighter I'll give her that. Still, she doesn't compare to one of those Imperial Fist Temple guys I fought from before. If this was an actual fight to the death, I already would've won." Yang opted to go for another kick to the side again and like before, Leone caught it again. "Really, the same trick twice?"This time Yang smiled. "With a twist of course." She lifted up her body and kicked Leone with her other leg. That really wasn't something Leone expecting and let go of the other blonde's leg. Yang quickly stood up. "Now I got you!" She took the chance and started another barraged of attacks on the Faunus girl. This one was shorter since Leone was able to catch one of Yang's punches with her own hand. "Come on really? She recovered that fast?"Leone tightened her grip. "Not bad. Still, you're going to need a lot more than that…" She suddenly punched Yang to the side of her face. "If you want to bring me down!"Blake was instantly worried. "Yang no!""Relax." Her Faunus teammate turned to her leader wondering why Ruby was being so calm. "This is actually working out for her."Now Blake was confused when she heard that. "What do you mean?"Leone saw that Yang wasn't moving after that one hit. "Aw, crap. Did I overdo it?""No…" She saw Yang being able to stand up while wiping her lips. "In fact, you just helped me."Ruby smiled as she knew what was going to happen next. "Yang is one of the best fighters I know. The more damage she takes…" Yang slammed her gauntlets together as her eyes changed from violet to red and her hair looked to be on fire. "The more she can dish it out."Leone whistled at what she was seeing. "Damn. Wish I had that." And those were the last words she spoke as Yang suddenly punched the Faunus blonde in the face. Leone was able to recover from the attack and saw the other blonde jumping at her. "Damn it!" She crossed her arms to block the incoming attack. Leone did manage to block the attack; the power behind it was much more than what she expected. "Holy shit that's one hell of a power increase." The attack proved too much and broke through Leone's guard as it struck her directly. Leone was sent crashing into the wall, embedded into it.Blake really couldn't take her eyes off of her partner as they were filled with wonder. "Yang…I never knew how incredible you were."Yang continued to look at Leone who didn't seem to be moving. "Sorry about that but this is what my sembalance can do. The more damage I take, the stronger my attacks become. If I had to wager a guess, you'll out for a few weeks after that." She suddenly heard laughter coming from across and saw Leone's body moving. "No way."The Faunus blonde lifted her head as she was smiling. "Not bad. I really felt that one." She jumped out of the wall and rolled her shoulders like she was shrugging off that last attack.Yang really didn't know what to think of this. "H-How? Most people I know go down after an attack like that. In fact, no one has ever gotten up after that attack."Leone finished rolling her shoulders. "Guess I'm the first one then. True that did hurt a lot but take a look at the board."The other blonde did just that gasped at what she saw. While her aura was barely above half, Leone's barely went down at all. "Even after she took my attack, it only did that much?""That sembalance of yours is pretty impressive but…" Leone smiled wickedly as she showed her canines. "Mine is something else as well. You see I call mine the Undying Lion: Regenerator. Like I said, you're going to need a lot more if you want to take me down."Yang instantly knew what that mean. "So you…"The woman watching chuckled a bit. "What an interesting power she has."Both Blake and Weiss just stared in disbelief at what they heard. Ruby was the only one who didn't understand. "Wait so what did she mean by that?"Weiss didn't break her gaze at the fight. "It means that her sembalance is to recover quickly from any injury no matter how severe it is. She can basically auto heal herself."Now that was something Ruby understood. "She can do that!?"That didn't come as a surprise to Akame. "The Animal King: Lionel. Upon activation, the user is granted incredible regeneration capable of healing any wound. Add that to enhanced sense and enhanced fighting abilities, it's one the reasons why Leone was so proficient in hand to hand combat. Since Leone is in a permanent state of Lionel, the trump card has become her sembalance and all other abilities remain. This fight has already been decided."Leone went into her battle stance. "Since we're in this situation, the question now is what's going to win over? Increased damage or my recovery? I guess the answer will lie in how much damage your body can take." She started to grunt and her muscles began to move.Blake didn't understand what was happening. "It looks like she's tensing up her muscles."The Faunus blonde was ready for the next fight. "Let's start round two shall we?"Again Blake's Faunus senses were kicking in. Unlike Akame's which was deadly and ominous, Leone's was more dangerous. Primal even like a hunter about to take down its prey. She was suddenly worried. "Yang, be careful.""Let's go!" Leone jumped into the air and kicked straight down to where Yang was. The obvious choice for the other blonde was to jump out of the way before that attack came down on her. She did just that but when Leone kicked into the floor, it was instantly destroyed and left a small crater. Yang didn't want to take any chances and gunned for the other blonde. Just as she was about to punch the other girl with the same amount of power like before, Leone easily caught with her hand.Yang gasped as she had never seen any do that before. "No way…"Leone was quite pleased how this was turning out. "Even with the power up, she's still not as strong as that twerp alchemist I had to fight. She's up there but not as much. All I need to end this is with one good blow." Before she could, Yang attacked the Faunus girl's face with her other arm but Leone easily dodged by moving her head to the side. That was the deciding factor. She delivered her own blow to Yang's stomach and the result was a loud boom. Yang's eyes returned their natural color as she dropped to the ground. Her aura meter was depleted all the way.Glynda extended her arm to Leone. "The winner of this match is Leone Wild."While Leone was glad to have won the match, she couldn't help but feel bad for what just happened. "Good thing I held back with that. If I'd used my full strength in that attack, I'm pretty sure I would've destroyed her rib cage along with everything else that was inside of it.""Yang!" Leone looked over to see Ruby and the rest of the team rushing over to the other blonde's side. Like before, Blake kneeled down beside her partner. "Yang please, are you still with us?"The Faunus girl was relieved when she heard Yang groan in pain this time. "Did anyone get the number of that bus?"Leone just laughed nervously. "Sorry about that Yang."Blake helped her partner up. "How are you feeling?"Yang was wincing at the pain of the moment. "Let's just say I may have to avoid eating food for a while. Sorry, I couldn't win for you."Her partner just shook her head. "It's alright. I don't mind."While Yang did laugh at that, she looked at the other blonde. "Has anyone told you that you hit really hard? And what did you do?"The other Faunus girl just chuckled at that. "Time to time and let's just say I dispersed the power from my attack throughout your body. That's about as simple as I can explain it."With everything done, Glynda turned to the class. "Well now that we've seen what Miss Night and Miss Wild could do, I'll end class for the day. You are all dismissed." With that said, she left the class.The people watching now had different opinions about the two new transfer students. Ruby and her group along with Leone were walking up to where Akame was. Leone smiled at her girlfriend. "So what did you think?"Akame smiled back at her. "You did fine. You as well Yang."The other girl was glad to hear that. "Thanks. Man if this is what you two can do, I'd like to see what your team members can do." That proved some thought to them. Now that they have their weapons, all that was left was their two members.As they arrived at the top of the bleachers and started to head to the exit, they suddenly heard something clapping behind them. They turned around and saw those same three individuals that were watching the fights. Already Leone had a bad feeling about them. "I must say, I'm impressed by the level of your skill and fighting from your fights the two of you showed off today."Leone narrowed her eyes at the woman in front. "And who are you?"Ruby recognized her. "Oh hey, you're that…student, I briefly met from before."She just smiled at Leone and Akame. "As yes how rude of me. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cinder. The two behind me are Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai. Let me just say I've developed quite the interest in both of you." Akame couldn't help but sense a familiar feeling. A feeling she hasn't felt in a long time. Cinder and her group walked past the others. "Hope we can talk again real soon." They left the room.Ruby's team couldn't quite place what to think of them. "Well, that was weird." Yang stated.Suddenly a strong headache appeared to Akame as she held her head. The others noticed. "What's wrong? Is she alright?" Blake asked.Leone wrapped her arm around her girlfriend. "Akame?" She saw that this was serious. "We have to go now. We'll catch all of you later." They started to head to the other exit.As they left, Weiss raised an eyebrow. "What was that all about?"Leone and Akame were in the hall by themselves now and there was no one around. "Akame hey, what's going on?"The headache was starting to let up a bit but it still felt like Akame's head was pounding. "That…woman…"It was obvious that she was talking about Cinder. "Yeah, what about her?" Leone gasped as she saw the markings that were on Akame's body before starting to appear. "What the…"Akame turned her head to Leone. "She's dangerous Leone. Very dangerous and for some reason she reminds me of…Esdeath…"Leone gasped when she heard that. "Esdeath?" ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New BeginningKill Nine: A Normal Date"Here you go Akame." Leone handed her girlfriend a cup of water. They were both back in their room after the sudden headache Akame had after meeting with the mysterious Cinder. Not soon after that, the markings Akame had from before started to show up again but disappeared a little after. They were thankful that no one was around when it happened. The Faunus blonde sat down next to her girlfriend. "How are you feeling?"Akame downed the water quickly and set the cup next to her nightstand. "I'm feeling fine now thank you."Leone was glad to hear that but she was still worried about what the other girl said before. "So about what you said earlier. Is that Cinder chick really that dangerous? I mean it's kinda hard to imagine someone as dangerous as Esdeath."Her girlfriend tried to remember the feeling. "I'm sure of it. What I was sensing from her was exactly the same from when I fought against Esdeath. We have to be careful around her."If Akame said that woman was dangerous, of course, Leone would take her word. That, of course, didn't worry her a bit. "Well still, if you could take down Esdeath who was the strongest in the Empire, I'm sure you can take down this Cinder chick easy if she tried something fishy. Hell, I'll do it for you."Akame couldn't help but smile at the other girl's optimism. Still, they had to be cautious from now on. She doesn't know enough about the woman or what she might be planning if she is planning anything at all but it was always better to assume. While the two girls were sitting close together, Leone fidgeted a little. "Okay, I'm close to her now. I know this isn't the best time but it is the best opportunity." The blonde gulped at what she was about to ask. "Hey, Akame?"Her girlfriend looked at her and wondered why the Faunus girl was acting so nervous all of sudden. She had never seen Leone act this way before. "Yes? What is it?"Now Leone could feel a blush coming onto her. "Would you like to…um…what I'm trying to say is…ah…" She really couldn't find the words to say it. "Damn it why I am so nervous about this? We've known each for a long time, we're officially together now, and we had plenty of sex before. Hell, we're comfortable sleeping naked together so why am I acting like this all of a sudden?" This was something entirely new Leone was thinking. All of a sudden she kinda knew how Lubbock felt when he was talking to Mine and Tatsumi when he came to them about how to confess to Najenda.Akame laughed quietly as she kinda had an idea of what her girlfriend wanted to say. "You want to ask me out?"And hearing that made Leone look like she was caught in the headlights. The blush she had before became deeper. "Y-Yeah. I was wondering if we…could…" She took in a deep breath. "Go out on a date."Akame couldn't help but smile while laughing at what the other girl was implying. "What brought this along?"Leone looked while still keeping that blush of hers. "W-Well I kinda had the idea when we went into town with Ruby and the others. I mean we're both not wanted criminals now so why not take this opportunity?"She brought up a good point. Back in their world, Akame really couldn't leave the base while Leone could walk among the public. Even if they weren't dating back then, Leone did bring her a few gifts every now and then. Now that they were in a different world, Akame wasn't wanted anymore. She could walk amongst the crowd without being in danger. She loved this already. "I would happily go out with you. There's no need to be so nervous about it."The Faunus girl sighed as she looked back at the other girl. "I know but this is our first date as…well a couple. This is completely new."Akame placed her hand on her girlfriends in order to comfort her. "Of course, it is. Ever since we arrived in this world, everything has been new to us. New friends, new weapons, a new life, and this isn't anything different." Leone had to agree with that. At least they were in this together. "So, when can we start our date?"The Faunus smiled at that. "On Friday after school. That'll give me enough time to plan some things."The other girl was pleased to hear that but she was wary of Leone's planning skills. "Are you sure you don't want me to help?"Well, it was their date. Plus she was still learning about how to use the scrolls. "Sure. It's our date so why not?"And that was it. The date was set and all that was left was to plan it out. Now that was out of the way, Leone leaned in closer to Akame. "Thanks, Akame. Now, how about we…"And Akame suddenly stood up which caused Leone to fall on the bed. She knew all too well what that look meant. "Not now Leone. In case you forgot, we have homework to complete." Leone grumbled something about homework ruining the mood. "After that's done…" She turned around and grabbed the Faunus girl by the arms and held her down to the bed with Akame being on top of her with her knee in between Leone's legs. Akame leaned in next to Leone's ear. "Then we can indulge ourselves." She whispered in a husky voice.Akame removed herself from Leone and started to walk over to their desk. Leone suddenly sat up still feeling her heart race madly. If doing the homework faster would mean they would be in bed together sooner, she'll gladly do it. The Faunus blonde saw Akame sit on the chair and began working. She could only think of one thing in her mind. "God I love this girl." B Leone sighed as she was waiting for Akame in the bathroom. It was Friday and so that meant their date was today. They planned together of what it would be like. Since they were going out, Leone was the first to change into a different outfit. She was wearing a black T-shirt with yellow outlines along with her usual khaki pants and combat boots. In all honesty, this was the best she could dress up for their date. Akame, however, wanted to make her outfit a surprise. There was even a time where she asked Weiss to take her to the town for something. What it was the blonde didn't know. She was about to find out shortly.The door finally opened. "I'm finished changing Leone." When Akame walked out of the door, the Faunus gulped at what she was seeing. Akame was wearing a white short-sleeved dress with frills along the sides. Akame placed her hands behind her back and smiled at the other girl. "What do you think?" She asked with a smile. Leone really couldn't take her eyes off the other girl. For as long as she's known Akame, not once had the Faunus girl seen her wearing a dress like this before. "You're staring Leone."Her voice managed to snap the other girl out of her trance as she shook her head. "You look…really great. I never knew you could rock a dress like that."Akame smiled at the compliment. "Thank you. I had Weiss help me out choosing this without her knowing what I was going to wear this for. To be honest this is the second time I'm wearing something like this. So…shall we go now?"Leone nodded slowly at the question. "Yeah sure." To be honest her eyes were still glued to the outfit her girlfriend was wearing. Already she had a feeling this date was off to a good start. B Not soon after the two girls arrived in Vale, they were walking about for a bit. Leone brought up her scroll. She was thankful for all the little helpful hints Akame had given her about it. "Let's see. The movie we want to watch doesn't play in a while so we have some time to kill. So the question now is what should we do to pass the time?"Akame already had the answer to that. "I know. Follow me." She took the lead and the Faunus girl followed her.What Akame brought her along was a store she had never seen before. "So what's this place?"The other girl smiled at the building. "From what I know, it's a music store. Yang brought me here after she and Blake showed me the arcade. I found it quite enjoyable and I think you'll like it too." Leone took another look at the store and decided to try it out.They entered the store and Leone was impressed at what she was seeing. "So all of this is music?"Akame nodded at the question. "Yes. I know it's quite different than the music we used to listen to."Leone picked up CD case. "I'll say. There's seriously music in these tiny things?" She was having a hard time believing that music could be stored in something so small.Her girlfriend walked up to one of the headsets located on one of the shelves. "You can also listen to the music through this. It plays a random song from the selection here."Again Leone decided to try it out. She took the headphones and examined them. "So I guess I'm supposed to put this over my head?" The Faunus girl placed them as so. Akame pressed the button and Leone was hearing the music. Akame loved the surprised expression she was having. "Wow. This is way different than the music we used to hear."Akame took off the headphones so her girlfriend could listen to her. "I had a similar reaction to it. I took a liking to one song. I think was called Liar Mask."Leone took an interest in that. "Huh. I'll have to hear that one day."That led to something else Akame wanted to tell the other girl. "That's right." She reached into Leone's other pocket for her scroll. She had to carry it since the dress didn't have any pockets. "Yang mentioned that our scrolls can also double as something called MP3s. They're devices that store this music inside of it for enjoyment later."The Faunus blonde was amazed to know that. "Wow. What can these things not do?"Akame gave her scroll back to her girlfriend. "What do you think so far?"Leone looked around the store. "Pretty cool although I'm pretty sure we've only scratched the surface with this huh?"The other girl smiled at the question. "Indeed."Leone put the headphones back on. "One more song." She pressed the button this time and a different song came up. The Faunus girl really liked this one and couldn't help but sing along with one of the lyrics. "This will be the day we'll be waiting for…"After that, they left the music store and Akame was leading on to another location. This time, it was a bookstore. It was something Leone didn't expect Akame to take an interest in other than food. "Bookstore huh? What's good here?"Akame chuckled at the question. "Some interesting reading material. Blake was the one who showed me this. Follow me."They entered the bookstore and already Leone felt a bit overwhelmed by seeing the numerous books on the shelves. She laughed nervously. "I don't know Akame. You know I'm not so good with books." That became apparent when they were studying for the first time. Akame basically had to help her girlfriend try to get through it. However, those were school books.Akame walked over to one section of the store. "That's why I think you'll enjoy something more like this." She presented a small book to her.Leone took it from her and observed it closely. "What's this supposed to be?""From what Blake told me, it's something called manga. From what she told me about them, they're highly stylized comic books telling epic tales. I believe this one is very popular. It has to do something with magic and dragon slayers."The Faunus girl really liked the sound of that. "Really now?" She opened the book and flipped through the pages. It really was a different kind of book. Leone stopped at one page where she saw something that caught her interest. "Huh. Wow, I never knew this kid would pack a punch."Akame went by her girlfriend's side to see the character she was talking about. She had seen this character before. "Oh yes. Blake also said something about this one. She is a dragon slayer as well but with a different power. Apparently, she has the magic to heal others."Leone couldn't help but laugh at that. "Healing magic huh? That would've been useful back where we came from." She could only imagine the differences inside her mind. "It would've been pretty cool being friends with her." A question popped up in her mind and turned to her girlfriend. "Hey Akame, what books do you like from this place?"That was an easy answer for her as she randomly held a book in front of her. "Cookbooks. They provide so many ideas of how to prepare different kinds of dishes and they all look so good."And Leone laughed at that. "Of course, she would like that the best. Akame's appetite may have gone down but apparently, her love for food hasn't gotten any smaller."They both spent some time in the bookstore reading the different kinds of books the store had for them. Open book reading was allowed and if they like the book, they could purchase it. However, that wasn't their main interest now. After they had their fill, the two girls left the store. There was one more place Akame wanted to go but had to confirm something. "What time is it now?"Leone brought out her scroll to check the time. "Well if you're referring to the movie, it'll start soon so maybe we should get a move on." That was something Akame could agree upon. This time, Leone took the lead and walked over to where the movie theater was. She was thankful for Weiss for showing her where the movies were. They soon arrived and it seemed the lines weren't too long. The two girls stood in line until they were up front. Leone held up two fingers. "Two tickets please for the 4:30 show." They received their tickets and entered the building. The lines seemed to be a bit longer for the concessions. "So you want popcorn or are you good?"Akame mulled over the decision. "Popcorn would be nice. We can share one together."The Faunus girl was glad to hear that. "Alright but don't eat all of it okay?" Her girlfriend giggled at that. They waited in line again to order their popcorn and a large drink. They were thankful for the allowance they were given attending Beacon. Once they were given their popcorn and soda, they headed for their theater. The two girls came into their theater and saw the different people and Faunus sitting in their seats. They decided to sit close to the big screen to experience this as much as possible. "Okay then. All that's left is for the movie to play. What do you think Akame?"She felt rather excited for this as well. "I look forward to seeing this. Thank you for this Leone."Leone smiled at her girlfriend and looked at the screen. "No problem. Now let's see what this horror film has in store for us." B The people were leaving the theater with Akame and Leone among them. Judging by the look on their faces, they seemed to have enjoyed the movie. "Man, that was really cool. Who knew a fight between a guy with burn scars wearing a sweater fighting against a guy wearing a hockey mask would be so fun to watch."Akame agreed to that as she had her own thoughts on the movie. "It was interesting to watch.""Alright, we'll talk about the movie later. Say like…over having a bite to eat?" Leone suggested.That was something Akame would like. The popcorn and the soda were good but having some actual food would be better. "Hey there." They suddenly heard a voice behind them and turned around to see a random guy smiling at them. "I haven't seen you around here in these parts before." He was walking up to Akame which triggered Leone's animal instincts. "I would remember someone as cute as you." And he placed his hand on Akame's shoulder which only made the Faunus girl angrier. How about you and I get to know each other better? Oh, and you can bring your friend along. The more the merrier I say."Before Leone could bash the guy's skull into the wall, Akame gently held his hand. "Thank you for the kind offer but…" She suddenly grabbed the guy's hand tightly and removed it quickly while forcing his wrist up causing him pain. He was suddenly down on one knee. "I'm not interested in you. Also be careful who you approach because you might never know they'll hurt you." She released the guy's hand and began walking away while he was cringing in pain.Leone chuckled at what happened and walked along with her girlfriend. "Nice one Akame. You sure showed him." The other girl didn't reply as she suddenly wrapped her arm around Leone's and intertwined their fingers together. The action confused the Faunus girl. "Uh, what are you doing?"Akame rested her head on the blonde's shoulder. "I just want everyone to see that we're together and that we have no interest in anyone else." After saying that, she kissed her girlfriend on the cheek.Leone smiled at the idea. Sure she had no idea how people would respond of two girls being a couple and a human/Faunus one at that but she could care less about that. Hell, she was an assassin before and had no problem setting anyone straight if they said anything about what they were seeing. "Sure thing." She kissed Akame back on her cheek and continued walking. "How about we get that something to eat now." Her girlfriend couldn't agree more to that. They did get some looks and some of them didn't look all too pleased but Leone was more than happy to deal with them. With Leone taking the lead again, she took her girlfriend to a café that Leone heard suggested by Weiss. It even had some outdoor tables in front of it. "Here we go. Weiss told me about this place. Apparently, the food is good here at a reasonable price."Akame loved hearing that. They decided to sit at one of the outdoor tables and waited for someone to take their orders. One girl came up with them with menus. "Hello, and welcome to our café. Here are our menus. Take your time and see what catches your eyes"The two girls looked at the choices of food and drink they could have. For Akame the choice was clear. "I'll have your strawberry chocolate cake with sweet iced tea." The waitress wrote down the order.Leone made her own choice. "I'll have that chicken bacon sandwich with milk."They handed the menus back to the girl and smiled at them. "Coming right up." She turned around but stopped to look back at them. "You know, you two make such a cute couple." With that said she walked away from them.Leone couldn't help but laugh at that. "I'll have to tip her for saying that." While they were waiting for the food to be prepared, they decided to talk about the movie they saw. "So what your thoughts on the movie Akame?"The other girl thought about it for a few seconds. "I thought it was good. It made for an interesting fight. One who kills by dreams and one who can't supposedly die. They're interesting ideas, to say the least."That was something Leone could agree on. "Yeah that's true but the burn guy was kinda boned when he was dragged out in the real world. Still, he was kinda unique in his own way. Although we can both agree we don't like him because you know, he killed for the hell of it." Then again those kids aren't really the type of people we used to protect."Akame nodded in agreement to that. "Indeed. I wonder what other movie we should see next." It was then she noticed her girlfriend giggling a bit which made her curious. "What's so funny?"Leone continued to giggle a little bit longer. "Just…look at us. We're here talking to each other about a movie waiting on our food. For once in our lives, we actually look like…normal people. Well, a person and Faunus but still."Now that her girlfriend mentioned it, she was right. This was the very first time Akame was doing something normal for a change. She was on a normal date with Leone, did normal things, and now they were talking about normal subjects. It was a feeling that she loved and it spread throughout inside of her. "Is this how it feels? To finally have a different life other than the ones we were forced to live?"The Faunus girl giggled again as she knew what Akame was thinking about. Now that they were alone, she decided to ask something. "So Akame…"Her words snapped the other girl out of her thoughts. "Yes?"This question had been in the Faunus girl's mind for a while now and always wondered about it. "Were there any others you liked before you met me? Anyone that caught your eye?"That was a question Akame had to think about for a bit and sighed. "Yes, there was. Two of them back in my old team." Leone was taken a bit back when she heard that. As long as she's known Akame, not once had she spoken anything about her previous team before Night Raid so this was a pretty rare chance.She was interested to know more. "Oh really? Who were they?"It was probably best to talk about it. It was about time she would say some of these that had been held in for a very long time. "The two girls I liked before were Cornelia and Tsukushi. I guess in Cornelia's case, it was more like I had a crush on her."Leone chuckled at that. Not once she had known or heard of her girlfriend having a crush on someone else. "She must be something else if she caught your eye."Akame smiled in agreement. "She was. I guess you can say she was like the big sister to the team. In fact, you reminded me a bit of her when we first met."And already Leone liked this girl. "Wow really? Must be our good looks and charm."Her girlfriend giggled at the joke and decided to continue. "I admired of how skilled and how beautiful she was. Of course, that admiration turned into something else and I never saw her the same way again. In my old team, I was ranked seventh while she was third."Now that was something Leone didn't expect. "Wow, so she was better than you? That's hard to imagine."Akame nodded at the question. "Yes. In fact, she taught me a few moves that I still use today. She was…an incredible person that I was lucky to have known her."Leone loved how Akame was gushing over someone but she also knew in her line of work, something must've happened. "Did you ever tell her?"The other girl shook her head. "No, I didn't. These feelings were new to me and I didn't know how to act upon them. Those same feelings are the ones that hurt me when I found out that she was…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.The Faunus girl knew what she was going to say and reassured her. "I see. It must've been hard on you huh? What about that other girl you liked? Tsukushi was it?"Again Akame nodded at the question. "Yes. Tsukushi was a very kind and cheerful girl. Of course, I knew she saw me more as a friend and I was the same to her as we spent the most time together."Leone was glad that her girlfriend was telling her all of this. She couldn't imagine how long she had to keep this bottled up. "So did you make a move on her?"And again Akame shook her head. "I didn't have that choice. In my previous team, relationships were forbidden. Of course, Gai ignored that a lot as he kept hitting on Cornelia." Hearing that made the Faunus girl laugh a bit since it reminded her of Lubbock. "Of course like Cornelia, I lost Tsukushi as well and the rest of my previous team."Now that made Leone a bit sad. It was probably the closest Akame had to a normal life back in their world. Now there was one more question she had to ask. "Was there anyone else who liked you back in your old team?"Akame giggled at the question and smiled. "Yes, that would be my teammate Green. Of course, he first had feelings for me in the most unusual way."Leone was almost going to regret asking. "What would that be?""My armpits."And there was silence between the two girls until Leone spoke up. "Well…weird but okay.""Here you go. Thank you for waiting." The waitress came back with their orders and placed their food in front of them. "Will you need anything else?"Akame marveled at the food before her. That was all Leone needed to know. "We're okay thanks."That was all the waitress needed to know. "Alright then. Please enjoy." She left the two girls and enjoyed they did. Akame loved how the cake tastes and Leone enjoyed her sandwich. She also couldn't help but snicker a bit as she drank the milk. Maybe because she was a cat. Still, they enjoyed their food and each other's company. B The two girls finished their food and Leone paid for it including tip for the waitress. It was well into the evening now and the moon began to appear. Now that the Faunus blonde thought about it, she wondered how it ended up with pieces around it in the first place. They felt like the date was almost done but there was one more thing Akame wanted to do. "Do you have those tickets I gave you?"The Faunus girl took out the two big stacks from her back pockets and presented them to her. "Yeah, right here. Why?"That was an answer only Akame knew. "You'll see what I mean soon enough." Once again she took the lead. The two girls arrived at the arcade Akame was at before. "We're here."Leone was curious about the place before her. "This is the arcade place you went to before?"Akame nodded at the question. "It is. I believe one of the tropes of a date is to give your significant other a gift."That was something the Faunus blonde would like and smiled at the thought. "Oh really? I wonder what you'll give me."The other girl thought to tease her on that. "You'll just have to see for yourself."They entered the arcade and Leone already liked what she was seeing. Other than Akame of course. "Wow, this place looks fun." She already saw some games she would enjoy.However, that would have to wait as Akame took the tickets and approached the prize counter. The guy behind instantly recognized her. "Hey aren't you that girl from before with those other girls?"Akame nodded at his words. "Yes, and I would like to exchange these for some prizes."The guy took the tickets. "Okay, what do you want?"While Akame was busy getting the gift for her girlfriend, said girlfriend was walking around the arcade looking at the different games the place had to offer. One game caught in her interest in particular and that was the punching game Akame was doing earlier. She saw the score and smiled at it. "Nine thirty huh? Bet I can beat that." The blonde saw there was a slot to insert a coin. Luckily she had one and inserted it into the slot. The game started up and the punching back dropped down. She smiled at the opportunity.The counter guy handed Akame her the prize she wanted. "You sure you don't want anything else? You still have a lot of tickets left."Akame held the prize close to her. "That's alright. This is all I wanted anyway." As she took the prize, both of them heard a loud noise and looked over to the direction where the noise came from. They and anyone else that was in the arcade at the time went over to the noise as Leone looked away feigning innocence. They saw the punching machine destroyed and the scoreboard read nine hundred ninety-nine blinking with the scoreboard cracked. The counter guy was speechless at was he was seeing. That was their cue to leave. "Thank you for the prize."The two girls ran out of the arcade quickly before anything else happened. Once they were far away from the place, Leone laughed at what just happened. "Well, that was something else. I guess that machine really couldn't take it huh?"For once in the date, Akame shook her head. "You didn't need to hit it that hard."Leone laughed nervously at that. "Yeah, you may have a point there. I don't think we'll be going back there for a while." She suddenly saw that Akame was holding something. "What's that you're carrying?"Akame giggled at the prize she had and offered it to her girlfriend. "It's your gift. When I saw it the first time, it kinda reminded me of you."The Faunus blonde observed the gift closely. It was a Grimm lion plushy and had a cute expression of roaring. She laughed at the prize. "Well, it's something I'll give it that." She took the gift and held it close to her. "Thanks."Her girlfriend was happy that Leone like it. "You're welcome."Now it came to this, Leone had one more thing to do. "You know what would be a good way to end this date?"Akame shook her head. "What would that b-" She was quickly silenced by Leone pressing her lips onto her own with her eyes closed while wrapping her other arm around the girl she loved. Akame was caught off guard by this but closed her eyes as well and soon returned the kiss. It was the perfect way to end the date. A loving kiss under the moon shining onto them. B Lunch came by again in the academy and Yang and the others noticed something a bit different about the two transfer students. "You two seem a bit more chipper than usual today. Mind telling us what it is?"The other blonde laughed happily at the question. "We were just having…a good time. That's all."Yang wondered what it was but decided to ask later. Speaking of having fun. "Well, that's cool. Hey, maybe we can have some fun of our own if you're not too busy later on in the week. I've got to show you this place I know and I want to freak out the owner for the funnies."Again Blake growled quietly at what her partner offered. Every time she talked to the other Faunus or even mentioned her, Blake couldn't help but feel a small pain in her chest that kept growing bit by bit. "So what did you two do huh? Come on tell us. Give us the juicy bits!" Nora really wanted to know.The two girls looked at each other for a bit. They were thinking about finally telling them they were a thing and maybe now was a perfect time. "Hey there." A new voice spoke out to the group.And that opportunity was ruined when two guys approached them. Ruby seemed happy to see them. "Sun! Neptune!"Akame and Leone saw these guys around the campus but never really talked to them so this was their first meeting. Sun waved at the group. "Yo, how's it going?"Neptune smiled at the rest of them. "What he said." He saw Akame and Leone in the group and smiled at them. "You two must be the new transfer students we've heard about. Nice to meet you."The young leader looked between the two and thought to introduce them. "Oh yeah. Leone, Akame, this is Sun and Neptune. They're friends of ours."They seemed to be good people to them. Leone smiled back at them. "Hiya!" She noticed something moving behind Sun's back and looked at it more closely. Turned out it was his tail and that made her curious. "Hey, is this real?" She made a sudden grab at it and Sun screamed. That made her let go of it. "Holy crap it is!"Sun held his tail carefully in his hands and glared at the other Faunus. "What the hell! You don't just grab other Faunus' tails you know!"Leone laughed awkwardly. "Sorry about that." She did miss having her tail. So did Akame but only because the tail was Leone's weak point whenever they were together in bed while Leone was in beast form.Neptune laughed at his friend's misfortune and looked at the group. "Right so back on topic, rumor has it that you two really gave Blake and Yang a hard time."They both remembered that. Akame just took another bite out of her food. "You can say something like that."Leone was less subtle about it. "Yeah that's about right but it was fun."After the pain went away, Sun looked over to Blake. "Right so about why we're here. Blake, I was wondering if you would-"And a sudden noise interrupted him. "Will the students Akame Night and Leone Wild please come to Professor Ozpin's office immediately? I repeat. Will the students Akame Night and Leone Wild please come to Professor Ozpin's office immediately?" And then they heard it cut off.Said girls looked at each other again but this time wondering what the announcement was about. "I guess we'd better get going then. Can't keep the big man waiting.""Agreed." Both girls stood up. "Please excuse us." They left the table and headed out the exit.Now everyone was curious about what the announcement was about. "Why do you think they were summoned to Professor Ozpin?" Jaune asked.Pyrrha had the same question. "I don't know but it must be important."Now that Sun had a closer look, he thought of something. "You know now that I think about, Leone kinda looks like she could pass off as-""We know." Ren interrupted him. B Akame and Leone were walking toward Ozpin's office still wondering why he needed to see them all of a sudden. "So what do you think he wants us for?"Her girlfriend was still was trying to figure that out. "I'm not sure but we'll find out soon enough." They approached the doors leading to Ozpin's office and Akame knocked on the door. "Hello? This is Akame and Leone. You wanted to see us?"They waited a few seconds before the doors opened up before them. The two girls walked through the doors and entered the room. Ozpin was sitting at his desk while there was a girl with her back turned they haven't seen before. Check that, a person Leone hasn't seen before but Akame was feeling a sense of familiarity. Ozpin smiled at their arrival. "I'm glad to see you two have made it. I am pleased to tell you that the person in front will be part of your team from now on. Why don't you introduce yourself to them now?"The new girl turned around Akame's eyes widened at who it was. The long blonde hair the hoop earrings she was wearing. Her heart almost stopped for a second. "It can't be…"The new girl smiled at them cheerfully. "You two must be my new teammates. It's so great to finally meet you. My name is Cornelia and I hope we can get along well." And that hit the nail on the head for Akame. Everything around her quickly faded into black and she fainted onto the floor. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New BeginningKill Ten: A Face from the PastAkame's eyes started to stir and soon opened them only to see a clear open blue sky. She sat up and placed her hand on her head. "What happened to me?" She noticed that she was sitting on top of a hill somewhere."Hey, glad you're awake." Akame gasped when she heard a familiar voice. She looked to the side to see her old teammate Cornelia smiling at her. "How did you sleep?"Akame was having trouble trying process what was going on. Now that she took a look at herself, Akame was wearing her old outfit from when she was part of the Elite Seven. She couldn't quite understand what was happening. "How is this even happening?""Hello? Earth to Akame?" The other girl looked back at her former teammate. "Man you're really out of it today."Akame was trying to find the word she wanted to say to the blonde. "Cora…"Cornelia laughed at her. "And she speaks finally. You must've had some dream huh?"The other girl was confused by what she heard. "Dream?"The blonde nodded at the question. "Yeah. You were talking in your sleep saying some weird things. What was it about?"Akame looked away trying to make sense of what was going on. "It didn't feel like a dream." This whole situation was becoming stranger and stranger."Come on; tell me what your dream was."Akame decided to play this out. She looked back at the other girl again and smiled. "Alright, I'll tell you." She looked up to the sky. "I was dreaming that I was in another world unlike our own."Already Cornelia was interested in this. "Oh really? What's it like?"The other girl closed her eyes to remember the details. "It was much more advanced than our own with many different people that used unusual weapons.""Unusual how?" The blonde asked.Again Akame tried to remember the details clearly. "They're unlike the weapons…father…" She really didn't expect to say that again. "And we use. They're not Imperial Arms or Shingu but they were powerful. They also had a gun feature to them."Cornelia marveled at the idea. "Wow really? That's kinda hard to imagine trying to put a gun into another weapon. What else can you tell me about it?"Akame thought about it a bit more. "Well, it had a moon that had pieces around it." She smiled at the next part. "And…you were in it. You were going to join a team of mine."That was something blonde loved hearing. "Oh really? You and me on a team huh? I bet we'll kick some serious ass together huh?"The other girl opened her eyes and looked at her teammate once more. "I would believe so. What would you think of the idea of you being in another world?"This time, Cornelia thought about the question. "I guess it would be pretty cool. If you were in it too, that would be even better." She looked up to the sky as well. "Whether it's this world or another one, I'm sure we'll still be great teammates no matter what." She looked back at the other girl. "Don't you think, Akame?"Akame nodded at the question. "Yes, of course. Always…Cora." Suddenly a bright light surrounded the two girls. D Once again Akame started to open her eyes only to see a white ceiling. She closed her eyes momentarily while groaning. "What happened?""Oh good, you're awake. I was worried when you just suddenly fainted like that."Akame instantly opened her eyes to look over to see the one person she thought she would never see again. "Cora…" She was sitting on a chair next to the bed.Cornelia giggled at the nickname. "That's strange. I don't think I recall telling you my nickname before."The other girl sat up from on the bed. Now that her focus was back, she noticed that she was in the school infirmary. Akame rubbed her eyes with her arm and looked back at the blonde. "I'm sorry. It just…slipped out."The blonde smiled at her. "It's alright. I really don't mind it. So what happened? Why did you just faint like that?"Akame just looked away from the other girl. "You…reminded me of a friend I knew once a long time ago."That seemed simple enough to Cornelia. "Oh, is that so. Was this friend important to you?"The other half closed her eyes. Everything about the girl next her was hitting Akame like a tidal wave. The looks, the voice, it was almost too much for her. "She was. We were…very close." She still couldn't believe that her former teammate/crush was here talking to her, in this room, in this world. It was almost too surreal for her. Akame had to know something immediately. She looked back at the blonde. "Cora I…do you remember anything about me? Who I really am?"Cornelia tilted her head in confusion. "Sorry, I don't know what you mean by that. Far as I know, this is our first time meeting each other."Akame was somewhat relieved but saddened at the same time knowing this. "I see. I'm sorry to have asked you that."The blonde waved her hand nonchalantly. "It's okay. In any case, I should probably introduce myself again. My name is Cornelia King and I'll be part of your team from now on."Akame smiled at the other girl's introduction. She may be not the Cornelia she knew once but Akame would gladly take the chance to know her former teammate again. "It's…nice to meet you too. I'm Akame Night."Cornelia smiled sweetly at the name. "Akame huh? Nice to meet you as well."Now that the introductions were done with, Akame did have a question. She looked around the room. "Where is Leone?"The blonde knew the answer to that. "Oh, you mean that Faunus girl? She ran off somewhere saying something about telling the others. I stayed behind to look after you."Akame was slightly confused by that. "Others?"The door suddenly opened and said Faunus girl walked in. "Hey, how's she-Akame!" Leone was happy to see her girlfriend awake again and quickly rushed over to her side. "Great, you're awake. How are you feeling?"The other girl smiled at her. "I'm feeling fine."Leone was glad to hear that but there was something she had to discuss. She turned to the other blonde. "Hey…Cornelia, was it? Can you give us some time alone? We need to talk about something."Cornelia wondered what they had to talk about it but went with it. "Okay then. Take your time." She headed to the door and left the room.Now that she was gone, Leone wondered what happened earlier. "What the hell happened Akame? You just fainted on the spot. Also, that girl, is she the same girl you told me before?"Akame lowered her head while her bangs covered her eyes. "It's her Leone. Her voice, her looks, the way she smiles. It's really Cornelia. I can never mistake that."Leone crossed her arms under her breasts. "But how is that possible? You told me she was killed and now she's on our team? Does she even remember you?"Her girlfriend shook her head. "I don't know how and I don't care. To be honest, I'm happy to see her again and that what matters to me. However, it would seem she doesn't remember me at all. Perhaps that is the best concerning our past and mine beyond that. From what I can guess, this could be a different Cornelia raised in this world. If that's true, then the one I know is different than the one here."That seemed to make the most sense here. "I guess you're could be right on that. Still, it's kinda creepy." She uncrossed her arms and smiled at her girlfriend. "But, if you're happy to see an old friend then I'm happy too. Plus I can actually get to know her now. I do have a small problem about this."Akame looked over to the Faunus girl. "What's that?"This was something Leone was worried about. "What does this mean for us? I mean Cornelia was a former crush of yours and we're together now so…"Akame knew where Leone was going with this. She got out of bed and pulled the other girl in for a loving kiss. Leone didn't expect this to happen but she wasn't complaining about it. Akame broke off the kiss and smiled at her girlfriend. "I know I still have feelings for Cora even after what happened to her but you're the one I love now. You don't have to worry about anything complicated."Hearing that was a huge relief for the Faunus blonde and sighed. "That's good to know. I was worried this would be some cheesy three-way school romance."Her girlfriend giggled at the joke. "No, it won't be anything like that." Both girls giggled together.While they were having their private discussion, Cornelia pressed her ear against the wall eavesdropping on the conversation. Already she had a lot of questions and found out a few things about her new teammates. "Okay, so apparently they're a couple. I really don't mind that but what was Akame talking about? World? Our and my past? Different Cornelia?" She wanted to ask them what they meant by that but decided to do that when the time was right."Hey there!" Cornelia screamed and jumped away from the sudden shout. She turned around to see a group of people. Ruby giggled awkwardly. "Uh, sorry about that. Are you new here? I've never seen you around before."Cornelia sighed as she placed her hand on the top of her chest trying to calm down her heart. She looked at the group in front of her. "Yeah, I am. I just arrived here and I'm…part of Akame's team."And just like that Ruby was all over the blonde as she was squealing. "You're really part of Akame's team!? That's so awesome! Where are you from?! What's your name?! What weapons do you use? Is it awesome because I totally bet it is!"Weiss grabbed her leader's collar and separated from the other girl. "Sorry about that. She tends to overreact a bit."Cornelia giggled nervously. "No it's alright but to answer some of the questions, my name is Cornelia King and I do have a pretty awesome weapon." Ruby really wanted to see her weapon now. Seeing the group in front of her, she wagered a guess. "I suppose that all of you are Akame's and Leone's friends?"Yang smiled at the question. "Yep, you got it. I think you're really going to love them as your teammates."Speaking of them, the door opened and out came Leone and Akame. The Faunus blonde smiled at them all. "Hey, glad all of you could make it."Pyrrha smiled back at her. "Same here. Are you feeling alright Akame? When Leone told us you've fainted, we tried to come here soon as possible."Akame just closed her eyes. "I'm feeling fine so don't worry about it." She opened them back up and looked over to Cornelia as she smiled at her. "I'm just glad to have a new team member."Leone just remembered something as she hit her fists into her other hand. "Oh, that's right. Speaking of team members, before we had to carry you to the infirmary, Ozpin said he found our fourth team member but it'll be a while before that person arrives here. He did say something…cryptic about this person."Her girlfriend wondered what it was. "And what would that be?"The Faunus girl leaned against the wall. "He said that our fourth teammate only fights with their sembalance."That raised question marks all around everyone. "What? How can someone just fight with their sembalance?"For once, Weiss had to agree with Jaune. "That doesn't even make any sense."Blake was trying to imagine that. "It does seem unusual. That's like saying Weiss only fights with her glyphs and I only fight with my clones."They haven't even met this person yet and already there were so many questions they needed to answer. Cornelia clapped her hands to attach their attention. "Alright people, that's enough." They all looked at her. "We can wonder about this mystery person later. Right now I want to know more about my teammates. So what do you say Akame?" She smiled at the other girl. "Care for a friendly match?Everyone was surprised hearing her suggest that. "You want to fight me? What for?"Cornelia had a very good reason why. "In my papa's words, you can know someone a lot better through a fight. I want to see what you can do."First thought Akame had was when Cornelia said papa, she was reminded of Gozuki. However, even though she hated to admit, the blonde was right. Plus this would be a good time to see how this Cornelia fights. Akame smiled at the challenge. "Fine then. It would be a good opportunity for the both of us."While this was good and all, Leone had a question. "Wait can you even fight each other after school hours?""It should be fine as long as we can find a teacher to mediate the match." Ren answered.Nora cheered. "Yeah! Let's go and get this party started!" B Akame and Cornelia were on the arena used by Glynda's class while team RWBY, JNPR, and Leone were sitting in the bleachers. Akame observed closely at the other girl. "Her outfit when fighting hasn't changed. It's the same one she wore back in the old days. What's different, however…" She eyed two weapon holsters, one on each leg around the thighs. "Cornelia's weapon back then was called Pulverization King. An arm brace that would grant the user superhuman strength. The drawback, however, was that if used incorrectly, it would harm the user as well." Seeing Cornelia using a different weapon was strange for Akame.Both girls heard a throat being cleared and turned to the teacher the group could find to look after the match in short notice. "If you two young ladies are ready, you can begin immediately."Leone couldn't help but laugh quietly at who was looking over the match. "Professor Port huh? I have to admit he's the funniest guy I've known."Akame drew out her sword first and Cornelia was impressed by it. "Nice weapon you have. What's its name?"The other girl flicked her sword. "Yatsufusa."The blonde smiled at the name. "Cool name. Let me show you mine." She pulled the handles out of the holsters and presented them to everyone as she held each in her hands. Something about them seemed familiar to both Akame and Leone. The Faunus blonde recognized them. "Those look like…"Akame recognized them as well. "Those weapons look like the Double Bladed Axe: Belvaac." Indeed the two axes did look like the Imperial Arms except they looked a bit more mechanical in the handles and body.Cornelia knew her new teammate was looking at her weapons. "Pretty cool huh? These are my weapons of choice. I call them Twin Knight." Well judging by the name, it wasn't an Imperial Arms. "So, like the teacher said, shall we begin?"Akame didn't need to say another word as she rushed over to where her former teammate was. Cornelia did the same and the two girls met in the center. Akame's sword clashed against one of Cornelia's axes and Akame felt something going through Yatsufusa. Not long after, her sword suddenly defeated from the blonde's weapon. Akame's eyes widened in surprise by this. "How? My guard couldn't be broken that easily."Cornelia smiled as she saw her opening and kicked Akame in the stomach. Everyone was surprised to see her aura gauge drop. Blake certainly was. "No way. She was able to hit her directly."While Akame was recovering from the attack, Cornelia decided to keep the flow going and ran toward the other girl. She swung the ax in her right hand down to Akame but she was able to block it successfully. However, like before, she felt something going through her sword and the intimal impact caused her to jerk Yatsufusa upward. Again the blonde saw the chance and swung her ax in her other hand to the other girl. Akame jumped back to avoid the attack but saw something unusual at the top of the handle. That was when she gasped. The blonde smiled as she fired a shot from the top of her handle. Akame had no way to dodge the shot and it struck her directly. Leone immediately stood up. "Akame!"The shot pushed Akame back a bit and now there was a distance between her and the other blonde. "I'm fine." Of course, her weapon had a gun function and if one of the axes had it, chances are the other did as well. During their brief exchange, she knew something was up. "Her attacks, every time one of her axes comes into contact with my sword, I would feel something going through it. A slight shaking sensation." She didn't know what the sensation was but it was disrupting her guard.Cornelia rushed over to where the other girl was and attacked her by swinging one of her axes down. Akame had no choice but to guard once again and both of their weapons clashed once again. This time, however, she didn't feel the strange moving sensation again so she deflected the attack this time. That however made Cornelia attack with her other ax right at her. Akame saw the next attack and blocked that one as well. It was then she felt the moving sensation from the next attack and Akame's sword rebutted again. Cornelia knew she had her teammate on the ropes now. She started to relentlessly attack the other girl. Akame brought back her sword to parry off the attacks since blocking them wasn't the right choice of action. The two girls exchanged blow for blow for a bit. Akame still felt the sensations each time her sword would come into contact with the blonde's axes. To counter this, she maintained a stronger grip on her sword as it would jerk back each time the sword clashed against the axes. During the exchange, after their weapons hit each other once more, Akame took the opportunity to roll by the blonde's side and then knelt down while swinging her sword at her opponent. Cornelia turned around as well and intercepted the attack with the ax in her left hand. She loved how the fight was going so far. "Not bad. You're doing pretty good."Even with what just happened, Akame smiled at her former teammate. "You as well." She jumped away from the other girl and turned around while she assessed the situation so far. "Her fighting style is different than the Cornelia I knew once. She's doing something with her axes." She swung her sword around while pressing the switch to make the blade separate. "I have to be careful."The blonde marveled at what Akame's sword could do. "Segmented sword huh? That's pretty cool."Akame sent whipped the extended blade at the blonde. Cornelia saw the attack coming and deflected the attack from her with one of her axes. Akame redirected her movements from her sword and whipped it down onto the blonde again. Again Cornelia struck it to deflect the attack. That didn't deter Akame and she kept up her attacks onto the other girl while the blonde kept deflecting the attacks. While doing so, Akame steadily moved in closer to Cornelia while keeping up with her attacks and in turn, the timing between the attacks became shorter. Cornelia decided she had enough of this as deflected the next attack and used the brief opportunity to jump into the air. When she did, the blonde combined the two separate axes into one double-bladed ax and then extended the handle for her to use both of her hands. That was something Leone didn't expect to see. "What the hell? Two axes that turn into some weird ax/staff combo weapon?"Ruby had stars in her eyes seeing the weapon transform. "That's so cool!"Cornelia twirled her ax staff around and raised it above her head. "Try this one on for size!"Akame retracted her sword back and was about to use it to wrap around her opponents until she noticed something odd. "She's going to hit the floor instead." She was right. Cornelia's staff hit the ground in front of Akame. However, even if the weapon missed Akame in front, she was still knocked back for some reason. Her aura gauge went down once again and everyone was wondering what just happened. Akame including as she was starting to stand back up. "What was that? What did she do?"That was the same question Yang was wondering about. "Anyone know what just happened? She missed Akame but was still sent flying."Pyrrha was trying to figure it out but wasn't having any luck. "I'm not sure. She must've done something."As Akame stood up once again, she put the pieces together of what happened before. "I felt those strange sensations again but this time on the ground headed for me." She observed the other girl closely who was smiling. Akame finally figured it out. "I know what you did. In fact, you've applied the same technique to your weapons every time before our weapons came into contact with each other. What you were doing before, it's your semblance isn't it?"Cornelia grinned at the answer. "Yep. You got that right. My sembalance is vibration. I can apply it to my weapons and mess up my opponents guard pretty good and I can send them to my opponent hitting them even if I missed. Pretty cool huh?"It was more like dangerous to Akame. If she could apply her sembalance to her weapon and the same way every time she would miss, that would make her quite the opponent. Add that to the fact now she has a ranged weapon. Akame already took several hits from her former teammate while she hasn't landed on hit. This scenario kinda reminded her of some of the sparring matches she and Cornelia had before. "I couldn't land a hit on her back then either. It seems some things never change."Cornelia twirled her ax staff and held it behind her. "What do you say we move on to the next round?" She launched herself right the other girl with Twin Knight ready. She swung the ax staff to the side and Akame blocked the attack. The vibrations from the initial impact from the two weapons were suddenly stronger and Akame felt them going through her arms. Cornelia withdrew her weapon momentarily and spun her body around while spinning Twin Knight above her to attack from the other side. Akame blocked the second attack as well but the vibrations from the second attack felt stronger than the last one. The blonde took this chance and pushed the other girl back along with her sword. She spun her ax staff once again over her head and swung downward at the other girl. Akame held her sword up to block the oncoming attack but as soon as the attack came, the strength behind it caused her to take a knee.Leone couldn't believe what she was seeing. "No way. She actually has Akame pinned down." Blake had the same reaction. Considering how their match went, it was strange seeing the same girl who she was having trouble before being the same position the Faunus girl was in.Akame did struggle a bit but managed to push the attack up away from her and started to counter attack. She attacked with her own flurry of sword swings at the other girl but the blonde was blocking them all. The two girls were equal for a time both of their weapons clashed against each other once again but this time, neither of them moved. It was a stalemate between them. Cornelia smiled at how the match was playing out. "Not bad. You have some good moves."Akame returned the smile with her own. "You as well." The stalemate would only last a few seconds longer until either of them broke it. During all of this, Akame remembered something about one of her earliest sparring matches with the blonde. F A young Akame was groaning in pain as she was lying on the ground with her bokken lying next to her. She sat up while rubbing her head. "Jeez Cora. What was that you just did?"Cornelia laughed as she offered her hand to the other girl. "Pretty good huh? That's one way to catch your opponent off guard. If you want, I can show you how to do it." Akame looked up to her and marveled how beautiful Cornelia was with the sunlight hitting her at the right angle. Apparently, the blonde saw the look in her teammate's eyes. "Something the matter?"Akame shook her head and smiled. "I'm fine and I would like to know that move you did to me." She took Cornelia's hand and the blonde brought her up. F "It seems I may have to use that move now." The conditions were right and it was a bit risky but it would guarantee Akame the most out of the fight. The timing just had to be right for it to work.Before Cornelia could first break out of the stalemate, Akame suddenly let go of Yatsufusa. Seeing the action made her gasp. "She let go of her weapon?" Everything after that seemed in slow motion. Without an opposing force against her, the blonde started to move forward without control while Akame moved to the side. She suddenly grabbed Cornelia's arm with both of her hands and lifted the blonde over her and slammed her former teammate onto the ground while her weapon dropped to the ground. Cornelia gasped in pain as a result. Akame then grabbed the handle of her sword and spun around before until she was above Cornelia. She sat on top of her with all of her body weight and switched the holding position of her sword underhanded as she stabbed the floor next to the blonde and put her elbow on the top of her chest. Everyone went silent after seeing that display. Cornelia was still trying to process what just happened.For Akame, it was clear what happened. "I believe this is match."After hearing those words, Cornelia couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright alright. I'll accept the loss here." Port clapped his hands at what he saw and so did the team members from the two teams. The blonde laughed at her defeat. "Got to hand it to you, that was some move you did. Where did you learn how to do that?"Akame chuckled at the question. "Someone I knew taught me how to do it."Cornelia smiled at the answer. "I see. That's cool and all but…"The other girl blinked a few times in confusion. "But?"The blonde observed the position the two girls were in. "Can you get off of me now? This kinda seems a bit awkward."Akame blushed a little and immediately stood up. "Sorry!" She offered her hand to the other girl and Cornelia gladly accepted it.As she did pull up the blonde, Professor Port walked up to them. "Bravo. Well done. You two showed off what fellow huntresses in training can do. Although may I point this out Miss King is that the use of firearms is not allowed when sparring with another student."Cornelia laughed nervously as she rubbed the back of her head. "Oh is that right? It won't happen again."The professor nodded at her words. "Excellent. I hope this brought on an even closer understanding of the team member you'll be working with from now on."The blonde nodded back at the advice. "Yes, sir." With all of that said Professor Port had done his job and started to leave.As he left, Leone rushed over to her girlfriend. "Akame!" Akame looked over the Faunus girl as she stopped in front of her.Not soon after, team RWBY and JNPR arrived as well. Ruby was certainly ecstatic about the match. "That was so cool! Your weapon is really awesome and-"Weiss covered her leader's mouth with her hand. "Alright, we get it." She looked to Cornelia. "Still I have to agree that's a bit of unique weapon you have."Cornelia picked up her weapon and returned it to its short ax form and then separated the two before putting them back into her holsters. "Yeah, you can say that. It gives me plenty of options for attacking along with using my sembalance." She looked over to Leone. "So what do you think of me now?"The other blonde smiled at her new teammate. "Pretty good if you were able to give Akame a run for her money."Everyone knew the situation was heading off at this point. "Well…" Yang stretched out her arms. "We'll leave all of you to spend more time with each other. Thanks for the show and Leone, remember we have that night out I promised you."The Faunus blonde was looking forward to that. "You got it."Blake gritted her teeth when she heard that. "You coming, Blake?"Her partner's voice managed to snap the Faunus girl out of it and looked over to her. "I'll be right there." She looked over to Leone one last time before walking away with the rest of her team. The pain in her chest grew slightly as she held it. "Why? Why am I feeling this way? Why does my heart ache every time she looks at Leone that way?" She had hoped to come up with an answer soon but it didn't look like it was coming up anytime soon. One thing Blake did know, was that whatever she was feeling wasn't jealousy but something else entirely. B The door opened to Akame and Leone's room as the three girls entered it. Cornelia looked around the room and smiled. "So this is our room now huh?"Leone chuckled at the question. "You got that right. Make yourself at home."Cornelia set her bag with her belongings and sat down on the bed across the one Akame and Leone used. "This is nice and all but I can't help but feel this room is a little bit bare. Ever thought of spicing up the place like with a poster or something?"The two girls looked at each other and then back to Cornelia. "Not really. Leone and I are kinda used to this look." Akame replied.The second blonde shook her head at the words. "Now that simply won't do. Now that I'm here, things are going to change in this room." In more ways than one according to the two other girls. Now that they had another person in the room, they really couldn't sleep in the nude together in the same bed. "What's that over there?" They looked over to where Cornelia was looking at and it turned out to be Murasame leaning against the wall next to their bed. "A sword?""That would be mine." Akame quickly replied. It seemed she didn't recognize it right away that it was an Imperial Arm.Cornelia looked over to the other girl wondering about the extra sword. "So you have two swords then? Why don't you use it?"Akame lowered her head while looking away. "It's…not so good when it comes to sparring matches. Let's put it at that."Cornelia already knew there was more to it than that but will leave it alone. For now at least. At the moment, she stretched out her arms and reached into her bag to take out her pajamas. "Think I'll have a shower after that match we just had. Hope you two don't mind." She headed toward the door leading to the bathroom. Before she reached the knob, the blonde stopped suddenly and turned to her new teammates. "Oh, and the two of you have some explaining to do." Both girls stiffened up a bit when they heard that and they knew what she meant by that. The only question was how did she know? "Don't worry. You don't have to tell me right away. Just promise me you'll tell me eventually when you're ready okay?"Akame nodded at the conditions. "Yes, of course."Cornelia smiled at the other girl. "Good." She turned back to the door and turned the knob. As she opened the door and started to walk through it, she stopped again and looked back at the two girls. "One more thing. If you two are going to have sex while I'm not around, please put a sock on the handle or something. The last thing I need to see are two of my teammates on top of each other in bed naked." With that said, she closed the door.They really had no idea had to react to that. The only thing Leone did was just laugh nervously. "Well…on the bright side, at least we don't have to tell her that we're together." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New BeginningKill Eleven: Twinning OutYang stretched out her arms as she was glad classes were done for the day. Now all she had to look forward to was the weekend. "Now that classes are over, there's nothing ahead but good times ahead. Can't wait for the fun to start."While the blonde was happy about this, Blake was feeling the opposite feeling entirely. During the rest of the entire week, she felt that stinging pain grow more and more. It always happened when Yang was talking to Leone and she was approaching the breaking point. At first, it was tolerable but now it was almost unbearable. "How much longer do I have to bear this?" She finally had to come to the truth about all of this. Yang was interested in Leone much more than a friend and by how the other Faunus girl was acting toward her, it seemed she was the same way to her partner. Probably the one thing that hurt Blake the most was that this one girl who any of them barely know of was taking the only person the Faunus girl held the closest to her heart. Right now the two were planning to go out to Vale later on today. It may not be a date but to Blake, it sure looked like one."Hey Blake, are you feeling okay?" Speaking of the blonde devil, her words managed to snap the Faunus girl out of her inner turmoil of thoughts and looked at her. Yang may be an optimist at most times but when it came to her teammates, especially her partner, she couldn't help but worry.Once again Blake had to lie to conceal her pain. "I'm fine Yang. Don't worry about me okay?" She gave her partner a fake smile.Even if she said that, Yang wasn't buying the whole farm. She knew better than anyone else when it came to her partner. She wasn't stupid as she knew Blake was hiding something and it was worrying her. The thing is that subjects like this would be a little difficult to talk about with the other girl. The most she could do now was just roll along with Blake's words. "Okay but you know you can talk to me or the others about whatever is on your mind. You don't have to bear whatever it is that's on your mind on your own."Of course, Blake knew that but what can she can say since her problem revolved around the blonde beauty that was in front of her? The only thing the Faunus girl could do was nod at her partner's advice. "Of course Yang." Yang was going to let this go for now but sooner or later they would have to talk about whatever was keeping her partner down. For now, she had to prepare for the night ahead with Leone. B Akame was spending some time with her new and once former teammate Cornelia or Cora by studying next to each other on the bed wearing their pajamas. Akame was wearing her original pink ones while Cornelia was wearing a white shirt and blue shorts with white stripes on the side. Leone, however, was in the bathroom getting ready for her night out with Yang. Said girl came out of the bathroom wearing the outfit she was wearing for tonight. "What do you two think?"The Faunus blonde was wearing a short-sleeved tan shirt with a black animal paw print located on her left breast with black pants and her usual combat books. Akame liked what she saw. "You look great Leone."Although Cornelia could agree with her teammate, she did have a question. "You sure it's a good idea to go out? We have a test coming up on Monday."Leone just waved her hand like it was no big deal. "Relax. It's only for tonight. I'll be sure to hit the books tomorrow so don't worry. Besides…" She walked over to Akame and leaned in closer to her ear. "I'm sure you'll want to spend more time with Cora." Her girlfriend slightly blushed at the words and Leone backed off from the other girl. The other blonde wondered what the Faunus in their group told her teammate. They suddenly heard knocking on their door and Leone went over to it. She opened the door to reveal her human double wearing her other outfit. "Hey there Yang."The other blonde smiled at her friend and waved at her. "Hi there. You ready to go?"Leone nodded at the question. "You got it. Can't wait to see what you have in store for me." She walked through the door and looked over to her two teammates. "Catch ya later you two!" She closed the door and left the two of them alone.Already Cornelia had a bad feeling about this. "You sure it's a good idea for them be out on their own?"Akame didn't seem too worried. "It's not a problem. There isn't anything Leone can't handle."Well if her teammate had that much confidence in the Faunus girl, Cornelia would have to take her word for it. Now that they were alone, there was something she was curious about the other two girls. "So Akame…how long have you and Leone been a thing?"The other girl was a bit surprised hearing the question but decided to answer. "We've known each other for a long time but we've only recently gotten together."Cornelia seemed to accept the answer. "I see. So what's it like dating a Faunus?"Akame just shrugged. "Not that different from a human I suppose. Why do you ask?"Her teammate just looked up to the ceiling. "Well it's just that…human/Faunus couples are sometimes looked down upon. Add that since you two are girls-""We don't care about that." Cornelia looked over to Akame who had a serious look in her eye. "Leone and I have dealt with far worse than people's perspective of what they think. If they have a problem with us, we'll let them know how we think of them." She narrowed her eyes at that last part.Something about the look in the other girl's eyes made Cornelia somewhat uncomfortable. It was like she was staring into the eyes of a killer. Still, she had to admire the girl's defense of her relationship with the Faunus girl. "Well if you say so. As long as she makes you happy, that's what matters the most."The look in Akame's eyes softened and smiled. "She does and I'm the same for her." Now that was out of the way, Akame turned to her book. "Let's refocus on the task at hand. When Leone comes back, we'll make sure she studies for the test."Cornelia giggled at that. "That's for sure." B The roar of a motorcycle could be heard out on the streets. Yang was riding on her motorcycle, Bumblebee, with Leone holding onto her from behind by wrapping her arms around the other blonde's torso. Again Yang felt the Faunus girl's breasts being pushed against her back. It was a little distracting to her to be in fact. "Even if she's wearing a bra, I can still feel those things."They traveled on the motorcycle just a bit more until they arrived at their destination. Yang took off her helmet and shook her head to move her hair a bit. "And we're here."Leone got off the motorcycle as well and felt the effects of sensation she was briefly feeling. "Aw man, that was a rush. What's this thing called again?"Yang put her helmet on the motorcycle. "Bumblebee and she's my pride and joy. I guess judging by your reaction, this was your first time riding a motorcycle."The Faunus blonde nodded at the guess. "Yeah, you can say something like that. Man, that thing is fast." In her opinion, she didn't think she could outrun the contraption even in her beast form. She looked at the building in front of them. "So what's this place?"That was the question that brought a smile to the other blonde. "It's a night club. It's not open until later but I happen to be…er friends with the owner. I thought it would be pretty cool for you to meet him."Leone was up for it even though she had never heard of a night club before. "Cool. Let's go inside."They walked up to the front entrance but it was blocked by a large muscular man wearing a suit. He saw the two girls and stood in their way. "Sorry girls but we're not open now. Plus, you two don't look old enough to go inside."Yang ignored his words and walked up to the guy. "Did you already forget me and what I did you last time?"The bouncer lowered his sunglasses and gasped. "You're that blonde chick from before!"The blonde smiled at him. "That's right and if you want a repeat of last time, I suggest you let us in." She pointed to Leone who just waved at him. Not wanting to relive that again, the bouncer stood aside to let the two girls in. "That's more like it." Both blondes walked past him.Leone had to admit she was rather impressed Yang had her way. "What did you do to the guy? He's like bigger than you."Yang chuckled proudly at that. "Let's just say I knocked him out into next week one time." She opened the doors and the two walked inside the building.Once they were inside, the interior was not unlike anything Leone had seen before. "Again, what is this place?"The other blonde thought she should explain a bit more. "Like I told you, it's a night club. It's where people come here to dance, eat, drink, and have a good time. Sometimes people do leave together if you know what I mean."That was something Leone could make sense of. "Oh, so it's like a fancy bar or something like that." It's been far too long since the Faunus girl was in a bar drinking her usual booze. Of course, she can't drink now due to her age. Then again she was tolerating enough of not getting her next hit.It was an interesting comparison, to say the least. "Yeah, something like that but a bit more high class." They walked down the stairs and toward the bar. They took their seats and saw the bartender who was really the owner of the club cleaning some of the mugs with his back turned to the two girls. "Hey there Junior! How's business?"Junior stopped his cleaning and let out an all not too happy sigh. "Oh great, it's you again blondie." He started to turn around. "What do you wan-what the hell!?" It was like a nightmare to him when he saw another girl who looked similar to Yang.His reaction was everything Yang imagined it would be. "What's wrong Junior? You seeing double?"He just groaned in response. "No, no, no, no, no. One of you is a giant headache enough. I don't need two of you to make my life a living hell!" He took a closer look at Leone and noticed a subtle difference. "Are those cat ears?"Leone wiggled her animal ears a bit. "Yep and they're lion ears."Yang got her fill and smiled. "Junior, this is a good friend of mine Leone Wild. She's kinda new around these parts and I decided to show her this place."That didn't make him feel any better. "Just get to the point why you're here? If you're here for info, I don't got any for you."The blonde just held up her hand. "This visit is purely pleasure so don't worry. How about a Strawberry Sunrise. Two in fact. One for me and one for my friend."Well, that was somewhat better but Junior was still a bit uncomfortable with the blonde in his nightclub. "Fine. Two Strawberry Sunrises coming up." He walked away from the two girls to prepare their drinks. "Great. Just what I needed. One that's a monster and the other an animal."Leone was curious about the order Yang just made. "What's a Strawberry Sunrise?"Yang smiled at the question. "It's something really good. Don't worry, it'll be non-alcoholic. Junior may be a sleaze sometimes but he knows better not to serve alcoholic drinks to minors." While they were waiting for their drinks, Yang's expression changed. "Hey, Leone. Have you…noticed anything different about Blake?"It was a strange subject to bring for her. "Not really. Why?"The other blonde sighed. "I think she's hiding something from me. I thought being her partner and all, she would open up a little more to me. I want to help her with whatever she has a problem with but how can I when I don't know what her problem is in the first place. I'm worried about her and…" She sighed. "I don't know."Leone noticed something very peculiar with the blonde's words. "Sounds like you really care for her huh?"Yang smiled at that. "More than you know. She's the most incredible girl I've known in my life. She's strong, pretty, and someone I can depend on. I want to help her in any way I can."The Faunus began to giggle at her words. "Wow. We're more alike than just in the looks department."The other blonde wondered why Leone was laughing. "What's so funny?"Leone continued to laugh a bit more until she stopped. "Well, I'm no expert in this but if I had to guess, I'd say you think of Blake more as your partner. Am I wrong?"Yang blushed at the statement and looked away. "W-What are you talking about? Sure I think Blake is pretty, beautiful even but-"Again the Faunus girl laughed as her human countertop was digging herself a deeper hole. "Come on, be honest. What do you really think of her?" The brawler tried to find the words to answer that but couldn't find any. That was all Leone needed to know. "Uh-huh. That's what I thought. So why haven't you made a move on her yet?"That was a question Yang was trying to figure out as well. "I don't know. Maybe because I'm scared." The blonde closed her hands tightly when she said those words. "Yeah, I said it. I, Yang Xiao Long am afraid of being rejected by the girl she cares for just as much as I do for Ruby. I would fight a horde of Grimm without a second thought and yet I'm afraid of what Blake would say to me if I ever told her what I really feel about her."Leone had to admit she was in the same position as Yang. "So when did you start seeing Blake differently?"Yang thought back on that question. "Well, I kinda liked her when we were first made partners but after a certain…incident, I never left her side for a second. I guess you can say after that is when I started to have these feelings for her. I wanted to be by her side for as long as I can."The Faunus blonde smiled at the description. "I never knew you were such a romantic. I think most girls would go for that."The other chuckled awkwardly at that. "You really think so?"The Faunus nodded. "I know so. Look, I may not know what Blake's deal is and I'm not exactly the best person to discussing this kind of thing but I do know one thing. It's better to talk to her about what's going on in her mind like the good partner that you are. While you're at it, let her know how you feel about her. If she rejects you, hell it's her fault for missing out on one hot babe. But in the off chance, she does…" She winked at the other girl. "Make sure not to make too much noise and break the bed if you know what I'm saying."Yang laughed at that. It was what she needed. "I guess you're right on that. Still, I'm kinda nervous about how it'll go. I mean if she does reject me, it'll be a bit awkward since we're both on the same team."Leone just waved her hand at that. "Eh, I wouldn't worry about it. Just take your time but don't wait too long. You might regret it sooner or later."That much the brawler knew. "I hear that.""Here you go." Junior came back with their drinks and set them in front of the two girls. "Two Strawberry Sunrises, non-alcoholic. Enjoy." He left them alone.After talking about her feelings, Yang did felt a bit thirsty. "Well…" She grabbed her drink. "Drink up." Leone grabbed the drink as well and took a sip from the straw. The other blonde let a refreshing gasp. "As good as I remember it." She looked over the Faunus girl. "What do you think?"Leone had a different opinion about it. "Eh…it's alright I guess if you like fruity stuff like this." She had much stronger drinks from before. Still, it wasn't bad for something non-alcoholic. As the two blondes enjoyed their drinks together, one of Leone's lion ears perked up and her eyes shifted to the side. "Looks like we got company.""What are you doing back here?"Yang heard a familiar voice as she looked back and was happy(?) to see some more familiar faces. "Oh hey! You two are those twins I fought from before."Hearing that caught Leone's interest and looked back as well to see indeed a pair of twins. In her opinion, they were wearing some gaudy outfits. Also, they may be twins but there was a difference in their hair styles. The one in white had long hair while the one in red had shorter hair. Judging from the looks on their faces, they didn't look too pleased. "So who are these two?"The twins saw Leone next to Yang and they weren't all too thrilled. "Since when did you have a Faunus double? Are you trying to copy us?" The one in white asked.Already Leone didn't like their attitude. Yang still smiled, though. "Oh her? Her name is Leone and yeah I guess we do look alike huh? I guess that makes us the same don't you think?"The twin in red narrowed her eyes at her. "No, it does not. You have some nerve coming back here after what you did."Yang laughed nervously about that. "Yeah, sorry about that. That's all water under the bridge now so why can't we all just be friends?"They didn't seem content with that. "You expect us to be friends with you after what you pulled?" The twin in white spoke out.Junior who was busy resuming cleaning his glassware sighed. "Well, I knew Melanie and Miltiades would want to settle their score with blondie sooner or later.""I think that's enough out of the two of you." Leone stood up and confronted the twins. "How about you two leave before things get a bit too rough."As much as Yang loved a good fight, she also knew when not to fight when it came to certain situations such as this. "Hey, come on now Leone. It's not that big of a deal. What happened before is in the past."The Faunus blonde didn't seem to care about that. "Maybe but I'm not going let some twins with some weird fashion sense giving some crap about what happened before. I think they need a second course of getting their asses kicked."The twins didn't seem threatened by her words. "If you want to fight us, that's fine. It doesn't matter if it's you or the girl next to you." Melanie stated.Already Junior had a bad feeling about this. "Great, déjà vu all over again. I just hope this chick doesn't cause the same kind of damage as blondie did."After that, Leone was standing across the two twins from the other side while Yang sighed as she took another sip. "Guess I'll just hang back and watch."Miltiades brought out her claw weapons while Melanie moved one of her legs a bit. "Shall we teach this girl a lesson, Melanie?"Her sister nodded at the question. "Indeed. We won't make the same mistake twice."Leone flicked her wrists and Lionel appeared. "You two are going to regret messing with a lion when I'm done with you."Melanie didn't seem too worried. "Any last words before this goes downhill for you?"The Faunus smiled at the question. "Yeah. This isn't the first threesome I had before."And Yang raised an eyebrow when she heard that. "Did she just make a sex joke?"The twins had enough and rushed over to the Faunus girl. They serpentine around each other to confuse Leone which seemed to work. "Damn, they're fast." Melanie was the first to reach to her and proceeded to kick her with one of her bladed heels. Leone managed to block it but the white twin continued to deliver a series of kicks which Leone continued to block with her gauntlets. Miltiades appeared from the side of her sister and started to attack the blonde as well with her own claw weapons. The two girls exchanged blow to blow with their claws until with the last hit, Miltiades ducked one of Leone's attacks and spun around slashing the Faunus girl's torso with her claws. Leone winced at the sudden pain and held her stomach. "Son of a…"She gasped when she saw both of the twins coming at her from both sides and tried to defend. The Faunus girl first defended against Miltiades' series of attacks before switching to defending against Melanie's series of kicks and sometimes in between both of them. Melanie saw an opening while Leone was busy defending against her sister's attacks and kicked strongly at her mid-section. That, in turn, disrupted the Faunus girl's defenses and Militades took a swipe at her. Leone put her arms up to block the attack and it slashed both of her arms across in a single swipe. Leone stumbled back a bit and growled at the twins. "Damn, they're annoying when they attack together."Yang had to admit they were doing pretty good. "Wow, they've gotten better since the last time I've fought them.""That's because they haven't forgotten how badly you beat them before." The blonde turned to see Junior watching the fight as well. "Ever since then, they've been training nonstop wanting to have a rematch with you but it seems your Faunus double is getting the brunt of their payback."Yang looked back at the fight and smiled. "I see but Leone isn't me. She has a few tricks up her sleeve."Leone flicked her arms and growled. That was a good sign to hear for Melanie. "Getting a little frustrated are we?"The Faunus girl narrowed her eyes at the twin. "Oh, just you wait until I get my hands on one of you!" She jumped up into the air while spinning and tried to deliver a kick to the twins.They jumped back to avoid the attack and the kick struck the floor again which was partially destroyed. Something Junior wasn't happy about it. "Hey, don't destroy my dance floor!"The twins rushed at the Faunus blonde again at either side again. Seeing this made this made her scoff. "Tch, this tactic again?" The first to reach her this time was Miltiades and swung her claws at her. Leone, of course, blocked the attacks and continued to block the oncoming ones after that until they briefly had a standstill. "Not a bad pair of claws you have." Miltiades didn't reply to that as she broke the stalemate and continued with her attacks. Not soon after her sister started to join in and Leone was blocking both of their attacks. She was very thankful that's she still had her beast form's enhanced eyesight to keep up with their attacks. While the twins were keeping their opponent preoccupied with their attacks, Melanie already found a weak point and kicked one of Leone's legs. The Faunus blonde winced at the low blow and that left her open for the next attack. Miltiades took this opportunity and stabbed Leone in the left shoulder which caused her scream in pain. The red twin then jumped while her sister spun around and kicked the Faunus blonde together. Miltiades pulled out her claw weapon out of Leone as a result of kicking her with both of her heels. Leone flew away from them and hit the floor.Yang was immediately worried. "Leone!"Miltiades brought up her claw with the Faunus blonde's blood on it. "Had enough now?" Both twins thought they had this in the bag since their opponent's fighting style was similar to how Yang fought.Leone groaned in pain as she slowly started to stand up. She held the place where she was stabbed with her other hand and glared at the twins. "Why you little…"The fight was going better than what Junior expected it to be. "Your twin seems to be having trouble."While was worried about her friend, that worry soon went away when saw the look in Leone's eyes and smiled. "That's about to end soon enough." Junior didn't know what she meant by that.Leone growled deeply at the twins. "Okay, I've had enough now." She removed her hand from her injury and took up her usual stance.Both the twins and Junior were surprised at what they saw. Miltiades' eyes widened at what she saw. "The wound I gave her earlier, it's already healed? Not only that but the injuries we gave her before has healed as well?"Yang leaned back against the counter while swishing her drink a bit. "There's one thing you should know Junior…"Leone's eyes turned feral as her aura started to rise and bared her fangs at the twins. "I'll show what happens when you piss off a lion!"The twins suddenly felt a chill going down their spines when they saw the look in the Faunus blonde's eyes. Being in the business they were in, they knew all too well what the look meant. "She can't be serious, right?" Melanie took a step back."I may be pretty strong but that girl…" Yang pointed at Leone. "Not too long ago, she beat me in a fight. Not only that but she was able to recover easily from the same attack I gave you before."That was all for Junior to leave his mouth open. All he could do was stare in horror about what was about to come next. Leone launched herself at Miltiades with her claws ready. The red twin was caught off caught of how fast her opponent suddenly was. She raised her claw to block the incoming attack but as soon as the Faunus blonde stuck the claw with her own, she easily cast it aside which led Miltiades open. "Her strengths increased." Leone spun around and kicked the red twin to the side which sent her away."Miltia!" Melanie was worried about her sister's well-being but that would have to wait for now. She rushed over Leone and tried to deliver another one of her kicks but the Faunus blonde easily blocked it without budging at all.Leone instantly grabbed her leg with her other hand spun around as she threw her. "Why don't you go join your sister?!"Miltiades started to stand up while holding her side. She winced at the pain coursing through it. "Damn, that freaking bitch hits hard.""Miltia look out!" The red twin looked over just in time for her sister to crash into her back to the floor. Both sisters groaned in pain and started to stand up once again. Both of them knew they can't pull back their punches anymore as they stared down their opponent. "We're done holding back now."Both twins charged at their opponent again while they serpentine around each other again. This time, Leone was ready for their incoming attacks. The twins attacked the Faunus blonde together once again but this time, they put in more effort into their attacks as they were faster now. However, that still wasn't enough as Leone was blocking them all successfully one after another. Melanie decided to use the same trick again by attacking the Faunus blonde's leg again with her right leg. That, however, failed when Leone responded it with a kick of her own to the attack with her left leg. "Like I'm going to fall for that again!" She jump spun around and delivered a powerful kick of her own with her other leg right to the white twin's side. The attack sent her away but that left Leone open for Miltiades' next attack. Leone saw the attack coming and swiped at the red twin's claw with her right claw. That resulted in Miltiades' own claws being destroyed and the pieces scattering everywhere.Miltiades gasped at what she just saw. "She destroyed my weapon?"Leone took this chance and pulled back her left arm while closing her hand tightly. "Looks like my claws are sharper than yours." She then struck Militades to her torso and a loud boom appeared. The attack sent her all the way to the wall where she crashed into it. She was clearly out of it as a result of the attack and dropped to the floor.Melanie stood up just in time to see what just happened to her sister. "Miltia!"The Faunus looked away from her defeated opponent. "Be grateful I held back or that would've killed you. As much as you piss me off, that isn't grounds enough for me to kill you."Leone heard Melanie scream and turned to her only to see that she was angry now. "How dare you hurt my little sister!?" Melanie rushed over to the Faunus blonde and when she was close enough, the white twin spun around and attempted to kick her with her heel blade. Everything stood still for a few seconds. Melanie did feel her attack connect but something didn't feel right. That was when her eyes widened in surprise and gasped at what she saw. "W-What the?" Leone was holding onto the blade heel with her teeth.Yang and Junior were surprised by this as well. "Okay, last time I checked Faunus shouldn't be able to grab a blade with their teeth."Leone bit through the blade which caused Melanie to lose her balance and fell down backward. She leaned up with her arms to see the Faunus blonde looking down on her as she crunched the remainder of the blade and spit out the pieces left behind. For once in Melanie's life, she was afraid. The look Leone was giving her was something akin of she was about to end her life. The Faunus blonde raised her claw and started to attack the downed twin. She closed her eyes as she awaited her inevitable end but it never came. Melanie opened her eyes to see the claw near her face but stopped. Leone withdrew it and stared her down. "You lose." And hearing those words made Melanie fall back onto the floor. She may have lost but was lucky to still be conscious. Leone turned away. "A little rest and your sister should be okay." She started to walk away. "Coming, Yang?"And that was the other blonde's cue to leave as well. She dug into her pocket and laid down some money on the counter. "Thanks for the drinks." Yang hopped off from her seat and ran over to where the other blonde was. She stopped momentarily in front of Melanie who was still lying down. Yang couldn't help but smile at her. "Sorry about all of that. Maybe next time, we can be like, I don't know, friends or something. I do like you two."Melanie closed her eyes and sighed. "Just go."Yang understood and went on her way. As the blondes left, Junior sighed at what just happened. "Well, at least it wasn't like last time. Still, blondie may be a monster but that Faunus chick of hers is a freak of nature." He saw the condition of the twins and shook his head as he had to take care of the twins…again.Outside of the nightclub, as the two girls neared Bumblebee, Yang had to speak out her thoughts. "Hey, Leone…"The Faunus blonde stopped and turned to her human counterpart. "Something to say?"At first, Yang smiled at the other girl. "Thanks for not clocking out Melanie. That was…well, kind of you."Leone just turned away. "She was already done by the time she landed on the floor. No sense of beating someone that already lost." Another reason was that she had no reason killing the twins.Yang was glad to hear that but she had to ask her next question. "Also about what you did earlier, when you…bit that heel blade with your teeth, how did you even do that? Your reaction speed would've been insane. I've never seen other Faunus do that."That was something worth smiling about for Leone. "I guess that means I'm stronger than your average Faunus."Yang was trying to make sense of that. Sure Leone was about one of the strongest people she's known but she couldn't help but think there was something off about her friend. "She's really strong and has a strong sembalance to boot. How are you supposed to beat a combo like that?"Leone was already on Bumblebee. "Can we head back to Beacon now? I'm going to have a hell of a time explaining the bloody spot on my shoulder to Akame and Cora."Yang walked over to her motorcycle and put on her helmet as she got on Bumblebee. She revved up the motorcycle and the two drove off back to Beacon. As they were, Yang still had questions about her new friend. "Just who are you really Leone? More importantly, what are you because any normal Faunus shouldn't be able to do that." These were questions that Yang would have to ask later. For now, she was trying to enjoy the ride back while dealing the softness that is Leone's breasts pushing up against her back once again. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New BeginningKill Twelve: CatfrontationIt was a quiet Sunday afternoon for the three members of team RWBY. Ruby and Weiss were doing some last minute studying while Blake was reading her book. However, that seemed to fail as her mind kept going back to what Yang had said before she left the room. F Ruby tilted her head in confusion. "A massage?"Her sister nodded at the question. "Yep. It's Leone's way of thanking me for taking her out on the town. To be honest, I've been meaning to get one for a while now. I heard she's a really good masseuse." While the blonde was going over how good Leone was with her hands, Blake was having entirely different thoughts about the matter. Her reading of a certain book allowed her to imagine "certain" scenes in her mind. The book she was reading now wasn't helping either as her grip on it tightened.Weiss had some concerns about this. "You sure this is a good idea? I know the two of you are girls but wouldn't it be a bit…awkward?" For once the Faunus girl had to agree with Weiss.Yang didn't seem to mind, though. "Relax. Her two teammates will in her room too so it'll be okay." And that didn't make things any easier for Blake. Again, her mind was racing through a scene where Leone, Cora, and Akame were doing all sorts of things to Yang, alone, in their room. She slammed her book against her face. The action caught Yang's attention and looked at her. "Is everything alright Blake?"Her partner removed the book and looked at the other girl. "I'm fine. It's just…the character in this book just did something stupid, that's all." Yet another lie she had to tell. How much more would Blake say before the burden became too great for her?Ruby had another question for her sister. "So how's this massage going to work if you're going to wear your regular clothes?"The blonde brought up her top and shorts as an answer. "Relax. I'll wear these during the massage." Again that did not make things any easier for Blake.Now she can't stop imagining Leone touching Yang's perfect body, her hands gliding over it until they reached her brea- "No!" Again her team turned her wondering what her deal was. Blake tried to come up with an excuse. "No, the…situation just got worse for the character." For some reason, she felt like that character the Faunus girl just described.Yang bought it but thought it was a little strange. "O…kay then. Well, I'll be back soon and I'll tell you my review about it. Don't wait up on me." She opened the door and left as she closed it behind her. While Ruby and Weiss went on studying for their test, Blake was left with her overactive imagination of what could be happening inside of Leone's room. F That was over an hour ago and each minute felt like torment to the Faunus girl. Her imagination hasn't become any better since then either. Ruby asked a question that made her feel even worse. "I wonder how Yang's massage is going. I bet it feels pretty good having some like Leone looking after her."The Faunus girl glared secretly at her leader. "Not helping Ruby."Ruby stretched out her arms. "Maybe I can ask Leone for a massage too. All of this studying is making my shoulders sore."While the young leader was complaining about her sore shoulders, Weiss noticed something about Blake during the time they were waiting for their teammate to come back. "You've been pretty quiet for a while Blake."The Faunus girl set down her book and looked over to her teammate. "Maybe because I've been reading this entire time."The heiress didn't buy that. "No, you haven't. You've been on the same page for the last hour. Clearly, something is on your mind. What did we tell you about keeping secrets from this team?"Blake just looked away. "It's not a secret. It's…just a problem I've been having with."Ruby couldn't help but feel worried about her teammate. "What problem is it? Maybe we can help you with it."The Faunus was grateful for her leader's help but she just sighed in response. "I'm fine Ruby. Don't worry." That was a complete lie. The truth is that no one could help her with this problem.Weiss was quickly becoming tired of this. "Can you at least tell us what this problem is?"That question made the Faunus girl a bit hesitant to answer. What was she supposed to say? "My problem is that I don't like how Yang talks about Leone all the time and I feel so much pain in my chest because of it and I don't know why." Maybe they could help, maybe they couldn't. All she knew that in the center of this was her partner Yang.The door suddenly opened and the girl that has been plaguing Blake's mind walked in. "Hey, everyone! I'm back!"Everyone turned to the brawler and Ruby smiled at her sister's return. "Welcome back Yang. How was the massage?"Her response was Yang rolling her neck around and doing different kinds of stretches until she was done. "It…was…awesome! I've never felt so limber before." Wrong choice of words in Blake's department. "It's like everything in my body was smoothed out perfectly. I'm telling you that girl has some magic fingers on her." And that comment was just enough to bring Blake to the edge of how much she could take of Yang talking about the other Faunus girl. "I'm telling you that girl is something else. She's so good. I'm kinda glad we're friends with someone who can make you feel so much better after a hard day and…" There she goes again. Talking about how great Leone was. Something about the blonde always praising the other Faunus girl always bothered Blake and didn't know why. What she did know was that whenever the two blondes were together, they always seemed to hit it off so well and that's what probably bothered Blake the most. In some way, she envied Leone about how open she was and how she was the exact opposite of the other Faunus girl. Not that Blake could blame her. The Faunus girl's entire life was built upon shadows and secrets of the White Fang and did some things that she regretted. Seeing the one person who actually saw her for who she is. Not a former member of the White Fang, not a Faunus, not even a member of team RWBY. Yang saw Blake for who she truly is. A person who wanted to be accepted by someone who would understand her. But now, that same person that brought so much light into her world of shadows was being taken away from her and that's what hurt Blake the most. Her heart had reached the breaking point. She closed her book and stood up from the bed as she walked over to her partner who was still talking about Leone. Yang noticed the Faunus girl walking up to her. "Uh, hey Blake."Blake didn't say anything in return as her bangs covered her eyes. What she did next shocked everyone in the room. A loud smack echoed throughout the room as there was a large red imprint on Yang's left cheek. Blake had just slapped Yang. Ruby and Weiss just stared at what they saw and didn't say anything. The Faunus glared at her partner with tears starting to come out of her eyes. "If you like her that much, why doesn't she become your partner instead!?" She ran past Yang without looking back and out of the room."Blake, wait!" Ruby tried to chase after her not wanting a repeat of what happened last time. However, her teammate disappeared by the time she arrived in the hallway. All she could do was sigh. "Not again."Weiss finally broke out of her trance and shook her head. "What was that all about?!"Her question didn't reach Yang as she was still trying to process what just happened to her. She had taken a lot of hits from all kinds of fights but that one slap from Blake seemed to have hurt the most to her. She could still feel the sting of the Faunus girl's hand as Yang touched it. Suddenly, a sickening feeling was spreading in her chest. "Blake…" The blonde ran out of the room as well to find her troubled partner to set whatever she did wrong right again. She really didn't want to lose the one she cared for just as much as Ruby."Yang!" Ruby tried to reach out to her sister but she was already long gone as well. She groaned again as this was just like last time.The door across from them opened and Jaune along with the rest of team JNPR saw Ruby in the hallway. "What's with all the noise outside?"The young leader turned to all of them with a worried face. "It's Blake. She ran off again and this time we don't know why."That was all they needed to know. "It'll be okay Ruby. We'll help find her." Pyrrha reassured. "Is there anywhere she could've gone?"Weiss walked up to her partner and crossed her arms. "Well, I doubt she'll go all the way to Vale again like last time so chances are we'll probably find her around the campus grounds." She brought out her scroll and began texting. "I'll send the word out to Neptune and chances are Sun is with him to help look for Blake."Ren nodded at the idea. "Right. In the meantime, we'll split up. We'll have more of a chance finding her."Nora cheered for the search. "Yeah! Let's go find ourselves a lost cat!" Everyone but Ruby went their separate ways.Hearing about Weiss' idea gave Ruby an idea of her own. She pulled out her scroll and began texting. "I hope they can help us too." B Leone was washing her hands to get the oil used from the massage she gave Yang earlier. She enjoyed the experience and it has been a while since the Faunus blonde gave a good massage. Cornelia and Akame were there to witness it all. "You know one day I would like to have a massage from you too Leone judging by how Yang was reacting to it."Akame wasn't all that surprised. "I think you would like it, Cora. Leone is very good with her hands."Leone came out of the bathroom drying her hands with a towel. "Akame should know. She's thoroughly experienced the best massages I've given her." She spoke in a sultry voice.Her girlfriend blushed at the blonde's words while Cornelia really didn't need to know that. "TMI Leone."The Faunus girl tilted her head in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"Sometimes the other blonde wondered how Leone managed to get this far. "It means too much information." Akame's scroll suddenly started to vibrate and she took it out to check what it was. Both blondes looked over to her. "Who's it from?"Akame read the message and her eyebrows furrowed. "It's from Ruby. She said that Blake ran off all of a sudden and they're trying to find her."That struck as a bit unusual to Leone. "I wonder what happened."Her girlfriend put her scroll away and stood up. "Whatever it is, we need to help. Let's go to their dorm." Both blondes nodded to that. B The three girls rushed over to RWBY's dorm fast as they could and they saw the young leader standing next to the doorway waiting for them. Ruby saw them and was glad to see them. "Thanks for coming over. We need all the help we can get."Cornelia smiled at her. "It's no problem. Like my papa always says. Help out those in need and they'll be a friend indeed." Akame seriously wondered if that was the same Gozuki. "So what happened?"Even Ruby was unsure what happened but decided to explain the best she could. "I don't know. Yang just got back from her massage and started talking about how good the massage was. Then Blake just walked up to Yang and slapped her saying something about making Leone her partner instead. She ran off after that."Leone thought it was weird Blake would say that but decided to wonder about that later. "Do you know the places she could've gone?" Akame asked.Ruby tried to remember the details. "Well, the library for one since she likes to read or maybe some of the empty classrooms because she likes her privacy. I just hope she doesn't go into Vale like last time."Now that was something Leone could wonder about. "What do you mean by last time?"The young leader thought she shouldn't say anything more. "It's nothing. Can you help us?"All three girls smiled and nodded. "Of course, in any way we can." Akame spoke.Ruby smiled at that. "Thank you. I'll be looking for her now. Let me know if any of you find her." She ran past the group.The three girls looked at each other wondering what their next course of action should be. Thankfully, Akame had already thought of something. Cornelia on the other hand… "I'll go to the library and see what I can pick up then search around there. Is that okay with you?"The opportunity couldn't be better. Akame nodded at the suggestion. "Go on Cora." The blonde nodded and ran off to where the library was. Since it was just her and Leone now, they could start finding Blake. "Leone…""I know." The Faunus blonde walked into RWBY's room and over to Blake's bed. She kneeled down next to it and took in a few sniffs to familiarize with the other Faunus girl's scent. If anything, she'll be able to locate where Blake was wherever the scent led her to. Leone stood up and closed her eyes as she sniffed the air again. She opened her eyes. "Got her."Akame was thankful Leone still kept her enhanced senses from Lionel. "Good. Judging from what we know, you seem to be involved in this. Find Blake, confront her, and see what this is all about. I'll pretend to look around for her. You understand that?"Leone smiled at her girlfriend. "Crystal clear. I'll find her in no time. Leave it to me." That was all Akame needed to hear and smiled back at the Faunus blonde before leaving the room. Leone smiled at how easy this already was and left the room as well. B Blake was sitting underneath a large tree on a cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest. She was contemplating of what she did to Yang and was feeling bad about it. What she was feeling inside was even worse. It was like her heart broke in two. The Faunus girl brought up her knees to her face and wrapped her arms around. "I really am a horrible person. I don't deserve someone like Yang." Just thinking about the blonde's name made her heart ache. Blake wondered what she should do now."Hi there Blake!"And the Faunus girl screamed as she jumped up and grabbed ahold of the branch above while being in a state of shock. She looked down to see the last person she wanted to see. "Leone?"The other Faunus girl laughed at what she did. "That was hilarious. You should've seen your face!" Leone was clutching her sides while laughing.Blake got over her scare and glared at the Faunus blonde as she dropped down to confront her. "Why are you here? In fact, how were you able to find me so quickly?"Leone settled down and smiled at her. "I have my ways." Her smile was replaced by a serious look. "Your friends are worried about you. Mind telling me what was with the stunt you just pulled? From what Ruby told us, you slapped Yang for some reason and I have a feeling I'm part of that reason. So, spill it."Blake looked away from her while grabbing her arm with her other hand. "You want to know? I'll tell you what's on my mind." She looked back at Leone and glared at her. "All Yang talks about now is how great you are. How you're strong, beautiful, a great masseuse, and I'm sick of it! I've waited a long time for someone like Yang to accept me for who I really am and then you show up and it feels like I'm losing her to you!" She was letting out all of her frustration and anger out on the other Faunus girl she kept inside all this time. "I know how the two of you get along so well and how you look at each other. Every time I see that look in Yang's eyes talking to you, I could feel a pain going in my chest and it continually hurts me."Honestly, Leone was happy she was hearing this from the other girl. It also gave her a pretty big hint about something. While Blake was continuing to rant about the Faunus blonde, Leone swiped quickly the top of Blake's head. That stopped Blake's ranting and wondered what just happened. It was then she saw a very familiar black ribbon in Leone's hand and gasped. Leone smiled at she was seeing. "Ah ha! I knew this ribbon of yours wasn't for show. You're a Faunus too and a cat one to boot."Blake took a few steps back while fear was creeping up inside of her. Her ribbon was a way to hide who she really was and now she was exposed again. "H-How did you-""Know?" Leone finished. "I knew something was up with you the first time we met. Hearing about you ranting about me along with Yang kinda sealed the deal. You would be surprised what you can learn in Faunus only classes. A person, more specifically, a cat Faunus doesn't get this angry without reason. The truth is you already decided Yang would be your mate huh?"And Blake didn't know how to respond to that. "My mate?"Now Leone was glad she paid attention to this subject in her class. "Yes, your mate. The thing is that you haven't claimed her yet. That's why you're acting the way you are now. When two cat Faunus are together in the same place and one of their mate of interest is there with them, they would fight it out trying to claim her. It's kinda like animal instinct. You feel threatened that I might swipe Yang away from you. Am I wrong?" Blake was trying to find a way to counter that but couldn't find the words. It did, however, make a lot of sense of why she was feeling this way. Her silence was all Leone needed to know. "Like I thought. Tell me this Blake, what do you really think of Yang? Be truthful and don't hold back."The other Faunus girl tried to make sense of the question and tried to think of the reasons why. She just spoke what was on the top of her mind. "Yang is…Yang is…." For once she could talk honestly about her partner. "Yang has become the most important person in my life. I'm lucky to know someone like her and to be her partner. She's…I can't even find the words to describe what a wonderful person she is. She never left my side when I came back after something happened." As Blake was talking true about her feelings, the pain in her chest was lessening more and more and something else was spreading throughout in her chest instead.Again, that was all Leone needed to know. "Then freaking act on your feelings damn it. What's stopping you from doing it?"That answer was obvious. "It's you. I keep thinking you'll take away the one person I…care about the most." And hearing that just make Leone laugh which confused Blake. "What's so funny?"Leone laughed a bit more until she stopped. "That this has been one huge misunderstanding. Let me clear this out of the way. I'm not taking Yang away from you. I just view her as a fun person and not just because we look the same. Hell, I'm already with someone else so no worries."Now that was something Blake didn't expect to hear. "Wait, you're already with someone?"The other Faunus girl nodded at the question. "Yep, so Yang is all yours for the taking. Speaking of which…" She glanced back a bit and Blake saw what was behind her.To her surprise, Yang was walking toward them which surprised the Faunus girl. "Yang?"The first thing the blonde noticed that Blake didn't have her ribbon on but she didn't care about that now. All she cared about was that she was happy to see her partner again. Her being here was Leone's cue to leave. She walked over to the other blonde and put her hand on Yang's shoulder. "She's all yours." Leone gave Yang Blake's ribbon. "You're welcome." She left the two girls alone. The Faunus blonde was glad she was able to send Yang that text before she spooked Blake.Now it was just the two of them alone. Both girls didn't know what to say. "Blake/Yang I-"Both of them spoke at the same time and stopped. The blonde rubbed the back of her head. "You go first."Blake sighed as she had to be true to her feelings. "Yang I'm…sorry I slapped you and what I said before. I wasn't thinking clearly. The truth is I didn't like how you were talking about Leone all the time and I thought she would take you away from me because you're…special to me."Yang felt her heart thump when she heard that and just smiled. "Is that right? I'm sorry I didn't notice how you were feeling about this the entire time. Some partner I turned out to be huh?" She laughed awkwardly at that.Blake shook her head at the words. "No, you're a great partner. The best one I could've hoped for! I couldn't have asked for someone better than you. I love how you laugh, I love how you're protective of your team, and I love how much of a caring person you are. I love yo-" she stopped midsentence at that and realized what she was about to say and blushed.That was enough for Yang to catch on. "Go on Blake. Say it." She really wanted to hear those three words.Never has Blake felt her heart beat so hard before. She gulped as there was no going back now after saying these words. "I love you, Yang. More than as a partner and as a friend. I truly love you. I can't say it enough to express these feelings to you." Tears started to come out of her eyes once again as she shut them.If she hadn't, Blake would've seen how happy Yang was hearing those words. She used this opportunity to walk over to where her partner was. "You know what I think?" Yang cupped Blake's cheek just in time for the Faunus girl to open up her eyes. Her eyes widened in surprise at what happened next. She felt a pair of lips pressed against her own as she saw Yang close her eyes. It soon dawned on her that Yang was kissing her. Suddenly, that feeling she felt before exploded in her chest and it was a loving warm feeling. Blake closed her eyes as well to enjoy the kiss as long as they could and wrapped her arms around Yang's waist. The blonde did the same and brought their bodies closer to share this feeling together. Both girls were reluctant to break the kiss and Yang looked at her partner with loving eyes. "You have no idea how happy you made me when you said that. I'm glad to know how you feel about me and I feel the same way. What I'm trying to say is that…I love you too Blake." And there it was. That was Blake needed to hear and happiness overtook her once again. This time she kissed Yang and pushed themselves to the grass without breaking the kiss. For once Blake hoped they would continue this uninterrupted for a while longer. B While Ruby was having no such luck in finding her teammate, she received a text in her scroll and pulled it out to see what it was. The young leader smiled when she read the text from her sister. "I found Blake and we made up. You can call off the search now."Ruby giggled at the text. "I'm glad you were able to find her Yang." She then proceeded to text everyone else. B A day and a test later, everyone was enjoying their long-awaited lunch. "WHAT!" RWBY and JNPR tried to process what they just heard.Jaune was the first to speak. "Did I really hear that right?"Ruby was the same. "You two were a couple all along?!"Leone flashed a peace sign while Akame nodded at the question. After Yang and Blake came back and declared they were a couple now, the other human/Faunus couple decided to finally tell their friends. Needless to say, they expected their reactions. "Yep. You got that right."Akame took another bite out of her lunch and carried on like their announcement was no big deal. "We apologize for taking this long for telling you this but yes. Leone and I are together."Now Blake understood what Leone meant by her being with someone else yesterday and smiled. In return, Akame and Cornelia were filled in about Blake's Faunus heritage. Now that everything was out of the way, Nora sighed. "Now can I say it?"Ren just took another bite out of his lunch as well. "Yes, Nora. You can say it."That was something else Leone wanted to know. "Say what exactly?"Nora smiled at the Faunus blonde. "Has anyone told you that you kinda look like Yang and Blake's daughter?"And Leone was speechless when she heard that. "Wait, what?"The other girl loved the other girl's expression. "Yeah I mean you have Blake's kitty ears and her eyes and you have Yang's looks and her boo-""That's enough Nora." Ren interrupted.Now that Leone thought about it, the resemblance between all three of them was very uncanny. In fact, she smiled at the thought. "Daughter huh?"Yang and Blake knew why she was smiling like that. Akame did say Leone never did know her birth parents. That was when the other blonde declared something. "Alright then. From this day on, you're going to be our daughter, Leone."Weiss facepalmed at that. "You can't be serious." Still, she was happy that they found each other. She looked past them to see her leader still smiling. "Maybe I should do the same what they did."The smile on Yang's face was her answer. "I sure am. Akame, I expect you to take good care of our daughter and I want grandkids."Blake thought her new girlfriend was pushing this a bit too far. "I think that's asking a bit much Yang."While on the subject, Ruby thought up of a question. "So if Leone is your daughter, does that mean I'm the aunt? I always wanted a niece." Weiss couldn't believe how far this was going. "One more thing. Who's the mom and who's the dad?"And a record scratch could be heard among the group. Leave it to Ruby to ask the important questions. Yang tried to think about that. "Good question. I guess I can be the mom and Blake can be the dad." She turned to her Faunus girlfriend. "What do you think?"Blake just shrugged. "I'm okay with that."While all of this was going on, Leone felt another kind of happiness she hasn't felt before. Sure it may pass off as a joke but she wouldn't mind having these two as her parents even though they're the same age. Well, physically. On the inside, Leone was still in her early twenties. "I like the sound of that."With all of that said and done, Yang leaned onto her girlfriend. "So Blake, since we're together now, want to go out with me to the dance?"Blake calmly took a drink of her milk and set it down. "Sorry but I can't."That was an answer the blonde didn't expect to hear. "What do you mean you can't!?""Sun asked me out first and I said yes. This was before we confessed to each other." Blake replied.Yang hung her head in defeat. "Damn it." Jaune felt her pain as he kept striking out asking Weiss out to the dance.Pyrrha laughed at her friend's reaction. "Maybe next time Yang."Leone was laughing as well until she caught what her 'mom' said before. "Wait. What dance!?" Akame and Cornelia wondered the same.Weiss and the others looked at them. "There's our school dance coming up. You seriously never knew that? Haven't you been checking your notifications?"Before they could answer that, another bell rang throughout the cafeteria. "Will the students Akame Night, Leone Wild, and Cornelia King please report to Professor Ozpin's office? I repeat. Will the students Akame Night, Leone Wild, and Cornelia King please report to Professor Ozpin's office? That is all."The three girls looked at each other and had a pretty good idea what that announcement was about. "Hey, do you think-""Could it be-""Our last teammate is here!" All three girls stood up quickly and waved at their friends goodbye. "Later! We've got to meet our new team member." Cornelia and the other two girls left the table.Ruby was waving back at them. "Let us know how your new teammate is!" She stopped waving when they left the cafeteria. "I hope their new member is really nice." B The three girls couldn't rush any faster to Ozpin's office to finally meet their last new member. All of them were quite curious. "So what do you think our new teammate is going to be like?" Cornelia asked.Leone wondered about that as well. "Beats me. I just hope this person isn't a total ass."Akame couldn't see that happening. "I don't think the Professor would do that. In all likelihood, we'll get along well with our new member." They approached Ozpin's office and Akame knocked on the door. "We're here sir."The doors opened up before them and they walked in. As they did, all joy Akame and Leone had from before suddenly vanished and was replaced by fear and terror. There was no mistaking the silhouette that was standing in front of Ozpin's desk. Ozpin didn't seem to notice their reactions. "Good to see you again. Allow me to introduce you the last member of your team.The person turned around and faced the three girls. Akame's and Leone's fears were confirmed true and couldn't say anything. "No way. She's our new teammate?"Akame was staring in horror at the person in front of her. "It…can't be…" ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New BeginningKill Thirteen: Enemy Yesterday, Teammate Today" One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten…" A young girl wearing a simple light blue dress continued to watch the other children play jump rope from sitting on a bench. She hugged her doll Ursa and decided to work up the courage. She jumped off the bench and carefully walked over to the group of children playing. They stopped as they saw her coming to them. The young girl stopped as well and hugged her doll closer to her as she felt a bit shy. "C-Can I play with you?" The children didn't reply and they walked away from her. The young girl felt sad when they left her. She suddenly felt a hand on her head and looked up to see her father smiling. "Don't worry. Someday, you'll find those who'll come to accept you." The young held on to those words a long time. As time passed, the young girl grew up but the looks she received from other people haven't changed. She was walking through the hallway of her school and heard whispers of the other students. "That's her? She's the one that took down a Nevermore on her own?" " That's her. She's the one with the weird freaking semblance."" She never uses a weapon at all."" I heard she brought down a Death Stalker too."" What a freak." These kinds of words she had gotten used to but it didn't make the pain she felt any less hurtful. Sometimes she wondered why she was cursed with this power and often wondered why she had this power in the first place. She shook her head at the thoughts. "No. I will show them what I can do with this. I'll prove them all wrong." Time passed again and she was well in her teenage years. She was walking home after another day of school and the talking behind her back. She wouldn't let their words discourage her as she still kept her father's words close to her heart and will prove everyone that said anything bad about her wrong. She opened the door to her home. "I'm back father." Her father walked up to her with a letter at hand. "This came in the mail for you today." His daughter took the letter and recognized the insignia. "Wait. Is this-" " It is." Her father smiled. "It seems your talents have been recognized." She laughed as she continued to look at the letter. "I can be a hunter like you father." He laughed at his daughter's words. "Well almost. This is truly a great chance for you." This was almost like a new start for her. "Finally, I can truly show what I'm truly capable of." After a few days of preparation, she was ready to be off. After reading the letter, she learned that there is an open spot on a team and would like to be part of the team. She couldn't help but feel a bit nervous about being on a team but hopefully would like to get to know them better. She waved her father goodbye. "I'll make you proud father!" Her father waved back to her. "Take care of yourself and don't forget to write. I know you'll do great!" After that brief exchange of words, that was the last would see her father for a long time. F And so here she was. In the office that belonged to the headmaster of Beacon and the three girls standing in front of her were her three team members. If she had to be honest, she was half nervous and half terrified about this whole ordeal. Speaking of terror, that was exactly what Leone and Akame were experiencing right now. They were trying to make sense of what they were seeing. "You got to be kidding me. How is she even here? This has to be a nightmare." Leone started to have bad flashbacks.Akame was the same. "How is this possible? How is she even here?"Ozpin continued to smile at his students. "Girls, allow me to introduce you to-""That won't be necessary sir. I want to introduce myself." She took in a deep breathe. "Okay. Make a good impression." She smiled brightly at the group of girls. "My name is Esdeath Partas. It's a great pleasure meeting all of you." She felt rather proud of that greeting. "That should show them I'm friendly."It had the opposite effect to Akame and Leone. In fact, her name proved their suspensions. The girl in front of them was indeed the former strongest of the Empire. However, what struck them as strange was that the Esdeath in front of them was much younger, around their age no less. Her outfit was a bit different as well. She was wearing a nomadic style tan shirt with tribal markings over it, black shorts that stopped above her knees with fur boots. To top it off, she was wearing a black headband over her head that had her trademark symbol back in the empire. Strangest of all was that Akame's markings weren't reacting the same way they were when she was near Cinder. Cornelia on the hand smiled back at her new teammate. "Hi there. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Cornelia." She looked over to her teammates who still had their expressions. She elbowed Akame to snap her out of it. "Don't be rude. This is our new team member after all."That may be true but Akame can't forget everything the woman in front of them had done. She straightened herself up. "Hello. I'm…Akame."To Leone, she wasn't sensing the powerful bloodlust or anything similar when she tailed her that one time back in the Capital. Something about this seemed strange to her. The Faunus girl decided to play along. "And I'm Leone."Esdeath smiled at her new teammates. "It's nice to meet you all, Cornelia, Akame, Leone." Something about her smiling seemed so wrong to the former assassins. It was…not like Esdeath. This cheery personality was also off-putting. Akame could tell when someone is faking but the weird thing is that this Esdeath wasn't faking at all. It wasn't the sadistic smile the old Esdeath would make. She truly was happy to meet them. And that's what bothered her the most.Since every member of the team was in one room, Ozpin decided to move onto the next step. "Well, now that everyone has gathered, it's time to move on to the next step."Leone was confused when she heard that. "What next step?"Ozpin folded his hands in front of him. "Your team is complete but there is one more thing that has to be done. It's the choosing of your team leader. As you may know, every team in Beacon has a leader that's responsible for them. If you want, I can give you some time to think it over of which one of you will take up the position."It was an easy enough step and Leone already had her answer. "If all we need to do is select a leader for the team, then I think Akame should lead us."Her girlfriend looked over at her in surprise. "Leone…""I can agree with that." Akame looked over to Cornelia next.It was two out of four now. Ozpin heard of their choices and looked over to Esdeath. "Well, Miss Partas, what do you think?"She looked over to Akame quickly and quickly thought it over. "I'm fine with Akame being the leader. Truth be told, I don't think I would make a very good one. I…kinda get nervous if I'm ever in charge of something." She laughed nervously.That was something Akame and Leone didn't expect to hear. Not that she voted Akame to be the team leader but the fact she actually said she wouldn't be good as a leader. "The old Esdeath would never have said that. She was confident in her abilities to lead others. Hearing her say that is…it sounds so unnatural."That was all Ozpin needed to hear. "Then it's decided." He looked at each girl closely. "Akame Night, Leone Wild, Cornelia King, and Esdeath Partas. From this day forward, the four of you are now a team. The team name I will assign you will be called team ALCE led by Akame as the leader."Leone raised an eyebrow at the name. "Alice?"Cornelia giggled at the team name. "Hey, it almost sounds like Alyx."Akame and Leone looked over at her in confusion. "Who's Alyx?"Cornelia was surprised by their question. "Alyx is a character from a fairy tale called 'The Girl Who Fell Through the World'. It's about a young girl called Alyx who fell from the sky and landed in a strange world known as the Everafter and has to find her way home. My papa used to read it to me all the time when I was a kid." With a description like that, the motif certainly did fit the team. Akame and Leone could relate to Alyx since they have something in common. The only difference is that they don't plan on returning to their world anytime soon. Ozpin nodded at the explanation. "Miss King is correct. With all of that said, you may take the rest of the day off to know your newest team member. I'll let your teachers know." The two former assassins looked over to Esdeath who was still wary of her. B The walk back was a bit awkward. At least for Akame and Leone. For Cornelia, she was having a fun time talking to their former enemy. "That's such a unique outfit you have. Where did you get it?"Esdeath giggled at the question and looked at her outfit. "This? Well, this was my mother's outfit from before. I'd hope I would make a good first impression. I do have another one for combat. I'm still feeling nervous since I've never been on a team before."The blonde smiled at her new teammate. "I'm the same way so we're in the same boat."While they were having a good time, the other two members kept their distance. "What the hell is going on? She's the last person I want a team." Leone whispered to her girlfriend. "I thought you-""I did as well but here she is." Akame whispered back. Seeing a friend from Akame's old team was one thing but their enemy? The former strongest of the Empire who had done unspeakable things to thousands of innocents? She couldn't even fathom Esdeath's existence right now.There was something that made the Faunus blonde worried. "What about your markings? Did you feel anything when you saw her?"Akame shook her head. "That's what strange about this. I felt no reaction at all from her."Now Leone had to ask the big question. "You think it's because this is a different Esdeath then the one we knew? I mean Cornelia was in your old team and she doesn't you know in this world."That seemed the most plausible in this case. Still, just because someone who was their enemy before that didn't know them now doesn't mean they forgot what they had done back in their world. They still had to be cautious around her. "Excuse me." Speak of the devil herself; they looked in front to see Esdeath looking at them back. "Leone, was it? I have a question."The Faunus blonde was hesitant to ask what it was. "And that would be?"Esdeath stopped as did the rest of the group. She then walked toward Leone who was on her guard. They held them back so far from killing others but the girl in front of them might change that. Esdeath observed the Faunus blonde closely. She then suddenly clapped her hands together. That action caused both to girls to react. "Can I touch your ears?"And that question managed to stop them cold. They weren't quite sure if they heard that right. "Uh…what?"Esdeath kept staring at Leone's lion ears and marveled at them. "Can I touch your ears? I've never known a Faunus before so I wanted to know what their animal ears felt like. So…can I touch them real quick?"Leone didn't know how to respond to that. She just kept staring at their former enemy blankly. "S-Sure." She unconsciously replied.Esdeath smiled at the answer and rubbed Leone's lion ears for a bit. She seemed pleased by it while Leone was just weirded out. "Aww. They're so soft and so cute too." She removed her hands from the Faunus blonde's ears. "Thank you." She turned around from her two team members. "Shall we go to our dorm now?" Esdeath started walking with Cornelia not far behind.Akame and Leone just stood still trying to process what just happened. "So…that was something."Akame couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Yes." She narrowed her eyes at her former enemy. "We still need to be careful around her." That was something her girlfriend could agree on as well. B They reached their dorm room and as lackluster as it was, Esdeath was actually excited about it. "So this is our dorm room? It's quite quaint. I like it so much and I love the positions of the beds."The more she said these kinds of things, the more they couldn't believe that this person was once a cold-hearted sadist. It was like her personality was turned one eighty. Her bags were already delivered to the dorm and were placed on the bed in the furthest corner. "Let's help you get settled in okay?" Cornelia was the first walk over to the bed and unzipped it. She and Esdeath started to bring out her clothes. Akame and Leone helped (reluctantly). It was during this that Cornelia spotted something interesting. "Hey, what's this?" Esdeath gasped to what the blonde was about to grab and swiped it away from her. She kept the object of interest close to her. Everyone wondered what it was that was important to her. "What's that you have there?" Esdeath turned around to them with an embarrassed face and showed her teammates what it was. Cornelia squealed at what she saw. "Oh my god that is so cute. Is that your doll?"The other girl nodded at the question and brought it up to her. It was rather quite old as it had a few stitches and patches on it but Esdeath loved it all the same. It was a small doll of an Ursa Major. "It is. My father made this for me when I was a little girl. I call him my Teddy Ursa and I've had him ever since."Hearing that only made Cornelia squeal some more. "That's so adorable." She then remembered something. "Hey, you know Akame has a plushy of a Grimm lion. It's on her bed right over there." She pointed at said plushy that was lying next to Akame's pillow.Esdeath looked over to it and loved how it looked. She walked up to the bed and put her doll in front of the plushy. "Look, you have a friend here too." She smiled at their meeting. The more Akame and Leone saw the way this Esdeath acted, the more they couldn't believe that this person was once their enemy. It was then she noticed something across and saw Akame's sword Murasame leaning against the wall. "What's that?"Akame's eyes widened with worry. Thankfully, Cornelia was there to save her. "Oh, that? That's Akame's other sword. For some reason, she doesn't use it because it's not very good when it comes to sparring."Leone sighed in relief for the save. Esdeath just looked at the katana for a few more seconds and turned away. "Oh, I see." Once everything was put away, Esdeath changed in the bathroom and walked out wearing the school uniform while the headband remained on. She just stood awkwardly while blushing a bit. "So, how do I look?"Cornelia clapped her hands together and smiled at the other girl. "You look great." She turned to her two other teammates. "Don't you think so too?"Leone just faked a cough while Akame was looking away. "Yeah, looks good on you."Cornelia had noticed they were acting very strange ever since they've met Esdeath and continued doing so. "What's wrong with you two? You've been acting weird for a while now."They knew they couldn't outright tell them that Esdeath was a sick sadistic bitch who lived and breathed war and bloodshed before. So they went with the next best thing. "It's just that…now that we're a team, it's going to take some getting used to." Akame lied.Leone nodded to back her up. "Yeah. I mean it's been Akame and me for a long time so…"The other blonde seemed to have bought it. "Oh, that's right. You two have been partners longer." That brought something else and turned to Esdeath. "Oh yeah, that reminds me. One thing you should know about them. They're…well they're together."That took a few seconds for Esdeath to process. "Say what!? Y-You mean like…together together?" The three girls nodded at the question. That added to the list of something she didn't expect. "Oh wow. First I'm on a team with a Faunus and now I know you two are dating." She suddenly smiled. "This is such a great first day!" Well, it seemed she didn't have any problem with her leader and teammate dating so that's a bonus. "So what should we do now?"Cornelia already had the answer to that. "Now we show you the rest of the campus. We do have the rest of the day so why not spend it showing you around?"Esdeath nodded at the suggestion. "I would like that." B The good thing about having a free pass from classes was that there wasn't anyone around to interrupt them. Right around this time, they should've been in Glynda's sparring class. Instead, they were showing Esdeath around the campus. She seemed to have enjoyed it. While showing her around, Akame and Leone continued to observe their new teammate's behavior and so far there wasn't any trace of the old Esdeath they knew. It was still creepy for them to see her smile happily and laughing without a care in the world. It…almost seemed unnatural to them. One thing they have yet to see what was she could actually do. "So how do you like Beacon so far Esdeath?"The other girl looked around the school and smiled. "It's…a lot bigger than the school I used to go to. It's a different experience altogether."That was something Cornelia wondered about. "What was your old school like?"The question made Esdeath stop and everyone one else stopped as well. They saw her head lower with her bangs covering her eyes. Esdeath quickly raised her head and smiled at her teammates. "It was…nice. Let's put it that way." That raised some flags for the two former assassins. Cornelia checked her scroll to see what time it was. "Hey, Miss Goodwitch's class is almost over. We should probably drop by and say hi to everyone else."Esdeath had two questions when she heard that. "Who's Miss Goodwitch and what class?"That was something else Cornelia needed to explain. "Oh yeah. Miss Goodwitch is the teacher for the sparring class. This is where you get to fight a member of another team."Already Esdeath was interested in it. "Sparring class huh?"Akame knew she had to ask. "Do you like fighting?"The other girl turned to her and smiled. "I do. I used to spar all the time with my father." It appeared some things have never changed. How far it went has yet to be seen.Cornelia started to walk ahead of the group. "Come on! Let's go say hi and it'll be a great way for you to meet them all." Esdeath couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. Meeting a few people was fine by her but a whole group. She really hoped that she wouldn't screw this up. B The team made it just in time where the students were leaving the room. Among them were eight certain people. Cornelia was the first to wave and call out to them. "Hey!"They heard her cry and turned to see the missing members plus one more girl they haven't seen before. Ruby smiled as she ran up to them. "There you are. Where were you? You missed class."Everyone else caught up with the young girl. "So what was up? You finally decided to ditch class?" Yang asked.Pyrrha decided to ask the obvious question. "Who's the new girl with you? Is she your-""Yep. She's our newest member." Cornelia stepped aside for everyone to see her. "Everyone, allow us to introduce you to Esdeath Partas. With her, our team is now complete and our team name is Team ALCE with Akame as our leader of course."Yang was the first to clap to congratulate them. "Hey, that's awesome you guys and I like the name too."Esdeath couldn't help but feel embarrassed by the attention she was receiving. This was the most people had developed an interest in her. While Yang was clapping, Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Esdeath? That's a strange name you have."Nora just laughed. "I like it! It's like she has the name of death!" She had no idea how close she was with that description.Esdeath laughed nervously. "Yes, I know my name is a bit strange but it was one my mother picked for me." Her name was a bit of an enigma but she learned how to cope with it.Ruby didn't care any of that. She was just happy to meet someone new. "Is it true what we heard? You only fight with your semblance?"The question made Esdeath's eyes widened for a second but regained her composure. She nodded at the question. "Yes, that's right."The young leader smiled brightly at her. "That's so cool. I hope can see what it is."Esdeath gasped quietly when she saw the younger girl's smile. Something about it entranced her. "She has such a…wonderful smile." She smiled back at her. "I'm sure you will. What is your name?"Ruby had forgotten about and laughed nervously. "Oh sorry about that. I guess I should've introduced myself. My name is Ruby Rose, the leader of Team RWBY." She turned to her sister and teammate. "These are my teammates Weiss, Blake, and my older sister Yang."Ruby Rose. The name fitted her perfectly. "That's a lovely name you have, Ruby." She waved to the rest of the team. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."Yang waved back at her. "Same to you. Hope we get to see this semblance of yours. It must be pretty good for you not to use a weapon."Esdeath nodded at the statement. For once there were those who wanted to see her power. "You'll have the chance soon enough."While they were exchanging pleasantries, Weiss couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Moreover, the way Esdeath was looking at Ruby shortly before. "Is something the matter Weiss?"The heiress looked over to Blake. "Nothing is the matter. Just thought I saw something that's all.""Hey, what are we? Chopped liver?"Everyone turned to Jaune and his team. Ruby giggled in embarrassment. "Sorry." She turned to Esdeath. "This is Team JNPR lead by Jaune. The other members are Pyrrha Nikkos, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren."Pyrrha raised up her hand. "Hello there." Ren did the same but didn't say anything.So did Jaune but awkwardly. "H-Hi."Nora on the other hand. "Hey there! Welcome to Beacon! Hope you enjoy the stay!"Again Esdeath laughed nervously. "Thank you." They were very nice people to her but evidently, their opinion of her will change once they see what she can do. She hoped that they wouldn't ridicule her like the ones before. This was a new start for her and didn't want to mess things up now. Especially with Ruby. B The whole day seemed to pass quickly for the new Team ALCE. The girls were getting ready for bed with Cornelia reading off her scroll on her bed while Leone was wearing a black shirt and white underwear and Akame was sitting on their bed. The only one who wasn't in the room yet was Esdeath who was still in the bathroom. The door opened to reveal said girl wearing her pajamas. The three girls looked over to see what their new teammate was wearing. Needless to say, they were speechless. "Why is everyone staring at me?" The reason why they were staring was because Esdeath was wearing a pajama top and pants with chibi dragon patterns all over them. They didn't expect her to wear such a thing.Cornelia laughed awkwardly. "That's…an interesting choice of pajamas."The other girl looked at her outfit. "You think so? I do like dragons a lot and I kinda dreamed of having one."That comment brought Leone back to that dragon slayer manga she read from before. "I wonder how she'll react if she saw that one dragon slayer girl." She tried to imagine that and shook her head. "Then again, that's one huge difference of an age gap."Akame sighed as she lay down on the bed. "We should get some sleep now. Tomorrow is our first day as an official team."Leone lay down next to her. "Well, she's right on that. Who knows what's going to be in store for us." She then pulled the covers over them. That was something Esdeath would have to get used to. While they were going to sleep, they had their evaluation of this Esdeath. She was the total opposite of the woman they knew but she still loved fighting. Maybe to a lesser degree but they'll know how much tomorrow.Cornelia walked over to the light switch and turned it off. "Good idea. Like my papa always said, expect tomorrow's surprises whether they are good or bad." She walked over to her bed and pulled the covers over her.Esdeath was the only left and went over to her bed. She went under her covers and hugged the Teddy Ursa close to her with a smile. "Tomorrow huh? I look forward to it." The last thing that went through her mind was the image of Ruby's smile. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New BeginningKill Fourteen: A Curse to Live With"There's a school dance coming up?"Team ALCE was in the cafeteria having their breakfast before their classes could start. The topic of the dance coming was something Cornelia sprang up on. "Yeah, we just learned there's going to be one soon. It's kinda short notice if you ask me since we just arrived."Leone took a bite out of her bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit. "Well…if it's a dance, I know who I'm asking out." She looked over at Akame who was eating a croissant.That seemed fine and all but Cornelia had a question for the Faunus blonde. "So I guess that means you two know how to dance?" And that question made Leone freeze up and Akame stopped eating which would be considered virtually impossible. Their reactions were all that she needed to know. "I thought so. Haven't you two been to a dance before?" Now they just looked away as if they were trying to dodge the question. "You really haven't huh."Leone was the first to look at the other blonde. "Let's just say we didn't have time to learn how to dance."Akame was the next to look. "I'm the same."Cornelia couldn't help but sigh at the predicament they were in. "So you want to go to a dance but you don't know how."The Faunus blonde groaned. "Yeah yeah yeah, we get it. We just think it's pretty cool we get to go to something like this."Esdeath raised her hand. "It'll be my first dance too so…"Cornelia hung her head in despair. "Don't tell me you don't know how to dance too."The other girl shook her head. "No, I do know how. It's just that I've never been to a dance before. I can guess you know as well?"That question brought the blonde's head back up again. "I do. In fact, my papa that told me to take up dance lessons as a hobby." And a light bulb popped up above Cornelia's head. "That does it! Esdeath and I will show you two how to dance. It'll have to be quick since the dance is right around the corner."The other two girls didn't know how to react to that. Sure they can pinpoint all the places where they can kill a person (Akame mostly.) but they certainly weren't expecting this. Well as Akame mentioned before, a new world meant new experiences. She certainly smiled at the opportunity. "If you say so, Cora."Leone put her hands behind her head. "I guess. I mean how hard can dancing be anyway?"There was one more question Esdeath had to ask about the dance. "So with a school like this, do you think we'll need to wear formal dresses?"And again Leone froze on the spot when she heard that. She grabbed her head tightly. "Oh, crap!"It was a problem that also worried Akame. "That's a good point. I don't think anyone has formal wear for this."Cornelia didn't seem too worried about it. "Relax. I'm sure the school has that covered for students who can't afford the dresses so we'll rent them."That seemed to ease Akame but Leone was still freaking out. "Come on. Dresses, really? I have a hard enough time with the freaking skirt! Now I have to wear a dress?!" She slammed her head on the table.Akame couldn't help but chuckle at her girlfriend's predicament. It was something else seeing the Faunus blonde wearing a skirt aside from her usual outfit never had she imagined what Leone would look like wearing a dress. "I think you would look lovely in a dress Leone."Her girlfriend turned her head to the other girl. "You really think so?"Akame nodded. "Yes, I do. In fact, try imagining me in a dress."Leone tried her best imagining her wearing a dress. The first thing came to her mind was the white dress but seeing her in something a bit fancier than that, it was kinda difficult. Still, she wanted to see that. "I'll look forward seeing you in another dress then."Now that was settled, Cornelia clapped her hands together. "Great! All that's left is to teach you. I just hope it won't be impossible with the two of you."Leone faked laughed at it. "Very funny. Let's just try to get through the day first." Esdeath couldn't help but be a bit worried. Moreover because of the sparring class. She would be openly displaying her power to all kinds of new people. She could only hope it wouldn't be like where she was from. B Esdeath was waiting outside the locker room for her other teammates to come out. Since she was the only one without a weapon, all she had to do was change into her fighting outfit. It wasn't any different then her other world's counterpart outfit except it was sleeveless and was zipped all the way to her collar. She still kept on her headband as well. She brought her hand up to her and stared at it. "This is it. There's no turning back now.""What's with the serious look on your face?" Esdeath turned to see her teammates already in their battle outfits along with their weapons. Cornelia smiled at her. "It's only a sparring class so lighten up a bit."The other girl smiled at the blonde's optimism. She then noticed the weapons they were carrying. "I don't believe I've ever seen your weapons before."Cornelia smiled as she took out one of her axes. "Pretty cool huh? Mine is called Heavy Knight. Leone's is Lionel, and Akame's is…Yatsu…""Yatsufusa." Akame finished.The blonde snapped her fingers. "Yeah, that's it. Since you don't fight with a weapon at all, I guess we'll just see what you can do with your semblance." Esdeath looked away from her team which made them curious. "What's wrong?"Esdeath just smiled sadly. "It's nothing. I'm just hoping things will go right this time." Now they wondered what she meant by that. She noticed the look on their faces and waved her hands in front. "D-Don't worry about it okay? No need to concern yourselves." Esdeath turned away from them. "So…should we get going now?" She started to walk away from them. The other members didn't feel all that reassured by her words. In fact, it only made them that much curious as to why she was acting this way when it came to her power. Akame and Leone already knew what power she has but the thing is that the Esdeath they knew was proud of her power and didn't hesitate to show off all the while brutally killing her opponent. So the question on their minds now was: why was this Esdeath so concerned about hers? That was a question that would be answered soon enough. B The sound of weapons clashing each other could be heard in the arena. It was Cornelia's turn to fight but her opponent proved to be a bit more difficult than she thought. Maybe because she wasn't used to her fighting style. "Come on Weiss! You can do it!" Ruby was cheering on her partner."Come on Cora! Kick her ass!" And that was Leone's way of cheering. This time it was team RWBY's turn to pick their opponents. Weiss, of course, decided to challenge Cornelia as a way of avenging her team's losses against Leone and Akame. Since they had a full team now, it was time to even out the score.So far the match was pretty even despite Cornelia's display against Akame when they first met. She swung one of her axes at the heiress but it was blocked off by one of her glyphs. The blonde tried using her semblance to break the glyphs but it seemed to have no effect on them. That was all Weiss needed and smiled. "Looks like your semblance doesn't work on my glyphs."Cornelia gritted her teeth. "How about I add more force to it!" She swung both axes at the glyph but seemed it didn't change much.Weiss used this opportunity to jump over the glyph and had it shatter to disrupt Cornelia's flow of attacks. Another glyph, yellow this time appeared and went straight down to the blonde. Cornelia saw the attack coming and blocked the attack in time but was it much stronger than what she was expecting. This was exactly what the heiress needed. She began to thrust Myrtenaster repeatedly at Cornelia and the blonde tried to parry them all with her two axes. Weiss turned her body around and attacked from below while Cornelia blocked it successfully but the chamber inside rotated and ice started to come out of the rapier along with another yellow glyph appearing underneath and sent the blonde into the air while leaving a trail of ice behind the attack. The blonde flipped through the air few times before coming to a stop. Another glyph appeared underneath Weiss and it launched her into the air as well. However as she went into one direction, she would create another glyph to change course. This happened repeatedly as it looked as she was zigzagging over to where Cornelia was. The heiress came up from behind the blonde and struck her in the back. Cornelia was sent back down onto the ground. Her aura bar dropped significantly to the yellow.Weiss landed back on the floor and Glynda raised her hand. "That's the match. The winner is Weiss Schnee of team RWBY."Cornelia groaned as she stood up. She really wasn't used to Weiss' style of combat. The heiress walked up to her. "Good fight."The blonde turned to her and smiled. "Yeah, it was. Although, those weird sigils of yours are annoying."The other girl sighed. "They're called glyphs." They went back to their respective teams.Ruby couldn't help but hug Weiss for her win. "That was so great Weiss!"The heiress couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed while blushing at the same time. "Well…it was still a difficult match." She felt the hug go on a bit longer. "Can you let go of me now?!"Her leader did just that but continued to smile at her. "Sorry but it's still great that you won."Yang laughed in agreement. "Yeah. We just need one more to even out the score."Meanwhile, Cornelia just sighed. "Sorry, I lost that one. I don't fight against others using rapiers that often."Akame put her hand on the blonde's shoulder. "It's alright. Just take it as a learning experience."That was good comfort to Cornelia. She looked past her leader to see Esdeath looking at something. She turned where her teammate was looking at and it was Weiss and Ruby. "Is something the matter Esdeath?"It may seem like Esdeath was staring at Ruby but it was actually Weiss. Not because she was jealous that Ruby was close to her but what she did before with her weapon. "The girl in white, how did she use the ice from before?"Leone looked over as well. "She has some weird rotating chamber in her weapon that uses dust. Nothing too special."Esdeath lowered her head when she heard that. "So it's not the same."Everyone heard Goodwitch clear her throat and turned to her. "We shall move on to the next match. Which member of team RWBY shall be the next to fight and who will you chose?"Ruby instantly raised her hand. "Me! I want to be next and I want to fight Esdeath!"Akame and Leone gasped quietly when they heard that and turned to their newest teammate. She stood up. "I accept." Already they had a bad feeling about this.Both girls walked down to the arena all the while Esdeath heard the comments. "She's seriously fighting without a weapon?""Is that even allowed?"Cinder, which was overlooking the fight for kicks, couldn't wait to see what this match had in store. "Let's see what the little girl can do against this opponent. I'm also interested in what this new girl can do. She must be something else if she's allowed to fight without a weapon." She licked her lips.Esdeath and Ruby stood across from each other and their images appeared with their aura gauges below them. The young leader took out Crescent Rose and transformed it into its scythe form. Esdeath was amazed by what she saw. "That's quite the impressive weapon. I didn't expect you to wield such a thing."Ruby smiled at her. "You like it? I call her Crescent Rose and she's my pride and joy. So what are you going to use?"Esdeath presented her hands to the younger girl. "These should be enough. I can't wait for what you can do with that scythe of yours."Glynda observed the new student closely and couldn't help but feel something was off. "Ozpin must have something planned for her. She's the only one who is allowed to fight without a weapon." She would have her answer soon enough when the match starts. She raised her hand. "Now, Ruby Rose, leader of team RWBY vs Esdeath Partas of team ALCE. Let the match…" Glynda brought down her hand. "Begin!"Ruby didn't waste any time jumping into the air with Crescent Rose ready. Esdeath just stood still but there was a slight change in her eyes. The young leader swung her scythe to the side but in a sudden upset, Esdeath caught the blade with her left hand with moving. Everyone was astonished by the action and wondered how someone could stop a weapon like that. Ruby had the closer look and saw how it happened. The sight before her was a bit strange as there was ice not only covering the palm of her opponent's hand and also on the blade as well. She had never seen such a thing before. In this position, she left herself open for Esdeath's next attack. Several icicles formed above her and were pointed right at her. Weiss stood up. "Ruby look out!""Weiss Schenbal!" The icicles dropped down right at the young leader. Ruby grabbed the handle of her weapon and fired off a round to separate from Esdeath and her attack missed.She landed on the floor and wondered just happened. "Where did those icicles come from?"Esdeath raised her hand and a large sphere of ice formed above her. "Hagel Sprung!" She threw her attack at the young leader.Ruby's only course of action was to run toward the attack and slid under it to avoid the attack. The attack missed and crashed behind the young leader. Ruby immediately stood up and used her semblance to move around to confuse her opponent. Esdeath's response was to slam her hand onto the floor and in an instant, ice covered the entirety of the floor. Ruby slipped on the ice and fell down. She groaned a bit in pain. "Okay, that hurt."Her team was trying to make sense of what they were seeing. "What the hell is going on? How is she doing that?" Yang wondered.Weiss tried to make sense of it as well. "A semblance…of ice and of that caliber?" She had never seen anything like this before.Blake saw the danger her leader was in now. "And she froze the floor. She already took away Ruby's greatest strength."While they were surprised by this, Akame and Leone were not. Akame narrowed her eyes at her new team member. "So her power is the same. Ruby, you never even had a chance against her."Cinder, on the other hand, was quite impressed by this display. "How interesting."Ruby stood up while trying to get used to standing on top of the ice. "Aw man. This sucks."Esdeath slammed her hand on the icy floor again. "Grau Horn!" A giant horn of ice suddenly sprang out of the floor and was headed right at Ruby. She dodged to the side and the attack struck Esdeath's previous attack but stumbled a bit when she moved. Esdeath placed another hand onto the floor and wind circled around her. "Kaltes Tal!" Two strong streams of ice suddenly came out from in front both of her hands and were aimed right at the young leader. The attacks came too quickly for her dodge and struck her. Ruby's aura gauge went down to a quarter of what it was before.When the attack was over, Ruby was shivering a bit from it with pieces of ice sticking to her as one of her eyes was closed. "That's really cold." She continued to look at Esdeath for a bit and was starting to get the picture of how strong her opponent was. "So this is what she can do."Esdeath stood up as she crossed her arms in front and two ice swords formed in each of her hands. Yang was now worried for her sister. "Oh come on! She can create ice swords?"The older girl quickly ran over to where Ruby was without missing a step while running on the ice. She swung down the first ice sword at the younger girl but Ruby swung Crescent Rose to deflect the attack. In turn, Esdeath attacked with her other sword but the young leader spun her scythe around and deflected the next attack. After that, it was a continued flurry of exchanged attacks both attacking and defending from both girls. However, Esdeath was quickly gaining the upper hand as her attacks were faster than Ruby could keep up. Add to the fact she was trying her best not slip on the ice while doing so. To break out of this, she swung Crescent Rose from the side and Esdeath jumped back to avoid the attack. Ruby used this chance to jump and swing her scythe downward at her opponent. Esdeath deflected the attack as Ruby landed on the ice not slipping up and turned around to attack again. The older girl deflected the next attack back but Ruby used the momentum from it to turn around again while spinning her scythe once again and swung it down upon her opponent. Esdeath brought up her swords to block the attack and they were at a stalemate. During this whole thing, Ruby had one question running through her head. "I attacked those ice swords multiple times and yet they haven't broken at all. What's the deal?"That was a question on everyone's mind. Weiss was trying to figure that out well. "A weapon like Crescent Rose should easily break through the ice and they haven't. Just what kind of semblance does this girl have?"While they were stuck figuring that out, Akame and Leone already knew the answer. In fact, they felt it. "You feel it, don't you Leone?"The Faunus blonde nodded at the question. "Yeah. It's insane."Cornelia didn't understand what they were saying. "Uh, would you care to explain?"Akame observed the ice closely. "The ice Esdeath created is not normal. It has traces of her aura running through it. The ice is almost like it's an extension of her. It's similar to what you do using your power through your weapons Cora."That was something blonde could understand. "So, what you're saying is that her aura is strengthening the ice she uses?""That's about it. That would explain how she was able to catch Ruby's first attack." Leone added.Cornelia looked back to the fight not believing what she had just heard. "Using aura through your semblance. That's unheard of."While the two girls continued their stalemate, Ruby lifted Crescent Rose from the contact of Esdeath's ice swords which came up due to the lack of force holding them down. The young leader flipped her control of the scythe again and swung to the side once again but this time the attack struck the older girl to the shoulder with the blunt side of Crescent Rose. The attack managed to make Esdeath slid along the ice away from the younger girl and her aura gauge dropped. The two former assassins had the same thought when they saw that. "She actually hit her."While it may have been impressive, Ruby was slightly out of breath. The cold around the arena was getting to her and didn't know how much longer she could keep this up. "I have to finish this quickly." Before she could make her next move, Ruby saw Esdeath lower her swords and brought up back on to her. She couldn't understand what the older girl was trying to do. "What's she planning?" That was an answer the young leader didn't want to find out. Esdeath was wide open and she needed to take the chance. Ruby leaped up into the air using her semblance to quickly reach over to where her opponent was.Ice began to circle around the sword and Esdeath had timed the attack just right. As soon as the younger girl came close swinging Crescent Rose down on her, she swung her sword directly hitting the other weapon. That's when the ice grew in volume exponentially. "Gefrorene Misery!" A powerful blast of ice came out of the sword and not only overcame Ruby's attack but enveloped her as well and sent her hurtling over to the wall across. The blast hit the wall and ice scattered all around with Ruby on the wall as well before falling onto the floor. Her aura gauge dropped to the red.Glynda had seen enough and raised her hand. "The match is over. The winner is Esdeath Partas and with that, class is over."Soon as that was said, Yang and the other members instantly rushed over to their leader. "Ruby!" Yang was the first to arrive and picked up her sister. "She feels so cold. Ruby, wake up please."While they were preoccupied with the younger leader, Esdeath sighed as she looked over to the crowd. Sure enough, their expressions told her what she needed to know. They were baffled and wondered how she could do the things she did. At least it was a step up from what she had originally thought they were going to think but somehow it didn't make her feel any better. She looked over to Ruby who still seemed to be knocked out. Even against someone like her, it was like Esdeath didn't know the meaning of holding back. She started to walk back to her team.As she did, Ruby began to stir and slowly open her eyes. Her sister was beyond relieved seeing that. "Ruby, you're okay. How are you feeling?"She was still trying to process that. "A little cold. Can I have some hot chocolate?"That was all Weiss needed to know. "She's fine." She looked over to Esdeath who just joined her team. "Just what kind of power does she have exactly?"When Esdeath joined back up with her group, Cornelia smiled at her win. "Hey, good job there. It was really cool seeing your semblance in action. I never knew you could do stuff like that." Esdeath wanted to smile at that but couldn't. This kind of behavior worried the blonde a little. "What's wrong?"The other girl brought up her hands and stared at them. "I did it again." The other members had no idea what she meant by that."Your team is quite something I'll give you that." Everyone looked up to see Cinder and her two lackeys (That's what Leone calls them anyway.) behind her. The woman smiled at the team. "You have quite the selection of members. Skilled and with rare semblances." Akame just glared at the other woman but Cinder didn't seem to mind it. "I failed to say this last time but, I do love the color of your eyes. They're such an attractive red." Akame tightened her hands and felt the marks on her body beginning to burn.That comment made Leone grit her teeth. "Why don't you take a hike already!?" Cinder just smiled as she turned away with her two cohorts smiling at them as well before they followed her. It was one thing to have a bad feeling about her but hitting on her girlfriend? That was a line no one should be able to cross. "Damn that freaking woman pisses me off."Is she bothering you again?" The team looked back to see Ruby being carried by the shoulder of her sister.Cornelia shook her head at Blake's question. "Not really although she does kinda creep me out.""Who was she anyway?" Esdeath asked.Ruby thought she should answer that. "Her name is Cinder but that's all I know of her."Akame took a closer look at the young leader. "How are you feeling?"The younger girl giggled a bit as she smiled. "Just a bit cold but nothing a heater and something warm to eat wouldn't fix." Esdeath couldn't help but smile as well. She really did like the way Ruby smiled.Yang just laughed. "Well, I got to say this. Weiss, I think your title of Ice Queen has been officially taken." Esdeath's expression quickly changed when she heard that.Weiss just sighed at that. "How many times do I have to tell you, don't call me that!"The blonde just continued to laugh. "Aw come on. If you think about it, Esdeath here is more an Ice Queen then yo-"She was suddenly grabbed by the collar which made her drop Ruby and was lifted up near Esdeath who was giving her and murderous look. "Don't you ever, EVER say that wretched title to me!" Everyone was silent when they saw the sudden change in attitude. If Yang had to be honest, she was a bit scared. Never before had she seen a look like the one Esdeath had in her eyes before."Please put her down." Esdeath snapped out of her rage when she heard Ruby's voice and looked down to her. The younger girl was no longer smiling and looked very worried.She just gritted her teeth and set the blonde down much to her relief but then Esdeath took a step back. "I'm sorry." She suddenly just ran away from the group.Ruby instantly stood up back up. "Esdeath wait!" She decided to run after her.Everybody had no idea what just happened. Weiss just crossed her arms. "Well, it seems Ruby is already feeling better. Still, I know Ice Queen isn't my most favorite title but that reaction was a bit much."Blake tilted her head in confusion. "What do you think that was all about?"Yang just stared at the exit. "Beats me but I'll tell you this. Suddenly, I really don't want to make that chick mad."Akame had to agree with that. "That's probably for the best." B "Damn it!" Esdeath punched the wall out of frustration due to what happened earlier. She pressed her head against the wall thinking about what just happened. "I did again. When will this ridicule ever stop?""Esdeath?"The older girl gasped when she heard that familiar voice and turned to see the last person she'd expect. "Ruby?"The young leader took a few steps to her. "Are you okay? Why did you get mad at Yang like that?"Esdeath just took a step back. "Stay away!" Ruby stopped walked walking wondering why the other girl would say that. Esdeath just looked away from her.Now Ruby was worried. "Why?"The older girl just closed her eyes. "Because I'm a monster, that's why." She opened her eyes and looked back at the younger leader. "This power that I have, for as long as I can remember ever since I was small, people avoided me. It made me different from the others. They would call me names behind my back such as Ice Queen and I hated it. Sometimes I've wondered why I was even born with this curse." She sighed sadly and looked away from the other girl again. "My father once told me, I'll find those that'll accept me. I still hold those words true and I still wait the day I can find those people.""You already have." Esdeath gasped quietly when she heard that and looked over at Ruby who was walking over to her. "I don't really think you're a monster. People just really haven't gotten to know the real you. You're on a team who'll understand you if you gave them a chance." She stopped in front of the older girl. "You're surrounded by people who'll accept you. Not for the monster, you think you are but the girl who really wants friends." Ruby took Esdeath's hand which made her heart beat a little faster than normal. "I for one would like to be your friend. I think you're pretty cool. Ah, no pun intended. That's my sister's thing." The young leader gave Esdeath a loving smile.Esdeath really didn't know what was happening to her. A strange new feeling was starting to swell up inside her and couldn't explain it. All the older girl knew was, she like this feeling a lot. "Ruby…"The younger girl let go of Esdeath's hand who felt a bit saddened by that. "How about we head back now?" She turned back around and started to walk away from the other girl."Ruby wait!" The young leader stopped and turned around to see Esdeath with a slightly embarrassed look on her face. She slightly averted her eyes to Ruby. "C-Can I ask you something?" Ruby tilted her in confusion as to what Esdeath wanted to ask. B Weiss and the others were back at their dorm room waiting for their leader to return while Akame and her team stayed behind for their missing teammate to return. Yang brewed a cup of hot chocolate for her little sister to warm her up after her fight was waiting patiently. The knob on the door turned and the door opened to reveal Ruby walking in. The blonde was glad to see her. "Hey, there sis. How did it go with Esdeath?"Her younger sister closed the door and smiled. "She's fine and she's back with her team." Yang walked up to her and handed the cup of hot chocolate to the younger leader. Ruby happily accepted it. "Thanks, Yang." She blew on the cup a few times.Blake was lying on her bed reading a book as usual. "Yang here thought she should apologize to Esdeath about the whole Ice Queen bit."Yang laughed nervously at her girlfriend's words. "Yeah, I didn't mean to insult her in any way."Ruby let out a refresh gasp after taking a sip. "I think she'll be okay from here on out. That reminds me, I have something to announce."Already Weiss couldn't help but have a bad feeling about what she was about to ask. "And what would that be?" The other girls wondered the same thing.Ruby was blushing a bit while scratching the side of her cheek with her finger. "Esdeath…asked me out to the dance and I said yes." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New BeginningKill Fifteen: Dance the Night AwayTeam RWBY was in the main hall decorating it for the school dance. Of course, they had enlisted some help to pick up the work. To Weiss' dismay, it was team ALCE. As she was setting the doilies on the table. However, they were placed a bit haphazardly. "Weiss?"The heiress heard Ruby from behind and turned to her. The young leader pointed at the other girl's placement. "You're uh…are you sure those are necessary?" That wasn't what she wanted to say. Ever since she announced that Ruby was asked out, Weiss was acting a bit differently. She could see the change in attitude in her partner. What happened to the team a few days certainly didn't help either.Weiss looked back at the doilies and scoffed. "Of course they are. They're a staple of any party no matter what it is."They both felt the tension between them. Ruby decided to break it. "Weiss, are you still upset at me that I was asked out?"The heiress was silent for a few seconds. "Whoever asks you out to the dance is none of my business. I'm perfectly fine." Ruby wanted to continue but left it at that. Still, she wanted to know what was bothering her so much, which the young leader knew was connected to Esdeath asking her out.Things weren't any better over Yang's case. Her mind was continually preoccupied to her girlfriend who wasn't around. The only time they were able to spend time with each other was either in class or in their dorm room which the Faunus girl would just go to sleep. She sighed as the blonde knew that the event from a few days ago still bothered her. Leone could see it clearly. "Hey, Yang?" The other blonde turned to her supposed daughter looking a bit worried. "Are you feeling okay? Your team's been acting a bit out of it for the last couple of days. Is something the matter between you and Blake? Or should I just call her dad?"That was a chuckled Yang needed and smiled at the Faunus blonde. "Only if you call me mom and…we're just going through a rough time that's all. It'll get better." She really hoped it would get better.Leone would just have to believe that. "If you say so. Remember, it doesn't hurt to confront her. Try talking it out."Yang nodded at the advice. "Sure. How's the dance practice going for you and Akame?"The Faunus blonde looked over to her girlfriend who was helping Esdeath and Cornelia put up the banners on the second floor then back to her mother. "It's been a pain, I'll tell you that but we're getting good at it. I think we'll be good by the time the dance rolls around." That was good to know for the brawler. When she first heard that Leone and Akame didn't know how to dance, she was laughing hysterically.Leone turned away from her mother. "Well, I'd better get going helping out the others. Can't keep a dance waiting you know?" The Faunus blonde walked away from Yang. The brawler waved goodbye and resumed her duties to finish up the hall for the dance. She would have a talk with Blake soon. B After the hall was fully decorated, team ALCE used the time remaining before the dance could start to practice. Cornelia was clapping her hands in a rhythm. "One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four…"Akame and Leone were following the rhythm as they danced to it. The two girls held their bodies close to each other with Leone wrapping her arm around Akame's waist and Akame wrapping her arm around Leone's neck while their other hands held each other. They were dancing very well considering they were awful when they first started. Akame would sometimes step on Leone's feet a few times while Leone would go off tempo and trip on top of her girlfriend. Those were a rough few days for them but they were becoming much better. "And stop!" Both girls stopped exactly at the command and stood still. Their faces were close to each other and gazed at each other with loving eyes. They suddenly heard a whistle and turned to see Cornelia tapping her foot. "Alright, save the looks for after the dance is over and remember what I told you about the sock handle thing."The Faunus blonde just laughed as she separated from her girlfriend. "Right. So, how did we do?"Her teammate was rating their performance and smiled. "Very good. I'd say you two are ready for the upcoming dance."Leone cheered as she raised her arm into the air while Akame smiled. "That's what I'm talking about! This dancing stuff isn't so hard after all."The other blonde chuckled at that. "Tell that to your first few days trying." Her teammate chuckled awkwardly at that. "In any case, we seem to be ready for the dance. We already know Akame and Leone are going together and Esdeath is going with…"The other girl smiled gently at that. "Ruby. Although, I can't help but feel a bit nervous about it." She giggled nervously at the thought. When she first told her team, Cornelia was ecstatic about it but the other two girls had different thoughts. It seemed history was to repeat itself except instead of Tatsumi, it was Ruby. Unlike before, at least this Esdeath wasn't as batshit crazy about the target of her affections. They didn't know how to feel about this. Another thing that they learned was Esdeath's "curse" as she calls her semblance. Again it was the total opposite since the Esdeath they knew was proud of her powers, but this one seemed to resent it as it made her isolated from other people. Of course, Cornelia was the first to comfort her. Again Akame and Leone were reluctant since their teammate was their former enemy. However, over the course of the few days, they were getting more used to her. Still, it wasn't easy trying to live with someone who was a sadistic mass murderer in the same room.Speaking of the dance, Akame had a question for her former teammate. "What about you Cora? Who are you going to the dance?"Cornelia just smiled as she turned around from her team. "No one. I'm going by myself."That answer surprised her teammates. "Seriously? If you don't mind me saying this but, you're a pretty girl and you haven't been asked out yet?" Leone wondered.The other blonde turned around to face her team member. "It's not that. I've been asked out plenty of times but I turned them all down. I would rather go the dance by myself with friends. Like my papa always said, as long as you're with friends, you can have fun anywhere they are."That seemed to be Cora's way of thinking. They moved on to the next topic of the conversation. "So, do you really think Jaune is going to wear a dress if he doesn't get a date soon?" Leone asked.Cornelia giggled at that. "That would be funny and it would seem that's going to happen since he's failed at every attempt to asking out Weiss."Akame closed her eyes and smiled. "Whatever the result, I'm sure this dance will be fun no matter what."The blonde smiled at that. "Akame's right. The reason for this dance is to have fun."Esdeath giggled as she put her hands together. "I can't wait for it."Now that all of that was said, there was one more thing to do. "Right. All we need now are the dresses and we'll be set!"And Leone dreaded Cornelia's words. "Dresses huh? Yay…" She cheered in a deadpan tone. The Faunus blonde was going to hate it. B The evening quickly came to Beacon and team ALCE was in one of the changing rooms. Luckily the school did have dresses for rent that the girls could use. Cornelia was the first to exit out wearing her dress. It was a semi-formal bright yellow dress that showed her elegance and was wearing black heels. The blonde giggled as she twirled around and looked at the other booths. "Come on! I want to see what the three of you look like."There was silence for a few seconds. "No way in hell I'm going out like this!"Cornelia giggled at Leone's words. "Oh come on now. What's not to like what you're wearing?""I'll tell you what I don't like!" The curtain was pushed to the side and out came Leone looking less than pleased. She was wearing a semi-formal dress as well, that was tan with a black ribbon tied around her waist and a pair of heels. "Me wearing this! The skirt was bad enough but this along with the heels?! There's where I draw the line!""I think you look lovely Leone." The curtain was pushed away from Akame's dressing room to reveal her dance dress. It was black with a red ribbon tied around the waist along with a set of heels as well. All Leone could do was stare at her girlfriend. The dress she wore before made Akame prettier than usual but the dress she was wearing now made her all the more beautiful. Akame liked the way the Faunus blonde was looking at her. "You're staring Leone and you look wonderful in that outfit. It looks good on you."Leone was blushing a bit by that comment and looked away. "Well, if you like it then I guess I really can't complain about it huh?"All that was left was one member. They all looked toward Esdeath's changing room. "Come on out Esdeath. You're the last one remaining." Cornelia spoke out.The last member of their group peeked out from behind the curtain. "O-Okay. It's a little embarrassing, though. I've…never wore something like this before."Cornelia thought it was cute how nervous her teammate was. "Come on now. Let's see it."Esdeath nodded from behind the curtain. She closed it and opened it fully to reveal what she was wearing. The other three team members were speechless at what they saw. She was wearing a bright sky blue and white dress but with a furry black collar which extended to the shoulders. The dress really showed off her beauty. She was blushing a bit from everyone staring at her. "So…how does it look?"The human blonde smiled at what she was seeing. "If you ask me, I'd say I'm jealous Ruby has someone like you as a date."Her teammate seemed to smile at that. "You think so? What about you Akame? Leone?"The other two girls just stared in silence until Leone spoke up. "Looks…pretty good on you."Akame nodded in agreement. "Yes. What Leone said."Hearing that made Esdeath feel a little better. "Thank you. I was a bit worried how I'd look wearing this. So, shall we go? I'm sure people are gathering in the main hall." The other three girls nodded and they were on their way. B It was now night time and team ALCE made their way to the main hall where they saw various other people in pairs. At the front of the entrance were two certain sisters. Leone was the first to greet them. "Hey, Yang!"The other blonde saw the team walking up to them and smiled. "Hey! I like all of your dresses. Looking snazzy."Leone smiled back at her mother. "Hey, thanks. You're looking pretty good too. So is dad in there?"Yang nodded at the question. "Yeah, she's with Sun for the moment but I called dibs on being her first dance. Oh, and she's feeling a lot better now."The Faunus blonde smiled at that. "That's good to know."Ruby admired the dress her date was currently wearing. "You look…really good Esdeath."The older girl looked over to her and smiled. "Thank you and you look great as well. I'm sorry it took a bit for us to arrive."The young leader shook her head. "It's alright but if you ask me, I'm not a fan of the heels.""Thank you! Something we have in common!" Leone spoke out.Despite the complaint, Esdeath approached Ruby and offered up her hand. The younger girl smiled as she gladly took it and they entered the main hall together. Yang couldn't help but love the sight of her little sister finally having a date. She couldn't help but feel a bit jealous, though. "You know, she's pretty good to my little sister. I'm glad she asked her out. Me on the other hand…" The blonde sighed at the fact that she didn't have a date at all.Cornelia couldn't help but laugh in agreement. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't have a date either. Is the rest of your team in there too?"Yang nodded at the question. "Yeah, Weiss is in there but the weird thing is that she doesn't have a date either. Pyrrha too for that matter."That was surprising to hear for the other girls. "Wow, seriously? An heiress to a company and a celebrity for some cereal don't have dates?" Leone was sure they were to be asked out in a heartbeat.The other blonde crossed her arms under her breasts. "Yeah, I know. Still, it's a party so we're all here to enjoy. Once the rest of the people are in, I'm dancing with the girl of my dreams."Akame smiled at that. "I hope it'll be enjoyable for the both of you."Yang laughed happily at that. "It will. Now get in there and have fun. Don't forget to enjoy the food and drink too."The other girls nodded at that and gladly entered the main hall. As they did, Leone and Akame were astounded by how the main hall looked. It was completely different than how they set it up from earlier today. However, that wasn't important to Akame. All she was interested right now was the buffet table. "Let's try out some of the food."Her girlfriend chuckled at that. "Alright then."Cornelia, on the other hand, had a different plan. "You two go on ahead. I'll just head over where all the other dateless people are."Akame smiled at that. "Alright then Cora. Take care." The blonde waved goodbye to her teammates and left them. With her gone now, the two lovers made their way over to the buffet table. Akame really couldn't wait to know how the food tasted.Cornelia made her way to where those who didn't have dates that were sitting on the chairs to the side just talking to each other. One girl caught her eye and made her way over to her. She approached a certain heiress and waved at her. "Hi there, Weiss."The heiress looked up to the blonde girl and was surprised to see her. "Cornelia? What are you doing here?"The blonde smiled and sat next to her. "Here to enjoy myself with my team that's what. What about you? I heard from Yang that you don't have a date, surprising as that is."Weiss sighed at that. "Well, I tried asking Neptune out but he turned me down for some reason."Cornelia thought it was strange for someone like Neptune to say no to somebody like Weiss. She had a feeling there was something more to it than that. The blonde then noticed that the heiress was looking off somewhere and looked to the same direction only to see Ruby laughing along with Esdeath who seemed to be enjoying themselves. She knew pretty well what was going through Weiss' mind. "Is there something bothering you about Ruby being asked out by Esdeath?"The heiress sighed at the question as it was one she'd hope to avoid. "It's not bothering me one bit. It's just that, Esdeath just recently transferred here and already she asked out Ruby. She doesn't even know her that well."Already the blonde could see right through the heiress and giggled. "Sounds like to me that you're jealous."And that comment made Weiss blush and turned to her. "W-What makes you think I'm jealous? I am not jealous. Not at all."Cornelia wasn't buying it. "If you're not jealous, you wouldn't be making a big deal out of it in the first place. Like my papa always said, jealousy is another form of envy."That was something Weiss wanted to bring up. "There you go mentioning your father again. You do talk a lot about him."The blonde giggled awkwardly at that. "I guess I do huh but I can't help it. He's a great father and…I'm grateful to him."Weiss was curious about that. "Why is that?"Cornelia smiled sadly as she lowered her head. "Well, the truth is that he's my adoptive father. He rescued me when I was little from a fire that my real parents died in. I was scared that I didn't know what to do now since I lost my family. He decided to take me in as his adoptive daughter and for that, he gave me a new lease on life. That's why I'm grateful to him."The heiress was actually a bit touched hearing this story. "Is your father by any chance a hunter?"The other girl nodded at the question. "He is. In fact, he was on his way back from a job when the fire happened. What about your father? What's he like?"That was a very sensitive subject to Weiss and turned away. "That's something I wish not to talk about."Cornelia gave the other girl a soft look. "I see. I can't imagine coming from a family like yours must be like. I won't push the subject anymore. So let's talk about why you're hesitant about Ruby."That was another subject Weiss didn't want to talk about. "Do we really have to speak of this again?"Cornelia wasn't going to let this subject slide. "Of course. Like I said before, your jealousy could be another way of how envious you are of Esdeath asking out Ruby."Weiss just scoffed at the words. "I am not envious."The blonde sighed as she couldn't believe how stubborn this girl is with her feelings. "If you say so but I'll tell you this and this is a quote from me. If you wait too long for your chance, someone else will take it from you." She stood up from her chair. "It was nice talking to you. I think I'll go somewhere else now. Take care." Cornelia began to walk away from the other girl. She may have left but her words stuck to Weiss' mind. "If you wait too long for your chance, someone else will take it from you."The heiress closed her hands tightly as she gritted her teeth. "Why am I so hesitant when it comes to Ruby?"Meanwhile, Akame was enjoying the food at the buffet table as she sampled each one. "This is quite good."Leone was taking a drink out of the punch bowl. "With you eating like that, I wouldn't be surprised if you got your appetite back. Then again if it did, you would inhale the entire table in seconds flat."Her girlfriend laughed at that. "I supposed that would be true." She then noticed something. "Leone, look." Akame pointed at a direction and Leone looked over to it.The Faunus blonde smiled as she saw Yang approaching Blake and Sun. Her human blonde counterpart then took Blake away and made their way to the dance floor. Leone couldn't help but laugh. "I guess it's about time they have that dance. I'm happy for them." They continued watching the two girls enjoying their dance.The party was well underway and everyone was having fun. Esdeath certainly was with Ruby. She was learning so much about her. "I see. So you've been accepted to this school two whole years earlier. I can certainly believe it with your skill during our fight."Ruby giggled at the fact. "Yeah. You wouldn't believe how happy my sister was when she found out I was enrolling into Beacon."Esdeath lowered her head when she heard that. "Your sister huh?" She then thought of up something about the two sisters. "How are you two related? You say that you're sisters but you two don't look alike." This time Ruby lowered her head while giving a sad smile. The older girl immediately regretted her question. "I'm sorry. If I said something that-""It's alright." The young leader looked directly at Esdeath. "The truth is Yang is my half-sister. We have the same dad but different moms. I don't know much about her but from what I know; she left my sister and dad for some unknown reason. Dad was heartbroken when that happened until my mom came into his life."The older girl was a little interested in this. "And…what happened to your mother?" Her answer was Ruby's silence. That alone told Esdeath enough. "I see. Again, I'm sorry I brought something up that was sensitive."Ruby shook her head. "It's okay. Yang took pretty much care of me when we were little. She's part of the reason why I want to become a huntress. What about you? What about your family?"This time, Esdeath smiled sadly. "I've never known my mother that well to be honest. She passed at birth so my father was all I had. He tried his best to raise me as he could."The young giggled at that. "I'd say he did a pretty good job considering how you came out."Esdeath nodded in agreement. "Indeed. He's part of the reason why I've made it this far." Ruby was glad that her friend had such a loving, supportive father just like her own. This moment could've been better if it weren't for the fact that the heels she was wearing weren't bothering her.The older girl noticed it as well. "Is everything alright?"Ruby shuffled a bit more and groaned. "It's these stupid heels. I hate wearing them."Esdeath thought up of a suggestion. "If you don't like wearing them that much, maybe you should go change out of them."The younger sighed but liked the idea. "I was thinking of the same thing. That would be better. Wait for me while I change out of these stupid heels."The other girl nodded and smiled. "Of course." With that said, Ruby began to walk towards the exit of the main hall. While she was gone, Esdeath placed her hand on her chest and felt that same wonderful feeling inside of it. "I don't know why, but being with Ruby fills me with such…happiness."In another part of the dance, Yang was making her way to her supposed daughter and her girlfriend. "Hey, there you two. How are you enjoying the party?"The two girls turned to her and smiled. "Going great so far. How did you like dancing with dad?"Yang laughed at Leone's question. "It was great. Still sucks Sun asked her out first but in the end, she's still my kitty."Akame noticed something else going on in the dance. "It seems Weiss is with Neptune now."The human blonde was surprised to hear that. "Seriously? I was wondering when that was going to happen." Suddenly the group of girls heard laughter going on and decided to check it out. When they did see what the laughter was all about, they had different reactions. "Is that Jaune?""What the hell?!""Why is he wearing a dress?"Jaune couldn't help but feel embarrassed by this but he was a man of his word. Pyrrha suddenly approached him and wondered if he was out of his mind. "Jaune?! Why are you wearing that?"Her partner breathed in deeply. "I'm holding my end of the deal. You don't have a date so I'm wearing this."Pyrrha thought he was just joking but here he was wearing a dress. "You didn't have to do this you know."Jaune didn't care. "But I did. You know, I still can't believe no one asked you out not knowing what a great person you are." There was a bit of irony in his words.Still, Pyrrha smiled at his words. His methods may seem unorthodox but he does mean well. She might as well enjoy this moment. "In that case, would you care to dance with me?"Now that was something Jaune didn't expect to hear. "M-Me? Are you sure about that?"Despite his question, Pyrrha already took his hand. "I'm positive."Well, there wasn't any more room to debate. Jaune gladly took up the offer. "Alright then. Just try to keep up with me." The music suddenly changed and the two danced with each other. Not soon after, Ren and Nora joined as well.While all of this was going on, Leone couldn't help but laugh. "Wow. I never knew Jaune had such cool moves."Yang laughed in agreement. "I guess you learn something new from the people you know huh?"Hearing that made Akame a bit worried. "Something new huh?" She had been thinking about telling their friends the truth. The whole absolute truth about her and Leone. The one thing that she kept thinking about was what their reactions would be like. Would their relationships change? Would they think differently about them? It was these kinds of questions that bothered her for some time. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and looked to see Leone giving her a comfortable smile. Akame smiled back. If they were going to do this, they would do it together.The song and dance ended all too quickly for Pyrrha, and Jaune brought up her close to him. She really wasn't expecting him to be such a good dancer. "I had no idea you could dance like that."Jaune chuckled at that. "Well, when you live with seven sisters, you tend to pick up a few things."While everyone enjoyed that particular dance, another started up but it was a slower one this time around. That was team JNPR's cue to leave and the slow dancing to everyone else. With the music playing like this, it was suited perfectly for Leone and Akame. The Faunus blonde took her girlfriend's hand. That was also Yang's cue to leave. "Well, I'm not suited for this slow dance stuff so I'll leave you two alone. I'm going hang out with the others. See ya." She left the two girls alone and headed to the others.Now it was just them. Cornelia was off somewhere and so was Esdeath with Ruby. Leone began to lead Akame to the dance floor. "Let's go."Akame slightly nodded. "S-Sure."They made their way to dance floor where other pairs were already dancing. Leone bowed to her girlfriend slightly. "May I have this dance?"Her girlfriend smiled and nodded. "You may." The two brought their bodies closer to each other and like before, Leone wrapped her arm around Akame's waist and Akame wrapped her arm around Leone's neck while their hands held each other. They began moving to the slow pacing of the song. Akame couldn't help but fall under the spell of the settings all around her. She closed her eyes and lay her head on top of Leone's chest. "Uh, Akame?"Akame had a content smile on her face. "It's wonderful isn't it?" Leone still had no idea what she was saying. "I never would've imagined, never dreamed that someone like me would be here now, with you."Now Leone understood what her girlfriend was feeling and brought her closer. "I know what you mean. I can't believe I'm here also with you. It sometimes feels unreal that we're here now." She chuckled at that. "If it is, then I really don't want to wake up. I want to spend it as long as I can with you."They stopped dancing but the song continued. They held each other closer until Akame could smell the fragrance Leone had. She had never noticed it before and it was wonderful. It smelled sweet like strawberries. Cornelia must've been in on this. For the first time in Akame's life, she truly knew what happiness felt like. "I love you, Leone."Leone quietly gasped when she heard those three words. It wasn't the first time Akame had said those words as she said them plenty of times whenever they were in bed together after they've made love to each other in their dorm room. However, the words seemed to be more meaningful than they have ever before. Leone wrapped her arms around Akame and her girlfriend did the same. "I love you too, Akame." For them, it was like they were the only ones in the room. It was their perfect moment together. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New BeginningKill Sixteen: Truth and SinA few days have passed since the dance and Akame and Leone has definitely been closer than they have ever been before. Cornelia and Esdeath certainly noticed it. Of course, when something good happened, something bad also happened. The day after the dance, Ruby was notified to go to Ozpin’s office. Everyone was worried about that and thought she was in trouble. Turned out she just needed to relay what she saw and knew about last night’s break-in at the CCT. It did explain why Esdeath hadn’t seen her for a while after she left to change her shoes. Something Ruby described to her friends made Akame a bit suspicious. “I saw some weird woman wearing a mask and was doing something to the computer but didn’t know what.”That was on Akame’s mind constantly. “What could someone want from the CCT in the first place?”“Akame?” Her train of thought was broken when she heard Leone’s voice and turned to her. The Faunus blonde looked a bit worried. “You’re having that face again. You’re thinking of something aren’t you?”Nothing went past her when it came to Leone’s eye. As now, she and Leone were walking down the hall back to their dorm room where Cornelia and Esdeath were. Akame just sighed. “It’s about the break in Ruby told us about before. It’s too coordinated for something as simple as a break in. Something else is at work here.”Leone knew all too well what that meant. “So you’re saying something is going on behind our backs?”Akame nodded at the guess. “Yes, but what it is we have no idea. We may have to be careful.”The Faunus just scoffed. “Great. We just had a great night and now we have to deal with some shady shit. Well, whatever it is, it can’t be much worse then what we had to go through before.”That much is true. It’ll be kind of hard to trump a war that’ll change the fate of a civilization. “Zwei!” Both girls stopped when they heard a familiar voice and saw something running down the hall in their direction. It seemed to be a small dog that was an unusually energetic. The small dog approached them and stopped in front of them as it looked up at them curiously.Leone and Akame lowered themselves to it. “Hello there little fella.” Akame smiled at the dog in front of them. She thought it was adorable.The dog looked at Leone for a few seconds before looking at Akame. It was then the dog yelped in fear and ran away back to the opposite direction. The dog soon returned to its owner and hid underneath her red cape shaking in fear. Well, it was obvious who it the dog belonged to. Ruby and Yang approached the other two girls. “Oh, hi there.”Leone waved back. “Hey Ruby. Hey Yang. So, what’s with the dog?”Yang giggled at that. “Oh him? That’s our dog Zwei. Our dad mailed him for us to watch over while he’s out on business.”The former assassins had one question about that. How does someone mail a dog? Apparently, that wasn't important right now as Ruby had a question of her own as to what just happened. “Thanks for stopping Zwei by the way. He tends to be a bit hyperactive sometimes but this is the first time I’ve seen him scared. What did you do you to make him act like that?”Akame and Leone looked at each other wondering the same thing. Then it dawned on Akame that Zwei must’ve sensed how dangerous Akame was. More so then Leone’s half beast form state. Akame never thought an animal would’ve sensed her. They had to come up with an answer. “Well, you know, Akame has never been good with animals far as I’ve known except for me of course.” Leone laughed nervously at the lie she had just made.The sisters look at each other whether or not they should believe the Faunus blonde. They decided to anyway. “If you say so. We’ll be heading back to our room now. Thanks for stopping Zwei. See you later.”Leone waved at the two girls. “See ya!” As soon as they were gone, the Faunus blonde’s expression changed. “Akame.”Her girlfriend knew what the other girl was about to say. “I know. It seems normal animals can sense how truly dangerous I am. Leone, don’t you think it’s time we finally tell them the truth? About whom we really are?”The Faunus blonde sighed at that. She knew sooner or later this subject was bound to come up. “You may have a point. We can’t keep this secret of ours hidden forever. Sooner or later, they’ll find out and it would be better if we told them. The question is when do we? Also, how would Cornelia and Esdeath handle the truth about how we really know them?”That was a question Akame would like to know as well. “I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, let’s just continue on. We’ll tell them eventually. Is that alright with you?”Leone nodded at the question. “Yeah, although I’m not sure what Yang and Blake would say when they find out that their daughter used to be an ex-assassin.” B The next day came and went as Yang stretched out her arms as she was happy that classes were over now and the team was walking back to their dorm room. “Finally. I thought class would never end.”Her sister had to agree. “I know right? I can’t imagine anyone liking Professor Port’s grand stories.” She put up air quotes to the lasts two words.Weiss scoffed at the sister’s nativity. “What did you expect? Now that the dance is over, we have a lot more to prepare. Like our team activity mission that’s coming up soon.”Blake had to agree with the heiress. “Weiss is right. We’ll have to focus on that sometime.”Yang didn’t seem too worried. “Ehh we’ll knock it out of the park.”While talking about the mission, Ruby was wondering about something. “So where do you think Akame and her team are now? They kinda bolted out of the class a little quick.”Her sister might have an idea about that. “Leone told me they’ll be going out on Vale for a bit to show Cornelia and Esdeath around like we did for them.”Hearing that made the heiress unusually glad. Ever since the dance, she really hadn’t been able to get Cornelia’s words out of her mind when it came to Ruby. She kept quickly glancing to the young leader every now and then while having conflicting thoughts and confused feelings. “Now that you mentioned it…” Blake pulled out a notebook from who knows where. “They left in such a hurry, Leone forgot her notebook.”Yang laughed at that. “Wow. That’s just like our kid huh?”The Faunus blonde turned to her girlfriend. “She gets it from you I bet.” Ruby laughed at that. “We should return it to her soon as possible.”Ruby took the notebook and went a bit ahead of the rest of her team. “I’ll bring it their dorm room. It’ll be easier that way.”Her team wasn’t going to argue with that. “Alright then Ruby. Take that to their room and head on back okay?”The young leader nodded at her sister’s words. “Got it. I’ll be back soon.” She ran to team ALCE’s dorm room with a spring in her step. B Ruby opened the door to team ALCE’s and entered the room. “Hello? Anyone home?” Obviously, there wasn’t. Now that the young leader thought about it, this was the first time she saw her friend’s dorm room. Ruby did like how the beds were positioned to the corners but other than that, the room looked pretty basic. She saw a desk nearby and set the notebook down on it. Ruby smiled at what she did. “Mission complete. Heading back to base now.” Before she could leave the room, a certain sword caught the corner of her eye. Ruby went over to the weapon and took a closer look at it. “This is the sword Akame used on those Grimm when we first met.” She looked around as if there were anyone around then back at the sword. “Well…I know Akame said that this sword is dangerous, but I want to see what this looks like. She won’t mind if I took a quick peek at it.” Ruby picked up the sword and drew it out slowly. When she fully unsheathed the sword, the young leader amazed by how it looked. Ruby whistled at it. “Now that’s what I call a katana.” Ruby brought the blade closer to her face. “The craftsmanship of this sword is unbelievable. This really is an awesome weapon Akame has. I wonder why she said it was dangerous in the first pla-” Ruby suddenly felt a strange painful feeling going through her arm and a black like aura surrounded it. “W-What is this?” The next thing that happened to her was that various voices were ringing out in her head and screaming. There were a few that stood out. “Oh I love a good chit chat!” “The one kill sword can’t kill me if it can’t pierce the skin!” “You little bitch!” “How could you…refuse a last request…of a fellow katana user…?” “So…that must be Murasame. Just as the rumors say, it is indeed an ominous, sinister katana.” “It seems that I’ve lost.” Ruby gasped when she heard that last voice. “That one sounded like…Esdeath.”There was one more the young leader heard. “I don’t want you to kill anyone else but me, big sister.”Ruby dropped the sword and grabbed her head tightly with her head trying to drive out voices and screams. “What’s…happen…ing...?” She dropped to the floor on her knees and fell down forward unconsciously. B Weiss was tapping her foot impatiently while waiting for her leader’s return. It’s been over twenty minutes already since Ruby left to return Leone’s notebook and hasn’t been back yet. Yang was a bit annoyed by it. “Will you calm down Weiss? I’m sure Ruby is on her way.”The heiress didn’t buy it. “It shouldn’t take her this long just to return a notebook.”Blake was just reading her book as usual. “If you’re that worried about her, go and see what’s up?”Weiss took a slight offense to that. “Who’s saying that I’m worried!?”Yang laughed at her reaction. “It’s pretty obvious that you are Weiss. Come on, go and see if she’s goofing around. If she is, then you’ll be allowed to scold her. Got it?”The heiress scoffed at that. “Maybe I will. I won’t forgive that dolt if I do find her just messing around.” Without saying another word, she opened the door and left.Weiss may be putting up a tough girl act, the blonde could see right through it. “Yeesh. You think if Weiss was true to herself, it'd be a whole lot easier on her."Her girlfriend flipped another page. “It’s hard to be true to one’s feelings when one continually denies them.”Yang was impressed by the Faunus girl’s words. “Wow. Where did you hear that?”Blake turned another page. “Off a book I once read.”The blonde just chuckled at that. “Of course. Still, though, I’m kinda in the same boat as Weiss. I’m worried about Ruby too but who knows? Maybe she is doing okay and just goofing around. Wouldn’t be the first time.” B Weiss was making her way over to where Ruby was while having thoughts of her own. “Honestly, what’s keeping that dolt? She should’ve been back in like, five minutes. Less if she used her semblance.” Although she would never say it out loud, the heiress agreed with Yang said about her. Weiss was honestly worried about her partner and it didn’t help that Cornelia’s words kept sticking to her mind. “Why should I care who Ruby sees? I mean it’s not like we have that kind of relationship even though she’s honest. A little too honest but still and sees me more than some heiress to a multi-billion lien corporation and really cares for me more then I would like to admit and…” She shook her knowing where the thoughts were taking her. “Enough already! Let’s just get Ruby and go back. Plain and simple.” Just as Weiss thought of that, she was approaching team ALCE’s dorm room. The strange thing though, the door was open. “Ruby must’ve forgotten close it or something.” The heiress approached the open doorway. “Ruby, are you there? I swear if you’re-” She didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence as Weiss saw her leader on the floor not moving. “Ruby!” The heiress immediately went over to the younger girl’s side and kneeled down to her while shaking Ruby slightly. “Ruby, Ruby wake up. What’s wrong?” There was no response and that only made her more worried. She pulled out her scroll and decided to call Yang to tell what happened to her sister. While doing so, she saw the same sword Akame used laying on the floor next to Ruby. B Akame and her team were just returning to Beacon after spending the afternoon in Vale as they all seemed to enjoy their time together. That is until Akame got a text from Yang saying that something happened to Ruby. Naturally, they were worried and wondered what could’ve happened to the young leader. Esdeath especially. They were making their way to the infirmary where Ruby was. “What do you think could’ve happened to Ruby?”That was something Akame wanted to know as well. “I’m not sure but judging by the urgency of the text Yang sent, it must be serious.”That much was true. The group of girls approached to door to the infirmary and opened it. They walked into the room to see Ruby's other team members along with team JNPR with Ruby lying on the bed. "Hey, we're here. So what happened to Ruby?" Cornelia asked.Weiss turned to them and glared at Akame. “I found her unconscious in your room with Akame’s sword next to her.” Akame's eyes widened in surprise when she heard that. “I don’t know what happened to her but your sword is somehow connected as to why Ruby is out of it for some reason. So, care to explain?”Everyone was looking at Akame who lowered her head with her bangs covering her eyes. She closed hands tightly and Leone could see how upset her girlfriend was. “Akame...”The heiress was losing her patience. “Answer the question Akame! What’s up with that sword you used before?”The other girl just sighed and looked at the group in front of her directly. This wasn’t the ideal way she had hoped but it had to come to this sooner or later. “In order to answer that question, Leone and I would have to tell all of you about who we really are. It’s about time that all of you know the truth about the two of us.”That was something Weiss didn’t expect to hear. Yang was feeling a bit confused by the other girl’s words. “What do you mean the truth?”Akame just turned around away from the group. “Come by our dorm later on when Ruby wakes up. We’ll tell you everything there. Cora, Esdeath, it would be best if you remained here with the others. Leone and I need to prepare.” With that said, Akame left the room with Leone not far behind. Now everyone wondered what they had to say about themselves and finally get to the bottom of which Leone and Akame really are. B A little after Akame and Leone left, Ruby woke up not hearing the voices and screams from before. Her sister was beyond glad that she was okay and filled in her what happened before. As the group made their way to team ALCE’s dorm room, Weiss, of course, had a few questions. “What happened to you Ruby? You had no idea how worried I was when I found you lying unconscious like that.” The heiress really didn’t care what she said out loud. All she cared about was what just happened to the young leader.Ruby tried to recall the events from before. “Well…I returned Leone’s notebook like I was supposed to but then I saw Akame’s sword lying around and I thought it wouldn’t hurt if I took a quick peek. When I drew it out, suddenly, I was hearing all kinds of voices and screaming. I passed out soon after that.”Already Jaune was creeped out by hearing that. “How does a sword do that?”“We’ll know soon enough.” Ren spoke.The group approached the door and Cornelia was the first to open it. When all of them entered the room, they saw Akame holding Murasame in its sheath with Leone standing next to her. Esdeath felt nervous suddenly. Weiss crossed her arms. “Alright, we’re here. So, tell us. What is it that we should know about you two?”Akame just closed her eyes while Leone continued to look at them. The other took in a deep breath and sighed. This was it. There was no turning back after this. “First, let me say that we’re thankful to know people wonderful and kind as all of you. We were debating this for some time and now, the time has finally come for all of you to know the truth about us. The truth is…” Suddenly the group felt a bit on edge about what she was going to say including Cornelia and Esdeath. Akame opened her eyes back up and stared at her friends in front. “Leone and I, we’re former assassins.”The whole room was silent for a few seconds. No one knew what to say. Except for Jaune. He just laughed. “Ha! Good one. You two assassins.” He laughed a bit more but then noticed that not everyone was laughing along. That alone told him about how serious this was. He looked back at the two looking shocked. “Wait, you’re serious?!”The look in their eyes was enough to answer the question. Ruby was trying process this information. “Assassins? As in-”“We killed other people? Yes Ruby. That’s what it means exactly. Hell, when Akame was your age, she probably killed more people then you killed Grimm.” Leone finished.Yang tried to approach this carefully. “Okay. You’re assassins. That’s kinda freaky if you ask me and a little scary.”It was more than scary. It was downright horrifying. For the past weeks, they knew these two; this was something all of them weren’t expecting. However, it did make sense to Blake. “That would explain why Akame is so proficient when it came to fighting. She was already well trained as an assassin.”As if telling them they were assassins wasn’t enough, Akame had more to say. “That’s not all. Another fact you need to know is that Leone and I aren’t from this world.”Nora was going say something about that. “No Nora. Akame and I aren’t aliens from a distant planet.” The other girl whined as her idea was blown out of the water.Pyrrha was almost hesitant to ask her question. “What do you mean by that?”This is part Akame had to explain everything to them. She just hoped they could handle it. “It’s I’ve said. Leone and I come from a world different than yours. It isn’t as advanced but it is more dangerous. You see, we hail from a place called the Imperial Capital ruled by the Empire.”Weiss raised an eyebrow when she heard that. “Imperial Capital?”Akame nodded at her. “Yes. Many people believe they could make a name for themselves once they arrived. However, the truth behind the Capital soon strikes them when it's too late. The Capital was overrun by greed, evil, and corruption. There were those who would exploit their profit and gain by any means necessary. The Empire was the guiltiest with officials that did whatever they pleased to those less fortunate and eliminated any that opposed them. The one who was responsible for all this was the Prime Minister of the Capital, Honest." Ruby gulped as this was much heavier than what anyone could've realized. "There was a group who opposed the Empire and its corrupt ways. They were called the Revolutionary Army and their main goal was to overthrow the Empire and make it just. That, of course, was easier said than done. That is when they decided to make a small group to go in and out of the Capital with ease and weed out those who tormented those who were weak, helpless, and couldn’t fight back all with the goal of killing the Prime Minister. That group’s name was Night Raid. A group Leone and I were once part of.”Everyone else was trying to absorb the information as best as they could but still found it a bit too much to handle. They couldn’t believe such a place could exist. Much less in another world. Something Akame said caught Ruby’s interest. “Wait so when you said that you killed people…”Leone smiled at the younger girl. “Yeah. You got it. Yes, we’ve killed people but it was those who deserved it. Those that harmed innocents just to get a kick out of their twisted sense of fun. From captains in the army that just killed innocent people for the hell of it to those who exploited profit for their own gain.”That was something to ease up on. They were assassins that killed others but only to those who harmed others in different ways. That brought up some comfort to the young leader. “Oh, so you guys were like doing the right thing. Just a…little more extreme.” Leone just laughed at her words while Akame just looked away. Ruby was confused by this. “Did I say something funny?”The Faunus blonde stopped laughed and looked at the younger girl. “Aw Ruby, let me tell you this. No matter what the reason…” Suddenly, she glared deeply at the other girl. “It’s still murder.” Blake hated to admit it but she was right. It wasn’t all that different from when she was still in the White Fang. They went by any means necessary to justify their beliefs.Yang caught something else that Akame said before. “Wait, you said that you used to be part of this Night Raid group. That name, is that-”“It is.” Akame replied. “I took up my last name from that because I didn’t have one.”The blonde looked over to Leone. “And you?”Leone just put her hands behind her head. “From Wild Hunt. A bunch of bastards that did unspeakable actions to a lot of people. Trust me; you really don’t want to know.”And pretty sure they didn’t. Ruby still had more questions about their past. “So this group you two were in, they were assassins too?”Akame nodded at the question. “Yes but all of us had the same goal in mind. We all wanted to bring in a new era to the Capital and make it just. Of course, being assassins, there also marks the danger that we would never make it to the end and that is true.” She lowered her head. “Sheele, Bulat, Chelsea, Susanoo, Lubbock, Mine, and Tatsumi. They were all of our friends and one by one, they were killed. Only me, Leone, and our boss, Najenda survived. I even almost lost Leone near the end. The only other member who survived was Mine but she was put into a coma after a major battle and hasn’t woken up since.” Yang couldn’t help but feel sorry for the two girls. They’ve lost people they cared about. She really couldn’t imagine the pain she would feel if Yang ever lost those close to her. “And they’re not the first people that I’ve lost. I’ve lost others before them.”The group was surprised to know that. Leone thought she should elaborate. “You see, before Akame joined the Revolutionary Army, she was with the Empire.”Her girlfriend decided to finish the rest. “I was first part of a team called the Elite Seven. They were seven people who had exceptional skill and fighting prowess and were ranked from weakest to strongest. I was ranked seventh. However, one by one those I was closest to were taken away from me.” She looked directly at Cornelia. “Even you Cora.”The blonde was taken a bit back when her leader told her that. “Wait, what do you mean by that?”This was something Akame absolutely had to say. “Believe it or not, you were part of the same team I was. You were ranked third and…you were killed.”Cornelia’s blood suddenly went cold. “So…that’s why you asked if I knew who you really were and why you fainted when we first met.” The thought of her being an assassin was unimaginable to her. Hearing her death only made it worse. There were a few blanks, though. "But if what you said is true, if I was killed then how am I alive? I've never met you before or heard any of this to begin with! This is all new to me and to be honest, a bit creepy!"Akame already knew the answer to that. “To my best guess, you’re a different Cornelia then the one I knew from before. You’re this world’s Cornelia while I knew the one back in my world. The two of you are different and yet somehow the same. You couldn’t imagine how I felt when I saw you. It was like I was seeing a ghost and…I was happy to see you again.”Cornelia would be touched by this if she still wasn’t creeped out by what she heard. She was killed in another world. How would someone be able to take that? Blake remembered something else. Something important Leone once told them. “What about your sister?” Everyone else looked over to her. “Leone said you used to have a sister. How did she fit into all of this?”Akame’s response was one hand tightening the grip around Murasame while the other just close up tightly. “Kurome, Kurome was…”Again Leone should explain for her. “After Akame left the Empire to join the Revolutionary Army, her sister stayed behind. In short, they were enemies.” That hit home the most with Ruby and Yang.Akame calmed down and decided to continue on. “To start off, Kurome and I were as close as sisters could be. When we were sold off, we were suddenly placed in a forest where anything could kill you. We’ve spent a majority of the time protecting each other and made it out. That is, of course, they separated us. That was when I joined the Elite Seven while Kurome was put in another team. When I decided to leave the Empire, I wanted to take her with me but she refused. To her, leaving the Empire is the same as betraying those who were close to her. She never forgave me after that. Since then, her goal in life was to take the life of her older sister.”Yang suddenly held her sister’s hand and Ruby held on tight to it. The blonde couldn’t help but feel nervous. “I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like. Hell, I can’t even imagine Ruby and me in their shoes. I wouldn’t know what to do if we were enemies.”Ruby gulped as she was almost afraid to ask her next question. “W-What happened to her then?”Akame just closed her eyes. “I was the one who took Kurome’s life. I killed my little sister.”Silence came once again to the people in the room. Yang, of course, had her eyes turned red as she barged over to where the other girl was and grabbed her shirt. “YOU KILLED YOUR OWN SISTER!? HOW COULD YOU LIVE WITH YOURSELF DOING THAT!? YOU SHOULD’VE FOUND ANOTHER WAY INSTEAD OF WHAT YOU JUST DID!”Her arm was suddenly grabbed by Leone who tightened her hold on the other blonde. Yang turned to her only to see a serious look on the Faunus girl’s face. “Calm…down and listen. Don’t you think that’s what Akame didn’t want? Of course, she wanted to save Kurome. Hell, that’s the reason why she joined the Revolutionary Army in the first place but you have no idea what her sister had to go through. How would you feel if someone pumped Ruby full of drugs, skinning her life away and making her dependent on them all the while wreaking her brain at the same time because that’s what happened to Kurome. Even if Akame wanted to save her, it was up to Kurome whether or not she wanted her help. In the end, what happened was unavoidable.That still wasn’t good enough for Yang. “Then she should’ve found another way to resolve it!”“If there were such a way, I would’ve gladly taken it!” The blonde looked back to Akame. “I didn’t want things to end the way they did!” Tears were starting to come out of her eyes. “How do you think I feel?! I protected Kurome from when we were little only for her to be taken away from me and I had to do it with my own two hands!” Her body began to glow and her markings started to appear. “Out of all the kills I’ve committed, Kurome’s the one I regretted the most. I wanted to save her but I couldn’t because there was no other way!”Yang suddenly let go of Akame and took a few steps back trying to figure out what was going on. “What’s with her body?”Leone was suddenly worried about the other girl. “Akame, your markings…” The markings on Akame’s body were on full display for everyone to see. She was panting heavily and glared at the rest of the group in front of her with her demonic looking black and red eyes.While everyone was a bit afraid of this, Nora had to admit it was rather cool looking if not a bit scary. Akame just looked away. “So now you know. These markings on my body, they represent the sins I’ve committed using Murasame. All the people’s lives that I took while using it.”Now it made sense to Ruby. The voices and the screaming she heard before, they belong to the people Akame had killed before. This was a question she had to ask. “Just, what is that sword exactly?”Akame just brought it in front of the group for them to see. “Murasame is what it’s known as an Imperial Arms.”Ren wondered what that was. “Imperial Arms?”Akame nodded at him. “Yes. They’re known as legendary weapons, forged one thousand years ago by the order of the first emperor of the Capital. Forty-eight of them were created but five hundred years later when a civil war broke out, half of them were lost and the rest were scattered throughout the land. The Empire acquired most of them back however. Murasame is one of them and is called the One Cut Killer Sword. There is one more thing you should know about Imperial Arms. Whenever two Imperial Arm users fight each other, one of them is always killed in the end.” That left a very cryptic atmosphere having said that.Jaune, of course, had to ask about something. “When you say one cut killer, does that actually mean-”“It does.” The other leader replied. “Murasame’s main power is that whenever it cuts into the skin of the opponent’s, a powerful and deadly poison takes effect spreading quickly and effectively killing them. There is no antidote for it.” That explained why she said it wasn’t very good for sparring purposes. One cut from it and that person is pretty much dead. “Everyone in Night Raid possessed an Imperial Arms. Including Leone.” She turned to her girlfriend. “You want to tell them?”The Faunus blonde just smiled. “Might as well.”Blake couldn't help but feel a bit curious as to why her supposed daughter was smiling like that. “Tell us what exactly?”Leone looked at the group directly this time. "You see, the truth about me is that I was once human. I became a Faunus when Akame and I arrived in this world. Try to imagine me without the lion ears and long hair and that's what I really look like. The Imperial Arms I used to have was called the Animal King: Lionel. What you see before you is me in a somewhat half transformed beast state. That's where my insane strength and my semblance came from. In fact, my semblance used to be my Imperial Arm's trump card. I was pretty surprised I regained the powers I used to have, to be honest." She laughed awkwardly at that.Now that everyone was having a hard time believing and imagining. Especially for Yang and Blake. “There is one more Imperial Arm user all of you should know.” Everyone looked back to Akame. “The Empire we were fighting against had no shortage of powerful warriors at their beckoned call. However, one stood up on top and she was the most dangerous to the Revolutionary Army. Her strength and power were revered everywhere she went. She was a monster above anything else. This woman was a cruel, unforgiving sadist who despised the weak and killed them all the while satiating her appetite for war and bloodshed. She tortured those for the enjoyment of hearing their screams of agony. This woman was nothing more than a complete mass murder that cared little for anything else other than her interests.” Just the descriptions alone were enough to scare everyone. They couldn’t imagine someone like that existing. “This woman was the Empire’s strongest and her name was…” She looked over to her last teammate. “General Esdeath.”Esdeath’s heart stopped for just a second while fear and confusion was clearly shown in her eyes. “H-Hold on. I…really can’t be all of those things you said before right? I mean…”“Akame is telling the truth.” Esdeath looked over to Leone who was giving her the same look as Akame. “Back in our world, you were a terror among anything else. You even had an Imperial Arms that could manipulate ice at your command. Your semblance isn't all that different from it. Hell, you cut me into pieces and that still scares the shit out of me to this day.”Esdeath just shook her head. “But I’m not this Esdeath you knew! I’m not any of those things! I want to help people damn it! Not kill them!”“How do you think we felt when we saw you?” Leone spoke. “Our first thought when we saw you was how this godforsaken person was still alive? Akame was the one who killed you in the first place and put an end to your terror.”Esdeath quietly gasped when she heard that and turned to Akame. “Is…that true?”Akame just closed her eyes. “It is. In fact, I had to use Murasame’s trump card if ever wanted to stand a chance against you. If you were to gauge how powerful you were back in our world, it’s something like this. It would take a total of fifty thousand elite soldiers including ten Imperial Arm users, including myself to take you down.” Yang whistled at that.Esdeath was trying to process that. “I was…that powerful?”Her leader nodded at the question. “Yes, you were. However…” She opened her eyes once again. “Like Cornelia, you’re this world’s Esdeath. Someone entirely different than the one we knew from before. In fact, you’re the complete opposite of her. Well aside, a few things.”Leone chuckled at that. “Yeah, like how you’re in love with Ruby just because she has a nice smile.”Esdeath’s face went red with embarrassment while Weiss just had her mouth open. “L-Love!?” Ruby was having a hard time trying to take that in.The Faunus blonde nodded. “Uh-huh. You were the same to a friend of ours, Tatsumi. Although you were a bit more extreme. Let’s just leave it at that.”Esdeath was still trying to comprehend the whole love thing as was Ruby. Weiss, on the other hand, was now very worried. Akame let out a sigh as this whole ordeal was finally over. “So now, all of you know. About us and who were from before. I know all of it must be hard to believe but it’s the truth. Now the only remaining question is what will you do now that you know this?”Everyone else was looking at each other. In a way, they were glad that they told them the truth about themselves. There was just one unanswered question left. “If what everything you said is true, then how did you come into our world in the first place?” Weiss asked.That was a question both Leone and Akame wondered. “Let’s see. It was six months since Akame and I saw each other, we ran into each other in that forest and-” She gasped as the Faunus blonde finally realized something. “Holy crap. Akame!”Apparently, her girlfriend must’ve figured something out. “What is it?”Leone couldn’t believe it took her this long to figure out. “Remember what I told you about that forest we were in? That there was some deity or god that grants wishes for those who cry out for help? I think that’s what happened to us. You remember what you wished for right?”Akame really had to think back on that one. “I believe I wished to start over and start anew somewhere else.”Her girlfriend snapped her fingers. “That’s it! That’s why we were brought here in the first place! Akame, your wish actually came true!” The Faunus blonde laughed as she hugged the other girl.The rest of the group really didn’t follow what was going on. “Uh…mind telling us for those who are lost?” Jaune pointed out.The two girls looked over to him and separated. “Right. So here’s how it went down. Yes, the Revolutionary Army did win the war but as a result, it pretty much meant that Akame and I weren’t needed anymore. Tatsumi said at one time that us assassins would be out of the business once peaceful times came around and he was right.” She couldn’t help but smile. “Still, that’s in the past now. We’re here with all of you now, trying to become huntress and met so many people in this world. You have no idea how happy that made the two of us. Hell, Akame here gets to see a former teammate of hers still alive and kicking on her team and Esdeath, even if you were all the things Akame said before, we’re…actually kinda glad you’re on our side.”Akame smiled at Leone’s kind words and her markings faded away. “Leone is right. We’re thankful to have met you all and showed us so many new things this world has to offer. I only hope that we…still have what we have even though you now know the whole truth about us. The only thing left now is to hear what all of you think of this.”After hearing all of that, Ruby pretty much made up her mind. “I’ll tell you what I think.” She walked over to the two girls and hugged them both as she smiled. “I think we’re lucky to have met both of you.” She separated from the two. “I mean yeah, it’s kinda crazy how you two used to be assassins and all but that’s all in the past if you ask me.” The young leader turned to her team. “What do you think?”Yang just crossed her arms under her breasts. “Well, I’m still not happy with what Akame had to do with her sister, I’ll give her that much. Still, at least I know you tried your best trying to save her. I would’ve done the same thing for my sister except a little harder you know. I am glad that the two of you told us all of that.”Weiss just looked away. “Well, as for me, it’ll take some getting used to. At least you were honest to goodness assassins, as strange as that sounds and is.”Blake just smiled at them. “In a way, I do sympathize with the both of you, knowing similar experiences and all.”Team RWBY looked over to team JNPR to see what they thought of all of this. Jaune was the first to speak or rather sigh. “Well, you’re good people. That’s as much as I can think.”Pyrrha smiled at him and offered a bit more. “What he’s trying to say is that we’re glad to have met people like you despite what you’ve done previously.”Nora, on the other hand, was quite excited. “You two are more awesome in my book. It’s not every day you get to be friends with assassins! Hey, do you think you can teach me a few assassin moves? I so want to learn.”Ren just sighed and he facepalmed at that. “That’s the last thing we need.”Now it came down to the two most important people as everyone looked towards them. Esdeath couldn’t help but feel nervous again while Cornelia just sighed. “If you want my opinion, this whole thing has been weird. From you saying that you’re assassins, from another world, knowing that I’m practically dead which is the creepiest out of them all. Still…” She smiled at her two teammates. “From what I learned being with you two, I just see the girls whose team I joined and glad to know of and be part of. That’s what’s important to me.”Now everyone’s eyes were set onto Esdeath. She couldn’t help but felt like she was having stage fright. “W-Well, I’ll have you know I’m never going or will be the Esdeath you knew before. I just hope things won’t continue to be awkward between us. Even after everything you told us, I would still like to be friends with you, if that’s okay.”And that was it. The fear Akame had from what the others had to say about them was completely gone. She felt Leone hold her hand and smiled. “Guess we got our answer huh?”Akame smiled back and looked at the group in front once again. “Thank you, everyone.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New BeginningKill Seventeen: Reason and PurposeThe day finally arrived for all teams of Beacon to choose their team activity mission. Every team was choosing their mission to do while a teacher from Beacon overlooked them. Cornelia was certainly excited about. "This is so great! This'll be our first mission as a team together!"Leone understood what the other blonde felt and laughed. "Good thing we have a full team now to do this huh?" It was a big moment for all of them. Now that Akame and Leone have successfully fulfilled their conditions, they'll be allowed to partake in team missions now. They made their way to the nearest terminal and wanted to select their mission. They had hoped it would be something really cool. However, reality hit them hard as they've seen the conditions for each mission. "Aw man. Are you kidding me? The upperclassmen get all the good ones."Although Akame was saddened by this, she still didn't mind which mission they would do as long as they were together. "Hello there ladies."The team looked over to see where they heard the voice and found out who it belonged to. "Professor Ozpin."The head professor smiled at the group of girls. "I see all of you are doing well. Tell me, Akame, how do you like your team thus far?"Akame looked over to Cornelia and Esdeath and smiled. "They're wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better team."Ozpin just smiled at her. "I only did half my part. The other was on your own." He walked past the group. "I do hope all of you continue to grow as a team and gain something out of it."As he passed Akame, she decided to tell him something important. "We told them the truth."Ozpin stopped walking and just closed his eyes. "That's good to hear. I was wondering whether or not you would tell them. I'm glad to know now that you told them. Trust is an essential part of being a team." He opened his eyes. "Remember that." Ozpin continued on his way.Leone was a bit skeptical about her girlfriend's decision to tell him. "You sure that was a good idea telling him that?"The other girl nodded at the question. "He had the right to know. Now that Cora and Esdeath know about us, there's no reason to keep it hidden from anyone else."She had a point but still. "Alright but don't go announcing it to the whole school. Let's just keep it between our friends okay?""Ahem." They heard a throat being cleared and turned to said team members with Cornelia tapping her foot. "We're right here you know."Leone chuckled nervously. "Right. Sorry about that."Esdeath smiled at them. "It's alright. Shall we pick our mission then?" That was something the rest of the team could agree on. They selected a mission for the first years that seemed the most interesting to them. All that was left was to prepare for the mission and head out. B Team ALCE was making their way to the helicopter where their instructor was awaiting them. Along the way, they saw team RWBY and JNPR along with Sun and Neptune. "Hey everyone!"All of them looked over to the other team and Yang smiled. "Hey! I'm guessing you're heading off to your mission too?"Leone smiled at the question. "Yeah but it's pretty basic if you ask me." The Faunus blonde continued to look at her 'parents' and wanted to clear something about. "Listen, Yang, about what we told you before-"Before she could finish her sentence, Yang just suddenly hugged the other blonde in a lovely motherly say. "It's alright. We're totally fine with it now. Besides, you'll still be my wonderful daughter no matter whom you are or who you were." She separated the hug and smiled at her supposed daughter. "Got it?"The Faunus blonde smiled back at Yang. "Yeah. Thanks."While this was a touching a moment, Sun and Neptune were completely lost. "Do you have any idea what that was all about? Why did Yang say that Leone was her kid?" Sun asked.Neptune just shrugged. "Beats me."Ruby also noticed something else that Akame was carrying. "You're bringing your other sword Akame?"The other girl brought it for everyone to see. "Yes. I'm sure it'll be allowed since this is an actual mission. Of course, I will still be bringing Yatsufusa with me."The other leader was still a bit unsure if Akame should bring along that sword but it was her decision. "Okay then. Just be careful with it." The other girl nodded to that.Since they were all here, Esdeath had a question for the younger girl. "So, what mission did you choose?"Blake decided to answer that question. "We're going to Mountain Glenn."Cornelia recognized the name of that. "Mountain Glenn? Isn't that one of the missions for the upperclassmen? How did you get that?"Yang just flashed a peace sign. "Being awesome, that's what." Somehow this just didn't seem fair to the other team. "So what mission did you end up getting?"Leone sighed at their mission. "Going out into the deeper part of the Emerald Forest. It was the only one that seemed interesting to us."Despite their cop out, Pyrrha smiled at the group. "Well, still good luck with it."Ren was the same but he was still bothered by something else. "As for us, our flight's been delayed a bit."The Faunus blonde laughed at that. "Wow. That sucks."Akame checked the time on her scroll and narrowed her eyes. "We should get going now. Good luck on your mission."Ruby nodded to that. "Same to you. Take care."Akame was the first to pass to her but suddenly narrowed her eyes. "You should be careful. Something is going on from behind the shadows." With that cryptic messaged received, Ruby turned around to see the other girl walk away wondering what she meant by that.The rest of team ALCE soon followed their leader and made their way to their helicopter. However, Esdeath stopped and looked back to the young leader. "If you don't mind me asking Ruby, why are carrying a large bag?"The younger giggled nervously. "Oh, I just want to be prepared that's all. Don't mind it at all." Esdeath saw the bag slightly move and was all the more curious about it. She decided to let it go and catch up with the rest of her team.As the team approached their helicopter, Leone had a few questions about the mission they were about to embark. Primarily, who their instructor was. "So who do you think is going to look after us?"Akame was wondering about that as well. "I'm not sure. I think they assign a teacher at random depending what the mission is."Cornelia saw the helicopter up ahead and saw someone standing in front of it. "Hey, someone is already here."The rest of group looked ahead as well and Leone groaned. "Ohh. Not him."The team approached the helicopter and their instructor, Professor Port. "Greetings ladies. I hope all of you are prepared for the mission ahead."The Faunus blonde sighed. Her opinion of the teacher in front was split. He could be hilarious at one point but on the other hand, he would keep rambling on about his former heroic days as a hunter. The others had the same idea. All except one of them. "Oh, we have you as our instructor? That's nice."And her team members just looked at her weirdly. "Nice?"Esdeath turned to them and smiled. "Of course. I actually like the stories he tells us. I find them quite fascinating."Port cleared his throat. "If all of you are ready, let us board the helicopter at once." He turned around and stepped into the helicopter.Akame was the first to board the vehicle and sat down as she turned to her teacher. "If you don't mind sir, I'll be bringing my other sword, if that is alright with you."Her teacher observed the sword closely. "As long as you're careful with it that is fine." The rest of the team boarded the aircraft as well. "Let us be off now!" The helicopter started up and lifted off the ground to their destination.Being from a different world, Akame and Leone were beyond amazed that such a craft existed. The same could be said when they first boarded the airship with Ruby and the others. Their trip to their destination would be fairly short so they enjoyed it as much as they could. While doing so, Cornelia still had a few unanswered questions about Akame's weapon. "So…Akame…"Her leader turned to her. "What is it, Cora?"The blonde continued to eye the sword. "Could you explain why your sword attacked Ruby the way it did? It's still a little weird."Akame looked at her Murasame closely. "What happened to Ruby was unfortunate but it was natural. You see, in order to use an Imperial Arms, it must have a good affinity with the user. They reject a person who has a poor affinity with it. In short, Murasame rejected Ruby since they were not compatible."Esdeath had a question of her own. "And what of the name for your other sword? Since Leone's is named after the weapon she had, what's the reason behind it?"Her leader looked back to her other sword and back to the other girl. "It was the name of the Imperial Arms that Kurome once used. In a way, it feels like we're fighting together once again."Port heard part of the observation and stroked his mustache. "Now I understand why you're so confident as to why no one else but you can wield such a weapon Miss Night."Both Esdeath and Cornelia looked over at their teacher. "Hold on. You knew about her weapon?" Esdeath asked.Her teacher nodded at the question. "Quite right. Ozpin had told the teaching staff everything about these two young girls and their history. I assume they told you the truth about them as well?"Cornelia nodded at his question. "Yes. They also told Ruby and her team, and JNPR as well. To be honest, it was a bit much at first but…" She smiled sweetly. "They're still our friends and teammates. Like my papa always said, don't judge a person solely by their actions but who they really are."Esdeath smiled at that. "I'm the same way. Yes, what they did was a bit scary to me but to me, they'll still good people."Professor Port took in the words of his students. "Well, first let me say that I must congratulate the both of you for sharing your dreadful past. However, what has happened in the past does not matter in today's moments but as long as you learn from your past experiences, you'll be able to use them to be become better huntresses toward the future."That was actually insightful to the team. Leone even clapped to that. "Wow. Those were some pretty good words there Professor Pork.""Port." Akame corrected her girlfriend.The Faunus blonde chuckled awkwardly. "Right. Sorry."In the back of his mind, Port was glad that these two girls trusted others to tell them of their past lives. That alone told them that they were learning to become better people than they were previously. Still, he couldn't imagine what his two students had to go through. Yes, he had heard about their struggles but it was still an unbelievable tale. Speaking of which… "Since now that we have all of that straightened out, let us pass the rest of our time recalling one of my many tales as a great hunter!" The three members of team ALCE groaned while Esdeath cheered. B The helicopter landed on a grassy cliff overlooking part of the Emerald Forest. The position was ideal so no Grimm would attack the group and was a great camping spot. The best part, however, was that they didn't need to hear more of Professor Port's stories. That alone was a godsend for Leone. Port scouted the surrounded surrounding area. "Alright then ladies, the first order of business is to set up camp. There will be two groups to this. One to pitch up the tents and one to scout out for edible sustenance and firewood. Who will do what?"Leone already raised up her hand. "I'll do the whole scout for food thing. I can be pretty good at hunting."Esdeath also raised her hand. "I would like to help too. My father taught me a lot about tracking and hunting."Cornelia smiled at them. "I guess that leaves Akame and me to setting up the tents."Port nodded at the given assignments. "Then it's settled!"Already Leone began to crouch. "Then let's get started!" She launched herself into the air and jumped over the cliff to the forest below.Esdeath became worried as she ran to the edge of the cliff. "Leone!""It's alright." Esdeath turned to her leader who was already beginning to pitch up a tent. "Given the circumstances, Leone is probably the most dangerous one around here. She'll be okay."The other girl looked down to the cliff for a few seconds. "I think…I'll just take the side path. I'll be right back." She left the site using the path more traveled.While the L and E were out hunting and gathering, the A and C were almost done pitching up the tents. While doing so, Cornelia wondered about something. She looked over to her teacher. "Excuse me, Professor Port. What exactly are we doing here anyway? It kinda feels like we're camping out more than it is an actual mission."He had a feeling one of his students would ask something like that. "It's for building experience. Hunters and Huntresses sometimes must survive out in the wilderness of their surroundings while taking part of a task and knowing them is just as important. This mission is an essential part of making your path to becoming a huntress."Akame tightened the knot on one of the tents. "He's right you know." The blonde turned to her leader being surprised that she actually agreed with him. "It's always best to know your surroundings, knowing the dangers around if you want to survive no matter where you are."Coming from Akame, she would know a lot about that. "I guess you're right on that. I think out of all us, you have the most experience about this."Her leader nodded at the statement. "Of course." She stood up. "Let's prepare the site for the campfire. Knowing Leone, she's already making her way back with the firewood and something to eat."Cornelia stood up as well. "Right. Let's get to it." Not too long after, as Akame said, Leone was the first to come back with the firewood and Esdeath came back not too long after with some non-Grimm game. It wasn't long before the fire started up and was cooking some of the animals Esdeath caught. After that, everyone seemed to be having a good time. There was even some laughter going as Leone and Akame were opening up a bit more about the good times with the friends they had before. Cornelia giggled a bit more. "Wow Akame. Your friends sound like really good people and funny too."Her leader smiled at that. "Of course, they were." She looked up to the night sky. "I still miss them so much time to time."Leone put her hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. "Same here. You're not the only one." She looked up to the night sky as well. "You know, since we've been here for a while, I've been seeing some similarities between the friends we have now and the friends we had before."Esdeath was interested to know about that. "How so?"Both girls looked at their two members and smiled. Akame decided to start off first. "Well for one, I can imagine Mine getting along well with Ruby since they have similar taste in weaponry. The same could be said for Lubbock. In fact, he would probably like the different kinds of weapons this world has to offer."Leone chuckled at that. "Well for me, I'd say Sheele would get along with Blake since they like to read and I can totally see Bulat getting along well with Yang. Funny enough, Jaune actually reminds me a bit of Tatsumi. Even down to the whole awkwardness."Akame could see that as well. "And I'm sure Chelsea would get along with Coco." Now she had to think about the last two members of the team. "Although, I'm not sure how Su and Najenda would fit into all of this."Leone had an answer to that. "They could be like fighting instructors for the sparring class. That would really cool."Cornelia and Esdeath smiled as they were glad to see their other teammates talking so fondly about their previous friends. Port was the same as well. "Let me tell you that it is good that you are talking about past comrades. While it is a shame that you've lost them, remember this. Though your past may bring you down at times, remembering the fonder memories you cherished the most will help you push through the trials you have yet to face."Cornelia clapped at that and brought out a notebook. "That was good. I have to write it down." She began scribbling down the words.The Faunus grinned at her teacher's words. "Again, points for you saying cool stuff."Akame smiled as she lowered her head. "And they're true. We may miss them time to time but I'll always remember the fun times we've had together. That alone will help me push through any challenge I may face later on."Port nodded at the words. "Truer words have never been spoken Miss Night. With that said, I would like to know an answer from each of you." The girls looked over to their teacher, curious as to what he was going to ask them. "Why is it that each one of you wants to become a huntress? Miss Night, you will start us off. What is your answer?"Akame had to think about that for a bit and came up with her answer. "To me, I see it as a way to start over as a new chance to live my life given to me as I see fit now. As an assassin, I could never see the light at the end of my path for I knew it would lead me to my death someday. However, as I am now, I can see that light now. For the first time, I can see myself having a future."Port took account with Akame's answer. "I see." He turned to Leone. "And what of you Miss Wild?"Like Akame, the Faunus Blonde had to think about the question. "Well, to be honest, my answer is probably the same as Akame's. I mean I never would've imagined myself I would be in this kind of position. Meeting Akame again, meeting all of you, having this chance to start all over as a huntress in training. I'm thankful for that and I'll gladly continue what I'll do as a huntress as I've done as an assassin. Within legal reasons of course."Her teacher made a note of that. Now he turned to Cornelia. "What is your reason wanting to become a huntress Miss King?"The human blonde didn't need to think about that. "It's simple. I want to become a great hunter like my papa. He did more than save me from a fire. He gave me a new life that I could live. I've always looked up to him and it's because of him I'm here now. I want to become a huntress to change lives for the better, just as he did for me."Akame couldn't help but admire Cornelia's reason for becoming a hunter. Perhaps Gozuki was a better influence on her in this world. Again, Port made note of her reason. "I see." Finally, he looked over to Esdeath. "And you, Miss Partas?"Esdeath just looked down at her hands. "I have two reasons why I want to become a huntress. The first is to prove those who are wrong about my power. I want to show them that my power could help others for the greater good. The second is that I want to fight for those who can't fight for themselves. I want to make sure that nothing bad ever befalls to them." Once again, this Esdeath breaks the mold of the one Leone and Akame once knew.Port took each of their answers to heart and stood up. "Very well then. It is time now to turn in. We have a busy day tomorrow so rest up. One of you will have to keep a lookout and take turns. We may be in a safe location from Grimm attacks but that is no reason to let down your guard. Is that clear?"The members of team ALCE nodded. "Yes!"That was all their teacher needed to hear. "Excellent. I shall take the first watch and we will switch out in two hours at a time. The rest of you, sleep soundly."Akame raised her hand before they could do that. "I wouldn't mind taking the next shift."Port nodded to that. "Very well then. I shall bid all of you goodnight." B The group was soundly asleep for the night. Akame and Leone, as usual, were sleeping together in one tent while Cornelia and Esdeath were in the other. Just as Akame said, she was the next to take up watch. After her was Leone, then it moved on to Cornelia, and lastly to Esdeath before Port could take up watch again. It was a seemingly peaceful night for them with no interruptions. That is until the clanking of utensils suddenly woke the team up and they all screamed. They unzipped their tents and came out still wearing their battle outfits. Leone was the first to groan. "Come on, what's with the noise? I was having a good dream."Cornelia yawned. "What time is? I think this is way too early to start off the day."Esdeath looked over the horizon to see the sunrise. "Seems to me it's about that to be morning."Akame rubbed her eyes and saw that it was Professor Port who was holding the utensils. "What's the meaning of waking us up all of a sudden?"Port threw down the utensils and he an unusually serious look if they could call it that. "I apologize for the rude awaking but we must leave now. The mission is canceled and we must return at once."That was enough to wake Akame up. "Why? What happened?"Their teacher looked at his students directly. What he told them next surprised them all. "Vale is under attack by Grimm." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New BeginningKill Eighteen: Behind the ShadowsIn a dorm located in Beacon, Cinder was overlooking the data she stole from the CCT and read into each any student that caught her eye. This was something both Mercury and Emerald noticed that she was doing a lot. "Haven't you had enough already? I'm pretty sure we already have the data for the ones that are of interest."Cinder just smirked at Mercury's words. "Not quite. True, we have learned a lot from some that attend here but, there are those that have caught my interest more so than Pyrrha Nikkos."Emerald had a pretty good idea who she was talking about. "You mean that chick with the red eyes and her team. What, you found out something about them?"Cinder brought out the profile list and looked up team ALCE's data. "Let's start off with their latest member. Esdeath Partas. From what it says here, she hails from the north of Remnant and was the top student at the school she attended previously. She is the only one on the team who does not use a weapon due to the power of her semblance which itself is unusually powerful." She smiled at that last fact. "What a wonderful ability she has." She swiped to Cornelia's data. "Then there is Cornelia King. From what her background says, she's the adoptive daughter of a hunter called Gozuki King who saved her from a fire a long time ago. She is very directive in her fighting style and her semblance is often used as a tactic along with it. That alone made her achieve top marks in the school she attended once before transferring to Beacon." Cinder then swiped to Leone. One of the two girls that caught her interest greatly. "The Faunus of the group, Leone Wild. Never before have I seen such a being like her. With strength like hers and with a semblance to recover from any injury, no matter how severe it is, makes her a very powerful and dangerous opponent."Mercury scoffed at the words but he had to agree. "No kidding. That chick is a freaking monster. How is anyone supposed to beat that kind of combination?"Emerald just giggled at that. "I have a way. Let's see if she can recover if a bullet went through her head. Either that or through that rack of hers to the heart."Cinder then swiped to Akame's profile. The one girl that caught her interest the most. "Akame Night. She's no slouch when it comes to fighting as well. Obviously, she is very skilled with a sword and doesn't hesitate to take advantage of an opening, no matter how small it is. The one thing I don't know about her is what her semblance is." She smirked at that thought. "No matter. It just adds more to the mysterious charm this girl has."That was something else Emerald noticed about Cinder lately. "You've been gushing over that chick for a while now Cinder. What is it that makes you so interested in her?"The other woman just closed her eyes. "Simple really. It's her eyes. Not the color they are but how hardened they look. She may fool some but when I first saw them, I knew this girl was something special. She's unlike the rest of the students who are happy go lucky. No, her eyes tell me that she's witnessed pure hell before. I would love to know more about her." She opened up her eyes. "After all, while looking through her data, I've discovered something interesting about her and her Faunus friend as well."Mercury was a little interested in this now. "And what would that be?"Cinder tapped her scroll a few times and presented it the profile pictures and data to her two cohorts. "There is no record of them having attending schools before Beacon. In fact, all of this info was created not too long ago. Strange, is it not?"Emerald took a closer look at the profile. "Freaking weird is more like it. What, these two didn't exist weeks ago and now they're here? How does that even work?"Mercury just smiled at this development. "Looks like these two have a few skeletons in their closet."That was something Cinder could agree on. She looked at their profiles again and continued to smile. "Indeed. I wonder just what kind of secrets these two are hiding. Perhaps we shall find out soon enough." All of sudden, an alarm was blaring off that caught their attention. The three exit out of their dorm room and went outside to see what was happening. Sure enough, it was something that bothered Cinder a little. "It can't be. It's not time yet."Emerald thought the same. "Yeah, no kidding. I thought this wasn't supposed to happen for a little while longer."Mercury looked over to Cinder. "So, what now?" B Akame and her team were making their way back to Beacon and hopefully to Vale. They didn't have time to pack up their things as a Grimm invasion did kinda take top priority. All of them were wondering how something like this even happened in the first place. "How the hell does a freaking Grimm invasion happen in the middle of town?" Leone asked.Her teacher had the answer. "From Ozpin has explained to me, there is a breach in one of the walls surrounding Vale. His orders are for all hunters and huntresses to gather to the root of the problem and contain the situation before it goes out of hand."Akame looked down to the ground contemplating this situation. "I guess it's a good thing we chose a mission that's the closest to Vale. We need to hurry as soon as possible."Port nodded to that. "Quite right. Let us ride like the wind!" The helicopter picked up speed. B The team arrived at Vale quickly as possible and already they saw other teams from Beacon fighting off the Grimm. Seeing the situation now made them realize how dire the situation this really was. "Is there any chance we can reach to this breach? I believe that's the only way to further stop any Grimm from coming in."Port was already on that. "We're approaching it now."As the helicopter did, the team saw a very large hole in a wall where the Grimm was coming out of. Then all of them noticed four certain girls in the center of all it. "Is that Ruby and her team?"Leone looked as well and sure enough, it was. "That's them but what are they doing so near this spot in the first place?"Akame had a thought. "Perhaps they're involved in this?""How does a mission from Mountain Glenn result in something like this?" Everyone wanted the same answer as Cornelia but they would have to figure it out later.Right now, they needed help. "Well, let's give them a hand. Let's go Akame!" She jumped out of the helicopter releasing Lionel in its weapon form with Akame following behind her.Cornelia thought they were nuts. "Are you crazy!? We're high up in the air!"Her hand was suddenly grabbed by Esdeath. "Then we should plan out our landing. Let's go!" And she dragged the blonde out of the helicopter as well when they both jumped out of it. Naturally, Cornelia screamed.Port looked down to his falling students and couldn't help but feel a bit worried. "Oh dear."Back down below, team RWBY was trying their best slaying one Grimm after another but as long as the hole remained opened, they continued to come out of it. Yang fired off more shots from Ember Cecilia. "These bastards keep on coming!"Her sister decapitated an Ursa Major and shot a Beowolf after it. "This is really bad."Weiss and Blake went back to back. "Just what was the White Fang doing in Mountain Glenn in the first place?"That was something Blake wanted to know. First trying to steal a shipment of dust from the docks and now this. Clearly, something was up but didn't have time to think about it. "We'll figure that out later. We have to stop them from getting into the city." They were ready to deal with the next wave of Grimm coming at them."Weiss Schenbal!" Suddenly countless icicles rained down upon the Grimm surrounding them and were impaled by them.The team wondered what just happened but they recognized the attack. "Hey, that's-"Ruby's sentence was interrupted by another voice. "Coming at ya fuckers!" Leone struck a Death Stalker upon landing it and it cried out in pain.Yang was certainly happy to see her. "Hey! Thanks for dropping by!"Akame landed on the ground safely behind the other team despite falling high from the sky. They turned around to her. "Akame?" Weiss spoke.The other girl stood up and observed the situation around her. "Do you mind explaining how all of this happened?"Blake just looked away. "It's a long story but we'll tell you later. Let's just deal with this first." Akame didn't need to hear more and drew out Yatsufusa.Cornelia continued to scream as she and Esdeath kept falling. "We're going to crash!"Her teammate held out her hand in front. "Hold on!" She used her power to create a spiral ice path all the way to the ground and both girls slid on the ice until they reached the ground. The human blonde of the group groaned. "Let's never do that again." The two girls saw the number of Grimm surrounding them.Each of the girls scanned their surroundings and already decided their course of action. "Members of team ALCE! I hereby give the order, to bury them all!"Leone smiled at the order. "You heard our leader girls. Let's kill us some Grimm!" Cornelia and Esdeath nodded and sprang into action. Insert Akame Ga Kill Opening One song The Faunus looked down to see that the Death Stalker she hit before was still alive. She smiled as an idea came to her. She jumped down to where its tail was and grabbed it. "Come here ya big bastard!" Leone grunted as she entirely lifted the Grimm over her and slammed it back onto the ground. The various Grimm around her rushed right at her but she just smiled. "Let's see how you like this!" She swung the Death Stalker right at the Grimm who tried to attack her all around and that seemed to finish them off quickly. The Faunus blonde then threw the Grimm into the air and jumped right in front of it. Leone pulled back her arm and closed her hand tightly. "Go back to where you fucking belong!" She struck the Death Stalker directly and launched it right over the wall.Weiss and Yang saw the whole and were speechless. As the Faunus blonde landed back on the ground, the heiress had to ask her question. "You just lifted, swung and sent away a Death Stalker all in one go. Just how instantly strong are you?"Leone turned to them and chuckled at the question. "Beats me. I've never really known that myself." She suddenly turned around and clawed off the face of an Ursa Major.Over to Cornelia's location, she had already drawn out Twin Knight and started shooting at several Grimm that was a little far off. As for the Grimm attacking her nearby, she spun one of her axes before turning around and slashed at the nearest Beowolf near her and the others after that. She then spun around while combining her two axes and extended the handle for a longer reach to slay the surrounding Grimm around her. "We really have to do something about this." The ground shook a little underneath and looked behind to see a King Taijitus hissing at her. One of the heads attempted to strike her but the Blonde jumped over it and landed on its head while the other one tried to attack her. Cornelia countered this by swing her ax staff to the side and decapitated the head that was attacking her. The first one she was standing on began to move and threw her up into the air. Cornelia regained her balance and started to fall directly on the first snakehead that tried to strike her. The blonde swung her ax staff down at the head and cleaved it in half straight down the middle. She landed on the ground with the split Grimm falling behind her. She sighed at the previous challenge but Cornelia wasn't done yet. Even more, Grimm surrounded her snarling at her. She only had one thought cross her mind. "This is not how exactly I thought our mission was supposed to go."A herd of Grimm was in right in front of Esdeath all growling at her. She responded by crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'll rid of you all in one go." Ice began to swirl around her arms and lunged forward as she uncrossed her arms at the herd. "Einfrieren Wrath!" A single powerful blast of ice erupted out of Esdeath and struck the entire herd at once. Once it was over, the Grimm in front of her were frozen solid and then shattered into countless pieces. Just as she thought it was done, she looked back to see a Death Stalker and another King Taijitus approaching her. All she did was snap her fingers. "Hagel Sprung!" A giant sphere of ice was instantly dropped onto the Death Stalker and crushed it completely. The King Taijitus was the next to strike but Esdeath pulled back her arm with ice surrounding it. "Gefrorene Misery!" She swung her arm in front and a large powerful wave of ice completely enveloped the Grimm. As it subsided, the King Taijitus was frozen solid and like the Grimm before, shattered into pieces. That was several more threats eliminated but there was still a long way to go. More of the Grimm surrounded her and it only annoyed her. "Persistent little pests, aren't you?"Akame cut through several of the Grimm using the extended form of Yatsufusa before recalling it back to its original form. She then rushed to the group of the Grimm that was in front of her and while she passed by them, Akame delivered a multitude of slashes at them. When she stopped, the Grimm behind her was cut into pieces. The number she had slain was only small compared to the rest they had to handle. As powerful as her team was and with the help of Ruby's team, this wasn't going to end anytime soon. "We have to put an end to this now."All of a sudden an Ursa Major was sent crashing into a building behind Akame and looked only to wonder what happened. "Woo hoo! That was sent flying!" Akame turned to where she heard the voice and saw Jaune and his team arriving at the scene. Not only that but Sun and Neptune were here as well flashing some badges for some reason. Funny enough, she also saw Coco and Velvet arriving as well with two others she hasn't seen before. Akame thought that they were part of their team. She smiled as this was just the reinforcements they needed to deal with the situation.She turned around and sheathed Yatsufusa and began to draw out Murasame. "I'll end this quickly as I can" With Murasame's power, things should be a bit easier. She took up her battle stance pointing her Imperial Arms at the nearest Grimm and launched herself at it. There was no need to hold back on them and in her words, will bury any Grimm she could find.While all of this of was going on, Cinder and her group arrived as well and observed the situation. Needless to say, she was less than pleased. "Roman must've screwed up somewhere along the way. This is his entire fault." During amongst the chaos, she spotted Akame who moving much quicker than usual using a sword different than the one she had used previously. What she found truly strange was that Akame was just slashing the Grimm the once and then moving onto the next one while the one she had attacked before dropped dead. As if Akame couldn't be more interesting to her. "Quite the weapon she uses." However, to her dismay, she would have put aside her interest and focus on the situation at hand. Once again, Cinder had to clean up Roman's mess. "Mercury, Emerald, help out will you?" Her two cohorts just smiled and went straight to work on the Grimm. While doing so, Cinder continued to observe Akame for a bit longer. "Just what are you and your Faunus friend hiding, Akame Night."Akame cut through another Beowolf before sensing that someone was watching her. She turned around to see Cinder watching her. Akame narrowed her eyes at the other woman while Cinder's eyes had a playful look to them. She may not know much about Cinder but she knew enough that the woman was dangerous. Akame suddenly turned around and decapitated an Ursa Major. She had no time to think about the other woman and who she really is. Right now, the important thing was stopping this hoard of Grimm from spreading out further into the city. With the different teams working together, they were able to minimize the number of Grimm that was in the city before and ones still coming in. All teams were able to push the Grimm back to where the breach of the wall was located. Just as there barely any left, Akame gave out her order. "Esdeath!"Esdeath slammed her hand onto the ground. "Right!" Ice quickly formed and reached over to the opening. The ice instantly froze over the opening so no more Grimm could come out of it. "That should do it."While Leone was glad that Esdeath was on their side, she couldn't help but be a bit skeptical. "Yeah, but for how long?""You can leave that part to me, Miss Wild." Everyone saw Glynda walking over to them and waved her wand around. What happened next was that the debris scattered when the breach first happened reformed over the frozen opening to being a complete wall. "Now it's over."The surrounding hunters and huntresses in training cheered at their victory. While they were doing so, Cornelia just sighed in relief. "Finally. I thought it would never end."Esdeath just chuckled at her words and placed her hand on the blonde's shoulder. "I know what you mean but we won anyway."Leone hugged her girlfriend while laughing. "We did it Akame!"The other girl was glad as well but something about this was bothering her. "Just what exactly happened that led up to this?" She looked over team RWBY who was also celebrating their victory. The one lead she had was that they had something to do with it. That, however, could come at a different time. Right now, she just wanted to bask in the feeling of their hard fought win. B With the sun rising over Beacon, a new day has started in the most unlikely of ways. Right now, Ruby and her team along Zwei who they were grateful making it out of the danger along with their teacher Oobleck were enjoying the sunrise together. Yang was the first to sigh. "Well, that was adventure don't you think?" Blake wished she could share her girlfriend's positive attitude but she was still bothered as to what the White Fang was planning. It worried her to no end. That is until Yang wrapped her arm around the Faunus girl and smiled. "Hey, cheer up. We made it through together."Blake smiled back and rested her head on the blonde's shoulder. "Yeah. We really did."They enjoyed the scene a little bit longer. "Yo!"The team looked back to see Akame and her team walking up to them. Ruby smiled at them. "Hey there. What are you doing here?"Leone smiled back at the young leader. "Finding you. Akame here has a feeling that what went down earlier, you had a part in it right?"The other team looked at each other and then back to them. "You're correct on that but as Blake said, it's a long story."Cornelia just shrugged. "Well, we got some time. Why not tell us?"Ruby and her team knew they can't keep it to themselves for much longer so they decided why not. The young leader told them what happened during their mission. Needless to say, team ALCE was surprised what the other girls were in before. "The White Fang? Why would they be there?" Esdeath asked.Leone just gritted her teeth at the name. "Them again huh? What the hell were they doing?"That was something Blake wanted to know. "I'm not sure but they were up to something. As to what, we still don't know."All of this was ringing bells to Akame. "First that break-in to the CCT and now this."Weiss already knew what was going through the other girl's mind. "You think that these two are related?"Akame would like to say that but there wasn't much connecting them. "I'm not sure. All I know is that someone wanted something from CCT." Ruby was instantly reminded of the masked woman she met at the night of the dance. She wondered the same thing too. "But this I do know. These incidents, they're not random. Someone is pulling the strings but I don't know the reason as to why. We need to be careful."That didn't sound good for the other team. "Well, that's just great. We have all of this shady stuff going on and the Vytal Festival is right around the corner."Team ALCE was a bit confused by that. "Vytal Festival?" Akame asked.Weiss just facepalmed. "You don't know about the Vytal Festival and you've been here how long now?"Leone just glared at the heiress. "Cut the crap and tell us already."The other girl sighed. "Basically, it's a tournament where we compete against other schools from across Remnant. It's like a gathering of hunters and huntresses."That was something the Faunus blonde liked to hear. "Tournament huh? Now that sounds fun."Yang grinned at her supposed daughter. "Yep. It sure is. I can't wait for it to happen." She looked over to the sunrise once again. "Hey, how about we go get some breakfast. We deserve something to eat after what we've been through."Ruby nodded happily at that. "Great idea Yang. Now I'm hungry all of a sudden. Let's go!"Blake smiled at the idea as well. "Sounds good to me."The team started to leave and headed over to the cafeteria. Leone had to admit they had the right idea. "I'm down with that. I could use a bite to eat." She turned to her teammates. "What says you?"Cornelia nodded at her question. "We kinda skipped breakfast so I'll go with that."Esdeath smiled as well. "Yes. We kinda deserve it after all."With everyone's mind made up, they made their way to the cafeteria but stopped and turned around to see their leader still looking at the sunrise. "Hey, Akame! You coming too?" Leone asked.Their leader looked at her team and smiled. "Yes of course. I'll catch up soon." Her team accepted her answer and continued on. Akame looked at the sunrise one last time with some last thoughts. "Just when I thought this world was big enough for me already, it expands even more. I wonder what kind of people I'll meet when this festival begins. Also, what do these recent events mean?" She knew the answer wouldn't come to her anytime soon. All she could do now was walk forward and never look back. Akame turned around and ran to catch up to her team. "No matter what the case, I won't be facing this alone. I have Leone and the rest of my friends to help me go through this to end. That, I know the most of for sure." Vol One End A/N: Now I know what all of you are thinking. Why is this story marked complete when there is so much more to explore. To tell the truth, I haven't seen Vol three yet if that wasn't obvious enough so I can't quite possibly continue it. When I do see and finish Vol three, I'll see what I can do with it for this story. I'm still deciding if I should add the third vol to this story or add as a separate story like the RWBY series. Eh, I'll guess I'll figure it out when I do finally see it. For now, I'll mark it as complete and if I do decide, all of you will be the first to know. With that said, I'll see all of you in the next story. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: No I haven't watched the third volume yet. The reason why I'm posting this chapter was that it's been on my mind lately and why not have a bit of fun. Keep in mind this story will still be marked complete until I do see the third volume. Yep. I'm going to continue this story on here. So, here's your obligatory swimsuit chapter/sneak peek. Enjoy people. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New BeginningKill Nineteen: Fun at the PoolThe two teams, RWBY and JNPR were in ALCE's room because Leone wanted to tell them about an idea she had. Needless to say, all of them were just staring at her with mixed expressions. The Faunus blonde's team members seemed to enjoy the idea she had. Weiss was the first to speak. "You want to have what now?"Leone grinned at the heiress. "Have fun at the pool of course. I know this school has one so I figured, why not enjoy it?"It did sound fun but there were a few concerns. "Are you sure about that?" Blake asked.Her supposed daughter nodded at the question. "Of course I'm sure. Look, we have a few days off from class before this whole festival thing starts. Why not use it to have a bit of fun for ourselves? Come on, it'll be a blast. Besides, we do kinda need this after what we went through with the whole Grimm invasion thing."Yang grinned at the suggestion. "I'm down with that! Let's do this thing!"Her sister cheered as well. "Yeah! I want to have fun at the pool too!"And so did Nora. "We can have totally awesome water fights to the death!" She suddenly remembered what Akame and Leone had been through previously and what they were before. "Whoopsies. Forget that last part."Pyrrha was also enjoying the thought of it. "It would be nice to take your mind off."With everyone's agreement, Weiss had no choice but to sigh. "I suppose we can do this."Blake on the other hand really didn't like it but it's not like her vote would count anyway. "I'll go but I won't like it."Her girlfriend wrapped her arm around the Faunus girl's neck. "Aw don't be like that kitten. Look on the bright side…" Her face went near her partner's ear. "You get the chance of seeing me in my swimsuit." That comment brought a blush to Blake's face. She had to admit the Faunus girl would like to see that.Leone clapped her hands. "Then it's settled then!"Ren suddenly held up his hand. "Hold on there for a second."Everyone turned him wondering what he had to say. Nora just stared down at her partner. "What is now Ren? Don't you dare ruin our fun at the pool."He had perfectly good reason. "In case you haven't noticed, the gender is ratio is greatly unbalanced. If you were to separate the people in this room, it's ten girls and just two guys. Me and Jaune."His leader laughed nervously but had to agree. "Yeah…not that I don't mind seeing you all in swimsuits though.""Probably shouldn't have said that." Ren added.Jaune lowered his head. "Yeah, I shouldn't have."They did have a point. Luckily, Leone had the solution. "Don't worry about it. We'll invite Sun and Neptune too. That should make you feel a little better."Ren nodded at the suggestion. "A bit more favorable." Jaune just snapped his fingers. He kinda saw Neptune as his rival for Weiss' affections.Speaking of the heiress… "So what time should we do this?"The Faunus blonde smiled at the question. "Tomorrow at one in the afternoon. That way, we'll have time to prepare. Plus, we'll have the whole pool to ourselves since I don't see anyone else use it." That much was true. Some of them wondered why Beacon had such a large pool in the first place. "I expect all of you to show up and don't forget to bring the swimsuits." B The water was quietly swishing along in the pool. It was as large as an Olympic sized pool complete with two diving boards. One higher than the other. In the front of it, the guys were already out in their swim trunks. One of them, however, wasn't exactly happy being here. "How the hell did you talk me into this Sun?"His Faunus friend laughed at Neptune's dilemma. "Because I said you would have a chance seeing Weiss in her bathing suit and you put on my spare trunks not a second after." He continued to laugh at that detail. Both of them were wearing banana printed swim trunks.Ren was wearing green naturally and Jaune black. He was tapping his foot a bit impatiently. "What's taking them so long?"His teammate was waiting patiently as always. "These things take time."He may have a point but that didn't make Jaune any better. "Yeah but come on. How long does it take to put on a swimsuit?""Alight we're ready!" The guys turned to the changing rooms and saw team RWBY coming out first. Neptune and Sun liked what they saw. "What do you think?" Ruby was wearing a red and black one-piece swimsuit while Weiss was wearing a two-piece with a white top and blue bottom. Blake was wearing the same swimsuit as Ruby but in black and purple with the top of her chest being a bit see through. Yang, however, was sporting a bright orange two-piece bikini that showed off her body. The top, of course, was strapless as it wrapped around her breasts.Needless to say, three of the guys liked what they were seeing. "We're sorry we took a bit longer than usual." Pyrrha and Nora were the next to come out. Pyrrha was wearing a two-piece red swimsuit with yellow highlights while Nora was wearing a one-piece that was pink and white. It certainly caught Ren's eye.Nora raised her arm up and cheered. "Alright! Let's have some wet and wild fun!"Four of the ten were out now. Now it was just team ALCE left. Everyone was looking at the entrance to the changing room. "Ladies and gentleman, humans and Faunus. Hold your noses and try not to bleed out of them." The first to arrive out were Akame and Leone.Already Yang couldn't help but wolf whistle at what she saw. "Very nice." Akame was wearing a red and white two-piece swimsuit with frills on the sides while Leone was wearing a two piece swimsuit that was yellow and orange that show off her body very well. Yang couldn't help but smile at her supposed daughter's body type. "Wow Leone, I guess it's clear to see where you get your looks from huh? Akame, you are one lucky girl to have her."The Faunus blonde laughed at that. "I'd say so." She hugged her girlfriend's arm and it was pressed in between her breasts."I guess it's my turn." Everyone turned to see Cornelia coming out as well. Her swimsuit was a bit different. It was a sports one that covered much of her chest and shorts.Still, Akame liked how she looked in it. "That looks good on you Cora."Her teammate smiled at the compliment. "Thanks, Akame. All that's left is Esdeath. She looked over at the changing room entrance. "Come on Esdeath! Don't keep us waiting."They didn't hear anything for a few seconds. "I can't go out like this! It's embarrassing!"Cornelia just giggled at her teammate's words. "Oh come on. You're among friends. You don't have anything to be embarrassed about."Again, they didn't hear a response for a few seconds. "I'm…just not used to showing off my body like this. Baths and showers I'm okay with but…"Ruby decided to take of this situation. "It's okay Esdeath. Just come out. You don't have anything to be afraid about."Once again, no response for a few seconds. Finally, Esdeath peeked out from behind the doorway. "O-Okay." She finally exited out of the doorway and showed what she was wearing. Esdeath looked away while blushing a bit as her arms were behind her back. "So uh…how do I look?" Esdeath was wearing a two-piece white swimsuit The top was strapless as it was around her breasts and tied in the front.Ruby came up to her and held Esdeath's hand with her own while smiling. "It looks great on you. I don't know why you have anything to be embarrassed about."The smile brought comfort to the older girl smiled as well. "Thank you and you look well in your outfit too." That comment had fire come out of Weiss' eyes.Yang, of course, had to make her obvious comment. "Now that I think about it, you're pretty big yourself Esdeath."Esdeath yelp as she turned around and wrapped her arms around her breasts. "Please don't say things like that. I'm…a little self-conscious about them." That's another to add to the list of how this Esdeath was different than the one Akame and Leone knew.The blonde's sister pouted at the brawler. "Yang, don't say things like that to her."Leone suddenly clapped her hands and everyone turned to her. "Alright people, we're here for one thing and one thing only. To have fun at the pool! So, go right on in!"Ruby suddenly held out her hand. "Hold on! One more thing." She turned around and whistled loudly. "Zwei!" Everyone heard a bark (much to Blake's dismay.) and Zwei rushed over to Ruby was wearing small floaties around his legs and one large one around his body. "There we go. Now we're all here." She turned to the pool. "Now let's go!""Yeah!" Ruby, Yang, and Nora were the first to jump into the pool with a splash.All three came up and were enjoying the water. The young leader laughed as she looked at Esdeath. "Come on in Esdeath! The water is great!"The older girl nodded and took her words. "Okay then." She was the next to jump into the pool although not as enthusiastic as the other girls. Esdeath came up as well and enjoyed the feeling of being in the water. "It feels good."The young leader giggled as she turned to her dog and whistled at him. "Come here Zwei!" The dog barked and instantly jumped into the pool. He swam over to Ruby and Yang very fast and seemed to be enjoying himself as well. Ruby petted him. "Good boy. Now let's have some fun!" The two sisters swam a bit further into the pool.Nora turned to her partner. "Come on Ren! Don't be such a stick!"Ren just sighed. "Might as well." He jumped into the pool as well.With everyone getting in, Jaune couldn't help but feel left out. He looked at the heiress. "So Weiss, want to take a dip with me?"She just turned away from him. "As if. I'm fine as is."Jaune lowered his head as he was rejected once again. Luckily for him, Pyrrha was there to help him out. "I'd like to take up that offer."Her leader just sighed. "I guess." They both jumped into the pool together.Leone just chuckled at the sight. "Jeez, that guy is dense. At least Tatsumi was able to be with Mine after a while. You think Jaune would get the hints by now." She decided to leave those thoughts for later. Right now, there was a big pool calling her name.Blake, on the other hand, decided to sit on the edge of the pool with her legs in the water and was reading a book. Yang looked over to her girlfriend. "You're not going to join in Blake?"The Faunus girl just shook her head. "I'm fine. Thank you, Yang." Being a cat Faunus, she really wasn't fond of water. That and Zwei was in the pool as well.Sun took this as a chance to sit down next to her. "Mind if I join you?"The other Faunus shook her head. "Not at all.""Cannonball!" Leone jumped into the air and made a large splash into the pool. The water hit Blake who made her a bit uncomfortable but Neptune flinched. The Faunus blonde came up from the water and shook her head. "That was fun."Something about Leone had Weiss questioning something. "Wait a minute! You're a cat Faunus and yet you just dove in the water without a thought."Leone turned to the heiress. "Well, why wouldn't I? It's going to take a lot more than water to ruin my fun." Weiss seriously questioned the Faunus blonde's sanity and logic. She looked over Neptune who was still looked a bit spooked. "By the way, what was up with the shriek? It's like you're afraid of water."Neptune just turned away. "What are you talking about? I'm not…scared of water."The Faunus blonde would love to put a test to that. "Is that so? Then come join us in the water if you're not scared."Neptune just looked at the water hesitating. That was all Cornelia needed to know. "Obviously, you have hydrophobia."Ruby raised an eyebrow to the word. "Hydro Pump what now?""It means he has a fear of water." Esdeath clarified.And that set Leone into a fit of laughter. "You gotta be kidding me. You're really scared of water?!"Neptune just glared at the Faunus blonde. "Okay, so I have a fear of water. Big deal. I only came here because you asked me to and I didn't want to be rude!"Sun just laughed at his friend's words. "You should've said something about it before dude." Neptune just looked way again. Sun stood up and walked over to him. "Relax man. You can still enjoy yourself without being in the pool, okay?"His friend just sighed. "Yeah, I got it."While everyone was enjoying the bromance between the two, Esdeath looked around the pool. "Where is Akame?"Nora was the first to notice and pointed to where the girl was. "There she is!" Everyone saw Akame on the high dive board.Already Leone was cheering her girlfriend on. "Alright, Akame! Give us a show!"Akame walked on the board and jumped on it a few times before jumping off of it and diving toward the pool. Her form was quite excellent and dove into the water with a minimalistic splash. She then quickly rose up out of the water and heard some applause. Pyrrha and the others enjoyed the display. "That was quite good Akame."The other girl swam over to the group smiling. "Thank you. I quite enjoyed it as well."Weiss was also pleasantly surprised by Akame's form. "I guess being an ex-assassin helps with things like this."Neptune nodded in agreement. "I think you're right about that." And he just took in account of what the heiress said and turned to her. "Wait what!?Sun reacted the same way. "Assassin!?"Weiss suddenly realized what she had said. "Whoops."Blake sighed at the slip-up. Well, they were bound to tell them sooner or later. "Right, you two don't know yet. The truth about Akame and Leone is that they are ex-assassins from another world."They both couldn't believe she explained it so nonchalantly. "Relax. We all know about it." Sun and Neptune looked over at Cornelia. "They may have been assassins before but…" She looked over to Akame and Leone splashing water at each other. "They are good people, trust me. They deserve this life you know?"Sun and Neptune looked over to them as well. "If you say so. I did kinda think they were a bit out there." Sun stated.His friend had to agree. "Yeah, remind me not make either of them mad. I like my life to be intact thank you."While the girls were playing around, Nora had an idea. "Hey! Since we're all here, why not have a pairing fight!?"Already they were confused by her suggestion. Jaune was almost afraid to ask. "What are you talking about this time Nora?"His teammate just smiled. "Duh. I mean we each pick a partner, have them sit on the other's shoulders, and then they fight! How you win is that you have to knock the person on top into the water. Last one standing wins!"Already Leone loved the idea. "Sounds awesome. I'm game." She looked over at her girlfriend. "You game Akame?"The other girl smiled. "Of course."Akame went over to the Faunus blonde climbed on her shoulders. Everyone else had a general idea. Yang looked over to her girlfriend. "Hey Blake, how about it? Want to join?"The Faunus girl just turned a page. "No thank you."The blonde whined a bit at the answer. Cornelia decided to help her out. "I would like to join you Yang if you would have me of course."That of course, picked Yang back right up. "Alright then. I'll take up that offer." The other blonde jumped into the pool and swam over to where Yang was. She climbed on Yang's back and sat on her shoulders. Both blondes turned to the former assassins. "Hope you're ready because we're going to take you down."Akame couldn't help but smile at the situation. It would remind her all the times she and her former team would play games and trying to grapple each other. Far as she knew, Cora was undefeated in that. That would change today.Nora waved over to her partner. "Oh, Ren…"Ren just closed his eyes and sighed. "If I must." He really couldn't refuse his friend. Nora went over to him and climbed up to sit on his shoulders.She pointed at the other two groups. "Let's take them down!" Ren just sighed again.Jaune looked over to Weiss. "What do you say, Weiss? Want to team up with me?"The heiress just glared at him. "As if."And he was shot down again. Pyrrha put her hand on her leader's shoulder. "I would like to join you if you like."Jaune basically had no other choice. "I guess." Pyrrha really wished her leader would get the memo already but this would do for now. She climbed on Jaune's back and sat his shoulders. He groaned a bit by the added weight.Pyrrha noticed his struggle. "Are you okay?"Her leader just smiled painfully. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me." His real thoughts? "If living with my sisters has taught me anything, never say that a girl is heavy."Ruby wanted to join in as well. "Come on Weiss! It'll be fun!"The heiress looked away from her leader as she closed her eyes. "I refuse to play such a childish game."Sometimes Weiss' attitude could bother the young leader so much. Esdeath just smiled at her. "I would like to join up with you."Hearing that put a smile on the younger girl's face. "Really? You're the best Esdeath!"Weiss slightly growled as she saw Ruby sitting on top of Esdeath's shoulders. That was something she couldn't abide. "You!" She pointed at Sun. "Team up, now!"Sun didn't know how to react to that. "Wait, what?" And in the next few moments, Weiss was sitting on top of his shoulders.Yang couldn't help but laugh at the unlikely team. "Wow. Take a load of this scene right here. What's the matter, Weiss? I thought you didn't want to play this childish game."The heiress glared at the brawler. "I changed my mind okay!" Sun couldn't believe the situation he was in.The players were set and they were all ready to go. Nora grinned at the playing field. "Now that we're paired up, let the games…" She eyed her first victim and Ren knew who it would be. "Start!" The pair set their sights on Weiss and Sun first.Two girls locked their hands together and struggled against each other trying to push the other girl off. "So you're coming after us first huh?"The other girl grinned wickedly. "You're going down!" While they were duking it out, Sun and Ren were struggling to keep their partners balanced.Akame had already had her sights on Cornelia but Ruby and Esdeath reached them first. They two girls grabbed each other's hands and struggled. "I'm going to win!"The other girl thought otherwise. "We'll see about that."Leone wasn't giving up supporting her girlfriend. "You two are going down."Esdeath gave a confident smile of her own. "Is that so?"The last was Cornelia and Yang coming over to Pyrrha and Jaune. The two girls battled it out. The blonde smiled at their battle. "I'll have you know, I'm pretty good at this." She wasn't kidding. Already Pyrrha was feeling how strong the other girl was. Jaune struggled to keep up.The three groups were at a standstill for a short bit until there was an upset. Akame's grip tightened and Ruby gasped. Akame threw the young leader off Esdeath and screamed as she landed on the water. "Ruby!"The younger girl came out of the water and gasped. "Sorry."Esdeath just smiled at the other girl. "It's okay."Weiss saw what just happened and growled. "Push now!" That was Sun's cue and moved forward while the heiress pushed forward with all of her strength. Nora was suddenly overwhelmed and was pushed off from Ren. She screamed and went into the water. The heiress turned to Akame. "Go now!"Sun just groaned at the order. "Alright, alright. Man, you're pushy." The two headed over to where Akame and Leone were.Over to Cornelia and Pyrrha, the blonde just smiled and tightened her grip. She used all of her strength to lift up the other girl over her. It took Pyrrha a couple of seconds to register what happened to her and it was too late when she landed into the water behind Cornelia. She smiled at her win. "Winner, me."Yang smiled as well. "Nice one Cora." She eyed Akame and her supposed daughter. "And they're next."Jaune, on the other hand, was a bit worried about his partner. "Pyrrha!" He went over to where she was and Pyrrha came up. "You alright?"Pyrrha took in a couple of breaths until she smiled at her leader's concerns. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me." That much relieved him.Weiss reached over to Akame and Leone and they started the second round. The heiress could already feel the difference in strength between them. Akame narrowed her eyes at the other girl. "It's over." Leone smiled as she stepped to the side and Akame pulled the heiress toward her. Weiss fell forward and fell into the water.The Faunus blonde laughed. "Looks like a win for us." Sun would feel bad about this but it was Weiss that dragged him into this."Looks like it's just us." The two girls looked over to Cornelia and Yang. This was ideal for Akame and Leone. Cornelia smiled at them. "Shall we see who the best here is?"Akame smiled at her teammate. "Let's go, Leone."Her girlfriend smiled. "I'm on it. No hard feelings after this, right mom?"Yang smiled back at her supposed daughter. "Not at all. Let's do this!" The pairs of girls went up to each other and locked hands to each other. The two girls were evenly matched for the time being. Neither of them was letting up.Cornelia was enjoying the battle. "I'm not losing to you twice Akame."Akame smiled at the words. "I wouldn't expect anything else from you Cora." Lighting came out of their eyes and struck each other.Yang and Leone felt the same. "I may have lost to you before but no way I'm losing this time."The Faunus blonde smiled at the words. "We'll see about that."The two sides continued to duke it out without budging an inch. It was as Akame remembered doing so many times in the past with Cornelia. For a second, she truly did see her former teammate along with the rest of her old team having fun in the past. The memory only lightened her grip for just a second but it was enough for Cornelia to take the opportunity. She instantly grabbed Akame's wrists and threw her to the side into the water. Everyone was silent for a few moments. Cornelia flashed a victory sign. "And the win goes to us!" Both blondes cheered.Akame came up and looked over to the other pair and smiled. Leone wondered something about her girlfriend's loss. "What was up Akame? It' not like you to lose focus like that."The other didn't seem to be bothered by the loss. "I was just…remembering something, that's all." Leone must've figured it was something from Akame's past. She continued to look at the blonde pair. "Congratulations on your win."The two girls smiled back at her. "Hey, thanks. With this, I think we're even now."Yang laughed in agreement. "I'll say. This totally makes up for our losses we had from you two."Leone laughed at that. "I suppose so. However, we won't lose next time around." She looked at everyone else smiled. "Well, that was fun but it we can't stop here just yet. We still have the rest of the day to enjoy!" That was something everyone could agree on. They spent the rest of their day playing around and having more fun. B Once the sun began to set, it was time for the group to head back. All of them dressed back up in their clothes and started to head back to their dorms together. Yang stretched out her arms. "That was a blast. I hope we can do something like that again soon."Leone grinned in agreement. "So do I. You're welcome by the way."While they were walking back, Ruby was next to Esdeath and wondered about something for a bit. "So…Esdeath."The older girl looked over at her. "Yes?"The topic was a bit embarrassing for the young leader to bring up. "Are you…really in love with me? Ever since Akame mentioned that, I've been thinking about that." Weiss, who was with Neptune couldn't help but want to overhear the conversation.Esdeath was blushing a bit at the idea and looked away. "W-Well…I do admit I like you, Ruby. A lot actually. I think love is pushing it a bit but…" She placed her hand on the top of her chest and smiled. "I do like this feeling whenever I'm with you. It's pleasant and I've never felt anything like it before." Weiss couldn't decide if she would be relieved or worried. "And...I've been wondering if I could…ask you out on a date?" Scratch that. Weiss was definitely worried.Ruby was taken a bit back by the question. She was actually trying to find a way to respond. "A-A date huh? Well…" Weiss was an edge wanting to know what the young leader's answer would be. "Maybe…I can think about it?" And the heiress was back to being relieved.The older girl seemed to accept the answer. "Alright then. You can think it over. Also, I'm sorry if I just said that out of nowhere."Ruby giggled at what the other girl said. "It's okay. It's not every day I get asked out. Especially by a pretty girl like you." Esdeath's blush deepened when she heard that. Unbeknownst to them, Yang caught wind of that. Weiss, however, was back to being worried. B The teams went their separate ways and team RWBY was in their dorm room getting ready for bed. Yang was brushing her hair when she decided to bring up the previous topic. "So Ruby, are you going to go out with Esdeath?"The younger sister gasped quietly at the question and was blushing slightly. "A-Ah I don't know. I've never been asked out before. Especially by a girl. I do think she's nice though."Yang put down her brush and looked over to her sister. "Well, I won't allow it."Ruby was confused by that. "What do you mean?"The older crossed her arms under her breasts. "Because I'm your big sister. That's why."Blake sighed as she was under the covers in her bed doing some last minute reading. She knew how overprotective her girlfriend could be when it came to Ruby. "Come on Yang. It won't be so bad if you gave her a chance."The Faunus girl had a point but still. "I know that but…from what we heard from Akame about Esdeath…"Ruby just groaned at her sister's words. "That's only from their world. This Esdeath is really nice. Please give her the benefit of a doubt with cookies on top?"Yang had to think about that. It also gave her another thought. "So, are you thinking about accepting her date?"The younger sister just looked down to the floor. "I don't know. Maybe." She turned to her partner. "What do you think Weiss?"The heiress just looked away. "Why are you asking me? It's obviously your decision." She put the covers over her and turned away. "Good night."Ruby still needed an answer. "But Weiss-""I said good night!" She really didn't want to talk about this topic any longer.The younger girl whined at the response. She had noticed Weiss was acting a bit unusual lately but didn't know why. She thought as her partner, they would tell each other what was bothering her. So why wouldn't she? With that vague answer, Ruby was more confused now than ever. "I'll still think it over but with the Vytal Festival coming up; it could be a bit hard finding time for one."Yang didn't seem to see a problem with that. "Eh, you'll figure something out." She let out a yawn. "We can continue this later on in the morning. Right now, I need some shut eye." She walked over to Blake's bed and snuggled with her Faunus girlfriend. "Good night Blake."The Faunus girl just smiled at the blonde as she set the book down. "Good night Yang." She wrapped her arm around Yang's body and laid her head on her girlfriend's shoulder. As a bonus for being the girlfriend of Yang Xiao Long, Blake did enjoy how warm the blonde can be.With everyone going to bed, Ruby decided to switch the lights off. As she did, the young leader walked over to her bunk and looked over at Weiss. "Good night Weiss. Sweet dreams." Ruby climbed up to her bunk and put the covers over her as she quickly went to sleep.Weiss, on the other hand, was still awake still having these bothersome thoughts in her mind. It was bad enough Esdeath asked Ruby to the dance but actually asking her out? For once, Weiss was worried about losing the only person closest to her that actually understood her as a person and not some heiress to the largest dust company. Sleep was quickly overtaking her and closed her eyes with one last troubling thought. "What else can go wrong?" B In team ALCE's room, they were also getting ready for bed. Cornelia was brushing Akame's hair near the desk which she did enjoy the feeling while Leone and Esdeath were sitting down on their beds. "Wow Akame. You really do have such pretty hair, you know."Akame smiled at the compliment. "Thank you, Cora."Leone thought she would let that comment pass. Teammate or not, she was still territorial as it was in her cat-like nature. Still, she had to snicker about what she heard earlier. "Wow, Esdeath. I never knew you'd be bold as to ask Ruby out on a date."Esdeath hugged her Teddy Ursa closer to her while blushing. "Do you think I was a bit too forward with that? "The Faunus blonde just held up her hand. "Naw, not really. In fact, this is a major improvement of what your other self did back in our world."The other girl knew she was going to regret asking her next question. "What did my other self do?"Oh, the detail Leone could go into. "Let's just say you put a collar around a friend of ours and dragged him off and then tried to force yourself onto him. Oh, and you were pretty nuts about him. More so than your usual persona back in our world." That was about as blunt as Leone could describe.Like Esdeath thought, she regretted it. "I don't even know this woman and already I feel bad for what she's done."Leone thought otherwise. "Trust me. If you even knew a fraction of what the Esdeath we knew did, you wouldn't feel bad at all. It's actually quite a nice change of pace that you want to take things slowly instead of getting to the nitty gritty." Esdeath really didn't want to know what the other girl meant by that."That's enough Leone." Akame stood up from her chair as Cornelia finished brushing her hair. "We can continue discussing that later. Right now, we have other things to focus on."Cornelia giggled in agreement. "Yeah, like the Vytal Festival. I can't wait for it to start. I wonder if Papa will arrive to visit?" Akame really wasn't looking forward to seeing Gozuki again even if he did a one-eighty in this world.Esdeath wondered the same thing. "I hope my father can come as well. He would be so proud that I've made so many new friends."Leone couldn't help but smile at the thought of the festival. "One thing I'm excited is to see the different people we're going to meet when this shindig happens. It'll finally be a nice change of pace since we can just fight for fun instead of to the death."Akame couldn't agree more. The thought of meeting new people did excite her. "It'll be something else, that's for sure." She looked out the window as did everyone else. "I can't help but wonder what kind of people we'll meet when it happens." B A loud crunch could be heard in a dorm room from another school. A girl was enjoying the light the moon was giving off and smiled as she spat out what remained of a lollipop. "So, the Vytal Festival is just right around the corner. I have a feeling things are about to be fun when it starts."Another girl on her bed was painting her nails. "That's for sure. Not to mention the different people we'll be fighting." She finished painting and blew on her nails as she presented them to the first girl. "What do you think?"She didn't have any comment on them. "How should I know? Remind me again why I'm dating you?"The second girl smiled at her. "Because you love me and you love the candy I give out all the time to you." That much was true."We must be firm." The two turned to a third girl who was leaning against the wall. "There's no telling what'll happen when it starts. We'll be fighting against people unknown to us."The second girl popped a lollipop into her mouth. "I've been wondering. Is your grandma going to show up at the festival?"The third girl looked over to her. "Naturally. She wants to see the fruit of the teachings had done for me. I have a family legacy to uphold."Laughter came from the fourth girl in the room. "My mom is also coming too. It's too bad my dad isn't here anymore. He would've loved to see me at my best at this whole thing."The first girl smiled at the thought that they were going to patriciate. "When this festival does start, we'll show the other teams what we can do for we are the best and the strongest team around. We'll show them what team KRCT is truly capable of."Everyone agreed to that. They were chosen because they had the top marks in their school. The day was approaching fast and they couldn't wait to demonstrate their power to all of their rivals. "Let's just hope they don't confuse our name with the vegetable."The first girl groaned at that. "How many times do I have to tell you?! It's the measure of gold!" A/N: And I leave this for all of you to speculate. I'll give you all a hint: they're not OCs. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Hey everyone! Guess what? I now saw the third volume! Kinda. Okay I just watched the first few episodes and that alone tells me how much I wanted to work on this story again. I have a few things in store that I hope I could put into this vol. Fingers crossed. That’s enough talk for now. I’m pretty sure all of you are pretty anxious to finally know who the four new characters I’ve introduced last chapter. And yes. I did change the cover image. Now play When Innocence is Just a Mask as the second opening.Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Twenty: The Day before the FestivalThe ticking of a clock could be heard in a room with only a chimney and couch in the middle. In the room were three people. Two of them were leaning against the wall while one was lying on the couch. He sighed out of impatience. “Just how much longer do we have to wait before we hear this important news? I’m getting bored.”The lone girl in the room crossed her arms under her breasts. “Just relax, Lubbock. The boss will get here when the boss gets here. You’ve been with her the longest out of all of us so you should know her the best.”Lubbock groaned as he sat up. “Yeah, that’s true but I’m getting bored here. Waiting is seriously no fun.” He thought of a brilliant idea. “How about this Leone? The two of us play a game of twenty questions.” Lubbock laughed nefariously. “And the first question I’ll ask is what her bust size is. Seriously, look at those and the top she’s wearing makes them more enticing. Of course, I bet they’ll look better without the top and maybe without the whole out-”“Not interested.” And Lubbock’s fantasy was crushed by those words. “I can basically hear all the perverted thoughts you’re having just by looking at your face. Just my luck I end up on a team with you on it.” She did Lubbock was a good person but does cross the line with his tendencies.Both heard a chuckle from the third person in the room. “Now, now you two. Play nice. We’re going to have a new person with us so it’s best to make a good impression. Oh, and I’ll take up that twenty question offer Lubbock.” He winked at him.All that did was creep Lubbock out. “Don’t…ever do that again Bulat.” Suddenly, all of them heard the door open and saw who entered the room. “Najenda. Finally, you’re here.”The ex-general looked around the room. “Good. Everyone is here then. I’m sure all of you have heard by now that we’ll be having someone new with us. I’ll just cut to the chase.” She looked back. “You can come inside now.” Najenda moved out of the way and another person walked through the door. Everyone saw her and she caught Leone’s interest greatly. “Everyone, allow me to introduce you to Akame. She’ll be part of the new team once it’s formed.”Leone smiled at the new girl. “Wow. She’s pretty cute.” Lubbock thought so as well. “Oh, nice. We have another hot girl on the team. So what can she do?”The leader crossed her arms. “Akame here was once part of the Empire as an assassin but has decided to defect for personal reasons. She has an Imperial Arms called Murasame. It’s also known as the one-hit kill sword. I can assure you she’s very strong.”Leone liked the new girl more and more. “So she’s an assassin huh? Cute and deadly.” She loved the combination.Najenda looked over to Akame. “Say hello to everyone, Akame.”Akame couldn’t help but feel a little nervous about all of this. She took a quick look at the people in front of her. “So, this’ll be the team I’m on.” Team. That word sounded more like a curse to her considering what happened to the team she was previously on. She hesitated to raise her hand to the people in front of her. “H-Hello there.”Bulat smiled at her. “No need to be nervous here sweetie. We’re all on the same side. I’m Bulat by the way.”Akame just nodded at him. "It's nice to meet you, Bulat."It was a start for her. "Bulat like yourself was part of the Empire but defected like you and joined the Revolutionary Army. The same with Lubbock. One thing you do need to know about Bulat is that he’s gay.”That was a surprising fact to know for Akame. “O-Oh. Is that so?”Bulat laughed at her reaction. Lubbock was up next. “How’s it going? I’m Lubbock and I was wondering if you and I could-”Leone shoved him off the couch. “She’s not interested Lubb.” She jumped over the couch and walked up to Akame. The blonde stopped in front of her and smiled. “Hey there! The name’s Leone. I guess we’ll be on the same team once it fully forms huh?”As soon as Akame saw the smile, Akame was reminded of someone close to her. “Cora…”Leone noticed the other girl staring. “Uh…you okay Akame?”Akame shook her head. “I’m fine. It’s nothing.”The blonde seemed to accept the answer. “If you say so.” An idea formed in her head. She suddenly grabbed the other girl in front and shoved her face into Leone’s breasts while smiling. “It’s decided then. You’re going to be my new best friend!” Her response was Akame’s screaming being muffled by Leone’s breasts.Lubbock growled in jealous. “Damn it! The new girl hasn’t been here for that long and already she’s getting a taste of Leone’s awesome boobs.”Akame was able to break free and gasp for air while wondering what the blonde was talking about. “First off, don’t do that again. Second, what do you mean by that?”Leone laughed. “You and me are going to be best friends from here on out. You’ll be way better company then Lubb. Bulat is cool and all but you’re the only girl here for the time being. So what do you say Akame?”Akame didn’t know what to think of the offer. She doesn’t even know these people and the girl before her just declared she was going to be her best friend. Even if it was sudden, Akame had to admit it would be nice to have a friend while in this small group and Leone seemed to be a good start. That and Akame thought Leone was very attractive but there was no way she was going to tell her that. She smiled at the offer. “I’ll accept it then.”That put a bigger smile on Leone as she wrapped her arm around the other girl. “Atta girl. See boss? We’re already getting along.”Najenda smiled at that. “I can see that. Once we recruit a few more members, our group can head on out to the new hideout near the Capital.”There was something on Leone’s mind she wanted to know. “If you don’t mind asking me boss, what’s going to be this team’s name anyway?”Najenda just around away from the small group. “You’ll know soon enough once the team is created. Also, you don’t need to call me boss just yet.”Leone just shrugged. “Hey, might as well start now.”Najenda didn’t have a problem with that. She’ll be in charge of this group for a long time. “Very well. That’s all for now.” She walked away from the group and left.Leone really couldn’t wait to hear the team name. She let go of Akame and held out her hand to her. “What do you say Akame? Ready to kick some ass when this team is formed?”Akame looked at the hand and smiled as she grabbed it with her own. “Of course, Leone.” D Leone’s eyes began to stir and opened up to see Akame snuggling up to her while the Faunus blonde's arms were wrapped around the other girl. Leone smiled at the sight before her. Suddenly, she heard a sound and shot up sitting on the bed. "What the!"She saw Cornelia dressed up holding up her scroll and smiling. “Oh my god, that looked so adorable. I’m totally keeping that. You two looked adorable sleeping like that.”Her teammate groaned. “Cora, what the hell?”They heard Akame mumbled something and sat up as well. She yawned while stretching out her arms and opened her eyes. "Good morning."Cora smiled at her leader. “Morning Akame.”“Good morning.” Akame and Leone turned to Esdeath who just zipped up her outfit.That was something Leone noticed. “What are you two dressed up? It’s…what time is it?”“Ten passed Nine. We’re going into Vale with RWBY and JNPR to see the students from the other lands remember? So you better freshen up quickly.”Now Leone knew what the other blonde was talking about. “Oh yeah. Right, let’s get this over with already.” She threw the covers off of her and stepped out of bed. She grabbed her clothes and headed to the bathroom.Akame just yawned again. Cornelia giggled. “Aren’t you excited Akame?”Her leader smiled at her. “I guess we’ll find that out.” She looked out the window. “So…the Vytal Festival starts tomorrow.” B Vale was in high spirits celebrating the arrival of the students from the other lands and it showed with the decorations and balloons. It was quite the sight for Leone. “Wow. They really know how to throw a welcoming party here.”Weiss was beyond ecstatic about it. “Isn’t it wonderful? Seeing something like this makes me feel excited.”Akame shared the same feeling except to a lesser degree. “So how are the other students arriving?”“Mostly by boat or by airship,” Pyrrha replied.Yang laughed at the countless opportunities. “Yeah, and when the festival starts, we’re going to kick so much butt.”Leone thought the same. “Hell yeah! Wait until everyone sees what we got in store for them!”Nora cheered to that. “We’ll break all of their legs!” And Ren sighed to that.Speaking of the festival, Akame was wondering something about it. “Do any of you know how this festival will work?”Ruby wanted to know that as well. “We’ll know soon enough when it starts.”While walking, Cornelia turned to the Faunus blonde. “So, Leone, what were you smiling about in your sleep? It must’ve been a good dream you had. I bet it was about Akame.”Leone laughed while rubbing the back of her head. “You can say something like that. It was more like a memory.”Esdeath was very interested in this topic. “Really? Do you mind telling us?” Everyone else wanted to know too.The other girl didn’t seem to mind. She looked up to the sky. “It was when I first met Akame and Night Raid wasn’t even formed yet. I couldn’t believe how timid and shy at first. It was so cute.”Akame remembered that as well. “Yes, that’s right. It was my first time meeting you, Lubbock, and Bulat. I also remember you shoving my face into your chest.” Yang snickered at that.Leone thought that was funny as well. “You liked it and you know it.” Esdeath and Cornelia were glad to know this little piece of history of their two teammates. They never did know how these two met for the first time."Uh…hello?" The group looked up ahead to see a girl looking in front who seemed confused. It was obvious she was a student from a different school considering the colors of her school uniform. It was white with black outlines and she wore stockings. She also had long blonde hair put up in pigtails. Ruby saw this as an opportunity. “Looks like someone’s lost. Time to help out!” She walked up to the lost girl.Weiss rolled her eyes. "This should be good." Esdeath thought otherwise. She liked how Ruby wanted to help others in need.The girl groaned in frustration. “Can somebody help me?”“I can if that’s what you want?” The girl heard Ruby from behind and began to turn around. “If you need help, I’ll be to help yo-oh jeez!” When she saw the face of the girl, she had the right to be shocked. She and the group behind. They saw a large burn scar on the left side on her face to her neck and had blue eyes. Regardless of the look, the girl smiled. “You’ll help me? Oh, thank you so much! You wouldn’t happen to know where I could find Beacon Academy right? I got separated from the rest of my team and can’t find them so I figured they would be there.”Ruby raised an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you use your scroll to contact them?”The blonde girl giggled awkwardly at the question. "I…kinda dropped it." She straightened herself up. "So, can you point in the right direction?The young leader hesitated at first to respond. “Right. Well, um…you just need….to…” She really couldn’t stop staring at the obvious burn scar.The other girl in front giggled and smiled. “Is it distracting you?”Ruby waved her hands in front frantically. “N-No! Not at all! I’m certainly not trying to be rude.”The girl front just giggled. “It’s alright. I know the attention this gives me.” She caressed the burn mark lightly. “Truth be told, I’m actually quite proud of it.”Strange she would be proud of a burn scar covering a quarter of her face. “Can you even see clearly with that eye?”The blonde girl smiled at the question. “You bet. Despite my look, my vision is 20/20. So…about those directions.”“Oh, yeah. Well, you just need an airship to get to Beacon.”The other girl sighed. “I told her we should’ve taken the airship but no…she wanted to take the scenic route.” She huffed.Ruby didn't know how to take this. "So…I'm guessing your team is in the Vytal Festival?”The question seemed to perk the blonde girl up a little. “Yeah! We sure are. Are you in it too?”The young leader smiled at the question. “Yep. So am I."The blonde girl squealed in delight. “That’s really awesome. Maybe we’ll get to fight each other in the festival!”Ruby didn’t have the same thought but she thought this girl seemed nice. “Yeah. Maybe.”The other girl giggled and ran past the younger leader. “Thanks for the help!” She ran past the group as well.Something suddenly hit the young leader. “Wait! I never got your name!” It was too late. The girl was already out of sight. Ruby sighed. “Aw, man.” She started to walk back to the group.Weiss was already up close to her leader. “So?”Ruby didn’t quite know what she meant that. “So…what?”The heiress sighed. “Did you learn anything from that girl?”Of course, she would concern herself with the competition. "Just that she's here with her team for the festival.”Weiss groaned at that. “That doesn’t tell us much.”Blake thought differently to that. “You mean it doesn’t tell you much.”Yang looked back to where the girl was. “Still, it was pretty surprising to see something like that on her face.”Nora giggled. “She’s quite the looker huh?”Jaune just laughed nervously. “You can say something like that.”“I wonder what happened to her to get something like that,” Esdeath asked. She wasn’t the only one wanting an answer to that question.“My my. What a large a group of young ones.” Now they heard another voice that sounded like it belonged to an elderly woman.When they turned around, sure enough, it was an elderly woman. A small elderly woman at that who was smiling at them. Pyrrha took a few steps forward. "Excuse me but can we help you with something?"“And who are you?” Yang asked. Blake elbowed her for the rude question. “Ow!”The woman continued to smile. “Why, yes you can child. I was wondering where I can find this Beacon Academy. My granddaughter is participating in this festival and I’ve traveled a very long way to see her in it.”Another person who wanted directions. Cora decided to give the directions this time around. “It’s not far. All you have to do is take an airship and you’ll be there in a short time.”The old woman was grateful for the directions. “Thank you so much young one and the one in your group wished to know who I was.”Weiss thought otherwise. "Ignore her. She's more brawn than brains."Yang took offense to that. “Hey!”The elderly woman chuckled. “It’s quite alright. I have no trouble giving out my name. When I was young and beautiful, I was quite an accomplished huntress. Of course, those days are long gone now. But, if you wish to know, very well then. You can call me Babara.”And Ruby gasped in surprise. “Seriously?! You’re the Babara!?” Everyone knew that there were three things that made Ruby excited. Cookies, weapons, and famous huntsmen. “Do you know her Ruby?” Blake asked.The young leader turned to the Faunus girl. “Of course I do. Babara Oreburg was a famous huntress back in the day. I always research famous hunters and huntresses.” Weiss hoped that Ruby would’ve put in that same effort to her studies.Akame felt a strange gnawing feeling in the back of her head when she heard the old woman’s last name. “Why does that name sound…familiar to me?”The young leader looked back at Babara as she heard her laughing heartily. “Oh ho ho ho. I’m quite surprised that someone so young knows an old relic like me.”At this point, Ruby had stars in her eyes. “Are you kidding me?! Of course, I would know someone like you! Is it true you really killed one hundred Grimm in a single night?”Babara frowned at the question. "My dear, you shouldn't believe everything you are told." Ruby felt a little letdown. The old huntress then smiled. "It was one hundred twenty-eight."Hearing that perked Ruby right back up. “Oh wow!” She took a hunter magazine out of her pocket and pen. “Can I have your autograph?” Everyone wasn’t going to question how she managed to stuff a magazine in her pocket or why she was carrying one in the first place.”Babara took the pen and magazine. “But of course. Who should I make out to?”“Ruby Rose, ma’am.”The elderly huntress clicked the pen and began to write in the magazine. “Ruby Rose it is then.” Once she finished, Babara clicked the pen again and handed it as well as the magazine back to Ruby. "Here you go, child."The young leader happily took the items back and squealed in delight. “Thank you so much!”Babara chuckled lightly as she saw how happy she made Ruby. Seeing the joys of youth certainly put a smile on her face. “You’re very welcome dear and I must say…” Babara gave Ruby a most attentive look. “You have a most interesting set of eyes.”Ruby stopped gushing over her autograph as soon as she heard those words from Babara. The only other person who commented on her eyes was Ozpin. Still, she’d take the words as a compliment. “Oh, uh, thank you very much, I guess.” After that compliment, she wondered about what the old woman said from before. “If you don’t mind me asking, you said you had a granddaughter. I didn’t know you had any relatives.”Babara chuckled. “Well, did keep my private life to myself. Perhaps if you’re lucky, you’ll have the chance to face against her. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” She walked past Ruby and the rest of the group. As she passed them, Babara suddenly stopped. “You there. The young girl with the red eyes." Akame was surprised she called out to her. "You're far too young to have eyes I once had after slaying countless Grimm. You must've encountered some unimaginable horrors to have them at such an age as yours." After saying that, she continued to walk and was soon out of sight.Leone could only sigh. “Well, that was something.”Esdeath laughed nervously in agreement. “I believe so as well. It’s hard to believe someone like her is here huh?”Akame lowered her head and looked at the ground. Everyone in the group noticed it. “Akame?” She raised her head and looked over to Cornelia. “Are you feeling alright?”The leader just gave her former crush a smile. “I am. You don’t need to concern yourself with me.”Cornelia knew there was more than that but won't press the matter further. She looked around the street and decided on something. "Hey, if it's alright with you, I would like to go on my own for a little while. There's something I need to do."Akame and the rest of her team wondered what Cornelia needed to do but they fully trust her. "Okay, Cora. Do what you need to do."Leone chuckled. “Yeah. Just make sure you come back okay?”The blonde nodded at her teammate. “Sure. Where should we meet back up?”Weiss knew where. “How about over at the docks. That should be a good rendezvous point.”“Ran de who?” Ruby had no idea what Weiss said.Cornelia understood completely. “Got it. I’ll see all of you later.” She walked away from the group.Esdeath waved goodbye to her. “We’ll see you later Cora!” She set her arm down once the blonde was out of sight and looked at the group. “Shall we continue on?”Everyone agreed to that. Ruby pointed in a random direction. “Right. Onward!” B The door to a shop opened and Cornelia stepped out of it carrying a small bag. “Thank you so much.” She waved goodbye to the shopkeeper and left. As she was making her way back to the group, the blonde brought the bag up to her and smiled. “This is so perfect. I know papa is going to love it. If I’m right, he should be here tomorrow when the festival star-ahh!” Cornelia bumped into something or rather someone. It didn’t knock her down but it did knock the person in front and the bag. “Jeez. I’m sorry. I should’ve been looking where I was going-” Cornelia gasped as soon as she saw the person she bumped into. It was a girl. A very pretty girl at that who was wearing a familiar school uniform she saw before.The girl groaned. “It’s quite all right. I’m also at fault here.” She looked over the bag that was knocked down and picked up. “I suppose this belongs to you?”The blonde nodded at the question. “Yes. It does.” She held out her hand to the other girl. “Need a hand up?” The downed girl smiled at the offer and gladly took up the offer. Cornelia brought her up and she stood. “Thank you for your help.” She handed the bag back to the blonde and started to dust herself off.Cornelia really couldn’t stop looking at the girl in front. It was like she was almost entranced by her looks and beauty. That little thought made her shake her head. “Why am I looking at her like this in the first place?”The girl in front of her finished dusting herself. "There we go." She looked at the blonde. "If you don't mind me asking, you would've happened to see a girl wearing a uniform like mine? She has a blonde hair put in pigtails, blue eyes, and a very obvious burn scar covering a quarter of the left side her face. I was ordered by my leader to find out after…an unfortunate event had happened and was separated ever since while she and my other teammate went on ahead."Cornelia smiled at the question. “As a matter of fact, I have seen someone like that. My group and I ran into her earlier. A friend of mine gave her directions to Beacon.”That was more than good enough for the other girl. “I see. Thank you for your help.” She began to walk and passed the blonde.Cornelia turned around to her. “Please, wait a minute.” The girl stopped and looked back at the blonde. “I know you’re going to be in the Vytal FestivalThe girl smiled at the game and turned away. “So you’re competing as well. You don’t need to concern yourself with my name. If we’re both fighting, you’ll learn my name soon enough. If the hands of fate are played right, perhaps we’ll fight against each other and that’s something I look forward to. Keep in mind, I do not say that to anyone I first meet. May we meet again.” She started to walk away from the other girl.Cornelia tilted her head in confusion. “The hands of fate? That’s weird. Still, she seemed nice in her own way. I wonder what the rest of her team is like.” That was a question she would have to answer later on. “Oh well. I’d better get back to Akame and the others.” She made her way to the docks to join back up with the group.” B In a dorm located in Beacon, There two girls in it who just dropped off their luggage. The first girl was leaning on a wall as she finished eating a chocolate bar and sighed. “What’s taking them so long? They should’ve been here by now after I got the text and told them where we are. Our first day at this school and already there are problems.”The second girl was lying on the bed. "What makes you think she wouldn't do the smart move and come over here in the first place?"The first girl scoffed at that. “Because we all know she can be an airhead sometimes. She doesn’t always think ahead at first.” She threw the wrapper in the trash can. “I need something to eat.”The second girl smiled at that and sat up. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a lollipop. “Here. It’s not much but it should do for now.” She threw the candy at the other girl.She caught it and smiled. “Why thank you. You’re such a lovable girlfriend Chelsea.”Chelsea smiled back. “Anything to keep you happy of course.” Team KRCT member: Chelsea Gaia Just as the first girl unwrapped the candy, they heard the door open and looked over to see their two teammates. “Finally, you’re here.”The girl with the burn scar giggled awkwardly. “Hey there. Sorry about what happened earlier.”Chelsea didn't accept the apology. "Sorry, my ass. You ran off and dropped your scroll. We had to carry that damn heavy thing you call a weapon over here!”The first girl cleared her throat. “You mean I had to carry it. You carried your own.”“And what of mine?” The third girl asked.Chelsea pointed her finger to the corner of the room. “It’s over there. I made sure nothing happened to it.”The other girl walked over to the corner and picked up the sword. “By the way, Taeko. Did you ever meet up with your grandma?”Taeko unsheathed her katana only a little. “No, I have not. Chances are we’ll meet once the festival begins. She closed it and turned around to her team. Team KRCT member: Taeko Oreburg The girl with the burn still didn’t forget what Chelsea had said before. “Look, what happened before, I’m sorry okay. You all know clowns scare the hell out of me.”Chelsea sighed at that. “You and your clown phobia Rienna.”The team didn’t know how this fear of clowns came to be for their teammate but their best guess was that it had to do with something traumatic in her childhood and that’s why she’s deathly afraid of them. Rienna puffed up her cheeks. “Hey, clowns are scary and you know it!” Team KRCT member: Rienna Ember The first girl who was their leader smiled. “Well, despite that mishap, we’re all here now. So, anything interesting happen? Chelsea and I managed to see what our competition is. So far, it’s looking good.”Taeko was reminded of something earlier. “Speaking of which, I did run into a competitor who’ll be fighting in the Vytal Festival. From a first glance, I can tell she’s strong.”Hearing that interested the leader very much so. “Is that right? That’s rare coming from you.”Rienna waved her arm excitedly. “Ooh, ooh, ooh! I happened to meet a group the girl Taeko met before. She told me while we were on the way over here.”The first girl smiled at that. “Really now? You learn anything about them? Are they strong?”The blonde tried to remember. “Uh…I really couldn’t tell but I know one of the girls is called Ruby Rose. The rest I couldn’t tell since I ran past them quickly. I did see one of them was Faunus, though.”Chelsea sighed at that. “Rienna, it’s recon 101. You’re supposed to gather intel on our competition.”Rienna narrowed her eyes at the other girl and huffed. “Well, sorry for not doing that. I was more focused on finding all of you.” Well, they just lost a good chance there. However, the leader wasn’t too bothered by it. “No matter. We’ll see what they can do soon enough once the festival starts.” She popped in the lollipop in her mouth. “Let’s just hope they’re worth our time.” Team KRCT leader: Kurome Chariot A/N: Insert 「 MONOCHROME SKY 【 LiLA'c Records 】 as the second ending ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: To that one guest reviewer….you, me, talk, PM, make an account or log on, now because we need to talk and that’s the only way I’ll respond. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Twenty One: Let the Games Begin The Vytal Festival had finally arrived and all the students who were competing in it were beyond excited. Even more so for the first match which just so happens to have team ALCE in it. As of now, all of them were preparing for the match ahead in the prep room. Leone put on Lionel. “Okay…let me see if I get these rules right. We’re all fighting in teams and then doubles which are chosen by the team and then we chose who’ll fight in the doubles and then those who fought in the double decided who’ll fight in the singles. That about right?”Cornelia zipped up her outfit. “Pretty much.”Akame sheathed Yatsufusa. “Not only that but the remaining competitors will have to fight through the brackets for the win of their kingdom.Leone sighed at that. “That’s just great. No pressure there.”Esdeath giggled as she put on her boots. “It is a little much isn’t it?”Cornelia didn’t seem to mind. “We’ll do fine. We’re only going to be fighting against other people from different lands in a larger than life crowd.” That didn’t make Esdeath feel any better. Akame put on her arm braces. “No matter who we’ll face, we’ll win no matter what.”“Even though there may be some shady shit going on in the background?” Leone brought up.That was something weighing on everyone’s mind. Akame didn’t feel too worried, though. “It’s true what Ruby and the others told is concerning but we have faced much worse concerning you and me Leone.”That much was true. “Yeah, you got a point there.” Still, she couldn’t help but worry a little. Even with this Roman Torchwick locked up under heavy security, the Faunus blonde couldn’t shake off a bad feeling. Most of all, she wanted a piece of the Faunus group. The White Fang. “Wouldn’t I love to beat some of those little shits. All they’re doing is just ruining the image of other Faunus with what they’re doing.” Leone may have been a Faunus for a short time but the actions of the White Fang was something she couldn’t condone as a Faunus herself.The whole team finished preparing and started to head out of the room. “Let’s begin.” Akame declared. B The roar of the crowd could be heard all around in the arena. Among them was team RWBY in the stands minus one Ruby Rose. Something Weiss wondered about. “So where is Ruby again?”“She’s back at Patch visiting her mom.” Yang replied.The heiress could understand that but still had a slight problem with it. “Is that a good idea? Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice she’s…visiting her mother but we have our own match. If she doesn’t show up when it happens, we’ll have to forfeit.”Yang didn’t seem too worried. “Relax Weiss. Ruby will come back before our match starts.” Suddenly the crowd roared louder and for good reason as team ALCE appeared in the arena. The brawler of the team stood up and cheered. "Yeah, Leone! Make your parents proud!"Blake opted for some simple clapping. “Do your best out there!”Back in the arena, Leone was already loving the attention. “Now I can get used to this. Look at all the people here just to watch us kick ass.”Esdeath felt more nervous than excited. “All of these people are going to watch us?”Cornelia laughed at that. “Don’t worry. You’ll do fine. I’m just hoping papa will be watching.”Esdeath felt the same. “Yeah, mine too.”Akame saw the opposing team they’ll be fighting. “Here they come.”Back up in the stands again, some of the other people were appalled by a very strange sight. Several buckets of popcorn and trays full of stand food all being eaten by one girl with several cups of soda. Kurome took a bite out of a hot dog. “So…” She chewed a few times before swallowing. “Is that the girl you met before Taeko?”Taeko narrowed her eyes at the blonde. “It is and it appears that’s her team.”Rienna giggled happily. “See? I told you one of them was a Faunus.”Chelsea crossed her arms. “So it would seem. The question now is, how good are they?”Kurome took a sip from one of her sodas. “We’ll see soon enough.”Both teams stood in platform located in the middle of the arena. The other team consisted of three boys and one girl. The boy on the far left had spiky purple hair wearing and an outfit consisted of an open long sleeved black jacket with a red shirt underneath and pants along with combat boots. The girl next to him had long orange hair put into twin tails wearing a sleeveless lime green top with a white shirt underneath and tan jeans with boots. The guy next to her had combed back black hair wearing a short-sleeved brown shirt with a large black stripe in a diagonal way and dark blue pants while also wearing combat boots. The last one on the right had black hair as well but it was short. He wore a dark yellow shirt with black pants and also wore combat boots. The boy on the far left smiled. “Look at all the fine ladies in front. Hope one of you don’t mind if we get to know one another after this match.”Leone gritted her teeth. "Looks like we've found the sleazeball of the group."The lone girl of the group growled at him. "What the hell Shizo? You're not supposed to hit on them before the match begins."Shizo scoffed at that. “Please. You’re just jealous because you don’t have much of chest compared to the girls in front of us.”And that comment caused his teammate to hit him on his head. “Leave my chest out of this!”One of the team members sighed at the scene. “Come on. You know you’re not supposed to bring up Kuu’s chest in this.”The last member nodded in agreement. “That’s true.”Kuu growled at the other two. “Shut up and let’s get this over with already!”Shizo groaned as he held his head. “Freaking flat chested psycho.” He whispered quietly.Apparently not quietly enough as Kuu caught that. “What did you say!?”Shizo just looked away. “Nothing okay.” He really didn’t like his partner’s attitude. He looked back at team ALCE. “Anyway, despite our opponents being hot chicks, one of them looks like they’re not holding a weapon. Isn’t that against the rules or something?”Leone grinned at that. “Oh, you’ll see soon enough.”A video showing Oobleck and Port was shown. "Hello, and welcome to the first match of the Vytal Festival! Today will be an exciting day as we start off with team ALCE from Beacon Academy vs team SKLL. What do you think Professor Portman?”The professor cleared his throat. “I’m looking forward to what each team is bringing them to the battle. I’m sure it’ll be very exciting.”Oobleck folded his arms. “Quite right. Now let us move to the next part which is choosing which terrain the teams will fight on.”Four large vertical screens appeared in each corner of the arena and started the images on them began to move downward and repeat quickly. “The way the matches will be handled is the arena divided into two different environments. They will determine how well the teams fighting can adapt fighting in them.” Oobleck explained. The images stopped and the environments were selected. The area around the center platform began to shake and lower itself underground only for high grass and rocky pillars to take up each side.Leone was very impressed by this. “Wow. They’re sure going all out on this.”The stage was set. “Now if all combatants are ready…” Everyone drew out their weapons. “Let the match…” Over at the stands, two people barely arrived before the fight began and saw it over at the stairway entrance. Everyone’s names appeared on the large screen displaying their names and aura gauges. “Begin!” An air horn blared out.That was Akame’s cue. “Esdeath, now!”Esdeath raised her hands. “Right!” She slammed her hands on the ground. “Arctic Rausch!” The floor instantly froze over and ice spike followed heading toward the other team in a straight path.They were caught by surprise. “Crap! Everyone move out of the way!” The opposing team jumped out of the attack's path.Esdeath was only getting started as she placed both hands in front. “Weiss Schenbal!” Countless ice shards formed around her and were launched at the team. This time, they couldn't avoid the attack and all of them were struck at once. All of their aura gauges dropped at different rates. Kuu's being the lowest by far. Esdeath raised her arm up. “Hagel Sprung!” A giant ice ball formed above the arena and she let down her arm. The ice ball began to drop on top of the opposing team.Shizo knew it spelled bad news. “Spread out now! Head toward the high grass!” His team followed the orders and scattered to the high grass on their side as the attack missed them but still caused the ground to shake. Once they retreated to their side, Shizo knew he was way in over his head. “What the hell is that chick?”Oobleck shifted his glasses. "A little-known fact about team ALCE's Esdeath Partas. She is the only student in Beacon allowed to fight without using a weapon due to her incredibly powerful semblance, allowing her to use it in any way which shape and form she so desires.” Hearing that description made one other spectator smile.Now team SKLL knew why Esdeath didn’t have a weapon. She never needed on in the first place. A revelation that hit Kuu hard. “She can fight with only her semblance?” Suddenly, they saw a slight shift in the giant ice ball and unbelievably was lifted up. “What the hell is going on now?!”What the team saw was Leone underneath the ice ball lifting it with ease. The crowd itself gasped in unison at what they were seeing. She grinned at them. “I think this belongs…” She threw it at the other team with little effort. “To you!”Team SKLL had no choice but to separate into twos in each side to avoid the attack again. One of them couldn’t believe what he just saw. “That Faunus girl…threw like that like it was no big deal…”Port cleared his throat. “Miss Leone Wild is rather unique even among the Faunus. What all of you witness may seem like some sort of superhuman strength as her semblance but the reality is that is her natural power that all of you have seen.”Now Shizo knew that was way out there. “You got to be kidding me. One that can fight with her semblance, and one who’s that insanely strong? What the hell are these chicks?!” He suddenly noticed something and blocked a surprise attack with his twin swords. He saw his attack was Akame. “How the hell did she sneak up on me?” Akame used her strength to push back the other leader. It sent Shizo quite the way but was able to land. He assessed his opponent. “This chick’s a lot more than she seems.”Kuu saw her partner who was about to fight. “Shizo!” Before she could help him out even though he does piss her off time to time, Kuu saw her attacker coming and blocked the attack with her trident. Cornelia just smiled as she sent her opponent flying away without moving. Kuu groaned as she steadied herself. “How the hell did you do that?”Cornelia held up one of Twin Knight. “Fight me and find out.”One of the members of team SKLL made his way over to the other side to where the rocky pillars were. However, Leone easily caught up with him. “Hello there.” He was surprised and stopped. He pulled out his whip and cracked it. The Faunus girl chuckled. “Pretty cool and all but I’m not really into that sort of stuff.”The other member scoffed. He knew beating her wasn’t going to be easy since she basically lifted and threw a literal iceberg at them. “I have to be careful fighting her.” “Lerry!”Lerry and Leone looked over to see the last member of SKLL jump to his side and placed his halberd on his should. He was happy to see his partner. “Lemor. Here to help out?”Lemor chuckled. “You’re going to need all the help you can get if you’re going to fight against her.”“Correction. The both of us.”Everyone turned to Esdeath who was approaching them. Already this spelled trouble for Lemor. “Great…the ice queen is here.”And saying that pretty much signed his death. Esdeath heard that quite clearly and glared at him. “I’m going to make you regret saying that.”Leone chuckled to herself. “Well, this fight’s going to be over quicker than I thought.” Over to Akame, she was in a duel of sword against Shizo. Akame was blocking all of his attacks which were quick but she could easily read them. The other leader lunged forward attacking Akame swinging both his swords at once. Akame jumped over him to avoid the attack and then attacked him with Yatsufusa while being upside down in the air. Shizo turned around to block the attack but it was much stronger than he anticipated and sent him away from the other leader. He managed to land on his feet and combined his two swords into a single gun and fired several shots at Akame. Akame countered by slashing at the bullets with her sword a few times before she saw her break. She swung her sword in a circular fashion forward and pressed the switch to make blade longer to reach over to Shizo. The elongated sword reached over to him and wrapped around his arm holding his gun. “What the!?” Akame pulled back her sword along with the other leader as he screamed. Once he was close enough, Akame kicked the other leader with her left leg to the side and he was sent away once again while Akame’s sword unwrapped around his arm. She recalled it back to her and it became whole once more. Shizo landed on the ground and stood up while feeling the kick. “Damn. This chick is something else.” He separated his gun back into two swords. “Alright, second round.”At the stands, Kurome ate another handful of popcorn. “Well, that girl is quite interesting. She knows how to use her weapon.”Cornelia was having her own battle against Kuu. Both were evenly matched dealing blow for blow. Kuu swung her trident at the other girl and the blonde blocked it with both of her axes. She smiled as she pushed Kuu back with a little more force than usual thanks to her semblance. Kuu slid across the ground growling. “How the hell is she doing that?” She was about to find out. "Try this on for size!" She combined her two axes into one as it extended. Cornelia spun the ax staff around before slamming the end of the handle to the ground. What happened next was that the ground began to shake violently and began to break apart quickly in front. The breaking ground traveled on a path headed right toward Kuu.Kuu was struck directly and sent into the air. Her aura gauge went down more as a result. She managed to regain balance and growled. “Alright, I’ve had enough!” She brought her trident in front and grabbed it with her other hand. Kuu twisted it and the weapon separated only for the other half to spawn a spear tip from where the weapon separated. She landed back on the ground and ran quickly to where the other girl was.Cornelia smiled at the challenge. "Bring it on!" She separated her ax staff back into her twin axes.Taeko narrowed her eyes at Cornelia. “Let’s see if I’m right about you.” “Grau Horn!” Esdeath slammed her hand to the ground and a giant ice spike came out of the ground headed right toward the two other members of SKLL.Lerry jumped out of the way while Lemor dodged to the side. “Well, I can see why that girl doesn’t need a weapon.”“Yeah, no kidding.” Lerry suddenly felt a powerful grip around his ankle and looked down to see Leone grinning at him. She then threw Lerry down to the rocky pillar area of the arena and he crashed into the ground. His aura gauge lowered significantly. Lerry groaned as he stood up while holding his head. “That…hurt.”Suddenly, Lerry heard something land and looked up to see Leone on one of the pillars still having that grin. “Hope you’re ready for a beating because it’s coming.”Lerry laughed at that. "Well, it's true you're the first I've seen with crazy strength but don't assume I'm a pushover." He cracked his whip. "I don't mean any disrespect to you as a Faunus but I do find this matchup a little ironic since I'm the one with the whip."Leone laughed as she understood the joke. “Nah, I’m cool with that but what are you going to do with just a whip?”Lerry smiled at that. “Something like this!” He cracked his whip in front and in an instant, the pillar Leone was standing on was suddenly destroyed.“What the hell!” The Faunus blonde fell down and landed on the ground. She stood up not knowing what happened. “Okay, how did that happ-” She was struck by something powerful and groaned. “What was-” Leone was suddenly being bombarded with powerful hits all over her body for a few seconds and then stopped. She breathing slightly heavy and growled at her opponent.Lerry smiled. “A little trivia for you. Whenever you hear that crack sound a whip makes, that’s the making of a sonic boom. Of course, it just stays in place. That’s why my semblance comes in. I can magnify that sonic boom and send straight toward you.”Now Leone understood what was going on. “Great. This guy can send freaking sonic booms at him. I’ve got to stop him now!” Before Leone could move, she struck once again all over by a series of small sonic booms. She crossed her arms to defend from the attacks. Lerry continued to crack his whip at the Faunus. “What are you going to do now!? You can’t move if you’re being attacked constantly!”Port oversaw the situation. “Oh dear. It seems Leone is in a spot of trouble.”Yang growled as she stood up. “Come on Leone! Kick his ass!”Over to Lemor and Esdeath, Lemor was assessing his situation. “Okay…how do I fight someone that purely fights with only their semblance?”That was a question he would have to figure out for later due to the furiously strong cold winds that were coming out of Esdeath blowing at him. “Hold still and this’ll be over quickly.” She held out her hand. “Eisberg Crasher!” A giant mass of ice came out of the ground and it continued to grow right toward Lemor.Already he knew this was going to be a pain. “Oh, come on!” He pulled back his halberd. “Well, might as well break it!” Lemor swung his weapon at the ice but to his surprise, it didn’t break. “But…how!?” Those were his last words as the iceberg struck him and sent him into the air.Esdeath crossed her arms. “The ice I create is part of me. Therefore, my aura is also in my ice.” Ice swirled around her arms. “Now, be gone!” She lunged forward and uncrossed her arms. “Einfrieren Wrath!” Esdeath sent a single blast of ice from her and struck Lemor directly. The attack was strong enough knock him off the arena and hit the force field. He groaned as he dropped to the ground and his aura gauge went into the red.“And there goes the first member a team SKLL. Out of bounds and unable to continue.” Oobleck commented.Shizo growled as he looked at the screen. “Lemor got knocked out already?” He gasped as he just noticed Akame’s attack and blocked it with his swords.He tried to hold on but easily pushed back by Akame. He managed to stop but stumbled slightly. Akame placed Yatsufusa on her shoulder. “Mark that as the turning point.”Kuu yelled as she and Cornelia continued to their bout. Both of their weapons exchanged blows with each other but the blonde knew the other girl had the upper hand when it came to range. So she decided to change that. After their weapons struck each other again, Cornelia applied her semblance once again to separate the two once again but left an opening. The blonde didn’t waste this chance as rushed over to Kuu. She delivered several slashes at the other girl at incredible speeds before spinning around to kick her. Kuu stumbled back a few steps while groaning. “Damn it.” She looked in front to see Cornelia pointing one of her axes at her. Kuu knew what this mean. "Crap." Cornelia fired a shot and it struck Kuu. She was sent over a few feet before hitting the ground and her aura gauge went down to zero.“Ho ho! Yet another member of team SKLL is down. She cannot continue anymore.” Port spoke.Lerry heard that all too well as he stopped his whip attacks. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Both Lemor and Kuu are down?” He looked over to Leone who was on her hands and knees. “Sorry about this but no hard feelings. I have to pick up the slack.”Just as he raised his whip, Leone smiled she launched herself all of sudden and delivered a punch straight to Lerry’s gut. The wind was knocked out of him and couldn’t move. “A little trick I learned from a friend of mine. Now, how about you feel a sonic boom of my own? No hard feelings, right?” The Faunus blonde roared as she twisted her fist and pushed it forward. The result was sending Lerry away from her while crashing through several of the rocky pillars and out of the arena. He smacked into the force field and his aura gauge went down to zero as Lerry fell to the ground.“And the third member is out.” Oobleck spoke.Yang cheered loudly at her daughter’s victory. “All right Leone! That’s my girl!”Shizo growled at the news. “Come on! There’s no way!”“Do you still wish to continue?” The other leader stared down at Akame as he yelled while charging right at her. “So be it.” She ran over to the other leader as well. Both swung their swords at each while passing by. Shizo quickly turned around as did Akame only for their swords to clash against each other again. Shizo quickly disengaged and kicked Akame’s sword. The kick did manage to push Akame away but Shizo combined his swords into their gun form. He fired a few shots but Akame avoided them while running over to the other leader. Shizo continued firing but Akame used her sword to cut through the bullets.As she neared Shizo, he pointed his gun directly at her. “No way can you dodge this shot.” Just as he was about the pull the trigger, Akame vanished. The sudden disappearance caught him off guard. “What the hell?” He looked around trying to find her. “Where the hell did she go?” His answer was being attacked from behind and turned around to see Akame. Before he could point his gun again at the other leader, Akame didn't waste any time reaching over to him quickly and began to slash at him with blinding speeds multiple times. For the final blow, Akame swiped her sword upward to send Shizo into the air. She pulled back her sword and swung it while pressing the switch to make the blade extend to reach Shizo and wrapped around his leg.Akame yelled as she turned around while pulling her sword with her which pulled Shizo as well. Once she stopped, Akame pulled back the blade as it unwrapped from the leg. He was sent flying all the way out of the arena and into the force field face first. His aura gauge dropped to the red as he dropped down the ground. Akame’s weapon fully retracted itself as she flicked it. “You’ve lost.”The air horn blared once again. "And there you have it, everyone! Team ALCE wins the match and will be advancing to the doubles round!" Port announced.The crowd cheered at their victory but not as loud as Yang. “That’s right! My kid’s in that team you know!”Weiss sighed at her. “I don’t think you’re supposed to yell that out loud.”Blake chuckled. “Still, I’m glad they won.”Team ALCE regrouped at the center while taking in all the cheering. Cornelia laughed at it. “Hear that? They’re cheering at us!”Esdeath laughed nervously as she meekly waved at the crowd. “We’re…glad that all of you enjoyed it.”Leone was more energetic about it as she waved her arm. “That’s right! We’re freaking awesome!”Akame decided to wave at the crowd as well just to humor them. “We won our first fight but there’s still much more to come.”The two figures that arrived continued to smile as they left the stands. Kurome finished her soda and stood up among the many empty popcorn boxes and other snacks. “Well…” She stretched her arms out. “I’d say they’re pretty good. This tournament will be interesting with them around.”Chelsea giggled in agreement. “And to think, this is only the first match. Let’s hope that the others are just as good.”Taeko didn’t speak as she started to leave. Rienna noticed it. “Taeko, wait for us!” She left while trying to catch up to her teammate.Chelsea shrugged as she did the same. Kurome stayed behind while continuing looking at Akame. “Akame Night. I do hope I get to fight you in the tournament sometime in the future. I want to know which one of us is stronger.” With those thoughts, she left. Akame instantly sensed something strange and looked around to find that something but never did. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Twenty Two: Meeting the Family“To team ALCE’s first victory in the Vytal Festival. Cheers!”“Cheers!”“Now let’s chow down!” Everyone didn’t waste any time scarfing down their food and was enjoying it. Leone laughed as she bit through another rib. “That fight was easy. Of course, we were going to win."Esdeath ate another spoonful of her ice cream. “But didn’t you have trouble fighting against your opponent?”The Faunus blonde scoffed at that. "As if. I took worse hits than that and that's saying a lot compared to what I went through before." She finished her rib and went for another one.Cornelia swallowed the fries she was eating previously. “Still, it’s our first victory. We have a long way to go in the tournament."Leone wasn’t worried about that. “So what? Bring them all on! We’ll crush them!”“That’s what I like to hear.”The team looked off to the side see the three members of RWBY walking up to them. Cornelia smiled at them. “Hey Yang, Blake, Weiss.”Weiss was about to reply until she saw Leone take a bite out of her next rib. “Did you actually eat the bone of that rib?”The other girl stopped chewing and swallowed. “Uh…yeah? The ribs here taste pretty good.”The heiress could care less about how the ribs tasted. “You’re not supposed to eat ribs like that!”“Weiss, she chucked a giant iceberg at the other team without a problem. I doubt eating bones will do anything to her.” Blake retorted. Leone was glad to hear that.Yang came up to her daughter and gave the Faunus girl a hug. “I’m so proud that you’ve won. You’ve made your parents happy.”Leone laughed at that. “Thanks. I’d like to hug you back mom but…”Yang understood what Leone meant and separated from the hug. “Right. Barbeque fingers.”Esdeath noticed there was one girl with a red hood missing among them. “Ruby still isn’t back yet?”Yang shook her head. “No. She’s still at Patch.”Esdeath felt rather sad about that. “That’s too bad. I really wanted her to see my match.” And there goes Weiss feeling a little irritated by Esdeath mentioning her partner’s name. “But I understand why she needed to do so.” She smiled at that last part and continued to eat her sundae.Blake looked over to Akame who was starting on her second burger. “Are you sure that’s healthy for you to eat?”Akame ignored the question and continued eating. The other Faunus girl laughed. “Trust me, if you knew half the things Akame ate, you really wouldn’t care. That and she could eat a lot more from before.”Weiss was almost afraid to ask her next question. “And just how much Akame could eat before?”Leone grinned at the question. “Enough to clear out every concession stand here and put them out of business. Seriously, this is the same girl who scarfed downed an entire plate of large multiple pieces danger beast meat in seconds.” Weiss really didn't know what to think about that except the fact that Akame's appetite was beyond absurd. Yang, on the other hand, couldn't’ help but feel a tad jealous that Akame could eat that much and still keep that figure of hers. She then thought of a funny joke. “I guess that explains why she loves eating-ow!”Blake elbowed her girlfriend as she knew where the blonde was going with that joke. That aside, she was curious about something. “Since you’ve mentioned before, what happened to her that made her stop eating normally if you can even call that?”“It’s because of my markings.” Everyone looked over at Akame who finished her second cheeseburger. “After I’d obtain the markings on my body, I felt a significant drop in my eating habits. I barely ate at all during the six months before I met up with Leone again.” Everyone didn’t know whether to classify that as good or bad. Good because Akame doesn’t eat as much but bad because of everything she told them before about how she obtained the markings in the first place. Suddenly, Akame noticed something sneaking near her food as she grabbed the arm pulled it forward only put all of her weight on a hold.“Ow!” Everyone looked at Nora and she laughed and smiled nervously. “Oh, was that yours?”Akame glared at the other girl. “Never…touch my food.” She released the girl and Nora understood as she backed off slowly to the rest of team JNPR who recently arrived.Leone was laughing at what she saw. “Be lucky you survived that or else Akame would’ve severed your head. She doesn’t like it when others try to steal her food.”Nora grinned at that. “I don’t know. My head is pretty stuck on my shoulders.”Jaune waved at the other teams. “Hi there.”Pyrrha smiled at them. “We wanted to congratulate you on your win.”Cornelia was grateful for the gesture. “Aw. Thanks a lot.”“Have you decided who’s going to fight in the doubles?” Ren asked.All four members of ALCE looked at each other and then back at JNPR. “Not yet. I mean, we’re all pretty heavy hitters. Given that me and Akame are both ex-assassins, Cornelia is no slouch when it comes to fighting and a former teammate of Akame's, and Esdeath here was the former strongest in the Empire.” Leone explained.Weiss crossed her arms. “You still need to decide and I don’t think past lives count.”“Regardless…” Akame took a bite out her third cheeseburger. “It will be difficult to choose from.” She swallowed her piece. “But enough about us. What about all of you? When do your matches start?”“Ours start in a few hours so Ruby should be able to make back on time by then.” Yang replied. Esdeath smiled at that which irked Weiss just a little.Leone finished off another rib. “What about you?” She asked JNPR.“Apparently ours start after a match between CRDL and KRCT.” Pyrrha answered.The Faunus blonde raised an eyebrow at one of the names. “KRCT? Like the vegetable?”Ren didn’t think so. “Not likely with the way their name is spelled. I think’s it’s more supposed to be the measure of gold.” B In another part of Beacon, Kurome sneezed and groaned while sitting on a bench with her girlfriend. Taeko was leaning up against a tree nearby and Rienna laying on the grass. Chelsea giggled at the action. “Coming down with something?”Her girlfriend/leader rubbed her nose. “Please. Since when have you ever seen me sick?”“They say when one sneezes, it means that someone is talking about you.” Taeko spoke.Rienna seemed to like the idea. “Ooh. Someone’s talking about you Kurome. Who do you think it is?”Kurome could care less about that as she lay down her head on Chelsea’s lap. “Doesn’t matter. All we have to do is wait for our match to be announced. Which reminds me, Rienna, I have something for you to do.” B The idea of seeing CRDL fighting made Leone laugh. “I don’t know about all of you but I would love to see Cardin and his jackass pals getting their asses whooped.”Blake couldn’t agree more. “Wouldn’t we all?”Nora grinned nefariously. “Yeah! Maybe that KRCT team can break all of their legs!”Yang loved the idea and smiled as she ignored what Nora said previously. “It could be fun. Who knows, it could be karma for what Cardin did all that time to Velvet.” At the same time, both Cardin and Velvet sneezed. “So, what are your plans after this?”Akame had to admit she didn’t think that far. “I don’t know. Maybe just walk around and watch some of the matches.”It sounded like a plan to the brawler. “Eh, good enough. Just make sure you get to watch our and JNPR’s match.”Her daughter smiled at that. “Only if you kick a lot of ass then it’s a deal.”Yang gave Leone a thumbs up. “You got it.”"We'll leave you and your victory-eating alone now. We'll see you later." Blake spoke and then began to leave.“And for goodness sakes, please clean up after yourself.” That was all Weiss had to say leaving as well.Yang just laughed. “Don’t miss our match okay?” With those words, she was the last to leave.JNPR thought the same. “We’ll be going as well. Enjoy your food.” Pyrrha and the rest of JNPR waved goodbye to the other team. With everyone gone now, team ALCE continued to eat. B Leone was licking her fingers after everyone in the team fully finished their meals and were now walking around the festival grounds. The Faunus blonde could still taste the barbecue on her fingers. "Man that was good." She patted her stomach a few times. "So what’s next on our list?”Cornelia pondered the question a little. “Well, we could check out of the shops around here. Could be something interesting.”Esdeath seemed to like the idea. “It could be interesting. What do you think Akame?” She didn’t hear a response. “Akame?”Everyone looked over at their leader who seemed to be deep in thought. Leone stopped and tapped her girlfriend's forehead and that seemed to snap her out of it and stopped as well. The other two girls as well. The Faunus blonde smiled at Akame while said girl held her forehead with her hand. "I've seen that look before. Something on your mind?"Akame moved her hand away and looked at her team. “It’s something like that. Just that…after we’ve our match, I felt a strange feeling like someone was watching me.”It didn’t seem too weird to the rest of the team. “Akame, a huge crowd of people was watching us. Are you still getting used to attaching attention?” Cornelia asked. Akame was a former assassin so fighting in front of a crowd would feel a little strange to her.To her surprise, Akame shook her head. “No, nothing like that. I felt like someone was deliberately watching me.”Leone had a guess. “Maybe it was that Cinder chick. She’s been making weird eyes at you ever since we’ve first met.”Again, Akame shook her head. “No, I don’t think it’s her.”Esdeath seemed to have an idea. “Maybe it’s secret admirer.” The Faunus blonde growled deeply at that. “Or maybe not.” She knew how Leone was when it came to anything about Akame.Cornelia crossed her arms. “Maybe it was just your imagination.” That was her best guess.Her leader sighed at that. “That could be it but I still don’t know.”It was a little concerning but they would have to put this topic on hold for now. “Alright, we can figure out Akame’s mystery person later. Let’s just have some fun or something or whatever it is people do at these kinds of things.”Everyone agreed to Leone’s idea. “Excuse me.” Everyone heard a new voice coming from behind and Akame gasped as the voice sounded very familiar to her. Everyone looked over to where they heard the voice and Akame’s pulse quicken at the person they were seeing. He smiled at the team. “All of you wouldn’t happen to be team ALCE would you? I would like to get an autograph.” He smiled at all of them. Akame’s breathing became shaky as she couldn’t believe this person of people was here in front of her. “I’m your new family. You can even call me Father.”Akame gritted her teeth as she closed her hands tightly. “Gozuk-”Suddenly she heard Cornelia squeal and ran up to the guy. “Papa!” She gave him a big hug and her dad hugged her back. “You’re here! You’re actually here!”Her dad laughed happily as well. “There’s my huntress in training. It’s so good to see you again.” They broke the hug and he smiled at his daughter. He looked past her and smiled at the rest of the team as well. “You must be Cora’s team. It’s nice to finally meet you.”Cornelia stood next to her dad. “Everyone, allow me to introduce you to my Papa. Gozuki King. He was known as the Kingsman Hunter.”Gozuki waved his hand. “That may be true but that was some time ago.”His daughter moved in front of him now. “Right, let me introduce you to my team. They’re-”“I know. They’re what you’ve described to me. The Faunus is Leone, the girl with the blue hair is Esdeath and the last one is Akame. Isn’t that right?”Akame hesitated to speak. It was strange that this was Gozuki in front of her and yet it wasn’t. It was a different one. He seemed to be nicer. Gentle even. She slightly bowed to him. “It is. It’s nice to finally meet you.”Leone snickered. “Yeah, especially since Cora always repeats what you’ve said sometimes before.”Gozuki laughed at that. “Is that so? She has a habit of doing that time to time but enough about that. I’ve seen your fight and I must say I was very impressed. All of you have quite the traits to bring into battle. To Esdeath’s use of her semblance, to Leone’s sheer unlimited strength, to Cora’s quick thinking, to Akame’s swordsmanship. Tell me, who taught you how to handle a sword like that?”Akame slightly looked away. "I…had someone to teach me. Let's just leave it at that." Ironic Gozuki would ask that since he was the one who trained Akame how to fight with a sword in the first place.He seemed to accept the answer. “I see. Alright then.”“Papa! Papa!” Cornelia was jumping up and down a little before she stopped and pulled something out of her pocket. “I got this for you since I knew you were going to come. I just didn’t know when.” She presented a small locket necklace to him.Her father smiled at the present. "You really shouldn't have Cora." He held out his hand and his adoptive daughter gave it to him. "But thank you. Now I can put a photo of us in it." Cornelia smiled back. “Now you’ll always have me with you. Just like I said before.” Gozuki nodded and put the locket in his pocket. “Are you going to be staying for the entire festival?”Gozuki laughed a little. “Of course. I didn’t travel all this way just to watch one of your matches. I can’t wait to see what your team can really do.” He ruffled Cornelia’s head. “I’ll see you later, okay Cora. And the rest goes for your team. No disrespect to the other teams but I'll be rooting for you."He removed his hand and Cornelia smiled at him. "You got it, papa. It was great seeing you again. I won't let you down."Her dad was glad to hear that. “That’s my girl and like I always say, keep your eye and mind on the goal and you’ll eventually reach it.”Cornelia nodded at the words. “Yes sir!”With those words said, Gozuki waved goodbye to the team. “I’ll see you all of you around next time. Good luck.” He began to walk away.Leone rather enjoyed meeting Cornelia’s father for the first time as well as everyone else. Well, almost everyone. Akame still couldn’t believe the man they met was Gozuki. Of course, she knew would know about it given that she and the Cornelia she knew were trained under him back in her world. “Well, that was a thing. He seems to be a pretty cool dad Cora.”The other blonde smiled sweetly as she placed her hands on top of her chest. “He’s more than that. He’s the reason why I have this second chance.” She turned around to her team. “Let’s do the best we can in the tournament. Are you with me?!”The rest of the team smiled and all of them raised their arms. “Yeah!” B Team ALCE continued to spend their time on the festival grounds enjoying themselves. Leone snickered as she put a cat ear headband on top of her girlfriend's head. "Hey, you look pretty good as a Faunus Akame."The other girl wasn’t sold on the look as she fiddled with the ears. That didn’t stop Cornelia taking a picture with her scroll. “Aww you look so cute Akame.”Akame apparently didn’t like it as she took off the headband. “That’s enough Cora.” She placed the headband back on the stand where Leone first got it. “Where should we head to next?”Esdeath was checking her scroll due to a text message she received and smiled. “I got a text from Ruby saying she’s back. Perhaps we should make our way to the arena now since her team’s match is coming up soon.”Leone couldn’t agree more. “Sure. Let’s pick some snacks along the way.” All of a sudden, her mood took a different turn as she noticed a familiar scent. Two of them.Akame noticed the change. “What’s wrong Leone?”The Faunus growled as she looked to where she first picked up the scents. “They’re here.”The rest of the team looked to where Leone was looking and knew why she was acting the way she was. Approaching them were two of Cinder’s teammates. Emerald and Mercury. Emerald put on her best smile at the other team and waved at them. “Hello there!” They didn’t return the greeting and she feigned being hurt. “Ow. That’s a cold reception from all of you.”Mercury thought he should give it a shot. “Hey, come on now. No need to get all hostile toward us.”It still didn’t work as Leone narrowed her eyes at the two. “Cut the crap and what do you want with us?”Mercury chuckled at the question. “Just to say congratulations on your win. Is that a crime?”Cornelia felt the same as Leone. “Where’s your leader? You two are usually around with her.”Emerald waved her hand nonchalantly. “Cinder is around doing something else so don’t worry. But enough about us. Who’s going to fight in the doubles from your team?”Leone was about to tell them to piss off but Akame interjected. “Leone and I will be in the doubles round since we work well together. Is that good enough for you?”Emerald smiled at the answer. “Really now? You’ll be a tough duo to beat then. We’ll be on our way now. Oh, and Akame, Cinder says hi. See ya." She began to walk away while Mercury gave them a smile before leaving as well. As soon as they were far away enough, Emerald leaned into her partner in crime. "Do you believe what she said?"Mercury just shrugged. “Who knows but the girl does know what she’s doing. Is she telling the truth or lying to us?”“Guess we’ll know soon enough.” Emerald then pulled out her scroll to tell Cinder the news.Akame and Leone were beyond glad those two were gone. Esdeath, on the other hand, was feeling a little nervous. “Why did you tell them that? I thought we haven’t decided who’s going to be in doubles yet.”Her leader was about to answer but someone did it for her. “It’s a simple tactic really.” Everyone heard a new voice and turned to where it was coming from. Who they saw was a man walking up to them who oddly enough was wearing clothing similar to what Esdeath was wearing when the team first met her. “Giving the enemy disinformation can be more dangerous than not giving them any at all. It could lead to some disastrous results if you’re not careful with the info given.”He wasn’t wrong. Akame purposely gave Emerald and Mercury the wrong information. “Excuse me sir but who are-”“Father!”Everyone saw Esdeath run up to the man and hugged him. All of them spoke the same word. “Father?”Esdeath’s father hugged her back. “It’s nice to see you again snow cone.”Leone snickered at that. “Snow cone? Really?”Esdeath let go while looking quite embarrassed. “Father! Don’t call me that. I’m not a little girl anymore.”“Says the girl who sleeps with a Teddy Ursa.” Akame commented.Her teammate’s father laughed at that. “I like her. I Now this was a new one for both Akame and Leone. They only heard only a small margin of Esdeath’s father what Tatsumi told Night Raid about what he learned about Esdeath while being stranded on an island with her. They only learned that he taught Esdeath how to hunt and actually dissed him when he died saying that he was weak. Esren looked at each member carefully. “So this is the team you’re on huh?”Esdeath nodded at the question. "Yes sir and…"She gave a small smile. "They're my friends too. In fact, I made a lot of friends since coming to Beacon."Her father couldn’t feel prouder hearing that as he placed his hand and smiled at her. “It’s as I’ve told you Esdeath. You’ll find people who come to accept you." Esdeath never forgot those words and those words came true to her when she arrived at Beacon.Speaking of Beacon. “Have you been enjoying your time here father?” Esdeath asked.Esren nodded at the question. “Of course. I even saw your match along with this one other guy. I liked what that glasses guy said about your power. You’ve truly come a long way. Your mother would be proud of you as well.” Hearing that made Esdeath feel warm and fuzzy inside. He looked at the rest of the team. “As for the rest of you, I can’t imagine a better team for my daughter to be on. Thank you so much for looking after her.”Akame smiled at Esren and bowed to him like she did with Gozuki. "You're welcome, sir. She's been a great teammate for us." Never in a thousand years would Akame have thought of saying that about her former enemy. Then again, this Esdeath wasn't her enemy. She was her ally. Her teammate, and maybe even a friend as ludicrous as that sounded given her history with the former general but yes. Even a friend. Esren accepted Akame's compliment. "Ha ha. You’re everything Esdeath said you would be. Now then, where’s that Ruby girl you told me so much about Esdeath?”And Esdeath’s face went beet red. Leone decided to tease the other girl about. “Oh? And why would you want to meet Ruby of all people?”Esren crossed his arms. “That’s easy. Esdeath told me all about her and the way she described this girl made me want to meet her.”And Leone laughed while clutching her sides. Her laughter really didn’t make Esdeath’s situation any better. “T-That’s enough now father! You’ll see her soon enough. In fact, her match is up next in the tournament.”That seemed to gain her father’s interest. “Oh? Is that so? Good timing I suppose. Guess now I’ll see why you’re so interested in this girl.” And Esdeath’s plan backfired as her face became redder and Leone laughed harder. Esren chuckled at his daughter. “In any case, it was nice seeing you again Esdeath. I look forward to seeing your next match. Remember, always be strong both in body and in spirit.”Esdeath nodded at the words. “Yes, sir.” With that understanding, Esren left the team alone.As they saw him walking away, Leone stopped her laughter and walked over to Esdeath. She stood next to the other girl. “You know, you have a pretty cool dad Esdeath. No pun intended.”Her teammate chuckled at that. “It’s alright. My father was always there for me. He was someone I could depend on when things seemed hard on me. After my mother passed away, he devoted his entire life to raising me properly."Cornelia could understand that perfectly. “I know what you mean. The same could be said about my papa.”Hearing this talk about parents made Leone a little yearning. Of course, she had Yang and Blake as her adoptive parents but a small memory of her when she was younger laying on a straw mat with a blanket over her and a woman whose face she couldn’t see said otherwise. Akame had the same feeling with her only family she’s known was Night Raid and Kurome. “Kurome…” She looked up to the sky and saw her younger sister’s face wishing she could meet her once more and hoped to become sisters as they were before. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Twenty Three: A Cruel SurpriseThe day went on as the festival continued. As promised, team ALCE went to see team RWBY's match with Ruby finally back and won with Yang knocking the remaining three members of the opponent's team out of the arena. To celebrate their victory along with JNPR, all of them had rather large bowls of ramen that Weiss tried to pay for but for some reason, her card was declined so Pyrrha had to pay for everyone. After eating, everyone was satisfied. Almost everyone. Jaune felt a little under the weather after eating a giant bowl of ramen. Leone let out a sigh of content. "Well, that was something. What did you all think?" One of her response was Jaune groaning and Nora belched. "Good enough for me."Even though Ruby felt good eating, she still felt a little bad missing out Esdeath’s first battle in the tournament. Nevertheless, she still smiled at the other girl. “So I heard your team is making it to the doubles round Esdeath. That’s awesome. I just wish I could’ve watched your fight.”Esdeath smiled back at the younger girl which still annoyed Weiss. “It’s alright. I’m just glad I got to see yours. You did great out there.”Leone laughed at that. “No kidding. I especially liked how you took three of those chumps out at once Yang.”The other blonde was glad to hear that. “Thanks. I owe it all to my team and my sexy girlfriend.”Blake smiled at that. “So, have you chosen who’s going to fight in the doubles now?”Her daughter leaned back a little. “Easy. It’s Cora and Esdeath. Akame snagged us the win and I want to fight in the singles.”“Well, at least you’ve figured something out.” Weiss spoke.Jaune groaned some more before lifting his head up. “You know, now that I think about it, your team is totally unfair.”Cornelia was confused when she heard that. “What do you mean by that?”Nora decided to explain and slammed her hands on the counter. "He means that Akame and Leone are former…" She looked around to see the ramen guy still around but wasn't. "Assassins, whatever Cornelia was in her past life."“Cora was an assassin too Nora.” Akame clarified.Nora snapped her fingers. “Right and Esdeath was this crazy psycho strong general.”Ren had to admit his partner had a point. “It is a little overpowered.”Pyrrha laughed at that. “Overpowered or not, we’re all enjoying the battles with actual guidelines and not with…well, murderers."Yang snickered at that. “No kidding. We’ve faced a lot worse than that before.”Blake actually counted what they’ve faced so far. “Grimm invasions, violent extremists, a destructive sociopath…”Ruby was actually proud of all that. "And that's all being huntresses in training. Imagine what we can do when we graduate!"Leone laughed at that. “Man, you girls always get the fun stuff. What I wouldn’t want to crack some White Fang skulls.” Her cheerful demeanor was replaced by a more serious look. “Seriously, what I wouldn’t want to teach those bastards a lesson.”Blake knew that face all too well. “I know I should be the last person to tell you this but the White Fang are dangerous. Even more so now.”Her daughter thought otherwise. "Please. I'm more dangerous than all of them combined. Compared to the people, if you even want to call some of them that, Akame and I fought, the White Fang are nothing more than a bunch of pussies who think they're doing the right thing."The other Faunus girl knew where this conversation was going. In fact, she couldn’t help but feel a little curious about what Leone’s thoughts were about White Fang. “And what do you think of the White Fang.”Leone sighed at the question. “I’ll be honest here. I did look them up on that…intranet-”“Internet.” Akame corrected her."Whatever, to see what the big deal was after you told us about them. It makes me sick on what they're doing and thinks they're actually helping the Faunus." Blake couldn't help but be reminded of the argument she and Weiss had from before from where this is going. "I'll just cut to the chase. The White Fang, they're not making it better for the Faunus. In fact, they're making it worse for them. For us. I mean, I know there're people out there who think all Faunus are exactly like the White Fang."The rest of team RWBY looked over to Weiss who really didn’t like this sort of attention. “What are all of you looking at?”And they looked away. “Nothing.”“What are you talking about?”“I didn’t say anything.”Leone didn’t understand what happened but continued on with her rant. “Okay…back to what I was saying. Not all Faunus are like the White Fang. Examples of this are Blake and Velvet.” She really didn’t know how closely ironic she was when the Faunus blonde compared Blake to the White Fang. In fact, Blake never actually told Akame and the other team about her past with the White Fang. There just wasn’t a good time to do so. “And I guess me too since I’m a Faunus now. Bad example, I know considering the things I’ve done but there’s a difference. I was fighting for a better future. These White Fang guys, they’re just doing this for themselves.” She let out a sigh. “Think that’s all I wanted to get off my chest.”After hearing all of that, Blake looked down at the counter. It was strange hearing that strong of an opinion of the White Fang from another Faunus like Leone even if she was human at first. "You're right about one thing.” She looked over at Leone and smiled at her. “You are different than the White Fang. That much is true." Her daughter smiled back when she heard that.“There you are!” Everyone looked over at where they heard a familiar voice and saw the familiar face that came along with it.“Rienna?” Ruby wondered what she was doing here of all places.Rienna walked up to the group smiling at them and stopped when she was in front of the group. “First off, let me say your team did really awesome in your fight. It was really something.”Weiss crossed her arms. “Is there a point why you’re here?”The other girl giggled. “Oh, yeah. My leader was wondering if your team could watch our team’s fight and hoped that ALCE would come watch too. Our match is up next.”Hearing that clicked something to Pyrrha. “Wait, you’re part of team KRCT?”Rienna nodded at the question. “Uh-huh. I guess I never did tell you the team I was on. So, what do you say?”Everyone looked at each other thinking about the offer. All of them came to a conclusion and looked back at Rienna. Yang smiled at the other blonde. “Why not? We were going to watch Cardin and his team get their beatings anyway.”Rienna smiled at the answer and grabbed Ruby’s hand. “Thank you so much. You’ll be blown away by what my team can do.” Unknown to her, both Esdeath and Weiss had fire coming out of their eyes. “I’ll see you all later!” She walked away from the group.Already the group was unsure about what they signed up. Some of them were curious as to how a girl like Rienna would fight since she seems more unlikely than Ruby. Speaking of the leader, she stood up from her seat. "So…shall we watch their then?" B The familiar roar of the crowd could be heard throughout the arena. Team RWBY, JNPR, and ALCE took their usual seats as they saw CRDL already on the field. There were many questions that they needed answering. Yang was eating a bucket of popcorn. “So…how do you think this’ll turn out?”Weiss was disgusted by her teammate’s manners. “First of all, don’t talk with your mouth full. Second, we’ll find out when they get here. Seriously, who doesn’t show up in time?”“Heroes in comic books?” Ruby guessed.Blake had to admit that was true. “She isn't wrong.”Over to ALCE, they were wondering the same thing. Leone took a bite out of a hot dog. "Guess we'll see what this team KRCT can do."Cornelia seriously doubted that considering the team they were facing. “They’re fighting against CRDL. We all know four of them couldn’t even beat Pyrrha altogether.” The team agreed to that.Overseeing the match was Oobleck and Port. “Hello, and welcome to yet another exciting match here in the Vytal Festival Tournament. Today’s matchup is team CRDL vs team KRCT who seem to be running a tad late.”Oobleck was less than fine with this. "This is unacceptable according to the tournament rules. If the members of team KRCT do show up within the minute, their team will forfeit the match."Hearing that made Cardin laugh. “Fine by me. An easy win for us. Maybe they’re too chicken to come out and fight.” His team did chicken impressions.Everyone was wondering what was taking KRCT so long. “Thirty seconds remain!” Oobleck announced.Nora was beginning to feel a little frustrated. “Come on! Get the show on the road already!”“I wonder what could’ve happened.” Pyrrha asked.It was then Ren spotted something. “Hold on. Someone is coming out.”Port also seemed to notice. "Hold on everyone. It seems we're finally seeing someone emerging from the other side."Everyone looked closely and gasped to see who it was. "Rienna!?" Sure enough, it was Rienna but her battle outfit was unlike anything they've expected it to be. She wore a white tube top around her breasts with her midriff exposed that revealed more of her burn scar all the way above the left breast and upper part of her left arm. She also wore tan military-style pants with grey steel tipped boots. What caught their eye most of all were the two large weapons the blonde was carrying on each arm. They looked to be gauntlets similar to Yang’s Ember Celica but much larger with sharp pointed blades coming out of the front of them above her hands.However, that wasn’t what really grabbed Akame and Leone’s attention. It was the shape and look of the weapons that made couldn’t believe it. “Akame…is that…are they…”Her girlfriend narrowed her eyes. “It is but…it’s not possible. This girl…Rienna can’t be…” Another powerful hint Akame noticed was the outfit Rienna was wearing. It looked similar to an opponent Akame had fought before a long time again. “Is Rienna really…”Esdeath noticed another person coming out. “Here comes the next member.”As soon as they saw the next person, both Akame and Leone’s eyes widened in shock as to see who it was. The Faunus blonde gritted her teeth. “What the hell? That can’t…that can’t be…”Akame thought the same. “And yet it is.”She narrowed her eyes at the girl she was seeing. “I hope we get along and kill people together.” The girl Akame was seeing was among the people she thought would never see again. “Chelsea…you’re here too?” It was like seeing a ghost and not believing a former comrade was actually here before her eyes. Yet here Chelsea was and it was very real. Even in a different world, her usual outfit hadn’t changed at all except for the part of two swords that were red and black with one placed over each thigh.Cornelia saw the next person to come out and it was one she recognized. “Hey, I know her.”Akame’s next reaction when she saw the next girl was stronger than the last. She felt a strong pulse throughout out her body. “In the next life, I hope we can be on the same side in the end.”Fear was clearly present in Akame’s eyes. “Taeko…”Now she suddenly remembered why the name Oreburg sounded familiar to her. “The ones who killed her were Oreburg!”The very girl Akame was seeing was the girl she had killed from a long time who in turn, killed Cornelia wearing the same outfit and holstering a katana located on her left hip. "So, she's on this team too? Wow, I didn't expect that all."Akame looked over at her teammate. “Cora…you’ve met her before?”Cornelia looked back at her leader. “Yeah…just after I went off on my own. We only exchanged a few words and that was it. Why?”It was as Akame feared. Just like before, these two have met yet again in a different world. Leone noticed the look on her girlfriend’s face. “I’ve never seen Akame this spooked before. Does she know the girl that showed up?” She continued to look at the arena and gasped as the Faunus blonde saw who was the last to show. “No…way…” Leone gritted her teeth. “Akame…look.”Her girlfriend did just that and as soon she did, everything felt like it came to a complete stop. Everything around Akame seemed to vanish as she focused on the one person. Her breathing became heavily elevated and felt her heart race like mad until she felt it stopped because what she was seeing couldn’t possibly be real. All of sudden, Akame began to remember certain events. "It's been a long time, hasn't it Akame?" “I'll add you as well big sister. That way we'll be together forever." "I can't forgive you but at the same time, I love you. Those two thoughts keep going around in my head over and over agai n." "I don't want you to kill anyone else but me!" All of these different thoughts were racing through Akame’s mind. “Kuro…me…” The girl she was seeing in front of her eyes was no one else but her younger sister who she took her life away. Her battle outfit was different. It looked similar to Wave’s attire but the jacket was short sleeved and the weapon she was carrying was different too. It was a weapon Akame recognized easily as well. “That…Natala’s Shingu.” The weapon looked similar but it modernized. To see Kurome use that instead of Yatsufusa was mind-boggling to her.“-ame! –kame! Akame!” Akame snapped out of her trance and heard the crowd once more. Cornelia sighed in relief. “Thank goodness. We thought we lost you. What’s going on? I’ve never seen you act like this before. Leone too.”Akame continued to look at Kurome and sure enough, she was still here. "Akame?" Esdeath spoke with worry in her voice.Finally, their leader managed to utter a word. “Kurome…”The name rang strong bells for the other two members of ALCE. “Kurome? As in your sister?Akame nodded at Cornelia’s question. “Yes.” She never took her eyes off of who was her younger sister. She pointed at her. “That girl right there, that’s undoubtedly Kurome.” Cornelia and Esdeath gasped and they looked at Kurome in disbelief. “No way. That girl right there, is your sister? The same one you-”“Yes.” Akame interrupted the blonde. “The same goes for Taeko. I fought against her once and…” They already knew the end of that one.Cornelia looked at the girl she ran into before. “Taeko huh? So that’s her name.”Leone crossed her arms under breasts. "And the girl with the headgear is Chelsea. She was on the same team as Akame and me until…” Again, the other two already knew how that must’ve ended. “This has to be some screwed up joke. I mean…what the hell?!” The armrests Leone was gripping on was beginning to crack. Akame felt the same way. Was this some cruel twisted joke God was making because it wasn’t funny to either of them. “Just how the hell are we supposed to take this?” Akame knew the answer to that. In a way, Akame was glad to see her sister again. In another, this wasn’t the Kurome she knew all her life and didn’t know what this Kurome was like. The same could be said for Chelsea. Taeko, there were mixed feelings about her. The only odd one out was Rienna and Akame had a theory as to who she really was. She grabbed her arm and felt the markings starting to activate.Back at the arena, KRCT managed to gather together and was in front of CRDL. Cardin grinned at the other team. “About time you showed up. And here I thought you were too scared.”Kurome chuckled at him. “Woof woof.” Cardin looked confused as he didn’t understand what she meant by that. “I hear you barking little dog but can you actually bite?”Cardin growled at her. Taeko closed her eyes. “Such talk is only measured up by the lack of skill.”Now that just made Cardin angry. “I’m going to make you eat those words.”Oobleck checked his watch. “Well, it seems all of team KRCT is here with six seconds to spare. I would advise them not repeat this again.”Chelsea groaned at that. “It wasn’t our fault. Blame Rienna’s heavy gear. I still don’t know why you keep those around.”Rienna huffed. “These are the same weapons my dad used before he died. I refuse to use any other.” The rest of the team knew how stubborn she was when it came to her weapons.Port cleared his throat. “Since the combatants are all here, let us select the stage.” The stage selector appeared once again and began to randomize. It slowed down until the two stages were selected. One was fog while the other was a jungle. The two sides began to drop down and then come back up with the selected stages. A thick fog enveloped KRCT’s side and the jungle on CRDL’s. “Now then…team CRDL vs team KRCT. Let the match…” CRDL readied themselves while KRCT remained the same and Taeko opened her eyes. “Begin!” The air horn blared.“Let’s get them!” Cardin and his team charged headfirst at the other team.Kurome smiled at their attempt. “Rienna…”The blonde giggled. “On it.” She pulled back her arms and flames erupted from the sides of her weapons as she smiled wickedly. “Devil Incarnate….” She placed her arms forward and fire came out of the two gauntlets fiercely. The fire reached CRDL and enveloped them all as they screamed while Rienna twisted her arms around. “Flaming Spiral!” The fire twisted around upward and CRDL didn't have time to react as it surrounded them all.Yang was surprised by what she was seeing. “That chick uses flamethrowers!?”Ruby marveled at that. “So awesome!” She then noticed something familiar with weapons Rienna was using. “Wait…I think I’ve seen them before.”Akame thought differently. “Flamethrowers. So, she is…”“Chelsea…”Chelsea grinned at her leader’s order. “Of course.” She pulled out the two swords and opened them. They were actually bladed fans with six blades in between the two sides. “Graceful Malevolence…” The wind began to surround the fans as she spun around once and waved the fans strongly with wind coming out reaching the fire spiral Rienna made before. The wind added to the fire created a fire tornado. “Hell’s Twister!” Rienna loved the sight she was seeing. “So beautiful.”“Taeko…”Taeko grabbed the hilt of her sword and pulled it out. Pyrrha noticed something about the weapon. “That’s just a simple katana.”“Maybe she’s like Jaune.” Nora guessed. Jaune didn’t know if that was an insult or a compliment.”Taeko pulled back her sword as she closed her eyes. “Tsugaku-Hime…” The wind began to circle around her. “Ridge Wind!” She opened up her eyes and slashed upwards at the air at the fire tornado. Taeko flicked her sword and sheathed it. In the next second, the fire tornado was cut in half and scattered. What it left behind was Cardin and the rest of his team in the air. During the whole thing, few in the crowd had noticed all of their aura gauges dropping rapidly. “Kurome…”Her leader took note. “I got it. Let’s wrap this up.” She spun around her weapon around and stopped while holding it. “Trisula.” She smiled at her prey. “Amplify times two.” A strong pulse went through her body and looked up. In the next second, she disappeared. She jumped off of him and that sent him out of the arena. Kurome headed over to the next member and did the same. Kurome jumped off and headed to the next member. She kicked the third member and jumped off of him to the sky. All three member of CRDL hit the force field at once and dropped to the ground with their aura gauges dropping to zero. Only one left was Cardin himself. Kurome chuckled as she raised Trisula and started to fall on top of him. As she neared him, Kurome swung down her weapon at Cardin. The impact sent him crashing into ground and his aura gauge dropped to zero. Kurome landed on the ground with no problem and placed her weapon on her shoulder. "And that's it." The air horn blared again.The crowd didn’t roar at all as it was mostly silent. Even Oobleck and Port didn’t know what to say since the match was over quickly. Port cleared his throat. “Well…uh…the winners of this match is team KRCT! Bravo for your excellent show of teamwork!” There was still silence among the crowd.The scene wasn't what Chelsea expected. "Huh…I guess we've made a stronger impression than we thought." She closed her fans and set them on her thighs.All of them heard Cardin groan in pain as he tried to lift up his head. "Wow, you're still conscious. Too bad you lost." Kurome spoke as she walked up to him.Cardin glared at her. “Whatever. All of you were just lucky.”Kurome narrowed her eyes and stomped on one of Cardin's hands. He screamed as she applied more pressure. Everyone was shocked she was doing such a thing. "Listen closely so you won't forget. Luck had nothing to do with this. We won because of our strength and skill. You have nothing and no one to blame but you and your pathetic excuse for a team for your loss.”“Kurome…” The leader looked back at Chelsea. “Lay off the guy. If you don’t, we’ll get a penalty or something worse.”Her girlfriend had a point and stepped off Cardin’s hand. She began to walk away. “I’d suggest you find another line of work. You’re not suited to be a huntsman.” As Kurome joined back up with her group, all of them began to leave at once. As they did, Kurome smiled at their performance. “I think we left a good impression to everyone here.” Up at the stands, Coco popped the gum she was chewing. “That’s one brutal girl. She publicly humiliated Cardin in front of every person from the other kingdoms.” Velvet didn’t know what to think of what she saw. Should she feel glad that Cardin got what he deserved or feel bad for what happened to him?Sun and Neptune, mostly Neptune couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated. “Never thought I would say this but those are a group of girls I’d rather avoid.”Sun chuckled at that. “No kidding.”Emerald was still trying to figure out what just happened. “Okay. I blinked for one second and the whole thing was over. What gives?”Ignoring her reaction, Mercury enjoyed the show. “That was quite the entertainment. I needed a good laugh.”Behind the two of them was Cinder who became very interested in the team. "Looks like the tournament became much more interesting."Over to JNPR, Nora actually liked what happened in the match. “That was really cool! With that one girl with the fire and other with fans, and the one with sword, and-”“We get it Nora.” While Nora may have gotten a kick out of watching the match, Ren was feeling a little more worried. “They’re opponents we have to be careful around.”Pyrrha nodded in agreement to that. “Yes. They’re quite the dangerous team.”Jaune, as usual, was a little afraid of them. “Anyone else not looking forward to fighting them when that happens?”Ruby and her team were the same as everyone else. Yang gulped. “I know I said I wanted to see Cardin and his pals get their asses kick but that was just overboard.”Blake had to agree with that. “They didn’t even stand a chance.”Weiss became very unnerved by their performance. “The way they utilized their teamwork was flawless.”Ruby was paying attention to someone else. “Hey, what was Akame’s sister’s name again?”It was an odd question for their leader to ask. “I think it was…Kurome right? Why do you want to know?” Yang asked.The younger sister pointed at the screen where the aura gauges were displayed. “Because I think we saw her in action.”The rest of the team looked over to the screen and sure enough, their leader was right. Kurome's name was displayed along with one other that sounded familiar to them. "Apparently one of the other members is called Chelsea. Isn’t that one of the people Akame and Leone knew from before?” Blake asked. Sure enough, it was. It’s would be hard to forget the name of a comrade that fought alongside the two former assassins that was killed.Finally, to team ALCE, Akame could already tell KRCT would be a team to look out for. Especially with her sister. “It seems Kurome hasn’t changed much in this world. One thing that’s bothering me is what did she do near the end of the match? For a short time, I felt her aura intensified. Taeko hasn’t changed as well except for the fact she may be more dangerous now. Chelsea, I never would've imagined her fighting given the line of work she used to be in back in our world. Rienna…after seeing her, it's now obvious who she really is and that's what's most surprising about her."Leone had similar thoughts about the team. “Somehow I think Kurome is an even bigger bitch here and Chelsea, never thought I would see the day seeing her fight of all people. That Taeko chick doesn’t look like a pushover either. Finally, that Rienna girl. Is that chick really…”Esdeath couldn’t’ help but feel a little nervous. “So this who’s in the tournament. I have the feeling they won’t be easy to defeat.”Cornelia scoffed at that. “What gave you the first clue? They won the match easy. The question now is, who’s next to fight them?” That was a question everyone wanted to know the answer to. What they do know was that this tournament took a turn that no one expected to take. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Twenty Four: Family MattersAfter team KRCT's match against CRDL, Akame felt the need to eat again after trying to cope with seeing people she knew that were dead before. Her team couldn't blame her since they didn't know how to react to this either. It was one thing to see a former comrade of Akame's earlier days and a former general but it was another when it came to a previous team member and a sister. Mostly the sister to Akame. So here she was, sitting at an isolated table drinking a milkshake. Technically it was her third one. Joining ALCE was RWBY and JNPR who were also having questions of the team they saw fight previously. Akame finished her milkshake and proceeded to her fourth one. Cornelia couldn’t help but feel a little worried. “Akame?” Her leader stopped sucking on the straw and looked over at the blonde. “How are you feeling?”Nora scoffed at the question. "She's drinking her fourth milkshake. Obviously, that means she's not taking this whole sister back from the grave thing too well."She had a point which was rare at times for Ren. “Nora…”“She’s right.” Everyone looked at Akame who was fiddling around with the straw. “I don’t how I’m supposed to feel about this. Should I be happy that Kurome is here? I know I should be but…”“Then be happy.” Akame looked at Yang who crossed her arms under her breasts. “Look, if that girl is your younger sister, then be happy. If you ask me, this is a second chance for you. Make things right. You can be the older sister you always wanted to be before…everything that happened between the two of you happened.”Leone knew her mother was talking as the older sister she was but still couldn’t help but sigh. “It’s great you’re trying to offer advice and all Yang but it isn’t that easy.” Yang really hated those words. “And why’s that?”Weiss knew the answer as she rolled her eyes. “Because what exactly is Akame going to say to her? Hi, I’m your older sister from a different world and we tried to kill each other but I killed you instead.”Blake thought that was a little too far in that regard. “You didn’t have to put it that way.”"But Weiss does have a point." Akame spoke. "Like Cora and Esdeath said, this is the Kurome who lived in Remnant. We're probably not even blood-related"At this point, Yang slammed her hands on the table. “And who the hell cares about that? Ruby and me are half-sisters but we’re still sisters in the end. Leone is my and Blake’s daughter and she doesn’t have a drop of blood in her from either of us. So why should it matter if the Kurome here isn’t related to you? Because no matter what, no matter who she is, she’ll still be your little sister. Got it?”Everyone was basically speechless when they the speech the brawler gave. Ruby smiled as she started to clap and soon everyone else followed. “That was really great for you to say all of that Yang.”Even Weiss had to admit that the blonde could have her moments. “So you can be inspirational when you want to.”Yang was eating up the applause as it showed in her smile. “It’s…nothing actually. Just trying to get my point across as an older sister to another older sister.”Akame was grateful for the advice and smiled. “Thank you for saying that Yang but do I really deserve a second chance like this? Even after what I-”“No. You’re not using the whole heavy sin burden excuse this time. You’re the one who wanted a new start in the first place remember? I would suggest you make good use of that starting with Kurome.” Yang advised.It would be a good start and it would fulfill Akame’s wish. There was one problem with it. “Uh, Yang? That would be great and all but she did humiliate Cardin and his team in front of the whole four kingdoms!” Jaune pointed out. That was a problem. In fact, how was Akame supposed to reconcile with someone like the Kurome in their world?“Maybe…she isn’t as bad as she seems to be?” Ruby guessed but everyone highly doubted that.Leone sighed at the present problem. “I guess she’ll cross that bridge when she gets to it.” She still wasn’t a big fan of Kurome. "Seriously, though, aside from Kurome, Chelsea is also a huge surprise for us. Especially her fighting of all things."Akame nodded in agreement. “Yes considering the tactics she formerly used before.”Everyone else was a little in the dark about this topic so Cornelia decided to ask to shed some light. "So…what was the Chelsea you knew was like?" This would be the first all of them would hear about a person that was previously on Leone and Akame's team.Her leader thought it was harmless enough to tell all of them. “Chelsea was one of the new members to be in Night Raid after we lost Sheele and Bulat. She mostly specialized in stealth missions so fighting in the front lines was out of the question for her. What made her truly dangerous was the Imperial Arms she wielded, Phantasmagoria: Gaea Foundation.”That was the second mention everyone heard of those Imperial Arms. “And what does that do?” Blake asked.Leone decided to answer that. “Gaea Foundation was an Imperial Arms that could change the user’s appearance to any living creature. Whether that would be another human or another living being. What made Chelsea a hell of a lot dangerous was that she could perfectly mimic the person she’s copying by only one observation or what she’s heard about. She was one hell of an assassin I’ll tell you that. She racked up as many kills as Akame.”Considering Akame’s history, that was impressive. “We did have problems with her at first.” Akame clarified.Leone remembered that clearly. “Yeah, like how she insulted Sheele and Bulat about how they died because they were incompetent or something like that. However, we soon learned she didn’t want what happened to us happen to the team she was previously on.”Hearing that led to another question from Ruby. “What happened to her previous team?”Akame took another sip out of her milkshake. "From what we heard, they were all killed." Of course, it was that. This was a world where death was apparently everywhere that Akame and Leone were from. "Still, Chelsea was a good comrade to have. And…well…" That was when Akame started to blush.Her girlfriend knew exactly what that meant. “Akame, no. I thought we agreed only to keep that to ourselves.”Akame sighed. “I wasn’t going to bring it up.”“But you were thinking about it.”“What are you two talking about?” Esdeath asked.“None of your business.” Both girls answered at once. They were very defensive about whatever they were talking about.Akame sighed as they needed to switch the topic. “As for Rienna, something always bothered me about her.”Nora had the usual guess. "It's the burn scar she has isn't it because that just screams depressing backstory am I right?"Akame shook her head. “No. It’s the weaponry she used in the fight. It looked similar to another Imperial Arms Leone and I had fought before.”This was a subject Ruby was very interested in since Rienna’s weapons did ring a bell to her as well. “You two fought against a flamethrower?”Akame nodded at the question. “Yes. This flamethrower type Imperial Arms was known as Invitation to Purgatory: Rubicante used by a member of the Jaegers, Bols.” Hearing that name rang a very strong bell inside Ruby’s mind.Yang laughed meekly at the name. "That's a cheerful title to give. So what makes this one different than a usual flamethrower?"Akame tried to recall the details. "For one, it has an incredibly wide range to burn people alive and fire will continue to burn them until their death."Jaune gulped at the grim description. “That’s uh…that’s scary.”Blake did want to know something more about what Akame mentioned before. “And who are these Jaegers?”Leone thought to explain this time. “Remember what I said about the White Fang being a bunch of pussies compared to the people we’ve faced before? The Jaegers are one of them. They were a special force created to fight against Night Raid that used Imperial Arms. Their members including was Bols and Kurome who we were ordered to kill by the Revolutionary army because of what they could do. The other members are Wave whose Imperial Arms is called Carnage Incarnate: Grand Chariot which is an armor type like Tatsumi's Incursio. Run who had Soaring for Miles Mastema which was a wing type Imperial Arms that allowed him to fly and shoot deadly piecing feathers at you. A freak of a scientist called Doctor Stylish who had the Hands of God: Perfector. The last one was Seryu Ubiquitous, the bitch who killed Sheele in the first place. Her Imperial Arms was called Magical Beast Transformation: Hekatonkheires. An organic type Imperial Arms that can only be stopped by destroying the core and killing its user. Oh, and it was a dog too that could change its size and shape.” As if Zwei wasn’t scary enough for Blake, now she learned of this creature.Akame sipped on her milkshake some more. “And all of them were led by Esdeath.”Esdeath sighed at that. “Of course it’s me but it is surprising to hear I was able to lead a team.”After hearing all of that, Yang wanted to know something else. “I’m guessing your sister had these Imperial Arm things too. What was hers?”Akame sighed at the question. “Her Imperial Arms was called March of the Dead: Yatsufusa.”That was a name everyone recognized. “Wait, isn’t that-”“It is” Akame interrupted Weiss. “And its power is to bring back the dead of those she killed before as lifeless dolls to fight for her. The most Kurome could control is up to eight.” Several of them gulped when they heard that description. It sounded like from a horror movie, except it was actually real one time. “The drawback was that the more corpses she controlled, the slower her reaction time.”Pyrrha became slightly unnerved after hearing all of this. “These Imperial Arms you speak of, they’re truly terrifying. It makes you wonder what created them in the first place.”That was a question Leone was more than happy to explain. “That’s easy. All of the Imperial Arms were created from materials collected from S-Class danger beasts and rare metals like Orichalcum. Examples of these are Incursio which was made of the flesh of the Tyrant Dragon which could live under extreme weather conditions and Cross-Tail’s wires were made of the hair of another S-Class danger beast that were so strong, they were called World Severing String and couldn’t be broken no matter what. Even Esdeath’s came from the blood of an S-Class danger beast that lived in the north and she drank the whole chalice of it.” Esdeath thought she would be sick to her stomach after hearing that.Cornelia couldn't help but feel saddened after hearing all of that. "It's like the more we learn about the world you two came from, The more we can understand what a horrible place it must've been." Akame could understand why the other girl would understand that and she wasn’t wrong. “So what was it that made you think there’s a connection between Rienna’s weapon and the weapon this Bols guy used?” Akame was about to answer that but was interrupted by a familiar cheerful voice. “There you all are and all of you are in the same place too.” Everyone looked over at where the voice was and Akame gasped as her eyes widened. Walking up to them was Rienna and the rest of her team including Kurome still wearing their battle clothes. Rienna smiled at all of them. "Hi, there! Did all of you like our match? My team is pretty tough huh?" That was a complete understatement. "Oh yeah, I should probably introduce you to all of them." “I’m quite capable of doing that myself Rienna.” Kurome walked in front of her team and smiled at the group. “Nice to finally meet all of you in person. Rienna told us some things about all of you. But enough about that. In case you missed it, I’m Kurome. Kurome Chariot and leader of team KRCT.”The last name drew some attention to Akame. “Chariot. As in Grand Chariot? I suppose Wave still has some influence over Kurome even if he’s not here.” Yang had her own thoughts. “So this is Akame’s younger sister. The one she killed before.”Kurome noticed the looks everyone was giving her. “Why are you all of you looking at me like that?”All of them realized that now. “Nothing!” They all replied at once.That struck as strange for Kurome. “O…kay then. All of you are weird.”Nora laughed at that. “No, just me.”Already they were leaving quite the impression on Kurome. “Whatever. You already know Rienna so let me introduce to the two other members. Chelsea Gaia and Taeko Oreburg.”Chelsea waved her hand at the group. “Hey there.” Taeko didn’t say anything as she stared at the group.Ruby thought to give something a try. “It’s…nice to meet all of you. Your match was…pretty good.”Kurome scoffed at that. “Please. The team we fought were absolutely pathetic. Oh well, at least they’re out of the tournament now. As it progresses, only the stronger teams will remain.”Blake knew exactly where this was going. “So, what does that make you? The team proving you’re the best above all others or the team trying crush everyone else to prove your superiority?”Hearing that made Kurome chuckle. “Don’t place us in a typical antagonist role. We’re neither of those. Back in our school, we’re the best around but when it comes to events like these, it’s a good way to see how we stack up against others. So far, that’s proving to be true. Especially with RWBY and ALCE. We’re not fighting to prove anything but to test ourselves.”That was surprising to know for the group. Still, there was one thing that bothered Akame and couldn’t believe what she was about to say next. “If that’s true, then why do what you did to Cardin?” The second thing Akame couldn’t believe was that she actually spoke to her sister.Kurome narrowed her eyes at her unknowing sister. “Because I despise those that blame their weaknesses onto to others or anything else. When it comes to defeat, you better own up to it. If not…well, you’ve seen it already.”She wasn’t wrong. Cardin had a habit of being a sore loser whenever he lost and that same habit resulted in the biggest embarrassment in his life. Hearing that only proved one thing to Weiss. “In other words, you only respect those who you think deserve it.”Kurome smiled at the answer and snapped her fingers. “Exactly. If weaklings like the team we fought are trying to make it as hunters, they’ll die in no time flat. This is a dangerous profession we’re aiming to be. If you’re not careful, don’t heed the dangers, don’t take it seriously, you will die.”Ruby gulped at that but then narrowed her eyes at the other girl. “Of course we take it seriously. Why else would any of us be here in the first place?”The other leader took in Ruby's words into consideration and then giggled. "For a brat like yourself, you have some balls to speak to me like that. I like that." She turned around away from the group. "I look forward to seeing what the rest of you can do and what you'll bring in the doubles round. Let’s go.”Everyone turned around as well and began to leave. “Hold on!” They stopped and looked back at Ruby. “I have a question for Rienna. Your weapons, where did you get them?”Rienna smiled at the younger girl. “Oh, them? They were once my father’s weapons before he…was killed on a job when I was young. He was a hunter and I looked up to him.”Hearing that also confirmed something else for the young leader. “Was your dad’s name by any chance…Bols?”The question Ruby asked was the same one Akame had been wondering about. The blonde was rather confused by the question. “Yeah, that’s him but how did you know?”Both Akame and Leone gasped quietly when they heard that. “So…it is true then.”Ruby laughed nervously at the question. “Being an aspiring huntress myself, I’ve often research famous hunters and what weapons they’ve used. Yours really seemed familiar to me as I’ve seen them on a hunter’s magazine before that my dad had lying around one time.”Rienna seemed really happy to hear that. “Really? I guess your dad had one of the issues that my dad was on. I heard he was a little camera shy. It’s so great meeting someone who recognized my dad’s weapons.”Then Chelsea groaned all of a sudden. “But they’re such a pain. In fact, your weapons are the only reason why we were almost late for our match!”Her teammate glared at the other girl. “Hey, I take pride in those weapons and we still made it didn’t we?”“Yeah but barely!”“Enough you two.” Both girls looked over at Takeo. “We’ve had this conversation countless times now. Give it a rest.” The two teammates looked away from each other.Rienna looked back at Ruby. “In any case, why did you want to know about my dad?”Ruby tried to avoid looking at the other girl in the eye. “Just that…I thought he was a great hunter when I read about him and I’m getting to meet his daughter is pretty cool too.”The blonde smiled at that. “Thank you for saying that. I’ll aim to be the huntress he’ll be proud of.”Kurome sighed at all of this. “Alight, that’s enough conversation for now. Let’s get going.”“Wait just a minute!”Kurome sighed again but it was more annoyed this time. “What is it now!?”Nora pointed at Rienna. “Just how did you get that burn scar in the first place?”Said blonde touched her burn scar. "This? Oh, this came from an accident from when I toyed with my dad's fire dust when I wasn’t supposed to and I paid the price. It was a pretty grueling sight when my parents saw it. But...I don’t mind it all that much. I consider it something important since it was my dad’s dust that did it. Is that all you wanted to know?”That wasn’t exactly what Nora had wanted. “Yes, thank you for your time.” Akame replied.Kurome was all too glad that this conversation was finally done. They spent more time than she would've liked. "If that's all then we're done here. See you later in the tournament. Especially you, Akame." With those words said, team KRCT finally walked away from the group.Ruby sighed as they finally left. “That was something, wouldn’t you say?” She turned to the rest of the group but noticed something wrong with Akame and Leone. “What’s going on?”Everyone noticed the faces the two former assassins were making. They saw sadness on their faces. Akame began speaking. “After our return from a mission in Kyoroch, we were ordered by both the Revolutionary Army and the people to kill the secret police force known as Wild Hunt for all of the inhumane crimes they have committed. One of them was the murder and rape of a widow and her child that left them beyond recognition.”Leone gritted her teeth in anger. “They had nothing to do with anything. Not with the Empire, not with the Revolutionary Army, and not with the war. They were just normal civilians who were at the wrong place at the wrong time. I still remember Tatsumi’s reaction when he heard that. It was the first time I’ve seen him that angry.”Somehow, all of them knew where this going but decided to hear the end of it. “We’ve learned that the widow and child were none other than the family of Bols.” After hearing that, everyone felt the wind blowing through them. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Twenty Five: Tricks and TipsAll was quiet in ALCE’s room in the night as all of them were sleeping. Cornelia was unmoving in her bed while Esdeath was cuddling up with her Teddy Ursa. Akame and Leone were sleeping in the same bed as usual. Well, Leone was sleeping. Akame was only slightly awake and has been for a while due to some thoughts. "Something on your mind?"Akame gasped quietly and saw that Leone was awake as well. “Leone…”The Faunus blonde smiled at her girlfriend. “We’ve known each other for a long time so I can tell what you’re thinking. It’s about Kurome, isn’t it?”She hit the nail on the head right there. Akame lowered her eyes. “Yes. After everything we’ve been through, after I’ve been through, it’s…”Leone giggled softly as she brought Akame closer to her body. “I know. It’s kinda surprising to me too.”Akame still had more on her mind. “Not only that but Chelsea and Takeo…”Leone knew about Chelsea but this was the first about hearing about the other girl. “How do you know this Taeko girl in the first place? Was it someone you met before you joined up with Night Raid?”Akame was about to answer but was interrupted. “I want to know that too.”The two girls instantly sat up and saw Cornelia awake. “Cora…”“I want to know too.” Everyone else saw Esdeath sitting up from her bed. “It’s kinda hard to sleep when there’s a lot of talking.”So much for all of them trying to sleep. Akame sighed as she might as well tell them. It was important. Especially for Cornelia. “Fine. The truth about Taeko is that I did know her one time and it was you who met her first Cora.”The human blonde was surprised to hear that. “Really? Wow, what are the chances of that we run each other again?”That was only the half of it. “There’s still more. You two were friends for a short while until…” Even recalling those events now still haunted Akame.Cornelia knew what she asking if she wanted to know. “Go ahead Akame. Tell us.”Her leader steeled herself for saying her next words. “Until the two of you found out you were enemies and Taeko…” Akame gritted her teeth. “Taeko killed you, Cora."Cornelia felt her whole body become cold when she heard that. The look in her eyes certainly told the rest of the team what she thought about this. “I see. So…that’s how I was killed.” It certainly was shocking to her. To think the girl she ran into before was the same one who ended her previous life.Akame lowered her head. “I fought against Taeko thinking I could save you. I killed her and won but I found out the truth too late. You were already gone by the time I fought against her.” Tears started to come out of her eyes.Leone put a hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder. She had heard about Cornelia’s death but not about the how. It must’ve pained Akame so much to tell something that caused her so much pain in the first place. “I don’t want you to cry.” Akame gasped and looked at Cornelia who was giving her a serious look. “I’ve known you for a while now and I can tell seeing you cry like that, it doesn’t really suit you. Maybe it was luck we were able to meet again or some other higher power, I don’t care but I am happy to meet you and I know the Cornelia you knew would be happy too.”Akame continued to cry but smiled as she was glad to hear that. Maybe it was some miracle she was able to reunite with Cornelia. The same could be said for Kurome. It was like Yang told her. She could use this chance to finally make things right between each other even if Kurome didn’t know she was Akame’s younger sister. It was a start and chance she won’t waste. Esdeath couldn’t help but feel jealous about this moment. Leone and Cornelia were friends and allies fighting alongside each other but her? She was once their enemy. She couldn’t share that kind of feeling with the others. Esdeath gripped the bedsheets tightly. “I have to prove myself to the others. I have to prove to them that they can count on me.”After all of that, Leone smiled as she yawned. “Okay, I think that’s enough talking for one day. We have to rest up for the matches tomorrow. Who knows what kind of crazy stuff will happen.”Akame sniffed as she rubbed her eyes with her arm and chuckled. “Leone’s right. We can’t win any matches if we’re sleep deprived.” Everyone agreed to that. “Good night everyone.”“Good night/night.” The team laid back on their beds and fell back asleep waiting for tomorrow to come. B Team ALCE were walking through the festival grounds walking around to pass the time before the first match of the doubles round would start. Leone stretched her arms out. “So, what should we do first while waiting around? We could hit some of the prize stands.”“No Leone. We’re not having a repeat of last time.” Akame objected.The Faunus blonde growled at that. “And why not?”Her girlfriend had the counter for that. “Because last time you tried your hand at a prize game, you threw the ball right through the stand itself.”Leone had to admit that was her fault. “Alright. Point taken but can you blame me? I have a hard time controlling my strength. Remember I am in my beast form and I really wasn’t known for holding back. If I didn’t here, I’m pretty sure I would’ve killed someone by now.”Akame knew that all too well. Aura or not, Leone's strength was great enough to kill a person in one shot. Even with the aura protecting the person, it would most likely be used up in a one-shot attack. After all, this was the same girl who lifted and threw a Death Stalker and a giant iceberg that Esdeath created. Speaking of the girl. "I was thinking of trying one of the games myself.”Cornelia giggled at that. “So you can win a prize for Ruby?” Esdeath blushed at the guess.Leone, as usual, thought it was funny and laughed. “Have you asked Ruby about your date offer yet?”Esdeath looked away in embarrassment. “I…haven’t yet. Ever since the tournament, I haven’t had a proper time to ask her.”Akame looked ahead of the group. "Maybe you can now." Everyone looked ahead and sure enough, they saw Ruby with Weiss along with one other woman with them they never saw before.“Hey! Ruby! Weiss!”The two members of team RWBY and the woman with them turned around to see ALCE as they heard Leone call them out. The young leader smiled as she waved back at the other team. “Hey there! Good morning!” While Ruby was happy to see them, Weiss wasn’t and for a good reason.As the group approached the other team, they noticed that the woman with them looked similar to Weiss. Almost as if she was an older looking version of her. “So who’s the new chick? She your mom Weiss?”The women with them narrowed her eyes at the Faunus blonde as the heiress though to rectify that. “She is not. She’s-”“She’s Weiss’ older sister Winter.” Ruby answered.It took a few seconds for the team to register that. “Sister!?”Now did make sense why the two looked so similar. Esdeath clapped her hands and smiled. "Wow, Weiss. I didn't know you had an older sister." That was something all of them didn't know.This only raised more questions from Leone. “So, what’s your sister doing here in the first place?”“Classified.” Winter replied.“How long are you staying here?” Cornelia asked.“Classified.” Winter repeated.Now Leone was just being annoyed by this. “What’s with this classified BS?”Weiss cleared her throat. “Best I can explain is that Winter is here on business on behalf of Atlas. What that is, like she said. It’s classified.”Not much of an answer but they have no choice but to accept it. “Oh yeah, and she’s in the military.” Ruby added. That was another detail Akame noticed first glance. Winter’s posture and certain air certainly did say military. “Oh yeah. Winter, these are our friends-”"I'm well aware who they are." Winter interrupted. "I've seen their fight in the tournament." She continued to look at Leone. "I must say, Weiss, I thought you would have a better taste in choosing your friends."Leone knew where this was going. “Don’t even start lady. I am nothing like those White Fang assholes.”Winter highly doubted that. Like Weiss, she too was all too familiar with her family's violence with the White Fang so of course, she would have similar views. "Is that so? And how would you prove that?"The Faunus blonde already went through this before and glared at Winter. “Because if I’d ever met any one of them, I wouldn’t hesitate to bash their skulls in.”In Winter’s line of work, she could tell a lot about a person in their eyes and Leone’s said she was very serious. “What Leone said is a little extreme but I can assure you she has a very negative view of the White Fang even though she’s a Faunus herself.”Winter didn’t let up her gaze at the Faunus blonde. “Is that so? Quite surprising to see a Faunus who despises their own kind.”Leone was beginning to be a little pissed at Winter. “No. Only them.”In a surprise twist, all of them heard Winter chuckle a little. “You’re quite interesting I’ll tell you that much.” All of them didn’t expect her to say that.Akame cleared her throat so the attention would be on her. “If you’re here on business, why are you here in the fairgrounds?”That was something Ruby would answer. “It was my idea. I thought she should see the fairgrounds while Winter’s still here.”A fair enough explanation. Now Leone had another question. “Okay then. So where’s Yang and Blake?”“They’re around somewhere.” Weiss replied.Speaking of her sister, Ruby did remember something. "Oh yeah, that reminds me. Yang wanted to see you, Leone.”The Faunus blonde raised an eyebrow to that. “Why is she looking for me?”“There you are!” Speak of the blonde devil herself, Yang and Blake were approaching the group. Yang a little faster toward her daughter and grabbed her arm. “Glad you’re here. Hope you don’t mind I borrow her for a bit Akame. Kay thanks!” Before Leone could utter a word, her mother dragged her off away from the group.Everyone didn’t know what to think of what just happened. “What was that all about?” Esdeath asked. All of sudden, Cornelia elbowed her. “Ow! What was that-” The blonde cleared her throat and nudged at Ruby. Esdeath understood what the other girl was trying to tell her. “Oh.” She looked at the young leader and cleared her throat. “U-Um…Ruby. About what I asked you from before.”Weiss growled lightly and narrowed her eyes while her hand was closed tightly. This didn’t go unnoticed by Winter. Ruby instantly knew what Esdeath was talking about. “Oh. I…uh…still haven’t decided. Sorry.”Esdeath wasn’t surprised by this. “I see. Well, let me know when you’ve decided.”The young leader was grateful that Esdeath was understanding but she couldn’t make the girl wait any longer. She had to give an answer soon. “So…” Cornelia spoke up. “Are you going to see any of the fights today?” She asked Winter.The older Schnee closed her eyes. “I wish I could but I still have some important matters to attend later on. That and spending time with my sister a little afterward.”Ruby smiled at that. “Well, I hope you’ll enjoy your stay at Beacon then.”“Of course.” Winter opened her eyes and checked her scroll to see what the time was. “Appears I have to go now. Thank you for showing me around. If all of you would excuse me…” She began to walk past the group but stopped briefly. “By the way, to the leader of team ALCE, something about you is strange.” Akame’s eyes widened. “I’ve been serving in the Atlas military for a long time now and I’ve seen the look in some of the soldier’s eyes who have gone through many rough battles. You have the same look in your eyes despite being close to my sister's age. The same could be said for your Faunus teammate. I wonder. What is it the both of you saw to have such eyes hardened veterans have?" With that said, Winter continued to walk.As soon as Winter was out of sight, Blake crossed her arms. “That was ominous.”“It was inevitable. Someone from the military like her was bound to find similarities.” Akame spoke.Now Ruby couldn’t help but feel a little worried. “So…what does this mean?”Akame already knew the answer to that. “Nothing. That’s all Winter was able to tell about me.” Still, hearing that a second time did worry Akame. “First Babara and now Winter. I suppose blending in as students isn’t as easy as I thought it would be.” Akame’s thoughts were interrupted by Cornelia clapping her hands and turned to her. “All right now. I think this is enough foreboding one day. Like my papa always said. Worry too much about something and you’ll get nothing out of it.”Esdeath smiled at the words. “Cora’s right. Let’s just enjoy the day without worrying about anything. In fact, I think the only thing we should worry is about being knocked out of the tournament."That was something everyone can agree on. Now that everything was settled, there was one more thing up for discussion. “So where did Yang take Leone?” Weiss asked.“Someone rang a Yang?” The group saw Yang and Leone walking up to the group. “What I’d miss?” B It wasn’t too long for the matches to start up. One of them was Coco and Yatsuhashi fighting against Emerald and Mercury. It presented what the two from Cinder’s group could actually do for both Akame and Leone. The fight overall was very good but in the end, Coco and Yatsuhashi lost. Still, Akame did notice something strange about the fight. More specifically, what Emerald did. As of now, team RWBY along with ALCE were with Coco after the fight. Velvet was with her leader in trying to comfort the girl. All of them were at one of the tables at the fairgrounds while still waiting for the next match to be announced. Velvet smiled at her leader. “You did your best Coco. You and Yatsu.”Coco was thankful for the words but it helped very little. “Thanks for the words Velvet but I’m still pissed off how that fight ended.” Everyone could understand that. “If I would’ve had my head better in the game, it would’ve ended a whole lot differently I’ll tell you that. I can’t believe my eyes were playing tricks on me at a time like that.”Now that was something Akame could explain. “It wasn’t your fault. If anything, it wasn’t like your eyes were tricking you. You were deceived.”Coco lowered her spare sunglasses at that comment. “What do you mean by deceived?”Both Akame and Leone knew what they were talking about. “Who you thought was Yatsuhashi was actually Emerald.”Hearing that raised more questions than answers. “I don’t get it. Did Emerald do something?” Ruby asked.Akame nodded at the question. “Yes. I would believe Emerald’s semblance is illusion. That is how she was able to fool you.”That did make a lot of sense for Coco but she was still curious about something. “Okay. If I was suckered in by an illusion, how were you able to tell it apart?” She raised a good question and everyone wanted to know that.The other leader took a sip out of her soda. “It was her aura that gave it away.”Velvet only became more confused. “What do you mean by that?”Leone decided to explain this time around. “A person’s aura is unique to only themselves. Even if Emerald can change her appearance, her aura is still the same. In short, Akame could sense who Emerald really was.”Everyone was surprised to hear that but also“It’s a slight trick I learned. It does come in handy in times.” Akame explained.Coco slightly chuckled at that. “I’ll be damned. Think you can teach me that sometime?”Akame really didn’t know if she could teach the other leader this technique. It was used a lot back in her world but wasn’t sure if she could pass it on in this world. “Maybe. It could prove to be difficult.”The answer was good enough for Coco. “Fair enough. Just hold onto that okay?” She stood up from the chair. “We’ll be going now. Kick a lot of ass in the tournament you got that? Later.” She started to walk away from the other teams.Velvet stood up as well. “It was good seeing you again. Take care.” She bowed slightly to the two teams and left to catch up to her leader.As both girls left, Weiss still needed to confirm something. “Can you really sense other people’s aura?”Leone giggled at that. “How did you think we found all of you when we first met? In fact, we’re sensing all of your aura right this minute. Not only yours but everyone’s around too.”Ruby was very impressed by hearing that. “That’s so cool. How do you do that?”Akame was bound to explain this sooner or later. “Sensing aura was an important technique back in our world.”Already Yang was interested in this. “So you guys had aura back your world too huh. That’s pretty convenient.”Akame agreed. "Yes but aura in our world doesn't work the same way as it does in this world. Otherwise, there would be fewer casualties. Someone who's experienced can mask their aura to avoid detection."Blake raised an eyebrow to that. “How’s that beneficial?”Leone had the perfect example for that. “Put it this way. Say you’re fighting against an opponent like Emerald who can cast illusions or another example would be Incursio whose trump card can turn the user invisible. How hard do you think it would be fighting against someone like that?"The question seemed easy enough for Cornelia. “It would be a pretty difficult fight.” And the Faunus blonde laughed at her answer. “What’s so funny?”Leone continued to snicker. “Normally you’d be right. Incursio can make a person invisible but that’s all it can do.Esdeath was becoming more confused by that. “You say that as it’s no big deal.”“That’s because it isn’t.” Everyone looked at Akame who took another sip. “Hiding your body is one thing but someone skilled can still that person’s aura if it isn’t concealed. Therefore, it wouldn’t make a difference. The same could be said for Emerald whose specialty is illusion. She may disguise herself but in the end, her aura will give her away.”Blake put the pieces together after hearing all of that. “I understand now. It would explain how you able to tell apart me from my clones when we first fought.”She hit the nail on the head right there. “Yeah. If Emerald did fight against Akame in this tournament, she would lose big time.” Leone boasted.Yang put more thought into all of this. “In other words, I guess masking your aura would make a difference in a life or death fight. Am I right?”She was close. “More like a life or death encounter. Remember, Leone and I were…well, you know once.” Akame had brought up a good point considering who they were previously.It also meant they had an advantage over everyone else. “Wow. Jaune was right. You are unfair.” Ruby spoke.Leone just shrugged. “Hey, do whatever you have to do to survive.” She stood up from her chair. “In any case, we should probably head to the arena for the next match. I’m pretty sure none of us would want to miss it.” B The crowd cheered as they couldn’t wait for the next match of the doubles round to start. ALCE was present for this match for one reason only. Port decided to start off. “Welcome to next match of doubles round. For this matchup, we have team KRCT!”Down at the arena, both Taeko and Chelsea were present. Chelsea was stretching her neck while Taeko was standing around with her eyes closed. Cornelia paid close attention to Taeko. She remembered what Akame had told her before about the girl. “Seeing her now makes feel a little weirded out considering Taeko was the one who killed me back in Akame's world. Akame said we were friends once. Can that happen again in this world?" Port continued on. “Versus team SSSN!”Across from the two girls were Sun and Neptune who were less than happy about who their opponents were. Neptune sighed at the situation. "Great. Out of all of the teams we had to fight against, it had to be them."Sun was a little more optimistic about the whole thing. “Just relax man. Last time I checked, we’re not Cardin and his pals.”Chelsea heard the fangirl screams cheering on their opponents and it slightly bothered her. “How come they have fangirls? Why don’t we have fangirls?”Taeko was all too familiar with teammate’s complaining. “Kurome isn’t enough for you?”Now that Chelsea took offense. “Hey! She’s way better than any freaking fan club!”Speaking of the girl, Kurome was downing herself with soda and snacks as usual. Rienna was waving her hand at her two teammates. “Good luck out there!”Her leader smiled at that. “They don’t need luck fighting against them but let’s see how they’ll fare.”Akame and Leone had their own thoughts about this matchup. "It's still weird seeing Chelsea on the front lines. I wonder what she can do."That was something Akame wished to find out as well. “We’ll see soon enough.”Oobleck shifted his glasses. “Now, let us begin the stage randomization.”This time, five of the screens appeared and began to randomize. It wasn’t too long for the terrains to be selected. The five selected were desert, geyser, glacier, jungle, and savannah. Everything outside the center platform began to shift and lower itself down then came back up with the chosen environments.Everything was set now and Port was ready to give out the signal. “Now, let the match…” Sun spun his staff around while Neptune readied his weapon. Taeko flicked her thumb underneath the guard to slightly draw it out and Chelsea grabbed her fans. “Begin!” The air horn blared out. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Twenty Six: KRCT vs SSSN“Begin!” The air horn blared.Taeko didn’t waste any time drawing out her sword. “Ridge Wind!” She swung her sword down and a powerful slash of wind appeared heading over toward Sun and Neptune.“Move out of the way!” Both of them jumped out of the attacks path. In doing so, they dodged to the side from the attack by going in opposite directions. That was only the beginning as Taeko rushed over to Sun and swung Tsugaku-Hime at him. Sun managed to block the attack with his staff but still felt the power behind the attack. “This chick is stronger than she looks.” Taeko wasn't much for standoffs so she decided to end it quickly. The wind started to come out of the sword and yelled as she managed to blow Sun away all the way to the jungle section. Taeko soon ran after her Faunus opponent.“Sun!” Neptune knew what their opponent’s strategy was. “They’re trying to divide and conquer. This is the complete opposite of what they were doing in the last round.” “Aw man. I wanted to fight the monkey guy.” Neptune saw Chelsea walking over to him. “I guess I’ll have to settle for you. Question is, think you can take me on?”Neptune’s answer was pointing his weapon at Chelsea. “See for yourself.” Chelsea took up the challenge and ran over to him while opening up her fans. She attacked with one of her fans but Neptune blocked it with his weapon. Chelsea raised her other fan and swiped sideways but Neptune jumped back to avoid the attack. He transformed his weapon into its gun form and fired a few shots at his opponent. Chelsea jumped out of the way the shots attacks. As of now, there was quite the distance between the two. Something Neptune could benefit. "As long as I can maintain a distance between us, I may have a chance." Chelsea smiled as she suddenly disappeared. Neptune gasped when he saw that. “Where did she go?” He searched everywhere to find his opponent but there was no sign of her. Neptune finally looked up just in time to see Chelsea coming down at him with both of her fans swinging down at him. Neptune shifted his weapon back into weapon form and managed to block the attack in time. Despite the failed attack, Chelsea giggled as she disappeared again and reappeared behind Neptune with her back turned. She turned around while swinging her fan at her opponent but Neptune did the same and managed to block the attack.Chelsea was becoming bored of this. “Let’s kick things up a notch shall we?” She disappeared for just a second but then began to appear everywhere around Neptune and began striking him all over. He couldn’t even defend against the barrage of attacks.“Neptune!” Scarlett didn’t know how his teammate would get out of this. Neptune’s aura gauge was dropping significantly.Watching Neptune being pummeled was hard to see but Ruby did notice something strange. “That’s weird. In the previous round, she used wind but that other girl used the wind too and now she's teleporting? I thought a person couldn't have more than one semblance." Chelsea suddenly stopped her attacks and observed her work while Neptune was panting heavily as he was kneeling down on one knee. “Come on. Is that all you have? Then again, this is what I was expecting from a guy who’s scared of water.”Neptune growled at that. “Leave that out of this and don’t think I’m done here yet.” He stood up. “I still have plenty to offer!” Neptune suddenly attacked his opponent by swinging his weapon at Chelsea.Chelsea smiled as the weapon struck her. Or rather through her. The real Chelsea jumped over the weapon and kicked Neptune straight to his face. The power she used was very familiar to Blake. “Wait, that’s my semblance!”Chelsea jumped off of Neptune and backflip once into the air. “How about a change in the weather?” She pointed her fan at Neptune and several ice blades formed around her. “Weiss Schnabel!” All of them were sent at her opponent.“That’s my power!” Esdeath has never seen anyone but herself use her semblance.Neptune jumped out of the attack’s way while still being a little wielded out by this. “What’s going on here? You’re not supposed to have more than one semblance!”Even Port and Oobleck noticed how strange this was. “What do you make of this Oobleck? It is quite strange for a person to wield three different semblances. Especially two that other combatants have.”Oobleck assessed the situation. “First all, it’s doctor. Second, I believe there is an explanation for this. It would seem she has the ability to use other people’s semblance as her own.”Everyone heard loud and clear about that and were surprised. Yang could hardly believe it. “She can use other people’s semblances?!”Weiss agreed with her leader. “I’ve never heard of anyone with that kind of power before.”Kurome giggled as she took in another mouthful of popcorn. “That’s Chelsea’s semblance. It allows her to copy any other semblance she sees just as long she knows how it works. Chelsea may not be the strongest among the team but she makes it up for versatility. She has an endless count of semblances she can choose from. The trade-off, however, is that she can't copy the power the original user possess neither the skill. She can only use them as if they were her own."Akame and Leone were the only ones who weren’t surprised by this. “Of course Chelsea’s semblance would be similar to Gaea Foundation. Instead of copying appearances, she’s copying semblances. I never knew how dangerous such an ability can be in a fight like this.”Neptune knew about this as well. “Great. I’m fighting against someone who has endless possibilities to choose from. Somehow, I think Sun got the better end here.” He suddenly heard Chelsea laugh. “What’s so funny?”Chelsea continued to laugh. “If you think you have it bad, trusts me…” She glared at Neptune. “Taeko is in a whole another league compared to me.”Speaking of the monkey Faunus, he heard about what Port and Oobleck said. “Great. Just when I thought these KRCT girls weren’t freaky enough already. Who knows how many semblances that chick has seen already?” His senses picked up something and jumped out of the way just in time from an attack from Taeko. The branch he was standing on was cut clean in half and he landed on another. He whistled at his escape. “Talk about a close call. You almost had me there.”Taeko stared downed at the Faunus. “Perhaps this’ll work instead.” She pulled back her sword and the wind surrounded her. Already Sun had a bad feeling about what Taeko was about to do. “Whirlwind!” She swung her sword rapidly and countless wind blades came fourth. All of them cut through anything that was in their path and Sun was at the end of it. He jumped out of the attacks way and they continued to cut through all the way to the end.Sun landed back on the ground and saw the devastation the attack left behind. “Holy crap.” Everything was cut apart far and wide. He looked at Taeko. “This chick has some semblance if she’s able to do this.”Taeko pointed her sword at her opponent. “The wind is the extension of my blade. No matter how far you may be, it shall always reach its desired target.”Cornelia swallowed as she witnessed Taeko’s power. “She’s incredible.”Sun didn't have much choice in this bout. In fact, there was only one way he could only do. "Well…guess I'll have to come to you then!" He threw up his staff and clapped his hands together. His whole body became enveloped by a golden glow and out of it came two apparitions of himself going straight toward Taeko.Taeko readied herself for the oncoming attack as the wind circled around her again and pulled back her sword. “Ridge Wind!” She swung her sword to the side and the wind that followed cut the two apparitions in half. However, as they were gone, so was Sun as well. Before she could search for the Faunus, Taeko heard a yell coming from above and saw Sun above her with his staff raised. She jumped back and Sun missed his attack. Taeko was about to counterattack but Sun didn’t let up his assault and rushed at her. Taeko was prepared to counter whatever kind of attack her opponent had in mind but then saw Sun pull his staff apart into two sets of nunchaku. Seeing the change in weapon form distracted Taeko for a second but that was all Sun needed. As he came in close, he started to swing one of his nunchaku at his opponent. Takeo snapped out of her distraction and was able to block the attack with her sword but Sun had more offer by swinging his other nunchaku. Taeko saw the next attack coming and blocked that as well but that left her open for Sun's next attack with his first one. At this point, Sun was swinging both of his nunchakus at Taeko quickly and effectively while Taeko was trying to block all of the attacks. To add more to this, while swinging his weapons, Sun began to discharge the gun feature of his nunchaku which made Taeko all the more defensive.Blake couldn’t help but feel glad that her fellow Faunus was actually standing his ground against his opponent. “Go Sun!”To Rienna, she had never seen something like this before. “I’d never thought I would see someone giving Taeko a hard time.”Kurome bit into another hot dog. If she had to be honest, she was surprised herself. “Yeah. I guess we don’t give these guys enough credit. Then again, Taeko really hasn’t gone full out either.”Taeko continued to block the attacks until one of them deflected her sword upward. Sun saw this as his chance as he combined his two nunchakus back into his staff while turning around and did a sweep attack at Taeko's legs. As she was in mid-fall, Sun turned around again and kicked Taeko away from him. "Ooh and one of team KCRT's members have finally been hit." Port announced.Chelsea looked over at the screen and sure enough, Taeko's aura gauge was partly depleted. “No way. Someone actually got the better of Taeko?”She suddenly heard laughter from behind and saw Neptune standing up. “I wouldn’t underestimate us just yet. Sun’s pretty strong himself.” He spun his weapon around and pointed it at his opponent. “Now, where were we?”If Chelsea had to admit one thing about the guy, he was confident in his own ability. Still, they haven’t lost yet. “Don’t get too cheery yet. Taeko isn’t going to make the same mistake again. In fact, she’ll retaliate with ten times the force. I’ve known her for a pretty long time and that’s how it’ll play out for your friend. Now it’s just a game between us to see which one of us can beat one of you faster and I have just the winning strategy.” She started to run off away from Neptune.Of course, he started to chase after her. “Hey! Get back here!” Already something about this didn’t make any sense to him. “If she has a winning strategy, why is she running away?” That answer became apparent when he saw Chelsea running into the geyser section and stopped in front of the area when he saw one of the geysers erupt. His hydrophobia instantly kicked in.Chelsea stopped in the middle and looked back at Neptune who was afraid to get any nearer to the section. She smirked at the opportunity. “Trade.” Her body began to shift and disappeared. In her place, Neptune was now surrounded by the geysers.He looked around and saw where he was. Naturally, he freaked out. “How did I end up here!?”Chelsea giggled as she was where Neptune was previously. “The match you previously had gave me a pretty good idea of your weakness. It was just luck that a geyser field was selected. Part of the battle is to use your opponent’s weakness to your advantage. Now then…” She closed up one of her fans and raised it above her.The ground underneath Neptune started to shake and already had a bad feeling about it. “Not good. I gotta get out of here!” He tried to run but several of the geysers near him erupted violently and stopped completely. “Come on!”Chelsea pointed her fan to where Neptune was and smiled. “Boom…” The ground began to shake violently beneath Neptune. In the next second, an explosion erupted from underneath him and along with it the water that was underneath. It shot him up into the air as he screamed and flew over outside of the arena. He hit the force field and dropped to the ground. Neptune groaned as his worst fear became true. He was caught up in some explosive water.“And there goes one of team SSSN’s members. Out of bounds and unable to continue.” Port spoke.Chelsea was rather proud of her victory. “One down and one to go. Have to say that was a lot more fun than I thought.”The explosion she did struck both Akame and Leone as familiar. "Leone…was that…"Her girlfriend narrowed her eyes at Chelsea. "I'll give you three guesses of whose semblance that belongs to."Rienna laughed at what she just saw. "Hey, she finally used mine.”Kurome ate another chocolate kiss. “Not bad but Chelsea’s explosions aren’t as strong as yours Rienna. Still, it played out well for her in the end. All that’s left is for Taeko to wrap things up on her end.”Sun looked over at the screen and saw that Neptune was not only beaten but his aura gauge was in the red. “So that’s what that explosion was. Guess Neptune had his hands more full than I thought."“It seems Chelsea has already wrapped up things on her end.” Sun looked over to Taeko was stood up. “I shall do the same.”Sun spun his staff around as he prepped himself for the next round. “This is just great. It’s two against one now.”“What in the world is one of the members of team KRCT doing?” Sun heard Port’s comment and looked up at the screen.Everyone else was wondering the same thing as they saw Chelsea lying on the ground with her arms behind her head as a pillow. “It appears she’s just…doing nothing. She is aware that there is still a battle present correct?” Oobleck commented.The whole crowd was confused by this. Chelsea was humming while looking at the sky. “It’s all on you now Taeko.”Sun didn’t know how to process what he just heard. “What’s going on?”“Chelsea will not interfere with our fight.” The Faunus looked back Taeko. “She knows better of how I fight. The only way she’ll continue is if I fall in battle. Only then will your next opponent will be her.”Sun actually chuckled at that. “So you’re more of the one on one type huh? I can get by that. So, shall we start the next round?”Taeko lowered her head to where her bangs covered her eyes and flicked her sword. “There will be no next round. I will end this now.” Sun was now on guard after hearing that. The wind blow through them softly as Takeo lifted her head only to reveal that her eyes enlarged and her pupils became invisible. “Twister.” In the next second, she completely disappeared.Akame gasped as she was very familiar with the move Taeko was performing. “This is bad. Sun, get out of there now!”Sun shifted his right foot back and then all of a sudden, a twister appeared around him. Sun didn’t know what to make of it nor know what to do next. Next thing he knew, Sun was being slashed all over and couldn’t tell where the attacks were coming from. Outside of the twister, Sun’s aura gauge was dropping rapidly. The twister suddenly vanished and Sun was barely standing after taking all of those attacks. Taeko appeared in front of him with her sword sheathed but still gripped the handle. “Zephyr.” She lunged forward while drawing her sword and sudden bright light appeared. It faded just as quickly as Taeko was behind Sun with her sword extending forward. Sun’s aura gauge depleted to zero as Taeko flicked her sword and sheathed it once again. Sun dropped to his knees and fell down to the ground. “It’s over.”The air horn blared. “And that’s the match! The winner is team KRCT!” Port announced and the crowd cheered.Chelsea stood up and laughed a little. “Guess that’s it then.”Rienna cheered at her teammate’s victory. “Alright! That’s another win for us!”Kurome finished her fourth soda and smiled. “At least those two put up a better fight so I’ll credit them that.”Not everyone was cheering for this victory. Blake was a little disheartened that Sun and his team lost. The rest of her team felt the same way. So did Akame and her team. Cornelia was in awe with Taeko’s performance during the match. “So this is what Taeko is capable of.”Akame had similar thoughts. “It seems Taeko hasn’t changed much considering her tactics in fighting. Still, I can imagine her training must’ve been vastly different compared back in our world.” One thing was for sure. Kurome’s team was formidable. The only question now is what’s next from them? B After the match (and the recovery.) RWBY and ALCE were with all of SSSN back in the fairgrounds. Sun and Neptune were feeling a little bummed about their loss. Blake thought she would cheer the two up. “At least you two put up a good fight.”Neptune thought otherwise. “Sun maybe. Me? I got blown up.”Scarlett didn’t think so. “Hey, you were up against someone who could use different semblances. I don’t think anyone could’ve done worse.”It wasn’t much but Neptune decided to take it anyway. Yang thought to lighten up the mood. “Cheer up. So you lost the fight. Better luck next time right? It’s not like the end of the world or anything.”She did bring a good point and that made Sun smile a little. “Eh, that’s true. The best we can do now is cheer you girls on through the rest of the tournament.” Everyone nodded at that.Cornelia closed her eyes and crossed her arms. “Exactly. Like my papa always said. Defeat is not the end. It’s just another step forward.”“There you all are.” Cornelia opened her eyes and everyone looked over to see Kurome and her team walking toward them. Already the blonde narrowed her eyes at Taeko.Already Blake couldn’t tolerate their presence. “What are you doing here? Come to brag about your victory?”Soon as the other team stopped in front of the group, Kurome sighed. “Thought I told you not to judge us as some antagonist or something. If we were here to brag, we’ve would’ve done so soon after the fight was finished.”Weiss crossed her arms. “Then what are you here for then?”Chelsea smiled at the question. “Just to say thanks for the fight. It was a lot better than the guys we've fought before. A word of advice, though, you've seriously got to work on that hydrophobia of yours." Sun hated to agree but she was right. That was something the whole team was working on for quite some time.“That’s all we came to say. We’ll see all of you in the later matches.” Kurome and her team started to make their leave.Sun put his hands together and put them behind his head. “I guess that’s something good from them.”All of a sudden, KRCT stopped. “Oh, and a little heads up.” Kurome looked back at the other group. “I’m going to be the one fighting in the last round.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Twenty Seven: Five Words“I’m going to be the one fighting in the last round.”Akame felt her heartbeat speed up a little when she heard those words. With those words said, KRCT continued on leaving the other group of what to think of those words. Once they were far away, Chelsea had some opinions about her leader’s choice. “You sure it was a smart idea to let them know that?”It was no surprise she would be concerned about that. “The last round is the singles. It won’t matter. Besides, I hope that Akame can participate in the singles too.”Rienna noticed something strange whenever Kurome mentioned Akame. “What makes her stand out from the rest?”That was a question Kurome wanted to know as well. “I’m not sure myself but I do want to fight her at some point. It’s not to prove a point or anything like that. I just want to fight her.”It was strange for Chelsea for Kurome having an interest of a girl they barely even knew. “Just what’s so special about that Akame chick anyway?” One thought came to mind for her and she didn’t like it. “Don’t tell me…is she actually…” She shook her head. "No, it can't be. She has me and we've been together for a while now."While Chelsea was silently freaking out, Taeko had a more logical explanation. "It could be because both of you are strong fighters. They're usually attracted to each other if two are ever in the same place.” Chelsea was about to say something about. “No Chelsea. Not that kind of attraction. I’m merely speaking in terms of strength.”Kurome had to admit there was some truth to that. “I guess you’re right.” Off the corner of her eye, she saw that Taeko stopped for some reason and did so as well with the rest of the team following suit. “Something up Taeko?”Taeko was looking across the fairgrounds and saw Babara looking directly at her. “I’m sorry but if you would excuse me. I have a matter to discuss.”Her leader didn’t seem to mind. “Alright but make sure you come back. Got it?”Taeko closed her eyes. “I understand.” She opened them once again and started to walk away from the group.As the group saw Taeko leaving, Chelsea had one question on her mind. “So, what are doing next?”Kurome just shrugged. "Just enjoy the rest of the day and see what fights come along." Everyone agreed to their leader's words and looked forward to seeing what the rest of the day had in store. B The day went on and so did the matches with the last match ending in JNPR’s victory. Leone was laughing while all of ALCE was walking around on the fairgrounds. “Chalk one up for JNPR. Not surprising since it was Nora and Pyrrha fighting.”Cornelia giggled in agreement. “It would be more surprising if they didn’t win. With the matches done for today, I guess we’ll be fighting tomorrow. What do you think Akame?” She didn’t hear a reply and looked back at her leader seeing she was in thought. “Akame?”Akame finally registered Cornelia’s voice. “Wh-What?”The Faunus blonde sighed and put her hands on her hips. “Alright, fess up. You’re either thinking one of two things. Food or Kurome.”Leone really did know her well and her girlfriend looked away. “I was thinking…I was thinking I should be the one fighting in the singles.”That didn’t come as a surprise to the rest of the group but Cornelia still has some concerns. “Are you sure? I thought we all agreed to have Leone to fight in the singles.”“It’s alright Cora.” The team looked over at Leone who gave a small smile. “This is important to Akame. If anything, she has to do this. So I say she should be the one to fight in the singles.”Esdeath still saw one problem with this sudden change. “Still, is there a chance the two of them will ever fight in the singles?”Akame had no doubt in her mind. “It doesn’t matter. I know Kurome and I know sooner or later, we will fight. It’s only a matter of time.” She looked back at her team while closing her hands tightly. “This is my only chance. To finally make things right.”Everyone understood clearly. They knew their leader really wanted this. “Hey there!” The conversation was interrupted when they saw Yang and Blake walking up to them. “What are all of you talking about?”Leone smiled at her mother. “Just team stuff that’s all.”Esdeath noticed the lack of members with the other two girls. “Where’s Ruby and Weiss?”Yang chuckled at the question. “Ruby’s gone ahead to our room while Weiss is with her sister to play catch up. Speaking of Ruby, come on Leone. It’s time. You too Blake.”Blake couldn’t help but feel a little nervous about all of this. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”Yang definitely thought so. “Uh-huh so don’t worry. Uncle Qrow is awesome. He’ll like you.” She looked over Leone. “The two of you.”Akame raised an eyebrow at the name. “Who’s Qrow?”The brawler was glad the other girl asked that. “He’s my and Ruby’s uncle. He’s also an awesome hunter and I want to introduce Blake and Leone to him. You wouldn’t mind if Leone went with us for a while right Akame?”The leader shook her head. “Not at all.”Leone snickered. “That time already huh? Awesome. Can’t wait to meet this guy.” Leone may be excited but Blake still couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. This’ll be the first time she would meet one of Yang’s family other than Ruby.Now that everything was settled, Yang really wanted to get this started. “Alright then! Let’s get a move on girls!” She started to walk away from the other team with Blake and Leone not too far behind.Now that Leone was gone, it was only the three of them. “So what should we do now?” Esdeath asked.Akame turned around. “Let’s head back to the dorm for now.” B “Uncle Qrow!” Yang laughed happily as she saw her beloved uncle in their dorm room along with Ruby and gave him a hug.Qrow laughed as he was happy to see his other niece. “Hey there Yang.” The blonde separated from the hug and smiled at her uncle. “How’s my firecracker doing?”Yang always loved that small nickname her uncle has given her. “I’m doing fine. It’s surprising to know you’re here at Beacon. Ruby told the team how you just showed up and fought against Weiss’ sister.”Her uncle laughed at that. “Did she now? How is your team anyway? Well, the other two. I already know you’re getting along with Ruby just fine.”It was just the question Yang wanted to hear. “It’s a great team and we have a lot of fun together. So what are you doing here?”Qrow seemed to accept the answer. “That’s good to know and it’s just here on some business that’s all.”This was Yang’s chance. It was now or later and she definitely chose now. “So…Uncle Qrow. I do have something to tell you.”The huntsmen crossed his arm as he was a little interested. “Go on.”Yang put her arms behind her back. “I’m actually…seeing someone now.”Now that Qrow thought he would never hear. "Really now? That's something else. So who's the lucky guy to win you over and how soon until Taiyang scares the living crap out of him? I know he can be a little overprotective when it comes to the both of you."The blonde looked away from her uncle while scratching lightly with one finger to her cheek. “That’s the thing…”Meanwhile, just outside the doorway, Blake and Leone were waiting for their time. The Faunus girl could actually hear her own heart beat racing. She gulped at the situation. “Okay. Here goes.” After a little nudge from Leone, she looked back at her daughter and saw her wink. Blake smiled at Leone and took in a deep breath. Blake walked to the front of the entrance and looked at the people in the room while giving her best smile. “Hello there.” It obvious to her that the man in the room was Yang’s uncle. “So this is Qrow. The same man who saved Yang and Ruby from being attacked by Grimm when they were young.” Blake started to walk over to Yang and stopped as she stood beside the blonde. For going the extra mile, the Faunus girl actually made a grab for Yang’s hand and held it tightly with her own. The two of them looked directly at Qrow. “Uncle Qrow, this is Blake Belladonna. She’s my partner, in more ways than one. She’s…my girlfriend.” It felt surreal for Yang to say that in front of her uncle. Now she just waited for his response.Qrow did have to admit he was quite surprised to hear about this. He knew sooner or later Yang would develop an interest in others. She was a girl after all. Just not in this way. “Raven is going to freak when I tell her this.” Still, he had to give it to his niece in being directly honest to him. He gave the both of them a serious stare. “Is that so? Tell me, Blake. What do you think of my niece?” He was doing the same as his niece’s father would do. Except Taiyang would be much more menacing.Blake gulped at the question and felt a little afraid. “Yang is…Yang is…” She breathed in deeply and gave an unyielding look back at the huntsmen. “Yang is the most wonderful person I’ve met. What I love the most about her is how considerate she is to me. Not just me but to the whole team. Sometimes I do wonder how someone like me deserves to be with someone like her but it happened nonetheless.” She tightened her hand around Yang’s. “I love her sir and that is the absolute truth from me.” Blake really couldn’t believe she said all of that in front of Yang’s uncle. Ruby seemed to like as she silently cheered Blake and gave her a thumbs up.If Qrow and Ruby weren’t in the room right now along with Leone still waiting outside in the hallway, Yang would totally knock Blake down to the floor and make out with her passionately nonstop. Qrow still didn’t let up his gaze. “Is that so…?” He looked deep into Blake’s amber eyes and sure enough, they looked very serious. He crossed his arms. “If that’s the case…” All of this tension Blake was feeling made her think she might pass out from it. “Make sure you continue treating my niece right. If you ever screw up anywhere along the way, not only you’ll have me to deal with but her old man too.” One more came to his mind. “And possibly Raven as well.”The bumblebee pair laughed as Yang let go of her girlfriend’s hand and hugged her uncle once again. “You’re so awesome Uncle Qrow! Thank you!”Ruby did the same. “You’re the best uncle ever!”Qrow couldn't help but laugh at this. Blake let out a sigh of relief. "I understand sir. Your niece is important to me."The two girls let go of their uncle. “I’ll hold you to that. I can’t imagine what Taiyang’s reaction will be when you tell him.” He still had more to say but decided to keep it to himself. Especially how Blake was hiding her cat ears with her bow. He knew the first time when he saw Blake, she was a Faunus.Yang giggled nervously while Blake went back to being nervous. Qrow was one thing but Yang’s father was an entirely different matter. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” Speaking of her dad, this was Yang’s next chance. “Speaking of dad Uncle Qrow…he…never cheated right?”That was an odd question for his niece to ask. “Why would you ask that of all things? The guy was fully committed to both your mother and Summer.”The blonde smiled on the inside. “Then…why did I meet a girl that looks similar to me?”Leone grinned at the signal. “My turn.” She was very glad Yang told her about this little plan of hers about wanting to scare her uncle.Qrow raised an eyebrow to that. “What are you talking abou-” He stopped mid-sentence as soon as he saw Leone show up at the doorway and sure enough she looked very similar to his niece. Not only that but she sported a pair of lion ears which meant she was a Faunus as well.Leone gave the huntsmen a bright smile as she waved at him. “Hey there Uncle Qrow! It’s nice to finally meet you.”There were very little things to surprise Qrow. This was one of them and laughed lightly. “I’m either drunk without knowing it or I’m not drunk enough.” To make things even weirder, the new Faunus girl looked to be a cross between Yang and her girlfriend. Almost as if she were their daughter of sorts. “Both Taiyang and Raven would have a cow if I told them that Yang has a kid of her own. Probably will at a later time just to see their reactions. Hell, Taiyang would freak out alone if he ever saw this girl.” He kinda waved back at Leone. “Hi there. It’s kinda weird seeing someone who looks kinda like my niece here.” He knew Taiyang would never cheat on either Raven or Summer but seeing this girl almost proved him wrong.Leone and Yang thought the joke ran long enough and started to laugh together. Yang was the first to calm down. “That was totally worth it.” She took in a deep breath. “Uncle Qrow, this is Leone Wild. She goes here at Beacon and she’s on a team called ALCE. The resemblance between us is really uncanny huh?”Qrow laughed as well. "I'll say. It's nice to meet you, Leone."The Faunus blonde smiled back at him. “Same to you sir.” Even though the smile was friendly, Leone could tell Qrow was very strong. “Man, the aura this guy is giving off. He’s on a whole different level compared to the rest of the people fighting in the tournament. So this is what a qualified hunter really is huh?”Qrow had similar thoughts about Leone. “She may be young but I can tell she’s been in her fair share of fights and not the school ones.” He could figure out Leone’s past later on. Right now, all that was important was spending time with his two nieces.Yang chuckled as she walked over to her daughter and wrapped her arm about Leone. “Another thing you should know Uncle Qrow. This girl right here, she actually beat me in a fight.” She smiled at that.Now that surprised Qrow the most. “What? Come on. You lose a fight? Now I know you’re pulling my leg.”“It’s true Uncle Qrow.” He looked over at Ruby. “Yang really lose a fight against Leone.”Blake nodded in agreement. "We all saw it, sir."With that kind of confirmation, Qrow had no choice but believe. “For Yang to lose a fight, that girl must be something else.” He knew his niece being defeated was no small feat. Qrow did admit he never did watch the first round of the tournament so he didn’t know the full potential of what Leone could do. Then again, he really didn’t care much for the matches he did see at the bar he was drinking at.Now that everyone was present, Ruby had an idea. “So Uncle Qrow, want to play a game with us while you’re still here?”Her uncle nodded at the question. “Why not? It’s been a while since we had a little family time together.”Hearing that was the two Faunus girl’s cue to leave. “If that’s the case, we’ll take our leave now. It was nice meeting you.” Blake turned around as she started to leave."Hold on there." Blake stopped and turned back around to look at Qrow. "You're staying too you know. Since you're dating my niece and all. The same goes for you, Leone. I do want to get to know the two of you better."Leone really couldn’t say no to that offer. “If you say so.”Blake really couldn't refuse either. "Since you asked…" Both Faunus girls joined in and everyone decided to play a fighting game. It soon apparent that neither Blake nor Leone was good at it. Especially Leone since she had a hard time learning the controls. B Weiss was feeling frustrated. The reason for it was because she kept failing to perform a summoning like her sister did before. It was some last minute advice Winter was giving her before she left for Atlas again. Concentrating was hard enough but time and again Weiss couldn’t help but think back about Esdeath’s proposal to Ruby about their date. That didn’t help any at all and Winter could tell so. After trying for a third time, the glyph broke and Weiss yelled in frustration. “Are you kidding me?!” She groaned. “I told you I can’t do this Winter.”Her sister thought otherwise. True Weiss still had much to learn but she was capable of performing a summon. “Perhaps something is distracting you.”The younger sister scoffed at that. “I am not.” She looked away from Winter.Winter knew her sister better than anyone else. “Weiss, I know you’re hiding something from me. Something is on your mind.” Weiss continued to stay silent hoping that her sister would drop the current topic. “Is about what that girl said to your leader?” Now that she received a small response via a slight hiss from Weiss. "It appears I'm right. Tell me, Weiss, why is it that you're bothered by such a small thing."Weiss really hoped her sister would drop the topic already. “I’m not so can you please stop talking about it.”That only made Winter chuckle more. “Then you wouldn’t make it such a big deal about it.”Now the younger Schnee was just being agitated at this point. She looked back at Winter with an angry look on her face. “I am not jealous Winter!”Winter smiled at that world. “I never said you were jealous Weiss.” Weiss finally realized what she said and blushed as she looked away from her sister once again. Winter chuckled as she wasn’t exactly expecting this at all. “It seems my little sister has some trouble on her hands. Tell me, what is bothering you?”Weiss really didn’t see why she had to explain a small annoyance to Winter. “It’s nothing, really.”“Weiss…” Winter wasn’t going to let this go.The younger sighed as she wasn’t going to win this. “Fine. Esdeath asked Ruby out on a date.”Winter raised an eyebrow at that. “Is that all?”Weiss just wanted this be over this already. “And she asked Ruby out to the dance earlier.”Now the older Schnee was starting to understand the picture here. “Is that so? You’re jealous at the fact this Esdeath girl asked out your leader?”It sounded just as childish as it was to Weiss. “Yes. Now can we please drop this?”Winter was far from done with this. She had a slight feeling of her sister's jealousy. An idea came to her. "I suppose you're right. I mean, I can't see anyone trying to ask out a girl like Ruby."Weiss caught on what her sister was trying to say. “What do you mean by that?”Perfect. She was caught in Winter’s trap. “I mean, from what you described your leader in the letters you’ve sent me, it sounded like she wasn’t fit to be a leader of your group. I could tell by when I first saw her. I believe her coming to Beacon might’ve been a mistake on Ozpin’s part. You could’ve done much better if you had a more…competent partner Weiss.”Anger flared up inside of Weiss and glared at her older sister. "How dare you! Ruby is one of the most amazing people I've met. Her coming here was not a mistake at all. Have you seen her fight with her weapon Crescent Rose? It was her skill that made her skip two years from Signal to enroll here at Beacon. I couldn't ask for a better partner than her! Yes, I admit she can be childish at times but I wouldn't choose any other leader to follow or any other team without her in it!" She took in a deep breath to calm down. That was short lived as the heiress heard Winter laugh. “What’s so funny!?”Her sister continued to laugh until she settled down. “When I said I was thankful for your leader having an interest in you, I should’ve said it the other way.”Now Weiss was just confused. “What are you talking about?”Winter still couldn’t believe her sister was this oblivious. “Isn’t it obvious Weiss? Your jealousy toward Esdeath about Ruby and how you defended her in such a way.”The younger sister was just about tired of this game. “Just get to the point already Winter!”Winter might as well tell her since Weiss can’t seem to figure it out herself. “Fine then. The point is Weiss…” She smiled. “Is that you’ve developed feelings for your leader.”Weiss didn’t quite understand that and slightly blushed. “W-What do you mean by that?! I most certainly not in love with Ruby!”Again, Winter chuckled. “I never said you were in love either.” And Weiss fell into that one. “How adorable. My little sister falling for her leader.”The heiress gritted her teeth in anger. “I am not-”“Weiss.” Winter interrupted her sister. “I know I have no say in this but you cannot deny these feelings you are having whether you know it or not. It is these kinds of emotions that will most likely hinder you in the future. Not what you’re feeling but the feeling you’re trying to hold back.” She sighed and smiled at her sister. “Be honest Weiss. What do you really think of your leader?”The heiress really didn’t know how to respond to the question. “What do I really think about Ruby…?” In truth, there weren’t enough words for Weiss to say about the young leader. All of this talk about love and feelings have developed some strange inner conflict within herself.Winter seemed to have most of the answers she wanted. “Well, whatever the case, I’ll fully support you of your decision. You are my younger sister after all. Father, on the other hand, might think differently about this. It’s up to you in the end.” She turned away from her sister. “Speaking of father, it would be wise if you would stop avoiding him.”Hearing that snapped Weiss out of her inner conflict. “What are you talking about? I’m not avoiding him.”Her sister thought otherwise. “Tell me, Weiss. Have you been having difficulty with your card lately?”Now that caught Weiss’ attention. “How did you-”"I had a similar problem when I first joined the military." Winter turned back to her sister. "You have two choices, Weiss. Either stop avoiding father so you can continue using his money or…you can continue living as you are now with your own free will and seeing what the rest of Remnant has to offer.” A difficult decision for Weiss but ultimately, she knew the answer to that. Winter knew it as well. “In any case, I think I should take my leave now. It was nice seeing you again Weiss.” Weiss was feeling a little sad her sister was here only for a short time but was glad to see her as well. Both sisters began to exit out of the open building they were currently in. Before they could go their separate ways, Winter stopped once more. “I am serious about your feelings Weiss. Just be true to yourself to them. The longer you hold them back, the more they will do harm until you admit them.” Her sister still wasn’t sure about the whole love thing but she did admit there was something there every time the heiress was close to her leader. Winter smiled at her younger sister. “I hope to see you again soon Weiss.”Weiss smiled back at her sister. “Yes. The same to you Winter.” After saying their goodbyes, the two sisters went their separate ways. Night soon came and Weiss saw Winter’s airship take off and she waved goodbye at it. After it was gone, the heiress felt her scroll vibrate and saw that it was her father once again. She just smiled and chose to ignore the call. The only thing left now was to return to her dorm room where her team was and where Ruby was. B "I'm back." Weiss announced as she opened the door.The rest of team RWBY were already in their pajamas. Ruby was happy her partner was back. “Welcome back Weiss. How did things go with your sister?”Now that the heiress looked at the younger girl, she did notice a slight increase in her heartbeat. "It went fine. How did your day go?" She walked over to the dresser to retrieve her nightgown.Yang laughed. “It was awesome. I played an awesome prank on Uncle Qrow with Leone and we played a fighting video game with him. We kinda found out that Leone is really bad at playing them. She kept yelling out in frustration and saying something about how the controls were rigged.” Ironic to hear that since Leone was a very proficient fighter herself. Weiss went into the bathroom to change and started to remove her clothes.Even though all four girls had fun and even learned about the team Qrow was on once, Blake couldn’t forget what he said about the White Fang. Just because they’ve stopped their plans for now didn’t mean they were done yet. It made her all the more worried about what they have really planned. Not only that, she still had to tell Leone about her past with the White Fang. The Faunus girl was now all too familiar with her daughter’s view of them. Weiss exited out of the bathroom wearing her nightgown and her hair down. “Alright, let’s get to bed already. We’ll need all the rest we can get if we want to be ready for tomorrow’s matches.”Ruby couldn’t agree more. "Right. Let's get some shuteye, everyone!" Soon as Weiss went to her bed, everyone turned off the lights. “Good night everyone.”“Night Ruby.”“Good night.”“Night.”Everyone in the room soon quickly fell asleep. Almost everyone. “Psst. Weiss…”The heiress was a little annoyed and she looked over at Ruby who had her head hanging at the end of her bunk looking back at her. With the moonlight going through their window, Weiss thought the silver eyes the younger leader had were beautiful. “What Ruby?”Ruby smiled at her partner. “I hope you do well in the doubles round tomorrow.”Weiss was actually thankful for her leader's support and turned her body to face the wall. "Thank you, Ruby. Now go to sleep."Ruby giggled slightly. “Okay. Good night Weiss.” She retreated back to her bunk.Weiss sighed as she can finally go to sleep but not without having a few final thoughts. More specifically, what Winter said about her having feelings for Ruby. In truth, Weiss did have thoughts of that kind toward what Winter said before, and most of all, Ruby. It all boiled down to five words. “I’m in love with Ruby.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Twenty Eight: What is MissingMost of team KRCT were sound asleep for the night with Rienna wearing a pink tank top and shorts smiling while laying on her front while Chelsea wearing a nightgown and Kurome wearing a normal size T-shirt and underwear slept in the same bed. The only one who wasn’t sleeping was Taeko wearing grey T-shirt and sweats who was still plagued by what her grandmother told her earlier. Not only that, she did notice the look Cornelia was giving her earlier today. “Why would Cornelia look at me such a way? I don’t recall doing anything that displeased her.” Of course, Taeko didn’t know why she was thinking of such a trivial thing since she didn’t know Cornelia at all. The most she did know about her was that the blonde was an all-around nice girl. Taeko sighed as she sat up from her bed and stood up. With all of the thoughts swimming in her head, Taeko thought it would be best to go outside for some air to clear out the thoughts. She made her way to the door and opened it. After that, she left the room. Unbeknownst to Taeko, Chelsea opened up one eye. After making a few turns, Taeko found herself at an open balcony and welcomed the change in scenery. It was exactly what she needed. Or it would be if a certain someone didn’t follow her. “You can show yourself.”Taeko heard a giggle as two eyes appeared from the wall and Chelsea suddenly appeared. “You know this place has a curfew rule right?”Her teammate continued to stare out to the rest of school. “That didn’t seem to stop you from following me. How is it you managed to move away from Kurome?”Chelsea giggled at that. “That shadow clone semblance that one girl had comes in handy. So, what’s got you thinking?” She didn’t hear a reply from the other girl so Chelsea made a guess of her own. “Is it about what granny told you earlier? Ever since you came back, you’ve been a little moodier than usual.”Taeko chuckled at the guess. She hit the nail on the head. “You always seemed to know what I’m thinking about. Also, I thought my grandmother made it clear not to call her that.”Now that Chelsea had to laugh. “Come on. We grew up together so basically Babara is my granny too.” Taeko knew her childhood friend wouldn’t change her mind about something no matter what. She learned a long time ago before they became partners. “So, spill it. What did granny tell you?”The other girl might as well spill the beans. Chelsea wasn’t going to stop asking anytime soon. “Fine.” Taeko looked up at the moon. “Tell me, Chelsea. What do you think true strength is?”Already Chelsea knew where this conversation was going. “Is this one of those philosopher questions?”And of course, she didn’t take it seriously. “That’s what my grandmother asked me.”Already Chelsea was lost. “How about you start from the beginning?”Takeo thought the same. “Very well.” F After Taeko left her team, she walked up to her grandmother and the two made their way into the forest so no one could interrupt them. Once they were, Taeko kneeled down to the older woman as she closed her eyes and lowered her head while Babara had her back turned to her granddaughter. “It is good to see you again, grandmother.”Babara gave a small chuckle to the younger girl. “Yes. It has been quite a while my grandchild. Not since you’ve enrolled at that school. Tell me, what is that you’ve learned?”Taeko was silent for a few seconds. “A great deal ma’am. As you’ve seen, I am in a very formidable team.”That Babara could tell. “I can see that and I see Chelsea is the same team as you. I should’ve expected as much. You two were always joined at the hip ever since childhood.”Her granddaughter couldn’t agree more. “If you want more irony, she’s my partner as well.”Now that Babara laughed. “Perhaps you two are bound by the red thread.”Taeko didn’t find the joke funny. “No. She’s…already dating our leader.”"I see." The time for jokes was done now. Babara decided to get to the point. "Your team is indeed strong. That much can be said with the teamwork all of you have demonstrated back in the first round.” Her granddaughter was pleased to hear the praise from Babara. “Your second match, on the other hand…”Her granddaughter thought she may not have been pleased by her recent performance. "I apologize if the battle displeased you. If I had kept my composure, I would not have been dealt such an embarrassing display."Babara sighed at Taeko’s words. “No need to concern yourself with such a thing. You are fighting against those from different lands. It’s only natural for you to be caught off guard. This is a tournament after all. What I am looking for in you is progress and I must say you have improved quite well.”Hearing those words elated Taeko. “Thank you for the kind words grandmother.”It was no secret Taeko looked up to her grandmother. Revered her actually. “Improved as you are now, you still have much to learn. Especially about yourself Taeko.”Taeko looked up to see her grandmother. “And just what is it I have to learn?”Babara was going to discuss this matter with her granddaughter sooner or later. It was important to her and soon enough, for Taeko. “Tell me, Taeko. What do you think true strength is?”Naturally, Taeko thought she had the answer. “To overwhelm anything in your path I suppose.”The older woman expected an answer like that. “While you are not wrong, there is more to it than simply overcoming your obstacles with sheer power alone.”Taeko didn't quite understand that. "What do you mean grandmother? I thought to be strong is all that there was to survive in the world."After hearing that, Babara knew her granddaughter still had much to learn. “Again, you are not wrong but power alone will not get you far.” She turned around to face Taeko. “True strength isn’t about overcoming everything you come across. It comes by overcoming yourself. That is what you’re missing and that is where you must start. Once you understand that, you’ll be ready to face the real challenges that lie ahead.”While Taeko took the words of wisdom into consideration, she was confused by them as well. She opened her eyes and looked back at her grandmother. “Then…how do I know I have achieved it? Where do I even start if everything I’ve worked up to this point didn’t even matter in the first place?”Babara continued to stare at her granddaughter. "That you will have to find out on your own. When I was young and beautiful, I thought the same as you did Taeko and realized how foolish I really was. It took most of my earlier years to finally figure it out. Your mother was able to as well at a younger age. In fact, the three members of the team you're currently on have figured it out that question. The same with several of the others participating in this tournament whether they know it or not. Now you face that same challenge. I can only hope you discover the answer lest you want to repeat the same mistakes I’ve made.”All of sudden, Taeko felt a heavier weight on her shoulder. “I understand. I’ll take your words to heart.”Her grandmother nodded at that. “Very well. Also…” She smiled at Taeko. “Do not be serious all the time. I realize you have our legacy to uphold but do not let that stop you from enjoying what your life has to offer. You are foremost a child first and an heir second.” Enjoy. That was a word most foreign to Taeko. Closest she had in having fun was with Chelsea back when they were children. In fact, she thanked Chelsea in showing her what fun was. Growing up in a strict household left little of what child could do. “That is all I wish to discuss with you. You may go now.”Taeko lowered her head once again. “Thank you, grandmother. If I may ask, are you staying for the rest of the tournament?”Her grandmother sighed. “I might as well since I’ve traveled all this way. I am interested in what this generation is capable of. With that said, I’ll see you at the end of this, Taeko.”Taeko closed her eyes. “Of course, grandmother.” F “And that’s how it went.”Chelsea, who was sucking on a lollipop that came from who knows where couldn't help but chuckle. "Looks like granny hasn't changed a bit. I find it funny I know the answer that you don't and even I don't know it. Still, leave it to her to ask that kind of thing."Her partner had to agree. "Yes. That's my grandmother for you but I still don't understand what she said."The other girl shrugged at that. “Who knows? You’re plenty strong as is to me.”Taeko took Chelsea’s words as comfort. “Thank you for that.” She sighed. “I suppose we should be going back to our room. Who knows what the penalty is if we’re up past curfew.”Now that was something Chelsea can agree on. “You got that right. Let’s head back.” She already started to make her way back to the door.Taeko was too but she had one more thought. “Chelsea…”The other girl stopped in front of the doorway and turned around to face her partner. “What now?”Taeko knew better to ask Chelsea such a question but any opinion would be good right about now. “Earlier today, when we met up with RWBY and ALCE with their friends, one of them, Cornelia gave me quite an unusual look.”Chelsea tilted her head sideways looking confused. “Unusual how?”Taeko thought about it for a few seconds. “Like I did something that upset her. What it was I don’t understand considering we only just met.”The only thing that was unusual to Chelsea was that Taeko was wondering such a thing. Her best response was a shrug. “Don’t know what to tell you but it is quite curious as to why you’re so worried about this one girl.” A thought suddenly hit her. “Unless…you actually like her.” She smiled at that last part.Her partner slightly blushed at the accusation. “D-Don’t be ridiculous!” She turned around away from Chelsea. “It’s not like that.”That only made Chelsea laugh as she hugged Taeko from behind. “Don’t deny it Taeko. You like this Cornelia chick huh? Why else would you worry about it?”This was always the part that annoyed Taeko the most about her friend. Not dropping the topic. “That’s enough Chelsea! You’re obviously taking this the wrong way.”Chelsea couldn’t help but smile. She always loved to tease the other girl. “That’s not what my intuition says.”Now Taeko was getting annoyed and growled. “Chelsea!” Her partner giggled at the outburst.“Ahem.”Both girls froze as they heard a new voice. One they recognized very well. They looked back to see Kurome at the doorway with her arms crossed and not looking all too pleased. A chill went down Chelsea’s spine as she let go of Taeko. “K-Kurome.” She laughed nervously and put on her best smile.Her leader narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend and teammate. She raised a finger. “One: did you really think a cheap clone would be enough to fool me?” She raised a second finger. “Two: you have until the count of three to-” And already Chelsea made a beeline to the doorway and back to their dorm room. “Works every time.”Kurome continued to stare at Taeko. The other girl thought to explain. “Kurome, I-”“Save it for the morning.” Kurome turned her back to her teammate. “We’ll discuss it then.” She walked away from the other girl.Taeko sighed and suddenly felt tired. “Perhaps this is for the best. Still, I have a feeling Chelsea will be sleeping in the extra bed for tonight.” With those words said, she made her back to the dorm room. B Another day came for the tournament and the doubles round continued from yesterday. One of the fights Akame saw was one girl who looked very similar to Tsukushi except for the fact that Tsukushi was….a little bigger in a certain area. Still, she didn’t think this girl was actually Tsukushi like Cornelia. Akame did notice there was something strange with her aura. Like it was not natural at all. Leone noticed it as well. There was also the way she utilized the swords she possessed. It may seem they're controlled telepathically but to Leone's eyes, they were controlled by using wires that connected to her back. It was strange, to say the least. The next match after that was finally RWBY’s turn with Weiss and Yang versus a team from Atlas called FNKI which the name itself made Leone laugh. Speaking of the Faunus blonde, she did notice one of the members was a Faunus as well and taunted Yang. Both girls were actually surprised how one of the members fought with a horn which Akame has never seen before. Sure there was the Imperial Arms Heavy Pressure but a horn was another thing. In the end, the match was won by Weiss sacrificing herself and Yang taking out the two members of FNKI. All that was left for the next match to be announced.To pass the time, both RWBY and ALCE were back at the fairgrounds enjoying another meal for the victory sitting down at a table. Leone laughed heartily at the celebration. “That was one hell of match you two. It was pretty fun to watch.”Weiss thought otherwise. “Says you. At least you didn’t experience being blown up by a small eruption.”Yang laughed at that. “Come on Weiss. It wasn’t that bad. In the end, you did carry out for us to win the match. Give yourself credit on that.”The heiress will admit to that. “Fine. I will.”Cornelia took a sip out of her soda. “So you’re qualified for the singles round. Who’s going to fight?”Yang smiled at the question. “Me of course. Gotta represent the best of team RWBY you know.”Ruby giggle in agreement. “Yeah. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we won the tournament? That would be the best thing ever!”There was that same energy Esdeath liked so much. “I think that’s still a little too soon to be thinking of that.”She had a point but still. “Yeah but come on. It would be pretty cool.”“It would be something else.” Blake spoke as she took a bit out a tuna sub sandwich.While the group was busy enjoying themselves, only a few noticed that someone was coming their way. "Surprise!"Yang yelled out in shock as she felt a pair of arms wrapped around her next and looked back to see a recent familiar face. “Neon!?”Already Blake didn’t like how close the other feline Faunus girl was to her girlfriend. “What are you doing here?”Neon smiled at everyone. "Just came by to say hello." She let go Yang and everyone turned to her. One of them which grabbed Neon's attention. That someone was Leone. She did recognize the other Faunus girl and the team she was on. "Hey. Now that I get a closer look at you, you're top heavy too."Unlike Yang who was offended by the same comment, Leone just smiled and crossed her arms under her breasts as she pushed them up to show them off. “So what of it? Just means I have the goods to show off and I know one particular person who enjoys them.” Akame lowered her head to hide her blush.Neon just giggled at the response. “Wow. And you’re funny too. Now that I’m seeing you up close, you and Nyang look pretty similar.”The name irked Blake for some reason. “Nyang?”The other Faunus girl nodded. “Yep. That’s what I’m calling her. You don’t mind that right Nyang?”And Yang found herself treading in dangerous waters. She laughed nervously. “Uh…not at all?” Despite being a fiery blonde, the brawler felt a chill go down her spine as she felt a very cold stare coming from her girlfriend.The answer was good enough for Neon as she gave Yang another hug. “Awesome!” Yang found herself in a very awkward situation. Sure she still hasn’t forgotten about the insult from earlier but seemed to forgive her when Neon didn’t mind losing. “You know Nyang, I did mean it. You are really pretty.” And that comment alone made Yang blush. Neon separated from the hug and pulled out a slip of paper. “Here’s my scroll number. That’s the real reason I’m here. Give me a call when you want to party. I’ll see you later!” Neon winked at Yang as she waved goodbye and left the group.Yang waved back in respect but that chill didn’t leave. She slowly turned her head to her girlfriend which Blake had fire in her eyes. “Uh…Blake?”Everyone was silent as Cornelia took another sip of her soda. “Hell hath no fury like a jealous woman.”“Is that another saying from your father?” Akame asked.The blonde shook her head. “No. It’s basic common sense.”Yang waved her hands in front of her. “H-Hey now, Blake. I’m pretty sure she was kidding about the whole pretty comment thing.”Leone laughed at that. “No, she was serious.”That spelled trouble for her mother. “Don’t tell me…”The Faunus blonde nodded her head. “Yep. Looks like you made quite the impression on her in the match.” Yang groaned at that.It was obvious to Blake she wasn't a big fan of this development. "She obviously needs to learn.”As a cat Faunus herself, Leone had just the solution. “If you really want to make it clear, it’s easy. Just claim Yang as your territory.”Yang raised an eyebrow to that. “What do you mean by territory?”Leone stood up and walked behind Akame as she wrapped her arms around the other girl. “It’s simple. All you have to do and this is what I did…”“Leone, don’t you dare-” It was too late. Leone leaned in and licked Akame’s ear. She bit it lightly afterward and let go. “And that’s how it’s done. Of course, you could always go farther if you really want to send the message.”Mostly everyone blushed at that since they knew what that meant. “Are you always this much of a lecture?” Weiss asked.The Faunus giggled as she pressed her breasts against Akame’s back. “Only when I have to be. Or want to be. Especially with Akame and if you think I’m bad, you haven’t seen what Akame could do with her-”Cornelia clapped her hands a few times to interrupt much to everyone’s delight. Especially Akame who was blushing profusely. “Okay…I think we’ll stop there. We do have innocence among us.”She looked over at Ruby who didn’t know what was going on. “What was Leone about to say?”It was at that point all of them had a pretty good idea how innocent Ruby really was. Ironic since the girl can wield a scythe twice her size with ease and skill. Weiss leaned into Yang. "You haven't given her the talk yet?" The heiress whispered.Yang just shrugged. “Me and dad are waiting until she’s a couple of years older. She still believes in Santa, believe it or not.” Of course, Ruby would believe in something like that.“Leone…”The Faunus blonde looked down at her girlfriend. “Yeah?”Akame just had about enough already. “Can you please release me now?”Leone chuckled. “You got it.” She let go. The Faunus blonde had her fill of fun for now. “In any case, all fun aside, that’s basically all you have to do. Simple right?”Blake had to admit she hadn’t thought about it before. It was a tad embarrassing to the Faunus girl. “If you say so.”Yang felt a little nervous as well. “I’m…kinda up to it. I mean it’s just a lick and a nibble right?” She wasn’t totally wrong.Suddenly, all of them heard a notification alarm. “The next match with team ALCE will start in thirty minutes. Please prepare for the arena.”“Yes, and don’t be late!” They heard the mic close off.Leone smiled at the announcement. “Well, our turn to shine. You two ready?”Esdeath smiled back and nodded. “Yes. I hope it goes well.”Ruby had no doubt in mind about that. “You’ll do great Esdeath. I’m sure of it.” She smiled at the other girl.Esdeath was touched by the young leader’s words. “Thank you, Ruby.” Weiss quietly hissed through her teeth. Now that she came to terms with her feelings for Ruby, the heiress had to plan some way to convey them to her. The problem with that was when she should tell Ruby. Another problem was what did the young leader thought of Esdeath.Everybody stood up from the table Yang smiled at Cornelia and Esdeath. “We’ll be heading to our seats now. Kick a lot of ass you two.” With that said, all of team RWBY left for the arena.Akame had the same idea. “We should go as well. Good luck during the match.”Hearing that made Esdeath feel joy. She instantly grabbed Akame’s hands and held them while giving her leader a beaming smile. “I won’t let you down. I swear!” Akame didn’t know it but Esdeath did want to live up to her expectations as a teammate she could count on. The doubles round proved to be a perfect opportunity.“Esdeath…” Esdeath looked over at Leone who had the same look Blake had before.Esdeath knew what the look meant and let go of Akame’s hands. “Right…sorry.”Cornelia laughed at the scene. “Alright, come on. Let’s prep up for the fight ahead.” Everyone in the team nodded and went on their way to the arena. B The next match of the doubles round was about to begin and the crowd couldn’t wait for the fight to start. sing were two large steel tonfas that were sharpened at either end of them.Esdeath gulped as she was feeling the weight of her team on her shoulders. “I can do this. This is my chance.” Cornelia looked over at her teammate and chuckled a little. “Just relax. You’ll do fine.” Esdeath took note of the blonde’s advice but still felt a little nervous.Ruby was glad she was able to watch Esdeath fight since she missed her team’s first match. “You can win this Esdeath! Go for it!” Weiss could do without her leader’s cheering for the other girl. It didn’t help with her situation at all.In another part of the seats, Akame and Leone were overseeing their teammates. Akame had the utmost confidence in them. Leone thought the same. "Never thought I would say this but I'm glad Esdeath is on our side. This should be a cinch."Her girlfriend nodded in agreement. “Yes, and with Cora down there, I have no doubt they’ll do well in the fight.” While Akame looked forward to the battle ahead, the back part of her mind kept pricking at her about a certain subject. “Leone…”The Faunus blonde looked over at her girlfriend. “Yeah?”Akame narrowed her eyes. “About what you told us last night…”Leone knew what the other girl was talking. “Worried are we? Can’t say I blame you but what Qrow said is right. I can’t fault Ruby and the rest of her team for thinking like that. Anyone would after fighting against an organization like the White Fang.”Akame looked up at the sky. “Just because they won a battle doesn’t mean the war has been decided. They’re biding their time. Waiting for the perfect chance to strike and the worst part is we don’t know when it’ll happen.”The Faunus blonde agreed to that. “Yeah. Just like old times, huh?” That was a part Akame didn’t miss.Speaking of people planning, Mercury and Emerald were there as well to confirm what Akame told them was true. Seeing their other teammates on the field proved them wrong. “So that chick did lie to us.”Emerald put her arms behind her head. "I figured as much. She knew better than to tell us."“How unfortunate.” Both of them looked behind to see Cinder taking her seat. “And here I thought we would learn more about those two since there isn’t much about them.” She gave a sly smile at the two members that were down at the arena. “Oh well. It won’t matter in the end once all of this is over.”Kurome, as always, surrounded herself with food and soda from the stands. She took a bit out of a hot dog. “This’ll be an interesting fight if that one chick with the ice is fighting in it.”Rienna was excited for the match to start and laughed. “This’ll be fun. I can’t wait to see what’ll happen.”Taeko carefully watching Cornelia and Chelsea caught it. “Checking a certain someone out?” She asked with a mischievous smile.Her partner sighed. "Let it go, Chelsea."In another part of the crowd, Gozuki was finally happy to make it before his daughter’s match began. “This is a surprise.”Gozuki looked to the side and chuckled as he saw a familiar face. “You’re the one from before.”Esren smiled at Gozuki and took the seat next to him. “Here for the match?”Gozuki didn’t mind the company and nodded. “Yeah. My daughter is fighting in this round.”Esren laughed at that. “Is that right? So is my daughter.”Now that was funny to Gozuki. "How about that. Both of our kids are on the same team and fighting together.”Esren did see the humor in that. “Yeah. I guess that is kinda funny. I have to say your daughter is rather skilled.”Gozuki accepted the compliment. “I could say the same with your daughter’s semblance. It’s rather stronger than most semblances I’ve seen.”Esren sighed at that. “I’m aware of that. I did help out in controlling it when she was young.”Gozuki raised an eyebrow to that. “I see. Well, you’ve done a good job far as I know.” He looked at the arena. “I guess we’ll see how she’ll fare in this next match.”Esren looked at the two girls as well. “Yes. I can say the same for your daughter as well.”Back at the arena, the girl from the other team blew up a bubble from the gum she was chewing and blew it as she took it back in again. “So Razor. What’s your assessment this time?”Razor shifted his glasses as she observed the team in front. “Well…I knew they would choose the member who had the powerful semblance but I am quite surprised the Faunus member wasn’t chosen as well. I guess that’s good news for us as that would be a disadvantage for the both of us.”The girl laughed at that. “Pretty much. I wouldn’t want to mess with the chick who can chuck a huge iceberg without a problem.”“Quite.” Razor continued to observe the other two girls. “Far as I know, they’re set up as one who can fight close quarters while the other is more of a long range. While the one with the semblance is more of a threat, the other one should be easier to defeat.”The girl smiled as she brought one of her gloved hands up. “Got it then.”The screen popped up to reveal Port and Oobleck once again. Port cleared his throat. “Hello and welcome to the next match of the doubles round. For this matchup, we have team ALCE versus team LAZR. I’m sure this will be a delightful battle for all to enjoy.”“Indeed. Now let us begin the selection.” Oobleck announced. Five of the randomizer selector screens appeared and started to rotate to choose the environments for the match. All five soon stopped and the environments were chosen. They were ocean, swamp, forest, mountain, and ruined city. The ground outside the center began to lower itself and the five chosen environments appeared. The whole stage was set and the combatants were ready. “Now let the match…”Razor brought up his tonfas. “Get ready Zarina.” Zarina pulled one of her gloves to tighten it.Cornelia had Twin Knight ready while Esdeath cracked her fingers. “Here we go.” “Commence!” The air horn blared out. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Twenty Nine: The King’s ResolveAs soon as the air horn blared, Cornelia didn’t waste any time making the first move with her weapons ready. “Esdeath, back me up!”Esdeath nodded at the order. “Right!” She put her hands in front and icicles formed around her. “Weiss Scenba-” Esdeath stopped as soon she noticed something strange. Cornelia stopped moving all of a sudden.Cornelia herself noticed it and struggled to move. “W-What’s going on?” Her answer came in the form of wires shimmering by the sunlight and they were coming from one of their opponents.Zarina smiled as she immobilized one of their opponents. “Target captured.”Razor set his sights on his opponent. “Let’s begin.” He rushed over to where Cornelia was but Zarina decided to shorten the distance a little and pulled on her wires to bring in the blonde closer as she screamed. Once Cornelia was close enough, Razor delivered a strong kick to her side. Once she was out of the way, he didn’t waste going after Esdeath next.While he was doing that, Zarina looked over to Cornelia. “Where do you think you’re going?” She pulled the wires down and Cornelia along with them. The blonde was slammed into the ground and let out a pained gasp. Her aura gauge dropped down a small amount. “And team LAZR takes an early lead!” Port pointed out.Esdeath knew she had to help out Cornelia and fast but first, she had to deal with her opponent. She dispersed the icicles around and slammed her hand onto the ground. Razor narrowed his eyes and jumped into the air as a giant ice spike emerged from the ground from where he was previously at. However, just he landed back on the ground, Esdeath raised her hand to the air. “Hagel Sprung!” A giant ice ball appeared above Razor and he looked up as it started to drop on top of him.Port had to wince at that. “That couldn’t have felt good for him.”With Razor out of the way for now, Esdeath started to make her way to aid Cornelia. As she was, the giant ice ball suddenly shattered into pieces and stopped only to see Razor standing up. “That was a close one.” He looked at Esdeath and rushed over toward her. As he came in close, Razor attacked with his tonfa from the right but Esdeath jumped back to dodge it. That didn’t stop Razor as he continued to swing both of his tonfas at his opponent and Esdeath continued to avoid them. “As I thought. You’re not very adept to hand to hand combat, are you?”Just as he said that, Esdeath caught his left arm with her right hand and froze it solid which surprised him. “You would think so huh? Let me show you otherwise.” She pulled back her left arm and ice began to form around her hand. “Gletscherbruch!” Esdeath delivered her attack at Razor and struck him dead center in the chest. She managed to send him away and extended her other hand out in front. “Weiss Schenbal!” Icicles appeared around her and were sent toward Razor.He managed to stand up and saw the attack coming at him. Razor placed his own arm in front. “Shatter.” In the next second, all of the icicles aimed at him broke apart into countless pieces.Esdeath was rather shocked in seeing such a thing. “What?!”Esren narrowed his eyes at what just happened. “He managed to destroy Esdeath’s attack easily. I suppose that’s how he was able to destroy her earlier attack.” Razor put his hand down. “My semblance allows me to shatter anything with a solid structure no matter how strong it may be. It can’t be used on living beings, however. Still, it should prove more than enough for your ice since it already has a crystalline structure that’s easy to break.”Esdeath gritted her teeth in frustration as she held out her hand out once more. “Grau Horn!” A giant ice spike came out of the ground and was headed toward Razor.Razor placed both hands in front of the attack. “Shatter!” In the next instant, Esdeath attack was completely broken into pieces. “Like I said, it doesn’t matter how strong your attacks may be, I’ll be able to destroy it regardless.”Chelsea whistled at what she was seeing. “Not bad. Add another to my collection.”Ruby growled as she stood up from her seat. “Come on Esdeath! Beat him up!”Leone already could tell this wasn’t good for the former general. “That’s just great. Even with the aura going through her ice, that guy can just break it no problem.”Akame continued to observe the confrontation. “It is a problem but remember, this is Esdeath we’re talking about. If were that easy to overcome her, we wouldn’t have struggled so much against her.”The Faunus blonde nodded at that. “Good point. Guess we’ll see what kind of tricks she’ll pull out.”Razor shifted his glasses. “So now, what will you do next?”Esdeath narrowed her eyes at her opponent. She spread her arms out and the wind started to circle around her and blow out. Razor covered his arms from the wind. Soon something was being collected in the wind as it grew in mass and hid Esdeath. Weiss figured out what it was. “That’s…hail”“Hölle Hagel” The hail circling around Esdeath stopped and were sent over to where Razor was. He didn’t have time to activate his semblance as they pelted him all over his body. He continued to cross his arms to defend against the relentless attacks. While he was busy defending against the hail, Esdeath slammed her hand down to the ground. “Eis Speer!” From where Razor was standing, a large javelin made of ice erupted from the ground as it struck him and sent him up into the air. Esdeath took this chance as she created a sword made from her ice and jumped to where Razor was. “Gefrorene Slash!” When she came in close, Esdeath slashed at Razor as she passed him by. Once Esdeath was behind him, ice suddenly emerged where she slashed him in the first place. Both landed back on the ground with Esdeath landing without a hitch and Razor landing with a thud. His aura gauge already went to yellow.The whole crowd cheered at what they saw. Especially Ruby. “Yeah! Go Esdeath!” Weiss was becoming increasingly annoyed with her love interest’s cheering for the girl.“And a powerful blow from Esdeath Partas. She has shown that even when faced a disadvantage she managed to adapt to the situation.” Port spoke.Esdeath flicked her ice sword. “I was never good at welding any of the weapons I had to choose from before. None of them seemed to fit me no matter what. However, I am good at with the weapons I create with my ice. They feel more natural to me that way.”Leone laughed at what she saw. “There we go. That’s the Esdeath we really know. Right Akame?”Her leader nodded in agreement. “She’s right. Esdeath was always at her best during a fight, no matter how much of an advantage the opponent had over her.”Zarina hissed through her teeth when she heard that. “You’re kidding me, right?” She suddenly felt a slight tug from her strings and saw Cornelia stand up.The blonde chuckled at the shift of battle. “Looks like we got one up yours.”The other girl narrowed her eyes at her. “Oh really? Don't forget which end my wires are tied around to!" Zarina jumped into the air and pulled her wires over her.Cornelia saw the wires still tied around her and where they were leading to. "Aw, crap." She screamed as Cornelia was lifted into the air and sent over Zarina.Zarina had the perfect place for the landing. “Hope you’re feeling up for a swim!” She threw down her wires and Cornelia at the end all the way to the ocean part of the battlefield. Cornelia was flung into the water with a splash and Zarina laughed as she landed back on the ground. “How’s that?” She pulled back her hand so the wires could return back to her.Leone scoffed at the usage of the girl’s weapon. “Really? That’s it? Lubb is a hell of a lot better than this chick.”Zarina was waiting for her next chance as soon as her opponent came up for air. The funny thing was, she never did which raised an eyebrow. “What the? Where the hell is she?” Her answer came in the form of the ground shaking. She took a few steps back while looking around. “What’s going on?” The ground started to shake more violently and the water began to move just the same. All of a sudden, Cornelia finally managed to emerge out of the water with her weapon in its axe staff form. Zarina crossed her arms to ready her next attack. “There you are!” Before she could send her wires toward the other girl, Cornelia yelled as she raised her weapon above her and slammed the end of it into the water. The end result was the ground shaking powerfully and all the water around her suddenly rose up high. The water moved away from Cornelia became a tsunami which freaked Neptune out quite a lot and it was headed toward Zarina. "Oh, crap!"The tsunami crashed into her and flooded the surrounding area and her aura gauge went down almost to half. Cornelia smiled as she held her weapon to the side. “How was that?”Port was rather impressed with the blonde’s performance. “And a smart tactic by Cornelia King. She was able to use her surroundings to her advantage and what a payoff it was.”Gozuki laughed as he clapped. “Great job there Cora!”Akame could say the same thing. “That was incredible.”Leone snickered at what she saw. “I’ll say. That was freaking awesome.”Over to Esdeath, she saw what happened and gave a small giggle. “We may win this yet.”“Is that so?” She looked over to Razor who was standing up after taking Esdeath’s last attack. “Last time I checked, this fight is still going.” He took a running start at Esdeath.Esdeath took a step back and placed both of her hands in front. “Hölle Hagel!” She sent countless hailstones again at him.However, Razor was prepared this time. “Shatter!” He destroyed all of the hailstones in front before they even reached him. Esdeath gasped in shock as a result. “Your tricks only work once!” He brought one of his tonfas to him while Esdeath readied her ice sword. Both of them brought their weapons close to each other. “Shatter.” Before the sword could even reach him, it broke apart in an instant. That gave Razor the opening he needed and began to deliver a series of attacks onto Esdeath. After a couple of hits, he would turn around to continue the barrage of attacks. This lasted for several seconds longer until after his last hit, Razor crouched down with the tonfa brought in near his body. He suddenly swung his weapon upward at Esdeath and struck her into the air. He didn’t stop at there. Razor pointed his tonfas at her and began to shoot her. The onslaught of bullets juggled Esdeath in place all the while her aura gauge was steadily going down. Razor stopped shooting as he pulled his arms back and Esdeath began falling back down. As she came close to the ground, Razor delivered a powerful kick to her side and sent her away.“No, Esdeath!” Ruby called out in worry as she saw the other girl crash back to the ground away from Razor. Even Weiss couldn’t help but feel worried as well after seeing Esdeath take all of those attacks.Razor shifted his glasses once again as he stared at Esdeath’s motionless body. “And Esdeath Partas has taken a significant amount of damage after all of those attacks.”Oobleck nodded in agreement with Port’s statement. “Quite right. I imagine it’ll be very difficult for her to get back up after that.”Cornelia looked over at where Esdeath currently was. “Esdeath!” She separated her weapon back into two and tried to rush over to her downed teammate but stopped all of a sudden. Cornelia felt something tied around her arm and looked at it to see it was those same wires from before.“Where do you think you’re going?” The blonde looked over to where the wires came from and saw Zarina standing up with her hand out. “We’re not done here yet.”The blonde didn’t have time for her but being tied up left her with one other option. She ran over to the other girl with her axes ready. “If I can’t get away from her, I’ll come to her instead!” Zarina expected the other girl to try the tactic and smiled. Cornelia closed in and swung one of her axes at her but Zarina moved her other hand with her wires in front to block the attack. The ax clashed with the wires and already Cornelia noticed something strange about them. “They shouldn’t feel that strong to begin with.” Zarina whipped her wires to break off the oncoming attack and the two girls separated for a moment. That moment was all she needed as Zarina quickly passed Cornelia by while striking her with the wires. Normally a person wouldn’t use a weapon like hers for such an attack. Cornelia thought otherwise as she felt the immense power behind each of the wires as she felt each individual wire cutting her. Zarina smiled as she turned around and recalled the wires wrapped around the blonde’s arm and started to lash at her multiple times to the back. There was definitely something up with the wires she was using and Cornelia could feel it. They seem to be stronger they appeared to be. Zarina spun around and whipped the blonde one more time and Cornelia cried out once more as she let go of Twin Knight.“Cora!” Akame was experiencing a familiar feeling. It was the same one when she first saw Cornelia after her fight to the death against Taeko.Cornelia heard Akame’s cry and slightly looked over to her to see that scared looked from before. “Akame…” She dropped to her hands and knees as did her aura gauge below half."Oh, that looked like it hurt. This doesn't bode well for team ALCE." Port pointed out.Razor looked over at the screen and saw the different lengths each aura gauge was at. “We’re almost done here.”For some reason, Takeo couldn’t help but feel a little angry for what Zarina did to Cornelia. Chelsea could tell as well. “Uh-oh. Things don’t look too good for them.”Gozuki narrowed his eyes at his adoptive daughter. “Cora…”Zarina seemed pleased with her work and recalled her wires back. She started to walk over to Cornelia. “In case you’re wondering about it, my semblance allows me to control the weight of what I want. In this case, my wires. I can make them heavy enough deal damage. Versatile and powerful.” She stood in front of her opponent. “I say this is about it for you. No hard feelings but you losing to me proves I’m just the better one.” She brought up her arm up close to her.Cornelia was unmoving as she couldn’t forget Akame’s face from before. “I don’t want you to cry. I’ve known you for a while now and I can tell seeing you cry like that, it doesn’t really suit you.”“Time to end this!” Zarina started to swing her arm with her wires ready to deliver the final blow but all of sudden, Cornelia stood up and grabbed her opponent’s arm tightly. Already Zarina was shocked and confused by this. “Wait, what the hell are you doing?”Akame’s eyes widened as she recognized what Cornelia was planning to do. “She’s…”Cornelia raised her head and smiled at her opponent as she pulled back her arm as her semblance started to surround her fist. “Akame. I meant what I said. You look better when you’re not crying and I won’t let you now.” The blonde thought back to when Akame first told the truth about them. “The two of you are different and yet somehow the same. You couldn’t imagine how I felt when I saw you again. It was like I was seeing a ghost and…I was happy to see you again.”Now that she thought about it, being reminded of those words strengthened her resolve. Cornelia…I’ll carry on what you started. I’ll make sure to watch over Akame in your place.”Akame couldn’t look away as she believed her eyes were starting to play tricks on her. Who she was seeing right now wasn’t the Cornelia on her team but the Cornelia she knew from before. Akame could’ve sworn she saw the blonde turning her head at her and smiled. “Cora…”Zarina punched Cornelia a few times with her other fist in hopes of separating from the other girl. “Let go! Let go of me dammit!” Despite all the punches, the blonde didn’t let up her grip. In fact, she made it tighter.Razor growled at his partner’s situation. “Damn it. Hang on!” He started to run over toward them but a giant wall of ice blocked his path.He stopped and looked over at Esdeath who was standing back up and breathing heavily. “We’re not finished yet.” Ruby giggled happily now she knew Esdeath was still alright.As Zarina continued to try to break Cornelia’s grip, Gozuki had a sense of pride swelling up inside of him. “Cornelia may not be my own blood but she sure as hell inherited a few traits from me. She’s the best daughter I could ever have. That much was true even back then.” F In a hospital room, a young Cornelia was lying in a bed looking out the window. She heard the door open and saw the man that rescued her from the fire. “You’re awake. That’s good.”Cornelia could only remember a little about the man before her but he did save her from the building she called home that was on fire. Still, even if she was safe, there was a question she desperately needed to know. “Where’s my papa and my mama?”The man before looked away from her with a sad face. “I’m sorry to say this but…they didn’t make it out.”Hearing that crushed Cornelia. Her parents were gone and now she was alone. Tears started to come out of her eyes and started to sob. “Mama…papa…”The man looked back at her and walked over to her. “I know it’s hard to take their loss and I’m sure you’re scared being all alone in this world without them.” He placed his hand on her head and Cornelia looked at him with tears still coming out of them. “Which is why I’ve decided to take you in as my own. I may not be your real father but I’ll look after you the best I can.”Cornelia didn’t know how to take the news. This man in front of whom she really didn’t know that saved her wanted to take her in as his own daughter. Her response was to cry once more but this time giving the man in front a hug. The man sighed as he hugged her back. “I’ll make sure to do everything I can to make you happy again.” F Gozuki remembered from that day on, both of their worlds changed for the better. Cornelia brought out the father he thought he never had before and that was one of the things he was grateful to her. Gozuki can’t believe the girl he was seeing now was the same one he took in all those years ago. “To think…Cora has gotten so far since that day. It not only changed her life but mine as well. There were times I thought I couldn’t be dad she wanted but it all worked out in the end. Cora…I’m glad to have become your father. Now show her what a King is capable of.”Cornelia gave the other girl a confident smile. “I’m not going down just yet. There’s someone out there that’s important to me and I don’t want her to worry anymore.” The power of her semblance continued to increase. “I don’t ever want her to experience the same kind of pain she felt before and I’ll make sure she’ll never have to be sad again!” She remembered what Akame told Cornelia a little more about herself a few nights ago. F Team ALCE was getting ready for bed after playing a board game to pass the time after the matches were finished. “Hey, Akame?”Akame looked over to Cornelia who was sitting on her bed. "What is it, Cora?"Cornelia had a question she’s been meaning to ask her leader for some time after hearing her explanation earlier today. “It’s about those Imperial Arms weapons you mentioned before. Did I…ever use one?”Akame knew she was going to ask that question sooner or later. She smiled at the other girl. “No, you didn’t. In fact, I didn’t use an Imperial Arms either while I was with the Elite Seven. We used different weapons called Shingu. They’re similar to Imperial Arms but not as powerful.”Cornelia smiled at the explanation. “I see. So what was the Shingu I used called?”Akame was rather glad her former teammate asked that. “It was called… F Cornelia charged the attack to the fullest and yelled with all of her might as she punched Zarina dead center to the stomach. "PULVERIZATION KING!" The force behind of the attack erupted from the back of the arm in the form of the wind. The wind blew out intensely as Cornelia continued to add more pressure to the attack while screaming out loud. Zarina was screaming as well but more in pain.While all of this was going on, Taeko couldn’t take her eyes off of what was happening before her. For some reason, she remembered her grandmother’s words from before. "True strength isn't about overcoming everything you come across. It comes by overcoming yourself.”It finally made sense to her now by seeing Cornelia fight. “So…that’s it then…”With a final thrust forward, Cornelia managed to send away Zarina with a bang. Zarina screamed in terror as she was sent out into the arena and hit the force field. She fell down to the ground unconscious and her aura gauge went to zero. Everyone in the crowd was amazed that Cornelia pulled off such a win. Gozuki smiled as he couldn’t be prouder of his daughter. “That’s my girl.” “And that’s one member of team LAZR out of the match. This has now become a two on one.” Oobleck pointed out.Razor gritted his teeth when he heard that. “That’s just great but…”Cornelia stumbled a few steps forward before falling down forward. “It’s up to you now…Esdeath…” She fell to the floor and didn't move anymore. It was then her aura gauge finally went into the red.“It seems a member of team ALCE cannot also continue to the match. Looks like we’re starting a singles match a little early.” Port announced.Even if Cornelia couldn't continue on, Akame felt overjoyed that her teammate gave it her all to the end. “Even in this world, you never cease to amaze me, Cora.”One on one suited Razor much more now one of his opponents is down and all that was left was Esdeath. He easily had the match in his hand. Or so he thought. Esdeath had her head lowered with her bangs covering her eyes. She took in Cornelia’s last words before she couldn’t continue on any longer. Razor looked over at her and noticed the change but ignored it. “Well? Shall we finish this up?”Esdeath raised her head and had a strong determined look in her eye as she spread apart her arms. “Of course.” Everything was riding on her now and it was exactly what she wanted. “Leave it me, everyone. I won’t let all of you down!” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Thirty: No Right AnswerThe match between team ALCE and team LAZR continued on with Cornelia winning one for her team but fell herself during the match. The ones left to continue the match was Razor and Esdeath. Still,Gozuki nodded in agreement. “Yes.” He continued to stare at his daughter who now laid on the arena floor. “I don’t remember teaching Cornelia something like that before.” He thought back to Cornelia’s previous attack. "To outright grab her opponent's arm unarmed and take advantage of her opponent's shock while being in close proximity with that kind of attack. It was a high-risk move right there. Not to mention the way she used her semblance with that attack. Just where did she learn something like that?” He looked across to where Akame and Leone were. “I have a feeling her leader had something to do with that.” Gozuki looked back at the arena. “Still, that’s my daughter for you. She really is like her father at times. You’ve earned to rest. Now all that’s left is for her teammate to win this but that’ll prove to be difficult considering what her opponent can do. Guess we’ll just see what’ll happen next.”Leone was clapping at her teammate’s previous performance. “Damn that was awesome. Chalk one up for Cornelia. I can see why you looked up to her Akame.”That same overjoyed feeling didn’t leave Akame. She was extremely proud of what Cornelia did. “I knew you could do it, Cora.”Chelsea grinned while having another lollipop in her mouth. "Wow. Gotta hand it to her that was pretty cool what she did. What do you think Taeko?" She looked over at her partner and saw an unusual look on her. "Taeko?" Taeko continued to stare at Cornelia while still feeling her heart beating at an unusually fast pace. Kurome munched on more popcorn in her mouth. “Now it’s just one on one. This’ll be good.” Rienna giggled in agreement.Yang had to admit she was enjoying this match a lot. "Now that's what I call a punch. Man, she wrecked that chick good."While Blake did agree with her girlfriend, she also saw the trouble. “Yeah but this fight will go either way now. Both Esdeath and that guy have taken a lot of damage and he can destroy her ice with no problem.”“Esdeath’s going to win.” Everyone looked over at Ruby who had a confident smile. “I know she can win.”Weiss looked back at Esdeath. “If you say so, Ruby.” She was having so much mixed feelings about this whole thing. She was jealous that Esdeath had all of Ruby’s attention but she didn’t want Akame’s team to lose this match because that would make her leader sad. She sighed at the predicament. “Why does love always have to be so confusing?”Back at in the battlefield, Razor sighed at the blow his side had taken. “This is just great. Zarina is out and now it’s just me. At least they lost one of their own so that’s not too bad. Plus, with the advantage I have over her, I should be able to do this.” He raised up his arms. “Well? How about we end this already?”Esdeath closed her hands tightly as she gave her opponent an unwavering stare. “Cora’s down and it’s up to me for the team to pull through. If anything, this is my chance to prove to the team, to prove Akame and Leone that I’m not the person they knew back in their world. This, I solemnly swear!” The wind started to blow out around Esdeath. “Anything that gets in my way…will freeze.”Razor looked around as he noticed the temperature around was slightly lowered. “What’s she planning?” He discarded that last thought and ran straight at her. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll end this now!” Esdeath stood still as she lowered her head. “Walzer der Zorn des Winters.” In the next instant, a powerful blizzard blew out everywhere throughout the arena strong and harsh.Razor stopped as he crossed his arms to protect himself from the frigid winds. “What’s going on!?”The blizzard had an effect on the crowd as well as they felt just how cold the surrounding area had become. Neon was certainly not a fan. “Nya! It’s so cold!” She grabbed ahold of herself trying to warm up.Flynt held onto his hat from being blown away. “Have to say, that’s some trick she’s got.”Emerald rubbed her arms with her hands trying to cope with the sudden weather. “I’m freaking freezing here!”Mercury laughed despite himself feeling the same way. “That’s what you get for wearing that outfit.”Cinder was felt the effects of the weather as well but maintained her composure. Her interest in Esdeath increased. “This girl…”Sun was feeling the worst of all as he rubbed his arm furiously. “I am seriously underdressed for this!” Neptune couldn’t help but laugh at that.Velvet was clearly not a fan of the blizzard-like everyone else. "Coco!"Coco had no choice but take off her sunglasses as seeing through them obscured her vision of seeing what was going on. “Well, that guy is pretty much screwed.”Others, however, took this in a much different way. “Ha ha! Cool! She made an awesome blizzard! Look! I can see my breath. Check it out!” Nora exhaled and saw her breath. Her team, on the other hand, didn’t think the same as they were shivering from the cold.Blake was not at all a fan of the cold weather as she cuddled up with Yang trying to warm up. The blonde was the same. “Jeez! Esdeath could do this all along?!”Ruby was amazed by Esdeath’s power. “This is…so incredible.”Weiss who was the only one not bothered by the cold was mesmerized by the power before her. “This is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Akame and Leone actually fought against someone like her back in their world?”Both Akame and Leone braced against the harsh cold. “Yeah, that’s definitely more like the Esdeath we knew back then huh?”Akame had no choice but to agree with that. “And to think…this is just Esdeath around our age. Just imagine what she can do once she reached the age she originally was back in our world.” That thought terrified her.Chelsea now had a very clear idea of how strong Esdeath’s semblance really was. “Okay, yeah, no way I’m going to have that same kind of power as that chick.”Even Taeko admitted Esdeath’s power was something else to her. “To think she would be this powerful with just her semblance alone.”Kurome groaned at all of this. “This freaking sucks!”“I know. This weather is really strong huh?” Rienna spoke.“Not that!” Kurome’s team looked over at her and saw that the food she had around was gone. “She blew away all of my food!”“Of course she would complain about that.” Everyone thought at the same time.Gozuki was pretty impressed by the amount of power the blizzard possessed. “Looks like your daughter is something else as well.”Esren seemed to be unaffected by the weather as he kept a close eye on his daughter. “So, you’re finally going to unleash it Esdeath.” Back in the arena, Razor struggled trying to cope with the drastic drop in temperature. "Is she planning on freezing everything in sight?" He saw Esdeath take one step forward and ice began to appear and cover the ground around her quickly. “She’s freezing over the entire arena!?” The ice bypassed him and sure enough, ice completely covered the arena.Both Oobleck and Port were amazed by this. "Incredible. Esdeath Partas has completely frozen the arena. She now has the home field advantage!"While impressive, Oobleck noticed something else. “Yes but there is no sign of her teammate considering what happened to her not too long ago.”Esdeath had already planned ahead for that. All she needed to do was win the match and she wasn’t going to hold back. She spread out her arms as the cold winds surrounded her arms. “Kalt Mahlstrom!” Esdeath crossed her arms and a vortex of snow and ice surrounded Razor as he screamed in terror.Esdeath raised her arms and the vortex rose up into the air. She uncrossed her arms and the attack ceased leaving Razor high in the air. This time, she left one arm extended pointed at Razor. "Let's see how you like it when you're pelted in midair.” Countless hailstones formed around her once again. “Hölle Hagel!” The hailstones were instantly sent over to where Razor currently was and every one of them pelted him all over. Esdeath ceased the attack and her opponent started to drop to the ground. As Razor neared it, she clapped her hands together. “Große Schlucht!” Two large walls of ice appeared from the sides and slammed into each other with Razor in the middle of them. Esdeath then raised her hand to the air. “Hagel Sprung!” Another giant ice ball appeared from above and Esdeath set her arm down. The attack dropped on top of the previous attack. The ice beneath was crushed and scattered everywhere. Esdeath snapped her fingers and the ice ball was destroyed as well only leaving Razor lying on the cold ice floor. She leered in at her opponent. “Well?”Razor groaned as he was not only in a great amount of pain but his whole body was freezing due to the cold weather. He started to stand up but had some difficulty doing so and was breathing heavily. As he fully stood up, it was apparent even his glasses were destroyed. “What…just what the hell are you? Some kind of monster?”The statement hit closer to him than he thought. Monster. Esdeath was called that before among other things like the nickname Ice Queen. However, it didn't bother her as much. "Perhaps you're right. Maybe I am a monster like everyone says but you know what? I'll never become the kind of monster she once was."Razor didn’t quite understand that. “Who’s she?”Esdeath didn’t both replying as she spread her arms out and a large powerful whirlwind surrounded her. “EISBOHRER!” She spun her arms around counter-clockwise and two large powerful waves of ice appeared in a spiral formation as it was headed straight at Razor.Razor held out his own arm to break apart the oncoming attack. “Shatter!” The attack was destroyed but only for a second as it continued on. “It’s still going?!” That was the last thought he had before the attack struck him through and screamed once again. The attack continued on until it hit the force field where it dispersed everywhere else. Once it was all gone, all that was left was Razor unconscious by the attack and he fell down to the ground along with his aura gauge to zero.Esdeath snapped her fingers and the blizzard ceased. No one in the crowd made a sound when they saw the still ice covered arena. Esdeath lowered her body and placed her hand on the ground. The ice around began to vanish around her and soon spread throughout the arena. One area in particular that was rather oddly shaped as a lump vanished as well revealing Cornelia who seemed to be unaffected by what happened previously. Esdeath turned to the large screen. “There’s Cornelia and she hasn’t been affected this entire time.”Oobleck nodded as that was all he needed to know. “Very well. The winner of this doubles match is team ALCE!”The crowd continued to be silent for a few more seconds before roaring in cheer. Esdeath looked around to the crowd and couldn't believe these people were cheering for her. No, not her. Her team and made her feel…happy. Esdeath smiled as she looked over to where Cornelia was and walked over to her. Good timing because the blonde was starting to come to. She opened her eyes and felt surprisingly warm for some reason. "How are you feeling?"Cornelia sat up and looked to Esdeath who was smiling at her. “Esdeath? What happened? Did we win?”Esdeath giggled as she held out her hand to her teammate. “Of course.”Cornelia took the other girl’s hand and Esdeath brought her up. Many in the crowd clapped, including their friends and Esdeath’s father. Among the applause, Cinder clapped her hands a few times before standing up and making her leave. Mercury and Emerald noticed and followed soon after. As they made their way to the exit, Emerald looked back at the arena. “Hey, Cinder. Do you think-”“One at a time Emerald.” Cinder interrupted. “We’re here for one thing only. Don’t forget that. Besides, not until we have all of our facts gathered.” She smiled slyly. “Her power is greater than what it should be normally. Quite the team member you have…Akame.”Port cleared his throat. "Well, with this match's end, the double's round finally comes to a close. Stick around for as we approach the single's round. Now for those were affected by the harsh cold, please head toward the nearest hot cocoa stand.” B “Cheers!”“Cheers!”Everyone in team ALCE clinked their drinks of hot cocoa. All of them were sitting at a table after their hard-fought win in the doubles match. Cornelia brought the cup to her and blew on it to cool down. “So…” She took a sip of her hot cocoa. “What did happen while I was out?”Esdeath giggled at the question. "Well, for one, I created a small pocket for you with my ice. It covered your body so you wouldn't be affected by what I was about to do next." She took a sip of her hot cocoa next.It made the most sense to blonde. “Oh, I see. What did you do?”Leone snickered. “She freaking made a blizzard and froze the entire arena, you included so that’s where I’m guessing she made that pocket for you. After that, Esdeath totally overpowered the guy.”Hearing that made Esdeath blush a little. “It was nothing, really. I was just…doing my part for the team.”Akame sipped her cup and smiled at her. “Well, you did a great job and now we’re in the singles.” Esdeath felt a sense of warmth spread throughout in her chest when she heard those words from her leader.“Hey there!” Everyone looked over to the voice and saw team RWBY walking up to them holding cups of hot cocoa as well. Ruby giggled as she ran up to the other team.Esdeath smiled at the young leader as she happy to see her again. “Ruby.”The younger girl stopped in front of her. “We just came by to say congratulations on her victory. You were so awesome in your fight and Cornelia too.”Cornelia giggled nervously at that. “Thanks even though I kinda fell before the last stretch of the match.”Yang saw a problem with that. "Eh, don't worry about it. Still, I've gotta hand it to ya, that was some attack you did."The other blonde smiled at that. “Thanks. I guess you can say I was inspired by someone close to me.” She looked over at Akame and the two girls smiled at each other.Yang was pleased with the explanation and took a sip out of her cup. “Well, in any case, looks like both of our teams are in the single's round. You ready for it, Leone?"The other team looked at each other for a few seconds before looking back at the other team. "About that. We...made a change. Akame's going to fight in the single's round."It was…mildly surprising to hear that but Blake somehow expected that. “Is it because of Kurome?” The silence was the only answer Akame gave. Yang was let down a little her daughter wasn’t going to participate in the single’s round but could see why the final decision was made. “I understand but are you sure about this?”Akame nodded at the question. “There is no doubt in my mind.”Everyone in RWBY could tell Akame was serious given the look in her eye. “Why hello there.”The group looked over to see Esren and Gozuki walking over to them. “Father/Papa?”Both fathers smiled at their daughter’s and their team members. “Nice seeing all of you again." Gozuki pointed out. He walked over to Cornelia and placed his hand on his daughter's head. "You made me helluva proud out on that fight of yours Cora." Cornelia laughed happily at the compliment.Esren crossed his arms as he looked at his own daughter. “Esdeath…”Esdeath straightened out more than usual when her father spoke to her. “Yes, father?”Her father smiled at her as he chuckled. “How did it feel Esdeath? Having that crowd cheering for you?”His daughter was caught off guard for a few seconds by the question but recollected herself. “It was…good. Great even. To have that kind of support in mass, it was unlike anything I’ve experienced before.”The answer was more than enough for Esren. He wasn’t at all surprised by his daughter’s reaction to the crowd. Far as he remembered, people resented Esdeath because of her unusual semblance. Still, no matter what, Esren did the best he could in raising his daughter in respect of his late wife’s last wish. It took a long time but now Esdeath finally had the life she longed for. “That’s good. I’m happy that you’re around people who are fond of you. Your friends and your team.”“Of course we are.” Esren looked past his daughter at Ruby. “Esdeath’s really incredible and she’s a great person too. I think it’s pretty awesome how she fights without a weapon.”Esren blinked a few times at the young leader and smiled at him. “Judging by how you’re praising my daughter so much, I guess you must this Ruby Esdeath told me so much about. You’re exactly what she described you to be and more.”Ruby tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Really? What did she describe me?"Esren was all too glad to be asked that question. “Well, to start off-”“No no no no no no! Father!” Esdeath jumped in front of her dad waving her arms frantically.Esren got a kick out of his daughter’s embarrassment. “Why not snow cone? You don’t want her to know what you said about her in the letters you wrote.”Esdeath’s face went deep red. “Don’t call me that!”Yang, like Leone before, snickered at the nickname. “Wow. Snow cone? I didn’t expect a name like for you.”Blake saw the irony in that. “This coming from the girl whose uncle calls her firecracker.”That was a low blow from her girlfriend right there. “Hey! For your information, I happen to like that nickname. Unlike snow cone here.”Esdeath whined at the name. “Don’t say that name! It’s so embarrassing.”Ruby giggled as she actually liked this side of Esdeath. “I don’t know. It kinda sounds cute.”Weiss decided to ignore the compliment her leader made for Esdeath. She was more focused on what kind of person Esdeath was. “It’s hard to believe not too long ago in her match, Esdeath was relentless with her attacks and now…” She saw the scene between Esdeath continuing being embarrassed by her other nickname while Ruby continued to talk to her. “Seeing her now, it’s almost unreal she’s the same person we’re seeing before us. And to think, this is just the Esdeath from our world. I would hate to see…what the Esdeath Akame and Leone fought before was really like.” She continued to observe both Esdeath and her leader. The heiress closed her hands tightly. “I have to tell Ruby and hopefully soon.”Gozuki rather liked the scene before him and chuckled. "If it'll make you feel any better, I could always some of Cora’s embarrassing stories.” His daughter suddenly had a bad feeling about it. “There was this one time when she was eight that-”Cornelia already knew what her dad was going to tell them. “You’re not telling them that!”Gozuki laughed as he expected that kind of reaction from her. “Why not? This way, both you and Esdeath can be on the same boat.”Leone was getting a kick out of all of this. “I certainly want to know what happened when you were eight.” Akame had to admit she was also rather curious more of Cornelia’s past.The human blonde crossed her arms in front. “Absolutely not!”“Excuse me.”“Oh thank god.” Both Esdeath and Cornelia were thankful for the person interrupting this moment.To Cornelia, she recognized the voice. The group looked over to the one person they expected the least to show up. “Taeko?” The two fathers recognized her from the previous fights.Akame seized up momentarily for a few seconds. “What are you doing here? Did Kurome send you?”To her surprise, Taeko shook her head. “No. I came here on my volition for the sole purpose of talking to Cornelia. Alone.” Akame's breathing slightly hitched when she heard that.“Sure if that’s what you want.” She looked over to her father. “You don’t mind, right papa?”Gozuki smiled at her. “Not at all. Go on right ahead.”With that, Cornelia nodded at him and walked toward over to Taeko. Akame felt that same familiar fear from before. She took a step forward and tried to say something. "It'll be okay Akame." Akame stopped when she heard that. The blonde looked back at her and smiled. "I promise I'll back so don't worry." She gave the other girl a wink and looked forward as she walked along with Taeko away from the group.Even with those words, Akame still couldn’t help but feel worried. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Leone smiling at her. “Just relax.” Akame had to admit there was no other choice but believe and hope that history didn’t repeat itself. The Faunus blonde looked over to Gozuki. “Now, about what happened to Cora when she was eight...” B Taeko and Cornelia were in a part of the forest near the fairgrounds where they were alone. Both girls were looking straight at each other while the wind blew softly through them. Cornelia did admit she was rather feeling a little uneasy confronting her killer face to face. “Alight. So, what is it you want to ask me about?”The other girl didn’t let up her gaze at the blonde. “I’ll ask one question. Tell me, Cornelia. What do you think true strength means?”It was a rather odd question to be asked. “What do I think?” She pondered the question a few seconds before she had the answer. “Well, to start off, there’s no right answer to that question.” Takeo silently gasped at the answer. “True strength is different for each person so they have their own answer to that question. To me, true strength is…” Cornelia thought back to Akame and everything she had to go through. She smiled at Taeko. “Is making sure the person that’s important to me not feel the same kind of suffering she felt from before. In order do that, I have to become strong no matter what. Not only for her but for everyone else close to me. That’s my true strength.”Taeko was surprised by the answer she heard. Hearing it now made much more sense thinking back to Cornelia’s feat during her match. It confirmed her thoughts and lowered her head. “I see. It seems I still have much to learn. Now that I think about it, the answer is that much obvious when it comes to my team. For Chelsea, it’s Kurome. For Kurome, it’s testing herself how strong she has become. For Rienna, the memory of her late father. Grandmother...was this the lesson I was supposed to learn?”Cornelia thought it was a little weird the other girl was silent for some reason. "Hey, are you alright?" What happened next was Taeko on her hands and knees with her head to the ground. She was bowing to the other girl. Cornelia didn't know how to take this kinda thing in. "H-Hey. What are you doing?"Taeko had her eyes closed while bowing down. “I thank you for your time. You’ve taught me something valuable and for that, you have my gratitude.”The blonde chuckled awkwardly as she rubbed the back of her head. “Thanks….I guess but this is kinda embarrassing.”Embarrassing or not, in the end, Taeko was still thankful to her. There was one more issue to address. “If I may, I would also like to apologize.”Cornelia tilted her head sideways looking confused. "Apologize for what?"Taeko continued to refuse to look at the other girl. "For whatever I did to displease you even if we haven’t known each other for long. I noticed the look you gave to me last we met.”Now Cornelia knew what Taeko was talking about. In fact, it made her think about something else. “That’s right. She was one who killed me because we were enemies before but…” She smiled at the next thought. “That doesn’t mean we can’t be friends now. Perhaps…this is another chance to make things right between us. I mean…she is kinda nice and prett-” She stopped at that last thought and shook her head. The blonde made up her mind and walked toward Taeko. “Don’t worry about it. In fact….” She stopped in front of the other girl. “I actually want to be your friend. That is…you’ll have me as one.”Taeko raised her head and saw Cornelia holding out her hand to her. Taeko thought the other girl’s offer was strange but somehow made her happy. She smiled at the blonde. “Of course.” She took Cornelia’s hand with her own and the blonde pulled her back up. A little too quickly it seemed as Cornelia lost her balance trying to help Taeko up and fell down backwards bringing Taeko with her with both girls ended up on the ground. Cornelia groaned as she tried to get up but couldn’t because of a weight on top of her. There was something else she felt. She opened her eyes and gave out a muffled gasp. The reason why it was like that was because something was pressed against her lips. Cornelia also saw a similar expression Taeko had. It quickly dawned on both girls that their lips accidentally came into contact with each other. To make the scene a little more awkward, Cornelia felt something grab her. More specifically, her breast. Both girls blushed profusely at the position they were in. They were in that same position for a few seconds longer than usual before Taeko broke the accidental kiss and both girls shrieked. Both of them sat up and turned away from each other still feeling and embarrassed and felt their burning blushes. “I-I…uh. What I mean is…I’m trying to say…” Taeko really couldn’t think of a coherent sentence right now.Cornelia was a little more collected but not that much. “I-It’s alright. It was…just an accident…right?”Taeko was quick to agree. “Y-Yes. It was an accident. Nothing more.” There was an awkward silence between the two girls.Cornelia was the first to stand up. “So…I guess our teams will see each other in the finals?”Taeko stood up as well. “Indeed they will.”The silence returned to the both of them. "I'll…see you around. Okay, Taeko?"The other girl nodded. “Yes. Until we meet again.”The silence was still present. “Great. Uh…bye then.” “Goodbye.” Even with the farewells said, Cornelia stayed for a few more seconds before finally leaving. As she did, Taeko placed a hand on the top of her chest and felt her heart beat madly. She lightly traced her lips with the two fingers from her other hand while blushing slightly while her eyes were half shut. “I can still feel them on my lips. She was…Cornelia was…my first kiss.” For some reason, Taeko really didn’t mind that at all. She shook her head to snap out of her daze. “That’s enough. I did what I had to do and should go back to Kurome and the others and there is no chance in hell I will let Chelsea know about this. I’ll never hear the end of it.” With those thoughts, Taeko started to make her way back to her team. There was one more thing that troubled her. “I do hope that…spectacle didn’t change the way she thought about me. I would like us to start out as friends.”Little did Taeko know Cornelia had similar thoughts about what happened before as she was walking back to her team with two of her fingers lightly tracing her lips. “I can’t believe that happened. Taeko was literally my first kiss." She trailed her fingers to the top of her chest and placed her hand on it where she felt her heart beat at a fast pace. "My heart won't stop pounding. Then again, it’s…not like I didn’t enjoy it. I…kinda liked it and her lips were soft and-” She stopped herself from talking anymore and shook her head. “In any case, I hope things won’t be awkward between us when we see each other again.” Cornelia sighed. “I am so not telling the rest of the team about this. I’ll never hear the end of it from either Leone or papa-” She finally realized something. “Oh crap! Papa is probably telling them that right now!” Cornelia made a beeline back to her team before her father had a chance to them. B In another part of the fairgrounds, team JNPR was enjoying their own cups of hot cocoa after Esdeath's display of power. Jaune was too happy to warm up again after almost freezing to death. "Oh, hot chocolate. Never have you tasted so good to me before.” Nora still enjoyed the hell out of Esdeath’s part of the match. “Esdeath sure knows how to make a winter wonderland. I bet she’s really good at snowball fights. Ooh! How about we have a snowball fight tournament? That would be totally awesome!”Jaune and Ren didn’t know if that would be fun. Pyrrha still laughed, though. She suddenly felt her scroll go off and brought it out to see a message was sent to her. Pyrrha opened it and read the message carefully. It was then she gasped which Ren noticed. “Something the matter Pyrrha?”Jaune and Nora looked over to her and saw the worry on her face. “It’s from Professor Ozpin. He wants me to meet him right away.”It was unusual, to say the least for Jaune. "Any idea why?"Pyrrha shook her head. "No, but it says this is important.”Everyone didn't have a say in the matter against that. "If it's from Professor Ozpin, guess you have to go, huh?"Pyrrha nodded at Jaune. “Of course. I’ll be back soon everyone.” She left her team and headed toward Ozpin’s office.Nora waved goodbye to her teammate. “See ya Pyrrha! Let us know how it goes!”As they saw Pyrrha walk away from them, Ren asked the question that was on the rest of the team’s mind. “I wonder what Professor Ozpin wants with Pyrrha in the first place.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Thirty One: RegretNight had fallen over Beacon as the teams who made it to the Single’s round. Yang stretched out her arms as she laid down on Blake’s bed in her pajamas. “Well, tomorrow is the big day. Can’t wait for it to start.”Blake in her yukataThe blonde chuckled as she sat up and looked over at Blake. “I feel awesome. Everything we've been through has led up to this." The Faunus girl felt the same way. The festival turned out more fun than she thought. “So when does the Single’s start anyway?”Blake pulled out her scroll and opened it to check. “Unlike the previous rounds, the Single’s round won’t start until at night.”Yang smiled upon hearing that. “Really now?”The Faunus girl knew that smile all too well. “What are you thinking Yang?”Her girlfriend continued to smile. “Just a really awesome idea.” Blake couldn’t wait what the blonde was thinking of. Yang has noticed a lack of two certain girls from the room. “So…what’s taking Ruby and Weiss?”Blake was wondering the same thing same. “I don’t know. I don’t think it would take that long to tell Ruby something.”She had to agree with that but also had other thoughts. “Good point, though it kinda depends on what Weiss wants to talk to Ruby about.” Another idea came to the blonde. “Hey Blaake.”The Faunus girl knew all too well what that tone of voice meant. “What is it this time?”Yang grinned as she crawled closer to her girlfriend and soon was over her body. Blake was granted a very good view of the blonde’s cleavage her top was giving off. “Since they’re not here for the time being and we haven’t had time to ourselves for a while…wanna make out?” Blake only gave silence as she stared at her girlfriend. Then she suddenly wrapped her arms around Yang and pulled the blonde down onto her. B While the Bumblebee pairing was…busy, Weiss and Ruby were out on the closest balcony still wearing their regular clothes. Ruby thought it was rather odd that the heiress wanted to talk to her out of nowhere as she did before but was willing to hear her out. “So what is it you wanted to talk about Weiss?”Even though Weiss was keeping a straight face, she was actually freaking out inside. It was sooner than she wanted it to be but Weiss had to do it. She had to confess to Ruby. But first, she had to confirm something. “I want to ask a question.”Ruby wondered what the heiress wanted to know. “Okay. What is it?”Weiss closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath and breathed out as she opened them again. “What do you think of Esdeath?”This was becoming stranger by the second for the younger leader as she crossed her arms. “What do I think of Esdeath? What’s this about Weiss?”“Just answer the question! How do you feel about her?” For better or for worse, Weiss needed to know the truth.Ruby decided to play by Weiss’ rules and answer her. “Well, there isn’t already what I said about her before. She’s awesome, a great fighter, nice-”“Even though what she was before?” Weiss added.Hearing that made the young leader glare at her partner. “Now that’s not fair! Just because she was some crazy person back in Akame’s world doesn’t mean she’s like that now. We both know she’s a really nice person here.”Weiss knew she was going to hit a sensitive spot when she mentioned that. “Fine, you made your point. Now answer me this. What do you feel about her?”Ruby put in some thought into the question. “How do I feel about her? Well…I feel she’s a good person and a friend if that’s what you want to know.”The answer wasn’t good enough for the heiress. “What else?”The young leader tried to think more but couldn’t anymore. “That’s about it. She’s just a really good friend. Why is this important to you all of a sudden Weiss?” A sudden thought came to her. “Wait. Don’t tell me…”Weiss’ façade was beginning to crack. “Has she figured me out already?”“Weiss…” The heiress gulped as she awaited the next words. “Do you like Esdeath?”And that question made Weiss fall over but quickly stood up again. "Y-You dolt! Of course, I don't like her! Not in that sense!”Ruby was certain that was the case. “Then why did you ask me that in the first place?”Her partner just growled and looked away. “Just forget it.”The young leader took a step forward toward the other girl. “Weiss-”“I said forget it Ruby!”Ruby recognized this scene all too well. When Weiss was like this, it was difficult to reason with her. "Alright, Weiss. If this is all you wanted to talk about, we’re done here. I’ll see you back at the room.” She walked past the heiress and left the balcony.Soon as she was gone, Weiss gritted her teeth. “Damn it!” She turned around as a glyph appeared and punched it. She couldn't believe what had happened. "You did a great job, Weiss. You just had to blow it didn't you?" She sighed at the fact and the glyph disappeared. "Why is it so difficult just say those five words? It was easy saying them to myself but to Ruby is a different matter entirely. I’ll have to apologize to her later on.” She made her way back to the doorway and toward the dorm room as she was thinking of a different way. “Think Weiss. There has to be an easier way to tell her.” An idea suddenly hit her. “I know. A gift. That’s how I’ll be able to tell Ruby but the problem now is what gift I should give her.” Weiss shook her head. “I’ll figure out that later. For now, I’m glad that Ruby doesn’t hold any feelings for Esdeath but I can’t say the same for the latter. I guess I can say this is my own battle. Me versus Esdeath for Ruby.” B Meanwhile, in team ALCE’s room, Leone was laughing her ass off while Cornelia was furious at her. “It’s not funny Leone!”The Faunus blonde continued to laugh. “I beg to differ…Miss wild child.”Cornelia growled at the other girl. “I was eight okay!”Esdeath was quite enjoying the scene before her. She glanced over at Akame who seemed downed. “What’s the matter Akame?”The other two girls looked over at their leader who was hugging a pillow near her. Leone could tell what was on her mind. “Thinking about tomorrow?” Akame quietly gasped and looked over at her team. Leone hit the mark. “You’re worried, aren’t you?” Her girlfriend buried her face deeper in the pillow. The Faunus blonde sighed. She knew what Akame’s problem was. “Look Akame, this is totally different than last time. There's a number of things that it won't end the same. You're both not using Imperial Arms, you'll be fighting with hundreds of people watching, there isn’t any risk involved, you two aren’t enemies in this world. So come on, try to lighten up.”Even with those words, Akame still kept the same expression. “I still remember.” The rest of the team listened closely to her. “I still remember what it felt like. Holding Kurome's body in my arms while the night was raining."Now Leone was just feeling pissed at this point. “I told you it’s not going to end the same as last time!”The other two members looked back and forth between the former assassins. Cornelia knew what she was going to be in when she asked her question. “Tell me…” Both Akame and Leone looked over at her. “How did Kurome…die?” Akame held the pillow tighter. “I know it’s a sensitive topic and-”“Kurome challenged me.” Everyone heard their leader speak. “She wanted to settle the score between us once and for all. It was my chance to save her.”“Save her from what?” Esdeath asked.Leone sighed as she looked down at the floor. “Remember what I said when we first explained who we really are? Kurome was subjected to experiments that ruined her body and mind. So much it was shortening her lifespan.”They did remember Leone saying that to Yang back then. “When I left the Empire, I wanted to take Kurome with me but she refused. The reason why is that leaving the Empire would mean the same as betrayal to those she once fought alongside with. That was when she saw me as an enemy. I joined the Revolutionary Army to save her. I even planned to take her to a place called God’s Secret Hot Spring. It was a place where there were hot springs said to be medical and therapeutic. I planned to take Kurome in hopes of healing her and hoped that her lifespan would expand.”Esdeath had never heard a much sadder tale. “Then…what happened that drove you to do such a thing?”Leone decided to answer that. “When Akame made her way to meet up with Kurome, Tatsumi and I followed to make sure no else would interrupt. At first, they chatted like normally as sisters. Then….” She remembered the fight Akame and Kurome had. “Their fight was intense. Neither of them let up. That is…until…” Leone slightly closed her eyes. The other two kinda figured what was the end result.“It was then Wave appeared and he was furious at the outcome. I don’t blame him being angry at me. If anything, I deserve it. I couldn’t save Kurome and in the end…” Akame closed her eyes. “I took her life.”The silence was present in the room. What Cornelia and Esdeath heard was nothing more than a failed attempted to rescue her younger sister with the worst possible outcome happening. Cornelia lowered her head with a look of sadness on her face. “I can see why now. You’re afraid of that same outcome happening if you fought against Kurome again.” She lifted up her head and gave her leader a small smile. “But…like Leone said, it won’t happen again. It’s like she said before, there’s a lot of things that are different this time around. This is your second chance to make things right not only for you but what you couldn’t do for Kurome. You want to be sisters with her again right?”Cornelia wasn't wrong. There wasn't anything more Akame yearned more than returning to Kurome as sister once more. Tears started to come out of her eyes and started to cry quietly. Before Leone could go over to her for comfort, Cornelia beat her to it as she held her leader close to her. “There there." She had Akame cry on her shoulder.Seeing the scene before her made Leone slightly angry. “Cornelia…”The other blonde giggled softly. “There was something Akame told me one time. She told I acted like the big sister in her previous team so that’s what I’m doing. Being a big sister to her. You don’t mind that right, Leone?”Leone did recall Akame saying that before and had no choice but to accept it. “Fine but don’t let it get to your head.” Esdeath giggled happily and everyone enjoyed this tender moment together. B The day of the Single’s round had finally arrived. The excitement was buzzing in the air as the people and the one's fighting couldn't wait for it to start. Including Leone as her team were spending time in the fairgrounds once again walking around. The Faunus blonde yawned as she stretched out her arms. "Wish the Single's round would just start already. It kinda sucks we have to wait until night." She laughed at that last part. "Never thought I should say that." The Faunus blonde looked behind at her girlfriend. "How are you feeling Akame?"The other girl smiled at Leone. “Just fine. Maybe a little nervous.”Leone thought she might feel that way. “Don’t worry. Loosen up and have fun. That’s what we did back on Romari Road.” Akame smiled as she remembered that. She also remembered how good Leone looked in her bikini back then too.“Just the girl I wanted to see.” Once again, the group heard Yang’s voice coming from the side and looked over to see her and Blake walking towards them.Leone smiled as she would always be happy seeing her parents. “Hey there Yang, Blake.” She noticed two certain other girls were absent.So did Esdeath. “Where are Ruby and Weiss?”Yang laughed nervously at that the question. “Weiss took Ruby somewhere else in the fairgrounds as an apology for some reason so it’s just us. Works out great if you ask me.” Esdeath didn’t know why but she a slightly bad feeling when she heard that.Cornelia raised an eyebrow. “Why is that?”The brawler smiled as she took Leone’s arm. “Come on Leone. Let’s have a little family time together before the Singles start.”Her daughter didn’t know what to think of the sudden idea and looked back at her girlfriend. “Uh…Akame?”Akame just smiled at the Faunus blonde. “You can go ahead. I’ll be fine and enjoy myself while I can.”That was all Yang wanted to hear. “Great! Time’s a wasting!” She dragged Leone away from the other team.Team ALCE was now one member short. Esdeath looked at her two teammates. "So, what should we do to pass the time?"A growling sound from Akame gave the answer as she placed a hand on her stomach and smiled. “How about we get something to eat first?” B The day continued on as usual as Yang, Blake, and Leone enjoyed their time together. The brawler really wanted to try out this idea of hers since this was the closest thing she would have to her own actual family. Her as the mother, Blake as the father and Leone, their daughter. What better way to enjoy a day before the Single’s round then with them? As of now, the three girls were sitting down at a table enjoying their lunch together. "So Yang…" Leone took a bite out of her hot dog. "How are you feeling for the Single's round?"Yang was all too glad to hear that question. “Pretty awesome. I can’t wait for it to start. Not mention the people I’ll be beating.”Her daughter chuckled at that. “Even though Akame is one of them? Tell me something. What would you do if you had to fight Akame in the Singles?”Yang really didn’t think about that. “Not sure. Has she had any experience fighting people with their fists?”Leone thought back on that question. “Just one. Wave and his Imperial Arms Grand Chariot. It’s an armor type like Incursio but it was like the final product to that.”Her mother took a sip out of her soda. “I see. Considering that, I’m not sure how I’ll fare against her. There’s my semblance so I think that’ll give me the edge.”Leone would like to see Yang fight against Akame just to see how it’ll go. “And the off chance you have to fight Kurome?”That was the hard question. It was very unlikely but it could happen. “I know how important she is to Akame. If anything, I would still give it my all but…I think I’ll lose on purpose. I know I want to win but her fighting Kurome is a lot more important.” It was a good answer from her. Yang may have her pride as a fighter but she knew what was more important if something else came up. Since they were all here, Yang could finally ask a question she’s meaning to approach for quite some time. “Hey, Leone…”The Faunus blonde munched on some fries. “Yes?”Yang looked straight at her daughter. “How did you and Akame hook up in the first place? I mean, the two of you knew each other for a long time so what made you take the next step?”Leone chuckled at the question as she sipped her soda. “It’s a funny story I’ll tell you that. For a lack of a better description…we started off as friends with benefits.”That was something the other two girls didn’t expect. “Wait…you mean…”Leone nodded at Blake’s question. “Yep and that started off when both me and Akame were drunk one time and we kinda ended up in the same bed naked.”There one thing Blake caught in that detail. “Wait a minute. You mean you actually drank alcohol?”Her daughter laughed nervously. “Oh right. They still don’t know I’m actually in my early twenties. Not like I’m going to tell them that.” She smiled at the other Faunus girl. “Yep. Drinking age was a little different back in my world. It was awkward at first but we didn’t deny that we liked it. And…that’s how it started. It went on for a while and neither us complained about it. Sometimes…” She lowered her head as Leone did remember certain nights. “There were times she really needed to be comforted whenever we lost are friends. It was like an escape for her. All except for her sister.” Yang kept quiet and didn’t bother speaking. “That night, I just held her close to me in my room crying until she fell asleep.”It was rather sweet of Leone to do that and Yang was proud of her daughter to be that supportive. It still didn’t answer her question, though. “Is that when you two decided to just be a couple?”To her surprise, Leone shook her head. “No. To be honest, we…recently became a couple. The night before the Revolutionary Army came to the Capital, both of us knew how important tomorrow was and that was when we just…let it all out.” Yang knew all too well what that meant. “It was also the night where we…well, you know…” She blushed slightly at the detail.The other two girls didn’t quite understand. “You two what? You guys had sex so what else was there?”Leone never thought she would be embarrassed in telling them. “We…we…” She just sighed and recollected herself. “We broke each other’s hymens.”Both girls blushed when they heard that little detail and slightly looked away. “O-Oh.” That was Blake managed to say while Yang continued to be silent.Leone continued to blush. She really didn’t want to say that exact detail but how else were they supposed to know. At least they had the general idea. “Yeah.” The two looked back at their daughter. “Truth is I kinda had a thing for her since we first met. I mean…how could I not fall for her?”“And was that when you two finally got together?” Yang asked.Again, Leone shook her head. “It wasn’t that simple. When the day of the revolution arrived, all of us went on to our intended targets. That was when everything went to shit. From that damn giant robot destroying the Capital to that damn Minster shooting me several times."“You were shot?!” Yang yelled out as she stood up. Blake brought a finger to her lips and shushed her. “Oh. Sorry.” She sat back down but this time felt a little worried. “You were actually shot?”Leone nodded at the question. "Yeah. Lost count, though. I think it was five or six times and that was after he destroyed Lionel which gave me the power to heal my wounds. Still, I didn't give in and managed to bash his face in to a bloody pulp. After that, everything pretty much settled down and I kinda struggled getting back to the others. Once I reached the boss, that’s when I blacked out.”“What happened after that? What about Akame?” Yang asked.Her daughter took another sip. “Well…” F Leone groaned as she started to open her eyes to see green ceiling. It soon came to her that green ceiling was actually a tent. “Where am I? The last thing I remember was walking to the boss and…” She started to sit up and suddenly felt a sharp pain. “Ah! Son of a bitch!” Leone placed a hand on her stomach and felt something odd. The blonde looked down and saw that she was bandaged up around her stomach.“Ah, so you’re awake.”Leone heard a voice and looked to the side to see one of the doctors. “Doc…”He drank of a cup of coffee. “You’re incredibly lucky you know. There aren’t that many people who can live through being shot multiple times and still walk away. I say you pulling through the operation was nothing short of a miracle.”The blonde laughed at the fact. “Even without Lionel, I’m still plenty of strong.” Her cheerful persona dropped. “So what happened?”The doctor was about to answer until they both heard some noise outside. “Let me through! I have to see her now!”“Wait, you can’t go in ther-”The tent opened up and Akame appeared. Leone was glad she was alright but noticed the strange markings she had. “Akame. Your body-”“Leone!” Akame rushed over to the other girl’s side and hugged her closely.The blonde cringed in pain but was able to hug back. “Glad to see you too.”The doctor smiled as he finished his coffee. “I’ll leave the two of you alone.” He made his way out of the tent.As soon as he was gone, the two girls separated and Leone smiled at Akame. “Hey there. How did you know where to find me?”Akame smiled back as she held the blonde’s hand. “The boss told me and she told what happened. I’m just glad you’re alright. I thought I was going to lose you too.”Leone chuckled at that. “Come on Akame. You of all people should know better. I won’t croak that easily. So where’s Tatsumi?”The question made Akame lower her head and look sad. “Tatsumi is…”She gave a quick explanation to Leone. Naturally, she shared the same feeling as the other girl. “Goddamnit. I really did think he would make it all the way to the end.” Akame thought the same. In the end, he broke his promise to her. “And what about you? Akame, those scars on your body…”Akame grabbed her arm and looked away. “I had no choice but to use Murasame’s trump card against Esdeath and managed to kill her”That was the best kind of news for Leone to hear. “Well, I’ll be damned. I knew you could do it. I had no doubt about it.” She took a closer look at Akame. “But your body…”“It’s okay.” Akame looked back at the other girl. “I’m okay with it. I accepted the full responsibility." She knew the risks involved if Akame should ever use her trump card and now she was branded with the sins of the people she had killed with Murasame. Leone could hardly believe that this war, this whole ordeal was finally over but not without its costs. They lost good people along the way. There was only one question now. “What happens to us now?”Leone looked at the other girl in confusion. “What do you mean?”Akame knew this was coming if she ever survived her battle against Esdeath and to be honest, it was even more difficult. “I mean…” She held the blonde’s hand. “What about us? Everything we did?”If Leone had to be honest, she really didn’t know. “Far as I know, we were just…friends with benefits." The blonde felt a small stab in the heart when she said that. Of course, they were more than that.So did Akame. “Is that all there was between us? Even though we…last night?”Leone knew where the conversation was going. “It’s not like that. I did like what we had from before and I still do.”The answer wasn’t good enough for Akame. “Then how do you really feel about me?”The other girl stalled for a few seconds trying to come up with an answer. “I….I….” She swallowed. “Damnit. Come on! Say those damn words to her.” Leone gritted her teeth. “You’re important to me.” Those were not the words she wanted to it say. “DAMN IT!” It wasn’t the answer Akame was looking for. “Is that so? I guess…this is it, huh?” She stood up from the bed and looked away from the other girl. “I’ll be leaving tomorrow. There isn’t anything else for me here.” With that said, Akame left the tent.With her gone now, Leone closed her hand tightly and hit the bed. “Damn it! Just goddamnit.” F Leone took a longer sip of her soda this time around after that explanation and sighed. "After that, Akame and me said our goodbyes and I left without looking back and since then I regretted every day not saying those three words to her since that day." This wasn’t exactly the love story Blake was expecting from her daughter. “Why didn’t you say them from the start if you really loved her?”Leone herself would love to know that as well. “I don’t know and to be honest, it was stupid of me not saying them in the first place. If I had, maybe we could’ve started a lot earlier.”Even with that, Yang still saw the bright side. “In the end, you still ended up with Akame. That’s what matters and you’re happy with her now.”Leone admitted her mother had a point. “Yeah…you’re right but I still kinda blame myself for not telling her earlier. If I did…”“Ah bu bu bu. No ifs Leone. You’re with Akame now and that’s final.” Yang pointed out.The Faunus blonde didn’t have a choice but to accept that. “Alright. You made it clear. Can’t complain about the past when I already have her now.”That was enough for Yang. “Alright, that’s more like it.” She stood up from the table. “Come on. Let’s finish up and enjoy the rest of the day while we still can.” Blake and Leone couldn’t agree more. B Time flew by quickly for the small family and it was the most fun Leone had in a long time. Soon the sun was setting and the three were walking in one of the parks the school had. Leone actually liked spending time with her new parents. It gave her a feeling like no other. Not even with Akame. It was like something she was missing was finally beginning to fill in. Yang noticed a bench coming up and smiled. “How about we have a quick sit down?”The other two didn’t object and they sat down. Well, Yang and Blake did. The brawler had other plans for her daughter. “Leone…come lay her head on my lap.” She patted her lap as encouragement. Leone didn’t object and laid down on the bench with her head on Yang’s lap. The blonde loved this just as much whenever Blake laid on her lap. “Good girl.” She proceeded to scratch Leone behind her cat ears.That brought out a reaction of her daughter. “That feels good.” She closed her eyes and smiled at the pleasing feeling.Yang giggled as knew that would work. She’s done it before with Blake whenever they were like this. “We have such a lovable daughter, don’t we Blake?”Blake smiled in agreement. “Yes, we do.” Blake had never thought something like this would happen to her. Having a girlfriend like Yang and having a daughter like Leone. It almost seemed unreal for her. Having a life like this considering what her previous one was before and to be honest, it was the trade up she loved the most out of it. Yang continued to gently scratch behind Leone’s ear and her daughter began to doze off. It seemed to be a perfect moment for Blake as she slightly raised her head and closed her eyes. She began singing different voice vocals that sounded heavenly to both Yang and Leone. The blonde girl never knew her girlfriend could sing like that. To Leone, her eyes began to stir and started to see images. F “That singing. It sounds…familiar.” She heard cheerful laughter from a young girl. “You sing so good mommy.” “Who was that?” She heard another giggle but this time from an older woman. “Leone…my sweet strong little lion.”“That voice…” Leone was sure she heard of it before. The whole scene started to become clearer as she saw what it looked to be a rundown shack that seemed familiar to her. There wasn’t much in as there was a worn down table, a stove, and there were holes in the roof where the moonlight was beaming through. On the ground, there was a patch of hay with a ragged blanket over it and there was a woman that seemed familiar to her and a young girl lying beside her. “Who…are they?” Leone could tell the woman had long blonde hair wearing a simple white dress and was barefoot but couldn’t make out the face.She saw the young girl hug the woman closely. “Can you sing it again mommy?”“Of course, my little lion.” She raised her head and started to sing once more.The singing was so familiar to Leone and yet she couldn’t place it. The singing was interrupted by the woman coughing. “Mommy! Are you okay?”The woman continued to cough until she settled down. “Of course. Nothing more than a little cold. Nothing to worry about. Which reminds me…” She reached down further under the blanket and pulled out something familiar to Leone. The woman presented it to the young girl. “Happy birthday my little lion.” The young girl smiled and giggled happily. "Thank you so much, mommy! It's the best gift ever!" She wrapped the scarf around her neck.Leone’s eyes widened in shock. “That’s my…” She grabbed the scarf around her neck.The scene began to change and heard coughing from the woman except for this time they sounded worse. “Mommy!”The Faunus blonde saw the woman lying on the blanket breathing heavily. “I’m okay…”The girl shook her head. "No, you're not. You're sick!" Tears were coming out of her eyes.The woman weakly laughed as she caressed the girl’s cheek gently. “Do not cry my sweet lion. Be strong for you…and for me…Leone…”Her hand dropped to the ground and didn't speak anymore. “Mommy…?” Young Leone shook her mother a few times. “Say something mommy. Mommy please…” Leone breathing heavily at the scene before her. “Mommy, please wake up. Wake up, mommy. MOMMY!” Leone couldn’t’ take it anymore and screamed. F At that moment, Leone woke continuing to scream as she sat up. “NOO!” She breathing with a slight sweat.“Leone, hey!” She turned around to Yang and Blake who looked very worried. “You were having a bad dream.”The Faunus blonde placed a hand her face. “Blake…how did you know that song?”Blake thought it was an odd question for her daughter to ask. “My mother used to sing it for me when I was little to help me sleep. Why did you want to know?”Leone calmed down and took her hand off. She didn’t feel any better. “I remember now. I remember…my mother.”Both Yang and Blake were surprised to hear that. “When you say your mother, do you actually mean-”“My real mother.” Leone interrupted Yang. She grabbed her scarf. “I remember now. She was the one who gave me this scarf as a present. She was sick and I couldn’t do anything about it.” She closed her hand tightly. “I couldn’t help my mother. To think I’ve forgotten about her…of all people…” She began to cry. “I’m sorry mom…”Suddenly, Yang brought her daughter in and held her close with Leone’s head placed on top of her breasts. “It’s okay. It’s okay.” She began stroking Leone’s hair. “It’s okay to let it out you know. I’m sorry you lost your mother. I know how you feel about it.”Leone closed her eyes once more. “This feeling…” The Faunus blonde recognized the feeling as it was warm. It reminded her several times with her actual mother. “After my mother died, that was when I decided to work at the massage parlor. I didn’t know what else to do until I got Lionel and killed those two bastards trying to make a game out of some helpless people. I finally had a purpose. I could make a difference helping people. They wouldn’t have to go through like I did. I knew what was going to happen when I took up in assassination but it didn’t make taking the losses any better. I lost them all just like how I lost my mother and now…I don’t want to lose any of you. All of you been…it’s been like we got back what we lost. All of you, us having fun. It was like old times again back with Night Raid. We may have been assassins but that didn’t mean we didn’t think each other as family. And I don’t want to lose that again. I don’t want to lose you like I how I lost my mom and everyone else.”Yang continued to stroke her daughter’s hair “I’ll tell you this. Nothing bad is going to happen to me. I promise.” Hearing that brought hope to her. The sun fully set and night finally came.All of them heard an announcement in the next instant. “Attention everyone. The Single’s round will begin in half an hour. All combatants chosen please come to the main arena."“Yes, and if you are late, you will be immediately disqualified! That is all!” The announcement ended.Leone separated from her mother as Yang stood up and stretched out her arms. “Well…guess it’s about time.”The other two girls stood up as well and Blake smiled at her. “Good luck out there Yang.” She pulled in the blonde close to her and gave the brawler a heartwarming kiss.She broke the kiss and Yang couldn’t help but smile. “And who said black cats were bad luck?” Yang looked back at Leone. “You want to come along? Chances are Akame is heading there now.”Leone smiled at her and nodded. “Yeah, let’s get going.” With all of that said, the three girls made their way to the arena. While doing so, Leone thoughts trailed back to Yang. “Is Yang really…” She shook her head and quietly laughed to herself. “Maybe it’s best not to think about it too much.” B The crowd was roaring in excitement as the Single’s round was finally here. Blake made her way to where her other teammates were. “Hey there.”Ruby and Weiss looked over to her and Ruby was happy to see her again. “Blake!”“How have you been doing?”Blake sat down next to Weiss. “I’ve been good. How did things go with you two?”The young leader smiled. “It was so great! Weiss took me all over and it was so much fun! Thanks again Weiss.”The heiress smiled back at her partner. “It was nothing. I had to make up for my outburst last night.” She had other thoughts about the day. “Still, I couldn’t find the right gift to give Ruby. I guess I always have tomorrow.”Leone made her way back to her team as well. “Miss me?”Cornelia laughed at her teammate’s arrival. “Hey there. How did it go with your parents?”The Faunus blonde sat down in her seat. “It was…good.” She looked down at the arena and saw Akame. “Wish I could’ve given her a good luck kiss too.” Leone also noticed a few other recognizable people, including Kurome.Esdeath was riled up with anticipation. “This is so exciting.”Down at the arena, Akame was making last minute checks on the competition around her. “Yang is here, that’s no surprise. Pyrrha as well.” She looked over at another familiar face. "That girl with the strange aura is here too. I can't place it but for some reason, her aura reminds me of Su." Akame looked over at another and narrowed her eyes. “One of Cinder’s is here too. Most importantly…” She looked at the far end and saw Kurome.“Good luck out there Kurome!” Chelsea cheered as she sat back down.Taeko observed each of the people down at the arena. “So this is the best this tournament has to offer. I can tell Kurome will have her time here.”Rienna took in some popcorn into her mouth. “She’s going to have a lot of fun.”“Go get them out there Pyrrha! Break their legs!”Nora giggled as she sat back down in her seat. “You can do it Pyrrha!” Ren called out.“Go Pyrrha!” Even though Jaune was glad she was going to fight, he was still worried that Pyrrha’s been acting strange ever since she came back from Ozpin’s meeting. “Oh well. I’m sure it’s nothing major.”The large screen appeared as Port and Oobleck were now present. “Welcome everyone to the Single’s round of the Vytal Festival. The fights in this round will be different than the rest. Just as huntsmen have no time to prepare in the real world, these combatants chosen will face a similar situation. It will be a true one on one battle using nothing but their skill, cunning, and overall, prowess!”Akame narrowed her eyes at the description. “So this will be no holds bar battle between all of us.” While all of this was going on, a lone figure was looking down and smiled at the participants below at the arena. More importantly, Akame. “I wonder. What have you learned since coming to this world? What is that you have gained? Most importantly, what will you do now that you are faced what you are most guilty of?”“Let us choose who will be fighting in the first match of the Single’s round!” The images of the people chosen appeared on the screen and started to randomize. Mercury smiled as he knew what was going to come up.Unknown to all of them, the figure pointed her finger at the screen below. “My apologies. This is something that must happen for the sake of her. If not, she will never come to heal both heart and spirit.” The randomization process continued as everyone felt a little anxious. Almost everyone. Mercury had a confident smile while Kurome was waiting patiently. Finally, it stopped and the two to fight were selected. Everyone gasped in surprise. “And now we have our first matchup!” Leone, including the rest of ALCE, RWBY, and JNPR couldn’t believe it. “The first matchup is Akame Night versus Kurome Chariot!” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Thirty Two: The Fated RematchAkame could only stare in disbelief at the matchup chosen. To her, it felt like time slowed to a crawl and the noise of the crowd faded. Her only focus was on images being shown. Leone felt the same way. Her breathing became shaky as she continued to stare. “Akame fighting against Kurome? Right off the bat?”Kurome could only smile at the matchup. “How about that.”Mercury hissed through his teeth as he narrowed his eyes at the screen. “What the hell? This wasn’t the matchup chosen.”Emerald thought the same. She took out her scroll and used speed dial. “Yeah, Cinder? We got a problem.”The match was set. “Now that the two have been chosen, will everyone else be clear the arena.”Everyone followed the order and started to make their way out of the arena. Yang passed by Akame and briefly put her hand on the other girl’s shoulder. “Good luck out there.” She took her hand off and decided to join the rest of her team.Once all of them left, it was only Akame and Kurome left. The two girls looked at each other in the eye. “To think I’ll be fighting against Kurome in the first match.”Kurome didn’t show it but she was ecstatic about the choosing. “This is a little sooner than I thought.”Yang reunited back with her team and couldn’t help being worried. “That was something. I hope everything will turn out alright.”She sat next down to Blake. “Guess that good luck kiss was for naught then.”Her girlfriend chuckled at that. “Eh, don’t worry about it. You’ll just have to give me two next time.”Weiss could feel how heavy this matchup actually was. “Now the only question is what’ll happen next.”Ruby continued to look at the two sisters. Well, Kurome didn’t know Akame was her sister but still. “Akame…”Leone was close being a nervous wreck about this whole thing. “Come on. I know this was random but what are the chances of those two fighting right at the start?”Esdeath had her hands folded together looking worried. “I hope…things will be okay after what Akame told us about what happened last time.”“It won’t be like that.” The rest of the team looked over at Cornelia. “What happened then and what’s happening now are two different things. Like I said, this is her second chance.”The whole team looked back at their leader and Kurome. “Let’s hope you’re right, Cora.” Leone could only hope at this point.Emerald was waiting around the exit when she saw Mercury coming over to her with a distained look on his face. Not long after, Cinder arrived as well. “So tell me Emerald, what happened?”Mercury scoffed at the question. “That.” He pointed at the arena where Akame and Kurome were currently. “What gives Cinder? I thought I was supposed to fight blondie.”Cinder looked at the arena. It was strange that her choosing was altered. How it happened is what made her curious. Regardless, she smiled. “So what of it?” The two were surprised to hear that. “One little mishap won’t harm us. We’ll still continue the plan as usual. For now, let’s enjoy the show.” She looked behind. “Isn’t that right?”From behind, another girl appeared and smiled at the two. Emerald raised an eyebrow. “What’s she doing here?”Cinder chuckled as she stepped away from the other girl. “I decided for Neo to come along. She doesn’t have anything else to do for now so why not enjoy herself? Isn’t that right, Neo?” The disguised mute girl nodded. “Shall we return to our seats then?”Mercury sighed at the suggestion. "This fight better be good. At least we'll see what that chick can actually do." That's just what Cinder wanted to know as well.Back at the arena, Akame and Kurome took their places across from each other. Kurome smiled at the other leader and closed her eyes. “If I had to be honest, I’m a little disappointed.” Akame didn’t understand what she meant by that. “I was hoping we would fight in the finals. That way it would’ve been way better.” The platform began to rise and she opened her eyes back up. “Oh well. Can’t change what’s already been done right?”She had no idea how wrong she was. For Akame, this was the most important thing she can change. “The first match of the Single’s round will now begin! Akame Night from team ALCE…” Akame drew out Yatsufusa. “Versus Kurome Chariot from team KRCT!” Kurome drew out Trisula and pressed the switch for it to extend. “Let the battle…”Akame steeled herself. It was sooner than she anticipated but it was the moment she was waiting for. “Kurome…”“Begin!” The air horn blared out.In the next instant, both girls rushed at each other with their weapons pulled back. Once they were close enough, they swung their weapons at each other and they clashed. The two girls didn’t let up for a few seconds until Kurome smiled and jumped back to gain distance. Akame wasn’t going to let her go as she dashed after her. She swung her sword again but Kurome managed to deflect the attack up with her own weapon. Kurome brought her weapon back to her and attempted to swing at Akame a second time. Akame growled as she took control and spun around to block the incoming attack. While doing so, she pressed the switch to elongate Yatsufusa and Kurome’s weapon clashed against it once again except this time the initial contact sent Kurome away. It was at that point Akame took control of the battle and started to whip her sword at her former sister multiple times. Kurome was blocked every of one of the attacks. During the attacks, Akame spun around again after the last attack and the sword was coming straight at Kurome. The other leader swung Trisula to stop the attack but it was lower than usual. She missed and the blade wrapped around her led. “Oh crap.” Akame jumped back while pulling back the sword with Kurome along with it. Akame raised her sword and slammed it down quickly and Kurome at the end crashing back onto the floor. Her aura gauge went down a slight sliver. “And Kurome takes the first hit!”Akame landed back on the floor and raised her sword to retract back into its original form. Kurome laid on the floor for a few seconds before she managed to stand up. “Not bad. You showed some promise with that sword of yours. I knew you would be fun.” She dusted herself off and smiled at the other leader.Her unknown sister narrowed her eyes. “You weren’t even trying. You were gauging my fighting capabilities.”Kurome snapped her fingers. “Damn. And here I thought I was being discrete. Good eye on you. Now then…” She set her weapon in front with her other hand near the blade. “We’re past the warmup stage. How about we get serious now?” Her hair and her clothes began to flow. She grinned. “Amplify times two.” A strong pulse coursed through her body.Chelsea smiled as she knew the show was about to start. “And here we go.”Kurome leaned in forward and rushed over to Akame at a fast speed and Akame noticed it. “She’s become faster.” She swung her sword at her former sister but she disappeared. Akame’s eyes widened in shock. “Behind you.” Akame gasped as she was struck from behind and sent away from Kurome. Her aura gauge went down a by a quarter.Leone became worried about her girlfriend. “Akame!”Akame managed to stand up but Kurome wasn’t going to allow her to attack for a while longer. “I’m not done yet!” She rushed over to Akame slashed her she passed by. Kurome stopped as she rushed at Akame again and slashing at her another time. This process repeated itself countless times as Akame was struck from all around.Blake saw the severity of the situation. “This is bad. She’s chipping away at Akame.”Ruby couldn’t help but notice something weird. “How is it she’s so fast all of a sudden? I thought I was the only one who could go that fast.”“It’s not just that.” The team looked over at Weiss. “We’ve seen this before. Back when she took out Cardin and his team. Remember? She knocked out four of them almost simultaneously. If Kurome wanted to, she could easily knock out Akame the same way. She wants this to last. In short, she’s like a combination of both Ruby and Yang.”Yang whistled at that. “That’s a deadly combination right there and Akame is the one fighting her.” All of them looked back at the fight.Mercury had a bored look on his face. “Now this is just disappointing. Sorry to say this Cinder but it looks like that girl isn’t all that after all if she’s taking a beating like that.” Cinder continued to observe the fight before her.Kurome chuckled as she had the fight in her hands. “Let’s end this already!” She stopped at a small distance away from Akame and came in close for the final blow. As Kurome neared Akame, she swung her weapon at her. What happened next surprised everyone. Akame managed to stop Kurome’s attack with her weapon. The whole crowd was silent in shock as was Kurome. “How in the-”She yelled as Akame pushed her former sister away from her. Leone chuckled at what she saw. “That’s my girl.”Kurome managed to stop and saw Akame flick her sword. “I thank you Kurome. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a fight like this. Far too long.”The other leader chuckled at that. “Really now? Did I light a fire in your stomach or something? If so, maybe now things can get-” Kurome gasped as she saw Akame suddenly close to her. She instantly swung her weapon at her but it went through her instead. “What?”“Behind you.” In the next instant, Kurome was slashed several times from the back as Akame passed her from behind.Kurome stumbled a few steps forward before looking at Akame. “How did you…”Leone clapped her hands while she laughed. “That’s more like it Akame. You’re finally getting back in the groove of things.”“Back in the groove?” Cornelia had no idea what that meant.Neither did Esdeath. “What do you mean by that?”Chelsea couldn’t believe her eyes at what happened. “No way. She managed to keep up with Kurome?”“It is rare for someone to do such a thing.” Taeko added.Leone continued to smile at her girlfriend. "Yeah. Remember, Akame was trained as an assassin and she’s been in a lot of tough fights. Life or death may I remind you. But after six months, I could tell it would be awhile before she was back to her old fighting self. Akame was still there but not fully.”Cornelia could hardly believe it. “So…back then when we first fought and all the other times…”“Akame was starting to get back into it.” The Faunus blonde finished. “She always did fight best when there was a reason. In other words…Akame is back and you’ll see what she can really do now.”Akame lowered her body and disappeared. What Kurome saw next was Akame circling around. She looked back and forth. “There? No there. Wait, there.” She was seeing Akame’s after images around her. Kurome took a few steps back. “Where’s she going to attack? The front? From behind? Where?” She had never fought against an opponent with an ability like this before. “Is it a semblance? No, it can’t be. She already would’ve used it at the start.” Akame took advantage of Kurome’s confusion and started her attack from the side. Kurome saw the attack coming and thought to block it. As Akame neared her former sister, she suddenly disappeared and Kurome gasped. “A fake out?!” Kurome lowered her eyes and saw that Akame was below Trisula while her weapon was pulled back. Akame swung her weapon while pressing the switch to make it longer. The sword wrapped around Kurome’s body and Akame pulled her forward as she did the same. Akame raised up her free arm and delivered a powerful punch to the side of her face. The punch sent Kurome away and landed on the floor as Akame recalled back her sword. Kurome’s aura gauge dropped down to past quarter.Yang was clapping while smiling. “Nice one Akame. I approve.”Meanwhile, Chelsea couldn’t believe it. “No way. She’s out powering Kurome?”Rienna shared the same expression. “Just what is this girl? No one’s ever landed on a hit on Kurome in her times two.”Kurome groaned as she stood up and rubbed her check. “Damn that hurt. Just how the hell strong are you?” She looked over at Akame. “Still, this is something else. I say you’re the first who’s ever kept up with my times two.”Akame narrowed her eyes. “I’ve been wondering about that. This times two, it’s your semblance and what it does is increase your fighting performance. Am I wrong?”Her former sister chuckled at the guess. “Right you are. That’s my semblance. It increases my speed, strength, agility, and everything else that’s good for a fight. Thought I made that clear when I kicked what’s his name’s ass and his lousy team.”Hearing that confirmed Akame’s suspicions right when Kurome used her semblance. "Her semblance is exactly like the drug enhancements she took back from our world. Except for this time, she doesn't have any of the side effects. That makes her all the more dangerous."Kurome stretched her neck. “So then, Akame. You can keep up at times two. Think you can handle the next level?” Akame gasped as Kurome held her weapon to the side. “Amplify…times three.” A stronger pulse came from her body and smiled. “Let the fun start.”She instantly vanished and reappeared in front of Akame. Akame just registered what happened. “She’s faster now.” Kurome continued to smile as she suddenly struck the other leader and she was sent away almost to the end of the arena. Kurome vanished again and appeared once more behind her former sister. “I’m not letting this end by a ring out!” She hit Akame from behind and sent away again. She crashed near the center the arena. Akame struggled to stand up while Kurome was casually walking up to her. “I usually save this for some of the bigger Grimm game.” She looked over at the screen and saw Akame’s aura gauge. “Some aura you have there. Those attacks were strong enough to cleave a Death Stalker in two. So what trick are you going to pull out of your hat this time?” Akame managed to stand up while looking away from Kurome but didn’t hear anything. “No answer? Guess I’ll find out for myself!” She launched herself right at the other leader. As Kurome neared her, Akame suddenly turned around and managed to deflect the oncoming attack with her sword. The sudden clash of weapons resulted in a thunderous boom. Kurome slid across the floor and stopped. “What the hell!? How did you even manage to counter that?!” She gasped she finally saw Akame turned around. “What?”What Kurome saw was that Akame had her eyes closed. It was a strange tactic to say the least. Akame positioned the sword in front of her. “Block out your surroundings. Focus on your opponent. Clear your mind. Sense where and when the attacks will be coming from.” Akame sense aura all around her but none were as strong as Kurome’s in front. “Her aura has definitely increased. It’s powerful and that’s where her weakness lies.” Kurome didn’t know what her opponent was planning but sure as hell wasn’t going to wait. “Like closing your eyes is going to help you!” She vanished again and reappeared in front of Akame and swung her sword. Akame did the same in the next instant and blocked the attack. Kurome growled as she continued to attack from every direction but her former sister kept blocking each attack successfully. “Times three and she’s still keeping up with me? How is she doing this?!” Mercury was wondering the same question. “Seriously, how the hell is that chick keeping up? I doubt she’s following the sound of the attack because it would hit her before she would notice it.”Cinder, in the meantime, was enjoying the little spectacle. “You’re becoming more impressive by the minute.” Kurome continued her onslaught of attacks without any succession. After her next attack at Akame, she suddenly disappeared. “Again?” Kurome then felt a strong hit to the side of her cheek again from a handle from behind and was sent through air spiraling until she hit the floor. She groaned as Kurome managed to stand up again and turned around to see Akame with her eyes still closed. The former sister began to laugh. “You’re something else, you know that? Times two and times three. I’ve never met one person who can keep up the pace with them and still keep going. You're definitely a lot more than what I expected. Hell, you went beyond my expectations!" She continued to laugh. "It's been a while since I've had this much fun. Even longer for this next part. Now…" Kurome pointed her weapon at Akame. “Amplify…times four!” A more powerful pulse appeared from Kurome.Her team couldn't believe what their leader was doing. "Times four!? Is she really going to go that far!?"Taeko thought the same as Chelsea. “Times four. She wouldn’t go so far if this wasn’t serious to her.”Rienna was a little afraid of what was going to happen next. “I think…I might be worried for her opponent. The last she went times four was when all of us were cornered by a lot of Grimm. She killed all of them in seconds flat. And she’s going to use that on a person?”Akame’s expression changed as she sensed how powerful her former sister’s aura had become now. “Just how much can Kurome put herself through?” She steadied her breathing. “No. Stay calm. Remain focused. Don’t be distracted.” In the next second, Kurome had already launched her into the air. Akame had her eyes open after that attack. “W-Wha-” She struck down by Kurome from above and back down to the arena. Akame had just barely registered what had just happened. “I couldn’t even sense her.” She started to stand up but as Akame did, she was struck again and was sent hurtling toward the end of the arena where she was struck again to the other where in turn, was struck again. Akame was being struck all over arena like a pinball and Kurome was the bumpers. Soon as she was struck again all the way to the center, Akame was elbowed in the stomach by Kurome and let out a pained gasp. Even after all of that pummeling, aura gauge was nearly to a quarter left.Kurome removed her elbow and Akame took a few steps forward before she fell down to the floor. “Akame!” Even with Leone’s beast eyes, she had a time following Kurome’s attack pattern. "Kurome's a hell of a lot stronger. No way was she this powerful back in our world."Chelsea sighed at the end result. “I knew this was going to happen. Still, have to hand it to the girl. All of those beatings and only a quarter left of her aura.”Taeko closed her eyes. “This match is over now.”Rienna noticed something from the arena. “Hey, she’s still moving.” The other two team members were surprised to hear that and took a closer look as well.Kurome saw it clearly as Akame was slowly moving her hand. "Kuro…me…"The other leader sighed. "Really now? Are you still moving after all of that? You really don't know when to quit, huh?"“Kuro…me…” Akame grabbed her former sister’s leg.Emerald rolled her eyes at the sight. “Oh come on. This is just sad now. Just freaking lose already!”Kurome was looking down at her former sister who was still struggling. “Remember what I said before? That I can’t stand those who won’t quit when they lost? You’re becoming that person Akame.” The other girl continued to stare at Kurome before her grip loosened up and let go as her head dropped. Kurome smiled at her opponent. “That’s more like it.” She stepped away from the other leader as the whole crowd went silent. ??? Akame found herself in a strange place where there was blood red mist everywhere and couldn’t see anything else. “Where…am I?”“You’re kidding me, right? That’s all you have?”Akame gasped as she turned around and saw the last person she expected. “It…can’t be. Kurome?” It was the Kurome she knew. Her sister.Her younger sister smiled at her. “I’m so touched you still remember me, big sister.”Akame tried to reach out to her sister. "H-How are you here? Where are we?"She narrowed her eyes at Akame. “What do you think? You were the one who killed me with Murasame. We’re inside your soul or what’s left of it after you used your trump card. We’re all here Akame. The ones you killed. And you’re going to lose to this other me?” Kurome chuckled. “That’s the biggest joke I’ve heard. Tell me, why are you going through this in the first place?”Akame looked away from her younger sister. “I meant what I said. Killing you, I’ve never forgiven myself. The one thing I wanted the most was us to be sisters again but…” She closed her eyes.Kurome sighed. “I’ve heard that song before. Do you really think by doing this, you’ll have what you want? Even after what you did to me? Do you actually think you can make it up with this other me? You two aren’t even related in the world you’re in now.”“It doesn’t matter!” Akame looked back at her sister. “Because Yang is right! It’s true we may not be related by blood in this world but doesn’t mean I think of you, of her any less than my little sister. It’s the closest I have in making up the mistakes I’ve made. Some I know I’ll never forgive myself for doing but…I just want to make things right to the closest they’ll ever be.”Kurome closed her eyes and let out another sigh. “I’ve known you’ve been suffering a long time, blaming for my death but I got to say, you’ve been having a pretty good life in that world of yours. You made a lot of new friends, hooked up with that blonde girl, and having a life you thought never was possible. And then this other me shows up. If this is what you truly think, what you want, then get back up. Show her what you can really do and you know what I'm talking about. You've been holding it in all this time and now it's time to let it out. Do you want to make things right? Just let it all out." She began walking toward Akame. "Show her and everyone else out there what my big sister can really do." Kurome stopped in front of her sister and held out her hand. "What do you say, Akame?"Akame looked at her sister’s hand and sighed. “I promise to make things right this time Kurome.” She grabbed Kurome’s hand.Her sister smiled. “Good luck out there, Akame.” ??? The crowd continued to be silent as Kurome had her back turned at Akame. Oobleck and Port looked at each other and nodded. Oobleck looked back at the arena. "Since Akame Night has not moved, we hereby…" Leone lowered her head as she knew Akame had lost the fight. "Declare-"A thick red swirling smoke suddenly erupted out of Akame’s body and skyrocketed into the air. The whole crowd was caught off guard and Kurome turned back around to see it. “What the hell?!”The smoke began to take form into a large demonic looking skull with horns laughing evilly. The skull then began to deform and started to be sucked back down all into one point. As more of the smoke was being sucked in, everyone saw where it was going. Akame was standing up with her eyes closed as the smoke continued to be absorbed into her body and becoming red markings all over it. Leone’s eyes widened as she knew what they were. “No way. Just no way.” Not only her but the rest of her team, RWBY and JNPR recognized the markings as well. While all of this was going on, the Grimm in the destroyed city were howling and started to move.The last of the smoke made its way inside of Akame and large pulse erupted out of her and spread throughout the arena. Akame opened her eyes to reveal they had turned black while still having her red eye color. To Kurome, it almost as if she had eyes of a demon. Akame raised her weapon and held it up to the side. Both girls looked at each other. One didn't know what to think while the other had a strongly determined look. Akame narrowed her eye at her former sister. "Let's finish this once and for all, Kurome." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Thirty Three: Sisters “While I was traveling, I’ve always wondered one question. Why? Why did I continue to live when there was nothing else out there for me? Day in and day out, I fought for survival as I’ve always done except, it didn’t have any meaning. The only company that I’ve had was the sins of those I’ve killed. I even sometimes contemplated of taking my own life just to end it all. And yet, I never did. I continued walking for as long and as far as I could while surviving. That was when I hit the end of my rope at that forest and accepted my death. Then Leone saved me and we reunited once more. Since then, we both traveled to this new world, left our lives as assassins and began having a normal life. We’ve made new friends and reclaimed what I’ve lost. What we’ve lost. And now, I’ll set things right by making up the biggest mistake I’ve made in my life. ??? The crowd felt an eerie sense in the air. All of them were staring at Akame and what had just happened. Flynt whistled at what just happened. “There’s something you don’t see every day. That’s some mad trick that girl pulled out.”“I’m scared.” Flynt looked over to Neon who shaking badly.Flynt raised an eyebrow? “Neon?”Neon continued to shake and her breathing was the same. “I’m really scared. I feel like I need to crawl into the deepest hole and hope I’m safe. She’s dangerous. Like really dangerous.” In the time Flynt had known Neon, not once has he seen her act like this before.Sun had the same feeling. “I don’t know about you guys but I’m seriously one scare away from crapping in my pants.”Neptune had never seen his friend act like this before. “Is it because of what happened because of Akame?”Sun nodded at the question. “Oh yeah. Whatever Akame did, I’m freaking out here. And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only Faunus feeling this creepy feeling.”“Coco…”Coco held Velvet close to her as the rabbit Faunus was clearly scared out of her mind. She looked over to Fox who seemed to be baring his fangs. “Even Fox is freaking out on this.” Coco looked over at the arena and at Akame closely. “Just what in the hell did Akame do? She was barely hanging on and now this? Whatever happened, I have a feeling the fight is just getting started."Blake was breathing heavily at what she was seeing. Every fiber of her being told her to run. Yang had noticed this as well. “Blake? Are you feeling okay?”The Faunus girl shook her head. “No, I’m not. I’ve never felt this afraid before. Afraid of a person like Akame.”Yang had to admit she was feeling the same as she looked back at Akame. “I know what you mean. The one thing I don’t get is why is this happening now? I mean we’ve never felt this before when Akame showed us the markings. So why now?”Weiss had a theory for that. “I think it’s because of Kurome.” The rest of the team looked over at the heiress. “Think about it. Akame is facing against someone who is basically her sister. Who else would get her riled up like this?” Everyone looked back at Akame and Kurome.Ruby could only hope that things would play out differently this time. “Please be careful you two.”Not everyone was afraid of this sudden development. For Penny, she was just mostly confused. “Ciel, do you understand what is happening?”Ciel could only stare at disbelief which Penny hasn’t seen before. “I…I don’t know.”Neo was trembling in fear. Even more so then the time that woman appeared out of nowhere before she could finish off her blonde opponent. This fear was on a whole different level. Emerald could barely stand the air as it was now after Akame’s transformation. “What the hell is this girl? What’s with those freaky markings of hers?”That was something Mercury wanted to know as well. “O…kay. Now things are getting interesting. Now let’s see what this chick can really do.”Unknown to them, Cinder had never felt so excited before. Her expression didn’t show it but she was beyond impressed at what Akame had just done. “I knew there was something about you.” Gozuki narrowed his eyes at his daughter’s leader. “The Faunus here are freaking out. All of them are reacting to this sudden development. Just what is this girl?”Esren had a similar thought. “I’ve never felt so much malice and hate emanating from one person. I doubt it belongs to her. This girl’s been holding that much in her this entire time? Most people I know would’ve been driven insane by that amount.” One thing both fathers thought the same was that their daughters sure as hell picked a leader to follow.Babara was mostly in awe in what she was seeing. “Young child. I had no idea you were carrying such a heavy burden within yourself.”Chelsea rarely felt fear but in this case, she was very afraid. Not just because of what Akame just did but for the safety of her girlfriend. “Kurome…please be safe.”Taeko shivered a little at she was seeing before her. “Never in my life have I felt anything like this before.”Rienna was the most afraid out of them. “What…what’s happening? Kurome was winning until this just happened. Just what’s going on here?”Out of everyone, Leone knew exactly what was happening to Akame. “Akame…you’re really going that far again, huh?”Cornelia was trying her best to understand what had happened. “I don’t get it. What happened to Akame?”“It’s her trump card.” Cornelia looked over at her Faunus teammate. “What we’re seeing now is the trump card Akame used to kill Esdeath. Seeing the scars on her body from it told me that much but this is the first time I’m actually seeing it.”The other blonde looked back at her leader. “But we saw the markings before. Why is this different now?”Leone had a guess of her own. “My best bet is this. Like my trump card with Lionel was my fast regeneration, I’m guessing it’s the same for Akame. In other words, what we’re seeing now might be her semblance.”“Her semblance?” Now that Cornelia thought about it, not once has she any practically anyone else what Akame’s semblance was and she was plenty strong as is even before this fight.Esdeath couldn’t take her eyes off of Akame and groaned slightly as she placed a hand on her head. Cornelia noticed it. “Are you okay Esdeath?”Her teammate cringed at the pain she feeling while her eyes were close. “I’m fine. I just suddenly have a small headache is all.” She opened one of her eyes and continued to watch Akame. “Why do I feel like I’ve…seen this before? Not seen it but felt it too.”Both Port and Oobleck were in the same boat as they’ve never seen anything like this before. Port shook his head and cleared his throat. “Yes, uh…Doctor Oobleck. Do you have any indication for this sudden turn of events?”Oobleck shifted his glasses. “From what I can gather, Akame Night’s recent…doing has led me to believe her semblance has finally awakened.” Some of the crowd found that hard to believe.“You’re kidding me, right?!”“That’s a semblance?!”“What kind of a person has a semblance like that?!”While all of them had their own opinions of what happened, Kurome ignored them all. All she could do was stare into Akame's demonic looking eyes. Kurome felt a slight shaking and looked at her hand holding the weapon. “This shaking. Am I…afraid? Afraid of her?” She looked back Akame who didn’t let up her gaze. “This is…insane.” Kurome saw Akame take a step forward while positioning the sword over her shoulder while her other hand was holding the blade. Esdeath’s eyes widened. Leone and the rest of her friends saw it before. As did Esdeath. “That stance…I’ve seen it before.” All of a sudden she had some image flash in her mind. It was Akame standing in front of her in that same position but they were surrounded to be what it looked debris from a destroyed building and walls of ice.Akame continued to stare at her former sister and narrowed her eyes. “It’s time to end this now, Kurome.”Afraid or not, Kurome had to steel herself from the fight ahead. She knew the rest of the fight won't be easy. She steadied her hand and pulled back her weapon. “Alright then, if that’s what you want.” Her clothes began to flow again. “Amplify…” It was now or never and Kurome knew the risks of using this last resort. “TIMES FIVE!” A pulse came out from her and spread throughout the arena.Chelsea couldn’t believe what she had just done. “Times five!? She never goes times five!”“That just proves Kurome is done playing around.” Chelsea looked back at Taeko. “She knows this’ll be a fight to the finish. Not only that but it won’t be long until all of that strain on her body will begin to take its toll. With amplify, she puts more strain on her body and now Kurome has reached the final limit. At this point, it’s either go big or go home no matter what.”Rienna just groaned at all of this. “What happened with this being just a match? How did everything get so out of control?”Kurome felt a slight pain going through her head. “Great. I don’t need some headache with what I’m doing now.” She ignored the pain and focused on her opponent. "Let's end this show for good!" Both girls were still for a few seconds. Waiting for the other to make a move. Both girls vanished at in instant and the next thing everyone knew was that there sounds of thunder going off everywhere in the arena. The best they could see the action was Akame and Kurome with their weapons clashing in one spot before they disappeared to another. Many of them of them happened in a short time before Kurome appeared in the center by herself. She looked around to see where Akame went. “Where did she go?”In the next second, Kurome raised Trisula up to block Akame’s attack from above. A rush of wind erupted from the interception. “I can’t run anymore.” Kurome gasped when she heard a familiar voice. “We’re almost there. You do it, Kurome!” Kurome managed to shake off Akame and threw her almost near the edge of the arena. Kurome was panting and slightly confused. “What was that? Why did I hear voices in my head?”This time, an image flashed through her mind. It was a young girl stabbing an animal that wasn't like a Grimm. “Don’t touch my sister!” Kurome groaned at the pain she was feeling inside her head. “What the hell is going on?” “I will help my big sister.” Kurome couldn’t shake the voices out of her head.Meanwhile, Akame pulled back her sword and a dark red energy spiraled down all the way to her hand. “Shrieking Sinner.” She slammed down to the floor and that energy was headed toward Kurome while it sounded like it was shrieking.Kurome saw the attack and struck where she was. Or previously since she dodged out of the in time. It was then she saw Akame coming right at her with the sword ready. Kurome didn't have time to block or evade. She could only stare in disbelief. “Big…sister?” Akame heard the words and stopped with the blade barely in front of Kurome. Her eyes were widened with surprise. It was the first expression Kurome had seen. She gritted her teeth and used this opponent to strike back at Akame. The attack managed to send Akame away back to the other side. Kurome was breathing heavily while still trying to figure what had just happened. “Where did that even come from? Why did I say that?” A stronger pain appeared inside her head and Kurome groaned as she dropped to her knees. “Damn it. Why is this happening?”"Kurome!" At this point, Chelsea didn't care if Kurome won the match. All she care about now was her girlfriend's safety. “Is she hitting her limit already?” Kurome grabbed her head trying to deal with the pain while images and voices flashed before her eyes. “Big sis! Big sis!” “Kurome!” Kurome continued trying to make sense of what she seeing. “What is this? It’s like…I’m watching someone’s memories. And that voice…it sounds the same as mine but how?” Another image appeared in front of Kurome. Some of the faces were blurred out to her. "It's been a long time hasn't it big sister? I've wanted to see you for so long now." This time, she saw that same girl holding a sword in the air and a giant bone monster of some kind came out of the ground. She was standing on the hand. "I've grown a lot stronger since the last time we met big sister."“Big sister, big sister, big sister. That’s all she talks about it. Who’s she talking to?” Kurome tried to make out of the face of the girl the one speaking was talking to but it was blurry at best. The scene changed again and that same girl was standing in front of the other girl she was talking to before except this time there were others. One in particular she recognized. “Wait a minute. That blonde girl next to her. That’s the Faunus from Akame’s team.” Kurome realized something. “Wait. Does that mean the girl this person is talking to is…?” The blurriness began to clear and she saw who the person was. “Akame?! Why? Why am I seeing her in this?” “Big sis…We Jaegers will hunt down anyone who disturbs the peace! No matter who that might be!” A revelation hit Kurome. “Wait a minute. Is Akame the big sister this person is talking about?” The scene changed before her once again and it was Akame enjoying snacks on top of a wall in the middle of some ruins with that same girl. “Where am I now? Who is this person?”“Let’s stay together from here on out as well…sis.” Kurome couldn’t make out the face but the voice was so familiar to her. The scene garbled for a bit and was sped up a bit. “I can’t forgive you but I love you. Those two opposing thoughts keeping going round and round inside my head.” She saw the girl jump off the wall. “I don’t want you to kill anyone else but me!” Kurome questioned the logic in that. “They’re supposed to be sisters right? Why does she want Akame to kill her? Is she nuts?” She saw the two sisters beginning fighting and for some reason, it felt familiar to her. It was something Kurome couldn't take her eyes off. “They’re seriously trying to kill each other. Why? Why am I watching this?” The fight continued without either girl letting up until the other was slowing down and Akame was having the upper hand.Akame was panting heavily but not as much as the girl she was fighting against and it started to rain. She chuckled a little madly. “Let’s end this now. We both know only one of us is going to come out this.” Kurome held out her hand. “Wait, hold on.” Both girls took a running start at each other with their swords ready. “Stop, please!” They started to scream at each other as they neared. “Don’t do it!” They finally reached each other. Kurome screamed and suddenly realized she was back at the arena. Her breathing was shaky and looked around.Some of the crowd looked at each other wondering if Kurome was okay. Chelsea being among them. “Is…Kurome okay? She kinda freaked out for no reason.”Taeko was trying to figure that out as well. “Maybe she’s finally hit her limit.”Kurome controlled her breathing and saw Akame standing up. She became angry at her all of a sudden. “You…” Kurome started to stand up as well. “Just who in the hell are you!?!” She suddenly dropped back down and grunted in pain. “Damn it. Not now.” Kurome tried to stand back up again.Taeko narrowed her eyes at her leader. “It’s happening. Her body can’t take much more of the strain at this point.” Cornelia had no idea what was going on. “Do you have any idea what’s going on Leone?”“For Kurome to ask something like that, could it be…” Both blondes heard a noise and looked over at Esdeath who seemed to be in pain. "Something wrong Esdeath?"Her teammate continued to groan. “I’m…not sure. I keep seeing them.”“Seeing what?” Cornelia asked.Esdeath continued to grunt in pain. “These images I keep seeing. I’m seeing myself fighting against Akame but it’s not really me. It’s like I’m seeing them through someone else’s eyes. That’s why Akame’s new look is so familiar to me. It’s because I feel like I fought against her in that before.”Now Leone understood and looked back at the fight. “I get it. Akame’s semblance awakened must’ve triggered memories of the people she’s killed from using Murasame to the ones who are here now. What you’re seeing now are the memories of the Esdeath Akame fought before.”It did make the most sense to Esdeath. “You really think so?”The Faunus blonde nodded. "Yeah and I'm betting the same is happening to Kurome. That's why she freaked out before. The question now is, what’s going happen now after that.” Leone could only hope this wouldn’t be like the last time.Kurome could feel her whole body was riddled in pain. She knew it wasn’t going to last much longer and needed to finish this fight quickly. “I can worry about all of that weird stuff later. Right now I have to focus on the fight.” She didn’t waste any time as Kurome rushed over to Akame. She swung her weapon at the other leader but Akame managed to block it. Now up close, Kurome saw something that was very unusual. Tears coming out of her eyes. “She’s crying?” Akame managed to push Kurome away and now were at a distance from each other. Kurome still couldn’t understand what she previously saw. “Why is she crying in the first place?” She disregarded the question and ran back at her opponent. Akame did the same and the two’s weapons clashed against each other in the middle. Both girls pulled back their swords and struck each them again with neither girl giving up. Akame applied more force and managed to push the other girl back.Akame chased after her former sister and swung her weapon at her. Kurome swung her own to block the attack. After the attack was blocked, Akame disappeared and Kurome chased after her. Once again, both of them attacked each other all over the arena moving from one place to the next at a breakneck speed. They reappeared in the center where their weapons disengage and both girls circled around only for their weapons to hit against each other again. They separated their weapons again and began to exchange attacks at each other. As the two continued to fight, Kurome noticed something strange. “Why does this feel so familiar?” She blocked another attack and Akame disappeared and reappeared to the side but Kurome blocked that attack as well. “It’s like we had this fight before but this is my first time fighting against her.” Kurome broke off the attack and swung her weapon from the side. Akame jumped back to avoid the attack but Kurome didn’t let up and jumped at her while raising the weapon. “It feels so…natural to me” She swung her weapon down but Akame had blocked the attack and sent her away. She chased after the other leader but Kurome thought to save the time and come to her once more. She swung her weapon from the side again but Akame jumped back and the attack missed. Akame disappeared and reappeared from behind but Kurome turned around and blocked the attack.It was then she decided to go on the offensive as she sent Akame away from her and jumped after her immediately. Each attack Kurome did push Akame back with every strike. So, what do you say? Let’s end this now.”Akame’s grip on her sword tightened when she heard those words. She wasn’t wrong, though. The beating she received earlier from Kurome added more to the fatigue. Akame hadn’t felt this exhausted in a long time. She pulled back her sword to the side as Akame was ready. Kurome positioned herself for her last attack as she pulled back her weapon as well. Akame was going to make sure this wouldn’t end like last time. Both leaders stood still for a few silent moments. With a slight shift from one of their feet, that marked as their signal. Both girls came at each other with everything they had with their one final attack. “KUROME…!”“AKAME…!”The two girls swung their weapons at each other once they met and then ended up at the other end with their weapons extending outwards. No one in the crowd could make out what happened. Not even Leone. Both of them kept standing without moving. Then the sound of one of the weapons dropping to the floor could be heard. Akame started to fall forward and hit the floor with the markings disappearing. Kurome smiled at the end result. “You put up one hell of a fight. The toughest I’d ever have. And for that…I thank you.” She dropped her weapon and fell down to the floor as well.It took everyone in the crowd a few seconds to register what had just happened. Port snapped out of it and cleared his throat. “Yes…well, since both of the combatants are unable to continue, the first match of the Single’s round has ended in a draw.” There was no applause to be heard. The only thing there was that both Chelsea and Leone were finally relieved this match was finally over. Leone more so since this fight didn’t end the same as the last one.Several of the medics came onto the scene to check the condition both girls were in. He took a close look at Kurome. “This one is in pretty rough shape. I’m surprised her body endured all of that for the duration of the match.” He looked over to the other team. “What’s the story on her?”The other medic finished his evaluation. “Same here. Maybe a little worse considering what her body went through.”The first medic nodded. “Alright then. Let’s take them to the infirmary for treatment. Hop to it!” They put the two girls on stretchers and carried the two out of the arena.With the two of them gone, everyone from the crowd started to leave. Leone breathed out in relief. “Finally, it’s over.” She looked over at Esdeath. “How are you feeling?”Her teammate roughly felt the same. “Tired after seeing that and the headache seems to be gone now.”Cornelia could only chuckle at this point. “What do you say we visit Akame in the morning? I bet she’ll want to see us soon as she wakes up.”Leone couldn’t agree more. “Sounds good to me.”Ruby and her team were already making their way to the exit all with different thoughts about the fight. “Do you think…that’s how their first fight was?”Weiss just sighed in exhaustion. “I’m too tired to answer that. I’m going to bed once we head back to our room.”Yang was in agreement to that. “No kidding after the fight we just saw. It makes me wonder what some of the other fights Akame and Leone were in before.”Blake would like to know that as well. "I don't know but considering who they were before, they must’ve been vastly different compared to what we've recently experienced."Chelsea was all too happy the match had ended. “I’m going to Kurome first thing when I wake.”Taeko chuckled as she had no problem with that. “Go right ahead. We’ll do the same. Right, Rienna?”The blonde giggled happily. “Yeah. We’ll give Kurome a big hug when she wakes up.”As people were leaving, some remained seated. One of them was Cinder’s group and Emerald groaned. “You know, I’m kinda glad we didn’t end fighting one of them. Seriously, what a couple of monsters.”All of a sudden, they heard some laughter and looked back to see Cinder with her hand over her eyes and laughing which was unusual since they’ve never seen her laugh in the first place. Mercury thought it was just creepy. “Uh, Cinder? What’s so funny?”Cinder laughed a little more before settling down. "Akame Night. She was so much more than what I expected when I first saw her. What she displayed was phenomenal. And that power of her…" She loved that the most. "Akame may not know it but she's helped us out. All of that hatred, all of that anger, you've felt it right? Chances are, so did the Grimm. As of now, I’m sure they’ve stopped. All we need now is one…more…push…”Mercury had a feeling what that meant. “Wait, does this mean I won’t be fighting blondie after all?”Cinder smiled at the question. “I’m afraid so Mercury.”Mercury snapped his fingers as he let out a frustrated moan. “Damnit. And here I thought I was going to frame her.”Emerald laughed at her partner’s misfortune. “Too bad so sad for you.” She looked at Cinder. “So, we’re sticking to the plan?”Cinder stood up and smiled at her two subordinates. “But of course. Akame started the work for us and we’re going to finish it.” She looked over to the mute girl. “Neo, time to prepare for tomorrow. Do you understand?” Neo smiled at her and nodded. “Good.” Cinder looked up at the ceiling. “It’s almost time now.”Out of the crowd, only one person truly saw how dangerous Akame was. James Ironwood was making his way to a certain destination. “Ozpin, it’s time we had a discussion.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Thirty Four: To what we were Once BeforeJames Ironwood slammed his hands on Ozpin’s desk as he was furious of what transpired in the first match of the Single’s Round. “Just what the hell happened Ozpin? Answer me! What exactly is that student of yours?!”“James.” The general looked over to Glynda who had a serious look on her face. “Calm down. We’re all a little on edge after that fight. As of now, both Akame and Kurome have not suffered any serious damage but it will be some time before they’ll wake up.”"That's great and all but there's still the Goliath in the room here." Qrow spoke up. He was leaning against one of the pillars in the room. He gave the headmaster a glare. "So tell us Ozpin. Something you want to get off your chest?"Ozpin rested his elbows on his desk with his hands folded into each other and sighed. “I suppose all of you do need to know in regards of Akame Night and Leone Wild.”Qrow raised an eyebrow to that. “Leone? You mean that lion Faunus girl?”Ozpin nodded at the question. "Yes. I won't beat around the bush. The truth about the two of them is that they were once assassins."Both Qrow and Ironwood were caught off guard when they heard that. It was almost unbelievable. Certainty to the general. “Assassins Ozpin!? You mean to tell me that those two, who are your students attending your school are nothing more than murderers?!”It did make more sense to Qrow. "Come to think of it, when I first met Leone, she did have a different air than the rest of the students here. I didn't expect kids like them to be those sort of people. Still though, those two assassins? They don't seem to be any younger than Yang."Ozpin could share the same feeling with him. “That was because Akame was trained to be an assassin early in her life. Childhood even.”Hearing that made the general sick. “How could anyone do such a thing?”Qrow agreed. “No kidding. Training kids as assassins? Who the hell came up with that?”Ozpin knew they would arrive at this point of the explanation. "There is another fact you should know. These two young girls are actually not of this world."It was one surprise after another for Ironwood and Qrow. “What? Ozpin, I swear if this is a joke-”“Since when I have been the comedian in this?” Ozpin interrupted. “It is true. When they first arrived in our world, they had no knowledge of Grimm or huntsmen. They did tell us much about the world they were from before.”Now Qrow’s curiosity grew. “Okay. So what was their world like?”Ozpin continued to stare at his two friends. “To start off, the kind of world they lived in was a dangerous one. As you said before Qrow, the kind that would raise children to be assassins. It was a world full of chaos, disorder, and for lack of a better word, evil.” Qrow really couldn’t imagine a place like that in his imagination. “These two girls were from such a world and they once fought against a terrifying enemy known as the Empire.”Already Ironwood didn’t like the sound of where the explanation was going. “Explain.”Ozpin would gladly to. “From what those two had told us, this Empire was absolutely corrupted by the hands of who they call Prime Minister Honest. The emperor who ruled over this Empire was nothing more than a child who this Honest took advantage of. Because of this, the Empire was sent into total disarray. Not only that but the people who were in this Empire were some of the absolute worst. Words can’t even describe what a horrid place it was.”Ironwood had a feeling that explanation only scratched the surface of what this Empire truly was. “And these two fought against such an enemy on their own?”Ozpin shook his head. “No. You see, they were part of an assassin group call Night Raid created by people who called themselves by the Revolutionary Army. This army was created for the sole purpose of overthrowing the corrupt Empire and user in of rule and peace.”Qrow was rather interested in that. “Wait, so you’re telling us these two-”“I did mention they were assassins before except the kind of people they killed were those who were corrupt or harmed other innocents for their own selfish gain.”It made sense to Qrow. The two girls weren't the kind of assassins for hire. They were assassins fighting for a better tomorrow. Still, he had a problem with it. "That's great and all just because they killed for the right reason doesn't make them any less of murderers."“And they would agree with you.” Qrow was surprised to hear that from Ozpin. “They knew full well of the actions they were doing. Them and the team they were formerly on.”“Assassins with a conscious. That’s a new one.” There was one other thing he would like to know. “Alright then. So what happened for them to be sent to our world? On top of that, what happened to the team they were previously on?”Ozpin sighed at the question. “To answer your second question Qrow, the other members of their team…have all died.” Qrow silent to that. “One by one, the members of their team who also served as a pseudo family to them fell one after another. I couldn’t imagine the hardships they’ve seen and experienced after seeing all of that.”Qrow closed his hand tightly. If there was one thing he could share in common with, it was losing a valued team member. “And my first question?”Ozpin continued to stare at Qrow. "That is something I can't explain myself because they themselves don't know. The best they know is that they were sleeping in a forest from their world and in the next morning, they woke up in the Emerald Forest. That was where Ruby and her team first encountered them."That didn’t answer Qrow’s question at all. One out two still wasn’t bad. Now there was only one thing that worried both him and Ironwood. “Although it is regretful they have lost their own, how could you enroll such people in your school in the first place?”Ozpin had the perfect counter for that. “Tell me, James. Do you what happens to soldiers once they have nothing left to fight for?”It was a strange question to the general but he did know the answer. "I've seen my fair share. There are some who devoted their life in fighting but then became empty shells of the people they once were once it was over. Where are you going with this Ozpin?"Ozpin thought back to where he first met Akame and Leone. “Those two girls were exactly like that. They had no sense of purpose when I first saw them. What I did was give them a new purpose they could live. To strive for. I didn’t see the assassins they told us. What I saw were two lost children who didn’t know what to do. That is all.”It was like Ozpin to help out those in need but Ironwood was still skeptical about it. “Fine. I can accept that but they can actually live the life of normal students? They were former assassins.”“You don’t have to worry about that, James.” Ironwood looked over at Glynda. “They’ve actually assimilated quite well to student life. Akame has high marks both in combat and in her studies despite barely having an education to begin with. Her friend and teammate Leone has shown difficulty trying to keep up her grades. Just like any other student. They’ve also become rather good friends with the other students, including team RWBY.”Qrow thought back to when he played games with his niece. “Come to think of it, that Leone girl really didn’t act like an assassin at all. She was even frustrated at the fact that girl isn’t even that good at a video game.”I am glad that neither of them is harmed seriously. Now then, are there any other concerns?"Ironwood still had something to say. “Yes. Do any of the other teachers know about this?”Ozpin nodded at the question. “Yes. I explained it to them the situation and they observed the behavior of those two girls. As Glynda said before, they have adapted quite well to this life.”Qrow had a concern of his own. “And what about their friends and teammates? Do they know that these two were assassins?”Again, Ozpin nodded. “Yes. They’re fully aware what their previous identity was. They trusted them enough to tell them. That secret is only kept in that group.”The answer seemed to please Qrow enough as he chuckled. "Alright then. After meeting one of them, they seem nice enough. Plus Yang really seems to like that Leone girl and she's always had a good judge of character on other people."He may have been content with it but Ironwood still had some doubts. “There is still the fact of Akame Night’s semblance awaking. Soon as it appeared, there was a heavy feeling in the air. Like there was intense hatred all around. With something that powerful, I have no doubt the Grimm nearby had sensed it.”Ozpin knew where the general was going with this. “Is that so? And you’re worried that if Akame would release that power again-”“I’m just being cautious.” Ironwood interrupted. “Just as long she doesn’t use that semblance again for the time being. Also, I'm wondering where all of that power came from. There has never been a semblance like hers before. If you can even call it that.”“If you’re that curious about it, you can always ask her person. One trait I do like about Akame is that she can be honest when it comes to certain things.” Ozpin advised.Ironwood has thought of that before. He wanted to know what kind of a person Akame was for himself. “Maybe later. As of now and if I am right, I’ll position more my soldiers near the city to stave off any oncoming Grimm nearby. We are still having a tournament going on.”Ozpin agreed to that. “Very well. If that is all gentleman.” Most of their questions were asked and started to leave the room without saying another word. B Akame groaned as she opened up her eyes to see a familiar ceiling. She already could tell she was in the infirmary. Akame could also tell judging by the light coming through the windows, it was day. “How long was I out for?” The last thing Akame remembered was fighting against Kurome. Kurome…Kurome… “Kurome!” She instantly sat up from the bed.“Hey there, Akame.”Akame gasped quietly as she looked to the side to see Leone sitting down and smiling. “Leone…” The Faunus blonde chuckled at her girlfriend.“Nice of you to wake up.”Akame heard another familiar voice and looked to the other side seeing Kurome laying in her bed with Chelsea by her side. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “She’s okay. It didn’t end like last time.” Chelsea couldn’t help but chuckle at this scene. “Looks like we’ve something in common huh?”Akame didn’t quite understand what she meant by that. Leone knew this was going to be very ironic. “Yeah, Akame? Turns out these two are…dating.”Her girlfriend didn’t quite catch that correctly. “W-What?”This was the reaction Leone was expected from Akame. When she first heard about it, the Faunus blonde couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. “Kurome…and Chelsea are dating.”All Akame could do was stare in disbelief at the other two girls. She was hit by the biggest wave of irony. Chelsea laughed at this whole thing. “If it’s any consolation, we’re surprised you two are in the same boat. And a Faunus no less.”Akame groaned as she covered her face with her hand. She needed some time to get used to this new information. “What time is it?”“Two in the afternoon. Kurome here woke up an hour before you. Both me and Chelsea didn’t leave either of you two alone.” Leone explained.Akame expected as much. In fact, this reminded her back when she went to see Leone after her fight with Esdeath. Speaking of the former general. "Where's everyone else?"The Faunus blonde knew Akame would ask that question. “Out and about. I’d tell the team and Ruby’s you’ve woken up soon as you did.”“The same with our team just FYI.” Chelsea added.Akame was glad to hear that. She could imagine how worried they were after the kind of fight from last night. Now what Akame was awake, Kurome decided now it was time. “Chelsea, can you leave the room for a moment? I need to talk to Akame. Alone.”Already Chelsea doubted her girlfriend’s orders. “But Kurome-”“It’s fine.” She looked over to Akame. “Leone…”The Faunus blonde stood up. “Got it. Come on Chelsea.”Chelsea sighed as she knew better anyone else when Kurome had something on her mind, it was best not to argue or persuade. “Fine. Just shout if you need anything.” With said, both girlfriends made their way out of the room and closed the door.Now it was just Akame and Kurome left in the room. Kurome was staring intently at the other girl. Akame knew what the conversation was going to be. "Back during our fight, I saw something wierd. I saw these...images, scenes I think that played out in front of me. It was almost like I was seeing the memories of someone else and all of them focused on you. I asked you a question from before and I'll ask it again. Just who are you? More importantly, who are you to me?"Akame sighed as she closed her eyes. She knew this moment would come and wanted to tell her. Now that time had finally come. The only problem now was…would she believe her? There was only one way to find the answer to that. “I supposed I owe you that much and I’ll gladly tell you.” She opened her eyes and gave the other girl a serious look. “Kurome, the truth is…I’m your older sister.”The whole room was in silence after Akame had said that. It didn’t help her anticipation any better knowing what Kurome might’ve thought of that. “That’s…” Kurome hesitated but then looked a little made. “That’s complete and utter bullshit! You? My sister and my older sister at that?! I don’t have any family related to me! I’ve known that much my entire life!” Akame expected a reaction like that from the very start. Of course, she would say those kinds of things. “So why is it that I believe you?” That was something Akame didn’t expect to hear. She saw Kurome’s expression turn somber and lowered her head. “That girl who kept saying big sister to you, that was me, wasn’t it? And in that last scene I saw, you…kill her. Or should I say me” She gripped the sheets tightly and looked directly at Akame. “Just what was that all of about?” She just wanted answers at this point.This time, Akame lowered her head. She had come clean and explain everything to her. "In all honesty, who you saw was the Kurome I knew back in another world. We were once sisters, sold as slaves and trained to be killers. We always protected each other but were separated. I wanted to save her but in the end, I was the one who took her life.”Kurome had so many questions after hearing that but she only asked one. “If you wanted to save her, why did you kill her?”Once again, Akame felt that same guilt from before. “During our separation, she was being experimented on countless times on drugs. All of that changed her. Made her dependent on it and was ruining her body. I wanted to save her but in doing so, she believed that coming with me meant betrayal to those that fought alongside her.”Kurome couldn’t help but laugh at that. “That kinda sounds like me. Except for the whole drug use.”The difference was at least this time, they were on the same side and Kurome was subjected to the same kind of thing in this world. "Even if I wanted to save her, it was all up to her whether she wanted my help or not. That resulted in me ending my own sister's life. There wasn't a day after that I couldn't stop thinking about that moment. Even when I hid it from everyone else, the guilt I felt was heavy. Taking her life was the one death I regretted the most. Even now…" She placed a hand on her arm. "That sin is still within me. All I ever wanted, more than anything, was to be sisters again be like what were before but I knew that would never happen.” Akame closed her eyes. “Then I saw you. I just couldn’t believe it. It was like I was seeing a ghost from my past. Seeing you again…was the happiest I’d ever felt. I thought this was a second chance. For me to make things right with her. With you.”Kurome had no idea Akame had this much trouble. She actually felt bad for the other girl. “To be honest, that’s a little weird to hear. Even more so since I kinda doubt we’re even related.”Akame had already known about that a long time ago. "I know that but still. It's true you're not the Kurome I once knew but I still want to make things right. That’s my only wish.”Kurome really had to think about this whole thing. Apparently and from what Taeko would say about this, she was the reincarnation of Akame’s younger sister. Technically, Akame is her sister and wanted nothing more than be to sisters with her again. The thought of having an older sister was still strange to her. Strange as all of this seemed, she actually wasn’t against it. Kurome got out of her bed and walked over to Akame’s bed. Akame still had her eyes closed but opened them when she felt a pair of arms wrapped around her. Kurome was hugging her. “You know, I really can’t blame you for losing your sister. You tried everything you could do. None of it was your fault. It was just…beyond your control.” Akame carefully wrapped her arms around Kurome and returned the hug. “You know I really don’t mind being your little sister if you'll have me as your sister. On the condition, you tell me everything. Not matter how freaking weird or far-fetched it is."Never had Akame thought she would hear those words. She buried her face into Kurome’s shoulder and cried. “I would happily be your big sister again, Kurome.” Kurome smiled at the words. After death and another world, the two sisters were finally reunited and this time, they’ll make it right.Outside of the infirmary, Leone and Chelsea were waiting for the talk to end. Chelsea couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. “What do you think they’ll talking about?”Leone shrugged. “Beats me but must be something important.” That was a lie. Leone knew exactly what they were talking about. She had already texted the team and Ruby about Akame waking up.The door suddenly opened and out came Akame and Kurome. Chelsea was relieved Kurome was out of the room. “Finally. What did you two talk about?”Kurome giggled nervously and Akame just smiled. “Yeah…here’s the thing. Chelsea, Akame here is…my older sister.”Chelsea really didn’t know what to think about that. “She’s your what now!?” Leone couldn’t help but laugh at her reaction. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Thirty Five: The Calm before the Storm“So…you were an assassin?”“Yes.”“And you actually killed people.”“Yes.”“Like, people who were alive?”“Yes.”“And that Faunus girl was an assassin too?”“Yes.”Kurome shook her head as she laughed at what Akame had told her. “I’ll be damned.”Kurome and Akame were currently sitting a table at the fairgrounds having lunch together. If Akame would call lunch with Kurome almost having every kind of food there is from the every stand. Apparently, her sister had her former appetite. The crowd around them did give them strange looks. Probably because of the fight the two sisters had from the night before but they didn’t mind them one bit. “The people we killed were those who harmed innocent people. Some were targets we were ordered because of how dangerous they were.”Kurome took a bite out of her burger. “So…you guys were like vigilantes. Bringing justice on your own?”Akame chuckled at the explanation. “It’s something like that.”Her sister shook her head. "Wow. I don't think there are many people who can say that their sister was a former assassin from another world. Aren't I a lucky girl? So you and that Faunus girl actually known each other a long time huh?"Akame just ate some french fries and downed them with a soda. "Yes. We've been on the same team for a long time."Kurome chuckled at that. “Least you two have each other. If you ask me, you really struck gold with her.” She could see why her sister ended up with a girl like Leone. It was also funny they were both dating girls. Sister. That term was still foreign to her but she liked spending quality time with Akame and getting to know her. Even if some of the details were a little out there. “So how did you two end up in Remnant in the first place?”Akame tried to recall the details. “We slept in a forest in our world and then we woke up in the Emerald Forest. Leone once told me something about that forest. There was some deity who lived there that helped those who have a wish. What I wished for was to have a new life. Start over. That wish brought the both of us here.”At this point, Kurome was willing to believe anything her sister said. "I’d say it worked out. You’re trying to make it as a huntress, you have a good girlfriend, a lot of friends. I call that a good trade up. Oh, and you have your little sister again. There’s that too.” Akame admitted that was true and continued to eat with her sister.From a distance, Chelsea was peeking behind from one of the concession stands with Rienna. The blonde still didn’t know what her teammate’s problem was. “Why are we spying on Kurome again?”Chelsea continued to observe the two girls. “Because I won’t believe what Kurome said to me. Akame is her sister? You know as well as I do she doesn’t have any family and now Kurome says that girl is her older sister?”Rienna did think that was slightly weird. “Yeah but now that I see it, they do kinda look similar.”Chelsea groaned at that. “Oh don’t go saying that too and where’s Taeko? Thought I sent her a text saying to meet up with the rest of us.”“Taeko is somewhere else right now.” Rienna replied.“And what do we have here?” Both girls gasped and turned around to see Leone smiling at them. “So what are you two doing?”“Nothing!” The two girls replied at once.The Faunus blonde chuckled at their reactions. “Oh, okay then. If it’s nothing, what do we say we get something to eat together?” She held up two cards. “It’ll be on me.”For some reason, one of the cards looked familiar to Chelsea. “Hey, wait a minute.” She patted her pockets and Rienna did the same. They soon found out about something. “Those are our cards!”Leone was loving their expressions. “You got it.” She threw the cards back at them and they caught them. “So what are you two actually doing?”Chelsea glared at the Faunus girl. “Wondering what the hell your leader did my girlfriend. I’ve known Kurome for a long time and I know she doesn’t have any family related to her. Then all of a sudden she says Akame is her long lost older sister? Something about this just doesn’t make sense.”If only Chelsea knew what Kurome really did to her back in Leone’s world. She decided to play along. “Hey, I’m kinda surprised by this whole thing too but you don’t see me freaking out about it.”“But it doesn’t make sense!” Chelsea retorted.Leone crossed her arms under her breasts. “Look, I get it. You’re freaking out about this whole and maybe a little worried your girlfriend-” That sounded very weird for Leone to say that considering what happened to her before. “Is going to spend more time than with you. If you ask me, just roll with it and it’ll be better. That’s what I’m doing.”Chelsea groaned as she closed her eyes and pinched her eyebrows. “It’s just…weird for me, that’s all.”Rienna placed a hand on her teammate’s shoulder. “There there. It’ll be okay Chelsea. If you ask me, this is great for Kurome. Family is important.” She smiled sadly. “I should know.”This whole thing still didn’t make sense to Chelsea and sighed. “Fine.” She removed her fingers and opened her eyes. “Doesn’t mean I’ll get used to this anytime soon.” Now she had a question of her own. “So what are you doing here?”“Same as you. Checking up on my girl and her sister.” Leone replied.Rienna looked confused. “Akame is your girl?”Chelsea held up her hand to her. “Later on that. Why aren’t you with your team then?”Leone had a very good reason. “Cora went somewhere and Esdeath…I really don’t know where she is. We are going to meet up when the next match starts. What about you two? Going to spy on your leader for the rest of the day?”That was the initial plan before all of this “Probably not. I think we’ll just wander around the fairgrounds until the match starts. What about you?”Leone was going to answer Chelsea’s question before she felt her scroll vibrate. She took it out of her pocket and checked the message. Leone smiled at the text. “Same as you but I gotta meet up with someone. I’ll see you later.” She left the two girls with that same smile on her face.Chelsea looked over at Kurome who was laughing with Akame. She smiled at the scene. “Now that I think about it, I really never did see Kurome laugh like that. Even with me.”Rienna was also happy that her leader was happy. “We should leave her alone. It wouldn’t be nice to interrupt family.” The other girl admitted Rienna had a point and smiled “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go.” The blonde nodded and the two left while the new sisters continued to enjoy each other’s company. B “So can I see it?”“Of course.” Taeko pulled out her weapon from the sheath slowly until it was fully drawn. “Here it is.”Cornelia marveled at the blade’s beauty. “So that’s the sword you use. What’s its name?”“Tsugaku-Hime.” Taeko replied.Cornelia really like the name. As of now both of them were in Taeko’s team room. Cornelia received the text from Leone and read that Akame is awake and well. She was very happy to know that her leader was alright but she was already with Taeko at this time. The reason why there were in the room in the first place was so Cornelia could see what kind of weapon Taeko used and how it was. The blonde took a closer look at the sword and noticed something unusual. “This sword isn’t like any of the other weapons. It’s kinda the same with Jaune’s.”Taeko knew what she was talking about. “My family has always thoughts weapons like these were superior to the modern day weaponry. None of the complications of machinery. This sword has been in my family for generations. My grandmother wielded and my mother before me."It was rather sweet for Cornelia to hear that. “So it’s like a family heirloom you can still use. I can tell it is pretty powerful considering the way you use it along with your semblance.”The other girl smiled at the compliment. “Thank you.” She sheathed her sword and placed it against the wall. “Are you sure you don’t want to reconvene with your team? You did say your leader woke up.”Cornelia shook her head. “I’m good thanks. Besides, we’ll see each when the next match starts. That and I wanted to spend more time with you considering…” She slightly blushed.Taeko blushed as well since she knew what the other girl was talking about. “Y-Yes. Let us not be reminded such an act.”Both girls needed a topic to discuss. One did cross Cornelia’s mind. “Your family. What’s it like?” She asked as she sat down on one of the beds.Taeko was more than happy to discuss that to avoid thinking about that scene as she sat down as well. “My family…my family has been around for a long time. Farthest I know was my grandmother’s grandmother.”Cornelia whistled at that. “Wow.”The other girl chuckled. “Yes. From what I know, my household was very strict. Especially with me since I lost both of my parents from an important mission. From then on, my grandmother looked over me. I'm the sole heiress to the family. It's quite the heavy weight I carry." The blonde share a similar feeling. "I lost my parents in a fire. I wasn't in some high-end family. I could barely remember my parent's faces. I was taken in by a hunter and I became his adopted daughter. He’s the reason why I wanted to be a huntress in the first place. I wanted to save and change lives like he did. Like he did for me.” Taeko thought that was a very noble goal. “We do have a couple of things in common. We both may have lost our real parents but we have people who still care for us today. You know what that’s like right?”Taeko knew Cornelia wasn’t wrong. Despite the constant looking over of her family, she was grateful for her grandmother and for having a friend like Chelsea to get through the hard times. “Yes, I do. I am eternally grateful to them.” She shifted her body a little and both girls gasped when they felt a slight contact with each other’s hands. Both girls looked at their hands. “I-I’m sorry.” She started to move her hand away.“Don’t.” Cornelia placed her hand over Taeko’s and both girl’s looked at each other. “I’ve…never really gotten that moment out of my head you know. I do think you’re a…really nice person and…I think you’re…pretty too.”Taeko blushed at the compliment. She slightly moved her eyes to the side to avoid looking. She had her fair share of compliments from other people and just waved them off but hearing that Cornelia actually made her heart skip a beat. “T-Thank you.”“Taeko, look at me.” The other girl did just so and saw the serious look in the blonde’s eye. “What do you think of me? I’m pretty sure you still remember that moment of ours, right?”Taeko tried so hard to forget that moment but her mind said otherwise. So did her other senses as she couldn’t forget the feel of Cornelia’s lips on her own. It was like an overpowering force came over her and couldn’t stop thinking about it. “I…I do.”Cornelia held the other girl’s hand. “Then I’m sure you’re feeling what I’m feeling.”The other girl felt her heart racing. “Is this…why you truly wanted to spend time with me?”The blonde giggled at the question. “Part of it.” She neared her face to Taeko’s while Taeko unknowingly did the same. They both closed their eyes and their lips met again. This time, both girls felt a sudden burst within their chests. The kiss only lasted a few seconds before they separated and opened their eyes. Each girl saw the warmth in each other's eyes. Taeko then suddenly grabbed Cornelia by the shoulders and shoved down the blonde down to the bed and kissed her again but this time with more passion. Cornelia was taken by surprise at the sudden action but didn’t fight it and returned the kiss. The kiss lasted longer than the last one and kept it up for several minutes before Taeko broke it off. She had a heavy blush spread across her face. “Cornelia, just what does this means for us?”Cornelia smiled at the other girl. “Whatever you want us to be and please…” She cupped Taeko’s cheek. “You can call me Cora.” She brought Taeko’s face back to hers to resume the kiss. B “Ruby, look at this!”“No Ruby. Look at this!”“Ruby, look!”Ruby was glad Esdeath and Weiss were giving her so much attention but even this was a little too much for her. “T-That’s okay you two. You don’t need to shower me with gifts all the time.” Both girls looked at each other and lightning sparked out of their eyes. Neither one of them was going to let up in this bout. Why Ruby decided to let Esdeath join them was beyond Weiss. They put away the gifts and continued to walk with Ruby in the fairgrounds. “So are you going to visit Akame anytime soon Esdeath?”The other girl shook her head. “No. I have a feeling she would want to spend some time with Kurome. Besides, we’ll all just regroup at the next match.”Weiss was overall happy for that. “Hopefully things will work out this time. Sisters can be closest of families.” She was speaking of experience.Esdeath gave a small smile and slightly lowered her head. “It must be nice having a sister.”Ruby and Weiss looked at each other and couldn’t help but feel bad for Esdeath. “Cheer up Esdeath. You still have your dad and the team you’re on. No matter what, family is important.”Esdeath knew Ruby had a point. “Yeah, you’re right and thank you for letting me spend time with you.”The young leader smiled brightly at the other girl. “You’re welcome Esdeath.”Esdeath didn’t know why she liked the way Ruby smiled. Meanwhile, Weiss didn’t like how Esdeath was looking at Ruby. Her plan to spend time with Ruby was ruined after she invited Esdeath with them. “With her here, it’ll be that much more difficult finding a present for Ruby. All I want to do is just confess to Ruby.” She sighed. “Well, on the bright side, Esdeath doesn’t have much of a chance going on that date with Ruby. I still have plenty of time of finding the perfect gift.” “Are you hungry?”Weiss’ thoughts were interrupted by a question from Ruby. “W-What?”Ruby giggled at her partner. “Are you hungry Weiss?”The heiress thought about the question for a few seconds. “I do feel a little peckish.”The answer was more than enough for the younger girl. “Great! I’ll go get us some food. Wait right here.” Ruby dashed off to the nearest concession stand.Weiss couldn’t help but smile at Ruby’s cheerfulness. She learned to appreciate it despite the rocky start they had. “I know what you’re doing Weiss.” The heiress looked over at Esdeath who saw Ruby leave. “I’ve seen the way you look at Ruby. It’s obvious you have feelings for her.”The heiress looked away from the other girl. “Oh, and you don’t? I’m sure by now you know what you’re feeling.”Esdeath wasn’t going to deny that. “I do admit Ruby has a certain charm that I can’t resist. The last time someone smiled at me like that was my mother. My father had told me that a couple of times. He even said I had her smile. I never knew what that smile was but I’m sure it was something like Ruby’s. Maybe that’s why I like smiles so much.” Weiss had never thought about that before. There were times where Ruby smiling at her was the best thing that happened to her for the day. “So I guess this means whoever wins Ruby’s affection, is the winner. Correct?”Weiss was up for the challenge. “I suppose you’re right. All I have to say is…may the best girl win.”Esdeath didn’t have a problem with that. “Indeed.”“Hey, I’m back.” The two girls saw Ruby carrying some of the food with her. She looked at them and noticed something changed. “What’s going on?”Weiss smiled at her partner. “Nothing important Ruby. Let’s go eat together.” All three girls proceeded to the nearest table to enjoy their meal together. B "Say cheese!" Yang took a picture of her, Blake and Leone with her scroll. She separated from the two girls and smiled at the picture. "Awesome. Saving that to favorites." The small family was at one of the stone paths around the academy. Yang wanted to spend more time them and it was enjoying every second of it. Blake was feeling the same way. This was the most fun she had in…forever actually. To Leone, it reminded of the more fun times she had with Night Raid. Yang put her scroll away. “So, you told us Akame is awake and that’s pretty good. Why aren’t you with her now? I remember you spending the first half of the day in the infirmary.”Leone chuckled at that. “That’s true but I owe it to Akame to catch up with Kurome and they have a lot of it to do.”Yang didn’t argue with that. “I get it. She deserves that second chance, ya know.”Her daughter couldn’t agree more. “Yeah. Akame being reunited and being sisters with Kurome again. It’s like a dream come true to her and I’m happy for that.” Yang was happy to hear that.While the mother and daughter were talking, the father was debating on a critical decision. She decided it was time. “Yang.”Her girlfriend looked over at her. "Yeah? What is it, Blake?"Blake was feeling a little nervous. The first time her true identity was revealed, it didn’t go so well. This time, she’ll do it right. All she hoped for that Leone wouldn’t have a huge reaction to it. “I want to tell Leone the truth.”Yang instantly knew what the Faunus girl was talking about. “Really? Seriously?” Blake nodded at the question.Leone looked between her two parents and was very confused. “What are you two talking about? Tell me what?”Blake took in a deep breath and steeled herself. “The truth of who I was before.”Leone was a little surprised her dad had one more secret other than being a Faunus. What that secret was, she could tell it was an important one. “Alright.” She crossed her arms under her breasts. “What exactly do you want to tell me?”This was the moment Blake was waiting for. Her daughter needed to know. She looked around the area and they were the only ones around. Blake reached for her bow and took it off which Yang thought was strange. Her cat ears were on full display. "I was…a member of the White Fang once."Hearing that made Leone feel like time had stopped for just a moment. She gritted her and closed her hands tightly as she was feeling a little angry. “You got to be shitting me, right? You were part of those goddamn insane fuckers?!”Blake knew Leone would be mad about this. She was well aware of how much she didn't like them. "I won't deny it. I was with the White Fang for as long as I can remember. Childhood even but they weren't the group you know now. They were peaceful once…” Leone scoffed at that but Blake continued. “And we didn’t solve everything by violence. It was more protests and rallies about being equal to humans and I was proud at one point. That is until our leader stepped down and a new one took his place. Within the White Fang, I was mentored by a person called Adam Taurus. He was the one who taught me how to fight. How to defend myself. At first, I was glad to be his protégé but then I started to notice the changes. They were little at first but they became bigger each time and he became more ruthless. Our protests became more about violence. Signs were replaced by weapons and before I knew it, the White Fang I first came into and loved had changed. I couldn’t stand it anymore since this isn’t what I envisioned. What I wanted. So I left the White Fang and decided to burn the bridges behind me. And that’s it. Since then, I met Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and everyone else. Including you. This…” She gestured at the scene around her. “This was something I never imagined I would have back then. Having someone like Yang…” Yang smiled at that. “And a daughter like you. A family is something I thought I would never have but it did and for that, I’m grateful.” Blake sighed and smiled as she was finally glad Blake was able to tell not only the truth but her feelings about having a family.Leone took in each word from Blake’s explanation and came to a conclusion. “You were in the White Fang right?”Blake was suddenly worried. “Yes but-”“The keyword here is were. You’re not with them anymore and that’s all that matters to me.” She smiled at her father. “I’m happy you said the rest of that stuff.” She chuckled at a thought. “I just realized. I’m the daughter of a former terrorist who happens to be a former assassin.”Blake thought that was funny as well. “Poor choice of jobs, huh?”Both girls laughed at that thought. Yang laughed as well. “Good thing we chose a better career choice huh?”All of them had a laugh together and Leone smiled at Blake. “Thanks for telling me all of that…dad. I appreciate it.”Blake was glad for two reasons. Leone calling her dad and saying thank. “Thank you. I was worried what you would’ve thought of me if I told you all of that.”Leone was angry when Blake told her she was part of the White Fang but wasn’t anymore. “As long you’re not with them anymore. I still don’t like them and they already made their bed.” That was something Blake could agree on. The White Fang had made their choice a long time ago. Leone then thought of something and chuckled. “Now that I think about it, it’s ironic you’re on the same team as Weiss. Be even more ironic if you went out with her instead.”“Hey!”Leone looked over at her mother. "Well, it would be."Yang had to admit she was right. It would be ironic and funny. She clapped her hands a few times. “Alright now. That’s enough wallowing in the past. We gotta focus on the future right now. What do you say we do something fun right now?”Blake nodded at that. “That’s sounds wonderful Yang.”Leone couldn’t agree more. “Yeah! We got the rest of the day until the next match starts. Let’s not waste it.” With that said, Blake tied her ribbon back into a bow over her ears and the family made their way back to the fairgrounds. B The sun was setting over the fairgrounds as the next match was nearing. Akame very much enjoyed spending time with Kurome. Her sister thought the same. She learned everything Akame told her about. The world they were in, who they were, the weapon she formerly used, the team she was formerly on. Kurome learned a lot about her former life and how horrible it was. As of now, both sisters were sitting at ramen stand enjoying their meal once again. Kurome couldn’t help but chuckle at everything she had learned. “I gotta say, you had a pretty interesting life Akame.”Her sister slurped some of the noodles. "That's one way to put it. It's been difficult yes, but I did have some fond memories." She remembered her old team and Night Raid. “And I treasure them always.”Kurome slurped her noodles as well and smiled sadly. “Hearing all that makes me appreciate the life I have now.” She chuckled. “To be honest, it’s true I don’t have any family related to me but I do have a mother figure. If you can call her that. She’s the headmistress of the school I go to. Far as I’ve known, I’ve been hopping around foster home to foster home ever since I was a baby. I can tell you that it didn’t leave a very good childhood. Some of the families were good, other were complete shit. It wasn’t until I was thirteen I was adopted by the headmistress. She told me I had untapped potential and I should put it to good use. And that’s how my path as a huntress began. I attended school and that’s where I first met Chelsea and Taeko. I never expected to end up on a team with them once we went on to the next school which just so happens to be the school my adoptive mother runs. My team doesn’t know about it because I don’t want it to be a big deal.”It seemed Kurome had led a slightly better life in this world and Akame was glad for that. “So when did you and Chelsea decide to be together?”Kurome fondly remembered that moment. “It was a year later when she finally confessed to me. I admit it was weird at first having a girl of all people confessing to me but I didn’t object. I thought to myself to give it a try. Best decision I’ve ever made. She occasionally gives me lollipops time to time. Before I knew it, I was head over heels with her. But after what you told me about her back in your world, I so appreciate her more now.” She slurped more of her noodles. “Also kinda ironic we’re both dating girls.”Akame laughed in agreement. "Yes, it is."The sun fully set and night arrived. Not long after, an announcement came up. “Can all participants report to the arena? The second match of the Single’s round will begin in half an hour.” “Those who do not attend will be disqualified. That is all.” The announcement ended.Kurome smiled at it. “You heard the guy.” She picked up her bowl and started to down the entire thing. Once she was finished, Kurome set it down with a content sigh. “Let’s head over there now.” Akame nodded and proceeded to the same with her bowl. Once she was done, both sisters made their way to the arena. B “Hey there!” ALCE, RWBY, and KRCT all reunited at the entrance were happy to see each other again. Cornelia was the first to hug Akame. “I’m so glad to see you again. It’s great you’re up now.”Akame smiled at her teammate. “It’s nice to see you two.”The girls separated only for Esdeath grab her leader and hug her as well. And having Akame’s face shoved into her breasts. “I’m happy to see you’re well too!”Leone was annoyed by the sight for some reason. “Hey! Shoving Akame into breasts in my job!” Esdeath giggled awkwardly and let go of Akame.Yang got a kick out of that and looked at KRCT. “So what are you all doing here?”Chelsea smiled at the blonde. “We kinda figured our leader would still be with her sister. Besides, might as well enjoy the rest of the fights.”Taeko wondered if she heard that right. “Wait, Akame is Kurome’s sister?”“We’ll tell you that later.” Rienna reassured.Yang stretched out her neck. “Well, I’m heading for the arena. Let’s hope I get my shot this time.”Blake smiled at her girlfriend. “Good luck.” She gave the blonde a quick kiss and Yang enjoyed it.She broke the kiss and smiled. “Now I know I can’t lose. See all of you later!” Yang waved goodbye and went on her way.Cornelia couldn’t help but laugh. “You two are so sweet, you know that?”Leone agreed to that and noticed something else. “They sure are. By the way Cora, where did you get the hickey?” Cornelia gasped and covered her neck. That made the Faunus blonde all the more curious. “Ah ha! Who have you been seeing?” Taeko slightly blushed and looked away. It didn’t go unnoticed by Chelsea.Ruby smiled at the whole thing. “Let’s get to our seats. They’re going to start any minute.” Everyone nodded and made their way to their seats. Ruby stopped for a few seconds and looked behind her as if something was wrong but continued walking. All of them took their seats and saw the remaining combatants. Most of them. One was obviously missing. “Where’s Mercury?”Weiss didn’t know and she couldn’t care less. “Who knows? Maybe he dropped out.”Blake didn’t think it was that simple. “But what for?”Oobleck shifted his glasses as he noticed Mercury was missing as well. “It seems Mercury Black is not present. Due to his absence, he and his team are now disqualified. Now let us begin the random selection for the second match of the Single’s round.”Ruby still couldn’t shake this strange feeling off of her. She looked around and stood up. That was when she spotted a certain someone alone across the arena. “Emerald?” The young leader started to walk away. “Ruby, where are you going?” Weiss asked.Her partner stopped momentarily. “I’ll be back, I promise.” She started to run off. Weiss sighed as she sometimes had no idea what goes through her leader’s head sometimes.“Guess it’s just us for the time being.” Blake spoke.Weiss looked back at the arena. “Guess so.”The randomization selection started and Yang was anxious to pick a fight. “The next matchup is…” After a few more seconds, the selection stopped and the two fighters were chosen. Yang was disappointed again that she was selected. “Penny Polendina versus Pyrrha Nikos!”With the two fighters selected, everyone else began to clear out until it was just the two of them. Leone was slightly impressed by the matchup. “So it’s that chick again and she’s fighting against Pyrrha. I doubt the fight will be as intense as yours Akame.”Akame chuckled at that. "Let's hope not."Yang made it back to her team looking a little down. “Luck is not on my side. That’s twice now.”Blake felt a little of the same way. “You’ll have your chance soon enough Yang.”Her girlfriend appreciated the words. "Thanks." She noticed one certain little sister missing. "Where did Ruby go?"That was what Weiss wanted to know. “She went off somewhere.”It was weird for her sister to leave just like that. Yang sat down next to Blake. “If she’ll be back, she’ll be back so don’t worry.” Weiss could only hope Yang was right.The arena was raised and Penny smiled at her opponent. “Salutations Pyrrha Nikos. It is an honor fighting against you.”Pyrrha gave a small smile to the other girl. “I feel the same way.”Leone noticed something strange about her friend. “Is it just me or is Pyrrha not all there?”Cornelia just shrugged. “Maybe she’s just nervous. I would be.” Leone knew it was something more than that.The air horn blared out and the match began. As usual, Penny summoned her swords and was the first to attack. The fight wasn’t as intense as Akame and Kurome’s but it was more enjoyable. A little more into the fight, Akame began to notice something strange. “Something isn’t right.”The team looked over at her. “What do you mean?” Esdeath asked.Akame continued to observe Pyrrha’s movements. “The way she’s moving and dodging is too sporadic. Even with all the swords Penny is using.”Leone was able to piece together what her girlfriend was saying. “You might be thinking something is messing up Pyrrha?”Her girlfriend nodded at the question. “I would believe so. The question now is, what’s the cause of it? I doubt Penny is the one doing it.”Leone scouted the entire arena to see who was doing it. Her beast eyes made sure to catch even the smallest details. Finally, she spotted something. Or rather, someone and it was someone she recognized. Emerald. “It’s one of Cinder’s following lackeys.” She saw the small gestures Emerald was making with her hands and Leone narrowed her eyes. “So that’s it!” Leone stood up suddenly. “Akame.”Akame understood and stood up as well. “Lead the way.” Both girls made their way to Emerald quickly as possible.“Hey! Where are you two going?!” Cornelia’s question didn’t reach them.The former assassins kept running to where Emerald was sitting at. “That one chick from Cinder’s group is doing that to Pyrrha!”It made the most sense to Akame. “Of course. Her semblance is illusion. She can make people see things that aren’t there. Pyrrha must be under the guise that Penny must have more swords she’s actually using.”Leone gritted her teeth in anger. “What the hell is that bitch up to?”That was something Akame would like to know as well. “We’ll know soon enough but for now, let’s stop her before Pyrrha does something she’ll regret.”Meanwhile, Emerald was making sure Pyrrha was seeing as many swords as possible Penny was using. “Just a little more now.” Making people see illusions from a distance was difficult but possible. The plan was for Pyrrha to use semblance on the real swords and…reveal Penny who she really was. She made sure Pyrrha was seeing lots of swords. Emerald could tell it was working. “There we go.” Penny sent all of her (visible) swords at Pyrrha. “It’s done.” “That’s enough!” Emerald was suddenly tackled to the ground by Akame and the nearby spectators were surprised by this. Akame saw use Pyrrha use her semblance on the swords and sent them back at Penny. “Leone!”The Faunus blonde leaped onto the railing. “I’m on it!”She launched herself off the railing and straight at Penny. One of the wires was already wrapped around Penny’s arm. Akame looked down at Emerald. “It’s over now.”Emerald laughed at her. “You think so huh?”“This is going to be close.” All Penny could do was stand in surprise as one of the wires was heading right toward her. “Get down now!” Leone tackled Penny to the ground and the wire missed. The Faunus blonde sighed in relief. “Another second late and this chick would’ve been sliced in half.” She looked over at Penny. “You alright?” She stood up as she closed her eyes.Penny nodded at her. “I am fine. Thank you for your concern.”Leone smiled at her and opened her eyes. "Hey, it's no prob…the freaking hell?!" Apparently, Leone was a little too late as Penny was missing an arm. What's more was that her arm not too far was still moving. Penny waved what was left of her arm. "You're a freaking robot?!" Everyone else was surprised by this and not just because Leone interrupted a match. Everyone couldn’t believe it. Most of all, the crowd felt a little angry.“Leone?” The Faunus blonde and Penny looked over at Pyrrha who looked scared and confused. “What’s going on?”Leone was going to answer when there was a sudden noise all over and heard someone speaking. The voice sounded familiar. Akame recognized. “That’s Cinder talking. What’s going on?”Emerald laughed at her confusion. "I'll give you the short story. Everything you know is going to end."“What are you saying?” Before she could get an answer, Akame heard a heavy thumping from the top of the coliseum and looked up to see a Nevermore pecking at the force field. Everyone else saw it as well.It was then another announcement. “Danger threat level nine. Danger threat level nine. Danger threat level nine.” The same message repeated itself over and over. All Akame and everyone else could do was stare in horror but the true horror to befall them has yet to begin. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Thirty Six: Assault on Beacon “Danger level threat nine. Danger level threat nine. Danger level threat nine. Protective defenses failing.” All Akame could do was stare at the Nevermore trying to break into the arena while the people were fleeing in a panic. Why this was happening was still racing through her mind. Emerald saw an opportunity and hit Akame’s face with the back of her head. Her grip on the other girl loosened and Emerald managed to escape. “Ha ha! See ya later bitch. Enjoy the end!”Akame groaned and opened her eyes to see that Emerald was nowhere to be found. No, she was using her illusion semblance for cover. Akame could still sense her aura. As much as Akame hated to admit it, she had to let Emerald go. As of now, there were more pressing matters to be concerned about. The Nevermore broke through the force field and began flying around in it screeching. What a time for not having Murasame with her. The Nevermore was heading right for Leone, Pyrrha, and Penny. “Grau Horn!” A giant ice spike erupted from the ground and pierced through the Nevermore. The Grimm screeched out in pain before it died. Leone looked over at her teammate. “Esdeath?”"Leone!" The Faunus blonde looked over at Akame who leaped over the railing and ran over to the small group. "Are you okay?"The Faunus chuckled at the question. “Sure you want to be asking me that?” She nodded over at Penny. Akame was surprised that the girl she was seeing wasn’t human at all. “What are you?”“Penny!” Everyone saw Ruby rushing over and gave her friend a hug. “I was so worried. I thought-”"I am fine Ruby." Penny broke the hug and smiled at her friend. "As you can see, I am still combat ready." At least she hasn't lost that cheerful attitude of hers.Leone took a closer look at the missing arm. “So…can’t you regenerate your arm or something?”Penny didn’t quite understand that. “I don’t believe I possess such an ability.” Leone thought she did have that since apparently Penny was similar to Susanoo.“Ruby!” Everyone saw Yang and the rest of their friends coming over to them. The blonde was happy her sister was okay.Weiss was the same but at the same time, a little angry. “Where were you all this time?!”Ruby looked away from her partner. “I went into one of the hallways and I saw Mercury. I wondered why he was doing there of all places when I heard Penny was going to fight against Pyrrha. I tried to take him on but…he kinda knocked me out.”“He did what!?” Both Weiss and Esdeath were angry Mercury did that to Ruby.Blake looked at Penny as she was still a little surprised about what her friend really was. “You’re actually a robot?”Penny looked over at her missing arm and back at her friends. “I suppose the correct term for this particular situation is the cat is out of the bag now.”Everyone heard soft sobbing and looked over at Pyrrha who had tears coming out of her eyes. “Penny…I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to-”“It’s not your fault.” Akame spoke and everyone looked at her. “You were under Emerald’s illusion. She’s the one responsible and not only her. She and her team.”Now everyone was confused. “Cinder is involved in this?” Ruby asked.Leone gritted her teeth. “I knew it. I knew there was something I didn’t like about that bitch. By the way, where is Emerald? I thought you had her pinned?”Akame looked away slightly. “She got away but that isn’t important now.” “She’s right.” Sun spoke up. "We still have one huge problem here."He had a point. There was only one question on Cornelia’s mind. “So what do we do now?”Everyone took out their scrolls and pressed some buttons. In the next few seconds, all of their lockers dropped down around them. The lockers opened up and they all took out their weapons. Except for Yang and Leone. They just activated their weapons that were hanging around their wrists. “Pays to have your weapons as bracelets. Am I right?” Leone laughed in agreement.“So…” Kurome set her weapon on her shoulder. “Let’s go save the school.” Velvet decided to take a photo of all of them with their weapons. Some of them thought it was an odd time for her to take a photo at a time like this.“Wait, hold on.” They looked over at Rienna who was still putting on her weapons.Chelsea groaned. “Oh for the love of-”Suddenly all of them heard a noise from on top and look from above to see several Grimm screeching at them. Neptune pumped his gun. “Great. Griffons.”The Griffons screeched more and they flew into the arena. Seems they had to fight against them first.“Sun, can you give me your scroll?” Sun smiled at her and tossed his scroll using his tail to Ruby. She pressed a few buttons and locker arrived near her. Ruby opened it up and took out Crescent Rose. As the first one began to attack, it was shot off. The students looked to where it came from. “Professor Port?” Ruby asked since both Port and Oobleck were carrying their weapons.Port looked at all of his students. “Children, please this to us. We’ll handle it from here.”“But-”“Children, please.” Oobleck spoke. “This’ll go down in the history of Beacon. I would prefer you are still around to tell it.”Akame understood it clearly. “Of course.” She turned away from the teachers. “Let’s go.” She started to run toward the exit.Everyone else followed her. “You two better kick some serious ass!” Leone yelled out. With their students out of the way, the two teachers prepared themselves for the fight ahead. The students heard the wails and crying of the other people who were escaping to the shuttle ships. Not only that but they heard gunshots as well. All of them made it to the port and saw a lone figure before them holding a gun. They all stopped in front of him. “Who the hell is this guy?”Ruby recognized him from before. “General Ironwood.”Leone was surprised to hear that. “This guy’s a general?”Ironwood looked at all of them carefully. Especially at Akame and Leone. He still couldn’t believe these two were assassins. He pointed his gun at them and shot a Beowolf that was coming from behind. “I’m glad all of you are alright. As you now know, we are in a time of crisis. You have two choices. Either fight or leave. I won’t fault you if you do.” He saw the look in everyone’s eyes and saw the answer. “Very well.” Everyone nodded and ran off to the find the nearest shuttle. All but one. “Penny.” Penny just stared at the general. “Are you still capable of fighting?”Penny smiled at him. "I am still combat ready."That was all Ironwood needed to hear. “Then go.” Penny understood and ran off to catch up with the others. In all honesty, he was glad she was still safe even though Penny was still missing an arm. He had other matters to attend to.Once Penny entered the shuttle, it began to take off. Ruby looked out the window and saw one of the ships flying a little strange. She trusted her instincts and ran off to the back of the shuttle and opened the hatch. It didn’t go unnoticed by Weiss. “Ruby, what are you doing!?” Her leader ignored the question and ran back into the arena. Weiss sighed at Ruby’s action. “She always acts before thinking.” She pressed the button to close the hatch. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” The hatch fully closed.The shuttle landed near the docks and everyone rushed out of it. They all saw how bad the situation was. Leone cracked her knuckles. “Let’s kill these fuckers!” All of them ran out of the shuttle and toward the front of the school. They met plenty of Grimm that were ahead. Insert RWBY Vol 3 opening The first to arrive were Rienna and Chelsea. “Taeko!”The other girl knew exactly what her teammate meant. “Of course.”Rienna placed her arms in front and spun them around in a counterclockwise fashion while fire came out of her weapons. “Flaming Spiral!” The flames struck a pack of Beowolves at once.Chelsea pointed her fan at the fire attack and a chain of explosions within the fire. “Exploding Flame Chain!” Coco whistled at the combined attack. “That was quite the opening. Now let’s follow up!” Everyone fought the closest Grimm near each of them.“Whirlwind” Taeko swung her sword a few times and delivered several wind blades at several Ursa as they were cut into pieces. Another one approached from behind and Taeko could easily dispose of it. Before she could, Cornelia appeared in front of it and swung her axes at it a few times before pointing them at the Grimm and fired off a few shots before it fell down backwards. Taeko smiled at the other girl. “I could’ve taken it.”Cornelia laughed at that. "Just trying to show off." Both girls were back to back while there more Grimm was approaching them.Taeko welcomed a new feeling. “It’s strange. I feel like I can trust you completely knowing you have my back.”The blonde smiled at that. “Same here. Let’s show them what we can do.” Both girls yelled as they attacked the Grimm.Yang was yelling while socking a few Beowolves and discharging Ember Celica at the same time. After that Beowolf was done, she turned around and fired a few shots at the next closest one. She was honestly enjoying herself. “Who else wants some!?” She heard heavy thudding and turned to see another Ursa Major approaching her. Yang put up her arms. “You want to go next?”The Grimm roared at her and charged at her. Yang was ready until Leone came in between them. “Why don’t you try fighting someone else!?” She uppercut the Grimm high into the air. Out of nowhere, Blake appeared above the Ursa and used both her sword and sheath to slash through the Grimm before it started to fall. She landed next Yang and shot at a few Beowolves at the same. Once the Ursa came near the ground, Yang punched it once again and sent it away. All three girls had their backs to each other. Yang laughed as she had a thought. “Never thought our next family outing would be like this, huh?”Leone didn’t mind it, though. “Hey, as long as we’re kicking ass together I’m good.”Blake couldn't help but think this whole idea of a family outing was strange. "Maybe next time we can do something a little less arduous."Yang was ready for the next round as more Grimm surrounded them. “Whatever that means, sure thing!” The family resumed fighting together.Weiss slashed a few Beowolves near her and was about take on her next one before it was frozen solid and then broke into pieces. She looked at the side and saw Esdeath with her hand out. Esdeath turned around and waved her arm to the side. "Gefrorene Misery!" A wave of ice came from the side and froze all of the Grimm.The heiress was actually impressed. “Am I glad you’re on our side.”Esdeath chuckled at that. “I’m glad to hear that.” Both girls saw a pack of Beowolves approaching them. An idea came to Esdeath. “Can you make three speed glyphs?”Weiss raised an eyebrow at the question. “I can but what for?”The other girl smiled at her. “You’ll see.” She ran over to the heiress and she created the glyphs. Esdeath held out her hand and countless hailstones surrounded her. “Hölle Hagel: Geschwindigkeit.” The hailstones were launched through the glyphs and their speed was increased dramatically. All of them shot through the Grimm and left countless holes in their bodies.Again, Weiss was impressed by this. “Wow. Guess it’s true what they say. Rivals do make good partners.”Esdeath was honored to hear that. “I know it’ll benefit us both in this battle.” She formed her ice swords and held them. Both readied themselves for the next attack.Both Ursa and Beowolves were being cut in half or into pieces while both Akame and Kurome were running past them. Akame jumped ahead and slashed an Ursa in two from the side while a Beowolf jumped right at her. Kurome came from behind and stabbed the Grimm in the head while both of them went on ahead and she landed on the ground. Kurome threw the Beowolf away and saw another Ursa headed toward her. It didn’t even reach her as its head was decapitated by Akame’s sword from afar. She retracted her sword and reunited Kurome. Kurome giggled. “Fighting with you is a lot better than fighting against you.” Akame could say the same. “I’m just glad we’re fighting together again. We did make quite the team back then.”Kurome was happy to hear that. “Then let’s show them what sisters can do. Try to keep up.” She held Trisula to the side. “Amplify times two!” A pulse came out of her body.Akame happily accepted the challenge. “Always.” Both sisters disappeared and multiple Grimm were instantly cut into pieces. Akame stopped momentarily and looked at the rest of them. “Try to cover as much ground as possible!” She resumed killing her intended targets. RWBY Vol 3 opening end With everyone busy killing Grimm, none of them noticed a new threat. Rifles were pointed at them and Leone heard it. She looked over at a group of strange beings she’s never seen before. “Out of the way!” Everyone saw what the Faunus blonde meant by that and moved before the new squad fired. Leone gritted her teeth. “Great. What the hell are we dealing with this time?”Penny knew what they were. “Those are the new robot soldiers under General Ironwood’s command. I don’t understand why they’re attacking us.”Esdeath created several icicles and hurled them at the robots. They pierced through them. "We can worry about that later. Let's just deal with them!"Several more squads of the robot soldiers began to appear. Rienna held out her hand and an explosion blew away one of them. “Grimm and robots? What else are we going to fight?”Blake slashed a Beowolf a few times and it dropped dead. “There you are, traitor!” The Faunus girl gasped and turned around to see a chainsaw coming at her. She deflected the chainsaw with Gambol Shroud but was then kicked from the side. Blake saw slid on the ground until she stopped.The Faunus girl groaned in pain and opened her eye only to gasp at who she was seeing. “The White Fang?” More of the members begin to appear to join into the fray.The member with the chainsaw smiled maliciously at her. “Finally found you. You’re going to pay for your betrayal.” He revved up his chainsaw again and charged over at Blake.Blake was about to grab her weapon but someone intercepted the member. It happened too quickly for him to tell. One second he was ready to kill his fellow Faunus, the next, a flash of yellow went in front and felt a powerful blow to his stomach. He coughed up blood and dropped the chainsaw. In front of him of was Leone who punched him in the stomach and looked angry. “Stay…away from her.” She yelled as the Faunus blonde pushed the White Fang member and sent him over crashing into a wall where the back of it became a bloody mess. He slid down the wall with a blood trail left behind and dropped to the ground lying motionless. Blake was speechless at what she saw. Leone actually killed a member of the White Fang.Said members were horrified by the sight as well. It was then they saw who Leone was really was and were shocked beyond belief. One of their own killed them. Normally, they would be very angry that Leone killed one of them but couldn’t be. Not with the way the Faunus blonde was looking at them. She had a predatory look in her eyes. The look of a killer. In short, she was the predator and they were the prey. One of them shifted their foot back and Leone rushed over to them. It was quick as the Faunus blonde delivered multiple slashes as she passed them all by and stopped behind them. All of them remained motionless for a few seconds before blood spurted out of the White Fang’s bodies as they fell dead to the ground. Leone turned around to see Blake scared. She didn’t blame her. Her daughter offed properly those she knew but they were like any other target and targets must be dealt with. Leone walked over to the other Fauns and stopped in front only to hold her hand to Blake. She saw the weapon Leone had always used. The finger tips were bloodied. “I’m fine.” She managed to stand up on her own.Again, Leone didn’t blame her. “So, the White Fang is here. This is one pretty ballsy attack.” She could see Blake was uncomfortable. “First time seeing others being killed?”To her surprise, her father shook her head. “No. I’ve seen it before. I just never get used to it.”Leone could understand that. Both saw a ship that was on fire falling and crashed into the ground. After that, they heard several screams and saw some Alpha Beowolves going to where the cafeteria was. The Faunus blonde smiled. “Think you can get them? We can handle things here.”Blake nodded in confirmation and ran off. She could catch up to the Beowolves quickly in a short time. That is until she heard a scream and look through a hole and saw the cafeteria was on fire. That wasn’t the thing that caught her interest. Inside the cafeteria, she saw a very familiar person stomp on a student. Blake didn’t expect the White Fang to appear but for him of all people to be here. She suddenly felt very afraid. “Adam…”Adam looked ahead and smiled at who he was seeing. “Hello there, my love.”Back to Akame and the rest of the group, all of them were still busy trying to fight off the Grimm. From afar on top of one of the buildings, Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury were watching the whole spectacle. And Cinder was loving every minute of it. “Isn’t this just wonderful?”Emerald thought differently. “Look at all of them. It’s almost pitiful.”Pitiful or not, it was exactly what Cinder envisioned. “Keep recording will you?”Mercury smiled as he continued to capture what was happening. “Got it.” B In another part of Vale, both Qrow and Glynda were fighting off both Grimm and the robot soldiers. It wasn’t difficult but it was tedious. Qrow slashed through several of the robot soldiers in one go. “These bastards don’t just stop!”Glynda sent several pieces of rubble at a few more of the soldiers. “Are you complaining Qrow?”The huntsmen saw another squad of the soldiers approaching them. “Nope. Not at all!”Before he could go over to them, a pillar of light suddenly shot up into the sky. “Heavenly King!” The light traveled all the way to where the soldiers were and they were enveloped completely. Once the light faded away, the robots were destroyed. Both Glynda and Qrow saw a figure walking toward them. “Hey there! Need some help?”Qrow scoffed at the question and the person he was seeing. “I’ll be damned. Kingsman hunter Gozuki King.”Gozuki smiled at the other hunter as he held his glaive over his shoulder. “And you’re Qrow Branwen. I’ve heard some things about you. Oh, and I hope you don’t mind if I brought a friend over.”Qrow was about to ask when he heard a rumbling. He looked beyond Gozuki and saw water shoot up carrying both Grimm and the robot soldiers. The water took form as it shaped into several different dragon heads. “Aqua Hydra!” The water creature roared and all heads slammed back into the ground. Water came down rushed toward the hunters and huntress. They saw an arch of water heading toward them but there was someone inside and he was cutting up several Grimm inside of it. The water crashed near the small group and bits of Grimm pieces scattered around. “That was a ride if I do say so myself.” Another figure was walking toward the group. Esren smiled as he carried two large hunting knives underhanded. “Hope I’m not late to the party.”Gozuki laughed at that. “No, I think the party is still going.”Suddenly all of them heard a cry of a Nevermore and looked up to see one falling near them. It crashed on top of one of the buildings. “What the hell?” Everyone had the same thought as Qrow.They saw a person jump off and landed in front of them. “My my. Quite a ruckus all of this is.”Qrow chuckled at the new person was. “How about that? Babara Oreburg. Never thought I would meet you here of all places. Rumor had it that you were retired.”Babara smiled at him. “I am but with all of this commotion running around, I couldn’t help but be involved once again. Figured you young ones might need the help.”As Glynda was glad they had some reinforcements but one thing didn’t make sense to her. “How did you manage to kill a Nevermore without a weapon?”Babara chuckled a little at the question. "Oh, young one. When you get to be my age…" She presented her hands to them. "These hands of mine are the only weapons I'll ever need."Before Qrow could say something else, everyone heard a loud rumbling and a thunderous noise. Akame and her group heard the rumbling as well. She stopped momentarily and looked around. “What’s happening?”Pyrrha looked over yonder and figured out what it was. “It’s coming from Mountain Glenn!”All of them heard a booming sound as if something crashed from high up. What followed up was a roar that echoed loudly far and wide. It made Leone’s ears hurt. “What the hell is that!?” Out of Mountain Glenn was an enormous Grimm Dragon and as it flew, there were black drops coming off of it and when each drop hit the ground, they turned into different Grimm. The dragon roared as it was flying over to where Beacon was.Pyrrha knew the situation became dire and knew there was only one way to handle this. She suddenly bolted to the school. “Pyrrha! Where are you going?!” Jaune didn’t hear a reply and groaned. He turned to Ren and Nora. “I’m going after her.” He ran and wasn’t too far behind of Pyrrha. Unknown to them, Cinder saw the two enter the building and smiled.Yang groaned at all of this. “Great. What else can go wrong?”Her answer came in the form of several heavy thudding footsteps. Everyone saw several large robots walking toward them. "Atlesian Paladins!” Penny yelled out.Weiss leered at her blonde teammate. “Anything else you want to say?”Coco aimed her Gatling gun at the robot and started shooting at it but it proved ineffective as one of them approached them. Coco herself realized it and stopped firing. That was when she had an idea. “Velvet, you’re up.”Her Faunus teammate perked up. “Really?” Her leader nodded and that was enough for Velvet.Velvet walked up to the robot calmly which made Weiss a little worried. “Hey, she’s going to get hurt!”Coco held up her hand to the heiress. “Don’t worry. You’re about to see what my girl can do.”Velvet held her hand to the side and held a light based weapon version of Ruby’s Crescent Rose. The robot fired a few shots at the Faunus but she jumped out of the way in a similar fashion like Ruby and slashed downward at the robot. It seemed to do some damage and landed on the ground and the weapon vanished. Velvet then created a light based version of Weiss’ weapon. The robot tried to attack her with one of the arms but the Faunus managed to strike back and it took a step back. Velvet back flipped a few times before taking on a stance the same was Weiss and rushed at the robot. She slashed at it a few times before stabbing it and then jumped off away from it. Like before, the weapon disappeared but was replaced by Yang’s weapon. She turned around and fired a few shots at the robot. It then tried to attack her but Velvet dodged under the arm and summoned Blake’s weapon. She stabbed the arm with the sword and as the robot kept spinning, the ribbon wrapped around it until it was tied up and fell down. Velvet noticed the second one approaching her from behind and slashed one of its arms and threw the sheath at its face. The robot was then being shot at by Velvet’s light version of Coco’s Gatling gun. It tried to block the shots while walking toward her but the Faunus girl summoned Sun's staff next and deflected the next attack and jumped above it where Velvet used a light version of Nora's hammer and struck it on top of the head. The arm fell off and Velvet saw the first one started to stand up. The hammer vanished and was replaced by a pack belonging to Penny. The swords appeared and she jumped off the robot she was standing on. She cut the legs and it fell down. The Faunus took a stance the same as Penny's with the swords circling around and fired off a laser at the down robot. The attack struck it and it was destroyed.After seeing all of that, Leone whistled. “Damn. I had no idea Velvet was such a badass. How did she do all of that?”Coco smiled at her teammate's performance. "Velvet's weapon lets her use the weapons she's photographed with that camera of hers. She can summon light versions of them are as powerful as the real thing but only last a few hits. It's a great combination with her semblance which allows her to mimic the movements of others.”Rienna laughed at that. “Hey, she can do what you can do Chelsea.”“Yeah except mine is semblances while hers is weapons and fighting styles.” Chelsea explained. Velvet thought she did a good job until the first robot managed to hit her and sent the Faunus away. “Velvet!” Coco became angry and began shooting at it. Neptune and some of the others began shooting it as well.Weiss felt like she couldn’t stand around and began running in a half circle to the robot. As she became closer, a glyph appeared behind her. Once she was in between Velvet and the Paladin, she placed her weapon in front and closed her eyes as the robot attempted to attack. Weiss slightly opened her eyes to see that a giant arm holding an ice sword appeared and blocked the attack. It sent the arm away as it raised up and slashed the paladin in half. Weiss couldn’t believe she actually did that. Neither did Esdeath as she clapped for the heiress. “That’s so amazing Weiss!”Weiss suddenly saw a flash and saw Velvet with her camera and smiled. Just when they could relax, all of them heard another set of heavy footsteps and saw another one of them. Sun groaned at the sight of it. “You gotta be kidding me!”Leone smiled as she ran to where one of the halves of the robot was and grabbed. After that, she charged right at the other paladin. “I always wanted to try this ever since I saw that me-me thing!”Sun raised an eyebrow. “Me-me?”“I think she meant meme.” Yang clarified.Leone jumped into the air holding the half above her. “I’ll beat this motherfucker with another motherfucker!” The paladin began shooting at the Faunus girl but Leone came in too fast and slammed the half on top of the head. Leone pulled the half to the right and struck the paladin again. She pulled the left this time and struck it again. The Faunus blonde spun around and slammed the half in front of the mech. The hit managed to send the paladin far away from them. Leone laughed at her victory. "Now that was fun." This time, Yang clapped at her daughter's performance. "Atta girl Leone! Wasn't that cool Blake?" She didn't hear a reply. "Blake?" The blonde looked around the area but didn't see her girlfriend anywhere. "Where did Blake go?"Leone's ear perked up when she heard the question and turned around. "She went over to the cafeteria to chase some Beowolves!"Yang nodded at the instructions. “Thanks a lot!” She made her way to the destination. B Back at Vale, Qrow and the others were still fighting off against the Grimm and robot soldiers. For some reason, Cardin was there and bashed a Beowolf but then the soldiers took aim at him. In the second their heads were being blasted off. He looked over to where the shots came from and saw Ironwood with his clothes destroyed which revealed half of his upper body was machine. He fired a few more shots at the soldiers nearest to them and all of them exploded. Cardin took this a sign and decided to run off somewhere else. Esren scoffed at the display. "And here we have this show-off."Everyone else ignored the joke. Qrow suddenly had a serious look on his face and his sword transformed into a scythe. He pointed the weapon at Ironwood which made him worried. “Wait, Qrow. This isn’t my doing!”Qrow ignored him and ran to where the general was. Ironwood prepared for the worst and readied his gun. Qrow jumped toward him. Or rather passed him as a Griffon was coming up behind Ironwood. He swung the scythe at the Grimm and cut it in half. Qrow landed on the ground and turned around to look at Ironwood. “I know this isn’t your doing.”The rest of the group walked up to the general. “If this isn’t your work, why are those robots attacking us?” Gozuki asked.That was a question Ironwood would like to know. “Someone must’ve bypassed our security control and took over. How it happened I’m not sure of. The only way for them to stop is either run the original programming or destroy the source control.”As soon as he said that, all of them saw the ship with the source control crash. Qrow scratched his head. “Guess that takes care of things.” Everyone saw the remaining robots still active shut down around them. B The area seemed cleared of Grimm for the time being so as of now all of them should be helping those in need go to the docks to be evacuated. Kurome suddenly noticed something was off. She looked around in the group and found out what it was. “Where’s Akame?”Esdeath looked around and sure enough, her leader was not among them. "Akame? Where are you?!"Leone was walking back to the group wondering the same thing. “Weird. Akame wouldn’t up and go like that without a reason.” “YANG!” The Faunus gasped and stopped when she heard that with her Faunus ears. “That was Blake.” Judging by the sound of the voice, already she knew it wasn’t good. “Did something happen to Yang?” She started to bolt over to the cafeteria.Esdeath saw her run and passed the group. "Leone, where are you going!?"Her question was ignored. Leone quickly made her way to the cafeteria where apparently it was on fire. For some reason, she had a very bad feeling and didn’t like it one bit. The Faunus blonde arrived at the scene and gasped at the sight she was seeing. There was a figure standing over Blake lying down in front of Yang who seemed to be out of it for some reason. “Yang! Blake!”Blake looked pasted Adam and gasped at her daughter’s arrival. “Leone?”Adam stepped aside and turned around to see the other Faunus as well. “And what do we have here?”Leone saw the whole scene before her now and the sight made her blood cold. Yang was lying on the floor with her arm missing. Her breathing became quicker and her heart began to race. “From this day on, you're going to be our daughter Leone. Leone is my and Blake's daughter and she doesn't have a drop of blood in her from either of us. I'll tell you this. Nothing bad is going to happen to me. I promise.” Leone started to have flashbacks to when she lost her real mother and now seeing Yang without her arm lying motionless. Anger, no rage began to boil within her as she gritted her teeth and glared menacingly at Adam. Leone screamed out in hatred. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Thirty Seven: Face to FaceAkame was running through the empty hallways of the dorms. She was making her way to her dorm room. More specifically, where Murasame was. “If the creature who made that roar is coming here, I have to prepare as quickly as possible. No matter how big it might be, Murasame’s poison may be able to kill it.” She made the next turn and saw the door to her dorm room. Akame opened the door and noticed something about it. It didn’t have that same warm feeling any longer. After everything that had happened, it seemed cold and desolate. She saw Murasame in the exact same place where she left it. Akame immediately grabbed it and felt a familiar sensation. She stared at the weapon. “Murasame, please lend me your strength once again.” Akame set her Imperial Arm in the usual place and ran back out. She had to prepare against the Grimm that was coming to Beacon. B Leone ignored everything around her. All her focus was on the man standing next to her parents. Never had she felt so much anger, so much hate for one person. Even more so than the Prime Minister. The same thoughts went over and over within her mind. Make him pay and make him suffer and she would gladly act upon those thoughts. To Blake, she was scared. More scared then she had ever been. First Adam cut off the arm of the girl she loved so much and now her daughter was here witnessing it. “Leone…”Adam noticed the tone of Blake’s voice and smiled. “Is this Faunus close to you as well my love? Then I’ll be sure to take her away from you too.”Leone would love nothing more than to shut him up and closed her hands tightly. “Blake…take Yang and get away from here. Now.”Blake could tell her daughter was serious about this. Serious about fighting Adam. That alone terrified her the most. Adam thought that was nothing more than a humorous joke. “You think I’ll let her go like before? I won’t make that same mistake twice!” He drew out his sword and turned around to Blake and Yang. It was then he was blown away by Leone’s attack mid turn and collided into the wall.Blake couldn’t believe her eyes as Leone now stood in front of them. Her daughter looked over at Adam who managed pull himself out of the wall. “I said…go. Now.”Blake didn’t need to be told again as she stood up and picked up Yang. Seeing the sight of her girlfriend’s missing arm made her feel the worst she had ever felt. She looked over at Adam one last time before running out of there. It was then Blake had the confidence in her daughter once more. Adam wasn’t dealing with a student attending Beacon. He was going to fight against someone who was an assassin. Adam gritted his teeth as his former student slipped through his fingers once again and now had to deal with another nuisance. It was rare for someone to get the drop on him. Even more so while he was attacking. He flicked his blade as he stared at the other Faunus. "I usually don't like fighting against my own kind but you are one of the special exceptions."Leone could care less about that. "I'm going to make you regret what you did to her."Adam chuckled when he heard that. “What? Do you mean that human with the blonde hair? She should’ve lost more than an arm if you ask me.”Every word he spoke pissed off the Faunus blonde more and more. “Fine then. How about this? You took her arm…” She presented her hand to him still bloodied from before. “I took several of your friend’s lives.”It was rare for Adam to be surprised and hearing that surprised him greatly. “That’s a lie! You couldn’t have killed them!”Now Leone was getting somewhere and smiled. “But I did and it was easy for me to do so. Including that guy with the chainsaw. He was the first one I killed.”Anger flared up within Adam. “You killed my lieutenant? How can you do such a thing to your own kind!?”"You assholes aren't my kind!" Leone yelled back. "To me, you're nothing than the same kind of bastards I've killed before. You're nothing special. Blake, Velvet, Neon. They're the ones I consider to be my kind but you and the White Fang, I have no problems offing you. Come to think of it, you said that chainsaw guy is your lieutenant. I'm wagering a guess that you're Adam.” She chuckled at this chance. “Killing you will be the best thing I’ve ever done.”Adam knew this was an opponent he couldn’t let his guard down around her. The look in her eyes told him that she was a ruthless killer. “Before we begin, may I have the pleasure of knowing who you are?”Leone didn't mind at all. She wanted Adam to know the person who was going to kill him. "My name is Leone Wild. The daughter of Yang Xiao Long and Blake Belladonna" Adam tightened his grip on his sword. The mere thought of his beloved being with a human, another woman no less made him sick to his stomach. Then again, he could clearly see the resemblance of those two in Leone. “And let me say this. Blake made the right choice in leaving your sorry ass.”Adam didn’t want to be reminded of that moment ever again. The two Faunus stared each other down until a piece of wood from the ceiling fell down and served the signal to start. Adam took a step forward but Leone already reached him at a speed he couldn’t see. The Faunus blonde uppercut Adam with her left arm and then punched him with her right. She then spun around to deliver a kick to the side and sent Adam away. Leone wasn’t finished as she jumped after Adam and punched him in the gut. Both crashed through the wall and Leone pushed her arm forward as Adam was sent to the ground where he crashed into it. Adam groaned in pain as he started to stand up and saw Leone land on the ground. That brief exchange told him everything about his opponent. “This woman is no ordinary Faunus.” Leone stretched out her neck and some of the bones cracked. “Come on. I’m not even close to being done with you yet. I’m going to make you suffer as much as possible for what you did before I break your neck.”Adam knew he had to keep his guard up. His Faunus instincts were telling him that his opponent was dangerous. Very dangerous. It was likely she could chase him down if Adam would escape. There was only one option left. He took a running start with his sword ready to cut Leone down. Leone was going to beat him to the punch when Adam opened fired with Blush at her. The Faunus blonde muttered a quick damn it and swiped at the oncoming bullets with Lionel. The distraction gave Adam enough time to close the distance between them. He slashed at the other Faunus several times over as he passed her by and stopped behind Leone as she let out a scream of pain. At least Adam was able to hit her. Or so he thought when suddenly the back of his collar was pulled from behind. “That hurt you damn jackass!” Leone tossed him high into the air and jumped not too far behind.Leone was above Adam and punched him straight back into the ground. His impact left a small crater but the Faunus blonde wasn’t done yet. She dropped to down to where Adam was preparing for another attack to crush him. Adam saw the next attack coming and rolled over to the side to avoid the attack and just in time as Leone struck the spot where Adam previously was which left an even larger crater. Two things were very clear to him. Her strength was beyond comprehension and the wounds he had given the other Faunus had already healed. “Just what the hell are you?”Leone stood up from the crater and looked over at Adam. “If you want to know, I’ll tell you. I’m a student who attends Beacon Academy in becoming a huntress but before that…” She smiled wickedly at the other Faunus. “I was an assassin from another world from a place called the Imperial Capital and was part of a team called Night Raid.”Only one thing was made clear to Adam after hearing all of that when stood up. “An assassin?”Leone loved his reaction. “That’s right. Kinda funny, isn’t it? An assassin fighting against a terrorist. Except the difference between us is that I actually fought for a cause that was for everyone. You and your little club, on the other hand, are fighting for your own selfish gain.”Adam wasn’t going to stand for that. “What we’re fighting for is a just cause for Faunus everywhere!”“What you’re doing is dragging every other Faunus down because of your cause!” Leone yelled back. “And I for one won’t stand it!” She ran over to where Adam was. Adam pointed Blush at the other Faunus and fired a few shots at her but Leone dodged side to side evading them. He took a step forward and swung his sword from the side once the other Faunus was near enough.In a sudden split second, Leone opened her mouth and bit through the sword causing it to shatter. Adam had never seen someone destroy his weapon. Much less with their mouth. In fact, it shouldn’t be possible but Leone had done it. In the next second, Leone unleashed an unrelenting barrage of punches all over the White Fang member. She continuously pummeled Adam while pushing him back without letting up her attacks. Leone momentarily pulled back her arm and uppercut Adam once again into the air but jumped immediately after this time. Once she was above, the Faunus blonde clasped her hands together as she raised them above and slammed them down upon Adam's body back into the ground creating another crater. Unlike last time, he couldn't roll his way out of Leone's next attack due to the intense amount of pain from the attacks the other Faunus had done to him. Leone dropped down quickly and kneed him in the stomach. Adam coughed up blood and cried out while the crater became larger. Leone stood up over Adam and saw that his breathing was weak and ragged. It was almost pathetic. Correction. It was pathetic. If there one of the things Leone liked the most was bringing down guys like Adam to near death and hearing their pleas for mercy. Except she kinda figured Adam wasn't the type to beg for his life.That suited her just fine. “You know what’s funny about this? I could’ve killed you a hell of a lot sooner but like I said before. I want to make regret what you’ve done. She applied pressure to Adam’s chest and he grunted in pain more. “But no amount of your suffering will ever be enough for me so I’ll do to you what I did to the last guy I hated.” Leone clasped her hands tighter once again and raised them over her head. “Bashing your face in.” She stared intently at the other Faunus. “Any last words?” All Adam did was growl at her. “Good enough.” Leone yelled as she started to deliver the final blow. Suddenly a spotlight shined upon them and that made the Faunus blonde stop her attack. She also heard a loud humming sound where the light was coming from and the wind was blowing against her. “What the hell?!”Adam smiled as it appeared luck was on his side. An airship with his brethren appeared and started firing at Leone. She jumped off of Adam and back to avoid the gunfire and saw the hatch up where several White Fang members rappel down near where Adam was. “Sir! We’re here to pull you out. That giant Grimm Dragon is almost here. We’re leaving.” Two of them picked Adam up and his weapons. One of them tugged at the line and they were hoisted back up into the shuttle.Leone growled at them and began chasing them. “Get back here!” Adam took one last look at the other Faunus before the hatch fully closed and took off quickly. Leone growled and yelled out in frustration. “DAMN IT!”In the shuttle, the members were astonished Adam was left in such a brutal state. He was lying on a platform and was administered medical help. “Sir, if you don’t mind me asking, who was that Faunus woman?”Adam closed his hands tightly. “An abomination to Faunus everywhere.” B Back at the docks, everyone was waiting patiently to be evacuated via air shuttle. Among them was Blake who was holding her girlfriend’s hand crying while both were laying on the floor. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Yang.” Weiss was horrified that something like that had happened to her teammate.“Weiss!” The heiress suddenly turned around was relieved Ruby was unharmed. The young leader approached the group. “What happened?”Weiss looked away from the other girl. “Ruby…I’m so sorry.”Ruby didn’t understand what she meant by that until she saw the state her sister was in gasped. “Yang…no.”Esdeath was tapping her foot impatiently as she was making a call to her leader. “Come on…come on…”The call finally went through. “Hello?”Esdeath was happy to hear her leader again. “Akame? Thank god. Where are you? Everyone is at the docks.” “I’m at the school. I was retrieving Murasame in hopes of fighting the creature who made that roar.” Esdeath thought the other girl was crazy. “Are you serious?! You can’t take that thing on!” “Murasame’s poison is capable of killing anything it can cut into. I’m confident it can get the job done. What about your end? What’s going on?” Esdeath looked around the scene. “We’re missing three people. Jaune and Pyrrha are nowhere to be found and Leone ran off somewhere but that’s not the worst of it.” “What is then?” Esdeath hesitated to tell the other girl but had to. “It’s Yang. Blake came back to us carrying her on her shoulder but Yang somehow lost an arm. Blake’s pretty broken up about it but there’s something else.” “And what is that?” Esdeath sighed. “When Blake came back with Yang, she told us that Leone is fighting against a member of the White Fang.”Weiss heard that and was surprised as she turned to Esdeath. “Leone is fighting against the White Fang!?” “I know Leone can handle herself. When she gets back, tell her what I told you. I’ll be heading to the tower where I can get the highest elevation.” Esdeath sighed but she trusted Akame with her plan. “Alright but get back to us quickly as possible, okay?”“Understood.” The call ended.Kurome walked up to Esdeath. “So?”The other girl looked at the younger sister. “Akame is alright. She had to get something to deal with that giant creature who made the roar.” Like Esdeath, Kurome thought her sister was out of her gourd.Cornelia was keeping a lookout for said missing people and saw one walking towards them. “Leone!” Blake heard her daughter’s name and looked over to where Cornelia and Esdeath were running over to her. She was relieved Leone wasn’t harmed but was wondering what happened to Adam. So did Cornelia. "There you are, Leone. Where did you run off to?" Leone didn't reply as her head lowered. "Leone?"The Faunus blonde gritted her teeth. “I’m sorry.” Her two teammates didn’t understand what Leone had to apologize for. She dropped to her hands and knees and started to cry as she looked over to Yang. “I’m sorry mom.” Leone continued to cry. Cornelia kneeled down in front of Leone and gave her a much needed comforting hug.Ruby knew how her niece felt. She looked around the area and sure enough like Esdeath said, Jaune and Pyrrha weren’t around. “Where are Jaune and Pyrrha?”Ren and Nora looked at the young leader. “Pyrrha ran off into the tower for some reason and Jaune followed. We haven’t seen them since.” Nora explained.The young leader narrowed her eyes and knew what to do next. “I’m going after them. I’ll be back.”Ruby turned around and before she could go, Weiss stopped her. “Not so fast.” The young leader looked over the heiress who was giving her a serious look. “I’m coming with you. Got it?”The younger girl smiled at her. “Sure thing. Let’s go.” Both girls left the group in hopes of finding their missing friends. Esdeath saw the two leave and felt a little jealous Weiss was going with Ruby but right now her teammate needed her more. She could only hope everyone can make it out okay after all of this was over. B Akame continued making her way to the tower fast as possible through the hallways. While doing so, she was thinking about this whole thing that was happening. “The Grimm invasion, the White Fang attacking, the fact that Beacon is being subjected as a target. It all must have a reason. The question is…if Cinder is behind all of this, why is she doing this in the first place?” Before Akame could question more about it, she heard that same screech and covered her ears. Once it stopped, Akame ran out to the nearest balcony and saw that it was a giant Grimm dragon. “So that’s what it was.” She glanced over at Murasame for a moment before looking at the Grimm again which was holding onto the side of the tower. This was her chance now. Akame jumped to the rooftop and started to make her way to the tower. The Grimm she saw roared quietly for some reason. That didn’t bother her as she was sure it would come around again. She made a dash to the tower quickly and began seeing flashes of light from where it looked to be Ozpin’s office. “Someone must be fighting.” Akame ran faster in hopes of helping whoever was fighting. She saw the dragon take off for some reason and saw it circle around toward back to the tower. Akame knew what was going to happen next. The dragon crashed through the tower and part of it was falling to the ground. The shockwave reached over to where Akame was and made a misstep and started to tumble off the rooftop.She managed to grab the edge before falling and quickly pulled herself up. "That was too close." Akame looked at the dragon and sure enough, it was going to be a pain but it would be worth it. She resumed running on top of the rooftop before approaching the tower. Akame jumped off the roof across to the lower platform of the tower. There she looked up and saw a way for her go up. Akame jumped in between the pillar and the wall while propelling herself up to where the tower broke off. Once she neared the top, Akame jumped at an angle and made it to the top. As she did, Akame witnessed Cinder shooting an arrow at Pyrrha and pierced the top of her chest. She saw her friend trying to breathe while Cinder calmly walking over to her and placed a hand on her head before Pyrrha's body glowed and then dissipating into the wind until she was fully gone. All that was left was the head crown Pyrrha had worn while Cinder gripped it and let go so it could fall to the ground.made her feel fury. What’s more is that she glared angrily at the woman who was responsible. Akame quickly drew out Murasame and charged at her. “CINDER!” Cinder looked to the side and created her dust swords to block Akame’s incoming attack. The two swords clashed against each other and Cinder smiled at the new arrival. “What do we have here? I didn’t expect to see you.” She conjured a blast of fire to separate the two and Akame landed across the other girl. Akame continued to glare angrily at Cinder which she just loved. “What’s the matter? Mad because I happened to end one of your friend’s life?”Akame wanted nothing more than to end Cinder’s life. “Why? Why did you kill Pyrrha? Why do all of this?”It was an amusing question to Cinder. “Why you ask? She paid the price in challenging me. I already had what I needed but she had to go and play the big hero. As for your second question, it’s to bring about a new age. This is nothing more than the first step toward a new world.” Cinder noticed the sword Akame was using. “So you’re using that sword again. I’ve only seen you use it once back when the Grimm was attacking the city back then. What makes it so special?”Akame was all too happy to demonstrate that to her. “You’re about to find out.” She pointed Murasame at the other girl. “Cinder Fall…by my own hands, I will bury you!”Cinder smiled at the choice of words. “Not if I bury you first. Six feet below the ground.”Akame took a running start and swung Murasame from the side. Cinder swung one of her swords from under to deflect the oncoming attack and swung her other one at Akame. Akame jumped back to avoid it and gained distance between the two. That only worked to Cinder’s advantage as her eyes glowed and her weapons vanished. She floated in the air and shot out fire from her hand as they were headed straight to Akame. Akame began running to the side to avoid the fire attack. Cinder continued attacking the other girl with her fire attacks until Akame found a break in between the attacks and used the opportunity. Cinder held out her hand and managed to block the attack with ease using an aura based shield. Her eyes glowed again and a pillar of fire erupted. Akame screamed and the pillar subsided. Cinder placed her hand in front of Akame and blasted her with another of her fire attacks. Akame was sent away again and crashed onto the floor. Cinder scoffed at the girl. “I have to say I’m a tad disappointed in you. I thought you put up much more of a fight after seeing what you can do.Akame stood up again and was ready for the next round. She observed the girl in front of her carefully. “You know, Akame. There’s something I’ve always wondered about you and your Faunus friend. Who are you? Really. Because there is no information about Akame Night and Leone Wild in any previous data before you joined Beacon. Care to clarify that?”At this point, Akame didn’t see any reason to keep her identity a secret. “Fine then.” She closed her hand and pounded the top of her chest with it. “My name is Akame Night. A student who attends Beacon Academy in becoming a huntress but before that I was once an assassin from another world from a place called the Imperial Capital where I was a part of a team called Night Raid. We rid the world of people like you and that still stands true now.”After hearing that explanation, Cinder chuckled. “An assassin you say? Now it makes sense. I wondered why the look in your eyes was different than the rest. You’ve actually seen death before.” Akame just stared at her. “Why don’t you join me instead? I’m sure I can put your set of skills to better use.”Akame narrowed her eyes at the other girl. “Like I would accept such an offer from you.”Cinder shrugged. “Oh well. Had to give it a shot. One more question. Do you believe in destiny?”Akame knew the answer to that question a long time ago. “I believe in making my own destiny.”Her eyes glowed and put hands forward as a stream of fire erupted from her palms. Akame vanished before the attack was able to reach her. She reappeared over to Cinder’s side and swung her sword but Cinder managed to block the attack with her shield. Akame disappeared after that and reappeared once again to Cinder’s other side and attacked. Cinder blocked the next attack using the same kind of shield from before but Akame vanished yet again. The trick was getting old for her. Or so she thought when Cinder started seeing multiple images of Akame surrounding her. Cinder looked around and tried to figure out which was the real Akame. Then she thought why bother trying to figure which was the real Akame. Her eyes glowed as fire surrounded her arms as she crossed then uncrossed them to deliver a wide range fire attack all around. The fire managed to hit all the afterimages and they disappeared. Cinder looked around quickly to find Akame but she was nowhere in sight. That is until she sensed something and looked up to see Akame swinging her sword from above.She jumped back to avoid the attack as her eyes glowed and sent her arm forward to deliver another stream of fire. Akame back flipped to avoid the attack and then sidestep with a little power behind it to reach Cinder quickly. She started attacking her in an erratic fashion swinging Murasame from all directions wildly. Cinder responded by trying to block all the attacks with her shields. She was having trouble keeping up with all the attacks. Akame was certainly more tenacious then Pyrrha. Cinder’s eyes glowed and her shields exploded which caused Akame to temporarily stop her attacks. Cinder crossed her arms and formed her dust swords once again. Going on the defensive wasn’t going to help so she figured to deal with Akame at her own game. She lunged forward while uncrossing her arms and her swords clashed against Murasame. The sudden attack pushed Akame back but not by much. She rushed back again at Cinder and swung her sword at the other girl. Cinder swung both of hers and the two weapons clashed once more. From there, both girls began to exchange swift attacks at each other while blocking the other's attacks. Cinder was impressed that her opponent could keep up with someone who wielded two swords but wondered how much longer Akame could keep up. After another attack from each other weapons, Cinder raised her swords along with Murasame and her eyes glowed. This time, she delivered a swift fiery kick to Akame from the side. The attack sent her away and Akame crashed into some of the discarded gears from the destroyed room. Cinder didn't want to waste this chance so her swords disappeared and her eyes glowed again. She swung her arms in a circular fashion and fire erupted following the pattern to where Akame was.Akame opened up her eyes just to see the fire attack coming her way. The fire struck her and then shot up as a pillar into the night sky. Cinder smirked as she knew that would get the job done. "You've done much better this time, Akame." All of a sudden a dark red smoke replaced the fire pillar and a shockwave came out of the same place striking Cinder. She flew back a few feet and landed on the floor. The Grimm dragon that was still nearby gave a thunderous bellow. As she stood up, Cinder saw the smoke clear up and saw Akame in that same form from her fight against Kurome. Cinder giggled as she was all too happy seeing that once more. "So you're finally taking this seriously. Good. I want to see you at your best, Akame Night." Her eyes brightly this time and stayed that way as she floated in the air. She raised her arm from under and a wave of fire was coming straight at Akame. Akame vanished to avoid the attack and reappeared at Cinder’s side. She expected that, though. “You’re not getting away!” Cinder swung her arms all around and fire appeared all around the area until it completely engulfed with this flames. The flames quickly died down and Cinder looked around to find any trace of Akame. So far there seemed to be no sign of her. Still, something didn’t seem quite right with her. “I know she can’t be done in this easily. Where did she go?” Cinder then suddenly felt a powerful slash to her right side from behind and in front was Akame holding Murasame to the side while crouching down. Cinder let out a cry of pain and dropped to the floor. “It’s over now.”Cinder was clutching her side tightly while glaring at the other girl. “What do you mean?” An even worse pain appeared and she looked down at her side seeing strange markings spreading quickly from the wound. “What is this?”Akame stood up while her back was turned to Cinder. “The One Cut Killer Imperial Arms Murasame. As the name implies, once I cut into my opponent’s flesh with it, a deadly poison will quickly spread through your body until it reaches the heart and effectively killing you. You’ve lost this battle Cinder.”Cinder chuckled which surprised Akame as she turned around to see the other girl smile. “Have I now? I’ll have you know there’s more than one way to rid something like this.” Her eyes flared up and yelled as fire surrounded her. The fire shot up into the sky and Akame had no idea what Cinder was planning. The fire subsided and Akame saw Cinder in the same position as before. That is until she was able to stand up without a problem and smiled at the girl. “That feels much better.”Akame couldn’t believe what had happened. She had just witnessed the impossible. “It…can’t be. You couldn’t have neutralized the poison.”Cinder was loving this new expression Akame was having. “It was nasty I’ll tell you that but one thing you didn’t count on is that I possess the power of the Fall Maiden. Such a trivial problem can be easily dealt with.”“Fall Maiden?” Akame had never heard such a thing before.Hearing that amused Cinder as she shook her head. “Tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk. You poor girl. You have no idea what you’re really in. This is far beyond what you can comprehend. Now let me show you the power of the Fall Maiden!" Her eyes glowed brightly as she yelled and brought her arms up. The fire erupted from where Akame was standing and enveloped her completely. She screamed as the fire continued to twist and turn upward. Cinder crossed her arms as she brought them in only for more fire from the sides come into the fray and add more to her attack. She uncrossed her arms and lowered her hand as the fire died down only to leave Akame barely standing. Even with that, Cinder was amazed. "I'm surprised you're still able to stand after that." Akame was panting heavily as she held on her right shoulder and heavily injured. Cinder floated down to the ground and summoned her swords only to combine them into a bow. She already created three arrows lined up at the other girl. “Time to end this.” Cinder fired all three at once.Akame saw the arrows heading toward her and deflected two of the arrows. She swung Murasame head on at the last arrow. Two opposing forces met and Akame managed to deflect the arrow only for it to change course and pierced through her right shoulder. Akame cried out in pain as she clutched to where the arrow had struck and dropped to her knees. Another arrow was shot into her left thigh and Akame cried out in pain more. The markings disappeared as a result. This seemed almost like déjà vu to Cinder and she would make sure to end it the same. She walked calmly over to where the other girl was. “Before I finish you off Akame, I must thank you first for what you’ve done.”Akame looked up at Cinder and didn’t understand what she meant by that. “What are you talking about?”Cinder stopped just outside of the range in case Akame decided to attack with her sword. “You’re the one who started this. You see, Grimm are attracted to negative emotions and when you did that little transformation of yours back in your match, it unleashed those same emotions all in one place. Anger, hatred, malice, all of those released at once in a single location and the Grimm sensed it. That paved the way to what’s happening now. I guess in a way…it’s your fault that your friend died.” Akame didn’t have a reply to that. Cinder created another arrow and pulled it back as she aimed it straight at Akame’s chest. “Farewell, Akame Night.”Even staring at an arrow pointing at her, Akame didn’t waver. She had a brush with death countless times before and this was no different. She stared at her death with no fear in her eyes. The only difference was she had something to lose. The friends she made, her team, and Leone. In the end, Akame had no choice but to accept it. “Akame!” Suddenly both girls saw a powerful bright light that seemed to envelop them and the Grimm dragon completely. That bright light was the last thing Akame ever saw. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Thirty Eight: Bitter AftermathWhite. That was all Akame could see as far as she could. She couldn’t hear anything either except for that annoying ringing sound. “Where…am I?” “Akame? Akame! Come on wake up!” “She’s not waking up.” “What the hell happened up there?” “Please be okay.” Akame looked around after hearing all of that. “Who’s talking?” “What do we do now?” “I’ll look after her. You do what you need to do.” The voices Akame was hearing did sound familiar to her but couldn’t place them. ‘Hello!? Can anyone hear me!?” “Akame.” That voice sounded different than the previous one and turned around to see a person she’s never seen before. From her appearance, it seemed she wasn’t human since the floating green hair was a dead giveaway. Her outfit was nothing more than a simple white dress and was barefoot. “Who are you?”The figure continued to look at another girl. “There has been a dramatic shift in the balance and you yourself have been caught in it. This upcoming battle will prove to the most difficult you have ever encountered. I pray that you have the strength as you will need it to see through this to the end.” She began to fade out but Akame tried to reach out to her. “Wait!” ? “Come back!” Akame instantly sat up on a bed with her hand still stretching out. It finally registered to her that she was in a room that was not familiar to her. From the look it, it seemed to be the infirmary but it couldn’t be the one from Beacon. Second, she noticed was that she was wearing somebody else's pajamas. Akame placed a hand on her face as she recalled what she saw before. “Was that…just a dream?”“Akame?”Akame heard a familiar voice and looked to the side to see… “Kurome?”Kurome smiled as she jumped from her chair to hug her sister. “You’re finally awake! I’m so glad!”Akame was taken a bit back by this since she didn’t know how to react. That is until she remembered something important. “Kurome…” She broke the hug and grabbed her sister by the arms. “What happened to Beacon? What happened to the others? Where am I?”The younger sister was a little hesitant to answer those questions. She moved Akame’s hands off of her. “To answer one of your questions, you’re at my school. We brought you here after this one guy with a sword came back carrying you and Ruby unconscious. I kinda figured you and Leone don’t have a place to return to so I asked the headmistress to see if you two could stay here. Thankfully she said yes. As for two of your teammates, they were very adamant about not leaving you behind so they're getting their transfer papers ready. All of you can still be a team at my school."Akame was happy to hear that but it didn’t quell the worry she had. “And what about Beacon? What happened to it?”“Nothing good I’ll tell you that.”Akame gasped at the voice and looked over at the doorway and couldn’t believe her eyes. Kurome was also surprised by the sudden new arrival leaning on the side of the doorway and stood up. “Oh. Headmistress Najenda.” Hearing that name pretty much confirmed Akame’s doubts. Not only this person was her former leader but apparently she was the person who adopted Kurome. She also noticed that this Najenda lacked the eye patch and robotic arm.Najenda placed some sort of cigarette in her mouth and lit it up with a lighter. “Beacon has become a hot spot for Grimm. They’re crawling all over the place now. To finish up that image, that giant Grimm dragon is frozen solid now. Not sure how something like that can happen but it’s not a problem for now.” She blew out some smoke. “On top of that, there are rumors saying that Ozpin disappeared without a trace. Some say he ran away while others say he died but I don’t believe in either of those. He’s not the type to do both.”Akame grabbed the sheets tightly after hearing all of that. She had to know something else. “Did they find a woman on top of that destroyed tower?”Najenda continued to smoke her cigarette. “From what reports say, no. There’ve been no sightings of anyone anywhere near the school.”That confirmed Akame’s worst fear. “So Cinder did escape after all.” It was more of a hit to her pride since she had never let a target escape. Much less a target like Cinder.There was one more question she needed to know. “How long was I out for?”Najenda blew out another puff of smoke. “You’ve been out of it for a whole week since it happened Akame.” Akame lowered her head after hearing that. A week. If felt more like last night to her after everything that had happened. In the end, the enemy had won while they were licking their wounds from the battle. Najenda turned her back on the two girls. “Your two weapons have been recovered and are in safe keeping for now. Although I must say one of them is quite finicky. I’ll have Kurome look after you a little longer until you can walk on your own. Expect the rest of your team arriving sometime soon here. I’ll see you around.” She walked away from the two girls.Kurome couldn’t help but sigh at the headmistress’ habit. “I keep telling her to break that habit. I don’t care if E-cigs are a substitute.” She smiled at her sister. “So now you met her. What do you think?”Overall, Akame was glad to see Najenda again. She was even a headmistress to a school which was something Akame didn’t expect. “She appears to be nice.”Her sister scoffed at that. "Yeah, at first but I'll tell you she can be strict." Apparently, Najenda hadn't changed at all.Still, this was a lot for Akame to take in. Beacon being overrun with Grimm, Ozpin somehow disappeared which was strange for Akame to hear, Cinder being MIA, and her being out a full week ever since that event happened. She turned to her sister. “What happened to the others?”Kurome slightly looked away from the other girl. “I don’t know much about that. All of us just…went our separate ways after we arrived at a safe zone. My team and I carried you to our school.”That wasn’t the answer Akame wanted. Basically, everyone was in the dark. “What about Ruby and her team?”Her sister lowered her head. “From what I know, nothing good. Both Ruby and Yang went back to their home, Weiss was picked up by her big shot dad, and Blake…I don’t know. She just…disappeared.” Akame lowered her head as well. It seemed Ruby’s team suffered the most as all of them were basically separated at this point. “There have also been rumors that Pyrrha’s been killed during the attack since no one has seen her since. Know anything about that?”Akame suddenly thought back to that moment where she saw Pyrrha die before her eyes. “I’m afraid that’s true. Cinder was the one that did it. She did it before I arrived.”Kurome was silent for a few seconds. “So it is true. Damn it.”Akame still couldn't believe Pyrrha was really gone. It was like losing her comrades back in Night Raid all over again. Except for this time, she could've done something about if she had just arrived a few seconds earlier. Akame still remembered those words Cinder said to her. “I guess in a way…it's your fault that your friend died."That hit Akame the most. “Was all of this…my fault?” That question would haunt her for a long time. But for right now, that question can wait. There was one more thing Akame needed to know and looked over at her sister. “Earlier you said that my team will be going to this school. You mentioned Cora and Esdeath are getting papers ready to transfer over. What about Leone? Where’s she?”Kurome looked back at her older sister. “She’s…” B Leone took a small sip of tea from her cup while sitting down in a comfy chair and smiled at the taste. “This is delicious Mr. Xiao Long.”Taiyang chuckled at the compliment. “Thank and I keep telling you to call me Taiyang. You’re an important friend to Ruby and Yang. Or so what Yang has told me about you.”The Faunus blonde set the cup down on the table. “Right. Sorry.” Leone was currently in Patch. The place where Ruby and Yang grew up in. Her reason being there was looking after her mother while Akame was still out of it which did worry her. Kurome did reassure her that she’ll look after her sister while Leone could spend as much time as possible with her mother. That was over a week ago. Since then, she has been sleeping over at the Xiao Long residence and actually getting to know her grandfather whether Taiyang didn’t know about that little fact. She did notice him staring at her a little and chuckled. “Still trying to get used to my appearance?”Taiyang laughed awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head. “I’m sorry. It’s just when Qrow told he met a girl who looked similar to Yang, I thought he was joking. Guess the joke was on me when I couldn’t believe my own eyes seeing you for the first time knocking on our door. You could pass off as her Faunus twin.”Leone thought that was funny. “You can say something like that.” She stood up and grabbed a basket of apples she picked out from the forest that was sitting on a table with a cutting knife residing with the apples. “I’ll be taking these up to Yang.”Taiyang nodded at that. “Of course. Let me know if you want something to eat.”The Faunus blonde smiled at that. “Will do.” She started to make her leave. Leone made her way up the stairs and saw the door open to Yang’s room. Once she approached the doorway, Leone saw Yang still in the same spot. Sitting on her bed while looking out the window. What crushed the Faunus blonde the most was that the fire Yang had before was snuffed out. Seeing that stump that was once her arm didn’t help either. Leone had never seen her mother so defeated. She knocked on the doorway a few times and Yang looked over to see her daughter smiling. “Hey there.” Yang just returned looking back outside the window. Leone sighed as she approached the bed and pulled up a chair near it. She began to cut off the skin of one of the apples with the knife. There was silence between them for a few minutes. “You know…I’ve lost my arm at one time too.” She internally facepalmed at the subject matter. "Good going, Leone." She continued cutting the apple.It continued to be silent between the two girls. “If you lost it, how did you get it back on?”Leone smiled at the question. “A teammate of mine, Lubb. He and I had this pretty amazing combo where he stitched my arm back up using Cross-Tail and my trump card back then quickly healed it up. Wasn’t long until my arm was good as new.”Yang didn’t show a reaction to that. “Wish something like that could happen to me.”Her daughter stopped cutting the knife and gritted her teeth. “I’ve told you before. I’m sorry. I would’ve killed that bastard if his crew didn’t show up.”Yang continued looking out the window. “Killing him wouldn’t bring back my arm.”Leone didn't need to be reminded of that and sighed. "I know. It's just I wanted him to pay for what he did to you."At this point, Yang didn’t care about payback. What Adam took from her was more than her arm. It was her future. There was something else on Yang’s mind as well. “Why do you think she did it?”Leone knew what her mother was talking about. “Do you mean Blake?”Yang grabbed her bedsheet tightly as she felt that same feeling when she first heard about what her girlfriend did after they left Beacon. “Who else? Why did she leave me? Why couldn’t she just stay? I thought she loved me but I guess not.”The Faunus blonde crushed the apple after hearing that. “Of course she freaking loved you! How could you say something like that!?” Her mother paid no attention to the outburst. Leone calmed down a little and looked away. “You of all people should know better about dad. I know for one thing she wouldn’t leave without a reason.” If only Yang had her daughter’s optimism. She was absolutely crushed when she found out that Blake just up and abandoned the whole team the way she did. Of course, she knew better than that but she wanted to know the reason why. Leone took out another apple and began cutting the skin once again. “Ruby still isn’t over about Weiss, is she?” Ruby. Even in her state, Yang could tell her sister was still upset about Weiss’ leaving but that was only the beginning. She’s been spending a lot of time to herself recently and that’s where probably Ruby is now. Somewhere out in the forest with her thoughts. What truly set her off was the letter Weiss had left behind. Leone knew about the letter too. In fact, she remembered what it said after coming here for the first time. F It was an early morning and Leone was the second to wake up. The first being Taiyang. She made her way over to Ruby’s room and knocked on her door a few times. “Ruby, you up yet? Your dad is making chocolate chip pancakes.” She didn’t hear a reply. “Ruby?” The Faunus blonde opened the door and saw Ruby was still sleeping in her bed. Leone quietly chuckled at the sight. “Still sleeping huh?” She walked over to the younger and proceeded to wake her up. That is until she saw a letter resting on the nightstand next to the bed with a snowflake insignia on it. Curiosity got the better of her and picked up the letter as Leone proceeded to read it. “Dear Ruby, I’m sorry you had to find out this way but I’m going back to Atlas with my father. After what happened at Beacon, he thought it would be safer for me to return home. Of course, I objected to that but he didn’t care. I had little time to prepare so I used it in writing this letter to you. I have so many things to say but I’m afraid I cannot tell them in this so I’ll speak from my heart. Ruby, even though we may have started out rocky and being unkind to you but as time passed on, I began to appreciate you and the team I was on. I had so much fun with all of you and I will miss those times. Most of all, I will miss you. I will miss everything about you. Your smile, your laughter, your carefree attitude which I envied so much. It won't be same without them. You were without a doubt someone I was lucky to know of and spend time with. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. I was hoping to tell you something important later on but I’m afraid I don’t have that choice any longer so I’ll just say it. I have fallen for you, Ruby Rose. Esdeath had made me realize these feelings I’ve had for you before I even knew about them. No, I did know but didn’t act upon them until I saw you how you acted around her. As soon as I admitted that, I tried to find a way to convey my feelings to you. I thought of giving you a present that was meaningful was a good idea and then I would properly confess to you. However, it seems that will never happen now. I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I can only hope that somehow, someday, we can be reunited once more. And not just you. Our team as well because I will not accept any other than team RWBY led by you. I know you can get through this no matter how difficult things might be for you. I believe in you. Goodbye, Ruby. Love, Weiss Schnee P.S: I hope Yang recovers from this as well. Give her my regards. After reading all of that, Leone set the card down to where it once was and looked at the sleeping girl. “Poor Ruby. To find out that Weiss had feelings for her in this way. Can’t imagine what her reaction was.” Leone thought she wasted enough time and rubbed Ruby’s shoulder a little “Ruby. Come on Ruby. Time to get up.”She heard slightly mumbling and Ruby opened up her eyes to see the Faunus blonde. “Leone?”The other girl smiled at her. “Time to get up. Your dad is making breakfast.”Ruby smiled at that and got out of bed quickly. “Okay then. Thanks for waking me up.” She then ran out of the door in hopes of eating as many pancakes as possible. Leone laughed while she saw Ruby leave. The Faunus blonde looked over at the bed and noticed several wet spots on the pillow. F It seemed both sisters have hit hard times. Ruby finding out Weiss had feelings for her through a letter of all things after her leaving and Yang losing her arm. On top of that, their whole team was practically disbanded now. She didn’t know how they would come back after all of this. Leone suddenly felt a vibration in her pocket and pulled out her scroll. It was a text from Kurome. The two girls decided to exchange scroll numbers after Kurome reassured her she would look after Akame while Leone would go to Patch. The Faunus blonde thought there could only be one reason why Kurome would be texting her now. She smiled at the text. “Akame woke up.” Leone proceeded to text back. “Thanks for the heads up.” She pressed send.“Someone’s happy.”The Faunus blonde looked at Yang. “Got a text saying Akame woke up.”Yang looked away from her daughter. “I guess that’s good.”Leone wasn't all too thrilled with her mother's change in attitude but really couldn't blame her. She did lose an arm. "I'll be heading back tomorrow. Figured I can stick around for one more day.” She made deal with Kurome that if Akame ever woke up, she would return back to the school.“Least Akame has someone she can see again." Yang spoke without any empathy in her voice.Her daughter just sighed as she finished skinning the apple and began to cut it into several pieces. Leone offered one of the pieces to her. “Care to try one?” Yang looked back at her daughter and saw the offered piece. Even Yang wouldn't be rude enough to turn down something offered by her daughter. All in all, she was grateful for the amount of time Leone had spent with her after everything went down and had to deal with her attitude time to time. Yang closed her eyes and opened her mouth slightly. Leone smiled as she inserted the piece in her mother’s mouth and Yang ate it. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol TwoKill Thirty Nine: Where it Began and Where it will EndNight at Patch was always peacefully quiet. It was one of the things Leone liked about it. For Yang, it was just another night trying to get used to sleeping with her missing arm. Her thoughts about her missing girlfriend didn'There was two constant thought always going through her mind. “Where are you Blake and why?” They were questions she desperately wanted an answer for. It was these questions that made her restless for quite some time. Yang shifted around in her bed a few times before she heard a small and she sat up. “Who’s there?”“Yang…”The blonde gasped at the familiarity of the voice. It wasn’t until the clouds blocking the light of the moon moved out of the way and the light went through the window to illuminate the room. It was then Yang gasped as she couldn’t believe who it was before her bed. “B-Blake?” There were many emotions going through the blonde now that her girlfriend was in front of her. She even thought this was a dream she was having. It was it, Yang hoped she would never wake up. She reached out her arm to the other girl. “Tell me that’s really you.”Blake's face remained somber as she walked over to Yang's bed. She stood next to it and took the other girl's hand. The Faunus girl had forgotten how warm Yang's hand was and Yang had forgotten what Blake’s hand felt like. Yang had missed this feeling so much and there were so much more going through her. One of them was anger as she suddenly pulled her girlfriend in and headbutted her straight at the forehead. Blake cried out and fell down on the floor. Apparently, all that time Weiss said that Yang had a thick skull was actually true. "What the hell Blake?" Yang wanted to yell but everyone was sleeping at this time so she yelled quietly as possible not to wake everyone up. "You just left me. Me, of all people who's missing a freaking arm. Where were you when I needed you the most?" Her expression changed from angry to sad and tears began to form out of her eyes. "Where were you, Blake?" Yang started to cry.Blake lowered her head as she knew she deserved that hit. “I’m sorry.” The Faunus girl spoke. “I can’t imagine what you had to go through.”Yang stopped crying momentarily and glared at the other girl. “You think?’ I lost my arm, my future, and I find out that my girlfriend turned tail on me when I needed her the most.”The Faunus girl closed her hands tightly as she refused to look at Yang. “It’s my fault. It’s all my fault.”Yang heard Blake begin to cry as well and that lessened her anger toward the girl. “What do you mean it’s your fault?”Several tears dropped to the floor from Blake. “It’s because I wasn’t strong enough. If I wasn’t so weak, you would still have your arm. I blame myself because I hurt the woman I love. I couldn't stand it so I left. Like everything else, I ran away from my problems instead of facing them. Except for this time, I couldn't stop thinking about what happened on that night. That scene where Adam severed your arm haunted me to no end and I've felt worse as each day passed until I couldn't take it anymore. So I decided to come here and do what I should've done before. That’s why I’m here now.”After hearing all of that, Yang's anger was completely gone. Now she had the answers she wanted to know. Blake had blamed herself for Yang's misfortune and was wrought with guilt because of it. The blonde could tell it mustn't have been easy for the Faunus girl in coming here and face in what was to be her biggest failure. Yang sighed and for the first time, she managed to step out of her bed. Blake picked up the subtle noise of bedsheets moving and accepted whatever she deserved. She wouldn't be surprised if Yang decided to break up with her since she had already prepared for that conclusion. Yang kneeled down in front of the Faunus girl and in a surprise twist, she wrapped her arm around the other girl. Blake gasped in surprise as she didn't expect this and Yang just smiled. "I don't blame you for what happened to my arm. In fact, I kinda blame myself since I did charge in without a second thought. The only thing that was on my mind was saving you. Losing my arm does hurt me but the thought of not seeing you anymore hurts a lot worse. I'm just…happy to see you again."Blake didn’t know what to say. She was expecting the worst case scenario and was given forgiveness instead. The Faunus girl began to cry again as she wrapped her arms around the blonde. Yang brought her in closer. “It’s alright now. Cry as much as you want. Let it all out.” As she said that, tears began to fall from Yang’s eyes once again but in happiness. The two were together once again. B Morning came as the sunlight shined through the windows in Ruby’s room and the young leader woke up. She sat up on her bed and yawned while stretching out her arms. Ruby looked over at the other bed and saw Leone still asleep. She smiled and moved out of her bed to start off her day by checking in on her sister. The young leader walked over to the door and opened it. Ruby left the room and made her way down to Yang’s room. It’s been a habit of hers ever since she saw the state her sister was in. Once Ruby reached Yang’s door, she opened and what she saw next made her scream. The scream was loud enough for Leone to wake up and she jumped out of the bed in the next second. The Faunus blonde ran over to where Ruby was and funny enough Taiyang was doing the same. “What happened?” Both asked at the same time. They saw Ruby all shook up and pointed at Yang’s bed. The two looked at the direction were surprised by what they were seeing. Yang and Blake sleeping together in the same bed with Yang having a smile. For Taiyang, he wondered who this girl was sleeping with his daughter and how she managed to get into his house. Upon a closer look, he saw that the girl was a Faunus. For Leone, she just smiled at the sight before. B After waking up, Yang explained to her father that this girl was her missing partner Blake. He was still concerned how she was able to break into his home but seeing the change in Yang was more important to him. He could tell the difference was like night and day. She was happy, smiling, and laughing. Ruby was all too happy seeing her teammate again and giving her a big hug. Leone had no doubt in her father would come back. Just a little sooner than she expected. Taiyang made a big tasty breakfast for everyone and for once Yang was downstairs enjoying it with her family. Once it was done, Leone packed up her belongings in her duffle bag as she was preparing to leave. All of them were standing in front of the house with Leone looking at her family. Taiyang smiled at her. “Thank you for spending time with us. I’m sure Yang here appreciated your company.”His unknown granddaughter smiled back. “I was just happy to help, that’s all and it was nice meeting you for the first time.” She looked at her parents. “So what’s your plan now?”Both girls looked at each other and smiled. They looked back at their daughter. “I’ve decided I’ll be staying here for a while. I’m done with running away and I’ll do all that I can to become stronger.”Yang wrapped her arm around Blake’s neck and laughed. “And I’ll make sure that she does. Both of us.” Leone was glad to hear that. Her parents were always stronger together and could benefit from it. “Oh yeah.” Yang unwrapped her arm around Blake and reached into her pocket. What she pulled out was a bandana with her insignia on it. She presented it to her daughter. “I want you to have this. That way, even if I’m not there, I’ll always be with you.”Leone loved the gift and gladly took it. “Thanks.”Blake took off her ribbon freeing her cat ears and held it out in her hand to the other Faunus girl. “Take this too.” Both Yang and Leone were surprised by this since they both knew how much that bow meant to her. “It would make more sense if both of us are always with you.”Her daughter slowly took the ribbon and held it like was it a treasure. Leone was overcome with emotion and hugged her parents. She was the verge of crying. “You two are the best, you know that?”Both girls were happy to hear that and hugged her back. Taiyang couldn't help but be reminded when his family was this happy at one point. In fact, he could see just a little bit of that from the scene he was seeing before him. Ruby was just happy that they had their happy ending despite what happened before. “When you get back, tell Akame I said hi.”Leone broke the hug and walked over to the young leader. She placed a hand on Ruby’s head and shuffled it a little. “I’ll be sure to do that.” The Faunus blonde removed her hand. “I know you can get through this.” She looked over at Taiyang and offered her hand. Her “grandfather” understood what she meant and grabbed it. They firmly shook hands and let go. With everything said and done, Leone began to walk away while waving goodbye to that. “See you later!” She looked in front at the road and narrowed her eyes. “The next time we meet Adam, I’ll kill you the second we see each other.” Yang and her family waved goodbye back. “Take care of yourself!” They continued watching Leone walk away until they could no longer see her on the road. They stopped waving their hands and Yang already missed her daughter. “Think she’ll be fine?”She suddenly felt Blake hold her hand and looked over at her smiling. “Of course.”They continued to watch the empty road until they heard Taiyang clear his throat behind them. The two girls looked turned around and saw him with his arms crossed. “Blake, was it? If you’re serious about becoming stronger, I won’t hold back. Even if you happen to be…” He eyed on their hands.The two noticed as well and separated their hands while blushing slightly. Yang giggled nervously. “So you’re going to train Blake dad?” She saw her dad nod which excited her. “That’s totally awesome! You’re going to get way strong Blake!” She hugged her girlfriend once again.Blake was a little unsure about this. “Are you sure about this?”Yang had no doubt in her mind. “Of course. How did you think I get so good? Ruby had uncle Qrow and I had dad. It’s so great you’ll be staying with us. Right Ruby?” She didn’t hear a reply and looked over at her sister who seemed to be lost in thought staring at the road. “Ruby?”Her sister’s words finally made it through and she snapped out of it. “Uh…yeah. It’s really…great.”That was an odd response from the younger girl. Taiyang clapped his hands a few times. “Okay girls, let’s get back inside the house. Yang, I’m glad you’re feeling much better but you still need your rest.”His daughter understood completely. “Got it dad. Let’s go Blake.”Her girlfriend nodded. “Right.”All of them started to walk back to the house. All except one. Yang stopped along with Blake and looked back to see Ruby still staring at the road. “Ruby!”Ruby got the message and turned around. “Sorry!” She walked back to her teammates.Sometimes Yang worried about her sister. “Geez. Are you okay? You’re spacing out.”Ruby gave a reassuring smiled at her sister. “I’m fine. I was just thinking, that’s all.” B After landing in an airship port and a lot of walking, Leone made it to the school where she and her team will be from now on. Shade Academy. She saw up in front two familiar girls and laughed happily. “Akame!”She ran over to the other girl as quickly as she could. Akame was glad to see her girlfriend again. "Hello, Leon-" And she couldn't finish her sentence because Leone shoved Akame’s face into her breasts while hugging her.“I’m so happy to you again!” Her response was Akame’s words being muffled.Kurome didn’t know what to comment on the scene before her. “Uh…I think you’re going to kill her that way.”Leone broke the hug much to Akame’s relief as she gasped fresh air. “I thought I told you not to do that!”The Faunus blonde laughed. “I thought you loved my breasts Akame. You said it so yourself a lot of times. Even how they felt in your-”“Okay, that’s enough for now!”Both girls looked over at Kurome who was slightly blushing. Leone thought that was enough teasing for now. “Thanks for looking after Akame while I was gone.” She looked back at Akame. “Oh yeah. Ruby says hi.”Akame smiled at that. She hoped Ruby and Yang were okay after what had happened at that night in Beacon. Kurome stretched out her arms. “Well, guess I’ll leave you two alone for some catching up. See ya later.” She walked away from the other two girls.Akame chuckled as she looked back at her girlfriend. “Come on. I have something to show you.” B “Wow. What a view.”“Yes. It quite is. Kurome told me about this one time” Akame and Leone were both standing on top of the walls looking over the horizon. It was a breathtaking view of the town and the desert beyond it. They enjoyed the view a little while longer.Leone chuckled at the question. “A lot better before I left. I have heard Ruby blaming herself sometimes for not making it to the top of the tower because there was sudden influx of Grimm showing up looking more riled than ever.”After hearing that, Akame was reminded what Cinder said to her before. “You see, Grimm are attracted to negative emotions and when you did that little transformation of yours back in your match, it unleashed those same emotions all in one place. Anger, hatred, malice, all of those released at once in a single location and the Grimm sensed it.”Akame was always wondering about what that meant. “Does activating my semblance attract the Grimm?” She decided to ponder about that later on. “And what about Yang? How’s she?”Leone smiled at the question. “At first she acted like anyone else who lost an arm. I did my best looking after her. Then this morning I saw Blake sleeping in her bed.”Akame was quite surprised to hear that. “Wait, Blake was there?”Her girlfriend nodded. “Yep. I think she arrived in the middle of last night. Those two must’ve talked because I’ve never seen those two happier when we all had breakfast together. By the way, Yang and Ruby’s dad is a really awesome cook.” Akame could tell her girlfriend had a good time over at her mother’s house. “You know, this kinda brings back memories.”“What makes you say that?” Akame asked.Leone continued to stare off into the distance. “We were standing on top of a wall seeing the sunrise before we went our separate ways and that was after the war.”Now Akame made the connection. “Except we won the war and we’re not parting ways.”The Faunus blonde admitted the other girl had a point. “Yeah, that’s true.” She sighed. “So what now?”Akame wished she had the answer to that. “I’m not sure. Cora and Esdeath will arrive at this school so we can be a team, Beacon is in shambles, Ozpin has gone missing, and Cinder is still out there somewhere.”Leone couldn’t help but laugh. “I bet neither of us expected this to go down. We left one life in hopes of having a new one only to be crapped on. It’s like no matter what, we’re always being sucked into something big.”That was another thing Akame remembered what Cinder told her. “You poor girl. You have no idea what you're really in. This is far beyond what you can comprehend.”Those words kept ringing inside her head. “Just what was Cinder talking about?”There was also what this woman said to her before. "There has been a dramatic shift in the balance and you yourself have been caught in it. This upcoming battle will prove to the most difficult you have ever encountered.”Akame’s head began to hurt. There were too many questions and no answers to them. What was next for them after everything that had happened? She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked over at Leone who was smiling at her. “Hey, it’ll be okay. We’ll figure it out like we always do.” Akame had no choice but to believe in those words and could only hope. “By the way, did you already see who runs this place?” B A lot could happen in a season's worth. Winter in the desert wasn't all that different than the three months Leone and Akame had to spend leaving Kyoroch. It fact that was harsher. Life in Shade wasn’t all that different from Beacon except there didn’t seem to be a dress code which suited Leone just fine since she didn’t like wearing skirts. Another difference is that the school is the only law and order in the kingdom of Vacuo. Another thing they’ve learned is that if anyone could survive the harsh conditions, they would be welcome. Akame and Leone were able to reunite with Cornelia and Esdeath once again and became a team once more. It wasn’t long after Najenda made them to an inanition challenge that strongly represents their belief. All of them aced it without a problem. Some teams welcomed them. Two of them were NDGO and BRNZ although they were a little unsettled having a team like ALCE after seeing what they did back in the festival. KRCT was more than happy to welcome them with open arms. And so their life in Shade began. There were some things that'll never be like at Beacon. The fun teachers for one, the beds were integrated into the walls and on top of each other as if they were bunk beds. There was also the unavoidable moment of telling the rest of team KRCT the truth of Akame and Leone. Their reactions were what the two girls thought they would be. Most of all, Esdeath was missing her Teddy Ursa desperately since it was left back at Beacon. It was yet another night for them and they were all sleeping soundly. Except for Esdeath. She was still whimpering a little of not having her Teddy Ursa and has done so ever since she came back.There was another noise present in the room. Akame was making small noises and shuffling around in the bed. She was seeing various images and events. One of them being her fighting against Cinder and what she said to her. They didn’t come as often but when they did, she usually lost some sleep. Her team had asked about it before but Akame assured them she was fine. However, the images always seemed to be stronger each time Akame witnessed them. It was like her mind was restless. It became too much for her and screamed. She sat up while breathing heavily. Her team noticed it and woke up too. The first being Leone. “Akame?”Second was Cornelia and Esdeath last. “What’s wrong-AHH!” Esdeath fell off her bunk and landed on the floor.”After Akame calmed down, it was about they had a discussion and the three members sat in the chairs while Akame sat on the bed. Starting off with what was bothering their leader. “So…spill it.” Leone started. “This is happening every now and then. That last scene you did proves something is up. So tell us, Akame.”Cornelia nodded in agreement. “Yeah. We’re worried about you.”Akame sighed at them. “Fine. I’ve been…having flashbacks about what happened back at Beacon. More specifically, my fight against Cinder.” The team kinda figured this would be related to that. “But it’s more important than that.” She closed her hands tightly. “I can’t just go on living this life knowing that Cinder is still out there somewhere doing who knows what next.”Leone knew how her girlfriend felt. “I feel the same way about letting Adam escape through my fingers. Knowing he’s still out there breathing pisses me off.”Akame still had more to say. “That’s not all. During our fight, she mentioned some things. One of them was that I have no idea what we’re really in. Something that we can’t understand. Another was that Cinder kept saying she has the power of the Fall Maiden. What she meant by that I don’t know. She even survived Murasame’s poison. In fact, she completely eliminated it.”Now that Leone couldn’t believe. “Seriously? There’s no way that’s even possible.”Cornelia did catch what her leader said before. “You said Cinder had the power of the Fall Maiden, right?”The other girl nodded at the question. “Yes. Do you know something about that?”Both Cornelia and Esdeath looked at each other. “Do you actually think…?”Esdeath shook her head. “No. I couldn’t be.”Leone was a little confused by this. “What are you two talking about?”Both girls looked back at their teammates. “It’s just…have you heard of The Story of the Seasons?” Cornelia asked.Both Leone and Akame shook their heads. “No. What’s that?”They thought as much since the other two girls weren't that familiar with the myths and tales. "It's an old fairy tale." Esdeath spoke. "It's about how these four young girls, sisters who visit an old hermit and show their own version of kindness to him. The first encourage him to meditate and reflect. The second brought him fruit and flowers and revitalized his garden. The third made the old hermit go outside and embrace the world. The last one encouraged him to be thankful for what he has. As a gift, the old hermit gave the four sisters great powers in exchange for their kindness and are represented by the four seasons. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. They then traveled throughout Remnant spreading their gifts. My father told me that story countless times when I was little.”“Yeah, my papa too.” Cornelia added. “After hearing Cinder has the power of the Fall Maiden kinda makes me think that…the story may be true after all.”Esdeath was having a hard time believing in that. “But it’s just a fairy tale. How can it be real?”It was hard to argue after what Akame had said to them. “I don’t know but it is real. The only question is how did Cinder become the Fall Maiden in the first place? I kinda doubt she would be the ideal maiden considering what she did.”Esdeath tried her hand into solving this mystery. “Good question. Maybe it’s related to why Beacon was destroyed?”Akame could care less about any of this. “It doesn’t matter.” Everyone looked over at their leader. “Maiden or not, she’s a danger to everyone and I have to finish what I started with her. Only then will I feel at ease.”Cornelia knew what her leader was saying but still had some doubts. “I’m glad you want to settle things with Cinder but do you even know where to find her? She could be anywhere.”Akame thought about that and had an idea. “Cinder and her team claimed they were from Haven. Maybe that’s a place to start.”Already Esdeath had a bad feeling about what her leader was suggesting. “You’re not thinking of heading all the way to Mistral?”Her leader was just silent. “It’s late. We should just go back to bed.”“But Akame-”“That’s an order!” With that said, Akame laid back on her bed and fell back asleep.Leone just sighed. “You heard her. Back to bed girls.” Cornelia and Esdeath were reluctant but had no other choice. All three girls went back to their beds and sleep didn’t come so easy for the other two girls. B “So, what is it you wanted us to talk about?” KRCT was meeting the LCE members of ALCE in the library. Leone sent them a text about meeting up and having a discussion. Kurome noticed her sister wasn’t present. “So where’s Akame?”Cornelia sighed. “She doesn’t know we’re meeting. We think…Akame might leave for Mistral.”Kurome crossed her arms. “Okay. What for?”“To finish what was started back at Beacon.” Leone answered. “Akame can’t rest knowing that Cinder is still alive out there and I know how she feels. She thinks the best shot she has is going to Haven.”Already Chelsea thought this was insane. “Seriously? Haven is a hell of a long way from here. Not to mention a long shot.”Leone thought of that as well but she knew Akame all too well. “Trust me, Akame will do it as long she has a lead.”Taeko had a question after hearing all of this. “So what are you going to do about it?”The Faunus blonde had already thought of that. “Nothing. Once Akame makes up her mind, there’s nothing that can change it. Which is why I’m going with her.”That was something neither Cornelia nor Esdeath didn’t expect. “No way. You can’t be serious.”Leone nodded at Cornelia’s question. “I am. Akame isn’t doing this alone. Besides, I want some payback too for what that bitch did. This is our decision and we’re going to follow it through.”Now everyone thought this was crazy. “Are you sure this is a good idea? After everything our headmistress did for you?” Rienna asked.All of them saw the resolve in the Faunus girl’s eyes. “Doesn’t matter. Remember, what we start, we finish it. That’s always been our rule.” They knew she was referring to her ways of being an assassin. “Like I said, this is our decision. I know Akame won’t force the rest of you in on this and I’m the same. So when Akame goes, I go with her.”It was a lot to take for the rest of the group. The idea of Leone and Akame traveling all the way to Mistral on their own seemed crazy enough but they were determined to do it anyway. The question they had now is…what would they do about it? For Kurome, she had one thing to say. “Leone, can I say something about this?”Leone didn’t object. “Go ahead.” B Akame couldn’t wait any longer as tonight was the night she would make her journey to Mistral. As far as the lead was, it was the only one she had. She had already taken out Yatsufusa from her locker and already had Murasame. She made her way to the outer school grounds. “Going somewhere?”Akame stopped as she looked behind her. “Leone?”Her girlfriend smiled. “Knew you would do this in the middle of the night. That’s just who we are huh?”The other girl did expect this. She knew Leone would catch on easily. “What are you going to do about it?”Leone chuckled as she flicked her wrists to activate Lionel to prove a point. “What do you think?” The Faunus blonde flicked her wrists again and the weapons went back to their original form. “I’m going with you and nothing you say will stop me.”“How about no sex when I get back?”The Faunus blonde laughed at that. “Okay, even I know that’s a bad joke.” She narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend. “We parted ways once and I won’t let that happen again. You’re not the only one who wants Cinder and her cronies to pay.”Akame closed her eyes. “I would be glad if you would join me. It’ll be like old times.”Leone knew the other girl would say that. “Great.” She looked back. “Well…you heard her.”Akame didn’t understand what her girlfriend was doing until she saw more figures walking behind Leone and gasped. “What are all of you…?” She saw the rest of her team and KRCT all smiling and had their weapons ready. She was sure Cornelia and Esdeath were sleeping when she left them.Cornelia smiled at her leader. "After discussing this, we decided to come along. Akame, this just isn't your fight and Leone's. We're a team and this is our fight. So we’re coming along.”Esdeath nodded in agreement. “That’s right. It’s better to face this as a team then by you and Leone alone. We know the risks but that’s all the more to help you two.”Akame was rather touched by how dedicated her two teammates were. She looked over at her sister. “And what about you, Kurome?”Her sister smiled at her. "Let me put it this way. Any business my sister has is my business too. We're family, after all, right?"Chelsea had to agree since she had her own reason. “And wherever Kurome goes, I follow. I just can’t leave her by herself.”“The same with me.” Taeko spoke. “Except I have to maintain an eye on Chelsea.”Rienna just smiled at everyone. “And I’m going because all of you are like family to me and I would feel lonely if all you left.”Akame looked at each of her friends and saw that same determined look. She only had one worry. “You do realize the choice you’re making. Once we embark it, there’ll be going back until this is over. For most of you, this’ll be a difficult challenge. Are you sure you’ll be up for it?”The rest of the group nodded at the question. “Yes.”That was it. Akame would have to take their word for it. “Very well then. Are all of you prepared?”Rienna showed the other girl a bag she was carrying. “I have plenty of fire dust on my hand to last me a long time.”Kurome showed a bag of her own. “And I have full up bars. I usually carry a lot of these whenever we go off somewhere far away.”After hearing all of that, Akame accepted their coming along. They knew this journey will be long and difficult but they will carry through no matter what. “Alright then. If we’re all in agreement, let’s head out now.” Everyone understood and made their way out to the front of the school.As they approached the front, they saw a figure blocking their way. It was someone Kurome easily recognized. “Oh no.” The group stopped to see Najenda in their way. “Headmistress Najenda…” Fear was present in her voice.Everyone was worried she was here of all places. They saw her put a cigarette in mouth. “So…” She lit the cigarette up. “Mind telling me where all of you are going at this time of night?”Kurome carefully walked up a little to her. “How did you…”Najenda blew out some smoke. “I’m the head of this school for a reason. There isn’t anything that gets past me. Now give me a reason why I shouldn’t punish all of you for breaking school rules and it better be a good one.”Of course, there would be one obstacle before they could set out on their journey and it had to be Najenda of all things. Akame had the courage to step up and face her. “We’re doing this because all of us have made this decision on our own. We know the risks and the dangers but nothing will stop us in pursuing our goal. That goal is settling unfinished business once and for all. So either get out of way or I’ll force you to.”And Chelsea thought she was out of her mind when she said that. “Does this girl have a freaking death wish?!”Najenda’s response was chuckling at what her new student said to her. “You have some nerve saying that to me. I could expel you for something like that.” She smiled at Akame. “But I do admire that look in your eye. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a resolve like yours. Do all of you share that same resolve? Are all of you confident about this?”This time Kurome stepped up. “The resolve yes. The confidence…we’ll just have to see. We don’t expect this journey to be easy. Then again, what is? This is our battle and we will fight.”Najenda closed her eyes. “After hearing all of that, I’ve decided.” She opened her eyes. “Go back to your rooms and await your punishment.” Akame knew this wasn’t going to be easy and grabbed the hilt of Yatsufusa. “Hold on. Let me finish. I did say go back to your rooms but I didn’t say now. You can go back once you finish what you need to finish. But be warned. When you do come back, expect your punishment of that beyond hell. Do I make myself clear?”The group smiled at their headmistress. “Yes ma’am!” All of them ran past Najenda.“Kurome.” Said girl stopped behind the headmistress. “Take care of yourself out there.”Kurome remained silent for a few seconds. “Of course. Who do you think you’re talking to?” With those words said, she ran off to catch up to the rest of the group.Najenda blew out another puff of smoke. “Let’s hope I made the right decision letting them go. It’s all up to them from here on out.” Insert Fairy Tail opening 15 as ending song. Chelsea let out a sigh of relief once they were out of the school. “I thought she was going to stop us right then and there.”Leone laughed at that. “We were going to go through anyway. Least now we have the boss’ permission.”“What do you mean boss?” Taeko asked.Kurome couldn’t believe this was actually happening. “Team ALCE and KRCT working together. We’ll be unstoppable.”Akame had thought about that and stopped with the rest of the group following suit. “No. As of this moment, both ALCE and KRCT are dissolved.” Everyone was surprised to hear that. Akame turned around to her team. “From now on, we are one team with one goal. To travel to Haven. If that is where all of this started, then that’s where all of it will end.”A whole team. That’s right. They were a team now. Every one of them. “That’s cool and all but if we’re going to be one team, what’s going to be the name? I kinda doubt we’ll have one combining all the letters of our first names.”Akame smiled at the question. “I’ve already decided on the name. We will be called…Night Raid. We take justice into our own hands and deliver to whatever we see fit.”Esdeath loved the idea. “That sounds wonderful.”Cornelia nodded in agreement. “Night Raid huh? I can get used to that.”Leone cheered at the name they were given. “Hell yeah! Night Raid is back and I call second in command.” She smiled at Akame. “We’re ready when you are…leader.”Akame loved the sound of that. She turned back around looking forward. “Alright then. Night Raid…let’s move out!”“Yes!” Everyone moved forward to their destination in mind. End song From afar on top of the school, that same mysterious figure watched them all leave on their journey. “You two have grown well in your time living in this world and will continue to do so on the journey ahead. However, this is only the beginning of the many trials you will face. You may not know it but your destinies are intertwined with many others. I pray to the stars and heavens above that you, all of you will be safe.” She looked up at the night sky. “It seems someone else has wandered into the forest. I wonder…” With those thoughts, she vanished completely without leaving a single trace behind. Vol Two End A/N: And that’s it for Vol 2 of this story. Sad to say I didn’t get all that I wanted but pretty glad how this turned out. So what happens next? Eh, I have some side ideas going on and maybe put them into action. As for Vol 3…I’ll have to see what Vol 4 has to offer. Like before, I’ll mark this story as complete for now until later. Until then, stay tuned for what lies ahead and I’ll see all of you in my next story. Or the continuation of this one. Whichever comes first. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Okay…first off, I made a change in chapter thirty five that said Adam was the leader of the White Fang. That is wrong. So I made that change. Second…yeah bad idea of having different cover images for the story. As a person who doesn’t like spoilers, I tend not to spoil anything related to the story so it’ll be back to the previous one. Third and finally: hey! We’re at the third Vol of the story! How this will go is going to be different which is new for me. Usually, I would wait until the whole series is over in order to plan out. But for this one, it’ll be going alongside with Vol 4 of RWBY and see what I can work with. Bit of a risk, bit of a gamble but I’m pretty sure that a lot of you wanted this to continue soon as possible and considering how long it takes for the entire Vol to finish…you get the idea. Updates on this will depend on how Vol 4 goes. I do have a few ideas I want to try out (again.) Now the question is…how are Akame and the rest of Night Raid going to fit in this along with the small change that I made at the end of the last Vol. The answer: half of it is that Akame’s group will have their own journey since this is their experience. For the other half, beats the hell out of me. Like I said, it’ll depend on how Vol 4 goes. Now after this long ass A/N, let’s get to the story and see how it goes. One last thing. Bleach opening six as the third opening. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol ThreeKill Forty: Lonely, Confused, Fear, and LoveCold. Empty. Silent. These were the words Weiss would describe her very room back in her home in Atlas. And it was like this ever since her father brought her back from the Fall of Beacon. Once the heiress entered her room, she felt the instant difference between hers, and that of team RWBY's. Ruby. For the past over half year, the younger was what Weiss mostly thought about. Even more than the friends she'd made back at Beacon. What she also felt was guilt. Guilt that she had to write a letter of all things to convey her feelings to her leader. It wasn't like the heiress had much of a choice. Ruby was out of it along with Akame and had no idea how long it would've taken for her to wake up. On top of that, her father himself came to pick up Weiss for protection after their very own weaponry was used in the battle of Beacon as an opposing force. In a sense, Weiss was a doll locked up in a house without any way to contact her friends. Most of all, Ruby.She laid on her bed in her darkened room with only the light of the moon beaming through her windows as the source. Weiss wasn’t hungry during dinner and ate very little. Once she was excused, the heiress made her back to her cell of a room. She didn’t bother changing into her nightgown and just laid on the bed in her clothes. On nights like these, she missed her old life. The one at Beacon. With team RWBY and Ruby herself. Weiss pulled out her scroll and was slightly blinded by the light. Communication between scrolls hasn’t gotten better ever since Beacon Tower fell. What Weiss did do was look up the gallery on her scroll and looked at the photos taken with it. There was only one photo. It was her and Ruby in a selfie with Ruby smiling like the dunce she was in Weiss’ words and the heiress herself glaring at her for suddenly taking her scroll and taking a picture of the two of them. Weiss could remember how it how it happened and closed her eyes. “Weiss, Weiss! Can I see your scroll for just a second?” Weiss sighed while rolling her eyes. “What for? You have your own.” Ruby gave the heiress her iconic puppy dog eyes. “Please….” The older groaned as she couldn’t resist the look. “Fine.” She took out her scroll and presented it to her leader. “Just what-” Ruby quickly swiped the scroll and was immediately beside Weiss with a bright grin and the scroll’s camera pointing at them. Her arm wrapped around the heiress’ body. “Say cheese!” Weiss turned to her leader and glared at her. “Ruby-” A bright flash came out of the scroll and Ruby let go of her partner. Weiss was very confused about all of this. “Just what was that all about you dunce!?” The younger girl still kept that smile and handed Weiss’ scroll back to her. “I thought you would’ve like a picture of us together. Make it a great memory and all.” Weiss scoffed at the idea. “Then why didn’t you use your own scroll?” Ruby giggled happily. “Because I wanted to take a picture with yours silly.” Weiss gave up on trying to figure out her leader’s logic and roll with. “Whatever you say.” Unknown to the heiress, Ruby pulled out her own scroll. “Hey, Weiss…” Now was Weiss was beginning to feel annoyed by this. “What is it now!?” In a quick fashion, Ruby pointed her scroll’s camera at the heiress. “Say cheese!” A flash went off. Little did Weiss know that surprise photo would mean so much to her now more than it did. It was the only photo of Ruby she had. She held the scroll close to her and closed her eyes. Weiss missed Ruby desperately. The pain in her heart told her that much. “Ruby…” Sometimes when she slept, the heiress would dream about Ruby opening the window to her room and turn around to see her. Weiss would be overjoyed to see her again and not even bother questioning how the younger girl managed to be here in the first place. Ruby would drop down to the floor and Weiss would instantly go over to her for a much-needed hug. Ruby would hug her back and apologize for taking so long. Weiss couldn’t care less about that. All she cared about was having the girl she loved in her arms.And then Weiss would wake up and have reality hit her in the face. Ruby wasn’t here in her room. Only her and her alone in this huge mansion with her family and butlers to keep her company. It wasn’t much of an improvement but her butler, Clyde did make Weiss living back in her home a little more bearable. Still, it didn’t have that same feeling the dorm room she had with Ruby and the others had. There, it felt like she truly belonged with Ruby by her side. Weiss turned to her other side and looked out the window to see the moon. Her mind would often wonder how everyone else was doing. “Ruby…I hope you’re okay, wherever you are.” Weiss tried to sleep. She had a lot of practicing to do for the charity that was coming up orchestrated by her father. Now that Weiss thought about it, she never did once sing for Ruby. She could guess Ruby would’ve loved it. She pulled the scroll away from her chest and looked at the photo one more time. “Goodnight…Ruby.” Weiss locked her scroll and closed her eyes. Sleep didn’t come as easily like she thought it would. B In an open area in a forest, a fire could be heard crackling in a campsite. In the campsite was Ruby and what was left of team JNPR. Or rather they were called team RNJR now. They were making their way to Mistral for over the last half year. It was hard to believe they were on the road that long but it would’ve been worth it. As of now, the other three members were in their sleeping bags around the fire while Ruby was still awake sitting on a small boulder. They've made a rule that the last one awake would put out the fire before going to bed themselves. There was a reason why Ruby chose to be the last one awake. She put her hand in her pocket and pulled out a letter. The young leader unfolded it to read the letter once again. "Dear Ruby, I'm sorry you had to find out this way but I'm going back to Atlas with my father. After what happened at Beacon, he thought it would be safer for me to return home. Of course, I objected to that but he didn't care. I had little time to prepare so I used it in writing this letter to you. I have so many things to say but I'm afraid I cannot tell them in this so I'll speak from my heart. Ruby, even though we may have started out rocky and being unkind to you but as time passed on, I began to appreciate you and the team I was on. I had so much fun with all of you and I will miss those times. Most of all, I will miss you. I will miss everything about you. Your smile, your laughter, your carefree attitude which I envied so much. It won't be the same without them. You were without a doubt someone I was lucky to know of and spend time with. I couldn't have asked for a better partner. I was hoping to tell you something important later on but I'm afraid I don't have that choice any longer so I'll just say it. I have fallen for you, Ruby Rose. Esdeath had made me realize these feelings I've had for you before I even knew about them. No, I did know but didn't act upon them until I saw you how you acted around her. As soon as I admitted that, I tried to find a way to convey my feelings to you. I thought of giving you a present that was meaningful was a good idea and then I would properly confess to you. However, it seems that will never happen now. I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I can only hope that somehow, someday, we can be reunited once more. And not just you. Our team as well because I will not accept any other than team RWBY led by you. I know you can get through this no matter how difficult things might be for you. I believe in you. Goodbye, Ruby. Love, Weiss Schnee P.S: I hope Yang recovers from this as well. Give her my regards. Ruby sighed as she continued to stare at the letter. Right before she suddenly left her home at Patch, the younger leader grabbed the letter at the last second before going on her journey. Since then, Ruby has read this letter countless time whenever she was the last one awake. It was the only thing she had left to remind her of Weiss. And she still had no idea how to feel about this. Esdeath was one thing but the young leader certainly didn’t expect Weiss of all people to like her in that way. She didn’t hate it, though. In fact, Ruby considered herself lucky that she won the heart of the heiress despite being…well, Ruby. Now that she thought about it, it made much more sense why Weiss wanted to talk to her in private from before. Ruby sighed as she looked up at the night sky with the stars out shining brightly. Often the young leader asked herself the same question constantly over and over again. Did she feel the same way for Weiss? For one, when she first read the letter, Ruby cried in her pillow. As if it wasn’t enough to know her team was practically broken up now, she now found out the heiress had feelings for her. To be honest, Ruby still wasn’t over it. The young leader closed her eyes and tried to answer the question time after time.What did Ruby like about Weiss Schnee? For starters, she was very pretty. And graceful at that. She was an amazing fighter and did like her weapon. In fact, Ruby really couldn’t think of the words that could describe how amazing the heiress really was. There was, however, a faint increase of her heartbeat every time Ruby would think about Weiss. Was it too soon to tell? Ruby didn’t know. What she did know was that the young leader did miss Weiss very much. Sure, they didn’t have the best of beginnings but they made it work between them along the way. Ruby opened her eyes to look at the starry night sky once again. Often Ruby would daydream (or was it night dream?) of images her old team, having fun with their friends before everything changed. This mission she was on, the mission her team was on, it was all for getting back those times again and to bring those who took it to justice.Ruby put the letter away and stood up grabbing the bucket next to her. She poured water on the fire and it went out. After that, Ruby walked over to her sleeping bag and slipped inside of it. Before she went to sleep, Ruby had final thoughts before closing her eyes. “Don’t worry Weiss, everyone. Everything will be back to normal and then…” Her thoughts trailed back to Weiss. “We’ll be back to together again, Weiss and then maybe….” Before the sleep took over, Ruby couldn’t help but wonder how Yang and her dad was doing. Probably a little mad after taking off like she did. She wasn’t too worried. After all, Blake was still there looking after Yang. B All Yang could feel was the heat of the fire from the cafeteria when looking for Blake. When she found an opening, it was like time had frozen. The blonde saw Blake lying on the ground with someone else standing over her. Anger suddenly flared up as she slammed her fists while activating Ember Celica. Yang jumped headfirst without thinking of a plan. All that was going through her mind was saving Blake from whoever it was that hurt her. As soon as the blonde was near, she saw him swing her sword at her and everything went dark. D Yang screamed as she sat up from her bed panting heavily. She was sweating lightly and tried to calm down. She placed a hand on her forehead trying to collect her thoughts. As soon as the blonde calmed down, Yang looked over to her other arm and saw that it was the same stump as it was that very night. “Yang?” The former brawler looked over to Blake who sat up as well looking a little worried. “Are you okay?”Yang was very grateful her Faunus girlfriend was here with her. Otherwise, dealing with these repeated nightmares would’ve been much more difficult. “Yeah, Yeah I’m okay. Just another damn nightmare is all.” She laid back down in her bed.Blake laid back as well while snuggling up to the other girl. She would always be there for her love no matter what. “It was about what happened that night, wasn’t it? It’s always that.”The blonde just sighed. These nightmares of hers have been happening for the last couple of months and every one of them resulted in her waking up screaming. There were several she remembered where Yang was too late to save Blake or watch Adam kill Blake in front of her before moving on to her. It was both tiresome and annoying. “I hate this. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. I hate being like this. Being afraid. This isn’t who I am and yet…” Yang groaned.Blake could understand. Yang was one of the bravest people she knew and was now reduced to the person she was now. A girl with her arm gone, her future taken away, and now afraid. The Faunus girl wished she could do more than comfort her. “It’ll be okay. You can get through this. I know you can.Yang was glad to hear those words but it wasn’t enough. “And what if I can’t? Look at me Blake. I don’t have an arm anymore and I’m sometimes scared of my own reflection. Hell, I sometimes can’t stand looking at myself in the mirror without seeing this godforsaken stump of an arm.” She huffed out angrily. “Sometimes I wish I had Leone’s courage, ya know. Least that girl wasn’t afraid of anything.”Ironic she would say that. “Actually, Leone was afraid at one point.”Yang was surprised to hear that as she turned her to the side to look at the other girl. “Seriously?”The Faunus girl nodded at the question. “Yes. It was back when we were traveling to a safe location after what happened at Beacon. Leone was by your side, crying and saying I’m sorry over and over. She was afraid of losing her mother again. Leone was afraid of losing you.”It did make a lot of sense since they did see her brief freak out when Blake sang the song her mother sang to her when she was younger. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. It was like I was afraid of losing you. In fact, that was the only thing I was afraid of."Blake could understand that easily. “It’s only natural. Sometimes, those who are the bravest, have the strongest of fears.”Yang couldn't help but giggle at that. "Where did that come from?”The Faunus girl giggled back. “It…kinda came to me. That’s all.”Yang smiled at her girlfriend while feeling sleepy once again. “I feel like going to sleep again. Hopefully, I can get some actual sleep.”Blake wrapped her arm around her girlfriend’s waist to bring them closer together. “And you will while I’m here.”The former brawler smiled at Blake before closing her eyes. “Goodnight, Blake.”The Faunus girl proceeded to do the same. “Goodnight, Yang.” They both fell asleep and Yang didn’t have another nightmare for the rest of the night. B When morning came, Yang and Blake dressed and walked down the stairs. It was then they noticed something strange. Taiyang wasn’t cooking breakfast. Soon as they reached downstairs, they went over to the kitchen to see it was empty and saw a note on the counter. Yang walked over to it and picked up it to read. “I’ll be back in the afternoon. Take care. Also, don’t forget your morning sparring session and feed Zwei. Taiyang.” The former brawler set down the note and turned to her Faunus girlfriend. “Guess it’s just us for the time being.”Blake gave the other girl a loving smile. “I’ll get breakfast started then.” She went over to the pantry door and opened it to grab the apron. After that, the Faunus girl started to make the two of them breakfast. During her stay at the Xiao Long household over the half a year, Blake has picked up a few things. One of them cooking lessons from Taiyang (which Yang has made a comment or two about her being a good housewife.) and the lessons Taiyang has given her. To put that in a nutshell, Blake could see why Yang was such a good fighter in the first place. Taiyang was an excellent teacher to Blake and has helped out Yang in dealing with her condition. It was more than what she could've wished for. Still, there was something Blake couldn't shake off even after all this time. And it was something she had to confront sooner or later.For now, Blake was cooking for her girlfriend and make sure to start off the day just right. After cooking some pancakes and bacon, she set the plates on the table. One of them in front of Yang. The blonde loved the smell of it. “Looks good Blake and I bet it’ll taste even better.”Blake sat down next to her. “I’m sure you’ll love it, as always.”Both girls clapped their hands together. “Thank you for the food.” They began eating and as usual, it was delightful. B After breakfast was done, the two girls started their morning sparring. It was a regular basis for the both of them Taiyang started when Yang was well enough to adapt to her new condition. Blake often participated in them both using Gambol Shroud and not. It was difficult at first but Yang was able to get the hang of it. Blake could actually see some of the spark Yang had before in her eyes. There were times Yang would just stop completely and groan while hesitating. Blake figured it was because what happened to her from before. Once their sparring was done, they went to the shower afterward. Blake going first obviously. When they were done with the showering, All that was left was waiting on Taiyang to come back home. As of now, they were both in the living room watching some TV. Yang flipped a few news channels and all of them were saying the same thing. About how Beacon had fallen and those who were included in it. One in particular Yang had stopped. "Reports say that Adam Taurus, a member of the White Fang was involved in the attack at Beacon Academy. As of now, authorities have no information on his whereabouts." Yang shut off the TV after hearing that.Yang gritted her teeth while closing her hand tightly. She was both angry and afraid at the same time. To think the person who did this to her was still out there roaming about. Blake could see it in her girlfriend’s expression. “Yang?”The blonde heard the concern in the other girl’s voice and calmed down as she looked over at her. She smiled at Blake. “I’m fine Blake. Don’t worry.”Blake could tell that was a lie. Yang was bothered by anything related to the White Fang. That much she knew and it only added the guilt Blake felt about it. Perhaps it was time after all. Before they could continue their conversation, the door suddenly opened and turned to it seeing Taiyang walking in carrying a lot of boxes. “Dad?”"I got good news!" Taiyang walked in the living room and managed to close the door. "I got something from general Ironwood. I didn't even have to call in favors." He set the boxes on the table in front of the couch. One, in particular, he slid it in front of the two girls. He smiled at them. "Check it out."Taiyang opened the box and Yang couldn’t believe it. “Is that…”Her father chuckled as he loved his daughter’s expression. “Yeah. It is.” The item in the box was a new arm for Yang. Even Blake couldn’t help but marvel at it. After all this time, Yang could have an arm again. “Want to try it out?”Yang was actually nervous. After not having an arm for so long, it was almost kinda scary for her. That is until she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Blake smiling at her while giving a nod. That was all the encouragement she needed. The former brawler looked back at her dad and smiled. “Sure. Let’s give a shot.” Yang stood up as did Blake and the Faunus girl helped the blonde take off her jacket. Once it was off, Taiyang carefully lifted the arm in the box and stood by his daughter.He positioned the opening slot to where the end of the stump was. “Okay, from I’ve been told, this’ll hurt only for a second.”Yang could care less about that. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just get the thing on already.” With that said, Taiyang inserted the stump into the open slot. It was that moment a small sound was made and Yang hissed at the pain she felt. "Ah, son of a bitch!" Blake held her girlfriend tightly as not to make any sudden movement.Taiyang carefully let go of the arm and took a few steps back. He took in the sight of his daughter’s new arm. “Try moving it now.” Yang looked down at her new arm and found out first that it was heavy. Mostly because she was used to having only one arm for quite some time. She lifted her arm to her and made slight grasping gestures with the fingers. That was all Taiyang needed to see. “Well, how do you like your new arm?”Yang continued to stare at the new robotic arm. It was almost unbelievable she had a new arm. She should be happy but wasn't. No matter what, it couldn't truly replace the arm she had before. Still, she was glad to have an arm again. “It’s…great. Although, I may need to get used to it.”The blonde suddenly saw two hands grab her robotic hand and looked over at Blake who was smiling at her. “I’m glad you have a new arm now Yang.” The Faunus girl tightened her hold on the hand.That was another thing this arm won’t have. Yang could no longer feel Blake’s hands holding her own with this arm. That didn’t mean she couldn’t feel the meaning behind it. “Thanks, Blake.” They two girls stared at each other lovingly in the eyes.That is until Taiyang cleared her throat and both girls turned to him while their hands separated. “Well then, I guess you’ll have the rest of the day trying out your arm Yang. I’ll go into the kitchen and make some lunch. That alright with you two?”They had no problem with it. “Yeah/sure.” Taiyang nodded at the two girls and walked to the kitchen. He knew about his daughter’s relationship with Blake a few days after Leone had left them but could see it right away when Blake first showed up at the house. Taiyang should know because he made those same expressions when he was going out with Raven and was with Summer. He didn’t care who Yang was with just as long the person she was with treated her just like how Yang treated them. And so far that seemed to be working out just fine between the two of them. Taiyang was just happy his daughter had found someone for her. B The rest of the day seemed to pass by quickly and Yang was starting to get the hang of it with her new arm. From throwing a few simple punches in the air to grabbing a cup of water, little by little she was adapting to it. When night came, both girls were in Yang’s room with Blake brushing the blonde’s hair from behind sitting on the bed in their pajamas while said girl continued to tinker around with her new arm and reading the manual. Blake admitted she loved brushing the other girl’s hair. She could see why Yang took in so much pride with her hair. It felt soft and luxurious whenever she ran her fingers through the locks. While brushing the hair carefully, Blake did wonder about something. “Can’t you brush your hair now since you have your new arm?”Yang flipped through another page. “Yeah but I like it when you brush my hair. It feels so much better that way.” The Faunus girl wasn’t going to argue with that.After one final stroke, Blake set the brush aside onto the stand next to the bed. “Alright, you’re all done.” She stood up from the bed so her girlfriend would have a little more room.The blonde ran her human hand through the locks and smiled pleasantly. “Feels great, as always.”Blake was happy to hear that. Since Yang couldn’t brush her own hair with one arm, the Faunus girl took up the liberty of helping her. It’s been kinda there thing for a while now. Then there was the hard part Blake had to face. The only thing she was afraid of how Yang would react. She steeled herself for the conversation they were about to have. “Yang…”Yang stopped running her fingers through her hair and looked over at her Faunus girlfriend. “What is it kitten?”That was a nickname Yang had given her after living with her for a while. Talking about this subject proved to be a little more difficult than she thought but had to go through with it. “There isn’t any way for me to say this so I’ll just go out and say it. I’m thinking about…leaving here.” Yang was about to say something but Blake still had more to say. “Nothing’s wrong if that’s what you’re going to say. I’m thankful for what you and your father have done for me. There’s just…something I have to do and I don’t think I can wait any longer.”Yang thought this was her turn to speak. “Does it have to do with the White Fang?”She was half right. “Somewhere along the lines but I have something else to do before that.”At least Blake was talking to her about this whole thing. Still, Yang had a feeling why Blake was doing this. “Is this because of my arm? Blake, I told you I don’t blame you for that.”“But I still feel responsible!” Blake glared at the other girl. “If I wasn’t so helpless…” She couldn’t bear to finish that sentence because Blake knew what Yang would say about it. “Please understand. I need to do this.”After hearing all of that, Yang came to a conclusion. “If you really feel strongly about this, fine then. I won’t stop you but only on one condition.”Blake was a little afraid to ask but did anyway. “And what condition is that?”Yang smiled at her girlfriend. “If you take me along with you.”Now that was something the Faunus girl didn’t expect to hear but against it. “I can’t do that! Yang, you just got your arm. It would be too dangerous for you to go out now.”“Yeah, well, staying here won’t help either.” Yang stared back at the other girl. “I won’t get any better being cooped up in the house. Sure I’ve made a lot of progress but I’ll never get over this rut I’m in unless I do something about it. This just isn’t important to you. It’s important to me too and all the more since it involves you. So take it or leave it. Those are my terms.”As usual, Yang was being stubborn. What frightened Blake the most was the same thing happening again to the girl she loved. Then again, she was determined to not let that happen. She wasn’t the same girl back at that night in Beacon. Blake was stronger now and won’t repeat what happened on that night. Somehow, she knew Yang thought the same. Blake took in a deep breath and smiled at the other girl. “Alright then but promise me you won’t do anything crazy.”Yang chuckled at that. “No promises but I’ll make sure to be more careful.”Blake was glad to hear that. There was only more problem to deal with. “And what about your dad?”Yang had already thought about that. “Don’t worry. You can leave him to me.” B The next day came and Yang was already up. After reading the manual, it was clear she should remove the arm before going to bed or do any other activity that involved water. There was also the maintenance the blonde had to do every now and then. All of that wasn’t important right now. After grabbing the arm on the dressing and putting it on herself (which still hurt like a bitch to her.) she went out her room while Blake was still sleeping. She preferred this way. Yang made her way downstairs and smelled the familiar scent of bacon being cooked. The blonde walked over to the kitchen and saw him cooking. She knocked on the wall a few times and that caught his attention. Taiyang turned around to see his daughter. “Ah, good morning Yang. I see you’re wearing the arm already. How does it feel?”Yang looked down at her arm and then back at her father. “Still hurts when I put it on but other than that, it’s nice to have an arm again.”Taiyang was happy to hear that. “Good. Blake still asleep?”The younger blonde nodded at the question. “Yeah.” She took in a deep breath. “Hey, dad? I’ve got something to tell you.”Her father knew all too well what that meant. He turned to the stove and turned it off before turning back to his daughter. “Alright. What is it you have to say?”Yang felt a little nervous about all of this but it was for her and Blake. “Blake told me she was planning on leaving to deal with some stuff of her own and…I want to come along with her.”There was silence between them and Yang didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Probably bad. Taiyang just sighed. “You just got your arm and already you want to go out into the world? Did you even think this through?”Yang thought her father might’ve disapproved of this but was still determined. “Just listen to me, okay? What Blake has to do, it’s just not her fight. It’s mine too and I can’t let her do it by herself.”Taiyang still didn’t think it was a good idea. “So it’s a fight now? Yang, you’re still getting back into the swing of things. You’re not ready for actual fighting. Much less for whatever mess you’re going to be in. Why involve in something that concerns Blake?”"Because I love her!" Yang's eyes flared up into their crimson coloring. Something Taiyang hadn't seen in quite a while. "I know I'm not up to a hundred percent, I know I'm not up to what I was before, and I know what the risks are involved in doing this. But I just can't let this pass me while hoping I get better. In fact, I think I'll just get stir crazy sitting around. Whatever Blake has to do, I have to do it as well. That's why I want to go with her. We're stronger together than apart. She's more than my partner. Blake is my girlfriend and I love her with everything I have. So please…"Taiyang could see a familiar look in his daughter’s eyes and not because she was showing the eyes her mother had. It had been a long time since he’s seen such a fire in Yang’s eyes. Not since her leaving for Beacon. All Taiyang could do was sigh. “You’re so much like your mother, you know. Are you really serious about this? Serious and certain?”Yang gave a single nod to him. “Yes. And I’m sorry for bringing this up on you since mom, Summer, and Ruby-”"You don't have to worry about me, Yang." Taiyang smiled at his daughter. "This isn't the first time both you and Ruby left the house. All I ask for is for you to be careful."Yang took that as a yes and ran over to her father in giving him a hug. “Thank you, dad.”Taiyang chuckled as he petted Yang’s head. He looked out to the doorway and saw Blake already at the doorway smiling. “I suppose it was only a matter of time.” B It was the afternoon now and Yang and Blake were standing outside the house with Taiyang in front of them and Yang’s motorcycle, Bumblebee behind them. The two girls were ready for the journey ahead with packs and Taiyang to see them off. “You two be careful out there. Things are a little hectic the way they’ve been recently.”Blake wasn’t too worried about that. She bowed to the man before her. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”Taiyang smiled at her. “You’re welcome and I’m counting on you to look after Yang. Understand?”The Faunus girl stood up and nodded at him. “I will.”Yang did feel a little sad leaving home. “I guess we’ll see you later dad and if I ever run into Ruby, I’ll be sure to punch her for running out on us.”Her father chuckled at that. “I think that’s a little too harsh.”His daughter had a backup. “Then I’ll give her a big hug and tell her how much she worried us.”Taiyang could approve of that. “That’s much better.” He smiled at both girls. “One more thing. If you ever run into Leone, tell my granddaughter I said hi.”Both girls froze up when they heard that. Yang was the first to speak. “How did-”“It wasn’t that hard to figure out.” Her father interrupted. “The way she looked after you was the same as you and Ruby looking after Summer when she became sick. I can still remember Ruby’s expression when she found out her “super mom” could get sick. And the way she acted to the both of you when she said goodbye. Also, she really does look like you and has Blake’s eyes. All I did was put two and two together.” This was something the two girls didn’t expect was Yang was glad now that she heard this. She refrained from making a pregnancy joke.With everything said and done, it was time to depart. “Guess we should get going now.” Yang smiled at her father. “Bye…dad. I know I’ll miss you.”Taiyang felt the same. “Same here.”Both girls turned around and mounted on Bumblebee with Yang obviously doing the driving. Everything was now set in motion. Yang and Blake looked back and waved goodbye and the motorcycle revved up while Taiyang waved back at them. Yang hit the throttle the two girls rode off. As he saw them leave, he couldn’t help but feel proud rather than sad. “And there they go. Raven, if you can see how much out little girl has grown up. She reminds me so much of you and she couldn’t find a better person to be with. Wherever you are, I hope you’re watching after her.” Little did he know, there was a mysterious figure wearing a Nevermore mask watching over them all from a cliff not too far. A portal appeared behind the figure and the figure walked into it. After that, the portal closed.Yang couldn’t help but feel excited about the journey ahead. “Alright! You and me, on the road together. This is going to be awesome!”Blake shared the feeling her girlfriend had. “We have a long journey ahead of us. Are you sure you’re prepared?”The blonde smiled as she brought up her human arm to present the other half of Ember Celica. “You bet. So where are we going.”The Faunus stared at the road ahead. “Menagerie.”Yang didn’t expect to go there of all places. “Menagerie? Why go there?”Blake was silent for several seconds. “Because that’s where my home is.”Now the blonde understood and felt a little excited. “Your home huh? Alright then. Any idea of getting there?”The Faunus girl had a plan thought out. “We can take a boat and cross the ocean. That’s the fastest way to get there. Guess it was a good thing your dad gave us enough money for what we need.”It was a good a plan as any. Yang did feel a little nervous since Menagerie was predominated by Faunus. Still, she was with Blake and they could take on anything that might be thrown at them. “Sounds good to me. First stop, Menagerie!” As excited as she was, Yang looked up at the sky. “You know, I wonder what Leone is doing now. I hope she’s okay.”Blake thought the same but wasn’t worried. “I’m sure she is. Remember, we’re always with her.”Yang understood what Blake meant and smiled. “Yeah, you’re right. We’ll always be with her no matter where she is.” Both girls looked at the road ahead and were looking forward to the journey ahead. B In an unknown location in a dark desolate land, a frightening figure was looking at it through a window in a large room. She slightly moved her head to the door behind her. "You may enter." The door opened on its own and three people entered the room. The woman turned around to greet them. "Hello there, Cinder."Cinder stood across from the woman. Accompanying her was Mercury and Emerald as always. Cinder's look had changed since the Fall of Beacon. She was wearing a different outfit and her hair made much shorter. Most of all, she had scarring on left side of her face and eyepatch over her left eyes with part of her hair covering it. Whenever Emerald was in the same room as the woman in front, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous. "You…wanted to see her?"The woman gave her an unrelenting gaze. “Yes. I’m interested in knowing more what happening during the battle of Beacon. Specifically who Cinder had encountered. I could tell she wanted to tell more during the meeting earlier.”Cinder leaned into Emerald's ear and whispered the words. She couldn't talk since she came back from Beacon. Her subordinate nodded and repeat what Cinder had told her. "You're correct. You see after Cinder managed to kill a girl called Pyrrha Nikos, another girl showed up to fight her. This girl's name was Akame Night and there's something strange about her and the friend she was with called Leone Wild."The woman was greatly interested in this. “Go on.”Cinder whispered more into Emerald’s ear and she understood. “Akame fought against Cinder and she did…pretty good. Equally, in fact.”That was something the woman didn’t expect to hear. “Is that so? Even though Cinder has the power of the Fall Maiden?”Emerald nodded and Cinder whispered in her ear once again. She relayed the words Cinder had told her. "Yes, ma'am. Akame had this weapon called an Imperial Arms. She called it…the One Kill Sword Murasame." After hearing that, the woman turned around to look through the window again. "Salem…ma'am?"Salem was quiet for several seconds. “It’s quite odd. I possess knowledge of all things in this world. Aura, dust, Grimm, human nature, their society, and the history. Yet, I have never heard of these…Imperial Arms.”Cinder whispered more into Emerald’s ear and nodded. “Here’s the weird thing. During their fight, Akame announced to Cinder that she was an assassin from another world. If that’s true, chances are her friend is from that same other world. It would make sense why there wasn’t any data on them before they enrolled into Beacon.”Salem turned back around to the three. “Another world you say? This is interesting. Thank you for telling me this. All of you may leave now.”Everyone understood and took their leave of the room. Salem was alone once again but this time had new information regarding the opponent Cinder had fought against. “Imperial Arms, other worlds. Suddenly, this became all the more intriguing. Even so, this Akame Night and her friend will fall all the same as the rest.” when that time comes and couldn’t wait for it. A/N: Miku Hatsune Natsu Matsuri as third ending ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol ThreeKill Forty One: The Journey so FarThe sound of cheer and hearty laughter could be heard in the night air. Settled in a forest, there was a large camp with a large group celebrating by eating and drinking. While this group was in high spirits, the women serving them were not. They were beyond terrified that this group of bandits attacked their village and took them as prisoners. Or to the bandits, their reward. One of the women was sitting next to the leader taking another swig from his mug. The leader had a rather large build and was shirtless. He was bald with the only facial hair being his goatee. His only clothing was a pair of tan armbands and khaki pants with a sword located on his left side. He set down his mug on the table before him and turned to the woman. “Fill it up.” The woman next to him was very frightened to do anything. The leader growled at her. “Didn’t you hear me? I said…fill it up.” He ordered in a more threatening tone.The woman did what she was told as she didn’t want to be struck by him again. The woman grabbed a pitcher and began pouring the alcohol into the mug. The leader laughed at her obedience. That’s a good wench. I’ll make sure invaded it. They were truly in despair.“Hey! Do you have a death wish or something?” The bandits stopped what they were doing and looked over at the end of the camp. The bandits nearby saw what one of their own was shouting about. A figure wearing a black hooded cloak with a sword located on the back. The hood was put up and covered the face of the figure. The one bandit who yelled grabbed his own sword. “Why you little-”“Hold it!” Everyone looked over at their leader who was smiling at the whole ordeal. “Let this one come over.” The bandits looked at each and then parted to create a path. The started to walk over to the leader. Once the figure was in front of him, the leader smiled. “You have some heavy balls coming up to us all by your lonesome.” He eyed at the weapon on the figure’s back. “That’s one fine sword you have there. So what's your business with us? If it's to join, fine. The more the merrier. If it's to oppose us, well…" He chuckled as his head was near in front of the figure's face. "You're already surrounded. So which one is it?"The figure didn't reply to his question. Instead, the answer came in the form of pulling out another sword from inside the cloak and slashed at the leader's throat. The leader screamed as both his men and the women were shocked to see the sight before them. Blood was gushing out of the wound but the leader grabbed his throat tightly and growled angrily at the figure. "Damn…you!” He tried to reach for his sword but stopped when he felt a new sensation. “W-What the hell?” Everyone saw strange black markings coming from the wound and quickly spread everywhere through his throat. The leader coughed out blood and felt very weak. “What did you…do to…me…?” He fell down backward to the ground with a thud already dead.Everyone was speechless at what they had just seen. The rest of the bandits drew out their swords and were angry at the figure. "You're dead!" Several of them charged at the person who killed their leader.As soon as they neared the figure, something dropped from above and two of the bandits screamed as their bodies were crushed in an instant. The rest of the bandits took several steps back as they saw another hooded cloaked figure crouching down on the two bandit’s corpses. “What the?! There’s another one?”The first one flicked the sword to be rid of the blood. “I could’ve handled them.” The now discovered by the sound of the voice, one of them was a girl.The second one stood up while grinning. “I know. I just wanted in on the fun.” The bandits found out the second figure was also a girl.The rest of the bandits had enough of what happened and one of them pointed his sword at the two figures. “Get them!” Every one of them charged at the figures.The second one smiled as she pulled back her hood to reveal wild long blonde hair with a small black ribbon tied around the hair near the end and a bandana tied around her neck covering the top of her chest. The most notable feature aside from her large breasts were the lion ears on top of her head. “You ready Akame?”Akame pulled back her hood. “Let’s get this over with.”Leone brought out her arms and flicked her wrists to activate Lionel and rushed over to the first bunch of bandits. The Faunus blonde passed them all while slashing at them. When Leone stopped behind them, blood violently came out of their bodies and fell to the ground dead. She smiled her work. “Who’s next?” She saw several more bandits running at her was elated. Leone launched herself at one of them. She pulled back her arm and punched at one of the bandit’s chest. So much force was put behind the attack, it created a hole in his body and fell down backward. Another bandit swung his sword at the Faunus blonde. Leone saw the attack coming and opened her mouth only to bite the blade completely off.The bandit took a few steps back in fear as he couldn’t believe that just happened. In the net second, Leon knocked his head off the body and fell to the ground. The bandits that surrounded her became afraid of her. “This Faunus…she’s a monster!”Leone brought up her bloody claw to her and smiled wickedly at them. “Only to jackasses like all of you!” The bandits tried to flee but Leone chased them down and easily caught up with them. She slaughtered them all from behind while they screamed.Over to Akame, she was cutting apart any bandit in her sights. The former assassin made sure to be very thorough with the bandits one after another. Some she cut their arms off. Others their legs off. Sometimes it was their whole bodies cut in half and decapitated them. Those who did survive would die from her Imperial Arms Murasame’s deadly poison. Within minutes, the entire band was being reduced. Few tried to flee for their lives but Akame jumped one of them behind and split his body in half from the top center of his head to the other end. She saw one of the bandits trying to flee and disappeared. Akame reappeared in front of him and slashed across his throat. The bandit let out a gurgled scream while blood rushed out of his throat and dropped to the ground.With her part of the bandits done, Akame looked over at Leone who was pretty much massacred her half of the band. She was standing over the last remaining bandit who begged for his life to be spared. Naturally, her response was slamming her fist into the guy’s face making another bloody hole left behind. She pulled back her fist and laughed. “Man that felt good. Serves these bastards right.”“Now there’s only one thing left to do.” Akame turned to several of the prisoned women who were huddling close to each other in fear.They saw Akame flick her sword again to rid the blood and Leone flicked her wrists to return Lionel back into their original form. One of them gulped. “Please…don’t hurt us.”Leone laughed at her plea. “Relax. We’re not going to hurt you. We’re here to take all of you back to your village.”For once they seemed to be hopeful. “You’re here to save us?”Akame nodded at the question as she sheathed Murasame. “Yes. Your village chief requested it.”While they were very relieved to hear that, they were also very worried. “Please, tell us what happened to our village. Is everyone safe?”Leone smiled at them. "Oh, don't worry. Our friends are handing the Grimm problem as we speak. They were lucky we came around when they started to attack. Now, are there more of you here?"One of the women nodded. “Y-Yes. Everyone else is being held captive in the back of the camp.”That was all the two girls needed to know. "Alright then. Lead the way." The women began to walk and guide their rescuers to the rest of them. While following them, Akame had one thought on her mind. "I wonder how Kurome and the other are doing back in the village."Leone chuckled at the question. “Eh, I wouldn’t worry about it. Knowing them, they’re probably having the time of their lives.” B In a village not too far from the bandit camp, it was being attacked by a large pack of Beowolves. Fortunately, of the villagers, there was a group of six girls defending it from all sides. Cornelia swung her axe staff Twin Knight at the three Beowolves and cleaved them all in half. After they fell down, two more jumped at her. The blonde separated the staff into their ax form and pointed them at the Grimm. She fired several shots at them which left holes in their bodies. Keeping up the pace, Cornelia ran up to more of the Beowolves. The Beowolves themselves ran up to her too. The blonde swung her axes as the two came in close to each other and she passed them. The Beowolves were cut in half and fell to the ground. Cornelia could only groan at all of this. “How many more do we have to go through?” She saw another group of Beowolves growling at her. The blonde raised her weapons to her. “Great. Hope the others are doing good.” “Whirlwind!” Countless wind blades went through the Grimm easily and their bodies fell apart. Takeo was making easy work on the invading Beowolves at her side. Still, just because something was easy doesn’t mean it’ll be over quickly. As soon as she slain one Grimm, several more took its place. It was a pattern she was becoming very annoyed with. "They just keep coming. How large is this pack?" Suddenly, she heard several explosions going off at another side of the village. Takeo knew what was going on over there. “Seems Rienna is having fun.”Another explosion occurred that blasted more of the Beowolves away from the village. Some did manage to pass them but they were greeted by the intense fire that burned their bodies thoroughly to a crisp. Rienna continued to spew fire out of her flamethrowers and moved them to the side to deal with any other Grimm that may pass through their defenses. Out of all of them in Night Raid, Rienna had the widest reach and the farthest. Despite the strong flames, the Beowolves continued to jump through the fire. “Come on. How many do I have to burn until all of you stop?” She saw them running toward her. Rienna sighed as she pointed Devil Incarnate at them.Within the village, the Grimm that did manage to pass through were running amok destroyed some of the houses. However, there were some that had their heads decapitated quickly one after another. After another one lost its head, Kurome stopped to get her surroundings. Less and less Grimm were coming in but they were still coming in nonetheless. She saw one running toward her and Kurome switched ends of Trisula and pointed the other end at the Grimm. Kurome fired one shot at the Grimm and it went through it to the other end. Kurome switched ends and held it with the weapon resting on her shoulder. “So far so good. Hope Akame gets back soon.” She heard a loud roar from behind. She turned around to see a figure jump near her and land. Kurome wasn’t too excited by the new arrival. “Great.” She saw the new Grimm stand up and roared at her. “A Beringel.”Out of all the Grimm Night Raid had encountered throughout their journey, Beringel was Kurome’s least favorite. They were the most aggressive Grimm they’ve come across. Kurome lifted her weapon off her shoulder and twirled it around before stopping it and held it to the side. “Let’s get this over with.” Her cloak along with her clothes began to flow. “Amplify times three!” A strong pulse came out of her body and Kurome launched herself at the Grimm. The Beringel took one step before one its legs was lopped off and fell down on its other leg. Kurome quickly turned around and jumped toward it with her weapon in front of her. She impaled the Grimm from behind and both were propelling out of the village and into the forest where Kurome crashed into the forest group. She groaned as Kurome stood up and pulled out Trisula out of the Grimm. “God I hate these things.” She looked over at the village and made her way back to it. “I hope Chelsea is alright protecting the villagers.”Another Beringel slammed its fist to where Chelsea was standing but she jumped over the attack and the Grimm itself. Soon as she landed behind the Grimm, Chelsea quickly turned around and pointed her closed fans at it to shot it a few times but they barely had an effect. The Beringel turned around growling viciously. Chelsea giggled nervously. “Well…that didn’t work like I thought.” Beringels were very strong Grimm to deal with. “Guess I’ll up this a notch then.” She opened up her fans and her cloak and hair began to flow. “Amplify times two!” A strong pulse came out of her body and became faster toward the Grimm. Chelsea delivered several fast slashes before appearing from behind it. She turned around again while closing one of her fans and impaled the Grimm from the back. It wasn’t a killing blow but it did set up for one. Chelsea grinned. “Grau Horn!” An ice spike erupted from the front of the Beringel and effectively killing it. Chelsea took her fan out and the Grimm dissipated. “Thank you Kurome and Esdeath.” It was too soon to celebrate as Chelsea saw several more Beowolves approach her. “And…here we go again.”“Brüllenden Schneesturm!” A blizzard swept a large group of Grimm and froze them completely. However, more were still coming at her. She placed her hands in front. “Weiss Schnabel!” Countless ice shards formed around her and sent to the opposing Grimm. Many of them were struck by the attack but more were still coming. It was becoming very tiresome to her. “I’ve had enough of this.” She brought up her right arm to her. "Walzer der Zorn des Winters!" Esdeath waved her arm across and a larger, more powerful blizzard surround the village and everything else extending outward.Unfortunately, her team was also caught up in it too. “Really Esdeath!?”“I suppose she has the right idea.”“A little warning would be nice!”The only ones who weren’t in the blizzard were Kurome and Chelsea. Kurome was looking at it from inside of the village. “That’s one way to get rid of them all.”Chelsea and the rest of the villagers who made it out were looking at it from far away. “Go Esdeath. Glad she’s on our side.”After a few more seconds, Esdeath lowered her hand and the blizzard subsided. After it calmed down, the whole area around the village and a little beyond were completely frozen over. Including all of the invading Grimm. There was a cold, dead silence in the air. Esdeath brought her hand up. “And be gone.” With a quick snap of her fingers, all of the ice shattered throughout along with the Grimm into pieces. The trees that were caught up in the attack were returned to what they were before. Not losing a single leaf. What was left were small bits of the ice floating in the air as if they were snowflakes gently falling onto the ground.The villagers were cheering in joy that their village was safe. Esdeath sighed as she was relieved this whole thing was over. “Thought I saw some snow.”Esdeath heard a familiar voice and saw both Akame and Leone walking out of the forest with the women that were taken from the village. She smiled at her two teammates. “Akame! Leone!” Esdeath waved at them and they waved back at her.After the battle was over, the people returned to their village not happy to see it was safe with minimal damage but the men were happy to see their loved ones again. Seeing all them hugging and speaking of sweet words reminded Leone how much she missed doing this back in the old days of Night Raid. The village chief walked up to the team and bowed to them. “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done. Not only you’ve defended our village but was able to rescue the women of our village. We are in your debt.” He bowed to them.Akame smiled at him. “No need to thank us. We just happened to be in the area. We’re just glad all of you are safe now.”The chief stood up. “Still, you do deserve a reward for your efforts. Whatever it may be, it shall be done.”It was a pretty good offer they couldn’t pass up. An idea came to Leone. “Now that you mention it…” B Water was filling up a pointed bamboo until it was all the way and it tipped down to the water below it. Once it was empty, the bamboo came back up with the end tip hitting the stone to make that iconic sound in a hot spring located not too far from the village owned by a hotel. There was steam everywhere in the hot spring and the girls were having a good time together. Bare and all. Leone stretched out her arms while enjoying the hot water. “That’s what I’m talking about! It’s been way too long since I’ve had a good soak in a hot spring.”Akame couldn’t agree more. “Yes. There’s nothing quite like it.”Chelsea sank deeper into the water. “You’re telling me. If there’s one thing I’ve missed, it’s taking a proper bath sometimes. Not to mention all of this walking is such a pain.”This wasn't the first time the team hearing of her complaining about their journey. "This was to be expected, Chelsea. You knew fully well about the hardships of this journey. The walking is one of them." Taeko advised.She brought up a good point but it didn’t Chelsea had to like it. “I know. I still can’t believe we’ve walked all this way.”Cornelia giggled at that. “I know. I still can’t believe we’ve made it this far. Those shortcuts of yours are amazing Taeko. There were some that weren’t even listed on the map.”Taeko was quite proud of hearing that. “Thank you. They were routes my grandmother would take whenever she would go on a journey. I am glad they were of use. Although, it still took us a quite a bit of time to make it this far.”While that was true, Esdeath seemed to be enjoying it nonetheless. “Yes but we have seen such incredible sights along the way.”“Yeah but just be glad we were able to save this village.” Everyone lowered their head after hearing that. Kurome had brought up another good point. During their journey, they’ve seen many villages that had the unfortunate fate of being in ruins from either bandits or Grimm. Sometimes both. One of the things they’ve learned was that there was a group of bandits called the Raiders. From what they’ve heard, they were a ruthless bunch. “So was that bandit group the Raiders?”Akame shook her head. “No. I didn’t see their insignia anywhere. Most likely were another group.”That was unfortunate to hear but Rienna saw the upside to this. “That’s too bad but look on the bright side. We were able to save this village and the people are happy. That much we should be proud of.”Everyone smiled at that. “Rienna is right. There are times we can’t save everyone so those that we do, we should at least take that for granted.”Esdeath turned to her leader. “You’re right. We should. After all, wasn’t Night Raid all about protecting those who can’t protect themselves?”Akame smiled at the other girl. Sometimes she couldn’t believe her once greatest enemy was now her ally. Even more so since Esdeath is a part of Night Raid now. While her back was turned, Chelsea saw an opportunity and quickly came from behind and groped Esdeath’s breasts. “Ally oop!” Naturally, Esdeath shrieked as she was being felt up by her teammate. Everyone was caught off guard by this. Chelsea gave a few squeezes. “Wow. No matter how many times I see them Esdeath, you have a pretty big rack. Sometimes I wonder who’s bigger. You or Leone? You feel pretty nice too.”Esdeath was embarrassed by this and tried to shake the other girl off. “Chelsea! Get off of me!” She could’ve used her semblance but was pretty sure no one wanted to freeze in a hot spring.Taeko facepalmed at her childhood friend’s antics. “Chelsea…cease this at once.”Chelsea did just that but turned around to the other girl and made a sort of grabby gesture at here. “Oh? Do you want me to grab you too? It’s been a while so I want to see how big you’ve gotten.” She gave her teammate a lecherous grin.Taeko immediately covered her breasts while blushing. “You will do no such thing!” One thing Akame and the others have learned about Chelsea was that she had a little bit of Lubbock in her. Whenever they did get the chance to bathe together, she would always try doing something perverted. One thing they all found out was that Kurome was the smallest of the group which was a little infuriating to her.Esdeath was just holding herself shaking. “I feel like I’ve been violated.” Leone was just laughing her ass off seeing the whole thing.Akame felt a little guilty smiling at this. It did remind her that one time she and the girls from her old team took a bath at a hot spring together. “Akame?” She looked over to Cornelia who was smiling at her. “Are you remembering something? You have that look.”Akame looked back at Chelsea who continued to insist of feeling up Taeko. “Just a memory is all.”Chelsea took one slow step after another at her teammate. “Come on Taeko. Don’t be such a stick in a mud. Let me see how much you’ve grown.”Taeko was being annoyed by the other girl’s behavior. “I said no! That’s enough Chelsea!”Chelsea was about to jump at the girl. “Chelsea…” She felt a very strong chill going down her spine and it wasn’t from Esdeath. Chelsea slowly turned to her girlfriend who was smiling at her with her eyes closed. She knew all too well what meant. Kurome opened her eyes and jumped at her girlfriend. “You perverted idiot!” The sound of Kurome hitting Chelsea on the head throughout the hot spring. B After they finished up in the hot spring, the team also had a banquet in their honor. Kurome certainly loved the food out of all of them. Once dinner was over, everyone went into their room to rest up to continue their journey. They had to leave early first thing in the morning. Everyone was sleeping contently on their eastern style futons laid on the floor. Despite Chelsea's antics, she was sleeping in the same futon as Kurome after apologizing to her several times. Everyone else was sleeping on their own. However, there was one who was still awake. Akame was outside at the balcony where she was sitting on a chair looking at the moon. Despite the hot spring and the food, there were still some things on her mind. That is until she was hugged from behind and felt a kiss on her neck. "Can't sleep?"Akame chuckled at the question. “Something like that. Why are you up Leone?”Leone let go her girlfriend and stood next to her. "My bed felt empty for some reason and saw there wasn't a pretty girl sleeping next to me. So what's on your mind?"Akame continued looking at the moon. “I’ve been thinking about how it’s been over a year already.”The Faunus girl raised an eyebrow. “A year? We haven’t been here that long-” And she figured out what the other girl was talking about. “Oh. You mean it’s been a year since our victory against the Empire huh?”Akame nodded at the guess. "Yes, and it's been over six months since we've arrived in this world."Leone looked at the moon with Akame. “Six months huh? Kinda feels like eight but hey, who’s counting?” She chuckled at a random thought. “Now that I think about it, if someone told me I was going to meet up with you again and be sent to a different world, I might’ve had a drink with them thinking that was funny. But here we are. A lot has happened to us since then huh?”“Indeed. From meeting Ruby and the others for the first time to seeing those both we fought alongside and against. We owe so much to this world for what it’s done for us.” Akame felt a little sad about the next part. “However, a new world also meant new enemies and we’ve met them.”Leone knew what the other girl was talking about. “Yeah. Cinder and her cronies and the White Fang.” Her blood still boiled at her missed chance of dealing the final blow to Adam.Akame felt the same about Cinder. “And here we are again. It’s like no matter what, we can’t escape battles that have yet to come to decide our fates. Somehow, I knew this peaceful life we had wouldn’t last long but I continued to enjoy it for as long as I could.”Leone didn’t fault Akame for thinking of that. “I don’t blame you. After living the life we had, living at Beacon was a breath of fresh air. Even living at Shade was kinda fun even though it was similar to the Empire except with the whole corrupted government bit. True we do have some fights up ahead but this time we’re not alone.” She looked back through the open door to see the rest of the team sleeping. “We have all of them backing us up. One thing is for sure, we’re not fighting this by ourselves.”Akame looked back on them as well. “That’s true but sometimes I can’t help but worry. After what happened to everyone back in Night Raid.” She remembered all the friends she lost both in her former team and in Night Raid. “I’m afraid of losing them just like we lost the others before.”It was natural for her to think like that. Leone had the same thoughts herself time to time but had a little more confidence. “It won’t end the same, I’ll tell you that. If not, we’ll make absolutely sure of it.”There were times Akame wished she had the same level of confidence Leone exuded. Sometimes that alone made even the toughest times a little more bearable. “You’re right about that. We’re all in this together and we’ll see through this to the end.”That was something Leone loved to hear. She saw Akame give out a yawn after saying all that and laughed. “Come on. Let’s get to bed.” Leone grabbed Akame’s hand and pulled her up from the chair. They then walked back to their futon while still holding each other’s hands. Once they went under the covers, both girls quickly fell asleep. B Morning came and Night Raid was already packed and prepared to leave the village. They were being seen off by the chief. “We made sure to replenish your supplies for your journey ahead. Again, thank you for your help.”Leone smiled at him. “Thanks a lot for that. Take care of your village now, okay?”The chief nodded at the Faunus blonde. “Of course. It’s quite surprising to see such young huntresses such as yourselves traveling together.” That wasn’t the first time they’ve heard that. They’ve been mistaken as being huntresses several times by other people. Rather than breaking it to them, they’ve decided to let them think what they want to believe. It was easier that way for them. Still, they did feel a little bad about lying to them. “I do hope your journey will be a safe one.”Ironic he would say that. “Thank you for saying that. We’ll be taking our leave now.” Akame and the rest of the team waved goodbye at the chief and began to walk away from the village. They were on their way once again. “We still have a long way to go before we reach Mistral so let’s try to get as far as we can today.”Kurome understood her sister’s order clearly. “You got it. Let’s put some hustle into it.” She smiled at her leader. “You know Akame, you can depend on us as much as you want.”Akame looked back at her sister with a confused look. “What are you-”“I kinda eavesdropped on your and Leone’s little talk last night. You don’t have to worry so much about us. Just as long we’re together, there isn’t an enemy we can’t take on.”Akame saw the rest of the team's faces and they shared that same confident look on all of them. That alone told her enough and smiled. "Alright then. We're counting on each other." She looked at the road ahead. "Let's keep going Night Raid." B In another location, there was a small cottage by a large river with a very large vegetable garden tended by wolf Faunus girl in her early twenties. She had long white hair with several red markings on her face and wore a simple white dress which was dirtied a little from tending her plants. She smiled at her plants. “Perfect. They’re just ready. Dinner is going to taste good tonight.”“I’m back!”One of the wolf Faunus’ ear perked up and smiled. “You’re back.” She turned around only to see large fish being dropped on the ground. She was very astounded by it. “You seriously caught a fish that large?”She heard a laugh and saw a smile. “Of course. Did it with my bare hands too. It did put up a little fight, though.”The wolf girl giggled at that. “I can imagine. This’ll last a couple of days. You can prepare it right?”“Of course. I am a man of the sea after all.”Again she was reminded of that. “Of course. You say that all the time. Of course, your clothes are soaked. They'll have to dry out again outside. Still, I’ll leave that fish up to you while I’ll pick the vegetables later on. I’m sure you’ve worked up quite the appetite. For now, I’ll go and make breakfast.”“Sounds good to me.” The wolf girl smiled and made her way into her cottage. She enjoyed his company a lot and helped out a lot.Before she reached the door, the wolf Faunus stopped and turned around. “I forgot. What do you want for breakfast?”“Anything will be fine. Don’t worry about it.” The woman nodded and went inside the cottage. Once she was gone, he looked up to the sky with his smile gone and was replaced with a more somber look on his face.“Wave! Are coming inside? You must be cold!”Wave looked over at the cottage. “I’ll be right there. Just have to put away the fish first!” He looked at the sky once more and had that same thought he had every now and then that came to him. “Kurome…” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol ThreeKill Forty Two: Stranger in a Strange Land “Kurome…I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. I’m so sorry.” “Ahem.” Wave suddenly snapped out of his memories and looked at the person in front. Najenda lit up a cigarette. “Finally, you’re head in the real world.”Wave cleared his throat. “I’m sorry general Najenda.” It was still hard to believe the woman in front of him was once his enemy and now was serving under her in the new Empire’s rule. “What was it you wanted to see me about again?”Najenda blew out a puff smoke. "Some of the other soldiers have noticed you spacing out and working at a much slower pace. It even shows in your performance.”She wasn't wrong. In truth, Wave noticed the drop as well and it was beginning to affect his work. "I apologize for all of that. I'll be sure to work twice as hard to make up for it."That was good and all but it wasn’t what Najenda wanted to hear. “Wave…it’s true we were enemies before but we’re now on the same side. You chose to remain in the Empire for the sake of protecting the people. Isn’t that correct?”Wave nodded at the question. “It is and I still believe in that.”Najenda knew that much. However… “And yet you’re waning on your daily tasks. I can only assume something is constantly on your mind. Whatever it may be, it is affecting your work. Which is why I’m putting you on leave.”Wave gasped at that. “You’re discharging me?”The general shook her head. “No. Nothing of the sort. It’s obvious whatever is on your mind, it won’t leave until you do something about it. So you may take as long as you like trying to deal with this problem. Once you have, you may come back but only if you’re absolutely in the right state of mind. Is that clear?”Wave was uncertain about all of this but it was an order. Then again, it maybe something Wave needed. He had a lot to think about. “Understood.” B Since then, Wave packed up and started on a journey of his own. He thought of going back home but it would help very little in dealing with these thoughts in his head. Since Wave started on the journey, time passed quickly for him. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Of course, he did help out those in need with the help of his Imperial Arms. He was allowed to take it with him. Even after all of the traveling and the walking, Wave still couldn’t get the death of Kurome out of his mind. To him, it was the greatest regret Wave had. It was constantly on his mind and that one scene where Akame stabbed her own sister with Murasame. Wave still remembered what he said to Akame on that dark rainy night. "I will never forgive you for doing this." And that was still true to this day. Wave tried his best being the soldier he wanted to be in the new Empire but old memories still held him back. What was worse of all for him was that he never did tell Kurome how he felt about her and would never have the chance now.So here he was now. In some forest sitting on the dirt with a small fire in front. Now that Wave thought about it, just how much longer would he have to be on this journey? It helped out a little but the thought of Kurome’s death was still strong from that day. It was a question he would have to answer tomorrow again. For now, Wave needed to sleep and closed his eyes. Before sleep took over, Wave had one lingering thought. “Kurome…I wish I can see you again.” B Wave knew it was morning thanks to his internal clock. He slowly opened his eyes and raised his head. Only to see a woman with long white hair and strange red markings on her face standing over him. The two stared at each other for several seconds before the screamed and jumped. “I-I’m sorry!”Wave immediately stood up after that. Now that he took a closer look, there was something…off about her. Probably because she had wolf ears on her head. “W-What the…?” The woman before him held her hands in front. “U-Um…are you lost? Sleeping in these woods can be a little dangerous.”Wave recollected himself and cleared his throat. “I…could say the same about you walking around here. There can be danger beasts prowling around.”The woman in front of him seemed confused by his words. “Danger beasts? If you mean the Grimm in this forest, don’t worry. I don’t go deeper into the forest.”Now Wave was the one confused. “Grimm? I’ve never heard of those kinds of danger beast before.” Now that it came to him, Wave looked around the forest and saw that it wasn’t the forest he was in before. “Where…am I?”The woman before him giggled. “You’re in a forest silly.”This wasn’t the time for games for him. “I know that. I mean what forest is this?”“It’s a forest near the village of Kaki.” The woman explained.At least Wave got an answer but not the one he was expecting. “Kaki? I’ve never heard that place before.”The woman in front of him giggled. “Is that so? Are you not from around here?”That was the closest to the truth for Wave. “I suppose you can say that.”It was good enough for her and she smiled. “Then how about I help you? I’m sure you’ll know where you by then.”It was a great idea but Wave had one worry about it. “Are you sure about that? I mean we just met and you already want to help me?”The woman giggled. “I know you’re a good person. I can tell just by looking in your eyes.” She turned around away from him. “I can show you around the area and see if that would help you. Come along now.” She started to walk.This was not the morning Wave expected but there was nothing he could do about it. The best course of action now was figuring out where he was. There was one more question he wanted to ask. “Hold on a second! I didn’t catch your name!”The woman stopped walking and turned around to face Wave with a smile on her face. “It’s Armasu. And yours?”Armasu. It was a step in the right direction. He smiled back at Armasu. “Wave.” B Wave was astounded by what he was seeing. He was definitely not in the same area as he was in before. The landscape was too different and there were many trees with pinks flowers. “This place…”Armasu could tell Wave was impressed by this. “I know. Beautiful, isn’t it?”That was one way to put it. “Your village must be something else with all of this.”His companion giggled. “It’s quaint I’ll give you that much. However, the town nearby is much more impressive. I travel there time to time to sell my merchandise.”Now Wave was a little more interested in this. “Is that so? What do you sell?”“Just various fruits and vegetables. I occasionally sell fish too but they’re sometimes a little difficult to catch.” Wave was ecstatic to hear that. “Is that so? I happen to be a man of the sea myself so I know all about catching fish.”Armasu was impressed hearing that. “Really? That’s so amazing. Are by any chance a Huntsmen?”Wave was confused hearing that. “Huntsmen?”Armasu pointed to his weapon. "You're carrying that sword, right? Are you a Huntsmen?"It was the first time Wave had heard of that before. "I'm afraid not. I'm…more of a soldier."The answer wasn’t quite what Armasu was expecting. “A soldier? So does that mean you’re from Atlas then?”Wave didn’t know where Atlas was or heard of it before. “Not…exactly. I’m from somewhere else.” He didn’t know how to explain that he was from the Empire. Wave wasn’t sure where he was. Speaking of not knowing. “There’s something I am curious about.” He pointed to Armasu’s wolf ears. “Are those seriously real?”Armasu looked up at her ears and giggled. “Of course they are. It’s like you haven’t seen a Faunus before.”“Faunus?” Again, Wave had never heard of that either. All of this was so new to him. He wanted to learn more.He wasn’t the only one. “So why are you out traveling if you’re a soldier?” Armasu asked.That was one question Wave could answer a little honestly. “I just have some things to figure out for myself. My superior gave me some time off for this.”It was an acceptable answer to the Faunus woman. “Oh, is that so? When do you have to go back?”Wave just shrugged. “Whenever what I have going on is resolved.”He was becoming more and more mysterious to Armasu. She didn’t know why but there was something different about him. “I see.” Soon they both arrived at the entrance to the village. “We’re here. Welcome to Kaki Village.”The village definitely fitted into the landscape well as there were more of those pink petal trees along the roads of the village. Many of the petals were being softly blown away from the trees by the gentle winds. “So this is your village huh? It’s really nice. What are those trees called?”Armasu was surprised to hear that. “You’ve never seen cherry blossom trees before?” She giggled at that fact. “You really are out of town huh? Come on, I’ll show you around.” She started to walk into the village with Wave following close to her. “Our village is known for are our cherry blossom trees around these parts. People from other towns come here to see them and we have a festival every spring involving them.”Wave couldn’t help but smile at that. “That sounds really nice but aren’t you worried that something bad could happen to your village?”The Faunus woman wasn’t too worried about that. “Don’t worry. A lot of people passing through are Hunters and they’re good people. We even have some living in the village. And the Grimm don’t bother us too. Even if they did, the Huntsmen would help us out. We are careful keeping an eye out for them just to make sure.”At least they had some form of protection against those that would do them harm. It was endearing. “That’s good to know.” Wave looked around the village. “So uh…what do we now?”One idea came to Armasu. “We can ask around some of the people. See if that’ll help.”It was a good an idea as any. “Alright then. Let’s go right on ahead.” They spent most of the morning asking the locals and passersby. However, even though Wave learned a lot, it wasn’t what he needed to know. All it did was confirm his suspicions. Somehow, in some way, Wave had ended up in a different world. If that was the case, how was he supposed to go back to his world? Wave didn’t even know how he ended up in this world in the first place. Most importantly, how was he supposed to tell other people about it and would they believe him?“Wave?” Wave’s thoughts were interrupted and looked over at Armasu. They were both sitting on a bench eating dango. “Are you disappointed? I’m sorry things didn’t go the way you wanted. You really are lost huh?”That was one way to put it. “Yeah…you can say that again.” He looked at the street in front. The question now was where does Wave go from here?“So Wave…” Wave looked back at his Faunus companion. “Are you going to be staying in the village for a while now? We do have a good inn.”An inn would be nice but there was a problem. “Sounds great and all but…I’m afraid I don’t have enough to afford a room.”Armasu was devastated to hear that. “So you’ve been just sleeping outside?”That was mostly true. Wave did have money on him so he did sleep at inns for the night. He just thought it wouldn’t do much good in a different world. “It’s not so bad.”The Faunus woman thought otherwise. “Well, I won’t stand for it. I suppose…you can spend the night at my house.”Wave certainly wasn’t expecting that. “Wait, seriously? Are you sure about this?”Armasu nodded at the questions. “Of course, silly. It’s the least I could do.”If that was the case, Wave really couldn’t refuse because it would be rude. His mother taught him a few things about kind offers. “If you really say so then sure.”The Faunus woman was glad to hear that. “Good.” She stood up from the bench. “My house isn’t too far from the village. Let’s get going.”Wave stood up as well and smiled at her. “Alright then. Show me the way.” B Armasu wasn’t kidding about her home. It wasn’t far away from the village but it wasn’t exactly close either. It took a while for them to reach their destination. It was a cottage with a large field and a river nearby. Wave could see the appeal of the choice of location. It was quiet and peaceful. He spent the rest of the day of Armasu telling him her history. This land was originally owned by her grandfather and tended to it with him until his passing. He also learned his new friend was an artist in her spare time. Her art did seem a little strange to him as it wasn’t anything like he saw before. She explained it was ink art. It was certainly interesting to him. Before Wave knew it, night had fallen. While Armasu slept in her own room, Wave decided to sleep on the couch. Naturally, Armasu was against this but Wave didn’t really mind. He was sleeping soundly until his eyes furrowed and groaned. He was seeing flashes of images from his past. "I’m going to protect you!” “I’m sorry. But if you really are my comrade…then as far as my sister is concerned…let me do as I please. I want to fight it out with her one-on-one and settle this once and for all.” “Kuro…me…” In another image, it was raining on a dark night carrying a figure in his arms. “I’m sorry…Wave. In the end…this is how it ends between us.”Wave looked back at the person who was responsible and glared at her angrily. “You. For what you’ve done…what you’ve done to Kurome…I’ll never forgive you.” Wave suddenly woke up and sat up on the couch breathing heavily. He was freaked out because it had been a very long time since that night but to him, it didn’t feel that long ago. “You will reunite soon enough.” He gasped and looked around the room. “Where did that voice come from?”“Wave?” Wave looked behind to see Armasu standing in the doorway in her white nightgown. “Is everything alright?”Wave just sighed while he looked away. “I’m fine. I’m fine. Did you say something to me before?”The Faunus woman shook her head. "No, I didn't. What I did hear was you groaning your sleep. My ears kinda…caught it.” She slightly moved her wolf ears.Wave laid back down on the couch. “I see. I’m sorry for disturbing you.” He closed his eyes and went back to sleep. Armasu walked back into her room and closed the door. B Morning arrived and Wave was eating the breakfast Armasu made. The two were sitting at the table. From the look on his face, he was enjoying it. “Wow. This is really good. And all of these are your field?”Armasu giggled at the question. “It is. I’m glad you like it.” As Wave continued to eat, there was something Armasu wanted to ask. “Wave…” Wave gulped down the last bit of food and stopped eating to look at her. “About last night, my ears did pick something up. It was you talking in your sleep. I hope I’m not intruding something but…who’s Kurome?” Wave’s face drop when he heard the name. His expression told the Faunus woman everything. “I-I’m sorry. I think that was rude of me. Forget about it-”“It’s alright.” Armasu saw Wave put down his utensils on the table and smiled sadly. “Kurome was…we were comrades on the same team one time. She poked fun at me a few times but I was glad to fight alongside her. Kurome was a great person and a great fighter.” His expression changed and lowered his head. “But she had problems with her health and it worried me all the time.”Armasu was happy to know a little more about Wave’s past and wanted to learn more. “I see. It’s terrible she had something like that. Where is she now?”This was the part that hurt Wave the most but talking about it did seem to ease him a little. “She’s gone.” Armasu gasped as she knew what that meant. “One night, she was going to a fight to settle with someone she knew even though her health was getting worse. I opposed to it and tried to stop her but she knocked me out. When I came to, I immediately panicked and ran as fast as I could looking for her. When I did find her…she was already killed.” Wave closed his hand tightly. “If I had just gotten to her sooner, I would’ve done something. Would’ve found a different way but I was too late. Ever since then…I couldn’t forgive what she’d done to Kurome.”Armasu figured this someone was the same person who killed his friend. “Did you ever find the person who was responsible?”Wave let up his grip in his hand and sighed. “No. I know she’s out there somewhere but I don’t think we’ll ever meet again.”The Faunus woman took a small sip of her morning tea and set the cup down. “Are you also looking for revenge while traveling?”To her surprise, Wave shook his head. “Revenge won’t bring Kurome back. I know that much. But if I do ever meet the person responsible, I wouldn’t hesitate in the second I see her to make her pay for what she did.” He looked out the window. “With that said, I’m just…wandering around aimlessly without knowing where to go or what to do.” Wave felt surprisingly lighter after saying all of that. Sure he had cut some parts but it did make him feel better. He looked at the woman and smiled. “Thanks for listening to me. It kinda feels nice I’m talking to someone about this.”Armasu smiled back at him. "I suppose it is a good thing. The longer you keep something to yourself, the heavier it becomes for you. Nothing good will come of it if you hold it all in. I'm sorry you lost a good comrade but I'm glad you're not overtaken by revenge." She stared at her reflection in the tea. "There was something my grandfather once told me. Time may heal all wounds but how they'll heal depends on the person. They may heal quickly or may never heal at all. I do hope your wounds heal Wave." As comforting those words are, Wave thought his wounds would never heal. And being stranded on an unknown world with an idea of going back only made it worse. "With what you said earlier, if you have nowhere to go and no idea where to go…maybe you can stay here with me."Wave certainly wasn’t expecting to hear that. “Stay here with you?”Armasu nodded at the question. “That’s right. Until you finally figure out where you want to go. What do you say?”Wave wasn’t too sure about the whole idea. “I don’t know. I mean the offer is nice and all but we just met yesterday.”The Faunus woman wasn’t too worried about that. “Then I guess I’ll have plenty of time in knowing you. Besides, what other options do you have?”She brought up a good point. Wave didn’t have a destination in mind except finding a way back to his world and he didn’t even know where to start on that. It was just luck Armasu found him the woods yesterday morning. She was nice to him even though they barely knew each other and was offering to help. With all of these facts, Wave came to the unavoidable conclusion. “I guess you win then. Thank you for helping someone out like me.”Armasu waved her hand nonchalantly at him. “It’s no problem. This is just until you figure out what to do next.”Even still, Wave wouldn’t want to be a burden to her. “Fair enough. However, while you’re letting me stay here, you can tell me what I can work on here. Anything at all.”It was deal Armasu couldn’t refuse. “I suppose that’s fair.” She stood up from her chair. “Let’s do our best together…Wave.” B Wave did enjoy his time during his stay with Armasu. But even through this entire time, he still hadn’t told her the whole truth about him. About the Empire, what it did, and about the Imperial Arms. The reason behind that was because he didn’t see the need to. Wave told her what she only needed to know. She didn’t need to know the rest of the story and it’s worked out pretty great so far.There were times Wave did miss his world and wondered how the people he knew were doing. Some of those thoughts went to what was she doing now. He didn’t have flashbacks in his dreams all that often ever since that night. Even if they did come, Armasu would be there to lend a helping hand. Wave was grateful to have a friend like her in this world.Wave instantly sat up while the Faunus woman took a few steps back. He turned around to face her. “Armasu. Hey there.”The Faunus woman smiled at him. "Hello, yourself. What are you doing?" Wave laughed sheepishly and stood up. “Just watching the clouds. That’s all. What are you doing here?”Armasu giggled at him. “Just here to let you know lunch is almost ready. That and we need to prepare to go to the town to sell again.”Wave couldn’t believe it was that time already. “Is that right? How soon do we go?”The Faunus woman shrugged. “Maybe in a day or several just to make sure.”It seemed good enough for him. “Okay. I’ll go make sure the fish is prime and ready by then.”Armasu nodded at that. “That’s probably a good idea.” She nudged her head over to the cottage. “Let’s get back inside.” Wave didn’t argue and the two walked back to the cottage. It was almost time to go back to the town and Wave was looking forward to it once again. B In a dark room dimly lit by lanterns hanging on the walls and several candles on a desk, a woman was staring intently at a piece of paper before her. Every time she would see the face sketched on it, she would feel rage going through her. She heard several knocks on the wooden door of the room. “Enter.” The door opened and another figure came inside. “You have something to report?”The figure nodded at the question. "Yes, ma'am. Our spies and scouts have trailed the traitor Faunus in a town not too far from our location. Is there anything you would like to do?” After hearing that, his superior smiled wickedly and began to laugh insanely. It was sorta creepy to him. “Uh…ma’am.”She continued to laugh until she settled down. “Very good. Let her come closer to us. When she does come, I will finish what Adam could not. And once I do, I will deliver her head to Sienna Khan myself!” She calmed down after saying all of that. “Thank you for reporting this to me. You may leave now.” He nodded at her and left the room closing the door behind him. She looked at the sketch and glared at it. “What you have done is beyond unforgivable and I will make sure you will pay for your crimes with your life. In the name of absolute justice, I will banish your evil from this world!” She grabbed a knife nearby and stabbed the sketch of Leone in between the eyes. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol Three Kill Forty Three: The Spirit between WorldsRuby and the rest of team RNJR continued their journey toward Haven. And of course, they were having trouble reading the map once again. “Are you certain you know where we’re going?” Ren asked.Ruby twisted and turned the map for the umpteenth time trying to get her bearings. “Of course, I’m sure. We just go from here to here to…there.”Jaune just sighed at her answer. “Really? Are we lost again?”Ruby turned the map around again. “No, no. We’re going the right way. I’m sure of it.”Nora was just laughing at this whole thing. “It wouldn’t be the first time for us.”Their leader groaned at her team’s confidence in her. “Would you just trust me already!? We’ll make it to the next town for sure.”While the group continued on with their conversation, from afar, Qrow was keeping an eye on them from on top of a higher cliff. He recently killed another batch of Beowolves who had their eye on the team. There were times he couldn’t believe they had almost gotten lost a few times traveling to their next destination. Then again, it was their own fault for letting Ruby be in charge of a map. Speaking of his niece, he really couldn’t forget about what he and his sister Raven discussed from the last village. F After Ruby and her team decided to stay at an inn, Qrow was still looking out for them from the bar across. Then was he was given a drink complementary of a woman with red eyes upstairs. Qrow wasn't surprised who that was. He took his drink and headed upstairs only to see his twin sister, Raven Branwen. Yang's mother. Their discussion went as he thought. Raven had mentioned she told him that Ozpin would fail and Beacon would fall. What's more so of what would happen if Salem would ever get her hands on the Spring Maiden whose whereabouts were unknown. Qrow also brought up Yang in the conversation but that went to be expected whenever she was on a topic. Their conversation ended on whether or not Raven knew who the Spring Maiden really was. Just as Qrow saw his sister grab her mask and turned away, there was still one more thing before she left. “Before you go Raven, there’s something I want to know.” His sister stopped walking. Qrow knew he had her attention. “Leone Wild. I know you’ve seen her around with Yang one time or another. What are your thoughts on her?”Raven kept quiet for a few seconds. “What’s there to think about?”Qrow just scoffed as he took another sip of his glass. “For one, she’s got a good head on her shoulders. Two is that she and Yang are pretty close to each other and I don’t mean in an intimate kind of way. When Yang was still in bed after the Fall of Beacon, Leone was the one who never left her side. Seeing that reminded the time both Yang and Ruby took the time in taking care of Summer when she became sick. In other words, they almost seem to be a real mother and daughter.” Of course, Raven knew that much. She was there when that other girl Yang was with sang that song to Leone. She didn’t show it but Raven did still care for her daughter. There just nothing she could do about it. “And if Yang’s the mom, I guess that would make the Faunus girl she’s with the dad. You do know they’re together right? Which I guess begs the question: does that technically make you a grandmother now?”Raven knew that as well. She saw that Faunus girl pull in Yang for a kiss and could see how much they loved each other. Raven had a feeling her brother asked that question for a reason. “Three things Qrow. One: I have no business dealing with her personal life. I gave up on that a long time ago. Two: never call me that again. And three: get to the point.”Her brother chuckled. “Right. Here’s the truth about that Faunus girl Leone. After a match between her leader Akame fighting against a girl called Kurome, Ozpin told me and Ironwood something pretty surprising about them. Turns out, both she and that Leone girl were once assassins from another world.”It was rare for Raven to be surprised and she was. Although she didn’t show it. “And why would Ozpin enroll assassins of all people into Beacon?”Qrow just shrugged. "Told us they needed new purpose after what they've been through. Believe it or not, those girls probably killed more people than Grimm. People who harmed others."Already Raven thought another reason why Ozpin enrolled those two. “Perhaps or maybe Ozpin thought adding assassins would help in delaying the inevitable. Look how that turned out. It would take a lot more than mere assassins from another world to fight against Salem.”While that may be true, there was more to them than meets the eyes. “You may have a point. Then again, you weren’t there when that Akame girl suddenly activated her semblance during the fight. And let me tell you, I’ve never felt that much anger and hate in once place. It was strong enough to draw in the Grimm closer to the school. In a way, given her looks, she could almost pass as one of us. Don’t you think? And if that was just her, I wonder what kind of surprises that Leone girl has in store.” He took another sip and set the glass down. “If those two girls did come from another world to ours, it makes me wonder if that old story is true. The story of the spirit who can travel between worlds. That’s what I first thought when Ozpin said those two girls were from another world.”While all of this did sound interesting to her, Raven had her doubts. “Even if that old tale is true, what good will they do? What we’re fighting against, it’s well over their heads.”She may had a point but Qrow had one of his own. "That's true but if there's one thing they have going for them, it's experience. They did fight through a revolution and that's only the tip of the iceberg about them. Who knows? Maybe they'll change the game."Raven grabbed the handle of her sword. “If that were the case, they could’ve started by preventing Beacon from falling but look how that turned out.” She drew out her sword and cut the space before her in creating a black vortex. “As I’ve said before. It’ll take more than those two to make a difference in this fight. You’d best be careful if you’re thinking they’ll change anything. Ozpin did and he lost.” Raven took one step forward before stopping. “By the way brother, I have something to tell you as well. I saw Yang leave Taiyang’s home with that Faunus girl. To where I have no knowledge of. Make what you can with that.” Raven stepped into the vortex without saying another word and it vanished completely.All Qrow did was stare at the space his sister was standing in. "A goodbye wouldn't hurt you know." He suddenly heard a shriek and some glass crashing to the ground behind him. He looked back to see that same waitress looking terrified at what she saw. Qrow raised his glass. "Can you make this a double?" F So now two of his nieces were out and about. Except he doesn’t know where Yang was going with Blake. His only worry was that if Yang was ready to go outside given her condition. Then again, she was with Blake and he could trust her enough to look after his niece. He looked up to the sky. “Raven may be right. Fighting in a revolution is one thing but taking on someone like Salem is a completely different scale. Only time will tell how this’ll go.” Qrow looked back down to Ruby and her team who were still bickering if they were still going the right way. His last thoughts before moving to catch up were about Yang. “I wonder how that little firecracker is doing now.” B Yang could only sigh at the situation she was in. “You know, I thought this would be kinda romantic. You and me, on a boat with a setting sun. It would be a perfect moment. But no…there had be a freaking interruption!” She looked up to see a Sea Dragon Grimm roaring at the boat she and Blake were on. Said Faunus girl was swinging around the Grimm using Gambol Shroud’s ribbon while shooting at it.The Faunus girl landed on a nearby rock and looked over at her partner. “Yang!” She threw her sheath with the ribbon still attached.Yang grinned as she knew what her girlfriend’s plan was. She grabbed the ribbon and hoisted her up to the dragon Grimm. The blonde let go and landed on the head. Yang felt a feeling she hadn’t experienced in a long time. “This is for ruining a perfectly good cruise!” She activated Ember Celica and slammed both her weapon and her robotic arm together in order to activate her semblance. Yang pulled back her human arm and punched the Grimm from on top of its head. The force of the attack was strong enough send the Grimm crashing back into the water. Yang laughed at her accomplishment. "That's what I'm talking about!" Her celebration was cut short as the Grimm started to rise up and this time something was rumbling from within. "That doesn't sound good." Wings suddenly appeared out of the Sea Dragon Grimm and took flight with Yang still on it. “Son of a…!” Yang fell off the head and was falling along the back of the Grimm. She quickly grabbed onto one of the scales. “Uh…this didn’t go as planned.”Blake saw the Grimm take to the skies with her girlfriend along with it. “Hold on Yang!” She had to come up with a plan and quick. With some last minute thinking, Blake jumped into the air as high as she could before making one of her shadow clones and throwing her toward the Grimm. She reached one of the wings and managed to stab one of them with Gambol Shroud. The blade tore through the membrane of the wing down along with Blake. With one of the wings torn open, the Sea Dragon Grimm lost its balance and began to fall. Yang saw this an opportunity and let go. She flew upwards while the Grimm crashed back into the water near the book. Blake managed to land on a nearby rock.The Sea Dragon Grimm tried to rise up again but this time, Yang was coming down on it again slamming her fists together and flared up. “Now let’s try this again!” She pulled back her robotic arm. “Let’s test this out!” Yang struck the top of the Grimm’s head yet again but it had a larger impact this time around. It had an effect on the Sea Dragon Grimm and groaned groggily. The captain of the boat saw this an opportunity and pointed the cannon at it. That meant it was time for the blonde to get out there. “And that’s my cue.” She quickly looked for Blake and spotted her. “Incoming!” Yang jumped off the Grimm and over to her girlfriend. “Let’s end this with…”Blake could only groan. “Don’t say it.”“Fire!” The captain gave out the order.“A Yang!” The cannon fired at the Grimm and completely blew up the top half of the Grimm. Blake held her arms around and caught the blonde carrying her bridal style. Yang could only laugh at their position. “My hero.” Blake couldn’t help but chuckle at that and both girls saw what was left of the Grimm dissipating while the crew was celebrating their win. B After a few congratulations from the passengers for both the crew and the Bumblebee pair, said pair were in their quarters for their well-deserved break. Yang was still giddy about the fight. “Did you actually see me? I gave that Grimm what it deserved. Well, the crew delivered the final blow but you know what I mean. Serves it right for interrupting us.”Blake smiled at the other girl. “I believe you’re right.” She continued to observe the blonde. “Yang…how did you feel during the fight?”Yang already knew where Blake was going with her question. “I felt fine. I didn’t freeze or hesitate. I’m actually glad I got to fight against Grimm for the first time in months. Even better with you.” Blake could only hope that streak would last. Grimm was one thing. The White Fang was another. That’s what would truly test Yang. “Hey, don’t worry.” The Faunus girl paid back attention to Yang who was smiling at her. “Whatever it is we have to fight, we’ll fight it together. You and me, we’re what makes each other strong and we’re even stronger together.”The Faunus girl couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Where did all of that come from?”Yang just shrugged at the question. “I don’t know. Just came up with it at the spot but it doesn’t make it any less true.” Blake would have to agree to that. “So…what can you tell me about Menagerie? What’s it like? I mean it’s your home right?”Blake sighed at the question. “You can say that. From what I can tell you, it is beautiful. Well, the part where we can live. Two-thirds of it is a desert and it's uninhabitable because of the wildlife living there. But that's not the worst of it. The Faunus were given Menagerie as a reward for being treated as equals. That may have been the case for the humans but to many of the Faunus, it was unfair. All they did was put all of the Faunus into a corner of Remnant. In a way, it still feels like we're being treated as second-class citizens."Now Yang couldn’t help but feel bad about the whole thing. “I know I should saying along the lines of I’m sorry but I don’t think that’ll cut it. I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like for you.” Blake didn’t blame Yang for feeling like that. “I do hope your dream of equality does come true someday. I know it’s what you want the most and I hope I’ll be there with you when it does.”Blake smiled at the blonde’s words. “Thank you, Yang.”Yang smiled back and looked outside through the window to see the stars in the sky. “I wonder how everyone else is doing. Ruby is out there somewhere and I know Weiss is still holed up in Atlas. And then there’s Leone.”Blake could already tell some things about their daughter. “I’m sure she’s fine. She is our daughter after all.”That was always a point Yang couldn’t argue. “That’s true. She’s got the best of us in her and with her.” She continued to watch the stars and see an image of Leone smiling at her parents. B In an inn located in another town, Akame was looking through the mirror in her room. The team split into two comprising what made ALCE and KRCT. Kurome and her team were in the next room over. “Akame…”Akame looked back to see Esdeath sitting on her bed in her dragon pajamas. “Still waiting for Leone to come back?”Her leader shook her head. “No. I know she’ll be back. Leone is very proficient in obtaining information. It's one of the reasons why she spent a lot of time in the Capital. Other times…" She knew Leone spent more time drinking in bars rather than gather info.They heard Cornelia laugh at that fact. "She's helped us a lot so far using that skill. That and lifting people's wallets which I'm sure that's not a good thing."Akame giggled at that. “I told you they were from people who were up to no good. Something Leone once told me about that. Their money is being used for something better. Then again…she usually spent that on alcohol.”“She drank alcohol?” Both Cornelia and Esdeath spoke at the same time.Meanwhile, in one other part of the town, Leone was making her way back to the inn with some useful information in hand. “So it looks like we’re going have to take the long way since the river floods the bridge every time it rains and we have seen how the clouds were forming earlier today. No doubt it’s going to rain sometime soon.”“I said I’m not interested.”“Well, I say you are.”Leone stopped walking as her ears picked up a conversation. Judging by how far the voices were, they were coming from an alley just ahead of her. The Faunus blonde walked up to the alley and peeked around the corner. What Leone saw was a couple of Faunus. One male who seemed to be a deer Faunus because he had antlers coming out of his head and a female who had a cat tail. Tiger to be exact. From the look of it, they seemed to be having an argument. “I’m not joining you. All of you are insane!”The deer Faunus didn’t look happy. “And why not? Don’t you want them to pay? Pay for what the humans have done to us? This is your chance to join the revolution. To join the White Fang.”Leone’s blood instantly boiled when she heard that name and gripped the corner of the wall tight enough for cracks to appear. “The White Fang? Here? And if they are, that means they’re nearby.” “I’ve heard of enough of what all of you do and I’ll say this again. I’m not interested in joining your crazy cult!”The deer Faunus heard enough and grabbed her arm. “Perhaps you just need a more convincing way.”“Hey!” Both Faunus turned to see where the new voice came from but all the deer one saw was a hand grabbing him by the face and slamming his head against the wall. Leone kept a tight grip while glaring at the White Fang member. “White Fang huh? Never thought I would run into one of you lousy fucks in a place like this.”The deer Faunus gasped as he saw a good look at his attacker. “You. I recognize you. You’re the one who fought against Adam Taurus.”Hearing that name provoked Leone more and pushed his head into the wall further. “If you value what’s left of your life, tell me what the hell are the White Fang are doing in a place like this?! Also, if a girl says no, you better damn well listen!”The member groaned at the pressure being applied to his head. “As if I’ll say anything to betray the Fang and to a traitor like you.”Leone was beginning to lose her patience. “Don’t you ever compare me to all of you. You’re going to tell me where the rest of your group is.”The deer Faunus grunted in pain until he finally gave in. “Alright, alright!” The Faunus blonde let up some of the pressure now that she has some cooperation. “There’s an abandoned mining site not too far from this town. We’re using that as a base of operations.”This was more like it to Leone. “That’s more like it.”“Hold up.” He caught her interest. “I have to go back to them soon. If I don’t report back, they’ll know something went up and leave without a trace. It’ll look like they’ve never been there at all. Kill me and you’ll get squat.”Leone gritted her teeth. This was not the ideal situation for her. This was one chance to deal a damaging blow to the White Fang and possibly finding Adam. The only problem though, was there enough time to tell Akame and the rest about this? In the end, she came to a difficult decision. “You’re going to lead me to where the rest of you are. Got that?”The member had little choice to decline. “You’re making a mistake like no other if you think you can take on the White Fang yourself.”Leone narrowed her eyes at him. "Trust me pal. I've dealt with others a lot more threatening than all of you." She turned to the woman Faunus who looked scared out of her mind. "We'll be going now. Take care and stay out of trouble. Okay?" She saw the other Faunus nod at her with a slight look of fear on her face. "Good." She grabbed the member by the shoulder and shoved him in front. "Get moving." He just mumbled something and ultimately lead Leone to where the rest of his group was. While they were leaving, the woman Faunus gave a sly smile. B “Keep moving.” Leone shoved her prisoner in front to keep up the pace. Right now they were walking through a forest stepping on gravel. She knew Akame and the rest of the team may be wondering where she was by now but this was too good of an opportunity to waste and there was no time. This mining site the member told her was a ways off from the town. Somehow it seemed fitting for the White Fang. “How much farther until we get there.”The member scoffed at her. “We’re almost there.”The answer wasn’t good enough for Leone. “That’s what you said twenty minutes ago. If I find out you’re lying-”“Right. Like I’m stupid enough to lie to a Faunus who’s infamous among the White Fang.”Leone raised an eyebrow to that. “How-”“We’re here.” They exit out of the forest and saw a large clearing in front. There were machines long abandoned and several openings leading to the mines. “Happy now?”So far so good but something seemed a little off. “Where’s the rest of you?”The member huffed. “Inside the mines.”It was good enough for Leone. “Then let’s confirm you’re back and that’ll be the end of it.” The two walked into the clearing and headed to one of the open mines. While they were walking, a figure stood on top of the crane overseeing them. Her gaze was mostly focused on Leone and smiled. She took out two metal hexagonal bars from behind her lower back and extended them to clubs with studded spikes appearing on all sides. She jumped off the crane and was falling over to where Leone and the member were. Unfortunately for her, Leone could already sense someone from that spot. She just wondered when they were going to make a move. In a quick move, she kicked the member away from and jumped back to avoid the surprise attack. The attack missed and dust kicked up. “Alright, what’s the big freaking deal here!?”The figure stood up still carrying her kanabo. “So you were able to dodge my attack. I knew it would take more than that.” She looked back at the other member. “You’ve done well leading her here. I’ll be sure to reward you later on for your bravery and commitment.”The member was glad to hear that. "Thank you, ma'am. I'll be rooting for you to take this traitor down." He fled to the mines and left his commander alone with Leone.Leone was on edge of what just happened. It was apparent she was led into a trap. Not that she was counting on it, of course. She knew something was up. “Okay. So who the hell are you?”The dust was beginning to clear and saw what Leone’s opponent looked like. The obvious thing that caught her attention first was the pair of floppy dog ears on her head with a gaping cut at the tip in the right dog ear. The second was that she had long auburn hair tied in a ponytail. Her outfit consisted of upper body armor that was red as was her skirt and gloves. The clothing underneath was black. They were all trademark colors of the White Fang. Last but not least, she was carrying two weapons. “So finally, we meet. I’ve been wanting to see you for quite some time now.” She gave a demented glare at Leone with a twisted grin. “Leone Wild. You are wanted by the White Fang for committing a crime, no, a sin most unforgivable! This I solemnly swear that I, Seryu Koro of the White Fang will personally see to that your evil shall be eliminated in the name of absolute justice!” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol ThreeKill Forty Four: Target: Leone WildIt was rare for Akame to be worried for someone like Leone. She kept looking out the window in hopes of seeing the Faunus blonde walking down the street toward the inn. But she was nowhere to be found. Akame knew Leone didn't look old enough to wander into a bar for a drink. It was a disadvantage for looking younger than what her actual age is. Akame was starting to think she should go out looking for her. "She’s still isn’t back yet?” Akame looked back at Cornelia who was in her bed under the covers. Esdeath was already asleep hugging her other pillow mumbling something about her Teddy Ursa.Akame looked back at the window. “No. It usually doesn’t take her this long.”Cornelia could understand why her leader was a little worried. “Maybe something held her up. Whatever it is, I’m sure Leone can handle it. She’s one of the strongest people I know. In fact, I feel sorry for whoever is keeping her away from her team. And you.”There was that possibility. Of course, who would be stupid enough to pick a fight with Leone? Akame smiled at the thought. “Yeah, you’re right Cora.” Akame of all people should know to have absolute confidence in the Faunus blonde. Leone survived much worse while fighting alongside her.That was what Cornelia wanted to hear. “That’s more like it. She’ll be back. Maybe not in the next five minutes but she’ll be back. Come on. We need to rest up for tomorrow. Who knows, maybe she’ll sneak back into the room and surprise you sleeping in your bed.”She had a point. The night was getting late and there was a chance Leone would do something like that. Akame smiled at her teammate. “Alright, Cora." Akame stood up from her chair and walked over to her bed. She turned off the only lamp that was on and went under the covers. “Good night.”Cornelia smiled at the other girl. “Good night Akame.” She closed her eyes and went to sleep. Akame did the same. It didn’t take long for her to realize how big, cold, and lonely a bed was without Leone. B “This I solemnly swear that I, Seryu Koro of the White Fang will personally see to that your evil shall be eliminated in the name of absolute justice!"It didn’t take long for Leone to recognize the name of her new opponent and close her hands tightly as anger was seething through her. “Seryu? Is this for real? She was a member of the Jaegers and the bitch responsible for killing Sheele. Last I’ve heard of her was that she tried to blow herself up trying to take Mine with her. Why am I not surprised she’s in the White Fang?” Now that she thought about this whole thing, it actually a blessing in disguise. “Looks like I get my shot for what this bitch did to Sheele after all.” Seryu continued her twisted grin at her target. “Silent with fear? Are you having cold feet already?”Leone glared at the former Jaeger member. “It’s not fear. You just remind me of a bitch I really hate way back then and wanted to punch in the face. So what does the White Fang want with me? More importantly, how did you find me?”Seryu was all too glad to explain. “Finding you was easy. You and your little group never noticed. How you were being followed by our members. Any Faunus you’ve come across may have been a member of White Fang and gave reports of your whereabouts. One thing we’ve learned about you is that you’re always quick to help out a Faunus in need. We simply used that to our advantage.” That would explain one of the members harassing another Faunus. It also gave Leone the idea that she may have met actual White Fang members without realizing it throughout this whole journey. “And for your first question, they want you to pay. Pay for what you’ve done back at Beacon. Never before we’ve heard one of our race own slaughtering her kind. Adam told us everything about you and what you’ve done. There’s even a sketch of what you look like for other members to recognize you.”That’s what all of this was about. The White Fang wanted her head for killing some of their members. That was all Leone needed to understand. “So is it just me or are you going to go after my group too?”Seryu cackled at the question. “They’re not important to us. All we’re interested is you paying for your crime. Besides, they’ll have what’s getting to them soon enough.”That was the last straw for Leone. “Is that so? Then tell me this. Is this whole revenge thing what the White Fang wants or what you want?”Seryu stopped smiling and narrowed her eyes at the other Faunus girl. “It doesn’t matter. Once you’re defeated, word will spread throughout the White Fang and they will see that no one, human or Faunus, especially you will not stop us from achieving what we desire!”Leone returned the glare at her opponent. “That sounds great and all but there’s one giant hole in your plan.” She grabbed the collar of her cloak and took it off of her. Leone flicked her wrists and activated Lionel. The Faunus blonde then assumed her stance. “You’re going to have to beat me in a fight!”Seryu wouldn’t have it any other way. She took up her own stance with one foot behind the other and holding her kanabo apart from her body. “Remember what I said about Adam telling us everything about you? That included you mentioning you were some assassin from another world.” She laughed at that little fact.Leone knew he would tell the White Fang about that. It didn’t matter to her. It made things all the easier for them to know who they were dealing with. "Then you know I'm not going let any of you walk out of here alive.”Seryu smirked at that. “Is that so? Then I’ll tell you this. No matter how powerful the foe, they always have a weakness.”Leone had heard enough already. “Then let’s put that to the test!” She launched herself right at the other Faunus girl.Her starting this fight was what Seryu wanted. “Reinforce.” Her weapons flashed for only just a second before going away. Leone didn't know what it was but obviously, she didn't care. When came near enough, the Faunus blonde extended her arm out. Seryu swung one of her kanabo to intercept the attack. Fist met steel and a crater formed beneath them. What surprised Leone the most was that her opponent didn't fly off when their attacks hit head on against each other. Seryu chuckled madly and continued her swing of her weapon. She managed to send the other Faunus girl off into the air away from her. From there, Seryu jumped to where Leone was going to be. She approached Leone's side and swung her other kanabo at her. The Faunus blonde was sent away again and was headed toward the crane. She hit the top part of the crane and the impact was strong enough to topple it over to the ground. The White Fang members who were seeing the fight from the entrances of the mines cheered for Seryu’s first strike. One of them was feeling a little anxious about how the fight will turn out. “So we’re finally going to see it. A fight between monsters.” Leone hissed through her teeth at the attack she was dealt with. “Goddamn.” She stood up on top of the wreck. “What the hell just happened? No one’s been able to stop my attacks before. Let alone do what just happened. Except for that freaking pipsqueak alchemist.” She suddenly heard screaming and saw Seryu above her with both her kanabo raised. Leone took that as a sign to avoid her next attack. She jumped back and Seryu struck the spot the Faunus blonde was standing on. The result of the attack crushed the spot Seryu had managed to hit. Leone landed on the edge of the destroyed crane and lifted it. Seryu was still standing on top of the equipment but didn’t lose that wicked grin of hers. She pointed one of her kanabo at the other Faunus girl and the front end of it opened. Leone gasped as she saw the weapon pointed right at her. Seryu fired her weapon and it made a whistling noise.Leone dropped the crane and jumped back to avoid the shot. An explosion occurred when the shot hit where the Faunus blonde was standing. As soon as the crane dropped to the ground, Seryu sprinted as fast as she could to where her enemy was. Leone saw her opponent running toward her and prepared herself as she stood in place. “Come on.” Seryu came in closer and closer to her opponent until she was just in front of the other Faunus girl. Leone was about to counterattack when Seryu suddenly stopped and swung her kanabo at the ground. The attack managed to kick up a cloud of dust that enveloped them both. Leone coughed while covering her nose with her arm while she kept searching with one eye open. “Seriously?” The dust obscured both her sight and smell but her hearing was unaffected. That and she could sense her enemy by her aura. The Faunus blonde immediately turned around and caught the kanabo from the side at her. The second attack never came after that and felt the weapon she was holding suddenly became lighter. The dust cleared up and she saw Seryu keeping her distance while holding her other kanabo. “Not bad. I’ll give you points for creativity. Still, is that all you got?” She tossed the weapon away.Seryu didn’t look to be the least bit worried about her situation. “I’ll have you know all of that was just the warmup.”Leone stretched out her neck side to side while the bones popped. “Then let’s get down to business.” The Faunus blonde went down on all fours while eying on her enemy as if she were prey. “You’re mine!” She launched herself again at her enemy.Seryu didn’t have a chance to defend as Leone was immediately in her space. The Faunus blonde delivered an uppercut and struck her enemy. Seryu was sent hurdling toward the upper part of the rock wall where the mines were located below. She crashed into the wall and felt just how powerful her opponent was. “So Adam wasn’t exaggerating after all about her strength.”“I’m not through with you yet!” Seryu saw Leone jump to where she was stuck and was above her now. The Faunus blonde struck her enemy and Seryu sent down while ripping through the rock until Seryu crashed into the ground. The Faunus girl groaned while standing up. Then Leone landed in front of her and struck her again away from the mines. Seryu tumbled into the ground.Already Seryu felt like her aura had hit its limit. “Damnit. If I take another hit like that…” She saw Leone land across from her. “I can’t let this fight end just yet. Not until I find my opening.” Leone took a running start at her enemy. “This fight’s over!”The other Faunus girl had something else in mind. “That’s what you think!” She pointed her other kanabo at Leone.The Faunus blonde already knew what Seryu was up to. " The same trick isn't going to work twice!"Seryu was counting she would say that. “That’s what you think.”The front opened up and this time, there was barrel extended out of it. Leone immediately stopped as she knew what it was. “Oh shit!” The other Faunus girl screamed as she began firing rounds at her enemy. Leone started running to the side in order to avoid the bullets. “Each of her weapons has different gun features?” She had to make her counter. Leone stopped running just enough to run straight ahead to Seryu. The other Faunus girl continued to fire at her but Leone moved side to side to avoid the bullets. Once she was close enough, Leone swiped upwards at the weapon and knocked it out of Seryu’s hand. The Faunus blonde grabbed the other girl and took her down straight to the ground as Seryu’s weapon fell back down too. Leone made sure to put all of her weight so Seryu wouldn’t struggle as much while pinning down the girl’s right arm and her claw above the enemy Faunus. “This is over for you.”Seryu cackled at the other girl. “Justice will never lose to the likes of you!”Leone was just going to end it and swung her claw at the other girl. A sudden loud blast echoed throughout the area and Leone screamed as she was sent away from the other Faunus girl. She landed on the ground groaning while holding her stomach. “Damn. What the hell was that?”“Justice will always win in the end.” Leone looked over to Seryu who was already standing and saw something very out of place. The glove on the left arm was destroyed and it looked the hand was bending upward in a very strange way. It was all the way to the base of the wrist. It was then Leone figured it. Her arm was robotic. Just before Leone delivered the final blow, Seryu slightly lifted her free arm and part of her glove was destroyed. Her hand was bent all the way to reveal an opening. That was when she blasted Leone off of her. “This fight is far from over!” The other glove suddenly ripped open to reveal her other arm was robotic.The White Fang members were whispering among themselves. “I’ve heard the two weapons she used was a ruse to fool her enemies. Her real weapons are those arms of her. I’ve heard she hacked her real ones off herself to prove how loyal she was to the White Fang.”“I’ve heard that too. I also heard she was given a name. Some of the members called her…the Berserk Beast.”Seryu’s wrist closed up and tightened her hands. She pulled back her right arm and extended it forward. As it did, the hand detached from the arm with a cable connecting them and it was headed over to where Leone was. The hand grabbed Leone by the throat and Seryu pulled her arm back again with the cable connecting to the hand along with the Faunus blonde. As Leone came in closer, Seryu pulled back her other arm. “Justice…” She punched the Faunus blonde once she was near. “Beat Down!” As soon as the first punch landed, her hand reconnected to the arm and delivered the next one. After that, Seryu was pummeling Leone with a barrage of punches all over the Faunus blonde’s body. The final blow was an uppercut under Leone’s chin. Leone took a few steps back until she recovered to send a kick coming from the right side. The other Faunus girl raised her left arm and blocked the attack. She raised her right arm and her hand began to spin fast. “Devil’s Drill of Justice!” Seryu thrust her arm at the other Faunus girl.Before the attack reached Leone, she managed to grab it and set her leg down back on the ground. She threw her own punch but Seryu caught it with her other hand. The two were in a stalemate. Or so Leone thought. A curved blade pointed toward the elbow suddenly appeared out of the side of the arm and that managed to break Leone’s hold on her. Seryu let go of the hand she was holding on another blade appeared on her arm. “Blades of Justice!” Seryu took the opportunity of her opening and delivered several slashes while passing Leone by. The result of the attack sent the Faunus blonde into the air and crash into the ground. She groaned in pain. “What the hell is going on? How is she matching against my strength?” Leone turned over and tried to stand up.The other Faunus girl turned around. “If it wasn’t for my semblance, you would have the upper hand in terms of strength. My semblance can reinforce my weapons, making them stronger to limit. It works well with my arms too.” She started to walk over to where Leone was now on one knee. All she needed was a few more seconds to recover and she’ll be back in the fight. “You’re everything Adam said you are.” She put her hand into the pocket of her skirt. “But now…it’s over.”Leone fully recovered and was ready for the fight as she stood up. “We’ll just see about tha-mph!” A cloth was placed over her nose and mouth. She was about to pry the cloth off and slit Seryu’s throat since she was so near but she started to feel strange. Her mind felt like it was zoning out and couldn’t think straight. Leone lost her balance and fell backward to the ground again.Leone couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. It was like she lost her sense of self. Seryu laughed as her plan worked. "So you had a reaction after all. I knew it would work. This cloth…" She presented it to the other Faunus. "Is laced with strong catnip. A lion Faunus you may be but you're still a cat in the end. That's why you're feeling the way you do. Also…" She reached into her other pocket and pulled out a strange looking pill. Seryu kneeled down and lifted Leone's head. She opened the other Faunus girl's mouth and inserted the pill. Seryu lifted the chin to make sure she swallowed it. Now Leone felt like she was entering a dream. "If a cat Faunus eats catnip, it'll act as a sedative. In other words, you'll be knocked out for several hours at least.” Seryu neared her face next to Leone’s ear. “It’s as I’ve told you. Justice always prevails over evil. Not that you can understand me anyway by this point.”Leone couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore. She couldn't think anymore. The Faunus blonde only had one passing thought before everything went to black. “Akame…” Leone had finally passed out.Seryu dropped her enemy back on the ground and stood up as she turned around to her fellow members. She raised her arm to the air. “THE TRAITOR HAS BEEN DEFEATED!”The White Fang members cheered at her victory and came out of the mines. All of them went up to her to congratulate on her win. One of the members had to ask an important question. “Ma’am, what are you going to do with the traitor now?”Seryu looked back at Leone and smiled. “It would be easy to just kill her now but I want the entirety of the White Fang to see, to witness her execution. And then as I’ve said before, I would present her head to Sienna Khan. No one gets away for what they’ve done to the White Fang.”Another member carefully walked up to Seryu. “Speaking of the White Fang ma’am, I received orders to relay to you.”Seryu might as well hear them out. “Very well. What are they?”“They uh…want you to come back quickly as possible.”Seryu didn't need to know anymore. “I see. I suppose it was only a matter of time. They must’ve grown impatient with our absence.”“What do we do with the traitor and her group?”Seryu already had ideas forming. One she was particularly fond of. “Make sure she stays sedated. Use the cloth and the pills to do it every couple of hours. As for her little group, I plan to send them a very special present.” Seryu would make sure it was a present they wouldn’t forget. B Kurome knocked on the door a few times. “Hey, are you awake?” For a second time, she didn’t hear a response. It was quite strange Akame or anyone else hadn’t answered the door yet.“Maybe they’re still sleeping?” Chelsea guessed.Taeko thought that wasn’t the case. “No, they must be awake at this time. We have to get going soon.”“Knock on the door again.” Rienna suggested. Kurome sighed as she didn’t have much other choice. Kicking the door down was a bad idea since it was the inn’s property. She was going to knock on the door again when it suddenly opened. The one who opened it was Cornelia already dressed. “Hey, it’s about time. Didn’t you hear us knocking?”Cornelia nodded at the question. “Y-Yeah, we did.”Taeko could clearly see the concern on her girlfriend’s face. “Cora, what’s the matter?”The blonde lowered her head and opened the door wider. She stepped off to the side and the other group walked in. They saw Esdeath in her dragon pajamas sitting on the edge of her bed looking worried. When they looked over to Akame, she was still in her pajamas sitting on her bed with her arms wrapped around her knees brought up to her face. The most obvious of all was that Leone was nowhere to be seen. Kurome knew something was wrong. “Akame…what’s wrong? Where’s Leone?”She didn’t hear a reply from her sister. “Leone didn’t come back last night.” They looked over at Esdeath who answered.Kurome didn’t quite understand. “What do you mean?”“Leone was out last night to get some information.” They looked back at Cornelia who was leaning against the wall. “She was supposed to come back but she didn’t. Akame was worried when she woke up. Leone isn’t the kind of person not to show up. I got dressed and went downstairs to check to see if the clerk knew anything. When I did, she handed me a box saying it was a present from a Faunus last night who knew us. I opened it and…” She couldn’t finish the rest of the sentence and looked away while closing eyes.Now the girls were worried. Esdeath decided to carry over. “Cornelia brought it to us and explained. When she showed us what was inside the box, that was when Akame shut down. She’s been like that ever since.”Kurome looked back at her sister and then back to Esdeath. “What was in the box?”Esdeath stood up and walked over to the side of Cornelia’s bed. She bent down to pick up the box left on the floor and stood up. Esdeath walked over to Kurome’s group. When she stopped in front of them, she placed the hand on the lid. “This is what was sent to us.” Esdeath removed the lid. Kurome and the other girls leaned in to look what was inside. What they saw made them all gasp in horror. Inside the box was Leone’s scarf stained in blood. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol ThreeKill Forty Five: Separated and ReunitedKurome sighed as she took one more look at the map while the whole group was walking through a forest with the sun setting over them. “So thanks to Esdeath freezing the water over the bridge, we were able to cross it and should be able to make it to the next town by nightfall. We’ll be that much closer arriving at Anima.”Chelsea had several concerns about the continent. “And what would we do when we do get to Anima? Isn’t our next town a port town? How long would it take from coming here to there? Also, Anima isn’t a small place either. We still have a lot of ground to cover when we do arrive.”“That shouldn’t be a problem.” The two girls looked back at Taeko. “The maps my grandmother has marked the shortcuts all throughout Anima. It shouldn’t take too long at most.”Chelsea whistled at that. “Really? Granny’s been to Anima too?”Taeko nodded at the question. “Yes. Back when she was younger, grandmother traveled through the four kingdoms in twelve years and marked every route she could find. How else do you think she marked the shortcuts in the first place?”Her childhood friend laughed nervously. “I sometimes forget how hardcore granny could be.”Kurome cleared her through to draw her teammate’s attention. “While that is good to know, going back to Chelsea’s question, it’ll take a day at most so it won’t be that long.”Rienna looked to the back and became worried. “Hey, um…” The rest of the girls looked back and saw the state of their three other members. Both Esdeath and Cornelia were looking mournful and Akame was barely keeping up in the back with her face looking at the ground. “Maybe we should-”“We can keep on going.” Everyone heard Akame spoke but didn’t raise her head. “We have to.”Kurome hated her sister being this way. She’s been like that ever since they left the town. Ever since she found out Leone had gone missing. The whole team wanted to search for her but didn't know where to begin. Much less know where she went. One thing they were sure of it must've been the White Fang who did it. Cornelia did mention it was a Faunus who delivered that present with Leone's blood-stained scarf. Kurome couldn’t bear to stand it anymore and stopped. “Yeah, I think a break would do us good.” Everyone else stopped except for Akame who kept on walking. “Akame…”“I said we have to keep going.”Kurome knew her sister would say that. She crossed her arms. “Esdeath…”Esdeath looked between the two sisters was unsure. “Is this actually…”“Just do it!”Esdeath knew it was a bad idea but went with it anyway. She kneeled down and touched the ground with her hand. Ice quickly formed and traveled to where Akame was. An ice wall appeared in front stopping her. She stood still for a few seconds. “Esdeath…since when did you start taking orders from Kurome?”The other girl stood up and was now feeling a little a scared. Kurome, however, was not. “Since you’ve been like this. Akame…I know you, Cora, and Esdeath are upset but-”“Upset?’ The older sister interrupted as she turned around with her bangs covering her eyes. “Leone was taken away by the White Fang and you think I’m upset?” Kurome was starting to have a bad feeling about her sister. “I’m not upset.” Akame raised her head and the team saw that the white in her eyes had turned black. “I'M RESENTFUL!" Once the rest of the team saw those eyes, they knew Akame was taking this harder than they thought. Her eyes only changed color when she was under extreme emotion. “The White Fang took Leone off to who knows where! I should’ve gone with her! Why didn’t I!? If I did, this wouldn’t have happened! Because of me…she’s…she’s…” The anger within her was replaced by sadness and tears started to come out of her eyes. “She’s gone. Leone’s gone and I’m all alone now.” Akame dropped to her hands and knees crying. “Why? Why does everyone I love and care about always leave me? Why am I cursed like this? Is it because someone like me doesn’t deserve to be happy? Is it because what I’ve done in the past? Is this supposed to be my punishment for what I did? I almost lost Leone once and now she’s gone. Taken away from me just like the others.” Akame continued to sob.This was their leader. Reduced to a simple crying girl. They couldn’t blame her for feeling this way. What she said before about being alone had more meaning. She and Leone came to Remnant together and now that Leone was taken away, it really was just Akame on her own. Seeing her cry like this reminded them all of who she really was. Not the assassin she was raised to be, not a huntress-in-training, but just a girl. A girl who had lost one of the most important people in her life. Seeing Akame like this made Kurome feel a little sad. She walked up to her sister and kneeled down before her to give Akame a much-needed hug. The older sister began crying into her shoulder. Everyone else felt exhausted even though all they did was stand around. Cornelia sighed out of tiredness. “How about that break now?”The whole group began taking their brief rest not only for them but for Akame to calm down. While everyone else was sitting on some rocks or leaning against on the surrounding trees, Kurome and Akame were sitting together side by side with Akame having her head rest on her sister’s shoulder while sitting against one of the trees. By this time, Akame’s crying had been reduced to mere sniffling and wiping her eyes to rid of what was left of the tears she had shed from before. Her eyes had also returned to their normal state. She took in a deep breath and breathed out. Kurome took that as a good sign. “How are you feeling?”Akame sighed as her response. “A little better.” She had really held all of these negative emotions within her. The reason why no Grimm attacked the group was because Akame was that good in keeping her emotions in as she once told Tatsumi a long time ago. “I miss her. I miss Leone so much.”All of them miss Leone. She was part of the team and it felt strange not having her around. Still, Kurome had positive thoughts. “You of all people should know not to give up on her just yet. This is Leone we’re talking about here.” She looked over at Taeko who was sitting on one of the rocks with her eyes closed. “Taeko, what did the White Fang mean when they sent that box to us.”The other girl opened her eyes to look at Kurome. “It’s nothing more than a message telling us they have her. That means she’s still alive so they must have a reason for doing so. How they found us in the first place, I don’t know.”It made a lot of sense to Cornelia. "Leone did kill several of their members back at Beacon so it would make sense they would have it out for her. They want serious revenge.”“Killing her right away may not be what they want. I’m sure they want it to make it personal.”“Esdeath…” Esdeath turned to Chelsea who was glaring at her.“No, Esdeath’s right.” The team turned their gaze to their leader. “If the White Fang holds a grudge against Leone, they wouldn’t be satisfied just by killing her on the spot. They would most likely display an execution of sorts for all to see. In a way, it’s something similar the Empire would’ve done to send a message to those who would oppose them.”As if that wasn’t worrying enough. However, Cornelia smiled at one little fact. “As if an execution would happen. This is Leone we’re talking about. One of the strongest fighters out there. I doubt she would just accept something like that. No, she would rather fight her way through while taking down those White Fang creeps and making it back to us. It’s true we don’t know where she is and she may not know where we are but one thing is for certain. Where would be the once place she knew where to find us?”The answer clicked inside Akame’s mind. “Haven.”Cornelia snapped her fingers at her leader. “Exactly. I’m sure that’s where we’ll find her. Like my papa always said. Separation doesn’t matter as long as the destination is the same.”For once, her father’s saying was actually helpful this time. Akame could sense a tiny spark of hope within her and for once during the whole day, she smiled. “Yes, you’re right.” She separated from Kurome and stood up. “Leone would make absolutely sure to reunite with us no matter what the obstacle lies before her. As long as Haven is our destination, the mission is still the same. I know she’ll be there.”All of the members smiled at their leader as they were glad she was back to her old self. Chelsea grinned at the other girl. “Looks like you’re ready to take on the world.”Akame nodded at that and looked over at Cornelia. “Thank you, Cora.”The blonde giggled as a response. "It's no problem. I am the big sister after all."Chelsea chuckled at the words. “Does that mean Taeko is the aunt?”Her childhood friend growled at her. “Chelsea…”Akame grabbed her pack and turned around. "We can still make it to the next town by nightfall right? Let's get going. The sooner we arrive in Haven, the better."Everyone understood perfectly and grabbed their gear. Except for Rienna. She dug around in her pack and pulled something out. “Akame…” Akame turned around to face and saw what was in her hand. Rienna smiled at the other girl and presented Leone’s scarf to her clean of the blood. “I managed to wash it before we left. I figured you should hold on to it.”Akame stared at the scarf for several seconds before taking it and wrapping it around her neck until she was done. “Thank you for this Rienna.”The second blonde was glad to hear the words. “It’s no problem. I know how much it means to you now.”Her leader nodded and turned to the path before them. “Let’s get going Night Raid.”Everyone nodded at the order. “Yes.” B Leone groaned as she slowly opened her eyes while her mind was feeling a little foggy. “Ah…man. What the hell is going on? I feel so weird. Something tells me this isn’t one of my usual hangovers.” Her eyes began to focus and saw where she was. “Where the hell am I?” From looking around the area she was in, it was rather small. Medium in fact, with other crates but they were sideways for some reason and there was humming in the air. Then the Faunus blonde figured out she was lying on the floor. She sat up and tried to move but then stopped suddenly with the sound of chains being rattled. That was when the Faunus blonde figured something out. “What the…?” She looked down and saw her wrists being bound together by a large white lock with her hands sticking out the other end. Her ankles were in the same positions. Leone tried to bust out of her cuffs but to her surprise, she couldn’t. “Really? I can’t break out of these?” There was something else Leone noticed two very important things. She looked down and was surprised by something that wasn’t there. “My scarf. They freaking took my scarf!?” She looked over at her bound wrists. “And they took Lionel too. Freaking figures but seriously? My scarf? Oh, you do not take something that important from me and get away with it.”Her lion ears suddenly picked up the sound of footsteps and laid back down on her side to the ground pretending to still be out of it. The door opened and two White Fang members entered. “Okay, how about this? Who would win in a fight? Adam or Seryu?”The other member was unsure about the question. “I don’t know. I’m behind Adam all the way but Seryu can be nuts when she’s fighting.”An idea came to the first one. “What if there was some internet show that would analyze their weapons, armor, and skill and use that to see who would win. That would be so cool.”The second member flapped his lips at that. “Right and there some company out there that has to do with chickens and teeth. Let’s just do what we came here to do.”Both members approached Leone. “Are you sure we shouldn’t chain her up to be safe?”The second member shook his head. “No moron. She’s wearing heavy Atlesian locks. Strong as this chick may be, there’s no way she’s busting out of those and I’m the one with the key.” He presented the key to the other member. “Not to mention Seryu has her weapons so she won’t be doing anything anytime soon.”The first member scoffed at his ally showing off. “So why didn’t Seryu take her along?”The second member put the key away. “You heard the orders. The higher ups wanted her back soon as possible so she took one of the air carriers to fly out. Besides, they’ll be ready for when we do get there.”Already Leone had picked up some interesting information. “Be ready? The White Fang? What for?” One thing she was sure of, Leone had to get back to Akame and the others. They must be worried sick about her. Especially Akame.“You got the pills and cloth?”The first member nodded and pulled each of the items out. “Right here. Seryu said we should do this once in a while to keep her out of it. Cloth first, pills second." He turned to the other Faunus. "Too bad she had to end up as our enemy. She's actually kinda hot."The second member rolled his eyeballs behind his mask. “Yeah, well, don’t get too attached. Let’s get this over with.” The first member nodded and kneeled down next to her. That was when Leone suddenly opened her eyes and jumped at the two who screamed.Within the room, sounds of thumping and hitting could be heard until two bodies fell to the floor. There was a heavy thud soon after. After Leone unlocked her ankle restraints, she dusted off her hands and looked at the two members who were on the ground who had the life beaten out of them. “Seriously. Who brings the key to your prisoner? Idiots.” She turned her focus to the door. “Alright, let’s see what’s behind door number one.” Leone cracked her knuckles.Three hits were all it took for the door to burst open. Two things the Faunus blonde noticed right away by looking out the front windshield was that she was in an airship and that it was night. The nearby White Fang members freaked out when the door was knocked down and saw Leone walk out of their cargo hold. “What the-how did she get free?” Leone grinned at the remaining members. While their screams could be heard throughout the ship, the pilot grabbed the radio nearby. “Mayday, mayday! This is the air carrier transport. The prisoner is loose. I repeat. The prisoner-”He heard another scream and saw his fellow member crash into the front looking he was beaten to a bloody pulp. Then Leone suddenly popped up in front and socked the guy in the face. “Alright, you’re going to take me back to where my friends are and maybe I won’t kill you.” She didn’t hear a reply or a plea from the other Faunus. It was then she took a closer look. “Ah, crap! I didn’t mean to kill the guy! At least this one.” She suddenly heard all kinds of alarms going off and saw that the airship she was in was going down and to make matters worse, they were over water. Without time to think, Leone threw the dead member off his chair and sat in it to take the controls. There was only one problem. “How the hell do I drive this thing!?” The Faunus blonde, obviously, had never driven anything before. Much less an airship. The best she could do was pull up the steering wheel hard as she could to prevent the ship from crashing. A little too hard, in fact. Leone unintentionally pulled the steering wheel right off from the dashboard. It was then she realized this was going to end badly. Leone was fast approaching the water below. “This is going to freaking suck.”The airship hit the water full force and the windshield was instantly destroyed. Water flooded the inside and Leone took the full brunt of the crash. Once it slowed down a little, The Faunus blonde held what breath she had best before swimming out the front. Once she was out, Leone saw the ship slowly sink into the dark depths. She looked up and began to swim to the surface. It wasn't until halfway Leone began experiencing problems. The air she started out with was already running out. The Faunus swam faster to make up for it but it was using up what little air she had left. That was when Leone let out a gasp and covered her mouth. “No…I have to…make it out.” Despite her words, already things started to go dark for her. “I have to… get back to them. To…Aka…me…” Before the darkness completely took over, the last thing Leone saw was a strange green flash of light. ??? “Hey, Akame? Do you have a minute?”Akame was in the middle of stuffing her face during lunch when Leone approached her. She gulped down what was left of her food. "Sure. What is it, Leone?"The blonde seemed a little nervous about the topic she wanted to discuss. “Maybe somewhere in private? I really don’t want the others to know about it. Especially Lubb.”Now Akame knew what her friend wanted to talk about and to be honest, she’d been expecting this for quite some time. It was a miracle Leone even walked up and talked to her after what happened on that morning. She set her chopsticks down and stood up. “Then let’s go.” Both girls left the dining room and made their way to a place somewhere they won’t be disturbed. Ironically enough, that would be Leone’s bedroom. The place where it all started. Once they entered, the blonde closed the door. “Okay then.” She turned around to face the other girl who was just looking at her indifferently. “So…Akame. I just wanted to say…I mean about what happened…” She just sighed and should just get to the point. “Look I’m sorry for what happened okay!” That was all Leone wanted to say for quite some time.Akame’s reaction wasn’t that big. “Is this about what happened earlier?”Leone just sighed. “Yeah. I’m sorry things got that much heated up. I mean we were drunk and you were kinda funny when you’re drunk but then…” She blushed at the next scenes that happened afterward. “I just want us to still be friends after that. I hope this doesn’t make it weird between us.”The other girl just closed her eyes. “It doesn’t actually.” The blonde was grateful to hear that. “However…” And Leone’s face dropped after hearing there was a continuation. Akame opened her eyes and looked away with a slight blush on her face. “I did kind of…enjoyed it.”Now Leone was confused. “Wait, what?”The blush deepened on Akame. “I liked what we did. It felt like we became closer despite the circumstances that made it happen. I’ve never had anything like it before and…”Leone put enough pieces together to figure out what her friend was going to say next. “Are you saying you…want to do it again?”Hearing those words out loud made Akame feel more embarrassed. “If you want to put it that way. To be honest, I really haven’t seen you the same way since that time. Every time I do see you, I’m reminded of that night. The way you felt, breathed, and that look you had.” She shuddered at the thought. Akame never felt this strong of an attraction in a long time. Not since Cornelia. “I guess what I’m saying is…” She finally looked at Leone in the eye. “I’m attracted to you.”Leone felt like the time had come to a stop when she heard those words. She herself was having a difficult time to process this whole situation. Despite what happened between them a few days ago, Akame did enjoy it and as ashamed Leone felt about it, she liked it too. Leone did feel a certain attraction to Akame since the first time they met. Having to hear those words from the very same girl made the blonde think it was a dream…. but it wasn’t. “Okay then. So what does mean for us?”That was question Akame wanted to know as well. “It depends. Do you feel guilty about what happened?”The blonde shook her head. “No. I mean yes but I did like what we did, to be honest. I just didn’t know how you felt about it. I mean…we’re friends and you’re my best friend. If you liked it and I liked it then I guess it’s okay between us.”“Would you want to again?”Leone thought she didn’t hear that right. “What?”Akame steeled herself for what she was about to ask. “Would you like to do it again?”The question was one Leone thought she would never hear. Especially from Akame. She honestly didn’t know what to think of it. “I uh…I don’t know. May…be?” The blonde had to collect her thoughts about this whole thing. “Are you really serious about this?”The other girl nodded at the question. “I admit it’s been on my mind recently. As you’ve said before, we both liked it so what seems to be the problem?”Leone could feel her heart pounding within her chest. “Wouldn’t this change something between us? I mean the first time was a mistake and now-”“Leone.” Akame had interrupted her friend and walked over to her. She was now in front of the other girl. Leone now noticed how beautiful Akame’s red eyes were. “That night had already changed how we viewed each other. What’s stopping us from taking this further?”The blonde had the right answer to that. “This war we’re fighting against the Empire. We both know every time we take on a mission, there’s always that chance we may not make it back.”Akame knew that much but it wasn’t what she meant. “I know there isn’t much room for a relationship but I’m not asking for that. Perhaps this could be used for our enjoyment whenever we have the time.”The smell of the other girl was almost intoxicating to Leone. “So you want this to be a friends with benefits thing?”Akame wrapped her arms around Leone to bring the two of them closer together. “You can think of it that way.” After saying those words, Akame went in for the kiss. Leone's eyes widened in shock. Never in her life, she expected Akame of all people to start this off but she won't complain about it. She slowly closed her eyes as Leone wrapped her arms around the other girl and deepened the kiss.They made the kiss last as long as possible before they had to break it and both of their faces were flushed. It was obvious they wanted it to take it further but Leone had to control herself. “How about we save the good stuff later on for tonight? That alright with you?”Akame wanted it right now but decided to obliged. "That'll be fine." While Akame was glad they made this one step forward, deep down, this was the closest she could be to Leone as she was right. Maintaining a relationship had its consequences since every day they would fight life and death. At most, this was the only way and she would be fine with that. She did have that small twinging feeling deep within of wanting more than what they agreed on. Little did she know, Leone was wishing for the same thing. ??? Leone groaned as she started coming to. “What happened? Am I dead? What was that dream all about? It looked more like a memory.” She started to open her eyes and saw a wooden ceiling. A ceiling meant she was in a house. “Where the hell am I?”“Hey, you’re awake.” Leone heard a new voice and turned her head over to see a young man who seemed to be in his late teens. He obviously had tan skin and a short sleeved open blue shirt showing off his abs similar to what Sun wore and white shorts. He also has short spiky black hair. The one thing that made him unique was that he had something like scales on his cheeks and on his arms. Leone was about to ask who he was before noticing she was in a bed that was on the floor. “We were actually wondering when you were going to wake up.”“We?”He looked toward the door which had more like strings of beads hanging from the top of the doorway behind him. “Hey, sis! She’s awake!”There was silence for a few seconds. “About damn time!” Another person came through the beads and entered the room. She looked older than her brother. Maybe in her early twenties like Leone. Her hair was long and black put up in a low ponytail. She was wearing a sleeveless pink tank top and large breasts along with wearing ripped jean shorts from the bottom. She too had scales on her cheeks and arms. It was obvious these two were Faunus. The woman looked down at the Faunus blonde. “About time you woke up. How are you feeling?” Leone slowly sat up as she groaned. It was then she discovered the Faunus blonde was wearing a different set of clothes. An oversized white shirt and grey sweat pants. “Hey, take it easy.”Leone rolled her shoulder. “I’m uh…feeling alright I guess.” She put her hand on her face. “What happened?”The woman crossed her arms under her breasts. “You tell us. You’re the one who my brother found lying on the beach unconscious. Mind telling us your story?”The other Faunus girl tried to recollect what happened. “I was…uh…” Flashes of images were going through her mind and remembered exactly what happened. “That’s right. That airship crashed into the water and I tried to swim but I almost drowned. The last thing I remember was that weird light. What was that?”“Hey!” The Faunus woman snapped her fingers a few times. “Can you remember or not?”Leone thought it would be best to keep this to herself. She figured they wouldn’t believe her anyway. “It’s still a little foggy. How long was I out?”The other Faunus would have to accept the answer. “A whole day at most. It’s not often we find a fellow Faunus washed up on a beach in Menagerie. I’m Kay. This is my younger brother Omar.”Omar raised his hand at Leone. “Hi there.” Leone removed her hand and looked at the two. “Leone.” She had serious questions about the clothes she was wearing. “Were you the ones who dressed me?”Kay scoffed at the question. “I did. No way I was going let him do it.” She pointed at her brother. “Oh, and we’re snake Faunus in case you didn’t know yet.”Obviously, that made the most sense. Both in the dressing up and the scales. There was one other question on Leone's mind. "Thanks for that, I guess. Now, what the hell is Menagerie?"Kay thought that was a joke and laughed. “Are you serious? You’re a Faunus and you don’t know what Menagerie is?”Apparently, Menagerie was a big deal to Faunus. “Looks like I don’t then.” Her stomach growled all of a sudden and giggled embarrassedly. “I do know I’m kinda hungry, though.”Kay chuckled at that. “We’ll get you a meal and then show you what Menagerie is.” She turned around as her brother stood up. She stopped in front of the doorway. “Oh, and your clothes are dry and are in the basket outside. We’ll see what we have for you to eat.”Omar smiled at Leone. “See you in a bit.” Both of them left the room.“Thanks!” Once they were gone, the Faunus blonde evaluated her situation.She remembered what Seryu told her before about the Faunus. “Any Faunus you've come across may have been a member of White Fang and gave reports of your whereabouts.”Leone always did learn from her mistakes and now it seemed even fellow Faunus seemed untrustworthy since she had no idea if they were with the White Fang. Once a member was out of uniform, they could blend in normal society. It wasn’t all that different from what she did back in the Capital. No one knew she was an assassin and walked around in broad daylight. Except for this time, it was different. Leone was wanted by the White Fang and they know her face and she didn't. Even their scent could be different by the time she met one and didn't know it. Still, if she was here for a whole day and hasn’t been taken prisoner yet, she could trust these two. The problem now was getting back to Akame and the rest of the team. There was only one viable option to her. Leone had to make it to Haven on her own. It was an idea she wasn't a fan of but had no other choice. For now, she had to get her bearings and see what she could do from there. "Time to get dressed." B Leone felt better wearing her clothes again except having trouble tying the bow around her hair. It’s always been a problem for her and usually had Akame or one of the other girls tie it for her. Still, the Faunus blonde managed to do it. She walked into the dining room where the kitchen was next to it. She could smell the distinct scent of fried fish. The Faunus blonde saw Kay standing in front of a stove. She looked over at the other Faunus woman. "Hey there. Just about done here. Take a seat.”“Will do.” Leone walked over to the table and pulled up a chair. She sat down and Omar was sitting across from her.He was tapping his fingers on the table looking a little unsure about something. “So…do you have a boyfriend?’That was a random question out of nowhere. She actually wanted to laugh before Kay set a plate of fried fish in front of Leone along with a fork and a knife. “Leave her alone Omar.”“I was just asking.”Kay walked to the end of the table and put her hands on it. “There you go. Dig in.”It did look appetizing to the Faunus blonde. “Thanks.” She took up the utensils and began eating. It was really good actually.”While the Faunus blonde was busy eating, Kay still had some questions. “So if you can’t remember how you ended up here, do you at least know where to go?”Leone didn't see the harm in telling them. "I've thought of heading to Mistral." She took another bite.Omar raised an eyebrow to that. “Mistral huh? That’s pretty far.”It may be but Leone didn’t have a choice in the matter. “Not like I have any other plans.”Kay would agree with that. “It’s a start at least.”They saw Leone eat the last of the fried fish and set her utensils down. “Ah. That was good. Thanks for you that.”The other Faunus woman smiled at her. “No problem. Now how about we show you what Menagerie is.” Both siblings stood up as did Leone.All of them walked to the front door and exited the house. It was there Leone saw an unbelievable sight. “What in the…” She saw the most Faunus that had ever gathered walking about everywhere. All of them had either tails, ears, antlers, or some other animalistic feature. It was simply amazing to her. It was also quite terrifying. “Faunus everywhere and I don’t know which one of them could be in the White Fang.”Despite her last thought, Kay seemed to like her expression. “This is Menagerie. It’s a large island that’s mostly inhabited by Faunus. It’s pretty good if you ask me.”Leone thought differently. “Yeah, if you’re not wanted by the White Fang.” She had to keep up her impression. “It’s something alright. I’ve never seen this many Faunus.” Then she suddenly figured something out. “Wait, did you say island?!”Kay didn’t see what the big deal was. “Well, it’s more of a landmass but yeah. If you want to head to Mistral, you gotta go by boat.”If that was the only way, Leone had no choice but to take it. “Alright. You know when’s the next boat coming?”“Not for a while.” Omar spoke. “The last boat left a couple of hours ago. Next one won’t come by for a while.”The situation became worse for Leone. She was stuck on an island full of Faunus not knowing which could be the White Fang and had to wait for the next boat to come so she could travel to Mistral. White Fang or not, her being in this situation would mean she would have to be more careful from here on out. If any of the White Fang do come after her, they’ll regret it. “That’s just great. Is there another way? Someone who could help me out?”Kay thought about it for a few seconds before coming up with a solution. “If you’re in that much of a hurry, you could go over to the Chief. He’s in charge here of Menagerie. Maybe he can help you out.”It was good a start as any. “I suppose that’ll work for now. In any case, thanks for the help. I appreciate it.”Omar was a little surprised to hear that. “Aw. You’re going to leave already?”Leone did feel a little bad but she had to move soon as possible. “Yeah, sorry.”Kay understood perfectly well. “It’s no problem. Gotta go where you need to go right? If you can’t find a place to stay, you can always come back here to spend the night. Now, if you want to find the Chief, you have to that path…” She pointed in front of her. “And it’ll take you to where he lives. You’ll be able to spot it easily as it’s in the center from down there.” She set her arm down and smiled at the other Faunus woman. “Take care of yourself and I hope you remember how you ended up here in the first place.”Leone would make sure of that. “Yeah. I will. Take care and thank you.” With those words said, the Faunus blonde already started to make her way to the one person who could help her.Omar was feeling a little sad Leone was leaving. “Man. I didn’t even get to find out if she had a boyfriend.”His sister scoffed at that. “Oh please. A girl like that is way out of your league.” Kay walked back inside the house.Omar turned around and sighed. “You don’t know that. She could be into me.” He walked back in shortly after saying that.As Leone continued her way to the Chief’s house, she took the time to look around to see all the different Faunus walking about and doing business. If it was another time, she would like to explore it but last the Faunus blonde checked, she was a wanted woman with the enemy knowing what she looked like. She sighed at that thought. “Man. Is this how Mine felt when she had a wanted poster of her?” Being wanted felt a little tougher than Leone thought. Still, though, Leone did like how the place looked. It was something similar to a tropical paradise. “I’m sure Akame and the rest of the team would love it here.” Speaking of them, Leone wondered how they were doing now. “Akame must be worried sick about me. She already lost Tatsumi and the others. Losing me is the last thing she needs. Well, don’t you worry anymore Akame. I’ll make it back to you no matter what. That I promise.” The Faunus blonde stopped on top of a steep hill and at the bottom was a building that stood out from the rest. "I guess that's the place I'm supposed to go. Right, let's get this over with."She walked down the hill all the way toward the building. Leone walked up to the front door and chuckled. “Definitely looks like where the bigwig would live. Let’s see if anyone is home.” She grabbed the handle and knocked on the door. It made a bellowing sound which amused Leone all the more. “Like that doesn’t sound intimating.” She waited for the door to open. While she was, the Faunus blonde began to notice something familiar. A familiar scent to be exact. “Why does it smell like-” The door suddenly opened in front of her. “Finally.”Once the door fully opened, Leone’s eyes widened at who answered it. It was an older looking woman who bared a striking resemblance to Blake. She was almost speechless. “Yes? Can I help you?”Leone shook her head to snap out of it. “Uh, yeah. I was wondering if the Chief was around to help me out with some trouble if that’s alright with you.”The woman in front of her smiled and nodded at the request. “Yes, of course. Please, come inside.” She stepped aside and welcomed the other Faunus in.Leone walked in and the woman closed the door. The inside was just as impressive as the outside. It was also the scent she smelled before was stronger. “These scents. They could only belong to-”“Follow me please.” The woman started to walk and Leone followed. “You must forgive my husband if he’s too busy at the moment. He’s…well, we’re in the middle of something.”“Husband huh? Don’t worry, it’s cool.” If this was the wife, the husband who was the Chief must’ve been something else. The further they walked in, the stronger the scents became. “Okay, now I definitely know the scents. They have to belong to-”“Dear.” They came up to an open doorway and the Faunus woman appeared in front of it. “Someone is here to see you.”Leone walked up to the front and looked to see who she was talking to. It was at that moment where everything stopped. Her eyes were fixated on two very important girls ignoring the large man who was sitting at the back of the table. Said two girls were staring in disbelief at who they were seeing. They were none other than Leone’s adopted parents. Yang Xiao Long and Blake Belladonna. Both the woman Faunus and Chief could clearly see they knew each other judging by how they were looking at each other. Blake was the first to speak. “Leone?” And saying that name alone confirmed she did know the other Faunus girl.Blake suddenly stood up and ran over to her daughter to give her a much-needed family hug. Leone happily returned the hug. Out of everything that’s happened to her so far, this was the best thing she’s encountered. It wasn’t long after Yang ran up to them to join in on the hugging. She was happy to see her daughter too. It may have been a reunion none of them were expecting but they were glad it happened. And it was something Leone really happy about. She was happy to be in both of her mother’s arms once again. “Wait a minute. Both arms?” She suddenly broke off the hug and took a closer look at Yang. Leone noticed one new feature her mother had. “Holy crap you got an arm!”Yang brought up her robotic arm to show it off and smiled. “I sure did. Looks cool huh?”Blake had all kinds of questions to ask her daughter. “What are you even doing here? How did you get here?”Leone was about to answer but was interrupted. “Ahem!” All three turned to the man still sitting at the table. “So I take it you two know this girl?”Blake was so caught up in the moment, she forgot about him. “Yes. Sorry about this. Father, this is Leone Wild. She went to Beacon with us. Leone, allow me to introduce you to Ghira Belladonna. The Chieftain of Menagerie. The woman you met before is my mother, Kali.”The other Faunus girl almost had nothing to say. Kali giggled at her reaction. “It’s nice to meet another of Blake’s friends.”Leone was still trying to process what she was told. “You’re telling me these two are your parents!?”Yang loved her daughter’s expression. “Yep. I was surprised too when I met them which wasn’t that long ago actually.”One thing is for sure, this family reunion of hers was a lot bigger than Leone thought. In fact, it brought up one very important fact. “I just freaking met my grandparents from Blake’s side of the family.” Ghira cleared his throat again to gain everyone’s attention. “So then, Leone. How about you come join us and we’ll hear out what it is you wanted to see me.”“And while we’re at it, catch up.” Yang added.Leone couldn’t agree more to all of it. “Sure.” Suddenly, Leone’s world became a little bigger. B Walking a road with a cart of what’s left of their merchandise, Wave and Armasu were heading back to Armasu’s house. The selling went rather well as usual and were happy about it. “I’d say things went nicely, wouldn’t you say?”Armasu giggled. "Yes, but do you always have to pick a fight with Holler every time we go?”Wave just shrugged. “Hey, he’s the one who wants to fight me. Besides, it’s nothing more than a friendly fight. He’s still trying to prove he can beat me.” He laughed at that. Holler was a regular customer of theirs and always challenged Wave to a fight. So far, he hadn’t won any of them. Wave looked up to the sky and saw how the clouds looked. “It looks like it might rain soon. We should probably pick up the pace so we’re not caught up in the rain.”Armasu looked up as well. “I think you’re right but we’re still a little away from the village. Maybe we should cut through that old village again so we can get there faster.”Wave knew that was the only option available to them at the moment. “If you say so. Come on, let’s pick up the pace.” Both of them walked as fast as possible to reach the abandoned village. Once they crossed through it, the journey wouldn’t take much longer to reach Kaki. Soon they were coming upon the village. “There it is. Still looking a little creepy as usual.”The wolf Faunus giggled at that. “Are you still afraid of it? It’s been abandoned for a long time now.”That didn’t make it any less creepy to Wave. “I know but-” Wave stopped talking and looked over at one of the walls of the village.Armasu now looked worried. “What is it Wave?” Wave could feel it. There were multiple auras coming from the village which was strange since no one lived in it. What was stranger was that all of them seemed to be fighting. He took a running start at one of the walls. “Wave! Where are you going?!”As Wave neared the walls, he heard several sounds something similar to gunfire. “Someone is definitely fighting. The question is who?” Once he approached the wall, Wave jumped to the top of it. It was then he saw who was fighting. “What the…?” He saw four kids fighting against one man who fought in a most unusual way but he handled all of them with ease. Upon a closer look, the man who was fighting all four of them had a tail like a scorpion. “That guy’s a Faunus like Armasu.” The last straw for Wave was when he saw the man strike the young girl wearing a red cape a few times and landed on the ground. That was when Wave felt his blood boil. “He’s going to kill her.” The Faunus landed on the ground while having a sinister smile on his face. “Say goodbye little rose.” He sent his stinger to where his target was.Ruby opened her eyes to see the attack coming right at her. She could hear her friend’s cries calling out to her. Only one thought came to her mind. “Weiss…”Before the stinger could reach her, Wave suddenly appeared before her and grabbed the tail tightly with his hand. Everyone was surprised by his entrance. Including the Faunus man who was attacking. Wave glared angrily at him. “That’s enough.”Behind all of them, Qrow stopped and saw what just happened. If given another second, he could’ve intercepted the attack but someone else beat him to the punch. He was glad his niece was safe but now there was another question. “Who is this guy?”Ruby looked up to the man that saved her and wondered the same question. “Who…are you?” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Sorry about the wait folks. Holidays and all. Now let’s get ready for the last chapter of the year. I know a lot of you were looking forward to it. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol ThreeKill Forty Six: Showdown at OniyuriThe silence was present for everyone within the abandoned town of Oniyuri. The ones were present Ruby and the rest of team RNJR, the assailant who was moments away from striking Ruby down, Qrow who witnessed some stranger appearing out of nowhere who saved his niece's life, and Wave who was glaring at the scorpion Faunus, Tyrian. The last one to arrive was Armasu who was standing next to an incomplete building and saw what was happening. It was the first time she had seen Wave rush into anything without a second thought. She didn’t know what was going on but from the look of things, the situation was about to escalate. The Wolf Faunus felt afraid for what was about to happen as she hugged the corner of the building as a lifeline. “Wave…”The rest of RNJR were just as perplexed. One moment they were fighting their enemy and the next, someone saved their leader. They were relieved Ruby was okay but now there was one present question. “So…anyone have an idea who this guy is?” Jaune asked.Nora shrugged at the question. “Beats me but he totally saved Ruby’s bacon.”“One thing’s for sure. At least he’s an ally to us.” Ren summarized.Qrow got over his initial shock and jumped to the nearest building to observe for the time being. He was quite curious about the arrival of the new player. “Who is the guy? To grab an attack like that with his bare hand, he’s no ordinary passerby.” He noticed the weapon Wave was carrying on his lower back. "Is he a huntsman?"Tyrian winced slightly at the pain caused by Wave gripping his tail tightly. “And who are you supposed to be? The gallant knight come save his flower?" Wave didn't reply as he kept glaring at him. It made Tyrian chuckle. "Well? What's the matter? Can't you spea-" And he was suddenly punched in the side of his face and flew away from both Wave and Ruby. Tyrian crashed into one of the buildings that were behind him.Everyone was surprised by the sudden action. Especially Jaune. "Whoa! Did you see that?""If you mean he just socked the guy in the jaw, pretty much." Nora confirmed.Ren was having a little of a hard time believing what he saw. “All of us combined couldn’t hit him and yet he did with a single strike.”He had a point but Jaune had one of her own. “Yeah, but he did kinda grab his tail to get in that shot. Kinda hard to avoid an attack. Still, man.”Wave breathed out and turned around to Ruby who was still lying on the ground. He walked up to her until he was in front of the girl. Wave offered his hand to the young leader. “Are you okay?”Ruby didn’t know what was happing but decided to accept it and go along. She nodded at the question. “Uh-huh. Thanks for…saving me.” She grabbed his hand and Wave pulled her up. “So who are you?”Wave just smiled as she was no harm came to the girl. “Look at her. She’s just a kid. At least she’s safe.”He did notice the giant red scythe she was carrying. Before he could ask about it, they heard a noise coming from the destroyed building and looked over at it. “Ahh…not a bad punch right there." They saw Tyrian come out of the hole in the wall he went through and moved his jaw a little. "Clearly, there is more to you than meets the eye." He grinned at him.Wave resumed his glaring at the scorpion Faunus. “Who the hell are you? Answer me!”Tyrian was more than happy to answer. “Very well since you much deserve it. I am known as Tyrian.”That was one question. Now Wave had another. “Okay, then what are you doing attacking these kids for?”That question Tyrian laughed. “An excellent question. I’ll be happy to shed some light. You see, I was given a mission to hunt down a certain rose, the one who is behind you by the order of my queen.”Qrow narrowed his eyes when he heard the description. He knew who the scorpion Faunus was talking about. “Salem.”There he went mentioning someone. Ruby thought he was talking about Cinder before they fought but he laughed at the assumption and said that Cinder wished she was a queen. Or goddess, whatever he said. “Who’s this queen person he keeps talking about?”It was more than enough information for Wave. In fact, gritted his teeth out of anger hearing that. “So you’re here to kill her? Is that it?”Ruby gulped upon hearing that. “K-Kill me?”Tyrian continued to laugh at the question. “Not exactly my dear boy. Let’s just say, my goddess has developed quite the interest in this young budding rose.” Ruby had no idea what to think of that. “However…” He held up one finger at Wave. “There is an obstacle in my way who dares to obstruct the mission my goddess gave to me and it’s my best interest to get it out of the way by any means necessary.”Obviously, he was referring to Wave. It was exactly what Wave thought all of this was. The more he looked at Tyrian, the more he felt familiar to him. He decided to test that feeling out. "And let me guess. You view those who you fight lesser than you are and treat them as you see fit."The scorpion Faunus cackled at the assumption. "A well-educated guess. How did you know?" He grinned wickedly at Wave. "Indeed you are right. Anyone I fight is nothing more than a mere toy to me. A toy that I see fit to play with until I get bored and break them. That sweet rose is no exception and neither are you.”Now Wave knew what this feeling was. After seeing the look in Tyrian’s eyes, he was reminded of one other certain individual Wave knew the displeasure of knowing. “Alright, I’m making you my next toy. Be grateful.”Just remembering him now brought his blood to a boil. “Syura.” No doubt Tyrian was similar to the former son of the Prime Minister which made this all the more personal. “People’s lives…” He closed his hands tightly while looking angrily at the scorpion Faunus. “People’s lives aren’t for your amusement!”Armasu gasped quietly at this new side she was seeing. “I’ve never seen Wave this angry. I’ve never seen him angry at all. He’s always been kind to others. Including those who were less fortunate. Seeing him now like this is…”Despite Wave being angry at him, Tyrian was all the more amused. “I beg to differ. I do what I please and what I please, I enjoy." He licked his lips. "And what I would like to enjoy now is to complete the mission my goddess has given me. The question now is…what are you going to do about it?"The answer was obvious to Wave. He knew where this was going to go from the start. Wave grabbed the handle of his weapon. “Listen to me. Stay back, no matter what.”Ruby didn’t need to be told twice and nodded slightly. “R-Right.” She quickly rejoined the rest of RNJR and they made sure to stay back a little. All they could do now was watch.”Wave began to draw his sword out slowly until it was fully drawn as he held it underhanded. Armasu couldn’t believe it. “This is the first time I’ve seen Wave pull out his weapon.”Tyrian was loving where this was going. “So you finally decided to take up arms. As a hunter, I hope you’ll prove to be entertaining.”Wave leered at the scorpion Faunus. “I won’t be entertaining anyone. I’ll show what happens when you meet the wrong person. And one more thing. I’m not a hunter. I’m a soldier!” Wave stabbed his weapon into the ground and placed his hand on his arm. “GRAND CHARIOT!” The ground began to rumble throughout the town and slowly starting to become more intense. Then from behind Wave, a giant blue hand came out of the ground and slammed down with a thunderous crash pulling up a giant monstrous beast. A bright azure light suddenly came out of nowhere while dust kicked up all around. Everyone was in shock and awe of the monster’s sudden appearance. The mere sight of it made Ruby tremble in fear. The monster gave out an intense terrifying roar that could be heard from far away miles around. The people present had to cover their ears. Qrow had all kinds of questions about what was happening. “What the hell is that thing? It doesn’t even look like a Grimm.” He suddenly noticed numerous cries and looked off into the distance to see flock after flock of birds chirping and screeching while flying away. It wasn’t only the birds. The nearby wildlife was fleeing as well. “It’s scaring off every living thing around the area.” He looked back at the monster to further observe. “It must be one hell of a monster to pull something like this off.”From up close, Ruby had never felt so terrified before. She couldn’t even find the words to speak. Jaune apparently could and asked the question on everyone’s mind. While screaming like a girl and jumped into Ren’s arms. “What is that thing?!”Ren couldn’t stop staring at the monster. “Whatever it is, it doesn’t appear to be a Grimm.”“Guys…” Both Ren and Jaune looked over at Nora to see they thought they would never witness. A frightened look on her face. “Is this what fear feels like?” And they certainly didn’t expect her to say that.Every sense Armasu had told her to run but she couldn’t. She was frozen in fear in witnessing the monster Wave had summoned. Tyrian was the same. For once, he was at a loss for words until he could find some. “What the hell did you do?! What is that monstrosity!?”Wave didn’t reply as the dust enveloped both him and the monster behind. They were now surrounded by a cloud of dust that didn’t look natural to anyone. The way it looked was familiar to Qrow. And then, it hit him. “This scene. It looks similar to what Akame did back at the Vytal Festival.” After a few more seconds, the dust cloud was suddenly blown away. What they saw was Wave wearing strange armor they had never seen before. It was incredibly perplexing to Qrow. “He’s wearing that monster as a suit of armor?”Armasu couldn’t take her eyes off the man she spent so much time with. She never imagined Wave changing in such a drastic way. “Is that…really Wave?” At the same time, something was glowing from within Wave’s bag back at the cart.It took Wave several seconds to get used to wearing his armor after not wearing it for so long. He had long forgotten what it felt like. “Imperial Arms Carnage Incarnate: Grand Chariot!”Ruby gasped when she heard that. “Did he say…Imperial Arms?” She also caught the name which sounded very familiar to her.The young leader then remembered a small detail Akame once explained before. “The other members are Wave whose Imperial Arms is called Carnage Incarnate: Grand Chariot which is an armor type like Tatsumi's Incursio.”Ruby couldn’t believe it but there was no denying it. “This person…he’s from the same world as Akame and Leone.” After the dramatic transformation, everything was quiet once again but something was different this time around. There was an overwhelming sense of some sort looming all of them. Qrow could definitely sense it. He actually chuckled at the thought of it. “Heh. It’s been a while since I’ve felt this on edge.” Ren could sense the change in the air. “I can sense there’s a heavy pressure around us. It’s…unlike anything I’ve felt before.”Jaune nodded quickly at the fact. “Y-Yeah. I could say the same thing.”The two were quiet for a few seconds before Ren narrowed his eyes at his teammate. “Do you mind?”It took Jaune a few seconds to figure what he meant by that until he realized he was still in Ren’s arm. Jaune laughed awkwardly and removed himself from his teammate’s arms. “Right, sorry.” They returned to looking at Wave in his armor.Tyrian was having trouble deciphering of what just happened. The monster he saw was gone but he still felt wary and didn’t know why. “What was that he just did? Was it a trick of some sort? If it was, how did he managed to put on that armor so quickly?” The time for questions would have to wait for later. Right now, he really had to deal with the problem in front of him. “Quite the show you displayed. Which now begs the question, who the hell are you? Really?”Wave didn’t reply to the question. Instead, he asked one of his own. “Remember what you said earlier? About how you treat others as mere toys? Let’s see how you like it…” He leaned in forward. “When you’re treated as a toy!” Wave launched himself right at Tyrian with a boom and left a footprint with several cracks in it.Before Tyrian could react, Wave was already in front of him. Everyone had the same thought at that moment. “He’s fast.” Wave yelled as he delivered an uppercut straight at the scorpion Faunus. Like before, the attack left a resounding boom upon impact and made Tyrian fly away from him. Wave didn’t waste a second after following him with another boom after effect. It wasn’t until Tyrian was halfway that Wave appeared behind and delivered a kick to the back. The scorpion Faunus was sent back to where Ruby and the others were and crashed into the ground. He went through it while dust kicked up. It took them seconds to register what they saw. “Oh man. That was like…a couple of seconds.” Jaune pointed out.Ruby was in awe at the whole thing. “The way he moved. I couldn’t even see it. Is he faster than me when using my semblance?”Wave landed back on the ground but he was far from done. Over to Tyrian, he was lying face down trying to figure out what just happened to him. “What is this insane strength? No one has gotten the drop on me like that before.” Before he had the chance to stand up, Wave was already rushing toward him.As soon as Wave approached him, he grabbed the scorpion Faunus’ tail just as he barely passed him. Wave then picked Tyrian up by the tail and spun around to throw him up high into the air followed by a strong whoosh of air. Obviously, Tyrian was screaming when Wave threw him up. Wave clasped his hands together and raised them above his head. Once Tyrian came in close, Wave slammed his combined hands straight at the chest and the scorpion Faunus was instantly sent back down to the ground. It took him a mere second and a half to crash into the ground leaving him in a crater upon his crash landing. Tyrian could feel his aura dropping. It was the only saving grace that none of Wave's attacks killed him yet. However, one more attack of that degree and he would really be finished.“GRAND FALL!” Tyrian saw the next attack coming and had to move out of the way and quick. He turned around and fled just in time before Wave’s drop kick could reach him. Upon the initial impact of the attack hitting the ground, several things happened at once. The first was the large column of dust appearing after Wave’s attack had missed when it struck the ground. The second was the shaking of the ground underneath Ruby and the others as it felt similar to an earthquake. The third was that large deep cracks appeared from where Wave hit the ground and traveled throughout the abandoned down and destroyed some of the buildings and walls. The fourth was the shockwave that came after the attack. Tyrian may have avoided the attack but the shockwave quickly caught up with him and hit him all over his body. He rolled over the ground until he stopped and was lying on his stomach.After everything settled down, Ruby and the others saw the after-effect of the attack. They were understandably at a loss for words. At the spot Wave struck the ground, there was a large crater where the cracks were coming from. All of that damage was just from one attack. It was certainly unbelievable to Qrow. “You’ve got to be kidding me. He could destroy the whole town if he attacked like that again.” Tyrian managed to stand up after everything that had happened. He saw Wave slowly walking out of the crater slowly. With each passing step, Tyrian was hesitant to try a counterattack. In fact, he was feeling something very foreign to him. With each step Wave made toward him, that feeling grew. It quickly dawned on him what the feeling was. It was fear. Wave could clearly sense it. “That look in your eye. People like you, I’ve seen them before. You always think you're above the rest because you pick on those who are weaker. But when someone stronger than you comes along, you soon realize you're not as strong as you think you are. And then, you've become the very same as those you belittle. In short, you're getting a taste of your own medicine." He stopped walking but continued to stare at the scorpion Faunus. “So what does it feel like being afraid?”Tyrian growled at the words. Despite what he was feeling, anger raged within him. “Don’t spout such bullshit!” He jumped right at Wave. “I have my goddess by my side! As long as I have that, I will never admit defeat!” He tried to attack using his wrist blades but Wave easily caught the attack. A second later, he kicked Wave using both of his legs and separated from him into the air. Tyrian pointed both his arms and two firearms on each arm appeared in the front. He fired a series of shots at Wave but none them had an effect as they ricochet off of him.After the attack failed, Wave jumped to where Tyrian was and struck him the stomach. The scorpion Faunus coughed out before Wave removed his fist and elbowed him on the back. Tyrian crashed back into the ground. He struggled to get up but Wave landed in front of him. Tyrian looked up at him and growled. As a final attempt, he did a surprise attack by using his tail but Wave grabbed it before it could even reach him. Wave fully crushed it which made the scorpion Faunus scream in pain. To top it off, Wave grabbed the tail with his other hand and ripped it apart. Tyrian screamed louder at that and Wave threw away the part with the stinger. Venom was spewing out at the other end of Tyrian’s ripped tail.The sight of it was horrifying to Ruby and the rest who were watching. They knew he was the enemy but the way they have seen Wave treat him was one of the worse they've seen. Armasu was beyond terrified. She had never seen Wave like this before. She was even starting to doubt if he was the same person. “Wave…this isn’t like you. This isn’t like you at all. You’re kind, caring, and you make people laugh. Seeing you like this is…” Tears were starting to come out of her eyes.Even Qrow thought this was a bit much. “He’s already beaten him and yet he still kicks him while that guy is down. This is one ruthless guy right here. Even I’m feeling bad for his opponent.” Tyrian’s breathing was ragged. Never before has he felt this humiliated by an opponent. Whoever he was fighting, he was beyond anything but human. “Damn…you…bastard!”Wave continued to stare down at the scorpion Faunus. “It’s over for you now.” He raised his arm and was ready to deliver the final blow. “This will end it!”“Wave, please stop!” Wave gasped as he and everyone turned to see Armasu running up to Wave.Qrow certainly thought it was strange seeing someone run up to Wave. “A Faunus?” Armasu hugged him tightly while crying into his chest. “Enough, please. No more. You’ve already won. So please…stop this.”Wave didn’t even notice Armasu was here. Seeing her cry made Wave feel remorse. He didn’t want her to see this side of him. He didn’t want her to know about all of this. Wave hugged back his friend and brought her closer. “I’m sorry.”While everything seemed calm at the moment, Tyrian took this as an opportunity and flee quickly as he could. Nothing mattered more than to get away from the person who did unbelievable pain to him. All that mattered now was getting back to his goddess and the others while still being alive. Everyone saw him run. “Hey, he’s getting away!” Jaune pointed out.Wave saw it as well and wanted to finish what he started. “Let him go.” Everyone heard a new voice and turned to where they heard it. To everyone’s surprise, especially Ruby’s, they saw Qrow walking up to them. “Something tells me he’s not coming back for a while.”Wave took a closer look at the new arrival and gasped. “This guy has red eyes same as Akame but…there’s no way he can be related to her.” He separated from Armasu and his armor began to dissolve. At the same time, the light that was emanating from Wave’s bag faded away. The armor returned back to its original sword form and Wave sheathed it back in. “Who are you?” Ruby already had his answer. “Uncle Qrow?”All kinds of answers were coming up. “Were you following us?” Jaune asked.“How did you get here?” Ren asked next.There was one question Ruby really needed to know. “Uncle Qrow, what’s going on?”Qrow just sighed at the all the questions and rubbed the back of his head. He looked directly at his niece. “Ruby…what’s your favorite fairy tale?” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Happy New Year everyone! Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol ThreeKill Forty Seven: Moving ForwardThe day Wave had was not exactly what he thought it would be when he woke up. It was going great for him. Traveling to the nearby town Armasu, selling their merchandise, getting into another banter with Holler, saying their goodbyes, and going back home. Taking on a guy who was targeting a young girl in an abandoned town definitely wasn't on the agenda. And now here he was with Armasu hearing one hell of a history lesson about all kinds of important things around a campfire. That are from legend and stories no less. In short, this day turned out nothing like he had thought it would be. Obviously, it proved a little too much for him to take it all in. The same could be said for Armasu and for the rest of team RNJR. Qrow could definitely see it as Wave took this a little harder than he thought. He took another sip from his flask. "You alright?"Wave was sitting on one of the logs next to Armasu hunched over grabbing his head with his hand. He took in a deep breath and straighten himself out. “Not really, no.” Qrow really couldn’t blame him. At first glance, Qrow kinda guessed Wave wasn’t the thinking kind of guy.Armasu was feeling the same way. “It’s just…it’s kinda hard to believe. These are all stories from a past long ago and…it turns out some of them are actually true.”Qrow didn’t blame her. She was just a civilian in all of this who had nothing to do with what just happened before. “It’s a little much for you I’ll say that. Still, I gotta thank the guy you’re with for saving my niece.” He took another sip from the flask. “Which brings me to my question. Who the hell are you?” Qrow was looking directly at Wave. “Don’t get me wrong. While I am glad for what you did, I’m also wondering what you did. That monster you summoned, it wasn’t a Grimm and sure as hell, it scared every living thing near around here. And then you wear that monster as a suit of armor. What you did in that armor was on a different scale too. You beat the guy you were fighting to an easy bloody pulp without a sweat along with almost destroying the entire town. One thing is for sure, there’s defiantly something about you. So again I ask, who the hell are you?”Wave knew these questions would come sooner or later and he had to come clean to not only these people in front of him but in front of Armasu. He was about to answer but someone did for him. "His name is Wave." Wave gasped as he and everyone looked over at Ruby. "He's from a city called the Capital and was part of a group called the Jaegers." Wave's eyes widened in shock. "His weapon is an Imperial Arms is known as Carnage Incarnate: Grand Chariot. And Imperial Arms are weapons created from something called danger beasts and rare metals like Orichalcum. They were created one thousand years ago in his world by the order of the first emperor. Forty-eight in total were created but five hundred years later, half of them were lost due to a civil war and the rest were scattered across the land. Most importantly, there is one rule all of the Imperial Arms have. When two Imperial Arm users fight, one of them always dies.” She stared at Wave. “Did I miss something?”Wave didn’t know what to say. He didn’t even know what to think. He just continued to stare in disbelief at what he just heard. Armasu was looking between Ruby and Wave while being confused. She looked at Wave. “Wave? What is she talking abou-”“How?” The Wolf Faunus saw Wave narrow his eyes at the young leader looking angry. His hands closed tightly. “How the hell do you know all of that?!”Qrow readied himself if something bad was going to happen. As much as he was interested in his niece said, her safety was still a top priority. Despite Wave's yelling, Ruby wasn't scared. “Because someone told us about it. All of it and what she’d done. She came from the same world you’re from. Her and another. I think you’ve met her before. Even fought her. I believe you know her as…Akame.”Time had instantly stopped for Wave when he heard that name. It was a name he thought he would never hear again but this girl he was looking at said that very name. His expressions told Qrow everything he needed to know. “So he’s from the same world as that girl and her friend. If that’s true, maybe there’s one more legend that is real.” Anger flared up more intensely within Wave. “How the hell do you know that name? How the hell do you know her?”Ruby knew this would happen the second she spoke about what Akame told her and everyone about the world she and Leone came from. It was still surprising to her that she was able to meet another person from their world. “She went to Beacon with us. All of us. Her and Leone.”Leone. Chances are she was part of Night Raid as well. So not only Akame was in this world but another with her. There was something he needed to know. “If that’s true then do you know where she is now? How long as she been in this world? How did you even come across her?”Ruby took in a deep breath. “We found her and Leone while my…team found them fighting against Beowolves and we brought them to Beacon. Since then, they’ve students. As for how long…six months I think last time I saw her and Leone. And the last time I heard about them, they were going to Shade Academy in Vacuo. That’s all I know.”Wave didn’t know which was more unbelievable. That he and Akame were in the same world all this time and didn’t know about it or the fact that Akame went from being a wanted criminal assassin to a student. With all of this new information to process, Wave left the group in a huff and headed into the woods. Armasu stood up not a second later and chased after him. “Wave, wait!”With them gone, it was only Qrow with his niece and the rest of RNJR sitting around. Qrow looked at his niece again. “You sure that was a good idea to tell him all that? Sounded like he and Akame had some history together.”Ruby looked down to the ground. “I heard about him before from Akame. When I heard him say Imperial Arms and the name, I knew he was the one Akame described.” Qrow definitely had more questions about this whole thing including these Imperial Arms but there was still other important topics to discuss. Ruby thought so as well. “Uncle Qrow. About what that guy Tyrian said about a goddess, who was he talking about and what does she want with me?” Qrow sighed at the question.Meanwhile, a little away from the camp, Wave yelled as he punched a tree and left a small crater. “Damn it! She’s been here in this world all this time and I didn’t know it!”“Wave?”Wave turned around to see Armasu. It was clear she was worried. “Armasu.”The wolf Faunus took a few steps forward and stopped. “About what that girl said, is it really true? Are you from another world and who’s this Akame girl? Is she…the one you spoke of before? The one you wanted revenge for what she did to your teammate?”Wave’s anger within was replaced with guilt and slightly looked away. “Yeah, all of it’s true. I didn’t tell you that because I didn’t see the need to and I thought you wouldn't believe me. I was telling the truth when I said I am a soldier. As for Akame…yeah, she’s the one who killed Kurome. Her own sister at that.”Armasu gasped quietly at that. This ran a little deeper than she thought. While it was shocking, there was one thing she needed to know. “Now that you know this person is here, what will you do now? Will you seek her out? Vacuo is very far away from here. It could take months to arrive there.”Wave had thought of that but there was something else on his mind. Something he heard earlier. “I don’t know. Just knowing she’s in this world is unbelievable enough. I do want to go after her but…”The wolf Faunus raised an eyebrow. “But?”Wave sighed. “I’m a soldier, right? I’ve been in battles before but those kids, they doing something that may be way out of their league and what that guy said is true, this is way over of what they’re capable of. I mean they’re just kids.”Armasu kinda saw where this was going. “Do you want to help them?”Wave thought about the question for a few seconds. “That bird guy did say the one who was behind that school fall destruction thing was also responsible for killing their friend even if it was for some greater power. And who knows how many others were hurt during that. I understand what they’re trying to do but they really handle for what they’re doing?”Armasu decided to ask a very important question to Wave. “Wave, do you know what a soldier is supposed to do?”The answer to that came naturally to him. "A soldier's duty is to protect the people.”The wolf Faunus smiled at the answer. "Yes, and what they're doing is not that different." Wave about to say something but Armasu put up her index finger to him. "I know they're children and not soldiers but they're determined to do this and they'll make sure that whatever happened to them doesn't happen to other people. Don't you think…you should help them instead?" That was something Wave hadn’t considered. "If you do think this may be too hard for them, maybe you can help them. Perhaps this is a sign. That this is something you can finally do. You were only staying with me until you figured something out. This is that something. Don't you think so too Wave?"Armasu brought up a few good points. There was a force out there plotting their next move and most likely what they have planned wouldn’t be good if innocent people were going to be caught in it. It was an answer to him but that answer also had a question. “What about you? Are you going to be alright by yourself?”The wolf Faunus giggled at the question. “I’ve lived by myself a long time before I met you Wave. It won’t change after you decide to leave. It was fun having you as company. If anything, our customers will be the one sad that you’re no longer with me. Besides, I kinda knew you were a little odd. Being from another world does certainly explain some things." She smiled at Wave. "It is shocking to hear all of this but to me, you're still that kind gentleman I've known. You being from a different world doesn't matter to me. And if you have that kind of power, I know it'll come useful for whatever comes up you have to face. In the end, it's your decision. You can either help them with this quest of theirs or can chase after this Akame girl like you’ve envisioned. Whatever the outcome, I won’t change your mind and I’ll respect your decision.”Chase after Akame or stop whatever scheme was being planned. In the end, Wave knew what he wanted to do. He decided to hold that decision for later. “Alright then. I’ll give you my answer in the morning.”It was good enough for Armasu. “Alright then. Shall we go back to them now?”Wave looked at the direction where the campsite was. “Maybe later.” B Laughter could be heard in the living room. Kali was having fun talking to Yang and Leone as Yang told one of her infamous puns along with what team RWBY did. "And I guess you can say…I ended that fight with a Yang.”Both Leone and Kali laughed at the pun the blonde made. Kali was certainly enjoying herself. “You have quite the sense of humor Yang.”Yang chuckled sheepishly while rubbing the back of her head. “Thanks for the compliment Mrs. Belladonna.”Kali smiled at the blonde. “You don’t have to be so formal with me Yang. You can just call me Kali.”Now Yang felt a little embarrassed. “Kali, right. Sorry about that.”The older Faunus woman waved her hand nonchalantly at her. “Don’t worry about it.”Leone giggled a little more. “Have to say, I’m glad you didn’t lose your touch last time I saw you.”Yang smirked at her daughter. “Come on. You know my puns are…the cat’s pajamas.”Leone laughed at the pun. She really did miss spending with the other blonde. While they were laughing among themselves, Kali looked between the two. "If I may say something, has anyone said that you two look strikingly similar to each other?”Both blondes stopped laughing and had the deer in the headlights look. Yang cleared her throat. “Y-Yeah. We’ve been told that a few times. Kinda weird huh?”Leone needed to change to subject and fast. “So uh…where did Blake go all of a sudden? She’s been gone a while now.”Kali glanced over to the door that led outside. “My guess she stepped outside for a while. Probably trying to work up the nerve to speak to her father again. It has been a long time since we’ve seen her.” Before she could continue, she heard the sound teapot whistling. “Oh, the tea is done. Excuse me while I’ll go set up the tray. My husband does like to enjoy his tea while working.” She stood up and left to attend her duties.Now it was just Yang and Leone alone in the room. It was the perfect chance for them to catch up and to ask other certain important questions. Yang decided to start off and turned to her daughter. “It is really great to see you again Leone. It’s been how long now since we’ve seen each other?”The Faunus blonde shrugged. “Not since I left your house going to Shade.”A lightbulb went over Yang’s head as she remembered something. “Oh yeah. My dad says hi to his granddaughter.”Leone was surprised to hear that. “He knew about us?”Yang nodded at the question. “Yep. He figured it out.”The Faunus blonde thought as much. Taiyang was a teacher and a hunter. “Guess I’m glad that cat is out the bag. No pun intended this time around.” She looked over at Yang’s robotic arm and smiled. “It’s hard to believe you’ve got a new arm.”Her mother brought up the robotic arm to show it off. “Pretty cool huh? I would like to think this makes me more badass. What do you think of it?”Leone obviously agreed to that. “It’s awesome. In fact, you having that robot arm reminds me of Najenda. Except you don’t have an eyepatch.”Yang scoffed at that and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, losing one part of me is enough.” As much as they could continue on like this, Yang really needed answers. “So what are you doing here? It’s a pretty long way from Vacuo. What happened to Akame and the others?”The Faunus blonde sighed as she looked away from her mother and stared at the table. “To give you the short version, all of us in team ALCE and KRCT left Shade over six months ago to stop Cinder for whatever she was planning next. Our plan was to go to Haven since that was our only lead. Along the way, I was ambushed by the White Fang.”Yang instantly stood up when she heard that name. “The White Fang!?” Leone shushed her and the blonde sat back down. “Seriously? They actually attacked you?”Leone scoffed at the guess. “Something like that. They’ve been tailing me and the team through their members. Some of the Faunus I talked to might’ve been part of the White Fang and I didn’t realize it. You remember the enemies Akame and me had fight? One of them is actually in the White Fang. The bitch called Seryu planned this. She and I fought and I lost.”Yang couldn’t believe that last part. “You lost? No way. How did that even happen?”That was the part Leone really didn’t like. “The bitch pulled a dirty trick and stuck a cloth in my face. Next thing I knew, my whole head felt out of whack. It was like I couldn’t think straight at all.”The blonde had a small theory to that. “Did it feel like your mind was zoning out really far away?”Leone nodded at the question. “Yeah and it was really weird.”Yang sighed as she now knew what hit her daughter. “Leone, you were hit with catnip.”The Faunus blonde didn’t say anything for a few seconds until she spoke one word. “Say what?”Yang had to make it clear to her daughter. “You were feeling the effects of catnip. It has strong effects towards cats making them act weird. I guess in your case, you were drugged.”Leone gritted her teeth in anger. “Why that no good freaking…!” She stood up as she raised her and was about to punch the table but then remembered she was in the Chief’s home. The Faunus blonde sat down and reluctantly calmed down. “That freaking bitch.” She set her elbows on the table and grabbed her head. “Akame has gotta be freaking out that I’m gone. She had a hard enough time losing everyone else close to her and the last thing she needs is losing me.”Yang moved in a little closer to her daughter. “You’ll find a way to reunite. Don’t worry.”The Faunus blonde raised her head and sighed. “I know that. My only hope is getting to Mistral and running into them. That’s why I need to get there quickly as possible.”Hearing all of that explained one thing but Yang still had one more question. “How did you get to Menagerie in the first place?”Leone groaned at what happened before. “After Seryu beat me…” She put up air quotes. “I woke up in some holding area and busted out only to find out I was on an airship. After beating some those losers and…an unfortunate accident with the pilot, I tried to steer the ship out of the water but that didn’t pan out well. The ship crashed into the water and I blacked out. Next thing I knew I was in a house recovering that belong to these two snake Faunus. They told me I’ve been out a whole day. After that, the rest you know.”Yang looked at the other blonde’s arm and noticed something was obviously missing. “And what about Lionel?”The Faunus blonde grabbed her wrist. “They took Lionel and took my scarf.” Lionel Yang could understand but taking Leone’s scarf? Now she thought that was evil. That scarf was the only reminder Leone had of her original mother. “Those bastards. Next time I see them; I’ll make sure they’ll learn not to screw with me or what take what belongs to me.”Yang couldn’t agree more. There was one little detail she’d noticed about her daughter’s story. “You said you crashed into the water and washed up here. Where were you when this happened?”Leone thought back to all of that. “Last time I checked, all of this happened when Akame and the rest of us were one trip away to the next town where it’s closest to crossing over to Anima by water.”The blonde knew what the other girl was talking about and that’s what confused her the most. “But that doesn’t make sense.”Leone raised an eyebrow to that. “What doesn’t make sense?”Yang pulled out her scroll and went to the map app. She presented it to her daughter. "You said all of you were going to the town where it's closest to cross over to Anima right? That would be here." She pointed a specific point. "Menagerie is…" She dragged her finger all the way to where they were currently. "Is all the way over here." Leone found it hard to believe she traveled that much distance in the water in over a day. So did Yang but even more. "Even if you were dragged by a current, there’s no way you could’ve traveled over here that fast. It’s just not possible.”Leone could see it. It wasn’t even that long ago she was taken. She did recall one certain detail. “There was something else. Right before I blacked out, I saw some weird green light. What it was I don’t know. A day after, I woke up here.”There was something else. Yang was smart enough to put two and two together. And on this day, you ran into me and Blake. Don’t you think that’s kinda weird?”Now that Leone thought about it, it did seem a little strange. “I guess it’s weird to call all of this coincidence. Do you think someone brought me here only to run into you two?”Yang wanted to know the answer to that too. “Maybe. I don’t know.”Leone groaned while leaning back. “Goddamnit. This is way too confusing for me to figure out.” She decided to change the topic. The Faunus blonde leaned back forward. “We can figure all of that out later. There is something I want to know now. Why are you here with Blake?”The blonde put away her scroll and sighed. “Blake told me she was leaving to do something important and I wanted to come along with her. That something also involves the White Fang somehow.”Her daughter was now worried since she knew what happened last time. “And you still came along even after what happened to you?”“I had to!” Yang’s eyes flashed red for a second before returning to their lilac hue. “I came along because I won’t get better if I do something about it. About this.” She gestured at her robotic arm. “I can’t move forward if I’m always afraid of what happened to me in the past. This is something I have to do just like Blake has hers.”Leone was rather proud hearing her mother say all of that. She understood what the other girl said having been in similar situations of losing most of her friends. “Glad to hear it. Maybe we can take down some White Fang goons together. All of us. You, me, and Blake. Speaking of which, I’m guessing Blake didn’t tell her parents about you two huh?”Yang shook her head. “Not really. I asked her that same question a while back and she doesn’t know how her parents would react to it. She hasn’t seen them in a long time and the same goes for them not seeing their daughter. So telling her parents she’s in an interracial relationship with me, a human girl is probably not high on her list. On top of telling them about you being our daughter.”The Faunus blonde could see that and had to agree. “Yeah, you got a point. I guess some things are best kept secret for now. So how’s Ruby? She must be pretty lonely back at the house.” At the mention of the name, Leone saw her mother lower head. She knew it what it meant. “What happened?”Yang was silent for a couple of seconds before speaking. “Ruby left the house a long time ago. She just went up and ran off. She left a note saying she was heading to Mistral, same as you and the rest.” There are times I worry about her if she’s okay but she’s strong and I know she can take care of herself. I guess that’s just me being a big sister.”It was worrisome to Leone that Ruby did something like this. It was surprising that Ruby was traveling to the same place as her and the rest of Night Raid. “Heh, if we’re heading to the same place, I’m pretty sure we all would’ve met up in Mistral sooner or later. Or rather Akame and the others now. What are the chances?” She suddenly had a funny thought. “Esdeath would be happy if she knew about that.” All the Faunus blonde could do was chuckle. “That’s some crazy aunt I have huh?”Her mother chuckled in agreement. “I guess so.”“I’m back.” Both girls straightened out as they saw Kali walk back in.As soon as she sat back down, Yang had a question for her. “So did you happen to run into Blake?”Kali giggled at the question. “Yes. I gave her the tea set to give to her father as a way to talk to him. I realize it’s been a long time since she’s seen us so I can understand why Blake would be nervous.” She smiled sadly at on particular thought. “We were worried about her for a long time. My husband and I left the White Fang a long time ago but Blake stayed behind. Seeing her again has been the happiest I’ve felt and I’m glad she didn’t go down that same dark road as the others have. I was afraid she wouldn’t be the same after all this time.”Yang and Leone could understand and they were glad Blake didn’t take that same path. Yang especially. “Mrs. Bel-I mean, Kali. You don’t have to worry about anything about Blake. From what I know, Blake is an amazing person from the first time I met her and she’s a really great fighter. Blake’s been through a lot since she’s was on our team and we fought against the White Fang several times together. I can confirm that your daughter is a good person and I know plenty of others who can say the same thing.”Kali smiled sweetly at the kind words she heard. “That’s wonderful to hear from you. I'm so happy Blake has a such a kind friend as you, Yang. You and Leone." Both blondes chuckled sheepishly at the description.Leone had been meaning to ask a question ever since she first saw Menagerie. “About the White Fang, are they…prevalent here?”The older Faunus woman shook her head. “No, they’re not. Even if they were, most likely they would not be wearing their masks since they’re among other Faunus.”That was what Leone was afraid of. “Shit.”It was equally worrying to Yang and stood up. “We gotta tell her. The White Fang knows Blake’s face and yours Leone. Come on!” She walked out of the room in a hurry. Leone stood up as well and followed suit.As soon as they were gone, Kali thought about what she heard about what Yang had said before. In truth, she came back around the time when Leone asked why Blake hadn't told her parents about her and Yang. She didn’t mean to eavesdrop on their conversation but it happened. Now she didn’t know what think about what she learned. “So Blake is in a relationship with Yang and Leone is their daughter? Now that I think about it, Leone does seem to have Yang’s looks and Blake’s eyes.” She sighed tiredly at these thoughts. “Perhaps we should all have a talk about this when they come back.”Yang and Leone quickly approached the door that belonged to Ghira’s office. They stopped in front of the door and did the only sensible thing. Yang knocking on the door. They heard Ghira’s voice a second later. “Yes? What is it?”Leone opened the door and saw Blake and her father sitting on the couch. They figured they were having a father/daughter moment which now they felt bad for interrupting. She cleared her throat. “Excuse me sir but can we borrow Blake for a few minutes. It’s…kinda important.”Ghira narrowed his eyes at the other Faunus which made Yang feel a little intimidated and sighed. “Very well.” He looked to his daughter. “Blake, we’ll continue talking another time.”Blake nodded at her father’s words. “Of course. I’ll be back.” She stood up and walked over to her own family. All of them left and Yang closed the door.Once the three were on the balcony alone, Blake crossed her arms. “Alright, what’s so important you two had to tell me?” She was a little miffed they interrupted her and father when they were just patching things up.They decided to cut to the chase. “Your mom told us that the White Fang don’t wear masks when in Menagerie.” Yang explained.Blake didn’t seem too surprised by the news. “So?”“So? Blake, they know your face. They already know my face. Maybe some of them already saw you when arrived here. We need to prepare if we’re attacked.” Leone pointed out.In truth, Blake really didn’t care about any of that. “I’m not fighting the White Fang. Not right now. I just want to spend time here a little longer trying figure things out.”Yang couldn’t believe what her girlfriend was saying. “What more do you need? We already had two of those members come by here earlier.”Hearing that caught Leone’s interest. “Wait, the White Fang was already here?”Yang looked over at her daughter. “Yeah but they were just messengers but this is still concerning.”The Faunus blonde groaned at this. “That’s just great. Can this get any-” She suddenly stopped speaking.Both Blake and Yang were curious why she stopped talking. "Leone?" Yang spoke. Blake sensed something and looked over at the trees as did Leone. Yang tried to look at what the other two girls were seeing but couldn't since it was very dark. "What are you two looking at?"Blake narrowed her eyes as she saw a figure in one of the trees. So did Leone. “We got company.”Both Faunus girls saw the figure which looked to be a girl and saw a very familiar mask. Blake gasped at the realization. “The White Fang!”Since the member was found out, she immediately fled. In the moonlight, Yang finally saw her and was confused by the choice of clothing. “When did the White Fang have ninjas?”Blake immediately jumped over the railing of the balcony. “She’s getting away!”Yang ran up the railing and saw her girlfriend chasing after the member. “Blake, wait!” “Sorry about this Yang.” Leone suddenly picked the other blonde up and was carrying her bridal style which was a little embarrassing to Yang. “We’re not letting her get away. Hold on tight.” She jumped off the balcony and joined in the pursuit. “Get back here!” B When morning came, Qrow and the members of team RNJR woke up early and packed up their gear. They had to arrive at Haven now more so than ever. Qrow oversaw everyone. "Alright then. Are we all ready to go?"Ruby nodded and spoke of the team. “Yeah. We are.”“Let’s haul our butts over to Haven!” Nora added.Qrow had to like their enthusiasm. "That's good to know." He looked passed them. "Does that include you too?" Everyone looked back at the direction Qrow was speaking and saw heard footsteps. Out of the trees came Wave with his bag slung over his shoulder. “What are you doing?” Jaune asked.Wave looked at each member carefully. "Even if all of you are kids, I commend you for what you're doing and for that, you have my respect. Still, from what I heard last night, this enemy that you're facing can't be taken lightly and you're going to need all the help you can get."Ruby had hope in what she thought Wave was trying to say. Her uncle had other thoughts. “And why do you want in on this? This doesn’t concern you and it’s not your problem. So why do you want to get involved with all of this? You’re not even from this world.”Wave already had his answer ready. "That may be true but…I am first and foremost a soldier and soldier's duty above all else is to protect the innocent. I wouldn't live with myself knowing there are forces out there who may hurt civilians for whatever it is they may gain out of all of this. And for that, I’m willing to come with all of you to stop them.”Now Ruby felt really excited. Having Wave with them would be a huge help. She wanted to say yes but Qrow had to have the final say. To her surprise, she heard her uncle chuckle at Wave’s speech. “Soldier boy huh? You and Ironwood would get along well if you two met each other.” Wave raised an eyebrow at the name. “You realize that the enemy we’re facing, Salem will be unlike anything you’ve faced before. Sure you’re up to the task?”Wave narrowed his eyes at the huntsman. “With what I had to go through back in my world, I’ll do everything I can just the same to stop this Salem person.”Qrow could tell in Wave’s eyes he was serious about this. He also saw how hardened they were meaning that he must’ve been in some pretty tough fights. He was nothing but a complete stranger to them all but he had a feeling he could trust the guy. “If you’re serious about this, you should be prepared for the fight that’ll come up when we do get Haven. Hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.”Wave smiled at Qrow’s words. “You usually don’t back where I came from.”While most of team RNJR were glad Wave was going to join up with them, there were a few questions before they left. “What about Akame? What are going to do with her?” Ren asked.Wave sighed at the question. “I’ll deal with her when I cross that bridge. This is more important.”“And your Faunus friend? Aren’t you going to say goodbye to her?” Qrow inquired.Wave closed his eyes and lowered his head. “We already have. She left before all of you woke up but not before telling her what my decision was.” He opened his eyes back up. “Shall we get going now?”Qrow scoffed at the question and smirked. “Yeah. Let’s head out team RNJR and…what was your name again?”“Wave.”The huntsman nodded and turned around. “Wave. Got it. Let’s go.”Ruby jumped for joy. “Yeah! Let’s head toward Haven all the way!” She started walking to their destination with the rest of RNJR following her.Wave walked not too far behind while approaching Qrow. “I want to ask you something.” Wave stopped just a little in front of him. “What is it that you have against Akame?”The wind blew through both of them softly and the leaves rustled in the trees. “She killed someone I cared deeply for.” He resumed walking.Qrow sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. “I have a feeling things are going to get interesting.” He began walking and awaited what would happen next.In another part, Armasu was pulling the cart back on the trail and was already missing Wave’s company but she understood why Wave had to leave. She stopped momentarily and looked at the sky. “Wave…I wish you good luck on your journey.” That same wind blew through her and her hair was flowing along it. She couldn’t help but smile. “Kurome. I may not know much about you but you must’ve blessed to have someone like Wave. I’m almost a little…envious.” The wind died and Armasu lowered her head. “I’m glad I was able to meet you in that forest on that Wave.” With those final words said, she continued pulling her cart all the way back to her home.Wave and Qrow caught up with team RNJR who were talking amongst themselves. However, they’re talking was drowned out as Wave had some personal thoughts about what he had learned recently. “Akame. Now that I know you’re in this world, it’s only a matter of time until our paths cross. When that time comes, I’ll make sure to avenge Kurome for what you’ve done to her and I’ll be ready for you.” Upon those thoughts, a faint blue light lit up for a brief second inside of Wave’s bag. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Hello everyone! I’m back with another chapter! And…RWBY Vol 4 has ended by the time this chapter goes up. Great timing! Right so…last two episodes, episode nine and ten, really didn’t leave me much to work with. Hence why there wasn’t an update. Now that Vol 4 has ended, I suppose I should focus all my attention on this. As of this time, I haven’t seen the finale yet so no spoilers. So let us get started with the story. Also, I have not finished the Akame Ga Kill manga by this point either. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol ThreeKill Forty Eight: Looking Back“And over to our right, we have more forest that is probably filled with Grimm waiting to tear us apart limb from limb if we’re not careful.”“And maybe if we’re lucky, they’ll rip your head off first Chelsea.”“I told you that’s not a funny joke Taeko.”Night Raid made it to the continent of Anima but it wasn’t easy for one certain girl. In the few days Leone went missing and was separated from the rest of the group, Akame missed the Faunus blonde terribly. She missed the warmth Leone provided her whenever she had to sleep in the bed. During the boat trip over to Anima, some of the team members volunteered to keep her company. They were Kurome, obviously, and surprisingly Esdeath. Chelsea understood her girlfriend had to be there for her sister on the boat trip and Esdeath didn’t like how sad her leader was so she was next during the day after they arrived at Anima. Akame did admit Esdeath sleeping next to her did feel a little strange and somewhat wrong because they were former enemies. Still, Esdeath was unexpectedly warm despite her semblance is ice. One thing she was certain of. The faster they arrive at Mistral; the sooner she can hope of reuniting with Leone. “Taeko, did you find the fastest way to Mistral?”Taeko checked the map again. “We do have a route but we have to go over a mountain if we are to arrive there.”Chelsea sighed at that. “Great…that’s going to be a ton of fun.”“I didn’t know you think that was fun Chelsea.” Rienna spoke.The other scoffed as she rolled her eyes. “I was being sarcastic.”Akame could care less about what they had to cross over. “It doesn’t matter. If we have to go over a mountain, we go over a mountain. Is that clear?”Everyone perfectly understood their leader. They did notice she had a slight change of attitude but that was probably because she was worried about Leone. Speaking of the Faunus blonde, Esdeath was wondering about something for quite some time. “Hey…Akame?” Her leader glanced back at her teammate. Now Esdeath felt a little unsure about asking her question but decided to ask anyway. “What was…your old team like? Not the one you and Cora were on before but the one you and Leone were on.”Akame looked in front after hearing that question. Now that Esdeath brought it, Cornelia was also a little curious. “Yeah. I mean you did tell us you were on a team of assassins but not much about them other than Najenda who’s not only our headmistress back at Shade but was the leader of your old team.”Their leader continued to be silent for a few seconds longer. “Before she was our leader, Najenda was a general of the Empire, same as Esdeath. She defected to join the Revolutionary Army but paid the price in losing both her right eye and arm. Taken by Esdeath.” Esdeath whined at that and wondered what has her other self hadn’t done yet? Kurome was more surprised by that adoptive mother used to be such a big shot back in Akame’s world. She did narrow her eyes at Esdeath for doing such a thing but couldn’t blame her for Esdeath’s other self’s action. “As for the rest of the original members of Night Raid…” Akame looked up toward the sky. “They were wonderful people and the closest I had to a family.”Cornelia smiled a little while giggling. “They’ve must’ve been great people then. What can you tell us about them?”Akame didn’t see why not. In fact, it would be good talk about them. “Alright then. I suppose I can start with Lubbock. He was the only member who’s been with Najenda the longest, back when they were both with the Empire. When Najenda defected, so did he.”Taeko was rather impressed so far. “I see. His loyalty is rather commendable for her.”Her leader thought otherwise. “That’s because he was in love with her.”Kurome’s eye twitched a little. “Say what?”Akame thought her sister would have a reaction like that. “It’s true. He did keep it hidden from the rest of us rather poorly. Lubbock was also the only one how called Najenda by her name.”Esdeath smiled at what she heard so far. “That’s so sweet. He must’ve been a great guy.”Her leader scoffed at that. “Except that he occasionally tried to sneak a peek whenever the girls were in the hot spring.”And now Kurome had a more disliking to him. “Really? What a creep.”Akame didn’t blame her for saying that but she still had more to say. “Maybe but he was an invaluable ally and a good friend.”“What Imperial Arms did he use?” Rienna asked.That was a question Akame could answer easily. “His Imperial Arms was called Infinite Uses: Cross-Tail. To describe this weapon easily, you can say it’s similar to the one your opponent used Cora.”The blonde of the group could actually see that. “Really? How good was he?”Akame recalled few of the details. “He was very good. Lubbock used Cross-Tail as a sort of barrier around our base to detect intruders who were close by. However, he wasn’t bad in combat either. Lubbock can manipulate the wires he controlled to form various weapons. If the weapons ever impaled one of his targets, the wires can find their way around the heart and cut it to pieces.”Cornelia gulped at the description. “Whoa…” With control like that, she could tell she would never win against him in a fight."Sheele was another member of ours." Akame continued. "At first, she may come off as a scatterbrain of sorts but when it comes to killing, Sheele was very prolific at it." Everyone thought not to get on her bad side. "Sheele's Imperial Arms was known as the Shears of Creation: Extase. In a simple description, they're a giant pair of scissors capable of cutting anything and has a considerable defense."Chelsea raised an eyebrow to that. "Wait, how do you use a giant pair of scissors as a weapon? Seems unconventional if you ask me."As usual, Takeo thought her friend didn’t see the whole picture. “As long as it can be used as a weapon, it doesn’t matter. Especially with what Akame described what it can do.”“Besides, you really don’t want to mess with someone who can wield a giant pair of scissors that can cut through anything.” Kurome added. Chelsea couldn’t argue against that.“Then there’s Mine.”Esdeath didn’t quite understand what her leader meant. “What’s yours?”Akame thought the name would cause confusion. “No, Mine is the name of the girl who was with us.” Now everyone understood what she meant. “Out of all of us in Night Raid, Mine had the most troubled past. Mine was from the Western Tribe back in my world and was treated horribly because half of her blood was foreign. That served as her drive to rid whatever evil there was so others wouldn’t suffer as she did.” Chelsea couldn’t help but feel a little bad about the girl. “Her Imperial Arms was a sniper gun called the Dangerous Adventurer: Pumpkin.”Already Kurome had questions about the name. “Why would you name a gun Pumpkin?”Akame ignored Chelsea’s comment and continued to explain. "Pumpkin isn't like the usual guns all of you have seen before. For one, it fires off concentrated energy given off by the user. The more dangerous its user is in, the more powerful it becomes. It's useful to turn a dangerous situation into an advantage."Chelsea whistled at that. “That’s pretty cool. Wish we had something like back at Beacon.”Her leader couldn’t agree more. “Like Sheele, Mine was very good at using Pumpkin. In fact, Pumpkin was once used by Najenda before she passed it on to her. Mine occasionally called herself a sniper genius.”Now Chelsea couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Wow? Someone was full of themselves.”“She proved it time and again. Mine would also butt heads with you sometimes, Chelsea.”What Akame mentioned grabbed the other girl’s attention. “Really now? Were we friends?”Akame chuckled a little. “You two had…mutual respect for each other. You sometimes teased her time to time.”That detail sounded very familiar to Taeko. “Sounds like she was the same back in your world.”Akame could tell by the time she spent with her. “Then there was Susanoo.”Esdeath was curious about this person now. “Who’s he?”Her leader smiled at the memories. “To start off, he was an organic human Imperial Arms.”Rienna didn’t quite understand that. “A human Imperial Arms?”Akame slightly nodded. “Yes. Organic type Imperial Arms have the ability to regenerate, making them difficult to defeat. Murasame can’t kill them because they do not have a heart.”Already Taeko thought they sounded troublesome. “They must be quite the foes then. Is there a way to defeat such a thing?”Luckily for her, Akame had the answer. “There are two ways. Either kill the user or destroy the core. Susanoo was very powerful and he was Najenda’s new Imperial Arms. He was originally used as a bodyguard for those of high class. On top of him being strong, he was also very talented among other things. Like cooking for one and he could cook over a thousand dishes.” Akame really missed Susanoo’s cooking.Chelsea thought that was impressive until she heard that last part. “So basically, he was like a glorified nanny.”“A nanny that can actually kill you.” Kurome added.Akame thought it was a rather crude way of summarizing Susanoo. “Bulat was another member of ours. He was originally a soldier who served the Empire until he left them. The Imperial Arms he used was called the Demon Armor: Incursio.”The name rang a bell for Cornelia. “Incursio…I think you’ve mentioned that before. Yeah, back at the festival. You and Leone were explaining the whole Imperial Arm thing back then too.”Kurome noticed what the blonde said. “Really? What kind of things she said about them?”Esdeath tried to remember some of the details. “Something about the Imperial Arms being made from something called dangerous beasts and rare metals. Akame also said something about Cross-Tail having World Severing String.”Taeko was impressed by how the Imperial Arms were created. “I see. That’s very interesting.”"I've as said before, Incursio was created by the flesh of the Tyrant Dragon. An S-Class Danger Beast that could survive any of the harshest environments. Its trump card allows its user to turn invisible."Kurome really liked that little fact. “Turn invisible huh? That’s pretty handy.”“It’s not as useful as you think it is.”The younger sister questioned Akame’s choice of words. “And why’s that?”“Because that’s all Incursio can do.” Akame replied. “It may hide the user’s body but someone skilled could sense the user’s aura, making the invisibility useless. That’s why masking your aura is very critical.”Now Kurome understood what they had to do earlier in their journey. “So that’s you and Leone had us do all that aura training. Except it’s for sensing and not hiding.”Her sister was catching on finally. “Yes. I highly doubt anyone in this world can sense aura so all of you do have an advantage when it comes to fighting. In any case, let me get back on topic. Bulat was one of the first people I met along with Leone and Lubbock before Night Raid was formed. One interesting fact about him is that he was gay.”Everyone went silent for a few seconds until Chelsea spoke up. "Huh. That's a surprise. I'm sure you and he hit it off as great friends."Akame thought differently. “You can say something like that but not in the sense you’re thinking. If anything, Leone had a closer friendship to him since they…” She really wasn’t sure to tell them that Leone used to drink. Leone may have become younger but that was only her looks. Her age was still the same.Her pause had the other girl’s curious. “They what?” Esdeath inquired.Their leader sighed as she decided to tell them “They drank together.”That was a surprising detail to know about their friend. “Seriously? Isn’t Leone a few years short to drink?” Kurome asked. She really didn’t see Leone as the drinking type.Akame knew this would be troubling but she thought up a good lie. “The drinking age was very different back in our world.” She’d hope they would buy it.Thankfully, they did. “Wow. Your world is something else.” Chelsea commented.Akame quietly sighed they believed her. Now came the most difficult part for her. “Finally, there was Tatsumi. He was the new member of our group and inherited Incursio when Bulat died.”Chelsea chuckled a little hearing that. “So how did he get roped in with you?”Her leader remembered clearly how they first met. “Tatsumi arrived in the Capital in hopes of making a name for himself to help with his village. However, that didn’t work out as he planned. All of us first met him when we had to kill a family who would pick up people who were out of town and experiment and torture them for their own enjoyment. I didn’t know how long he had before they moved on to him but he quickly learned the truth. It was too late when Tatsumi learned that the two friends he came along with were captured. One of them was killed while other held on for as long he could before seeing Tatsumi again before passing on.”Esdeath couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the guy. “How awful.”Akame was just getting started. “Tatsumi quickly became a great ally and friend to all of us. Even if everyone fell one by one, he still continued on. Of course, he did have his fair share problem. There were two that were…above all others. One was that he was the main affection for Esdeath.”Once again, Esdeath sighed. “What did I do this time?”Her leader expected the reaction. It became quite common now whenever she would hear what her past self did. “Nothing much. Just trying to make him love you back. You may remember what Leone said about you back at Beacon.”Esdeath tried to remember what her teammate said before. “Let’s just say you put a collar around a friend of ours and dragged him off and then tried to force yourself onto him. Oh, and you were pretty nuts about him too.” Esdeath groaned at the description as she realized what Leone meant. “I’m really glad I’m not like her now.”Akame couldn’t agree more. “I do admit I like you as you are now rather than before. However, it seems your taste hasn’t changed at all.”The other girls seemed curious as to what Akame meant by that. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Esdeath asked.Her leader figured she better say the truth. "For one and as a comparison, you like a person who is younger than you, is a capable fighter, and has a nice smile. That's pretty much all it took." Esdeath really didn't like she had that in common with her past self. "But unlike you in the past, you're considerate of Ruby's feelings and taking one step at a time." That made her feel a lot better. “Even with that, Tatsumi still powered through until…”Her pause made Rienna a little worried. “Until what?”Akame took in a deep breath and exhaled. “There was a time he was captured by the enemy and we had to rescue him with Mine leading the assault. We managed to do it but not costs. For one, Mine faced off against Budo and used all of her power to defeat him. The tradeoff was that Mine was able to defeat him but at the cost of her own life. Second, during our fight against both Esdeath and Budo, Incursio changed Tatsumi, taking a completely different form. It was then we learned that Tyrant Dragon that was used to create Incursio was slowly taking over his body. When he uses Incursio three times, that’s when the Tyrant Dragon will completely take him over.”Cornelia gulped at what her leader had explained to them. “And…did it?”Akame was silent for several seconds. “Yes.” Everyone felt how heavy the answer was. “It during the final confrontation with Esdeath that it happened. Although he had transformed, Tatsumi still retained what little consciousness he had. It was then I had to honor our promise.”Kurome could already tell this promise of theirs wasn’t good. “And what was that promise?”Again, Akame didn’t speak for a few seconds. “That if I would ever to use Murasame’s power, its trump card, I would be deemed as an enemy and asked Tatsumi to kill me should I ever go out of control. If he would turn into the Tyrant Dragon, he asked that I would have to kill him. And I did.” None of them uttered a word hearing that. “It was then Murasame’s trump card activated and I used it to finally end Esdeath.”Said girl gulped at the description. Kurome had a funny feeling about the trump card her sister mentioned before. “And this trump card, was it the same one you used back in our match?”"It is." Akame quickly replied. Kurome was really glad their fight didn't escalate to that point. "After everything had happened, what we had to go through, had to endure, only Leone, Najenda, and I were what was left of Night Raid. It wasn't long after we disbanded and went our separate ways. Six months later, I was reunited with Leone again and then after one night, we both arrived in Remnant.”Everyone could pretty much guess the rest of the story up to now. Cornelia had no idea her friend carried such heavy burdens. “I’m sorry you had to go through all of that. You and Leone. I can’t imagine how much all of it must’ve been for you both.”Akame didn’t blame her. “It’s okay. What happened in the past is in the past but I’ll never forget what it’s done to me. All I can do now is keep moving forward with all of you by my side.”Finally, they had a reason to smile after hearing what Akame had to say about her old team. “Thanks for sharing all of that with us Akame. I know it must’ve been hard on you.”Akame smiled at Cornelia’s words. “Actually, it felt rather nice to talk about them but you’re welcome.”Taeko could understand why her leader would feel that way. “It comes as no surprise. Talking about past friends can help lift one’s spirits. It’s only naturally you would feel that way.”The other girl though it was a good explanation. “I suppose so. I also feel a little better after saying all of that.”They weren’t surprised by that. Akame had a lot buried deep within her so she would feel better after saying all of that. “Akame…” Akame looked back at Esdeath smiling at her. “We’ll be here with you all the way. You can always count on us and we’ll do the same.”Akame was fully aware of that. In truth, she was afraid history would repeat itself in this world but there wasn’t much she could do. However, her world and Remnant were two different things. That thought still didn’t quell her worries but it was enough to convince her that things may not end up the same as before. She smiled back at all of them. “Of course. We count on each other. That’s how we’ll make it through this together.” Everyone couldn’t agree more. Akame looked forward at the path ahead of them. "And once we reach to Mistral, hopefully, we can reunite with Leone." With that said, everyone continued their journey with an added boost of morale. B “Ah-choo!”Yang noticed Leone’s sneeze while she was carrying her. “You alright?”Leone sniffed and shook her head a little. "I'm fine. Must've been something from around here." The two were following close behind of Blake who was pursuing the person that was spying on them. The chase led them through parts of Menagerie. While Blake was jumping tree to tree, Leone was pretty much running on the group but could keep up with Blake. The chase eventually led to the spy landing on the roof of a house and Blake continued to follow. Leone and Yang finally landed on the roof and continued to follow Blake. All of them were hoping across rooftop to rooftop.The spy looked back to see the other Faunus not giving up her chase. It became inevitable to the spy that Blake wasn’t going to stop. The spy stopped soon after sliding under some pipes and turned around to face Blake. The spy’s colors changed and took out a weapon that seemed to be a cross between a whip and a gun. Blake hesitated for a second before running toward the White Fang member. The spy sent her whip to the pipe and struck it to let the steam out but Blake made it out without a problem. She still didn’t understand why a member of the White Fang was here. “Why are you watching me?”The member didn't give an answer to her. Leone finally reached the other Faunus girl and jumped over her. Both she and Yang landed to the side of the member and Leone set her mother down. "How about you make this easy on yourself and give it up?” Her response was the spy attacking both blondes and had to separate in two different directions.Blake took this an opportunity and rushed at the member. She jumped and kicked a scroll the spy was holding out of the hand. Yang yelled as she jumped at the spy and pinned her to the ground. “Blake, get the scroll now! I think it’s important to her!”The member struggled to break free. “Get off!” She headbutted Yang and that was enough to break free. Her mask was destroyed as a result. The spy quickly stood up and chased after Blake for the scroll.Leone then intervened and backhanded the member away from Blake. The Faunus blonde turned to her. “Get it now!”Blake didn’t argue and continued running after the scroll. The member groaned as she stood up and pointed her weapon at her. “Watch out, Blake!”Blake turned around due to Yang’s warning. All of them saw the mask completely break apart and revealed the member’s face. It was one Blake recognized. “Ilia.”She doesn’t even look like a Faun-” Ilia sent her whip while suddenly changing color at Leone and struck into her shoulder while emitting electricity into the wound.“Leone!” Yang and Blake saw their daughter fall to the ground.Ilia pointed her weapon back at Blake. “Give it to me.”Yang’s eyes changed color out of anger. “I’ll make you pay for doing that!”Blake was hesitant on what to do next before making her decision. “No.”Ilia changed color once again and had a worried look on her face. “You shouldn’t have come back.” She struck the ground across and steam came out. Yang and Blake block it out with their arms and once the steam cleared they lowered their arms to see that Ilia was gone.Both girls turned to their daughter and were very worried. “Leone!” They ran over to her.Yang was the first to kneel down next to the Faunus blonde. “Please say something!”To their relief, Leone groaned a little in pain. “Ah…son of a…that freaking smarts.”She started to sit up with Blake helping her. “Are you okay?” She took a closer look at the wound and it seemed like it hurt.Leone hissed a little at the pain. “I’m fine. I’m fine. Believe it or not, I took way worse things than that.”Although Blake was glad to hear that, that didn’t help with her guilt. “But you got hurt.”Her daughter laughed a little despite the pain she was feeling. “Don’t worry about it. It’ll heal up quick.” That didn’t make Blake feel any better. Again, someone Blake cared about was hurt because of her. It wasn’t as serious as Yang but she still felt responsible.After a few more seconds, Leone started to stand up. “Take it easy.” Yang knew how tough her daughter was but it did seem like the wound really hurt. Once the Faunus blonde stood up, Blake walked over to where the scroll was and picked up. Yang glanced at it a little. “How about we head back and see what’s in the scroll that was so important to her.”Blake turned around to look at both Yang and Leone. “Alright.” B Ruby had stars in her eyes when held Wave’s weapon and had one of her smiles. “This is so cool! Such a great weapon!”Nora was looking around the weapon curiously. “So where does that giant monster come out?”Jaune really didn’t think it was a good idea. “Are you sure you should be holding that?”Their comments didn’t escape Wave. When he was asked by Ruby to see if she could have a closer look at his Imperial Arms, he was a little hesitant at first but then remembered she wields a scythe twice her size. Wave kinda figured she would be careful with it. “I’ve never met anyone who had such an interest with Grand Chariot.”Qrow wasn’t the least bit surprised. “Ruby always had a fascination with weapons.” Wave thought it that was quite odd for a girl of Ruby’s age to be interested in weapons. Qrow glanced back at the weapon and had a few questions. “Should we worry about anyone else using that thing?”Wave chuckled at the question. “Not really. Only I can use Grand Chariot’s power.”While that was good to hear, Qrow wasn’t quite sold on it yet. “And why’s that?”“Because I’m only compatible with it.” Wave replied. “An Imperial Arms can only be used if it’s comparable with its user. It’s more like they choose who uses them.”Qrow thought that was quite interesting. “You don’t say. That’s quite the helpful little system.”“Hey, Wave?”Wave looked back at Ruby who seemed to be unsure of something. “What is it?”Before Ruby could ask her question, she quickly walked up to him to hand back Grand Chariot. He took it and sheathed back in. After that, Ruby went back to Jaune and the others. “Right so…you’re from the same world as…well, you know.” She knew how sensitive a topic Akame was to him.Wave didn’t mind too much. “Go on.”Ruby took that as an okay from him. “She and Leone told us a lot about the Empire and I was wondering what you thought of it.”Nora thought the question was brilliant. “Oh yeah. We know one side but not the other. How about spilling some secrets?”Wave thought about the question for a few moments. “Alright, fine but it’s not much.” He looked forward again. “To start off, I’m not originally from the Capital. I was in the Imperial Nary. I was sent over to the Capital because I was chosen to be part of the team.”“The Jaegers.” Ren spoke.Wave wasn’t surprised by that. At this point, he figured Akame told them everything from her side. “Yes. I was new to the Capital so I didn’t know how things worked over there. I kinda figured things out here and there thanks to Seryu.”“What did she do to help?” Jaune asked.Wave sighed as he lowered his head. “We were on a mission to capture some bandits who we thought were part of Night Raid. When I caught up with her, I saw drops of blood coming from Koro. That’s when I figured out she massacred them. I knew they were bandits but even I thought what she did to them was extreme. I tried to explain to her just because we’re Jaegers doesn’t mean we can do whatever we want. However, to her, they were still evil and didn’t think she did any wrong. That’s when I realized that the current state of the Empire was bad for her to be that kind of person.”Qrow had a question of his own. “If it was as bad as you think it was, why still be a part of it?”For Wave, the answer was obvious. “Because I still had the duties of a soldier. Besides, I had to repay a favor to someone.”Qrow didn’t know what to think of Wave’s answer. “A loyal dog huh?”There was something else Ruby wanted to know. “And what about Esdeath? What was she like?”Her question sparked some enthusiasm from Nora. "Yeah! Akame said that she was some raging psychopath who drank the blood of her enemies!"Wave didn't know what to think of the description. "W-Well…I have heard what the Commander had done but that's only to her enemies. To her allies, she was quite nice. Considerate even. Whenever she was given a huge reward, she would just give it all to the soldiers who needed it more."Ren defiantly saw the differences between Wave’s and Akame’s description of Esdeath. “In short, in considering each side, she would be an ally to count on and an enemy who was dangerous.” “And the General even trained me for a short amount of time.”What Wave said caught Ruby’s attention. “You were trained by Esdeath?”Wave chuckled at the question. "Yes, and I thought it was a good opportunity. I wanted to get stronger so I asked her."Jaune was a little curious to know more about the whole thing. “So what did you train?”Wave was silent for a few seconds. “To use two Imperial Arms at the same time.” Ruby and the others silently gasped when they heard that. “When it comes to the Imperial Arms, a person can only wield one. If one were to use two at the same time, it would certainly bring about destruction. The General thought I had what it took to use two Imperial Arms but the second also had to be compatible with me. It was the quickest way for me to become stronger.”Qrow thought back to Wave’s fight against Tyrian. “He was already plenty strong as is. I hate to see what he could do with two of those weapons. Still, I’d rather have that kind of power on our side.” After all of that explaining, Ruby had one more question for him. “So can you use two at the same time?” Wave was about to answer until he saw a couple of signs up ahead. The groupAll of them looked at the direction the sign was pointing at. It didn’t make Jaune happy. “That path goes over the mountain.”Qrow didn’t seem too fazed by it. “It hasn’t been easy the entire trip. Why start now?”Wave looked back at the sign and noticed something unusually odd. “Why the name Kuroyuri scratched up?”“That’s not important.” Ren spoke up. “Let’s just get Mistral.” He was already walking away from the group.Jaune and Ruby thought it was strange since they’ve never seen Ren speak out like that before. “What’s gotten into him?” Jaune asked.Nora giggled nervously and smiled at them. “It’s…nothing. Come on, Mistral is just a hop, skip, and a mountain away.” She left next after Ren.The way Nora acted was strange even for her. Ruby and Jaune looked at each other not knowing why they were acting the way they did. “I guess we move forward then.”Jaune had to agree with Ruby. “Yeah…I guess so.” They started to walk the path where it led toward Mistral.Qrow quickly followed them but stopped when he noticed Wave was standing still. “What are you looking at?”Wave kept on staring at the direction to where Kuroyuri was for a few seconds long before turning to the other path. “It’s nothing.” He didn’t say anymore and started to walk with Qrow alongside him. Even though he said it was nothing, that wasn’t what his gut was telling him. “For some reason, I can’t shake off this weird feeling. I don’t know why but something about it bothers me.” A/N …I did all of this while back on episode nine. Son of a…guess that’s I deserve for underestimating how long this chapter would be. Sorry to put all of you through such an unnecessary waiting time. I didn’t think it would be this long. Also as a defense, I did look up the Akame Ga Kill Wiki and found out Murasame was destroyed. This was something I decided on myself and can figure out how that happened. Now I made this story before the final chapter was up so there was no way of knowing that would happen in the manga. Hence wise, why Akame still has Murasame in this story. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: For those who are wondering why the updates are taking so long, you can blame it on the college assignments I have to do. Also, I am not happy with this chapter. You’ll see why. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol ThreeKill Forty Nine: Peace Before ChaosThe sound of flames going off could be heard in the training room Cinder was in. She was busy slaying Beowolf after Beowolf using her new Fall Maiden powers but the look on her face clearly showed signs of fatigue. As of now, four Beowolves were slowly walking toward her. Cinder swept her arm across and fire emerged to cut all four Beowolves in half. Cinder didn’t know how much more she could keep it up. Unfortunately for her, she wasn’t done yet. Cinder heard heavy thudding and looked up to see a Beringel jumping to attack her. Fire instantly surrounded Cinder’s hand and punched through the Beringel with ease. The Grimm disintegrated, much to Cinder’s relief and dropped to her knees feeling exhausted. “Enough.” As if Salem arriving seeing Cinder in a pitiful state wasn’t bad enough. She glanced over to her master. “I thought you were the girl that wanted power. Did you lie to me?” Cinder looked away slightly before turning to her master again and shaking her head. “Then stop holding back. If you wish to master your new powers, you must-”The door suddenly opening interrupted Salem and both she and Cinder turned their attention to it. To their surprise, Tyrian had returned but he was not acting like himself. Cinder saw as she thought would never see. Frightened. Tyrian shakenly walked into the room whimpering to himself and then dropped to his hands and knees with his head looking down at the floor. “I’m sorry. She’ll forgive me. Please…forgive me…”“Tyrian.” The scorpion Faunus raised his head to his goddess and sat on his knees. “Your task…were you successful?”Tyrian couldn’t bear to tell his goddess the bad news but he didn’t have much of a choice. He looked away from her in shame. “N-No…” The news Salam had heard didn’t please her. “Someone got in my way. Someone…who is beyond human.”His words caught Salem’s attention. Cinder was just wondering what he was talking about. “Would you care to explain Tyrian? What happened?”Salem could see the sheer fear in the scorpion Faunus’ eyes. Whoever he fought must’ve been quite the foe to even leave him afraid. “This man…he was the one who interfered. I was about to accomplish the mission you have graciously given me but then he appeared.” He recalled how his fight with Wave turned out. “He was no ordinary man. He summoned a terrifying monster out of the ground. It was not unlike any Grimm. It wasn’t even a Grimm at all.” Now Salem was very interested in what her failed servant had to say. “He wore that monster like a suit of armor and called it something. Imperial…Imperial…”Cinder’s eyes widened in surprise. She knew exactly what Tyrian was trying to say. So did Salem. “Imperial Arms?”Tyrian nodded his head quickly at his goddess. “Yes, yes. That’s it. He called it that. I fought him and…” The scorpion Faunus slightly looked down at the floor. “He utterly devastated me. His power was unlike anything I had seen before. I was helpless to even do anything against him. He even pulled apart my tail with his bare hands.”Salem couldn’t help but wonder who this induvial was now. More pressingly, hearing the term “Imperial Arms”. It was the second time she heard that. “Two people in possession of these Imperial Arms. This is no coincidence. Someone is pulling strings behind all of this.” There was one more thing Salem wanted to know. “Did you happen to learn the name of the man who defeated you?” She wanted to know just who they’re dealing with.Tyrian tried to recall and then remembered what that wolf Faunus said before he delivered the finishing blow. “I believe it was Wave and before the fight, he mentioned something about not being a hunter but a soldier.” That was all Salem needed to know. Obviously, there was something at work and Salem didn’t like it. She started to walk away from Tyrian. Said scorpion Faunus looked up again seeing his goddess leave. “P-Please!” Salem stopped walking and turned her head to him. “I beg for your forgiveness for my failing. I promise…I won’t fail a second time! Forgive me!”Salem narrowed her eyes at her subordinate. “You disappoint me.” With those words said, Salem looked forward again and continued to walking away from Tyrian. As of now, Salem had a lot more to deal with. “First this Akame Cinder had fought and now this Wave who defeated Tyrian. Something is at work here but what?”As Tyrian saw his goddess walk away from him, he didn’t know what was worse. The fact Salem didn’t forgive him for failing his mission or her saying she was disappointed in him. The thought of it depressed him and began to sob. Unknown to him, a Beowolf was sneaking behind the scorpion Faunus. It jumped at him but he quickly turned his head to see the Grimm coming at him and roared while his tail smacked the Beowolf away from him. Tyrian brought out his wrist blades and jumped on top of the Grimm where he proceeded in stabbing it repeatedly while continuing to sob. His sobbing eventually turned in crazed laughter. Cinder couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy seeing Tyrian like this as she continued to watch him stab the Beowolf. B Walking on the trail ahead of them, Akame and the rest of Night Raid continued to make their way to Mistral. For the countless time, Chelsea groaned at the pace they were going. “Come on…are we almost there yet?”Takeo looked at the map hoping that where they are now would finally make her friend stop complaining. To her relief and soon Chelsea’s, there was some good news. “We’re closer to the mountain now. All we have to do is go through a place called Kuroyuri.”Chelsea couldn’t help but snicker at the name. “Heh, Kuroyuri.”Rienna didn’t understand the joke. “What’s so funny Chelsea?”The other girl didn’t know why the others didn’t find the name funny but decided to let it go. “It just is. Anyway, all we have to do is go through this Kuroyuri place and then cross over a mountain to get to Mistral. Seems easy enough. Hey, maybe we can resupply or something.”For once in a rare while, Chelsea had a good idea. They had pre-destination set and the sooner they can arrive, the better for Akame. “Taeko, how much further is it until we reach Kuroyuri?”The other girl checked the map again. “It’s not far off from where we are. We should arrive there shortly.”Akame could accept that. “Alright, let’s pick up the pace and head there quickly as possible.” She increased her walking speed and the others did the same. They were so close to their destination now and closer to where they’ll meet up with Leone again.After some time had passed with their increased pace, the group saw several buildings off the horizon. Seeing them made Rienna glad. “Hey, I think that’s it!” The other girls thought the same.With each step, they approached closer to their destination. When they finally saw the whole place up close, that happiness was gone. What was replaced was shock and awe at the state Kuroyuri was in. It was in ruins. They slowly entered the village and looked all around the area. The sight of the village was very depressing. Chelsea’s enthusiasm from earlier vanished and sighed at what she was seeing. “Well, this place is depressing.”The more Esdeath looked at the place, the more she felt sad about it. “How awful. I wonder what happened here.”Cornelia was thinking of the same question. “Nothing good I can you that.”They continued to walk through the ruined village until they arrived at a large dead tree in the center of the village. That’s where Akame stopped in front of the group and turned around to face them. “I think we can afford to take a rest here. Mistral is just up ahead and we need all the strength we have if we’re going over that mountain. You’re free to do what you wish here but go in pairs just to be safe.”Everyone else was glad they were getting some rest. Kurome dropped her pack and sighed as she rubbed the back of her head. “Sounds good to me. I could use a little relaxation. Think I’ll take a look around. Coming Chelsea?” The other girl was about to reply but Kurome cut her off. “Not what I meant. Let’s go.” Kurome was walking off in a random direction with Chelsea closely following her.While everyone else saw the two walk away, Esdeath smiled at them. “I think I’ll walk around a little too.” She dropped her pack to the ground. “Who knows, maybe we’ll find something interesting here.”Rienna was next to drop her pack and ran up to Esdeath happily. “I’ll go with you.” She smiled at the other girl.Esdeath smiled back as she was all too happy for Rienna’s offer. “Sure thing.” She looked past her teammate and at her leader. “What about you Akame?”Akame’s response setting her pack down and sitting down against the tree. “I’ll just sit here for a while. Don’t mind me.”Cornelia giggled softly at her leader and looked at her two teammates. “I’ll be here to keep an eye on her. You two go on ahead.”Taeko was the last to set down her pack. “So will I. Go on ahead.” With the go-ahead, Esdeath and Rienna took their leave and went to explore the other half of the village.With them gone now, Akame sighed as she could finally relax. Seeing her as she is now was a rare sight for Cornelia to see considering the journey so far. “You look pretty happy.”Akame smiled contently at their most recent point of their journey. “We’re close now. We just need to push a little further and we’ll be there. We’ll find Leone and then…make Cinder pay for what she did.” The other two girls didn’t forget that small detail. Akame couldn't forgive Cinder for what she did back at Beacon. Not only she managed to destroy their school and made their separate from each other, Cinder also did the one thing Akame could never forgive her for doing. Taking away the only normal life Akame had experienced. Shade was the closest thing to having it again but the thought of Cinder still being out there, doing who knew what next after what she had done back at Beacon, it was something Akame couldn’t let go of. “I will never forgive you for doing this.”Akame quietly gasped at the sudden random thought. “Why am I remembering that now?” She lowered her head and stared at the ground. “Maybe this is how he felt during that time.” “Are you alright Akame?”Akame quickly looked up at Cornelia and Taeko who seemed to be a little worried. She gave them a comforting smile at the two girls. “I’m fine. Just…thinking about some things is all.” And as if on cue, her stomach growled.Akame slightly blushed out of embarrassment while Cornelia laughed. “I guess your stomach is thinking too. I’ll get something to help out with that.” She kneeled next to her pack and searched for something for Akame to snack on. Akame was grateful for the help and for the rest they’re having at the moment. B Qrow, Wave, and team RNJR were trekking on a mountain trail that was less than smooth. Jaune groaned at the hiking they had to do. “We couldn’t find a more pleasant path to get to Mistral?”Ren could more or less agree with his teammate. “We never get the easy path.”Nora put her arms behind her head. “Easy’s no fun anyway.”While they were hiking, Ruby couldn’t help but worry a little about Ren. Mostly because of how he acted from before about Kuroyuri. “Hey, Ren. Is everything alright?”She didn’t hear a reply from him for a few seconds. “I’m fine Ruby.” The young leader had no choice but to accept the answer but she could still tell something was wrong.Wave spotted something ahead of the group. “Huh?” He narrowed his eyes and saw what was ahead. “Hey, there’s a cave ahead of us.” Wave walked ahead of the group a little quickly and reached the cave opening. Sure enough, he felt something hitting his body and turned to the group. “There’s some wind coming out of this cave. I think it could be a shortcut!”Jaune sighed in relief. “Thank you!”The rest of the group caught up with the soldier and peered at the inside of the cave. “Does anyone else think this’ll lead up to the peak?” Nora asked.“One way to find out.” Wave took several steps forward when the wind blew suddenly at him and a piece of cloth smacked right into his face. The others found it a little funny as Wave struggled to get the piece off his face. He managed to do so. “Jeez. Even in this world, I can’t catch a break. What hit me anyway?” Wave looked at the cloth to see a symbol of some kind on it. “What’s this supposed to be?”Everyone one else took a closer look at it and RNJR easily recognized it. “That’s symbol for Shion Village.” Ren described.Wave turned to Ren looking more confused. “Shion Village?”“It was a place we passed by a couple of weeks ago. It was destroyed. No one survived.” Ruby answered.Already Qrow had a bad feeling about this. “Why is a flag from Shion during here?”Ren already had a guess and suddenly ran into the cave. “Ren? wait!” Nora and the others followed Ren into the cave. All of them traveled into the cave and saw Ren stop and for a good reason.They saw what was in front of them and couldn’t believe it. “Oh my gosh.” Everyone shared Nora’s reaction.What all of them were saw were weapons scattered everywhere in the cave. It certainly wasn’t what Wave was expecting to see inside the cave. “What is this place?”Ren walked a little further in until he saw a familiar arrow and picked it up. Questions arose all around the group wondering who would have such a collection. Everyone looked back at the cave entrance and walked outside to see some of the trees moving. Seeing them move confirmed Ren’s fears. “No…”Qrow saw the path in which whatever is shaking the trees. “It’s heading toward the village.”Ren shook his head in denial. “But there’s no one there! There shouldn’t be!”Wave could say otherwise. “Well, there’s gotta be a reason why it’s heading over to the village. If there are people in the village, they’re in danger.” Wave jumped off and slid down the rocky slope.Ruby ran up to the edge. “Wave, wait!”Qrow could see what was Wave’s intentions. Being a soldier, he would want to warn those who happen to be at the village below. But somehow, he knew it wasn’t going to be that easy. “Why do I get the feeling something bad is about to happen?” B Leone yawned as she walked through the hall of the Chief’s home. After she, Blake, and Yang came back from their chase, they were confronted by Kali and Ghira. They wondered and Kali was worried what happened to them and why they left so suddenly. Kali was especially worried seeing the wound in Leone’s shoulder but was surprised it healed. Blake explained to her parents that the White Fang was spying on her and chased a member down. It was where Blake had acquired a scroll and handed it to her father. She had a suspicion that something was important in it and would like her father to see what it was. After that, all three girls went to bed. Leone rolled her shoulder and it still felt a little sore. “Damn. When I get my hands on that…chameleon girl…”She approached the room Yang and Blake were sleeping at. Well, it was Blake’s room and Leone could imagine how happy Yang must’ve been seeing it. She stood in front of the door and was about to knock. “This is why I left in the first place, Yang!" Leone stopped and closely listened. It sounded like Blake yelled at Yang which was something Leone had never heard before. "I don't want to see those I love keep getting hurt because of me!"“But, Blake-”“It’s my fault you lost your arm and my fault everyone is separated! I brought this upon all of you! I loved all of you and you and Leone gave me something I thought I would never have. But every time I found happiness, it was always stolen from me. There was even a time that I hoped you and everyone would hate me for leaving all of you.”Leone wanted to open the door and intervene but decided it was best for Blake to finally vent out whatever she had inside of her. Her lion ears picked up something else and turned to see who was approaching. Inside Blake’s room, the Faunus girl was sitting on her bed looking away from the other girl while Yang was standing in front of her. The blonde just let Blake vent out her frustrations. She knew there was more than what Blake let on. It wasn’t just her being hurt. It was hurting the whole team and feeling responsible for what happened to them back at Beacon. “I thought I was done with it, done with this but now I dragged both you and Leone into this mess. You saw Ilia last night and she wasn’t even the worst. I think…you would be better off without me. That way, you could’ve kept your arm and none of this would never happen. These are my choices and I’ll deal with consequences because they belong to me.”After hearing all of that, Yang took in a deep breath. “Blake…look at me.” The Faunus girl did just that but reluctantly. As soon as she did, a loud smack echoed throughout the room. It took Blake a few seconds to register that Yang had actually slapped her with her human hand. Her cheek was stinging in pain as Blake stared at Yang in disbelief at what she did. She could see that Yang’s eyes turned red and they were glaring at her. “You…moron!” Now it was time for Blake to hear out Yang. “Don’t you ever say something like that in front of me! How can you say such a thing about yourself?! What happened back at Beacon wasn’t your fault. It was Adam’s and it was Cinder’s. You had nothing to do with it. Yes, I did hate you for leaving me but you came back. Came back to me. And you didn’t drag me into this whole thing. I came along with you on my own choice. And I told you I never blamed you for losing my arm. Never have and never will. As for Leone, she’s taken a lot worse than some stab to the shoulder. We both know that and we both know she would do anything to protect us because that’s just who she is! I would do the same because you’re important to me. Hell, you’re important to a lot of people! So don’t come off thinking you’re being selfless at this whole thing because you’re not! You can make all the choices you want but you don’t get to decide ours.”Yang’s word did cut into Blake deeply but despite all of them, the Faunus girl still had doubts. “And what if you can’t?” She stood up and looked at the blonde directly in the eye. “What if you aren’t able to protect me? What if there’s someone stronger than you, someone you can’t handle on your own, then what?”Yang never gave much thought about that scenario but she didn’t care. “I don’t care if they are stronger than me. I don’t care if I lose my arm again because I would do the same thing over if it meant protecting you. When I, we, all of us, your friends fight for you, it’s because we want to. So don’t think this is your fight alone. It’s OUR fight. Quit pushing us out and belittling us. That hurts a lot more…” She grabbed her robotic arm. “Then this will ever feel.” Blake didn’t know what to think of what Yang said to her. She did admit the other girl had a few good points about what the Faunus girl was thinking and doing.There was silence between the girls for a few seconds until Blake’s door suddenly dropped forward to the ground. Both turned to the dropped door and saw Ghira and Leone standing outside while Kali was on the door. Kali quickly stood up while feeling a little embarrassed. “Oh, oh dear, would you look at that. You two are awake. Thank goodness.”Ghira couldn’t help but facepalm at his wife. “Kali, please.” Leone couldn’t help but snicker at what happened and at the sight.Blake was both mad and embarrassed by her mother’s sudden intrusion. “Mom!”Yang couldn’t help but wave awkwardly at the Belladonna couple. “Uh…good morning.” She suddenly had a terrible thought. “Oh crap. Did they hear all of that?”Blake took a few steps forward to her parents. “What are you two doing here?”Kali really didn’t want to worry her daughter but there was an important issue to talk about. “Well, sweetheart, your father and I needed to speak to the both of you and…Leone.”Already Yang didn’t like where this was going. “So I’m guessing we’re not going to have breakfast?” B Everyone gathered in Ghira’s office and Blake and Yang were nervous about what they wanted to talk about. Obviously, it was about the scroll Blake had given to her father but chances are there was something else. The three girls were sitting across from Kali and Ghira with Leone sitting in between Yang and Blake. Ghira set down the scroll Blake handed to him last night. "Before we discuss the contents of what was found here, I'll ask you the same question before Miss Xiao Long." Hearing her last name confirmed the blonde's fears. Ghira narrowed his eyes at her. "What is my daughter to you?"Yang had two choices in answering. Either continue to play it off or tell the truth. “I…uh…it’s like I told you. We’re teammates.”And the blonde obviously chose poorly because she saw the look Ghira was giving her and it wasn’t pleasant. “You’re lying to me and I do not condone lying.”Yang had never felt more afraid. Probably because the people in front of her was Blake’s parents. Blake knew where this was going and thought it was time to finally come to talk about them. “You know, don’t you?” Kali nodded at her daughter’s question. “We do. Shortly after you three left last night, I told your father about what I heard between Yang and Leone. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. It just happened.”Leone groaned at herself. “I knew we should’ve been more careful.”Both Yang and Blake looked away from the Belladonna parents. Kali could sense the worry coming from her daughter. “Why didn’t you tell us about this?” She heard what Yang said before but she wanted to know directly from her daughter.Blake continued to refuse to look at her parents. "Why do you think? We haven't seen each other in a long time and the last thing I wanted you two to know was your own daughter being in a relationship with another girl. A human girl. I thought you would disapprove. Both the relationship and who I’m with. Yang’s father was accepting of it but you two? The Chieftain of Menagerie and his wife, what would they think? I’ve feared that question ever since we left Patch. I thought it would’ve been better if you didn’t know it at all.”Yang looked over at the other girl with a soft look in her eyes. “Blake…” She finally turned to her girlfriend’s parents. “You asked me what your daughter is to me right? Well, here’s my real answer. She’s important to me. Both as her teammate and as the girl who loves your daughter. Maybe it was coincidence, maybe it was fate we found each other, I don’t care. What I do care is how lucky and glad I could meet her. I couldn’t ask for a better partner and I can’t imagine anyone else I would spend the rest of my life with. And I would kick anyone's ass who hurts her in any way." She held her robotic arm again. "That includes Adam Taurus and not only for Blake but for me too." Yang took in a deep breath and exhaled while letting go of her arm. “That’s my real, true answer.”During that whole explanation, Ghira studied the human blonde and didn’t find any hint of lies. Unlike the first time he asked the question, the Chief saw uncertainty in her eyes when she answered. What Ghira saw now was the strength and resolve in Yang’s eyes. That much told him she was telling the truth. He studied the two girls for a few seconds longer before moving on. “For my last two questions, what does Leone have to do with both of you? What’s this about you being their…daughter?”It was Leone’s turn to be put on the spot. The Bumblebee pair turned to the Faunus blonde who chuckled lightly. Leone looked back at the Chieftain. “To make a long story short sir, I was the one responsible for pairing these two up after a…misunderstanding. As for the daughter bit, well, as you can see, I do kinda resemble the two of them. My looks from Yang and Faunus heritage from Blake. It may seem a little stupid but I do think them both as my parents. My real mother died when I was young so I didn’t have a parent for a long time. Yang and Blake come close to being parents to me. It’s kinda simple really. I think of them as my parents just as they think of me as their daughter even though we’re not related. It may come across as a joke to others but to us, we are a family and just like Yang said before, anyone who hurts them, I’ll make sure they’ll pay for it.”Ghira saw that same strong resolve in Leone’s eyes. In a way, she was like Yang and not because they look similar. There was only one last thing he needed to confirm. “You do realize the difficulties that’ll come along with this. Are you prepared to face what’s to come? The hardships? The discrimination? Of what others would think?”Blake was already prepared for a question like that and looked back at her father. “I don’t care what others think about us. Humans or Faunus. I only care about what my friends and family would think.”Yang was pretty much on the same boat. “To me, it’s worth it.”Leone just grinned at the question. “If others have a problem with it, I’ll gladly make them think otherwise. The hard way.”With their explanations done and hearing their answers, Ghira finally came to his conclusion. “Blake…” His daughter stiffened up when she heard her name. “I know you’re old enough to make your own decisions and this isn’t any different. You’re free to choose what to do in your life and I won’t force you to change your way of thinking. What I heard alone is proof enough.” Blake couldn’t believe what she had heard from her own father. She was completely dumbfounded. Her mother smiled at the three girls. “I personally think it’s wonderful you found someone like Yang. I could tell even before I found out. You care for each other very much. All three of you.”Blake lowered her head while shivering slightly. She tried to best to hold back the tears but they came out anyway. “Thank you…”Yang smiled at the Faunus girl. She was happy that Blake’s parents were accepting of them and she could tell Blake thought the same.Leone laughed as she hooked her arms around the two girls’ necks and brought them close to her. “Alright! Everything worked out in the end after all!” All three girls started to laugh together.Unfortunately, their little celebration had to be cut short as Ghira cleared his throat. All three girls looked at him and Leone let go of Yang and Blake. "We're not done yet. We still have to discuss what was on that scroll."Blake had almost forgotten about that and rubbed her eyes with her sleeves to rid of the leftover tears. “Right…” She set her arm down and looked at her father again. “So what did you find?”Ghira looked down at the scroll. “I’m afraid you were right to be suspicious.”Blake already didn’t like where the conversation was going. “What do you mean?”“Adam Taurus is planning to overthrow the leader of the White Fang and stage a full-scale attack on Haven Academy. It would be the Fall of Beacon all over again.”Hearing that made Blake very worried. “Sun…no.” Yang was equally worried with what she heard. “Ruby…”Leone gritted her teeth at what she heard. “You gotta be kidding me. Never thought he would do a coup d’état.” To make matters worse, Akame and the others were headed to Haven. The very thought of it angered her. “Not if we destroy the White Fang for good. Those assholes had it coming for way too long now.” She was already prepared to such a thing from the start.However, Blake had another idea. “No.” She stood up and looked at everyone. “We’re not going to destroy the White Fang. “We’re going to take it back.”The room was silent as Yang Leone couldn’t believe what Blake had just suggested. “Say what!?” B Wave was running fast as he could to reach the village of Kuroyuri. If there were people in that village, their safety was top priority. Once they’re out of danger, then he and the others can take care of whatever it is headed toward the village. He made it to the entrance of the village and the state it was in. “What the hell happened to this place?” That was a question he would have to ask later as he kept running. Wave finally saw some people up ahead next to a large dead tree. “They must be the ones in this village.”The people he saw were none other than Akame and the others with her who heard the roar coming toward them and Cornelia didn’t like it one bit. “Well, there goes our break.”Taeko grabbed the handle of Tsugaku-Hime. “We have to be prepared for whatever’s coming at us.”Akame had to agree with her teammate. “The others must’ve heard it too. Whatever made that sound, it’s likely something we haven’t faced before.”“Hey! Are you alright!?”Akame gasped at the voice she just heard. There was no mistaking of who that voice belonged to but she couldn’t believe it. “That voice. It can’t be. There’s no way.” Cornelia and Taeko looked at the one who yelled at them and saw him. Who’s this guy?”Taeko wondered the same question. “I do not know.” She noticed the clothing he was wearing. “He’s wearing the same attire as Kurome.” Wave saw that he came just in time. “You should get out of here! There’s something…” He stopped when he saw a very familiar figure among them. That figure turned around to face him. Wave felt a single strong heartbeat resonate through his body as he saw the one person who responsible for Kurome’s death. “Akame…”Akame was in the same state of shock at who she was seeing in front of her. It was almost unbelievable to her and yet he was standing in front of her. “Wave…” Both stared at each other deeply into each other’s eyes looking at each other’s reflections in them. It was at that moment, everything else vanished around them. The last sound either of them heard was the roar of the beast that was still coming towards them. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: And all of you didn’t need to wait another month. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol ThreeKill Fifty: A Grimm SituationWave ran as fast as he could through the forest while wearing Grand Chariot. He had to find Kurome and fast before it was too late. “Damn it Kurome. Where the hell did you go?” All kinds of thoughts were going through his head. The most prominent one was the kiss Kurome had given him before she knocked the soldier out. That image kept replaying in his mind over and over. Wave kept all feelers out for sensing Kurome’s aura. It was his only chance if he ever had the chance in arriving in time to stop Kurome’s fight with Akame.Wave remember what Akame said to him from their last confrontation. “If this is what she truly wants, then I’ll fight. I’ll fight and save her from her own suffering. As her sister…this is all I can do for her now.” Those words still vexed him at this moment. “There has to be another way to resolve this. This doesn’t have end with Akame killing her own sister.” While he searching all over for his missing teammate, the rain started to fall. The rainfall didn’t slow Wave down in the least. “Where are you, Kurome?!” He finally had his answer as Wave saw something in the air. A person with black wings was flying in a direction. He knew who it was. “That was Run.” He took that a sign where Kurome was. It also meant something else to him. “Have they started fighting already?” If they have, then Wave had no time to waste. He rushed over to their location following Run as quickly as possible. Everything was riding on Wave to arrive in time in hopes of stopping the fight. He was near the location of where the sisters were. “Just a little more…” Wave approached a building and jumped over it. As soon as he was on top of the building, the soldier arrived just in time but not for the right reason. Just as he arrived at the site, Wave saw Akame stab Kurome with Murasame. For Wave, it was as if time had stopped for him. His sight was focused on the two sisters who stood still in front of him. Anger flared up deep from within him and roared. “DAMN YOU AKAME!”Akame looked up to see Wave of all people here. “Wave?” Wave was headed toward Akame but was then kicked away from them and smashed through several pillars before crashing into one of the other buildings. Akame saw who it was landing in front of her. “Tatsumi…”Wave groaned as he stood up. He saw Tatsumi in his Incursio armor but it had vastly changed since their last encounter. It looked more like the actual Tyrant Dragon from where Incursio was created from. He had heard about it from Esdeath but didn’t care at this moment. “Get out of my way Tatsumi.”Tatsumi narrowed his eyes at Wave. “The fight is over Wave.”The other armor user growled deeply at the words. “NO, IT’S NOT!” He stood up and launched himself at Tatsumi. “I’M GOING TO MAKE HER PAY!”Tatsumi prepared himself for Wave’s incoming attack. “I’M NOT GOING TO LET YOU HURT AKAME!” Both pulled back their arms and their fists collided when Wave neared Tatsumi. Their attacks created a thunderous boom that blew away the rain around them.Wave didn’t let up an inch before his opponent. “IT’S HER FAULT KUROME IS DEAD NOW!”“KUROME WAS THE ONE WHO WANTED THIS FIGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE!” Tatsumi unleashed a barrage of punches all over at Wave. Wave felt how powerful each punch was and pushed him back. He came back at Tatsumi with a kick but Tatsumi caught the attack with ease. He then delivered a powerful uppercut at Wave which launched him straight into the air.Wave coughed out blood as a result and couldn’t believe how powerful Tatsumi had become. “Such power…what the hell? His strength’s shot through the roof since the last time we fought. Just taking a few of his attacks back then was nearly enough to finish me.” He crashed back onto the ground and created a crater below him. Wave gritted his teeth at what happened to him. “Tatsumi…it can’t end like this…” “That’s enough, Tatsumi!” Both Tatsumi and Wave looked over to where Akame was with Kurome’s motionless body lying next to her. “That’s enough, please…” She lowered her head to the point where her bangs were covering her eyes. "I'm sorry…Wave. In the end…this is how it ends between us."Even with the rain pouring upon them, Tatsumi could tell Akame was crying. He started to walk over to his teammate and stopped in front of her. “Let’s go back home Akame.”Akame didn’t say anything back and the two started to walk away. As they were walking, Wave stood up and walked over to where Kurome was. Seeing that bloody spot on her body will forever be a reminder of his failure of both him being a teammate and as more than a friend. He picked up Kurome in his arms and turned his attention to the two Night Raid members leaving. Wave gritted his teeth at the one who will forever be responsible for killing her own little sister. "I will never forgive you for doing this. Do you hear me Akame?! I’LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!” F Wave and Akame kept staring at each in disbelief. Akame could scarcely believe that they were to meet again a second time in this world. She could see it in Wave's eyes that this was the Wave from her world. Cornelia was familiar with the look her leader currently had. “This was the same kind of reaction Akame had back when she first saw Kurome which means…” She looked back at Wave who still had a shocked face. Something about him bugged the blonde. “Akame said Wave. Does she know this guy?” It quickly dawned on her who the person in front really was and gasped. “No way. He’s from the same world as her and Leone! If that’s true, then…”Akame came to the same conclusion and snapped out of her shock. “Cora, Taeko! Get out of here no-” “GRAND CHARIOT!” All three girls felt immensely powerful wind blowing at them and shielded themselves with their arms for protection. The wind blew through other parts of the town where Kurome and the others were and shield themselves the same way. “What the hell now!?”The danger beast that created Grand Chariot appeared behind Wave and let out its devastating roar. The roar Esdeath and everyone else heard was very different than the one they heard before and it sounded more terrifying. “That roar came from where Akame and the others are!” Every member had the same idea and ran back to where their leader and other teammates were.Wave was fully in his Grand Chariot armor and Akame knew this situation was about to become worse. “Cora, Taeko, we need to-” Wave suddenly appeared in front of Akame and hooked his entire arm around Akame. He then blasted off into the air with his arm around Akame. He sendoff blasted the two girls near their leader away and a crater was left behind.They saw Wave carrying their leader away from them and from the looks of it, out of the village. “Akame!”On their way back to their leader, Kurome caught a quick glimpse of a figure traveling through the air. She gasped at the sight of who the mysterious figure was carrying in their arms. Kurome stopped and stood in place while witnessing that armored figure carrying her sister away out of the village. "Akame!" Chelsea stopped and turned to the other girl. “What’s wrong Kurome?” She didn’t receive an answer as Kurome resumed running to where Cornelia and Taeko were at a faster speed this time. Chelsea followed her closely and could tell something was bothering Kurome.Cornelia stood up after being knocked down and stared at the direction her leader was carried off too. “This is really not good. Not good at all.” Taeko had similar thoughts about what had just happened before them. “What in the hell was that?”"Hey!" The two girls saw Kurome, Chelsea, Esdeath, and Rienna running back to them. They saw all of them worried and confused. Kurome felt the most out of all of them. "You mind explaining to us what the hell just happened?! First, some wind blew through here and then we heard a roar coming from here. On the way back, I saw some weird person in armor carrying off Akame!”Cornelia hated being the person with the bad news but the rest of the team needed to know. “You remember that Wave guy Akame told us before? That was him and he’s in this world.”Some of the other members didn’t know what to think what they were told. Esdeath was just confused by how this came to be. “But if that’s true, how did he arrive at Remnant? Could he have arrived the same way Akame and Leone did?” It was the only explanation she could think of and if that was the answer, how long had he been in their world?“Is that you Esdeath?” Esdeath gasped at the familiarity of the voice she and the rest of the team heard. They turned to where the voice was and sure enough, they were surprised at who they saw. Ruby and her group. “What are all of you doing here?”“Ruby?” Esdeath took quick notice of Ruby’s new outfit and felt something like an arrow piercing through her heart. “She’s…she’s so…” And Kurome smacked Esdeath’s head from behind. “Ow!”Esdeath whined as she held the back of her head. Kurome was not in the mood for her teammate’s reaction of Ruby’s new outfit. She turned her attention to Ruby’s group. “I can ask you the same thing.” She did wonder why Ruby of all people and the people she’s with are here. “Humor me, please but do any of you know a guy who wears a suit of armor?”To her surprise, Kurome saw Ruby’s eyes widened. “Oh no. “Oh no. I thought it was weird when we heard that roar coming here”Kurome took that as sign that the younger girl did know something. She stomped over to where the younger leader was and grabbed her by the shoulders tightly. “You better tell me why the hell you have someone from Akame’s world traveling with you!”“Hey…” Kurome turned to Qrow who narrowed his eyes at her. “Let her go.”Kurome leered back at him. “And who the hell are you?”He pointed at Ruby. “Her uncle.”Kurome looked back and forth between Qrow and Ruby and finally stopped at Qrow. “Uncle?”Ruby giggled nervously. “Yep. That’s my uncle Qrow.”Kurome just kept staring Qrow when she realized one unique trait about him. “He has red eyes like Akame.” Everyone heard the roar again from before and Kurome let Ruby go. “Oh yeah, I kinda forgot about that.” Rienna spoke.Ren recognized the roar all too well. “No…not again.”Ruby turned to her teammate. “Ren, what is that?”Jaune and everyone else heard something big coming their way. “Wait, you guys hear that?”Ren did and he dropped to his knees and lowered his head. Seeing him do that worried Nora. “Ren?”Taeko immediately sensed that something approaching them. “It’s here.” Everyone turned to where the noise came from and saw what the creature who made those roars truly looked like. Ren lifted his head to see the same Grimm that destroyed Shion, his village, and his family. All of them saw a large horse-like Grimm with a humanoid creature attached to the top with a variety of weapons stuck to its back and long curved horns on its head. They had encountered a Grimm called a Nuckelavee.The Nuckelavee let out another of its shrill roars and everyone covered their ears. “What the hell is that thing!”Everyone else had the same question as Cornelia. Once it stopped roaring, all of them uncovered their ears. Kurome walked away from Ruby and took Trisula. “I don’t care what it is. It’s in the way. I got to get to Akame before something happens to her!”The rest of the team agreed and everyone took out their weapons. Chelsea smiled at their situation. “Well, at least this’ll be over quick. There’s only one of it and all of us. Easy.”Just as she spoke those words, the Nuckelavee roared again but this time to the sky. The roar resonated throughout the air and echoed far and wide. Once it was over, the two groups heard another loud noise. Almost as if it was a stampede. A few seconds passed and the next thing they knew, a large hoard of Grimm was heading toward them from several Nevermores, Beowolves, to Ursas, to Beringels. Everyone couldn’t believe the number of Grimm before them. It was almost similar to the event at what happened back at Ruby’s scouting mission at Glenn Mountain. Taeko could only sigh at what Chelsea said before. “You and your big mouth Chelsea.” B Akame was thrown to the ground and crashed through the dirt until she stopped. She couldn't believe how quick everything had just happened and it was only going to be worse. Wave landed across from her and his bag dropped to the ground. Both were in a wide-open flat area with several large rocks scattered everywhere and a steep cliff face behind Akame. Wave saw Akame slowly stand up after throwing her down into the dirt. “To think I would meet you again this soon.”Akame could say the same thing as she stared back at Wave. “I’m surprised to see you in this world Wave. It’s been a long time since we last saw each other.”The feeling was mutual for Wave. “Not since that night. The night you killed Kurome.” He closed his hand tightly. “I’ll make you pay for what you did to her. So, in her memory, I’ll finish what she started and end you here! That way, she’ll be avenged. This fight is between only me and you!”“So that’s why he took me away from the others.” Akame weighed in the situation she was in. “Wave doesn’t know that Kurome is alive in this world but he’s beyond listening to reason. My only option to get back to the others is going through him.” She knew it wasn’t going to be an easy fight but there was no other choice. She grabbed collar of her cloak and tossed it aside to the ground. Akame grabbed Yatsufusa’s handle and drew it out. She pointed her sword at Wave with a look of determination on her face. “Fine then Wave but you do well to remember how it ended with our last fight!”Wave hadn’t forgotten about it but that was then and this was now. He was aware of the strategy Akame would use against him and was prepared for it. Wave also noticed the choice of weapon Akame was wielding. “She’s not using Murasame?” It didn’t matter to him anyway. All he cared about was making sure Akame would get what she finally deserves. “Let’s end this once and for all Akame!” B “Get out of my way!” Kurome yelled as she slashed through several Beowolves while passing by them. She saw an Ursa charging at her and Kurome pointed her weapon at it. She fired a shot at it and the bullet went through the head. She turned around and observed what was happening. Everyone had their hands full trying to deal with the surrounding Grimm and the Nuckelavee attacking them when none of them were looking didn’t make the situation any easier. When one of them would turn their attention to it, several of the Grimm would attack from behind. They had their hands full and saw no way out. “Damn it. We have to finish this as fast as possible.”“Kurome, look out!” Kurome heard Chelsea’s voice and did turn around to see an Ursa raising its arm at her. Before it could attack, Chelsea appeared before her and swung one of her fans at the Grimm. The attack was strong enough to take out the Ursa and it fell.Kurome was very glad Chelsea came in to intercept. “Thanks a lot. I’ll pay more attention next time.”Chelsea still had her back turned to the other girl while not moving. “You need to get out of here.”Those were definitely not the words Kurome expected Chelsea to tell her. “What are you talking about?”Chelsea still refused to look at Kurome. “You need to go where that Wave guy took Akame right? It’s best right now for you to on ahead while the rest of us handle things here. You remember what Akame told us about those who use Imperial Arms that one time right? One of them will die. I don’t care about that other guy but we can’t risk having Akame being killed. Otherwise, we’ll never hear the end of it from Leone.” Kurome couldn’t believe what her girlfriend was suggesting to her. Both girls saw another group of the Grimm stampeding towards them. “So get a move on now Kurome!” Chelsea raised her fans and then swung them down with powerful gusts of winds headed toward the Grimm. The wind managed to split the group apart and left a clear path in the middle. Chelsea smiled at her handiwork. “She is your sister, right?”Kurome didn’t have much room to argue. Chelsea was right which was rare and would gladly take up the offer Chelsea had given her. “Alright then. Be careful.”Chelsea chuckled at the other girl’s words. “Aren’t I always?”Kurome let the joke slide and her clothes began to flow. “Amplify times two!” A strong pulse came out of her body and quickly took the path Chelsea gave to her. It didn’t take her long to exit the village and continue running. "From what I can tell, that armored guy took Akame in this direction. That's my best shot at finding them. I just hope I can make it in time. If the worst comes to worst, I'll fight the bastard myself. Just hang in there Akame."With Kurome gone to search for her older sister, Chelsea turned to the rest of her group and Ruby’s. “Hey! Kurome’s gone ahead to look for Akame so not to cause alarm but we’re pretty much leaderless at this point!”Taeko cut through several Grimm with her semblance. “I suppose that’s the right course of action.”Rienna fired concentrated streams of fire at two Beringels and they howled at being burned to their deaths. “What do we do now?”That was a question on everyone’s mind. Amidst of all this chaos, Esdeath froze several Beowolves solid and examined at their situation. She saw what each of the members from both groups was doing and some were still struggling. Esdeath closed her hands tightly and raised her right arm into the air. “Heulender Blizzard!” A powerful blizzard suddenly appeared and the Grimm nearest to everyone was caught in it. Those who were fighting jumped back to avoid being caught in the attack just like the Grimm. Esdeath heard some of the Nevermore screech and set both her arms forward at them. Several large ice shards formed around her pointing at the flying Grimm. “Weiss Schnabel!” Esdeath sent them to Nevermore above and impaled two of them through the body. They let out one more screech before crashing into the ground. With them taken out, their fight would become much easier now. Some of the Grimm broke through the blizzard and started to resume their attack. Esdeath slammed both of her hands to the ground. "Kalten Königreich!” Ice formed over the ground and froze along with the Grimm standing. She created a large ice wall to separate her and the rest of the group and the oncoming Grimm. She wasn’t done yet as Esdeath heard the Nuckelavee Grimm screech at her and extended one of its hands at Esdeath. She quickly stood up and waved her arm across with ice following. The attack was blocked and Esdeath extended her arm at the Grimm. “Grau Horn!” A horn of ice appeared underneath the Nuckelavee and tossed it away from everyone else. Thanks to her actions, Esdeath bought everyone a little time.Ruby clapped at what Esdeath did as it’s been way too long seeing the other girl in action. “That was really amazing Esdeath!”Nora was equally impressed. “You know, it makes me kinda happy you’re on our side.”Qrow also took notice of Esdeath’s power. “This girl…” Esdeath looked at everyone closely. “Okay, this is how this’ll go. It’s obvious we’re constantly attacked by the Grimm surrounding us and that horse Grimm. Which is why I propose something. Cornelia, Taeko, Chelsea, Rienna, and I will handle the horde. Our teamwork will rid them all easily. Meanwhile, Ruby, you and your team deal with that horse Grimm. Can you handle that?”This was the first-time Ruby had seen Esdeath so…commanding before. She quickly nodded at the question. “Yeah, leave it to us.”Esdeath smiled at the younger and nodded back at her. “Good. At least this’ll be easier on all of us.” She heard Cornelia giggle for some reason. “What’s so funny?”The blonde continued giggling and smiled at the other girl. “It’s just that when our team first formed, you mentioned that you wouldn’t make a good leader but look at you now.”Esdeath remembered saying that but she didn’t have a choice in this situation. “Akame has been taken away, Leone is gone, Kurome is off looking for Akame. Someone has to do this.”Now that she mentioned it, Jaune and the others did notice Leone wasn’t with them. “Where is Leone anyway?” Jaune asked.Chelsea sighed at the question. “We’ll explain that after we’re not being attacked by Grimm.”Speaking of Grimm, they heard the Nuckelavee screech. That was their signal to start. “Let’s end this now!” Both groups turned to their respective targets of interest. The members of Night Raid tossed their cloaks aside.An idea suddenly came to Chelsea. “Hey, to make this more interesting, whoever finishes their side first, the losing team has to buy for the winning team.”Nora grinned at the offer. “Sounds great to me!” Esdeath snapped her fingers and the ice formed in front of Night Raid shattered. They saw the remaining Grimm were ready as usual to continue attacking them.The Grimm began to charge at Night Raid in their sights. Rienna and Esdeath were the first to step up. “Rienna!”The blonde nodded. “Right!” She pointed Devil Incarnate in front of the horde. “Flaming Spiral!” Fire furiously streamed out in spirals and was headed toward the Grimm.Esdeath pulled back arm and extended it forward. "Gefrorene Misery!" She unleashed a wave of ice right next to Rienna’s attack.The two attacks combined and become one large powerful attack. “Freezing Hellfire!” The attack struck multiple Grimm at once and all of them were burning and freezing at the same time.They heard the screech of the remaining Nevermore flying above them and sent its quills at them. Rienna and Esdeath jumped back to avoid the attack. Esdeath turned to Taeko. “Taeko, take care of the Nevermore!”Taeko would gladly do just that but had one question. “How will I accomplish that?” Her answer was a pillar of ice suddenly appearing underneath her and was rising into the air. The ice pillar stopped when the top was at the same elevation as the Nevermore. Taeko saw the Nevermore flying at her while screeching. Taeko stood still as she readied Tsugaku-Hime. The flying Grimm came in closer to its target which was exactly what Taeko wanted it to do. “This attack will bring death to those who draw near.” As soon as the Nevermore opened its mouth at her, Taeko quickly swung her sword at the Grimm. “Scattering Breeze!” Several blades of wind emerged out of her sword and cut apart the Nevermore into several pieces as they passed Taeko by. The pieces of the Nevermore fell to the ground. And now there was a new problem present. “How do I get down from here?”Her answer were some glyphs appearing that led the way down. Chelsea waved at her childhood friend. “Use that Taeko!” The other girl smiled at Chelsea and began hopping her way down using the glyphs.While Chelsea was momentarily distracted, A Beringel appeared behind her and raised its arm. Chelsea barely noticed the shadow over her and turned around to see the large Grimm ready to strike her down. The Beringel roared as it swung it’s arm down but was then deflected by Cornelia who appeared at the last second with her axes. She took the opportunity present and crossed her arms while holding her axes. Both weapons began to vibrate intensely and the blonde yelled while swinging her two axes at the Grimm in front. Her attack managed to cut through the Beringel easily and split into four pieces. Cornelia turned to her teammate and smiled at her. “You alright?”Chelsea nodded at the other girl’s question. “Yeah but…” She closed one of her fans and pointed it at Cornelia. Or rather what was behind her and shot the oncoming Beowolf in the head. Cornelia looked behind her to see the Grimm drop dead and then back to Chelsea who smirked at her. “I think that makes us even.”Suddenly both girls heard a roar coming from their right and saw a Major Ursa charging at them. They were both prepared to take it on. “Ridge Wind!” A single blade of a wind cut through the Ursa and split apart. Takeo appeared before the two girls landing on the ground. She turned to her two teammates who were half impressed and half surprised. “If you have time to talk, you have time to kill the Grimm.” Chelsea and Cornelia nodded in agreement.Esdeath and Rienna regrouped with the rest of the girls and had all their backs turned against each other staring at the Grimm nearing them. Despite their situation, Chelsea couldn’t help but laugh. “You think Ruby and her group are having as much fun as we are?”While the members of Night Raid were busy handing with the Grimm reinforcements, Ruby and her team, along with Qrow were busy fighting off the Nuckelavee. The Grimm shrieked as it launched one of its extendable arms at Ruby but she jumped over it and aimed Crescent Rose at the ground. She fired a shot and went up into the air with her scythe ready. However, the Nuckelavee managed to grab her mid-air and slammed her into the ground. Nora ran toward it but was struck by the other extendable arm. The Grimm retracted both of its arms and was being shot at by Ren who was circling around it. He kept shooting at the Grimm but it proved to have no effect on it. The Nuckelavee threw both of its arms at him and grabbed Ren by the arms. Ren struggled to break free of the Grimm’s tight grip. Jaune came up with a quick idea to help Ren out. “Keep moving, go in a circle!” He ran after saying that.Nora fired a shot at the Grimm and struck it. With it being momentarily distracted, Ren broke free and began to follow what Jaune told him to do. Him, Jaune, Ruby, Nora and Qrow began to circle around the Nuckelavee while firing at it. It tried to attack them but they dodged it. While circling, Jaune quickly came up to one of the legs and slashed at it. The horse part of the Grimm neighed loudly and turned around to kick Jaune away from it. Ruby ran to his side and Jaune stood up once he stopped. Ruby saw her teammate sheath his sword for some reason. “What you doing?!”Her answer was Jaune taking out his sheath with the sword still in it and changed slightly into a combined sword. He ran back to the Grimm and Ruby smiled as she provided cover fire for him by shooting with Crescent Rose in its weapon form. The bullets were enough to draw the Nuckelavee’s attention while Jaune came at it again. He jumped at one of the legs and slashed it again. The horse part of the Grimm neighed loudly again. While it was doing that, Qrow came from the side and slashed at the main body of the Grimm while passing it by. When he stopped at the other side, he aimed his sword at the Grimm and fired a few shots. They had a little more of an effect and did push it back only a little. He clicked his tongue at how the fight was going so far for them. “This one is a tough bastard.” The Nuckelavee twitched a little and then spun its whole body around while stretching out its arms. The attacked managed to hit everyone except for Qrow who blocked the attack with his weapon but was still able to push him back. The Nuckelavee retracted its arms again back to it and then grabbed its shoulder. When it did that, the spines on its back suddenly grew longer and twitched several times before opening its mouth all the way to let out an ear-piercing screech and the Grimm screeched along with it. Ruby and Jaune covered their ears while the screech grabbed the attention of Esdeath and the others. Rienna can pretty much guess what the screech meant. "I think they made it mad."Ren ran off and headed toward the tree. He ran up the tree and started shooting at the Grimm while being on top of one the branches. The Nuckelavee turned around to him and sent one of its arms at him Ren tried to jump out of the way but the claw grabbed him and slammed Ren into the building behind the tree. Nora saw the Grimm getting ready for its next attack and turned to Ruby. “Ruby!” The younger girl looked back at Nora and nodded. She readied Crescent Rose and Nora jumped over to her. Ruby spun around and Nora landed on the blade. Nora jumped off Crescent Rose while the young leader fired a shot for extra momentum. The Nuckelavee sent over its other arm at Ren to finish him off but was intercepted by Nora. Ren had braced for the attack but it didn’t come to him. He lowered his arms and saw that one of the Grimm’s arms was in a different direction. He looked over to where it led and saw Nora dangling from her hammer being grabbed by the Grimm. Nora turned to him and realized the precarious position she was in. “Stop looking.” She crossed her legs and looked away in embarrassment while Ren looked away as well.The Nuckelavee twitched again and pulled Nora’s hammer while Nora still hanging onto it. The Grimm raised her high into the air and then slammed her into the ground hard. It did the same thing twice to her and she let go while rolling away a little with her aura finally giving out. Ren saw what happened and cut the claw holding him before stabbing it and shooting at it. Both Qrow and Jaune slashed at the legs again and it made the Grimm jump around again. Ren struggled to pull the claw off him and succeeded before falling to the ground. He quickly stood up and ran toward the Grimm. Ren deflected an attack coming from the Nuckelavee and was ready to attack it but was struck down again and away from the Grimm. He recovered quickly and ran back to the Grimm. Jaune knew this wasn’t Ren’s usual way of fighting. “Ren! Knock it off!”Ren didn’t listen to him and continued to charge at the Grimm. Behind Ren, the Nuckelavee’s claw suddenly came back and grabbed Ren by the leg. The Grimm threw him around and Ren lost his weapons in the process. He was tossed aside to where Nora was and his aura gave out. Nora slowly sat up and saw Ren enraged while looking at the Nuckelavee. They stood up and then Nora tackled Ren underneath the building next to them while the Grimm began charging to where they were. They expected the Grimm to destroy the house but it didn’t come. Ren walked up to the opening and saw Jaune stopping the Nuckelavee by the hooves with his sword but only for a moment as it kicked him away. Two shots struck it and turned around toward Ruby. It sent one of its arms at her. Ruby jumped into the air to avoid the attack and continued to shoot at the Grimm while in the air. She landed on the top of a house and shot at the Nuckelavee a few more times before jumping out of the way of the next attack. While it was busy attacking, it felt a few slashes at its side and was pushed away. It looked over at Qrow who didn’t seem too happy. “That’s my niece you’re trying to kill.” While everyone else was busy dealing with the Grimm, Ren tried to join in but was stopped by Nora who grabbed his arm. “Nora, let go!” He tried to pull away but had no success. Ren finally turned to her. “Nora, they’re going to get hurt if we don’t-”And Nora slapped Ren backhanded to knock some sense into him. Ren looked back at his childhood friend while she finally let go of his arm and lowered her head. “No. I won’t let you kill yourself like this. After everything we’ve been through, I won’t let it end.” She finally raised her head to look at Ren. What Ren saw before him was Nora when she was younger shivering in fear. When he blinked, he saw her in the present day with tears starting to come out of her eyes. “Not like this.” Seeing Nora cry like that was not what Ren wanted. He lowered his head and took out a small dagger that his father gave to him. Ren saw Nora’s hand placed upon the dagger and look up to see her again. He saw the determined look in her eye. “We can do this.” If there was ever a time to agree with Nora, this was one of them. Both emerged out of under the house and saw Jaune standing around while Qrow was busy dealing with the Nuckelavee. Ruby ran to her group and they were all back together.Everyone looked at each other when the ground beneath them began to shake violently. They all took a step back and Jaune looked at the ground. “What’s going on now?”Qrow deflected another attack from the Nuckelavee and turned to where all the shaking was coming from. “What the hell are they planning?” Insert RWBY Vol 4 opening During RNJR’s and Qrow’s fight against the Nuckelavee, Night Raid was beginning to thin out the Grimm horde. They just needed to finish them once and for all. It was during this Cornelia had an idea and needed Chelsea’s help. Both girls slammed their weapons into the ground with Esdeath and the others behind them. “You ready Chelsea?”The other girl chuckled nervously. “Not really but let’s do this anyway!”Both girls yelled while the ground started to shake violently. The shaking became stronger with each passing second and the ground began to crack and break apart with the Grimm on top of it. “Seismic Terror!” Cornelia used her semblance full power and Chelsea did the same. The houses in front broke down and the ground split apart into multiple paths. The result was the ground raising up and traveling toward the horde. The earth wave struck all of the remaining Grimm sent them up into the air.It was Esdeath’s and the other girls’ turn now as they stepped in front of Cornelia and Chelsea with Esdeath standing in between Taeko and Rienna. “Hell’s Wind Formation!”The wind circled around Taeko while she pointed her sword and Rienna pulled back her arms with her flamethrowers ready. Rienna yelled as she pointed her weapons in front and let loose large streams of fire. “Flaming Spiral!” The flames engulfed all the Grimm in a raging blaze.With the fire ready, Taeko swung her sword and powerful gusts of wind were sent forth from her all the way to the fire. The wind combined with the fire and created a fire tornado. “Hell’s Twister!” While the fire twister was still going, Esdeath brought her arm up. “Cold Front Formation!”Taeko pulled back her sword and the wind began to circle around her again. She swung her sword with the wind blowing fiercely away from her. Esdeath extended her arm forward. “Heulender Blizzard!” She sent her blizzard attack right next to Taeko’s winds and like with Rienna’s attack before, their attacks combined to form a large and powerful ice storm. “Frigid Winds Assault!” The second combo attack joined the first one and the all the Grimm felt the force of the two attacks conjoined together.The combination attacks lasted for a few more seconds before subsiding and there was no sign of any of the Grimm left. Or the surrounding houses that were there previously. All five girls cheered and high-fived each other. "Overkill but I like it." Chelsea spoke. Ruby and the rest saw what happened and didn't know what to think of it. It even caught the attention of the Nuckelavee and let out another screech. “Oh, shut up already!”They may be done but Ruby and the others still had to deal with their enemy. The young leader suddenly thought up an idea. “Ren…” Said teammate looked over at her. Jaune and I can take care of its arms.”Nora already decided what her target would be. “I’ll take the horse.”“And I’ll take care of the rest.”Ruby nodded at Ren’s decision and turned to her uncle. “Uncle Qrow!”Qrow jumped back away from the Grimm and looked back at his niece. He smiled as he could already tell what she had planned. "Go for it, Ruby." He cleared out for whatever Ruby had planned for their enemy.Nora started running to one of the buildings and jumped on a small roof before jumping again. Ruby began shooting at the Grimm while running around house to house to gain its attention while dodging its attacks. She turned around and fired again to land on the ground. The Nuckelavee stretched out its arm to attack her but Ruby jumped up again to avoid the attack. She fired again to go higher and turned Crescent Rose around and fired once more toward the arm. Ruby managed to stab the arm with her scythe and the Grimm screeched out in pain. That was only the beginning as Ren’s dagger suddenly stuck into the side of the Grimm and the horse part started to jump around a little. It saw Jaune and used its other arm to attack him but then Ren jumped off the roof of a building while holding Jaune’s shield. He managed to intercept the attack and kept it away from Jaune while Ren pressed the shield against the arm. He turned to Jaune. “Now!” Jaune ran over to the arm and stabbed it to keep it in place. The Nuckelavee screeched out in pain again. “Nora!”Nora was standing on top of a tall building near the Grimm and began to fall backward with a grin. She twirled a little in typical Nora fashion before raising her hammer in front. Nora slammed the horse head of the Grimm with her hammer to the ground and it screeched out in agony and was brought to its knees. RWBY Vol 4 opening end With the Nuckelavee immobilized now, Ren walked up to it and pulled out his dagger. He stood in front of the Grimm that took everything from him on that fateful day in his village. The Grimm roared in his face but Ren wasn’t fazed by it. Ren flipped the dagger around and held it underhanded. “For my mother.” He cut apart one of the arms and the Grimm shrieked in pain. Ren grabbed one of the horns to keep it still. “For my father.” He cut off the other arm and the Grimm continued to shriek in pain. The Nuckelavee roared at him again. “For all those you’ve slain.” Ren slashed across its chest plate and kept shrieking. It lowered its body in front of him and Ren closed his eyes. “For myself.” Ren opened his eyes and then finally cut the Nuckelavee’s head off. Its body flailed around before going limp and then dissipating into black smoke rising.Ren exhaled and dropped his dagger as he had finally avenged those the Nuckelavee had killed. Nora in her usual way and in no other way to describe her happiness, glomped Ren to the ground while laughing.Jaune and Ruby were happy that it was finally gone. The young leader then felt a hand placed on her head and turned to see Qrow smiling at her. “You did good kiddo.” Ruby smiled back at her uncle and Qrow removed his hand.“Ruby!” The young leader turned around just in time for Esdeath grabbing her and shoving Ruby’s face into Esdeath’s cleavage in a tight hug. “I’m so happy to see you again and what you did with your team was amazing!”Ruby tried to talk but it was unfortunately muffled thanks to her face being in Esdeath’s breasts. Qrow cleared his throat and Esdeath turned to him. She immediately let go of the younger girl who gasped for air. “Sweet freedom!”Esdeath felt embarrassed for what she did in front of Qrow. “Y-You’re Ruby’s uncle, right? It’s very nice to meet you. I’ve never met anyone from Ruby’s family before except for Yang and-”Qrow held up his hand to her. “Just calm down, okay?” Esdeath quickly nodded at him.Chelsea and the others walked up to the other group while Chelsea was grinning. “Well, I’d say that takes care of that and all of you owe us some food.” And Taeko slapped her friend from behind her head. “Ow!”Taeko leered at the other girl. “Take this seriously, will you? We’re not done yet.” The rest Night Raid had to agree. Akame was still out there probably fighting against Wave. Where they are right now, their best bet was Kurome hopefully finding them before it was too late. Jaune suddenly noticed something and looked up to the sky. "Guys! I think I hear something!"Everyone else looked up and saw two airships flying their way. From the symbols they saw on the sails, they were from Mistral. They cleared out of the way for them to land. “Are all of you okay?!”Ruby nodded at him. “We’re fine!”While Jaune was happy to see some friendly people, he was wondering about something. “How did you find us out here?”One of the pilots jumped off the airship and approached the group. “We were on patrol and we saw smoke, a blizzard, and a…fire tornado. Thought something might be wrong.” Chelsea giggled at that. “Nobody’s been out here for years.” He looked at everyone carefully. “Is this your whole group?”Esdeath took a step forward and shook her head. “No. One of our friends was taken away. She’s still out there. We have to find her before it’s too late.”Chelsea pointed off in the direction Kurome ran to. “One of our own ran off to catch up that way. Maybe you can help us.”The pilot looked at the direction and then back at the group. “Alright then. We’ll go looking for your friends.”The members of Night Raid cheered as they still had a chance. Esdeath turned to Ruby and her group. “Ruby…you go on ahead. We’ll meet again in Mistral. Make you’ll tell us where you are when you arrive.”Ruby understood clearly. “Alright. Good luck finding Akame and I’m sorry. I never did think we’d see you again here of all places.”Esdeath could understand that but was very glad to see Ruby again. “We’ll catch up later. See you in Mistral.” She and the rest of Night Raid walked over to the second airship while Ruby and the rest of her group boarded the first one. The two airships took off and flew in different directions. One towards Mistral and the other to where Akame might be. The fight against the Grimm may be over but the members of Night Raid won’t rest until they have Akame back with them. They can only hope either them or Kurome can reach her in time. “Hold on Akame. We’re coming to save you.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol ThreeKill Fifty One: Demon vs Angel"Let's end this once and for all Akame!" Akame was fully prepared for Wave’s onslaught. She knew Wave might’ve improved since their last fight which would make this one all the tougher.Wave launched himself at his opponent and Akame was ready to counterattack. The way this was starting out was similar to how their last fight began. She saw Wave coming in close. That was when Wave suddenly struck the ground with his fist in front of Akame and dust kicked up everywhere. Akame had to look away while not getting any of the dust in her eye. She questioned the tactic Wave had just performed. “An indirect attack? No, a distraction!” Akame quickly turned around just in time to see Wave’s silhouette and jumped back into the air while avoiding his swinging kick. The force behind the kick blew away the dust and Akame could feel the force behind it. “He’s definitely become stronger."Akame saw Wave jump higher than her into the air. She knew what attack was coming next. Wave looked down and knew he had this. “She can’t dodge in mid-air.” He was ready to end the fight. “Grand Fal-” He suddenly saw something wrap around his leg. “What the-” Wave was pulled back down and crashed into the ground leaving a crater. This was not how he planned it. “What the hell was that?” He raised his head and saw it was some sort of blade wrapped around his leg. Wave followed to where it led and it was coming from Akame. “An extendable sword?” Akame pressed the switch on her handle and was pulled to where Wave currently was quickly. She double kicked him while he was still on the ground and then jumped off before he lay a hand on her away from Wave. Akame pulled back her sword and the part that was wrapped around Wave’s leg unwrapped and fully retracted to its original form. Wave groaned as he stood up and took a closer look at Akame’s new sword. “So that’s what your new sword can do.”Akame continued to stare at her opponent. “You’d be surprised what I can do now after spending over six months in this world.” She held the sword in front of her. “With this sword, I have the edge in reach.” That left Wave with a new problem to deal with but he figured a way to get around it. “If it can reach, then all I have to do is attack you up close and personal!” He began to run toward where Akame was.Akame could easily see through Wave’s battle strategy. “He’s method of attacking hasn’t changed at all.” During their last bout, Akame delivered counterattacks whenever she would dodge and evade Wave’s attacks by striking the same spot on his armor again and again. If done enough times, the armor would eventually break. Even if Wave did become stronger, the same method used in the same order to defeat him has not changed. And that was what truly gave Akame the edge in this fight. She already knew all of Wave’s weaknesses. Akame anticipated Wave’s next attack. She was about to counterattack like before when Wave stopped suddenly changed direction. Akame wasn’t expecting that kind of tactic. “Is he planning on attacking from a different direction?” The most likely place he would attack was from behind. She turned around and sure enough, Wave was there but he kept moving. Akame followed to where he was going and quickly discovering what her opponent was trying to do. “He’s moving around me.” With each glimpse she would see, Wave would already move to the next spot around Akame. It was obvious he was trying to confuse her but this was a move Akame used before. She knew all too well how it’ll play out. The trick was not to follow but to know where exactly he’ll strike next. Akame stopped following Wave and waited for his next attack. Wave finally made his move and appeared before Akame. Akame used this chance and swung Yatsufusa from the side but Wave disappeared in front of her. Her eyes widened in surprised. “Another fake out?” If the frontal assault was a ruse, what was the real attack? “Grand Fall!” Akame looked up to see Wave quickly dropping to where she was standing. She jumped away into the air again and Wave’s attack struck the ground. The attack left a large crater as a result but Akame remained unworried. “I told you it doesn’t matter how large a radius your attack has if you’re using an attack head on!” Wave turned to her with his arm raised which gave Akame an opportunity. She swung her sword at Wave and it extended all the way to him. The blade wrapped around Wave’s arm and Akame pressed the switch to bring her to where Wave was quickly. Once she was near her opponent, Akame managed to kick him in the face with both legs before jumping off of him.Wave took a step back and looked back at Akame. “I didn’t forget but who said that was my real attack?” Akame didn’t understand what he meant by that at first but then realized something important. Unfortunately, it was too late. Wave strongly pulled his arm with Akame’s sword still wrapped around it. The force of the pull reached all the way to Akame and was pulled toward where Wave was. He wasn’t going to take any chances and jumped toward Akame. When the two met in the middle, Wave delivered a powerful blow to Akame’s stomach. Akame gasped out in pain but Wave wasn’t finished yet. Going with the momentum of his attack, he turned his whole body around with his fist still connecting with Akame and threw her back down. Akame crashed into the ground with dust scattering everywhere and Wave landed safety.Akame coughed while clutching her stomach. “If it wasn’t for my aura protecting me, that would’ve dealt massive damage to me.” She managed to stand up and focused on Wave. “Everything he did from before was just to land that single attack. I can’t take more hits like that or else my aura will give out on me and then I’ll really be in trouble.” Wave was surprised Akame could stand back up after taking an attack like that and being slammed into the ground. He unwrapped the sword around his arm and it dropped to the ground. “I remember how our last fight went. Whenever I tried attacked you, you would always counterattack. I never landed a single hit on you. But now things are different. Attacking you head on won’t work so I came up with a different strategy.”Akame could guess what it was and pulled her sword back to recall the rest of it into its original form. “You hide the real attack by doing several fake-outs. That’s not much of a strategy.”“But I did finally land a hit on you.” Wave pointed out. “That edge you talked about before is also a double-edged sword. It may extend your reach but it also makes it easier to pull you towards me.” Wave made a clear example of that and Akame felt it. It also meant that using her sword’s extendable feature would be more of a risk than a benefit. “So what are you going to do now Akame?”The answer was obvious to her and pointed Yatsufusa at Wave. “The outcome of the fight still hasn’t been determined. If you’re feeling that confident Wave, then come.”Wave knew Akame was drawing him in like before. He would take it but would come at it in a different way. “Fine then!” He traveled quickly over to Akame.Akame narrowed her eyes at her opponent. She knew Wave would try something different this time around so she decided to play his game. Akame took a running start at Wave which surprised him. Letting him have the first move and waiting wouldn’t have much an effect if Wave is going to hide his real attacks. She had to strike while still can. Even if that meant fighting Wave up close. Wave was surprised by Akame’s choice but thought this would make it easier for him. As they neared each other, one of them had to attack first. Wave thought it would be him and added a little strength in his next step to close the gap between him and Akame. He came in close quickly and pulled back his arm. Wave tried to deliver a punch at his enemy but Akame disappeared to avoid the attack and it stuck the ground. She reappeared behind him and slashed at his back. Wave quickly stood up and turned around for a kick but Akame jumped back to dodge but remained close. She swung Yatsufusa to the side and extended the blade just enough to slash across Wave’s armored chest plate before being recalled back. She could still use the extendable feature but only in short distances now. Once Akame landed on the ground, Wave was already running towards her.Akame saw Wave pull his arm back again and she expected another forward assault. Wave reached Akame and threw his expected punch forward. Akame moved to the side to avoid the attack to the right and leaned in while swinging Yatsufusa and struck across the chest plate again. At that moment, Wave suddenly turned his body around and managed to kick Akame with his left leg to Akame’Akame turned to Wave and couldn’t believe what he had to do to land his next attack. “You purposely let me strike your armor just so you had a chance to attack me.”That was exactly what Wave had planned. “I knew you would try the same strategy again so I used that to my advantage. There isn’t anything you haven’t done I’ve already seen before.”Akame shifted her right foot back a little. Slowly but surely, she was being backed into a corner. This fight was completely different than their last one. The strategy used last time was to get Wave rattled and emotional. She knew his attacks wouldn't be as effective if he was panicked and on tilt. But now in this fight, he was in more control, more focused. Determined to avenge Kurome by any means necessary. In this situation, Akame had one option left. “I’m afraid that where you’re wrong Wave.” She closed her eyes. “While I was living in this world…I did learn something new and you’ll experience it firsthand.” The wind suddenly started to circle around her. Wave gasped quietly as he saw red markings appearing all over Akame’s body. The wind subsided and Akame opened her eyes to reveal they were black while still retaining her red eye color.Wave felt a different feeling coming from Akame. Something sinister. “What…the hell?” It had been a while since Akame had to use her semblance and since then, she had been training to keep it in check. She hadn’t forgotten what Cinder told her on that night. Akame kept all that negative emotion from surfacing so the Grimm wouldn’t sense her when she activated it. She had promised herself not to use except for when the situation called for it and this fight fits that requirement. Akame leaned forward and launched herself at Wave. Before Wave had time to react, Akame was already in front of him. “She’s gotten faster!” Akame raised her sword and dark red energy spiraled around her sword. “Shrieking Sinner!” She swung her sword at Wave but he crossed his arms to defend against the attack. That proved to be less than effective as soon as the sword struck his arms and immediately enlarged to the point where it engulfed Wave completely. The attack traveled away from Akame and Wave along with it.The attack traveled a little more away from Akame until it finally began to dwindle and finally subsided. Out of it was Wave still standing with his arms crossed but he felt how powerful the attack was. “What the hell was that?” While he was in that attack wave, the soldier heard all kinds of shrieks of terror. Wave could still hear them now which frightened him a little.Akame’s first attack was only the beginning. She instantly vanished before Wave and he suddenly felt his armor being cut from the side. It took him a second to register what happened and shortly after, he felt a series of cuts and slashes happening all over his body. Akame was passing by Wave while delivering a single slash at his armor before stopping and then repeating the process of attacks all over again in different directions around him. He tried shielding himself but it proved very little to help. Finally, one of the strikes cut Wave from behind the knee and he yelled while being down on one knee. Akame appeared a little away in front of Wave. “The area behind his knee is more vulnerable than the rest Wave’s armor.” She took the opportunity while her opponent was momentarily down and raised Yatsufusa above her. That same dark red energy spiraled around the sword. “Devastating Wake!” Akame slammed her sword to the ground and a large deep crimson wave of energy started to travel to where Wave was. However, the further the attack traveled, the more the attack divided itself into multiples all heading straight for Wave. The soldier knew he couldn’t avoid all of them so his only choice was jumping high into the air. He managed to avoid the attacks in time but Akame suddenly appeared before him. Dark red energy surrounded her sword once again and swung it down on top of Wave’s head. The attack sent him back down with the sword extending still connected to him. He crashed into the ground and Akame pulled her sword back all the way to return it to its original form. With Wave below her now, Akame raised Yatsufusa above and began to fall to where he was. The energy from before enveloped the sword completely and began to glow. “Fatal End!” Akame swung her sword down as soon as she came in close to Wave. The result was a large pillar of crimson light shooting up into the sky while destroying everything around it.Away from the pillar of red light, Kurome saw it and stared at it for a few seconds before headed towards where the pillar came from. She had a pretty good idea where Akame was now and hoped she could make it to her in time. The pillar faded away and dust was kicked up from the attack. The dust cleared up to reveal Akame standing on top of Wave lying on the ground. There was silence for the first several seconds before Wave coughed. “So you’re still conscious.” She jumped off Wave and away from him.Even with his armor on, Wave really felt that attack. The soldier figured if he took another attack like that, he wouldn’t survive. Wave coughed a few more times before slowly standing up and breathing heavily. A small piece from the right side of Wave’s helmet was gone to reveal his eye. “What the hell…did you just do? What is that power?”Akame looked down at her sword. “This…This is my semblance. My power and what it does is utilize the sins I’ve committed into the attacks you’ve seen and increases my strength and speed.”Wave understood a little of what Akame was saying to him. “Your sins? You mean…all the people you killed?”Akame refused to look at her opponent. “Yes. The semblance I have now was once Murasame’s trump card.”That would explain why her attacks were powerful but Wave doubted Murasame would do these kinds of things back in their world. That was when it hit him. “Was this how you killed General Esdeath?” He received silence as his answer. Wave had always suspected Akame was the one who killed Esdeath at the end of the war. To think he was facing off the very same power that was used to end her. Wave found it so funny, he laughed a little. “So it is true what they said about you. How you’re sometimes known as Akame of the Demon Sword Murasame. I do admit you’re strong but if you’re known as a demon…then maybe what I need to do is to become an angel so I can finally defeat you!” The inside of Wave’s bag began to shine brightly and was suddenly ripped apart as two objects were flying toward him. The two pieces quickly reached over to Wave and were placed behind his back. He roared loudly the wind started to blow fiercely out from him.Akame shielded herself from the wind with one of her arms while seeing what was happening to wave. She gasped as her eyes widened in surprise as she recognized the two pieces that were behind Wave’s back. “That’s…”Wave continued to yell as he felt tremendous pain coursing through his body. During all of this, he remembered what Esdeath told him from before. “Normally, a person can wield only one Imperial Arms. This is an ironclad rule that applies even to me. If one person were to try to use two Imperial Arms at the same time…what do you think would happen? The answer is destruction. You do possess physical strength and force of will so it's not outside. The realm of possibility that someone like you might, in fact, be able to wield two Imperial Arms at once…but it’s imperative you be compatible with both of them.”The disks behind Wave’s back opened and wings came out from them with feathers scattering everywhere. He yelled one more time before the wind gave out with a final blast. “IMPERIAL ARMS SIMULTANEOUS ACTIVATION!” Akame was speechless at what she was seeing before her. She couldn’t believe her eyes and yet what Wave had done was thought to be impossible. “He’s able to use two Imperial Arms at once!?”Wave bared the pain that was going through his body but it was worth it in the end. “Thank you, Run. With Mastema’s power, I can finally avenge Kurome!” He completely focused on Akame in front of him now. "THIS IS THE END FOR YOU, AKAME!” Wave launched himself high into the air. Higher than before at an incredible speed. His takeoff even had power behind it and Akame felt it even from where she was standing. Akame looked up to see that Wave was far beyond to use Yatsufusa. His original Grand Fall attack was already powerful enough so one just like it from that height and with the increased power…she started to run away. That was her only choice to avoid Wave’s attack. From high up above, Wave saw what she was doing. “You’re not getting away.” He quickly dropped down at an immense speed while aiming at Akame. “GRAND FALL FLÜGEL!” Akame looked back just in time to see Wave closing in on her. As a last ditch effort, she jumped ahead before Wave crashed into the ground. As soon as Wave struck the ground, a massive explosion occurred. The ground underneath was completely destroyed underneath and all around. Even if Akame managed to avoid the attack, she was caught up in the shockwave the attack created upon Wave’s impact. She felt how strong the shockwave was and struck her entire body. Once the attack had ended, Akame crashed onto the ground rolling until she stopped. She slowly stood up and felt the effects of Wave’s attack. She also saw the devastation his attack had left when the dust finally cleared up. Everything in front of her was ruined. What lied in the center was an enormous crater left by Wave’s attack and from it was the surrounding area broken apart everywhere. Wave had changed the landscape of the area by himself with his attack. Speaking of Wave, Akame didn’t see him anyway. She looked around the area but there was no sign of him. “Where did he go?” She searched frantically but he was nowhere to be found. That was when Wave landed right in front of her. Akame could only stare in disbelief as Wave quickly pulled back his arm and struck her in the stomach again which made Akame gasp out in pain again while letting go of Yatsufusa. This time around, he pushed forward while his fist still connected to Akame. While he doing this, Wave slammed Akame into the ground and dragged her through it while ripping the ground apart while yelling. He continued to do this until Wave reached the cliff face. Wave pulled Akame out from the ground and slammed her into the base of the cliff face. He pushed her in a little more until Akame’s body was fully embedded and cracks formed around her. Wave removed his fist and flew back a little away from Akame until he landed. At this point, Akame’s aura wore off and so did her semblance. Murasame was also detached from her and fell to the ground. It was inevitable that the next attack would finish her off. Wave could feel his heart race at the sight of Akame in front of him. To think this once feared assassin who had killed countless people including Kurome and Esdeath was reduced to a helpless girl. What he had waited for so long was finally in reach. All that was left was to finish her off. “Now…it’s finally over for you Akame.” He flew over to Akame to deliver the final blow.Akame lifted her head just in time to see Wave coming at her. She couldn’t move at all and even if it were possible, Akame was sure Wave would still chase her down no matter what to end her. In these last moments, the last thing Akame saw were all the people she had met and made friends with. The last to show was Leone. She lowered her head and closed her eyes. “So in the end…my sins managed to catch up to me after all.” Wave pulled back his arm for the final time as he neared Akame. “DIE AKAME!” He threw his arm forward at Akame. “AMPLIFY TIMES FIVE!” Wave suddenly saw someone get in between him and Akame. His attack was suddenly deflected and destroyed the right side of the cliff face. It took Wave several seconds to recognize who was in front of him and gasped. He was rattled to his core at who he was seeing before him. “K-Kurome…?”Kurome panting heavily while staring angrily at Wave. The pillar of red light and that violent shaking of the ground led her to where her sister and Wave was. She barely arrived in time to see Wave flying towards Akame. That was when she used her Amplify semblance to stop his attack with Trisula in her left hand and save Akame. “I don’t give a damn about who you are or what history you have with Akame but there’s no way in hell I’m going to let you kill…MY BIG SISTER!”Wave was in a complete state of shock. Kurome was in front of him. The same girl he carried dead in his arms and now here she was standing before him and yelled out words he thought he would never hear. All kinds of emotions went through his mind and didn’t know what to think until it became too much for me. “You’re alive…Kuro..m…” He fell backward to the ground and passed out. His armor vanished and returned to its sword form. Kurome didn’t know what happened but didn’t care. As much as she wanted to kick Wave’s ass, her sister came first. She turned around to see the state Akame was in and it worried her. She put away Trisula and shook her sister a little in hopes that she was still alive. “Akame? Hey, Akame?!”To her relief, she heard her sister made groan and lifted her head to see Kurome. She smiled at the younger sister though it was weak. “You’re here…Kurome.”Kurome laughed a little while tears were starting to come out of her eyes. “Of course, you idiot. There’s no way I would let my big sister die on my watch.” She wiped the tears away and got her act together. “Just hold on. I’ll get you out of this.” Kurome grabbed Akame by the shoulders and pulled her out of the cliff face. She set her sister to the ground gently. Kurome sighed and looked around the area. “Just hold on. I’ll get you out of here somehow.” As soon as she said that, Kurome heard something and it was coming her way.She looked up to see an airship of all things flying over her. When she took a closer look, she saw Chelsea and the others on it. “Hey! Kurome!”“Chelsea?” Kurome was surprised to see her team on an airship but she won’t complain.The airship landed near her and Kurome’s team jumped off. Chelsea was the first to run off and meet up with Kurome. “Hey, glad we found you.” She looked down over to Akame and saw the state she was in. “Oh man. What happened to Akame?”Kurome turned to her sister and then to Wave. “He’s the one who did this to her.”Chelsea turned to Wave and wondered about something. “And what happened to him?”Kurome was wondering the same thing. “He just fainted when he saw me. Personally, I think that works out for us better. Aside from that, how did you know where to find me and what happened back at that Kuroyuri place and how did you get an airship?”Hearing that made Chelsea laugh a little. “Well, we went the same way you went and hoped you found Akame. What really tipped us off was that huge explosion we saw and guessed that’s where you and Akame would be. As for what happened back at that place, we managed to win and some airships happened to be on patrol. Ruby and the others are already heading to Mistral and so will we.”That was the best kind of news Kurome had heard in a long while. The pilots carried Akame on a stretcher back to the airship and Wave too much to Kurome’s disliking but he was technically part of Ruby’s group. Esdeath grabbed Yatsufusa while Chelsea grabbed Murasame. It was fine as long as she didn’t draw the sword out. The airship took off and was flying back to Mistral. The entire team looked at their leader and were understandably worried. “Is she going to be alright?” Rienna asked.Cornelia smiled as she knew the answer. “She will be. This is Akame we’re talking about.”Her words did bring comfort to the rest of the team. However, they still had some questions. Primarily about Wave. Esdeath looked over at him. “And what about him?”Kurome scoffed at the question. “If it were up to me, I’d leave him back on the ground for what he tried to pull off.”Everyone could understand that. He was Akame’s enemy after all but he was part of Ruby’s team and they would wonder where he was so they didn’t have much choice. Still, despite everything that happened, their journey was about to reach its end. Taeko looked out to take in the scenery below. “We’re almost done.”The rest of the team smiled and looked out to see Mistral in their sights. Kurome sighed out of content and laughed a little. “Next stop, Mistral.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol ThreeKill Fifty Two: The Pieces Falling into PlaceAkame moved her eyes a little before opening them to see a white ceiling. What she noticed next was that she was lying on something soft and something else covering her. It soon dawned on her and quickly sat up to find herself in a room. “Where am I?” Akame looked around a little to see there were two beds and both her swords were leaning against a wall. Akame soon saw Kurome sitting next to her bed sleeping. Seeing this reminded Akame the same thing her sister did back at Shade Academy. “Kurome?”She heard her sister stir a little before waking up. The first thing she saw was Akame awake. Kurome became instantly happy and hugged her. “Akame!” She laughed happily. Kurome embraced her sister for a few seconds before letting go and smiling at her. “How are you feeling?”Akame moved her body around to see if everything was alright. She found it to still be sore and aching all over but she was still alive. "More or less okay. Where are we and the others?"“We’re at a hotel in Mistral. The rest of the team is around and so is Ruby’s. As soon as we arrived, you got treated for your wounds.” Kurome replied.Mistral. So, they finally made it. Akame was glad the rest of the team and Ruby’s were doing well. There was one more thing she needed to know. “What about Wave?”Kurome growled at the name. “He’s here too but I still think he should be behind bars.”Akame didn’t blame her for saying that. She was very thankful for what Kurome had done. She smiled at the fact. “Kurome…thank you…for coming to my rescue.”The younger sister giggled. “You’re welcome and you totally owe me.”Akame giggled a little and smiled at Kurome. “Alright then.” Her expression changed to a more serious one. “Do you know which room Wave is staying at?”Kurome tilted her head in confusion at the question. “Why do you want to know that?”The older sister looked out the window to see what Mistral looked like. “I need to talk to him.”Kurome instantly stood up and was obviously not happy with what she heard. “Are you kidding me! You almost got killed by that guy and now you want to talk to him!?”“Kurome.” She saw Akame turn to her and saw a serious look in her eye. “Please.”The younger sister sighed and knew it was a bad idea but she had to go along with it. “He’s four doors down to the right from here. We figured we’d put as much distance from you away from him with all of us in the middle just in case.” Akame could imagine that. She threw off the covers and stood up to walk towards the door. “Wait, hold on!” Akame stopped and turned to her sister. “You’re going to talk to him without bringing your weapons? At least take Yatsufusa!”Akame understood Kurome’s worry but she knew what she was doing. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”Kurome highly doubted that but she’ll have to trust her sister. “If you say so and if he tries to pull anything-”“I doubt Wave will do anything. There are civilians around and he won’t endanger them.” Akame turned back to the door and turned the knob to open it. “I’ll be back. I promise.” She left the room and was headed toward Wave’s room.Kurome still thought it was a bad idea. “I hope you know what you’re doing Akame.” An idea suddenly came to her. “I should let the others know about this.”Akame walked over to where Wave’s room was and stood in front of the door. She knocked on the door a few times but didn’t receive an answer. She grabbed the doorknob and turned it to find out the door was unlocked. Akame opened the door and entered the room. She closed the door quietly behind her and saw Wave standing in front of the window looking out at it. She took in a deep breath and exhaled. "Wave…" She didn’t hear a reply from him. She was about to speak again before Wave finally spoke to her. “What the hell is going on?” He closed his hands tightly. “Kurome showed up in front of me. She said that you were her big sister. Is this some kind of trick?”Akame knew Wave would have questions about Kurome’s sudden appearance before him and didn’t blame him. “I can assure what you saw before really was Kurome. She's alive Wave." The silence was present between them before Akame continued to clear up a few things. "You should know that the Kurome you saw isn't the Kurome we know. She's this world's Kurome who born and raised here so please understand that.” A different Kurome. Wave found it hard to believe but he couldn’t deny what he saw. It was Kurome. Her face, her voice, that look in her eye, it was really her. “Wave…I know I don’t expect you to forgive me for what I did in the past but I won’t make the same mistakes. Even though we’re not related in this world, Kurome and I are sisters and will still be. You can think what you want but I want you to know that it won’t be like before between us.”Akame said what she wanted to say. It was the truth and she wanted Wave to know. She didn’t hear him say anything else and took that as a sign. Akame turned around and reached for the doorknob. “Is she okay?” Akame stopped when she heard Wave’s voice. “Please tell me if she’s alright.”Akame smiled softly as she knew what Wave was asking about. “She’s perfectly fine. Kurome wasn’t subjected to drugs or used in experiments in the past. The only bad thing that’s happened to her was being in a few bad foster families. Other than that, she’s living a completely normal life trying to become a huntress.” Hearing that brought great comfort to Wave. He was happy that nothing terrible had happened to Kurome in this world. So happy, tears were starting to emerge out of his eyes. It seems things were going to be okay for them from now on. Akame opened the door and heard a thud and a yelp. Akame looked down to see Kurome sitting on the floor. “Kurome?” She could pretty much guess why her sister was outside the door.Kurome chuckled nervously and stood up. “Hey there, Akame. I was just making sure he wouldn’t try anything.”Akame chuckled at her sister. “I told you not to worry. Everything is settled now.” Her sister really hoped so.“Kurome?” Akame looked back to see Wave staring at Kurome.The young sister growled at her but Akame put her hand up. “It’s alright.” She turned to Wave and smiled at him. “Wave…this is the Kurome in Remnant. Kurome Chariot.”Kurome Chariot. Now that Wave had a closer look at her, she was dressed almost similar the way he was dressed. He slowly walked over to Kurome who had her guard up just in case he tried anything else. He stood in front of her and then gave her a hug. Kurome wanted to break out of it but then saw Akame shake her head. The younger sister sighed and reluctantly hugged Wave back. Tears were streaming out of his eyes. “I thought I would never see you again. I’m so sorry I couldn’t arrive to you in time.”Kurome groaned and patted his back. “Don’t beat yourself up over it okay? Just try not to kill my sister again or else I’ll kick your ass.” Wave couldn’t help but chuckle. She may have been a different Kurome but her attitude was the same. For the first time in a long time, he felt a sense of closure within himself.While this heart-warming scene was going on, Chelsea and the others arrived without Wave knowing. Chelsea growled at what she was seeing and there was a fire in her eyes. Taeko sighed as she knew Chelsea would get overprotective if a guy was ever close to Kurome. “Calm down. They’re just hugging.”That didn’t seem to settle her at all. “No one hugs Kurome but me.”Esdeath thought it would be a good idea to break the scene up before Chelsea decided to do something that would wreck the hotel they were in. She walked up to them and Akame while clapping her hands. “Okay…it’s great to see you up again Akame.”Wave instantly opened his eyes as he recognized the voice. “Wait…that voice…”He turned to where he heard the voice and couldn’t believe who he was seeing. Esdeath saw the expression on his face and held up her hand to him. “Uh…hello.”Wave screamed and let go of Kurome as he fell to the floor. “G-General Esdeath!?” Seeing Kurome again was one thing but Esdeath was a completely different story. It was her but she looked like she was in her teens. Also, why was she in the same building as Akame?“Kurome!” He saw another girl run up to Kurome and checked her around closely. “That guy didn’t do anything weird to you did he?”Kurome sighed as she knew Chelsea would act like this. “No, Chelsea. It was just a hug. That’s all.”Wave heard a giggle coming behind from Esdeath. “How are you feeling Akame?”He followed the voice and saw who it belonged to. He gasped at who the girl was. “No way. You’re…” She was older but the girl was definitely Bols’ daughter. Seeing her like this now was almost spooky to him. He did wonder why she had a burn scar on the left side of her face.“I’m fine Rienna.”Cornelia was happy to hear that. “That’s great Akame. We were so worried about you.”"What the hell is going on here!" Everyone turned their attention to Wave who finally stood up. "General Esdeath is standing in front of me and…so is Bols' daughter!" He didn't know what to think about this whole thing now.Rienna’s eyes brightened up when she heard what Wave said. “You knew my dad?”Before this could go any further, all of them heard a new voice. “Hey!” Everyone turned to where it came from and turned to see Qrow standing at the end of the hallway. “We need to talk.” B The entire group was sitting with Qrow and RNJR in Qrow’s and Ruby’s room. It was a little cramped so some had to stand up while others sat on the beds. Qrow was sitting on the front end of bed closest to the door. When the team had a closer look at Qrow, they noticed that his eyes were red just like Akame’s. It was a little strange to them. “I didn’t think there would be anyone else with red eyes like Akame.” Cornelia whispered to Esdeath.Esdeath leaned next to her teammate. “You know, Yang’s eyes turn red but I thought that was just a trick whenever she used her semblance.”Qrow’s reason for choosing the room was because he wanted the privacy for what he wanted to know. “So…I believe it wasn’t a coincidence that we all met right before coming to Mistral so I’ll get to the point. What are you doing all the way out here?” As the leader of the group, Akame stepped up to answer the question. “We’re here for Cinder and put a stop to whatever she has planned for at Haven.”Qrow thought as much. Their mission was the same as Ruby’s. Speaking of the young leader, she knew someone was missing from Akame’s group. “What happened to Leone? Why isn’t she with you and why are you wearing her scarf?”Akame closed her eyes and sighed. “Leone was…taken away from us by the White Fang.” The members of RNJR gasped quietly when they heard that. “We figured the White Fang held a grudge against her for killing some of their members back at the Battle of Beacon. They must’ve followed us and waited for the right time. We received a gift from them and it was Leone’s scarf covered in blood.” Ruby couldn’t imagine how Akame felt when she first saw something like that. “But I know Leone won’t be held by them for long. We figured she would make her way to Mistral and then we would reunite.”At least she was confident about Leone coming to Mistral after what happened to her. Now they had to talk about the Goliath in the room. “How did you even get here? The last thing I heard is that your team was in Vacuo at Shade Academy. It’s practically over at the other side.” The young leader pointed out.To answer the question, Taeko took out her map. “We took a series of shortcuts marked out by my grandmother back when she was younger and traveled across all four kingdoms. These shortcuts helped to cut the time for us to arrive here.”Jaune groaned at what he heard. “There were shortcuts? I can imagine how much easier it would’ve been getting here.”Akame had a question of her own for the younger leader. “And what about you Ruby? I heard from Leone you were still with Yang back at Patch but here you are.”Ruby looked away while having a guilty face. "I'm here for the same reason as you. To put a stop to Cinder but…"Qrow decided to take control of the conversation. “Akame, was it? How much do you know about what you’re getting you and your team into?”Akame looked at him directly in the eye. “I know Cinder has the power of the Fall Maiden. Esdeath and Cora told me what the Story of the Four Season was about and it was tied to that. That power she gained must’ve been to related as to why Beacon was destroyed. To me, it doesn’t matter if she has the power of a Maiden. She’s a threat and I have finish what was started on that night. It’s just who I am.”Qrow could believe that. “Because you’re an assassin?” Akame was surprised he knew what she was. “Ozpin told me and Ironwood about you and your Faunus friend after your match with Kurome. She’s a target of yours and a target has to be eliminated, right?”Akame nodded at his question. “That’s correct.”Qrow thought as much and sighed. “Well, at least you’re not going in blind but there’s a lot you still don’t know about what you’re getting yourself into. Let me explain everything to you.” B Yang sighed as she was leaning over the railing outside alone. All she did was stare at the scenery before her and thinking about her sister. “There you are.”Yang turned back to see Leone walking up to her. “Hey there Leone.”The Faunus blonde smiled at her mother and stood next to her. “So what are you thinking about? Ruby? The White Fang? Or Blake’s plan to take back the White Fang?”Yang chuckled at the question. “All three actually but mostly about Ruby.” She looked at the scenery again. “The White Fang is going to attack Haven and Ruby’s going to be in the middle of it.”Leone understood that all too well. “I know what you mean. Akame and everyone else will be caught up in that mess too.”The blonde sighed and slumped over the railing. “I have to go Mistral. I need to know Ruby is safe.”Leone was all for the idea but chuckled at one detail. “Well, if you’re going to go, you should at least dress appropriately. You saving the day in that outfit doesn’t exactly say heroic.”Yang stood up and smiled at her daughter. “To be honest, I had a feeling something big would happen so I…packed something just in case.”The Faunus blonde liked where this was going. “Really now? If that’s the case, we should get you changed before you can do any saving.” The two blondes laughed a little together and enjoyed the scenery before them. There was silence between them before Leone spoke again. “You know, I did happen to hear what Blake said to you earlier. About what if there’s someone stronger than you.”Yang rolled her eyes at that. “What about it?”Leone sighed as she knew they needed to have this talk. “She has a point. Sooner or later, you will fight an opponent you can’t handle.” The other blonde scoffed at Leone’s words and the Faunus blonde turned to her. “I’m serious. I’m an example of that. You couldn’t beat me back when we first fought even with your semblance and I was just holding back. Speaking of your semblance, did you ever notice that you’ve always used it to bail you out and win.”Yang really never thought about that but she didn’t care. “So what? The more I take damage, the more I can deal damage. It’s plain and simple as that.”Leone could tell it wasn’t that simple or easy. “That’s true but your semblance is also your weakness.”Now the blonde didn’t understand what her daughter meant by that. “How’s my semblance a weakness?”Leone sighed and looked up at the sky. “Back in my world, Akame and me used to spar time to time. Whenever we did, she would evaluate me whenever we finished. During one of our sparring sessions, Akame told me I leave too many openings. I just laughed and told her ‘why do I care? I can just heal right back up and still kick the enemy's ass.' Then she told me that if I continue to rely on my trump card or my semblance as it is now, it will fail on me one day." She looked back at Yang. "And she's right. That's why I'm always on my guard even if I do have a quick healing factor. The same can said about Akame not always relying on Murasame. With you, Yang, you have two weaknesses. How much your body can take in damage before reaching its limit and the opponent being stronger than you to the point where your semblance won't cut it. Two examples of the second one are how our fight ended and…" She looked towards Yang's robotic arm and then back to her mother. “It’s true that you’re strong but if you keep relying on your semblance, it will lead to your downfall.”After hearing all of that, Yang hated to admit it but her daughter had a point and sighed. “You knew about my weaknesses all along, didn’t you?”Leone wasn’t going to deny that. “Ever since our fight. I know what it’s like to have something that seems overpowered but it’s not always what we think it is. Sure, my healing factor has bailed me out of some pretty nasty situations before but it doesn’t change the fact it still has a limit to what it can do.”It was surprising to Yang for her to hear such a thing from Leone. She always thought the Faunus blonde was invincible because of her semblance but it turns out, that wasn’t the case. Yang had one more question for her daughter. “So if you knew, why didn’t you tell me before?”In all honesty, Leone didn’t have an answer for that. “I guess I never got the opportunity to tell you. I know you’re strong. A lot of people can back that up but what good is that strength if you’re going to end up dead in the end. I know I shouldn’t say this but you’re lucky you only lost your arm.”Yang held her robotic arm with her hand. “I already know that but I still stand by what I said. I don't care if I lose my arm again or any other limb because I would do the same thing over if it means protecting Blake.”Leone chuckled at her mother’s words. “I’ll hold you up to that. Both me and Blake. Just promise that you’ll make it back to us and everyone else alive. And remember what I told you.”Yang grinned confidently at her daughter. “Then it’s a good thing I don’t break my promises and I won’t forget but only if you promise the same thing.”The Faunus blonde didn’t see a problem with that. “It’s a promise from me then.” They laughed together again before Leone stretched her arms out before setting them down. “What do you say we try on that outfit of yours now?”Her mother nodded at the question. “Sure thing.” Both girls left the balcony and Yang led Leone to Blake’s room. Behind them was that same mysterious being from before standing on top of one of the trees smiled at Leone. The Faunus suddenly sensed something and turned around but there was nothing there. “Something up Leone?”Leone shook her head and turned back around. “Nothing. It…must’ve been my imagination or something.” She resumed walking with Yang.On top of the house was the being and she chuckled a little “It seems sending her here worked out well. The pieces are falling into the place. The assassin who seeks redemption. The lion who protects those who are closest to her. And the soldier who searches for closure. It’s only a matter of time before all three gather.” She vanished without a trace.As the day passed, Blake was walking around the house in search of the two blondes but haven’t seen them anywhere. Probably because she was a little busy staring at the White Fang’s old flag in her father’s office. She knew they were around somewhere. There weren't that many places they could be. The Faunus girl walked into the living room for the umpteenth time and saw her mother sitting down on her pillow enjoying her tea. "Mother…"Kali turned to her daughter and smiled. “Oh, hello Blake. What are you doing?”Blake scanned the room before looking back at her mother. “I’m looking for Yang and Blake. Do you know where they went?”Her mother pondered the question a little before coming up with her answer. “I think I saw them headed to your room.”Blake groaned as she should’ve known that. “Thank you mother.” She turned away from her mother to head to her room.“Blake, wait.” The Faunus girl stopped and turned back to her mother who was smiling at her. “I just wanted to say…I’m happy for you. To see you again and being happy with someone you can be with. You’re very lucky to have Yang. I know your father would say the same thing.”Her daughter smiled back. “Sometimes I think I’m the lucky one to have her.” She stared at her mother for a few more seconds before leaving the room.Blake made her way to her room and couldn’t believe she didn’t think of looking there. But the question now is why they were in her room? The Faunus girl approached the door to her room which was thankfully fixed. She was about to reach the handle when she heard Yang’s and Leone’s voices from the other side. “So, what do you think?”"You look a lot better than what you wore before, I'll say that."Now Blake wondered what they were talking about and slid open the door. “What are you two do…ing?”She saw Yang wear a completely different outfit. It seemed…more like her then what she previous wore. Blake did see a cover sleeve over her robotic arm. The two blondes were surprised to see Blake in front of them and Yang groaned at her arrival. “Aw man. I was going to surprise you with my outfit but now it’s spoiled.” She sighed and smiled at her girlfriend. “Well, since you’re here, what do you think?”Blake checked out Yang a little longer before speaking out her thoughts. “You look great. Like your usual self.”Yang chuckled a little and liked the compliment. “Thanks although…” She brought up her robotic arm. “This still needs some attention. I was thinking of painting this the same colors as Ember Celica.” She set her arm down.Blake laughed a little at that. “We’ll make sure that happens shortly.” She sighed at the next subject she was about to discuss. “So I take it you’re going to Mistral then?”Yang crossed her arms. “I have to. Ruby’s there and Leone was already planning to head over because she needs to regroup with Akame. Plus, you’re going there too, right?” That was right. Blake needed to stop Adam and the White Fang from causing another Fall of Beacon. She looked over at Leone. “Leone, I know how much you hate the White Fang but-”“I got no problems with you trying to take it back.” Blake and Yang were certainly not expecting her to say that. “To me, it’s kinda like taking back the Capital and I don’t see a problem with that. If you can make the White Fang go back to what it was before and make it better, I’ll support you all the way.” Blake was grateful that Leone would support her in her decision. However, Leone had her own thoughts about what Adam was planning to do. “Something tells me Seryu wouldn’t be happy with Adam overthrowing the leader.”“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Leone turned Yang who seemed a little worried. “I mean…we’re going to head into something pretty serious and you don’t have Lionel.”Leone understood her mother’s worry but gave Yang a confident grin. “Hey, don’t worry about me. I’m still plenty dangerous with or without Lionel. Remember I did kill a lot of Grimm with my bare hands before I got Lionel.” That much was true. She was still a force to be reckoned with. “So, while we’re still here…” She placed her hand forward in front of her parents. “To me regrouping with Akame.”Blake nodded and placed her hand on top of Leone’s. “To me taking back the White Fang.”Yang was the last one and placed her robotic hand on top of Blake’s. “And to me finding Ruby.” She did have something else in mind. “And for something else I have to do.”Leone laughed at their goals. “Let’s go raise some hell in Mistral!” All three girls cheered as they raised their hands in the air. B Akame and the rest of the members of Night Raid took in what Qrow had just explained to them and to be honest, it was quite heavy for them. Chelsea groaned as she placed a hand on her face. “So…does anyone else miss how simple our lives were before learning all of this?”Esdeath whined with everything she had heard. “I think my favorite fairy tale is now forever ruined.” Wave couldn’t get over how Esdeath was acting. It was so unlike her it kinda creeped him out a little. There was one part Esdeath didn’t like. “To think that Ruby would be targeted because of her having silver eyes. I didn’t think she would be that important to the enemy.” She could only imagine how Weiss would react if she heard the same thing. Kurome laughed a little uneasily. “Among other things.” She thought back to what Qrow said about the headmasters guarding the relics. “Did she know all of this from the beginning?”Taeko looked over at Akame who had her head lowered and was in deep thinking about what she had learned. "Well, Akame? What do you do now? Even if you manage to kill Cinder, she'll transfer that power to someone else and I don't think we'll like who she'll choose." Qrow continued to observe Akame. “What are you going to do next now that you know all of this Akame?”Akame remained silent for several seconds before answering his question. “I know what I’m going to do. If I can’t kill Cinder…” She raised her head to look at everyone. “Then I’ll kill Salem.”You can’t be serious.”Akame narrowed her eyes at the huntsman. “Salem is the root of all this. If I kill her, everything else will fall apart.”Qrow couldn’t believe this girl. “You seriously think you can kill Salem? We don’t know what she’s capable of. Much less where she is.”Akame could care less of that. “It doesn’t matter. She’s responsible for everything that’s happened and I will make her pay for what she’s done. To Pyrrha, to us, to Beacon, to my life here in Remnant.”Wave caught that and it made him curious. “Her life in Remnant?”Qrow could only shake his head about what he heard. “She reminds so much of Raven and that’s not a good thing.” “It’s just not your fight.” Everyone turned to Ruby. “You’re not the only one who feels that way. I want to stop Salam and Cinder for what they’re planning to do at Haven the same way they did at Beacon. I don’t want anyone else to go through what we had to go through. We can work together. All of us.”Esdeath smiled sweetly at the younger girl. “Ruby…” Akame smiled confidently at Ruby’s proposal. “You’re right. We share a common enemy. If we prevent the attack on Haven, maybe we can learn about Salem’s whereabouts. And when we do, I won’t make the same mistake twice like I did with Cinder. I’ll target the vitals with Murasame.” She turned to Wave. “Wave, I know we have our differences but I ask of you to put them aside for now. When this is all over, then we can finally settle things between us.”Kurome was already against that. “But Akame-”“Fine by me.” Wave interrupted. “I do agree I don’t want civilians getting hurt with whatever this Salem has planned. So, you have yourself a truce.” Akame was glad to hear that. Wave would be a great asset for them to have. Especially since he can wield two Imperial Arms at once. “Although, I do have a question to ask you Akame. During our fight, you never used Murasame. Why?” Akame crossed her arms and closed her eyes. “Because I only use Murasame to those I see as my enemies.”Wave’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s her reason? I tried to kill her and she never saw me as an enemy?” He was curious as to why she thought that way.“The reason why I didn’t see you as an enemy is because I didn’t have a reason to kill you even though you have a reason to kill me. I don’t blame you but I couldn’t let you kill me because I had something to fight for.”Wave looked at Akame carefully as he wanted to know her reason. “And what would that be?”“To return to them safely.” She gestured at her team. “And because I have unfinished business in Mistral. I can’t let you kill me before that’s resolved. You can try to kill me but I will fight back for them and for myself. Do you understand Wave?” After hearing all of that, Wave couldn’t help but laugh a little which Akame didn’t understand why he was laughing. “What so funny?”Wave laughed a little more before calming down. “You’ve become a much different person than the last time I saw you.” Akame was surprised to hear that from Wave of all people. It was the first time she had heard of that from someone else. Now that she thought about it, just how has Akame had changed since her arrival in Remnant.As heartwarming this scene is, Qrow cleared his throat to gain everyone’s attention. “I’m going to guess we’re done exploring feelings now so I’ll wrap this up. If we’re going to stop the attack on Haven, our first step is reaching the headmaster, Lionheart before the enemy makes their move. We’ll rest up for the time being because I know all of you went through a lot.” He stood while groaning and walked over to the door.Everyone saw him doing so. “Where are you going?” Akame asked.Qrow stopped in front of the door and looked back at everyone in the room. "The bar. I need a drink." He turned the knob and opened the door. Qrow quickly left the room without closing the door behind.As long as the journey was, it was only the first step for everyone in the room. Now comes the second step which is to stop an incoming attack of Haven and maybe, hopefully, learn something about their enemy lurking in the shadows, Salem. Ruby looked over at Akame and smiled. “Akame…” The older leader looked back at her. “I’m glad you’re here with us.”Akame smiled back at Ruby. “So are we.” Insert Puella Magi Madoka Magica Ending Magia as ending song From on top of the peak of the mountain before Mistral was the mysterious figure once again gazing upon the city. “Yes, all the pieces are falling into place.” In an airship heading for Mistral, Weiss was sitting in the cargo area with her suitcase. As far as she was concerned, the house she had to grow up in was no longer her home due to what both her father Jacque and her younger brother Whitley did. She is a little worried about Klein but that was all she could do. Her reason for leaving was to meet up with her sister in Mistral. It was also because the heiress couldn’t stand being that cold prison of a house for one more day with what her “family” pulled off. Weiss pulled out her scroll and looked at the picture she and Ruby were in together in a longing way. “Ruby, I hope we’re able to see each again someday.” While everything was falling into place, the figure also had worries. Salem was looking out a window in one of the rooms to gaze upon her realm. She was pleased that Cinder’s training was going smoothly but there was one topic that kept her puzzled. “Imperial Arms…beings from another world. Beings from other worlds.” It was then she realized something. “I see now. Is this your doing Armadia?”Slowly but surely, the pieces were beginning to gather. However, it was up to them how the events upcoming will play out. She could only hope for best lest something horrible befell upon one of them. "Such is the case with her." The figure held her palm up and a ball of light formed. Within it, a woman was shown to be in complete agony and full of remorse. A dark red light enveloped her and her back sprouted large black feathered wings. “I wonder what will happen to you in this world…Raven Branwen. I hope you’ll fare far better than your alternate self. Though, she will have to face hardships of her own in the world she was cast in." She snapped her fingers and the ball of light vanished. “I suppose what’s done is done in that timeline. Aside from the three I had sent here; I have one more card to play. However, I fear it may have to break that very rule in order to do so. It’ll be some time before that happens so I can prepare for it. Until then, I will continue to witness the upcoming events and pray for your success. All of you.” Before she could vanish, she sensed something far away and looked to where it was coming from. It was a train headed toward Mistral. “It seems this one has an important role to play. I wonder how he’ll impact on what’s to come?” The figure took one last look at Mistral before vanishing completely. Vol Three End A/N: And I’m finally done with this! Fina-fcking-ly! Right, so, with this done (for now) I can focus on my other stories that really need my attention. I think kept the readers waiting long enough. As if that wasn’t enough, I have one hell of a devil of a tale brewing inside my head. Damn this imagination of mine but what can I do? And yes, I know I gave Weiss the shaft in this Vol but I didn’t have anything to tie her in. I doubt anyone would want to read what they already watched. What would be the point? That aside, as usual, I’ll mark this as complete until Vol 5 shows up. As always, until then, I’ll see all of you in the next story and in Vol 4. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: SURPRISE CHAPTER! My reason for this update is that it marks as a one year celebration when A New Beginning was created and look how far it’s come in that year. Sit back, relax, and see the heartwarming bonding this chapter has to offer. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol 3.5Kill Fifty Three: Mending FeelingsThe sounds of eating could be heard in one of the booths at a restaurant the hotel both Night Raid and most of team RNJR were at. The ones who were eating were the members of Night Raid and they were enjoying the food a little too much for Jaune’s sake. “Are you even tasting the food?”Chelsea took a quick sip of her soda to down the fried rice she ate earlier and leered at him. “Hey, we went over six months without tasting a proper meal. You tell us. Besides, you guys were the ones who lost the bet.” She continued eating her food.Cornelia was enjoying her food as well but then realized something or someone was missing from their group. “Does anyone know where Esdeath went?”Ren also noticed Ruby wasn’t with them either so that gave him a clear idea. “Most likely with Ruby. I’m assuming Esdeath wanted to catch up with her.”Chelsea chuckled a little at that small fact. “I don’t blame her. It’s been over six months since the last time they saw each other. That and Esdeath still has a thing for her.” She took another bite and squealed with delight. "Man I love Mistral's food." She turned her attention to Kurome. "What do you think Kurome?" She quickly saw something very unusual coming from Kurome. She was slowly eating her food. It was strange considering how much she loved to eat delicious food. Akame was making a clear example of that by eating the barbecue chicken. Kurome, however, was eating a grain of her fried rice one at a time while having a somber look on her face. "Is there something wrong with the food?"Kurome took in one more grain of fried rice before setting her fork down. “I’m not feeling hungry. Please excuse me.” She pushed back from the table and stood up from her chair. Kurome started to walk away from the group.As they saw Kurome walk away, a question came to Nora. “Does she have indigestion or something? Does she have to go to the bathroom?”“She’s troubled.” Everyone turned to Taeko who was calmly eating her orange chicken. “It’s true Kurome loves to eat but when something is bothering her, her appetite decreases at an incredible rate. For what reason this time, I don’t know.” Hearing that made everyone curious about what bothered Kurome. Almost everyone.From another booth not too far away from Night Raid and RNJR, Wave was enjoying his own food and saw Kurome walking away. He could tell something was bothering her and began to stand up. “I’ll go talk to her.” Wave saw Akame set down her utensils and leave her chair to catch up with her sister. Wave sat back down to his seat and saw the two sisters leave with Kurome first and Akame following close behind. He wanted to be there for Kurome like before but it seemed Akame beat him to it. Wave wondered when he’ll have a chance to talk to Kurome again after so long. It was still unbelievable that Kurome was alive in this world. What surprised him the most was the choice of clothing she wore as it was similar to his. “Can I sit here?” Wave turned to where he heard the voice and saw Rienna smiling at him while carrying her tray.The others saw her sit down across from Wave and Cornelia wondered a little about the soldier. “It looks like Rienna decided to sit down with him. What do you think she decided to do that?”Chelsea scoffed and ate more of her fried rice. “Who cares just as long he stays away from Kurome.”Even Jaune thought what Chelsea said was a little harsh. “What’s up with you?”Taeko had the explanation for them. “Chelsea becomes incredibly jealous when someone else gets close to her. More with the opposite sex. I remember Chelsea beating some guy back at our school into submission all because he laid a hand on Kurome’s shoulder.”Nora snickered at the detail. “Wow. Possessive much.”Takeo would have to agree with the other girl. “Indeed and it turned out he just wanted to ask Kurome to see if she had a pencil he could borrow.”Chelsea had about enough of her childhood friend talking badly about her. “Alright, you made your point already!” She huffed and calmed down a little. “I know I can be a little possessive when it comes to Kurome but this time…I felt something a little different coming from that guy.”Cornelia raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Different how? You mean how he hugged Kurome?”She was close with her answer and Chelsea grabbed her arm. “Something about that guy is bugging and I’m not liking it.”Taeko could understand what Chelsea was feeling about this and to her, it seemed a little childish but that was to be expected from her childhood friend. “If you’re that bothered, then you should confront him and sort out your feelings. As always, you pry about these sorts of issues instead of trying to resolve them.”As harsh as her words were, Chelsea knew Taeko was right and sighed again. “Alright, fine. As soon as he’s finished talking with Rienna. I want it to be just the two of us when he leaves.”The rest of the Night Raid members looked over to where Rienna and Wave were sitting at. Seeing the sight made Cornelia a little curious. “I wonder what they’re talking about.”Over to said pair, Wave couldn’t stop looking at Rienna. The resemblance was very uncanny but there was no doubt of who she was. “Is it that distracting?”Rienna suddenly speaking broke Wave’s train of thought and snapped out of it. “I’m sorry, what?”The blonde giggled softly and smiled at the soldier. "My burn scar. Is it distracting you? I don’t blame you since it does get a lot of attention.”Wave will admit that partially true but that’s not the reason why he kept staring at her. “It’s not that. It’s just that…” He didn’t know how to continue the conversation.“You know who I am.” Her words brought Wave’s attention. “Akame has mentioned you before and the team you were on. The same team my dad was on. So I’m assuming you’ve met me before, right?”Wave sighed as he lowered his head. “You’re Bols’ daughter.” That was exactly what Rienna wanted to hear ever since she heard him say her father’s name. He had met her before in his world. Wave lifted his head to look at the girl before him. “It’s so strange seeing you grown up. The last time I saw you, you were just a kid with your mom.” Saying made Wave realize something. “Wait, what about your mom? Is she…” He was afraid Bols’ wife might not be alive in this world too.“She’s fine. Although, I can imagine her being worried about me.” Wave breathed a sigh of relief. Not only Bols’ daughter was alive and grown up, his wife was alive and well. Knowing that brought him great comfort. “I do want to ask you a question.” Rienna looked at Wave straight in the eye. “What was my dad like when you worked with him? Akame told me, told my team back in Vacuo about the Jaegers and everything else. Including how Chelsea was the one responsible for…”Wave knew what Rienna was trying to say at the end. He looked over at Chelsea and studied her a little. “She’s the one who tried to kill Kurome back at Romari Pass. I never imagined that she, Kurome, and Bols’ daughter would be on the same team as Akame. I guess I can say the same about General Esdeath.” That specific detail was still weirding him out. He turned his attention back to Rienna and smiled at her. "Your dad, Bols was…well, I admit he did kinda scare me a little at first when I met him but I was surprised how good of a guy he was. I didn't even expect him to have a wife and child."So far, Rienna liked what she was hearing what Wave was telling about her late father. There was still one detail that bothered the most. “Is it true what he did? Back in your world? About how he…burned people to their death?”Wave could see the worry on Rienna's face and sought to comfort her. "Yeah, it's true but he was only following orders. Despite what Bols did, he was still a good person. Although, he didn't see himself as that at times. Bols knew that what he did will come back to haunt him. I told him is wasn't his fault because he was following the Empire's orders but to Bols, it didn't matter. To quote what he said to me, ‘karma is still karma'. What kept him going through all of that was his love for his wife and his daughter."Rienna was glad her father was still the same even if he was in a different world. Still, she knew how it ended with both her and her mother. "But in the end, my mother and I…we were killed in your world." Wave never thought he would hear those kinds of words coming from Bols' daughter. What made this even more ominous what Rienna herself saying that she and her mother were killed. “Akame told me and…” Rienna could still remember how she felt when Akame told the truth about what happened to her and mother back in Akame’s world. She exhaled to calm down. “Let’s just say I really wanted to call my mom and tell her how much she meant to me.”Wave couldn’t blame the younger girl for reacting that way. No one would want to hear how their previous life ended in another world. Still, he smiled at Rienna as he was happy to her again and grown up. “I understand. If you don’t mind me asking, where is your dad now?”His answer came in the form of Rienna lowering her head and looking a little somber. “He…passed away when I was young.”Wave was afraid that would be the answer. “Even in this world, Bols is still…” It didn’t seem fair to him that someone like Bols had to die. He could only imagine how his daughter and wife took it. There was also another question he wanted to ask. “Do you know how he died?”Rienna lifted her head to look at Wave directly. “He died while on a hunting mission. He was a hunter and I really looked up to him. I wanted to be like him, a huntress myself. I even use the flamethrowers he left. Every time I use them, I feel like he’s right there with me.” She displayed a small smile at that last thought.To Wave, it appeared some things didn’t change. Bols still used a flamethrower as his main choice of weapon. It was also a little endearing Rienna looked up him. It made Wave feel a little happy knowing that. “It’s good to know you looked up to Bols and I’m sure he’s still with you in spirit.” He had one last question to ask her. “How did…uh…”Rienna giggled a little as she knew what Wave wanted to ask. “How did I get this burn scar? Well…I kinda messed with the fire dust my dad used when I was young and it wasn’t the best experience. It did leave me this though and I don’t mind the attention it brings.” At least she wasn’t bothered by it. Talking to Bols daughter as she is now was comforting to Wave. Rienna thought the same way. “You know, it’s quite nice talking to someone who knew my dad even if he was a different person from another world.”Wave chuckled a little at that. “I’m sure Bols was the same in the world.” He looked toward the door and stood up. “I’m going to go find Kurome.” He looked back at Rienna and smiled at her. “It was great seeing you again and grown up. I’m sure your dad would be proud of you. I’ll see you later.” He took his leave and exit out of the restaurant.Rienna saw Wave leave and was feeling a little happy she was able to talk to Wave. She did notice he left some of his food behind. “Sweet. More food for me.” She wasn’t the only one who saw Wave leave.Chelsea kept a close eye on the two and also saw Wave leave. She guessed he was off to look for Kurome. She pushed her chair out and stood up. “I’m going. See you later.” She took her leave a little hastily and followed Wave. B At the outside of the hotel, Esdeath hadn’t felt any happier as she did now while hugging Ruby with her eyes closed while the two girls were sitting together on a bench. She kept the younger girl in a tight hug as if she didn’t want to let her go. Ruby, on the hand, could say something differently about this while her face was snuggled gently in between Esdeath's breasts. “Uh…Esdeath?”The older girl just hummed contently. “Yes?”Ruby struggled to a little to break free from the hug. “Do you think you can let me go? I mean, I’m happy to see you too but…” Esdeath could grant that and opened her eyes while removing her arms around the young leader. Ruby was glad she was free, though she did like the hug Esdeath gave her but even she had her limits. “Thank you Esdeath.” She gave the other girl her trademark smile.Esdeath smiled back as she missed seeing that smile of Ruby’s. “You’re welcome. It’s just I’m so happy to see you again after…” Bringing up what happened at Beacon was still a sensitive topic for her and for Ruby as well. She shook her head and continued to smile at the younger girl. “Anyway, it’s just great to see you. It’s actually quite surprising we bumped into each other. The last time I heard about you, you were still back at Patch with your sister.”Ruby slightly looked away from the older girl. “That’s…a little on the long story side but I do have my reasons.”Esdeath can pretty much guess what Ruby’s reason was. “Is it the same as Akame’s? Trying to stop Cinder?”The younger girl giggled awkwardly and looked back at Esdeath. “I guess that’s one way to sum up this crazy journey of mine.” She suddenly thought of a different topic they could talk about. “Hey, how did you like Vacuo? Did you like being at Shade Academy?”Esdeath thought back to her experiences at Shade. “It was nice. We saw some familiar teams and the teachers were…interesting.” She suddenly thought of something Ruby would really like. "Oh, and our dorm room actually has bunk beds."She saw Ruby's eyes widen and had a sparkle in them. "Seriously!" She groaned at the fact she just heard. "I'm so jealous now." Esdeath giggled happily as she could see the irony in this. Back when she first arrived at Shade, she made a comment where she was jealous Ruby's dorm had bunk beds, even if they were makeshift. Unfortunately, she still had some questions to ask. “Ruby…” Hearing her name brought the young leader’s attention toward Esdeath. “What did your uncle mean by that the enemy wanted you because you have silver eyes. I mean they’re pretty but I don’t see the reason why.”Once again, Ruby looked away and looked up at the sky. "From what Uncle Qrow told me, apparently, I'm part of something called the Silver-Eyed Warriors. He said that Grimm feared them." She looked back at Esdeath. "You remember that giant Grimm dragon that attacked Beacon? I was the one responsible for freezing it because of what I did with my eyes."Esdeath was shocked to learn that. She wondered what happened to the dragon since it was completely frozen in place. “That’s…incredible. I had no idea.” To hear that Ruby was part of something that grand was unexpected to her.“I can say the same.” She looked in front away from Esdeath. “While we were traveling to Mistral, we ran into one of Salem’s people. A Faunus called Tyrian who was a scorpion. He was sent to capture me. Jaune, Ren, Nora, and I, we fought him best we could but we were outmatched.” Esdeath was frightened at this point. She couldn’t imagine what Ruby felt during that time. Then, she saw Ruby smile. “But that’s when Wave came in.”“Wave?” Esdeath was surprised to hear the name of the person who tried to kill her leader earlier.Ruby nodded slightly. "Yep. He just suddenly showed up out of nowhere and saved me. When Wave fought against Tyrian, I was blown away by how powerful he was. He even pulled Tyrian's tail apart with his bare hands. Wave did get a little scary at the end but then this wolf Faunus girl ran to him and then he stopped. Tyrian fled after that. Since then, Wave's been with us, though he did have to leave his friend but she was okay with his decision." Esdeath and the others did wonder how Ruby's group ran into Wave and now Esdeath knew with having to learn that he saved her to boot. She was now split apart in her opinion with him. Ruby turned to the older once again. "I know what Wave did before was bad but he's really a good guy. I can tell he is." Esdeath sighed as she had to look at things from her side. “I’m sure you can vouch for him Ruby but he did try to kill Akame and would’ve if Kurome hadn’t stopped him. What he was trying to do was something most of the team can’t forgive. At most, he’ll have to earn our trust. That’s the most I can say about this.” Ruby knew it wouldn’t be that easy. She would admit what Wave tried to do before was horrible. Akame was her friend too but she didn’t want either of them to fight to the death. The last thing she needed was to lose more friends. “However, I will thank him when I can for saving you.”Hearing that made Ruby feel happy again and hugged the older girl. “Thank you Esdeath.” At this point, Esdeath felt like her heart could just suddenly stop since it was beating like mad. Thankfully, Ruby let go so Esdeath’s heart returned to its normal beating pattern. The young leader smiled at the other girl one more time. “So, is there anything else you want to know? I can tell you all the fun things Jaune and the others did while we were traveling.”While that may be fun, Esdeath needed to know one more detail. “Actually, there is one thing. Back at Shade, Leone mentioned something about you receiving a letter from Weiss.”Her mention of Weiss and the letter made Ruby a little sad as she lowered her head a little. “Y-Yeah. She did.” She put her hand in her pocket and picked out the folded letter she kept. The young leader presented the letter to Esdeath. “This is the letter she left me.”Esdeath took a closer look at the letter. It was obvious she kept it for some time now. “Can I read it or…” She wasn’t sure she was allowed to.“I don’t mind. In fact, you’re the first person I’m allowing to read this and see what you think.”With Ruby’s permission, Esdeath gently took the letter out of Ruby’s hand and unfolded it. She carefully read the contents of the letter. It was a little heartbreaking to her as she continued to read on. It’s as if Esdeath could feel what Weiss wrote into this letter. She sighed as folded the letter back up and handed it back to Ruby. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”Ruby took the paper and put it back in her pocket. “It’s alright.”Now that the truth was out, Esdeath had to know one more thing. “What do you think of it? About what Weiss wrote.”Ruby had all the time she needed to think about that question for over the last six months. “Honestly, I don’t know. I guess I’m still trying to sort it out.”That was understandable to Esdeath. “Take as much time as you need. There’s no rush. At least for the moment.” She knew this was the perfect moment to have Ruby all to herself but it didn’t feel right. Mostly because it felt like Esdeath would be taking advantage of Ruby while Weiss wasn’t present with them. She still wanted this to be fair. Besides, what they were doing was far more important than a competition. Esdeath suddenly came up with an idea. “How about we go back the others and have a bite to eat. Does that sound good?”Now that she mentioned it, Ruby did feel a little peckish as she rubbed her stomach. She nodded at the other girl. “Yeah, let’s get something to eat.” Both girls stood up and made their way to the where the rest of their teams were. B “Damn it!” Kurome punched the wall near the door to her room. She gritted her teeth in frustration and grunted just the same. “What the hell Najenda?”“Kurome.” Kurome heard her sisters voice and turned to see Akame who seemed a little worried. “Is everything alright? You seem troubled.”The younger girl scoffed and looked away from the other girl. “Of course, I am. Why wouldn’t I be after hearing that Qrow guy said to us.”Akame immediately understood what was bothering her sister. "It's what he said about the headmasters of each school, isn't it?"Kurome shook her head. “That’s not the reason. It’s about Najenda. She knew. She knew this entire time. About these relic things, about this Salem person, was she just…using me all this time? Training me to be one of her warriors?” It seemed this topic was a little deeper than Akame had originally thought. She let her sister continue to let out her feelings. “Najenda was the one who took me in after I had to go through god knows how many foster families. I admit she wasn’t the perfect mother but she did help me find a purpose to do with my life. I was…grateful for her but now…did she actually see me as her adoptive daughter or was she just training another soldier for her own gain? I know it’s seriously important to guard these relic things but I feel lied to and used. Just what I am to her?”After hearing all of that, Akame thought she might have the answer to give. “I may not know Najenda well in this world but what I can tell you about the Najenda I know. She never saw or thought those close to her or fought by her side as mere soldiers. She saw them as allies and people she could rely on. Najenda cared for them. I can say the same about her in this world about you.”Kurome knew her sister was trying to convince her but it still wasn’t enough. She turned around to face Akame and tried her best to smile. “Thanks for trying to cheer me up and all but…” Her smile quickly faded away and had a worried look on her face. “Until I hear it from herself, there’s not much you can do to persuade me.”Akame fully understood. She knew her sister too well that when she made up her mind, there was little to no chance to change it. “Fine then.” Suddenly, both girls heard a loud growling sound coming from Kurome and Akame chuckled a little. “How about we head back to the others.”The younger sister held her stomach and giggled awkwardly. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. I feel like I can eat all your shares worth. I might even give some of mine to you.”Akame liked the sound of the offer. “That’s extremely generous coming from you.” B Wave was walking through one of the hallways trying to find where Kurome and Akame went. He knew something was wrong with Kurome and chances are it’s not drugs this time as Akame had explained to him before. He thought he could still talk to her about what kind of problem was bothering her. Even if she was a different Kurome, that didn’t change the fact Wave still saw her as a comrade and as a comrade, he would do everything he can to help Kurome out. Wave suddenly stopped walking and slightly turned his head. “Any reason why you’re following me?”Out of the corner from the end of the hallway, Chelsea stepped out and stared at the soldier. “I guess he can sense my aura the same Akame and Leone can. Figures since he’s from their world.” This wasn’t the ideal scene for her confrontation but it arrived nonetheless.Wave recognized Chelsea from earlier. She was part of Akame’s team and chances are she didn’t like what Wave did before when he was trying to kill their leader. He easily recognized the look she was giving him and fully turned around to face her. “Is there anything you want to tell me?”This was Chelsea’s chance now and she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind about this issue she was having about the soldier in front of her. “As a matter of fact, yeah. I don’t know what kind of relationship you had with Kurome back in your world but the way you hugged her spoke volumes to me. I’ll just get to the point for the sake of both of us. I won’t stop you from interacting with her and trust me pal that’s a huge given coming from me but…you should as well know that Kurome is with me so don’t get any funny ideas while you’re around her.”Wave’s response to that was having a dumbfounded look on his face when he heard what Chelsea had told him. “Wait…when you say Kurome is with you…do you actually mean…”“Kurome is my girlfriend and I’ve known her a lot longer in this world than you.”At that moment, it felt like the world suddenly went still for Wave. He was still in the middle of processing of what he heard. “Kurome is…she’s…” Chelsea tilted her head to the side in confusion as she noticed the look on the soldier’s face. “Uh…hello? Anyone home in there?” Wave snapped out of it and narrowed his eyes at Chelsea. He started to walk over to where Chelsea is and stopped when he was in front of her. She was suddenly feeling a little intimated with the way he was looking at her. “He’s a lot more scarier up close.” She didn’t know what he was planning but was prepared for anything in case he was going to do something. Wave put his hands on Chelsea’s shoulders and she felt how strong his grip is. “Damn, that hurts!” She was ready to use one of her semblances on him. “Protect her.”His words caught her off guard and now she was the one who didn’t know what to say. “Huh?”Wave’s grip grew tighter much to Chelsea’s dismay and narrowed his eyes at her. “If you care for Kurome that much, then protect her. Be there for her at all times. I couldn’t do that and that’s why Kurome was…” He didn’t want to finish that sentence but Chelsea kind of knew of he meant. “Be there for Kurome and don’t you ever let her down.” Wave let go of Chelsea and took a few steps back.Whatever happened sure wasn’t anything Chelsea had expected. She saw the serious look in Wave’s eyes. “He really does mean what he said.” Chelsea stared back and narrowed her eyes while crossing her arms. “Of course, I’ll protect her. She’s my partner. Both in the relationship part and the fighting part. And it’s just not me. Everyone in our team looks out for each other so you have nothing to worry about.” She put her hands behind her head. “And I guess that goes for you as all. Like I said, I won’t stop you from interacting with her so you can watch out for her too. Just do a better job and make sure to remember who’s she’s with. Got that?”That was the one part Wave won’t repeat again. “Fine then.” And Chelsea suddenly felt a little better after this confrontation and smiled. “Good, just as long we’re on the same level. But don’t let this make you think I’ve forgiven you for trying to kill my leader.”Again, Wave hadn’t forgotten about that. “I know.”Chelsea nodded at him and turned around away from Wave. “Alright then. See back at the restaurant or anywhere else for that matter.” She walked away from him and made that turn in the corner. Just like that, she was gone from Wave’s views.After she left, Wave sighed dejectedly from what he learned about the Kurome in this world. “So Kurome is that kind of person. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” He tried to look at the brighter side of things about this. “At least she’s alive in this world and I won’t make the same mistakes again.”“Why are you talking to yourself?”Wave was surprised and turned around to see Ruby and Esdeath approaching them. “I was so busy thinking about the Kurome girlfriend thing and I didn’t sense their auras.” He straightened himself out and cleared this throat. “Uh…nothing. I was just…thinking out loud to myself.” Wave looked at Ruby for a few seconds and then turned his attention to Esdeath. Seeing her again and looking younger still weirded him out.Esdeath looked back at him and thought this was a good opportunity. “Ruby, can you go on ahead? I would like to talk to him alone.” “Again!?” Ruby had a feeling what Esdeath wanted to talk to Wave about and nodded at her. “Sure thing Esdeath. I’ll save some cookies for you!” She walked ahead of Esdeath and turned to wave goodbye to her.Esdeath smiled at the younger girl and waved back to her. The way she was looking at Ruby was very familiar to Wave. “Wait…is she…?”Once Ruby left the two of them alone, Esdeath could finally speak to him. “There’s something I’d wish to say to you.”Wave could already tell what she was about to say. “Let me guess. You still haven’t forgiven me for trying to kill Akame.”To his surprise, Esdeath shook his head. "No, but that is true." She smiled at the soldier. "I would like to say thank you for saving Ruby."That was a lot more simpler than Wave thought and rubbed the back of his head. “Oh…well, you’re welcome Genera-” He stopped himself from saying the entire word.Esdeath expected as much since he did recognize her. “Is it strange talking to me again? I mean, you have met me before in your world.”Wave sighed as he knew she was right. “Honestly, yeah. I mean from a first glance; I can tell you’re a different Esdeath. Your stance, the way you talk, you even have a softer look on her face. And you’re surprisingly younger than me.”Hearing that she was different from the Esdeath he knew made Esdeath feel a little happy. “Well, that’s good because I have no intention of being the Esdeath you knew.”Wave could tell that much but he did see some similarity between the two. “I suppose that’s what Akame told you. I’m not surprised by that but there are a few things you share with the Esdeath I knew. Ruby told me herself about you while we were traveling together. The Esdeath I knew did care for those who fought by her side and she was generous to them. That’s side we saw that the enemy couldn’t see. I think that’s where you’re the same as her.” That was a surprising detail for Esdeath to know. However, what Esdeath had heard about what her previous self had done outweighs what Wave had told her. Wave did have a question of his own about the Esdeath in front of him. “Oh yeah, speaking of Ruby…you’re in love with her, right?”His question made Esdeath’s face flare up with red. “W-Wait what? H-How…?”Wave chuckled at her reaction, something he wouldn’t have done with his previous superior. “I saw the way you looked at her. It reminded me how the Esdeath I knew would look at Tatsumi. Let me guess, you fell for her because she had a bright smile.”Esdeath looked down at the floor while pressing her index fingers together. “I wouldn’t say I fell for her right away but it did begin with her smile. Ruby was also one of the first people who accepted me and wasn’t frightened by my power.”Wave can pretty much guess what her power was. “I see. Well, as long as you haven’t gotten a bit extreme with her…”Esdeath lifted her head and glared at her. “I certainly have not! I’m taking things nice and easy with her. She still hasn’t answered about my proposal for a date yet.”Now that was surprising to Wave. “At least you’re taking things slower this time. That’s good.” He remembered all the times Esdeath did to Tatsumi back in his world. “At least she didn’t tie Ruby up in a chair or put a chain and collar on her.” He glanced at the corner at the end of the hallway and looked back at Esdeath. “Let’s head back to the others if that’s alright with you.”Esdeath nodded at him. “That’s fine.” They started to walk together back to the restaurant where the others were. Wave had to admit he enjoyed talking to Esdeath again even though he still had to get used to seeing her face again. B Wave was looking dumbfounded by the sight before him. He saw multiple plates in front of Kurome as she was close to what it seemed to be devouring the food. He wondered if Kurome was even tasting what she was eating. "I think Kurome's appetite is worse than what is was back in the Empire."The other members of Night Raid and RNJR were standing nearby Kurome. Chelsea was grinning at her girlfriend eating. “This is more like the Kurome we know. Glad she’s eating normally again.” Jaune could disagree with that and really didn’t like what he was seeing. “You call this eating normally? If she keeps it up at this rate, she’ll make us go broke.”“We’ll help pay for it. It’s not the first time she’s done this.” Taeko reassured.Nora had a mischievous look on her face while watching Kurome eat. “She’d be pretty fun to have an eating contest with.”Cornelia giggled nervously at the idea. “I don’t know. I think she’d beat you.”The other girl thought otherwise. “Not if it’s a pancake eating contest. I’m the queen at that.”Close to where Kurome was eating at, Ruby was sharing a meal with Esdeath who reunited with her at another booth to which both seemed to be enjoying together. The young leader did look at Kurome a few times while eating. “Just how much can she eat. I mean I can eat a lot of cookies but even I think this is too much.”Esdeath looked at the same direction. “While we were traveling, Kurome made sure to stock on something called power bars. They seemed to fill her enough while we were traveling.”While Wave was busy staring at Kurome who was still eating her food, Akame walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder to gain his attention. He turned to her and was surprised she came up to him. “Can you sit with me? There are some things I need to ask you.”It was an odd request from Akame but it seemed okay to him. “Fine by me.” The two walked to a booth furthest away from everyone else so they can have a private conversation. Apparently, Akame had chosen this one earlier since there are several plates of food and drinks on the table. They sat down across from each other and Akame stared at Wave. It seemed rather strange for him to be sitting across from Akame considering they almost fought to the death. “So what is it that you wanted to ask me about?”One question was obvious to Akame. “I’m wondering how did you arrive in this world. Part of me is thinking that you may have wandered into a certain forest.”Wave admitted she was right on the clock about that. “That’s right. I camped out in a forest for the night and when I woke up, I was in a different forest founded by a wolf Faunus girl called Armasu. It was…strange. I don’t even know how I got here in the first place.”Akame had an idea. “Did you make some sort of wish?”Wave became a little confused when he heard the question. “A wish?” He thought back to the night before he mysteriously arrived in Remnant. It was then he remembered something. “Come to think of it, I did kinda think of wanting to see Kurome again before I fell asleep. Next thing I knew, I ended up in this world.”Akame thought as much. He was in the same forest she and Leone were in and must've accidentally made a wish and that's how he was able to come over this world. “I see. You must not have heard what the forest was known for."Wave became slightly interested in what Akame was saying. “And what do you mean by that?”Akame was glad to explain. “Leone once told me that the forest you were in houses a deity of some sort who comes to the aid of those who cry out for help or make a wish. It’s possible it was that same deity who heard you and transported you to this world.”After hearing all of that, it sounded surreal enough but Wave couldn't argue with it since he was in this world now. What also made sense to him of what happened lately. He looked over at Kurome and he did wish to see her again even though he seriously didn't mean but lo and behold, that wish did happen. Akame's explanation raised a question of Wave's own and looked back at her. “And since you’re here, I’m guessing you made a wish as well. What was it exactly?”Akame looked down at her food while having a soft look in her eyes. "I wished that I could start over. After everything that happened while fighting against the Empire, I felt like my life was empty. I was wandering around the land without a purpose until I reached that forest. It was then I reunited with Leone and made that wish. Both of us fell asleep and when we woke up, we were in a different place. Not only that but the scars I had on my body before when I used Murasame's trump card vanished. It wasn't long after we met Ruby and the others. After that, Leone and I were made students at Beacon Academy. We did tell the headmaster everything about us before he made us students.”Wave actually found that interesting about Akame. “You were seriously a student?”Akame closed her eyes and smiled. “Yes and while attending Beacon…I finally felt like what is was like to be normal.”Wave raised an eyebrow. “Normal?”“Yes. The classes, the teachers, even the homework, I enjoyed them all. I finally had a purpose and I can help those in need just like I did in the past. I felt…happy.” She opened her eyes and they still had that somber look in them but her smile faded away. “That is until what Cinder did. In just one night, she took that all away and more.”Now it made sense to Wave what Akame was talking about before. “So that’s what you meant by her taking your life in Remnant. This is more than making this Cinder woman pay for her crimes. It’s something personal to you, isn’t it?”Akame lifted her head to look back at Wave. “Yes. I have three reasons for doing this. Two of which you already know. To make Cinder and this Salem character pay for what they’ve done to Beacon, for what they’ve done taking the only normal life I ever knew, and because who I am. An assassin who won’t allow their target to live.”Wave fully understood her reasons and didn’t blame her. She was living a life free of being a murderer and here she was back again. He did see an upside to this. “Well, if it’s any consolation, both of us are here with our Imperial Arms and chances are the enemy doesn’t know much about them. We have that going for us. And since we’re on the same the same side, we can win this fight. Us…” He looked over to the others as did Akame. “And them.” They looked back at each other. “We’ll fight them and we’ll win. Some weird maiden power or not.”Akame chuckled a little at Wave’s words. “I suppose you’re right but there are some things we don’t know about the enemy. Especially with Salem.”She was right about that part but Wave didn’t seem too worried. “I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”Akame nodded at that. “I guess we will.” She looked back at her food and picked up her utensils. “We should probably eat. We can’t fight on an empty stomach.”Wave looked at the food as well and did remember he barely ate all. “That’s something we can both agree on.” He took up his utensils and they both started to dine together. While eating, Wave recalled something Ruby told him before. “By the way, Ruby said something about you being in a place called Vacuo. What was that place like?”Oh, the details Akame could tell him. “It’s nice I suppose. Would you believe me it’s somewhat similar to the Empire?”Wave choked on his food a little and downed it with a drink to make it easier to swallow. "Seriously?"Akame continued to eat calmly. “Yes but not in the way you think. It’s a little switched with the people not obeying the government. Only Shade Academy is the absolute law.” That was surprising to hear at least for Wave. “Speaking of Shade, you would be surprised who are teachers are there.”Wave scoffed at that. “Really? And who would that be?” He continued to eat.“Dr. Stylish for one.”And Wave choked again on his food and this time drank most of his drink to down it. He gasped while looking at Akame in disbelief. “Dr. Stylish? Really?”Akame took another bite out of her food. “Yes and so is Budo.”Wave had his jaw drop when he heard that. “You gotta be kidding me?!”Akame didn’t show it but she was enjoying Wave’s reactions. “And Dorothea as well.”Wave gasped at the mention of the name. “Even Wild Hunt is there? And they were your teachers?”Akame momentarily stopped eating to look at Wave. “I was just as surprised as you, although not as much as you are. They act more or less the same but Stylish doesn’t perform human experiments and Dorothea doesn’t murder for pleasure’s sake. Budo acts the same as he does but on a lesser extent. I guess I should also tell you that Najenda is the headmaster.”“NO WAY!” Wave clapped his hand to his mouth to silence himself. He slowly removed his hand and leaned in a little towards Akame. “Is that actually true?”Akame nodded at him. “It is. We met her ourselves. She doesn’t have the mechanical arm or the eyepatch.”Wave leaned back in his seat trying to comprehend what he had heard. “Jeez. What’s next? The Prime Minster working as a chore man?”“Actually, he’s the janitor of the school.” Akame clarified. At this point, Wave gave up. It became a little too much for him. “I can’t believe it.” Just when he thought seeing Esdeath and Kurome was unbelievable enough.Akame couldn’t blame him for reacting the way he did since she had the same thoughts as him. She did have a question of her own relating to their world. “How is Najenda? Is she well?”Wave recollected himself and sat up straight. “She looked fine the last time I saw her.”Hearing that brought comfort to Akame. She was worried Najenda would be feeling worse after using Susanoo’s trump card three times even though the third time wasn’t fully completed. “That’s good to know.” Now that she thought about it, how was the Capital doing after they won the war? She and Leone did leave shortly after so they don't know how everyone is doing. What she did know was the Capital was certainly doing much better than before. Akame wished she could see it but that was a far-fetched dream. Then again, she can just ask the person who's seen how the Empire was who was in front of her. "And how is the Capital?"Wave tried to remember the state the Capital was in before he left. “It’s become a lot more peaceful I’ll tell you that. Criminals are apprehended and the people feel safe with the new order around.”Akame was satisfied enough upon hearing how well the Capital was doing now. Everything she and the previous members of Night Raid had worked for finally became a reality. However, now she had to fight to avoid further disaster and the fights that’ll come up ahead in the future will all take place in Mistral. “Salem, I may not know who you are but I will make you pay for the pain and suffering you’ve caused and when I finally come face to face with you, I will…bury you.” With those words deep in her thoughts, she resumed ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Okay, I have received guest reviews (most of which I deleted in all honesty because I couldn’t reply to them as per my warning on my profile) of me writing a chapter for Blake character trailer for Vol. 5. At first, I wasn’t going to due to it being five minutes which doesn’t give me much to work with but then my brain took this into a different direction. So, I guess those who have asked will get what they asked. Also, I’m totally guessing Kali can fight so don’t blame me what she does in the series is different. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol 3.5-Part TwoKill Fifty Four: Past ReflectionLeone sighed as she leaned forward on a rail up on the balcony as she stared into the distance of Menagerie. Everything around her was peaceful and quiet. Or at least that’s what she would like to believe. It had already been a few hours since Blake and Yang left to follow up on a lead that was in the scroll Ilia dropped from their previous encounter. Leone wanted to go but she remembered what her parents said earlier. F “You sure you two don’t want me to come along? It’d be a lot easier.”All three girls were in Blake’s room where the Bumblebee pair were gearing up for their search. Blake putting Gambol Shroud on her back and Yang fashioning the other half of Ember Celica. “It’ll be fine. Its just catching this one Faunus guy and see what he knows. I’m sure Blake and I can handle it on our own.” Yang assured her daughter. “Plus, if you stay here, maybe you’ll get to spend some quality time with Blake’s parents.”In truth, Leone really wanted to go with her parents or be part of anything that was related to the White Fang but on the other hand, she really doesn't know much about her newly discovered grandparents. It was tough but Leone ultimately came to her decision. "Oh, alright but you better give this guy an extra thwack for me if you're chasing the guy."The two girls smiled and nodded at the daughter and headed toward the door. “With any luck, we’ll find him quickly and hear what he knows. We’ll see you later Leone.” Blake slid the door open and left.Yang waved her robotic hand at the other Faunus blonde. “Try not to get bored.” She promptly left as well. F Leone blew out air from boredom. There wasn't much to do around the Chief's place other than reading some books which she didn't feel like doing. "I wonder if they found the guy yet?" Leone did feel lonely without her parents around and something else was bothering her. Something that would come to her mind time to time. She looked up at the sky and envisioned the rest of her team and most importantly, Akame. Leone dearly missed Akame and couldn’t help but worry and wonder about what she was doing. “I hope you and the others made it Mistral, Akame. If you’re there, then maybe you can do something about what Adam and the White Fang are planning to do there.” Leone had to travel to Mistral quickly as possible. She had to tell the others what was going to happen and soon. Most importantly, Leone wanted another crack at two certain Faunus to finally settle the score. Before she could go deeper in thought about them in how to kick their asses, her lion ear picked up a sound approaching from behind and caught a familiar scent. Leone quickly turned around and sure enough, it was her. “Oh, Kali.”Kali had a bit of a surprised expression on her face when Leone turned around just in time to see her. She didn't expect to see the other Faunus girl react that quickly. She gave her…granddaughter a gentle smile. "Hello there, Leone. What are you doing standing here by yourself?" She approached Leone and stood next to her while Kali placed her hands on the railing.“Just a little thinking is all.”Kali could guess that much and could guess what was on Leone’s mind. “Thinking about your friends?”To Leone, she supposed that would be a little obvious. “Yeah. I just want to get to Mistral and meet up with the rest of my team. The faster, the better.”The older Faunus woman understood Leone’s concern for wanting to reunite with her team. “And you’ll be reunited soon enough. I would say be patient but telling from a glance, you’re not much of the patient type, are you.”Leone chuckled at that. “Damn straight. This whole waiting around thing isn’t for me. I need to be there. To be with them.” Her eyes softened a little at the thought of Akame.Kali saw this look and giggled. “Are with someone on your team?”The question caught Leone off guard for a second. “Well, I uh…”The way Leone was acting made her reaction all the more adorable. “It’s quite alright. You don’t have to answer me but I do recognize the look in your eye. You must care about this person very much.” Leone recollected herself and smiled at her grandmother. “Yeah, I really do.” She looked up at the sky once again. “This person and I, we lost a lot of people important to us in the past and the last thing needed now is me not being there.”Kali felt a little sad in knowing part of her granddaughter’s past. She wondered what happened but didn’t want to impose on such a sensitive topic. “I see.” Kali glanced over at Leone’s arms and had a little curiosity in her. “Leone, how well are you in a fight?”The question appeared to be a little strange for the younger Faunus girl but didn't mind answering her. "I can hold my own pretty well. You should see what I could do with Lionel.”Kali became more interested and curious. “Lionel?”Leone realized what she said and chuckled awkwardly. “Yeah, Lionel. They were claw gauntlets that I used and they were taken away when I lost to that cheating Faunus bitch Seryu. Can’t believe she got the drop on me with some freaking catnip. That’s gotta be illegal or something.”That’ll be another question Kali will be asking later on. As of now, she wanted to test something out. “Leone, dear…would you like to follow me somewhere a little more open?” The older Faunus woman quickly made her leave to walk to somewhere else.Leone turned around seeing Kali leaving and had a confused look. “Go where exactly?” B Apparently, that “where” Kali lead Leone was a large rectangular flat open area in the backyard of the house. Leone was still confused about what the older Faunus woman was planning. “Okay, so we’re out here now. What is it that you brought me out for?”Kali gave a pleasant smile to the other Faunus girl. “Oh, nothing. I just want to see how capable you are in a fight.”That was something Leone didn’t expect to hear. Especially from Kali. “Uh…okay then. You have thought this through, right? I mean, you’re Blake’s mom, the wife of the chief, technically, my grandm-”“I’ll have you know I’m very capable of handling myself in a fight.”There was one more issue Leone had with this. "Also…I'm kinda strong. The last thing I need to do is put you in a hospital or worse, explain to Blake of how I put her mom in a hospital."Kali just giggled at Leone’s worriment. “I can assure you, I’ll be quite fine. You don’t have to worry about me.” She took up a stance as her right foot forward and her arms out and forward. “I’m sure I can teach you a few things.” Kali gave a confident smile at the other Faunus girl.Leone still had some doubts about this whole thing but would comply with this weird request. "If you say so but just on the safe side, I'll hold back a little.” She took up her own stance.Kali thought up one more idea to make this a little more fun. “How’s this? If I tap you on the forehead, you lose. Now, you can make the first move”Leone decided to roll with it. “Fine then. Let’s just get this over with. Don’t blame me if I knock you out into next week!” She dashed straight at Kali with her right arm extended forward first. Kali smirked at Leone’s incoming attack as she came in close. As the younger Faunus girl was in range, Kali sidestepped outside to avoid Leone's attack and smacked her arm causing Leone to move forward more than she intended. Kali lowered herself and performed a sweeping kick right at Leone’s legs while she was going. The attack struck and Leone yelled as she fell down backward to the ground. The Faunus blonde groaned as she looked up to see Kali standing over her with her leg raised up. That was Leone’s cue to roll over to the side to avoid the older Faunus woman’s kick as it struck the ground instead. Leone quickly stood up and stared down at her grandmother who took up the same stance as before. Leone gritted her teeth and charged at Kali once again. She pulled her right arm back and sent it forward once Leone was close enough. However, Kali quickly deflected Leone's arm upward with her hand and leaned into a palm strike Leone's stomach away from her. The blonde Faunus girl grunted in pain as she slid back before stopping.That was twice Kali was able to do something like that to her now. Leone didn't know what was going on with the way the older Faunus woman was countering her attacks but she didn't like the way it was making her into a fool. "Come now, dear. You can be a little rougher with me."“I can take that out of context, you know.” Jokes aside, Leone still wasn’t comfortable being a little more serious on her grandmother but since she was asking for it… “Remember, you asked for this!” Leone roared at Kali as she rushed at the older Faunus woman again. Only this time, slightly faster. She came in close once again and tried to deliver a right uppercut but Kali stepped back to avoid the attack. Before she could make her next move, Leone sent her other arm forward for her next attack but Kali was able to deflect to the side with using both of her hands. Leone took this as an opportunity and spun her body around to deliver a kick but Kali ducked when the attack approached her. When Leone completed her spin, Kali leaned in and thrust both of her palms at Leone’s midsection. Leone let out a surprised cry as she was pushed back a little. She held her stomach while panting and glared at Kali. The fight was beginning to infuriate her. Leone knew Kali had no chance in defeating due to her sembalance and superior strength. What was getting to her the most was the way the older Faunus woman was countering her attacks. Not once was she able to hit her. “She can’t keep it up forever.” Leone charged at Kali again and this time delivered a flurry of attacks right at the older Faunus woman. However, that plan quickly backfired as Kali was perfectly deflecting Leone’s attacks away from her with calculated precision. After deflecting an attack, Kali would counterattack Leone and strike her. What Leone noticed the most was how perfectly Kali countered her attacks. It was like Kali could see where her attacks could from next. It weirded out Leone. "The hell? Can she see the future or something?" She threw another punch at Kali but her grandmother decided to avoid the side and then changed the direction of Leone’s attack downward. Kali’s next move was that she struck Leone’s arm with her knee and elbow striking at the same time. Leone screamed out in pain as she pulled her arm back and held it while sucking air through her teeth. While Leone was preoccupied, Kali took the chance and close the gap between them and held her hand out with her index finger pulled back. Kali gave Leone a quick flick to the forehead and the blonde Faunus yelped. With that, the fight was over.The pain in Leone’s arm subsided just seconds after Kali flicked her forehead and now held her forehead while Kali was smiling at her while putting her hands together. “Well, would do you say we have some tea after that small sparing session?” She promptly left and headed to the house while Leone was trying to figure out what the older Faunus woman was planning.Nevertheless, she decided to follow her back to the house. “Sure, why not?” B Both Faunus women were in the living room sitting on the pillows across from each other at the table. The tea was already brewed and Kali was drinking hers while Leone was just staring at her cup. Kali lowered her cup and sighed out of enjoyment. She placed it on the table and looked at Leone. “Go ahead, dear. Drink up and you’ll feel better.”The Faunus stared at the cup for a few more seconds before grabbing it and held the bottom with her other hand. “If you insist.” She brought the cup up to her mouth and blew on it to cool the drink down before drinking it.While watching Leone drink, Kali decided it was time to ask. “Leone, tell me, who taught you how to fight?”Leone finished drinking her cup and set it down while pondering the meaning of Kali’s question. “I guess you can say I was self-taught. I’ve been on my own for a long time before I found others I could call my friends. One of them being Akame.”Kali continued to study Leone. “I see and if possible, have you encountered others who were stronger than you?”Leone could answer that easily. “I have and only two. One of them…” She remembered the first time she tried to fight Esdeath back at the Path of Peace headquarters but also remembered what Esdeath had done to her. “Let’s just say I was helpless. For the second person, I was surprised she could surpass my strength.”“And what did you do to counter this person?” Kali asked.Leone remembered her fight against Dorothea clearly as it was one of her favorite victories. "Easy. If I kept moving around, she couldn't grab me and I was obviously faster. Still, I barely won that fight." Now Leone had questions of her own. "Why are you asking me this anyway and why did you want to fight me?"Kali could only stare at Leone and sighed. “There are several reasons. One of them goes back to what Blake told me about the White Fang being involved with the Fall of Beacon. Especially with Adam Taurus.” Leone growled when she heard the name and Kali noticed it. “Did you, by any chance, encountered Adam?”Leone narrowed her eyes and closed her hands tightly. “Oh, yeah. I met the bastard right after he cut Yang’s arm. I was pissed and seething with rage.” Her description was mild compared to what Leone really felt when she first saw that scene.Kali couldn’t imagine what Leone felt back then. “With the kind of strength you possess, why didn’t you kill Adam from the beginning?”The Faunus blonde had a very good reason and still regretted that. “Because I wanted to make that bastard suffer for what he did. I wanted to him feel the pain he caused to Yang and Blake and make realize he was dealing with the wrong Faunus. You’re right about me having the strength to kill him on the spot but I wanted him to pay first. But because of that, he got away from me and now he’s plotting to take over the White Fang. If I just killed him back at Beacon-”Kali raised her hand and Leone stopped talking. Kali placed her hand back on the table. “That’s all I needed to know. Thank you, Leone. Now, what of your fight against this Seryu?”Leone was still salty about how that fight ended. “I told you, she used catnip to drug me.”Kali closed her eyes as she shook her head and stopped before opening them. “No, I mean how was Seryu able to match you even with your measure of strength?”Leone thought back to what Seryu said about her semblance during their fight. “My semblance can reinforce my weapons, making them stronger beyond their limit.”“She mentioned something about her semblance strengthening her weapons that were able to match up to my strength. Still, I would’ve beaten her if she hadn’t pulled out that frigging catnip.”After hearing all of that, now was the time for Kali to reach the main point of her conversation. “I see. Well then, Leone, I’m sure you’ve noticed the way I fought during our little session. Can you tell me what was it?”The other Faunus could easily reply to the question. “Yeah, you kept deflecting my attacks instead of blocking them. By the way, that second to last attack hurt like a bitch. If you don’t mind my language.”Kali chuckled at that. “It’s fine and you’re correct. I’m aware you’re stronger than I am and while it is true your strength is considered to be your greatest asset, it can also be easily manipulated depending on the opponent you face against, such as me and can be used against you.”Leone thought back to the fight and it made more sense to her the more she thought about their fight. However, Leone had a gut feeling there was something else Kali needed to tell her. “Where are you going with this?”Kali thought now would be the time to give Leone the cold, hard truth. “Well, to be perfectly honest, and no other way of telling you this, the way you fight is completely amateurish.”And Leone felt her anger flare up and quickly stood up. “That’s bullshit! I kicked more than my fair share of ass in my life! Every opponent I’ve gone up against proves that!”Kali wasn’t intimated by Leone’s outburst and had a counter for what the other Faunus girl declared. “But what you said about the first person who bested you says otherwise.”“Tch.” Leone sat back down and crossed her arms under her breasts. “That person was different on a whole other level. The point is, I’m strong enough to one-shot anything, If I had been serious from the start against you, we wouldn’t be having this conversation sipping tea.”Kali was well aware of that fact. "As I've said before, I know you're stronger than I am but it's that same strength that'll lead you to your downfall." Leone felt like she had heard this conversation before. "Please think about this. Were there times where your strength wasn't enough to pull through a fight or worse, put you in more danger than getting out?"Funny enough, Leone can recall such situations. From Esdeath carving her body piece by piece and to Doretha almost sucking the life out of her. Those two situations were the only ones Leone could think where her strength wasn’t enough. “What point are you making?”It seemed the older Faunus woman had to make it clear for her. “What I’m trying to say is using raw strength won’t be enough sometimes. You have to channel it into something more focused. The way you attacked me was predictable and that’s how I was able to handle your attacks easily despite the difference in strength between us. The purpose of that session was to teach you two important lessons. One was for you to realize your flawed fighting style and two, you can put your kind of strength to better use. Higher feats, even.” Kali smiled at her granddaughter. “And I’m willing to teach you that.”Leone wasn’t expecting to hear that out of Kali. “You teach me?”Kali nodded at her question. “Yes. Imagine the fighting style I used combined with your power. Controlled, focused, fluid yet explosive, effective, and devastating in some cases.”For a few seconds, Leone imagined herself using Kali’s way of fighting against other opponents. She unfolded her arms and smiled at the opportunity given. “I guess I can try out a new thing every now and then.”That was the kind of answer Kali was hoping to hear. “Good. I’ll start teaching you then. But first, let’s finish our tea.” B As the sun was setting on Menagerie, the front door opened and Yang and Blake walked through with having a defeated look on their faces after experiencing the failure that was their mission. Yang shut the door behind them and sighed. “I guess we should’ve brought Leone along after all. If we had, we would’ve had that guy now. If Leone hasn’t beaten up the guy to a bloody pulp by the time she caught him. I'm sorry we lost our target, Blake."Blake had that same melancholy look on the way back. “It’s alright. We tried our best Yang. We’ll just try something else.”Yang recognized the tone in Blake’s voice. She’d been using it ever since Blake lost their target. The blonde could tell something was bothering her and it had to do something with what happened in that ally Blake chased their target into. She wondered what could’ve happened in that ally but didn’t ask about it.“Ah, you two are back.”They saw Ghira approach them. Yang immediately straightened up as soon as she saw him. “Oh, hi there Mr. Belladonna! I mean Chief Belladonna! I mean-” Yang still had no idea how to relax when she was around Blake’s dad since…. he was obviously was Blake’s dad. And the chief of Menagerie.Thankfully, Blake managed to rescue her girlfriend before Yang continued to ramble on. "Hello, dad."Yang chuckled sheepishly and waved at the older Belladonna while giving him an uneasy smile. “Hi.”Ghira smiled at the two girls and judging how they’re without a third party member. “So I take it you two were unsuccessful in capturing your target then?”The Bumblebee pair looked away from out of regret. “It was my fault he got away. I’m sorry.” Blake apologized.Yang thought to explain her side of what happened. “Yeah, we almost had him and chased him down but then he cut the rope for this carriage and it was rolling downhill. I had to catch it to stop it while Blake went on ahead to chase the guy. When I set the carriage somewhere safe, I ran to catch up to Blake. When I did, we’d already lost him.”Ghira fully understood the girls’ explanation and didn’t blame them. “It’s quite alright. You did what you two could do. We’ll find another chance to take.”That was something Yang and Blake could agree. After that was cleared up, they had questions on their own. Primarily about two other Faunus. “So, where’s mom?” Blake asked“And Leone?” Yang added.Ghira chuckled at their questions which confused them. “Follow me.” He turned around and began to walk away. Yang and Blake looked at each other in confusion before looking back at the chief and walked closely behind him. They followed him all the way to the backyard and stopped in front of the railings. What the Bumblebee pair saw was surprising. Ghira expected to see their reaction and saw continued to see what was happening before them. “I think they’ve bonded quite well while you two were away.”Across from the three, Leone was mimicking Kali’s every move. “That’s it. You’re doing well dear.” Kali performed a high kick into the air.Leone copied the attack and was enjoying this. However, what she loved more was the surprise she’ll be able to show off to Akame and the others once they’re reunited once again. “Akame, when we see each other again, I’ll be better than ever and then we’ll make Cinder and her cronies pay for what they did. Just you wait.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: AND HELLO VOL. FOUR! Sorry for the wait everyone but you know how college is. I do have little time to work on the chapters for the time being but as you can see, it was worth it. However, expect the chapters to be at least an episode behind of the premiere of a new one shown every week since I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep this story up to pace with the actual volume but I’ll try anyway. Judging from what I’ve seen so far, again, I hope I can put in some ideas of my own into this. With all of that said and down, Kiba opening 2 as the fourth opening. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol FourKill Fifty Five: New Meetings and Old FacesThe sun was rising over the mountains to start the day anew. It’s light coming in touch with the land and beyond. Amidst the beginning dawn, a single air shuttle was flying over the land and was, strangely enough, sounding a number of alarms while slowly nosediving straight to the ground. “AUTOPILOT MALFUNCTION! AUTOPILOT MALFUNCTION! AUTOPILOT MALFUNCTION!”“SHUT UP! I KNOW DAMN WELL YOU’RE HAVING A FUCKING MALFUNCTION!”The shuttle fast approached the ground and crashed. It skidded through the ground before tearing into it until the shuttle came to a complete stop. The automated voice inside the shuttle continued to repeat itself. "AUTOPILOT MALFUNCTION! AUTOPILOT MALFUNCTION! AUTOPILOT MALFUNC-"A smashing noise could be heard as well as a frustrated yell and the automated voice ceased. There was silence in the woods until the door was forced open and out came none other than esteemed White Fang member, Seryu Koro who appeared to be slightly injured that wasn’t from the crash and her hair was let down for some reason. She groaned as she stepped out of the shuttle while leaning on the outside with one hand. “Freaking stupid autopilot program. Whoever programmed it should burn.” She let out a sigh. “Now, where did I ended crashing to?” Seryu scanned the area as far as she could see. Seryu gasped when she saw some familiar territory just off the side of her. She was immediately filled with dread. “No. No, no, no, no, no! This is the last place I want to be right now!” Seryu gritted her teeth out of anger and her hand on the hull of the shuttle closed tightly. “DAMN IT!” Her fist left a sizable dent in the hull Seryu breathed out heavily. "Since when the hell did things go so far downhill for me?" She steadied herself and calmed down while assessing the situation Seryu was in. She had two choices. Either get away as far as she can from where she was while being injured and risking encountering some Grimm that'll probably end her or head toward the destination she can see where her inevitable doom will be.Seryu lowered her head and closed her eyes as she made her impossible decision. "At least there, I'll find some way to deal with these injuries. The first-aid inside the shuttle did its job. If I'm heading there, I might as well change into a different set of clothes. I’ll stick out with the ones I’m wearing.” Seryu removed her fist from the hull and went back inside the shuttle. Thankfully, the shuttle had compartments where regular clothes were stored. Seryu began to remove her clothes when she took off the top part of her uniform, there were wrappings around her waist where there was a bloody spot on her left side. After a quick change, Seryu was now wearing a short-sleeved white T-shirt while wearing a long-sleeved grey windbreaker jacket and black jeans. She decided to let her hair be undone. Seryu looked at herself and sighed at her current appearance. “Normally, I wouldn’t wear such casual clothing but I can’t take any risks.” She grabbed her two kanabo weapons in their metal bar form that were haphazardly on the floor and set them in their usual place. “One more thing to do before I leave.”Seryu exited out of the shuttle and walked to the front of the vehicle. She took out one of her metal bars and it transformed into its kanabo form. Seryu raised her weapon above her. “Reinforce.” Her weapon flashed for a second and yelled as she swung her kanabo at the air shuttle’s engine. A loud smashing sound appeared and Seryu continued to destroy the front of the shuttle until sparks were flying out of the engine. That told her it was time to move away. calmly walked away from the shuttle. Once she was at a far enough distance, Seryu turned around as pointed her kanabo at the shuttle and the front end opened. She fired a missile at the shuttle and once it struck the vehicle, an explosion occurred. Seryu saw the shuttle go up in flames and stared at it as the fire roared. This fire to her meant more than destroying any evidence she had been here. This fire also meant the bridge burning between her and the White Fang. “After everything I’ve done for them, sacrificed for them, they turned on me. Or rather, they turned on the White Fang.” She closed her hands tightly. “Adam, I swear you will pay for this. You will not get away with what you’re planning. My only regret is that I couldn’t warn Sienna in time.” Seryu turned around and retracted her kanabo back into its bar form before setting it back into place. She started to walk away and began her journey to the only place she’ll find shelter, regrettable as that place was. “You’ll find those who’ll stand beside you one day, Seryu.” Seryu had no idea why those words came into her mind but scoffed at them. “Looks like you were wrong once again, father.” B Another airship was flying over a large lake and it was carrying some very precious cargo. A former heiress, to be exact. Weiss leaning against the wall at the entrance to the cockpit while watching the pilot navigating. This trip seemed to be a longer than she anticipated. “So…how much farther?”The pilot had to some good news share about the question. “We’re in the homestretch now. No more stops from here to Mistral. Sorry for the long trip. Keeping us off the radar’s been harder than I thought. Lots of air traffic around Northern Anima.”Weiss didn’t mind that at but she was bothered by something else. “It’s fine. I…hope I haven’t been a burden.”The pilot just laughed as he didn’t mind her company one bit. “You and your money are more than welcome on this ship, kid.” He and the former heiress began to hear strange radio static and that caught the pilot’s curiosity. “What the?”Weiss saw him fiddle with the radio slider a little. “Is…everything okay?”The pilot wasn’t sure. “I don’t know. We’re still over Lake Matsu. Shouldn’t be picking up broadcast this far from Mistral. Someone must be close.”After adjusting the radio a little more, they were able to listen in to who was contacting them from the other line. “Mayday, mayday! We are small passengers and our huntress is down! We aren’t equipped to deal with her!”Already the pilot and Weiss could tell these people were in trouble. “Oh, man.”“The Grimm are four hundred klicks north of the southern shoreline! Get them off her! If anyone can hear this-” They heard an explosion before the transmission cut them off.Weiss saw the pilot turn off the radio and continue to steer the ship. She walked up to him while looking a little concerned. “We’re going to help them, right?”Unfortunately, the pilot had no plans to do so. “What? No! I’m trying to avoid them.”Weiss was in disbelief at what she heard from him. “But…they’ll die!”The pilot thought otherwise. "Look, if we picked up the transmission, I'm sure someone else did too. Besides, this is a cargo ship. She's not much good in a fight. I just want to finish this job and get home. Sorry kid. My ship, my rules." Weiss had no choice to accept that fact. All she could do now at the moment was hope that someone else did pick up that transmission and are on their way to help out that woman and the other passengers in need. B Ghira and Kali were standing behind the railing of the area Leone fought Kali yesterday and were smiling at what they were seeing. Kali leaned nearer to her husband. "I think this is a wonderful idea of them bonding, don't you think?"Ghira chuckled a little at that. “I believe you’re right.”What the Faunus married couple were discussing and witnessing before them was Yang and Blake double teaming Leone. Yang leaped toward her daughter and pulled her robotic arm back. Leone just stood in her position and grinned at her mother’s incoming attack. Sure, she could avoid the attack easily but Leone wanted to see how having a robotic arm would make a difference in Yang’s strength. Once Yang was close enough, she threw her arm forward and Leone did the same at the exact same time. Their fists collided with each other and small boom occurred that reverberated the entire area. Leone could definitely feel that Yang’s new arm added some extra “punch” in her attacking power. But, it wasn’t enough to overpower her. Leone roared as she took a step forward pushed through to send her mother away from her. However, as Yang went away, Blake charged directly at the other Faunus girl.Blake prepped both her sword and her sheath to attack Leone. She pulled back Gambol Shroud and swung forward. Leone hopped back to avoid the attack but barely. Blake wasn’t going to give up as she swung both her sword and sheath at her daughter. It didn’t matter, however, as Leone kept backing up to avoid the attack and after Blake swung Gambol Shroud, Leone grabbed Blake’s arm with her hand and pulled the other Faunus girl toward her. At the same time, Leone spun her body around while sidestepping and thrust her palm right at Blake’s back once she was fully behind her. Blake let out a surprised yelp and landed on the ground. She quickly kneeled up on one knee and transformed Gambol Shroud in its gun form and threw her weapon at her daughter. Leone chuckled and leaned her back as the weapon bypassed her. “Ha! Where’re you aiming at!?”Blake gave the other Faunus girl a smirk of her own and that was when Leone realized Blake was up to something. She looked over to where Yang was who caught Gambol Shroud with her left hand. As soon as the blonde did, Blake wrapped the ribbon attached to her weapon around her arm and pulled with everything she had. Yang was dragged along with Gambol’s ribbon and was heading straight forward Leone once again. Leone was going to grab the ribbon but then she saw Yang close her eyes and open them to reveal her eyes had turned red. Leone was generally surprised by this since Yang’s eyes only turned red when she was pissed off but that wasn’t the case here. Yang pulled her robotic arm once again and as soon she came in close to Leone, she completely socked her daughter right in the jaw. Another boom occurred but this one was larger and much stronger. It was at that moment Yang activated her semblance and her attack became more devastating while yelling. Yang pushed through with her attack and sent Leone flying while leaving a whoosh of wind behind. Blake saw Leone coming at her and immediately ducked. Leone kept going until she crashed through one of the walls and left a silhouette hole of her.Yang’s eyes went back to normal and walked up to Blake looking a little worried. “Think I overdid it?”Blake doubted that but Yang did deliver a very powerful attack. “I guess we’ll see.”They waited for a few seconds before hearing a groan coming out of the hole. “Okay, I’m definitely going to feel that in the morning.” The Bumblebee pair and Blake’s parents saw Leone emerging from the hole and holding the side of the jaw Yang punched her at. Leone gave her jaw a few rubs before taking her hand off and moved it around a little. Sure enough, it hurt a little. "Whaddaya say we call that?!" The Belladonna family and Yang couldn’t help but smile and chuckle amongst themselves. B “Are you sure you’re okay?” Kali asked as she put down a tea set. She and everyone else were in the living room sitting around the table.Leone took her cup and blew on it to cool down. “Yeah. As damaging the attack was, I can bounce back no problem. The problem is if I take multiple hits like that, it might take me a little longer to recover.” She took a quick sip before looking over at Yang. “Have to say, you really improved since the last time we fought.”Yang chuckled sheepishly while rubbing the back of her head with her robotic arm. “It’s been over more than six months. Of course, I would improve and I had Blake to thank for that too. Then again, you’re still tough to beat even with the two of us and you holding back.”Leone wasn’t going to deny that. She had no problem fighting against two against one but, again, she was fighting against her parents. Still, she meant what she said. If Yang ever did more attacks like the one she did, Leone may have to be a little more serious. An idea instantly came to her. “Hey, how about next time, you, Blake, Akame and I do a tag team battle when we have the time.”Yang had no problem with that. It would actually be a lot of fun but the fun had to come much later. "I'll drink to that but first we still have some stuff to do here. After that's done, we'll make our way to Mistral." She grabbed her teacup and blew on it before drinking her tea while her eyes were closed. However, while she was drinking her tea, Blake had a somber look on her face. Yang opened her eyes and set her teacup down. "So, what are we doing next?"Blake sighed as she knew there was no other easy way of telling her girlfriend. “About that, Yang…” The blonde looked over at Blake. “I think…you should leave Menagerie.”Everyone looked over at Blake while Yang just stared in disbelief at her girlfriend. “What?”Kali already knew where this was going and took a quick sip of her tea while not minding the slight burn on her tongue. “Uh, dear? Why don’t we leave them alone for the time being?”Ghira cleared his throat while glancing away. “I believe you’re right, Kali.”Leone had the same idea. “Yeah…think I’ll join her both.” Both of Blake’s parents and Leone stood up and made their way out of the room. The door closed and only Blake and Yang were alone.There was silence between the three girls until Yang finally spoke. “Blake, what do you mean I should leave?”As much as Blake wanted to look away, she couldn’t and needed to Yang. “I don’t want you to misunderstand. You’ve done a lot for me and I’m thankful for that but don’t you think you should be thinking about yourself?”Yang didn’t quite understand what Blake was telling her. “What do you mean?”Blake just closed her eyes. “Don’t you want to search for your mother?”The blonde wasn’t expecting her girlfriend to say that to her. “How did you-”“I overheard you and your father speaking about it in the shed.” Blake replied. “You have a general idea about where she is, right?”Yang looked away from Blake as there were signs of uncertainty present on her face. “I do but-”“Then you should go.” Yang looked back at her girlfriend who was now smiling at her. “It’ll be okay and I’ll be fine. All of us have something to pursue. Me taking back the White Fang and you looking for your mother. I know you’re willing to sacrifice it but you won’t get another chance. So, please.”Yang lowered her head as she took in everything Blake had told her. There was truth in what Blake said about her mother as this was the closest lead Yang had in a long time and she knew the risk in going to Menagerie with Blake. As of now, she had to make a choice. Either stay in Menagerie with Blake against what she was asking her or go in search of her mother. Family or love? Yang felt torn apart by this decision as she closed her hands tightly out of frustration. “I’ll be okay.” The blonde raised her head to see Blake giving her a soft smile. “I won’t be alone in this. I’ll have my parents behind me and soon all of Menagerie at our side. You don’t have to worry.”After seeing the strong resolve and determination in Blake’s eyes, Yang was the one to sigh this time and leaned back with her arms supporting her. “You think your dad has a boat I can borrow?” Blake was glad to hear those words and jumped over to Yang to give her a hug. Outside the door, Ghira, Kali, and Leone heard the whole conversation and they were all smiling. B “There we go!” Leone set down Yang’s motorcycle on the deck of the boat. A little too roughly, to be in fact.Yang, as usual, was overprotective of her motorcycle. “Hey, careful with her!”Leone just dusted her hands and chuckled. “Relax, I know how much this bike means to you. By the way, how did you get your bike all the way to Blake’s parent’s house if you two came here by boat?”Yang chuckled sheepishly. “I had to move Bumblebee while it was on neutral. Can’t drive a motorcycle on crowded roads.” Leone could see that. After setting the straps on Bumblebee, the two blondes approached the walkway and walked down to see Blake and her family standing on the pier. They stopped in front of them. “Thanks again for the boat Chief. I’m really glad you were able to pull it off.”The chief chuckled heartily at the blonde. “You’re welcome.” He looked at the boat he provided to Yang. It wasn’t as large as the one Yang and Blake came into Menagerie but that only made it agiler. The sails were also on there in case the engine broke down. “Although it was on short notice, this boat can take you where you want to head quickly. I only hope you can reach where you’re going just as fast when it docks to the other side.”Yang had confidence in that last part. “Don’t worry. My baby is fast enough to take me anyway I want to go.”Kali gave Yang one last warm smile before she departed. “It was nice to meet you and thank you for looking after Blake back at Beacon.”Yang gave Blake’s mother a bright grin while rubbing the back her head with her robotic arm. “It’s no problem. Now then…” She turned to Leone. “Ready to go Leone?”Leone and everyone else was caught off guard by Yang’s question. It took a few seconds for the Faunus blonde to process what Yang had asked her. “Wait, what?”Yang turned to the sea beyond the boat and stared at it. “You want to go to Mistral, right? Don’t you want to regroup with Akame and the others and you don’t want to worry them anymore, right?”Leone turned to the same direction Yang was looking at. This was the chance she was waiting for. To finally go and reunite with Akame. And yet… “If it’s alright with you, I think I’ll stay with Blake.” This time, it was Yang who was surprised by Leone’s answer. They turned to each other and Leone smiled at her mother. “Don’t get me wrong, I want to go but I still have some unfinished business to settle with the White Fang. We all have our own part to play, right? I’ll meet up with Akame and the others later. Right now, I think Blake could use the extra muscle and let’s not forgot they have it out for me.” She brought her arm up in front of her. “If it’s a fight they want…” Leone closed her hand tightly. “Then it’s a fight they’ll get.”Yang couldn’t help but feel proud at hearing her daughter’s words. “Make sure you’ll get a few good punches for me then.”Leone nodded at her mother and set her arm down. Then an idea came to her. “Oh yeah, if you do ever run into Akame or the others wherever you’re going, I want you to pass along a message.”The Faunus blonde leaned in close next to Yang’s ear and whispered something to her. Yang couldn’t help but laugh as Leone pulled away. “Of course, you would say something like that.”Leone grinned at her mother and walked over to Blake's family as she stood next to Kali. It was almost time but there was one last thing Blake wanted to do. "Yang…" Yang saw Blake walk up to her and stopped in front only to immediately pull the blonde in for a kiss with her eyes closed. Yang smiled into the kiss and happily returned it with her eyes closed as well. Kali moved at the sight that was happening before her while Leone kept grinning. The kiss only lasted a few seconds before Blake pulled away but those few seconds they'll remember for a long time. "I love you."Yang would never get tired of hearing those three words coming from Blake. "I love you too and I know we'll meet up again somewhere down the line. Until then, Blake." They did another quick kiss before Yang walked up the rampway and onto the boat. Once she did, the rampway withdrew into the boat and the engine roared up. The boat started to sail away and Yang walked up the railings while waving goodbye. Blake and everyone else waved back at her and the boat was quickly picking up speed. Yang continued to wave until Blake and the others were gone from her sight. She sighed and turned around while leaning on the railing. She was on her own now but the blonde had a feeling that wasn’t going to be the case soon. Right now, she had one goal in mind and looked up at the sky. “You’re going to be in so much trouble when I find you.” As the boat sailed away, Blake was already beginning to miss Yang. With Yang gone to do her own business, Blake was determined to see through the end with hers. “So, what’s next on the list?” Leone asked.Blake narrowed her eyes as they had a determined look in them. “We go after Corsic and Fennick and take them to court on what we found on the scroll.” Court. It was a word Leone would laugh all the time back in the Capital since it was basically useless. But this wasn’t the Capital and who knows, maybe it’ll actually work for once. B Later that night, all was quiet in the Belladonna household until Ghira angrily slammed the doors open. “Unbelievable!”Leone was right behind just as angry. “This is total bullshit!”They turned toward each other. “We can’t let them get away with this/They can’t get away with this!”Kali, who was just standing in front of the doors, had her hands folded. “Glad to see you two bonding as well.” The two Faunus took a second look at each other.“Guys…” All of them saw Blake approach the house while still having a determined look in her eyes. everything’s going to be okay.”Leone quietly scoffed at that and looked away. “I should’ve known better the court wasn’t going to work. If I had my way, those two wouldn’t even be breathing right now but as long as I’m here, I have to play by their rules.” Everyone needed some time to themselves and scattered into the house.“Good evening miss. Can I get you anything?”Blake just had a simple request. “Just a…little time to myself, if that’s alright.”Guard nodded at the other Faunus. “Sure thing. Just call if you need me.” She promptly left and closed the door. Blake was now alone with some thoughts about what happened earlier.“You need better security.” Blake recognized the voice and turned to see none other than Ilia land on the railing. Blake was about to reach for the door before Ilia held her hand out. “Please! I just need to talk.”Blake decided to grant Ilia’s request. Before she was about to say something, she saw Ilia being tackled the ground by Leone and forcefully held her down with one arm while her hand was covering the other Faunus girl’s mouth. Ilia tried to struggle but it was in vain. “Hi, remember me? The girl who you stabbed with your freaky whip sword the other night? Don’t think I’m going to forgive for that little stunt and the one you pulled earlier today. And by the way, I’m the better security. I could sense your aura coming here a lot farther than you think.”“Leone!” The Faunus blonde looked up at Blake who had a serious look on her face. “Please, let her go. I want to hear what she has to say.”As much as Leone didn’t want to, she had to in wish of her father. “You’re lucky she’s here or I would’ve twisted your head around like that one guy wearing the hockey mask did in the movies.” She removed herself from Ilia and stepped back. Ilia was more than happy that she was off of her and stood up.Blake wanted some answers out of her former friend. “How could you take the fall for them, Ilia?”“Blake…”Blake didn’t give her a chance to fully respond. “Corsic and Fennick blamed you. We confronted them tonight, and they deny knowing anything and everything we found on your scroll. They…talked about how…disappointed they were to hear that you’ve sided with Adam. But you, Leone, and I know they’re guilty.”Ilia remained silent for a few seconds. “You can’t prove anything.”Blake doubted about that as she still had one more plan. “That scroll might not have been enough to lock them up, but it’s enough to sway the Faunus here. When we go public tomorrow, they’re not going to stand for any of it. And neither should you.”Ilia sighed as she slowly took off her mask and revealed her face to the two Faunus girls. “Your plan isn’t going to work, Blake. Please…just leave Menagerie before it’s too late and take her too.” She looked over at Leone.Blake just narrowed her eyes at Ilia. “You’re going to have to make us.”Ilia’s eyes softened as she expected Blake to say that. “I know.” She put her mask on and turned around.Leone growled at her before Blake stopped her. “Let her go, Leone.” The Faunus blonde still bared her fangs at Ilia before she jumped on the railing and then off. Leone really didn’t like how all of this went down. “Damn her. Whose side is she on anyway?”That was a question Blake wanted to know as well and walked up to Leone. “We have more important things to focus on right now. Just let it go.”Leone huffed and crossed her arms under her breasts. “Fine but it won’t be easy. I just hope this plan really does work tomorrow.”Blake sighed as the two Faunus girls looked up at the night sky. “So do I.” B In a dimly lit tunnel, multiple footsteps echoed throughout and bounced off the walls. “The city of Mistrial.”“Ugh, It’s about time!”After having some time recovering from their recent encounter with the Nuckelavee Grimm and Akame’s death match with Wave, Qrow, Team RNJR, Night Raid, and Wave himself were making their way to one of the entrances to Mistral. The walk was a little longer than Jaune thought it would be. “Whose idea was it to walk again?”Ren thought this was easy compared to what they had to deal with along the way of reaching Mistral. “Well, we did face many obstacles. Broken airships, destroyed settlements…”Jaune remembered more…certain details. “All, like, you know…all those people and monsters that tried to murder us!”Cornelia had something extra to add to that. “And let’s not forgot a certain someone had it out for Akame and almost killed her if it weren’t for Kurome.”Wave sighed at that. “How long are you going have that hang over my head?”“It’s fine.” Akame interjected. “What’s happened in the past stays in the past. It’s better to put our focus on what’s ahead of us.”Qrow liked the sound of that. “A good way of putting it.”Jaune wondered when they'll arrive at their destination. “So how much father to Haven Academy?”Qrow quickly glanced back at the group. “Almost there. Tried to figure I’d take you kids on the scenic route.”So far, Chelsea wasn’t impressed. “I really hope this isn’t the scenic route you’re talking about.”The group reached the end of the tunnel and Qrow pushed a pair of doors wide open only for them to be briefly blinded by bright light. When the light faded, Ruby was the first to exit out of the tunnel and ran up to a railing. She and everyone else saw one of the most incredible views they ever saw. What they saw was the city of Mistral. “Whoaaaa! This…is…AWESOME!!”Esdeath shared the young leader’s excitement. “It’s…so beautiful.”Kurome had to agree. “Yeah, it’s like the opposite compared to what we had to look back at Shade.”Qrow expected these kinds of comments coming from them. “It’s certainly something.”Ruby could see all kinds of things happening below them and was gushing about one particular topic. “Oh, my gosh look at all the weapons!”Her uncle thought to explain about Mistral a little more. “Vendors here will sell you just about anything. Whether they should or not.”Jaune was impressed with the layout of the city. “They really made most out of these mountains.”Qrow fully agreed to that but he still had to give one warning. “Every inch. And stay away from the lower levels but the higher up you go, the nicer it gets.”“And we’re going up!” Everyone turned to Nora who was pointing all the way to the top. B With a little more walking, the group arrived at Haven Academy and Kurome was already making comparisons between it and Shade. They walked to the center courtyard and Ruby stopped momentarily to wipe her eye as she was finally within her goal. Jaune placed a hand on her shoulder and the young leader sighed. “We made it." They continued walking but something wasn't quite right to Qrow and Akame and the others could see that as well. They entered the main building of the academy and yet, strangely enough, they haven’t seen a single person. Ruby decided to call them out. “Hello? Hellooo?!”Nora thought she wasn’t trying hard enough. “Maybe try…louder?”“There doesn’t seem to be anyone here.” Ren stated.Rienna thought the same. “Yeah…where is everyone?”“Not here, that’s for sure.” Chelsea spoke. “Otherwise, we already would’ve sensed someone else’s aura in the vicinity by now.”“Well…I guess school isn’t really in session right now. Maybe that’s it.” That was Jaune's best guess as for why no one was here. To Wave, that seemed to be the most plausible answer but still had doubts. “Is it normal for schools to be out at this time?”Qrow didn’t think that was the case at all. “No, this isn’t right. Come on!”Ruby and the others quickly followed him. “Wait for us!”They reached the doors where the headmaster’s office was and stopped before it. Takeo narrowed her eyes. “There’s someone on the other side of the door.”Qrow drew out his weapon. “Get ready! It could be trouble.” Everyone else followed his lead and became prepared for whoever was on the other side. Qrow raised his leg and busted the door open…only to frighteningly surprise an older man from the other side. The group was equally surprised and Qrow lost his balance and fell down as did the older man in front of them. Ruby took her best guess at the person laying in front of them. “Uh…Profess Lionheart?”Qrow groaned as he sat up as did Lionheart. The headmaster didn’t take kindly to the huntsman’s antics. “Qrow! For crying out loud! Nearly scared me half to death!”Qrow could say the same as he stood up. “Me? Why weren’t you waiting for us at the entrance?”Lionheart had a confused look on his face and fished out his pocket watch to check the time. “Huh? Oh, right. Apologies. I guess…time slipped away from me.” He put his watch away and began to stand up.Qrow really couldn’t believe what he heard from Lionheart. “You’re joking.”With the headmaster in front of them, Nora decided to ask the question everyone was asking and wondering about earlier as they put away their weapons. “Where is everyone?”Lionheart didn’t seem to catch the question as he was surprised to see RNJR and Night Raid behind Qrow. “Ah, you must be the students Qrow mentioned.”Ruby nodded and did a salute similar to what Penny would do. “Yes, sir! Ruby Rose.”Everyone else decided to introduce themselves as well. “Jaune Arc.”“Nora Valkyrie.”“Lie Ren.”“Rienna Logue.”“Taeko Oarburgh.”“Cornelia King.”“Chelsea Gaia.”“Esdeath Partas.”“I’m-”“Akame Night. Yes, I recognize you from seeing your match against Kurome Chariot next to you in the Vytal Festival. You two made quite the impression.” At least Kurome didn’t have to introduce herself. Lionheart to Wave and to him, he didn’t seem like a student. And you…are…” He looked between Wave and Kurome and saw how similar they dressed. “Miss Chariot’s elder sibling?” He guessed.His guess made Nora and some of the other members of the group giggle a little while Kurome just groaned and rolled her eyes. “Seriously?”Wave laughed awkwardly and thought to clear up the misunderstanding. “No, sir. My name is Wave and I’m…an acquaintance with Akame and her team.”Lionheart nodded at them and smiled at the group. “Pleasure to meet you all. Leonardo Lionheart, at your service. I’m afraid most of my staff is currently away until classes resume, but-”“What?!” Qrow knew what he heard wasn’t good. “Leo, you can’t be serious. Who’s guarding the relic?”Lionheart was surprised Qrow would blatantly say something so secretive in front of a third party. “Qrow, the children-”“Already know. I filled them in. What do you mean your staff is away?”Lionheart really didn’t expect Qrow to tell them everything about the relics. “You…filled them in?!” He looked to be a little worried.Nora could already tell where this was going and leaned in towards Ruby. “Soooo…is this not going at all like anyone thought it would?”Chelsea scoffed at that. “To be honest, I was kinda expecting this.” Everyone entered Lionheart’s office.Nora and Ren sat on the couch while everyone else decided to stand around. Lionheart sat down in his seat behind his desk. He had his hands folded and tried to make sense of Qrow’s decision of telling a third party about one of their most private secrets. “I have to say, Qrow…this all seems very reckless. Even for you.”Qrow saw that as the pot calling the kettle black. “No. Reckless is leaving one of the relics completely unguarded. It’s not checking in with Oz for ages.”Lionheart had a reason for doing so about that and it was a very good one. “There was nothing to check in about, before the Fall of Beacon. But since that day, Mistral has been in chaos.” He stood up from his chair and put his hands behind his back. “Vale wasn’t the only kingdom to suffer that night. Everyone was watching. Every house, in every kingdom, saw…that girl’s arm torn apart from her, saw monsters crawling over the city. Atlesian Knights attacking citizens. And then, nothing. You could feel the dread in the air. With all that negativity, you can imagine what it was like when the Grimm came for us.” Lionheart turned around and walked up to one of the windows in his office. “Mistral’s controlled territory is the widest reaching in the world, you know and that makes it infinitely harder to protect.” He stopped in front of the window and had a melancholic look on his face. “We lost so many great huntsmen. Teachers from this very institution and it’s only gotten worse.”Ruby was almost afraid to ask but she had to anyway. “W-What do you mean by that?”Lionheart placed his hands on the edges of the window sill. "We may have dealt with the Grimm, but the Mistral council is still at odds with representatives from Atlas. First, it was the Dust embargo and now it’s the closing of borders.” He turned around to face the party. “I’m not sure what happened to James in Vale but it seems to have only worsened some of his more…unfortunate tendencies.” He gave out a quick tired sigh. “And on top of everything, we still don’t know where the Spring Maiden is.”As if that wasn’t obvious enough already for Qrow. “All the more reason we need the huntsmen and huntresses here!”“Okay, okay!” Ruby walked up to both Lionheart and her uncle to try to calm things down. “Things are bad. They’re bad. But we can figure this out. Why is this Spring Maiden so important?”Hearing that question quite surprised Lionheart and turned to Qrow. “I thought you filled them in.”Qrow was getting to that as he reached for his flask in his shirt. “Mostly filled in. There’s a lot to cover, okay? I quit teaching for a reason.” He started to take a drink from his flask.Lionheart sat back down on his chair and thought to fully explain about the maidens. “The Four Maidens each have the power to perform feats of magic and they’re the only ones capable of reaching the Relics.”Even with that explanation, Jaune was still a little confused. “What?”Qrow thought to explain that in deeper detail as he briefly stopped drinking. “The Relics are each locked inside a chamber that can only be open by a specific Maiden. Winter is the gift of creation, Summer for destruction, Fall for choice, and Spring of knowledge.” He took another quick drink. “Spring is the problem.”Ren decided to ask the important question about the topic. “What happened to her?”Lionheart and Qrow glanced over at him while Qrow put his flask away. “She was determined at first. When she inherited her powers. But the weight of responsibility proved to be too much for the child. She…ran. Abandoned her training. Everyone. That was over a decade ago. There’s no telling where she could be now.”This time, Esdeath had a question of her own about the Spring Maiden. "If you don't mind me asking, when do the Maidens have their power awakened?"It was an odd question to ask but Lionheart didn’t see the harm in answering her. “As far as we know, a Maiden’s power awakens at a young age. When that happens, it’s up to us to teach them how to control their powers.”The answer seemed to be more than enough for her. “I see. Thank you.” Esdeath clenched her hand tightly and it didn’t go unnoticed by Akame.Wave decided to speak out her own thoughts about the Spring Maiden. “From the sound of it, this Spring Maiden could be anywhere and we have no idea where she is.”“I know.” Qrow announced. “At least…I have a pretty good idea.”Lionheart and everyone else was surprised to hear that. Especially Lionheart as he stood up. “Are you serious?”Qrow didn’t share the professor’s excitement. “It’s not exactly good news.”Lionheart saw that differently as he walked toward the huntsmen. “What are you talking about?” He grabbed Qrow’s shoulders and shook him a little. “This is incredible news! After all these years! Where?”Qrow lightly shoved the professor away and turned away from him. “I did some digging around. Looks like after Spring ran away, she was picked up by bandits. Specifically, the Branwen Tribe.”Unfortunately, Lionheart knew what that meant. “Raven.”Everyone except Wave and the former members of Team KRCT was shocked to hear that. Jaune was the only one who spoke. “Yang’s mom?”Qrow glanced over at him before looking away. “That’s right.” The huntsmen walked toward the desk and brought out his scroll. A hologram map appeared above from the scroll and Wave was actually mystified in seeing such a thing. Lionheart stood next to Qrow as they both looked at the map together. “That’s about where they’ve set up their camp. It’s where they fall back to after raids and scouting mission. Raven’s managed to gain a lot of followers and she returned to the tribe. And I’m sure when the Spring Maiden showed up, it only made things easier.”Lionheart was impressed with the work Qrow had done. “Well, Qrow, I’ve got to hand it to you. With these coordinates, we can mount a retrieval force and head out in a few weeks.”Already, Qrow didn’t like what the professor said. “A few weeks?”Lionheart pressed several of the hologram buttons and the map disappeared. “That’s right.” He walked around his desk and headed for his chair.Qrow could tell what his old friend had said before was already problematic. “Leo, maybe you didn’t hear me. My sister has the Spring Maiden and I know where she is.” The huntsmen placed both his hands on the desk as Lionheart took his seat. “We need to go as soon as possible!” He pushed away some books off of the desk.Lionheart narrowed his eyes at Qrow. “And perhaps you didn’t hear me! This kingdom is in shambles. As soon as possible does not mean tomorrow. It means as soon as I can convince the rest of the council that I need huntsmen more than they do. Unfortunately, bandit tribes aren’t very high on their list of priorities when the threat of war is just on the horizon!”Qrow really didn't have time for drawn-out decisions nor the patience “Then damn the council, we’ll do it ourselves! You and I are trained huntsmen and these kids aren’t exactly pushovers. And Wave over there is a hell of a fighter.”Nora stood up from the couch while Ruby brought her arm up with her hand closed. “Yeah!”Ren also stood up but wondered if there was another solution. “Perhaps there’s a more peaceful way to approach this?”Qrow knew the severity of their situation and urged Lionheart. “We need to get Spring as far away from here as possible. Raven isn’t going to give up her most prized possession without a fight.”As much as Lionheart wanted to help, there was little he could do in terms of help. “Unfortunately, you and your sister are evenly matched and I’m not the fighter I used to be. No offense, but these students, your new ally, and I…can’t take on an entire bandit tribe and a Maiden that’s no doubt had years to hone her skills. We need to be positive, we can apprehend Spring, because if we fail, Raven and her tribe will scatter and we’ll be lost.” He raised up one finger at Qrow. “We get one shot at this, and it needs to be perfect.”Qrow could only stare at the professor and sighed at the predicament he was in. “You know Oz wouldn’t be happy with any of this if he were here.”Lionheart knew that better than anyone in the room. “Perhaps you’re right but he’s not. I’m doing the very best I can.”Ruby hoped there was another way go around this. “There’s has to be something we can do.”Jaune had his own idea and for a rare while, it was a good one. “What about Cinder? She came with Emerald and Mercury from Haven. Do you have anything on them?”Lionheart looked over at him with an apologetic look on his face. “We pulled their files after the Fall of Beacon. Nothing but lies and forgeries.” That wasn’t the answer Jaune was looking for and clenched his hands out of frustration.Qrow felt like they all overstayed their welcome. “Well, I can’t say this has been a warm reunion, Leo.”Lionheart shared the mutual feeling. “I’m sorry. I know all of you have traveled a long way but I will do everything I can to help.”Qrow hoped so or else everything they worked for would’ve been for naught. “Sure. We’ll stay in the city for the time being.” He pulled out his scroll briefly to Lionheart. “Local comms are still up. Keep in touch.” He put it away and turned around to walk to the doors. “Come on kids. You too, Wave.” With their meeting done, everyone followed him.Ruby stopped momentarily and turned to Lionheart. “It was nice meeting you, professor.”Lionheart only waved at the young leader. “Likewise” With that said, Ruby was the last to leave and closed the door.The professor placed a hand on his forehead and lowered his head. Then, a small “W” hologram appeared out from his desk and he looked at it. “Oh, Leo. We have to work on your improvisational skills.”Everyone in the group was making their way out of the school and most of them didn't have much of good feeling of how their meeting with Lionheart went. "Well…" Chelsea spoke. "That could've gone better." She summed up how everyone felt at the moment.“So, what do we do now?” Nora asked.Qrow stopped and turned around to face the group and pointed his finger at them. “All of you head to the house. I’m going to get a drink.” As if that wasn’t obvious to some of the members and they saw him walk away. As he did, everyone looked at each other and wondered what to do next. B In one of the higher streets of Mistral, the people were passing each other by and mind their own business while conducting some. In the middle of one of the busy streets were Akame and the rest of Night Raid standing around in front of a wall while Wave was talking to one of the merchants. Cornelia wasn't sure they were allowed to do this. “You sure it’s alright for us to be sightseeing at a time like this?”Kurome put her hands behind her head nonchalantly. “We got nothing else better to do except if you want to lie around doing nothing like the others. Besides, we’re just killing time before we can figure out our next move.”The other members had to agree with what Kurome pointed out. Right now, they had no direction of what to do next. They couldn’t do what they wanted like before or else they would face some consequences for their actions. Meanwhile, Esdeath was looking at the palm of her hand while being in thought about something. “The Winter Maiden signifying creation. Their powers awaken at a young age…”“Is everything alright, Esdeath?”Esdeath snapped out of her train of thought and turned to Rienna. She just giggled awkwardly at the blonde. "I'm fine. I was just thinking is all.”Rienna was going to ask what Esdeath was thinking about until the group heard Wave calling out to them. “Hey, I’m back!” The group saw Wave carrying several small serving trays with various food items on it as approached the group with a smile. “Okay, I have everyone’s order. Go ahead and enjoy them.”Each of the girls happily took their order of food away from the soldier. However, Rienna noticed Wave was carrying an extra tray with one he was holding for himself. “Why do you have another one?”Wave chuckled nervously as he had an uncomfortable look in his eye. “Oh, um…the vendor gave me one extra to give to Kurome.”Chelsea narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. “And why’s that?”Wave glanced away slightly from the group. “He…thinks Kurome is my younger sister since we kinda dressed the same.”Everyone became quite when they heard that. Almost everyone as Rienna, Cornelia, and Esdeath were trying to hold back some giggling. Kurome just became annoyed as soon as she heard that detail. “Okay, that’s it.” She promptly grabbed the second tray from Wave and started to walk away from the group.Esdeath didn’t understand why Kurome was leaving them so suddenly. “Where are you going?”Kurome continued to walk while not looking back. “To find the nearest clothing store!”The answer was obvious enough to the group that Kurome was going shopping to change outfits. Chelsea left the group as well to catch up with her girlfriend. She looked back at her team briefly. “I’ll go ahead with Kurome. Someone has to pick out an outfit for her! Catch ya later back at the house!” She looked in front once again and both girls disappeared into the crowd. With two of their members gone now, there was only one thing they could do now. “Let’s keep moving.” Akame suggested. Everyone else nodded in agreement and walked in the streets. All of them took the time to observe their surroundings and admire the sights of Mistral since this wasn’t a place they would often visit while enjoying their food. Cornelia and Rienna were enjoying what Mistral had to offer while Esdeath resumed her thinking. Taeko and Akame were making a mental map of the surrounding areas. While scanning the area, Akame was also making note of the people in the crowds hoping of running into Leone if she was Mistral already.They arrived a street crossroads and there were many people walking around. Akame looked ahead immediately stopped and gasped at who she saw. In amongst the crowds, she saw a woman was walking past her. A woman with long black hair, a birthmark under her left eye, and her outfit was a free-flowing lilane dress with a black and white plaid belt wrapped around her waist. She was also carrying a closed purple umbrella on her shoulder. Akame’s breathing deepened and her heart raced madly out of fear. She saw the woman stop and turned to her direction. As their eyes met, everything else went silent and the people walking about became still. Akame then saw the woman give her a playful smile and her eyes widened. “Akame?” Akame broke out of her trance and blinked. Everything was back in motion and turned to Cornelia who seemed worried. “Are you alright? You just stood still.” The blonde looked at the direction her leader was looking at but could only see the people walking. “What were you looking at?”Akame looked as well and that woman she saw was gone. She sighed and tried to steady her heartbeat. “It was nothing.”“I doubt that.” The two girls turned around to see Esdeath and the others. “I’ve seen you act like this before. Back at the Vytal Festival when you and Leone first saw Kurome’s team. You saw someone you recognized, didn’t you?”Akame looked back at the crosswords and truly wondered that. “Maybe or maybe it was someone who I thought I saw.” She truly wanted to believe her own words. “It couldn’t have been her. There’s no way but then again, I’ve been proven wrong before.” She had to put what she saw in the back of her head and focus on what was at hand. “Let’s keep going.” She quickly moved ahead of the group and the rest of them followed.While walking, Wave decided to ask a question about what he heard in the meeting with Lionheart earlier. “So…who’s this Raven person and who’s Yang?”Cornelia didn’t expect him to ask a question like that. “Really? Didn’t you travel with Ruby’s group?”While that was true, Wave didn’t know everything about Ruby and the others. “Only for a short time until I ran into all of you back at that village.”Akame thought to answer his question. “Yang is Ruby’s older sister and Raven is Yang’s mother who left her at a young age.”That certainly cleared things up a little for Wave. “Really? She’s their mom and left both of them?”It wasn’t that quite simple to him. “Raven isn’t Ruby’s real mother but she is Yang’s.”Now Wave just seemed more confused. “Wait, so if this Raven isn’t Ruby’s real mom and is her sister’s…then who’s Ruby’s mom and are they sisters…” He groaned as this was hurting his head just a little.This time, Esdeath would be the one to explain since it did involve Ruby. “Ruby and Yang had different mothers but the same father. Raven is Yang’s real mother while Summer is Ruby’s real mother. Like Akame said, Raven left Yang and her father when Yang was young and Ruby’s mom…” She braced herself for what she was about to say next. “Ruby’s mother passed away when she was young too.”Now Wave felt a little sorry for Ruby. He couldn’t imagine what she had to go through in losing her mother. “Poor kid.” He moved on to his next question. “Hey, since Qrow is Ruby’s uncle and this Raven is Yang’s mother, I’m guessing they’re related?”For once, he wasn’t too far off with that. “From what Leone told me, Qrow and Raven are actually twins.”Wave didn’t expect to know that about the huntsmen. “Seriously? Wow.” And he just realized something about them. “Now that I think about it, Raven and Qrow. I just got that. Anyway, judging from what I heard about her earlier, it sounds like this Raven woman is strong and respected. I do have to disagree with what that Lionheart professor said before. About how we can’t take on a bandit tribe. I’m sure I can handle them and so can Akame.”While Wave was right about that, he was also wrong. “This is different than the bandits we had to fight back at the Capital. These bandits have the Spring Maiden so that counts as a wild factor.” Akame pointed out. “It’s as Professor Lionheart said: we only get one chance and we better make it count.” Wave had to admit she was right. This was much more than dealing with a simple band of bandits. “Until then, we’re on standby.” That was another point Wave had to admit.Speaking of enemies, Taeko was wondering about something else. Specifically, about Wave. “That reminds me…” She glanced over at Wave and he caught it. “Why are you walking with us?”Rienna never questioned about that until now. “Hey, yeah. Don’t you think people will find it weird one guy is walking along with a bunch of teenage girls?”Wave chuckled awkwardly as he knew this question was bound to come up sooner or later. “Oh, that? Well…I figured I would use this chance to get to know some you girls more. I mean, there’s already Akame, Kurome, Rienna, and Esdeath but the rest of you…” He didn’t know much about Cornelia, Taeko, and Chelsea.Cornelia didn’t seem to mind, though. “I think that’s kinda good of you and I think you’ll make a better ally than enemy. It’s like my papa always says: the worst of enemies can sometimes become the best of allies.” She looked back at Esdeath. “Don’t you think so, Esdeath?”Esdeath could already tell what Cornelia was implying. “Yeah, I know.”Wave also caught on to what Cornelia was talking about as he looked over at Esdeath. It was still a little surreal to him that Esdeath and Akame would be working to together and on the same thing. “I wonder what else dos her father has said. In fact, who’s her father at all?” While looking away, Wave unintentionally bumped into someone and heard a girl yelp. Everyone else stopped and saw what happened. Wave looked down at the girl he accidentally bumped into who had a hood covering her head. “Oh, sorry. I wasn’t looking.” He offered his hand to her.However, the girl just slapped his hand away and Wave could’ve sworn he felt that her hand was metallic. “Watch where the hell you’re going you dumbass!”Wave gasped as heard her voice. It was a voice he easily recognized and thought wouldn’t hear again. He saw the girl raise her head and glared at him. As Wave saw her face, there was no doubt who it was in front of him. “Seryu?” A/N: Holy god this was a long intro chapter to the new Volume. Oh yeah, I also made a slight change to chapter forty so things would make a little more sense in the story. With that said, Rosario Vampire ending 2 as fourth ending. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol FourKill Fifty Six: Enemy turned Ally?“So, this is Mistral.” Seryu was walking amongst the crowds in the streets of Mistral. She was just walking aimlessly while looking around while her hood was up and her hands in her pockets. This was her first time being in Mistral and had to admit, it was quite nice. “We were going to invade this place? I can see why. With these raised cliffs, trapping the civilians with Grimm would be child’s play. Chaos would quickly spread and that would make this city collapse.” She then felt a slight pain coming from the injury on her side and brought her hand to soothe it. Seryu briefly turned her attention to her injury. “I have to get this bandage replaced soon.” While paying attention to her wound, Seryu bumped into some and yelped. She fell to the ground and groaned.“Oh, sorry. I wasn’t looking.”“Oh, you’re going to be sorry.” She saw a hand extended to her and gritted her teeth annoyance and slapped the hand away. “Watch where the hell you’re going you dumbass!” Seryu raised her head and glared at the person who bumped into her. Even more so since the person who did was a human.“Seryu?” Her expression changed from annoyance to surprise when she heard this human speak out her name. A human she has never met before and yet knew her name. Before Seryu knew it, she turned around and quickly stood up as she ran away from the human. “Seryu, wait!” Wave took a step forward and reached his arm out toward the Faunus girl but ran before he could talk to her. Having one of his former comrades again, Wave needed some answers and began to chase after Seryu while he still had a view of her in front of him.Cornelia and the others weren't quite sure what had happened before them. "So…does anyone have an idea of what just happened?" She turned to Akame. "What do you think Akame?" The blonde didn't hear leader and she and the others noticed Akame wasn’t with them. “Where’d she go?”While Wave was chasing Seryu through the streets, Akame was taking an easier path via jumping on top of one stall to the next. When she heard Wave say that name, a myriad of emotions surged within her but one she felt the most was anger. “Seryu Ubiquitous.” Back in the streets, Seryu shoved civilian after civilian which they weren't too happy about while trying to increase the distance between her and Wave. She was still trying to wrap around of how a human she had never met knew her name. “How?! How did a human know my name and recognize me? I have to get away from him as far as possible or else I might be discovered by someone else.”“Seryu, wait!” Seryu glanced back and saw that Wave still pursuing her and to her disliking, he seemed to be catching up. She looked forward again and started to shove every civilian she passed by behind her. Wave saw the civilians and sidestepped to avoid them while apologizing to them. He wasn’t going to let that stop him, much to Seryu’s dismay.She looked back once again and Wave was still chasing after her. The Faunus girl growled and looked in front again. She noticed the cliff walls and an idea came to her. Seryu made a hard-right turn to the cliffs. She approached the cliffs and started to jump on the ledges one after the other just as Wave arrived. Seryu was already halfway up to the next level and looked down. To her surprise, Wave was doing the same thing. Even better since he’s jumping two at a time. Seryu could hardly believe it. “Who the hell is this human?!” She looked up and hurried to the next level as fast as she could. After jumping off one more ledge, Seryu landed onto the next level which seemed a circular area of medium size with a single tree in the center with a bench in front. She was about to move again when a shadow overcast her and saw Wave land in front of her with his back turned.Wave turned around and faced Seryu for the second time. They stared each other down without saying a word to each other. The Faunus just growled and removed her hood that revealed her dog ears since what was the point if her pursuer knew her. To Wave, he was surprised about one detail about Seryu and that’s what he saw on top of her head. “She has dog ears?” That meant to him Seryu was a Faunus. At this point, it would be useless to run away since the human before her would keep chasing after her so that only left her one option left. She grabbed her metal bars and pulled them out as they transformed into their kanabo form. As soon as he saw them, Wave put his right hand up to her. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait! I just want to talk to you! Not to fight you!”Unfortunately for him, Wave had no choice. “Too bad because you’re going have to unless you want to die!” She jumped over toward Wave. Wave quickly drew out Grand Chariot and raised it with his other hand behind his weapon to block Seryu’s first attack. He felt how strong the attack was through the block and noticed Seryu swinging her other weapon from the side. He quickly pushed the first kanabo off his cutlass and jumped back to avoid the second attack.Wave was very against fighting someone who was a former comrade of his. “I don’t want to fight you, Seryu!”Seryu growled at him and became angrier every time he said her name. "Stop saying my name, you damn human!" She came after him again and swung her kanabo in her right hand overhead. Wave jumped to the side to dodge the attack and Seryu’s kanabo struck the ground instead. However, that didn’t stop the Faunus girl as she let go of her weapon and rushed over toward Wave with her second one ready. Wave couldn’t dodge this attack as Seryu pulled her weapon in and swung outward at Wave. Her attack managed to hit the soldier in the torso and he grunted in pain. He slid backward away from Seryu while clutching the bottom of his chest. Upon seeing this, she was surprised. “You’re fighting without aura protecting you? You must be the dumbest human I’ve met.”Despite the pain he was feeling, Wave laughed at what Seryu said to him. “To be fair, I’ve been called worse. And I’ve taken worse hits” He did what she said was strange. “How can aura protect?” Wave disregarded that thought and removed his hand from his chest and pointed his weapon at Seryu. “Don’t make do this, Seryu.”Seryu narrowed her eyes at him. “Oh, please. What can you do? I already fought against that traitor lion Faunus.” She grinned wickedly at Wave. “Compared to you, you’re nothing!” Sure enough, it was Seryu who would smile like that. He really didn’t want to harm her out of respect but it reached the point where he had no choice. Wave still wasn’t going to activate Grand Chariot, though since it would cause an alarm to anyone nearby. Wave was about to come at Seryu but then he sensed someone approaching fast and to Seryu, she something very dangerous approaching them. They both turned to the same direction where they sensed their new arrival approaching. They saw the figure jump over from the cliff and landed in front of them. Wave knew it would only be a matter of time before Akame arrived. Seryu also recognized her and didn’t expect to see her again. “She’s the human girl that traitor hangs around with.” She soon figured out that the danger she sensed from before was coming from Akame.Upon her landing, Akame had her head lowered upon her landing while on one knee. She didn’t say a word for a few seconds before she finally spoke. “Seryu…Ubiquitous…”Seryu quietly gasped when she heard her name spoken by Akame. Now, this really didn't make any sense to her. “She knows my name too? But how? We never even met when I was tailing her and her group.” Akame stood up but still kept her head lowered. She reached for the handle of Murasame which to Wave meant bad news to him. “Akame, no-”“You were the one who killed Sheele.” Wave’s words fell on deaf ears. “You took her away from us.”Seryu became confused by Akame’s words. “Who the hell is Sheele?”Wave was wondering the same thing. “Sheele? Was she a teammate of Akame’s before?”Akame continued to speak her mind. “For what you’ve done…” She raised her head and both Wave and Seryu saw that Akame’s eyes were black and red. “I will end you just as Mine did before.” Akame drew out Murasame.As soon as Seryu looked into Akame’s eyes, she felt an incredible sense of dread and fear coursing through her body. Her Faunus senses were kicked into overdrive and told her to immediately flee but her body was paralyzed with fear. Her breathing became more erratic the longer she stared into Akame’s demon eyes and in those eyes, she momentary saw would happen to her in the future. Akame severing her head. This was without a doubt, the most terrified she had ever felt. “This human…no, she is more of a monster than that traitor. She’s…She’s…” Seryu then saw a demonic-looking grim reaper appear behind Akame. Seryu wanted to scream but nothing came out of her mouth. Just a feeble attempt to get any kind of sound out. The fear proved to be too much for Seryu and blacked out as she just dropped to the ground.“Seryu!” Wave instantly went over to her to see if she was okay. He kneeled next to her and pressed two fingers on her neck. Wave was relieved she was still alive as she just passed out. However, that was short lived when he turned to Akame with her eyes unchanged. The soldier stood up and went in-between the two girls. “Stop this now, Akame! You don’t need to do this!” Akame didn’t listen and took a step forward. Wave narrowed his eyes at her. “Look, I know you’re mad but I won’t let you kill her. I may be new to this different world thing but I’m telling you can’t kill the Seryu in this world for what the one I know did back in the Capital. If you do that, then you’ll be no different than the people you killed. Do you understand that!?”It seemed what Wave’s words reached her as Akame stopped. She just glared at Wave for a few seconds before closing her eyes and opening them again as they returned to normal. “Fine.” She sheathed Murasame walked up to the unconscious Faunus. She stood above her and looked down. “Did she say anything to you before I arrived?”Wave also looked down at Seryu. “A few things. Like how I wasn’t using aura to protect myself and how she fought against a traitor lion Faunus.” He looked over at Akame. “I wonder what she meant by tha-” His eyes widened in shock as Akame’s returned to their red and black color. They seemed more intense than before and that very much worried Wave. “Akame, what-”“We’re bringing her with us.” She turned away from Seryu. “Pick her up and let’s bring her back to the house.” Akame began to walk away.Just when Wave thought he resolved this situation, it came back flaring up again. At least she didn’t kill Seryu on the spot but that didn’t make him feel any better. “Can you explain why?”Akame continued to walk as her eyes returned to normal but still retained their serious gaze. “She has the answers to my questions.” B At the house, the members of RNJR (except for Ruby since she was in her room reading comics) and Night Raid were in the living room. Nora, Jaune, and Ren were sitting on one of the couches while Taeko, Cornelia, Rienna were sitting in the other one. Esdeath, Chelsea, and Kurome were the only ones standing and for a good reason. At least for Kurome. “So, what do you think?” She gave a small twirl to show off the new outfit she bought at the clothing store. Kurome was wearing a black mid-thigh short skirt kimono with red outlines on the edges and the skirt. The skirt was also ruffled and a red obi wrapped around her waist. She also wore black fingerless gloves and stockings of the same color. The only thing that didn't change was the shoes since Kurome couldn't see herself fighting in sandals.Chelsea obviously loved her girlfriend’s new look. “I definitely like it. You look so adorable. Adorable and deadly.”Jaune didn’t know about that last part but he did agree with the first one. “Yeah, you look…good.”And Chelsea threw a nasty glare at him which very unnerved him. “You’re lucky I’m allowing you to say that.” Jaune giggled sheepishly.Nora grinned at Kurome’s new look. “Now when someone sees you with us, people will think you’re Akame’s sister.” She giggled at the joke where people mistook Kurome as Wave’s sister since they dressed so similarly.Speaking of Akame, Cornelia took out her scroll and checked the message Akame sent her and the other members of the group again. “Head back to the house, now.” Cornelia could feel just how serious the text Akame sent was. It made her worry a little actually. “What could’ve happened to her when she and Wave chased after that girl? Maybe it was someone they knew. I wouldn’t past that about them. I mean, all of us are definite proof about that.” She and everyone else then heard a click from the door and looked over at it. They saw it open and Akame finally arrived. Cornelia was the first to stand up followed by everyone else who was sitting on a couch. "Akame, there you are. What happened?"Chelsea would like to know the answer to that question as well. “Yeah, what was going on while Kurome and I were-” She stopped speaking as everyone saw Wave come in while carrying Seryu in his arms bridal style.Rienna ran up to the door and closed it. She then turned to her leader and Wave. “Is that girl from before?”Jaune took a closer look and saw Seryu’s dog ears. “Hey, and she’s a Faunus too.” He also noticed something else about her. “Wait, does she have metal arms?” Indeed, she did but that really wasn’t on everyone’s mind at the moment.Kurome was mystified by what was going on. “Okay, what happened while Chelsea and I were away? Who’s this girl and why did you bring her here? In fact, did you actually carry her here through the streets? What did people even say?”The answer was a little awkward for Wave to answer. “We told them she passed out from eating too much food and had to take her back to her room to sleep it off.” He then noticed the new outfit Kurome was wearing and was very impressed by the look of it. “I like your new look, Kurome.” Kurome would let that one slide considering the circumstances.“Wave, set her on the couch, now.” Wave did what he was told and set Seryu down on the couch in an upright position. He then took a few steps back. “Esdeath, apply your ice on the back of her neck. I need her awake.”Esdeath was unsure about the order but if it was this important to her, she had to do it. “Okay then.” She walked up to Seryu and since she gotten a closer look at the Faunus girl, the dog ears she had did make her seem a little cute but she had orders to follow. Esdeath placed her hand behind on Seryu’s neck and applied her ice to it.It only took a few seconds for Seryu’s eyes to open wide and scream. “SHIT, THAT’S COLD!” Esdeath stepped back while Seryu immediately stood up and rubbed the back of her next to warm it up while looking mildly discomfortable. “What the hell did you do-” It took a few seconds but Seryu realized she was in a different place with humans surrounding her. Some of them she recognized that Leone traveled with while tailing them. One, in particular, caught her attention and it was Akame. The fear Seryu felt from before came back rushing to her and screamed as stepped back only to bump into the foot of the couch and landed back on it. “S-Stay away from me!” Everyone in Night Raid could wager a guess about what happened for her to be so afraid of Akame.Unfortunately, for Seryu, Akame had no intention of doing so. She walked up to Seryu and pulled out Murasame, much to every surprise and worry. “Whoa, take it easy! I don’t think you need to resort to that!” Jaune cautioned.Akame ignored him and pointed Murasame in front of Seryu’s face. Seryu felt frightened and for a good reason and it didn’t help she couldn’t look away from Akame’s unrelenting gaze at her. “I’ll get straight to the point. What have you done with Leone?”Everyone gasped when they heard Akame ask that question. All of them turned to Seryu with disbelief in their eyes. Taeko had to ask the question Akame’s group’s mind. “What makes you think she has to do with anything about Leone?”Akame narrowed her eyes at Seryu and tightened her grip on Murasame. “During her little scuffle with Wave earlier, you told him you fought against a traitor lion Faunus. There’s only one group who would call Leone that. You’re with the White Fang.”The room became silent as they all had to process what Akame had just declared. All but one, apparently. “What’s a White Fang? It kinda sounds like a book.”Much of the group was surprised by Wave’s question. Ren thought to explain it to him. “The White Fang is an organization comprised of Faunus. They’re mostly known as terrorists.” This time, Wave was shocked to hear that Seryu would be part of such a group.Kurome thought of another question regarding Seryu. “So, what’s an operative of the White Fang doing here in Mistral? You planning on attacking Haven too? Wouldn’t pass it with you considering you did the same thing back at Beacon.”To Akame, everything else was secondary. She desperately needed to know what happened to Leone. “Enough. Tell me what did you do with Leone!”This was the second worst position Seryu could've landed in. Death was literally in front of her of her face and somehow, it didn't matter if she did tell them the truth. Perhaps now it was as good a time as any to come clean since this was the end of the line for you. "Fine." She spoke quietly. "I don't think you're in the mood to listen to the whole story so I'll just get to the point. After I drugged her with some catnip, I had her boarded in a separate air shuttle while I took mine to return to base. However, something went wrong. We received a brief emergency transmission from the shuttle about her being loose before being cut off and the signal was lost. Their last known location was in the ocean between Anima and Sanus. Our best guess was that the shuttle crashed into the ocean and there were no survivors. Including her.” Seryu wouldn’t dare say “traitor Faunus” since that would seem to piss off Akame.Murasame began to shake a little and Akame’s breathing was the same. She didn’t want to believe what Seryu said was true. “You’re lying…”Seryu glared back at the leader. “I’m staring death in the face. What good is lying at this point?”Akame was about to retort when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to Taeko who had a sorrowful expression on her face. "It pains me to say this but…she is telling the truth. Her eyes never wavered while explaining to us. I’m sure of it.”Akame’s eyes widened in terror as that small spark of hope she had was dwindling. "Yes, you're right. Leone would make absolutely sure to reunite with us no matter what the obstacle lies before her. As long as Haven is our destination, the mission is still the same. I know she'll be there." She had hoped to run into Leone in Mistral but now that hope was gone and so was the spark within her. All that was left was darkness and emptiness. Anger flared up inside of her and yelled. Her markings appeared on her body and her eyes became black and red. A small pulse erupted out of her body that knocked everyone within range away from her. Even the furniture was pushed back a little. She turned to Seryu with resentment and anger in her eyes.If the fear Seryu experienced from before was terrifying, it felt massively overpowering to her now. Akame approached the Faunus girl and stopped just in front of her as she raised Murasame above her. Seryu was terrified to the point where she couldn’t even move, even breath. The only thing she could hear now was the maddening thumping of her heart as it anticipated the end. Everyone groaned as they sat up and Wave opened his eyes to see Akame ready to strike down Seryu. “Akame, no!” He quickly stood up and rushed over to her in hopes of stopping this before it was too late.However, it was. Everything else around Akame became irrelevant. She didn’t hear anything else, feel anything else except for the bitter hatred she had for the Faunus in front of her responsible for taking Leone away. Taking away the only person who helped her get through all the pain, the anguish, the sadness, she had to endure and that person is gone. Akame wanted nothing more than to make Seryu pay for what she had done. To see her lying on the floor dead by her blade. Akame wanted to kill Seryu desperately. But then again, what would be the point? Killing Seryu wouldn't bring Leone back and it would only leave her empty inside after. She lowered Murasame but that didn’t mean Seryu would go unpunished. Akame clenched her left fist tightly as a dark red energy swirled around it and yelled as she socked Seryu square in the jaw. A small shockwave occurred and Seryu’s head hit the arm of the couch. Wave stopped and everybody in the room saw what happened. There was nothing but silence in the room. Akame’s markings faded away and she sheathed Murasame. She turned around and didn’t say a word as Akame headed toward the door. “I’m going out.” Those were the only words she’d spoken before opening the door and left while shutting the door afterward.Everybody sighed as that was probably one of the more intense moments they’ve had. Chelsea sighed as she rubbed the back of her head. “Anyone else feeling alright?” She heard multiple mumbles from everyone else about them being okay.Everyone stood up while recovering from Akame’s outburst. Wave walked over to Seryu to see if she was okay. He placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her a little. “Seryu, Seryu, are you alright?”To his delight, Wave heard Seryu groan as her eyes opened up. He moved away so the Faunus girl could sit upright again. She rubbed the spot of her jaw where Akame punched her. “Damn, that hurt. I thought she was going to kill me.”“And she was too but I guess being punched is better.” Nora bluntly stated.Seryu ignored her and tried to recover. There was one thing about Akame’s punch she felt that seemed…off. “Just what did she do? What I felt from that punch, it was so…eerie and…I don’t know what else to describe it.” While everybody was still recovering, Cornelia couldn’t help but feel worried about her leader. Now that Leone was gone, it was up to her to be there for Akame and she really needed it. “I’m going after Akame. I’ll be back soon and hopefully, with her. I’ll see all of you later.” She quickly approached the door and opened it and then closed it upon her leaving.Akame. Now that they knew the truth about what happened to Leone, the members of Night Raid were now worried about what would happen to her now. They were betting on that Leone was out there and making her way to Mistral but it seemed they lost that bet. Kurome had a bad feeling about what her sister would do. "Akame was already bad enough when she received Leone's scarf back then. She was hoping to meet her again but now…god, I just hope she doesn’t do anything stupid.”Chelsea hoped for the same thing. “At least she still had some control over her emotions. Otherwise, there’d be a hole in the ceiling right now. That and the attraction of Grimm which this city really doesn’t need.”That much is true but how long could Akame keep those negative emotions inside of her? That was a question that worried Kurome the most. “We’ll just have to trust Cora in talking to some sense with Akame. In the meantime…” She and the other members of Night Raid turned to Seryu. In the next second, they all pulled out their weapons and pointed them at the Faunus girl. Esdeath held her hands out and so did Rienna. Seryu wasn’t quite out of trouble just yet. “We’re just as pissed as Akame for you taking Leone away from us. So, got any last words before we beat you within an inch of your life?”Wave was opposed to this but then heard Seryu scoff. To Seryu, these girls were nothing compared to Akame. If they wanted to beat to her a pulp, she'll gladly accept that and beyond. "Go ahead. Beat me until I'm a motionless bloody pulp. You can even end me if you wanted to. Wouldn't be the worst thing that happened to me." She lowered her head and just…accepted what would happen to her.Normally, Kurome would give the go-ahead and let her enemy have it but for some reason, it wouldn’t feel right. Like kicking a dog down on its luck and that dog just so happens to be Seryu. Another thing is that Seryu didn’t even beg which was strange because a person would normally do so to get out of a dangerous situation. “Seryu…” Seryu and the others looked over at Wave who had a concerned look on his face. “What exactly happened to you? You’re not usually like this. When you are, it means something is bothering you. Can you tell you tell us what happened to you?”This was a first for Seryu. A human expressing concern for her. To her, it appeared hell finally froze over. Chelsea groaned rolled her eyes. “Really? You’re asking that? Did you already forget the part where she took one of our own away from us and caused the pain she did to Akame?”Wave stood up from the couch and narrowed his eyes at the group of girls. “Of course, I haven’t. I am sorry for your loss but ganging up on her now wouldn’t solve anything. The Seryu I know wouldn’t accept defeat this easily. She’d rather give her own life fighting for what she believed in instead of just surrendering. For Seryu to act like this, something must be wrong.” He turned to her. “Am I wrong?”All Seryu could do was stare in shock at what she heard. This human had described her to a T even though they had never met and he was actually defending her. It was strange and irritating at the same time as she growled at him. “I don’t need you to fight my battles for me, human.” Her expression softened a little. “But you are right about one thing. I certainly wouldn’t be like this.” She looked up to see everyone in the room. “Since I’m with all of you, I guess it wouldn’t matter anyway. Your human leader, the one that stormed off, she said I was with the White Fang. She’s wrong. I was with the White Fang but then I was chased out by them. Betrayed. I’m no longer with them.”That was a bomb all of them didn’t expect to hear. A White Fang operative chased out by their own and is now on the run? So, now they may be interested in how that happened. Before they could, they heard a loud voice coming from the other room. “What is going on out there!” Ruby stormed into the room and looking a little mad. “Can’t a girl read her comics in peace!” It took the young leader a few seconds to recognize that the furniture was all pushed back and there was someone new among them. Everyone was looking at her now. Apparently, she missed out on something. “What exactly happened here?” B Cornelia was moving as fast as she could in the streets in hopes of catching up to Akame. With her leader as she is now, it was all the more important to be there for her. “She couldn’t have gotten far. Come on, Akame. I know you’re around. It’s kinda hard to sense your aura when there’s a lot of other people around.” Cornelia could only hope she could find Akame and fast. She looked hard and closely to see her leader in the crowd. It seemed to pay off as the blonde may have spotted Akame stumbling through the crowd aimlessly. Cornelia walked past the people in the crowd while apologizing to them. She finally reached Akame and grabbed her arm. “Akame!” Her leader stopped walking as soon as Cornelia grabbed her. “Akame, please. I know things are bad for you but we came too far. We can’t give up.”She’d hope her words would come through her leader but all she heard as a reply was silence. At least for the first few seconds. "Things are bad? You think things are bad? I was told by the very person who took Leone away that she'll never return. I wanted to believe I would reunite with her but now, I know it'll never happen. Perhaps I was a fool thinking it would be different this time around. Just one…one that wouldn't leave me."Cornelia could tell how vulnerable Akame was by the way she was speaking. She had to snap Akame out of it. “I know what it’s like to lose people close to you, Akame. Remember, I lost my parents. There are times where I wish I can meet them again and tell them how much their daughter has grown up but I know that’ll never happen.”Akame knew that much but it wasn’t the same. “At least it was just your parents. Me, I never knew my parents. The earliest I can remember was being sold as a slave with Kurome and after that, all I ever saw was those I cherished, I fought with, leave me one after the other. And now, Leone is gone, just like everyone else.”“But you still have us. You have me again, Chelsea, your sister. You have your entire team plus Ruby’s.” Cornelia pointed out. “We’re all just as upset as you. You’re not the only one who lost Leone. We all did. Please, just come back with me to the house. We’ll sort it out, somehow.”Akame wished it were that easy but it never was. It has never been. "I’m sorry, Cora, but I would like to have some time for myself.” She broke Cornelia’s hold on her arm and trudged away from her.Cornelia saw Akame walk away from her. She wished there was something more she could do to help but she did all she could. Forcing Akame back wouldn’t be the right decision and it wouldn’t help her at all. All Cornelia could now was hope that her leader would get through this. She brought out her scroll. “Akame! Remember to keep in touch!” That was the last thing she would say to Akame before the blonde saw Akame disappear into the crowd. All that was left to do was go back to the house and see how things are. Cornelia turned around and headed back while still having a touch of worry hanging over her head. What worried her the most was that Akame didn’t even look back at Cornelia while speaking to her.Deeper in the crowd, Akame kept walking without a destination in mind. All that was on her mind was that she would never see Leone again. Tears were already forming out of her eyes and soon her vision became watery and blurry. She stopped and leaned her back against a wall and started to sob while her eyes were closed. Akame brought up the only item she could remember Leone by in an attempt to dry her tears away but the tears kept coming. "Oh, my. What seems to be the matter, dear?” Akame gasped as her eyes opened wide and turned to the person who approached her and whose voice she recognized. Akame saw a familiar playful smile that was aimed at her. B Back at the house, the furniture was placed to back where it was and Ruby was filled in on what she had missed. She was…trying to understand the situation. “So…Akame almost killed this girl…” She turned to Seryu briefly who was remained sitting on the couch before turning to everyone else who was standing. “Because she was the one who took Leone away and Akame stormed off while Cornelia chased after her. Finally, she told all of you she isn’t part of the White Fang anymore?”Nora nodded at the young leader and smiled at her. “Yep, you got it.”At least Ruby was in the loop now but there was still something she was still wondering. She turned to Seryu. “So, if you’re not in the White Fang anymore, what happened to you for that to happen?” That was a question everyone wanted to know. Especially Wave.Seryu sighed as she leaned back into the couch. “Well, first thing all of you should know that not everything in the White Fang is not all peachy keen. No, it all started with Adam’s blunder with all of you know as the Fall of Beacon. Sienna wasn’t happy with what he did back there.”The name Seryu mentioned was unknown to Jaune and the others. “Who’s Sienna?”Seryu already knew they wouldn’t know about her. “Sienna Khan is the leader of the White Fang and the only one I’ll ever follow. Now, because what Adam did, it had the opposite effect.” She turned to Ren. “I heard you say that the White Fang is known as a terrorist group and I would usually beat you to a pulp for such a thing.” Nora gave a nasty glare at the Faunus girl. “But what exactly happened back at Beacon, I would have to agree on that. To Sienna and II didn’t know what I hated more. Adam’s attack on Beacon, or your teammate’s murder of our own.”Taeko narrowed her eyes at Seryu as she had a question for her. “And was hunting Leone down the wish of the White Fang?”To their surprise, Seryu closed her eyes and shook her head. “No, that was of my own volition.” She stopped and opened her eyes. “The White Fang had nothing to do with it. I just couldn’t let that go. I thought what I did was for the better but Sienna instead scolded me for it and that it was my fault that several of our own lost their lives in that crash. She was right and I had no one but to blame but myself for that.”Chelsea could care less about that. “Yeah, a real tragedy. Let’s just forget Leone was on that ship too and it was your fault you took her in the first place!”“Chelsea!” Chelsea turned to Kurome who looked a little annoyed. The other girl looked away while mumbling about something. Kurome turned back to Seryu. “Okay, but how does this relate to you being chased out of the White Fang?”Seryu was just getting to that. “After the Fall of Beacon, Sienna began to have second thoughts. About how we were going to attack Haven next.” And saying that dropped a bomb on top of everyone. “The White Fang is going to attack Haven!?” Ruby exclaimed.Chelsea felt the same way. “Great, it’s Beacon all over again.”Seryu expected their reactions to be like this. "If all of you would shut up, that'd be great so I can continue. First off, yes, we were planning on attacking Haven but it's not the same reason Adam attacked Beacon. We were promised, Haven.”Ren raised an eyebrow at that. “Promised?”The ex-White Fang member nodded at him. “Yes, by this group we’re working with. I don’t much about them but they must be influential to have Sienna on board.”Ruby had a sneaking suspicion of who this group Seryu was talking about. “She must be talking about Salem’s group. I thought the White Fang working with Cinder was bad enough but with Salam…” This whole situation became worse for them.Seryu continued to explain. “The plan was to attack Haven at the start of the semester but Sienna began having doubts. Doubts that Adam didn’t like. In fact, he’s planning to overthrow Sienna and take control of the White Fang for himself.”And there was the second bomb dropped. Chelsea whistled at that. “Damn, a coup d’état in the White Fang. Didn’t think that’d happen.”Neither did Seryu. In fact, she didn’t think it would happen at all. “Adam already has most of the White Fang following him now instead of Sienna.” She intertwined her fingers and lowered her head. “I had no idea things would become this bad in the White Fang.”Jaune then thought of up of something for Seryu. “If you knew Adam was going to overthrow the leader, why didn’t you tell her?”He asked if I would join him in overthrowing Sienna and follow him. My answer was that he could go shove his sword up his ass. The rest, well…” She separated her fingers and hooked the bottom of her shirt. Seryu lifted it up just slightly for everyone to see the bandages wrapped around her waist. “This is what he did me when I refused. If you ask me, I was lucky.” Everybody in the room was surprised Adam would attack one of their own. Seryu pulled her shirt down.Rienna had a question, albeit, the answer was a little obvious to her. “Why didn’t you join?”Wave already knew the answer to that. “Because Seryu doesn’t think that way.” Everybody in the room turned to him. “Seryu only follows those of who she has loyalty to and high respect. From what I heard about this Adam guy from you, it sounds like you don’t like the guy much.”Again, he was right on the mark, much to Seryu’s annoyance. “Damn right I don’t. Him and that lizard bastard. There’s something about Adam that I don’t like. Maybe it was because he didn’t have a sense of loyalty to Sienna. To the White Fang yes but to Sienna, that’s different and him trying to overthrow her proves it.” She stared at Wave. “And seriously, who the hell are you and how the hell do you know so much about me? I wouldn’t put it past you if you knew my favorite color.”“It’s red since to you it signifies justice.”Now he crossed the borders to just being creepy. “Okay, really?! What, do you know my three sizes too?”Wave didn’t quite understand what Seryu meant by that but felt a little flustered. “I don’t even know what that means!”Every girl in the room immediately turned to him. There was an awkward silence between all of them. Jaune just sighed. “Wave, when this is over, we’ll have a talk. Man to man.”Chelsea had to force back a laugh. “Since when do you qualify as a man chicken legs?”“Uh…” Everybody then turned to Ruby who had her arm raised up and looking equally embarrassed. “I…don’t know what that means either.”This one they’ll let pass since Ruby was younger than all of them. “I’ll tell you about it later, Ruby.” Esdeath advised. Ruby nodded at her and put her arm down.“We’re getting off topic here.” Ren spoke. One of them had to get the conversation back on track. “What else can you tell us about Adam’s betrayal?”Betrayal. It was a word Seryu hated the most. She clenched both of her hands tightly. “It wasn’t just Adam who betrayed Sienna. Everyone who Adam influenced betrayed her. Including the ones in my group. All of them practically betrayed the White Fang itself.” Old bitter feelings began to bubble back up within her and gritted her teeth. “Why does this always happen to me? Why? Just why? Why do I always end up being betrayed?” images came to her mind. One, in particular, was a young scorpion Faunus girl. “I just wanted to belong.” Her breathing began to deepen. “Where I can fit in without being discriminated.” There were images of two humans standing over her with hammers and a knife and a young Seryu being frightened. “Is that too much to ask for!?” She had a certain crazed yet desperate look in her eyes. Everybody in the room looked at each other and wondered if Seryu really was okay. For Esdeath, she could understand a bit of what Seryu was saying. The Faunus girl calmed down and let out a defeated sigh. “What else is there for me now? I'm no longer part of the White Fang, I'm worried what Adam will do to Sienna, and to top it off, I'm surrounded by a bunch of humans. Some in particular who that traitor Faunus was with.” Her face softened as it seemed she was finally defeated. “I think I’ve reached the end. There’s nothing else for me now.”This was a side of Seryu Wave had never seen before. Sure, he’s seen her down after Dr. Stylish was killed but this was different. Seryu truly believed this was it for her. Wave may know a lot about Seryu back at the Capital but one thing is for sure, he doesn’t know how this Seryu lived her life in this world. If there’s one thing the two had in common, it was that they were proud to serve the side they were on. He could tell how much the White Fang, this Sienna meant to her, only to have it ripped it apart from her. Even if what they did was morally wrong. No, Wave wasn’t going let Seryu fall into despair. “You’re wrong.”Seryu and the others turned to him again. Seryu was having trouble in understanding what Wave meant by that. “What did you say?”This was Wave’s chance to reignite the fire within Seryu. That, and finally make up for the chance of cheering her up back at the Capital. “This isn’t the end of the road for you. If the members of the White Fang did betray you and your leader, then make them pay for it. Make them regret for ever doing so. As something you would say, in the name of absolute justice, they will pay for their crime with the utmost extreme punishment." He extended his hand to her. "Seryu, would you fight beside us?" Now everybody had a dumbfounded expression on their faces when they heard Wave ask that. "If they are truly not your allies anymore, then they are your enemies and if they are, make them regret for ever betraying you, betraying the White Fang, and betraying your leader. Help us and you can be sure they’ll get what’s coming to them.”Seryu was speechless at Wave just asked her. She was having trouble processing with everything he had said to her. This was something that had never happened in her life. While she was deciphering Wave’s words, Chelsea already knew what she had to say. “Are you out of your fucking mind!?”Wave and the rest of group turned to Chelsea this time around and she wasn't the least bit happy with what Wave offered. "You want this chick on our side?! Did you forget she's the one responsible for taking Leone away and causing Akame pain?!"Of course, Wave didn’t forget but this was an opportunity he couldn’t go to waste. “That may be true but we need all the help we can get. Remember what Cornelia said about her dad saying something? About how the worst of enemies can be the best of allies. I think this situation suits that saying perfectly. And thanks to Seryu, we now know the White Fang is planning to attack Haven at the start of the semester. We already have one advantage over them.”While Kurome would agree to that, there was still one detail Wave was forgetting. "That may be true but it's not your call to make. You just can't have someone like her join us. The only reason we let you tag along was that you and Akame made a truce. I don't think she'll allow her the same thing."What Kurome said was true but she was wrong one part. “Maybe but I’m also not part of your group. I’m with Ruby’s and it’ll be up to that side to decide if she should join or not.”The four members of RNJR looked at each other with concerned expressions before looking back at Wave. “We’ll have to see what Uncle Qrow has to say.” Ruby pointed out.Wave nodded at her as that would be good enough then turned to Seryu. “Well, Seryu?”Seryu was still in the middle of making her decision and thinking about it deeply. “Fight against the very Faunus I’ve fought with? If I do that, then I’m no better than that traitor Faunus. Then again, they’re following Adam now, not Sienna. I won’t deny what that human said before. If they’re not my allies anymore, then they are my enemies.” Her defeated looked turned to one of determination. “And as enemies as those who betrayed Sienna Khan, I will make sure to deliver the punishment they deserve, in the name of absolute justice!” She immediately stood up and smiled deviously at the human group. "Fine then. I could do worse joining up with a bunch humans. What's the worst that could happen me now?" Seryu pumped up her left arm and raised her right into the air. "Those who would commit acts of evil, to harm the innocent, and ensure chaos, I swear I will make sure I'll bring down the hammer of absolute justice upon them all!"That’s what Wave just wanted to hear and smiled at her. Some of the other members thought the speech was corny and her pose was a little childish, Rienna couldn’t help but feel like she’d seen it before. “Why does that pose looks familiar to me?” A knock on the door broke the atmosphere and was brought to everyone’s attention. They all turned to the door and Seryu let her arms down. “Maybe that’s Qrow right now?” Jaune asked.“Or maybe Cora back with Akame.” Taeko hoped.Jaune walked over to the door and opened it. Who he saw was neither Qrow nor Cora. It was a young boy who looked to be around Ruby’s age who seemed to look uncertain. No one knew who he was. “Can I…help you?”The boy found it hard to speak to him at first. “Uh…yeah. Is there a…Ruby Rose here?”His question already raised alarms in everyone except for Seryu. Ruby took a few steps forward to him. “What do you want kid?” They all had to be prepared since Ruby was a target of interest.The boy just fiddled with his hands. “I found him along with someone else.”Not soon after he said that they heard drunk laughter and saw Qrow being carried over the shoulder by none other than Cornelia. She gave an awkward giggle at her team. "Hi, guys!" The blonde walked into the room while struggling to carry the huntsmen. "Ruby, I think your uncle needs help. Seriously."Cornelia set Qrow on the couch nearest to her. Qrow continued to laugh for some reason which seemed a little weird for most of the members. “I found him.”To Ruby, this was a sight she was used to. “Uncle Qrow, did you get drunk again?”Qrow just raised his arm at her. “Maybe…”The boy then recognized something interesting about Ruby. “Oh…” He took several steps into the house. “You…have silver eyes.”Now the alarms were blaring at this point. To Ruby, there was only one other person who said that to her. “Who…are you?”The boy put his arms behind his back while still having trouble looking at the group in the eye. “Well…my name is Oscar Pine.”“Wait for it…” Qrow spoke in the background.“But you probably know me as…Professor Ozpin.”Mostly everyone found it unbelievable of what they just heard from Oscar as silence was their only response. Except for Qrow who laughed drunkenly again. “Ha ha ha! I did it!” He groaned and fell to the floor. B In a grand hall, the Faunus known as Adam was found kneeling down in front of a woman sitting on her throne with two guards situated on each side. The woman had a rather displeased expression on her face towards him. “Adam…I’m not going to repeat myself so I want you to listen when I tell you that the White Fang will not attack Haven Academy.” White Fang Leader: Sienna Khan “High leader Khan, I am begging you-”“You should bed for forgiveness and nothing else!” Sienna interrupted. Adam remained quiet and lowered his head while his leader continued. “The assault you led on Beacon was not the great victory you clearly think it was and you should be grateful your punishment wasn’t more severe. You are a symbol for many in our organization. But that doesn’t make you infallible.”“I was merely trying to follow your example, high leader.” Adam pointed out.Sienna wondered what he meant by that. “And what example might that be?”Adam’s answer was simple. “Strength.” He raised his head and clenched his fist tightly. Strength and unwavering conviction. The human have seen that strength now.”Sienna just sighed at his answer. “I was one of the first to suggest violence where violence was necessary. Peace bred complacency and acceptance of our place in the world. I will not allow humanity to push us down without pushing them back. But the destruction of the Huntsmen Academies crosses a line! The loss of the CCT has brought global communication to a crawl and the White Fang is more of a target now than ever before! You have justified humanity’s campaign against us, and for what? Empty promises from a group of humans? Humans we still know nothing about and come and go as they please. These are not examples of strength, Adam. They are examples of your talents being diminished by shortsightedness. The only example of that is when this ‘traitor Faunus’ you spoke of back at Beacon put you in critical condition.”Adam was still bitter about that fight but he wouldn’t let it get to him. He had a counter for what his leader said about the humans. “If you want to know more about the humans, then why not talk to one of them yourself?” He stood up and turned to the door. “Hazel!”The door opened and revealed a human. Not just any human, but a human affiliated with Salem. “Took you long enough.” He walked into the grand hall.Upon seeing Hazel’s appearance, Sienna was outraged as she stood up from her throne. “What is this!?” Her guards also took up their positions and pointed their spears at Hazel.Hazel could already feel the warm welcome coming from his hosts as he approached Sienna and her guards. “Apologies.” He stopped walking in front of them. “I don’t aim to cause any trouble.”Sienna could care less about him and more about how Adam broke one of their laws. “You’ve brought a human to this location?”As usual, Adam’s leader was jumping the gun. “You should hear what he was to say.”Sienna didn’t want to hear anything from a human and was furious at Adam. “This is grounds for execution!”“Ma’am, please.” Hazel interjected. “Nobody needs to die today. I’m just asking for a moment of your time.” He kneeled before the White Fang leader.Sienna had little patience for the human before her but would, reluctantly, grant him his request. “The longer you stay here, the less of a chance you have of leaving alive.”That was good enough for Hazel. "I'll take those chances if you don't mind." Sienna sat back on her throne and her guards were back at ease. Hazel stood up. "You don't like me. You have no reason to like me. But you don’t have to like me to get the results you want.”Sienna scoffed at that. “I’m starting to doubt either of you fully comprehend what it is that I want. I want humanity to fear the Faunus, to know that we demand respect! I do not want to start a war with the humans that we cannot win!”“That’s where you’re wrong.” Adam declared. He slowly made his way to his leader. “We can win a war against the humans. Not only because we have the support of Hazel’s master, but because the Faunus are the dominant species of this planet. We’re better than humans. We have everything humans have and more. Humans shouldn’t just fear the Faunus, they should serve the Faunus.”At this point, Sienna had heard enough coming from Adam. “I’ve had enough of this conversation for tonight. Guards, take them away.” Her guards didn’t follow her orders as they stood still. “I said, take them away!” She didn’t understand why her guards wouldn’t obey her orders.“I will admit, Sienna…” The leader looked at Adam. “You were right about my popularity. My followers in Vale already see me as the true high leader. And many here in Mistral feel the same.” Sienna scowled at Adam as the doors opened again to reveal more of White Fang members pointing their guns and weapons at her. She stood up and couldn’t believe she was being overthrown, by her own group no less.Hazel didn’t like where this was going. “What are you doing?”“What’s right for the Faunus.” Adam turned to his former leader. “From this day forward, I will be the one to lead the White Fang.” More of the members appeared from the curtains and the guards around Sienna pointed their spears at her. “If it makes you feel any better Sienna, Seryu was the only one who remained loyal to you.”Sienna gritted her teeth when she heard Seryu’s name. “Were you the one responsible for Seryu leaving the White Fang?”Adam smiled coyly at the question. “A stubborn woman, Seryu was. It’s too bad she isn’t here to see this but Seryu was a thorn in my side for quite some time.”Sienna could tell Adam was going to kill her but…she still had a trick up her sleeve. “It seems what I was told before was true after all. I just hope this person can deliver her promise.” She put up a brave front. “You said many in the White Fang see you as the true leader of the White Fang, did you not? Once again, you’re shortsighted. There is someone else besides Seryu who doesn’t see you as their leader.”Adam was going to ask what she meant by that when one of the guards pulled out a grenade and threw it up in the air. Everyone except for Sienna looked up and then the grenade exploded in a banging loud flash of light that blinded everyone in the hall. “What!?”“Sienna, run!” There were sounds of punches being thrown. The light faded away and Adam saw that Sienna was no longer in front of him. He turned around to see some of the other members groaning in pain on the floor.Adam growled as somehow, someone in the White Fang was still loyal to Sienna. He put his arm out in front while the remaining members stood up still recovering from the flashbang. “Chase after them now! Don’t let them escape! If they somehow do, then spread word throughout the White Fang that Sienna Khan has betrayed us and our cause along with the Faunus who aided in her escape!” The members nodded at their new leader and rushed out of the door to pursue Sienna and the one who aided her escape.Even if Sienna did escape, there was no hope of asylum to go anywhere. To Adam, it would’ve been better if he had just killed her. He sat on his new throne and turned to Hazel. “Tell your master Sienna’s willingness to cooperate is no longer of any concern.”Hazel just huffed at Adam. “At least no one had to die today.” He turned around and made his way to the door.Adam had different thoughts of the matter. “I…disagree.” B There was a soft hissing could be heard in a remote part of a forest. The hissing was coming from a crashed airship with the only passenger barely conscious. “What happened? My head hurts, badly and so does my body. What…happened?” Images started to appear. Images of another ship being destroyed, giant black and white hornets attacking, explosions, and a giant ice knight. “That’s right. I was fighting against Lancers with the pilot’s help and then…the ship was damaged during the fight and we were falling. I used my glyphs to slow the ship down and…” Weiss groaned as her eyes opened and looked up to see two people standing over her. “Help…please…”The two people looking down at her turned to each and grinned. “What do you think?”“I think…” A new person walked up to Weiss. A woman. “We just hit the jackpot.” Weiss’ eyes widened in shock as the woman she was seeing looked strikingly similar to Yang. The last thing Weiss saw was the woman kicking her and then everything went black. A/N: Hello, did I just break canon again? Why, yes, I did. I’ll be honest, I didn’t like how RT just offed Sienna like that. It seemed such a waste. So, in my story, she’s still alive. Now I just need to figure out where to send her and her mysterious helper to. As for who this mysterious helper is, I will give this out. The helper is an OC of mine that some of you may know well in one of my other stories. It just seemed appropriate to add this character in this story. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: And now this story is now officially longer than The Dragon of Night Raid. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol FourKill Fifty Seven: Planning and PreparationAs the light of the setting sun shined through Lionheart’s office, Lionheart himself had his hands covering his face as his elbows were situated on the desk. He heard the door open but ignored it. “Are we ready?” Lionheart removed his hands from his face and looked in front to see another affiliated with Salam, Arthur Watts as he closed the door. Watts walked up to the headmaster who seemed rather nervous and frightened. The sight made him grin. A door opened in the room and the two elder men walked into a dimly lit hallway. They continued walking until they reached the circular end of the hall where a strange looking floating orb with tendrils extending out from the bottom. Both of them stopped in front of it and Lionheart felt uneasy. Watts didn’t care about that. “After you.” He pushed the headmaster toward the orb.Lionheart became nervous and leaned into the orb as he folded his hands together. “Your grace, are…you there?”The blackness of the orb swirled and two figures formed an image. One of them was Cinder and the other, Salem. “Hello, Leonardo. Do you have something to report?” Lionheart quickly nodded at the question. “Of course, ma’am. I would not waste your time, if not.”Watts walked up to the orb while being impressed by it. “I’m still just so fascinated by this creature.” He tapped on it a couple of times. “Cinder, dear, are we coming through? Can you see us clearly? Well, as clearly as you can.”On the other side of the orb, Cinder narrowed her eyes at Watts in annoyance. “Shut…up.” It was a mutual feeling for Watts as well. “Oh goody, you’ve recovered.”Salem had no time to be wasted on such useless banter. “Your report? What is it?”Watts stepped back and let Lionheart take the lead for the rest of the conversation. Lionheart gave a quiet gulp before answering Salem’s question. “I’ve…I’ve found the Spring Maiden.”Salem was actually astounded by what she heard. “Is that so? Well done.” She turned her attention to Watts. “Arthur, had I known how useful you’d be in expediting this process, I would’ve sent you long, long ago.”Watts would take that as high praise but there was more to Lionheart’s explanation. “As much as I’d love to take credit, ma’am, I can’t say that either of us are to thank for this development.” He raised his right arm up. “You could say….a little birdie told us.”Salem was more annoyed than intrigued by what Watts told her. “Explain.”She saw Lionheart turn to her from the other side of the orb. “You see, ma’am, Qrow Branwen arrived at Haven Academy earlier today. He believes Spring has taken residence with his sister’s tribe.” Hearing about Qrow sparked a question Cinder wanted to ask. “Is…the girl…with him?”Arthur knew who she was referring to. “Yes, Miss Rose was in attendance. However, what’s surprising was that red-eyed girl you had a tussle from before was also there.” Cinder was taken aback a little when she heard that. She’d expected Ruby to show up but Akame as well?Cinder clenched her fist tightly but Salem held up her hand and Fall Maiden’s grip lessened. Salem put her hand down. “And you know of the tribe’s location?”“Yes, ma’am! But you have to hurry! Qrow is already at odds with my-” One of the tendrils quickly wrapped around Lionheart’s neck tightly.He was choking as his hands grabbed the tendril. “Leonardo…do you remember the first time we met?” The orb brought Lionheart to his knees. “I remember. I remember your fear.” The headmaster raised up his head to see the orb with a strong look of fear in his eyes. “But, since that day, you’ve been extraordinarily brave.” Another tendril moved toward Lionheart. “I won’t forget all that you’ve done for me. Do not forget everything I can do for you.” The spearhead at the end of the second tendril drew near of the headmaster’s face. Then, the first tendril unwrapped itself around Lionheart’s neck and he dropped to the ground while he coughed. Salem looked over at Cinder. “Cinder, you and your team will meet with Doctor Watts and together, convince Raven Branwen that the survival of her people depends on her cooperation. Once you have Spring under control, escort her to the Relic and contact Hazel. The White Fang was promised the destruction of Haven and they’ll have it once we have what we need.”Watts perfectly knew what his master expected from him and turned around. “Understood.”“Not you, Arthur.” Watts stopped and looked back at the orb. “Tyrian’s in need of a new tail.” That was something he didn’t hear every day about his scorpion compatriot. “What happened to his old one?”“Guess.” Cinder spoke.Watts had a pretty good idea who could’ve done it. “The silver-eyed girl?”Unfortunately, he was wrong. “No, it was another who happened to save her. A being who wore a rather unusual suit of armor. So as Tyrian described” Salem explained.Watts didn’t know who this person was but the fact of the matter now was that Tyrian needed a new tail. He placed his hand on his chest and bowed to his master. “It will be done.” He removed his hand.That what Salem exactly wanted to hear. “Good.” The image of her was soon blackened out.Watts turned his attention to the recovering headmaster. “Seems Qrow was right, Lionheart. The students aren’t pushovers.” B From the other end of the orb, Salem turned her attention to Cinder. “You’re free to speak your mind.”Cinder had her back turned to her master while looking out at one of the windows. “I don’t understand.” She turned around to face Salem. “Working with Bandits? Keeping Ruby alive? What’s the point? We’re strong enough to take what we want by force!”Salem could understand the maiden’s frustration. And her naivety. “Never underestimate the usefulness of others. Take Leonardo; he was one of Ozpin’s most trusted, and yet now…” She could almost taste the irony. “You will have the power I promised you when the time is right. But remember that it comes with a cost. If Ruby Rose has learned to harness her gift, then you must take care to protect yours. There’s only so much I can do to aid you.” Cinder took her master’s words to heart and bowed to her quickly before making her leave. “And Cinder…” The maiden stopped briefly and turned to Salem. “Before you go, inform Tyrian that I wish to have a word with him.” Cinder just stared at her master for a few seconds and nodded before leaving the room. Now Salem was alone and had one other person on her mind. She waved her hand at the orb in front of her and Akame’s image appeared. “As for her, granted she is not one of the Silver-Eyed Warriors, her other abilities cannot be ignored. Especially this Imperial Arms she carries with her. The only question I can come up is what to do with you.” She lightly tapped the spot in-between Akame’s eyes. B “Did he age backwards?”“He possessed!”“Or reincarnated.”“Oh, isn’t it weird?”While the members of team RNJR were all about on Oscar sitting on the chair, the members of Night Raid were a little doubtful of Oscar. Chelsea was suspicious about the whole thing. “There’s no way that kid is Ozpin. That’s just isn’t possible.”In a rare while, Taeko agreed with the other girl. “It is quite hard to believe. Then again, what would he gain by saying he is Professor Ozpin.Kurome was skeptical about that. “That’s if he is Ozpin but I think that’s highly unlikely.”While the others were having a hard time believing Oscar’s words, Cornelia seemed to be the only one optimistic about the whole situation. “I don’t know. If he really is Ozpin, then this whole thing may have gotten a whole lot easier for us.”The other members turned to her and Rienna was the one who spoke the question that was momentarily on everyone’s mind when she came back with Qrow. “By the way, Cora, what happened with Akame? I thought you were going to bring her back.”Cornelia’s cheerful demeanor was replaced by saddened expression. “I tried to, I really did, but Akame said she needed some time alone.”As if there wasn’t enough to worry about their leader. Esdeath couldn’t blame her teammate for trying and not bringing Akame back. “You did the best you could, Cora. We’ll just have to hope for the best.” She wanted to believe those words but Esdeath was deeply worried about Akame. The same could be said for everyone else in Night Raid.With everyone abuzz about Oscar being Ozpin, Wave was the only one who was left out in the loop. He leaned in toward Seryu who was standing beside him. “So, who’s this Ozpin character everyone is talking about?”Seryu couldn’t believe that the human next to her knew everything about her and yet nothing about Ozpin. “What, did you live under a rock or something? Ozpin was the headmaster of Beacon Academy but no one’s seen or heard of him since the Fall of Beacon. A lot of people assumed he died. For this human to claim he’s Ozpin, it doesn’t seem possible.” Wave did have to admit it's a little out there for someone like Oscar to say he was someone else but that made him all the more curious.“Okay, Okay.” Everyone turned to Qrow who walked out of the kitchen holding a mug. “Let’s all just take a second and remember that this is very overwhelming for everyone.” Team RNJR took one more look at Oscar before scrambling away from him grinning nervously.Oscar apricated for what Qrow did for him since he wasn’t used to this kind of attention. “Thanks.” Qrow nodded at him and walked over to the couch next to Oscar’s chair. He sat as did Ruby and Nora on the other couch while Ren and Jaune remained standing. Oscar turned to Ruby who smiled at him and felt slightly embarrassed as he looked away. “Ah, sorry. It’s just I’ve never really met huntsmen and huntresses before.”Ruby could feel the same way but in a different way. "Well, uh…we've never met a person with souls and that's coming from someone who met people from…a different world so first times all around."Seryu raised an eyebrow when she heard that. “What does she mean by people from a different world?”Qrow cleared his throat to attracted everyone’s attention as they all turned to him next. “Not to break up the whole ‘getting to know you’ game but we need to have a talk. Before we get to Oscar, I would like to talk about you first.” He set his eyes on Seryu. “From what I’ve been told, you’re a member of the White Fang or at least you used to be. So, tell me why we should think you’ll be on our side of the fight?”Seryu recognized the look Qrow was giving her all too easily. “For one, all of you have me outnumbered so fighting would be suicide at this point. Two, I don’t give a shit what you think about me but…” She glanced over at Wave before turning her attention back to Qrow. “This human has brought up some good points of why I should fight alongside with the rest of you. Ally or not, I will get the retribution I deserve upon the White Fang.”Qrow studied Seryu’s answer carefully. Normally, he would be against having a former enemy join the other side due to one suspicious reason or another. Especially if that enemy was a former White Fang member but Wave must’ve said something important for her to go along with them. He sighed tiredly as he came to his decision. “Well, I guess we could do worse and we’ll need all the help we can get. However, he…” Qrow pointed to Wave. "Will be responsible for looking after you."Wave was glad Qrow was able to accept Seryu but Kurome and the others weren’t exactly as thrilled. To have the one person responsible for taking one of their teammates and causing Akame’s grief to be on their side didn’t sit right with them. “Akame isn’t going to like this at all.” With Seryu’s business done, Qrow could now get to the main part about Oscar. “Now since that’s done…” He turned to young farmhand. “Mind showing us your little parlor trick, kid?”Oscar sighed at that. “Yeah, okay. Just so you know, I’ll still be here.” Everyone wondered what he was going to do. Oscar lowered his head and closed his eyes. He took in a deep breath and then a bright green light flashed from his body. Oscar opened his eyes reveal they were yellow for a brief time before returning to their original color. “It is so very good to see you again, my students.” Everyone could hear Ozpin’s voice mixed with Oscar’sThere were surprised and shocked expressions on their faces. Jaune asked the question on everyone’s mind. “Wait, what just happened?”Ren wondered the same thing as did everyone else. “Professor…Ozpin?”Oscar, or rather, Ozpin nodded at his student. “Correct. And though I may be the one speaking, Oscar is still present, mentally. He’s merely handed over the control, so to speak.”Chelsea was still having a hard time believing this was actually happening before her. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”Ozpin looked over at Night Raid and smiled at them. “I see several of Najenda’s students are here as well. I hope she’s been doing well.” He then noticed Wave and smiled at him as well. “I don’t think we’ve ever met, young man.”Wave didn't what to think of someone who appeared younger then him calling him "young man". Still, he decided to be polite and waved at Ozpin. "H-Hello, sir. It's nice to meet you. I'm…Wave."Ozpin recognized the name. “I see. I’ve heard of you from Miss Night before. You’re from her world, are you not?”Wave nodded at him. “Yes, sir. I was surprised when I saw Akame in this world. Of course, not as surprising as this.”Seryu became all the more curious about Wave. “What the hell are they talking about?”Ozpin didn’t blame for Wave thinking something like that. The same could be said for everyone else. “I’m afraid this all must be very perplexing-”“And alarming, and bizarre…” Nora interrupted.“Not to mention totally batshit crazy!” Chelsea added.“And just really kind of hard to believe overall!” Nora finished.Ozpin chuckled at their reaction. “It’s good to see you children still have your sense of humor. I know you’ve all been through tremendous hardship already. I’m sorry.” Ruby and the others couldn’t help but feel bad for their headmaster. “I mean, it’s not your fault.”Ozpin wanted to thank for the young leader’s sincerity but he couldn’t accept it. “It’s all my fault.” Qrow stood up and walked back into the kitchen. “I told you once that I made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet, and I wasn’t exaggerating. I’m…cursed. For thousands of years, I’ve walked the surface of Remnant, living, dying, and reincarnating in the body of a like-minded soul.” Taeko leaned over to Chelsea and whispered. “I told you reincarnation is real.”Chelsea had an annoyed expression on her face. “Shut up, Taeko.”Ozpin continued with his story. “The Professor Ozpin you all met was not my first form and clearly wasn’t my last. It’s…an extraordinarily strenuous process on everyone involved.”From what they heard so far, one question was prevalent above all else. “So, who…what are you?” Jaune asked.For Ozpin, the answer to that was complicated. “I am the combination of countless men who’ve spent their lives trying to protect the people of Remnant.” Qrow came back from the kitchen and handed Ozpin his mug. He then sat back down on the couch. “With every rebirth, my soul eventually merged with another and I am changed but my memories stay with me.” He looked at down at his coffee and stared at his reflection. “This curse was bestowed upon me by the gods because I failed to stop Salem in the past.” He looked up from his cup and toward his students. “But we must stop her now.” Of course, everyone knew that but it was easier said than done. “And how do we do that?” Ruby asked.Thankfully, Ozpin knew where to begin. “We start by ensuring the safety of the Relic of Knowledge.” B Weiss groaned as she started to regain consciousness. The first thing she saw when she slowly opened her eyes was that her hands were bound together by rope. The second thing was that her surroundings were very dark and the last thing she remembered was seeing a woman kicking her. As her focus came back, Weiss sat up and realized she was put into a cage and in front of her were the two men she saw from before sitting on a large wooden box and one of them was drinking from a bottle. One of them noticed Weiss was up. “Well, well, well, look who’s awake.” He slapped the other bandit’s chest and that interrupted his drinking.Weiss was still fuzzy on the details about what just happened. “Wha…What’s going on? Where am I?”“You know…” Weiss turned to the direction of the new voice and saw a woman exit out of a tent. “I never thought I’d see a Schnee in this camp.”Both of the bandits immediately jumped off the box and straightened up. “Vernal!?” One of them hid the bottle behind his back.Vernal walked up to Weiss while carrying Myrtenaster in her hands. Weiss narrowed her eyes at the woman and stood up. She saw Vernal touching her weapon which the heiress didn’t like one bit. “What do you want?”Vernal chuckled at the heiress. “Straight to point. I like it. We don’t normally deal in trafficking people. Not really worth our time. But once we realized we had a Schnee…” She pointed Myrtenaster at Weiss. “That changed.”Weiss already knew what the other woman was getting at. “You’re going to ransom me back to my father, is that it?”Vernal smiled at her. “It’s a shame you’re a Schnee. You’d probably do quite well around here.”Weiss highly doubted that. “I would never sink to your level.”Vernal expected an answer like that from the heiress. “Just keep quiet and cooperate and you’ll be back in your mansion before you know it.” She turned around and took a few steps away from the heiress. Vernal stopped and glanced back at Weiss. “Don’t make this complicated.”Weiss could say the same thing about this whole situation. “What’s going to make this complicated is when my sister finds out I that didn’t make it to Mistral. You know my sister, don’t you? Winter Schnee? Special operative of the Atlas Military? She’s in Mistral now, and when she hears I’m missing, it won’t take her long to find me. And you.” She was confident that her sister would find her and then everything will be settled easily. Or so she thought when Weiss heard the two bandits laughing for some reason. “What’s so funny?”Vernal was laughing as well and turned to the heiress. “Oh, I don’t know if it’s more funny or sad. But you’re clearly out of the loop. Your sister isn’t in Mistral anymore.” Weiss’ eyes widened in shock when she heard that. “No Atlas personnel are in Mistral anymore.” She walked back toward Weiss. “General Ironwood closed the borders and recalled all of his little troops and tin cans.” She stopped in front of Weiss. “No one is coming to rescue you.” The bandits continued to laugh and Vernal walked away from the heiress. Weiss could only close her eyes and lower her head as any hope for a rescue was now impossible. B “This is perfect!” Nora celebrated in her own usual way and enthusiasm. “We were stuck at a dead end, but now, we can just take cute little boy Ozpin to Lionheart and have him set things straight.”Chelsea snickered at the comment Nora made about Ozpin while Ozpin wasn’t too thrilled by what Nora called him. “Please don’t call me that.”Qrow was doubtful what Nora said was that easy. “We’re not sure that’s the best idea.” Nora groaned and walked back to the couch Ruby was sitting on and sat down. Ren was sitting on the arm of the couch for now and had a question for Ozpin. “But I thought the headmasters all took their orders from you.”He wasn’t wrong about that. "That was the intention. Four lieutenants, I can trust, especially during times of reincarnation." Ozpin turned to Qrow. “But Qrow told me about your meeting with Leonardo.” He stood up from his chair and paced away from it while his hands were placed behind his back. “He isn’t just behaving irrationally. He’s disobeying specific instructions I had left him. Something’s wrong. I don’t want to jump to conclusions but I don’t want to rule out any other possibilities either.” He stopped in front of a painting of Mistral and brought up his left hand to his chin. “No one outside of this room knows that I’ve paired up with Oscar and I think it may be best to keep it that way.” It was a better plan then what Qrow could come up with. “Play things close to the chest until we get a better hand.”Ozpin agreed with him. “Precisely.” He turned around to face everyone. “Now, we have two steps ahead of us. The first is enlisting the aid of more huntsmen”Ren already saw a problem with that. “But the Mistral Council-”“Doesn’t own every huntsmen in the kingdom.” Qrow interjected. “And I’ve here enough times to know where we can find some more.”Ozpin was wary of that factor. “So long as they’re trustworthy.”Qrow wasn’t too worried about that. “You can trust them to put up a good fight. I’ll throw together a list tonight.” He leaned back on the couch and set his legs up on the table but ended up breaking the table and the mug along with it as it slid to the floor.“Good luck with that.” Nora commented.While Qrow went down to clean up the mess he made, Ozpin continued with his plan. “After that, we can move on to step two.” He paced back to the chair.As he did, Nora stood up with a confused look on her face as did Ruby. “What’s step two?”Ozpin grabbed his can and turned around while pointing his can at RNJR and Night Raid. “Getting all of you into fighting shape.” The members of RNJR looked at each other and so did Cornelia and Esdeath. They looked back at Ozpin with slightly confused expressions. “But, uh, we already know how to fight.” Ruby stated.Ozpin pointed his cane at Ruby first. “You can only fight so long as you have Crescent Rose but you’re still lacking in hand-to-hand combat.” Ruby had to admit he was right about that. “Well, uh, yeah.”Ozpin then pointed his cane at Jaune. "Mr. Arc, I'm glad to hear you've improved but sorry to say, you've yet to unlock your semblance." Jaune was still a little embarrassed about that.“Hey!” Ozpin turned to Kurome and the others. “And what are you going to do about us? In case you forgot, some of us aren’t exactly students of yours.”While she did bring up a good point, Ozpin didn’t see it as a problem. “That may be true but you’re students nonetheless and you still have room to grow. And speaking of which…” He then pointed his cane at Wave. "You have to start training too, Mr. Wave. In fact, you have more work to do than Mr. Arc here."Both Wave and Jaune were surprised to hear that. As was everybody else. “I do?”“He does?”Ozpin nodded at the soldier. “While it’s true that you’re a soldier and I have heard tales of what you’re capable of back in the world you’re from, you’re in Remnant now which means you still need to unlock your aura and awaken your semblance.”Wave wasn’t sure about that considering he was already trained by Esdeath and was praised for having achieved perfect strength. “Uh, are you sure? Is that even possible for me?”Ozpin had no doubt in his mind about that. “But of course. You, Miss Night, and Miss Wild are from the same world but those two can use their semblance in our world. I’m confident you can do the same.”Wave had never thought he could improve further but from he could tell from his fight against Akame, it may not be far off after all. He chuckled at the thought. “And here and I thought there wasn’t more for me to learn.”Ozpin could understand that clearly. Wave may not be a huntsman but he was still a properly trained warrior. Speaking about Akame and Leone, it was time he addressed the Goliath in the room. He turned his attention to Kurome and the others. “That reminds me, where are Miss Night and Wild? I was certain they would be with all of you.” They all had concerned and saddened looks on their faces. Esdeath decided she would explain what happened. “Akame is out in Mistral right now working out some…hardships and Leone-”“Isn’t with us thanks to her over there.” Kurome pointed over towards Seryu while glaring at the Faunus girl.Ozpin glanced over at Seryu before closing his eyes. “I see. I’m sorry for what all of you had to go through and my condolences to Miss Night.” While he was saddened that Leone wasn’t with them anymore, there wasn’t any time for mourning. He opened his eyes. “However, the enemy won’t wait for us.” He pointed his cane at everyone in a slow sweeping pace. “All of you still have a ways to go before you're ready to pose any real threat against Salem and her forces. And though Oscar can give me temporary control, he'll need to strengthen his body and his aura.” (“Wait, what?”) “He’ll inherit my muscle memory in time.” He set the end of his cane down to the floor. “But practice will expedite the process.”That was all well and good but Ruby wondered about something. “But if Qrow’s out looking for huntsmen, then who’s going to teach us?”The answer was quite obvious as Ozpin jumped backwards while spinning his body and landed feet first onto the chair. He spun his cane around while looking confident. “Well, I believe I was the headmaster of Beacon Academy. We have approximately one month before classes resume at Haven. If Salem were to plan an attack, it would make sense that it would occur prior to the students’ return. It’s not much time but it’s better than nothing. Just don’t expect me to go easy on you. Oh, yes and you’ll be helping as well, Mr. Wave.” Again, Wave didn't expect to hear that. In fact, he didn't know what to think of what he heard. "Wait, you want me to teach these kids?" Everyone else had the same thought.Ozpin chuckled at his question. “Yes, indeed. I believe your expertise as a soldier would become useful. Perhaps you can even give Ruby a lesson or two of hand-to-hand combat. And you do know more or less about Miss Night’s team so perhaps you can share a few pointers. Ruby then instantly visualized herself fighting like Wave. Complete with breaking the ground and breaking bones.Wave rubbed the back of his head while looking uncertain. “I don’t know. Teaching was more of Run’s thing and I don’t think I can-”“I wouldn’t ask of you this if I didn’t believe you can do so.” Ozpin interrupted. “I’m positive you’ll do just fine. In this way, you can help in teaching the children and in return, you may awaken your semblance quicker than you think.”If someone like Ozpin has confidence in him, then Wave had no choice but to give it a shot. “If you say so, then alright then.”That’s what Ozpin wanted to hear before that same flash of green light appeared. Upon Oscar’s return, he lost his balance and fell backward along with the chair he was standing on. Everyone checked on him to see if he was okay. He was…unenthusiastic. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” B “Stop them now!”“Don’t let them get away!”Sienna and her mysterious rescuer were running toward the shuttle bay where they could make their escape while being chased by other members of the White Fang. Sienna never would’ve imagined she would be running for her life from the Faunus she once called her comrades. And now those same comrades were chasing her down and shooting at her. Her rescuer briefly stopped as did Sienna when she turned around to her. “Keep going! I’ll hold them off!”Sienna quickly nodded at her rescuer and continued to run. Her Faunus rescuer pulled out four more flashbangs from behind and pulled all the pins. She threw all four at the White Fang members pursuing them and looked away when they all set off. The brief intense light and noise temporarily stopped them as they all yelled and groaned but the rescuer wasn’t done yet. She pulled off her gloves and jumped toward to the ceiling. She delivered several swipes at the ceiling before coming back down and ran off just as the White Fang members shook off the flashbang's effects. As soon as one of them took a step forward, large chunks of the ceiling fell off and block them. What appeared strange to them was the chunks seemed to have been melted all around.The rescuer finally arrived at the shuttle bay and saw one of the air shuttles open. She figured it was Sienna and she was right when she saw her former leader appear at the open door’s entrance. She wasted no time in reaching the shuttle and entering it. She took the controls immediately and started up the shuttle. The door closed and Sienna sat down in the co-pilot’s seat. The engines roared and the shuttle took off out of the bay. More White Fang members appeared as the shuttle flew off. One of them turned to the rest. “Get several of the shuttles ready!”"Hold on there, boys." Every member looked at the back and saw a member calmly entering the bay. He had a playful smile and a distinct Faunus feature he had were scales extending from his wrists to his shoulders and the sides of his neck up to his cheeks. “There’s no need to pursue them anymore.”Some of the White Fang members looked amongst themselves before turning back to the other member. “But sir-”“There’s nowhere poor Sienna can run to. Even if she did, who would take her in? No, her fate was sealed as soon as Adam took the reins of high leader. At this point, it’s only a matter of time. Now then, get your asses back in gear. We have a lot of prep work to do.” The White Fang members nodded at him and walked past him to the exit of the bay. As the last one past, he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. “Things are about to get a lot more interesting around her. It’s too bad Sienna did escape because if I would’ve been the one the capture her…” His chuckling was sinister at the thought of what he would do to Sienna and licked his lips. “What a wasted opportunity of having a new toy for me to play with. Oh well, there’s always more.” He turned around and walked toward the exit.Back at the shuttle, Sienna’s rescuer looked at the radar and saw nothing. She sighed and could relax a little. “I guess we’re in the clear now. The question is how long will that last.”Sienna wondered that as well. She’d escaped but now her options from here on out were limited. She was still trying to get over the fact that the White Fang she had once led had now betrayed her. “I can’t believe I let this happen. If I had just paid more attention…” Her hand clenched tightly at the thought.Her rescuer didn’t blame her former leader for thinking like that. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. They intentionally kept certain information from you to keep you in the dark. That is until I blew the whistle about what Adam was going to do to you.”That’s right. Sienna had yet to thank her mysterious rescuer for her help. “So, you are the same one who came into my quarters a few nights ago.”The other Faunus girl chuckled at that. “Yeah, I am. When Seryu fled that night, I knew I had to warn you since you would be next.”The former high leader was curious about something like that. “If you warned me, why didn’t you warn Seryu of the same thing before?”Sienna could tell her rescuer was saddened by that. “I wanted to but it’s…a little complicated between her and I. She doesn’t even know I’m in the White Fang.” Sienna was having a hard time grasping of what her rescuer was talking about. “In any case, we need to find a place to lay low for a while. Although, that’s the easier part. The harder part is what to do with Adam now that he was the White Fang working for him.”Sienna wondered the same thing until an idea came to her. It was risky but there was no other place they could go. “Head toward Menagerie.”Her rescuer turned to her and even though she was wearing a mask, she seemed to be in a state of disbelief. “Menagerie? Seriously?! Why do you want to go there of all places!?”Sienna had a good reason for suggesting Menagerie. “There’s one person there I know who can help. It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen him. Not since he and his wife left the White Fang and I first became the leader.”Her rescuer hoped this was a good idea. Then she remembered something. “Yeah, okay. I think there’s only limited communication between the base and Menagerie. Only a few operatives are stationed there. One of them being Ilia. There’s also one more thing you need to know. That Faunus traitor we all know is there as well.”Sienna was surprised to hear that. “But I thought she went down with the shuttle that crashed into the ocean.”The other Faunus shook her head. “Unfortunately, that was some of the information that was withheld from you. Seryu doesn’t know that either since Adam thought it wouldn’t matter since she would be taken out of the picture. Now that you know this, do you still want to go to Menagerie?”The answer was obvious to Sienna. “Yes. It’s worth the risk and if it’s possible, maybe she can be an ally to us.”Her rescuer obviously doubted that. This was a Faunus that despised the White Fang and had no problems killing them. She thought they’d be lucky to even start a conversation with her. But her leader spoke her mind and had no other choice. She punched in some coordinates for Menagerie and activated the autopilot. “If we’re going to Menagerie…” She stood up from her chair and walked to the back of the shuttle. “Then I need to get rid of this uniform. I’d stand out like a sore thumb.” Sienna looked back and saw her rescuer take off her mask and then her hood. Once she did, the former leader saw that her rescuer had long grey hair down to her waist. “No offense but these uniforms were a pain to wear.” She discarded the mask and then proceeded to undo her pants. Once she did, her pants dropped and a scorpion tail was unwrapped from around her waist. The tail flicked around as if it were stretching. “It feels good to move this tail again.”After seeing all this, Sienna finally decided to ask her rescuer a question she’s been meaning to ask for quite some time. “I don’t believe I ever caught your name before.”Her rescuer took off the rest of her uniform so she was now in her bra and underwear. Her skin was fair like porcelain and turned around to face her former leader. Sienna saw that her rescuer had onyx eyes. The other Faunus girl smiled at Sienna. “It’s Syka.” B At the bandit camp in the middle of the night, the two bandits overlooking Weiss fell asleep and were snoring. To her, this was a perfect opportunity. She turned around and crouched while she opened her hands together. A small glyph appeared and out of it, was a smaller version of her ice knight. The knight picked up its sword and raised it. Seeing this gave Weiss hope again. If nobody was coming to save her, then she’ll just have to save herself. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Now, as some of you may have noticed, I added my OC Syka into this story. For those who don’t know who Syka is, she is an OC that appears in my other Akame Ga Kill crossover, The Dragon of Night Raid where she is one of the last Tartaros demons. I also had her paired up with Seryu which gave her a bit of character development and was even a favorited pairing in the story. Now, will I have Syka pair up with Seryu again in this story? Truth is jury is still out that one and personally, I think it would be kind of redundant since I’ll be writing Syka a little differently. Hell, I changed her appearance from a demon to a Faunus in this story. So how she’ll impact the story this time? Well, she did save Sienna but what would she mean to Seryu? The only answer to that is to read the chapter. Also, why this chapter took longer than usual to put up was because I was busy playing Pokémon Ultra Sun. BTW, it may or may not inspired me to come up with a new crossover story involving Ultra Sun and Moon. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol FourKill Fifty Eight: Lost Meaning“Well, it’s been a long since I’ve cooked for a such a large group so I hope all of you can enjoy the food." Wave spread his arms apart as he presented more of a feast than a dinner on the table while smiling.RNJR, Night Raid, Qrow, and Oscar marveled at the sight of food before them. It almost looked too good to eat. Almost. “You seriously made all of this?” Jaune asked as he was eyeing some creamy mashed potatoes.Wave chuckled awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head. “I had some help. You can thank Rienna for some of this.”Ruby looked over at the Rienna. “You can cook?”Rienna smiled happily at the young leader while flashing a peace sign. “I used to help with my mom cooking dinner back at my house and my dad was a good cook too.”Chelsea was impressed by the size of the feast but doubted it would last long. “I hope you made seconds because Kurome can eat a lot.”Wave wasn’t too worried about that. “I kinda figured so I did make more. Also, I made some favorites for some of you. At least I hope they’re still your favorites.”He was right about that as Kurome stared at several slabs of large T-bone steaks cooked the way she liked it. Esdeath had no particular favorite but she did like seeing the cheeseburger pasta. Nora licked her lips as she hungrily eyed the food. “Let’s stop talking and start eating already!” That was enough incentive for everyone to start dining.All of them instantly approved of Wave’s cooking. It was something Oscar had never tasted anything this good. “This is really amazing. How did you learn how to cook like this?”Wave was glad someone finally asked him that. “Funny enough, it was my mother who taught me and a little self-teaching. Ever since I decided to join the Imperial Navy, I thought it would be best to learn as many skills I could learn. One of them being able to cook since it would be an invaluable asset to my comrades." Qrow could certainly agree with that with what he drank out of his mug earlier to sober up quickly.While everyone enjoyed eating Wave’s cooking, Cornelia seemed less enthusiastic while eating. Something Taeko noticed right away. "Is everything alright, Cora?"The blonde just cut a small piece of lasagna with her knife and inserted it to bring it up to her mouth. “It’s just…should we really be eating like this?”Kurome temporarily stopped stuffing her face and looked over at her teammate. “Oh, come on. The food is fantastic.”Cornelia closed her eyes and shook her head. “No, it’s not that.” She stopped and opened her eyes. “We’re here eating this while Akame is still out there. If I had just-”“Don’t worry about ifs.” Cornelia looked back at Kurome. “Like you said, you tried your best to bring Akame back. There isn’t any point in beating yourself up over it. We’re all just as worried as you. When Akame does get back, we’ll make sure to give her all of our portions.” Kurome gave her teammate a reassuring smile.Cornelia smiled back as she knew Kurome was right. There was no sense of worrying about what had already been done. All she could now was just do what she could for Akame now. Her and the rest of the team. Chelsea snickered at her girlfriend’s idea. “You, sharing? That’s new.”Kurome had an annoyed expression when she glanced over at the other girl. “Hey, I can share!”While everyone was still busy eating, it brought a sense of nostalgia to Wave as it reminded him of the Jager Squad was first put together and enjoyed his and Bols’ cooking. And now the same thing has happened again and this time with Bols’ daughter. He did notice a certain someone wasn’t with them. In fact, Wave hadn’t seen Seryu since he started preparing dinner. He had a guess where she could be and left the dinner table while everybody else was busy eating. In a room upstairs, Seryu was laying on a bed blankly watching the ceiling with discarded bloody gauze lying on the floor. After everything she’d heard, Seryu decided to go upstairs and finally change her gauze. She was glad this house had some medical supplies she could use so now she had a clean wrapping around her waist. Now all she had to do was process of what she had gotten herself into. “How in the hell did this happen to me? How did I go from fleeing the White Fang to being caught up into something like this?” It was perplexing indeed and there was something else that was on Seryu’s mind.She heard several knocks on the door and immediately sat up as she looked over at it. "Seryu? Are you okay?"Seryu already knew it was Wave from the other side of the door. On one hand, she didn’t want to deal with him but the other was that he had some answers to the questions she had. Seryu moved over the side of the bed and sat there. “Come in.” She saw the knob turn and the door opened to reveal Wave. The soldier walked into the room and closed the door politely. Seryu crossed her arm. “What do you want?”Wave decided to keep his distance from Seryu since he could tell she didn’t want him near her. “Well, it’s just that dinner is ready and I was wondering if you’d join us.”Seryu scoffed as a response. “Like I’d dine with a group of humans. I may have agreed to fight alongside you but that’s as far as it’ll go.”Wave could tell Seryu was very adamant about not getting closer to the rest of the group. He then noticed the discarded gauze. “I see you redressed your wound. How are you feeling?”Seryu looked at the side where Adam had struck her and lightly placed her hand on it. "It's fine. Nothing to worry about. Although, it could've been worse." Wave was glad to hear that. Whoever this Adam was, he could tell this person really didn't want Seryu in the way. "Hey…" Wave saw Seryu turn her attention to him now. "Earlier while that kid was possessed, he mentioned a few things. Well, him and that red-clad human girl. They both mentioned different worlds several times. So just who exactly the hell are you?"Wave’s response was a heavy sigh as he rubbed the back of his head while seeming uncertain. “You’re…really going to find this hard to believe.”Seryu highly doubted that with what she had just seen previously. “I just met Ozpin through the body of a kid. What can you say that can top that?” Meanwhile, the group continued to dine on the food. “YOU’VE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!”All of them stopped at once when they heard Seryu scream from upstairs. Esdeath and the rest of Night Raid knew what that meant. “I guess he told her then.” While everyone was distracted, Nora saw this as a chance to snake a part of Kurome’s food. However, Kurome noticed and stabbed her knife in front of Nora’s fork while giving the other girl a very frightening death glare. Nora a chill going down her spine and chuckled awkwardly.Back in the room, Seryu was in a complete state of shock and Wave couldn’t blame her for her reaction. “Like I said, it’s a little hard to believe but it’s true. That’s why I know you and why Akame knows you.”Seryu groaned as she placed her hand over her face while to process what she had heard. “What the hell? This can’t be real but he said it with a straight face. Another me in a different world and as a human? That sounds like such a nightmare. Also, about what the traitor Faunus said to me earlier…"She remembered what Leone had said to her before their fight had started. "It's not fear. You just remind me of a bitch I really hate way back then and wanted to punch in the face.”After what Wave told her, it made a little more sense to her. “I guess she must’ve been referring to the human back in her world. So this guy, that red-eyed human girl, and that traitor Faunus are all from the same world. I wonder…” At this point, Wave became a little worried if what he explained to Seryu may have been too much for her to handle. “Hey, Seryu, are you feeling alright?”He heard Seryu sigh as she removed her hand from her face and looked directly at Wave. “Hey, I have a question for you.” Wave just stared back at the Faunus girl not sure of what she was going to ask. “Did you ever meet a lion Faunus girl back in your world? Long wild blonde hair? Had a scarf wrapped around her neck?”It was an odd question but Wave would try is his best to answer. “A blonde lion Faunus…” He already knew that there are no Faunus back in the Capital so that was out. Wave closed his eyes and tried to remember any of the other details Seryu spoke of. “Long wild blonde hair, a scarf wrapped around her neck…” In the end, he came up with nothing. “Sorry, but I don’t remember meeting anyone like that.” Seryu could say she was disappointed but she also knew it would be a long shot. Just because they were all from the same world didn’t mean they would know each other. “If you don’t mind, can I ask a question about you now?”Usually, Seryu would like for Wave to piss off now but she would oblige him just this one time. “Fine but you only get to ask one question.” She emphasized what she directed by holding up one finger to Wave.That was fine with Wave since he only had one question to ask. “Why do you hate humans so much?”His question struck a deep nerve in Seryu. Her eyes were filled with hatred and snarled at Wave. “You want to know why I hate humans?” She pointed at her ear that had the cut through it. “It was humans that did this me. They wanted to see if I could feel pain from it. And also…” She brought up her arms as a presentation to Wave. “It was humans that did this to me too.” Wave couldn’t help but feel mortified when he learned that. He did learn that the Seryu from his world lost her arms due to one of the members of Night Raid cut her arms off. “Imagine your arms being pounded by sledgehammers on each arm one time after the next. The left and then the right, over and over and the pain you feel becomes worse after each hit. My arms were broken beyond repair so they were cut off and were replaced by these.” She set her arms down. “I was never the same after that. If I loathed humans before, I absolutely despise them now for what they did to me. I wanted to make them pay. To make all humans pay for what they did to me. That’s why I joined the White Fang. To make them feel the wrath of absolute justice!” Her expression softened and lowered her head. “And then the White Fang turned on me, on Sienna but they and Adam will have their comeuppance. I’ll make sure of that.” She took in a deep breath and sighed deeply. “Twice I was betrayed. First by her…” Her voice dripped with venom when she said that last part of the sentence. “And then by the White Fang. It seems the only person I can trust is myself.”“You’re wrong.” Seryu looked back up at Wave who staring at her with a serious expression. “I am sorry for what happened to you but you should know not all humans act like the way you think they do. If you can’t trust other humans then you can start by trusting me.”Seryu scoffed again by Wave’s offer. “And what makes you think I’ll trust you?” Wave knew he needed more than his word as a man of the sea to convince Seryu. He only had one option left. Seryu saw Wave draw out his sword for some reason and brought up his left hand. In the next second, Wave pressed the blade against the palm of his left hand and quickly swiped it across. Droplets of blood leaked out of the fresh wound to the floor. Seryu thought he’d lost it. “Hey, are you crazy!?”Wave immediately grabbed Seryu’s right hand and gripped it tightly. Usually, Seryu would just beat any other person into a coma for doing such a thing but something about what Wave was doing was different. “Seryu…” Wave stared at the Faunus girl with an intense focus gaze upon her. “The blood I will shed will be for you, whether it’ll be the blood of the ones who did this to you or my own. I will fight alongside you, no matter what, to the end.”Seryu had no response of what Wave had declared to her. It was humans that made her this way so what would this one before her be any different? “What human would cut his own hand for you?” That thought had randomly come to her mind. Wave did cut his own hand to show how much is he dedicated to her. She studied the soldier’s eyes intently and to her surprise, there was no sign, no hint of any lies, of any false promises. For the first time, a human was truly being honest with her. It was almost unbelievable to her. Almost. She tightened her grip on Wave’s hand and gritted her teeth. “Why? Why would you go this far for me? I don’t know a damn thing about you.”To Wave, the question didn’t matter to him. “Because you were my comrade once and I believe you can be again.” Comrade. At this point, Seryu didn’t even know what that word meant to her anymore. Was this human before her the only one she could rely on? They barely knew each other even if Wave did know her human counterpart. And yet, Wave defended her, encouraged her, and made a declaration unlike any she had seen before. Whether Seryu liked it or not, Wave was the only one would stand beside her. Even if he was a human. Wave let go of Seryu’s hand and turned around away from her. “Just know this, Seryu. I’ll always stand beside you, no matter what.” He slowly started to make his way to the door. After what Wave did to his hand, he would have to find some bandages to wrap around his self-inflicted injury but to him, it was nothing compared to what pain Seryu had to go through.“Hold on.” Just as Wave approached the door, he turned around when he heard Seryu call out to him. The soldier turned around to see Seryu stand up from the bed and walk over to him. Once she was standing close enough to him, Seryu placed her hand on Wave’s chest. “This is the only freebie I’m giving you.” Wave immediately felt a small pulse going through his body. He couldn't describe it but it somehow felt welcoming strangely enough. Seryu removed her hand. "Look at your hand now." Wave did just that and he saw the wound heal rapidly until it was no more. He was astounded something like that had happened. "Ozpin said you needed to work on unlocking your aura. I just did that for you." Wave looked back at Seryu who still retained her serious expression. "In case you don't know, our aura can act as a natural shield, taking the damage for us but it has its limits so don't go depending on it all the time. It can also heal small wounds like the one you gave yourself on your hand.”Now Wave understood what Seryu meant earlier. He had no idea aura could work this way. Then a question came to him. “If it can heal wounds, why do you need to bandage yourself up?”Seryu looked down at her side and placed her hand on her injury. “Like I said, it’s only good for healing small wounds. Injuries like this, it’ll take a lot more.” That seemed fair enough to Wave since everything had its limits.Wave smiled at Seryu and wanted to give her a hug as thanks but he figured she wouldn’t like it. Still, this was a step in the right direction. “Thank you, Seryu.”He turned around and grabbed the knob as he tuned it. The door opened and Wave already passed through it. Before he could fully leave out of her sight, Seryu still had one more thing to say to him. “You know I don’t need you to fight my battles for me.”Wave stopped again and turned his head to her. “That may be true but there are some battles you can’t fight on your own.” With those words spoken, Wave finally made his way back downstairs to the others. With Wave gone, Seryu closed the door slowly but gently and turned around to head back to the bed. Once she was close, fell down face first and sighed as she tried to figure out what had just happened to her. Seryu slowly closed her eyes and before she knew it, she went unconsciously asleep. F “Seryu…” Seryu found herself kneeling before Sienna Khan sitting on her throne while her head was lowered. She was summoned by Sienna herself and Seryu couldn’t tell if it was a blessing or something much worse then she would like to imagine. Sienna obviously had a displeased look in her eyes. “Do you have any idea what you have done?”Seryu could hear the irritation in her leader’s voice. “I have punished the traitor Faunus who was responsible for killing our members. I have accomplished something Adam could not back at Beacon.”Sienna narrowed her eyes at her subordinate. “By those words, I’m thinking you are sounding quite arrogant. You were not permitted to pursue this traitor Faunus. Much less take a squad to fulfill your ambition.”It was true. Seryu had pursued Leone without her leader knowing but she had to do it. “I couldn’t let her get away with what she had done. A Faunus killing her own kind is unthinkable and unforgivable and even though I don't see eye to eye with Adam, he is still a member nonetheless and would pay for what she had done. Most of all, I did it for you, high leader." Her leader scoffed at her reasoning. “And what made you think you were above authority? Because of your actions, we have lost several of our own members. Not because of this traitor Faunus but because of you. You are responsible for their deaths. Does your ideal of absolute justice go that far? To use others for your own gain?”Seryu could find no fault in her leader’s words. True, the shuttle that was carrying Leone crashed into the ocean and Leone may as well be declared deceased but some of the members she took with her also shared the same fate on that shuttle. It was something she had to carry on her shoulders for the rest of her life. Her leader was wrong about one thing, though. “No, ma’am. I would never fall to such a degrading level such as that.”“Then you should’ve thought of that before you went in this pursuit of yours!” we have to do, she was not our top priority.” She sighed as she calmed down slightly. “You say you did this for me but you must admit to at least this, Seryu. You also did this for yourself. To prove you’re better than Adam since he had failed to defeat her.” Seryu won’t deny that. She saw this as an opportunity to both prove she was better and could defeat a foe Adam could not. To her, it was killing two birds with one stone. However, she didn’t foresee the consequences of pursuing such a goal. “While I admire your passion and loyalty to the White Fang, what you have done is unacceptable. Do you understand?”Seryu felt disheartened by her leader’s words. The one thing she didn’t want was the disproving and disappointment from Sienna. “Yes, high leader.”Sienna had reached her point across toward her subordinate. “You may leave now, Seryu but don’t think this is over yet. Your punishment will be decided later.” Seryu wouldn’t doubt that at all as disobeying came at a high cost. “As you command, high leader.” She stood up and turned around without at Sienna as Seryu started to walk away.Seryu exited out of the grand hall and walked aimlessly in the all. “Uh-oh. Looks like somebody's in big trouble.”The Faunus girl stopped walking and looked ahead to see another Faunus leaning against the wall with a smug smirk on his face. Seryu growled at the other member as she despised him just as much as Adam. “Syura…”Syura chuckled playfully despite the glaring he was receiving from the other White Fang member. “No need to be so ferocious with me little dog or do you want your leash to be pulled?” One of the reasons why Seryu hated Syura; his analogies toward her. “It’s hard to believe that Sienna’s loyal doggie would go off on her own chasing a bone that looked primed to be chewed.”“Are you done yet?!” Seryu had no time to waste on someone like him.Syura grinned at the other Faunus as he had his fill for now. “I’ll get to the point. Believe it or not, Adam wants to talk to you.”Some of Seryu’s anger became curiosity when she heard that coming from Syura. “Why the hell does Adam want to talk to me?”Syura closed his eyes and shrugged. “I’m just the messenger. If you want to know…” He opened his eyes. “You’ll have to find out for yourself. Meet him tonight at the main hall. That’s all you’ll be hearing from me.” He turned around and made his leave.Seryu was uncertain about this whole thing about Adam wanting to meet with her. She had half a mind to just ignore it but the other half wanted to know why Adam would want to meet with her out of the blue. Little did she know, the decision she would make would be almost fatal to her. B Seryu approached the doors that led to the main hall. She would be lying to herself if she wasn’t feeling a little anxious about this meeting with Adam. To her, there would be no reason why Adam would want to talk to her and yet, he does. Something about it didn’t seem right to her. Seryu pushed the doors open and sure enough, there was Adam standing the middle. “Seryu, I was wondering if you were going to appear.”Seryu narrowed her eyes at the other White Fang member as she slowly approached Adam. She could already sniff out that there were several other members with them hiding in the shadows. Already this was starting to look suspicious to her. “I’m here now Adam.” She stopped walking and was at a cautious distance from Adam. “So, what’s the reason why you wanted to see me? You and I never saw eye to eye and you know what I think of you. Tell me what do you want with me.”Adam saw no point in stringing Seryu along and decided to tell her. “Very well. I wanted to ask you if you’d like to join me.” He held out his hand to her.Seryu raised an eye at Adam's strange offer. "What do you mean by joining you?"Adam set his hand down. "What I mean is that it's about time I take control of the White Fang. Sienna is showing signs of hesitation and is having doubts. Only I can lead the White Fang to the true path. Many of the other members already see that. I'm telling you this now because I know how loyal you are to Sienna and because of that this was kept secret from you until now but even you must see the weakness she has shown. If it means anything to you, I did approve of you chasing down that traitor Faunus. You took something into your own hands. Something Sienna would never do. I believe you can be of great use for the future of the White Fang. That is unless you accept my offer."Seryu had to process what she had heard from Adam carefully. It was akin to a major bomb dropping on top of her. She had no idea something like this was happening within the White Fang. The other members inside must’ve already been in on it if Adam was talking about this so freely. Most of all, Adam was planning to overthrow Sienna. “So, what you’re telling me is that you have most of the White Fang on your side and you’re going to overthrow Sienna, possibly murder her too?”It was a crude summery but she was correct. “That’s right. Sienna is holding the White Fang back and any hindrances must be dealt with. Don’t worry, though as her death will make her a martyr. You can at least take pride in that. What do you say, Seryu? Will you be part of a stronger White Fang?”Seryu’s hands closed tightly and gritted her teeth. Seryu won’t deny Sienna made some questionable choices recently but there was one thing that hadn’t changed about what Seryu thought of Sienna. She would always be and always will be the leader of the White Fang to her. “I’ll give you my answer. You can take that offer and your sword and shove them up your ass!”Her answer echoed throughout the hall and Adam’s expression remained unchanged. “As I expected. Well then, Seryu…” He brought his hand back up and snapped his fingers. The members that were hiding the shadows came out and surrounded her while pointing their guns at Seryu. “You truly are a loyal dog to the end. The truth is I knew you would reject my offer and anyone who is against me is also against the White Fang. Seryu Koro, in the name of the White Fang, I hereby brand you as a traitor and all traitors will be and shall be executed.”Seryu took a step back while looking very worried. These were the same Faunus she had fought alongside with and now they were going kill her. She glared angrily at Adam at what he was doing. “You’re not going to get away with this you bastard!”Adam begged to differ as he smiled at Seryu. “It’s already too late. Sienna’s end draws near and you’re the only one who’s standing in my way.” He extended his hand in front of the Faunus girl. “Goodbye Seryu and good riddance.”Seryu had to come up with something and quick or else her body will be riddled with bullet holes in the next few seconds. She could only come up with one strategy in such a short notice. Seryu quickly turned around and dashed to the nearest members. She didn’t have time to take out her kanabo so Seryu settled with her curved blades the outer sides of her arms. She slashed at the first members before they could shoot at her while they screamed and fell to the ground. “FIRE!” The other members started shooting at Seryu but she quickly turned around and jumped into the air. She pointed her left art at the group and her hand opened all the way to her wrist. Seryu fired a blast from her opening at the ground and loud boom occurred. Dust also spread around as a result and the other members couldn’t see where they were aiming at.Seryu landed on the ground and had little time to spare to escape while everyone was blinded and confused. If she was lucky, she could warn Sienna about this. She turned around and then felt a sharp cutting pain on her left side. Seryu cried out and held the injury with her right hand. She looked at her would and it was indeed cut. The Faunus girl looked ahead to see Adam in front of her with his sword drawn out. “Such a shame I missed. I was aiming to sever your body.” He turned around to face Seryu. “This distraction of yours won’t last long. Just accept your death.”The Faunus girl growled at Adam as the dust began to clear up. "Like hell, I will!" That was all the incentive Adam needed and rushed toward Seryu with his sword ready. Seryu crossed her arms to defend against the attack. “Reinforce!” A brief flash appeared on her arms and Adam’s attack was stopped. In the next second, uncrossed her arms and pushed Adam’s sword away from her. Seryu had two choices to make. Either attack Adam while he was open or take the opportunity to leave while it was still open. As of now, all Seryu could think about was surviving. She didn’t waste any time in running toward Adam and smacking him aside with her left arm. Seryu passed him and made a mad dash to the exit. She made it out just before the dust cleared up.Adam wasn’t going let her get away that easily. “Chase after her now!” His subordinates followed his command and went after Seryu. While they were doing what they were told, Adam had a suspicion of where Seryu was going to next. “You.” He called out to the last member approaching the door. The member stopped and turned to him. “Head to the hanger and cut Seryu off. Take some of the others with you. When you have the chance, finish her off.” The member nodded at him and went to the intended destination. Adam smiled as he had won this small skirmish. “It’s all over for you now, Seryu and Sienna will soon follow.”Seryu was panting heavily as she was fleeing while her hand was clutching the injury on her left side. She was running wherever the hallway was taking her. Rampant thoughts were going through her mind. “I have to warn Sienna. She has to know Adam is going to-” Seryu heard several shots being fired from behind. At this rate, Seryu didn’t have time to warn her leader of what Adam was going to do. Her only choice now was to escape. She ran through the hallways and made several turns around the corners until the Faunus girl reached the hanger where all the other air shuttles were. Unfortunately, Seryu wasn’t the first to arrive. In between her and the shuttle was that same White Fang member Adam told to cut her off and there were several other members with that member. They weren’t much but in Seryu’s condition, it wasn’t good. “You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to listen to Adam. Do you have any idea what any of you are doing?!” The last thing she wanted to do was harm her fellow members but they didn’t think the same of her.The members pointed their guns at Seryu. She yelled as shots were fired. After the firing had stopped, Seryu was panting as she was standing over the defeated White Fang members. They weren’t killed but unconscious. Even now, Seryu couldn’t bear to kill her fellow members. She had little time left before the rest come after her. She ran up to one of the shuttles and opened the door. Seryu went to the control panel and started it up. The thrusters fired and the shuttle lifted. It set off before the rest of members arrived with Adam among them. While he was disappointed he couldn’t end Seryu, at least she was out of his way. No one could protect Sienna now. “It doesn’t matter where you go now Seryu. There’s nobody else for you out there. Now all that’s left to deal with is that traitor Faunus in Menagerie along with Blake.”In the shuttle, Seryu put the control on autopilot while walking slowly to the cabinet that had the first aid kit. She opened it and pulled out the kit. The Faunus girl sat down at the nearest seat and opened the kit to grab the gauze. She was still breathing heavily as she lifted her shirt up to reveal the wound Adam had given her. It was a serious injury and blood was leaking out of it. She administered the gauze around her torso to cover up the wound. It wasn’t the best treatment but it would have to do for now. The adrenaline she had since her escape had dissipated and felt very fatigued. “Sleep. I need…sleep…” Seryu fell to her right side and fell fast asleep.A couple of hours later, Seryu was still asleep but unknown to her, there was another passenger who was on board. This passenger silently walked passed Seryu and approached the control panel. The passenger placed their hand on it and a strange green light appeared on the screen. After a few seconds, the light faded back into black. The passenger turned back at Seryu and smiled at her. “You have someone waiting for you.” Loud noises started blaring and woke Seryu up. She immediately stood up and looked over at the control. The Faunus girl saw no one there and heard two certain words repeat over and over. “AUTOPILOT MALFUNCTION! AUTOPILOT MALFUNCTION! AUTOPILOT MALFUNCTION!” In the next few minutes, a loud crash could be heard. F Seryu opened her eyes and lifted herself in a brief panic. She panted heavily for a short time before collecting herself. “Why did I remember that of all things and…what the hell did I see?” There was one other thing Seryu had noticed. There was a blanket discarded to the side when she awoke and was fully on the bed. "Who the hell did this?" The answer came quickly to her as she knew who exactly would do this sort of thing to her. "It was him, wasn't it?" Seryu felt a little disgusted that a human had touched her but at the same time, she knew he wouldn't do anything harmful to her. How the Faunus girl didn't notice was beyond her. Seryu looked at the clock and saw that it was three in the morning. "Why did I wake up at such a random time?" If it was this late, then that meant everyone else was sleeping. A growling sound could be heard from her stomach and felt a little embarrassed. "I guess I did kinda skip dinner. I guess I'll see what leftovers are there for me. If there's any at all." Seryu got off from her bed and stood up to leave her room. She closed her door silently so it wouldn't alert the others. Seryu traveled downstairs and from the stairs, she saw Wave sleeping on one of the couches. Why he was sleeping on the couch Seryu didn't understand but didn't care. However, he wasn't the only one. Seryu saw Cornelia sleeping on the other couch for an odder reason. Seryu didn’t care much for that either and reached the lower floor.The Faunus girl walked to the kitchen and saw that it was completely empty with the sink filled with dishes that were clean. It seemed there wasn't much for her eat after all. That is until she saw a note posted on the microwave and walked up to it. Seryu read what was written in the note. “I saved you your favorite dish. Or at least I hope it’s still your favorite. Wave” Somehow, this wasn’t surprising to Seryu and chuckled softly. She opened the microwave door quietly as possible and inside were five Salisbury steak burgers on a paper plate. Seryu couldn’t help but smile at the food before her. “You idiot. Of course, they’re my favorite. You should know better.” She took the plate out of the microwave and closed the same as she opened it. The Faunus girl walked to the table and placed down the plate. Once she sat down, Seryu took one of the burgers and took a bite out of the burger. After the first bite, it didn’t take her long to finish the rest. Even if they were a little cold, they were best Seryu had ever eaten. B Birds began chirping as morning arrived in Mistral. The sun’s rays traveled through an open window and struck a pair of closed eyes. The sunlight bothered this person’s eyes and slowly opened them only to be blinded by the sunlight. “Can someone turn off the sun?” A hand came up to the eyes and rubbed them for a few seconds to adjust to the new lighting in the room. She removed her hand and groaned. The person in question was none other than Akame. She stopped rubbing her eyes and removed her hand. Once Akame did, she noticed something rather strange and alarming. She was in a bed that was not her own and could feel the silkiness of the covers on her entire body meaning she was naked underneath. Akame was very concerned about this. “How did I-”She heard a yawn coming from behind and felt an arm wrap on top of her body. She then felt a soft kiss on the back of her neck. Akame gasped as she immediately sat up without any disregard of covering her chest to see who was in the bed with her. Once she saw the other person in the bed, her eyes widened in shock at who it was. It was a woman but not any woman. A woman she had seen before back in the streets of Mistral and when she was still a part of the Elite Seven. Akame saw the older woman sit up and giggled playfully at her as she sat up as well without covering up her chest either. She gave Akame a rather loving smile. “Well, good morning cutie.”Akame had thought she had gotten used to this by now but this world had sent yet another familiar face to her. A face that played a major part of her leaving the Empire. The woman who she had killed. “Merraid…Oarburgh…” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Well, the semester is (almost) over for me so maybe there'll be a slight increase in updates. Maybe. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol FourKill Fifty Nine: Pillars of LifeAkame was at a loss for words yet again. The woman she was staring at in disbelief was none other than a certain woman from her world known as Merraid Oarburgh, the leader of the Oarburgh clan. The woman who played an important part of her leaving the Empire and the woman she had killed. To make this more nonsensical, Akame was in the same bed as her, both clearly nude. It didn't take long for Akame to put two and two together of what happened between them. “I…I....we…”“What’s with that face?” Akame snapped out of her shock when she heard Merraid’s voice. She saw Merraid still giving that playful smile. “Here, let me take a closer look.” Merraid quickly lifted Akame’s chin and closed the distance between them. She captured Akame’s lips with her own in a soft gentle kiss while her eyes close. Akame’s eyes, however, went wide with shock. This was very unlike the first time Merraid kissed Akame way back then where it was forceful. Merraid slightly opened her eyes to see the look Akame had and smiled into the kiss. She used her other hand to push the younger girl back on the bed while separating from the kiss. She then used this chance to be on top of Akame and straddled her while placing her hands just below Akame's breasts. Merraid smiled sensually this time at the position both girls were in as Merraid's body wasn't covered anymore. Akame's first instinct would've been to push the woman off of her but instead, she couldn’t help but be entranced by the sunlight hitting Merraid’s bare body which made her…beautiful. Akame could feel her heart beat rapidly as if it wanted to bust out from her chest. Merraid giggled excitedly. “You know, I can’t get over of what you did to me last night. It would be an insult to simply call you a girl. I think it would be much more respectable to call you a woman.”Now Akame wondered what exactly she did last night for Merraid to say such a thing to her. She had some ideas. Her beating became harder when Akame saw Merraid lower herself to the younger girl while her hands traveled up to Akame’s shoulders. Inch by inch, Merraid was once again closer to Akame’s lips as her own could almost touch them. Their breasts softly pushing against each other which the younger girl such a thrilling rush. Akame didn’t know why but she was anticipating on what the older woman was going to do next. “How about I make you some breakfast.”Akame was stricken by confusion as Merraid got off of her and the off the bed. Akame saw Merraid take a silken purple bathrobe off a hanger from the door and put it on. After she tightened the sash around, Merraid left the room. Akame could feel her heart relax now and groaned as she sighed. “What just came over me and how did I end up in this situation?” Akame tried her best to recall but the best she could remember was a few bits and pieces. Most of them being ramen of all things. Then Akame remembered something else that was important and sat up immediately with a panicked expression on her face. “Cora! And the others too! I didn’t come back home to them last night!” She figured everyone must’ve been absolutely worried about her at this point. Akame had to find her scroll immediately and text them that she was alright. The problem was finding her scroll and possibly her underwear. Akame scanned the room and there were clothes strewn across the room leaving her with no doubt that she did in fact sleep with Merraid. Something Akame should feel disgusted about but couldn’t. She shook her head and figure out that part later. Akame stepped out of bed and tried to find her clothes. There was no way she was going out of the room wearing nothing but a bathrobe. Akame put on her clothes and was thankful she was fully dressed. She lightly held the scarf that Leone once had before as it was the only reminder left of her.Akame reached for her scroll was still in her skirt pocket. She didn’t waste any time in pulling her scroll out and immediately started to text Cornelia back. “Cora. I’m sorry I didn’t come back home last night. Something…unexpected happened but I’m alright. I’ll get back to you and the others soon.” She hit send. Akame sighed as she knew Cornelia would be deathly worried at this point. Right now, there wasn’t anything else important. That is until she smelled the familiar scent of food being cooked and her stomach growled at the exact moment.Akame looked out the door and walked right through it. She found herself in the living room and on the righthand side was a small kitchen where Merraid was. It seemed they were both in an apartment and by the size of it, a one-room at that. Akame could easily tell the smell of bacon. Merraid glanced back to see Akame standing outside of her room although a little disappointed that she was fully dressed. “Ah, you’re up. I hope you won’t leave just yet. Not until you have some of my cooking. It won’t be much longer.”Akame could leave and go back to others or she could stay and observe. She decided on the second choice since this was a different Merraid. Akame walked over to the black couch across from the TV and a small table in the middle and sat on it while she waited for Merraid to finish. While she was waiting, Akame felt her scroll vibrate and pulled it out to see a reply from Cornelia. She opened the reply and saw the text Cornelia sent her. “Akame! I was so worried! I’m happy nothing bad happened to you. Get back to us ASAP. You won’t believe who showed up last night.” Akame was curious as to what Cornelia meant by that. Not a second later and Akame received more text messages from her other teammates. “That is the last time you are frigging going out overnight. Do you hear me? Seriously, do you have any idea how worried Cora was about you? PS: get your ass over here. You’re going to be surprised who we met last night.” “It’s great that you’re okay Akame. You really missed a good feast last night. Don’t worry, we saved some food for you. Oh yeah, you also missed something kinda important last night.” “Way to go to make your entire team worried. Hope you’re proud of yourself. Still, it’s great that nothing horrible happened to you. BTW, I will never hear the end of Taeko saying how she was right all along.” “Cora was really happy that she got a text back from you and so were we. Can’t wait to see you again Akame. Also…you may want to see what happened last night for yourself.” “It is a relief to know that nothing misfortunate happened to you. We’ll be waiting for your return. And I’m sure Chelsea already told you but I’ll tell you that I was right about reincarnation all along.” Akame couldn’t help but smile at the texts she received from her teammates. They were slightly wrong about how nothing happened to her because something certainly did happen last night and she wasn’t going to let them know. And judging by what everyone was saying, it seemed something important happened while she was away. It was all the more reason to get back to them. “You seem to be happy.” Akame looked up to see Merraid with a plate in each hand. She set both plates down in front of Akame and they had a pretty standard breakfast combo. Three cooked pieces sausages, five strips of crispy bacon, two pieces of buttered toast, and scrambled eggs with bits and pieces of ham and onions. There was also a single fork on one of the plates. Merraid sat next to Akame. “I hope this’ll be good enough for you considering how much you ate last night.” She just remembered something important she forgot to tell Akame. “Oh, yes. I never introduced myself. My name’s Merraid.”Akame already knew that but it would still be good manners to introduce herself to her. “I-I’m Akame.”Already Merraid liked the sound of Akame’s name. “Akame. Even your name sounds cute.” That was first Akame had ever heard. No one had ever said her name was cute before. Even she didn’t think so herself. “Well, Akame, no need to wait any longer. Go ahead and eat.” Merraid gestured at the food.Akame turned to the food before her and while it did look good, she was a little hesitant to ask about what happened last night. Especially with what Merraid said before back at the bed but this could be her only chance. “Before I do, about last night. Just how did I…how did we…”"End up in bed together?" Merraid finished. She chuckled at the question. "I guess I do owe you an explanation for that since you were overcome with grief so it makes sense you wouldn't remember much. Here’s what happened.” Akame turned to the older woman. “I was just walking around minding my own business when I happen to see such a cute girl crying for some reason. I walked up to you to see what was wrong but you seemed to be so distraught. I offered to take you along and see if I can cheer you up.” Now that Akame heard Merraid explain that, she remembered Merraid offering her hand to her last night. She must’ve been too upset to recognize Merraid at the time or else they wouldn’t be sitting together like this. “I held your hand as comfort while I was thinking of a way to cheer you up. You barely said a word to me. That was when we stumbled upon a ramen shop and thought that would be a good place to start and possibly you were hungry. We entered and looked at the menus. It seemed to have caught your attention and we ordered. It was during our little stay where I saw the strangest thing. Never have I saw someone like you eat thirty bowls. I wondered where you put it all. Then I found out all that energy must’ve gone to your tongue.”Akame blushed as she knew what the older woman meant by that. Her remembering ramen made more sense now but Akame was still a little skeptical about that. “Do you happen to have the receipt?” She wanted to make sure Merraid’s story checked out.“I believe so. I think it’s still in my dress. Let me go get it.” Merraid stood up from the couch and walked over to her room. Akame couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the older woman’s swaying her hips and backside. She snapped out of it when Merraid entered her room. Akame had no idea what was coming over her. She had only just met this woman she was already checking her out. It didn’t Merraid long to exit her room with a slip of paper in her fingers. “Found it.” She walked back to Akame and sat back down next to her. “Right here. I thought you would need some proof in case you asked something like this. You cost me quite a lot of lien.”Akame took the slip and looked it over. Merraid was telling the truth since there were a lot of orders of different ramen and only two orders of the same kind of ramen. Only she would eat this much and try a variety. This confirmed that Merraid was telling the truth after all. Akame handed the receipt back to Merraid. She felt a small jolt going through her hand when it touched Merraid’s briefly before taking the slip of paper back. “Was there anything else that happened?”Merraid pondered the question for a few seconds until she found her answer. “Ah, yes. I think it was when you were around on your thirteenth or sixteenth bowl is when you started to cry again about someone called…Leone.” Akame’s face became pale when she heard that. “Yes, you said something along the lines of never seeing her again and how you’re alone now. I know I shouldn’t pry into other people’s business but what exactly did happen between you two? Did you go through a bad breakup with this person?” Akame looked away from Merraid and lowered her head as she stared at the floor rather than the food. Merraid could already tell she touched a very sensitive topic. “Do you not want to talk about it? I’ll understand why.”Akame shook her head. “No, that’s alright. Leone was…she was…we didn’t exactly break up. I…recently had learned that she…she…” Akame couldn’t bring herself to say that word. She started to tear up again at the thought.She then felt a hand on her shoulder and looked back to see Merraid was giving her support. “I think I can piece together the rest of the story. I guess all I could say is I’m sorry for your loss. She must’ve been a lucky girl to have someone like you.” She removed her hand from Akame’s shoulder.Akame couldn’t help but giggle which was the first time Merraid heard such a thing. “I’d like to think I was lucky to have her. Someone like me, with a person like Leone, it was the only time I felt like it was too good to be true. But then it turns out I was right.” Akame returned to her saddened expression and looked away.Merraid couldn’t help but feel sorry for Akame. A pretty girl, or rather, a gorgeous woman like her shouldn’t be able to look this sad. “Do you have anyone else to help you?”Akame nodded at the question. “I have some friends but…”The older woman could already tell what Akame was about to say. “There are some things they can’t help you with, correct?” Akame didn’t want to admit that but she couldn’t deny it was true. Her team would always be there to pick her back up but there was one thing they couldn’t do that Leone could and that was a lover’s embrace. Merraid can understand that much. “Friends can be dependable when you need them but sometimes they’re not enough. I’m not saying they’re useless but they can be supportive for so long. Sometimes, it’s only the one you love that can carry you the distance. It’s kinda like this. This Leone was the central pillar of your life and your friends are the support pillars. When that central pillar is gone, the support will be they won’t do as a good of a job.” She closed her left eye. “Am I somewhat close?”Her explanation was the best analogy Akame had heard that described her life with Leone. Basically, her life in general. All of her friends and teammates, the Elite Seven, the previous Night Raid and the current one. They were all pillars of her life but one by one, those pillars began to crumble. It was Leone’s pillar that began to uplift Akame’s life but now that pillar was gone. Sure, Cornelia and the others will be there to support her but it wouldn’t be the same without Leone. Merraid closed her other eye. “In the end, and this might sound a little cruel but sometimes friends can never be as close to you as the one you love. Maybe except you include those friends as lovers and have yourself a harem.” She chuckled at the thought. “That’d be hilarious if you were the devil or an empress of some kind.” Akame wasn’t sure if she’d want a harem made up of her friends. Especially Kurome. Having a sister as part of a group of lovers would be just strange.Merraid opened her eyes as she just realized something. “Oh, yes. I still haven’t explained how we ended up in bed.” She cleared her throat. “After we and mostly you finished eating, we left the shop. Some time had passed and I was sure it wasn’t such a good idea to send you off your way since you still seemed a little down. As a good and responsible civilian, I offered you to spend the night at my place. You didn’t give much an answer so I took it as a yes and held your hand again. We reached to my apartment and I offered to sleep on the couch while you could sleep in my bed but then you did something I didn't expect you to do." She paused for a dramatic effect of some sort. It did make Akame curious about what she did. Merraid smiled at her. "You just grabbed me by the shoulders, pushed me against the walls on my back and forced your lips upon me." Akame was very surprised she did and could do such a thing. Merraid loved the reaction. "Yes, I was not expecting you to do that. You pulled away and gave me such a desperate needing look. It's as if you wanted me to comfort you in more ways than one. I gave in and…well…you know." The older woman slightly blushed at the "activities" she remembered they did last night. "I won't get into too much detail but you were very aggressive which I didn't mind too much. In fact, it was the first I was ever on the bottom. You even gave me several hickeys.” Merraid pulled back her hair and opened her neck slightly more for Akame to see several dark circular marks on it.It was most certainly Akame’s handiwork since she’d done the same thing to Leone multiple times. Luckily, Leone always wore her scarf so the others didn't even notice. Merraid let go of her hair. Still, it was quite a shock for Akame to learn she was the one who forced herself upon Merraid even though she was just trying to help her. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Merraid saw the look and thought to comfort her. "You shouldn't feel bad about what you did. You had a need and I gave myself to you of my own volition. You didn't do anything wrong. Of course, if it was someone else, then maybe there would've been a problem but luckily that didn't happen. If it makes you feel better, you are definitely the best I’ve been with. You certainly knew what you were doing and then some. Good thing seventeen is the legal age of consent here.”As strange as the compliment was, Akame decided to take it. But then a question arose when she heard Merraid say that last part. “So, I take it that you’ve slept with other women before. Did you make them breakfast as well?”To her surprise, Merraid closed her eyes and shook her head a little. “No.” She opened her eyes and stopped while smiling at Akame. “You’re the first I’ve cooked for. You did that good, no, great of a job last night.” Now Akame felt a little honored even if it was still a little awkward. Merraid looked back at the breakfast she made for Akame. “I think you should eat now or else it’ll get a little cold.”Akame looked back at the breakfast and smiled. It would be an insult to leave such delicious looking food go to waste. “I think I will.” A thought occurred to her. “Aren’t you going to eat too?”Merraid giggled a little at the question. “I’m good for now. What’s important is that you eat.” Akame didn’t need to argue any further and take on the older woman’s charity. She took the fork and started eating her breakfast. Akame thought the breakfast was very good and it didn’t take her long to finish which surprised Merraid since she hadn’t seen anyone eat that fast. Then again, she never met someone who could eat so much ramen. Among a certain other thing too. While eating, Akame still couldn’t get over the strange circumstances that happened to her recently. Strange but not too terrible and a little awkward since Merraid was her enemy before but it seems she was just a civilian in Mistral. Akame wanted to thank her for looking after her, even if they did sleep together, but she had a feeling Merraid would refuse.After breakfast was finished, it was time for Akame to leave. Merraid opened the door for Akame and the younger of the two walked outside but stopped to turn around to face the older woman. She didn’t know why but it felt like she didn’t want to leave Merraid just yet but she had to. She bowed to the older woman. “Thank you for looking after me and…” She wanted to say she was sorry for what happened last night but Merraid made it clear she was more than alright with it.The older woman chuckled again at Akame’s politeness. “You’re very welcome. I hope things will get better for you. In fact, I know they will.” She had one more thing for Akame before she could leave. “Before you go, one last thing.” Akame saw Merraid walk up to her and closed the distance between them. Akame may have been surprised at first at Merraid kissing her but this second time around, she fully embraced it as both of their eyes closed. Without thinking, Akame wrapped her arms around Merraid’s waist and deepened the kiss between as she pulled the older woman closer to her. Merraid wasn’t expecting Akame to do such a thing but would gladly oblige as she wrapped her arms around Akame in return. The kiss escalated when Merraid’s tongue pushed against Akame’s lips and Akame parted them enough to grant the older woman access. Merraid easily dominated the kiss and the two of them moaned together. Merraid broke the kiss off and they opened their eyes to each other. A thin strand of saliva connected between their tongues before breaking apart. The two of them were breathing heavily and Merraid saw that same needy look in Akame’s eyes from the night before. She herself felt the same way and a little hot under the collar. There was no denying what both of them wanted right now. “Maybe…you can stay for another thirty minutes.” Akame unconsciously nodded and Merraid separated from her. She took Akame’s hand and they went back inside the apartment with the door closing behind them and locked. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Late merry Christmas and happy holidays and early happy new year, everyone! I admit I had a little difficulty writing this chapter. Hopefully, the next chapter will go smoother. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Sixty: Difference in Experience“Alright, hold on! The landing’s going to be rough!”"I hope you know what you're doing!"“I have half an idea!” The air shuttle Syka and Sienna were on is heading for a crash course in a part of a desert near Menagerie in the morning sun. Since there weren't any ports they could land in, Syka decided to improvise. That idea was crashing into the sand which Siena wasn't a fan of. Of course, they weren't going to crash head first. As they neared the ground, Syka tried her best to pull up the shuttle to minimize the incoming rough landing. The two Faunus women braced for impact as the shuttle finally crashed into the sand. It skidded a few times on top of the sand before coming to a complete stop. In the next few seconds, the door opened and Syka hopped out of it. "Well, that went better than I thought." Her appearance had changed since previously wearing her White Fang uniform. The outfit she was wearing now was a dark tanned colored cropped tube top which revealed her midriff and baggy pants and shoes that were the same the color. Her hair was now put in a braided ponytail. On her arms were large violet gauntlets with a single large spike coming out from the top curved down forward and extended a little beyond her hand. She brought one of her gauntlets up to her face to inspect closely and lowered it to flick both of her arms. The spikes folded back section by section into a single cubed part.Syka walked a few steps forward before turning around to face the open door. “You can come out now!” She didn’t hear a reply from her former leader and could figure out why. “Come on. What you’re wearing isn't that bad. Besides, I think you’d stand out in the crowd.”“I’m still not sure about your choice of clothing.” Sienna finally revealed herself at the open door and Syka didn’t see what was the problem. The former leader had changed out of her original clothing (much to her embarrassment in front of Syka) and was wearing a new set of clothes. Sienna was wearing an open black sleeveless jacket with a red short-sleeved shirt underneath, slightly ripped dark blue jeans and black combat boots. Obviously, she wasn’t a fan of the new look. “This makes me appear like I’m some delinquent.” Sienna looked down and tugged on the jacket lightly.Syka kinda knew that but they weren’t left with a lot of choices. “Hey, I had to grab what was in the compartment. Besides, aren't we runaways anyway? Also, it's kinda necessary since there is a faction of the White Fang in Menagerie. They're bound to recognize your old look."Sienna sighed at the predicament she was now in. Forced to flee from the group she was tasked to command and now here she was. It was still better than being killed by Adam, though. She finally stepped down from the shuttle and approached the other Faunus girl. “Are you sure we landed close enough?” She stopped in front of Syka.The scorpion Faunus nodded at her former leader. "As close as we can get. It'll be nothing but a short walk from here. Once we arrive, how about we get something to eat. Fleeing for your life can build up an appetite.” Now that Sienna thought about that, she hadn’t eaten anything since last night. "Now, before we do, let's get rid of the shuttle-" The two felt the ground tremble before them and grew fast quickly. "First." They had a bad feeling for what was about to come. They heard a loud noise and turned to the shuttle that tossed back and revealed a Death Stalker underneath. "That's…probably not good.”“You think!?” Sienna walked back a few steps until she was behind Syka. She really couldn’t do anything since she didn’t have any weapons. Syka did, however. “Are you going to fight that or not!?”Syka rolled her eyes and flicked her arms to bring out the spikes. “Might as well.” The Death Stalker screeched at the two Faunus girls and attacked by sending its stinger at Syka. She crouched slightly before jumping up to avoid the Grimm’s attack and over to where it was. The scorpion Faunus managed to land on the back of the Death Stalker’s head. “Let’s soften you up!” Syka slammed her hand on Grimm’s head and sizzling sound could be heard. The Death Stalker screeched and shook its body to be rid Syka off of it. Syka was thrown off and crashed back into the sand. She quickly stood up to see the Grimm raise its right claw at her. Syka rolled toward it to avoid the attack and was now under the Death Stalker. The scorpion Faunus took the opportunity and impaled both of her spikes in the underside of the Grimm.The Death Stalker roared in pain as Syka began to run out of the Grimm while dragging her spikes along while tearing the Grimm in the process. She emerged from under the Death Stalker as she yelled out and ran ahead to distance herself from the Grimm. The Death Stalker turned around to face the Faunus girl. She was given another chance. "I think enough time has passed." She charged at the Death Stalker as the Grimm sent its stinger at her. Syka dodged to the side to avoid the attack and jumped headfirst toward the Death Stalker. With a strong yell, Syka thrust both of her spikes at the head of the Grimm and they, strangely enough, went all the way in. The Death Stalker roared one last time before dropped to the sand. Syka withdrew her spikes and sighed as the Grimm started to disintegrate. “That could’ve gone better.” Her spikes retracted and walked back to Sienna. “Are you okay?”Sienna could ask the same thing about her fellow Faunus. She was a little miffed about one detail. “I’m fine but you couldn’t procure a weapon for me?”Syka's response was just laughing awkwardly. "I would've but we do have to keep a down low. I think a random Faunus carrying a spear or a gun would draw some unwanted attention. I can only use mine that I put in one of the compartments in the ship from before. As long as you have me, you’ll be alright. Although, I didn’t mean for you to be a burden.” The former leader couldn’t blame her for thinking about that. Besides, Sienna wasn’t totally helpless. Weapon or not, she was still efficient in hand-to-hand combat. It just wouldn’t do much against a Grimm like a Death Stalker. “In any case, now that the distraction is gone, time for the next step.” She walked over to the shuttle and stood in front of it. “I think it would be better if we left no trace of our arrival.”Sienna walked up to Syka and stood next to her. “And how do you propose to do that?” Syka smiled as she placed her hand on the shuttle and the metal surrounding her hand was instantly being eaten away. The metal was quickly being melted away and was spreading everywhere. Sienna was astounded by what she was seeing as the shuttle was already half-eaten away. “What kind of semblance do you possess?”Syka was glad her former high leader asked that question. “My semblance is acid. I can make it as strong as I want it to be. The only reason my acid didn’t kill that Death Stalker was because it shook me off before it could do the job but it slowly worked its way through enough for me to fully pierce it.” The shuttle was almost completely gone with only a small part of it left. “Useful, yes but it can also be a pain as I have to watch out for when I'm not using it.” The last of the shuttle finally dissolved and was no more. Syka turned to Sienna. “Alright, now we can head to Menagerie. I just hope you’re about right about this person you mentioned helping us.” A thought about that subject came to her. “Come to think of it, I don’t think you ever mentioned the name.”Sienna will admit she forgot to say who would be helping them. “This person is called Ghira Belladonna. He was the first leader of the White Fang and appointed me as his successor after his leaving. He’s now the chief of Menagerie.”Syka easily recognized the last name. “Belladonna? Wasn’t there someone else in the White Fang with that name?”The former high leader nodded in confirmation. “Yes. His daughter, Blake who was at one point Adam’s partner but she deserted after completing a mission with him.”Now the scorpion Faunus remembered her after hearing the description. “So, Blake was the daughter of the previous White Fang leader and the present chieftain. Talk about being born privileged.” She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Syka exhaled and prepared herself for what lied ahead. “Well, let’s go see him then. I just hope the Faunus traitor doesn’t kill us first.”That part worried Sienna as well but they had no choice. "It's a risk we have to take." She turned away from the other Faunus girl and saw the thick trees sprawled across from the near distance. "Let us go." Sienna began to walk over to where Menagerie was.Syka quickly followed close behind her former leader. “You think we can get something to eat too while we’re there?” B Wave was astounded by what he was witnessing before him. It was unlike anything he’d seen before. “Hi-ya! Ya! Eeh!”“Ha! Ah…yah!”Ruby and Oscar were horrible in hand to hand combat. Especially Ruby. It was painful to watch for him and couldn’t help but make remarks about how the young leader was doing. “Ruby, no. That’s not how you punch. You left yourself wide open with that movement. If you attack like that, your enemy will see it coming. You would’ve been killed that time. Several times over actually with how many openings you’re giving.” With Oscar, he had some idea of what he was doing but Ruby was downright awful. He thought if Budo ever saw this, he’d make sure Ruby would do back-breaking training regimes until she got it right. If not, she’d do them all over again.The others, however, were having fun and laughing at whatever the young leader and Oscar called a “sparing” match outside the house. Chelsea couldn’t stop snickering. “Wow. For someone who can wield a giant scythe twice her size, Ruby really can’t throw a punch for crap.”Ruby overheard her as she completely missed Oscar by a wide margin and stumbled a little before turning to her. “Hey, this is hard, okay. I’m not used to fighting without Crescent Rose.”Chelsea continued to snicker at the younger girl. “And it shows. Better hope no great evil captures you when you don’t have your weapon aroun-ow!”Taeko elbowed Chelsea before her teasing continued and the other girl rubbed her side. Taeko thought to give some actual advice to the young leader. “It’s difficult but necessary. If you always depend on your weapon, you won’t grow as a huntress. Dependence on your weapon is one way for your life to end.”Ruby pouted at the older girl. “I already know that. Yang said something similar when she was trying to teach me how to fight barehanded.”Ren thought to add his own advice to the mix. “You just need more practice is all.”Nora agreed with him. “Yeah, and if Jaune can fight decently enough, you got this in the bag.”Jaune leered over at his teammate. “Gee, thanks.”Esdeath was the only one who smiled at the young leader. “I think you’re doing fine, Ruby.”Ruby smiled back at Esdeath. “Thank you. At least someone is encouraging.”Chelsea scoffed at that. “Yeah, that’s just because Esdeath has a thing for you.”“Um…” Everyone turned to Oscar. “Where are your other teammates?”Chelsea, Taeko, and Esdeath looked at each and then back to Oscar. Esdeath decided to answer the question. “They’re inside the house. They’re still waiting for Akame to arrive.”Speaking of no-shows, Nora had a question of her own. “What about Wave’s new doggy friend?”Wave closed his eyes and sighed at the question. He opened his eyes back up. “Seryu’s still inside her room. I knocked on her door when I brought her breakfast.” He figured it would be some time before Seryu could get used to being around other humans. However, Wave couldn’t help but smile at the note she left when he woke up to make breakfast. It only had one word. “Thanks”. It was a step in the right direction. He looked over at Ruby and Oscar. “Alright, you two get back to sparring. You still have a lot to learn.” Ruby whined at the order as she turned back to face Oscar and put up yet another horrible fighting stance.Back inside the house, Kurome and Cornelia were sitting on one of the couches while Rienna was sitting on the other one. The reason she stayed in the living room last night was that she thought Akame would come back and she would have someone to welcome Akame back. Cornelia had quite a worried expression as she kept staring at the last text Akame had sent them. "Cora. I'm sorry I didn't come back home last night. Something…unexpected happened but I'm alright. I'll get back to you and the others soon." Soon. The blonde wondered how soon was because Akame had sent her this text well over an hour ago. Cornelia had sent other texts to Akame but didn’t receive any more after she and the others replied to her. Kurome had an irritated expression while her right leg was bouncing tirelessly in frustration and her arms folded across her chest. “Where the hell is she? She should’ve been here by now.”Rienna could understand what her teammate was feeling. “Maybe she became distracted?”It was the best explanation but there was but the question for Kurome was what was the distraction. “And what would that be? The only thing I can think of is Akame eating something.”Cornelia locked her scroll for who knows how many times by now and stood up from the couch. “I’m going to look for her.”Kurome wasn’t sure that was a good idea right now. “You happen to know where she is? Mistral is big, you know.”The other girl clenched her hands tightly as she couldn’t help but think that something bad happened again in their group. “It’s better than just waiting around.” She started to walk toward the front door.Kurome had to admit the blonde was right. Waiting around wasn’t doing anything and Kurome had to know what was keeping Akame from showing up. The worst-case scenario was that something had happened to Akame just like Leone. They couldn’t rule out the possibly Leone of all people, or rather, Faunus was taken away from them. She stood up from the couch. “I’ll come with you. It’s better with two.” She turned to her other teammate. “You want to join, Rienna?”The second blonde nodded and stood up too. “Sure. You’ll need all the help you can get.”Cornelia was glad she’ll have some help in finding Akame. It’ll be difficult but she knows they could do it. She grabbed the handle and turned it. Cornelia turned to her other teammates as she opened the door. “Alright. Let the others know we’re goin-”“Ah!”Cornelia stopped opening the door halfway through when she heard a familiar cry. She looked in front and lo and behold, Cornelia saw none other than Akame sitting on the ground with her hand on her face while groaning in pain. Kurome and Rienna came up to where Cornelia was and saw the same sight. Cornelia could only stare in disbelief. “Akame?”Akame finally removed her hand and looked up to see Cornelia, Rienna, and Kurome all looking at her. “Cora-”“AKAME!” Cornelia threw herself at her leader in joy and hugged her tightly. The blonde was in tears seeing the other girl again. “You’re back. You’re really back.”Akame remained still as Cornelia continued to cry into her shoulder. She hugged the other girl back and closed her eyes. “I’m home, Cora.”After hugging for a few more seconds, Cornelia finally separated from her leader while having a few tears left in her eyes and stood up. She held her hand to Akame and the other girl gladly grabbed it. The blonde pulled her leader up back up. “I’m sorry for tackling you but I was so…so…”Akame chuckled softly and smiled sweetly at her. “I should be sorry for making you worry so much.”“Damn right!” Akame saw Kurome walk up to her looking angry and in the next second, she delivered two swift blows to her head. Akame cried again in pain and held the top of her head with one of her hands. “That’s for making us worry and for making Cora worried.” Her expression softened and gave her sister a welcoming hug as well. “It’s great to see you again.”Like before, Akame returned her sister’s hug. Rienna couldn’t help but smile at the scene before her. “I’ll let the others know you’re back. They’ll be so happy to see you again.” She made her leave and went to where the other members were.Kurome separated from the hug and smiled happily at her sister. “Alright, time to come inside now. I think you’ve been out long enough.”Akame nodded at the suggestion and returned her sister’s smile. “I agree.” All three girls went back into the house and the door shut behind them.Back where RNJR and Night Raid were, they were still watching Ruby spar against Oscar hilariously bad and much of Wave’s dismay. They were interrupted when Rienna arrived with beaming smile on her face. “Hey!” Everyone turned to her and wondered why she was so happy. “Akame’s back! She’s finally back!”Her news already brought smiles to everyone. Chelsea laughed excitedly. “About time. Let’s go see her.” She was heading toward the exit and then back to where the others were.Esdeath turned to the members of RNJR. “Do you want to come along?”Jaune just waved his hand at her. “You go on ahead. She is your leader after all.” Esdeath nodded at him and left with Taeko following her close behind.As they left, Oscar’s eyes flashed and Ozpin took over for the time being. “Mr. Wave…”Wave turned to the possessed boy. “Uh, yes?”Ozpin walked up to him and stopped in front. “Would you take over for me? I wish to see Miss Night as well.” Wave looked at Ruby and then back to Ozpin. “I guess so.”The headmaster smiled at the soldier. “Very good then.” He turned to Ruby. “I hope you’ll learn something from him, Miss Rose.” Ruby couldn’t help but feel a little nervous but was willing. “Okay then. I hope you’ll go easy on me Wave.” Wave couldn’t make any promises.Ozpin took his leave and Wave walked over to Ruby and stood across from her. “Okay, Ruby. Are you ready?”The young leader nodded and put her arms up. “I’m ready when you are.”Nora rubbed her hands excitedly at the matchup before her. “Alright! Ruby vs Wave! Battle of the century!” She threw both of her hands up. Ruby kept a close eye on Wave to see what he would do. She shifted her right foot back and Wave launched himself at the young leader. Ruby gasped at how fast the soldier was and was already in front of her with his hand clenched and his arm pulled back. Wave yelled as he threw the first punch of their sparring match.Back in the living room, Akame and Cornelia were sitting on the couch while Kurome was sitting on the other. The younger sister giggled at the sight of Cornelia hugging Akame again. “You really don’t want to let go, huh?”It was pretty obvious to the blonde. “Not one second.”Akame couldn’t help but be reminded of how Tsukushi would hug her like this whenever they slept together in the same bed. All three girls then heard footsteps headed their way. “Ooh, what do we have here? Taeko, I think Akame is stealing your girl.”Taeko ignored Chelsea’s comment as the rest of Night Raid entered the room. One of them was happier than the others. “Akame!” Esdeath threw herself at her leader and interrupted Cornelia's hug with her own. The only difference is that Esdeath accidentally shoved Akame's face into her cleavage. "I’m so glad you’re back!” Akame reply was muffled.Rienna chuckled awkwardly at the sight. "Uh…Esdeath? I think she needs to breathe."Esdeath realized what she was doing and broke the hug. Akame took in a large gasp of air as she was released. “Oh, I’m sorry!”Kurome found it a little humorous that an assassin of Akame’s caliber would’ve been killed in the most unconventional ways. “Almost bit the dust on that, huh? Not the most flattering way to go out.”Chelsea thought of that differently. “I don’t know. Death by cleavage suffocation sounds like a great way to go out to me.” Joking aside, she was glad to see Akame again. “Glad to have you back with us.”Akame turned to the other girl and smiled at her. “I am too.” She decided to get to the point of texts she sent. “So, what did I miss last night?”Each of the members looked at each other before turning their attention back to their leader. Taeko was going to explain but someone else beat her to it. “It is good to see you again, Miss Night.” Akame saw a new person walk into the room. It was a boy that seemed to be around Ruby ages but there wasn't something quite right with him. Astounding enough, she could sense two auras coming from him. Akame also noticed a very familiar cane he was using to walk with. She could only speak one question. “Do I…know you?” B Akame was brought up to speed on what she missed out last night. Her shocked expression she currently has was explanation enough of how she reacted. "I-I don't believe it." She looked over at Ozpin who was sitting on the chair. Some of the other members were sitting on the couches while Taeko remained standing. "I heard that you died or disappeared and yet…"Ozpin chuckled at his student’s response as he expected her to react like this. “It’s understandable you’re reacting this way. The others had similar reactions.” Akame felt like this was just the tip of iceberg. Ozpin, or least the Ozpin she knows of is a reincarnating entity cursed to live for who knows how long for ages. She still had some other questions as Akame noticed there was a certain hunter not around. “Where did Qrow go?”Taeko thought to answer the question. “He went out to find some extra help that could be of use to us. The more, the better I say.”Akame had one more question concerning a certain Faunus. “And Seryu?” There was a slight hint of anger when she mentioned Seryu’s name.Kurome sighed tiredly as she would be the one to tell her sister. “She’s sticking around. Wave somehow convinced her to fight alongside with us and Qrow was the one who made it official. By the way, the White Fang backstabbed her.”Her sister wasn’t expecting to hear that about Seryu and was surprised to hear that. “They did what now?”Chelsea continued the explanation. “Yeah, it was something about her not going along with Adam and because of that, they chased her out. That guy basically has White Fang working under him now and plans to overthrow the current leader. Also, they’re planning on attacking Haven. It’s Beacon all over again.”Apparently, Akame had missed out a lot last night. This was quite a lot to take in. “Aside from Qrow finding more help, what is it we’re going to do?”Ozpin took over the explanation now. “As of now, all we’re doing is strengthening ourselves. Miss Rose is learning to fight without her weapon, Mr. Arc has to awaken his semblance, and Mr. Wave with some help has unlocked his aura but has yet to awaken his semblance. Quite a lot on our schedule.”Akame knew Ozpin was right. There as there was a lot to do. The question now was, how much time did they have. “How long until the White Fang attacks Haven?”“We have until the start of the semester which isn’t long.” Taeko answered.The start of the semester. So, they did have some time but not a lot of it. “I see. In that case, we should do the same. We’ll first discuss what we need to work on the most and improve on them.”Ozpin nodded in agreement with Akame’s suggestion. “That would be wise. You know this group better than anyone.”Now that was taken care off, Akame had one more question for Ozpin. “Oh, yes, I want to ask you about Najenda.”Her former headmaster already knew what she was going to say and chuckled. “You want to know what was my reaction when I first heard of her from your explanation. I admit I was quite surprised. The first instance of separate world doppelgangers.” Akame was satisfied with Ozpin’s answer. She had always wondered what he thought about hearing Najenda since the first time she saw the Najenda of this world. Ozpin stood up from his chair. “Now, I believe I’ll return to Miss Rose and the others. I’m sure Mr. Wave has taught her a few lessons by now. Until then.” He took a few steps forward before stopping. “Also, you have my condolences for the loss of Miss Wild.” Hearing that softened Akame’s expression and lowered her head. “It is with a heavy heart that I have lost one of my students and one who wanted to start over. I know you harbor ill will toward Miss Koro but we do need all the help we can get, regardless of who they are, where they’re from or what they did. I’m not saying you should forgive her but the more help we have at our disposal, the better the chance we have going up against Salem.” He turned his back to the group. “This is a fight we cannot lose.” With those words said, Ozpin made his leave from Night Raid and started to head back to Wave and RNJR. (“So, that girl. Who was she?”) Ozpin wondered when he would hear Oscar again. “Akame Night. The truth about her is that she and Miss Leone Wild came from a different world. They were once assassins.” (“Assassins!? That girl?!”) The former headmaster expected a reaction like that from Oscar. “Yes. Those two have lost allies before and with Miss Wild now gone, Miss Night carries the burden of being the only one left from her world.” (“Doesn’t she have those girls with her?”) He brought up a good point but Ozpin knew it would take more. “They’re be there for her, yes but there is one large difference. As you know, those who come to the Huntsmen academies all come from different backgrounds but once put in a team, they all grow and learn together. In Miss Night’s and Miss Wild’s case, they came from a very different and extreme background, having already taking lives for the greater good for others and sacrifices. Miss Night was trained to kill at a very young age and Miss Wild survived day and night out in the streets by any means. In short, they’re already relatively skilled fighters who know what it is like to take lives. Their teammates, however, may know of their past but they lack the kind of experience Miss Night and Miss Wild have to understand them to an extent. For the rest of them, this is their first instance of losing someone close to them. For Miss Night, it’s another painful loss to her. Probably the most she has felt since coming to this world. She must’ve thought at one point that her previous life wouldn’t come back to haunt her. Something that would not happen again to her.” (“Do you think she’ll be alright then?”) That was a question Ozpin didn’t have an answer to. “That is something only Miss Night can decide upon. It’ll be up to her at this point.” In his own thoughts, he was concerned for Akame. She was at a crossroads now and will admit her skills will be useful in the upcoming fight. He could only hope Akame would follow the right path.Back to Night Raid, once Ozpin was out of sight, Chelsea sighed tiredly as she leaned back in further into the couch. “Right, no pressure.” She turned her attention to her leader. “So, what are we going to do now Akam-huh?”Everyone saw Akame with her arms on her knees and hands clasped together with that same dark red energy began to leak out from her hands. There as clear expression of pure hatred on Akame’s face. Everyone who was sitting immediately stood up while being worried about Akame. “Whoa, calm down. I know you’re angry about working with the same person who took Leone away but…” Kurome hesitated briefly before continuing to speak. “As much as we don’t like it ourselves, Ozpin has a point and for once, Cora’s dad’s advice.”“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean!?”Kurome ignored Cornelia’s cry. “We don’t have a choice.”Akame kept her expression while thinking about what Kurome said to her. Working with Seryu infuriated her to no end. The only difference between having Seryu in their group and Esdeath was at least the Esdeath in Remnant wasn’t guilty of doing any violate deeds. Seryu, on the other hand, was with the White Fang. Before that, the Seryu in her world was responsible for killing Sheele and now this Remnant’s Seryu took Leone away. Akame remembered what Wave told her yesterday. “You can’t kill the Seryu in this world for what the one I know did back in the Capital. If you do that, you’ll be no different than the people you killed.” In truth, he was wrong. She blames Seryu for taking the last person of her previous life away from her which was grounds for killing her but she didn’t have the final say. Akame didn’t like it but it was like Kurome said; they had no other choice in the matter in the fight against Salem. All she could do right now was go along.In case she wasn’t convinced enough, Cornelia decided to add her own two cents on the matter. “It’ll be okay. You two don’t have to talk each other. I don’t think she’ll want to run into you either since she mostly spends time in her room. She even eats whenever we’re not around.” Her words didn’t seem to reach her leader as she could still see hatred in Akame’s eyes. She looked at Akame’s hands and decided to do something really stupid even by her standards.Cornelia quickly grabbed Akame’s hands with her own while that dark red energy still steadily coming out. Her action caught her leader’s attention and the rest of her team. “Cora!” Cornelia closed her eyes tightly and screamed painfully as she felt her hands being burned.Akame separated her hands from Cornelia’s and that energy immediately vanished since her anger for Seryu was replaced by worry for her teammate. “Are you crazy, Cora!?” She saw black burn marks where Cornelia grabbed her.The blonde was breathing painfully and shakily from touching Akame’s hands clad in that certain energy of hers. She felt a myriad of dark emotions going through her body. Emotions that dark energy emits from Akame. Despite the pain and what was going on in her body, Cornelia laughed and tried her best to smile at her leader. “S-Snapped out of it n-now?” In a way, what the blonde did work. However, it made Akame feel guiltier.Taeko stood up and walked over to her girlfriend. She kneeled next to the other girl and carefully held the blonde’s hand. Taeko examined the damage done carefully. “It doesn’t appear to be too bad but we do have to bandage this. However, this is only the physical damage.” She looked up at Cornelia. “How are you feeling?”Cornelia chuckled weakly. “Honestly, I don’t think my stomach is feeling too good.”That was all Taeko needed to know and stood up while bringing Cornelia up as well. She turned to the rest of the team. “I’ll take Cora to the bathroom and bandage her injuries since the first aid is in there and hopefully expel any impurities from her stomach.”“You could’ve said she needed to throw up.” Chelsea commented.Taeko ignored her and walked away while bringing Cornelia along with her. She stopped after taking a few steps with her girlfriend stopping after her and turned her attention to her leader. “When we return, we’ll talk amongst ourselves about our group.”Akame nodded at the other girl in agreement. “Fine then. Once you two come back, we’ll begin our discussion.” Taeko nodded back at Akame and she and Cornelia continued their way to the bathroom while Cornelia groaned as her hand was placed on her stomach. B The loud clacking of heels echoed through a hallway dimly lit by lanterns hanging from the side of the walls. “Are you sure this is wise, milady?”A sly chuckle responded to the question. "Of course. After all, this kind of news has to be shared with the others. Plus, I have something very interesting I must share." The figures approached a pair of doors and were pushed open. “Hello everyone! It’s so nice to see you all again. Well, most of you.”There were several responses to the arrival. “My, this is quite a surprise.”“Why the hell are you here?!”“Merraid. How surprising it is to see you.”Merraid took a few steps forward before stopping and kneeled to one knee with her arm on top to the person who the voice belonged to. She smiled the last voice who spoke to her. “Greetings, Lady Salem.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Right, I’m sorry this chapter was posted a little later but work and school sometimes leaves me little time to work on the story. That and playing Ultra Sun for info for my other RWBY crossover (now playing Ultra Moon). So, now that Vol 5 is over, I have two things to say about it. One, RT doesn’t know how to properly tell a timeline and keep track of it and two, that certain thing did frigging happen so I have to improvise just a little. At least it won’t feel as rushed as I originally planned. So, expect some huge changes and surprises coming soon. Also, damn, the number of favorites this story has is now more than the follows. At this rate, perhaps it won’t be too long now before this story overtakes Familiar Fairy which is damn impressive. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Sixty One: Failure and BetrayalMerraid’s sudden arrival wasn’t what Cinder and everyone else was expecting anytime soon. Out of all the meetings they had, Merraid was rather fickle in attending most of them. It was a habit Cinder didn’t like about the other woman. “Why the hell are you showing up just now, Merraid?”Merraid just chuckled as a response as she stood up and smiled at the Fall Maiden. “Cinder, I’m glad to see you’re feeling better. Still not a fan of your new look, though.” She looked over at Watts. “Doctor.” Watts didn’t say anything to her. Merraid looked around the room and noticed a couple of their own weren’t present. “Whatever happened to the brute and the Pet?” Brute and pet were names she’d refer Hazel and Tyrian. Salem continued to stare at her subordinate. “Hazel is currently with the White Fang and Tyrian is…indisposed for the moment.”Merraid's response was closing her yees and shrugging. "Well, two fewer annoyances I don't have to look at." If there was one thing everyone knew very well about Merraid is that she had a hatred torwards men. She only tolerated the men in their group and just refer to them by a title she'd given them such as Brute for Hazel, Pet for Tyrian, and Doctor for Watts. Merriad would only refer the women by their names. Salem decided to get to the point of Merraid’s arrival. “Explain to me, Merraid. Why is it you decided to appear now? Merraid smiled at her master’s questions. “I’m very glad you asked. You see, I encountered quite a person of interest.”Emerald rolled her eyes as she knew where this was going already. “Here we go…”Merraid ignored the comment and continued with her story. "This is a person some of you may have heard of and one Cinder has encountered." She saw Watts raise his hand. He alone knew how to respond to her. "You may speak, Doctor."Watts put his hand down. "We already know you're speaking of that red-eyed girl. We've known that she and her group, as well as that young girl with the silver eyes, are in Mistral thanks to Haven's Headmaster."That was one surprise out of the bag. Perhaps she should participate more in the meetings after all. “I see. I suppose I can just skip to the important part then.”Cinder narrowed her eye at the other woman. “And what important part are you talking about?”Merraid was hoping Cinder of all people would ask her that question. “The part where I slept with her, of course.”Silence filled the room and as everyone was looking dumbfounded at what Merraid said to them. The only one who was keeping a straight face was Salem. Flames immediately flared angrily from Cinder’s eye. “YOU WHAT!?”Merraid absolutely enjoyed the Maiden’s reaction and hugged herself while pretending to be embarrassed. “Why, yes. We shared such a passionate night together after I found her looking lost and was in need. I couldn’t turn such a beauty away and so I offered to comfort her. Little did I know that she was quite the demon in bed…and in the shower after I made breakfast for her.” She unwrapped herself and moved her hair aside to show off the hickeys Akame gave her while feeling proud of them. “And this was her handiwork. I don’t believe they’ll be going away for quite some time.”Cinder was only becoming angrier at the other woman. “So, what you’re telling us is that you had an opportunity to kill one of our enemies and you wasted it by feeding her bacon!? Why didn’t you take the chance when it presented itself to you?!”Merraid was enjoying this more and more but she decided to get to the point. “Because I believe she can be of use to us.” Cinder’s anger turned into confusion now as her flames died down. Salem actually became intrigued by what her subordinate proposed. “You of all people should know how powerful Akame is. You did fight her back at Beacon, Cinder. Someone who can keep up with the power of the Maidens and have the power to call forth Grimm. That kind of power can be invaluable to us. She could join us.” She saw Watts raise his hand again. “What is it, Doctor?”Watts put his hand down again. “And just how do you plan to turn that girl to our side? True, her power is something to behold, the fact of the matter is, she is still our enemy.”Merraid already knew the answer to that. “Simple. Her will is weakened.” Once again, she saw confusion among her colleagues. “She has lost the love of life and all that remains in her heart is an empty void. Love is quite a powerful force but it’s also a double-edged sword that can overwhelming crush. Not that I expect someone like Cinder to know this.” She heard the Maiden growl at her but ignored her. “Only I can fill that void now. I saw the want, the need, and the desire in her eyes. I’ll do more than convince her to be on our side. I’ll be the one to save her from that void.”Emerald blew a raspberry at that description. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re actually in love with her.”“Actually, I’m quite smitten with her.” Once again, everyone wasn’t expecting Merraid to answer like that. This time, it was Emerald’s turn to have an outburst. “Are you freaking kidding me!? You slept with her for one night and you’re already head over heels with her?”Merraid tsked at the other girl while she waved her finger at her. “My poor, sweet Emerald. I’ve actually known about her a lot longer then you realize and all of you know the answer. However, it seems none of you remember.” None of them knew what Merraid was talking about but apparently, she knew much more then what she was letting on.Mercury had about enough of her and started to take a step forward to Merraid. "Enou-" The person behind Merraid immediately grabbed Mercury by the face with astounding gripping force and slammed him into the ground. Several cracks were formed from the impact and everyone except for Salem and Merraid were taken back from this action. Mercury grunted through the hand while feeling weaker all of a sudden and looked at the maid putting him down. He kicked using his right leg to knock her off but she easily caught it with her left hand. She gripped the leg tightly and dragged Mercury around in a spin before letting go and tossing him at the furthest wall away from the group. Mercury crashed into the wall and was deeply embedded in it. Emerald became worried for her teammate. “Mercury!” She ran over to where Mercury was. Just as she reached him, Mercury already fell out from the wall and landed on the floor. Emerald kneeled beside him and helped him sit back up. “You feeling alright?”Her response was Mercury groaning while feeling a little fatigued. “Yeah, I am but damn that woman is a monster. As soon as she grabbed my face, I felt my strength being drained.” He glared at the maid before him.The maid took out a cloth and began to wipe the hand where she gripped Mercury by the face. “You do well to remember who you are speaking to, ingrate. Before Madam Mera, you are nothing less than a sniveling maggot.” Merraid Maid member: Gilberda Cinder turned back at Merraid while scowling at her. Merraid was unintimidated by the Maiden. “I suggest you put a tighter leash on your mongrel of a lackey, Cinder. It obviously has no respect. Or better yet, maybe you should just get rid of it entirely.”“ENOUGH!” Flames erupted from Cinder’s eyes while glaring angrily at the other woman. “I won't let you talk down to my disciples! If you want to talk about control, you should express some on some of your own!" Cinder wouldn't think twice of cutting Merraid down from where she stood.Merraid kept a calm expression and brushed aside Cinder’s words. “Oh, Cinder. While you may have Emerald and…it as your subordinates, I have my…” Merraid brought up her hand and snapped her fingers. From behind out of nowhere, three individuals appeared and were kneeling beside her each side. One on her right side and the other on her left. “Lovely, wonderful maids.” Merraid Maid member: Cassandra Merraid Maid member: Shizuka Merraid Maid member: Mez Cinder could never understand what was it with Merraid and this maid motif of hers. Still, as ridiculously dressed as they were, one fact was certain that they were skilled fighters. “Merraid…” Cinder and Merraid turned to Salem. “Are you sure you’re able to convince this girl to fight by our side?”In all honesty, Merraid was fifty/fifty about the whole thing but it was an opportunity she couldn’t let go to waste. “It’s a possible chance. I would rather have her as a comrade and a lover rather than an enemy. However, this would also mean I’d have to be truthful to her.”Salem narrowed her eyes at Merraid and came to a decision. "Merraid, I want you to bring this girl to me. If you believe she can be used as an asset to us and persuade her to join, I will allow her to join. If not, I will dispose of her and of you as your punishment."This time, Merraid seemed a little concerned as this became a life and death gamble. She knew her master would place steep conditions on her offer. She couldn’t afford to fail at any cost. Merraid bowed to her master. “As you wish, Lady Salem. I will bring her to you as fast as possible.” She turned away from the rest of the group. “Come.” Her maids stood up and made her way to the door. As she walked through them, Shizuka and Mez grabbed the handles and closed the doors.After Merraid’s group left, Cinder turned to her master. “Why? Why allow this? Akame, of all people-”Salem held her hand to the Maiden in order to silence her. She set her hand back down on the table. “Remember what I said about never underestimating the usefulness of others. Merraid is right about this girl being capable of use to us. However, it'll all comes down to how she'll handle this. If Merraid fails, I'll simply execute her and the girl. We may lose a piece on our side but so will they. For now, let us see where this will take us." Unknown to Cinder and everyone else, Salem had one more motive in agreeing to Merraid's proposition. “Whatever it is you’re planning, Armadia, it will not work.”More clacking echoed throughout the hallway and Merraid’s maids were walking behind her. “Madam Mera…” Gilberda spoke with worry in her voice. “Are you sure this is a wise decision you’re making? The toll for failure is absolute.”“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Merraid responded. “Akame’s abilities are far better suited in aiding Lady Salem and I would rather have by my side.”Mez put her arms behind her head. “So, like…what are you going to do? Are you going to hypnotize her or something?”“No.” Merraid replied. “Brainwashing or any other form of hypnosis would only backfire and destroy the trust I formed with Akame. Then again, telling Akame the truth about me would also destroy that trust as well but at least I’ll explain my reasons to her.”“If hypnosis will not work, will you force her?” Shizuka asked.That was the other option Merraid was against. “Force will not work either. Only a fool who knows nothing of love would commit such an act. No, the only thing I can depend on is Akame accepting the truth about me. This is more than a gamble; this is a testament of love.”Cassandra hated to admit it but she wasn’t so sure her mistress could succeed in this endeavor. “Are you certain this Akame returns your feelings? It sounds you’re desperately hinging on that aspect.”That was the only thing Merraid can depend on and be sure of it. "Who's to say she hasn't started to fall for me already? As I’ve said before, I could see it in her eyes. The eyes only those who are in love have while we shared our passion together. I can still see them even now. However, what I said about love is also true. That love may also be the breaking point for her and turn on me too. There’s a lot riding on this and I cannot afford to fail or else it’ll be all our lives.”The maids understood how dire their mistress’ situation was. Nevertheless, one certain thing will never change among them. “Lady Mera…” Merraid stopped walking and turned around to see Gilberda and the other maids kneeling before her. “Whatever decision you make, we will follow without question.”“Whatever what dangers you face, we will face them alongside you.” Cassandra continued.“We will follow you to whatever path you walk upon. Even to hell itself.” Shizuka added.“And like you can depend on us just as we depend on you.” Mez finished.“We are your loyal maids as we are bound to you, body and soul, Madam Mera.” They all spoke at the same time.After hearing that kind of declaration, Merraid couldn’t help but feel proud of her maids. She closed her eyes and smiled sweetly at them. “Thank you. You four are the most splendid maids one can ask for.” She opened her eyes and turned around while her maids stood up. “Let’s continue. I have something wonderful planned for my lovely Akame.” B “Here you go.”“Thank you.” Syka paid the cashier with what Lien she carried and grabbed the two cups of flavored shaved ice. Syka ordered grape while she ordered orange for Sienna. She walked away from the stand and headed over to the table where Sienna was sitting at. Having the hoodie hung over her head might look suspicious to everyday passerby but it was the only way for her not be recognized by Faunus who might be in the White Fang. “Breakfast is served.” She set Sienna's shaved ice in front of her and sat down across from the former high leader. "Might not be the best kind but at least we'll have something to eat." Syka dunked her spoon into her shaved ice and brought it to her mouth. As soon as she put it in her mouth, she squealed with delight. "So nice and cold.”Sienna smiled sweetly at her fellow Faunus. “Thank you for this.” Sienna did the same with her shaved ice. She couldn’t remember the last time she had tasted something so sweet before. Perhaps when she was a child one time. They ate their shaved ice in silence while enjoying each other’s company. When Sienna was halfway done, she stopped eating and looked at Syka. “Syka…”The other Faunus girl stopped eating her shaved ice and looked back at the former high leader. “Yeah? What is it?”This was a question Sienna wanted to ask Syka for quite some time and now seemed to be the perfect time to ask since they were enjoying a quiet moment together. “How is it you know Seryu and what exactly happened between you two?”Sienna’s response was a small giggle from Syka as she smiled somberly. "Where do I start with that?" She leaned back in her chair and sighed while looking at the sky. "Seryu…Seryu always loved watching this superhero show back when we were kids. That show served as the basis of this justice thing she had. She actually wanted to become a huntress since they were closest to being superheroes. The rescuing, the helping, the whole shebang. Her dad was also an inspiration since he’s a doctor and always saving people from and I quote from Seryu ‘the maws of evil’s death. Syka leaned forward to face Sienna again. “However, her dad wasn’t too keen on her becoming a huntress since it was a dangerous job but Seryu and I ended up in one of the starting academies anyway. We seemed to do just fine and we did have good marks but every now and then, Seryu would see a human or two harassing a Faunus and she would be off running and defend them and by defend, I mean beating the crap out of the humans. Even some of the older students. Obviously, she got in trouble a lot of times and sometimes her dad was called in. However, none of that would compare to what happened next between us.”Sienna saw Syka grip her cup tightly and could tell she wasn’t looking forward to explaining what happened next. “In our second year…I started to go out with this guy. A human, actually.” Sky could see the shock in Sienna’s eyes and didn’t blame her for reacting this way. “I know, I know. Human/Faunus relationships don’t normally work out well but he liked me and I liked him back so we became a thing. Seryu, however, was heavily against it. She said I was being manipulated, being used, that sort of stuff but I argued back and actually said that maybe not all humans were jerks. How stupid I was back then believing that was true. As our arguments became worse, I started to hang out with my boyfriend more and we talked less and less to each other. I didn’t like the rift that was driving us apart and wanted to close the distance but Seryu made it difficult. Fights and arguments aside, she was still my friend but Seryu was having trouble believing that. Then…that day happened.”Syka had to steel herself for this next part as even just remembering that day caused pain within her heart. “It was after I came back home from a date when school ended. I started to do some of my homework and got a good portion of it done before I checked my scroll. When I did check it, I saw I got a text from Seryu saying why I wanted to see her in the gym after school. I didn't know what she was talking about since I don't remember sending her a text saying that. I was puzzled for a bit before something dawned on me. I didn’t know how or why but somehow, I had a terrible feeling overcome me and I rushed back to the school as quickly as I could. When I arrived, some of the last students were finishing up their club activities and leaving but I had to find Seryu quickly. I ran to where the gym was and I recognized one of the humans Seryu stood up against standing in front of the doors. I didn’t waste time in asking questions and just rushed him. After knocking him out, I kicked the doors open and saw the one sight that horrified to no end. Those same humans Seryu had fought before were grouped together and two of them were holding sledgehammers. Around them was Seryu, lying on the ground with her mouth gagged by a rag, two of those humans holding her legs down, another two holding down her shoulders and forearms and finally…”Syka paused for a moment as she could still see that horrid sight from that day. “Seryu’s arms were destroyed beyond recognition. They were a revolting purple color and blood pooled around them and one of her ears was cut all the way through. pleaded they hurry. Several of the last students at our school overheard the screams and arrived to see me crying over Seryu. The ambulance arrived and so did the police. The ambulance took Seryu to the hospital while I was taken by the police and so were the humans involved. While I was at the station, I explained everything I knew about what happened. I didn't know how long I was in that station but it felt like an eternity. After I don't know how many hours, I was given the full story. It turned out that the guy I was dating was the younger brother of one of the humans that was harassing some of the Faunus and Seryu beat up. He was just using me in order to get close to Seryu and teach her a lesson she’d never forget and not to mess with them again. I also learned he was the one who sent Seryu that text from my scroll. I figured he must’ve gotten ahold of it sometime before we left school. I felt sick to my stomach and actually threw up from learning all of this. Since all of them were involved in something so heinous and racial, all of them who were involved were expelled from the school while I just got a suspension. While I did do the right thing, I still heavily injured other students, even if they were responsible putting Seryu in hospital. I didn’t mind that as long as those monsters stay as far away from us as possible and never bother us again. During my suspension, I took every chance I had to visit Seryu but hadn’t woken up yet. I was given details about her condition and I was told about her arms. They were so badly damaged that it was impossible for Seryu to use them ever again. So, they went for the next best option which was to replace the part of her damaged arms with the robotic arms you know now and it was her own father that did the surgery. He was pretty torn up about happened to his daughter and did his damnedest to the best of his ability for Seryu.”Syka sighed as she neared the end of her story. “One day, Seryu finally awoke and I could see her again. I was happy to hear that and wasted no time in heading toward her room. When I arrived at her door, I knocked on it a few times and waited for a response but didn’t hear one. I reached for the handle anyway and opened the door. The first thing I saw was Seryu in her hospital gown sitting on her hospital bed with her new arms and that cut on her ear seemed to have healed. I said hi to her and…it went all downhill from there. Seryu was outraged with me and I had no idea why. She explained to me that those group of humans told her that I was involved in what happened to her. They told her I didn’t want anything to do with her now anymore that I was seeing someone else and never wanted to see her again. I told her all of that wasn’t true and tried to clear everything up between us but…whatever I said to her fell on deaf ears. Seryu told me that it’s my fault that she looked like a freak now and didn’t want anything to do with a traitor like me anymore and didn’t ever want to see me again. I could still remember that look Seryu gave me at that moment. The furious look on her face and the hatred in her eyes.”Syka tightened her grip on her cup and clenched her teeth tightly. “Those damn humans have no idea how much damage they did to Seryu and I. They did more than just destroying Seryu's arms. They destroyed our friendship and Seryu's trust for me."After hearing all of that, Sienna understood Seryu a little more now and the Faunus girl in front of her. It was these kinds of actions that the former high leader couldn’t forgive humans for doing such things. She then heard a strange sizzling sound and traced to where it was coming from. “Uh, Syka?” Sienna pointed at the cup the other Faunus girl was gripping and was apparently melting.Syka looked down and let out a surprised yell before letting go of her cup before it dissolved completely and the rest of the shaved ice fell to the ground. She sighed out of disappointment and looked back at Sienna. “See what I mean about keeping my semblance in check?”It was a little sad but honestly, this kind of trivial humor was exactly needed after hearing Syka's story. However, there was one detail Sienna was still wondering about the other Faunus girl's situation. "I'm sorry you and Seryu had to go through such an ordeal but I have to ask, how did you end enlisting in the White Fang? I know your reason already has to do something with Seryu."Syka was actually going to explain that part next. “Well, several months after what happened, Seryu didn’t come to school anymore and I didn’t have the best reputation. Then one night, I’ve heard from her dad that Seryu ran away from her home. Apparently, she and her dad were having heated arguments and it reached a point where she couldn’t stand him anymore. There was a search but nothing came up that could lead where she went. That was the last time I heard anything related about Seryu. Cut to a few years forward and I entered in one of the Huntsmen Academies. I was put on a team but I keep a distance from then since they were all humans. I couldn’t trust any human after what happened even if they didn’t have any ulterior motives. I just did what a team member did and nothing else. One day, I was watching live news on my scroll while the rest of my team were out who knows where. activity from the White Fang. They showed several images of the members but one caught my attention. One of these members wasn’t wearing a mask for a reason and I recognized her as Seryu.”Sienna wasn’t surprised to hear that. She had heard Seryu deliberately let her face be seen so that any human who did see her would remember her face and not forget the expression she’d have when she dominated them. “Seeing Seryu being in the White Fang completely caught me off guard but I suppose it would make sense. What the White Fang does fits perfectly for Seryu and I thought her ideals for justice became warped by now. This was the first lead I had relating to Seryu and it led to the most critical decision I made. I dropped out. I gave up on becoming a huntress and instead became a White Fang member all for the sake to see Seryu again.” She chuckled weakly at that. “It was easier said than done, though. I had to do some things I wasn’t proud of and it took me a lot longer than I thought. By the time I was close enough to see Seryu again, she was already in the same rank as Adam.”Sienna could believe that. Seryu’s devotion to the White Fang plus her strong sense of justice propelled her to be on equal footing with Adam. However, it seemed Adam still had most of the popular vote on Adam since Seryu would only be loyal to her. “Before I knew it, I was roped in with Adam’s plan to overthrow you and eliminate any problem that would be a threat to him. Seryu was one and ISienna noticed something about Syka’s planning. “If I may ask a question, if saving me was your last-minute plan and you were to meet Seryu again, do you think that would be enough to be in her saving graces?" She saw Syka's eyes widened and that confirmed the former high leader's suspicions. "I see. So, in turn, you're using me as well. However, you are trying to rectify your friendship with Seryu so I won't mind it too much. And you did, in fact, save me regardless so I still thank you for that."Syka lowered her head as she knew Sienna was right. Part of the reason why she saved Sienna was so she could feel some gratitude from Seryu and hopefully lessen the hatred she had for her. Still, saving the former high leader of the White Fang did have its own merits. “You’re still welcome.” She let out a content sigh. “So, that about explains everything about Seryu and I. Is it everything you wanted to know?”The former high leader nodded as she was satisfied with everything she learned from Syka. Probably even more about Seryu now. Sienna did have to commend one thing about the other Faunus girl. “I’m quite surprised you would go this far for Seryu. Are you sure there isn’t anything more to it then what you’re letting on?”Syka already knew what Sienna was insinuating. “It’s not anything like that, believe me. At most, I think it’s just me trying to own up to my guilt about what happened to Seryu. I suppose in a way, I really did hurt Seryu and it was my fault. Besides, me and Seryu? Heh, maybe in a different world. Anyway, we should probably hurry up. We do have somewhere important to be.” Sienna agreed and should finish eating her shaved her. She looked down and to her horror, some of it already melted. After quickly finishing up what was left of her shaved ice, Sienna and Syka made their way to their destination. As they traveled, the two Faunus women soon began to notice many of the other Faunus were walking in the same direction which made Syka wonder a little. “What’s going on?”Her answer was soon answered when they saw their destination and stopped to see a large crowd pooled outside of the Chieftain’s home. Sienna was already confused as to what was happening. "What's the meaning of this?" She looked down and saw several humans with large cameras and prepping. "A newscast?”Whatever was happening, it must’ve been important for many of the Faunus to gather in one place. “Let’s take a closer look.” Syka walked down the stairs with Sienna following her. As they neared the crowd, they decided to stop at the back so they wouldn’t be as cramped and could still see what was happening. They could hear scattered chatter among the Faunus with the same kind of questions they had.Soon, everyone saw the doors open and out came the person Sienna wanted to see. "Ghira…" She couldn't help but feel nostalgic about seeing him again. "He's just as imposing as ever, it seems." Next came out another familiar face she recognized. "And Kali. I say the years have done her well.” After Kali, they saw the third Faunus exiting the house. “And there is Blake.”Syka paid attention to the Belladonna daughter closely. “So, she was the one who trained under Adam.” Finally, they saw the last Faunus leave the house and Syka gasped who she is. “It’s…her…”Sienna saw who the other Faunus girl spoke of and her eyes widened. “So, it’s true then. She’s the one everyone in the White Fang spoke of.” They saw none other than Leone walking down the steps last and stood next to Kali as did Blake on the other side. “The one called the Faunus Traitor. She’s exactly like the sketches depicts her to be. This is the first time I’m seeing her in person.” Sienna grew immediately nervous upon looking at Leone.Ghira walked up to the podium and raised his hand. The crowd fell silent so they could hear what he had to announce and put his hand down. “Thank you all for assembling here. I wanted to take time to address some of the rumors that have been circulating around our island. I believe that it is important for the people of this territory to understand the truth. No matter how you feel about the human race, I think we can all agree that the event now known as the Fall of Beacon was a tragedy. A tragedy that will set both man and Faunus-kind back.” Sienna was already aware of that fact. “While the main aggressor is still unknown, we do have official confirmation that Adam Taurus…the leader of a powerful splinter group working inside the White Fang, was partially responsible for these attacks. His actions not only tarnished the reputation of an organization originally created to bring peace and equality to all, but to our entire race. Each day that this man remains unpunished, it becomes increasingly difficult to condemn those that look down upon us.” Whispersplans to overthrow the current leader of the White Fang, Sienna Khan, and take over the reins himself.”Syka scoffed at that. “You’re preaching old news. None of you know it’s already happened.”There was a further quiet discussion among in the crowd. "His radical plans do not stop there…" Ghira raised the scroll above him. "The documents on this scroll proclaim his next target is to be Haven Academy and its attached CCT tower. Their plan is to strike on the last full moon before the beginning of the fall semester, roughly one month from today. I have sent my swiftest messenger to the government of Mistral…” He set the scroll down on the podium. “But I believe we have the greater responsibly. My relationship with the White Fang has been…an interesting one. Years ago, I led the organization to help try and create a world where I, and every Faunus who wished, could walk alongside the human race. And while I believe we made great strides toward this goal, it was made clear to me that the people both in and out of the White Fang wanted faster results. So, I stepped down and Sienna Khan was appointed as my successor. It’s true that I do not fully condone many of her methods.” Sienna lowered her head in shame as she heard that from Ghira. She reflected on her past actions and wondered if they were truly right. “What I do condone is what Sienna fights for...” And Sienna lifted her head up once again with a surprised expression on her face. “The idea that Faunus and humans are, and should be, equal. Adam Taurus does not seem to have that goal in mind. What he has done benefits no one but himself. I think it's time that the Faunus showed the world that we are equals! Time that we snuff out this splinter group, and restore the White Fang to what it once was!" The crowd cheered at their chieftain's words. "To do this, I think the answer is clear. We must go to Haven and protect it at all costs!" And the crowd stopped cheering as soon as Ghira declared that. Everyone in the crowd appeared to be uncertain about what he proposed. Ghira cleared his throat. "Before we proceed any further, I'd like to invite my daughter to come and share her story. Not only as a former member of the White Fang, but also as a survivor of the Fall of Beacon.” He gestured toward Blake. Now the spotlight was on Blake and walked toward her father. She stopped in front of him while looking into his eyes. “You can do this.”“TRAITORS!”Everyone turned to where they heard the voice and a cloak was cast off to reveal Ilia wearing her mask and appeared to angry. Leone snarled at her. “Ilia. You must have some balls to do this kind of thing.”“Cowards. After everything the humans have done to us, everything they’ve put us through, you’re asking us to help them?!”Ghira knew he had to calm Ilia down and quickly. “I know we haven’t been treated fairly-”“Where was their help when the Dust companies treated our people like slaves!? Where was their help when kingdoms hunted Faunus just for being who they are?! Where was my help when my parents were killed in a Dust mine!? Where!?”Ghira did have to admit Ilia brought up valid points but it didn’t work the way she thought. “Young lady, progress takes patience and cooperation!”“The Belledonnas are the worst kind of Faunus! They want to work with the same people that are trying to hold us down!”Leone had just about enough of Ilia’s rant. “Okay, that’s it. I’m snapping her neck!” She was about to move until she saw someone in the crowd making her way toward Ilia. “Who’s she?” “If you truly want to help your people, now is the time to support Adam, not the Belladonnas! He will bring about the future that you deserve. And if you are unwilling to fight, know that the White Fang will do it for you!”“That’s enough!” Ilia heard a different voice and saw Syka jump at her. Ilia pulled out her weapon and extended to the tip to one of the posts. Syka missed the other Faunus girl and Ilia lifted herself up and made her escape.“After her!” Some of the Menagerie police chased after Ilia.As they ran off, Leone couldn’t help but groan at what happened. “Well, that just happened. She’s lucky that other girl appeared when she did or else I would’ve throttled that chick.” Speaking of Syka, Leone noticed that same girl walking through the crowd and heading toward someone. “Where’s she going?” After Ilia’s performance, Syka regrouped with Sienna and they both left the crowd. They had a small discussion about what had happened. “Why did you do that?” Sienna asked.The answer was obvious to the scorpion Faunus. “Someone had to and she wasn’t making things any easier. Plus, I didn’t agree with that girl said. If we let the White Fang fight for the rest of Faunus, it’ll create only more bad publicity for the rest of our kind. However, I hate to admit it but I have to agree with one thing she said. For us to work with humans who’ve done so much wrong to us? I can’t imagine myself working with the same group who took Seryu’s arms.” Sienna would have to agree as well. However, she could see two sides to this. Working with humans who have harmed their kind would be deplorable but it would be far better than Adam dragging their kind through the mud further. Plus, she couldn’t forget what Ghira said about her. About he didn’t agree with her methods but did agree with her ideals. She wasn’t sure how to feel about that. “So, what now? Are we still going to see the Chief?”Sienna sighed at the question but it was still the plan as they turned to a deserted street. “Yes. We’ll wait for the crowd to disperse and then confront Ghira. He has to know what happened.”Syka had to agree with that as it was true. “Fine. We’ll wait like an hour or two and-ah!”Sienna quickly turned around to see what happened. “What’s wrong Syk-”“Hello there.”Sienna gasped as who she saw before her. She saw Leone gripping Syka’s tail away from her while Syka was on all fours while looking to be in pain. “How did she…we didn’t even hear her walking behind us. We didn’t even sense her.” Leone narrowed her eyes at the former high leader. “So, what’s this I hear about you trying to meet the Chief? Also…” She gripped Syka’s tail tighter which made Syka cry out in pain again while she gripped the ground tightly. “I heard you mention Seryu. I have a feeling I know who you two really are so I’ll just get to the point. What business do two White Fang members have with the Chieftain?”Sienna shivered with fear as she couldn’t tear her gaze away from Leone’s eyes. “It feels like I’m staring into the eyes of death itself!”“Don’t keep me waiting or else…” Leone increased the pressure of her grip on Syka’s tail and Syka cried yet again. “I’m going to rip this tail out of her ass!”“It’s not what you think!” Sienna finally answer the other Faunus. “We only wish to speak to speak to Ghira. That’s all.”Leone didn’t think that was true. “Is that so? Sorry, but as the Chief’s better security, I’m going have to deny your request. Instead, I’m going have to deal with the two of you personally. Especially you.” She looked down at Syka. “You must have some connection to Seryu. Because of that bitch, I’m far away from my team and probably think I’m dead. Anyone associated with her, I’ll personally deal with them myself and send a message to her.”This whole situation was going downhill for them and if something wasn't done soon, Sienna feared this would be the end for her and for Syka. “Leone?” Everyone heard a new voice behind Leone.Leone glanced back while keeping a tight grip on Syka’s tail. “What is it, Blake?”Blake appeared to be a little confused as what was going on. “I saw you leave all of a sudden and wondered where you were going. Leone, what are you doing?”The Faunus blonde looked back at Sienna. “What’s it look like? A couple of White Fang members want to meet with your dad. Kinda funny they showed up right after Ilia had to make a scene earlier." Sienna had to clear everything up and fast before Leone set out what she was well known for in the White Fang. “We have nothing to with Ilia’s interruption. Please, you have to believe us.”Blake looked past Leone to see the Faunus before her. She narrowed her eyes and then widened with shock as she recognized her. “Sienna?” The former leader gasped as her cover was blown. Now Blake narrowed her eyes the same as Leone. “What’s the high leader of the White Fang doing in Menagerie?”Just as Sienna thought it couldn’t be any worse for her, it became all the better for Leone. “The leader of the White Fang herself, huh? You saved me a lot of the trouble hunting you down myself. I’m going to make you pay for what the White Fang’s done.”Syka struggled to look up at her former leader. “Si…enna…”Sienna had to think of something and fast so she just spoke the first thing that came to her mind. “It’s about Adam!” Blake and Leone’s expressions changed to being surprised by what Sienna said to them. “Please, Blake…” Sienna had a desperate terrified expression on her face. “I need to see your father. Urgently.” Blake and Leone’s response to Sienna’s plea was just looking at each other and wondered what to think of it. B Sienna took a sip of the tea and sighed contently. “Your tea is just as amazing as I remember it, Kali.”Coming from someone like Sienna, Kali was glad to receive a compliment from her. “Why, thank you.”Sienna then turned to Syka who as sitting next to her. “How’s your tail?”Syka rubbed her tail a little as she could still feel the pain from Leone’s grip from earlier. “A little better but it still hurts.”Leone scoffed at the other Faunus girl. “You’re lucky I didn’t toss your ass by the tail in the air.”As soon as the crowd dispersed, Blake decided to bring Sienna and Syka to see what they had to tell Ghira. Leone, of course, was bitter about this decision but had no choice but to roll with it. Needless to say, both Ghira and Kali were surprised to see Sienna the last time they saw her was when Ghira stepped down as leader of the White Fang. Sienna explained she had something important to tell Ghira while Kali brewed some tea for her since they were guests. As of now, all of them were in the living room. Leone kept glaring at Sienna intently which caught Kali’s attention. “Leone, don’t stare at our guest. It’s quite rude.”Her comment only made her granddaughter growl. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I have the leader of the White Fang right in front of me and the only reasons that are keeping me from maiming her are because Blake said so and because she has something important to say about Adam."Ghira can understand Leone’s frustration but he was curious as to why Sienna was here. And, why she was wearing those kinds of clothes. “So, Sienna…if you’re here in Menagerie, I can assume you heard my speech from earlier and about you.”His successor nodded in confirmation. "Yes, I did and...you were right about not approving the mehtods I've done. Even now I'm feeling ashamed of what I've done about them." “And you should.”Kali didn’t approve Leone’s remark. “Leone…”Blake decided to get to the point as to why Sienna wanted to see her father. “Sienna, what is it you wanted to tell my father? Why are you here in Menagerie?”Sienna lowered her head in shame once again as she set her cup on its plate. “You said Adam was planning to overthrow me and take over the White Fang. Unfortunately, Ghira, Adam has already done so. He’s taken over the White Fang. I’m no longer the leader.” Ghira and everyone else was surprised to hear that and it confirmed his fears. "So, it's already happened. I'm so sorry, Sienna." Leone’s surprise quickly went to anger as she gritted her teeth. “If I had just killed him back at Beacon…”“Adam planned on killing me but she…” Sienna looked over at Syka. “She was the one who saved me. If it wasn’t for her, I would be dead by now.” She turned her attention to Ghira now. “You must know, I didn’t approve of Adam for what he did back at Beacon. He crossed a line he shouldn’t have and all it did was put a larger target on the White Fang. I even thought of withdrawing from attacking Haven because it didn’t seem worth it. I put my race first before my ideals. Unfortunately, Adam doesn’t see it the same way. He believes humans are lesser than the Faunus and should serve us instead. What Adam is ultimately trying to do is try to wage war against the humans. That’s something I could not agree with in any way whatsoever.”Hearing that changed Leone’s opinion about Sienna a little as even she didn’t like what Adam did or what he’s plotting. The Faunus blonde had no idea Adam would be this depraved. It almost reminded her of how Esdeath acted back in her world in wanting to wage war. Still, she couldn’t forgive her for what Sienna did in the past whether what they involved Adam or not. Leone did have one question to ask the former leader. “Hey…” Sienna turned to Leone. “If Adam is the leader now, what happened to Seryu? Is she following that fucker now?”“SERYU WOULD NEVER DO THAT!” Everyone was caught off guard by Syka’s outburst and all attention was on her now. “Seryu only has loyalty to Sienna. She and Adam don’t exactly see eye to eye. In fact, they can’t stand each other. When Adam was planning to overthrow Sienna, he first had to deal with Seryu first since she would never follow him. So, he drove Seryu out of the White Fang and I don’t know where she is now. With Seryu out of the way, there was nothing else stopping Adam from overthrowing Sienna.” Unlike from before, Leone didn’t feel sorry for Seryu. “It’s my fault.” Sienna spoke and all eyes were on her now. Her hands closed tightly and trembled slightly. “If I had just would’ve paid more attention to what was going on, then maybe none of this would’ve happened. It’s my fault things have gotten this way. This is all my fault because I was incompetent.” Sienna lowered her head all way to the table to Ghira. “Ghira…I’ve failed you as your successor. I know more than anyone else that I don’t deserve your forgiveness.”For Sienna to say such a thing to him, Ghira thought Sienna must truly feel awful as the successor he chose. He was about to say something to her but Leone cut him off. “Suck it up.”Sienna immediately looked up at Leone while Kali didn’t approve what she said to her. “Leone-”She saw Leone hold up her hand to her. It was clear she wanted to say something to the former leader and set her hand down. “What's happened, happened. There's no point in agonizing over what happened in the past. All you can do now and live with what you’ve done. Sin and all.”While what Leone said was very insightful, Sienna couldn’t help but see the irony in her words. “that’s funny coming from someone like you. It must be easy living with for what crimes you’ve done to us. To your own kind.”Blake didn’t like where this was going already and Leone knew what Sienna was talking about. Only Kali and Ghira were left in the dark in what they were talking about. “Sienna, what are you talking about?”Syka was surprised that they did know. Then again, it would make sense she wouldn’t tell them. “So, you don’t know, do you? You have no idea who she really is.”Ghira wasn’t in the mood for riddles. Clearly, they knew something about Leone. “What is it you’re trying to say?”Sienna slammed her hands down on the table and stood up while staring intently at Leone. “This person who you’re letting live in your own home, who you seem to trust…she is none other than the Faunus Traitor who has murdered several of her own kind in cold blood!”The silence was present in the room as Kali and Ghira were trying to process what Sienna revealed about their own granddaughter. Kali slowly turned to Leone with clear disbelief in her eyes as did Ghira. “Leone, what is she saying?”Leone said nothing at first as she stared intently at Sienna. Finally, her response was a tired sigh as she stood up and walked away from everyone else until she reached one of the walls. She then turned around and turned her attention to Blake. “You want to tell them or should I?”Blake gasped as she knew what Leone was saying. “Are you sure?”Whatever they were talking about further confused Ghira and Kali. “Blake, what is it that you two are saying?”Leone knew there was no going back after this. She’d hope her grandparents would never know about this but since Sienna blew the whistle on her, she had no other choice but to tell them the truth about her. “Kali, you may want to prep the strongest tea you got. If you think finding out your daughter dating a human girl was crazy, you ain’t heard nothing yet.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: And we are back! At this time, I have graduated college. Well, “graduated” in quotations because I still have one more class to take in the summer but if I pass that, I get my degree. I don’t know how much it’ll impact the progress on my chapters but at least it’s one class. What’s really worrisome is me playing Nintendo Switch games which is very addicting so I’ll have to limit myself on that. Otherwise, you guys are never going to get an update for a long time. And that’s also the reason why I haven’t updated recently. With that said, hard to believe I started this story two years ago and this has become my most favorited story. I already made an announcement about it but to make it short, A New Beginning surpassed Familiar Fairy and I aim to continue my other RWBY and Akame Ga Kill crossover stories. Now, I kept you all waiting long enough. Let’s move on to the story. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Sixty Two: Flaws and ImprovementsThe sound of ticking from the clock was the only sound present in the quiet living room. Accompanying the ticking was the clattering of Kali’s cup and plate as she raised her cup to her mouth but at this point, her strongest tea did very little to calm her nerves. Ghira, Sienna, and Syka shared Kali’s reaction of disbelief when Leone finished explaining her story to them. Finally, Sienna was the first to break the silence. “You’re…an ex-revolutionary?”Syka finally gathered her thoughts on the matter and made a connection of what she heard about Leone earlier while being in the White Fang. “So, what Adam said about her being an assassin from another world is true after all. However, her being in an army before is completely new. That I didn't see coming."Ghira closed his hands tightly and sighed deeply while turning his attention to his daughter. “Blake, has everything she told us…true?”Blake looked at her father in the eye and nodded at him. “It is. Everything Leone said is true.”Kali set her cup down and stared at her supposed granddaughter. “So, Leone, you…actually did kill-”“People? Yeah, I did.” Leone was leaning against the wall with her right foot planted on it while her arms were crossed under her breasts. “Surprise, your granddaughter has god knows how much blood she has on her hands. Remember what I said about me putting you in the hospital before we sparred? Let’s replace that with the morgue if our fight was life or death or you were a target that needed to be eliminated.” Kali now believed that after hearing what Leone’s previous affiliation was. Leone closed her eyes and let out a tired sigh of her own. “So, now you know. I didn't really want either of you to know about this because to me, you’re civilians. Blake and the others know because they’ve known us ever since me and Akame arrived here.” She opened her eyes again and leered at Sienna. “That is until someone had to open their big fucking mouth.”Sienna leered back at the other Faunus girl and wasn’t intimidated by her. In fact, she had a whole slew of questions to ask her now. “If what you say is true then…why?” Leone raised an eyebrow at the former high leader’s question. “If you were truly part of such a cause, then why go against the White Fang? From what I can understand, this Revolutionary Army of yours and the White Fang have similar goals. Shouldn’t you see them as well? You could’ve been an ally rather than being branded as a traitor to your own kind.”Sienna's question brought out a deep growl from Leone as her leer became a deathly glare. "How are dare you say they're the same! They are nothing alike! With the Revolutionary Army, they had people who were willing to risk their lives, willing to die for their cause for a better future! The White Fang is nothing more but a bunch of cowards pulling hit and runs and sneak attacks! If that's all you see, then clearly you're more narrowminded than I thought." Leone took in a deep breath to calm herself down before deciding to maul Sienna. “In any case, all of you know who I was and what I did. What you do with that information is all up to you now. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be heading back to my room. Or a prison cell if you send me there instead.” Leone promptly left the room without saying another word and didn’t look back.Now it was just five Faunus in the room and Ghira pondered about Leone’s whole history. He honestly had mixed feelings about the whole thing. “So, this entire time, I’ve welcomed an assassin into my very home.” “I still think she’s a good person.” All eyes turned to Kali who still seemed unsure but at least knew where she stood. “I’ve spent time with her and I know she isn’t some cold-blooded killer without reason.”Sienna was immediately enraged by her words and stood up while glaring angrily at her. “How can you say something like that!? Have you already forgotten that she has killed several of our own kind?!”Ghira stood up as well and gave Sienna the same look she was giving to his wife. “Watch your tone Sienna! I will not have you speaking to Kali like that!”It was obvious tension was running a little high in the room. “I’m with what mom said.” Everyone turned to Blake this time who had a calm expression on her face. “What mom said is true about Leone. Yes, she did kill people but they were people who did terrible acts to innocents. And if no one was going to make them pay, she and her team would.”Hearing that only infuriated Sienna further. “If that’s true, then why doesn’t she make the humans pay for what they have done to our kind for so long? Why couldn’t she aid us in our cause?”Blake’s response was calmly narrowing her eyes at the former leader. “I guess Leone is right. You really don’t see the difference between the Revolutionary Army she was in and the White Fang.” She stood up next and left the room.Sienna couldn’t help but feel frustrated at hearing those words again. “Then what is the difference? How can she and I be so different when the goals we pursued are the same?” Her eyes turned to Syka who really hasn’t spoken a word throughout the entire ordeal. “Syka, what are your thoughts about her now?”Syka’s only response was chuckling unsurely. “Honestly, it’s kinda surprising but in all honesty, I think this may be more important to you and the chieftain.” So, Syka’s input wasn’t worth much but she was right. This was important to her and now more than anything, she wanted to know what made her and Leone so different from each other. B Once Taeko came back with Cornelia with bandages on her hands, Akame and the rest of the Night Raid group were in the living room. Akame was sitting in the chair while some of the other members were sitting on the couches while rest were standing around. Now that Akame was back, they could start discussing on what they could improve about themselves with the time they’re given. “So, let’s begin talking about what we can do about furthering improving ourselves. To start, we'll list what our weaknesses are. Anyone can speak up about another member.“Rienna!”“Huh? What?” Rienna didn’t know why Kurome, Chelsea, and Taeko all spoke at once. Even the other members seemed quite confused but had a feeling what was about to be discussed.Chelsea wasted no time in tearing what was the problem with Rienna. “It’s those freaking tanks you call flamethrowers you carry around. Whenever we have something serious go down, you take the longest to get ready because of those things.”Rienna responded by whining at her teammate’s words. “But…they’re really powerful. Yeah, sure they have their problems but it always pays off.”“I hate to say it but sometimes, it’s not worth it.” Rienna turned to Kurome this time. “Whenever we had to fight, you play two roles. You either start the fight or provide backup. Devil Incarnate is great but only useful when you’re up against a large group of Grimm. Against the enemy we’re fighting, Devil Incarnate is more of a liability to you.”Kurome brought up several good points and Akame had some of her own. “Kurome is right. Your weapon is powerful but it also makes you vulnerable. Whenever a battle begins, you always remain stationary providing support since your weapon does one of the longest reaches out of any of us. However, that’s only when we’re in a group. If fighting alone, you would be killed. An example of this is when I fought against Bols. The only reason he gave me trouble was because he had someone else fighting alongside him. If it wasn’t for that factor, I would’ve ended the fight.” Rienna couldn’t help but feel a little down when Akame spoke about her father like that. “I know you want to honor your father by using his weapons but perhaps it’s time to make something different for yourself.”Rienna seemed worried about what Akame meant by that. “And what would that be?”“You could modify your weapons.” Akame replied. “You can make improvements to your weapons to be better adapted. Perhaps making them more manageable for you to move around more quickly. That way, you could provide more support to us. There is still the issue that you’re a long-range fighter. Becoming efficient in hand-to-hand combat would help cover that.”Rienna mused over all the suggestions of her teammates had said about her. There was some truth to what Akame said about her. About how she wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps. There wasn’t anything wrong with that but she was aware of the fighting style she was using. She always did stay in place when providing backup to her team and in return, they back up her in a fight. In a one-on-one, she would lose easily as it could be difficult in hitting a single opponent. True, her weapon has a long and wide range but it is only in one direction. Her semblance being causing explosions balances it out but there is still the factor of her opponent being quicker then she can see. Akame, Taeko, and Kurome are examples of this as they can reach her quickly before Rienna has a chance to counter them. What's more, they're proficient in close-quarters combat while Rienna is not due to how heavy her weapons are. With these points being valid and the kind of enemy they’re up against, all Rienna could do was lower her head and sigh. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do to modify Devil Incarnate. I memorized their blueprints so much I can basically recollect which part goes where with my eyes closed.”Everyone, especially Chelsea were glad to hear that. There was still the part where Rienna needs to learn how to fight hand-to-hand but they have some time to teach her. With that subject covered, it was time to move on to the next team member who needed to improve. And Taeko knew who she wanted to bring up. "If I may suggest…" Everyone turned their attention to her. Taeko scanned her party before focusing on Cornelia. "Cora has some difficulties to overcome."Now Cornelia was surprised that her own girlfriend called her out and was curious what she had to say about her. “Okay, Taeko. What is it that I need to work on?”The answer was very obvious to Taeko. “Just as Ruby needs to learn how to fight without her scythe, you have to learn how to fight without your weapons. Of course, the advantage you have is applying your semblance to your body as we’ve all seen in your fight back in the Vytal Festival. I’ll be completely honest about this. While your victory was impressive, you were just lucky and nothing more.” Cornelia was surprised that Taeko was speaking something negatively about her but she knew her girlfriend was talking about her honest opinion. “Your opponent didn’t know how to counter your grip and it was only through sheer willpower you were able to hit her. If you were up against me, I wouldn’t give you the chance before your attack could hit me. There is potential in what you did but it does need refinement. If sharpened, you could become a force to be reckoned with, weapon in hand or not." Akame had to admit Taeko was on point with Cornelia. Back in her world, Cornelia was efficient in hand-to-hand combat and it worked well in tandem with her Teigu.Cornelia thought the same. In fact, she felt it was quite empowering applying her semblance to her fist and feeling the power going through her which was a different experience when she normally used her semblance through her weapons. Cornelia wouldn’t mind doing something like that again and more often. “Okay, I’ll try work on that then but what about you Taeko? Do you have anything you need to improve?”Taeko expected that kind of question and already had an answer for it. “As a matter of fact, I’m already efficient in hand-to-hand combat so I already my bases covered. Chelsea as well.”Rienna and everyone else was quite surprised to learn that about their two teammates. “Wait, really?”Chelsea chuckled confidently and her smile was just the same. “Yeah, it was part of the early morning training Granny put us through when we were young. Let’s just say It wasn’t easy, I’ll tell you that much.” Everyone could believe that since they heard more than their fair share of Babara Oarburgh from them and some of them already knew she was quite the huntress back in her day.With Taeko and Chelsea having their bases covered, there were only two members left on the team. Akame turned to Kurome next. "Kurome, what can you tell me about the limitations of your semblance?”Kurome thought it was her sister was asking a question like that since she and everyone else knew but she had a suspicion behind it and decided to explain. “As you know, my semblance can be separated into four stages. Times two obviously means my abilities are amplified by twice the normal output. When I’m in that stage, the strain it puts onto my body isn’t that bad. However, when I go into times three, that’s when I start to feel it but I can still manage it. At times four, that’s when it starts to take a toll on my body. At times five…well, that’s the point where my semblance hinders me more than helps and because of that, I use it as a last resort. I suppose you’re asking what I can do about it.”Akame wouldn’t expect anything less from her younger sister and nodded. “Yes. If possible, I would like for you to improve your endurance while using your semblance. Particularly, your amplify times four stage. I won’t ask you to do times five since that is asking a little too much.” Kurome won’t argue against that since it was already difficult achieving times five in the first place for her. Still, working on enduring times four will be a challenge. It’ll be taxing but hopefully, it’ll pay off.Now that six members were aware what they needed to improve, there was only one member left and all eyes were on Esdeath. She couldn’t help but feel nervous since she was the center of attention. “Okay, so…what is it that I need to work on?”Kurome and the other members tried to think of what Esdeath can improve upon but it was Akame who had several ideas. Except, the problem is, she didn’t think they were applicable but decided to voice them out. “In all honesty, there are two techniques you could do but I don’t think they are within your power as they were the very same techniques the Esdeath I knew I could do.”Whenever Akame brought up Esdeath's counterpart from her world, it was always something interesting. Terrifying and fucked up, but interesting. Esdeath and everyone else was already attentive to what their leader had to say. "What else could she do?"Akame calmly closed her eyes and recalled the two moves Esdeath was terrifyingly known for. “Esdeath was proficient in two powerful skills. One of them was creating an entire army of ice soldiers capable of movement known as the Ice Calvary. Because of that, our final battle with the Empire became all the more difficult. However, the other skill she’d develop was likely far more powerful.”Chelsea had a hard time believing that with what she and the others have just heard. “Oh, come on. What’s more powerful than creating an entire ice army?”Akame opened her eyes to her team. "How about having the power to freeze time itself?" Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief as soon as they heard that. "Esdeath's Imperial Arms didn't have a trump card at first but had done the impossible and created one of her own and it was freezing time. It was this ability that made her more powerful than before."Chelsea couldn’t help but chuckle nervously while having an uneasy expression on her face. “Just when I think Esdeath’s counterpart couldn’t be more hardcore. Still, having the power to freeze time would’ve been helpful back at that Kuroyuri place.” “Um…” Akame saw Esdeath raise her hand and then put it down. “As impressive as that is, I think you were right from before. There's no way I can create an ice army or freeze time. My semblance is powerful, yes but I don't think it can do those sorts of things with it."Akame was aware of it. She just thought it would be a good idea for them to know. “That’s just fine. We can still work with what you can do. Perhaps hand-to-hand. As strong as Esdeath was, she was adept in close quarters combat.” That was something Esdeath could work with.With everyone accounted for, Taeko decided to sum up everything about their meeting. “So, aside from Akame, Chelsea, and I, Rienna needs to remodify Devil Incarnate and learn how to fight in hand-to-hand, as well as Cornelia and Esdeath. Kurome just needs to work on enduring her times four for a longer period of time. Is that all?”That was about the jist of it. Everyone was aware of what they needed to work on and improve. Akame smiled and nodded before standing up. The other members followed suit. “If everything is accounted for, then we’ll begin training tomorrow.” She then turned her attention to Rienna. “How long will it take you to remodify Devil Incarnate?”Rienna did some minor calculations in her head before coming up with an answer. “It shouldn’t take too long. A couple of days at most.” That was sooner than what Akame had expected but she shouldn’t be surprised. This was a weapon Rienna knew the ins and outs of. She could almost compare the other girl to Ruby when it came to Crescent Rose.Speaking of the young huntress-in-training, it was probably time to see how she was doing along with the rest of RNJR. “How about we head over to where Ruby and the others are? I’m sure they would be happy to see me again after what happened last night.” Everyone nodded in agreement and started to head over to where the other team currently was. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Well, it’s about time I posted another chapter on here. It’s not freaking easy trying to work on a chapter when you have multiple assignments due on the same day. That and not trying to crack under the pressure that tests decide everything in my grade. With that being said, I’m going to level with all of you. What I’m about to do in this chapter is so far beyond out there, it might as well be jumping the shark. So, I won’t blame any of you if you stop reading the story after this chapter, unfavorite, unfollow, and all of that malarkey (if you haven’t already at this point). The only defense I have for this is that I had to make the connection relate somehow. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Sixty Three: More Than You Appear To BeIt didn’t take long for Akame and company to arrive where Ruby and the rest of RNJR were. When they arrived, they were already greeted with Wave pinning Ruby to the ground while holding a tight grip on her arm behind her back. “Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Uncle! Uncle!”Cornelia’s only response to the scene was chuckling uncomfortably. “I guess she still hasn’t improved at all.”Her comment drew Nora and the other’s attention and once they turned to their direction, they saw Akame among them. “Akame!” Nora immediately went over to Akame and gave her one of her traditional bone crushing hugs. “It’s great to have you back with us again!”Akame wheezed as she struggled to draw a single breath. “Nice…to…see…you…too…” Her face started to turn into a pale shade of blue. Ren couldn’t help but sigh at what his childhood friend was doing to the poor girl. “Nora…” Nora heard him and took that as a cue to let Akame go.She stopped her hug and took a step back away from the other girl. Akame took in a deep breath as air refilled her lungs. Out of all the ways to go, a bone-crushing hug really wasn't one Akame thought of. That and suffocation by face-in-cleavage but one was more preferred than the other. While Jaune was glad to see her again, he also had a question. The same as everyone else's mind. "Where were you last night?"Akame didn’t show it but she was rather embarrassed in answering the question. “I…someone helped me out in time of need is all.” That was about the best answer she could give them and there was no way she was going to tell them she’d slept with the same person who helped her out.“Excuse me.” Akame looked to where she heard a familiar voice and saw the same boy Ozpin was possessing from before. “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. My name is Oscar Pine. It’s…nice to meet you.”Akame chuckled quietly at Oscar’s introduction as she could tell he was a little nervous talking to her and not because she was a girl. “Ah, don’t be shy Oscar. Akame’s only a former assassin from another world. As long as you didn’t do anything bad, she won’t hurt you.” Again, Ren sighed at Nora’s way of uplifting the younger boy’s fears.“Again, Ruby.”“Right…”Everyone’s attention turned to Wave and Ruby as they saw the soldier release her and walked away from a short distance. A question came to Cornelia. “Why’s Wave focusing on Ruby and not the both of you?”This time, Oscar was the one to sigh. “He thought it would be better to train Ruby first since she has more to learn.” Everybody could see that.“And how’s she been doing so far?” Esdeath asked.“Terrible.” Nora, Ren, Oscar, and Jaune answered at once.Jaune could at least see the bright side of Ruby training. “At least he’s not injuring Ruby in any way.”Once Ruby stood up, Wave took up a stance again. “Are you ready?”The young leader took up her stance but seemed very uncertain. “M-Maybe?”Wave could see the doubt in Ruby’s eyes but would address this later. For now, it was time for another quick round. He bent his knees slightly before rushing over to Ruby. The younger girl gasped as her eyes widened by how fast Wave was and he was already in front of her. Ruby froze when she saw a lethal look in Wave’s eyes. The soldier didn’t waste any time as he pulled back his left arm and delivered an uppercut at Ruby. However, his attack only traveled in front of Ruby but she could feel the force behind the attack. Wave quickly drew back his arm and pulled back his other arm before attempting to punch Ruby in the face. However, his next attack slightly moved to the side of Ruby's head and avoided it but the young leader could still feel the power behind the power. Ruby was still in a state of shock when Wave disappeared in front of her and felt an arm wrap around her neck and lifted her up while a hand was placed on the top of her head. “And neck snap. Now you’re dead.”He set Ruby down and let her go while the young leader was able to catch her breath. Ruby dropped down to her hands and knees while trying to contemplate what had just happened to her. Sparing with Wave was a totally different experience than when she sparred with Yang back at Patch a long time ago. Her elder sister was tough on her, yes, but Wave was more intense and sensed something that scared her when Wave came at her. She couldn't tell what it was but if the young leader had to guess…it must've been killing intent.Wave walked past her while evaluating what happened before. “Your enemies will waste no time going for the killing blow the first chance they see it. Your reactions were slow, you hesitated when your enemy made the first move, you left multiple openings for attacks, and you showed no signs to break free from my hold as soon as I had my arm around your neck and my hand on your head.” He stood in front of Ruby and turned around to face her. The young girl looked up to see the disapproving look on his face. “In summary, you’re nothing more than a target who’s easy to kill and will take advantage of your weaknesses.”Ruby hung her head in shame. What Wave said about her was honest. Brutally honest. With Crescent Rose, she could fight among the best but without her beloved weapon, she couldn't fight for beans. Looking back on it now, Ruby now envied her sister, Leone, and Wave for being well adept in hand-to-hand and it only made that gap between them and her all the more painful. “With that being said…” Ruby looked up at Wave again to see him giving her a soft smile while extending his hand to her. “While you have a lot to improve on, that just means you’ll grow faster. With the right training regime, of course.”Ruby returned Wave’s smile with her own and grabbed his hand. Wave pulled the young leader up to her feet and continued to smile at her. While her hand-to-hand combat skills would need some work, he could see the potential in her and improving. That and Ruby reminded himself a little when Wave himself couldn't throw a punch to save himself once upon a time. Seeing this scene play out in front of her, Akame couldn’t help but be reminded of Bulat and Tatsumi whenever they sparred together. “Come on, Bro. Go easy on me!” “Ha, ha, sorry about that Tatsumi. I thought you could handle that attack. Let’s try that again and this time, pay attention.” “You okay Akame?” Wave’s question snapped Akame from reminiscing and saw that Wave and Ruby were standing in front of her. Her seeming out of it and having a strange smile on her face worried the soldier. “Were you lost in thought or something?”Akame closed her eyes and shook her before stopped and opening her eyes again. “No, I was just…remembering something from earlier.”Both Ruby and Wave knew there was more to the answer but decided it was enough. Wave smiled at her and placed his right hand on her shoulder. “Well, it’s good to have you back. You made everyone worried, you know?” Akame knew that very well at this point. There was one more thing Wave wanted to make sure of now that Akame was back. “Also, about Seryu-”“It’s fine.” Akame interrupted Wave. “If Seryu can help in any way, that's fine. Just as long as she stays in line.”For Akame to say that it was certainly better than the alternative she tried to do yesterday. Wave gladly agreed to that. "You can count on me for that and she's not that bad of a person. I mean, yeah she…" Wave stopped himself before bringing up that sensitive subject again before again. "Never mind. The point is that she just needs time to get used to all of us.” Akame would trust Wave's judgment on this. “Now then…” Wave turned his attention to Ruby and Oscar. “We'll break for lunch and we'll start again, beginning with a small warm-up: one hundred fifty pushups from the both of you. After that, we’ll see where we can go from there.”Both Ruby and Oscar were flabbergasted at what Wave suggested as a warm-up. "A hundred fifty pushups? Isn't that a bit much for the start?”Wave didn't think so as he laughed at Ruby's uncertainness. "Trust me, you're getting it easy. Back when I was still training as a soldier, my higher-ups demanded three hundred pushups. Sometimes more and that’s only one part of the training routines I had to do.” Ruby wasn’t sure if she could survive such a routine. “So, the sooner we can finish lunch, the sooner we can start up again.” Both Ruby and Oscar weren’t exactly ecstatic about their next training regime once lunch was over. B Leone sighed tiredly as she was laying on her bed while staring at the ceiling with her hands behind her head. She estimated an hour had passed since her telling the whole truth about her to Ghira and everyone else. And since after that, Leone had come to resent it. To certain others like Ghira and Kali, they were better off not knowing who she was and what she had done in the past. The Faunus blonde may have only been living here with them for the past couple of days but she truly felt like they were family to her just as Blake and Yang were. Now that the cat was out the bag (no pun intended), she didn’t know where her relationship with them would go from here on out. A couple of knocks on her door broke her train of thought and Leone sat up while turning her attention to her door. “It’s open.” The door slid open to reveal Kali which surprised Leone. “Kali? And here I was expecting one of the guards to move me to one of the jail cells.”Kali already expressed a concerned look about the younger girl and walked into Leone’s room. “I wish you wouldn’t speak so negatively about yourself.” She started to approach Leone.Leone couldn’t help but chuckle in an almost comical way. “I think you forgot that I used to kill as a profession. You sure it's a smart idea to be close to someone like me? I think Ghira would have some problems with this scenario."Kali sat down next to Leone and didn’t show the slightest hint of fear in her eyes. “You’re not wrong about you said. Ghira would like to speak to you regarding what you did but I wanted to speak to you before him I managed to convince him to speak to you but for only five minutes.”A kind gesture and defiantly piqued Leone’s interest. “Well, you have your five minutes so what do you have to say to me.”Kali took in a deep breath and finally speak her mind. “Personally, I believe you’re someone who’s kind and gentle to those you care about closely. I could tell during all the time we spent together. You say that you’re a murderer, but you also explained you only killed people who tormented innocents. That alone says you’re not someone who’s bad.”The older Faunus’ words brought out a simple laugh out of Leone. Her eyes had a somber expression to them and stared at the floor. “Ha, ha, you’re not the first one to tell me that but you’re forgetting one thing. Even though what I did was for the better of others, it doesn’t change the fact I’m a murderer through and through. You can believe I’m a good person but that doesn’t change the fact that I can’t change who I really am. Even if I did become a huntress, me being an assassin will never go away for as long as I live and after I die.”Hearing those words cut Kali deep. She had no idea had such a negative view of herself and the worst part was she could understand that way of thinking. Kali and Ghira were once part of the White Fang and that would always be a fact about them. The same applied to Blake. However, Leone seemed to forget something important as well. “While it may be true that you can’t change of who you are…” Kali placed her right hand on Leone’s shoulder. Her action made the younger Faunus raise her head and turned to her. “But what you can change is the future you desire. Was that not the reason you were fighting for?” Leone gasped quietly as her eyes widened with shock. She honestly had no idea how to respond to what Kali had said to her. Kali used this opportunity to further explain. “What you have done in the past may be a part of you now but you and you alone can decide what your future will be.” Her grip on Leone’s shoulder tightened. “You decided to be an assassin to change people’s lives for the better and now you can decide again but this time for yourself. Wanting to become a huntress is a step in the right direction. The only thing left for you to do is to continue walking down that path." After saying all of that, Kali relaxed her grip and took in a deep breath. She removed her hand and realized what she had said. "Goodness, I…I don't know what came over me." Kali was rather feeling embarrassed now.That embarrassment didn’t last long as she heard Leone laugh again but this time more cheerfully. She was actually guffawing while clutching her stomach. As much as Leone wanted to continue laughing, she had to force herself to calm down and let out one more sigh. “Blake’s really lucky to have a mom like you, you know that?” Leone wiped her right eye and stood up. “I guess I really needed that kick in the ass more than I thought.” She turned to the older Faunus woman once again and smiled at her. “Thanks, Kali.” Kali nodded and smiled back at her supposed granddaughter. The look she was seeing now from Leone was the one that told Kali she really was a kind girl. “Well…” Leone stretched her arms up for a few seconds before letting them down again. “I guess your five minutes are up now. Time for me to see the Chieftain now. I’ll catch you later.”Leone started to walk out of the room and meet up with Ghira. “Leone…” The Faunus blonde stopped in front of the doorway and turned around again to Kali. “When you’re done with your meeting with Ghira, could you come to my bedroom? I have something I want to give you.”Leone could take that proposal out of context but she knew what Kali meant. “Yeah, I’ll swing by when I’m done.” She flashed Kali one more quick smile before leaving the room and headed toward Ghira’s office. B Leone approached the door leading to Ghira’s office and standing in front of it was Blake and Syka who was waiting for her. Leone stopped in front of them. “Hope I didn’t keep him waiting.”Blake shook her head and was clearly worried. “No, you didn’t.” That was good for Leone to know. She didn’t like keeping important people waiting. “You do need to know that I won’t be with you while you’re meeting with the Chieftain. He already knows what I think about you but he wants to judge you on his own accord." In other words, Ghira wanted to hear what Leone had to say from her own mouth. Leone could respect that since he will be hearing it straight from the horse's mouth.“Sienna’s also in there.” Syka spoke up. “She wants to know something about you.”Leone could care less about Sienna. She could at least humor her in answering whatever question the former high leader. “Fine then.”With that confirmation, Syka and Blake stepped aside and Leone approached the door and stopped in front to knock on it a few times. “You may enter.” Leone slid the door open and entered the office. Once she entered, Syka closed the door behind the Faunus blonde. Inside the office, Leone saw Ghira sitting on the couch with his arms crossed and Sienna sat next to him. She could see the seriousness in their expressions. As soon as Ghira made eye contact with her, he gestured to couch in front of the table. “Have a seat.”Leone took up the offer and walked over to the couch. Each step she took quietly echoed in the room while not breaking eye contact with Ghira and Sienna. Leone reached the couch and sat down across from Ghira and Sienna. At this point, Leone knew she wasn’t facing her grandfather. She was facing the Chieftain of Menagerie. “So, what do you have to say to me?”Ghira started by uncrossing his arms and setting his hands on his lap while staring intensely at Leone. "For as long as I can remember when I was the leader of the White Fang and becoming the Chieftain of Menagerie, never have I heard one of our own killing their own kind. A scuffle and fight here and there but never to the point of murder. You already explained what you had done back in the world you came from and I can respect the reasons behind your actions. However, even if the Faunus were part of the White Fang, they were still your kind and as the Chieftain of Menagerie, I will ascertain your actions. What reason did you have for staining your own hands with your kind’s blood?”Leone returned Ghira’s intense stare with her own. She already knew what her answer would be. “The reason’s simple. Anyone who threatens my friends, whether they’d be human or Faunus, I will not hesitate to kill them.” Sienna felt a slight hitch in her breathing when she heard Leone’s answer. The look she was seeing in Leone’s eyes, they were firm and unwavering. She had honestly never met someone like Leone before. “And I’ll have you know the White Fang targeted your daughter the first sight they saw her. One of them had a chainsaw ready to carve her out if I didn’t step in. The other members that were with the guy had the same idea so I did the same to them. And I would gladly do it again if it means to keep her and everyone else I care about safe.”Ghira studied Leone carefully after hearing her reason. To him, he could see the strong, fierce resolve in her eyes. Her reason was not entirely unjust as he could see himself doing the same thing in protecting his daughter and the civilians. Just not the part where he would take another Faunus’ life in doing so. In that regard, Ghira can admit in that’s where Leone is stronger than he is. Not in terms of strength, though she already does, but for the sake of doing anything she can to protect those she cares about. It was an attribute Leone carried back then and still carried it to this day.To Sienna, she was conflicted by Leone’s reasoning. Yes, she did kill fellow Faunus but it was to save Blake who was a fellow Faunus. However, she needed more proof to confirm how strong her conviction was. “And what if it wasn’t Blake? What if it was another Faunus you didn’t know? Would you have done the same thing? The same for a human?”Leone was already annoyed by the former high leader’s questions and huffed. “It’s like I said before. I will kill anyone, whether they are human or Faunus, who threatens my friends. I’d do the same for civilians, human or Faunus, and that hasn’t changed since my time as an assassin.”Sienna felt more conflicted now about the other Faunus girl. The most she can grasp about Leone is that her morals lie to her friends and wouldn’t hesitate to put her life on the line for an innocent civilian she wouldn’t even know. In short, Leone protects the innocent, no matter who they are, human or Faunus and punishes those who would do harm to them. And that’s where the center of her conflict lied within. “Then what makes you and I so different from each other? What makes this Revolutionary Army of yours different from the White Fang? You could’ve been an ally instead of being an enemy. Tell me, what’s the difference?”Leone guessed these were the questions Syka told her about earlier. She took in a deep a breath and stared at Sienna right in her eyes. “Answer me this, Sienna. Can you recall at any point during your entire life living in the White Fang, giving Faunus hope?”Sienna was already puzzled by Leone’s question? “Hope?”The Faunus blonde narrowed her eyes at the former high leader. She held up two fingers from her right hand. "Two. There are two differences between us, Sienna. The first is that the Revolutionary Army gave the people hope that we would succeed in overthrowing the Empire. And in turn for that, they supported us. For every client we had, for every mission we completed, we gave them a sense of peace of mind. The Revolutionary Army was fighting for more than the people. We were fighting for a better, hopeful future for everyone. Whereas the White Fang is doing the opposite of what it was originally created for. All they’re doing is making the other Faunus who aren’t associated with them look like they’re the villains. It’s ironic, actually. An organization that’s trying to help Faunus is hurting them instead.”“WE DIDN’T HAVE A CHOICE!” Sienna yelled in outrage and glared angrily at the Faunus blonde. “We had to make the humans learn the hard way that they couldn’t push us around any longer! It’s only through fear that we finally received the respect that we deserved.” She heard Leone laugh which she didn’t understand what was funny. “Why are you laughing?”Leone let out a couple of more laughs before looking at Sienna again. “Do you even know the difference between fear and respect? I’ll tell you. Respect is earned and those who give respect will never turn on you. Fear, on the other hand, can lead to dire consequences and in time, that fear will turn into revolt. Why do you think the Revolutionary Army started in the first place? It was because they were afraid that if something wasn’t done to fix the corruption of the Empire, it would mean the end for everyone. What you were doing, what the White Fang is doing, is giving false hope and a false sense of peace. And nothing good will ever come out of that and proof of that is having your own members getting killed for it.” Leone sighed briefly before moving on to her next point. “Honestly, I agree with what Ghira said before. I believe humans and Faunus should be equal but not through the methods the White Fang is using. There’s more than one way earn respect and your method isn’t one of them.”Her words cut Sienna deeply. More so than any bladed weapon through and through. Was the path she so diligently walking wrong all along? If so, just how many did she drag along? How many sacrifices had she made that were in vain? Was everything Sienna had done in vain? She was almost afraid to ask her next question. “And…what’s the second difference?”The second difference was more obvious than the first. “The second difference between us is experience.”Again, Sienna was puzzled by what exactly the other Faunus meant. “What does that supposed to mean?” Ghira was also curious as to why Leone brought that up.Leone would gladly explain as she meant more than what she said. “I’m talking more than experience in combat and in kills. I’m talking about what I had to go through in my world. A world that if you were in it, you’d be killed in the first five minutes as soon as you appeared. What’s the worse you had to go through? The Faunus you knew had to go through?”Sienna had to think back a little to answer the question. “Being mostly ridiculed by humans and Faunus I knew went through the same. Many White Fang members that were captured were incarcerated.” This time, Sienna would ask her own question. “And what about you? You already told us what your world was like so what happened to you?”Leone gave the former high leader a disinterested expression. “How does having your life being drained from you sound?" Sienna and even Ghira seemed stunned to hear that coming from Leone. “Not good enough? Then how about being impaled from the back by a sword sound? Or how about being shot multiple times in the stomach and barely surviving that? No, even better. What do you think being cut apart alive sounds like?” Sienna and Ghira were now speechless when they heard Leone was saying. “You have no idea what’s it like feeling pieces of your body being carved out of you. Slowly, and painfully while you were helpless to stop it. And I just don’t mean pieces of my skin. My eye gouged out, a hole in my cheek, nails ripped out of my hands, my right arm and breast, and my left leg being cut through. All of that happening while terror was coursing through my entire body. The only reason I was able to survive all of that was because of my regenerative abilities. And do you know what the fun part is? It was a human that did all of that to me and she did it for her own sick pleasure.”Sienna felt both amazed and sick to her stomach after listening to Leone’s description of what happened to her. She had heard feats and tales of what the Faunus blonde had done but to hear such things happen to her, and from a human no less, it was unbelievable. Leone continued her story. “No, she wasn’t a human. She was a goddamn monster. Her and everyone else we had to go through. Them and the pain of losses I had to suffer through.”This time, Ghira was able to speak up. “What kind of losses?”Leone chuckled again and began to reminisce. “The team me and Akame were on, Night Raid, we thought of them as a family to us. We all had our laughs and shenanigans with each other. You wouldn’t even know that we were a bunch of assassins judging by how we all acted. But it’s because we were assassins, we were always standing in front of death’s door. A member that we were laughing together in the morning could end up being killed at the end of the night. And that's happened to almost everyone we knew.” Leone lowered her head and stared at the table. Ghira could easily see the hurt and loss in her eyes now. “We had to go through it all. The first was Sheele, the second, Bulat, Chelsea was the third one to be killed, Su wasn’t far after her, Lubbock, and finally…Tatsumi who I thought was going to see the end. The only ones who lived through this hellish nightmare of ours were me, Akame, our boss Najenda, and Mine which I don't think amounts to much. During a brutal rescue mission, Mine gave it everything she had to kill another target of ours, Great General Budo. But because of that, she ended up being in a coma which I don't think is any better and honestly, I don't think she'll ever wake up. I wouldn't be surprised if they put her out of her misery by now.”The conflict within Sienna began to wane and replacing it now was pity. Before her now wasn’t the Traitor Faunus she had heard over and over again. Who she was seeing now was someone who went through grief and strife beyond anything she could’ve imagined. “She has lost so much and been through so much more than I have. She was right all along. I pale in comparison to her. I can also see something ironic about her. She was someone who protected the weak but kept losing those she cared the most herself. I suppose that’s the life of an assassin but losing those close to you isn’t easy for anyone, no matter who they are.” Leone raised her head to face Ghira and Sienna for the last time. "So, yeah, that's the difference between us, the difference between the White Fang and the Revolutionary Army, and you already know the difference between my world than yours. You heard that explanation from me earlier today.” She turned to her attention toward Ghira. “Now that I told you about my life experiences, Chieftain, what’s your final verdict about me?”Ghira's response was breathing in and exhaling heavily before giving his final judgment. “I’ll be honest here. When you first revealed yourself as an assassin, I was…overwhelmed. In fact, I was sickened by it. I would never have thought that my daughter shared a close bond with a killer. And I welcomed that same killer into my own home. I feared for the safety of my family. I can understand the reasons why you did what you had to do but that does not excuse you from your actions." Leone was actually kind of glad he said that to her. “Wow. You’re the first one to acknowledge that.”The Chieftain cleared his throat to regain the focus at hand. “However, after hearing what you had to go through. The pain, the loss, the suffering, how you spoke about your former teammates, all of that leads me to believe that there is more to you than what I have originally thought. In the end, you are like most other beings. Someone who has compassion for others, grieve for loved ones lost, the emotions you’ve displayed. All of that portrays you as someone more. And for that, I would like to apologize to you.” Leone could hardly believe what had she heard coming from the Chieftain. No, what she had heard from Ghira himself. As soon as she had revealed herself as a former assassin, his opinion of her changed drastically and negatively. It was only after Leone had explained everything in deeper detail that his opinion had changed back. It wasn’t only that but having the Chieftain to apologize to her was something she didn’t expect as well. “As Chieftain of Menagerie, I will pardon you for your past actions.”Even though the pardon won’t undo any action Leone had done, just knowing he would forgive her was good enough. There was a difference between her friend’s forgiveness and the forgiveness from the leader of an entire island. “Thank you, Chieftain. I appreciate that. More than you know.” Ghira nodded as he knew what Leone meant. “You’re welcome and with this, I believe our meeting has concluded.”Leone let out a relieved yet heavy sigh that this was finally over. If it were any other trail, she’d just bust her way through and kill anyone that tried to stop her. But with Ghira, she knew he was doing his job and would’ve accepted any punishment he’d give her. At worst, Ghira would’ve just exiled her and Leone would’ve been fine with that. Thankfully, she was glad about the end result. “Well, if that’s the case…” Leone finally stood up before Ghira and Sienna. "I would like to thank you for your time." She bowed slightly to Ghira and made her way to the door as Ghira and Sienna watched her. The Faunus blonde slid the door open and finally left the office before closing it again. Leone looked around and saw that neither Blake nor Syka were around. That was fine with her as she had one more thing to do. “Right, time to go see Kali.” Leone then started to walk toward to where Kali said where she would be earlier.Back in his office, Ghira closed his eyes and let out an equally heavy sigh. “That was much more than what I expected. Honestly, I’m glad things ended the way they did.” He opened his eyes and turned his attention to Sienna. “Did you get what you needed and if so, what do you think of her now?”Sienna lowered her head as her ears flattened as she thought of everything Leone said. From earlier today to several seconds ago. “She was right all along about the differences between us. What I didn’t count on was how large those differences would be. She is by far the strongest being I have ever come across and not only in terms of strength. Everything that I have done, everything that I went through, pales in comparison to her. What truly frightens me are the humans she had to go up against. It’s true that in the history of Faunus, humans have mocked and degraded us but the humans in her world sounded more like they were monsters. Especially the one in particular that…cut her into pieces just for the sheer enjoyment. Just imagining about that…” She shuddered slightly at the thought. “No, even thinking about that makes me feel ill.”Ghira didn’t blame her for thinking like that. Even he couldn’t believe there existed a human such as that. “And the differences between this Revolutionary Army and the White Fang?”That subject tore Sienna apart the most as she reflected her actions. “To be honest, I thought having the humans to acknowledge us through fear was easier because they would not see us eye to eye. I believed what I was doing was right until she pointed out the flaws. What she said about the White Fang is true, now that I think about it. It was first created to help our kind but instead, we’re just making it worse. Or rather, I’m making it worse and the Fall of Beacon is a prime example of our actions. With this Revolutionary Army, they’ve done what they set out even though it could cost them their lives. I suppose when you get down to it, the White Fang is nothing more than a group of cowards compared to them. I guess that makes me one too.”“Sienna…” Ghira could tell how utterly crushed Sienna was. Crushed under the weight of the mistakes she had made in the past. Everything that has happened up to this point was on her and probably thought no amount of retribution could atone for what Sienna had done. However, this is where Ghira thought she was wrong. "You are anything but a coward, Sienna." The former high leader turned to Ghira with a surprised expression on her face. "As I've said before, I do agree that Faunus and humans should equal. You had your heart in the right place but your methods to do it were…less than conventional. It’s not too late for you to start the right thing and by doing that, you can help us to take back the White Fang.”To Sienna, it couldn’t have been that easy. She just couldn’t undo everything she had done in the past. Then again, the same could be said for Leone. What the Faunus blonde had done was leagues above what the former high leader had done and yet she was still moving forward. Perhaps it was time for Sienna to take a page out Leone’s book. Sienna sighed as she made her decision. “If that is what you wish, then I will honor it. However, I have one condition.”Ghira was glad to hear Sienna was on board. Now he just needed to know what was Sienna’s condition. “And what would that be?”For the first time, Sienna smiled at the Chieftain. “I refuse to be the leader again.” B Leone finally made it to Kali and Ghira's bedroom. She stood in front of the door for several seconds before knocking on the door. The reply was instantaneous. "You can come in." Leone slid the door open and entered the room. Upon entering, she saw Kali sitting on the edge of her bed and smiled at her. "I'm glad you've arrived. How did things go with Ghira?"The younger Faunus flashed Kali a happy grin as a response. “It’s all good between us now. I was honestly nervous about the whole thing but it all worked out.” Kali was glad to hear that. She was equally worried how her meeting with Ghira went but now she doesn’t have to anymore. “So, what was that you wanted to give me?’Leone's answer was Kali standing up from the bed and walked over to the closest. She stopped in front of the closet and opened it. Kali looked at the top shelve in the closet and spotted a medium-sized wooden case. She reached for the box and grabbed it before pulling it back to her. Kali then turned around presented it to Leone. “Leone, what I’m about to give you is not only special to me but special to somebody else I knew a long time ago." Kali walked back to the bed and set the box down on it. The older Faunus woman opened the case to reveal a single gleaming silver gauntlet with open holes where the fingers slid through. When Kali picked up it, there was a photo lying face down beneath the gauntlet. Kali gave a melancholic look at the picture before turning around to presenting the gauntlet to Leone. “This is what I wanted to give you.”Leone was in awe of the weapon she was seeing before her. She took a few steps forward to get a closer look at the weapon. "Holy crap, Kali. I didn't know you had something like this." Kali handed the gauntlet to Leone. The Faunus blonde admired how it looked. "Is this weapon yours, Kali?"Kali chuckled softly as she loved the look Leone was giving to the gauntlet. “No, it…belonged to a close friend of mine a long time ago. I took care of it meticulously for a long time. Try it on.”The younger Faunus followed what Kali told her and slipped the gauntlet on her right arm. It seemed the gauntlet reached to the middle of her forearm. It was obviously larger than Lionel. She extended her arm in front to get a better view. “This thing is awesome, Kali.”Kali knew she’d like it but knew how Leone would like it more. “Clench your hand tightly and you’ll see something surprising.”Leone did just that and as she closed her hand, three curved blades came out from in-between her knuckles. Leone gauged the blades were seven inches in length. The Faunus blonde was immediately impressed. “Whoa, oh, oh, your friend must’ve been a badass if they used this. Does it have a name?”The older Faunus woman smiled as she was glad to be asked that question. “Silver Saber. That was the name given to it by my friend.”Silver Saber. It was a name Leone liked a lot. There was one question she had for Kali as she lowered her arm. She released her grip and the claws retracted. “This is awesome and all but why did you decide to give this to me if it means a lot to you?”Kali’s smile never left as she had several reasons. “For one, you mentioned that your previous weapons were taken away from you so I thought this would be a viable replacement. And the second…” Kali stopped herself as closed her eyes and shook her head. She stopped and opened her eyes once again. “Never mind. It’s not important. I’m just glad that you like it.”That was an understatement coming from her to Leone. “Like it? I freaking love this thing! Thanks, Kali”Again, Kali was thankful for hearing that. “You’re welcome.” During all this celebration, the older Faunus woman thought now would be an appropriate time to ask a question she’s had for quite some time. “Leone…if you don’t me asking, do you remember anything about your parents? Your real ones. Your mother? Your father?”Leone raised an eyebrow as the question seemed strange but didn’t mind answering it. “My parents, huh. Well, I never gave one passing thought about who my dad was my entire life. As for my mom…” Her expression changed as she seemed slightly sad. “She passed away due to illness when I was a kid. Since then, I've been living on the streets while working at a seedy massage parlor. At least I was getting paid even though the pay was crap."Kali couldn’t help but feel remorseful for Leone. For a child to survive in the streets after their parent had passed away. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it.”Leone shrugged like it was no big deal. "It's alright. I've gotten over it by now. Although, I do remember two things about her. In fact, I think they're the only three things I remember about my mom. One of them is making my scarf and the other was singing that one song that helped me sleep at night. She'd always sing that whenever I had nightmares or felt uneasy. The third is that she always called me her little lion."Kali’s heart tightened when she heard that. “I see.”With everything said and explained, Leone immediately gave Kali a hug, though a bit too strong for the older Faunus’ liking. “Again, thank you, Kali.” Kali struggled to reply due to air leaving her lungs. Leone let go of Kali (much to her relief as she can breathe again) and raised her hand again to marvel at Silver Saber. “I got to show this to Blake. Again, thanks a lot!” Leone ran out of the room in excitement.Kali was happy Leone loved her gift. The look on her face was one she’ll remember for quite some time. She turned around to see the case again and the photo in it. The older Faunus woman sighed sadly as she reached for the photo and flipped it to see the picture. Upon seeing it, old memories began to surface. One memory included Kali in her younger years talking to another female Faunus sitting around a table. “So…have you told him yet?” “Tell who what?” “You know what I mean. Ghira! I know you’re interested in him. I’ve seen the way you look at the guy.” “O-Oh. I think you’re just imagining things.” “Is that so? Then I guess you won’t mind if I ask him out. I mean he has the looks and those muscles…” Kali’s friend gave out a sensual purr. She saw the worried expression Kali had and just laughed. “I’m just teasing you, Kal. But seriously, you should try asking him out or someone else will steal him away from you.” Kali blushed at the mere thought of confronting Ghira. “I-I don’t know.” Her friend rolled her eyes at Kali. “Come on! I know for sure you two would make a cute couple. Maybe have a kid running around a few years later?”Now Kali was blushing furiously at this point. “I think you’re making wild assumptions at this point.”Another memory came to Kali as she remembered her friend humming a pleasant-sounding tune. “That actually sounds nice. What song is that?” “Oh, it’s…just something I came up with. You can use it if you like when you and Ghira have a kid.” Kali blushed at the mere thought of having a child. “I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration. I don’t think Ghira and I are ready to have children.”Her friend scoffed at that. “Oh, please. I know you two would make great parents. I wonder what your kid will be like.” The third memory that came to Kali was an unpleasant one as it was the last time she would see her friend again. “Kali, Kali open up!” Kali yawned as she stood up from her bed and opened her door while wearing a black nightgown. Her friend was standing outside in a white top and black shorts while looking very distressed. “What happened?” Her friend walked into her room and Kali closed the door. She saw the other Faunus girl pacing around with a worried expression. “Would you tell me what’s going on?” Her friend stopped and took out a small object from her pocket. She handed it to Kali and she inspected it closer. It became obvious what it was. “A pregnancy test? And it’s positive. Wait, that means you’re-”“Yes, it does.” Her friend placed her hand on her stomach. “He can’t know about this. If he finds out then…” She closed her eyes and shook her head to be rid of any horrible thoughts. She stopped and opened her eyes with a pleading look in them. “You can’t tell anyone about this. You can’t tell him about this.” Kali was growing increasingly worried about her friend. “I won’t but what are you going to do?”For her friend, the answer was easy. “I’m going to leave the White Fang.” Kali gasped in shock at what her friend was going to do. “I want my child to grow up safely and I can’t be in the White Fang if I want that. Especially if he’s around. I’m sorry, Kali.” After that night, Kali never saw her friend again. The only thing she had to remember her by was the gauntlet her friend left behind and took care of ever since.Then a funny circumstance happened a few days ago in the present time. “To be honest, when I first saw her, I immediately thought it was you and you came back. She looked so similar to you but I knew she was different from you. The more time I spent with her, the more nostalgic I became. I truly want to believe what I think who she is but it’s just too wild for it to be true. What she had to do, what she had to go through, where she’s from, her age. All of that doesn’t add up and yet…I feel like some part of you came back to me. I don’t know if I’m just crazy and seeing things but…I truly want to believe.” Tears began to flow out of Kali’s eyes as she continued to look at the picture of her in her younger years and a lion Faunus girl with long wild blonde hair smiling together. Above their heads were their names and it read: “Kali and Leona”. B Ruby sighed in relief as she laid flat on the couch after having a delicious yet painful dinner. Her body felt sore after doing the training regimes Wave game them. “Finally. Sweet, sweet rest.”Oscar felt the same as he sat in the chair in the corner. “That was the most I had to do in a workout. And to think, we have more to do tomorrow.” Both of them groaned at the mere thought of it.Nora and the rest of RNJR saw the two wallowing in dread for the training tomorrow. Nora didn't see the reason why they were in poor spirits. "What are you two complaining about? What you did look like a lot of fun. I can do some of those in my sleep. Literally!"“It’s true.” Ren confirmed.Ruby groaned as she turned her head to face her team. “It may be easy for you Nora but it’s really hard for me and Oscar.”Jaune could understand their dilemma. They're not particularly used to the kind of training Wave was giving them but he knew it was for their benefit. He was one of the most experienced fighters, aside from Qrow and Akame. “Well, look at it this way Ruby. It’ll be all be worth it when it’s over.”The young leader groaned again as she rolled her body in the opposite direction of her team. "I wish getting stronger didn't have to be so painful. I don't know if I'll be able to move when we go back to Haven again."Over at the kitchen, Esdeath and the rest of the team were cleaning up. Esdeath couldn’t help but overhear the conversation in the living room. “Poor Ruby.”“Esdeath, hand me the next plate.” Rienna’s request brought her teammate back and handed her the next soaked plate. The two were currently washing and drying the dishes.Meanwhile, Chelsea and Taeko were cleaning the table while having their own thoughts about Ruby’s and Oscar’s training. “I don’t know what Ruby was complaining about earlier in dinner. Granny put us through some rigorous training but it worked out great for us.”Taeko thought differently about what Chelsea had said. “You seem to forget that we were trained at a young age while Ruby is just starting at her current age.”Chelsea had to admit her childhood friend had a point. “Yeah, you’re right about that. But seriously, though, I don’t think Ruby would last a couple of days with Granny’s training.”Taeko scoffed at Chelsea’s assumption. “Don’t be ridiculous, Chelsea. Ruby wouldn’t survive the first day.”Chelsea stopped wiping the table momentarily and laughed a little. It was rare for her to hear Taeko crack a joke. Even rarer for them to agree on something. After settling down, she had a couple more unrelated questions. “Anyway, where did Wave go? Last I saw him, he had a plate full of food left from dinner.”Taeko stopped wiping and folded the cloth. “I assume he’s bringing the leftovers to Seryu. I would think you’d notice her absence during dinner.”Again, Taeko had a point and Chelsea rolled her eyes. “Right, right. I still wonder what guy sees in her. Speaking of missing people, where are Akame and Kurome?”The other girl had some sort of inkling for the sisters’ whereabouts. “I believe Akame is taking a shower and Kurome will most likely bring her a change of clothes.”Chelsea easily acknowledged her friend’s answer and shrugged. “Sounds about right.”As Taeko mentioned before, Kurome was carrying a set of Akame’s pajama’s while walking to the bathroom. As she approached the bathroom, Kurome could hear the water running. The younger sister opened the door. Thankfully, the shower was in a separate room divided by a door so Kurome didn't have to worry about seeing her sister in the buff. That was strictly reserved for whenever the team came across a hot spring or a sauna. Kurome saw Akame's clothes on the sink and set her pajamas on the counter. "Akame! I brought your pajamas!"“Thank you, Kurome!” Akame called out from the other side of the door.Kurome took her sister’s clothes and left the bathroom but not before closing the door. She made her way back to their room and opened the door to it. Once Kurome entered, she placed her sister’s clothes on her bed. “With your frown, even desserts are bitter. Somewhere far away I can hear a song. If I’m awaken I’ll jump into this unknown world. Just as I’m feeling like if I’m dreaming, the secret Nightmare Counselor!”“What the…?” Kurome heard her sister’s scroll go off out of nowhere and took it out of Akame’s skirt pocket.The younger sister brought the scroll closer to her face and saw that it as a number she didn’t recognize. All kinds of questions were raised while hearing the ringtone continuing. “Raise my eyes from the past and look at a future vision. Is that called ‘escaping from reality’? The curiosity that threw me in this dark path of course is a limiter break too. It cannot be helped and yet it moves. Something changes: a wasted evolution. I’ve never thought I’ve ever wished something so bad, call me, call me, call me, call my name!”Kurome answered the called and placed the scroll close to her ear. “Hello?”The bathroom door opened and Akame walked out while wearing her pajamas. She dried her hair with a towel before setting it around her neck. After that, Akame walked to her room to retrieve her scroll. As she approached the room and entered it, Akame saw her clothes on her bed. She walked over to the bed and reached into her skirt pocket but soon found out her scroll wasn’t in there. “Where’s my scroll? I know I put it in here.” It didn’t take long for Akame to connect the dots and quickly left the room. Akame quickly descended downstairs where she thought her sister was. "Kurome, do you know where my…" Once Akame arrived on the first floor, she saw Kurome talking to the rest of the group. From the look of it, everyone had expressions ranging from shocked to confused. "Kurome?" Everyone heard Akame and turned all their attention to her. For some reason, Akame couldn't help but feel something was wrong. "What's going on here?"Kurome narrowed her eyes at her older sister and brought up Akame’s scroll displaying the unknown number to her. “So, Akame. Do you mind explaining to us who Merraid is?” A/N: Again, I don’t blame any of you for thinking what I did in this chapter is completely fucking stupid. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Hey, a fast update. You know what that means. Well, obviously I finished my class. Also, the reviews for the last chapter weren’t what I expected them to be. Ah, and before I forget, I would like to give a special shoutout to Toa IceHeart for the tribute fanart. I love it and it’s freaking fantastic. Thank you so much! Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Sixty Four: The First HugAkame was walking in the streets of Mistral while passing a multitude of people by. The reason for her walking about in the morning was because Akame had something important to take care of. Actually, it was because of what happened last night is the reason she needed this to be resolved. Akame sighed heavily as she slightly lowered her head. She clearly remembered what happened between her and her sister last night. F “I CAN’T FUCKING BELIEVE YOU!!!”“It’s not what you think-”“BULLSHIT!”“Kurome, I can explain-”“Oh, yes Akame. Please explain how you ended up with some random woman’s number calling your scroll!" In all honesty, even Akame didn't know how Merraid was able to call her scroll. Her best guess what she must've sneaked a peek at some point during their time together.While Kurome was going off a tangent with her sister, everyone else was just watching what was unfolding before them. They could understand why Kurome was angry at her sister. Within their group, they only had each other’s numbers. For an unknown number to be calling Akame’s scroll, that meant something was up. “Please, Akame. Just tell us who this Merraid woman is.” Cornelia was among having a leveled head.Akame felt ashamed for being asked such a question. She’d hoped to keep it a secret from the others but now…Akame just sighed in defeat. “Merraid was the woman who looked after me last night.”The truth was out but the answer only raised more questions from Kurome. “Okay, so why did this woman who looked after you call your scroll? I find that a bit suspicious.” Akame couldn’t answer that question. She knew the answer but that answer would infuriate Kurome more. Unfortunately for her, Kurome was connecting the dots herself. “Hold on. Earlier today you sent us a text saying you’ll be back but it too you an hour to do so. I’ve wondered-” She gasped in shock at the conclusion she came to. “No way…I don’t fucking believe you. You blew us off, your own team and friends... FOR AN EXTRA HOUR OF SEX!?” Akame felt both ashamed and embarrassed for hearing that. “What, did you also sleep with this woman last night too?” Kurome saw her sister turn away from her. At this point, Kurome was absolutely disgusted by Akame's actions. "Unbelievable. This is how you're coping with Leone's loss? Do you just sleep with any woman you come across now? I thought you were better than this!"“THAT’S ENOUGH!” A small but powerful pulse emitted from Akame and everyone froze still. Akame looked back at Kurome with her eyes changed into their demonic form. The shame and embarrassment in her eyes from before was replaced by irritation. “You have every right to be angry with me and I apologize for keeping this away from you. However, I will not let you continue to berate me.” Akame closed her eyes for a second before opening them to reveal they had changed back. “Yes, it’s true that I slept with Merraid but it was nothing more than a moment of weakness. And I did not willingly give her my scroll number.” Akame slowly walked over to Kurome and stopped once she was in front of her. She quickly swiped her scroll away from her younger sister and turned away from her. Akame then began to walk away from the group. “I will take responsibility for my actions and deal with Merraid myself. Good night.” Those were the last words everyone heard before seeing Akame walk back up the stairs and back into her room.Once they heard the door close, Oscar groaned and fell down to the floor. Everyone’s attention turned to him now. Ruby became worried while Nora kneeled next to him. “Oh no, Oscar’s down! Ruby quick, give him CPR!”“Wait, why me?!”“I’m fine! I’m fine.” Oscar gave a sigh of relief once he recollected his nerves. “It’s just…I never felt fear like that before. It was like…she was going to kill us. Her eyes alone made me frozen with fear.”Chelsea didn’t blame him for feeling that. She and guessed everyone else felt the same thing. “Well, Akame is a former assassin. That’s kind of her thing.”Oscar stood up and sighed again. “She appeared more like a demon than an assassin.”“You’re not wrong there.” Everyone turned to Wave this time as he stared at Akame’s door. “Back in our world where she was still wanted, Akame was given the name Akame of the Demon Sword Murasame. My last fight with her definitely showed me she’s earned that title.” He turned to the rest of the group. “And I’m sure you’ve witnessed that power too.” He wasn’t wrong about that.“Still, though. Akame already sleeping with other girls. She doesn’t wait around, huh?” Nora then felt a strike from the back of her neck. “O-Ow!”She turned around to see Taeko with her hand raised. “There is a time and a place for everything. Now is not the time. You do well to remember that.”“She has a point.” Nora turned to Ren. “Jokes aren’t appropriate right now. Especially what happened.”Nora sighed in annoyance and rolled her eyes. “Fine.”The rest of the members of Night Raid only stared at Kurome and were worried about her. They saw her hands closed tightly and shaking. Kurome gritted her teeth and growled slightly. “Damn it, Akame.”On the other end of the door, Akame was leaning against it. She held her scroll close to her chest and tightened her grip on it. Akame brought her scroll up to her face and checked her call history. She found Merraid’s number and tapped it. The former assassin brought her scroll to her ear and heard it ring. And then, she heard the other line pick up. “It’s me.” F After the call, Merraid had agreed to meet her at a small café near Merraid's apartment in the morning. Of course, Akame didn’t leave unprotected as she carried Yatsufusa and Murasame as always. She didn’t have much longer to walk as she saw the café up ahead. “A café near her apartment with lavender tiles. That must be it.” And sure enough, Akame saw Merraid sitting on a chair at one of the outside tables.Merraid turned her head around to see Akame and smiled happily. “Ah, you’re here!” She stood up and started to walk toward Akame. The two walked toward each other until they met each other halfway. “I’m glad you could make it. I’m even happier that you wanted to see me again. I haven’t even ordered yet. That’s if you haven’t eaten yet.” Unfortunately, Akame didn’t feel the same way. Instead, she was furious at the woman in front of her. It seemed even in another world, Merraid was still problematic. Merraid clapped her hands together. “What do you say? Shall we have breakfast?” Akame didn’t reply in the first few seconds. All she did was stare intensely at the older woman. Merraid thought it was strange. “What’s wrong? Why are you giving me that look?”Akame narrowed her eyes before finally speaking. “I’m sorry. For two things.” Merraid tilted her head slightly in confusion. In the next second, a loud smack could be heard in the street. People near the two girls stopped and witnessed that Akame slapped Merraid. The older woman had an expression of disbelief at what just happened to her. Akame kept her steely gaze at the older woman. “That was obtaining my number without my knowledge. What you have done was nothing more than an invasion of privacy. Because of what you did, my sister, my team, my friends, they all know what I did last night. I never wanted them to learn of that and yet you ruined it all because of a call you made. What were you thinking?”Merraid got over her initial shock. “In all honesty, I was surprised someone else picked up your scroll. It was never my intention to cause you trouble. I simply wanted to see you again.”“Sometimes simple intentions can lead to trouble and that’s what you’ve brought to me.” Akame retorted. “In any case, my first apology is slapping you. My second is for what I did to you last night. I know you told you told me I shouldn’t feel bad and didn’t do anything wrong. But that does not excuse my actions for what I have done. I cannot live with myself knowing I did such a thing and cannot apologize for it. You looked after and yet I took advantage over you. I can only hope you can forgive me in return.” Akame slightly bowed to the older woman.While Merraid was understanding of what Akame did, she didn’t like what had transpired before her. “Damn it. It seems she’s snapped out of it. Her will regained its strength. I would’ve thought she’d still be fawning over me but now I see that’s not the case anymore. I can’t let her slip through my fingers now that she’s so close. I promised Lady Salem that I would deliver Akame to her. And no matter what, I will make you mine…Akame. Only I am the one worthy enough of you.” She gave a sly smirk at the younger girl before putting up her façade. “If you really wish to make it up to me…then go out on a date with me.” Akame lifted herself up and was shocked to hear that from Merraid. “All I ask for in return is one date for a whole day. After that, I promise I’ll leave you alone. Deal?”Akame didn’t like Merraid’s proposal at all. She only came here so she can put this whole mess behind her. This deal Merraid was offering was nothing more than an annoyance to her. If it were another time then maybe Akame would consider seeing Merraid. However, this was not the time. She had far more important things to worry about such making up with her team and dealing with Salem. Akame gave out a long sigh. “If it’ll get you to leave me alone, I’ll agree. When it’s over, we will not meet again.”In the shadows of Merraid’s mind, a sinister grin appeared and an evil gleam in her eyes. She immediately hugged Akame and pulled her close. “You have no idea how happy you made me!” Merraid had a malevolent expression on her face. “I promise you’ll enjoy this date to best of what I can offer you.” She separated from the younger girl and smiled innocently at her. “Now, how about that food?” Her response was Akame’s stomach making a loud growl. Merraid couldn’t help but laugh while Akame’s face flushed red. “It seems meeting me was more important than breakfast.”She wasn’t wrong there. Settling this matter was more important than eating breakfast and that was saying a lot. Before Akame could start their date, she had one more thing to do. She pulled out her scroll and started tapping on the screen repeatedly. “I’ll let Kurome know what I’m doing. After what happened last night, she deserves to know now.” She finished and sent the text. Akame stared at the text sent message and knew that her sister wouldn’t be happy. They may be on bad terms now but she owed it her to let Kurome know nonetheless. Lest she wanted to drive a wedge further between them. Akame put her scroll back in her and looked back at Merraid. “Shall we begin then?” Merraid eagerly went to Akame’s side and locked arms together with her. The two then started to walk back to the café to enjoy a nice breakfast together. Akame could tell the older woman was ecstatic about this date. She couldn’t say the same but a deal is a deal. After this date was over, Akame will focus on reconnecting with her team and come up with a plan on what to do with Salem. B Chelsea felt something vibrate in her skirt pocket and took out a scroll to see what it was. She checked the message and chuckled at what she read. “Uh-oh. Kurome is going to be more pissed off when she sees this.”“Why do you even have Kurome’s scroll?” Rienna asked.The other girl put the scroll away back into her skirt pocket. “It’s for safekeeping. Kurome is going to be in her times four state for a while and crushing her scroll is not the first thing she wants to do. That’ll be the plates when she’s helping out Ruby and the others with breakfast.”“What did the text say?” Cornelia asked.Chelsea’s response was a Cheshire grin. “Oh, something about going on a date with the woman she just slept as a deal so that she’ll leave Akame alone. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she’s digging herself a deeper hole.”“Leave Akame to her own volitions. We’re here to discuss what are our thoughts are of her recent actions. We already know how Kurome thought from last night.” Taeko was correct. Most of the members in Night Raid were in Rienna’s room to talk about what they thought of Akame’s recent action. “Personally, I believe what Akame did was deplorable. I would’ve expected better from someone like her. Having done such a thing has dragged her through the mud.”Chelsea rolled her eyes at her friend’s explanation. “In other words, Akame hit a new low in sleeping with some random woman. As for what I think about the whole thing, yeah, I think she fucked up big time here. One night stands usually don’t work out well for the person involved and the people around them. This is just another example.” She turned to Rienna. “What do you think about all this?”Rienna seemed unsure what to say about the whole situation. She tried to come up with her own thoughts on the matter. “I’m…not sure. It does sound like what Akame did was bad so…I guess I have to agree with you and Taeko.”The three of them were all in agreement what Akame did wasn’t exactly the best. Four if they included Kurome. “Come on guys. This isn’t fair.” They turned to Cornelia who seemed upset at them. “Aren’t you being a little harsh on Akame?”Chelsea scoffed at the second blonde. “Oh, so you think it’s okay that Akame slept with the first woman she saw right after she learned that Leone was KILLED?”“Of course not!” Cornelia retaliated. “But none of you were there that night when I chased Akame down. You didn’t see how broken she was, how defeated she was. She’s not only lost someone she loved. She lost the only person who went through god knows what back in their world same as her. They knew each other much longer than they knew us so we can’t even begin to think what Akame had to go through.”Everyone had to admit she brought up a good point. However, it wasn’t good enough for Chelsea. “If you ask me, you’ve should’ve done a better job. If you’d drag Akame back here, with or without her kicking and screaming, none of this would’ve happened. I know you’re trying to justify for what she did but the bottom line is that she kept this hidden from us. Her own team. Her own friends. Not to mention she gave that woman her scroll number which is a big deal. Do you think we really have the time for her to be seeing other people?”Cornelia didn’t have a reply to that. Chelsea was right about her for not trying hard enough. If she had convinced Akame a little more, this whole mess wouldn’t have started. In a way, she felt partly responsible for what happened to Akame. So far, she’s failed to keep her promise with the previous Cornelia. “Um…isn’t that the reason why Akame went out to see her in the first place?” All eyes were on Esdeath now. “I mean…she left even before breakfast could be made. I think that kinda proves this is really important to her.”Esdeath wasn’t wrong there. For Akame to skip out breakfast of all things, they knew this was something that couldn’t wait. Still, Taeko wasn’t convinced enough. “While it is admirable for Akame redeeming herself, it’s not enough for us to completely forgive her. She has to earn our trust back.” That was the bottom line for the entire team. Even with Cornelia and Esdeath defending Akame, it was still four against two. All they could do now was wait for Akame to come back from her date and see where they can go from there. B Seryu heard several knocks on her door and sat up. She can already guess who was on the other side. "Come in."She saw the doorknob turn and the door opened to reveal Wave as expected. He entered the room and waved at the Faunus girl. “Hey there. Good morning. I just wanted to know what you want for breakfast.”Seryu stared at the soldier before sitting on the edge of her bed. “Three sausage links and seven bacon strips. Maybe a couple of biscuits.”It wasn’t much but it was enough to put a smile on Wave’s face. “I can do that. Thank you.” He turned around and started to leave the room.“Hey…” Wave stopped and turned around once again to face Seryu. She looked back at the soldier. “What was with all that noise last night? It seemed like something was going on.”Wave immediately seemed uncomfortable as he rubbed the back of his head. “Oh, you heard that huh? Well, Akame…Akame is kinda in a lot of trouble. Something about seeing a different woman and keeping it a secret from everyone. I’ve never seen Kurome that angry before. I seriously wonder what Akame has gotten herself into.”Having heard him mention Akame again brought up a question from Seryu. “You two are from the same world, right? And the…other Faunus girl?”Wave nodded at the question. “Yeah, that’s right. Why do you ask?”Seryu almost hesitated to reply because she felt a little nervous. It was completely necessary for her to know. “What’s your relationship with her?” There was a moment of silence between the two. Wave was caught off guard by Seryu’s question while Seryu blushed at the question she just asked. “No, wait! That’s not what I meant! I meant to say what does she mean to you!” That didn’t sound any better from before and screamed in frustration. “No! That’s not what I meant either! I mean…” She tried to come up with another way to ask her question but she became too flustered to speak again. “What the hell is wrong with me!? Why did I say those things!?”"We were enemies if that's what you wanted to know."Seryu heard his answer and calmed down. She was surprised to hear that kind of answer from him. “Enemies?”The soldier nodded at her. “Yeah. As I told you, I was a soldier for the Empire but Akame was with the Revolutionary Army. We only fought each other twice. The first was that happened to encounter her in the woods. The second was recent because…” He paused momentarily before resuming. “Because I wanted to make her pay for what she did to Kurome.”The Faunus girl raised an eyebrow at him. “You mean that girl’s younger sister?”Wave thought to explain a little more to her. “Not exactly.” He walked up to Seryu and sat next to her. Normally, Seryu would be against it but she knew Wave wouldn’t do anything. That and she wanted to know more about his history. “You see, the Kurome I knew, she was also part of our team, the Jaegers. However, she was subjected to multiple experiments, she became addicted to the drugs that were supposed to regulate her body. Because of that, Kurome's lifespan was severely shortened. Akame left the Empire in hopes to save her but there were only two options. It was either take Kurome to a special hot spring where it can prolong her life…or kill her.” Seryu gasped and her eyes widened in shock. In all the time she was in the White Fang, not once has she heard of one human doing such a thing another. Much less sisters. “Ultimately, Akame did kill her sister and I have never forgiven her since then. It was surprising to see Akame again in this world and I wanted to make her pay for what she did to Kurome. What she did to her own sister. I was close to finishing her off in our second fight but then…Kurome arrived out of nowhere. At first, I thought it was unbelievable she appeared before me but it was real. She may be this world’s Kurome but I was happy to see her. Even if she is a different Kurome than the one I knew.”Seryu noticed the look in Wave’s eyes as he spoke about Kurome. For some reason, she felt a slight twinge in her chest. She had to ask another question to distract herself. “So…If the two of you are enemies, why are you on the same side now?”Wave turned to his former comrade. “It’s because we share the same goal. Because of that, we agree upon a true since we’re up against a dangerous enemy. As a soldier, it's my duty to protect the innocent.”His words rang deep through Seryu’s mind. In fact, they reminded her of someone else she looked up to a long time ago. “Why? Why are you always getting in the way of my plans!?” “Because I am a hero! And a hero’s duty is to always protect the innocent!” Seryu was so enamored by the compression, she accidentally spoke a name. “Azure Angel…”Wave seemed confused as he could’ve sworn he heard Seryu say something. “What was that?”The Faunus girl realized what she said closed her eyes and shook her head. “N-Nothing.” She stopped and reopened her eyes to look at Wave one more time.Wave didn’t know what was that all about but he decided to leave it. He stood up from the bed. “Well, in any case, I’ll go ahead and prepare your breakfast.” He started to walk away from her again.“H-Hold on!” Wave stopped and turned to Seryu one more time. “Just one more question. You said you would protect the innocent. Does that include Faunus as well?”The soldier gave Seryu a comforting smile. “Of course, I would. In fact, I owe one for helping me while I was living in this world. I can never repay that kind of generosity.” Seryu just stared at Wave dumbfounded. “I’ll bring you your breakfast when I’m done with it. Okay?” He finally left with closing Seryu’s door.Seryu was once again alone but this time, she had some thinking to do. Primarily, what Wave had said from before. “Sharing the same goal, huh?”Back downstairs, breakfast was almost ready. Mostly everyone was gathered around the table. Kurome was focusing on not breaking the fork while holding it. Chelsea snickered at how hard she was concentrating. “Careful Kurome. Don’t want to break that fork now. Along with who knows how many other utensils.”Kurome growled at the other girl. “I’m not in the mood for jokes.”Taeko took a quick sip of her orange juice. “We also need to figure out a schedule. We know Wave is training Ruby and Oscar but there’s also our training we have to start on.”“You can have all the time if you want.” Ruby half-joked. In truth, she really wasn’t ecstatic to do Wave’s training again since her body was still a tad sore from yesterday. However, it was necessary for her if she wanted to improve fighting hand-to-hand.“Everyone!” They all heard Wave yell from the kitchen as he helped in the last minute. “Breakfast is almost ready! Just a few more minutes!”“Hurry it up already! And don’t forget the syrup!” Wave couldn’t help but chuckle at Nora’s request.“You’d get used to it.” Ren reassured him.Wave would take his word for it. As soon as he was done with the sausage and bacon, he’d add the biscuits next and take it to Seryu’s room. “Excuse me…” The soldier gasped and turned to see Seryu actually downstairs. In the kitchen no less. Ren was equally surprised to see her down here since Seryu avoided them entirely. Seryu shyly looked away from them while lightly scratching her right cheek. “Can I…eat with you?”The other reason Just those reasons. Not because she wanted to know Wave more. At least that’s what she kept telling herself.Wave smiled at Seryu and was proud of what she asked for. To him, it was a step in the right direction. "Of course, you can." B As the early morning sun shined over Kuo Kuana, Blake and Leone were slowly walking down the stairs. Blake stopped just briefly before reaching the bottom. “Okay.” She turned to Leone. “Are you ready?”Leone's response was a confident trouble. "Compared to everything else I had to go through from before, signatures are a piece of cake." She flashed a scroll to the other Faunus girl. "By the way, it nice for that girl to lend me her scroll. What was her name again? Syka?" Blake was also thankful for that. Otherwise, it would’ve been more difficult to do this on her own. They reached the bottom of the stairs and made their way to the town.Back at the Belladonna estate, Kali secretly watched them leave while a heavy sigh left. “Kali.” Kali turned around to see her husband standing in the doorway. He had a very serious expression on his face. “We need to talk.” B The tea that was briefly poured sat idly on the table before the Belladonna couple. There was silence between them for the first minutes before Ghira finally spoke up. “So, you decided to give Leone that weapon. From what I remember, that weapon once belonged to your dear friend. I’m sure you have your reasons but can you tell me why you gave it to her?”Kali continued to be silent while staring at her tea. It took her several more seconds to respond. “Well, at first it was because Leone currently doesn’t have a weapon. However, when I saw Leone put on that gauntlet for the first time, I couldn’t help but be reminded how much she looked like her wearing that. Surely, you’ve noticed by now. About Leone…”Ghira growled softly as he knew what his wife was talking about. “I have. She does bear a striking resemblance to her. But Kali, it’s been over twenty years since you’ve last seen her. Surely, you can’t think Leone is-”“I know it’s hard to believe.” Kali interrupted her husband. “Everything about this doesn’t make sense. She’s from a different world, what she had to do, the fact she’s around the same age as Blake…” Kali briefly stopped to recollect herself and sighed. “And yet…I want to believe that some part of her returned to me.”Ghira admitted he too could see that. He couldn’t fault his wife for thinking like this. Still, the Chieftain was wary about these unusual circumstances surrounding Leone. There was only one way to be certain who she really is. “Are you going to tell her about this?” Seeing his wife’s ears flattened told him his answer. “Kali, if you want to be absolutely sure to know you think who Leone is, you must tell her. Only then these frantic thoughts of yours will be put to rest. If these assumptions are proven to be true-”“You don’t have to worry about that, dear.” Kali interrupted her husband. “If that ever happens, I will deal with it.” Kali sighed out of exhaustion. “Still, if it does happen to be true then I wonder what his reaction would be if he found out he has a daughter.”Now that Kali mentioned it, Ghira wondered the same thing as well. “Surprised, I’m sure.” B As soon as Blake and Leone entered the town, they split up in hopes to achieve faster results. Blake first started by gathering a small crowd and stepping on a soapbox. She presented her scroll to the mass. “Your Chieftain needs you! Your people need you! Please, join the fight and help us save Haven Academy!” Her only reactions from the crowd were expressions of uncertainty.In another part of the town, Leone conversing with another Faunus. “I can tell by just looking at you that you have what it takes to help us. Want to join and help make a difference?”The other Faunus civilian didn’t seem sure at all what the Faunus blonde was offering. “Mata!” The front door opened and out came his mother and grabbed him by the arm. “Get back inside.”The mother dragged him back into their home. "Mom!"“You’re not going anywhere!” All Leone could do was rub the back of her head and felt like she lost a chance.Blake tried to convince a couple of Faunus to sign but they walked away from her. Leone did the same in a different crowd but achieved no result. She groaned and continued to walk among the crowd. Leone was becoming a little annoyed about how the recruiting was going. “Come on! How hard is it to get a couple of signatures? I don’t think it was this difficult for the Revolutionary Army when they did this.” She pondered where to go to next. It was then an idea finally came to her and snapped her fingers. "I know who to go to!" Leone made a dash to her next location. B “Gotta admit, this is one hell of a surprise. I didn’t think we’d see you again.”“Yeah, it’s great to see you two again.” Leone was currently at Kay’s and Omar’s home. Her plan was hoping the siblings could sign the petition and finally make some progress.Kay poured some tea into Leone’s cup and her brother’s. “What really surprised me was seeing you standing alongside the Chieftain and his family. I thought you would’ve left by now.”Once Kay finished pouring, she sat down next to one of the sides of the table. She shared similar thoughts with her brother. “No kidding. I thought you had to go somewhere. What made you change your mind and why were you with the Chieftain’s family?”It would be awkward for Leone to explain everything to them so she decided to tell them what they needed to know. “That was the plan at first but something else came up that I had to do here. As for why I was with the Chieftain’s family…well, I’m friends with their daughter. It was a complete surprise to me when I found that out and that she was here.” She took a sip of her tea before setting the cup back down.Kay whistled at that as she was impressed. “Friend’s with the Chieftain’s daughter, huh? I wish I was that lucky. As for your business, I can pretty much guess what it is. It has to do something with the Chieftain’s speech yesterday, doesn’t it?”Straight to the point which was how Leone liked it. “Yeah. You see, we need-”“We’re not interested.” And just like that, Leone was instantly shut down. She was sure she’d get a couple of signatures from them but the end result was the same. Omar was silently drinking his tea while Kay was looking at Leone in a disinterested way. “Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like we have anything against humans. Hell, we traded with them every now and then. But the bottom line is that my brother and I are just two siblings in the fishing business and that’s always been our lifestyle. Asking us to do something like saving Haven is way out of our league. Do you think any of us on Menagerie is ready and willing to take on the White Fang? Risk their lives to save an academy?” Leone hated to admit it but the other Faunus girl was right. At first and foremost, the civilians of Menagerie were fishermen, merchants, and suppliers. It was asking them too much to do this sort of thing. “I’m sorry you came here for nothing.”Leone lowered her head until her bangs covered her eyes. “No, it’s fine. Thanks for your time and the tea.” She stood up and quietly made her leave.As the two siblings saw Leone exit their door, Kay glanced over at her brother. "You forgot to ask her if she was single." Omar's reaction was spitting out the rest of his tea. B It was midday now and Leone and Blake finally met up for a quick refreshment. At least for Blake. Both of them didn’t have any luck in obtaining any signatures from the citizens. Leone was just finishing up how her end went. “And that’s what she told me.” The Faunus blonde sighed in defeat and thought about what Kay said to her. “She did bring up a good point, though. The citizens here aren’t like you, Yang, and everyone else we know and they’re definitely not like me.”Blake had to agree and knew why Kay would say such a thing. “I don’t blame her for saying that. The Faunus here in Menagerie, the ones that weren’t born on the island, moved here because they were tired of fighting, of having to struggle constantly. Menagerie is filled with people that just want to be left alone. And here we are, asking them to put the rest of the world before themselves.”That was a lot more than what Leone expected to know. It just wasn’t the natives who didn’t want to fight. It was also those who fled to get away from the fighting. “This is deeper than I thought.”This problem they have wasn’t even the worst of it. “The problem is whatever happens at Haven is going to affect them whether they like it or not. If Adam gets his way and Haven falls, it’s only going to make things worse for the Faunus. Everywhere.’Leone growled as she heard Adam’s name. “Him again. Why did you even work with a bastard like that in the first place?”Blake’s response was a sigh and looked at the other Faunus girl. “Have you ever met someone and thought to yourself ‘they are the personification of this word?’”Leone’s expression from irritation to confusion. “Not that I know of. Well, maybe except for Lubb. Pervert definitely defines him. Oh, and Su. Stingy is him. Pretty awesome but stingy.”Blake laughed a little as it was very welcome. “Okay, well, I remember getting to Ruby and thinking, ‘this girl is the embodiment of purity’. After a while, I saw Weiss was ‘defiance’. And Yang was ‘strength’.The Faunus blonde was very interested in this kind of thinking. “And what word would you describe me as?”Blake was glad Leone asked that. “Well, it would be easy to say that bravery fits you perfectly since you’re a lion Faunus. However, I think a word more befitting to you would be… ‘protective’.”Leone chuckled softly at that. “Yeah, I say that sounds about it right. Now…what was Adam’s?”Blake’s smile immediately faded and looked away from the other girl slightly. “At first, I thought Adam was ‘justice’, then I thought he was passion.’. But over time, I realized I was wrong. He wasn’t any of those things.” She looked back at Leone. “He was ‘spite’. Not ‘hatred’, not ‘rage’ but ‘spite’. He won’t accept equality, only suffering for what he feels the world did to him. And his way of thinking is dangerously contagious. That’s what worries me about Ilia. She’s not like Adam, not yet at least. But I don’t know how long that will last.”Leone could tell how worried Blake was for Ilia even though she was an enemy to them. “Sounds like you and Ilia were close friends, huh.”Blake slightly nodded. “She was. Her chameleon traits meant she could pass as human. She could’ve lived a normal life if she wanted but she didn’t.” She looked out to the other Faunus people. “I’ve always admired that. She lost her family in a mining accident when she was young and she joined the White Fang. Like me, she was more or less trained on the raid alongside other Faunus.” Blake then turned to her drink and started to swirl the small umbrella around in her drink. “She learned to survive, to defend herself but as Sienna started to gain a following and Adam, she became more dangerous. I guess I did too.” She stopped moving her umbrella. “My parents tried to get me to leave with them but I refused. I had Adam and Ilia after all.”Leone narrowed her eyes at her supposed father. “Sooner or later, we have to fight her and I won’t hold anything back the next time we meet.”Blake was already aware of that fact. “I know.”The Faunus blew out some air and leaned back in her chair. “Do you even know what to do next?”The other Faunus girl did have an idea but was unsure if it would work. “I’m going to help her the way Sun helped me. He showed me that sometimes you need to be there for a friend. Even when they don’t want you to be. I was drowning in guilt and fear. I tried to push him away but he didn’t give up on me. And I can’t give up on Ilia. It’s about time I saved my friends for once.”The Faunus blonde smiled at Blake as she admired her determination. “Well, if you think there’s a chance, I’ll stand by your choice. But…if Ilia does refuse your help and tries to do something to you, I will break her neck.” Blake was thankful Leone’s word but she does hope the latter half doesn’t come to pass. Leone looked up at the sky and had a content expression. “All that stuff you said about being there for a friend and saving them, it reminded me of the time everyone in Night Raid did their damnedest trying to save Tatsumi. We knew what we were getting ourselves into. We were up against Esdeath and Budo, two of the Empire’s strongest. We managed to save Tatsumi and get away but not without any losses on our end. Mine ended up in a coma and Tatsumi had the Tyrant Dragon trying to take over his body.”It was great for Blake to know a little more about Leone’s history. Then a question came to her. “Leone…” The Faunus blonde lowered her head to look at Blake. “How did you end up in your…profession?” She had to be careful what to say since they are in a public location. “Maybe it can help us with our recruiting.”Leone wasn’t expecting Blake to ask her that but was glad nonetheless. She grinned mischievously. “Oh, that? I just happened to beat the shit out of a couple of bastards I didn’t like and just like that, I got recruited.”Blake’s expression was dumbfounded. She never expected it would be that easy for Leone to join the Revolutionary Army. However, she still didn’t get the answer she wanted. “Okay…what about the other members of your former group? How did they get recruited?”The Faunus blonde had to think more on that. "Well, Akame was trained at an early age and defected to our side. Lubb was originally a soldier in the Empire but defected when Najenda joined. Bulat was the same except the Empire gave up one of his allies. Sheele just had a knack for what she did. Chelsea, I don’t know much but her count isn’t anything to sneeze at. Su was practically built for battle. Tatsumi was an amateur swordsman at first but he quickly grew strong. Mine, again, I don’t know much. The best I can guess is that she was trained by Najenda. Hell, she even gave Mine Pumpkin which was her Imperial Arms originally.”Blake became a little down after hearing Leone’s explanation. “I see. So, all of them had prior experience then.” While it was interesting to learn more about Leone’s previous team, it didn’t help at all with them trying to recruit. After all, the citizens of Menagerie had little to no battle experience at all. There was one fact that piqued Blake’s interest. “Hold on. An Imperial Arms can be wielded by a different person even if it’s original owner is still alive?”Leone nodded at her question. "Uh-huh. You see, an Imperial Arms can be used if it matches with the person who's using it. If the affinity between the person and the weapon aren't a match, it rejects them and that can lead to some pretty harsh consequences. That’s why not just anyone can use an Imperial Arms. Another example would be Incursio. It was first handed to Bulat from some old guy that used to be his teacher and then it passed on to Tatsumi. Also, remember that all the Imperial Arms were created one thousand years ago. Pretty sure all of them went through different owners. Even my Lionel.”Another question came to Blake about the Imperial Arm's affinity. "How do you know if it's compatible with you?"That, Leone had to think a little more before coming up with an answer. “I guess it would have to do with something about first impressions. Bulat told me how Tatsumi liked Incursio and that would be it. I suppose. I remember the first time I saw Lionel and something just called out to me to get it. Next thing I knew, I was a totally badass lion girl.” She smiled at the nostalgic thought of seeing Lionel.Blake smiled as well at the other Faunus girl. “I wish I could’ve seen it. It meant a lot to you, huh?”Leone couldn’t agree more and chuckled. “It meant the world to me. Funny enough, whenever I activated Lionel and became a beast, I always felt more…like myself. I don’t know why but it always felt right to me. Almost natural even.” She had a dreamy look in her eyes before returning to reality. The Faunus blonde stood up from her chair and stretched her arms out. “It’s about time we get back to work.” She lowered her arms and looked at Blake. “Hurry up and finish your drink. We can’t stop now just because of a few refusals.”Blake had a determined expression and nodded once again. “You’re right. We can’t give up now. We have to keep trying.” Blake then quickly drank the rest of her drink. After she was finished, two split up again in hopes in at least making a little progress. B A loud roar of a motorcycle engine could be heard in a large forest. On the motorcycle was Yang and she was carrying one more. He was a shady person the blonde met at a gas station and was more than welcome to give him a piece of her mind for not minding his own business. The only reason why she was carrying a shady lowlife on her pride and joy was that he said he knew where her mother was. She looked back at her passenger. "How much further, pal?"“This should about do it” Yang slowed down Bumblebee and stopped at a small circular clearing. “You wait here. I’ll go up ahead and make sure the coast is clear.” He got off from Bumblebee and Yang saw him running into the woods. She did the same and removed her sunglasses, her glove for her right hand, and part of her coat. Yang moved her neck around and stretched her arms out. Driving for a period of time could make one feel a little restless. The blonde then heard a noise and turned to the direction of it while raising her robotic arm. A shot was fired at her and it deflected off her right arm. She lowered her arm and saw the shady lowlife return with a few friends. He laughed smugly at the blonde. “I can’t believe you were dumb enough to let me lead you here. His group quickly surrounded Yang with weapons ready.Despite being surrounded by enemies with weapons and guns pointed at her, Yang wasn’t intimated by them. “Is this everyone?”Her passenger chuckled at her. “Yes, little lady. This is it. Well, unless you count the whole rest of the camp back that way.” He gestured the direction behind him.”Yang pointed in the same direction. "That way?"The lowlife turned his friends and they seemed confused before looking at Yang again. “Yes. That way.”That was Yang needed from him. “Good to know. Thanks.”Now the lowlife was feeling a tad cocky and began to walk up to Yang. “Now to pay me back for this tooth, we’re going to take your bike. And you’re going to take your lumps.”Yang’s response was raising her left arm and setting it down quickly to activate Ember Celica. Everyone around her was on guard now. The lowlife pulled out his gun and aimed it towards Yang. “You got the jump on me last time, sweetheart. But you really ought to think twice about fighting all-” A gun apparatus appeared out from above her wrist. The time for smack talk was over now. “Alright…get her!” Everyone rushed at Yang while the blonde calmly walked over to them. The first thug tried to deliver a punch but Yang delivered a kick to his leg before spinning around and knocked him off his feet. While he was momentarily in the air, she punched him straight to the ground. Yang then did a backflip to avoid the next attack and kicked it away next. The next thug tried to counterattack but Yang blocked that as well before jumping and delivered a swift spinning kick.The other’s open fired at her and Yang raised her right arm to block some of the shots. In-between the shots, Yang rushed at the first person and jumped kicked. She used the momentum from her last attack to quickly reach the other three behind her. As Yang landed, she performed a three hundred sixty degree at all three thugs at once, knocking them away. She saw the previous thug she knocked back from before coming at her again and met her halfway. Her opponent tried to get the first hit but Yang avoided it and delivered the knockout punch to her. She then noticed the next assailant trying to attack her from behind her. Yang blocked the attack with her robotic arm and quickly turned around to deliver an uppercut. The brawler next caught the attack from the lowlife and stomped on his foot. He screamed in pain just before Yang kneed him into the chin. For the three behind her, Yang jumped and performed a roundhouse kick at all of them.The lowlife growled as he stood up and took aim at Yang while she was busy dealing with the others. He fired a single shot at her but it missed. He grabbed Yang attention and she didn’t take too kindly being shot at while she was busy. She backfisted the last two thugs which brought them down and quickly crouched. Fired from both of her hands and launched herself straight at the lowlife. He tried to deliver a punch of his own but Yang lowered her left arm and shot up into the air spinning over him. She landed behind him and delivered the final punch to the lowlife. She sent him flying to the last stumbling thug and knocked them both out.Her weapons back into its bracelet form and tried to quell the shaking in her left hand. With the fighting done, Yang started to walk back to Bumblebee. "Who…Who are you?" Even with all the punishment, Yang had given him, the lowlife managed to stand back up. "It doesn't even matter. When Raven finds out what you did, you're dead!"“Possibly but I doubt it.” She turned around to face him. “I’m her daughter, after all.” She finally got on Bumblebee and started it up. “By the way, all of you were lucky it was just me fighting. If a certain someone I know was with me, she’d finish you off faster then I could’ve.” Yang finally drove off in the direction the lowlife pointed to.All the lowlife could do now was just see Yang off driving to where Raven is. Only one thought came across his mind. “I’m dead.” He then passed out. B The sun had already begun to set once Yang reached the camp. Her welcoming was less than friendly but that was to be expected. Once she said she wanted to meet their boss, they thought she was crazy. But after taking a second look, they realized she was serious. So, now Yang was being escorted through the camp. Yang took a quick look around the camp and saw that she wasn’t too welcomed. Everyone started to gather around the largest tent in the camp. Yang and her escort stopped in front of the tent. For Yang, after all this time, she would finally meet the woman who was her mother. The woman who’d abandoned her and her father for an unexplained reason. However, Yang’s reason for meeting her wasn’t like before. It was for a different purpose now. Finally, a figure exited out of the tent with a Grimm-like mask covering her head. Finally, they have met. “Mom.”Raven took off her helmet and smiled at her daughter. “Yang.” She set the helmet on top of a wooden crate and took a few steps forward to the younger girl. “So, after all this time, you finally decided to visit me.”Yang’s left arm started to twitch again and held it to calm it down. She stared intensely at her mother. “You know that I searched for you. I spent years looking for you.”"And you've found me. You were patient, determined, and strong enough to make your dream a reality. Well done, Yang. But did you have to be so rough with my men?"The blonde narrowed her eyes at her mother. “Trust me, they had it easy compared to someone else I know. She would’ve done worse to them. Besides, I didn’t want a fight. They started it.”Raven continued to have a smug and impressed expression. “Well, you certainly finished it.” Yang didn’t feel the same way as her mother. “Right. I’m sure this is all very overwhelming. But I must admit that you’ve proven yourself. So, any questions you have, I’ll be happy to answer. You can stay with us tonight. I’ll even have the cooks whip up something for you.”“That’s not why I’m here.”Raven frowned at what she heard from her daughter. “What was that?”Yang thought to make it clearer to her. “I’m not here for you. Ruby is somewhere in Mistral. She’s with Qrow. And she’s going to need my help. I just need you to take me to her.”Raven narrowed her eyes at her daughter. “And why would I do that?”Yang crossed her arms innocently as a mockery. “Because we’re family.”The older woman closed her eyes when she heard that specific word and turned away from her daughter. “Family. Only coming around when they need something.” She opened her eyes and walked a few steps away from Yang before turning to face her again. “I have to say, I’m disappointed. After all, you found me, didn’t you? Why not take that drive and use it find your little sister if she really means that much to you?”For Yang, the answer was easy. “Because you’re going to save me time. Ruby was heading to Mistral, but there’s no guarantee she’s made it there. Looking for her in Anima could take ages. But…dad told me how your semblance works.”Raven slightly looked away from her daughter. “Tai…”“You can bond to certain people. And when you do, you could create a portal that takes you straight to them. You got one for dad. One for me. And you’ve got one for Qrow. He promised me he’d watch out for Ruby before he left. And I trust him. So, make a portal to my uncle and sister and I’ll be on my way.”Raven huffed at her daughter’s arrogance. “It takes real strength to march in here and demand such a favor of me. I’ve got to say, I’m impressed. It’s very noble to want to help out your sister. But if she’s with Qrow, then she’s already a lost cause.”Yang didn’t like what her mother had said about Ruby. “What does that mean?”It appeared Raven had to explain a little more to her daughter. “You don’t want to get mixed up in all of that, Yang. Ozpin is not the man you think he is. And Qrow is a fool for trusting him. I would know. I trusted him once too.”The blonde really didn’t give a crap about what her mother had to say about Ozpin or her uncle. “I don’t care what you think.”At this point, Raven knew it would be useless to try and convince her daughter. The best she could do now was give her a small warning. “All I’m suggesting is that instead of getting wrapped up in something too big for you, for any of us, that maybe you take a moment to wonder if you’re already where you belong.”"Save your breath." Yang retorted to her mother. "You can spout off whatever you want but nothing is going to keep me from my sister.”Despite the warning Raven had given her, Yang was still adamant in searching for her sister. “Well, aren’t you stubborn.”To Yang, it was the pot calling the kettle black. “I get it from my mom.”There was silence between mother and daughter before Raven decided to speak again. “Well, if that’s how you feel, then it sounds like we’re done here.” She turned away from Yang. “Take her away.”The blonde saw several of the people already surrounding her but that’s not what she was worried about. “Did you not hear me?” Raven stopped in front of the entrance of her tent and looked back at Yang. The brawler was becoming a little furious now at her mother. “I said send me to Qrow, damn it!” Her eyes quickly changed their red color.“That’s enough!” Yang turned to one of the bandits. “You watch your mouth in front of our leader!”Yang just glared at the bandit relentlessly. “Make me.”The bandit seemed unsure at first but decided to charge right at the blonde. He jumped and tried to attack Yang but she ducked to avoid the attack. She then quickly stood up and pulled her right arm only to punch him away from her. Her attack sent him flying and crashed into one of the smaller tents. In doing so, it revealed quite a surprise.Weiss, who was trapped in a cage, saw her teammate. “Yang?”Yang had an equally surprised look on her face when she saw the former heiress. “Weiss?!”There was a slight confusion in the crowd as their hostage and Raven's daughter apparently knew each other. With Weiss exposed now, there was only one thing left to do. “Alright, well, subtlety is out.” She kneeled down next to the small ice knight and smiled at it. The small knight inserted its sword into the ground and kneeled before her. It then started to grow until it was large enough to destroy the cage. The bandit closest to the cage started to flee. Weiss didn’t waste any time rushing over to Yang’s side with her knight behind her.Yang was already in a fighting stance with Ember Celica activated. She couldn’t help but wonder what Weiss did earlier. “What is that?”That was the least of Weiss’ worries. “Don’t worry about it.” She turned to the blonde brawler. What are you doing here?”“Well, that’s my mom and she can take us to Ruby.” Both girls turned to Raven who couldn’t believe the turn in events.It finally hit Weiss who the woman took her really was. “Your mom kidnapped me?!”Yang was also surprised to hear what Weiss said to her. She looked at her mother in disbelief. “You kidnapped her?!”The crowd around them was beginning to become restless. The ice knight covered their backs and they were ready for the fight to begin. They started to rush as the closest person but a bolt of lightning came in-between and stopped them. “Enough!” Both girls turned to Vernal and Raven.Raven was glad that Vernal intervened before things became messy for all of them. “Thank you.” She turned to her attention to everyone in the camp. “If you people don’t keep it together, this place will be crawling with Grimm. Vernal, give the girl her weapon back.” Vernal was surprised by her leader’s orders. She reluctantly tossed Myrtenaster back to the former heiress.Weiss was able to catch her weapon and inspected it closely to see if anything had happened to it. “You two. In my tent. Now.”Both girls turned to Raven and Yang was unsure why Raven ordered them to do so. “Why?”All Raven could do was stare back at the two girls. “If you’re really going after your sister, then you need to know the truth.” That was all she said before reentering her tent.The crowd surrounding them started to walk away from the two girls. It seemed everything started to calm down now. While Yang was happy to see Weiss again, this wasn’t how she quite pictured in seeing her again. “Sorry about-”She didn’t even get to finish her sentence when Weiss dropped her weapon and threw herself at the other girl and hugged her. Yang didn’t quite expect Weiss to do this sort of thing. Weiss hugged Yang closer to her as she was overcome with joy seeing her friend again. “I missed you so much.”Yang quickly chuckled as she hugged Weiss back. “I missed you too.” The two girls continued to hug each other while the ice knight dissipated. B Fennec and Corsac just recently finished a message sent by Adam. They wanted to what each other's thoughts were on the matter. "Your thoughts?"“Are of no significance. If this is how High Leader Taurus wishes to proceed, then we shall make it so.”“Of course, brother. Still…” They heard knocking and turned around to face the door. “Come in.”The door opened and Ilia entered the room. Fennec was pleasant in seeing her arrival. “Sister Ilia. Thank you for meeting with us.”Ilia walked up to them and stopped to kneel before them. “How may I be of assistance?Corsac gestured at the other Faunus. “Please, stand.” Ilia followed the order and stood up. “We have wonderful news.”Ilia couldn’t help but feel nervous as to what the news was. “What is it?”“We finally received a message from the Mistral Brotherhood; the operation was a success. Adam Taurus has claimed his place as the High Leader of the White Fang.”Ilia felt slightly less nervous now after hearing that. “Good. And Sienna?”Corsac and Fennec quickly glanced at each other before turning their attention to Ilia. “She had fled with the assistance of another. Due to this and the aid of another member, they are called to treason. This is what all the other branches of the Fang have agreed upon.”Ilia couldn’t help but feel disappointed in Sienna. Someone like her fleeing with their tail in-between their legs. No pun intended, of course. “As long as she’s out of the way, that’s fine.”Both Corsac and Fennec slightly bowed to her. “Indeed. Your maturity and understanding in regard to this matter are appreciated. And it is why we've summoned you here.”“The White Fang is experiencing…a transitional period.” Fennec began.Corsac continued. “Growth requires change.”“And change can be painful.”Ilia could kinda see where they were going with this. “If it’s for the betterment of the Faunus, then…it’s a pain we can endure. What’s our next mission?”“Containment.” Corsac answered. “With the CCT towers still inoperable, we have the luxury of control over the flow of information.”“News of Adam’s ascension has yet to reach Menagerie. But when it does, the citizens of Kuo Kuana will undoubtedly react poorly now that the Chieftain has spoken out against us.”Ilia sighed out in frustration. “It’s my fault the Belladonnas had any ground to stand on. Them and that Faunus traitor with them.”Corsac held his hand out in front of Ilia. “Do not concern yourself with past failures, Ilia. Focus on the future. We have an opportunity for redemption.” He lowered his hand.Ilia was determined to see this through to the very end. “What do you need me to do?”“The Belladonnas are the only remaining threat to Adam’s assault on Haven Academy.” Fennec began again.“And so, they must be silenced.”Ilia couldn’t believe what she had just heard. She hesitated to speak to her superiors. “S-Silenced?”“Like Sienna, they stand in the way of true progress of our people.”“We would never put such a burden of you alone, of course. Your brothers and sisters will be at your side. But your relationship with their daughter makes you an integral part of this operation.”She stared at her superiors with uncertainty in her eyes. “Blake?”“We know how close you were with young Blake. Rest assured, High Leader Taurus has requested she be taken alive. But we cannot risk having her present to defend her family.”“But the people of Menagerie-”“Will come to understand what happens to those who speak out against the White Fang. That will include the Faunus Traitor as well.”“And will be left without a leader until our victory is complete.”Corsac approached Ilia and placed his hand on her shoulder. “A necessary sacrifice, sister Ilia.”Ilia didn’t say a word back and left the room. Once she was gone, Fennec and Corsac turned around. “She’s right to worry about the citizens. It’s possible they may come to see Ghira as a martyr.”Corsac wasn’t the least bit worried about that small detail. “It is a risk we must take for our High Leader.” He pressed the play button on the message Adam had sent them earlier. “I will not allow them to ruin this! The Belladonna name has brought me nothing but grief! You’ve done well in finding the deserter. Bring her to me, alive. But not before you’ve slaughtered her family. I have a promise to keep. As for the Faunus Traitor…do whatever it takes to put her down for good. By any means necessary.” Seeing the message a second time didn’t make Fennec feel any easier. “He seems…unwell.”His brother didn’t blame him for saying such a thing. “He carries with him a tremendous burden.”Fennec turned to the other member. “Are we sure is the one to lead us?”“For now. We must do what is best for the Faunus.” Fennec couldn’t help but sigh. They then heard a second knocking and turned to face the door again. “Yes?” The door opened another Faunus approached them. “Brother Yuma. Did you see to Ghira’s messenger?”Yuma nodded at them. “He rests beneath the waves. Along with his warning.”That was exactly what Corsac and Fennec hoped for. “Then all is well.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Good news, everyone! I have planned out this entire volume all the way to the end. And goddamn, it was a pain. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Sixty Five: The Second Hug(s)Rain quietly fell to the ground in the early morning. Qrow was in a rural part of Mistral as he continued his mission to find other huntsmen to help him. So far, none have been found. He made his way to his next destination which was a small dive. Qrow approached the building and slide the door open. What the huntsman saw wasn’t much. It was mostly empty, save for a passed out on a table and who seemed to be the owner working on a wooden sculpture with his knife. Qrow walked up to the owner who paid little attention to him. “Regular? Or the special?”It was neither for Qrow. “I’m actually looking for someone. Goes by the name of Shiro Wan. Ever heard of him? I heard he’s a regular around here.”The owner kept working on his sculpture. “Who’s asking?”Qrow knew the owner was being careful with his answers. Of course, who wouldn’t when a random stranger asks a question like that? “Hey, I’m not some cop if that’s what you mean. I need Shiro for a gig. We go way back.”“Way back, huh?” The owner finally looked at Qrow. “So, he’s a friend of yours.”He wasn’t exactly wrong there as Qrow rubbed his chin. “Hm, yeah, I’d say so. He’s a pretty alright guy.”“Well, in that case…” The owner pointed his knife at Qrow and seemed very angry. “You tell that jerk that he better not show his ugly face in here until he pays me the Lien he owes me!”It seemed whatever Shiro did, it wasn’t good. And Qrow was getting the brunt of it. He chuckled nervously as he backed away and held his arms up slightly. “Uh, did I say friend? I, uh…I meant acquaintance.” The owner stabbed his knife into the table. Qrow took that a sign to leave now. “Really, we’re just colleagues.” He backed away towards the exit. “Anyways, thanks for your time, buddy. I’ll be taking off now.” Once Qrow was through, he slid the door closed. He pressed his back against the door and sighed. The huntsmen then took out his flask and drank from it. Once Qrow was done, he put away the flask in his coat and brought out his scroll. On it was a list of contacts that he knew, and he crossed out Shiro's name. He sighed again as the Huntsman struck out again. "Great." Then the knife from before appeared through the door next to his head and took that as a sign to go.Qrow continued his search in the small village. He asked several of the residents about his friends, but they knew nothing about them, much to Qrow’s frustration. He finally arrived at a small home with its windows boarded up. He checked his scroll to see the last name on the list. “Heather Shields.” Qrow put the scroll away and knocked on the door a few times. There was no reply at first, so he banged on the door harder this time. When there was no response a second time, the Huntsman was going to knock again until the door opened. “Oh, uh, hey there. I’m looking for Heather?”The man who answered eyed Qrow suspiciously. Qrow’s seen that look before and was getting tired of it. “Look, pal, I’ve had a rough day. Do you know where she is or not?”“Daddy?” He saw a small girl walking to her father and stood beside him. She looked at her father with innocent eyes. “Does he know where mommy is?”With her appearance, things suddenly became awkward all around for Qrow. "I, uh…" He sighed once again. The Huntsman looked at the father. "I'm sorry to bother you." The young girl seemed to be disappointed and left. Along with the father and the door closed. Qrow rubbed the back of his head and walked away. It had become midday when Qrow stood in front of a large holographic screen displaying names and mission statues. He compared notes between his scroll and the screen and saw that some of the huntsmen he was looking for…were terminated. Others, still in progress for an unusually long time. Qrow sighed in defeat as this only meant one thing. His search was entirely fruitless. He felt defeated since none of the contacts he knew were completely unavailable. And most likely will ever be.“Well, well. What a surprise seeing you here of all places.”Qrow gasped and immediately stood up. He recognized the voice talking to him and turned around. Sure enough, it was who he thought it was. “You? What are you doing here?” B It was almost the end of the day as the sun setting signified it. It also meant the end of Wave’s training regime was near. He was standing across from Ruby and Oscar who seemed weary from the training they had done all day. On the sidelines was the rest of RNJR, most of Night Raid, and Seryu. All of them were outside on the training grounds. The soldier held a strong stance with his arms crossed while staring intensely at his trainees. “Ruby, Oscar. Come at me with everything you have! Try to get one hit me!” Ruby and Oscar were feeling less than stellar right about now. Even with the new schedule, Wave’s training still wore them out considerably. However, even if they were feeling fatigued, they would see to this training through. Ruby glanced at Oscar and nudged her head at the solider. It took Oscar a few moments to realize that the young leader had a plan. He nodded back at her and they started to rush at him. "A frontal assault?" Once they were near Wave, they immediately separated. Ruby took on Wave’s left side while Oscar was on the right. The soldier had to admit he didn’t anticipate such a tactic. “A pincer attack.” Ruby jumped and attempted to perform a jump kick. Oscar jumped as well but threw a punch instead. "Not bad…" Wave caught Ruby's leg and Oscar's fist simultaneously. "But not good enough!" He swung both younger combatants to his front and slammed their bodies together. He then turned his body and swung Ruby and Oscar with them. Wave threw them away and both crashed to the ground hard.They groaned as Ruby as the first to stand up while Oscar was still recovering. “I’m not done yet!” She ran toward Wave again. To Wave, this was an amateur move and rushed toward her halfway through. He pulled his arm back and thrust it forward at the young leader. Ruby may have hesitated at first but this time she was ready. She ducked below Wave’s attack delivered her own counterattack. However, Wave was quick enough to step back to avoid the swing but Ruby continued swinging her punches. The soldier deflected each of Ruby’s attacks with his palms easily, but he is noticing Ruby is adapting. After her last punch, Ruby ducked again and performed a sweeping kick. Wave jumped back to avoid the attack and was generally impressed. Ruby quickly stood up and came at Wave with an uppercut. Wave backed away again to avoid the attack. With this, Ruby had left herself wide open for Wave’s counterattack. He quickly kneed the young leader in the stomach. Ruby let out a pained gasp before Wave clasped his hands together. He raised them and struck down on the young leader right on her head. Ruby groaned in agony as she lied on the ground.Speaking of lying on the ground, Oscar was starting to come around. “You forgot to engage your aura again.”Oscar groaned at Ozpin. “Why didn’t you tell me!?” “Because this method makes you less likely to forget.” Oscar really couldn’t argue against that. He stood up and saw that Ruby was on the ground. “Ruby!” Wave looked at Oscar’s direction and rushed at him. Oscar managed to cross his arms in time to block Wave’s incoming attack. The soldier’s attack knocked the younger boy back a little but not far enough away from Wave. Wave attempted to kick Oscar from the right, but Oscar put his left arm up to guard. He put his other hand on his bicep to strengthen his guard. And he needed it because Oscar felt the power behind, but he stood his ground. He used his remaining strength to push Wave's attack away and immediately saw his opening. “I got him now!” He pulled back his right arm and launched his punch at the soldier. Then Wave caught the attack with his left hand. Wave tightened his grip, forced Oscar’s attack away from him and delivered a swift low kick with his right leg at Oscar’s left calf. Oscar was brought to his knee and Wave raised his right hand and struck Oscar down.The young boy groaned in pain while Wave sighed in relief. “Okay, I think that’ll be it for the day.” He offered a hand to Oscar and the younger of the two looked up before grabbing it.Seryu was impressed with what she saw. Wave was much more than she originally thought. “Even when he’s holding back, he still took them seriously. With the way Wave fights, I bet he could kick Syura’s ass easy. I’d love to see that, actually.”Ruby stood up still feeling a little out of it and walked up to Wave and Oscar. “How are you feeling, Oscar?”Oscar rubbed his cheek in hopes to quell the pain. “I’ve been better.” He winced a little at the pain.Wave chuckled awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry about that. I thought I held back more. Gotta say you two did well, considering.”Oscar placed his hand in front of the soldier and shook it. “No, no. It’s fine and thank you. It’s a learning experience after all.” He sighed at his brief experience. “I’m just not used to this sort of thing.”“Your body isn’t used to this kind of training.” Everyone turned to Ren who was the only one sitting. “Not to mention generating a defensive aura on your own. It takes intense concentration at first, but in time, it will become second nature, allowing you to deflect attacks gradually heal your wounds. After that, you can begin focusing on your semblance, whatever that may be.”Chelsea whistled at Ren’s guidance. “Maybe he should be the one training you guys.”Oscar’s heard the word a few times but never really understood it. “Semblance?”Nora wasted no time being next to Oscar’s side. “You know! Like your very own superpower! Everybody’s got one. It’s just a matter of finding it and mastering. Ruby moves super fast, electricity makes me stronger, Ren can mask emotions, and Jaune…can, uh…” She was uncertain was Jaune’s semblance would be.Jaune, unfortunately, had to admit he didn’t know. He rubbed the back of his head in shame. “I can’t do anyth-”“Jaune’s like you!” Ruby grabbed Oscar’s hand and dragged him over to where Jaune is. “He hasn’t found his semblance yet, but we all know he will. And you will too.” She looked over at Wave. “And you too, Wave.” Wave was grateful for Ruby’s optimism. He did want to know more how semblances worked in this world. Ruby turned her attention back to Oscar and Jaune. “We all just have to try and help each other get stronger.”Oscar liked the sound of the idea and nodded. “Cool.”Ren had his own two cents to say about the conversation. “A common philosophy is that a warrior’s semblance is a part of who they are. Some say that your personality and character can define your semblance. While some claim that it is the other way around. Of course, there are still many who don’t see a connection at all.”Nora wanted to add more to the conversation. "It's hard to know when you know sometimes. Ren's semblance was unlocked from intense stress."“And mine kicked in during training one day.” Ruby explained.Oscar turned to Nora. “What about you?”“Oh, struck by lightning. Didn’t die. Crazy Thursday.” Nora replied nonchalantly. She turned to the remaining members of Night Raid. “What you guys? What crazy stories do you have when finding out your semblance?”Cornelia giggled awkwardly as she lightly scratched her cheek. “Mine showed when I was getting frustrated on baking a cake for my papa. Every failure I had left me more frustrated. I was so angry, when I grabbed the next bag of flour, it exploded. It was fun and kind of a pain to clean up.”Taeko remembered how her power had awakened. “My semblance was unlocked due to my grandmother’s training. Chelsea’s, however…” She glanced over at her childhood friend.Chelsea groaned at where the other girl was going. “I tried to copy what Taeko did when she found her semblance. Eventually, I what she did, and it turned out I could it. The bad news was that I accidentally cut the couch in the living room and Granny worked me twice as hard. It was hell. Found out I could copy more when we went to school”Since Rienna was working on her weapon, for the time being, Takeo thought to explain on her behalf. "Rienna once told us she discovered her semblance when she was at the circus one time.”“I think that’s when her coulrophobia began.” Chelsea added. Ruby raised an eyebrow. “Coulo-what now?”“She’s deathly afraid of clowns.” Chelsea explained. She turned to Kurome now. “How about you, Kurome?”Kurome’s response was a huff as she looked away from the group. “Like Taeko and Ruby, I found mine through training. That’s all there is to it.” The explanation was a little too simple for Chelsea’s sake. She was hoping to know more about Kurome since she does keep her private life close to herself.Finally, Ruby turned to Esdeath. “What about you, Esdeath? How did you unlock your semblance?”Esdeath had an expression of uncertainty when asked. “I…don’t exactly remember.”Now, everyone was confused by what Esdeath said. “What do you mean?” Jaune asked.Esdeath tried to recollect what happened to her previously. “W-Well, I do remember what happened prior. I was young, five years old and my father took me out hunting.”“He took you out hunting Grimm?” Cornelia inquired.Her teammate shook her head. “No, no, not that kind of hunting. Hunting small game like rabbits and boar. Anyway, I went up ahead of my father to track a boar and I wanted to make him proud. I did find the boar but…I also found a Major Ursa. I was terrified since it was the first Grimm I ever saw. I tripped on the ground and saw the Ursa growling and coming near me. I was overcome with fear and the last thing I remember was me screaming and hearing my father calling out my name. After that, everything became white. The next thing I knew, I was at my home and in my bed. My father came in to check on me and I was so happy to see him. when we hugged, this blast of cold air happened. My father explained to me what happened was that my semblance awakened when I was being attacked. It completely froze that Ursa. After that…well…” Ruby knew what Esdeath was talking about. Esdeath’s semblance was powerful but it made her an outcast in other people’s eyes. A powerful semblance that was supposed to be a gift was instead treated as a curse. There was one part in her story Esdeath did leave out on purpose. “Of course, my father also explained that I was asleep for a whole week when that happened. Also, when I was cleaning my room, I found something. It was small, like a pebble. An ice pebble and it was incredibly beautiful with its bright shiny blue hue. The strange thing is, I could never recreate that beautiful blue ice again.” With all the talk about semblances, a question came to Wave and turned to Seryu. “What about you, Seryu? Do you have a semblance?”If it were anyone else, Seryu wouldn’t answer. But, since this was Wave asking, she’d give it a chance. Seryu lifted one of her arms in front of everyone. “I do. My semblance is reinforcement. What it does that anything I touch, I can strengthen its durability beyond its limits. Even a piece of wood can become stronger than steel. This includes my arms.” She set her arm down. “As for how I awakened mine…” She blushed at the mere thought of it and turned away from the group. “Never mind. Just forget it.”Saying that only made Wave more curious. “What? Come on. What was it?”Seryu gritted her teeth and growled. “I can’t! It’s freaking embarrassing!”“It can’t be more embarrassing than Chelsea slicing up a couch.” Nora commented.Seryu groaned as she turned her back to everyone. She mumbled her answer to the rest of the group. Wave couldn’t quite catch what the Faunus girl said. “What was that?”Seryu growled again but in frustration. She turned around to face the group looking embarrassed. “I pretended to be Azure Angel!” Everyone didn’t have a response to her outburst. She sighed in defeat as she crossed her arms. “Look, I…I used to pretend that I was Azure Angel and be a hero. One time I tried to do a pretend rescue mission with two of my plushies. I performed one of Azure Angel’s signature moves on one of them and…made a hold in the wall with the gloves I was wearing. My…dad wasn’t happy about it.”After hearing that heartwarming story, Chelsea tried to hold in her laughter. Wave certainly wasn’t expecting something like that from Seryu. It’s also the second time he’s heard of the name “Azure Angel” but didn’t know who that was.The name rang a bell for Jaune but thought now wasn’t the time to think about it. After hearing everyone’s stories of how they discovered their semblances, he couldn’t help but feel more distressed. “I just don’t understand what’s wrong with me. I trained. I meditated. But…”Oscar’s eyes glowed and Ozpin took over. “Don’t worry, Mr. Arc. Your journey is far from over. And the same might said for all of you.” He turned to Wave. “Including you, Mr. Wave.” Ozpin looked back at his students and Seryu. “Unlocking your semblance isn’t the end. It can still grow and evolve. Providing you’re willing to put in the work. Who knows what could happen.” Everyone nodded at their former headmaster.Wave agreed as well and raised his hand to look at it. “Semblances reflect who you are, huh? Akame’s semblance was obviously the sins she has carried. I wonder, what will be my semblance when I discover it? I suppose the only way I’ll find out is when it happens.” B Tea was poured in a cup by Vernal. Once Vernal finished pouring into Raven’s cup, the leader turned to her. “You can wait outside.”Vernal bowed to her and set the pot down. “Thank you.” She promptly left the tent, leaving all three alone.Raven started to drink from her cup while Yang and Weiss just watched. Yang crossed her arms. “So, what’s the truth?”Her mother ceased her drinking and ignored her daughter’s question. “You know, it’s better when it’s hot.”Weiss has only met this woman for a few seconds and was already she was fed up with her. “You know, you’re really obnoxious.”Again, Raven ignored the comment. “The truth is that truth is hard to come by. A story of victory for one person is a story of defeat for someone else.” She set her cup on the table. “By now, your uncle has surely told Ruby and her friends plenty of stories.”Yang was confident in her uncle. “Well, he’s never given me a reason to doubt him before.”Raven expected her daughter to say that about her twin brother. “That doesn’t mean those reasons don’t exist.” The blonde narrowed her eyes at the older woman. “You know, you and your teammates might as well be the poster children for the Huntsmen academies. Your motives vary, but you all enrolled to try and make the world a better place.” Raven leaned back on one arm. “It’s adorable.”“It’s what huntsmen and huntresses do.” Yang responded.“Not all of them.” Raven replied. “Some people are just in it for the money and the fame, but there’s even more that are just looking to grow stronger. Your uncle Qrow and I didn’t attend Beacon to become huntsmen. We did it to learn how to kill huntsmen." Yang and Weiss both gasped at the fact and glanced at each other. Raven expected their reaction to be like that. "Daddy and uncle left that part out, hm?” She sat back up again and started to pour another cup of tea. “Aside from the Grimm, huntsmen were the only ones capable of ruining our raids and hunting us down. Our tribe needed a counterforce.” Raven finished pouring and took a quick sip. “And Qrow and I were the perfect age. The entrance exams were child’s play compared to what we’d already been through.” Raven stood up from her seat and looked down at the two girls. “We were good.” She turned away from them and took a few steps forward. “So good, that we caught the attention of Beacon’s very own headmaster. Professor Ozpin. Even after we were put on a team, I could tell he as keeping his eye on us. Back then, I thought it was because he knew, but it was team STRQ that he was interested in.”Yang somehow didn’t like the sound of that. “What do you mean by that?”Raven recalled everything Ozpin had to her and to her team. “Constant attention, extra training missions, turning a blind eye whenever we happened to break the rules and get into more trouble than we should’ve.” She turned around to face the two girls. “Sound familiar?”Both girls glanced each other quickly before looking back at Raven. “What’s your point?” Yang asked.“How much do you know about Professor Ozpin? About his past? Raven asked back.This time, Weiss was able to answer the question. “He was…a prodigy. One of the youngest headmasters to be appointed to a school.”Raven rolled her eyes as she expected answers like that. “Because that’s how he planned it. Because the man you know as Ozpin designed those schools and has followers inside every academy on Remnant that are loyal to him and no one else.”Yang wasn’t quite following where her mother was going with this. “That doesn’t make any sense! How could he have-no, why would someone even do that?”Her mother was hoping to ask that question. “Because old man Oz has a great and terrible secret. One that could spread fear across the world.” She turned to the map in her room. “One that he eventually entrusted to our team and once I knew, there was no going back. I needed to know more, but with every new discovery I made, the more horrifying the world became.”The blonde was growing tired of leading them on. She wanted to get to the point. “Okay, then tell us. What’s the big secret? What’s so crazy that the rest of us don’t know?”Raven became silent as she closed her eyes. She reopened them a moment later to answer her daughter. “The creatures of Grimm…have a master named Salem. She can’t be stopped, she can’t be reasoned with, and she will not rest until humanity crumbles at her feet.”Yang only had one response to Raven’s explanation. “What?”The older woman turned around again to face the girls. “You know, you two haven’t even touched your tea.” She took another sip of her tea.Yang had about enough and stood up from her seat. “Why should we believe any of this?”That was another question Raven wanted to hear from her daughter. “Now you’re catching on.” She walked toward the blonde. “So far you’ve done nothing but accept what others tell you…” The older woman set her cup down. “But you need to question everything.” Both mother and daughter stared each other down before Raven walked away. “Otherwise, you’ll end up just as blind as Qrow.” Yang gritted her teeth in anger. Raven glanced back at her daughter. “And your fool of a father.” After that comment, Yang kicked the table over and everything on it crashed to the floor. Yang’s eyes became their crimson red yet again. “Don’t you dare talk about my family like that!”“You need to calm down.” Yang and Weiss glanced over to Vernal who pointed her weapon at the blonde.Weiss grabbed her teammate’s hand in hopes of calming her down. “Yang, please.”Raven smiled at the former heiress’ plea. “Listen to your friend, Yang.” She turned around completely. “Your teammates never let you down before.”“You don’t know the first thing about my teammates!” Yang retaliated. “About me! You were never there! You left us!” She lowered her head and closed her eyes. “Why?”Raven was indifferent to her daughter’s reaction. “I know more than you realize. Not just about you, and not just what I’ve been told, but things I’ve seen with my own eyes. I know the Grimm have a leader, I know people who can come back from the dead, I know there’s an entity out there capable of traversing between worlds, I know magic is real, and I can prove it.” At this point, Yang’s eyes returned to their natural lilac color and Weiss stood up. “You said Tai told you all about my semblance.” Vernal lowered her weapon and Raven walked toward the exit of her tent. “Well, I doubt he ever told you what Oz did to my brother and me.” She left the tent.For a third time, Yang and Weiss looked at each other in confusion. “Go see for yourself.” Vernal spoke before leaving.Both girls ran out of the back of the tent and saw Raven was nowhere in sight. Yang looked around for her mother. “Mom?”Weiss could tell her teammate was easily distressed by what happened briefly before. “Yang, are you okay?”“No.” Yang replied. “I’ll be fine once we can get her to take us to Ruby.” She continued to search for her mother.Now it wasn’t distress Weiss was seeing. She saw her teammate was agitated. “It’s okay if…you’re not okay.”The blonde turned to her teammate. “You didn’t believe what she said, right?”“I…of course not.” Even if that was her answer, Weiss’ face clearly showed she was having doubts about everything. “Well, not all of it. It was crazy. We have dust, sembalance, but…I mean, there’s no such thing as magic. At least that’s what I would say if we didn’t know two people that are from a completely different world.” They suddenly heard a bird caw. They looked up to see a bird flying around near them. “A raven?”Yang immediately recognized it. “I’ve…seen that bird before.”Weiss turned to her teammate. “Maybe it belongs to your mom?”They saw the raven flying around before it made its way to them. It passed by several trees and rustled some leaves by doing so. When it passed by another tree, the raven disappeared and in its place was Yang’s mother. She landed on the ground right in front of the girls. They were absolutely flabbergasted at what they witnessed. “How…did you do that?”Raven smiled at her daughter and her friend. “Well, I could explain it to you…” She gripped her sword and unsheathed it quickly to slice the space behind her. What resulted was her opening a portal. “Or you could ask your uncle.”Yang could scarcely believe what her mother was doing. “You’re letting us go?”Her mother turned to her. “I’m giving you a choice.” She sheathed her sword. “Stay here, with me, and I’ll answer all of your questions and more. We can have a fresh start.” Yang just glared at her mother. “Or…” She stepped aside and gestured at the portal. “You can go back to Qrow and join Ozpin’s impossible war against Salem. And meet the same fate as so many others. But can you really go back to trusting someone that’s kept so much from you?”Weiss was uncertain at first until she looked at Yang. To her, she had already made up her mind. “All I care about is making sure my sister is safe.”Raven narrowed her eyes at her daughter and scoffed. She couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Yang revved brought up Bumblebee and revved it. Weiss was riding on the back holding onto her teammate. “Yang.” The blonde stopped her motorcycle and both girls looked at the older woman. “If you side with your uncle, I may not be as kind the next time we meet.”Yang had already known that. “You weren’t kind this time either.” She looked away from her mother and drove through the portal.Once they were through, the portal close. Raven lowered her head as she thought of Yang’s last words to her. “I know. To be honest, this isn’t how I envisioned our first meeting. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.” B Qrow was hanging out in a part of Mistral watching the sunset. He was still trying to get over that all of his contacts were gone now. However, he wasn’t alone. “I see. I’m sorry to hear that about your friends.”His condolences were wasted but he did appreciate them a little. “Thanks, but…somehow this isn’t right. I could get one or two of them but all of them?” He sighed. His companion understood his frustrations but also found it strange his friends were all gone. All of them capable hunters and yet…Before he could finish his thoughts, both of them heard a sound coming from behind. They turned around to see a familiar looking portal. At least to Qrow. His friend, however, didn’t know what he was seeing. “What in the world is that?”“Raven?” Both of them heard a dull roar of an engine and finally saw who came out the other end. “Oh.”His friend recognized them too. “Wait, I know you two. “ B All of RNJR, Wave, and Seryu were working on preparing dinner while most of Night Raid was prepping the table. Wave saw that Ruby was going to add one of the ingredients to the pot of boiling water. “Uh, Seryu?” The Faunus girl stopped just before dropping the ingredient in. “The kale is supposed to be added last. If you add it first, it’ll spoil.”Seryu realized her mistake and pulled the kale away. “Oh, sorry. I really haven’t cooked in a long time. I mostly ate military grade instant food when I joined the White Fang.” The soldier couldn't help but laugh. In fact, the conversation reminded him of when he cooked with Bols for the first time. “By the way, I…never did properly thank you for the leftovers you gave me. I know I left notes but…”“It’s fine.” Wave interrupted her. “We look out for each other. That’s what comrades do.” Seryu couldn’t help but blush slightly at the word “comrade”. The soldier took a closer look at the pot. “Well, it seems to be coming along nicely. Just needs the last ingredients added, some time and then it’ll be ready.”Ruby popped up from behind to see the pot. “Great! Now if it Qrow was here, everything would be just perfect.”Now that she brought him up, Jaune had a question. “Come to think of it, he’s been gone for a while now.”Nora ate one of the carrot pieces she chopped. “Well, if he’s been gone this long, you think he’s bringing that many people? Because if he is, we’re going to need a lot more food. We already have a large group as it is.” She ate another carrot piece.Nora raised a good point for Wave. If there was going to be more people coming, it’ll be a hassle to feed all those mouths. And that wasn’t what he was worried about the most. “I’m just wondering when Akame is coming back. She’s been gone all day.” Everyone didn’t have an answer to that. All they knew was that Akame left early in the morning and hasn’t been heard since. Nora kinda figured the other team would know but would ask about it later.Ruby had her own thoughts on the matter. “Well, we do need all the help we can get.”“I’m back!”The young leader gasped happily when she heard her uncle’s voice. “Qrow’s actually home now!” She grabbed the tea set and walked over to greet her uncle. Her eyes focused on the tea set momentarily. “I’m glad you’re back, Qrow. We didn’t know how many people were coming, so we cooked all of it.” She finally looked forward and gasped at who she saw and dropped the tea set. Ruby saw none other than her sister, Yang, and her teammate, Weiss, standing next to Qrow. It has been over six months since she had seen her older sister and was frightened. Ruby didn’t know what to say or what to do. Her mind was racing a million miles an hour. She saw her sister take a step toward her and seemed serious. Ruby just blurted the first thing she could think of. “Yang, I…I’m so sorry! I-I should’ve stayed, and I should’ve talked to you more! I’d-I just…I wasn’t sure if you wanted me around and-”Yang immediately approached her little sister and hugged her. Tears were rolling out of Ruby’s eyes. Tears were coming out of Yang’s eyes as well and hugged Ruby closer to her. “I love you.”Ruby’s eyes widened before she buried her face into her sister’s shoulder. “I love you too.” It was a heartwarming scene for everyone to see. It even brought a tear out of Weiss. “Weiss…” The former heiress looked at the sisters and opened their arm to her. She smiled at the offer and gladly ran over toward them where they all hugged together. Three out of the four members of team RWBY has finally been reunited.“Uh...Ruby…” The three girls broke the hug and all of them turned to Wave who seemed slightly confused. “Not to ruin the moment but who are these girls?”Yang raised an eyebrow at the person she had never seen before. “Who are you?”Weiss was wondering the same thing, but a certain girl caught her eyes. She noticed the pair of dog ears on her head. “A Faunus?”Seryu was practically speechless at the girl she was staring at. She knew all too well who she was and the family she belonged to. “A Schnee!?”“Weiss!”Weiss recognized the voice calling out to her and saw the last person she expected to see again. “Esdeat-mph!”Esdeath gave Weiss a hug of her own and unknowingly shoved her face in-between her breasts. “Is it really you? Oh, I’m so happy to see you again!” Weiss’ response was muffled.Yang shared her teammate’s reaction. “Hold on. You’re here? Then, does that mean-”“Ha, ha! I can see the headlines now.” Chelsea and the others arrived at the scene and spread her hands apart. “C.O.D of Schnee heiress is suffocation via face in large breasts. Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?” Taeko slightly elbowed her friend.Cornelia waved at both girls. “Hi, Yang. Hi, Weiss. Fancy meeting you here, huh?”Kurome smiled as she crossed her arms. “Well, this is a hell of a coincidence. Seeing you two here.”It just wasn’t Esdeath. Mostly everyone from ALCE and even KRCT was here. Yang knew she had to find them for Leone’s sake, but this was not what she was expecting. “Wait, all of you are here too?”Unbeknownst to everyone, the door from behind opened and walked in Qrow’s friend. “Now isn’t this just a happy family reunion.”Esdeath gasped when she heard the voice and let go of Weiss. The other girl took in a deep breath of air. “Finally!” She looked up at Esdeath and saw she had a surprised expression. “Esdeath?”Esdeath wasn’t the only one. Cornelia shared her teammate’s reaction at the man who arrived. “W-Wait. You’re…”Esdeath couldn’t believe he was here. Having Yang and Weiss with them was unbelievable enough. However, the man standing before them was a larger surprise. She only uttered one word at the man standing before her. “F-Father?” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: At the time this chapter is posted, I’m playing Tales of Berseria for the first time. Does this mean I’ll return to working on Tales of a Raven? Well, I already said I haven’t given up it. Oh, and I guess the reveal of Vol 6. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Sixty Six: No More SecretsThere was joyous chatter in the air as everyone set several large cooking pots of noodles on the table. Some side dishes were also added as well. And with being such a large group, they had to use two tables for everyone to sit around. Everybody was enjoying the food and having the time of their lives. Well, almost everybody. Seryu mostly kept quiet and didn’t join any of the conversations. All she could think about is when she finally decides to eat with humans, a Schnee just happens to be there with her. Normally, Seryu would be seething with hatred and rage that she was in the same room with a Schnee. However, she felt none of those emotions presently. What would be getting angry accomplish? Besides, as she knows that any Schnee does not take kindly to the White Fang. As the saying goes; the enemy of my enemy is my ally. That is if she considered Weiss to be her enemy. On top of the that, the blonde girl who accompanied her looked strikingly similar to Leone to Seryu.As the rest of the group were eating, they began to tell each other’s experience since the last time they saw each other. Yang laughed at one of Jaune’s moments. “How did you lose your map a time like that?”Jaune was still feeling embarrassed about that mistake. “Believe me, I’ve asked myself the thing ever since.”Yang and Weiss laughed and so did Jaune. “Hey, but you made up for it, Mister Muscles.” Nora complimented. “You should’ve seen this guy take a giant Grimm head on.”It was obvious they were talking about their recent battle against the Nuckelavee. Jaune couldn’t take all the credit in that battle. “I couldn’t have done it without Ruby wearing it down.”Ruby wasn’t so sure about that. “Uh, me?” She pointed her chopsticks over at Ren. “Did you see Ren during that fight? He was out of control!”Ren couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed with how he acted. “I’m sorry. I may have lost my temper momentarily.”The young leader knew he misunderstood what she meant. “No, no! Out of control as in awesome!”Ren finally understood and smiled at her. “Thank you.” Almost everyone laughed.Ruby was the first to laugh and turned to Esdeath. “Although, Esdeath was pretty awesome too. You should’ve seen how many Grimm she took down. It was really, really cool!” Yang was about to say something, but her sister interrupted her. “Not a pun, Yang. Anyway, and you should’ve seen how she took command. It was so…I don’t know.”Yang smiled as she the exact word to use. “Hot?”The younger sister chuckled as she blushed slightly. “That’s one way to put it.” Weiss felt like her heart stopped momentarily.Esdeath couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and rubbed the back of her neck. “I…just did what I had to do. I’m sure anyone else could’ve done it too.”Cornelia thought otherwise and giggled. “You’re too modest. I still think you’d make a great leader.”Chelsea ate another slice of meat from her noodles. “Careful now. We don’t her to get a big head.” Mostly everybody laughed again.More of the noodle soup was consumed as they finally heard what happened to Weiss. Needless to say, they were all shocked. Especially Seryu. Ruby gasped. “You did not!”The former heiress buried her face with her hands in embarrassment. “Yeah, right in the middle of the party.”Yang was very impressed by what her teammate had done. “Please tell me you let that lady have it.”Weiss immediately straightened out. “Of course not!” She gave off a sly smile. “Even if I did really want to.”Chelsea snickered at the other girl’s story. “I gotta say, your family is a bunch of assholes. Especially this younger brother of yours. Seriously, how many siblings do you have?” Weiss won’t argue against that. Well, except for her sister. Her father and brother, on the other hand, definitely.After hearing Weiss’ story, Seryu had more to think about the former heiress’ tale. “So…even when she was one of them, they still treated her like that? They’re own family?” It’d appeared that everything she knew and heard about the Schnee family was partly true but not in the sense she expected it to be.Nora was still not convinced by one detail Weiss said before. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes. “No way, I don’t believe it.” Nora opened her eyes when she heard a sound and turned to see an ice Boarbatusk. Naturally, she screamed out of surprise and everyone laughed. “No way. I only saw General Esdeath do that sort of thing. She can create living ice too?” Speaking of Esdeath, she had similar thoughts. “Living ice. Then…is it possible for me to…”More of the soup was consumed and it was finally time to introduce Wave to Yang and Weiss. Their reactions were as expected. “He’s what/who now?!”Ruby giggled awkwardly and thought to explain. “Yeah, like I said. This is Wave. The very same person Akame talked about before. He saved me back in Oniyuri from a guy called Tyrian and he’s really strong.”Nora had more to say about what happened back then. “You have no idea! When Wave stabs the ground with that sword of his, a giant dragon comes out of the ground and it roars! It’s terrifying, actually. I mean it scared even me and I don’t scare easily. Oh, and he’s strong enough to obliterate a small town in one attack! Like the one we were in when we met him. Thankfully, that never happened but you should’ve seen it!”Both girls continued to stare at Wave in disbelief. Not only they were meeting another person from Akame’s world, but he had also saved Ruby. Wave chuckled meekly and waved at them. “It’s nice to meet you both.” He turned his attention to Yang. She was not like anything Wave expected her to look like. So, you’re Ruby’s older sister. I hope I’m not rude for saying this but you two don’t actually look like you’re sisters.”The blonde smiled at him. It came as no shock when he said that to her. “We have the same dad but different mothers.” That made more sense to Wave. “Anyway, thanks a lot for saving my sister. It means a lot.”Wave smiled and nodded at her. “It was nothing. I saw she was in trouble and I acted. Just as anyone else would.” He turned to Weiss now. “And what’s your relationship with Ruby?”Weiss acted like deer caught in the headlights. She wasn’t sure how to respond. “She…I…”"We're teammates! And BFFs." Ruby answered for her. "In fact, Weiss was the first person I found when we were in the entrance exams."Something seemed a little off to Weiss. Ruby answered almost too quickly for her. And then she remembered something important. “Oh, crap! I think she still has the note I gave her!” Weiss was so caught up in catching up, she forgot all about the confession letter she left for Ruby before she left for Atlas.“So…” Yang interrupted Weiss’ thoughts. “If you’re from Akame’s world…does that mean you have a-”“An Imperial Arms?” Wave finished. “Yeah, I do. In fact, I’ll show you it.” He stood up and grabbed the handle of his weapon. The soldier slowly pulled it out before fully unsheathing it and presenting it to the two girls. “Here it is. My Imperial Arms. Carnage Incarnate: Grand Chariot.”Yang and Weiss closely examined the weapon. It certainly was different compared to Akame’s sword. That didn’t make it seem less dangerous, though. Even with Nora’s description of what happens when he uses it. Seryu was more interested in the sword than the others. If what Nora said was true, it seemed almost unbelievable. “His sword can summon a dragon?” That was something she wanted to see for herself.Weiss had her own question for the soldier. "How did you come into our world? Did you wander into a forest and make a wish?"Wave sheathed his weapon and sat back down. He was surprised she knew that. “Uh, yeah. I was going to rest for the night at the forest and I may have thought of wish. My wish was…to see Kurome again.” The soldier turned to said girl. Kurome just kinda glanced at him as she was struggling to eat her food. Wielding chopsticks in times four state wasn’t easy. “And it did come true.” Wave looked back at Weiss and Yang. “What I didn’t expect was to see Akame in this world.” They were pretty sure Akame thought the same.“Tell the time you almost tried to kill Akame back at Kuroyuri.” Nora blurted out.Her comment caught the Y and W of the team off guard. “WHAT?!”Wave threw his hands up defensively. “I can explain! I can explain!” He set his hands down and cleared his throat. “Yes, it’s true I almost tried to kill Akame but we're on the same side now. Besides, she’s become a different person since the last time I saw her.”Kurome scoffed at his words. “Yeah, you can say that again.”Both girls seemed to be curious as to why Kurome would say such a thing. In fact, all of the members of Night Raid seemed to act a little strange. Yang would have to ask about it later. Right now, all that matter was catching up. Speaking of, she turned her attention to Seryu. “By the way, who’s your friend sitting next to you?” Now everyone was clearing their throats and seemed uncertain. This was a reaction the blonde didn’t expect to see. “Uh…what’s up with everyone?”Ruby knew this would be awkward when they reached to Seryu. Especially with Weiss in the same room. She had to find some way to let them know smoothly and gently. "Well, you see…uh…"“I’ll tell them.” Seryu spoke calmly before picking up her bowl and drinking it. To her, there was no use in beating around the bush. It was better to get it over with. She finished drinking her bowl and set it down. Then she stared at both girls right in the air. “My name is Seryu Koro and the truth about me is…I was a member of the White Fang.”Yang and Weiss were silent for moments on end. Them and everyone else at the table. Finally, Weiss was able to speak. “You’re from the White Fang?!” The former heiress should’ve suspected Seryu was from the White Fang. What she couldn’t wrap her mind was why she was here with her friends and just blatantly tell her that. What’s more was that Weiss heard of her name before. She heard it from Akame that Seryu was once a member of their rival force, the Jaegers.Seryu expected her reaction and remained calm. “Surprising, isn’t it? However, you can relax. I’m not going to sneak into your room and slit your throat while you sleep if that’s what you’re thinking. I. Even if I did do it, I wouldn’t get anything out of it.”Now Weiss was confused. A member of the White Fang was here before her and won't do anything to her? That's almost as believable as Whitley being a competent younger brother. She wasn't buying it and narrowed her eyes at the Faunus girl. "Yeah, I'm sure you turned over a new leaf quickly." Seryu was unfazed by the other girl's glare.For Yang, she was trying her best to quell her anger. The most that showed was her gritting her teeth. “So, this is the girl Leone fought before. She’s the one who separated her from everyone else.” She was about to say something, her sister interrupted. “It’s kinda true.” Her teammates turned her with shocked expressions.Ren would also back her up. “She’s been through a lot.”That wasn’t anywhere close enough to convince Yang. “Sure, my heart’s bleeding out for her.”“Just let me explain.” Both girls turned back to Seryu.Weiss and Yang glared at the Faunus girl before crossing their arms. “Go ahead then. Tell us your excuse.” Weiss commanded. And so Seryu did. She told them everything that had happened in the White Fang and how she ended up in this situation. During her whole telling, Weiss and Yang’s expressions changed. It was hard to believe at first, but apparently, what Seryu had was actually true. “So, what you’re saying is that Adam is planning a coup d'état on the leader of the White Fang and he’d become the new leader?”Seryu nodded at her question. “That’s right. Adam himself told me this and offered me to join him. Obviously, I told him to shove his offer and his sword up his ass. The only leader I’d accept is Sienna Khan. Besides, I always thought of Adam as a bastard anyway. More so after what he did back at Beacon. After that, he wounded me and those I fought alongside turned against me. I managed to escape and somehow ran into your friends. Now, I want to make the White Fang pay for what they did to me and to Sienna. Therefore, I told the rest of your friends about their plan of attacking Haven.” She slightly turned away from both girls. “At this point, I don’t even know if Sienna is still alive.”Weiss didn’t know what to think now. She knew the White Fang were a bunch of bastards, but do something like this to their own? It was no wonder when she said she had no grudge against her. That grudge was focused on Adam and the rest of the White Fang. In a way, they were in similar situations. Not to mention if Adam has become the new leader, it could only mean more bad news for them and everyone else. To Yang, she was indifferent after hearing Seryu’s story. To her, it was karma for what she did to Leone. However, there was one part she could sympathize with. They were both hurt by Adam and wanted to make him pay for what he did. That was the only common ground they had. If they weren’t having a happy reunion dinner, the blonde wouldn’t waste any time pummeling her. One detail she has noticed about Seryu was that both her arms were like her own. The only difference between them is that Seryu’s arms seemed to be an older model.Seryu poured more of the soup into her bowl. “That’s my entire story. What you think of it is up to you two.” She stopped pouring and blew her soup to cool it off. “However, one fact that is true is that I’m no longer your enemy.” She began slurping her noodles. Weiss will give her some credit for revealing who she was in front of her. In front of a Schnee no less. However, she still won’t trust her as far as she could throw the Faunus girl. It was not the same as it was for Blake. Blake was her friend and teammate whilst Seryu was not. It would take a lot for Seryu to gain her trust. For Yang, it would be nigh impossible for her to trust Seryu. If at all.Moving on and with most of the soup gone, it was finally time for Yang to tell about her escapades. Hers was the most outlandish out of the group. “You went to Menagerie?!” Weiss exclaimed. Everyone else shared her reaction.The only who wasn’t shocked was Wave. He had a more puzzled expression. The soldier leaned over to Seryu. “What’s Menagerie?” He whispered to her.The Faunus girl wasn’t surprised he hadn’t heard of Menagerie before. He was from a different world after all. “It’s an island that’s inhabited mostly by Faunus. It’s also where there’s a faction of the White Fang. They’re lead by Corsac and Fennec.”Wave was impressed such a place existed. He was also a little worried. “How well did you know them?”Seryu just shrugged. “I only met them a couple of times but they’re a little…culty. Kind of.” Still, a human going to Menagerie was not unheard of before. It just didn’t happen often since Faunus folk are a little cautious when it came to human visitors.Yang smiled brightly and loved her friend’s reaction. “Yep. I went there with Blake because she had to deal with some personal issues. Oh, and get this. Blake is actually a princess over there! Well, technically, she’s the Chieftain’s daughter but same difference.”Ruby had sparkles in her eyes when she heard that. “That’s so awesome! I never knew Blake was a princess.”It was true what people say. Truth is stranger than fiction.The blonde wasn’t done yet explaining her Menagerie adventure. “Oh, and Blake’s parents are really awesome. Her dad is really serious, but I think that’s because he’s the Chieftain. Her mom is a really sweet woman. I think Blake got her looks from her mom.”There was one important question Weiss had to ask her blonde teammate. “Yang, did they happen to know your relationship with Blake?”One of Seryu’s dog ears perked up when she heard that. Yang laughed embarrassedly at the question. “They do. It was kinda scary when they found out but they’re okay with their daughter going out with a human.”Seryu silently gasped at the fact. “A human and a Faunus, together? And two girls no less.” Seryu had rarely seen human/Faunus relationships but she did look down on them. Or at least, she used to. Before, the Faunus girl always assumed the human of the relationship was secretly abusing the Faunus for their own sick pleasure. Or just using the Faunus for their own sick gain and amusement. It made her blood boil just thinking about it. What’s changed was meeting Wave. Wave had shown and taught her that not all humans were bad. Not all of them were like the bastards that took her arms away. It also made her wonder what else she was wrong about. The Faunus girl wanted to ask how Yang treated Blake but she saw how Yang looked at her earlier. That told her now wasn’t the time to ask such questions.Jaune had another question for Yang. “So, if you were in Menagerie, how did you end up in Mistral?”Yang was glad he asked that. “Blake was the one who pushed me to do it. She knew how important it was to find my mom.”Ruby was happy Yang decided to find her mom. If she’d stayed behind, this conversation wouldn’t be happening. It was a good thing too since she has been eyeing a certain piece of her sister. “Oh yeah, Yang, about your arm…”The older sister looked at her robotic arm. “Oh, this?” She smiled and stood up and walked to the front of the table. Yang held up her robotic arms and flexed it a bit for everyone to see. Everyone was in awe with her new arm. “It’s no replacement for the real thing…” Showed it off a bit more. “But I’ll make sure to make good use of it.”Ren and Jaune complimented Yang while Ruby was ecstatic seeing a new piece of weaponry. To Wave, the blonde was the third person to see someone with a robotic attachment. The first was Najenda and second was Seryu. Both of her. Speaking of, Seryu couldn’t take her eyes off of Yang’s arm. It was so brand new and shiny, unlike her own arms. She was curious as to how she lost her arm. Ruby wasted no time rushing over to her sister’s side and held her arm up. “And it’s just as strong?”Yang wasn’t surprised her sister took an instant shine to her new arm. She was a weapons enthusiast after all. “Sure is.”Everybody then heard a thud on the table and turned to see Nora with her elbow on the table. She had a determined expression. "Wanna bet?"Weiss couldn’t believe what the other girl was doing. “Nora, please, now’s not the time-” And Yang and Nora were already arm wrestling. Everyone stood up and Jaune and Ruby were cheering the girls on.Seryu was the only one confused as to what was going on. “Is this regular a thing humans do?”Ruby continued to cheer her sister on. “Come on, Yang! You can’t lose to a girl in a skirt!”The heiress saw the irony in Ruby’s comment. “You wear a skirt, Ruby.”The younger girl ignored her and grabbed the former heiress by the shoulders. “Weiss, you’re not cheering loud enough!” It was at that point Weiss questioned why even fell for the girl.Nora was impressed by the strength of Yang’s arm. “It definitely feels like the original, I’ll give you that.”Yang was pleased to hear that from her. “Yep. But…it does have some new features.”The other girl was interested in hearing that. “Heh, oh yeah?” She then heard something click and was thrust forward to the wall. What happened was that Yang ejected her arm. Nora groaned in pain as a result.Although it was surprising, there was confusion everywhere. Jaune asked the question on everyone’s mind. “Did she…win?” Nora came around to and saw she was still holding Yang’s detached arm. Naturally, she screamed and tossed the arm back to Yang. The blonde laughed as she caught her arm.With the food completely finished, Kurome and Jaune put the bowls in the two cooking pots. Jaune felt a little more full than he was used to. “I can’t believe we ate it all.” He picked up his cooking pot from the table. “Ugh, I think I’m going to be sick.”“Suck it up.” Kurome lifted her cooking pot up but was more careful. “I could’ve eaten more but I’m not the only one here.”“How much can you eat?”Kurome ignored his question and huffed. “And how come I’m the one stuck carrying the pot and bowls?”Chelsea waved her hand nonchalantly at her girlfriend. “What better way to better handle your times four state?”Kurome hated that the other girl had a point. She said nothing and walked out of the room. Jaune followed her behind. “H-Hey! Wait up!”Yang chuckled at Jaune. “Try not to lose your lunch Vomit Boy!”Jaune still wasn’t amused with the nickname. “Nickname throwbacks. Nice one, Yang!”Weiss couldn't help but giggle happily. Nora thought she'd never heard such a thing. "Ice Queen seems to like it." Yang and Ruby laughed at their teammate. She then realized what she said while Esdeath was in the room. "Whoops. I meant Weiss. Not you, Esdeath.”Esdeath didn’t seem to be bothered by the nickname. “It’s fine as long as it’s not directed to me.”The former heiress rolled eyes before smiling. “I so did not miss you people.”Nora gasped in shock as both her hands were on her cheeks. “Oh my gosh, she really does like it!” Weiss rolled her eyes again but still kept her smile. “What went and warmed your heart while you were gone?”Now Weiss’ smile was gone and seemed insulted. “Hey! You make it sound like I used to be terrible.”Yang thought she was close to that fact. "Nah. Just a lot deal with at once.” Weiss glared at the blonde while the other girl stuck her tongue out.Everything did feel like old times to them. “It’s been a long time.” Ren spoke. “We’ve all grown in our own ways.”Ruby felt humbled when she heard that. “You really think so?”Ren knew so as he recalled everything back in their Beacon days. "Well, think back to when we were all at Beacon. Would you say you did anything foolish or embarrassing? Or do you think you were perfect?"That last part struck Weiss like lightning on a cord. She actually felt embarrassed now that she thought about it. She buried her face in her hands in an attempt to hide her same. "Oh, gosh." Yang had to admit she was kinda in the same boat. “I may have been a little too gung-ho time to time.”Her sister giggled at that. “Hee, you?” She had something to top that. “I tried to 1v1 a Nevermore on the second day of school.” It may have seemed awesome the first time but now Ruby knew it was kinda stupid.“Yeah, well…” Everyone saw Jaune who had come back leaning on the wall. Kurome stood next to him. “Don’t even get me started.”Ren continued with his philosophy. “Well, that embarrassment, that desire to go back and tell yourself not to be so stupid, that just proves you’re not the same person you used to be. You’re smarter, or kinder, or stronger, and you’re not done growing yet. None of us are.”It was surprising for everyone to hear Ren talk so much since he was the quietest out of the group. Ruby could confirm that. “Yeah, turns out Ren gets real deep when he feels like talking.” Then they heard Chelsea laugh for some reason and turned to her. “Yeah, well. Joke’s on you pal. I haven’t changed at all. Not one bit.”“That’s where you’re wrong, Chelsea.” Now all the attention was focused on Taeko. She took a small sip of her tea and set it down on the table. “Believe it or not, you change every day whether you notice it or not. Some of these can be large in some ways. Such as…” She looked at Esdeath. “To have finally met others who can accept you and your faults.” Then she turned to Cornelia. “Having to meet people for the first time and develop a powerful bond with them.” Cornelia blushed slightly as she knew what Taeko was talking about. Taeko looked at Kurome next. “And to have discovered that you never knew would’ve existed.” Taeko turned to the whole group. “There is a saying that goes: when every life meets another life, something will be born. I believe that saying applies to everyone here. Whether what emerges out of that something is dependent on the two lives meeting. It could be friendship, respect, love, acceptance, hatred, understanding, the possibilities are endless. And it is these possibilities that make it possible for change to happen.” Taeko then turned her attention to Chelsea. “Besides, I seem to recall how you and I first met, Chelsea and you certainly changed since then.”Chelsea didn’t have a witty reply. She had a flashback to when she first met Taeko and Babara for the first time. When she was but a small child wearing ragged, tattered clothing and was filthy beyond recognition. When she saw Babara offering her hand to her with an equally young Taeko standing next to her. “How would you like to escape this dreadful life?”Chelsea narrowed her eyes at her childhood friend. “Yeah, you don’t have to remind me of that.”“I shouldn’t be surprised all of you are making so much noise eating dinner.” Qrow, Oscar, and Esren finally appeared next to Jaune and Kurome. All everyone did was just stare at them. B The clock’s ticking was the only sound heard in the living room. The remaining members of RWBY, JNPR, and Oscar were sitting on the couches and chair. The Night Raid members chose to stand up. The same for Esren, Wave, and Seryu. They were all gathered for Oscar, or rather Ozpin to explain everything to Weiss and Yang. Weiss thought just having people coming from another world was crazy enough. “So, the Maidens. Magic. Salem. It’s all true?”“Uh-huh.” Qrow confirmed.Ozpin turned his attention to Yang. “Miss Xiao Long, is this more or less what your mother told you?”Yang remained silent so Weiss answered for her. “For the most part.”“You forgot something.” Yang finally spoke. She turned to Ozpin. “You forgot to tell everyone what you did to Qrow and my mother.”Jaune and the others expressed confusion by her statement. “What is she talking about?”“Oh, great.” Qrow already knew where this was headed.Ozpin was quite surprised Raven would even say such a thing. “That’s not a secret I thought she would give up so easily.” He looked back at Yang. “Your mother must trust you a great deal.” The blonde didn’t think the same way. Ozpin turned away and sighed. “My ability to reincarnate, though a curse, isn’t without a few key benefits. Much like the Maidens, I too possess a certain…magical power.” He stood up and began to walk around with his cane. “Using this power, I able to gift the Branwen twins the ability to ‘see’ more. To move freely and be unburdened by their natural bodies.” Ozpin approached Qrow and stood next to him. “I…well…gave them the ability to turn into birds.” He laughed now that he actually said it. “Rather ridiculous sounding out loud, isn’t it?”Chelsea would have to agree. “Not to mention, and no offense, a little lame.” Taeko, again, elbowed her in the side. “Ow!” She turned to the other girl while rubbing her side gently.Taeko sometimes can’t believe how blunt her teammate can be. “Read the room.”Ruby and the others shared the same shocked expression learning about Qrow. “Uncle?”Ren was having a hard time believing as well. “You turned them into birds?”Nora could say the same. “Alright, now you’re just messing with us. And this is coming from a girl who knows three people from another world.”Only Jaune seemed to get over his initial shock. “What else is new?”“He’s telling the truth.” All of RNJR turned to Weiss. “We saw it. Yang’s mom…changed right in front of us.” Qrow and Ozpin briefly looked at each other.Yang wanted to know more about her mother and uncle’s transformation. “Why would you do something like that? I mean, what is wrong with you?”Qrow wasn’t going have any from his niece. “Yang, that’s enough. We made a choice. We wanted this.” His answer seemed to calm down the angry blonde.Ozpin glanced over at Qrow. “May I?” Qrow nodded and the former headmaster began to walk again. “Granting this power to them was no trivial task and I can assure you it not done frivolously.” He stopped and turned to his student. “I required assistance in gathering information on Salem’s plans as well as searching for the Maidens when their hosts became unclear.”Ruby seemed to be getting an idea about the whole thing. Still, she had some questions. “Okay, so, have you done this with others? Like General Ironwood or Professor Goodwitch?”Ozpin walked over to Yang’s side now. “As helpful as that might be, unfortunately, it is not that simple.” He stopped next to the brawler. “My power is finite and if I’m being honest, dwindling.Esdeath held back a gasp as she realized who Ozpin really was. “I don’t believe it. Ozpin is… the old man from the story.” The former headmaster turned to Yang. “Miss Xiao Long, it was never my intention to lie to you.” He looked at the rest of the group. “To any of you. There are just matters that I prefer to…play close to the chest.” He turned to Qrow now. “I believe that’s how you phrased it?”Qrow couldn’t help but laugh at the irony thrown at him. “Heh, yeah.”Ozpin decided to wrap everything up now. “Everyone has a choice. The Branwens chose to accept their powers and the responsibilities that came with them. And later, one of them chose to abandon her duties, in favor of her own self-interest. Now, all of you have a choice. If anyone wishes to leave, now is the time.” Ozpin turned away from the group. “There’s no shame or disgrace in abstaining, only in retreat.” Everyone was silent as they all looked at each other. Qrow, however, looked at Esren. “What about you, Esren? What’s your choice?” The kids were one thing but Esren was a completely different matter. He was just someone who got rolled into the situation and been given a crash course.Esren just sighed as he crossed his arms. “You know, when you said you needed my help, this isn’t what I exactly thought it would be.” He turned to his daughter. “Honestly, Esdeath, what have you gotten yourself into?” Esdeath looked away from her father as she couldn’t look at him in the eye. The other Huntsmen looked over at Ozpin. “I’m going to have to think this through a little more over this, Ozpin. Especially since my daughter is involved.”Ozpin knew that not everyone would be on board. In fact, he was content with it. He turned back around. “Very well, then.”Yang stood up from the couch which Ruby thought it was strange. “Yang?”Yang had already made up her mind. “If Ruby sticks around, then I will too. If there’s one thing I know about her, it’s that she somehow always knows the right thing to do. But, if we’re going to help, if we’re going to keep risking our lives, no more lies. No more half-truths.”Ozpin and Qrow looked at each other again before Ozpin looked away. He agreed with his student’s proposition. “Understood.” With hearing that, Yang sat back down.Now there was only one question remaining and Jaune was the one to ask it. “So…what now? I mean, what can we do?”The former headmaster had to admit, he brought up a good question. “That is a difficult question. One I believe is best answered tomorrow.”And Jaune was already confused. “What do you mean?”“The road ahead is undoubtedly filled with hardships and peril. However, it’s been far too long since you have all been together.” He placed a hang on Yang’s shoulder. “Please, take tonight, enjoy this moment.” He smiled just before his eyes flashed. When Oscar came back, he realized he was touching Yang’s shoulder and immediately drew his hand back. Yang and Weiss chuckled at his scared reaction.Nora finally realized something about Ruby’s uncle and Yang’s mom. “Oooh. Raven? Qrow?” She seemed quite happy to figure out what connected them. “They’re birds! Cracked it!”Wave was the only one who understood. “I know. Weird, huh?”Now that everything about Ozpin was cleared up, Kurome could ask her question about Esren. “Mr. Partas.” Esren turned to her. “Just how exactly did you end up here in Mistral?”Qrow had the same question. He knew it was no coincidence that Esren was here in the same city as his daughter. Esren narrowed his eyes at her and everyone else in Night Raid. “I got a letter, from your headmistress. It told me that all of you were headed to Mistral. For what reason, she left out but now I know.”Everyone in Night Raid was speechless. They never thought Najenda would do such a thing even after she let them go. Kurome gritted her teeth and growled in anger. “Damn it, Najenda. What the hell were you thinking?! I thought…how could you do this!?” “And I’m not the only one.” Their attention went back to Esren. “I’m sure she’d sent the same kind of letters to the rest of your families.”Hearing that scared Cornelia deeply. “Papa knows!?” She grabbed both sides of her head while freaking out. “This is bad, this is bad! He’s going to kill me!”Chelsea shared her reaction. “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! What the hell!? I don’t want to go back and face Granny’s punishment again! I’d rather take on that Grimm horde, no, that freaking horse Grimm again than face her punishment.” She turned to Taeko to see how she reacted, but she was surprisingly calm. With her eyes closed even. “How the hell are you keeping a straight face! Granny knows now and we’re screwed! You know as well as I do we’re going to the lion’s den when she gets here!”Hearing that analogy reminded Yang something very important. “Oh, yeah, speaking of. Do you know where Akame is? I haven’t seen her at all since I got here. I gotta pass along a message to her from Leone.”Her comment ceased all activity from Night Raid. They all stared at the blonde wide-eyed with disbelief. Even Taeko who opened her eyes upon hearing what Yang said. They were silent for what it seemed like an eternity for them. “WHAT?!”Kurome instantly appeared in front of Yang and gripped the blonde’s shoulder. A little harder than what she’s used to because her grip was tremendously strong. Her face was also very uncomfortably close to her own. “WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY!”Seryu was among them in being surprised in what she heard. She honestly thought she’d never hear those words. “WAIT, SHE’S ALIVE?!”This wasn’t the kind of reaction Yang thought she would get. She thought best to explain the whole thing. “Uh…yeah. She’s back at Menagerie with Blake. Honestly. She even sought me off along with Blake and her parents.”Now Seryu was confused as to how Leone ended up in Menagerie. “How? How did she…arrive in Menagerie? The crash site wasn’t even near there. So, how did she…?” She figured to leave the questions out for the time being. If Leone was still alive, that meant they have an even better chance to stop the White Fang.Chelsea forgot all her fear and was replaced by anger. “And you didn’t tell us about this at dinner because…?!”“Because I thought she would show up during dinner. I’d hope to tell her Leone’s message in person.” Yang replied.Esdeath was crying tears of joy knowing her friend was still alive. So was Cornelia but she kept it together enough to ask the other blonde a question. “So…” She sniffed and wiped some of the tears away from her eyes. “Can you tell us what Leone’s message is?”Yang laughed as she had a mischievous smile. “The next time we see each other, we’re going to wreck so many beds together.”Chelsea covered her mouth to quell her laughter. Everyone else just shook their head or rolled their eyes. Everyone except for Ruby who seemed confused. “Wait, I don’t get it. Why do they want to wreck beds?”Chelsea managed to keep her laughter under control barely enough to respond. “Oh, Ruby. I forget you can be such an innocent cinnamon roll sometimes.” Ruby still didn’t understand what the older girl meant.“Chelsea!” Chelsea turned to Kurome who released Yang from her grip. “Get my scroll and call Akame. She needs to know about this. Hopefully enough to come running back from that stupid date of her.”“Date?” Weiss and Yang spoke at the same time.changed from happiness to panic. She only whispered one word. “What…?”This was not the look everyone expected her to have. It even worried them. Especially the members of Night Raid. Cornelia was the first to ask. “Kurom-”“Call her scroll right now!”They all recognized the fear in Kurome voice and they all pulled out their scrolls. Everyone in Night Raid called Akame’s number. They all had the same shocked expression as Kurome. Now they knew why she was in a panic.Wave and the rest were confused as to why they were acting this way. “What, what’s going on? What’s happened?”They couldn’t believe it and it made no sense but they kept hearing the same message over and over again from their scrolls. “We’re sorry but the number you are calling is not in the available area. Please hang up and try again.” B If Akame had to be honest, she felt guilty enjoying the date she had with Merraid. She knew she was doing this get the older woman off her back but Merraid had shown her a good time. Merraid had taken her to a nice breakfast, a lovely lunch, and a dinner at a restaurant that almost seem too fancy for Akame’s tastes. Akame was surprised that Merraid could afford all of this and the food Akame could eat. To pass the time in-between meals, Merraid showed the younger girl all the best sights in Mistral. She truly saw how hard Merraid wanted their last time to be. When the date was almost done, Akame was ready to leave but Merraid wanted to show her one more thing. And that’s where the alarms went off.The first hint was when Merraid led her through a strange entrance. The second hint was how the hallway looked. They were made of black brick and stone and there were torches lit on the sides. The only sound that could be heard was the clacking of Merraid’s heels and the echo of Akame’s footsteps. Something wasn't right. “Where are you taking me?”Merraid didn’t respond for the first few seconds. “Patience, Akame. You’ll know soon enough. We’re almost there anyway.” Akame didn’t trust her word. Now she knew something was definitely not right. She stopped walking completely and stood still. Merraid noticed and turned around. “Is something the matter?”Akame glared at the older woman. “Who are you, really?”Merraid just smiled innocently at her. “Whatever do you mean?”That wasn’t the answer Akame wanted. So, she’ll just have to get it another way. She grabbed Yatsufusa’s handle and drew weapon out quickly. In the next moment, Akame dashed at the other woman and swung her sword from the right. A loud clang echoed through the hallway. Akame hissed through her teeth as she saw that Merraid blocked her attack with her open umbrella. The sound alone confirmed that her umbrella was actually made of steel. Akame jumped back to gain some distance between them. Merraid lifted her umbrella and set it on the right shoulder and twirled it. She feigned a hurt expression. “Akame. Why you would ever attack me?”Akame wasn't in the mood for games. "Tell me who you are right now or I'll-"“Or you’ll what?” Akame gasped as she heard a new voice. A new but very familiar voice. She turned around and jumped back to see two maids. Not any two maids, but maids she recognized. “Gilberta…and Cassandra. Why am I not surprised they would be here with Merraid.” “Are you alright, Lady Mera?”“Yeah, you’re not like, hurt or anything?”Akame turned around to see two more maids and one she recognized. “Shizuka of the Rakshasa Demons? And the other one is…” She had never met Mez before but she has read her profile before. Something about this whole thing didn’t make sense to her. “Why didn’t I sense their aura earlier? They couldn’t have known to mask it.”Merraid tsked at her maids. “Now look at what you four have done. She’s agitated.”Shizuka bowed to her mistress. “Apologies, Lady Mera but she did attack. If so does again, we will handle her.”That was an outcome Merraid would like to avoid. She’s worked too hard for this chance to happen. “I must apologize for my maid’s behavior, Akame. They can be very protective of me, but you did attack me after all. Now then, you should listen carefully. If you do kill me here now, you’ll be forever lost in these passageways and you’ll never find your way back. It’s best if you’d follow me.”Like she would oblige to her demands. She’d rather kill them all and take her chances. “Like I would do as you say.”Shizuka sighed as she held out her hand. “Again, I apologize for doing this, Lady Mera.” A thin line of light shot out from her palm and stuck Akame at the top of her chest.Akame took a step back and patted the stop where the light hit her. She looked directly at the maid. “What did you do?”Shizuka set her hand down. “You and I share the same fate now. Should something ill happen to befall my Lady, you shall experience the same fate. And it’s just not me.” Several thin strings of light extended from her hand and they were all connected to everyone else in the hallway. “For example…” She pulled out a small needle in her right hand and poked her left index finger. Akame felt a slight prick and lifted her left hand to see there was a slight dot of blood coming out of her index finger. “Would you really risk your own life to just end it?” Akame growled at the situation she was. If she used Murasame on them, she’d receive the same effect. Shizuka turned to her mistress. “I know this isn’t how you exactly planned it, Lady Mera. I-”“Yeah, yeah, you’re sorry. We get it all ready.” Mez interrupted.Akame couldn't believe the situation she was in. It was a complete amateur mistake on her end. She could still make use of Shizuka's power. If they are connected, she could inflict injuries on them when she does them herself. Unfortunately for her, Shizuka thought ahead of that. "If you think give us injuries by self-harming yourself, it won't work. The effect is one way only. At least for the target.” In other words, they can inflict damage on her but not the other way around. It wasn’t exactly fair. Then again, this was Akame’s fault for being in such a trap.“Akame...” The younger girl paid close attention to Merraid. “It’d be best if you’d cooperate. You are still a guest since you do have a choice. You can either come along and see what I have to show you. Or you can make this into to a lover’s death scene from a play.” It wasn’t much of a choice. Here Akame was, trapped and surrounded by enemies, and no way to contact her friends. Obviously, Akame wasn’t a fan of the second choice so she put her sword away. She could still have a chance of escaping after seeing what Merraid has to show her. Leone may be gone but Akame was still determined to see her goal to the end. It was a wise decision from Merraid’s point. “Good. Now then…” She lifted her umbrella and closed it. The older turned away from Akame. “Let’s continue, shall we?” Merraid began walking with Shizuka and Mez following her behind. Akame followed her with Gilberta and Cassandra behind her. After taking some turns here and there and what it seemed to be longer than ten minutes, they finally reached a set of imposing large black doors. Merraid and the others stopped in front of it. “And we’re here.” Akame looked up at the doors and felt some...presence emanating from the other side. Merraid placed both hands on the doors. “Behold, Akame.” She pushed the doors open and they a loud creaking noise.As the doors opened wider, Akame saw what lied beyond them. It honestly wasn’t what Akame thought it would be. The area behind the doors seemed to be large and circular, like a training room of sorts. She walked passed the older woman and entered the room. She scanned it quickly and turned to Merraid. “Is this it?”Merraid smirked as she walked into the room as well. “Not really. This is just one room in the castle. There's so much more for you to see."A castle. Akame didn’t remember seeing a castle anywhere in Mistral. Just what was that entranceway Akame walked through. She was about to see something else when she gasped. Something was approaching them and that something felt very familiar to her. “This aura. It can’t be.” Next, she heard the clacking of heels coming from the other side and turned to see the doorway. Soon, a figure emerged from out of the shadows and Akame could never forget her. For what she did. For ruining the possibility of living a new life. Anger surged and flared throughout out of Akame’s body and her markings appeared glowing bright red. Her eyes also changed color immediately and drew out Murasame. Her dark red power erupted out of her body in powerful waves and surrounded her Imperial Arms. Everyone in the room felt the overwhelming dread emitting from Akame “CIIINDEEER!” She vanished instantly with a small, powerful aftershock and left a small crater behind. It took everyone more than a second to register that Akame was already within range to kill Cinder. Akame drew back Murasame from the left side so she could cleave Cinder’s head off with one swift strike. She thought nothing else but to kill Cinder and make her pay for what she has done. Akame swung her sword and aimed at Cinder’s neck. Time seemed to have slowed down as Murasame came closer to Cinder’s jugular. Said Maiden couldn’t react in time and Shizuka couldn’t pull her dagger out fast enough to the raging girl.Murasame just about reached Cinder’s neck when Akame felt a powerful force crashing on top of her. It was strong enough for her to stop her attack and Murasame was just a centimeter away from Cinder’s neck. The Maiden took this chance to leap away from the sword as she didn’t want to experience the poison effect again. Akame stood completely still and just as terrified. This sensation she was feeling was unlike anything Akame had felt before. It was different than Cinder’s aura. This aura was overwhelming, omnipotent, and malevolent. In short, this aura far surpassed Esdeath’s back in Akame’s world. Only one thought ran through her mind. “W-What is this?”“Enough.” Akame let out a shaky breath as she heard a new voice. She felt this wicked aura approaching her but couldn’t hear any footsteps. Akame was too petrified to move as this presence came closer. Finally, she saw the figure emerge from the shadows. It was a woman, but she was unlike any woman Akame had seen before. Ghostly white skin and hair, red and purple veins visible on her face, eyes similar to her own but more menacing, a black diamond-shaped marking in the middle of her forehead, and she was wearing a black robe with red designs. Akame was so focused on the woman in front of her, she didn’t notice Cinder, Merraid, and the maids kneeling before her. Her breathing became faster and more panicked with each breath. Akame didn’t know it but she was face to face with none other than Salem herself. Salem narrowed her eyes at the girl before here. “At last, we finally meet.” All Akame could do was stare into Salem’s eyes. It finally proved to be too much for her as Akame dropped Murasame and then finally blacked out. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Sixty Seven: Unexpected ConfessionsAkame groaned groggily as she finally opened her eyes. The first thing she saw a pearl white ceiling and noticed she was laying on something soft. Akame sat up and saw she was resting an unusually large bed. The sheets on the bed were also white and the covers were of fuchsia color. The bed had a canopy as well with amethyst curtains all around. Akame felt a slight pain through her head and put her hand above her right eye. She could still feel that chilling sensation going down her spine and chances are Akame would continue to feel that. Then she remembered why she was feeling such a thing. “That woman…what the hell was she?” Akame never thought she would see the day to sense an aura more dreadful than Esdeath’s. It wasn’t just that either. The woman from before was unlike anyone she had seen before. It was like she was a human Grimm and a very dangerous one at that. With most of her thoughts about the Grimm woman, Akame almost didn’t notice that she didn’t have two important items.She realized this and searched the room she was in. All she found was a large table, two chairs on either end of the table, and an open door to reveal a bathroom. Finally, there was a closed door in front of her but Akame didn’t find what she was looking for. That could only mean one thing for the former assassin. “They took both Murasame and Yatsufusa.” Akame figured it must’ve happened when she was unconscious. She found herself in the worst possible situation. Captured in the enemy base and she was without her weapons. The only thing was missing here was her being bound in chains and being tortured for information. Since Akame woke up on a soft bed instead of being bound in chains, she can rule out they wanted her as a prisoner. If they didn’t have her as a prisoner, there was only one other option for her being here.Before Akame could complete her though, she heard a soft clack and turned her attention to the door in front of her. It opened and revealed Cassandra holding the doorknob and Merraid entering the room. Akame growled angrily and glared as such at the woman in front of her and. “Merraid…”Merraid stopped walking halfway between the door and the bed. She waved her hand in a sweeping motion and her maid closed the door. The older woman saw the look Akame was giving her but ignored it. She crossed her arms and displayed a neutral expression. “I see you’re awake now. You must have questions about the situation you’re in.”Akame snarled at Merraid. She could kill her right now, but the other woman was right. She needed some answers. “Who was that woman from before?”Merraid wasn’t surprised the younger girl would ask that first. She’d gladly answer the question. “The woman you saw is known as Salem. She is the leader of all the Grimm and the master that I serve under.”So, the woman Akame encountered from before was Salem. The very being Ozpin and Qrow spoke of before. In all honesty, their descriptions of her failed in comparison to actually meeting her. She was Akame’s target to kill. Now she wanted her answer that was the most important. “Why did you bring me here?”The older woman didn’t respond for the first few seconds. “To answer that, you need to know something. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen you.”Slight confusion mixed in with Akame’s anger. “What do you mean?”Merraid started to walk around the bed while maintaining eye contact with Akame. “The first time I saw you was when the Vytal Festival began through the TV. I was watching it simply because I wanted to see how Cinder and her team would. Just for the fun of it, actually. What I didn’t count on was seeing you. You immediately captured my interest at first sight. There was something about you that drew me in. That attraction became stronger when I saw what you did in the first round of the Vytal Festival finals. My first thought in seeing your transformation was ‘what a beautiful, deadly, flower'. I was in complete awe of you. Others might've thought you frightening but you were enrapturing to me. Your power, your ferocity, even your appearance. All of it was beautiful to me."Akame didn't take her eyes off Merraid. She kept a menacing glare at the older woman. "If you saw the Vytal Festival, that means you already knew about Leone when we first met.”Merraid almost completed a full lap around the bed. “I did, and I have to say, not a bad catch. You certainly know how to pick them. However, I was being honest when I said I was sorry for your loss. You don’t meet exotic looking women like that every day. Especially if she’s a Faunus.” She made her full lap and stopped in front of Akame. “But I digress. When I heard Cinder ‘talk’ about your power, about it can attract Grimm, I knew you would be a perfect addition for our side. I wanted to meet you badly, but I didn’t know where to look for you after the Fall of Beacon. You can imagine my surprise when I saw you in the streets of Mistral.”So, it was her the first time Akame saw Merraid. She thought her eyes were playing tricks, but it really was her. “And you sought me out the first chance you’d get.”The older woman nodded at Akame. “Yes, but everything that’d happen during our first encounter is what I said before. My hospitality to you back at my apartment was real. I truly did want to know you. Everything about you.”Akame heard those words before. She was having a sense of déjà vu and that's what made her mad the most. Akame lowered her head just enough for her bangs to cover her eyes. "You haven't changed at all."Merraid tilted her head in confusion. “Pardon me?”The younger girl gritted her teeth and growled. “You were like this before when we first met." She lifted her head up and revealed that her eyes had changed. Akame pierced Merraid through with her threatening eyes. “You haven’t changed since then, Merraid Oarburgh!”Merraid became further confused. It was almost as if Akame already knew her. “Akame…why do you sound like we’ve met before? I mean, yes I’ve seen you during the Vytal Festival, but you couldn’t have known about me.”That’s where she was wrong. Akame blinked and her eyes returned to normal. "It's because I do know you. I know everything about you. At least back in my world. Merraid Oarburgh. The leader of the Oarburgh clan. Your age is your later twenties. You preferred women and have a great disdain toward men. You had the power to control Danger Beasts known as Wigglers in your shadow. You are escorted by two of your maids, Gilberta and Cassandra. Your weapon is an umbrella that can be used to hypnotize your enemies to make them weaker. You also had the ability to transform into a human/butterfly hybrid via Wiggler larva. And I was the one who killed you.”actually have a few things common with this other Merraid. However, there are some differences. The first one is that I’m not affiliated with Oarburgh family in this world. The second is that I do not have these ‘Wigglers’ you speak of. I also can’t turn into a human/butterfly hybrid, though that does sound quite interesting. I wonder how I would look in such a state. Nor do I have the power to hypnotize others. Still…” She walked forward to the bed and crawled on top it on all fours. “Hearing you say all that to me, it makes me think that this must be fate’s hand at work. Perhaps we were destined to meet each other." She started to crawl slowly towards the younger girl. Akame wasn't sure about that but she could chalk that up in a meeting with other people in her past. "Tell me…" Merraid was just in front of Akame and displayed a sultry expression. Akame’s seen that expression before. “If you knew so much about this other Merraid, what was your relationship with her?” The question made Akame blush slightly and turned away from Merraid. The older woman gave a hearty chuckle. “Oh? Were you two perhaps lovers?”“No, we were not!” Akame looked back at Merraid with a glaring expression. “She was my enemy! At least…” Her eyes waned and her expression turned somber. “At the time we were. She sought me out like you did. Tried to convince me to join the Revolutionary Army, showed me what the people thought of the Emperor and the Prime Minister. However, I could never forgive her for what she’d done to me.”Hearing the tone in Akame’s voice made Merraid feel pity for her. She didn’t know what this other Merraid did to her, but it was apparently not with the younger girl’s consent. “It sounds like she was terrible to you.”It was true, but there was something else Akame remembered about the past Merraid. “She was but…she also made me realize something. I thought what I was doing in the Empire was right, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The people were unhappy. Miserable even. How corrupted the Empire truly was. In truth, I believe Merraid was one of the stepping stones for me leaving the Empire.”So, it seemed this other Merraid wasn’t as terrible as Merraid thought. Now she was curious about one more thing about her other self. “One more question. Did she actually love you?”Akame quietly gasped when she asked. Her eyes truly softened at the last words Merraid spoken to her. “Before I killed her, she confessed to me that she truly did love me. After her death, I built a grave for her, surrounded by lilies.” She realized what she said and shook her head. “Why am I telling you all of this?”The older woman could wager a guess. “Maybe because I'm the only one that you can tell. Have you told your teammates about this? Your friends? Your former lover?” Akame didn't have an answer for that. The time she'd spent with Merraid was one of the few instances she wanted to keep for herself. To her, there were some things better left unsaid. That didn’t appear to be the case for Merraid, though. “Don’t you see, Akame? We’re destined to meet each other. It explains why I’m so drawn to you. We can be together again and start over." Merraid neared her face to Akame's and their lips inched closer to each other. The older woman's eyes half shut and were in a dream-like state. Akame felt she was entering a similar state. "All I ask of you to do is to be by my side.” Their lips came within centimeters within each other.Akame snapped out of it and grabbed the older woman by the wrists tightly. She forcefully pushed Merraid on her back and pinned her down. Akame was outraged with what Merraid proposed to her. Her eyes returned to being demonic looking. “You’re asking me to betray my friends. You’re asking me to join the same side who has the very woman WHO’S RESPONSIBLE FOR RUINING MY LIFE HERE! WHO’S TAKEN IT AWAY FROM ME!” Her dark red power surrounded her hands and began to burn Merraid’s wrists.The older woman winced at the burning pain, but she kept her composure. “I know that you’re mad and I can understand why. But should you really be defending the very same friends who thought negatively of you? You yourself said they were disappointed in you. Remember what I said to you before? Only a lover can carry you the distance. Only I can understand you. Your friends shunned you for finding someone you can love again.”“THAT WAS BEFORE I KNEW YOU WERE THE ENEMY!” Akame gasped as she realized what she just said.Merraid noticed the younger girl loosened her grip and took the opportunity. She broke out of Akame’s hold and flipped their positions. Now Merraid kept a tight grip on Akame’s wrists was determined not to let go of the dominant position. It appeared the older woman was much stronger than she appeared to be. Akame was going to blast Merraid off her using her semblance but then she saw the way the older woman was looking at her. Merraid’s eyes were soft and had a loving look within them. “So, it is true. You did have lingering feelings for me. Is it because I remind you so much of the Merraid you once knew?” The younger girl remained quiet. That was fine for Merraid since she had more to say. “Nevertheless, Akame…Cinder may have taken away your way of life in this world, but I can give it back to you. You don’t have to serve under Salem. You don’t even need to be faithful to her. You can just be with me. Once we achieve our goal, we can live happily and blissfully with each other. I can promise that no else can have you. Not Cinder, not Salem, not even my maids. You can be mine just as I can be yours. If not, then I can’t guarantee your safety. If we cannot be together in the present world, then Salem will make sure to give us a lover’s death to the world beyond. Think carefully and please consider. Should you choose to refuse then I will follow you into the next world. Please, Akame. Please.” Tears started to roll off Merraid’s eyes and dropped below Akame’s eyes.To hear Merraid say she would be content on being killed if Akame would be killed alongside her would be maddening if she hadn’t seen the tears. She was afraid. The tears and the look in Merraid’s eyes told Akame everything how Merraid felt about this. Of course, Akame was already aware if she refused, Salem would kill her. She was already in this deep and there was no way out except for death. In this situation, Akame didn’t know what was worse. To betray her friends and fight on the enemy’s side or to die and never see her friends again. Akame had to choose one or the other but no matter which one she decides on, there will be no going back. B “Should you walk down this path, you will leave unimaginable sorrow in your wake. Are you prepared to carry such a burden? One that is heavier than the all the sins that you carry within?” Her eyes widened as she sensed something inexplicable has happened. The being’s eyes returned to their calm state. “I see. If that is the case, then I have no other choice. Even if it is against my own rules, I must bring in the final piece. When it’s in place, then I can focus on preparing my trump card. Until then…everyone, train hard for the upcoming battles. For they will be the most difficult you'll ever be in. Especially for you, the one whose power has yet to be reawakened.” Spirit closed her eyes and vanished in a flash of light. B Blake was enjoying looking at the night sky from standing outside on the balcony. There was something watching the night sky that was always calming to her. She just wished she could enjoy it all night, but she and Leone still had business to do. “Blake! You ready to go? We gotta hit the nocturnal section soon!” And speaking of the devil coming from the house. Blake turned around to see the open door. "Be right there!"She wanted to look at the night sky for one more brief time before her fingers slid on the side of the balcony bar. The Faunus girl then felt something strange. It felt different than the usual wood. Like it was a note taped. She looked around to see if anyone was around but no one in sight. Blake lifted the note off the wooden bar and opened it. “B. Things going too far. Not sure what to do. Find a quiet spot. I’ll find you. Come alone. Please. I.”It was obvious the note was from Ilia. She suspected something was wrong and if Ilia needed to help, Blake would be there for her. "Blake! What's the holdup?" She quickly put the note away in her coat and turned to see Leone standing in the doorway. "Are we going or not?" She didn't hear a reply from the other Faunus girl. Leone thought it was a little strange. "What's up?"Again, Blake hesitated to answer her supposed daughter. She had a slight glint of doubt in her eye before looking at the other Faunus girl. “You go on ahead. I have to take care of something first.” She started walking and passed by Leone without looking back. Leone turned in tandem to see Blake in the house. She narrowed her eyes at the other Faunus girl and began to follow her. B Blake arrived at an alleyway where she was supposed to meet Ilia. So far, she hasn't seen hide nor hair of her friend. "Ilia?"“I’m here.” She heard Ilia’s voice and immediately drew out her sword. The Faunus girl stood ready in case something went wrong in the meeting. Blake could hear Ilia but couldn’t see her. That is until she saw something approaching her from the shadows. The figure walking toward her turned out to be Ilia blending in with the darkness and made herself visible. She had her arms up to show Blake that she was unarmed.Blake hoped there was still time to convince her friend. “Ilia, I know you’re scared, but you don’t have to be. My family and I, we can keep you safe.”All Ilia did was look at Blake. “I’m sorry.” She turned her head away and closed her eyes.Blake didn’t understand what the other girl was sorry for. “You can make it up to me by helping to stop Corsac and Fennec.”“No.” Ilia opened her right eye to look at Blake. “I’m sorry.” She closed her right hand and Blake heard something coming at her. The Faunus girl had no time to react when something or someone got the drop on her. The force the attack caused her to drop Gambol Shroud in front of Ilia and had a boot firmly pinned on her back. Her assailant removed her boot and two more appeared beside him.The Faunus girl panted heavily as she was able to stand up. She still hoped to talk to Ilia. “Wait-ah!” She was blasted by strong webbing. Blake landed on the ground with a thud and was tied up.One of the Faunus behind her broke the strand connecting to Blake and held it. She was quite proud of her handiwork. “I’ve got her.”Yuma, the Faunus who attacked Blake, was pleased by her handiwork. “Well done, Sister Tarifa.” He then turned to Ilia. “And to you, Ilia.” He grabbed Ilia’s weapon and tossed it overhead back to her.“Ilia!” The chameleon Faunus looked back at Blake who was on her knees now. The other Faunus girl was in a panic now. “What are you doing?”Ilia was unfazed by Blake’s predicament. “I tried to tell you, Blake. I’m sorry.”An apology like that wasn’t going to be enough for Blake. And it wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “Don’t tell me you’re sorry!”“But I am.” Ilia responded. “I am sorry it has to be this way. But you, your family, and that Faunus Traitor you’re with are holding the Faunus back.”Blake couldn’t believe how far Ilia was from saying that comment. “Because we’re trying to protect people? In what world do you live in where attacking the innocent is the right thing to do?”Ilia took a step forward and glared at her former friend. “The same one as you! There is no such thing as innocent. There is no right thing to do; only what’s best for us.” She began to walk up to Blake. “There’s humans that still hate the Faunus, and there are others who stand by and let the hate happen! But do you know what snaps out hate?” Ilia pointed her weapon in front of Blake’s face. “Fear. I don’t like hurting people, but I’ll tell you this: It’s gotten us results.”Blake didn’t waver with a weapon in her face and narrowed her eyes at the other girl. “Yeah, look where it’s gotten you.”Her comment seemed to have gotten Ilia, but she shook it off. “We all have to make sacrifices for the greater good. No matter how much it hurts.”The other Faunus girl saw the irony in her former friend’s words. “And you think killing me is really for the greater good?”“No.” Ilia closed her eyes for a second before opening them again. “But getting rid of your family is.”Blake’s eye went wide with fear and that same fear ran rampant through her body. “You wouldn’t. You can’t! I won’t let you!”Ilia remained indifferent to Blake’s reaction. “I know. That’s why you’re being sent to Mistral. To Adam.”That was the last thing Blake wanted to hear. Now panic was setting in within her. “Ilia, please! You don’t have to do this! This isn’t you!”Ilia leaned in closer to the other Faunus girl. “Yes, it is. But I guess back then you just too busy falling for Adam to notice.” Blake didn’t have a reply at all for that because it was true. “I was always jealous of the way you looked at him.” Her freckles changed to a pink color. “I wanted you to look at me that way.” The pink in her freckles disappeared as she closed her eyes again. She reopened them again to reveal her eyes were now red and glared at Blake. “But we always can’t get what we want.” With one blink, her eyes returned to their normal color. She stepped back and Ilia looked at her allies. “Yuma, with me. You two, get her to the docks.” Ilia began to walk away and Yuma followed her.“THAT’S ENOUGH!” A large crash happened in front of Blake and everyone saw who it was.Blake couldn't have been happier to see her daughter more now than ever. "Leon-" She gasped in shock once Blake saw the look in Leone's eyes. They were angry, of course. Furious even but there was something else. Leone's eyes seemed more feral and her pupils were slits. Her hair was standing on edge and snarled threateningly. Leone even bared her fangs which seemed sharper than usual. In short, it almost seemed like she was an actual animal. There was also something else Blake felt. Fear. It wasn't like the fear Blake felt before when Ilia told her the White Fang was going to kill her family. No, this was a very different kind of fear. It was the kind of fear where Blake felt like she was staring at overwhelming death itself. And if this was how she was feeling, Blake could only imagine how the other Faunus behind her and Ilia felt behind her.It turns out she was right, but the fear had a greater effect on them. Ilia instantly went blue with fear and the same could be said for Yuma. “We need to leave. Now.”Leone took a heavy step forward and everyone gasped. “What was that you said about fear?” She spoke in a low, dark voice. “That it gets you results?” She took another step forward which made Ilia and the other Faunus step back. “Let me tell you what I told this other bitch I know about fear. It may help what you want but it all ends the same. That very same fear you’re dependent on will bite you back in the ass. You can almost say it’s like karma.” The Faunus blonde took one more step toward everyone. “Let me show you what that’s like.”Yuma immediately pushed Ilia back away from him. He turned to his companion. “Ilia, run no-” He sensed impending doom coming from behind. Duma couldn’t turn around in time since he felt a powerful grip on the back of his skull. The next thing that happened was Leone smashing his face into the ground. All Ilia could do was stare in horror at what she had just seen. Leone lifted her head up to glare angrily at the Faunus before her. Ilia couldn’t take her eyes off of Leone’s slit eyes. Ilia was beyond terrified. She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t scream. She couldn’t even think right now. All the chameleon Faunus could do was follow her base instinct. Running away from imminent danger. Ilia didn’t even think twice about leaving her allies behind. All that mattered was one thing to her: be as far away from the predator as possible. She ran fast as she could. Possibly faster than she has ever had in her life. But no matter how far she was away from Leone, Ilia could still feel that impending fear looming over her. She stopped briefly to catch her breath. Ilia was still shuddering in complete fear with what she saw. “She’s not a Faunus at all. She’s a monster!” She regained what little self-composure was left as Ilia returned to her normal skin color and looked ahead to see her target. “I still have a mission to complete. As long as the Belladonna family is killed, we’ve won.” With that mindset, she made her way to the Belladonna household.Back to where Leone was, she huffed as she stood up. The Faunus blonde turned around to face the two remaining members. It was obvious they were frightened beyond any measure they have felt before. It didn’t matter what they would do now. They both heard the stories about the infamous Faunus traitor and what she did to the other members. They had no chance against Leone. That is unless…the male of the two pushed Tarifa in front of him. “Take her first!”Tarifa obviously wasn’t a big fan of being a sacrifice. She quickly glanced angrily at him. “You son of a-” Tarifa didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence as Leone was already in front of her teammate. He screamed while taking a step back before Leone delivered a swift right kick at his right arm and side. He crashed through one of the houses and multiple sounds could be heard crashing along.Leone turned around and focused her attention on the remaining member. Tarifa took a step back and turned around to run away. However, that was cut short when she was grabbed the neck from behind and was slammed to the ground. Leone wasted no time being on top of her and forcefully grabbed Tarifa’s head. The Faunus blonde lowered her head on the level as Tarifa’s and made her look directly into Leone’s eye. “Look at me. Look at me! Take a good look because it’ll be the last thing you’ll ever see of your sad, pathetic, miserable excuse you call a life!” At this point, Tarifa was hyperventilating. She was petrified and could do nothing about it. All she could do was stare into those murderous eyes. This was it for her. This was how she was going to die. Afraid and at the hands of the Faunus Traitor. Leone stared at Tarifa for a few seconds longer before delivering the final blow. “BOO!” At that moment, Tarifa fainted from shock.Once she was out, Leone stood up again. All Blake could do was stare in horror at her daughter. This was the first time she'd ever seen Leone act this way. It was as if she appeared to be…a killer. Granted she did use to be an assassin but what she had witnessed was something else entirely. It was almost…animalistic.Once Leone turned to face her supposed father, Blake gasped in shock at what she was seeing. Leone’s eyes returned to normal. The murderous anger that was in her eyes was gone and replacing it was worry. “You okay?” She quickly went behind Blake and activated the blades to appear in her gauntlet. She cut through the webbing and freed the other Faunus girl. Before Leone could get a word in, Blake turned around and hugged Leone close her. Leone wrapped her left arm around the other Faunus girl and her right hand was placed on Blake’s head. “You fucking idiot. I knew something was up with you. You’re damn lucky that I followed or else you would’ve had a one-way trip.”Blake separated from the hug. It was clear she was deathly worried about her family. “Leone…my parents. They’re-”“Yeah, I know.” She turned head and looked down to see Blake’s discarded weapon. She picked it up and she and Blake stood up together. “Hell of a thing Ilia did. Especially the way she confessed to you. I didn’t see that coming.” Blake wiped the remaining tears away from her eyes. She was in agreement with Leone.Blake had no idea Ilia harbored feelings for her but now wasn’t the time to think about that. “Leone, about what you did to them…”The Faunus blonde chuckled a little about that. “Don’t worry about it. Bat guy has a concussion at most, the second guy has a broken arm and couple of ribs, and the web chick fainted. None of them were killed. I’d like to but as long as I’m on this island, I have to follow your dad’s rule. Besides, I’m sure the authorities will do something about them.” Her happy demeanor was replaced with a serious one now. “Blake, do you remember what I said? If Ilia ever tries to do something to you, I’ll break her neck. I know you think of her as your friend, but she’s crossed a line. I will kill her the first chance I get!”Blake won’t deny that. Ilia has certainly crossed a line by having her parents killed. However, she had a slight disagreement. “No.” The other Faunus girl regained a determined look in her eye. “Ilia is my problem! She’s my responsibility. Let me handle her instead.”Leone wanted to argue but she saw the look in Blake’s eye. She had already made up her mind. The Faunus blonde sighed in defeat and pointed her finger at Blake. “Fine then but I’m not making any promises. I still aim to kill her.” That was good enough for Blake. Leone started to walk and ended up in the middle of the street. “Call the police and let them know what’s happening. I’ll go on ahead and drop by for a surprise visit.” Leone lifted her right leg and moved it around a little. Blake didn’t waste any time pulling out her scroll. “Catch up when you can.” Leone set her foot down and leaned forward. “I’ll show them what happens when they mess with a lion’s pride!” She immediately launched herself straight to the Belladonna estate.Blake was in awe of the amount of force Leone gave in her take off. It even left a small hole from where the Faunus blonde once stood with visible surrounding it. But this was no time to be impressed. She started to run after Leone and started to call the police on her scroll. Even if Leone was going to reach her home in a short amount of time, she still worried about her parents. “Mom, dad. Please be okay.” B Multiple gunshots rang through one of the rooms Kali was in. Alongside those gunshots were also the sounds Syka and Kali fighting their intruders. “Fuck off, damnit!” Syka managed to avoid some of the gunshots and did a rising knee kick underneath one of the member’s chin. She heard another gun being pointed at her. The scorpion Faunus leaped to the left side and then jumped off the wall next. She sent out her tail first and the stinger struck him in the left pectoral. Naturally, he screamed in pain and fell to the floor. Syka landed and retracted her tail. She turned to face him. Albeit a little annoyed. “Oh, shut up you big baby. You’re lucky my venom only causes paralysis.” Kali performed a sweeping kick at one of the members. As the member fell to the floor, Kali kept her momentum as she spun around and raised her right leg. She then kicked down on the member’s solar plexus. He coughed out loudly and was out for a while. Now that one of the members was out, Kali could focus on the next closest one. Another gunshot was fired, and Kali felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder. She placed her right hand on her shoulder and removed it to see blood. Seeing such a sight proved one thing to Kali. The older Faunus groaned as she dropped to her knees while clutching her wound.Syka heard more gunfire and turned to see the older Faunus woman on her legs. The White Fang member who shot Kali before was aiming at her head this time. “Kali!” She rushed over to Kali’s aid quickly. The Scorpion Faunus thrust her tail first at the member first as it had a longer reach. Her stinger managed to strike the member in his right pectoral and fired random shots upward. Once he was done, Syka retracted her stinger and kneeled next to Kali. She was clearly worried about the older Faunus. "Kali, is it serious?"Kali winced at the pain when she applied pressure to her wound. “Not really but it serves as a reminder why I’m not found fighting against gunfire.” Her hear twitched and looked at the entranceway. “More are coming.”Syka looked at the entranceway as well before turning to the table. She went to it and flipped it on its side. The scorpion Faunus gave Kali a hand standing up and went behind the table. Just in time as well as three more White Fang members appeared and began shooting at the table. Syka wasn’t happy in the situation they were in. “Well, this is just freaking great!” She turned to one o of the downed members and saw his gun nearby. Syka used her tail to grab the gun through the trigger and brought it to her. She handed the gun over to Kali and the older Faunus woman caught it. “Think you can shoot?”Kali took the gun and examined it with a confused expression. “I’ve…never fired a gun before.”The gunshots continued to barrage the only protection they had. “No better time to learn! I just need to give me cover fire. Even a few random missed shots will work. Just aim and pull the trigger. Can you do that?”The older Faunus didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. “I-I’ll try.”It was good enough for Syka. “Alright, on my count. One…two…THREE!” Syka jumped out from behind the table with her spikes ready, screaming and Kali rose up from behind and began firing.In another part of the house, Ghira, a few of his guards, and Sienna were handling another group of invading White Fang members. Sienna managed to block a kick from one of the members and pushed it away to deliver a counter force palm to his chest. As he was sent away, Siena heard someone was attacking her from behind and turned around. She another wielding duel daggers getting the jump on her. The tiger Faunus did a backflip to avoid the attack her assailant didn’t give up. The member swung his daggers at the former high leader a few times, but Sienna continued to avoid them. When the member swung his dagger outward with his left arm, Sienna took the chance to catch it. She managed to disarm the member and grab him by the uniform to throw him overhead straight to the ground. Sienna didn’t waste time punching him straight in the face that knocked him out. As soon as that member was out, another one appeared, and Sienna’s fight started all over again. “There’s no end to them!”Ghira punched a member straight in the chest and grabbed his head only to slam it on the ground. He stood and looked at several of the guards who recently defeated their opponents. “Go find my wife!” Another member charged at him but Ghira just throat chopped him and tossed him aside. One of the guards saw something and jumped in front of Ghira to take a shot for the Chieftain. Ghira held him briefly and felt remorseful before dropping his body. He turned to the one responsible which were Corsac and Fennec holding their weapons.Sienna jumped kicked another member to head before landing and saw them as well. “Corsac. Fennec.”The two higher-ups pleasantly surprised seeing Sienna here of all places. Fennec smirked at their luck. “Well, how unexpected. We knew you’d escape Sienna, but to have taken up residency within the Belladonnas?”Corsac shared the same thoughts and saw a golden opportunity. “It seems we’ll be able to fully accomplish the operation after all. Along with killing Ghira Belladonna.”Ghira snarled at them while Sienna couldn’t believe how this was happening. Sienna almost couldn’t believe it. “Is this how low the White Fang has become? Attacking your own kind?”Fennec didn’t seem to have a problem with what they’re doing. “It is the wish of High Leader Taurus. Those who are a threat to him must be dealt with accordingly.” “No matter who they are.” Corsac finished. "Now, I believe it's time for our dear Chieftain to step down. And for you, Sienna, to finally fulfill your last role.”The former high leader gritted her teeth as she displayed an expression of remorse. “And to think Ghira created the White Fang as a peaceful activist group first. Now look at what it’s become and it’s my fault it’s become this way. My fault and now Adam’s.” Sienna and Ghira snarled at the brothers. Ghira flexed his hands and his fingernails extended into claws. He took off coat leaving him bare-chested and roared at them. Sienna took up a stance and prepared herself for the inevitable fight ahead. The brothers were also ready on their end and complete their mission. Before anyone could make the first move, an unbelievable amount of pressure came on top of all them. It just wasn’t them either. Everyone in the room felt the pressure and stopped what they were doing. It was almost hard to breathe with the pressure Sienna and the others were sensing. “W-What is this? It feels like…something powerful is coming toward us.” Part of the ceiling was suddenly destroyed, and something crashed in between the two opposing forces. Or rather someone. Both sides stared in fear and awe at the one Faunus who arrived in this desperate hour. They heard a low growl like that of a lion’s. The figure before them stood up and was astounded by who they saw. Leone finally arrived, and her eyes have returned to being slit once again. The dreadful feeling everyone had felt multiple a great deal and were speechless at what they were seeing. Leone slowly stood up and bared her fangs at her enemy. She inhaled deeply and let out an all-powerful and deafening roar throughout the estate like a beast unheard of in this world. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Well, I certainly raised the bar on this chapter, didn’t I? This is probably the most anticipated follow up I’ve done and that’s saying a lot coming a from a guy who can explode things way bigger than they should originally be. I did the best I could to match up the hype and hopefully fulfilled your expectations. Also…no, nevermind. Best for all of you to read the chapter and find out for yourselves. I will say, it’ll be epic. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Sixty Eight: Drastic MeasuresGunshots were fired in a new room Kali and Syka currently in. They managed to meet up with some of the guards who were having trouble handling with the White Fang members. They were obviously worried when they saw the wound on Kali's shoulder but didn't have much time to something about it. Despite her injury, Kali did her best to fire back but obviously was missing. That was fine, though since Syka was doing most of the fighting. Her stinger proved very useful in taking down the members as they down in a single hit. She managed to take another member with her stinger before turning around and slashing him across the chest with her right spike. The member screamed out in pain before falling to the floor on his back. Taking out the members seemed easy, but it was wearing the scorpion Faunus down. Syka lost count of how many members she took out by now and it didn’t seem to stop anytime soon.In her moment of fatigue, Syka failed to notice another member sneaking up behind Kali. The member pointed his gun and smiled evilly at his opportunity. One of the guards managed to spot him and tried to warn the older Faunus woman. “Ma’am, watch out!”Kali heard the warning and turned around to see the end of a barrel. Syka turned around and tried to reach out to the older Faunus. “Kali!” Kali couldn’t do anything but stare in fear at what would be her inevitable end. The member continued his evil grin and began to squeeze the trigger. Then everyone heard a terrifying roar echo throughout the room. Everyone in the room was frozen in fear upon hearing the most frightening sound any of them have ever heard. Everybody remained paralyzed for a few seconds before Kali was the first snap out of it. She used this chance to instinctively pointed her gun at the member and shot him point blank in the chest. The gunshot snapped everyone out of their brief chance and saw the member who was going to shoot Kali. He was lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. The older Faunus was breathing faster than normal as she dropped the gun. She took a couple of steps back while looking in horror at her action. Syka managed to grab her from behind and set the older woman down on the floor. She tried to her best to reassure Kali. "Hey, hey. It's okay. You're okay. There was nothing you've couldn't do."Her words did very little to calm Kali down. “I shot him. I shot and killed another person…”Syka could understand why Kali would react this way. She was a kind and gentle woman and given the chance, could hold her own. However, she only fought in self-defense and her opponent would normally be still alive. This was not the case here. “It’s not your fault. You had no other choice. If he had pulled that trigger, it would’ve been you lying on the floor instead.”The scorpion Faunus was right about that, but it didn't make Kali feel any better. She was responsible for taking a life. Even if that person did try to kill her. The older Faunus woman let out a shaky sigh. "I don't know how Leone can deal with something like this. I haven't given her enough credit for this.” Syka couldn’t agree more with that.Several of the other guards walked around a bit and wondered what it was they heard earlier. “What was up with that roar? It didn’t sound like anything I’ve heard before.”Syka set Kali behind one of the pillars so she could rest and regain herself. She stood up and walked to the guards. “I don’t know but let’s hope it’s on our side.” They heard more footsteps coming toward them and they readied themselves. “We’re not done yet! Protect Kali at all costs!” Several more White Fang members arrived and began firing at the other group. The guards returned fire and Syka charged head first at the enemy group. B Sienna and Ghira could not look away from Leone while she snarled angrily at Corsac and Fennec. The Chieftain had never seen his supposed granddaughter like this before and the roar he’d heard sent chills down his spine. The former high leader felt the same way. “What kind of a roar was that? I know she’s a lion Faunus, but I’ve never heard such a roar before.” Her eyes accidentally wandered to Leone's new weapon and gasped in realization. “Wait, that weapon she has. Is it…”The brothers managed to get over their initial shock and analyzed the situation before them. With Leone here now, it might be a stroke of bad luck, but they considered it a golden opportunity. “It appears all three targets have finally gathered.” Corsac spoke first. “Ghira Belladonna, the Chieftain of Menagerie and the first leader of the White Fang.”Fennec continued where his brother left off. “Sienna Khan, the one who succeeded to lead the White Fang but ultimately failed.” Sienna grimaced when she heard that.Corsac narrowed his eyes at Leone now. “And finally, the Faunus Traitor who’s responsible for murdering our brothers and sisters in cold blood and revealed herself as the monster she truly is.”Leone bared her fangs at the brother. “Faunus Traitor, Faunus Traitor, Faunus Traitor. You have no idea how much I’m sick of tired being called that!”Fennec’s thought it was right to brand her with such a title. “It’s the truth. How many of your own kind have you killed? Such an action will not be unanswered and unpunished. You will answer for your crimes.”The Faunus blonde bared her fangs at the brothers. “Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. You lousy fucks are here doing the same thing!”To Corsac, there was a slight difference in their actions. “Such things cannot be avoided. It is the benefit for all the Faunus. It is as High Leader Taurus commands that all who stands in the way of the White Fang. You have no justification for your actions.”“You fuckers were attacking my friends!” Leone yelled. “Anyone who tries to harm the innocent, my friends, and my family, you’re damn right I’m going to murder their ass!”Fennec saw the irony in Leone’s words. “Innocent you say? Does that include humans? If so, then you are blind to the truth.”Leone could throw those words right back at them. “No, I’ve seen my fair share of assholes, but I’ve known a better share of people throughout my life.” She thought back to her days with Akame and the rest of Night Raid, the Revolutionary Army, Ruby and the others, and her team. “If you to think that every human is evil, are cold-blooded, or don’t care at all, that just proves how short-sighted you dumbasses really are. You and that jackass you call a leader.”Her comment seemed to have gotten the brothers. “It seems the time for talk is over. Since all of you are here now, we can take you all out at once.” Corsac declared.Leone raised an eyebrow at that. She knew she could kill these guys three times over before they made a move. “And how the hell are you going to do that?”Corsac smirked as he raised his left hand and set it down. In the next moment, multiple gas grenades from behind were thrown into the air. The grenades bounced on the floor and landed in front of the three feline Faunus. Sienna had a bad feeling of what was to come. “What are they-”The grenades began to spew out a light green gas and it slowly approached them. Ghira and Sienna covered their mouths and noses. “What kind of gas is that!?”Leone sniffed a few times and gasped. She recognized the smell before and turned around to the former leaders. “Outta here now!” The Faunus blonde grabbed Sienna and Ghira by their waists in her arms and jumped through the hole in the ceiling she made. Fennec pointed at them and the other members began shooting through the roof. Luckily, Leone dropped the other two Fauna away from the hole, so they wouldn’t be shot. “That was too close. You two alright?”Ghira turned to Leone as he stood up. “We are and thank you but what was it they threw? Poison gas?”The Faunus blonde shook her head. “No, worse. Catnip gas. I recognized the smell immediately since Seryu used catnip to get that cheap win over me. If it was poison gas, they already would’ve used it on you two. I’m guessing they saved that just for me and since we were all in the same room and we all happen to be cat Faunus…” Sienna and Ghira could put two and two together.“Dad!” All three Faunus heard Blake’s voice and turned to see her approaching them.Ghira was relieved to see his daughter again. “Blake!”His daughter stopped in front of them and quickly looked to see her mother was not among them. “Where’s mom?”That was question Ghira wished he knew the answer. “I’m not sure. Sienna and I were ambushed right away.” That wasn’t the answer Blake hoped to hear.Sienna may not know where Kali is currently, but she does know where a certain other Faunus might be. “The last I checked, Syka was with her. You can count on her keeping Kali safe.”Blake nodded as she trusted the former high leader’s word. She saw the hole in the ceiling and began to walk toward it. "I wouldn't advise it." Blake stopped and turned to Leone. "Whole bottom floor is filled catnip gas. The last thing I want to happen to you is to be an easy gift to Adam stoned off your ass." Now Blake was glad her supposed daughter warned her. Still, they were at a disadvantage. “So, now what? They’re not going to stop the attack if we’re not there.”She raised a good point. Leone tried to rack up her brain on what to do. Plans where never her forte but Akame, Kurome, or Taeko weren't here. So, she came up with the best plan she could make. "Okay, here's what we know so far. The White Fang wants Ghira, Sienna, and me dead. I know they have orders to off Ghira but I'm probably higher on the list. I am the ‘Faunus Traitor' after all. The bottom floor is filled with catnip gas, but I think I know how to clear it. It just depends on them if they can do it and if it works, we may take them out easy. Good thing you’re here now, Blake. And not only her. We’re going to need everyone here.”Sienna and everyone else was game since they had no other plans to come up with. "What's your plan then?"Back in the estate, the White Fang members continued firing until Fennec raised his hand. The gunfire stopped, and the brothers looked up at the ceiling. There were certainly many bullet holes surrounding the hole but knew it wouldn’t be enough. He and his brother turned to the other members. “Search for them now. End them on sight.” They understood and left the brothers quickly.As they left, the brothers heard a window crash. They turned around and heard screams and more windows crash. They already knew who was doing it but Corsac couldn’t believe it. “But how? Wasn’t this the same method Seryu used to subdue her?”There was only one way for the brothers to find out the answer. They pointed both their weapons at the gas. They pointed their weapons and glowed white. A strong funnel of wind appeared at the pointed end of their weapons and cleared the gas out through the windows. Once the gas was cleared, they saw Leone standing on the other side of the room. She smiled at the brothers before exhaling loudly. “Can’t be affected if I don’t breathe the gas in. Thanks for clearing out the room, guys. Also, now!" The brothers heard a click from behind and turned around. They pointed their weapons at a certain part of the upper balcony and Blake jumped right out of it. She managed to spin dodge their attacks and landed right behind them. They turned around again and wielded their weapons underhanded in an attempt to stab her. As they did, Blake made one of her shadow copies created out of ice and trapped them by the arms. Blake jumped away from them and landed next to Leone. “Awesome job, Blake. Now, go find Kali. I’m sure she’ll need the extra protection. You can leave Tweedle-dee and Tweddle-dumbass to me.”Blake nodded at the other Faunus girl. “Understood.” She made a dash to the side door and left the room. The only Faunus remaining were Leone, Corsac, and Fennec. Both brothers were trying to melt the ice quickly as they could through their weapons. Leone wasn’t going to let them have the chance. She jumped into the air and was ready to deliver the killing blow. Or least close to a killing blow. “Say goodnight!” The Faunus blonde quickly descended upon them her left arm outstretched. Before Leone could reach the brothers, she caught a glimpse of something shiny from the side of her eye. In the next second, she was struck away in the side from the brothers by something sharp. Leone crashed on the floor but quickly stood back up. “The hell just-”The Faunus blonde gasp as she noticed a giant shadow figure standing next to her. She had no time to react and felt a powerful punch delivered to the side of her face. The blow came at her stomach and the third sent her away from the figure. “Three-point combo!”Leone slammed and bounced off the wall. She groaned in pain as she steadily stood up. “What the hell just hit me?” The Faunus blonde shook her head and saw the ones responsible for attacking her. “Who the hell are you guys?”Corsac and his brother smiled as they finally managed to break from Blake’s ice copy. They were grateful for their arrival. “How fortunate for all of you to come.”“Hey!” The brothers looked at Leone. “You mind introducing your new friends to me?”Fennec was more than happy to oblige her demand. He gestured at the group in front of him and his brother. “Behold, Faunus Traitor! This is a group from the White Fang specially selected to handle you. They will be the cause of your downfall.” He moved his arm to the first member. “Brother Rhamos. He is a rhinoceros Faunus.”Rhamos slammed his fists together and a powerful pulse came out. He had a large muscular build and had a pair of rhino ears on the top of his bald head. He gave a cocky smile at his target. What he wore on his knuckles was some kind of high tech brass knuckles except they were white. “Ready and willing to take on this final boss!”Corsac gestured at the next member. “Brother Rocker. He is an eel Faunus.”Rocker let out a devious cackle. He had a lanky build and his uniform was more like an open vest and his hair was black, long, and spiky. His skin color was grey and had blue eyes. Attached to his arms were steel braces with coiled wires extended all the way to the floor. “Yeah! Let’s have a hell of a wild time!”Fennec gestured to the first female of the group. “Sister Shrin. She may be a shrimp Faunus, but she does belong to a dangerous variety.”Shrin seemed to the smallest of the group. She had long antenna coming out the top of her head and her hair was red with blue highlights at the end of the tips. She was holding to what it appeared to be some kind of gun, but Leone couldn’t recognize it. It was like a weapon was stacked on top of another weapon. “Target acquired.”Corsac gestured at the second to last female of the group. “Sister Hennet. She is a hornet Faunus”Hennet seemed to be a medium build with long brunette hair set up in a twin tail fashion. She had a pair of clear wings coming out of her back. Her weapon of choice seemed to be wielding duel white high-tech lances. “A pleasure to meet you. Too bad you have to die.”Fennec turned his attention to the last male of the group. “Brother Marqua. He is a macaque monkey Faunus.”Marqua seemed to be the oldest of the group. His skin was dark and his hair extended from his head to the side and the bottom which was his beard. His tail could be seen from behind and held to what it seemed to be some kind of long flexible sword. “Before you journey to the afterlife, you shall repent for your sins.” Corsac gestured at the last female member of the group. “And finally, Sister Kaitlyn. She is a kangaroo Faunus.”Kaitlyn was the most radically different dressed member of the group. She wore a white vest with a black top showing her midriff and wore black shorts. She also had kangaroo ears perched on the top of her head and had dirty blonde shoulder length hair. It appeared her weapons of choice were a pair of white boxing gloves. Another detail about her was that she was metal braces on her elbows, knees, and heels. “Let’s see if you’re as tough as tough everyone says you are.”The introductions were finally done now, and Fennec had full confidence in their chosen warriors. “They are the ones who will be your downfall. The group we have dubbed The Six Fangs.”Leone wasn’t at all intimidated by her new six opponents. She even doubted their name. “The Six Fangs? Really? Well, call them whatever you want but in the next few seconds, they’ll be dead meat.”Marqua glared at the Faunus blonde. “Your overconfidence shall be your own undoing.”That wasn’t the first time Leone heard someone say that to you. “It’s not overconfidence when you know your enemy is already dead!” Insert Akame Ga Kill OST 33: Rasetsu Yonki “Good to know!” Rocker charged up his weapon and raised his right arm.He lashed out his whip and Leone, but she jumped to avoid it. “Nice try!” While she was focused on the group below her, the Faunus noticed one of them was missing. Then there was an overshadow and looked in front to see Rhamos. He flashed a grin as he pulled back his right arm. "BOOM!" Rhamos punched forward straightforward right at the side of Leone’s face. The point of impact was tremendously strong and sent the Faunus blonde crashing into the ground.Leone hated to admit it, but she definitely felt the full force of the attack. She tried to stand up while trying shake off her confusion. “What the hell is this guy hitting me with me?” Rhamos landed on the floor with a heavy thud and laughed triumphantly. He slammed his fists together and another powerful pulse occurred. “Atlesian Magnum Knuckle Busters. These babies are strong enough to take down a Death Stalker in a few hits and they’ll do wonders for taking you down.”That was good to know for Leone. As soon as she stood up, a whip wrapped around her around and felt powerful waves of electricity coursing through her body. The Faunus blonde screamed out in pain while Rocker was laughing his head off. "Yeah-ha ha! Scream for me, baby!" He lashed out his other electro whip at the Faunus blonde and she screamed louder.Rocker decided she had enough and pulled his whips away. Leone was thankful for that but now her body felt numb. She dropped to her knees and knees while breathing heavily. “Damn it. I feel like I got hit by one of Budo’s attacks.” Rocker cackled at his handiwork. “These high-voltage electro whips of mine are so strong, a Beringel wouldn’t last seconds! I wonder how long you can last before your body is deep fried!”“My turn.” Shrin took a few steps forward and pointed her weapon at Leone. The top part of her gun began to charge, and it did in under a second. She fired her weapon and a blast of energy was shot out. Leone had no time to react as the shot struck her dead center and blasted her out of the room. Out of the debris, Leone crashed on the ground and rolled into the training ground she spent time on with Kali. Shrin pulled back the chamber and let some steam out from her weapon. “This was originally a tool to dig out Dust from the mines but now is repurposed as a powerful gun. The lower tool is much simpler.” She pointed at Leone again with her lower part of the gun which had three rotating canisters. “It’s a rocket launcher.” She fired a rocket and it traveled all the way as it whistled. Leone looked up to see where the whistling was coming from only to see the rocket heading her way. Once the rocket reached its target, an explosion occurred.Marqua was pleased by what he saw. “Excellent job, Shrin.” He turned to the brothers. “You can leave the Faunus Traitor to us.”Fennec and his brother were pleased to hear that. “Of course, Brother Marqua. May you be victorious.”Marqua huffed at his choice of words. “You mean when we’re victorious.” He turned around away from them. “Hennet, Kaitlyn, with me. The rest of you follow.” He calmly made his way to where Leone currently was. Marqua knew it would take more to finally take down the bane of the White Fang. And of High Leader Adam.Corsac and his brother had all the confidence their new group would handle their problem. There was only one more thing they can do. Corsac turned to Fennec. “Well, brother? Shall we locate Kali Belladonna then?”Fennec nodded in agreement. “Of course, and while we’re at it, capture the deserter.” Corsac nodded back at him. They turned to the door where Blake had gone and started to walk toward it. They stopped when they heard the door behind them open. The brothers turned around to see who it was.Over to Leone, a large scorch mark was left underneath her from when the blast struck her. She groaned out of pain and in frustration with what happened to her. “Jeez, they’re really not screwing around.” She heard a strange fizzing sound and Leone looked at her arm. The Faunus saw that her arm glowed a for a second before disappearing. Leone had seen this before and knew what it meant. “So, this is what it’s like to see your aura run out on you. Heh, that’s just great. Then again, I got blasted by some pretty heavy attacks, so I guess that’s expected.” She stood and looked at the direction she was blasted from. What Leone saw was all the members of the Six Fangs standing before her. The Faunus blonde couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “Come on, is that all you lousy fucks got?! You’re going have to do a lot better to take me down!”Marqua was happy to deliver that promise. “If you wish for death, then you shall have it. Hennet!”Hennet charged in at Leone first with her right lance drawn inward towards her body. This time, Leone stood her ground and pulled her right arm back while making a fist. At least time she’ll be able to squash a bug instantly. When the hornet Faunus was in range, Hennet swung her lance at her target. Leone threw her punch at the same time and their attacks collided. However, a bright purple light emitted from the lances and Leone was blown away to the other side the training ground. She didn't expect something like that could happen and stood up. The surprising thing about what happened was that if felt like Leone attacked herself. The Faunus blonde turned to other Faunus girl. “The hell did you do?”All Hennet did was stare back at her target. She then displayed one of her lances in front of her. “Kinetic Ejector Lances. What they do as soon as they’re hit by an opposing force, it redirects that force to whence it came. No matter how powerful that force may be. When you struck my lance, you were attacking yourself.”Leone growled as she knew what that meant. “In other words, those freaking lances use my own strength against me. It’s like Kali’s fighting style but my attacks are bounced back at me rather than being redirected. Still…” She leaned forward and dashed right at Hennet. The hornet Faunus put up on of her lances to defend herself but as soon as Leone got in close, she disappeared. Leone prepared her next attack and delivered her punch but Hennet disappeared and her attack missed. “What the hell?!” She heard a buzzing sound and looked up to see Hennet flying just above her.How high her enemy was flying didn’t matter to Leone since she could easily jump to her height. As she crouched to reach Hennet, The Faunus blonde felt something jolting and burning whip across her back. Leone went back on her knees and glanced back see Rocker still having that grin and his whips active. Beside him was Shrin who aimed her gun at the Faunus blonde. Leone gasped and tried to run in order to avoid the next shot. Unfortunately for her, Shrin’s gun was already charged and fired another powerful energy pulse shot. As Leone took off, the pulse shot blasted Leone just when she was about to run. The blast blew Leone away and rolled across the ground. The Fauns blonde managed to stop and managed to stand back up but then she was met with a punch in the face with something strong and made of some kind of metal. Then Leone felt another heavy blow delivered to her liver and felt the same amount of force applied. The next attack was a strong right elbow blow to the left side of Leone’s head. Finally, the Faunus blonde experienced a solid right heel kick to her left side. Leone was sent away and landed on the ground hard. She panted heavily as Leone propped herself up with her left arm while bleeding from the corner of her mouth. The Faunus blonde finally saw who it was that pummeled her. It was Kaitlyn who had a cocky smile. “So, you can bleed. If you can bleed, then you can be killed. How did it feel?" She put both her arms up and raised her right leg to display her braces and gloves. "These were made from one of those huge robots Atlas had and you can bet they hurt like a bitch. What's even better is that the braces I'm wearing make my fighting style more efficient.”Leone didn't care about that. All she wanted to do was maul the kangaroo into the ground. As soon as she started to stand, the Faunus blonde felt a sharp slash run diagonally across her thigh. Leone dropped back down while being propped up using both of her arms and began to feel multiple slashes all over her body. Lacerations appeared in the areas where Leone was being attacked. One of the attacks even cut through her left boot and felt her tendon being severed. Leone howled in pain but as soon as she did, she felt another slash. Right through her left eye. The Faunus blonde shrieked in pain as she held her injured eye while still supporting herself with her right arm. The attacks stopped, and Leone turned to the one responsible for cutting her like a piece of meat, breathing heavily and was giving him a death glare. End OST Marqua flicked his weapon and it moved around just a little. “My Urumi is capable of moving around freely and can slash any part of your body. My Urumi is also made of a special steel capable of cutting through any material. The proof of it is when it cut through your boot to sever your tendon.” Leone growled at him defiantly. Marqua paid no attention to it, though. “So, this is how the infamous Faunus Traitor is reduced to. You cannot stand, lost sight in your right eye, suffered serious injuries all over your body. You’re more of a helpless kitten rather than a ferocious lion. You may have been powerful, but you still succumb to the weaknesses of everyone else in this world. A fatal blow to one of your vitals and you are no more. This is what happens to those who oppose the White Fang and High Leader Taurus. Any last words before we send you on your journey to the afterlife?” Leone gritted her teeth before her expression relaxed. She removed her hand from her eye and lowered her head until her bangs covered her eyes. Marqua took that as a no. He turned to Rhamos. “Brother Rhamos. Be the first to deliver a fatal blow. The rest of us will follow. It’s best to make thoroughly sure she will not survive.”Rhamos breathed heavily through his nostrils. “With pleasure.” He walked over to where Leone was. Once he stood in front of her, Rhamos grabbed the Faunus blonde by the top her head with his left hand and lifted her to his level. The rhino Faunus pulled back his right arm and closed his fist. He laughed triumphally of their victory over the Faunus Traitor. “Nighty-night.” He yelled as he punched forward straight at Leone. … … … “What’s your plan then?”Leone sighed as she was nervous. This was the first time she’d had done something like this, but she had to. “Okay, this is how it’ll go. We split up into two teams. Blake is with me and you two will go the long way around and get the jump on Corsac and Fennec. I’ll go down there first holding my breath and throw out any White Fang members out of the window. With any luck, Corsac and Fennec will clear out the room out. That’s when Blake will show and trap them simultaneously. You got something for that?”Blake nodded at the other girl’s question. “Yeah, I can turn one my shadow copies into ice if I load Gambol Shroud.”Leone was glad to hear that. “Great. As soon as you trap them, go find your mom and I’ll handle those two. Or rather, I’ll handle their bodyguards.”Sienna raised an eyebrow when she heard Leone say that word. “Bodyguards?”For the Faunus blonde, it was obvious. “If they’re attacking this place well knowing that I’m here, you can bet they would pack something heavy just for me. Hopefully, as soon as I draw them away, Corsac and Fennec will be on their own. You got to get to them as quickly as possible before they get away."Ghira nodded as he understood the plan perfectly. “Fine then.” Everyone knew their parts and Blake and Leone approached the hole. The Chieftain had one more thing to say to his supposed granddaughter. “Be careful.”Leone stopped in front of the hole and turned to Ghira. She flashed them a confident smile. “Hey, it’s me. How much damage could they do?” Those were the last words she said before taking in a deep breath and jumped back in the hole. Blake followed closely behind.With them gone to do their part, Ghira and Sienna had to do there. Once Corsac and Fennec were detained, this whole situation would be over. The Chieftain turned to Sienna. “Let’s go.”The former high leader nodded, and they ran toward the side of the estate. If what Leone said was true, these bodyguards she mentioned would be close by. If they were specially selected to handle someone like Leone, they would have more than their hands full. Both former leaders jumped off the roof and landed on the ground. As they did, they heard the sound of windows being broken. That meant Leone had already started her part of the plan. They had to work fast. Sienna and Ghira made a dash to the front of the estate where the brothers were. "There they are!" They were halted by the sight of a group of White Fang members armed with spears and guns. It seemed it’ll take some time for the former leaders to reach the brothers. The first wave of members charged at the former leaders and they, in turn, charged back at the group. Sienna and Ghira decided to take one side each of the group and defeat them accordingly. When the two sides converged, Ghira wasted no time in swiping one of the members with his right claw away from him. Another member tried to attack him overheard with a sword, but the Chieftain grabbed him by the arm and threw the member overhead. He slammed the member on the ground hard and quickly turned around see another member rushing at him. It wasn’t a smart decision for him since Ghira punched him straight in the gut. The member coughed before Ghira grabbed him by the head and threw him at the other members wielding their guns. Why they weren’t shooting at them, he could only guess they didn’t want to risk shooting their allies. The members from afar saw one of their own heading their way and scattered. Except for one since he couldn’t move in time and the flying member slammed into him.Sienna managed to dodge to the side from her attacker’s sword and did a straight kick upward to disarm him. She then turned around and kicked him at the side of his head. As soon as she defeated them, another member, a female came at her with a spear ready. The female member swung her spear at the former high leader but Sienna managed to keep her distance away from her. The female member spun around while extending her weapon for a longer reach but that only created an opportunity for the tiger Faunus. She easily caught the handle and pulled in the member, only to kick her in the stomach and sent her away. The attack caused the female member to let go of her weapon while Sienna still held it. Now that she did have it, Sienna took a closer look at the weapon. The spear was most unusual to her. It was a double-edged spear with the blades overlapping each other once in a helix pattern, burgundy colored with golden colored markings that seemed to be tribal. There were also a few areas that were all the round black and that same black going along the outer edges of the blades. Sienna didn’t know why but she took an immediate liking to it. “Not a bad weapon at all.”“Hey, give it back! That’s mine!”Sienna looked over at the female member who stood up and didn’t seem too happy the former high leader took her weapon. The other Faunus woman didn’t care much as she spun her newly acquired weapon around and pointed it at her opponent. “You don’t deserve to wield such a weapon as this.” The female member growled at her and just charged at her without a plan. Sienna thought to meet her halfway through and dashed toward the member. The female member temporarily stopped which gave the former high leader the perfect chance. She swung her weapon and struck the member’s left leg first. This left her enemy momentarily stunned and used the chance to spin around and strike her right arm next. Sienna spun her body the opposite direction halfway to swing her weapon diagonally across the female member’s body. Her opponent let out a weak gasp of pain before falling back to the ground.When she fell, another member rushed at Sienna with his sword ready to cut her down. The tiger Faunus held her spear horizontally to block the attack and pushed him back. She spun her weapon around her back and grabbed the other end of it. As she did, Sienna heard a click and unintentionally pulled the two blades away from the handle with chains connecting to it toward her. That’s when it hit her. Her weapon wasn’t a double-edged spear, but something called a sansetsukon. A three-part pole weapon. The member ran back to her and swung his sword overhead. Sienna reacted by thrusting the right blade at the sword and managed to deflect it down. At that moment, Sienna moved her left blade upward diagonally at his chest. Her enemy screamed in pain before doing a full-frontal kick to his chest. Sienna snapped the blades back to the handle and held it in her right hand.Sienna and Ghira finally dealt with the first wave but the second wave began shooting at them. Since their allies were laying on the ground and unconscious, they could freely shoot their targets now. Thankfully, they had the accuracy of a typical movie soldier, so they could avoid the firing easily. They didn’t waste any time charging at the second group. When they finally approached them, all the members did was freak out while Ghira and Sienna made quick work with them. Ghira socked one of the down members to the head while he down just to make sure he’d stay down. The same with Sienna but with one of her boots. Now that they were done, Ghira turned to Sienna and saw her weapon she was holding. “I like your new weapon.”Sienna looked back at him and smiled. “Thank you.” Their conversation was cut short when they heard an explosion coming from the estate. They turned to it and were reminded of what they were supposed to do. The former leaders ran to the front of the estate quickly as they could.They finally arrived at the front doors and as they did, Ghira heard Corsac and Fennec talking to each other through the door. “Well, brother? Shall we locate Kali Belladonna then?”“Of course, and while we’re at it, capture the deserter.”Ghira growled angrily that they were going to kill his wife and capture his daughter. He was about to bust through the door when Sienna placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned to her and Sienna lightly pressed her right index finger on her lips. It obvious she wanted to get the jump on them. She grabbed the door handle and slowly opened the door. When the door was slightly open, then Sienna and Ghira rushed inside and quickly charged at the brothers. Ghira’s sights were on Fennec while Sienna took on Corsac. Fennec didn’t have time to put up a defense as Ghira slammed him by the neck with his arm. He roared as kept the momentum going and slammed Fennec to the floor.Corsac had briefly more time and put his weapon up defend against Sienna’s attack. Neither of them backed off until Corsac’s weapon turned blue. The former high leader yelled as she felt a powerful shock go through her body. That gave Corsac enough time to kick Sienna in the stomach away from him. After that, he pointed his weapon at the tiger Faunus and fired another small blast of electricity. Sienna recovered quickly and sidestepped to avoid the attack. She then charged at Corsac directly with her weapon pointed at him. Sienna used her weapon’s reach to her advantage and managed to stab Corsac in his right shoulder. Or at least through the right shoulder of the cloth extending from his hood. She kept going and pushing Corsac back until the blade hit the wall.Fennec briefly looked over to Corsac and gasped. “Brother!” He turned to Ghira who was approaching him and pointed his weapon at the Chieftain. His weapon glowed red and shot a small fireball at him. The fireball struck Ghira in the chest and blasted him away. Fennec managed to stand up and pointed his weapon again as it turned white. Now a funnel of wind came out of the tip and was headed straight toward Ghira. Ghira managed to recover from the previous blast but saw the next attack coming. He crossed his arms before the next attack struck him and pushed the Chieftain back.Sienna briefly glanced over to other former leader and saw what was happening to him. “Ghira!” Corsac used this distraction to his advantage and struck Sienna with the other end of his weapon. The surprise attack made Sienna lose her grip on her weapon and then stabbed her in the left shoulder. He discharged a large amount of electricity into Sienna and she cried out in pain. Corsac then kicked Sienna in the stomach again away from him.Ghira managed to see what happened to his former successor. “Sienna!” He tried to run over to Sienna's side, but a strong gust of wind struck him and knocked the Chieftain back. Ghira turned to Fennec and growled angrily at him.Corsac struggled a little before tearing away from his hood and pointed his weapon at the former high leader. He discharged more electricity toward Sienna and the attack shocked her to her very core. Ghira tried to rush over to her aid but Fennec went in-between him and Sienna. He pointed his own weapon at him and shot another fireball at Ghira, but he dodged it to the side. That didn’t stop Fennec for continually shooting fireballs at the Chieftain. While his brother kept Ghira busy, Corsac increased the voltage of his attack. Hearing Sienna writhing on the floor screaming in pain was almost like music to him. “You should know by now, Sienna, you’ve failed the White Fang. You are not what we need. Only High Leader Taurus can lead us and our kind to their rightful place. Towering above the humans and make them learn their place. For that to happen, all who oppose us will be dealt with. You and everyone in this estate will serve as a message for all to see what happens when you challenge us!” Sienna’s only response shrieking loudly in pain. … … … “Brother Rhamos. Be the first to deliver a fatal blow. The rest of us will follow. It’s best to make thoroughly sure she will not survive.”“With pleasure.” Rhamos walked over to where Leone was and stood in front of Leone. He grabbed her by the top her head with his left hand and lifted her to his level. The rhino Faunus pulled back his right arm and closed his fist. He laughed triumphally of their victory over the Faunus Traitor. “Nighty-night.” He yelled as he punched forward straight at Leone.There was a loud boom, and everyone took that as a sign Rhamos’ attack struck Leone. Kaitlyn chuckled as she put her hands behind her back nonchalantly. “Great job there, Rhamos. It’s my turn next. I call dibs on bashing her face in.” She took a few steps forward until the kangaroo Faunus noticed something off. Rhamos wasn’t moving. Kaitlyn stopped and became curious. “Hey, Rhamos! Didn’t you hear? It’s my turn!” She didn’t hear a reply from her teammate and she and everyone became suspicious. They finally heard something from him, but it wasn’t what they expected. Rhamos was groaning for some reason and Kaitlyn lowered her arms. She somehow had a very bad feeling. “Rhamos?” Rhamos’ reply was his body swaying before falling backward. Insert RWBY Vol Five Opening “No…way. That’s…not possi…ble.” Rhamos crashed to the ground with a heavy thud. The remaining members of the Six Fangs were dismayed at the sight of their teammate. Before him was Leone on her knees and her bangs still covered her eyes.Marqua didn’t know what was happening. “You couldn’t have defeated Rhamos in one blow. You should've been injured enough not to move!" Just when thought what he saw unbelievable before, what she did next was impossible. Leone beginning to stand up and managed to do so. Marqua didn't know what to think of now. “No, it can’t be. You shouldn’t be able to stand! I severed your tendon!”Leone sighed calmly. “I think all of you had enough fun for tonight.” She raised her head slowly and revealed the eye Marqua had cut before returned. It just wasn’t the eye and tendon that healed. The Six Fang members saw all the injuries they inflicted on her healing quickly to the point where they didn’t happen in the first place. Leone glared at the remaining members with her slit eyes and all of them felt a great and dreadful pressure crashing upon them.Marqua trembled at the sight of what he was seeing. Then he remembered what he learned about the Faunus blonde. “We were told she had self-healing capabilities but to actually have the tendon and her eye already repaired.” It was then he realized something about Leone’s ability to heal. “No, what she has isn’t self-healing. She has-”“What the hell is this!?” Marqua turned his focus to Kaitlyn who shared his reaction. “You couldn’t heal yourself that fast! Not with everything we did you! No matter, we’ll just have to do it again and this time, harder!” She charged at the other Faunus girl recklessly.Marqua knew what his teammate was doing was absolutely foolish. “You idiot! Don’t-”His word didn’t reach Kaitlyn in time as she threw a right jab at Leone once she was in range. The Faunus blonde didn’t hesitate as she sidestepped to the left and grabbed Kaitlyn’s wrist with her left hand. She then pulled the other girl along and used the momentum to her advantage. Leone let go of her enemy's wrist and spun around to deliver a powerful kick to Kaitlyn's right leg. The amount of force applied to the kick was strong enough for Kaitlyn to hear something snap. She screamed loudly as she fell to the ground forward. Kaitlyn continued to wail as she felt an incredible amount of pain. “AHH, YOU FUCKING BITCH! YOU BROKE MY LEG!”Leone only stared indifferently at her enemy. “To be technical, I fractured your femur. Oh, and to make things even…” She hovered her boot over the kangaroo Faunus’ arm and stomped on it. Kaitlyn screamed louder since Leone broke her arm. “Now, shut up.” The Faunus blonde then kicked the side of Kaitlyn’s head and she screamed no longer.With another of the Six Fangs out of commission, Leone turned her attention to her next prey. Hennet was frightened but she still had a mission to do. She raised her legs up and flew down where Leone was. The hornet Faunus thrust her lance forward at her enemy. She knew her lances could redirect Leone’s strength back at her and therein lies her advantage over her. Leone didn’t move and Hennet’s attack went through her. Or rather, Leone caught the lance in-between her left arm and her side. Hennet gasped as she couldn’t believe what happened. She had to quickly get over it and raised her other lance to thrust it through her enemy. However, Leone caught the tip easily. Now Hennet was worried and confused as to why her weapons weren’t working on her enemy now. “You said these lances counter my strength and use it against me when I attack, right? The funny thing is that my strength isn't solely used for attacking!" She lifted both lances up along with Hennet and slammed the other girl to the ground. The force of the impact made Hennet let go of her lances and groaned groggily. Leone tossed the lances aside and took a few steps toward Hennet before she stood above her.Hennet was able to snap out of it, only to look up to see her enemy towering over her. She was frozen in fear when she looked into Leone’s beastly eyes. Just as Leone was going to curb-stomp her enemy, she noticed something coming at her at struck her in the face. Marqua whipped his sword at his enemy in order to save his ally. “Hennet, get away from her now!” Hennet didn’t need to be told twice and scrambled away from Leone. As soon as she did, Marque turned his attention to Leone and gasped at what he saw. He saw that Leone caught his blade with her teeth. Marqua didn’t know what to say and couldn’t since Leone grunted as she pulled her head away along with the sword. Marqua was pulled in with his sword and was headed toward Leone. The Faunus blonde spat the blade out and reached out with her right hand to grab Marqua’s face. Leone yelled as she slammed the monkey Faunus to the ground with a crash. He grunted while the pain was coursing rapidly through his body. "You are every bit of a monster they say you are."Leone just stared at him with apathetic eyes. “A monster? No, you got that wrong pal. I’m not a monster. I’m what you call a Danger Beast.” Those were the last words Marqua heard from her before Leone punched him in the solar plexus and knocked him out.Half of the Six Fangs were taken down, and only three remained. “I'm going to fry you, bitch!" And there was the fourth one. Leone saw Rocker charge up his weapon and threw one of his electro-whips at the Faunus blonde. She stood in place and put up her right arm up. The whip wrapped around her arm tightly and Leone felt the shock going through her body. It was powerful enough to bring her to a knee, but Leone still endured the pain. Rocker turned to Shrin. “Fucking blast her already!”Shrin was unsure to use another of her rockets when one of their teammates were near but there wasn’t much choice. She pointed her weapon at Leone and fired another rocket at her. Leone lifted her head to see the rocket closing in fast toward her. Going through the pain, the Faunus blonde quickly stood up and kicked the rocket upward into the sky. Once it was high enough, the rocket exploded. Rocker and Shrin were briefly distracted by the explosion and Leone used the opportunity. She launched herself at the other two Six Fang members and appeared right in front of Shrin. Shrin barely noticed the other Faunus girl standing before her when Leone grabbed the top of her head with her right hand. The electricity that was running through Leone was also transferred to Shrin and she let out an ear-piercing shriek. Leone held onto the other girl for a few seconds before releasing her. Shrine gave a raspy groan before dropping her weapon and collapsed to the ground. Rocker noticed and snarled at Leone as he raised his other whip. He didn’t get a chance to attack since Leone rushed at him and pulled back her right arm. She punched Rocker in the stomach then pulled away. The Faunus blonde then turned her body around to deliver a powerful right kick at Rocker’s left side. The force of the impact sent Rocker away from Leone, along with the coiled whip wrapped around the Faunus blonde’s arm. As soon as the whip was released, Leone shuddered a little from her little electrotherapy session. She scanned area and saw five of the Six Fangs were dealt with. All that remained was the hornet girl who was nowhere to be seen. Leone could only guess one way she could’ve gone. She turned to the hole she was blasted out of and walked back in it. “One more to go and then it’s their turn next.” … … … “You should know by now, Sienna, you’ve failed the White Fang. You are not what we need. Only High Leader Taurus can lead us and our kind to their rightful place. Towering above the humans and make them learn their place. For that to happen, all who oppose us will be dealt with. You and everyone in this estate will serve as a message for all to see what happens when you challenge us!”Sienna could only scream in pain as the electricity was running through her body. She didn't know how much more her body could take it, but the pain wasn't the only thing going through her mind. “Ghira…” During all the pain and shock, her mind began to wander back to when the White Fang was first created. She remembered how proudly Ghira waved their new flag symbolizing the group with Kali. She remembered how proud she was back then and how hard they worked to prove Faunus deserved to be equals to humans. Then Ghira stepped down and made Sienna his successor. It was at that point, Sienna began dragging the name Ghira had worked so hard through the mud. She still respected Ghira’s wish but she thought it would easier and faster to make humans fear the Faunus. To make them respect their kind.It did yield results but then Sienna remembered what Leone said to her about that plan. “It's ironic, actually. An organization that's trying to help Faunus is hurting them instead." And she was right. What Sienna thought she was doing for the greater good for Faunus everywhere was in turn, making it worse for her race. And Adam would further derogate the White Fang with his ideals. Sienna couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t let what was once Ghira’s dream be turned into a nightmare. And Sienna would be damned if she allowed Adam to do whatever he deemed was necessary for their race.Corsac ceased his attack and marveled at the damage he’d done to the former high leader. He then turned to his brother who was busy dealing with Ghira. Fennec may be keeping the Chieftain at bay, but he could only hold him off for so long. He pointed his weapon at Ghira and made sure it’ll hit. “I still…believe in the dream.” Corsac lowered his weapon and his focus turned to Sienna. He saw Sienna slowly standing up and panting heavily. She gave Corsac a fierce and determined glare at him. “I still believe in Ghira’s dream. For humans to see Faunus as their equals. But not through fear and not through terror. I’ve made mistakes in the past, but I will not let that hold me back. I will stop you and we will stop Adam!”Corsac only had one response to Sienna’s speech. “Do not make such meaningless promises.” He pointed his weapon Sienna and discharged more lightning at the tigress. Electricity returned running through her body and dropped to his hands and knees. “You outlived your purpose long enough, Sienna. It’s time for you to rest…forever.”Sienna groaned continually in pain. She didn’t know how much longer she could endure but Sienna had to fight back. Sienna had to fight back the pain, the guilt, of every mistake she had made. But most importantly, she had to fight for the future of Faunus everywhere. Emotions within her began to rise and rumble within as every memory she had being with the White Fang ran through her mind. She gritted her teeth and began to stand up again, much to Corsac’s surprise. “No, how is she…”“It’s not a promise I’m making…” Images flashed rapidly through Sienna's mind. They became faster and faster with each passing second. At this point, Sienna couldn't feel the electricity anymore. No, instead she was feeling something else. Something deep within her and bubbling, waiting to burst out spontaneously. No one didn't notice but the electricity surrounding Sienna began to act strangely. Now the images were whirling past Sienna’s mind at a breakneck pace. Her breathing became quick and heavy, her heartbeat increased, the images in her mind became a blur at this point. All of this combined into something powerful waiting to be unleashed. “This is…” The final trigger point was Sienna seeing a still image of her standing next to Ghira holding the original White Fang flag alongside Kali and many other Faunus. Everything within her stopped for one still second. “MY SOLEMN OATH!” The electricity surrounding and running through Sienna’s body was blasted outside of her.Corsac, Fennec, and even Ghira were caught in the electrical blast. The brothers were blown back while Ghira was pushed back. The Chieftain felt a slight tingling sensation going through him and got a good look at Sienna. He saw lightning being emitted and sparking out of the tigress. Ghira had never seen such a sight before nor did he know Sienna could do such a thing. He could only come up with one possible explanation for Sienna's awakening. “Is this…Sienna’s semblance?” The brothers shook off their shock and saw the newly awakened Sienna. They automatically knew she was currently the bigger threat now. “Brother!” Fennec and Corsac didn’t waste time approaching each other and pointed both their weapons at the former high leader. Corsac’s weapon glowed red while Fennec’s was white. They shot out both wind and fire together and spiraled around each other. As the combination attack approached her, Sienna extended her right forward and lightning sparked from her palm. She yelled as a large and powerful lightning blast shot out of her palm. Her attack easily overwhelmed the brothers’ and they were both enveloped by the lightning blast. Once it passed, the brothers groaned as they were both down on one knee.They both lifted their heads and glared at the former high leader. Sienna responded by extending her right hand again them. This time, she sent out a lightning bolt but instead of striking the brothers, the bolt struck her weapon still embedded into the wall. As it did, the spear removed itself from the wall and was pulled back into the Sienna’s hand. Once the former high leader held her spear again, she twirled it around it a little before holding it still to her right side. Sienna glared fiercely at the brothers. “Fennec, Corsac, I believe it’s time for you two to learn a very important lesson tonight. I’ll show you what happens when you invoke a tigress’ wrath!” RWBY Vol 5 Opening End The brothers couldn’t believe how dire their situation had become. They knew killing Ghira and his family would be difficult but not to this scale. Having Sienna awaken a power within her was also unaccounted for. The only fault they could find was this operation took too long and got them in the position they’re currently in. The situation couldn’t be worse for the brothers.“Brother Fennec! Brother Corsac!”Fennec and his brother stood up and looked back at the hole where Leone was blasted through before. They saw one of the Six Fangs running back to them. The expression on her face told them something was wrong. “Sister Hennet?”Hennet stopped in front of them while panting heavily. “It’s the others! The Faunus Traitor, she-” She didn’t finish her sentence as she was struck from behind. Hennet dropped to her knees first before falling forward on the ground. As she fell, it was revealed Leone was standing behind her.The brothers, Sienna, and Ghira were surprised to see the Faunus blonde again. More so with Corsac and his brother. “No, it can’t be. The Six Fangs were defeated?”Leone stared at Hennet for a second before turning her focus on the brothers. She stepped over the hornet Faunus and grinned at the brothers. “And that makes six. So much for your special team made for me. Now, how about we wrap this up?” … … … Blake pushed a pair of doors open and found herself in a hallway leading in two different directions. She didn’t have time to decide, so she chose to go left. Blake had to find her mother and quick before something happened to her. Yes, Syka was with Kali but who knows how long she’ll last. Especially with the amount the enemies that invaded her home. While running to the next room, Blake heard a loud boom and momentarily stopped. She looked at the hallway and immediately thought of Leone. Blake closed her eyes and shook her head. “No, she’s okay. It’ll take a lot for her to be killed.” She stopped shaking her head and opened her eyes. Blake turned forward again and ran to continue looking for her mother. She soon saw another pair of doors and pushed them open as soon as she approached them. Blake took a quick look at the room she was now. It was something like a courtroom but that’s not what caught her attention. When Blake looked up, she finally saw her again. She saw Ilia squatting on the rail of the balcony. The two Faunus girls stared each other down before grabbing their weapons. Blake drew Gambol Shroud out as did Ilia with her weapon.Ilia had a few words to say to Blake before they began fighting. “I told you. I didn’t want this.”Blake could clearly see the irony in the other girl’s words. “But you’re still here.”“I don’t have a choice!” Ilia retaliated.“Of course, you do!” Blake responded. Ilia just turned her head away from her. Blake didn’t quite care much for that. “Just…stay out of my way.” She sheathed Gambol Shroud and started to walk away. Ilia wouldn't have that as she jumped from the railing and attacked Blake with her whip sword. As soon as she did, Blake mysteriously disappeared. It then revealed Blake used one of her shadow copies and appeared away from Ilia. She had Gambol Shroud out again and prepared herself for the fight up ahead. Ilia extended her whip sword at Blake, but the other Faunus girl leaped to the left behind one of the desks. She did a roll before standing up and jumped to the next desk. Ilia threw her whip sword again at Blake, but the other Faunus girl jumped again to avoid it. Blake jumped to another desk as Ilia continued to attack but kept hitting the chairs. Blake jumped off the last desk she was on and landed on the ground. She put Gambol Shroud up to defend against Ilia's attacks before jumping up into the air. She threw the ribbon at the end of her weapon at Ilia and wrapped around the other girl's arms. Blake then pulled on the ribbon to bring Ilia to her and vice versa for Blake. As the two girls met in the middle, Blake kicked Ilia away with both of her feet, with Ilia crashing on the floor and Blake landing on her feet. Ilia quickly stood up and put her weapon up defensively to block Blake’s attack. Blake still couldn’t understand Ilia’s way of thinking. “Why do you feel like we have to hurt people to get our way?!”For Ilia, the answer was simple. “Because it works!”Blake knew that was already wrong. “That doesn’t make it right!”Ilia pressed a trigger on her weapon and delivered a small shock to Blake. It was enough to disarm Blake. Blake tried to reach for her weapon, but Ilia jumped on the desk and circled around the other girl. Blake turned around in time while grabbing her sheath, but Ilia did a jumping roundhouse kick to her head. Blake was sent away and struck one of the desks. She landed behind and let go of her sheath weapon. Ilia extended her whip sword at Blake while she was down. Blake created another shadow copy and dashed away to the next desk for safety. “Stop lecturing me!”Blake peeked behind the desk and saw that Ilia’s mask was on the floor now along with Gambol Shroud. The next thing that happened was that the lights were turned off. It didn’t bother Blake too much since she could see clearly in the dark. She ran toward to her weapon and managed to pick it up. Blake had Gambol Shroud in gun form and looked carefully for Ilia. Yes, Blake could see in the dark, but Ilia could blend into the darkness. Seeing wouldn’t do much of anything now. Right now, she very envied Leone. “Why didn’t I ask Leone to teach me how to sense aura?” Blake had to rely on her other senses to locate Ilia.Blake carefully listened for the other Faunus girl and did hear something. Except that something was Ilia’s whip sword and Blake was stuck by it. She tumbled away from Ilia but managed to quickly stand up. At least the chameleon Faunus was able to reveal where she was, and Blake pointed her weapon at her. She fired several shots at Ilia, but the other girl circled around to avoid the fire. Blake didn’t know if she got the other girl. “Why couldn’t you just leave!?”The other Faunus girl transformed Gambol Shroud back into its sword form. “Because I run away too much.” Blake paid close attention to where Ilia would attack next. She caught a slight glimpse of something bright from above and moved out of the way just in time. Blake ran to the nearest desk and jumped over it to take cover from the attacks. At least she knew Ilia was on the upper balcony, but Blake was still at a disadvantage. She checked what dust cartridges she had left and thought up a plan. It was stupid and dangerous but what other choice did she have? She loaded one of the cartridges into Gambol Shroud and transformed it into its gun form. Blake pointed her gun at the balcony and took aim. “Sorry, dad.” She fired a single shot at the balcony and it was set on fire.The fire quickly spread and lit up the entire room. That light managed to reveal Ilia crouching next to a couch. With her cover blown, Ilia dashed toward Blake. She jumped forward on her hands and jumped over Blake while spinning around. The chameleon Faunus turned around and so did Blake for their weapons to clash one another. Blake momentarily lost Gambol Shroud but managed to grab the ribbon and turned around to attack Ilia. They swung their weapons at each other a few times before Ilia grabbed Blake’s right arm. She twisted Blake’s body around and swung her whip sword at the other Faunus girl. However, Blake used one of her shadow copies to move away and avoid the attack. Ilia didn’t relent and chased after Blake. She swung her weapon at the other Faunus girl, but Blake avoided it and retaliated by moving forward and grabbing Ilia’s weapon by the handle. Blake slammed the weapon down, along with her and Ilia and tried to punch the other Faunus girl.Ilia moved back to avoid the punch and quickly stood up to attack Blake back with her whip sword. Blake jumped back but Ilia extended her weapons to reach the other Faunus girl. The second attack missed but Ilia spun around for another attack. Blake used another shadow copy and moved to the side. She stopped and aimed her gun at Ilia. Blake fired several rounds at the chameleon girl. Ilia swung her weapon to parry the bullets. “Quit taking potshots and fight me like you mean it!” After the last bullet, Ilia extended her weapon again at Blake. Blake jumped back into the air to avoid the attack. She then used her shadow copy ability to reach the upper balcony and landed. Blake took cover behind the railing. “You used to see things the way I did! The way Adam did! If no one’s going to do anything to stop the humans that attack us, then the only choice we have left…is to attack back!”Blake loaded another cartridge into Gambol Shroud and stood up. She fired more rounds at Ilia, but the other Faunus girl parried them like before. When the firing was done, Ilia swung her sword again. Except that it didn’t extend and took a second look at her weapon. It turned out the bullets Blake fired were ice bullets and froze her weapon. Blake threw her weapon and it wrapped around Ilia’s. Blake pulled her weapon back and took Ilia’s weapon away. She then jumped from the railing and headed right toward Ilia. Blake jumped on the other Faunus girl and was on top. She pinned Ilia down and made sure she wouldn’t move at all. “You’re wrong. There’s always another choice.” Ilia struggled to break free, but Blake didn’t give her a chance. She looked at the chameleon girl straight in the eye. “Ilia…please. You’re a good person but you’re making all the wrong decisions!”Ilia didn’t want to hear more from Blake. “SHUT UP!”Blake continued to hold Ilia down. “Is this really what your parents would’ve wanted?!”“I don’t know what else to do!” Ilia panted heavily before her expression changed from being angry to remorse. Tears started to swell up in her eyes. “I don’t know what else to do…” It seemed Blake was finally getting through to her friend. It gave her hope that Ilia could still make the right choice.Then both girls heard a crash from behind. They looked back to see Corsac flying through the hole that was created. Ghira jumped through the hole and saw his daughter. “Blake?”Before Blake could respond, Fennec came from behind and stabbed Ghira in the left shoulder. He immediately went down to his hands and knees. Blake became immediately worried about her father. "Dad!" Ilia took advantage of Blake’s distraction and kicked her off. Blake slammed into one of the chairs. Ghira attempted to grab Fennec off his back but Leone beat him to it. The Faunus blonde yelled as she pried Fennec off her grandfather. “Hey, that’s my grandpa you stabbed, asshole!” Leone tossed Fennec across the room and slammed into her brother just as he stood up.Sienna arrived in the room in time for her to hear what Leone said. She didn’t quite fully understand what Leone had said. “Ghira’s your grandfather?”Right, Leone temporarily forgot about the tigress. “Not the time, Sienna.”Sienna gasped at what she heard from the other Faunus woman. “She called me by my name.” Leone then glanced over to Ilia and saw Blake lying on the floor behind her. She immediately growled angrily at the chameleon girl. Corsac and Fennec managed to stand up and rushed at Ghira. Sienna saw them coming and warned him. “Ghira!” Ghira looked in front and ran at them as well. Sienna joined in, and they took on each of the brothers. The chieftain and Corsac threw punches at each other and traded blow to blow before grabbing each other.While they were at a stalemate, Sienna and Fennec squared off with each other. Sienna swung her spear overhead at Fennec, but he raised his weapon to defend himself. That didn’t stop the tigress as she grabbed the lower side of the handle with her other hand. She pulled the end of the bottom blade and swiped down. The move broke Fennec’s defense and spun right around to slash the other Faunus across the chest. Fennec stumbled backward a little and pointed his weapon at Sienna to shoot a fireball at her. However, Sienna dodged to the side to avoid the attack. In doing so, the attack missed and instead struck Corsac away from Ghira. Corsac was immediately worried about him. “Brother!”Before he could go to his Corsac’s aid, Sienna delivered a jump kick at him. Fennec recovered quickly and charged at the former high leader. He swung his weapon across at Sienna, but the tigress jumped into the air to avoid the attack. Sienna then looked down while twirling her weapon around while she charged it with electricity. The tigress came down at Fennec and swung her spear downward and struck his body. He screamed loudly in pain as blood spurted out of his chest. Fennec stumbled back a little before placing a hand his bleeding chest. He gave Siena one last look of disbelief before falling back to the floor. Fennec crashed on his back and didn't move anymore while more blood seeped out of his body. Sienna took in the sight before her. She had done what she thought was impossible for her to do; killing one of her kind.With Corsac down and Fennec no more, only Ilia remained, and she was facing a very angry Leone. She was the last person the chameleon girl wanted to face but she didn’t have much of a choice. Even with her weapon frozen, Ilia raised it up against Leone. Before she could make the first move, however, Leone didn’t waste any time being up close and personal to her. She grabbed Ilia by the throat and pushed her against one of the supporting pillars hard enough for cracks to appear everywhere. Ilia dropped her weapon when Leone grabbed her and used bother hands in an attempt to break free from Leone's grip. It was a useless effort since Leone's grip was like a steel trap. Ilia struggled to breathe while looking into the Faunus blonde's slit eyes. Leone growled deeply and threateningly at the other girl. "I told her. I told Blake that if you did anything to her, I'll break your neck. Just so you know, this is all on you. This is what happens when you decide to ignore her help. Blake thought you could be saved but it seems you've made your choice. Now, you're going to have to live with it to your death." Leone tightened her grip further and Ilia found it almost impossible to breathe. Her grip on Leone began to weaken as everything around her was becoming dark. Ilia began to lose consciousness and slowly started to close her eyes. “Leone, stop!” Leone ceased her grip and turned to Blake who was awake again. The Faunus blonde saw Blake pleading to her not to kill Ilia with her eyes. She even tears rolling down her cheeks. “Please…”Leone growled as she looked back at Ilia. She could see the life within the other girl was almost gone. The Faunus gritted her teeth and threw the other Faunus girl away from her while yelling in a frustrated way. Ilia slammed into the wall and coughed as oxygen returned to her body. As soon enough air went back into her system, Ilia saw Leone walked towards Blake. “You’re so freaking lucky I’m soft! Seriously, what do you see in that chick!? Why the hell is she worth this much to you?”Blake narrowed her eyes at her supposed daughter while tears were still coming out of her eyes. “Didn’t you risk your life to save Tatsumi from being publicly executed? Wasn’t he worth it for you? For your team?”Leone’s lion ears flattened and lowered her head. She hated to admit it, but Blake was right. However, she was wrong in one account. The Faunus blonde lifted her head to face her supposed father. “Yeah, expect Tatsumi wanted to be saved. Ilia already decided which team she’s playing for and I’m not talking about her damn crush on you!”As soon as Leone said that, they heard something from behind and looked to see what it was. It turned out the pillar Leone slammed Ilia in was breaking apart fast and part of the balcony began to fall on top of Ilia. Ilia gasped and closed her eyes to await her inevitable end. She heard a crash but didn’t feel dead. Ilia opened her eyes and gasped again to see who saved her. Leone was standing in front of her, holding part of the balcony with her hands. All Ilia could do currently was stare at Leone wide-eyed and in disbelief. Leone snarled at the other Faunus girl. “You got two seconds to get out before I decide to drop this on you!” Ilia didn’t need to be told twice and scrambled out from underneath the pillar. As soon as she did, Leone threw the balcony part at the other side of the room and it landed with a heavy thud.Leone sighed as that part of the ordeal was over. Now all that was left was to find Kali and hope she was safe. It was very easy since the doors opened, and Kali appeared along with Syka. Blake was beyond happy seeing her mother again. “Mom!” She ran over to her mother and hugged her. Kali hugged her daughter back as she was happy to see her too.“What have you done!” Everyone turned Corsac who came around and was very angry at what happened. All of his anger was toward Sienna. “You killed him. You killed my brother!”Sienna didn’t seem to be bothered by his rage. In fact, she glared back at him. “This is what happens when you fight for the future Adam wants. This is what it gets you. It’s filled with nothing but pain, misery, and death. Your brother paid for it with his life and it wasn’t even worth it.” Corsac was beyond furious at the people standing in front of him. Leone and everyone else prepared themselves for Corsac’s last stand. “You ruined everything. EVERYTHING!” He rushed at Sienna first but was instantly stopped when Ilia wrapped her whip sword around his body. Corsac was shocked to his core and collapsed to the floor. Ilia sighed before starting to cry and dropped to her hands and knees. B With all the explosions going on and the stack of smoke rising out of the Belladonna estate, the people of Menagerie gathered in front of the house to see what was going on. One of the officers stood in front and held her hands out to keep them at bay. “Back! Everyone, stay back! We’ve got people inside doing their best.”One of the Faunus in crow saw something emerging out of the smoke and pointed. “Look!”Everyone looked at the direction and they saw their Chieftain emerging from the smoke carrying one of the guards and a White Fang member. Behind him was Corsac being held by two of the guards. Kali, Blake, Sienna, and Syka were also behind. So was Leone but she was carrying all the members of the Six Fangs behind her back. How could she carry that many were beyond to some of the officers. Leone handed each other Six Fang members to the proper authorities. It took a couple to completely hold up Rhamos. “Here you and be careful with the kangaroo girl. She has a fractured femur and a broken arm.”Ghira handed the injured members to two of the officers while the captain pointed to the inside of the house. “Get in there! Search for any stragglers!” He turned to the Chieftain. “We came as soon as we got the call.” They looked back to see more White Fang members being carried out of the house. There was only one that wasn’t accounted for. “And Fennec?”“He’s no more.”Ghira and the captain saw Sienna approach them. The captain gasped as he immediately recognized her. “Wait, you’re…”“She fought with us.” The captain turned to Ghira. “Sienna Khan is no longer affiliated with the White Fang. She too was targeted by them. The same as my family and I.” The captain was a bit confused but rolled with what his Chieftain said.The captain walked over to Corsac who was on his knees next to two of the guards. The captain lowered himself slightly at the other Faunus. “Was it worth it?” Corsac didn’t reply and looked away. The captain wasn’t going to get anything from him and moved away.However, he wasn’t the only one that wanted a word with the surviving brother. Leone walked up to him next and Corsac refused to look at her. That was fine with the Faunus blonde since she only needed him to listen. “You know what’s the worst thing a soldier can do? Dying in vain and that's what exactly happened to him. His death is on you, not on Sienna and you’re going to have to live with that for the rest of your life.” Corsac remained silent which was fine with Leone.Blake looked around at her surroundings and everyone who was involved in the ordeal. She even looked back at Ilia who just looked away. Blake sighed as she knew what to do. She began walking to the front of the crowd. Ghira and Leone saw where she was going. "Blake/What are you doing?" Before they could approach her, Kali stopped them both. They had no choice but to trust with what Blake was going to do.Blake walked down halfway down the steps and stopped. She took in a deep breath and steeled herself. "Humans didn't do this." Blake pointed at her home. "We did this. Faunus.” Blake lowered her arm and placed her hand on the top of her chest. “We did this to ourselves.” The entire crowd was silent as the continued to watch Blake. “We are just as capable of hate and violence as the humans, but I don’t think any of us would jump at the chance to point that out. So, why are we letting Adam do it for us?! By doing nothing and staying silent, we let others speak and act in our place! And if we’re not proud of the choices they make, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. This is the message Adam Taurus will bring to the world if no one stops him. But we can stop him! You have to understand that all of you are looking for simple answers to a very a complicated problem. And I can’t give that to you. I don’t know how to make hate go away. I don’t! But I know that this kind of violence is not the solution. I understand that to ask to leave your homes and protect Haven Academy is asking you to put your lives at risk…but that’s what’s at stake. So, I’m going, and I’ll stand by myself if I have to.”“I’ll stand with you!” Blake turned around and saw Ilia standing up. Her and the crowd. Even though Ilia declared she would stand by with Blake, she still seemed uncertain. “If…you’d have me.”One of the Faunus in the crowd recognized her. “Isn’t that the White Fang girl?”“I thought she hated the Belladonnas.”Ilia tried to walk over to Blake, but the captain grabbed her tightly by the arm. “You’re not going anywhere.”“Let her come.”The captain turned to Blake and questioned her thinking. “You’re just going to forgive her? After everything she did?!”Blake stared back at the captain with unwavering eyes. “I am.” The captain turned to Ghira and the Chieftain nodded. The captain had no choice but to release his grip on Ilia.As he did, Ilia resumed walking toward Blake. The captain still didn’t understand what the younger Faunus girl was thinking. “What does she think she’s doing?”Ghira knew and that’s why he was smiling at his daughter. “She’s learned a lesson that evaded me until I was much older.” Ilia stood next to Blake and they smiled at each other. “That there is strength in forgiveness.”Sienna couldn’t help but smile as well at what Blake has done. “You’ve raised a strong and wonderful daughter, Ghira.”Leone chuckled as she couldn’t agree more with her father. “Blake just pretty much summed up what the Revolutionary Army was doing.” “I’ll go!” They all heard one of the Faunus from the crowd. They saw who it was and it was the Faunus Leone talked to earlier.“I’ll go too!”“I’ll stand with you!”“I’ll go!”“Yeah!”“Me too!”“Let’s go!”“Yeah, let’s go!”Even Omar raised his arm up. “Count me in!” He then felt a thwack from the back of his head from his sister. He groaned and turned to his sister while holding the back of his head. “What the hell Kay?”Kay glared at her brother. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting you do this!”Omar couldn’t believe what her sister was saying. “But-”“Let me finish.” Kay interrupted and pointed her finger at Omar. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting you do this without me. We stick together.” She flashed her brother a smile. Omar smiled back and nodded at his sister.It seemed everyone was willing to join in and to see such a sight made Leone happy. She walked down the steps next and stood next to Blake. "Well, it seems you have a lot a work to do."Blake chuckled a little and smiled at the other Faunus girl. “Thank you.”Leone smiled back before turning her focus to Ilia. She growled lightly at the chameleon girl which frightened Ilia a little. “You better prove yourself that you were worth all the trouble Blake went through.” Ilia looked slightly away from Leone. “You do that, and I might forgive you.” With that in mind, Ilia would make sure to do that.Ghira and Kali walked down next to everyone else. They had dealt with one problem but there still was an even larger one at bay. Ghira looked over at his daughter. “We have less than a month before Adam attacks Haven. We’re going to need shields, training, whatever we can do to protect as many people as possible.”There was another problem Kali needed to address. “We’ll need transportation too. For everyone.”Blake had a confident smile as she had the perfect answer. “I think I know a ship captain who owes me a favor.”This whole ordeal was over, and Leone looked up at the night sky. The Faunus blonde envisioned her team. She may be done here in Menagerie, but she had something else important to do. “It won’t be much longer now. I’ll be back sooner than you know everyone.” A/N: “Ahem” HOLY HELL THIS FRIGGING CHAPTER! Okay, forget what I said in a chapter in my Seven Heroines story. This is the longest chapters I’ve ever done! With that out, let me just say I want to give out a special thank you and shout out to fellow writer/great artist and a good friend of mine, sortacrazi, for helping me figure out what Sienna’s semblance would be. Also, while on the topic, I realized I made Sienna into an unintentional reference. What that reference is, I’ll give all of you a hint: She’s a freaking lightning tiger. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Leave it to me updating this story when Adam’s character trailer rolled around. Not only that but we get to see what kind of weapon Sienna uses. Oh well, I still stand by what I gave her. Plus, it really does fit her well. If you don’t know what I’m talking about…you’ll all find out soon enough. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Sixty Nine: Mother’s TreasureKali sighed as she sat on the edge of her bed looking at the photo of her and her dear friend. After the events of what happened, the Belladonna family, Leone, Syka, and Sienna spent the night at a nearby hotel. Rebuilding part of the house Blake burned down would be quick but training the citizens would take more time. Ghira, Sienna, and Syka would oversee that. Leone, however, had something else to do. Now that most of the members in the White Fang were either arrested or killed, the Faunus blonde decided it was time for her to leave. She was set to leave Menagerie in the morning, but Kali wanted to talk to her. And this is why she was in her room now. Kali desperately wanted to know something important ever since she saw the younger Faunus. She wanted to confirm Leone was who Kali thought she was. A few knocks on the door snapped Kali out from her train of thought. She lifted her head to look at the door and set the photo down on her lap. “Yes? Come in.”The door slid open to reveal Leone. “Hey, Kali!” She entered the room and slid the door shut from behind.Kali smiled sweetly at her supposed granddaughter. Granddaughter. It was a strange word for her now, but Kali couldn’t think of that now for the moment. “Hello, Leone. I’m glad you could meet me before you left.”Leone smiled back at the older Faunus woman. “It’s no problem. I have some time to spare. They do have to prepare the boat.” She took a closer look at Kali and her eyes traced her shoulder. “How’s your shoulder feeling?”Kali placed a hand on her the shoulder she was shot at. She managed to get the wound treated but would have to take it easy for a few days. The older Faunus woman glanced at her shoulder before turning her attention to Leone. “It’s fine now. Although, I don’t think I’ll be using firearms anytime soon.”The Faunus blonde couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Yeah, it may be a little out there for you.” Her laughing stopped and became a little more serious. “So, what was it that you wanted to talk about? It must be pretty important if you wanted to talk to me before I had to leave.” As soon as she mentioned that, Leone saw Kali’s cat ears flatten slightly and looked away. Seeing this questioned Leone. "What is it? It can't be that bad, right?" An idea crossed her mind. "Oh, is this about you…killing that White Fang member?" Leone knew it was a sensitive subject to the older Faunus. She heard of it from Syka and how much it had shaken her. "Look, it's not your fault it happened but you didn't have much of choice. I don't blame you for doing that. The same goes for Ghira, Blake, and even Sienna. Honestly, I'd be a bit worried if you enjoyed it."Kali closed her eyes and shook her head. “No, it’s not about that.” She stopped and opened her eyes. The older Faunus stood up from the bed. “It’s…well…” Kali closed her eyes again and took in a deep breath. She steeled herself and opened her eyes. “I wanted to show you this." She presented the photo to the younger Faunus girl. "This is a photo of me and a close friend of mine when we were younger. When we were still in the White Fang before it turned the way, it did."Leone didn’t know what a photo had to do with this, but she accepted it anyway. “Really? This I have to see.” She flipped the photo over and took a good look at it. The Faunus blonde laughed when she saw Kali. “Oh wow, Kali. Look at you. You must’ve had heads rolling after you. I guess Ghira was lucky to have you. Also, you looked great with long hair.” Kali was flattered to hear that. Then Leone turned her attention to the girl next to her. “And who’s your frien-” Leone’s eyes went wide with shock as she gasped. The girl next to Kali looked similar to Leone and her appearance struck a chord within the Faunus blonde.Her breathing became deep and heavy as her mind remembered something from her past. “Leone…my sweet strong little lion."Leone couldn’t tear her eyes off from the familiar Faunus. “This woman…she…she can’t be…” She had to find out right now. “Kali, who is the girl next to you?”Kali saw Leone’s reaction and knew this was going somewhere. “Her name is Leona and she was the closest friend I had. But over twenty years ago, she left the White Fang. Her reason for doing so was because she was pregnant. Leona told me not to tell anyone and I’ve kept that secret for all these years. That is until you arrived.”Leone looked away from the photo briefly to turn her attention to Kali. “What do you mean?”Kali could tell she was closer now. She started to believe what she had thought was true all along. “I’m sure you know by now the woman in the photo looks a lot like you. I will not lie in saying when I first saw you, you reminded me so much of her. Even more so when you put her weapon on. I’m not the only one who thinks so. Ghira believes this as well. However, I must know. I have to know if you’re her-”“There’s no way in hell I am!” Leone interrupted Kali. The older Faunus saw the disbelief in the Faunus blonde’s eyes. Of course, Kali should’ve guessed Leone wasn’t Leona’s daughter. There was no way since her daughter would’ve been in her early twenties at least. Leone was around Blake’s age. That was the conclusion she had come to. That is until she heard Leone say more. “There’s just…no way…” The older Faunus woman saw Leone look back at the photo. “She can’t be. She couldn’t be. My mom…she was…I was…” Her expression became a mixture of anger and confusion. “I WAS BORN HUMAN DAMNIT!” Instead of crumbling the photo, Leone dropped it and it started to sway to the ground. Leone, who didn’t know what to believe now, dropped to her hands and knees. The photo landed in front of the Faunus blonde’s face and she was forced to look at the picture yet again. “She was human. I know it. I would’ve noticed those ears, but she didn’t have any. So, how…”This was the reaction Kali was looking for. The way Leone acted was proof enough. She even heard the younger Faunus girl say ‘mom’ but that wasn’t the most shocking thing she’d heard. “You…were human?” Now all kinds of questions were popping up for Kali. She had never heard of Leone mention she was a human or that her friend was a human. Last time she checked, Leona was a Faunus so why did Leone say she was human? These questions would have to be answered a little later. For now, there was just one question Kali needed to know. She looked down at the shocked younger Faunus girl. “Leone…how old are you? Really. Please, tell me.”Leone hesitated to answer the question. Her true age was her best-kept secret. To reveal it now was…she closed her eyes and sighed in defeat. “I’m…I’m…I’m in my early twenties.”That was the final nail Kali needed to strike. She now knew without a fact who Leone truly was. “So, it is true then….” Leone lifted her head to look at Kali while tears started to roll down her cheeks. “You are Leona’s daughter.” B After some time has passed for Leone to recollect herself, she and Kali were sitting on the edge of the bed together. Leone’s nerves seemed to have calmed down, but she was still reeling in the truth she had learned about herself. She couldn’t help but chuckle. “So, this is…something I never expected to learn. I mean…”Kali shared what Leone was feeling. Leone was indeed Leona’s daughter, but she had a couple of questions. “Leone, earlier you said you born a human but your appearance is-”“I look like a Faunus, I know.” Leone interrupted. “Trust me, I am definitely a Faunus in this world, but I was a human back in the world I came from. The appearance you see before know is what I call a half-transformation. Meaning that I look similar to the beast form I took but not all the way. My full look is like this, ears and the hair but I also had beast claws and a tail. Also, in my human form, I had short hair.”The older Faunus woman tried to picture what Leone would look like a human, given her description. She had a pretty good idea now and Leone did seem to be drastically different looking. “So, you were a human but could transform into something like a Faunus?”Leone had to give Kali credit. Her description was close to the mark. “Yeah. You remember the Imperial Arms I told you guys before? Mine was known as The King of Beasts Transformation: Lionel. When I transform into beast mode, everything in me becomes amplified. My strength and my senses increase drastically. More so than any other animal out there. I’ve had it for a long time and I feel like it was a part of me. That is until that bastard minister destroyed it and shot me in the stomach a few times over.”Kali had to admit the younger girl had a point. It wouldn’t have gone over well Ghira and Sienna. Especially with Sienna. The older Faunus woman had a question related to the topic. “Does anyone else know about this?”The Faunus blonde nodded at the question. “Yeah, Blake knows about it. My team too and a close group of friends.”At least there were others who knew about this. Including Blake but now Kali had to ask her next question. “I see. Do they know about your…age?”This time, Leone shook her head. “No, you’re the first to know. Honestly, this was supposed to be secret.”So, it was only Kali who knew about this. Knowing this led the older Faunus woman to the next question she wanted to ask. “If you’re the age you say you are then why…”Leone laughed as Kali brought up a good point. “I know, it’s weird. I was surprised when I first woke up in this world looking like this. Trust me, I don’t actually look like this back in my world. I obviously looked older, but this is how I looked when I was seventeen at the time. Hell, I haven’t joined the Revolutionary Army at that age yet. I don’t know how it happened but it did. It just means I’ll have to wait a while before I look like myself originally again.” Kali still wanted to know how Leone appeared as she did but even the Faunus blonde didn't know. At least she could be at rest that Leone didn't exactly fight in a war as a teenager. Still, Leone was still young to be in that sort of thing, though. Now, it was Leone's turn to ask some questions, starting with the most prevalent one. "About the weapon you gave me…." She raised her gauntlet to her chest level and looked down on it. "This was my mother's, wasn't it?"Kali looked at the weapon as well and nodded. “Yes. To be honest, since you looked so much like Leona, I thought it would be appropriate. You really do look like her when you have it.”Hearing that brought so much joy to Leone. She never would’ve guessed her mother was part of something so big was a quite shock. Almost as big learning she was originally a Faunus. Leone thought of her next question as she put her arm down. “So, you and my mom were friends. Can you tell me what she was like?”This time, Kali was the one to chuckle nostalgically. “Where do I even begin?” She lifted her head and stared at the ceiling. “Leona, your mother, was an incredible woman. She was strong and fierce yet gentle to those in need. She also had a bit of a teasing side. I can’t tell you how many times she nudged and hinted that I should get together with Ghira. It’s still funny how it eventually worked. However, her teasing reached a new level. She would constantly ask me questions like ‘when’s the wedding’ and ‘how many kids you think you’ll have’?” Leone couldn’t help but laugh. At least she knew where she got her sense of humor from. It also made her realize something "Wait if my mom is the reason you and Ghira are still together now, does that technically make her Blake's godmother or something?"Kali looked back at the Faunus blonde and realized Leone did bring up a good point. “I’ve never thought of that. That’s a very good point. And she did allow me to use that lullaby for Blake when she was little.”A lullaby. Leone remembered Blake singing a lullaby to her back at Beacon and it made her remember her mother. “Hey, Kali. Do you think you can sing me that lullaby? I want to hear it.” Kali saw no reason to deny her. This lullaby was the only other thing Leone could remember her by. The older Faunus woman looked away and closed her eyes. She took in a deep breath and began to sing the lullaby. Leone closed her eyes as well and listened closely to the melody. It was exactly like how Blake sang it to her. It was comforting and soothing. However, there was a slightly different. The way Kali was singing it made it sound softer. Almost as if…it was her mother singing. Her mind began to wander and envisioned seeing her younger self-laying her head on her mother's lap while singing this pleasant song and stroking her head gently. It was exactly how Leone remembered it. Kali had finally stopped singing and Leone opened her eyes. “Yeah, that was the same song my mom used to sing to me whenever I had a bad dream or when I was scared.”Kali smiled at that fact. She could imagine Leona singing that song to her child. She opened her eyes and turned to Leone. The older Faunus woman gasped at what she saw next. “Leone, are you crying?”Leone didn't understand at first before touching her right cheek. Sure enough, she was crying and wasn't aware it happened. The Faunus blonde sniffed as she rubbed the tears off with her right arm. “I guess I am. I think the song got to me more than I thought.” Leone lowered her arm and the tears were dried up. After hearing that lullaby, she remembered Kali asking about her mother and felt awful with her answer. “I’m sorry you had to learn what happened to my mom. I know she deserved better than living and dying in a shitty shack.”Kali did feel sad in finally knowing what happened to her best friend, but it was alright now. She leaned in toward the younger Faunus girl and wrapped her arms around her body. Leone was caught off guard with the hug but greatly welcomed it. Kali closed her eyes again and smiled greatly. “It’s fine. At least I know what happened to her. I’m just happy a part of her came back to me. That’s all I could’ve asked for.”They hugged for a minute longer before breaking the hug and opening their eyes to look at each other. The Faunus blonde smiled brightly at Kali at first but then her expression changed to confusion. “There’s one thing I still don’t get. Why was my mom human? I mean, she was clearly a Faunus in the picture, but I remember her looking like a human. Hell, like I said before, I was born human.”Kali thought that was strange as well until she thought of a theory. “Maybe it’s somehow related to you? I mean, you were conceived in this world, but you were born in that other world.”It wasn’t a bad explanation, but Leone still didn’t understand. That is until she thought of something. “Wait a minute.” She pondered at her own theory. “Maybe it was the same thing.” Kali seemed confused and the younger Faunus girl looked at her. “I’m here because Akame wished to start over somewhere else. After that night, we were here, and I became a Faunus. Like you said, I was conceived here in Remnant so that would explain why I am a Faunus here. I mean, it makes sense, but I was born human in the Capital. What I think happened was that my mom must’ve made a similar wish. Like how Akame’s wish sent us here and I became a Faunus, my mom must’ve become human when she arrived in my world. Along with me.” Now it made more sense to Kali. If this wish worked one way, then it could work the other way as well. At least for certain people. Meaning if Leone was originally a Faunus and became human, then she could revert into a Faunus upon reentering Remnant. Leone came to this conclusion as well and made another discovery. Remnant was the world she had come from. In other words, and in short, Leone had returned to what she was supposed to be. A Faunus. It was a little mind-blowing for her. Mind blowing and ironic where it got her mother. She let out a small sad laugh. “Some wish my mom made. All it did was kill her in the end and I ended up growing up in a sinking shithole of an Empire.”While Leone may have a point, Kali saw a different side to it. “Perhaps but I believe your mother was happy.”The younger Faunus girl had a hard time believing that. “And how so? We were poor, we lived in a shack with holes in the roof, we barely had enough to eat, and the winters were brutal. How was my mom happy going through that?”“Because she had you.” Kali’s answer surprised Leone. “Leona loved you like the mother she was. I can only imagine how happy she was when you came into the world. She must’ve thought you were more precious, more important than anything else. Even if her new life was bad, even if she did die, I’m positive Leona loved you for every moment in her life until the end. If she were here now, Leona would be proud to see how much her daughter has grown. A proud, strong woman who’s willing to protect and fight for others and to those close to her.”Kali’s words cut Leone deep. She’d had never thought of it that way before. Then she remembered some parts when she was with her mother. There wasn’t one time where she seemed sad or scared. She was always smiling, and it was always when Leone was with her mother. The tears started to form again in her eyes. The Faunus blonde rubbed her eyes with her arm again to stop herself from crying. However, the tears were already rolling down her cheeks again Despite the crying, Leone chuckled happily. “Jeez, Kali. That’s the third time you made me cry. Not even with all the batshit crazy people I had to fight did this to me. I think you’re more dangerous than you think.”The older Faunus giggled as she would gladly take the compliment. “It’s because I know what Leona must’ve felt when she had you. I know it because that’s how I felt when I had Blake. The joy of seeing your child, wanting to protect her, it’s a memory worth treasuring. More so than any other valuable out there. To Leona, you were her most precious treasure and that alone must’ve been worth all the suffering she’d gone through. It’s because you were with her.”The tears kept running but Leone was still smiling. “Okay, okay. You’re ruining my image now.” After a few seconds, the tears were finally wiped away again, but the Faunus blonde kept her smile. Kali smiled along with her. With all this talk about her mother, Leone had to know about another subject from Kali. “Since you knew my mom…do you know who my dad is? I mean you did ask about him. Did you know him?”Honestly, Kali thought she’d never get the chance to explain. Leone deserved to know who her father was. “I do. Your father’s name is Raus. Raus Vermillion. He and Leona first met when we had a party one time. Raus bragged how no man could outdrink him but then Leona challenged him. What happened after that is what I’d consider adorable. They were both clearly drunk, but I saw how they looked at each other. I remember Raus saying to her ‘you know, you’re the most beautiful drunken woman I’ve ever laid my eyes upon’. We all laughed before he collapsed.” Leone laughed at how her parents first met. At least she knows where she got her drinking trait from. “The following morning after, they both had a bad hangover. It didn’t take long for Raus to properly ask Leona out. Like Ghira and I, they also made a cute couple.”It was kind of a sweet story for Leone to know how her parents met. She wanted to learn more about her father. “What kind of person was Raus? I mean, my dad?”and wanted us to defend ourselves if anything were to happen. I remember him saying ‘it’s not violence if it’s self-defense’.” Leone had heard that before. It sounded something similar Adam would say. Kali opened her eyes once again to look at Leone. “Of course, he wasn’t suggesting the kind of violence Adam would allow. He wouldn’t call attacking humans self-defense.” At least her father some decent common sense. “Then, there was that fateful night. When Leona told me, she was pregnant and had to leave.”That was the burning question of all for Leone. If her mother and father had such a great relationship, why did she leave without telling him? “Why did she do it? I mean, I know I was part of it but…”Kali knew that would come up and explain. “She was afraid. Leona feared what his reaction would be. As I’ve said before, Raus was dedicated to the White Fang and he’d never showed any interest in starting a family. On top of that, they were both around your current age when it happened. Another fact I think I know is that she really didn’t want to raise a child in the kind of environment we were in. To be honest, I think Leona had the right idea. Being in the White Fang was no place to raise a child. I should know because when Ghira and I were leaving, we wanted to take Blake with us, but she refused. The White Fang had become part of her life and I was afraid she could end the same as Adam. I was relieved when that fear didn’t come to pass.” Leone was glad that didn’t happen as well. She couldn’t imagine someone like Blake acting the way Adam did. “Of course, it’s not like you had a pleasant life either with everything you told us about what you went through.” Kali now saw the irony between Blake and Leone. “I never would’ve imagined our daughters would meet each other.”Leone would have to agree with that. “That’s true but I managed to live through all of that. Not to mention I had good friends and allies to help me along the way. The same can be said for Blake when she left the White Fang. So, I guess you can say it kinda worked out for the both of us." She decided to get back on topic. "So, whatever happened to Raus after my mom left?"The older Faunus remembered that moment all too well. “Raus, he…he didn’t take it very well. When Raus found out that Leona was gone, he became terribly worried. He was frantic in finding out what happened to her. Ultimately, he approached me and…became a little violent towards me. Raus grabbed me, shook me, had a threatening look in his eye, I was scared. He accused me of knowing what happened to Leona, but I wouldn’t say it. Ghira saw this and asked him to stand down but that only escalated into a fight between them. Ghira won but he didn’t tolerate Raus’ behavior. Especially toward me. After that, Raus packed up his belongings and left the White Fang to search for Leona. That was the last we've seen of him. I don’t where he is or if he’s still looking for Leona. Although, now that I know the truth about her, I’m afraid his searching all this time was pointless.”“I don’t think so.” Kali was surprised when she heard Leone say that. “I’m here and he doesn’t know he has a daughter now. It’s just a matter of whether if we run into each other but I know chances of that are slim to none. Is there a way for him to identify that I am his daughter?”Kali looked at her weapon and pointed at it. “He’ll be able to recognize the weapon you have now. That and you really do look similar to your mother. I’m sure he’ll be able to recognize you.” Leone hoped that would be enough. It was both funny and strange to the Faunus blonde. To think she had a father all this time. She wished she could meet him someday but there was something else for Leone to do. Something important and couldn't wait anymore. B “Are you sure you won’t stay? There is a place for you here with us.”“Positive. My time here’s done and I have to get back to my team. “Leone, Blake, Ghira, Kali, Sienna, Syka, and even Ilia were standing on the pier with the boat almost ready to go. The Faunus blonde wanted to say her goodbyes to the people she met during her time on Menagerie. “I will say thank you for everything you’ve done and for understanding me.” Ghira knew what Leone met by that. He then let out a grunt when Leone gave him a hug. A very tight hug at that. Thankfully, the Faunus blonde let go and moved on to Kali. She gave the older Faunus woman a much gentler hug. She leaned her mouth close to Kali’s ear. “Thank you for everything, Kali.”Kali closed her eyes and smiled as she returned the hug. “You’re welcome, dear.”Leone separated from the hug and approached Blake this time. She gave the other Faunus girl a soft and warming smile. "I have to say, Blake, I think you'd fit in pretty well with the Revolutionary Army.”Blake smiled back and gladly took the compliment. “Thank you and I hope you find your team soon. And when you see Yang, tell her I said hi.”The Faunus blonde gave Blake a hug next and it lasted a little longer. She broke the hug and then moved on to Sienna and Syka. Sienna smiled confidently at the Faunus girl before her. “I will say that it was an honor fighting beside you and…getting to know you, Leone. You are much more than I had originally thought and heard of.”Leone could say the same to the tigress. “Yeah, you turned out not be so bad yourself, Sienn.” She briefly focused on Sienna’s weapon strapped to her back. “Have you decided what you’re going to name it?”Sienna glanced back at her weapon and took it out to hold it. She continued to admire the spear. Leone also brought up a good question. Sienna had never thought of giving her new weapon a name. However, she had now thought of what to call it. “Oerba Fang. I believe that’s what’ll I call it. It’s a little childish but when I was young, I’ve heard stories about a great and powerful warrior who wielded a weapon like this similar to that name and I do think it’d be fitting.” She set the weapon upon her back again.The Faunus blonde liked the idea behind that. “Yeah, that sounds pretty cool. It definitely suits you to a T.” She saw Sienna extend her hand toward the other Faunus woman. Leone thought it was Sienna wanting a handshake, but she thought of something better. “Aww, come here you!” She wrapped her arms around Sienna and gave her a joyful hug. Sienna was certainly didn’t expect the hug but wouldn’t make it a big deal. This hug only proves that Leone sees her as a comrade she could rely on.While Leone was hugging Sienna and laughing, Ilia observed the Faunus blonde closely. She was honestly surprised what Leone was really like. “It’s strange. Just last night, she had the eyes of a killer and now…she’s like a different person now. Not to mention that roar I heard, I know it was from her. Just who is she?” She thought back to Adam and when he introduced the Grimm masks. “Adam once said we wear these masks to make sure people don’t forget what we look like. So we can put fear in the humans who would dare cross us. However, she is entirely different. She doesn’t need a mask. She is beyond more frightening than any Grimm out there in the world. I’m beginning to understand now why Adam is-”“Hey!” Ilia’s train of thought was broken when she heard Leone calling out to her. She quickly discovered the Faunus blonde was standing in front of her. Ilia was taken aback a little by the sudden closeness. She saw the glare Leone was giving her and didn’t make her any less nervous. “I’ll tell you this again. You better make sure you were worth all the shit Blake had to go through. I don’t have to remind you if you don’t.”Ilia gulped as she nodded her head in fear. “I-I won’t let her down.”Leone smiled as she closed her eyes. “Atta girl!” She slapped Ilia’s back.Obviously, it stung a little more than Ilia thought. “Ah-ow-ow!” She took a few steps forward while rubbing her back and groaned. “I think she’s still trying to kill me!” “Hey! The boat’s ready to leave now! Just waiting for you to say the word!”That was Leone’s cue. With all of the goodbyes said, the Faunus blonde made her way to the boat. Before Leone could board, Syka had one gift to give her. "Hey!" Leone turned to the scorpion girl who tossed her scroll. The Faunus blonde caught it easily and stared at it questioningly. “If you ever happen to run into Seryu, please give that to her before you maim her. There’s…something I want her to see.”Leone still wanted to pummel Seryu for what she did. However, the Faunus blonde was now aware the situation Seryu was in. So, in respect for Syka, she would carry out the scorpion girl’s wish. “Fine, but I’m still pissed at what she did to me.” Leone put the scroll in her pocket.Sienna also had more thing to say to the other Faunus girl. “Hold on.” The tigress approached the Faunus blonde. “Before you go, I want you to promise me something.”She leaned her mouth close to Leone’s ear and whispered something to her. Leone groaned in a frustrated manner as Sienna pulled away. “Fine then but it does seem appropriate when you think about it.” With everything said and done, Leone finally boarded the boat and flashed everyone a joyful grin while she waved at them. “See all of ya in less than a month!” Insert Seven Deadly Sins Season One Opening 2 The engine roared to life and the boat started to take off. Blake and everyone else on the pier waved goodbye back at Leone. It was a familiar sight for Blake but this time, she has the help of everyone in Menagerie. Like before, the boat picked up speed and soon enough, Leone was no longer in their sights. Everybody lowered their arms and stared at the horizon for a few moments. Blake, Syka, and Ilia began to walk away while Ghira, Kali, and Sienna remained. “She’s somehow related to Leona, isn’t she?”Ghira and Kali were caught off guard by Sienna’s comment. “Why do you say that?” Ghira asked.Sienna smiled as she remembered the moment Leone dropped in front of her and Ghira last night. “I recognized the weapon she wielded on her right arm. When I saw that, for a moment, I thought I saw Leona up until she did that roar. So, am I right somehow?”Kali giggled as Sienna was right. “Leone is actually her daughter.”Sienna thought as much but there was something a little off. “If that’s true, she’s so much younger than I thought she’d be.”The other Faunus woman smiled as she had to drop a bomb on her and Ghira. “Actually…”Blake and the others had reached the end of the pier. “SHE’S HOW OLD NOW!?” Then they stopped and turned around when they heard Sienna scream. Now that the tigress was over her initial shock, she couldn’t help but laugh now. “I never would’ve expected that. Now I can’t help but envy her.”In all honesty, so did Kali. “I have to agree.”Ghira was also surprised to know Leone’s true age. “Well, now that explains everything.” He still had some questions but for now, he was content with what he’d learned. Of course, he learned something else that was important. The Chieftain looked up at the sky. “Raus, my old friend. You still have hope. Your daughter is here, and I wish the best of luck that you two somehow meet.”On the boat, Leone was leaning forward on the railing looking out in the sea. She reflected on her time on Menagerie and how much it impacted her. To think she ended up there from a crash nowhere near there and had discovered something extraordinary. The Faunus blonde looked down at Silver Saber and smiled. "To think my mom was part of the White Fang. No, to think she was from Remnant. Remnant is my real home." Leone couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony that is her life. “My parents were something like revolutionaries and I ended up fighting for the Revolutionary Army. Then I ended up here helping to take back the White Fang. Is this what they mean by the circle of life because that’s how I feel about this. My entire life basically went through a circle. Kinda funny when you think about it.” Leone then stared up at the sky. “And I have a father out there somewhere, Raus Vermillion. I hope I can meet him one day and tell him the truth. About mom, about me, and what I’ve been through. I wonder how he’d react?” While being in though, Leone felt a strong gust of wind and the boat rocked a little. The Faunus blonde stumbled a little and turned to the officer. “Hey, what’s going on!?”The officer gauged at what happened and pulled the sails down. “It seems we’re getting a pretty strong gust of wind. If it continues like this, we could make it to port sooner than expected.”That great news for Leone to hear. “The sooner we get there, the better. Now, let’s go!” The boat sped up thanks to the wind. Leone walked up to the front of the boat and saw into the horizon. “I’m on my way, everyone. It won’t be much longer now. I’m sorry to keep all of you waiting this long. I can’t wait to tell all of you what I’ve been through.” She giggled happily at the thought of seeing her team again. In fact, she looked forward to it. Especially seeing Akame again.Behind the boat where the gust of wind came, that same spiritual figure stood above the water. She briefly saw the boat continue its voyage before vanishing once again in a flash of light. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: At the time this chapter is posted, I have enrolled into a university. Send thoughts and prayers to me and hope that I can still put out the remaining chapters without long breaks in-between. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Seventy: Shared Goals "We're sorry but the number you are calling is not in the available area. Please hang up and try again.” “We're sorry but the number you are calling is not in the available area. Please hang up and try again." "We're sorry but the number you are calling is not in the available area. Please hang up and try again." That message kept replaying over and over in Taeko’s head. She could not figure out how their calls and messages couldn’t get through Akame’s scroll. Their leader should be in the same area but for whatever reason, Akame wasn’t. Kurome was sickeningly worried about her sister and as soon the morning came, she, Taeko, Cornelia, and Chelsea would head to the streets. They split up into two teams; Taeko with Chelsea and Cornelia with Kurome. Cornelia wondered why Taeko didn’t suggest they’d go with their significant others but Taeko explained she had her reason. Each team went their separate ways to cover more ground and ask the citizens if they’ve seen Akame. So far, they had no success. Akame’s disappearance wasn’t the only thing on Taeko’s mind. “Okay, thanks for your time.” Chelsea walked away from yet another civilian and approached Taeko who was sitting on a bench. Chelsea sighed in defeat. “Well, that was another dead end. What do you say we move on?” She didn’t hear a reply from the other girl. Chelsea took a double take and saw a very familiar sight. “Hey, Taeko!”Chelsea managed to break Taeko’s train of thought and lifted her head up to face her. “Oh, you’re done.” She stood up from the bench and turned away from her childhood friend. “Let’s continue.” Taeko started to walk away from the other girl.Chelsea leered at Taeko before walking closely behind her. Chelsea kept looking at her childhood friend suspiciously as she knew something was up. “Taeko…”Taeko took a few moments to respond. “Yes?”At least Chelsea had her attention. “I know that expression you had earlier. Come on, spill it. What were you thinking about?”The other girl didn’t mind sharing her thoughts. In fact, this was the reason why Taeko wanted to pair up with Chelsea. “I was thinking about what Esdeath’s father had said to us last night.”Chelsea knew what the other girl was talking about. “Oh, you mean how he told us that Najenda sent letters to our families? Yeah, I remember that.” She groaned in fear. “Granny is going to kill us when she finds out. The only bright side I can think of is that she could help us out when she does get here. After this is over, we’re going back and facing that damn scary punishment of her.” Chelsea shuddered in fear at the mere thought. “Just thinking about last time sends shivers down my spine.”“I believe that’s not what he said.”Now the other girl seemed confused. “Wait, what do you mean?”Taeko thought deeply about what Esren said and compared it to her experience on the road. “You should’ve listened more carefully. Esdeath’s father didn’t say Najenda sent the letters to our families. He said he was sure those same letters were sent to our families. Meaning that he’d assumed.”Chelsea seemed to be getting the idea now. “Huh, I guess that explains why you kept a cool head when he said that.”“There’s more.” Taeko continued. “If my family had received such a letter, do you think we’d actually be here in Mistral now? Do you think we would’ve made it far in our journey? The answer is no. If my family knew what I was doing, they would make absolutely sure we wouldn’t get far by sending in operatives. Or worse, they’d send my uncle.”Chelsea lowered her head and stared at the ground. “Your uncle, huh?” She stopped walking. Taeko noticed this and stopped as well. She turned to her childhood friend and knew she was troubled. “Your uncle is the last person I’d want to meet.”Taeko could sense the disdain in Chelsea’s voice. “I know you and my uncle don’t exactly get along-”“It’s just not him.” Chelsea interrupted. She lifted her head to face Taeko “He and almost everyone else in your family made it clear how they feel about me. You know what your uncle said to me. He said I was a mistake. Saying that I was nothing more than a filthy mutt who should've stayed in the streets, where I belong. No matter what I do and how well I do it, he'd never acknowledged me. The only reason he puts up with me, and pretty much most of your family, is because it was Granny's wish."Taeko remembered that. She remembered well how they first met. A young girl almost the same age as her wearing dirty ragged clothing tried to steal from Babara. She didn’t get far and was afraid how Babara would do to her. Not only she was wearing dirty ragged clothing, she was also filthy and barefooted. It was as if she hadn't had a bath in months. The fear in her eyes told Babara that she must've been caught and beaten before. Babara held her hand out and the small girl flinched. She expected to be hit but it didn’t come. Instead, she saw Babara holding her hand out to her. Taeko could never forget the words her mother spoke to the frightened girl. "How would you like to escape this dreadful life?" And that was the moment Chelsea had entered Taeko’s life.Of course, when Babara introduced Chelsea to the family, the reactions were expected. Her family didn’t like how her grandmother brought an outsider into their home. However, Babara was quite clear that she would be part of the family now. Especially her uncle. They complied with it, but they would never see Chelsea as part of the family. However, Taeko knew Chelsea more than made up in defying them. “Grandmother knew what she saw in you that day. And she was right. You have proven yourself time and time again. My uncle and everyone else in my family fails to see what my grandmother saw in you. And what I see in you.”Chelsea chuckled weakly and smiled. “Yeah, that’s pretty much true. But I do want to punch your uncle in the face sometimes.”Taeko could understand that. “Never mind him. Just focus on what’s more important to you. More specifically, who’s more important to you.” The other girl nodded and seemed to cheer up a little more. Now that they’ve gotten that piece of history behind them, Taeko could focus on another point. “Speaking of what’s more important, if what I think is true, Najenda could’ve only sent the letter to Esdeath’s father.”The other girl became confused again. “Wait, if what you’re saying is true, then why would she send the letter only to him?”That was something Taeko wanted to know. “I’m not sure but whatever the reason, it must’ve been important.” She turned away from Chelsea and stared at the upcoming crowd. “We should keep moving now. We still need to ask questions about Akame’s whereabouts.”Chelsea agreed strongly with the other girl. “Yeah, let’s keep asking around. We gotta turn up a lead somehow.” They resumed walking and their search for their missing leader. B “Have you seen her?”“No.”“Have you seen this girl before?”“Sorry.”“Did you see this girl?”“I’d think I’d remember seeing a girl cute as her.”“Have you seen her?”"You know, I think I might've had before." Kurome finally felt a sense of happiness within her when she heard the answer. "She was in the Vytal Festival some months back, right? Man, that was wild with what she did. Come to think of it, aren't you the girl she fought in the first round? Can I have your autograph!?”Kurome screamed in frustration while walking in the crowd. Cornelia was walking closely behind her while slightly minding the stares they were getting. Kurome was still fuming from the last person she’d asked. “Seriously, that guy I swear…”Cornelia could understand why the other girl was disappointed in their recent asking. “Don’t worry about it, Kurome. We just need to ask around more.”Kurome stopped and quickly turned around. She had a rather furious expression. “Don’t worry?! I don’t know where the hell you’ve been in the past twenty-four hours but in case you forgot, Akame’s been kidnapped and we don’t know where the hell she is!” Kurome breathed slightly heavy before she recognized her outburst. Her expression changed from angry to resentful. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.”The blonde didn’t blame her for acting like she did. “It’s alright. You’re just worried about your sister.”The other girl just chuckled as she lowered her head. “Honestly, it’s more like I’m pissed and worried at the same time. I’m still mad at Akame for what she did, but at the same time, she really needs to know. We finally have some good news and Akame needs to know Leone is alive. Of all the times she’d disappears on us, and we have no way of knowing where she is.”It really was unfortunate timing. The night Yang says Leone is alive is the same night Akame disappears. It just wasn’t Kurome who worried about Akame. It was Cornelia and everyone else. “Well, that’s why we need to keep on asking people. We’re bound to find something sooner or later.”While Cornelia had a point, Kurome hoped it would be sooner. “Let’s hope you’re right.” They resumed walking through the streets. After a few more attempts of asking and no answers, Kurome spotted a place that seemed helpful. “How about we check this place out?” She pointed a ramen shop. Cornelia nodded, and the two girls walked up to the establishment. Kurome moved one of the hanging cloth out of the way and was the first to enter. “Hello-”Confetti was blasted everywhere at and around Kurome and Cornelia when she entered. More of what it sounded to be like confetti poppers erupted and more confetti was scattered. The two girls didn’t know what was going on. “CONGRATULATIONS!” congratulations Kurome and Cornelia finally saw who was responsible for blasting those confetti poppers. It was three people in total behind the counter. One of which was an older man, a middle age man, and the last one being seeming around their age. “On behalf of Three Beast's Ramen, we would like to congratulate you on being our three hundredth customers! Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am known as Liver, the head of this ramen shop and one of the top tier ramen masters! And the two beside me are my apprentices. To my left is…”The middle-aged man smiled at the girls. “You can call me Daidara.”Liver turned to his other student. “And to my right is…”The youngest of the three smiled cheerfully. “I’m Nyau.”“And we are Master Liver’s devoted students!” They both kneeled and extended their arms toward Liver.Kurome and Cornelia had nothing to say with what they were seeing in front of them. Liver cleared his throat and his two students stood up. “As our three hundredth customer, anything you order is free of charge, no matter how much you order. Quite a deal, don’t you think? In other words, it’s all you can eat for free!”“For free!” Daidara and Nyau extended their arms upward to emphasize their master’s word.While eating all you can eat ramen for free sounded enticing to Kurome, she, unfortunately, would have to decline. "As much as I’d like to take the offer, we’re not here to eat.” Liver and his protégés were beyond surprised to hear a customer pass up on such an offer. “We’re here because we’re wondering if you’d seen this girl.” Kurome gestured the blonde and she presented her scroll to them with Akame’s picture.The three leaned in to observed the picture closer. Liver narrowed his eyes. "Yes, I do believe I've seen this girl. She was here two nights ago."It was the first bit of good news the girls have heard. “What can you tell us? Anything will help. Anything!”Liver could see how desperate Kurome was in wanting answers. He thought it’d be best to answer. “Let’s see. She was here with another woman who was quite ravishing. They both came here and ordered some ramen. This younger girl seemed quite defeated, almost as if she had lost something important. It must’ve been quite heavy since she had finished the most ramen bowls I have seen in my entire career.”That was Akame alright. This woman he mentioned also grabbed Cornelia’s interest. “You said she was with a woman. Can you tell us more about her?”Liver thought back to the woman Akame was with. “As I’ve said, the woman was quite a beauty. Long raven black hair, wore a deep purple lilane dress, and she had a birthmark under her left eye. While she was easy on the eyes, there was something…off-putting about her."Kurome raised an eyebrow. “How so?”Nyau put his hands behind his head. “He means when Daidara tried flirting with her, she gave him this really cold glare. When the master served her ramen, she gently smiled at him. I thought it was because she was into older men.”“You are close but far Nyau.” Liver responded. “It’s true she gave me quite a pleasant smile but something within me said something else. From that smile and the way she closed her eyes, I could tell that woman was tolerating me at best. I’ve lived for a long time and I could tell there was something else about that woman.” Now Kurome and Cornelia were suspicious about this woman now. “After that, the woman paid for the ramen and they left. That was the last I’ve seen this girl.” This was the most information they’ve received and Kurome was grateful for it. “I see. Thank you for helping us. You’ve been a big help.”Liver was delighted to hear that. “You’re welcome, young miss. The fact you’re here and carrying a picture, I assume this girl means a great deal to you. She’s not in any trouble now, is she?”He was right on the money right there but Kurome knew better than to involve citizens. “The only trouble she’s in is making her younger sister and friends worry about her so much. Again, thank you for your time.” Kurome gave them a smile and bowed to them. After that, she left.Cornelia was about to as well but then thought of something. “Do you think you can hold that special offer for us later? My friends and I would appreciate it if we ate here for lunch.”Liver nodded at the young blonde. “But, of course. We’ll do it just for you.”Cornelia smiled at them and waved goodbye before leaving. Daidara still had questions about what happened. "What do you think? Did something really happen to that girl?"Liver had similar thoughts. “The girl did not show it, but she was clearly worried about her. I suppose it has to do with the woman she was with on that night. I don’t know what happened but I’m certain it must’ve been terrible.” Daidara and Nyau were in awe of their master’s perspective. “Okay, now that’s enough. Clean this confetti up and cook up some ramen like your life depends on it! We’ll have customers soon!”Daidara and Nyau saluted to their master. "Yes, sir!"Outside, Kurome and Cornelia assessed with what they heard from the ramen shop owner. “What do you think, Kurome? Do you think this is the same woman that called Akame’s scroll?”The other girl had no room for doubt with what she heard. “I know so. Who else was with Akame that night and called her the following day? Still, what that ramen shop owner said about that woman is concerning. There may be more to this Merraid woman than we thought and it’s not anything good.” Kurome became slightly more worried about her sister. “Akame, just who exactly did you run into?” B “And…there we go. All done.” Weiss turned her body around to see if there were any imperfections with her current state of dress. As the former heiress was done checking, she stared at her reflection a little longer than usual. If she had to be honest, the night she’d spent in this room was leagues beyond better than all those nights she slept in her own room. It would’ve been perfect if not for the fact she and everyone else had not discovered that Akame was not receiving her team’s calls by some mysterious means. Even so, it was nice to catch up with almost everyone. Weiss then heard a few knocks on her door and turned to it. “You can come in.” The door opened, and the former heiress saw Ruby standing before the entranceway. “Ruby…”Ruby stared at the other girl with uncertainty in her eyes. “Hi, Weiss.” She took a few steps into Weiss’ room. Weiss wasn’t surprised Ruby was here. In fact, she knew exactly why Ruby was here. The young leader stopped just a few more steps away from the other girl and looked at her in the eye. “Weiss, I…well…you see…” The former heiress could tell how nervous Ruby was in trying what to say. It was ironic, actually since she was a girl who jumps headfirst into danger while wielding a sniper/scythe combo weapon that was twice her size. Ruby sighed as she gave up on trying what to say and instead pulled out a note out of her skirt pocket. She unfolded the paper and presented it to the other girl. “Can you please explain this?”Weiss sighed as she closed her eyes. She opened them and walked over to her bed. The former heiress sat on the edge in the center and laughed weakly a little. “I see you got my note then.”Seeing Weiss as she is now, looking calm yet sad at the same time. It was a strange sight for Ruby. "Yeah…I did." She folded the paper and put it back in her skirt pocket. “Weiss…did you mean all things you said in the note? Are you really…”“Everything I wrote in that note is true, Ruby. All of it.”That was all the confirmation Ruby needed. “So, you’re in love with me? Like, for real?”The former heiress nodded. “Yes, Ruby. I am. Is it strange for you?”Ruby felt honestly embarrassed. “Uh…not really. I mean…someone like you and someone like me…” She paused for a moment before recollecting her thoughts. “It just…I’m not used to having two girls being interested in me in that way.” That was understandable to Weiss. If she and Esdeath were males, the situation would be considered normal. However, that wasn’t the case here and it’s not like Ruby said she was uncomfortable with the idea. “Especially with what I am and what I’m supposed to do.”This time, Weiss lifted her head and turned to Ruby. She also knew what the younger girl was referring to. “You mean what your silver eyes can do?” The former heiress was still astounded to learn Ruby was part of a powerful race of warriors. It certainly did explain why that giant Grimm Dragon was frozen solid back at Beacon. A power like that would certainly be useful in the upcoming fight.Ruby nodded at the other girl’s question. “Yeah…. but….” Ruby was the one to lower her head this time around.Weiss knew this was bothering the younger girl more than she thought. “Have you been able to use that power again?”The younger closed her eyes and shook her head. “No, I haven’t.” She stopped and opened her eyes. “And the truth is I don’t know if I could do it again. Ever since I learned I could do this sort of thing, I’ve been trying to figure out how I did it on my own. So far, I have nothing. Jaune may be struggling to find his semblance but I'm struggling with how to use this power. Over the last six months, I’ve tried, Weiss. I tried, and I still don’t get how this power works. I’m not any closer than when I started. I don’t know what to do.” Ruby closed her eyes again and felt ashamed. Ruby had this great power within her that could be the deciding factor in the battle against Salem. However, she doesn’t know the first thing about her power other than what she was told. It’s not like she could crack open a history book and learn more about the Silver-Eyed Warriors. No, she was on her own in this endeavor.Ruby was so focused on her own self-doubt, she didn’t notice Weiss standing up and walked over to her. The former heiress then wrapped her arms around the other girl and gave her a heartwarming hug. The young leader opened her eyes in surprise and didn’t expect this to happen. Weiss chuckled softly as she smiled. “You know, it’s kinda strange hearing you talk so negatively about yourself. You're usually the girl who'd tackle their problems head-on while swinging that scythe of yours. You’ll figure out this power of yours someday and you’re not alone. Even if you don’t manage to know how to use your power, you have all of us to deal with Cinder, Salem, or whoever else confronts us. After all, they’re messing with us. That’s more than enough to send a message.” Weiss’ words were comforting to Ruby as she had a point. As long as Ruby has her team, friends, and family, they could handle any threat that comes their way.The young leader smiled finally and snuggled her face deeper into Weiss’ neck. She wrapped her arms around the other girl. She “Thank you, Weiss.”Weiss was very glad to hear that. She also had one more thing to say. “You’re welcome. Also, you don’t have to give me your answer now. I’m just content with you knowing how I feel for you. Just being with you, Yang, Blake, and everyone else is more than enough for me.” The former heiress also knew that this wasn’t exactly the best time for Ruby to choose between her and Esdeath. Not only this was a strange situation for her to be in, but they were also preparing to stop an incoming invasion on Haven. One thing was obviously more important than the other.The two girls embraced each other for a few seconds more before Ruby spoke. “Weiss…”“Yeah, Ruby?”Ruby giggled happily a little. “You still owe me a present.”Weiss couldn't help but giggle as well. As per her leader's fashion, she had to throw off their moment together. The former heiress removed herself from the hug and smiled sweetly at Ruby. “Sure thing.” B In another room, Esren was sitting on a bed as was Esdeath across from him. The father and daughter were staring at each other silently. The difference was that Esren’s was intensive and Esdeath’s was uncertain while slightly looking away. Esren finally decided to break the silence. “Are you sure you want to go through with this, Esdeath? Do you even know what you’re getting yourself into?”Esdeath was finally able to look at her father in the eye and nodded. “I am and…I do. When my team and I left Shade, we knew what we’re getting ourselves into. We just didn’t expect-”“To be up against an ancient evil deity who happens to control all the Grimm.” Esren interrupted. The father crossed his arms. “Esdeath, this is so much more than you can handle and much too dangerous for you and your friends.”Esdeath scowled at her father for saying those words. “Hunting Grimm is an already dangerous job and we’ve handled ourselves outside just fine over the last six months. My team and Ruby’s. We just had a talk last night how her team had to fight against a dangerous horse Grimm while my team had a fend off a Grimm horde. A horde that I single-handily dealt with myself at one point. Yes, we may be up against a powerful force, but we don’t want a repeat of what happened back at Beacon and Vale. We can’t let Salem win this time. We know this is heavy for all of us, bigger than what we thought before. We all know the stakes in this and I know if you help us, I know better than anyone else it’ll be invaluable.”After hearing all of that, Esren sighed tiredly. He uncrossed his arms and set his hands on top of his knees. The father also lowered his head. “It’s amazing to see how much you've grown since I've last seen you. You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”His daughter had no doubt in her mind. “I am, and we are.”Esren sighed deeply this time and exhaled loudly. “I know Qrow Branwen isn’t some fool choosing children to fight this battle. The same can be said for Ozpin. Honestly, I’m still conflicted about this. My original plan was that when I found you, I’d take you back home. Not to Atlas, obviously, but one of the other homes I have and figure out our next move. Now, I can see how serious you are about this.” He lifted his head to look at his daughter again. “I made a promise to your mother, you know. I promised her that I would protect you from any harm. You meant everything to her when you were born and that’s still true to me today.”Esdeath was surprised to hear about her mother coming from her father. Her expression softened a little. “You rarely speak of mother. The only thing I can remember her by is that picture of her you have in your room.” Esdeath knew little to nothing about her mother but she knew her mother must’ve meant a great deal to her father. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be here today. Still, whenever Esdeath asked questions about her mother, Esren would sometimes avoid the question or redirect into something else. The only detail she knows about her mother was that she was beautiful. Ethereally, really from the picture in her father’s room. Esdeath sighed and decided to ask the big question to her father. “Will you help us, father? I know better than anyone else you’ll be a great help.”Esren stared intensely at his daughter. He’d made up his mind. “I still have a promise to keep. You won’t be fighting in this alone.”Esdeath finally smiled brightly and giggled happily. She immediately stood and leaped over to her father for a hug. “Thank you, father! Thank you so much!”Esren returned the hug but he still retained a slightly doubtful expression. “Jackalyn…” B After some time had passed, the door to Weiss’ room opened and the two girls finally left. At the same time, the door to Esdeath’s room opened and Esdeath and her father left. The two groups saw each other, and Ruby waved at Esdeath. “Morning, Esdeath.” The other girl waved back at the other girl. The young leader inched away from Weiss bit by bit slowly. “Well, I’d to stay and talk but I have to get to my training with Wave soon. I’ll talk to you later bye!” She quickly left Weiss to find Wave and Oscar.Esren had a similar idea. “I’ll go find Qrow and let him know of my decision. Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s at a bar right now.” He promptly left as well.Now it was just Weiss and Esdeath, but this provided Esdeath a perfect opportunity. “Weiss, can I speak with you for a moment?” Apparently, Weiss became popular this morning. She nodded at the other girl’s request and the two girls made their way to the living room. As they did, there wasn’t anyone around, so they figured they were going to watch Ruby and Oscar’s training. It was fine with Esdeath since she wanted to speak to the former heiress alone.Weiss took a seat on the center sofa while Esdeath sat on the side couch. The former heiress looked over at the other girl. “So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?”This was a question Esdeath wanted to ask Weiss ever since last night. “Do you think you can teach me what you did last night? About how you made that living ice Boarbatusk to scare Nora?”It was quite an expected request coming from Esdeath, but Weiss assumed she had a reason. “Why would you want to learn that?”Esdeath remembered what Akame said about her otherworld half from before. “One of the things I’ve recently learned about what my other self could do was create living soldiers out of ice. An entire army, actually. I know I can’t do anything that grand of a scale but after seeing you do such a thing, I was hoping you could teach me how to do it. I think it would be helpful to me and to everyone else.”Just when Weiss heard everything about the Esdeath from Akame and Leone’s world, she learns something new. She and her sister could create ice soldiers and ice Grimm, but the limit was only one. To hear someone who could do something similar on a grander scale was almost scary to the former heiress. However, she couldn’t comply with Esdeath’s request. “I’m sorry, Esdeath but I can’t. It’s not that I don’t want to, but there is a reason as to why I can’t. You see, my semblance is passed down genetically. My sister and I can do what we can do but no one else can. I’ve seen how powerful your semblance can be, but it can’t do like I can do with mine.”Esdeath sighed in defeat and lowered her head. “I see. Thank you for at least telling me.” Honestly, she was disappointed. Esdeath had hoped she could at least scratch the surface of what her other self could do but it seemed to be forever out of her reach.Weiss saw how saddened Esdeath and had to think quickly to cheer her up. “You’re still plenty powerful as it. Probably the strongest one out of all of us, currently.” The former heiress had to remember Ruby still hasn’t tapped in her power yet, so it was true for the time being. “Don’t beat yourself up too hard for not being able to learn to small trick like mine. I mean you can still cause an ice storm and technically freeze over an entire arena.”The other girl giggled a little and lifted her head. She turned to the former heiress and smiled. “I kinda needed that. Thank you.” Weiss waved her hand nonchalantly at her. She was only doing what a friend would do. With her spirits lifted a little, Esdeath moved to her next question. “So, did you tell Ruby? You two leaving your room together kinda says something.”The former heiress smiled at Esdeath and nodded. “I did, and she hasn’t given me her answer. I’m fine with it since this isn’t exactly a good time for romantic love confessions. Not to mention Ruby isn’t used to having two girls being interested in her.” Esdeath would have to agree with that. “Still, it’s kinda surprising you haven’t made a move on Ruby during the time I wasn’t around.”This time, Esdeath gave the former heiress a sly smile. “Well, it wouldn’t be fair for my rival. I gotta at least give her an equal shot. Otherwise, it would not have been very sportsmanship-like.”Weiss returned the other girl’s smile with a cocky smirk of her own. “How very polite of you.” The two girls giggled together happily. B After their brief bonding moment, Weiss and Esdeath were walking over to the training grounds. They figured the young leader started her training and the former heiress wanted to see what it was like. That and seeing Ruby actually fight hand-to-hand. When they did approach the training grounds, they saw a crowd of their friends, but Ruby was among them. Esdeath would’ve figured her training already started but she was standing next to Wave. Something was obviously up. “Ruby!”The young leader and Wave looked back to see the two ice users approaching them. “Weiss, Esdeath.”They finally caught up with the teacher/student duo. “What’s going on? I thought you were supposed to be training?” Weiss inquired.Wave and Ruby looked at each other briefly before looking back at the two girls. “That was the plan but…” They moved away from each other to make room for Weiss and Esdeath. They approached their spot and saw what was going on.It didn’t take long for them to see what was going on. “Wait, what?” They saw Yang and Seryu standing away from each other and were having a stare off. Already, Weiss was confused. “What exactly is going on here?” Wave studied the scene before him. “We were going to start but then Ruby’s sister challenged Seryu to a fight. I was going to intervene but then Seryu accepted. She seemed pretty adamant about it.” The soldier was worried about his ally, but he trusted in whatever. Still, he was curious as to why Seryu said to him “don’t get in the way” briefly before the fight would begin.The two girls were staring each other off before Seryu spoke. “Before we begin, I want to ask you two questions. Why do you want to fight me and what’s the reason behind it?”Yang’s response was narrowing her eyes angrily at the Faunus girl. “I heard about your fight from Leone. What you did to her, I won’t forgive you for it. You did more than separate her from her team. You’re responsible for all this commotion going on.” Seryu remained silent at the comment. Yang flicked her right wrist to activate Ember Celica. “Since Leone isn’t here, I’m just going to have to kick your ass in her place.”Seryu glared back at the blonde. "If you're so confident, then try me." That was all the incentive the brawler needed. She raised her right hand and fired a shot to launch herself straight at the Faunus girl. As she neared the other girl, Yang pulled back her left arm and threw it forward. The Faunus girl was struck hard by the blow and stepped back a few steps. The blonde wasn’t done yet as she pulled back her right arm this time. She dealt a right cross this time at the other side of Seryu’s face. Yang then jumped to perform a spinning roundhouse kick to the right side of the Faunus girl’s face. Seryu was sent away and tumbled across the ground. Once she stopped, the blonde heard Seryu laugh a little. The former White Fang member pushed herself up from the ground and turned to the brawler while smiling. “Is that all you got? Your friend hits harder than you!" She stood up and gestured at the other girl. "Come on!"Yang gladly took up the offer and launched herself at Seryu again. As she reached her again, the blonde started wailing on the Faunus girl. As it continued, Wave was having a hard time trying to stay still while seeing his comrade being beaten senseless. The only thing stopping him from intervening, despite Seryu’s wish, was that he noticed something strange. “Seryu…what are you doing?”It wasn’t Wave who noticed it. Jaune noticed something was wrong as well. “Is it just me or is Seryu really not fighting back?”Ren noticed it as well and something else. With one of the hits from Yang, he saw that Seryu spat out blood. “It’s just not that. She hasn’t activated her aura.”Nora raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What? Why hasn’t she done it? Is she crazy or something?” Ironic for someone who is the definition of crazy to say that.Oscar tried to figure out why Seryu would do such a thing. “Is it because she forgot?”“No.” Ozpin replied. “She’s purposely not engaging her aura. As for her reason, it’s quite clear.” Oscar didn’t know what the former headmaster was talking about.Even Yang started to see what was going wrong with the fight. “What’s going on?” After one more hit to Seryu to the ground, the blonde stopped and stared at the other girl.Seryu was breathing heavily as she was on her hands once again. “What’s…wrong? Why’d you…stop? I can do this…all day.”Yang glared at the other girl. “Why aren’t you fighting back? You’re just letting me hit you over and over and not even defending yourself.”The Faunus girl chuckled a little in a deranged way. “I thought this is what…you wanted. To teach me…a lesson. To get back at me for…your friend.”She wasn’t wrong about that but even Yang had limits. “I do but this isn’t how it was supposed to go. With me just wailing on you, it’s not right. So, why?”Seryu gritted her teeth and her fingers dug into the ground. “Because I deserve it. You were right. I am responsible for everything that’s happened recently to that red-eyed girl. Hell, you can blame her kidnapping on me if you want. All my life, I’ve known nothing but pain, misery, and betrayal. What’s one more beating, huh? For all the shit I’ve done in the past.” She raised her head and had a desperate expression. “What more do you want to add onto me!”Weiss was beginning to understand Seryu a little more now and felt sorry for her. “She’s treating this as a punishment for everything she’s done.”Seryu gave a defeated chuckled and lowered her head. “So, go ahead. Beat me until you feel satisfied or you can keep beating me to a pulp. Either way, I supposed it doesn’t matter. Adam and the White Fang have already caused more than enough pain to me.” The Faunus girl was ready to receive whatever Yang would do to her.Or so she thought. Whatever anger Yang had toward the other girl faded away. It seemed they had one thing in common. “You know, you’re not the only one Adam had hurt.” Seryu lifted her head to look at the blonde again. “After all, he’s the one that did this to me.” Yang brought up her robotic arm up and presented it to the other girl. Seryu quietly gasped at the small truth. “That’s not all.” Yang set her arm down. “He’d hurt the girl I love, and I will make him pay for what he did. For what he did to me and to Blake. And I’ll make sure we all see to that.” She lowered herself and extended her robotic arm to Seryu. The Faunus girl could only stare in disbelief at what she was seeing in front of her. Here was a human who she let pummel her, only to set aside their differences to focus on a single goal. Seryu was prepared to accept her punishment but wasn’t expecting this turn of events. There was only one thing she could do now.Seryu grabbed Yang’s hand and the blonde pulled the other girl up. Wave smiled as he was relieved this whole debacle was over. He hated seeing one of his allies being beaten without doing anything, even if it was at Seryu’s request. The two girls gripped each other’s hands for a few seconds more before letting go. Since Yang was willing to help her, it was only fair to let her know something important. “He’s afraid of her, you know.”Yang seemed confused for a brief second. “Who is?”“Adam.” Seryu’s replied. “He’s afraid of your friend and it’s just not him. Most of the White Fang is. They have never encountered someone like her before and to see Adam in the state he was after Beacon, well, that sent a message to everyone. Even Sienna. Hell, I was scared when I went up against her despite the bravado I put up. Hearing about her strength was nothing compared to experiencing it firsthand. Since you said she was alive, that just gives us another advantage over him.” She was right about that. And since Yang now knows Adam fears Leone, that would give them another edge in the upcoming fight. Yang hasn’t fully forgiven Seryu for what she's done but for now, they share a common goal. They and everyone involved saving Haven Academy. B “Hey! We’re here!”Leone sat up from the deck after taking a short nap and yawned loudly. She stood up and walked to the front of the boat to see the harbor ahead of them. The Faunus blonde smiled as she was now one step closer in reuniting with the team. The boat pulled up next to a pier and stopped. Leone didn’t waste any time jumping from the boat to the pier. She turned to the officer who sailed along with her and waved at him. “Thank you for bringing me here! Tell Ghira I said thanks too!” The officer waved back at her and prepared for the trip back.Leone walked along the pier before finally setting foot on solid ground. She scanned the area and it seemed to be a bit of a tourist area. Faunus and humans were walking around and buying trinkets and whatnot to bring back home. The Faunus blonde spotted an informational booth and walked up to it. Leone approached the clerk behind the desk. “Excuse me.”The clerk turned around and saw Leone looking at him. “Yes, can I help you?”The Faunus blonde knew exactly what she wanted. “Can you tell me the fastest way to get to Mistral? I’m kinda in a hurry.”It was a regular request the clerk often gets asked and looked off to the side. “If you’re in a hurry to get to Mistral, that path up ahead will take you straight to it. You can take a vehicle on the road and you’ll get there eventually. Of course, going on foot isn’t any less dangerous since there are bandits out there.”Leone looked at the same direction and narrowed her eyes. “I see. Thanks a lot, pal.” She left the booth and headed to where the path to Mistral began. The Faunus blonde took a good long look at the road ahead and took in a deep breath. “Okay, time to cut loose now.” Leone took up a starting runner’s position. Several people around noticed what she was doing and wondered what she was doing. Some said she was going to run toward Mistral but thought she was crazy. Others offered Leone a ride, but she ignored them. Leone took in another deep breath and counted the seconds. “Five…” She also counted her heartbeat. “Four…three…two…” After the fourth heartbeat, Leone exhaled. “One.” At that exact moment. Leone launched herself at the path ahead. Her takeoff was rather thunderous and shook the very ground. Dust even kicked up from where the Faunus blonde once stood. It was as if a sonic boom had gone off in the area.As it settled, the people who were looking at Leone quickly discovered she was gone. She left quite a large crater in place after her takeoff. The crowd looked inward at the path and saw that Leone was already gone from their sights. They had never seen such a thing before and kept on staring at the path Leone as running down. Leone was running down the path at a breakneck speed. The trees were shaken with several of their leaves falling off as the Faunus blonde passed them. Leone was more than determined to finally see her team again. “I’m almost there everyone. I’ll make it to Mistral before all you of you know it. I just need to know to where to find you all first.” With that mindset, Leone increased her speed to reach Mistral as soon as possible. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Seventy One: What Your Heart Says“Hey!” The lowlife and his pals saw one of their own running up to them from up the road. “Something big is heading our way. At least that’s the size of the dust cloud it’s leaving behind is telling me!”The lowlife smiled as this was just the break he needed. “How soon will it arrive?”His ally stopped and tried to catch his breath. "A few minutes, actually. We need to act ASAP."A smaller time window the lowlife was used to, but he could work with it. Everyone in the group took up their positions behind the trees. They kept a close eye on their future target and soon enough, they saw the huge dust cloud coming at them. The Lowlife thought it must’ve been something big carrying that was valuable. Probably a lot of valuables. Whatever it was, it was coming in fast. He and everyone in his group jumped out from the trees and pointed their weapons at what was approaching them. “Hand over your valuables no-”He didn’t have to time to finish his threat as the Lowlife and his crew were run through and tossed into the air. They all screamed as they fell to the ground. Each of them crashed hard and groaned out of grogginess and pain. One of them asked the same questions they all had. “What the hell was that!?”The Lowlife questioned that as well, but he only had one thing on his mind. “Things are really not going my way recently.”Unknown to them, it was Leone trucking through the path. “What did I just hit? Eh, probably wasn’t important.” The Faunus blonde continued to run down the path that led toward Mistral. She had been running for some time since her leaving of the port. The Faunus blonde wondered how much longer it would take to reach Mistral. With her next step, Leone jumped high into the air to get a clear view of her surroundings. Apart from the forest being on all sides, she did see a large city up ahead in the far distance that reminded her a little of the Capital. She smiled as she knew what the city was. “That’s gotta be Mistral. Huh, kinda looks like the red-light district back at the Capital if it took over the Capital. Doesn’t it look too far.” Leone fell and landed on the ground. “It’s just a small hop, skip, and a jump away. So, let’s get to it!” The Faunus blonde crouched down and skyrocketed back into the air toward Mistral while leaving a large crater behind. Leone propelled straight at Mistral while closing the distance greatly. Already she could see her destination coming closer to her. The Faunus blonde couldn’t help but laugh. “This is awesome! How come I didn’t think of this before!?”Leone began to descend and landed on her boots with a loud crash. She didn’t waste any time launching herself back up into the air. This time, the Faunus blonde put in more force into her jump and further than before. The distance between her and Mistral became even shorter. Leone fell again to the ground and landed on her feet. She took in a deep breath and crouched as low as she could. “Come on. One more and give it all you got!” Leone gave a loud roar as she put everything she had in her last jump. Her third takeoff not only left a huge crater but cracks outside of the rim of the crater as well. That last jump sent her high and long and each second brought Mistral closer and faster. Judging by the distance, the Faunus blonde predicted she’ll land just at the bottom outskirts of the city. Mistral became closer and closer to Leone until it was like she could touch the city with her hand. Finally, Leone began to descent as she neared the outskirts. Finally, Leone was able to reach her destination and landed at Mistral with a thunderous crash. Or at least a rural part of Mistral. Nevertheless, the Faunus blonde considered this to be a success. Her landing also seemed to attracted attention from some of the residents but didn’t mind them.Leone briefly scanned the area. “Well, since I’m here, might as well find the nearest pub for information.” She glanced over at one of the residents who was looking at her. “Excuse me!”The resident was surprised she spoke to him. “Uh, yes?”“Do you know where the closest dive is?” Leone asked.The resident paused for a few seconds before pointing at the direction behind her. "If you walk down there, you'll find a place like that but…they don't exactly serve Faunus. Also, I think you’re a little young.”Leone didn’t care about that at all. “That’s fine. Thanks for the help.” She turned around and headed toward her destination.As the Faunus blonde walked, she took a closer at the place she was at. It really did remind her of the area she and her mother used to live. Leone soon saw the dive she was looking for and saw the sign that said no Faunus allowed. She approached the building and slide the door open. It was sight Leone had not seen in a long time. The Faunus blonde could practically smell the booze in the air. There seemed to be a few people here and some were already passed out drunk. She also saw who seemed to be the owner craving a wood sculpture. The Faunus blonde walked up to him and stopped behind the counter. The owner stopped carving and looked up at her. He’d noticed her lion ears. “Didn’t you read the sign? We don’t serve Faunus here. On top of that, you’re a minor. Beat it.”Leone chuckled as she grinned. “Well, that’s great since I’m not here for food. Also, I didn’t give a shit. I’m here for information.”The owner glared at the Faunus girl before pointing his knife at her. “This is your last warning. Get out. Now.”Leone’s grin faded and was replaced by a scowl. She glared back at the owner and pressed her right palm in front of the tip of the knife. “Go ahead. See if you got the balls to do it. I dare you.”The owner wasn't expecting her to do this kind of thing. He thought the girl was crazy. A couple of people in the dive also saw what was going on and thought the same. The owner looked into Leone’s eyes and saw that she was serious. He also saw something else in her eyes as well. The owner hesitated a little before withdrawing his knife. “You have one minute ask your questions.”Leone smiled as she was glad this didn’t take a violent turn as she set her hand down. “Plenty of time. What I have to ask is pretty basic. How does Mistral work and where I can find a hotel? One that a small group can spend some time here.”If she was asking those questions, the owner figured she wasn’t around here. “If you’re asking about the hierarchy here, it’s simple. The higher you go, the nicer it gets. At the top is Haven Academy. Right now, you’re at the near bottom. You can reach all of them through an elevator in the middle of the city on a platform. There are also stone stairways that are the main routes in the city. As for the hotel, it’s the same thing. You’ll find the hotel you’re looking for at one of the higher levels. Probably near the top.”That was all the information Leone needed and more. She smiled at the owner. “Thanks for the info. As promised, I’ll be outta your hair now. Later.” The Faunus blonde promptly left the dive while shutting the door behind her.One of the customers approached the owner and laughed. “I think the kid was six kinds of crazy pulling that stunt off. These Faunus are crazier than I thought.”“She wasn’t crazy.” The customer turned to the owner who looked at the door. “That look in her eyes told me she was dead serious. Not only that, but she had the same kind of look I’ve seen from the Huntsmen I’ve served here. I don’t know what kind of shit that kid went through, but it must’ve been severe. And I’m not talking about the usual problems Faunus have. No, it must’ve much more serious. Whatever the case, that’s one Faunus I don’t want to mess around with.”Outside the dive, Leone was a few steps away and turned around to see the rest of Mistral. “So, the higher I go, the better it’ll be. Sounds easy enough. I could take the elevator to near the top but what's the fun in that? I think it'll be faster if I jump my way up. Once I'm close to the top, I should be able to find Akame and the others. They had to be bunking at a hotel or an inn somewhere up there." Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud growling sound coming from her stomach. Leone held her stomach and laughed awkwardly. "I guess all that running and jumping worked up an appetite. It’s a good thing Kali gave me some money for lunch. Maybe I’ll hit up a ramen shop at one of the upper levels. Well, better get going then.” Leone effortlessly jumped onto one of the houses and continued to do so toward near the top of Mistral.Compared to her jumping those long distances, scaling up the city was much easier. And much more fun. Leone laughed every few minutes as she jumped from one building to the next without causing property damage. Before Leone knew it, she was about halfway up in Mistral. The Faunus blonde jumped to the next building and grabbed an open window and pulled herself up. Only for her to see she grabbed the window of the women's bathhouse and the women inside had no towels to cover them or did. Leone stared at them wide-eyed while the women did the same. They were in complete silence for a few moments until Leone spoke up. "Uh, don't mind me, girls. Just passing on through." With nothing else to say, the Faunus blonde continued her climb.The women in the bathhouse had no idea what to think what just happened. One of them decided to speak up. “So…does it still count if the pervert is a girl?”After that awkward moment of silence, Leone continued climbing upward the city. Once she got to a certain level, Leone did see another change. The Faunus now understood what the owner meant. The higher you go; the nicer Mistral becomes. Leone landed on the roof of the next house she climbed and looked up to see how much more she has to go. “Looks like I'm near the top. Just a few more jumps and I’m there.” She heard her stomach growl again and sighed. “I really need to eat first before I go off looking for the others.” Leone didn’t waste any more time jumping to her destination. A couple of more jumps and Leone managed to arrive near the top of Mistral. She jumped off one more house and landed in an ally. The Faunus blonde stepped out of the ally and saw the crowd walking around. She already could hear over multiple sounds everywhere and various scents. It seemed like she won’t be tracking her team down by those means. Her stomach growled again and was beginning to be annoyed. “Yeah, yeah. I get it already! Let’s just find a damn ramen shop already.” Leone walked into the crowd and went to search for the first ramen shop she could find. B At Three Beast’s Ramen, Kurome and the others were taking a much-deserved lunch break. Especially by asking all the questions about Akame's whereabouts. While they were enjoying their free ramen, Cornelia explained what they were told from Liver. As usual, Chelsea had some remarks. "Okay, so you're saying is that our only lead to Akame is this woman who is the same one that called her scroll and she may be the same person who took Akame. Is that right?” She slurped her next pile of ramen. “Damn, these guys know how to make ramen.”Cornelia finished her pile to reply. “That about sums it up. I mean, who else was with Akame during that time? What worries me the most is what kind of a woman Akame encountered. She couldn’t be captured that easily if she was just an ordinary citizen.”Chelsea finished slurping her ramen. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? That woman Akame slept with was the enemy. Therefore, the enemy has her.” Cornelia became immediately worried.Taeko, however, had a differing thought. “We don’t know that for certain, Chelsea.” She quietly slurped her ramen.Her childhood friend glared at the other girl. “Oh, so what you’re saying is that some random woman, who could be something like a yandere based on what Kurome and Cora told us, just so happened to kidnap Akame who was trained as an assassin.” Chelsea was lucky Liver and his apprentices were behind a soundproof wall making their next batch of ramen in their kitchen. Liver said something about keeping the privacy of their customers.Taeko finished her ramen. “And what proof do you have of that claim?”Now Chelsea was starting to become a little peeved. “Oh, come on! It’s kinda all there. We’re at where the bad guys are, Akame goes missing, therefore, they are responsible! That woman she slept with is with the enemy!”Chelsea did have a point and Kurome agreed with her. “Chelsea’s right, Taeko. Sure, it may seem coincidental, but it fits too perfectly. Akame goes to meet this Merraid woman yesterday and it just so happens we couldn’t call her scroll the same day. In what place in Mistrial are our calls not getting through to her?" Kurome unintentionally broke her chopsticks. "Damn it."Chelsea, like the good girlfriend she was, dipped her chopsticks and pulled out ramen for the other girl. “Here you go.” Kurome took up the offer and ate the ramen Chelsea offered.Taeko knew when she was outnumbered. “I’ll concede. However, this does bring up new problems. If Akame has been taken prisoner, the enemy will no doubt try to get information out of her. By any means.”Her comment got to Kurome and Cornelia became more worried. Chelsea thought otherwise. “I don’t think Akame would dish out everything to the enemy. She was an assassin so I’m guessing she was trained to withstand torture and not give out information. If she had, the enemy would’ve been knocking on our door. Unfortunately, we don’t know where she is. Much less a place where our calls can’t get through. Yeah, we have an idea what the woman looks like but that’s about it.”“No, it’s not.” Chelsea turned her attention to Kurome now. “We know what the woman who took Akame looks like. That’s another lead for us. Even if it’s a slim chance, I’ll take whatever I can get. The only upside to all of this is that we now know Leone is still alive, but we don’t know when she’s leaving Menagerie and we don’t know when she’s is coming here!”“Finally, a ramen shop. Hey! Can I get some ramen with pork here?”Everyone in the group their attention to the new arrival and speak of the devil, Leone showed up. The Faunus blonde also turned her attention to them and they just stared each other wide-eyed in surprise. Everything became silent. Liver came out the door holding two more bowls of ramen in his hands. “And here are the next bowls. I hope you’re not done yet.” He was greeted the sight of his customers gone.Daidara and Nyau also came out and were perplexed. “That’s weird. Where did they go?”Nyau saw something on the counter and walked up to it. He recognized what was left on the counter. “It’s either they paid us regardless they had free ramen or left us a really big tip.” B “Next batch is up.”“Thanks/Thank you, Wave.”It was lunchtime for Ruby and group and Wave served the food he cooked up. It was much needed after the training Ruby and Oscar had to do after Yang and Seryu’s one-sided fight. Even Yang had to give props to the food she was eating. “Holy shit, you actually made this? Dude, the chick the ends up with you will be frigging happy is she could eat like this.”Her comment made Seryu choke on her food for a few seconds before pounding her chest to force it down. Even Weiss was impressed by the food she was eating. “This is quite amazing. Where did you learn to cook like this?”Wave chuckled awkwardly at the question. “Well, when I decided I wanted to be a soldier, I figured cooking would be beneficial. Honestly, I owe it all to my mother teaching me. That and I self-taught myself for a bit after I left home.” Apparently, Wave’s mother was the exact opposite of Weiss’.“I did it! I finally did it!”Everyone stopped eating when they heard a new voice. Esdeath easily recognized who the voice belonged to. "Was that Rienna?" She quickly left the table and went into the living room. Everybody else followed suit and saw Esdeath looking up at the second floor where Rienna was. She appeared to have dark circles around her eyes and seemed to be sleep deprived. However, the blonde had an accomplished smile on her face. “It’s finally fin…ished.”Rienna collapsed on the floor which made Esdeath worried. “Rienna!” She quickly ran up the stairs to see if her teammate was alright. Esdeath reached the blonde and inspected her closely. “Rienna, are you okay?” Her response was hearing a growling sound coming from the blonde.Rienna groaned weakly. “Food. I…really need to eat some…food.” B Sounds of food being scarfed down could be heard in the kitchen. Rienna was chowing down on the food like there was no tomorrow. It was quite a…sight to put in the least. However, that wasn’t what was on Weiss’ mind right now. “So, let me get this straight. You were in your room for more than twenty-four hours, without food or sleep?”Rienna swallowed her food loudly before looking at the former heiress. “That’s pretty much it. I started working on my weapon right around when Akame left yesterday. Oh, and I’m sorry about what happened with your family, Weiss. Still, it’s surprising to see you and Yang here.”Esdeath knew what that meant coming from the other girl. “So, you’re finished with Devil Incarnate?”The blonde stopped eating momentarily and nodded. “Yep. It should perform better in the upcoming fights now. Of course, I had to lessen the damage output of my firepower to increase mobility, but I don’t think it’ll be that bad since-” Rienna stopped herself before she rambled on. “I’m sorry. I…kinda get passionate when it involves with Devil Incarnate.”Ruby giggled as she understood the best out of all of them. “It’s alright. I'm the same when it comes to Crescent Rose. I’d like to hear more about what modifications you made when you have the time.”Rienna nodded and would like to have that. She looked at her food and began eating again. In between bites, the blonde wanted to ask a very particular question for a while now. “By the way, Seryu, was it?” She swallowed another large portion of her meal. “You wouldn’t have happened to watch Azure Angel, would you?”Seryu gasped as that as the first time anyone had said that title to her. Even Jaune was surprised to hear what he heard. “Wait, you watched Azure Angel?”The Faunus girl was still in shock someone else knew about Azure Angel. “How did you…”"Those who would commit acts of evil, to harm the innocent, and ensure chaos, I swear I'll bring down the hammer of absolute justice upon them all. It's different but I remember Azure Angel said something similar. Also, the pose you did also seems to resemble what Azure Angel did in certain episodes." Rienna explained.Weiss, and mostly everyone else was confused as to what the blonde was talking about. "Okay, what's this Azure Angel stuff you're talking about?"Jaune would be the one to explain to all of this. “Azure Angel was a successful superhero tv show. It was about a guy who took up the name of Azure Angel to deliver justice and protect the innocent. His mantra was ‘Those who would commit acts of evil, to harm the innocent, and ensure chaos, I swear I’ll bring down the hammer of rightful justice upon them all’.Nora couldn’t help but snicker at his explanation. “Leave to the guy who likes to eat Pumpkin Pete cereal to know a superhero tv show.”“Hey, Pumpkin Pete is awesome!” Jaune and Seryu spoke at the same time.They both looked at each other and were surprised by what the other one said. “Hold on. You like Pumpkin Pete Cereal too?”It was awkward for Seryu to admit it, but this was the only opportunity to come out with the truth. “Y-Yeah. It’s my favorite cereal.”Jaune squealed loudly with joy and wanted to hug the Faunus girl. “Finally! I’m not the only one now!”Ruby and the others couldn’t believe they met another person who had the same taste in cereal as Jaune. Even more unbelievable that it was Seryu of all people. Then an idea came to Ruby. “If you like Pumpkin Pete, then I’m sure Jaune wouldn’t mind showing you the shirt he’s wearing.”Jaune knew exactly what the young leader was talking about. He started to take off his armor and when he did, it showed the Pumpkin Pet symbol on it. Already, Yang was stifling her laughter while Weiss groaned in disgust while shaking her head. Seryu, however, had a completely different reaction. “Oh, you lucky bastard! You have no idea how jealous I am right now.”That comment stopped Yang from laughing and Weiss turning her attention to the Faunus girl now. The impossible finally happened. “Never thought we’d see the day someone would be envious of Jaune’s Pumpkin Pete shirt.”During all this, Wave laughed at the different reactions Seryu was having. The Faunus girl turned to him. “What so funny to you?”The soldier continued to laugh and looked at the former White Fang member. “It’s just…it’s really nice to see such a different side of you. You liking superheroes and…whatever this Pumpkin Pete guy is.”“It’s a cereal brand.” Yang answered.Wave was grateful for that and continued. “It’s…a nice change.”Seryu was thankful to hear that, and now that she thought about it, it was nice to let all of all of this out. “Well, it just…no one in White Fang shared some of my more personal favorites. What would they think of me if they knew one of their higher-ups was into superheroes or liked a children’s cereal brand. Because of that, I had to keep it all to myself. At times I did miss it. Watching my favorite tv show, eating Pumpkin Pete while doing so, I missed it so much. By now, I'm sure the show is either finished or canceled." Seryu stopped talking and sighed heavily. “me is written out from my life.” Wave could see how saddened Seryu was when she mentioned her friend. However, he knew Seryu was wrong. “That’s not true. You have people here now who like the same things as you. Hopefully, you could consider them your friends. At least, eventually.”First comrade, and now friend. After what happened with Syka all those years ago, Seryu never wanted to be friends with anyone else ever again. The only thing closest to that was the White Fang members she fought alongside with. However, Seryu really never felt that same feeling of kinship she had with Syka. Being friends with humans now would be the highest irony of her life. But Wave had done so much for her and The Faunus girl just now discovered one of them also watched Azure Angel and the other liking Pumpkin Pete cereal. Seryu chuckled at the idea. “I guess it wouldn’t be so bad. Even if there is a Schnee among you.”Weiss didn’t take any offense to that. “Trust me, you wouldn’t be the first ex-White Fang member I’d be friends with.”During this heartwarming scene, they heard the front door open. Or rather slammed wide open as Taeko and Chelsea immediately entered the living room. Both girls seemed like they had seen a ghost. Esdeath was the first approach them. “Chelsea, Taeko. What’s wrong? Did you find a lead on Akame?”Chelsea responded with a creepy grin. “We found something just as good.”Both her and Taeko moved away and everyone heard a scream from a very familiar voice. Esdeath and everybody saw Leone being thrown in the middle of the room face down. The Faunus blonde growled as she stood up and glanced at Kurome who threw her. "What the hell!? I know it's been a while since we've seen each other, but you didn't have to drag me away from the ramen shop!"“Leone!”Before Leone could react, she was pulled in by Esdeath for a hug. With her face buried into Esdeath’s cleavage. “You’re finally here! I’m so happy to see you again!” Leone’s response was muffled for obvious reasons.The scene was humorous to Chelsea. “I think I’m starting to see a pattern when it comes to Esdeath and hugs.”Leone forced herself out of the hug and breathed heavily. “I thought I was going die right there.”“Are you okay, Leone?”The Faunus blonde turned her attention to Ruby. “Yeah, I’m fine Ruby. She then quickly realized it was actually Ruby standing in front of her. “Wait, what the hell?! Why are you here?” Leone looked around the room and saw other familiar faces. “Jaune? Nora? Ren? You guys are here too?” She noticed Weiss next. “Hold on. Is that Weiss?! I thought your ass was being sent back home.” The former heiress didn’t know if she should be offended by hearing that.Upon seeing her once thought dead teammate, Rienna left whatever food was left ran up to the rest of the group. She was shocked to see Leone again. “Wait, you’re alive!? I thought you were dead?”Chelsea knew why Rienna would be confused about all of this. "Oh, yeah. You weren't here when Yang told us the truth about Leone. Come to think of it, you're actually out of your room now, Rienna? How long were you in there?”Yang was just as surprised as everyone else but for a different reason. “You’re actually here now. Does that mean everything Menagerie is done?” Leone was about to answer until she saw yet another familiar face in the crowd. A face she couldn't ever forget. “YOU!” The Faunus blonde snarled angrily at Seryu and bared her fangs at her. “Why the hell are you here!”Seryu became frightened as she understood why the other Faunus girl was pissed at her. She took a step back before Wave put his arm in front of her. “You leave her alone now!”Leone anger was quickly replaced with shock. “What the…how of all people are you here?! I thought you stayed back at the Capital?”Seryu looked back and forth between Leone and Wave. Now she was the one confused as her attention focused on Wave. “I thought you said you didn’t know her!”Wave was in the same boat as her. “I don’t know her!”The Faunus blonde to explain. “He’s telling the truth. We’ve never met before but Tatsumi did tell us all about you and the Jaegers.”It finally hit Wave of who the girl in front of him really was. “Wait, you were a part of Night Raid?!”Out of all this chaos, Oscar calmly walked up to Leone with Ozpin’s cane in hand. “It brings me such joy in seeing you once again, Miss Wild.” Oscar, or rather Ozpin stopped in front of Leone and smiled at her.Leone only stared at him in confusion. “Uh…who’s the kid here?” B Leone groaned as she sat on the main couch while rubbing her forehead with her fingertips. She'd only arrived in Mistral not too long ago and was already been given a huge info dump. Jaune was slightly worried about her. "Is she okay? Leone's been like that for a couple of minutes now."Cornelia saw this kind of reaction before from her teammate. “She’s just trying to take in everything she was told. Leone really never was good with learning so much at once. It always happens whenever we had to study for a test.”After a couple more seconds, Leone let out a deep sigh and removed her hands from her forehead. “Okay, let me see if I got this straight.” She turned to Ozpin who was sitting in his usual chair. “Not only you're alive, but you're also a self-reincarnating being who has lived for god knows how long and now you’re in the body of a kid. No offense but that’s kinda weird. You’re also the one who gave the Maidens their powers in the first place. And our actual enemy is some megalo-evil bitch called Salem who happens to be the leader of all the Grimm in the world who wants to bring the end of humanity. Oh, and Qrow can turn into a bird which makes sense but also a little lame. Did I get everything?”Ren nodded at Leone’s question. “That would be about it.”The Faunus blonde blew out some air as she tried to contemplate everything she’d heard of. “And just when I thought we had to worry about the White Fang attacking Haven and dealing with Cinder and her two stooges. Speaking of the White Fang…” She turned her attention to Seryu who was leaning against the wall. “How did you ever end up here and ran into my friends?” Leone already knew the White Fang backstabbed Seryu. However, she didn’t expect to run into her so soon. Much less in Mistral.At least the other Faunus girl wasn’t to rip her head off from the get-go. Seryu could take solstice in that. “To make a long story short, I was betrayed by the White Fang and Adam stabbed me. I managed to get away by using a shuttle and crashed near here. When I went into Mistral, he…” She nodded toward Wave. “Recognized me and…now I’m here.”Leone wasn’t surprised Wave would recognize Seryu since they were on the same team before back in their world. Speaking of the soldier, the Faunus blonde had another question for him. She turned her attention to him now. “And what about you? How’d you end up in Remnant? Did you walking into a forest and make a wish?”Wave nodded at her question. “I did. I arrived in this world over six months ago. I was living with a Faunus woman called Armasu when we encountered Ruby’s group.” That was new info to hear for Seryu. “After saving Ruby, Armasu and I said our goodbyes and I traveled with them. It wasn’t long before I ran into your team. We then all headed to Mistral together.” Leone figured this must’ve happened after her fight with Seryu. If he’d ran into her team, that meant Wave also ran into Akame. The Faunus blonde could only imagine how that meeting went.Since how Seryu and Wave met up with the others, it was Yang’s turn to ask questions. Primarily with why Leone was here. “Leone…” The other blonde turn to her. “Since you’re here now, does that mean everything in Menagerie is finished? Blake, her family, the White Fang over there?”Leone chuckled as she couldn’t almost believe what happened last night. “Yeah, everything’s wrapped up over there. Corsac and mostly every White Fang member he was with, which I didn’t kill any by the way…” She briefly held up her right index finger at Seryu before setting it down. “Were arrested. After the shit they pulled last night, all of them deserve to rot in a jail cell.”Yang was curious as to what Leone meant by that. “What exactly did happen last night?”The Faunus blonde knew the other girl had the right to know. It would also be an eye-opener for Seryu. “They launched a full-scale attack on the house.”“BLAKE’S FAMILY WAS ATTACKED?!” Yang couldn’t believe such a thing happened to Blake and her family. Ruby and Weiss also became very worried about their teammate.Seryu shared the same reaction as Yang. “The White Fang...actually did such a thing?”Leone nodded at the other Faunus girl. “Yeah, they did. All of them were on ordered to kill Blake’s family on sight. They were also ordered to kidnap Blake and bring her to Adam. In fact, he’s the one who came up with the whole thing. He saw what Blake and his family were doing and took it as a threat. That’s why he sent his goons after Blake’s family. Oh, and they brought in a sorta special force to deal with me but that didn’t end up working.”This was a lot of information for Seryu to take. Faunus attacking other Faunus now? She only thought it would be just Leone involved but now it seemed the White Fang was doing it too now. There was also something else she noticed about what Leone said. “When you said Adam ordered the attack, does that mean-”"Yeah, he's the leader of the White Fang now." Leone answered. She then turned her attention to Weiss. "Sorry to say this Weiss, but you and your family have a bigger target on your back now that he's the leader now. If the White Fang was a bunch of assholes before, they’ve become a lot worse now.” That wasn’t a pleasant thought for Weiss in the least. Her father and Whitley she could care less about, but her sister was another thing entirely.Seryu was still in shock learning that Adam was the high leader of the White Fang now. What she had feared all along became a reality. “Adam…he really did kill Sienna. He killed her and took her position as the high leader.” Seryu was angry, frustrated and saddened at the same time.During Leone’s explanation, yang caught that her daughter left out two other certain Faunus. “What about Fennec and Ilia?”The other blonde chuckled again. At least for Ilia. “Well, the funny thing about Ilia is that she’s into Blake. Way into Blake. I know because I heard her confession before they tried to take Blake back to Adam and me beating three of those goons unconsciously. However, I don’t know what Blake said to her, but Ilia is on our side now. Seriously, Ilia better prove she was worth all the shit Blake had to go through to her.”That was something Yang didn’t expect to hear. Ilia being in love with Blake? That was a shocker. Even more so since she switched sides. The blonde could see that as a good thing. However, Yang’s other question remained unanswered. “And what about Fennec?”Leone’s expression changed into being more serious. “He’s dead. Plain and simple.”Seryu gasped to learn that fact. She tried to wrap her mind around this development. “But I thought you said you didn’t kill any White Fang members?”Leone scoffed at the other Faunus girl. “I didn’t say it was me. Someone else did it.”Yang tried to think who could’ve done it. “It couldn’t have been Kali. She’s too nice to kill a person. I don’t think Blake can kill another person. Especially if that person is a Faunus. Ghira maybe since his family and his life was in danger.” That thought sent shivers down Yang’s spine as she imagined a very furious Ghira ripping his enemy apart.And that’s where Leone decided to drop a very shocking bomb. “It wasn’t them. It was someone else. And here’s the good part. You see Yang, when you left Menagerie, someone else decided to drop by surprise not long after. She was an old friend of Ghira’s. You might know her as…Sienna Khan.”Seryu heard the name loud and clear and those emotions she had was quickly replaced by confusion and hope. “Did you say…Sienna?”The Fauns blonde knew that would grab Seryu’s attention. “Yeah, I was surprised too when I saw her. Me, Blake, and her family. It turned out she escaped when Adam was about to kill her. She and the Faunus who helped her came to Menagerie for Ghira’s help. And, because she had nowhere else to go. For what Adam tried to do, for almost killing Sienna and attack Blake’s family, I never hated a person as much as I hated that bastard Prime Minister.” For her to say that, Adam must’ve been placed pretty high in Leone’s to-kill list.Ren had a question about the reason behind the White Fang’s attack. “Why did the White Fang attack? You said Blake’s family was a threat but what were they doing to be considered one in the first place?”A good question coming from him. “We were planning to take back the White Fang.”"WHAT!?" Everyone except Taeko shouted at the same time.Leone enjoyed their reaction. “Yeah, and it was Blake’s idea. Ghira even went public with it. I’m surprised you didn’t tell them about this, Yang.”All eyes turned to Yang now and she felt a little nervous. Kurome was the one to speak up. “You knew about this and you didn’t tell us because…”The blonde chuckled nervously. “I was too caught up with the reunion. Sorry about that but it is true. Blake wants to take back the White Fang. Back to what it was before.”It was one surprise after another for Seryu. First, she learned Leone was still alive, then she learned the White Fang attacked their own kind and were ordered to kill on sight, and now she learned there was a plan to take back the White Fang. She had never even thought or considered such a thing. However, she had some doubts. “Does anyone else support this idea? Any of the Faunus?”That was another detail Leone wanted to explain excitedly. “Funny you should say that. After what happened at Blake's house, she gave a speech of how Faunus are capable of hate and violence and if we just remain silent, the White Fang will continue to speak and act for us. What the White Fang wants, to make humans fear the Faunus, isn't going to work and it never will. There is no such thing as an easy answer to a difficult question. If that were true, then no one on my team would've had to die for their cause." Everyone knew Leone was referring to her old team. "Everyone in Menagerie agreed with Blake and so did Sienna. If I were you all, I’d expect nothing less than a small army knocking on Haven’s door.”That was great news for everyone to hear. They had everything could’ve asked for in stopping the White Fang’s attack. Almost everything. “Oh, and speaking of Sienna, she was the one who killed Fennec.”Make that the fourth surprise for Seryu. Five if she could find out a particular answer. “Sienna…actually did that?”The other Faunus girl nodded again. “Yeah, she did. Blake, Ghira, and myself saw it happen. It was either going to be her or Fennec and considering she was already a target, she didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. So, are you going oust her as a Faunus Traitor too or is that just exclusive to me? Hell, with what the White Fang did, they should all be branded as Faunus Traitors. Which is ironic considering what they were supposed to be doing in the first place. Helping Faunus.” Seryu was very conflicted now. This was not how she envisioned the future of the Faunus would go to. Yes, there was some violence, but it had never reached this point. The future she’d once fought for was slowly being drenched with death and blood. “Oh, and speaking of Sienna, remember what I said about a Faunus helping her to escape? That Faunus is someone you once knew. A scorpion Faunus with a long braided grey hair called Syka.”Seryu’s eyes became wide-eyed as she was speechless for a few seconds. Finally, she found the words to speak. “Syka? No, that can’t be. She couldn’t be in the White Fang. She’s supposed to be a Huntress right about now!”Leone saw this reaction coming a long time ago. She took out the scroll Syka gave her and presented it to Seryu. “Syka wanted me to give this to you. It’s pretty much the only reason why I won’t kill you.” The Faunus blonde tossed the scroll to Seryu and the other girl caught. “My guess, Syka left a message for you to see. I haven’t seen it, so I don’t know what it could be. However, I do know it must mean a lot. At least to Syka.” Seryu stared at the scroll given her. She had not heard anything about Syka or from her in such a long time. Several questions were running through her mind. Why was Syka in the White Fang? Why did she save Sienna? What was she thinking? Most importantly, why now?Speaking of questions, Leone could finally ask her own now. One that she’s been meaning to ask ever since she arrived here. “Okay, so, now that we cleared everything on both sides, can any of you tell me where Akame is? I haven’t seen her all since coming here. Where is she?” Leone saw everyone look away from her seeming uncertain about something. Already the Faunus blonde didn’t like how this was going. “What’s up? Did something happen?”Kurome took in a deep breath and took a few steps forward to her teammate. “About Akame…” Kurome told Leone what happened to Akame during her absence. Leone’s reaction began with disbelief and then turned into anger. When Kurome was done explaining, she took several more steps back when she saw the look in Leone’s eyes.The Faunus blonde was silent as she stood up from the couch. “Weiss…make a glyph and make it as strong as you can.” The former heiress nervously nodded and did so in front of Leone. She gritted her teeth hard and growled. Leone pulled back her left arm back. Leone yelled as she punched the glyph. “Damn it!” She pulled back her arm and punched the glyph again. “Damn it!” Leone punched the glyph again. "Damn it!" The speed of her punches increased steadily and each of those attacks was becoming stronger with every punch. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Leone pulled her arm one last time and punched the glyph with all her strength. “DAMN IT!” Her punched sent out a powerful shockwave that everyone felt, and the glyph shattered. The Faunus blonde panted heavily and dropped to her hands and knees. This whole time Leone wanted to see Akame again. To see her face, her smile and now she feared she never would. “I should’ve gone with you when you left Menagerie, Yang. If I did, I could’ve hightailed it Mistral and I would’ve met up with Akame sooner. If I had, then none of this wouldn’t have happened.”Yang could tell Leone blamed herself for not reaching Akame in time. She felt responsible for what happened to Akame. She honestly didn’t know what to say to comfort her daughter. However, Cornelia did. “We already have some information on the woman who took Akame. A woman in her late twenties, a birthmark under her left eye, wears a purple lilane dress, and she doesn’t seem to like men very much.”Taeko had something else to add as well. “We also know that she’s being held in a location where our calls can’t get through. Which strange considering the CCT tower is functioning here in Mistral. Wherever they have her, it must be a place in Mistral where calls can't get through."“It’s either or that they turned off her scroll.” Chelsea commented.Taeko had thought of that but there was a hole in that theory. “If that were true, we wouldn’t have received that message when we tried to call her.”Chelsea had to agree with that. She also had something else to say about Merraid. “Right. Well, we also know that this woman might be a yandere. It would partially explain the kidnapping.”Yang raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What’s a yandere?”“A person who’s crazily in love with another person and would murder anyone who she deems as a threat to her love.” Chelsea replied.That explanation strangely got to Wave. “Why does that describe General Esdeath so well?”“Aside from that…” Kurome continued. “We know this Merraid woman is connected to Akame’s kidnapping since Akame did leave to see and confront her yesterday morning. How and why we don't know. Not just anyone could pull that off, so she must be something else. Regardless, we know she’s responsible and we will find her. We find her, we find Akame, and maybe we’ll the enemy Merraid is with.”Leone remained silent until she stood up. “You sure about that? What makes you think this Merraid woman is with the enemy?”Chelsea already had an answer to that. “Well, who else would she be with? Who else would be capable of taking Akame in?”While she may have a point, Leone saw something different. “Or she could be on her own. There could always be a third party involved. It doesn't matter either way because when I find this Merraid bitch, I'm going to tear her in half!" Her eyes became feral for a moment before returning to normal.For some reason, Leone seemed more ferocious than usual. The attack done by the White Fang must’ve done something to her. Rienna wanted to ask her teammate another question. “Are you made at Akame for cheating on you? I mean…we thought you were dead when Seryu told us. I guess what I’m trying to say is that she did sleep with another woman.”The other blonde turned to her with disgust. “Do you think I give a shit about that? I don’t care if Akame slept with another girl. Hell, I don’t blame her for it.” Her expression changed from disgust to somber. “Losing me must’ve been her breaking point.”Cornelia didn’t understand what Leone meant by that. “But she had all of us. We could’ve helped her. I…could’ve helped her.” The blonde lowered her head slightly as she still felt responsible for what happened to Akame.Leone sighed. While Cornelia wasn’t wrong, it was also not that simple. “Think about it. Akame had lost her entire team from before and most of Night Raid. Something like that, ever for her back then and now, does something to a person. I even overheard her and Tatsumi talking in the kitchen back our base about Sheele. Tatsumi was impressed that even when Sheele died, Akame still kept her emotions in check., but he was wrong. It tore Akame up for losing another friend and teammate and the same kept happening for most of our friends. This is just my own idea,everything Akame had left. All the good memories she had back in our world and when I was gone, all of that disappeared along with me. It’s true all of you are Akame’s friends but I’m the only one who truly knows what she went through and that’s only part of it. As soon as I was gone, everything else just fell apart for her. Akame may have been an assassin, fought for the Empire and the Revolutionary Army, and even a Huntress-in-training, she’s still human and humans have limits. I have limits and losing Akame is one of mine.”It was a perspective none of them even thought about before. Leone was the only who what Akame went through and when she was gone, Akame had lost everything. Leone was more than comrade and girlfriend to Akame. She was a reminder of everything good in their past life. The only thread left connecting her to the rest of her allies. And that thread was severed when she learned Leone was gone for good. At least at the time before Yang explained she was still alive. As of now, that thread still holds with Leone, but it’s temporarily untied to Akame. Only when they see each other again, that thread will be tied once again. Before Leone could continue, everyone heard a loud growling noise. The Faunus blonde groaned exhaustedly as she clutched her stomach. “Before we continue this little chat of ours, do you think I can get some fucking food already!?”Rienna loved the idea of eating together. “I still have a bunch of food leftover. You can have some of i…” Before she could finish her sentence, Rienna’s eyes half-closed and fell backward to the ground with a thud. Everyone wondered what happened before they heard light snoring from the blonde.It was odd for Jaune and mostly everyone else. “Is she…sleeping?”“Yeah, she is.” Kurome replied as she walked over to her teammate. She picked up Rienna and carried her over her shoulder. “I’m guessing since Rienna is out of her room, she finished modifying Devil Incarnate after more than twenty-four hours without sleep nonstop. Have to give it to ya, she’s dedicated to her weapon. I’ll take her back to her room and make sure Leone has some food in her stomach.” Kurome then carried Rienna back to her room.Leone couldn't agree more with finally having some food. "Well, Rienna said I could have her leftovers but I wouldn't mind having more."Yang smiled at the other blonde. “You’re going to love it. It’s really good and Wave’s a great cook.”“She’s right. It’s some of the best I’ve had for a while.” The Faunus blonde turned to Oscar who returned to more. He chuckled nervously and waved at her. “Hi, I don’t think we’ve actually met. My name’s Oscar.”Leone just smiled at him. “Glad to meet you too and welcome to the club.” Her stomach growled again and didn’t know how much longer she would last. “Okay, food now before I die of starvation.” Everyone agreed and moved Leone to the kitchen Almost everyone. Seryu stayed behind and stared at the scroll given to her. She left in a different direction to see what was in the scroll in private B Seryu was at the training grounds while leaning backward on the railings. She could’ve gone to her room, but she would’ve heard the chatter coming from the kitchen. This was the only place she could think of where the Faunus girl would have some peace and quiet. Seryu pulled up the scroll in front of her and stared at it. She had no idea what Syka wanted to tell her. The last she’d seen of Syka was when she yelled at her for betraying her. It seemed like it happened forever ago to her. Seryu could just chuck the scroll over the railing and be done with it but with everything that’d happen, she saw things a little differently now. Looking back at it now, Seryu felt guilty for what she did. She shut out the only friend she had. Of course, being friends with Wave and the others didn't sound bad to her. However, like Leone to Akame, Syka was the only one who truly understood her.She took in a deep breath and steeled herself as she turned on the scroll. Seryu unlocked it and tapped the video app to see one video was recorded. It was titled, “For Seryu”. Seryu stared at the title before finally pressing play. In the first second of the video, she saw Syka and was astounded by how much she’d grown. Syka sighed deeply and heavily and smiled. “Hi, Seryu. If you’re watching this, then I guess Leone found you and hasn’t already mauled you. It’s…been a long since we’ve talked. Not since I visited you at the hospital after…that happened. I’m sure you have a couple of questions. Before I get to the obvious one, I should explain why I saved Sienna. I knew how much she meant to you. Sienna would be the only one you’d follow to hell and back and I knew you wouldn’t follow Adam and his extremist ways.”. For once, Seryu was thankful for Syka coming to Sienna’s hour of need. If it wasn’t for her, Sienna would’ve been dead by now. “Now for your other question; why I joined the White Fang instead of being a Huntress?” Syka sighed again as if she was preparing herself. “I saw you, Seryu, on TV one time and learned that you were with the White Fang. I now knew where you were, and I wanted to make amends between us. You were right before. I shouldn’t have been that guy and because of my naïve stupidity, I’m the reason you lost your arms. I’m the reason why you’re in the White Fang in the first place. I wanted to apologize to you, set things straight between us. That’s why I joined the White Fang but if I confronted you from the get-go, I’m sure you would’ve branded me as an intruder and had me incarcerated or worse. I knew I had to take my time and wait for the right opportunity to talk to you. For years I was in the White Fang doing jobs all over until I was finally close enough to reach you. Unfortunately, Adam was also close to getting rid of you. I tried to warn you, I did, but when I confronted you, I froze. I had second doubts and thought you were still angry at me. It was because of me, you were chased out.” Seryu tried to recall any time Syka tried to warn her. Then she remembered that a White Fang member approached her and had trouble speaking to her. It finally made sense now that she saw the video. “Syka, that was you?”Seryu paid back attention to the video. “It’s…all my fault. It’s because of me you lost your arms. It’s because of me you became you who are you. It’s because of me you ended up with the White Fang. It’s because of me you were chased out. I’m nothing more than a coward who keeps letting her best friend down time after time after time.” Seryu saw tears rolling down off Syka’s cheeks. “You remember what we said about Huntsmen and Huntresses being something like superheroes? How could I be a superhero if couldn’t save my best friend? The most important person to me? If I become a Huntress, that idea would haunt me for the rest of my life and it would just drag me down. I know it has ever since you disappeared all those years ago. I couldn’t let things stay this way between us. I wanted to see my best friend again and hoped we can go back the way things were before. I can only hope you feel the same way after everything happened to you. Even if you don’t, I want to confront the very thing that has haunted me all this time.”Seryu was feeling a little choked up. She could tell the sincerity, the passion behind every word Syka had spoken. To Syka, Seryu was more important than what they had set their goals for. Becoming Huntresses to save lives. Just like how Azure Angel did. Seryu heard Syka sniff and wipe her tears away. She took another deep breath before continuing. “Seryu, you should know by now what the White Fang is doing isn’t justice. It’s tyranny. They will not hesitate to kill anyone who stands in their way, no matter who they are. Human or Faunus. To put this in a better way, you remember that episode where Azure Angel encountered that villain? About his absolute justice? That’s the White Fang is doing.” Seryu quietly gasped at the description. “Azure Angel would do. Remember what he always said. ‘Those who would commit acts of evil, to harm the innocent, and ensure chaos, I swear I’ll bring down-”“The hammer of rightful justice upon them all/The hammer of rightful justice upon them all.” Seryu spoke in unison with Syka.She saw Syka sigh and smile somberly. “That’s…all I wanted to say. I wanted to talk to you in person, but I don’t know where you ended up. Maybe Leone could take you Mistral and we could meet up there when the White Fang does attack. And when we do, we’ll show the White Fang, show Adam, what superheroes are capable of.” Syka’s somber smile was replaced by a confident and determined expression. “I hope to see you soon, Seryu.” Syka became still as the video had finally ended.Seryu stared at the video and processed everything Syka had told her. She couldn’t imagine how heavy the guilt the other Faunus girl had to carry throughout this whole time. Syka had abandoned her dream as a Huntress, infiltrated the White Fang at her own risk, and had fought her own kind to just see her best friend once again. It was almost funny to her. “You idiot. You haven’t changed at all.”“Seryu?”The Faunus girl lifted her head to see Wave approaching her. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to cooking your dish for her?”Wave laughed a little as he stopped in front of Seryu. “I think I’ve done enough cooking for now. She was still eating last I checked.” He looked down and noticed the scroll then back to Seryu. He could tell what his comrade was doing all by herself. “If you’re busy with something, I can leave and come late-”“It’s fine. I’m done with it anyway.” Seryu interrupted as she put the scroll away. She turned around and looked at the city over the railing. “You know, Azure Angel was my hero. He was someone I looked up and wanted to be. Ironically enough, he was the only human I liked, even if he was just a character. Syka and I thought becoming Huntresses would be the closest thing to being superheroes. They save people, protect lives, and keep the peace. That’s what I believed. That’s what I believed when I was in the White Fang. But then Syka brought up an episode we saw once. It was about the appearance of a new villain called Crimson Justice and what he’d done. Like Azure Angel, Crimson Justice targeted only criminals, but his way was more violent. More…permanent and it’d be more than criminals. He went after criminals that were reformed, who changed their ways, and their families, their friends. I could still remember how Azure Angel confronted Crimson Justice…” Seryu’s mind went back to the episode she watched and recalled what happened. F The moon shined brightly over the city as all was quiet in the night. That is until there was a scream coming from an abandoned clock tower. A bald-headed man with a grey goatee wearing priest clothing was running up the stairs for his life. He reached the top floor and hoped that he was safe. “Where do you think you’re going?” The priest gasped in fear as he turned to the large opening where the clock would be. He saw a man wearing a crimson colored bandana with white eye-holes covering the upper half of his face. His outfit was almost the same. The vest he wore was long sleeved and showed his bare chest in a V-formation. His pants were black with red stripes going down from the sides. He wore black gloves and black boots and had two swords hoisted behind his waist in a crossing pattern. The priest backed away from the stranger until he hit a wall behind him. The stranger hopped down from the opening and glared at his target. “Except for going down. Down from this tower and down to the pits of hell where you belong.”The priest was hyperventilating at this point. “Please, you don’t have to do this.”“Oh, but I do. You are nothing more than a criminal and always will be. In the name of absolute justice, your life ends here now!” He drew out his swords and rushed at the priest.The priest closed his eyes and came up with the shortest prayer he could think of before his time had come. However, it wasn’t his time yet. “Stop this now!” The metallic sound of two weapons clashing could be heard and the priest opened his eyes. He saw a young man and with shoulder-long light blonde hair. His cape was like two wings separated to give their form and his outfit was a dark blue jacket with white outlines. The weapon he was holing was a spear of the same color. The new arrival pushed the stranger away and sent him to the other side of the room.The stranger chuckled sinisterly at the man standing before him. His coat was open to reveal his black shirt and pants of the same color. The most defining feature was the mask covering his eyes with white eyeholes. “Azure Angel. So, you’re finally here. Come to save this piece of filth?”Azure scoffed at the stranger. “You should know better than try to kill a priest, Crimson. It’s very frowned upon around these parts. This ends tonight.”Crimson had other ideas. “The only thing that ends tonight is that priest behind you. He will die for what he has done!”“I haven’t done anything!” The priest shouted in fear. “Yes, I won’t deny what I have done in the past was horrible. The crimes I’ve committed, the things that I’ve done. Everything. But I’ve changed ever since I’ve found the right path. I’ve dedicated my life to help those unfortunate. I even visited the family of the man who took his life. The sins I have done will never go away but I will not let them hold me back and deny me the future that is still laid out in front.”Crimson laughed heartily as he clapped at the priest’s speech. “Very good. That almost moved me to tears. However, you’re wrong about one thing. Your sins will go away as soon as you do.”“And then what?” Azure interrupted.Crimson glared at Azure through his mask. "Those who associate with criminals are criminals themselves, no matter who they might be. They are just as guilty.”Azure was beginning to be mad at Crimson. “You can’t lump someone who is innocent with those who were once guilty just because they were with them. What you’re doing isn’t justice. It’s nothing short of murder.”Crimson scoffed this time at Azure’s words. “My justice gets the job done. Your brand of justice just let criminals have another chance to do another evil misdeed. Ask yourself this question; how guilty are you for all the lives you couldn’t save? That all falls on you. They are your failures. Your brand of justice is weak while mine is-”“Absolute.” Azure finished the sentence. “I won’t deny what you said is true. There are lives I couldn’t save, but as the priest said, I won’t let them hold me back and deny my future. Just as I won’t let you deny the future of many others. Crimson Justice, you commit acts of evil, bring harm to the innocent, and ensure chaos. For that, I swear to bring down the hammer of rightful justice upon you.”Crimson Justice grinned at the challenge laid out before him. “It’s a shame, Azure. You and I could’ve been buddies but now I see you’re a fool. Come, let’s see whose brand of justice is stronger.” He pointed one of his swords at Azure Angel. “Your rightful justice or my absolute justice.” F Seryu chuckled quietly at the fight that happened and how it ended. “Azure Angel defeated Crimson Justice, but he managed to escape. However, Crimson Justice did give him a new perspective. I even heard Crimson Justice represents what Azure Angel could’ve been. His dark side. It’s funny, really and moronically ironic for me.” She gripped the railing tightly. “All this time…I’ve been following Crimson Justice’s path.” She felt sick and was upset. “Just what the hell have I been doing this entire time!?”Wave could see what Seryu was getting at. He could see similarities between Crimson Justice and the Seryu he knew back in his world. However, he still knew something about the Seryu next to him. “But you’re not like Crimson Justice. You haven’t killed anyone when you were in the White Fang.”“But I’ve thought about it and that’s just as bad. I’m no better than what Crimson Justice had done and continued to do so. This path I walked, the justice I thought I believed in…” Her breathing became shaky and tears began rolling down her cheeks. “What am I supposed to believe in anymore!? The White Fang is attacking our own kind, I’m not the hero I thought I was, what else do have left? What am supposed to do?!” Seryu dropped to her knees while still holding onto the railing and cried. “I don’t even know who I am anymore.”As of now, Wave was seeing Seryu at her weakest, most vulnerable moment. Everything she had believed in and fought for was nothing more than a confused lie. He had never seen Seryu so distraught before. Even more so when the Seryu he knew lost Doctor Stylish. He could only think of one thing to say at times like this. “Yes, you do.” His words caught Seryu’s attention and turned to him. Unsure and fearful eyes were looking at ones that were focused. “Tell me, Seryu. What is it you want? Speak from your heart. What does it say?”Seryu couldn’t understand what Wave was asking her. What did she want? She didn’t know what she wanted. Everything in her life was entirely wrong. What else was there for her? The Faunus girl tried to think deeper of what Wave was trying to tell her. What did her heart want? What did it want to say? Seryu searched deep inside of her until she finally saw the answer. Straight from the heart. “I want…I want…” Seryu recollected herself and regained her breathing. The Faunus girl stood up and stared at Wave straight in the way. What I want is to protect the innocent. To make sure no will have to go through what I’ve been through. I want…to protect the future.”Wave smiled confidently at Seryu as that’s exactly he wanted to hear. “Then hold onto that ideal. Grasp it firmly within you and never let it go. It’s that ideal who makes you who you truly are.” He pointed directly at Seryu’s heart.Seryu felt like she was at peace now. The path before her was clear now and so was her mind. If she wanted to obtain the future, then Seryu would have to confront the problems of the world head-on. And she won't be alone in this endeavor. Seryu had found good people and most importantly, the person in front of her who had given her another chance. Seryu wiped the tears away and smiled at Wave. She could only think of one thing to say to him. “I won’t and…thank you, Wave.” B In the following days, the whole group continued to prepare for their upcoming fight in Haven. Seryu had apologized to Leone for what she had done to her and the mess she had created. If Leone hadn’t heard what happened to her from Syka earlier, she might’ve still punched Seryu in the face. Repeatedly. Like she did with Honest. However, the Faunus blonde could tell she’d changed for the better. Whatever Wave said to her, it worked wonders. And she couldn’t put all the blame on her for Akame’s disappearance since Leone shared that blame with her.During that time, Leone had met up with Qrow and Esdeath’s dad who was surprised that he was here. The same could be said for Esren. Speaking of the Faunus blonde, she decided to help Kurome in finding Akame. With all the different scents and noises, she couldn’t track Akame by those means. Especially since she was gone the day before Leone arrived. Strangely enough, Seryu also offered to help since she was partly responsible for Akame’s disappearance. Leone and Kurome didn’t mind since it meant another set of eyes and ears. While they were gone searching for Akame, Wave continued to train Ruby and Oscar. Wave could definitely see they were improving. Even Yang had to admit she’d never seen her sister improve like this before. On the other side, Chelsea and Taeko were teaching Cornelia and Rienna hand-to-hand combat. They even saw what the new version of Devil Incarnate looked like and was impressed. More so by Chelsea, since Rienna somehow gained a spontaneous boost of speed out of nowhere. It was probably because Rienna had held the original design of Devil Incarnate for so long. It would be very advantageous to her.Over at Menagerie, Blake and her family were making similar preparations. They, Sienna, Syka, Ilia, and the police force were teaching all the citizens of Menagerie of how to properly wield weapons and guns. Kali even gave lessons on how to properly do hand-to-hand combat and so did Sienna. The former high leader was unsure how the Faunus citizens would react to her appearance, but so far, they seem to appreciate what she was doing. Before anyone knew it, the days had turned into weeks and the deadline for Haven was fast approaching. As they prepared for the fated day, so did their enemies, working from the shadows toward their own nefarious goal. B Outside the perimeter of the bandit camp, the lowlife from before and a couple of others were standing guard at the front of the gate. They were having a friendly chat until someone called out to them. “Hey, ugly!” He and the others instantly turned where they heard the voice and the lowlife drew out his gun. They saw two figures walking out the shadows of the forest. They turned out to be Emerald and Mercury. They stopped several feet away from the bandits and Emerald smirked at them. “Is Raven Branwen home?”The lowlife didn’t respond as he pointed his gun at them. He thought he had the advantage until he saw two more figures come out of the shadows. They were Cinder and Doctor Watts. Mercury crossed his arms and glanced over at the maiden. “Doesn’t look like he wants to cooperate, boss.”Cinder knew exactly what to do next. “Then make him.”Mercury was glad to hear that. “I was hoping you’d say that.” Emerald started to walk toward the bandits and drew her weapons out. As she took another step, something flew past her in a dark blur. It reached the lowlife almost immediately before he knew it reached him. He gasped before the shadow delivered a rising knee kick to the underside of his chin. The shadow did a flip over the Lowlife and landed behind him. It ducked and performed a sweeping kicked to drop the Lowlife to the ground. The shadow stood up and raised its right leg and quickly kicked the Lowlife in the face. The kick effectively knocked him out cold. The other two bandits freaked out as they saw one of their own being taken down so easily and pointed their guns at the intruder. However, before either of them could pull the trigger, the shadow instantly appeared in front of one of them. The shadow delivered a blow to the stomach followed by the shadow jumping and kicked the bandit to the side of the head. The bandit hit the wall and before the remaining one could shoot, the shadow turned around and drew its sword to extend it toward the last remaining bandit. The sword dug deep into the bandit’s shoulder and before he could scream, the sword retracted itself and the shadow reached him by planting both feet directly to his face. The shadow then jumped off and took the sword out while the bandit crashed to the ground unconscious.Emerald scoffed at what she saw and put her weapons. “Show off.”She and everyone else heard clapping from behind and turned to the person who was doing it. “Marvelous. Simple marvelous. You performed so elegantly and just as brutal. I am in awe at what I’ve seen.”Emerald rolled her eyes at the constant praise she was hearing. “Okay, you can stop sucking her dick now…Shizuka, was it?”Shizuka only laughed as a response. “I merely speak the truth. This is the first time we are seeing her in action on the field. Isn’t that right…” The person in front of them turned around as she put her sword away. She faced the group with an indifferent expression toward them. “Lady Akame.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Seventy Two: A Wary AllianceRaven worked on polishing her sword inside her tent. It was quite a peaceful process to her but even now, her mind kept going back to her meeting with Yang. Such a trivial thing shouldn’t bother her, but it did. And there would be another problem the bandit leader would have to handle. “Raven…” Raven glanced back at Vernal who was standing at the tent entrance. “We have a problem.”That was not what she wanted to hear in her afternoon. “What is it?”“Salem’s found us.”That was another thing Raven didn’t want to hear in her afternoon. If Salem had found her and her camp, that could only mean one thing to her. She was here for the Spring Maiden. She closed her eyes and accepted the fact that she and everyone at the camp were no longer safe. “Salem. Okay.”Raven opened her eyes and stood up. Vernal had more information to relay. “Six of her followers are waiting to speak with you.”Six? Raven thought big of a party was unneeded. Still, she decided to honor their request. If they had any honor at all since they were under Salem’s hand. “Right. We planned for this.” She turned to Vernal. “Bring me my helmet.”Outside the tent, Cinder and her group were waiting patiently for the leader to appear. While they were waiting, some of the bandits were talking among themselves. “Alright, be honest here. Which of these people freaks you out the most?”The other bandit carefully observed the group and made his decision. “I’m going to say the kid with the two swords.”The first bandit turned his attention to Akame and was puzzled. “Seriously? Why her?”The other bandit had several good reasons. “Well, for one, she took out three of our own barehanded. If she could do that, imagine what she could do with those two swords of hers. Not to mention there’s something…unnerving about her.”The first bandit was further puzzled by the choice of words. “And what would that be? Granted, she does look a bit like the boss. In fact, it’s kinda surprising seeing someone else with red-eyes. I mean, her kid had red-eyes too, but they only appeared for like a second.”His friend chuckled nervously. “I thought that too but as soon as I got a good look at her face, I could tell she’s been through a lot of fights. Probably just as much as the boss.”That fact was a little hard to believe for the first bandit. “Seriously? That’s a huge claim right there. Still, she does look like someone we don’t want to mess with. Although, I’m wondering what’s with the maid?”After several seconds had passed, Raven finally emerged out of her tent while wearing her Grimm helmet. She saw the group of six standing before her. “I don’t recall inviting so many guests into our home. Either I’m losing my memory, or you’ve all lost your spines.”Cinder smirked at the bandit leader. “Don’t be too upset with them, Raven. Your men simply recognize the power of a Maiden when they see it.” Her left eye flared up to demonstrate her power then vanished. “Which is why we’d like to have a word with you.”It was exactly what Raven thought they would be here for. As of now, no one was safe. She turned to several of her party members. “Leave us. Pack your things, then break down the camp. We’re moving.”Watts scratched underneath his chin. “A little late to run and hide. You’ve been on our master’s list for some time, so you must understand that we cannot allow you to slip away.”Raven began to walk down the steps of her tent. “I know all about your master, but I don’t believe we’ve met.”Mercury knew the answer he’d give her. “We’re the guys you should be afraid of.”Raven didn’t buy what Mercury was selling to her. “I doubt anyone should be afraid of you.”Mercury scowled at the bandit leader. “Oh, yeah, tell that-”“Quiet.” Cinder interrupted.So far, Raven was unimpressed by the party Salem had sent to her. “That’s what I thought.”Cinder thought to introduce themselves, so Raven knew who she was dealing with. “I’m Cinder Fall. This is my associate, Arthur Watts. And my disciples, Emerald and Mercury.”Raven still wasn’t impressed by the group in front of her. “Two children you’ve tricked into following you, a disgraced Atlesian scientist, and Fall Maiden with a surname so appropriate, she probably picked it herself.” She crossed her arms across her chest. “Something tells me you’ve got more than a slight case of egomania.” She then turned to Akame and Shizuka and was already confused by their presence. “And…who are you two?”Shizuka smiled sweetly at Raven and did a courtesy bow to her. “Greetings. My name is Shizuka and I am a maid representing my mistress, Madam Mera.” She finished her bow and glanced over at Akame. “And this is Madam Mera’s betrothed, Lady Akame. Our newest addition to our group.”Raven narrowed her eyes behind her helmet. She had heard that name before. “Akame? Wasn’t that one of the girls Qrow told me before? Why is a student of Ozpin working with Salem?” She was a little interested in the younger girl now. “I see. I wonder what your reason is for working with Salem?” Akame didn’t answer her question and kept staring at her with an indifferent expression.Emerald rolled her eyes as she knew why Akame wouldn’t respond. “Good luck getting her to talk. Ever since she joined up, she barely speaks a word now. Except when she’s in Merraid’s room, if you know what I mean.”Mostly everyone coughed as they knew what Emerald was talking about. To break the awkward silence, Watts thought to rectify Raven’s statement of him. “Ahem. Uh, technically, I was also a doctor, but I must say the rest was spot-on.”Cinder was thankful for that and continued the conversation. “Aren’t you perceptive.”Raven knew that was obvious to her. “It’s what’s kept me alive.”The Fall Maiden thought otherwise about that statement. “I’m afraid the only reason you’re still alive is because you have something our master wants. Of course, if I’m wrong…” She raised her hand up and fire reignited from her eye and in her hand.Raven figured what Cinder meant. Both by what they’re here for and what they’ll do if she refused. She glanced back at the tent. “Vernal!” The front entrance of the tent opened and Vernal appeared in front of the group. She calmly walked up to Raven and stood next to her.Cinder narrowed her eyes at Vernal. "So, this is the long-lost Spring Maiden. Prove it."Raven and Vernal looked at each other briefly before turning back to the group. Vernal sighed as she closed her eyes. She placed her arms forward and the wind strangely began to pick up. The tents were starting to be blown by the wind and the clouds began to darken and swirl. Watts, Mercury, and Emerald flinched at the wind blowing into their faces. Shizuka and Akame remained unfazed while Cinder smiled as she loved what she was seeing. The wind began to die down and Vernal set her arms down while opening her eyes. Raven thought that was enough to demonstrate her Maiden’s powers. “Vernal has done well under my guidance. I’d take that into consideration before you try anything.”Watts and Mercury were dusting themselves off while Cinder spoke her thoughts. “Raven, I won’t underestimate you, so please don’t insult my intelligence. There is a slim chance you and your Maiden could escape here today. But if you know our master as well as you claim to, then you know you could never truly escape her. But we’ve come bearing an olive branch.”Watts decided to walk up to the bandit leader and the maiden. “The Maidens are merely a means to an end. Salem’s true desires are the relics locked within the Huntsmen academies.” He stopped in front of them. “Come with us. Allow Vernal here to unlock the Relic of Knowledge and all previous acts of defiance against Salem will be forgiven. It’s the best deal either of you are going to get.” Watts walked away from the two women.Raven seriously doubted what they’re doing would be child’s play. “You talk as if walking straight into Haven will be easy.”“That’s because it will be.” Cinder replied. “Headmaster Lionheart is loyal to Salem now. All we need is the key to the Vault.” Raven remained silent but that was fine to Cinder. “You’re not the only one to turn your back on Oz, Raven.”Raven took an offense to what Cinder said to her. "I'm not helping Salem. I'm not helping Oz. I don't want a part in any of this." She grabbed the handle of her sword.Cinder thought differently about the bandit leader’s position. “That ship sailed when you chose to harbor a Maiden, but if you go with us to Haven, we’ll leave you, your tribe, and your little secret to live out the rest of your days squabbling in the wilderness. We just need the relic.”Raven and Vernal turned to each other again briefly before answering Cinder. “I need time to think this over.”Unfortunately for Raven, she didn’t have enough time to think things over. Watts made sure she knew that clearly. “You don’t have time. In two days, Haven Academy will be destroyed by the White Fang. You’re going to choose now.”Raven saw what they were doing. “Backed me into a corner, huh?”Cinder just needed to know one crucial aspect of this whole meeting. “So, are you with us, or against us?”Raven didn’t respond to the question. Instead, she let go of the handle and reached for her helmet to take it off. As she did, the bandit leader narrowed her eyes at the whole group. “Agreements like these are built on trust, and forgive me for saying, but I don’t trust a single one of you. You’re going to need to give me more.”Watts thought it was hilarious of what Raven was trying to do. “You are in a position to negotiate.”Actually, Raven’s offer was quite simple. “I want my brother dead.”That was something everyone didn’t expect her to say and want. Especially Cinder. “Qrow?”“That’s right.” Raven responded. “He knows I have Spring, and if I help you get your relic, he’s going to become a problem. I have enough problems to deal with. Qrow doesn’t trust me, but he does trust Ozpin’s other lieutenants. If Leo really is loyal to you, then you can order him to invite Qrow right into an ambush. He arrives at Haven, we take him down, you get your relic, and we all leave happy.”So far, Cinder liked what she’d heard. However, there still was a problem. “Now this is a proposition I can get behind.”With all of this going on, Watts had to interrupt again. “Alright, let’s just pause for a moment.” He stepped in between Cinder and Raven. “We have one objective; retrieving the Relic of Knowledge. Now, Qrow Branwen may be on our list of individuals we would very much like dead, but he’s not going to go down without a fight. And he’s not going to fight quietly. Our advantage here is just as you said. We walk straight into Haven. No resistance, no one the wiser. A battle with your brother throws all of that out the window.”Raven had something different to say about that. “He’s good, but not that good. All of us against him, it’ll be over in a heartbeat.”Emerald knew it would be that easy. “But it’s not just him.” Raven turned to her. “He has the students with him. He has Ruby.”Emerald had a point and Cinder agreed with her. “That’s not all.” Shizuka spoke up. “We also have one other who may prove to be a bigger problem than simply dealing with your brother and the students who are with him.” The bandit leader focused on the maid now. “There is one other who may be possibly stronger than your brother and perhaps you. Lady Akame has expressed how powerful this individual is. This…person comes from the same world as Lady Akame and possess the same kind of weaponry unseen in this world.”It was almost unbelievable for Raven to imagine someone stronger than her brother. She doesn’t care much for him, but she did at least acknowledge his strength. “Is that so? If that’s true, then what do you plan to do about it?”Shizuka chuckled at the question. “It just so happens that Lady Akame has developed a special technique to handle this person, your brother, and anyone else who dares to get in our way.”Raven studied the maid closely and could tell she meant what she said. She was still wary about this certain person who is said to be stronger than her brother, but if they have a plan, she’ll go with it. Watts suddenly had a headache that came out of nowhere and briefly put two of his fingers on her forehead. “If we leave that school a bloody mess, it will draw the attention of the authorities. The kingdom will be on high alert and the White Fang’s attack will be ruined.”“Then we wait.” Cinder offered. Watts turned to her now. “We wait until the full moon. Leo invites Qrow and his little fighters to Haven the same night Hazel and Adam arrive with the White Fang. As soon as the battle is won, the White Fang demolishes Haven and any evidence we may have left behind is lost along with the school.”Raven fitted the rest of Cinder’s plan. “Then Salem leaves my people alone for good.”It all sounded good and the Fall Maiden was eager to close the deal. “You have yourself a deal.” She took a step forward toward Raven and extended her hand to her. However, Watts realized something and grabbed Cinder’s wrist. “Wait.” He gave Cinder his full attention. “Don’t think I don’t see what you’re after. If this falls to pieces over your grudge with a child, I will not be taking the blame.”Cinder glared back at the doctor and fire flared out of her eye once again. "then what are you worried about?" She also ignited her wrist and burned Watts' hand which made him let go. The Fall Maiden continued to walk toward Raven. "Fly back home and tinker with your machines." She extended her hand once again to the bandit leader. "And tell Salem she'll get what she wants. And more." Raven stared at the hand being offered to her before looking at Cinder. She didn't say anything and shook Cinder’s hand. B “Well, that went better than I thought.”Cinder’s group were walking back to the airship they arrived in. Having succeeded in having Raven joining their ranks, they were one step closer in obtaining the relic. All that was left was upholding their end of the deal and kill Qrow Branwen and his merry little band of students. Them and person Akame warned them about. Speaking of which, Emerald was wondering about something Shizuka said earlier. “Hey, Shizuka.”The maid glanced back at the other girl. “Yes?”“Did you really mean it when you said Akame has some special move? It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”Mercury had the same thought, but he knew better than to voice his input. Lest he wanted to be reprimanded by one of Merraid’s followers. Thankfully, Watts cleared his throat to attach the maid’s attention. “Yes, doctor?”Now Watts can give his thoughts on the matter. "I have never heard of this technique you've spoken of either. Is it something you made up on the spot to gain Raven's favor?"Their answer was Shizuka giggling slyly. “Oh, no. It’s very much true. It’s something Lady Akame has been working on in secret. Only we and Madam Mera know about it and I must say, it's quite something. You can even call it her ultimate trump card. If things do start to a turn for the worse, Lady Akame will enact it.” Everyone had no other choice but to believe her. Still, it was hard to imagine what Akame could do with this ultimate trump card or what it can do. What she can do with her semblance was powerful enough. “How fortunate it is with her on our side.”Cinder rolled her eye. “Right, fortunate.” In truth, Cinder still doesn’t trust Akame. It could be the fact they fought each other as enemies back in Beacon and would always think in that mindset. She still didn’t know how Merraid was able to convince her to join their side.Watts couldn’t help but sigh at one particular fact. “It’s such a shame I can’t analyze that sword of hers. I would very much like to see the composition of the poison it can produce. These Imperial Arms are quite fascinating.”Shizuka scoffed at the doctor. “How unfortunate but you know as well as everyone that Lady Akame is the only one who can wield Murasame. You have to admit she is quite the trade-up compared to your pet friend, don’t you think?”Mercury remained quiet about that one fact “I know most of us didn’t care about Tyrian, but still…” B Raven was back inside her tent and sat on her bed while contemplating what she had gotten herself into. On one hand, she was ensuring the safety of her tribe. On the other, she was working with Salem and that will never turn out good in the end. While she was deep in her thoughts, that didn’t mean she didn’t notice someone entering her tent. “Yes, Vernal?”Vernal arrived to deliver her report. “I followed them as you asked.”That was good, but Raven needed to be absolutely sure about something important. “Did they spot you?”Vernal smiled at her leader. “Of course not. They have a ship two klicks west of here. Looks like they’re staying there for the night.”At least they were away from the camp. Hearing that at least gave Raven some peace in mind. “Thank you, Vernal. Anything else?” She raised her head to look at her subordinate.Vernal did have some worries as to what they were doing. “Do you actually believe they’ll let us go once they have the relic?”Raven knew the answer all too well. “They’ll never leave us alone. Once our purpose has come and gone, we’ll be discarded. Salem only uses people until they are no longer useful. If we want to have any chance of defending ourselves against her, then we need this relic.” Raven stood up from her bed and held her sword’s handle. “If Qrow and those brats want to follow Ozpin, then let them. When the chaos reaches its peak, we’ll grab the relic and make our escape.”That was another thing Vernal was worried about her leader. “And the fact that your daughter will be a part of all that?”Raven had already accepted that fact when she saw Yang go through her portal. She turned away from Vernal. “Doesn’t matter. I warned her. She made her choice.” She walked to the back of the entrance and moved the flap slightly aside. Raven barely stopped before the entranceway and looked back at Vernal. “This path won’t be easy for us either, but we must do what’s right for the tribe.”Vernal knew that was the absolute truth to the both of them. “I know. I’ll do whatever it takes.”Raven expected nothing else from her subordinate. “Good.” She finally left the tent. Vernal quickly followed her and opened the tent to see Raven was nowhere to be seen. She then heard a caw and saw a raven flying away from the camp. B Ruby had a skip in her step today. She went to go find her friends the news Qrow had told her about earlier. She went to Weiss room first to tell her the news. The young leader approached the former heiress' room. "So, what is it that you wanted to see me for?" Ruby stopped in front of the door when she heard Seryu’s voice coming from Weiss’ room. She became curious as to why Seryu was in Weiss’ room in the first place. The young leader carefully crept to the front of the door and placed her ear on it to hear what was going on.On the other side of the door, Weiss was standing across from Seryu. The only reason Seryu was here at the house because the deadline for the attack was close. She and Leone were currently at the house but Kurome decided to continue looking for Akame on her own. Because of this, Weiss saw this as an opportunity to talk to her. Even if Seryu said she held no hostility toward her, the former heiress could tell the Faunus girl still acted a little awkward around her. It was probably the fact Seryu was still getting used to being around a Schnee. Considering that Seryu was in the White Fang a long time, it wasn't much of a surprise to Weiss. She needed the both of them to move past this phase and she could only think of one way to do it. “It’s simple, really. I wanted to talk to you.”It seemed simple enough, but Seryu knew there was more to it than that. “Well, I’m here now. What is it you wanted to talk about?”This was Weiss’ moment now. She took in a deep breath and exhaled to calm herself. “I know you’re still cautious when you’re around me. Since you were in the White Fang, I know you heard some tales regarding my family.” Seryu remained quiet when she heard that. The former heiress wasn’t wrong about that. Seryu had heard some of the awful things the Schnee family had done to their kind throughout the years. She thought the entire Schnee family were horrible people that deserved the worst kind of death. That is until she heard what happened to Weiss. The Faunus girl never thought the Schnee family would do such a thing to one of their own. The heiress to the whole Schnee Dust Company no less. Or rather, Weiss was the heiress. Now, she was just another girl. “Let me tell you something about my family. More specifically, my father. I never approve of the actions he caused. He’s made shady deals here and there and I don’t like how he and the company treats the Faunus working under him. I hated how I had to live in that godforsaken cold and empty hellhole I call home for over six months. I hated that he tried to control every aspect of my life. Most of all, I hated him for what he did to our family way back then.”Seryu gulped a little and it made a small noise. “What…exactly did he do?”Weiss sighed again as she walked over to her bed and sat on the front edge of it. She slightly lowered her head. “When I was ten, my dad finally admitted to my mom that the only reason he married her was for the family name. It was actually on my birthday. He missed the big dinner. She got mad. He finally snapped." She lifted her head to look at Seryu. "I think she already knew that. Looking back, I think I knew too. But hearing him say it finally pushed my mother over the edge." She clasped her hands together. "First, it was separate lunches and dinners, opposite balconies at my recitals. A glass of wine here, a glass of wine there. Then it was no dinners, no recitals, a bottle of wine here, and well, you get the idea. The moment he said that to her was the moment my family broke apart. I’m not even sure we were held together at all. Even now, we mostly treat each other like we’re just a bunch of strangers who seldom talk to one another. The only people who I felt like were family to me was my older sister Winter and our family butler, Klein. And being constantly attacked by the White Fang didn’t make things any easier for us.”Seryu was completely silent. She thought Weiss’ life must’ve felt like hell now that she knew what the former heiress had to go through. This was the complete opposite of what she thought the Schnee Family was. Her and probably everyone in the White Fang. Weiss saw her reaction and guessed what the Faunus girl was thinking. “What, did you think my family was perfect? That we had no problems at all and did whatever we want whenever we wanted to? Sorry to ruin that image, but the truth is my family is far from being picturesque. Always have and always will be. At least, I thought I could change it when I was supposed to inherit the fortune, but that’s not possible now.”All Seryu could do was clench her hands tightly. In a way, Weiss must’ve suffered a life almost similar to that of the Faunus. The only fact that remained true was that only her father was a man of no morals. If anything, it should only be him the White Fang should despise. Seryu could only say one thing to Weiss. “I’m sorry.”The Faunus girl knew such a feeble apology wouldn’t cover the sheer amount of the deplorable actions the White Fang had caused to Weiss. The only lesson she’d learned through this entire thing is that not everything was black and white. Especially with the Schnee family. Before they could continue, they heard a knock on the door and it opened to reveal Ruby. Neither of them expected her to arrive. The young leader giggled a little at them. “Hey, Weiss. Hi, Seryu. I just came by to tell you that Qrow needs to see everyone ASAP. Something big went down with Headmaster Lionheart and the council.”That was convenient timing. Almost a little too convenient for Weiss’ tastes. Still, she appreciated for Ruby telling them. “Thank you, Ruby. We’ll go as soon as possible.”Seryu also had something else to say about Ruby’s announcement. “I’ll go ahead and tell Wave about it.” Ruby smiled at them and nodded before leaving. Going back to convenient, Weiss thought it was strange Ruby happened to knock right after she’d finished her small tale. She wondered if Ruby actually heard the whole thing.Seryu went on ahead and walked toward the door. She stopped at the entranceway and glanced back at Weiss. “For what it’s worth, I hope you get that inheritance back. You really do seem like a better fit to lead the company than your father.” That was all she wanted to say to Weiss before leaving the room. Once Seryu left, Weiss couldn’t help but have a small smile. It was the nicest thing Seryu had ever said to her. B In another room, Yang was with Leone and they were sitting on the front edge of both beds across from each other. Like Weiss, Leone saw the opportunity to tell the other blonde something important now that she had the time to do so. Needless to say, Leone expected what Yang’s reaction would be. It was the same as hers. “Wait, what did you say?”Leone chuckled a little as she loved the other girl’s expression on her face. “I said my mom was from Remnant. She made a wish like mine and Akame’s and she ended up at the Capital. Along with me inside of her. Yang, Remnant is my real home. What I look like now is what I’m supposed to be.”Yang blew out some air as she rested her hands on her knees. “Well, that’s something. H-How did you-”“Know about it?” Leone interrupted. “Kali told me. She showed me a picture of her when she was younger and next to her was my mom. She was even in the White Fang before it...went downhill. I think she was to do so since she thought raising me in a group like them wouldn’t be good for raising a kid. Even this…” Leone lifted her arm to present her weapon to the other girl. “Used to belong to her.”To Yang, it was a massive bomb to hear. Leone was conceived in Remnant, her mother was sent to the world where the Empire was, and she was born there. Leone grew up surviving until she found Lionel, and then started fighting for the Revolutionary Army. After that, she met up with Akame and then arrived at Remnant. In a simple comparison, Leone’s life just went through a long and a very difficult circle. Her mother was even part of the White Fang. It seemed being revolutionaries ran in the family. Yang did have some questions about this whole thing. “Does anyone else know about this? Have you told your team? Did you tell Blake?”Leone closed her eyes and shook her head. “No, I didn’t.” She stopped and opened her eyes. I didn’t have enough time to tell Blake since I was leaving Menagerie, and my team…not yet. You’re the only person I’ve told about this.” The Faunus blonde chuckled again. “Better late than never, huh? I’m sorry it took this long but looking for Akame can keep a worried girlfriend busy.”Yang couldn’t argue against that. She did have one other question to ask. “So, if your mom was pregnant with you, what about your dad? Do know where he is or who he is?”Leone didn’t have much of an answer to give. “All I know about my dad is that his name is Raus Vermillion and he didn’t take my mom’s sudden leaving too well. Because of that, he left the White Fang in order to search for you.” She leaned forward toward Yang. “He’s out somewhere still looking for my mom and he doesn’t know he has a daughter now. If I find him, he’ll finally have closure and peace of mind. He can have a family.”Family. That was one subject Yang can get behind all the way. “Yeah, family is important. Me, Ruby, and Qrow, we’re all that my dad has. With Summer gone and Raven…” She stopped herself as soon as she mentioned her mom’s name. Yang sighed and recollected herself. “What I’m trying to say is that they’re always people you can count on. From what you told me, it sounds like your dad is counting on you. Even if he doesn’t know it.” Leone was thankful to hear that. “It is nice to hear you do have a dad. I guess this means me and Blake are out of the job being your parents.”The Faunus blonde laughed at that. “Eh, you two can still have the positions until I can find him. Until then, you’re still the mom and Blake is still the dad.” Yang could live with that arrangement.They then heard a knock on the door and turned to it see it open. They saw Ruby at the entranceway and was glad to see them. “Oh, so, you are in your room, Yang. And Leone is with you too. I came by to tell you that Qrow wants all of us to meet. It’s something about Headmaster Lionheart.”Yang knew this was important if Qrow wanted them all to meet up. Yang nodded at her sister. "Okay, Ruby. We'll be there shortly." Ruby smiled at Yang before turning away. The older sister then remembered something important and stood up. “Oh, yeah, Ruby!” The young leader stopped and turned to Yang once again. “Did you ever find out if Salem got the relic from Beacon or if Ozpin’s cane is the relic?”That was something she wanted to tell the others and Yang was a good start. “No, Salem doesn’t have the relic from Beacon and his cane isn’t one.”Yang snapped her fingers in defeat. “Damn. I thought it would be. Alright, that’s all I wanted to know.” Ruby gave another nod and quickly left.As soon as she did, Leone stood up as well. “Well, let’s see go and see what Qrow has to say about this. Still, it’s a little weird Lionheart called when the White Fang’s attack is in a couple of days. It can’t be a coincidence.”Now that she mentioned it, Yang thought it was strange as well. “Guess we’ll know when all of us are together. Let’s go.” Yang promptly left the room with Leone walking close behind her. B At Haven, Lionheart had ended his call with Qrow and he wasn’t alone in his office. “I still have some questions for you.”Lionheart turned his attention to Raven leaning against the pillar. “You’re not alone in that.”Raven started to walk around the front of the headmaster’s desk. “You know, I never expected you would be the one to have the guts to betray Oz.” She stood right in front of Lionheart and crossed her arms. “Which makes me wonder…what does she have on you?”“I’m helping her for the same reason you are.” Lionheart replied. “I’m afraid. We…We can’t stop her. No one can.”Raven could relate to what he was saying. “That’s why I tried to leave when I did. I’m not afraid, I’m smart.”Lionheart saw that in a different way. “You can call it whatever you want, it doesn’t really matter. We’re here helping her.” He put his elbows on his desk and Lionheart buried his face in his hands. “I’ve crossed a line. I’ve done things that Ozpin will never forgive, and he shouldn’t.” He set his arms down on his desk. “I don’t know where I go from here.”Raven had heard enough whining from the headmaster and slammed her hands on the desk. “Man up! You did what you had to do to survive. There is no shame in that.”Lionheart could see right through the woman in front of him. “Who are you trying to convince?” Raven didn’t answer the question. Instead, she backed off and turned her back on the headmaster. Raven walked off and left his office. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Okay, folks. This chapter will take a slightly different turn then what happens in the initial episode (I know. Why start now?) The reason for it is that if I do both sides, this chapter will be ungodly and unnecessarily long. So, I decided to focus on one side. It’s better for me, my sanity, and all of you. Also because we don’t need a written form of something almost everyone has seen before. (How ironic). Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Seventy Three: Tactical SplitSeryu made her way to where Wave’s room was. It was a fifty-fifty shot since he’d be either in his room or on the training grounds. She saw the door and stopped in front of it. The Faunus girl knocked on it a couple of times. “Wave, are you in there?”“Yeah!”The shot paid off and Seryu grabbed the handle to open the door. As she did, Seryu was greeted with a most unexpected surprise and sight. She saw standing in the middle of his room without his shirt on. Or at least in the process of putting his shirt on when Seryu opened the door. Seryu froze on the spot with her mouth agape from what she was seeing. Wave was thankfully wearing his pants but not his shirt. The Faunus girl kept gawking at his revealed chest. He was completely ripped, which was not unusual since he was trained as a soldier, but Seryu really couldn’t take her eyes off his abs. Wave stared back at Seryu like a deer caught in headlights. It was…awkward between the two of them. At least for Seryu since she was blushing heavily. Seryu finally found her nerve to talk. “S-Sorry!” The Faunus girl slammed the door shut.Seryu was leaning against the door and was breathing slightly heavily. She felt the heat radiating off her cheeks and it felt like her heart was racing like mad. Her mind kept flashing back to Wave’s abs. Thankfully, she heard the knob turning and walked away from the door. She turned around to see Wave fully dressed. He appeared to be just as embarrassed as Seryu. “Hey, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t think it would be that much of a bother to you.”The Faunus girl put her hands up a little too quickly. “No, no! Not at all! I mean…well, I-” She really couldn’t make a coherent sentence right about now. The only thing Seryu could say was what she was here for originally. “I just came here to tell you that…Qrow wanted all of us to meet him.”Wave smiled at the Faunus girl. During the whole month, Seryu tried her best to know the others and their names. He was glad that she was making leaps and bounds since they first met. The soldier nodded at Seryu. "Right, let's go then." They both went downstairs to meet up with Qrow. B Everyone gathered in the living room. Some of them were standing, others were sitting down on the couches. Ozpin was sitting in his usual chair. The only one not present was Kurome but Chelsea had her on video chat through her scroll. Now that everyone was accounted for, Qrow could finally start. “Alright, all of you listen closely. Not too long ago, Leo called me saying he made a breakthrough with the council. He said he can rally up a small group to raid Raven’s camp. He wants to meet us tomorrow night at Haven.”Already, Leone could tell something was fishy about this meeting. “I’m sorry, but your friend wants to see all of us the day before the White Fang attacks Haven. Not only that, Cinder and her cronies are also planning to take the relic. If you ask me, this whole thing sounds like a setup.”Qrow thought the same thing and found it hard to believe. “I know it sounds suspicious-”“Suspicious my ass!” Leone yelled back. “You guys went to Haven, told him the danger that was coming, and he refused to help. We all stayed here for almost a month and suddenly, he calls to say he made some breakthrough just before shit is going to hit the fan? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he’s in with the enemy.”The Huntsmen patience with her was running thin severely fast. “You don’t know Leo like me and Oz do. He’s a good man and he would never work with Salem or the White Fang.”Leone’s experience said otherwise. “Okay, you’re right about that. I don’t know the guy. I haven’t even met him, but it’s still way too convenient for this to happen. When things like that happen, you have to know something is up.”“I have to agree with her.” Everyone turned to Wave now. “Unlike her, I have met him. I can tell he’s a good man like you said. But what she said about the timing is right. Seryu said the White Fang will attack Haven the day before the semester starts. That’s tomorrow and this other group wants to use that advantage to get the relic. Now, it’s true we don’t know if he is working with them but if he was, I’m sure it’s not out of willingness. It’s either he’s forced to, or they have something on him. Either way, he may be involved.”Qrow could only remain silent. He couldn’t imagine Leo working with the enemy. Not with everything they’ve done to protect the relics from falling into Salam’s hands. He then turned to Ozpin. “What do you make of this, Oz?”Ozpin gave some deep thought about the conversation. “Leonardo is one of my most trusted lieutenants. For him to be working with Salam is…inconceivable. However, I do find it strange he changed his tune. As Miss Wild said, he refused to help all of you to locate Raven and the Spring Maiden because of certain restrictions and circumstances. But now he wants to meet all of us together. If I have to be honest, I do sense something is wrong.” If Ozpin said something was wrong, then something was very wrong. Ruby asked the question everyone had in mind. “So, what are we going to do? If it is a setup, we’d have to fight Cinder and the White Fang all at once. We’re a big group but they’re bigger.”“Unless Adam brings like a skeleton crew with him.” Chelsea joked.Seryu didn’t think that was possible. “No, he’s not that stupid. He’ll definitely bring a large force of the White Fang with him.”It was a bit of a conundrum for them. If they went, they’d had to deal with Cinder and her maiden powers, her own group, Adam, and a very large attack force from the White Fang. Even if Wave used Grand Chariot, he’d do more harm than good and probably destroy the school himself. They had to figure out something. Luckily, Leone had an idea. “Maybe we don’t have to take them both at once. Maybe we can take them separately.”Weiss raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What are you talking about?”Leone wasn’t sure about this, but it was within her expertise. “I’m saying we should divide into two groups. One that fights Cinder and the other can handle the White Fang. The group who’ll fight Cinder is Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Jaune, Nora, Ren, Qrow, Esdeath’s dad, and Ozpin. Meanwhile, the group who’ll take on the White Fang is me, Cora, Esdeath, Kurome, Rienna, Taeko, Seryu, and Wave.”It sounded like a good plan but Seryu found a fatal flaw in it. “Okay, I get you and I fighting the White Fang, but I think you forgot something. This attack will take place at night and the White Fang will use that to their advantage. The others will be blindsided in the darkness.”Well, almost. We’ll be the ones to ambush them instead. As large as an attack force Adam may bring, causing chaos and confusion is the best way to handle them.”This was a first for Seryu to hear. Humans that could sense aura? If that was true, then the Faunus would truly lose what would give them the advantage. Esren cleared his throat to gain everyone’s attention. “If it’s not too much to ask, I’d like to join the other group. I may not have the ability to sense aura, but I do know a thing or two about hunting, and I mean no offense by saying this, animals at night.”Seryu didn’t mind in the least. “None taken and if it’s the White Fang, then that just describes them perfectly.”Leone still wasn’t sure about adding Esdeath’s dad into their group. “You sure Mr. Partas? This isn’t Grimm or animals we’re taking on. It’s terrorists who have a high passion for hating humans.”Esren didn’t seem worried at all. “I’m aware and if I’m with Esdeath, and if what you say is true, she can help detect and guide me.”The Faunus blonde could tell Esren was pretty damn adamant staying by his daughter’s side. She figured it must’ve been a dad thing. Leone also wondered if her dad would’ve acted the same with her. She nodded at his request. “Fine then but it’s up to Esdeath to keep you safe.” Esdeath didn’t mind that at all. In fact, she was looking forward to it. She’d always dreamed of fighting side-by-side with her father. There was slightly more Leone had to say. “There’s also the fact while we’re dealing with the White Fang, there’s a chance Blake may arrive with the Menagerie army. Or force, I don’t know what they’ll be called, but still. If they come, we’ll greatly outnumber them. When that happens, the White Fang’s attack, Cinder’s plan to take the relic, all of it will come to a stop. Once it does, then I’ll beat the shit out of Cinder to tell me where she has Akame.”Ozpin smiled at his student’s plan. He could see how much she’d grown since the last time he’d seen her. “Quite the plan you’ve devised, Miss Wild. I see you’ve matured in my absence. Now, if only you could apply that same effort in your studies.”Leone groaned while Cornelia couldn’t help but laugh. For that and what she heard from her teammate. “It’s kinda surprising you thought this up. You’re more of a ‘punch first and don’t bother to ask questions later’ kind of person.” The Faunus blonde could see that. But as of now, it’ll take more than brute strength to get through this.However, Chelsea saw a slightly huge hole in Leone’s plane. “As great as that plan is, you’re forgetting one thing. Aside from you, Yang, Weiss, Seryu, Oscar/Ozpin, and Esdeath’s dad, Lionheart has seen all of us. If we’re not all there, he’ll know something is up.”Fortunately, Leone had already thought of that. “Funny you should say that because that’s where you come in. You never noticed I didn’t say your name in our group, Chelsea. I know you picked up a lot of semblances and I’m sure Emerald’s is one of them.”Jaune figured out what Leone was talking about. “Oh, I get it. She can create illusions of the rest of your team. If she does that, then Headmaster Lionheart won’t be able to suspect a thing.”Leone snapped her fingers at Jaune. “Exactly.”Chelsea still didn’t know how to feel about the position she was put in. “Okay, but that would mean I’d be in the front lines fighting a maiden.”“You don’t have to fight her, Chelsea.” Chelsea turned her attention to Taeko. “Keep in mind the illusions are only just for show. If you’re discovered and you will be, you can always teleport back to us to help deal with the White Fang. Unless you don’t mind fighting a maiden.”For Chelsea, the choice was obvious. “Yeah, I think I’ll take my chances with the human-hating terrorists." And with that, the whole plan was set. Ruby closed her right hand and struck the palm of her other one. “Okay, so it’ll be basically this. The first group will go to Haven to see what Headmaster Lionheart has to say. If it is an ambush, we’re already prepared for it. Meanwhile, the second group will take out the White Fang who’ll be waiting. And there’s the chance Blake can arrive with the Menagerie army and we’ll have them totally outnumbered!”Nora laughed heartily at the plan. “Yeah! We got an ambush for their ambush in case they so ambush us!”Hearing that rang a bell in Rienna’s head. “I feel like there’s a meme for that.” The plan was set, and everyone was ready for whatever was what to come. However, Qrow couldn’t but feel something would go wrong. “As far as I know, carefully laid-out plans never work out well to the end. Something tells me Leo wanting to see is only the beginning.” B Another night fell over Mistral and Qrow and the group was walking to the meeting place Lionheart had specified. Well, most of the group. As according to plan,And they did. Once the first group went inside the building, the doors behind them closed. It wasn’t long after when they saw a large number of White Fang operatives coming out of the woodwork. Taeko narrowed her eyes at their sudden activity. “So, they are here.”Wave took a closer look at the White Fang members. This was his first time seeing them and in action. “So, these are the White Fang guys I’ve heard so much about. They really don’t look too friendly.”"And they aren't." Leone spoke. “Remember, they’re the ones who brought Beacon and Vale down to ruins. Along with the help of Cinder, of course.” She then gasped and so did Seryu when they saw a certain Faunus individual. “So, he is here.” They saw Adam giving orders to the other members. Just seeing Adam from afar made Seryu’s blood boil. What she and everyone else saw was a human talking to Adam. Some of that anger was replaced with confusion. “Who the hell is that guy?”Back in the building, Qrow and the rest of the group approached Lionheart who was on higher ground. “Why, hello. Thank you for…coming.” He quickly noticed there were slightly more people present than last time. “There…seems to be more of you than last time.”Qrow and his party stopped in front of him. “Eh, you know what they say, ‘the more, the merrier’. So, what’s going on with the council?”Lionheart would like to explain except he noticed one certain detail about the whole party. “Why…did you bring your weapons?”Chelsea could say the same about the headmaster. “Says the guy sporting his on his arm.” There was something else that was bothering her. “Also, what the hell am I sensing? Lionheart is nothing special but there’s something here that’s…not right.” Qrow tried to shake the question off. “What? Leo, we’re Huntsmen. You okay?”“Of course, sorry. Just haven’t had my evening coffee.”While their conversation was continuing, Yang looked around the room and saw a very familiar bird perched on top of one of the railings. She quickly recognized what, or rather who it was. “Mom?”Everyone looked at where Yang was looking and saw the bird fly. Qrow immediately drew his weapon out. When it flew behind Lionheart, Raven appeared from the other side. Already, Chelsea could see this was going downhill. “Oh, crap.”Ruby recognized the woman standing next to Lionheart. “Raven?”Nora was among who was surprised by what Raven did. She heard about from Ozpin but seeing it was something else. “They…They really are magic…”Raven took her helmet off and looked at the entire group. “If you’re going to shoot me, shoot me. That was insulting.” She smirked at her brother.Already, Qrow had a multitude of questions of what was going on. “What are you doing here?!”His sister started to walk around and down the stairs while maintaining eye-contact. “I could ask you the same thing. You’ve been scheming, little brother. Planning to attack your own sister.”Qrow directed his anger toward Lionheart. “Leo, what have you done?!”Lionheart hesitated to explain but Raven did that for him. “Leo did what any sane person in his position.” She walked in front of the group. “He looked at the all the information he had in front of him, assessed the situation…” Raven stopped and turned to the group. “And made a choice. And it seems you all have too.”Qrow narrowed his eyes angrily at his elder sister. “You have the Spring Maiden.”Raven didn’t falter from her brother’s glare. “I do.”The Huntsmen put his weapon away. “Then hand her over and let’s work together!”The bandit leader showed no interest in doing such a thing. “All that time spying for Ozpin and you still have no idea what you’re dealing with. There is no beating Salem!”“You’re wrong!” Raven turned her attention to Ruby. “We’ve done things that most people would call impossible, and I know the only reason we were able to do it is because we didn’t do it alone! We had people to teach us, people to help us, we had each other. Work with us. At least I know we’ll have a better chance if we try together.” She extended her hand to Raven. “Please.”Raven briefly looked at the hand before looking at Ruby entirely. “You sound just like your mother.” She quickly drew out her sword and opened a portal. As it did, a fireball came out of it and struck Ruby to the ground.Yang became immediately worried about her younger sister. “Ruby!” She ran over to her sister to see if she was okay.Out of the portal, where the fireball came from, Cinder emerged out of it and looked pleased. “Hell, boys and girls.” Behind her were Emerald, Mercury, and Vernal.”Yang helped Ruby sit up and the young leader narrowed her eyes at the maiden. “Cinder…”Emerald and the others weren't the only ones to come out of the portal. Shizuka, Mez, Gilberta, and Cassandra emerged from the portal as well. Chelsea and everyone else was confused by their arrival. “What the, what’s with the maid patrol?”The portal closed, and Cinder’s group stood in the front while the maids were in the back. Emerald looked back and saw there were two certain people missing. “Hey, where’s your boss? She was supposed to be here.”Gilberta smiled at the thief. “Madam Mera will be here when the time is right. You just have to learn patience.”Chelsea became curious as she heard what the maid said. “Madam Mera?”Since Cinder’s group was here before them, it seemed to everybody that Leone’s assumption was true. This was an ambush. They were all on guard now. Mercury smiled at them and thought it was hilarious they were being serious. “C’mon guys, is that any way to greet your old friends?”Qrow held his hand out to the others. “Everybody, stay calm.”They heard the doors open behind them and looked back to see who it was. To Oscar, he met this particular person before. “Oh, no.”Hazel arrived and turned around to slam the doors shut. “The White Fang is prepper demolition and securing the school grounds.” He turned around to face the entire group. “No one’s getting in, and no one’s getting out.”Outside the building, the White Fang members were plating bombs and arming them on the CCT tower. Adam oversaw the whole operation. "Once the charges are set, move back to perimeter watch. Tonight, Haven falls.”Syura walked next to him and marveled at their work. “I can tell we’re going to have one hell of a blast.” He cackled at his own joke.Wave quietly gasped when he saw Syura of all people here. Already, memories of what he did flooded back to him. “Syura…”Unbeknownst to them, Leone’s group was watching them. Putting on the bombs on the tower was the last straw for Cornelia. “Okay, I think we stood around enough. We have to stop them now.”Leone couldn’t agree more. It was time to screw over one carefully laid plan. “Alright then, let’s make ourselves known.” She turned to Esdeath. “Esdeath, why don’t we ring the doorbell?” Esdeath smiled at her teammate.Back in the building, Hazel was calming walking toward Qrow’s group. They all turned back to Raven. Qrow, more specifically. He never thought his own sister would work with their sworn enemy. “Raven, how long have you been with them?”Cinder found his anger quite adorable. “Aww, don’t take it personally, little bird. Your sister was a recent addition. The lion, on the other hand…” She gestured at Lionheart. “Entrance to the Vytal Festival was a real treat, but Leonardo’s been sending Salam all sorts of information for a very, very long time. Isn’t that right Professor?”Lionheart felt ashamed his secret was out now. “Stop it…”Qrow didn’t want to believe it but Cinder being here, and explaining what his long-time friend had done, he had no other choice. Leone was right the entire time. “So, it was true all along. You sit on the Mistral Council. You had information on every Huntsmen and Huntress in the Kingdom, and you gave it all to her. You are working with Salem. You let her kill them!” Lionheart couldn’t bear look at Qrow in the eye anymore.Cinder almost felt sorry for the headmaster. Aw, now don’t beat yourself up about it, Lionheart. I’m sure Tyrian and Hazel would’ve found them on their own eventually. Well, just Hazel. Tyrian, on the other hand, he’s currently no longer with us.”Ruby became immediately confused when she heard that. “What happened to Tyrian?”After hearing everything Cinder had said, Jaune was furious at her. “What is wrong with you? How can you be so broken inside? To take so many lives and then come here and rub it in our faces like it’s something to be proud of!?”Everyone was focused on the group now. Nora figured Jaune must’ve been talking about what happened to Pyrrha. “Jaune…”Tears were rolling off on his cheeks and glared angrily at Cinder. “All with that damn smile on your face!”Yang and Ruby were the first activate their weapons, but Qrow didn’t want anything to happen. “Everybody, stay calm!”Jaune continued to glare at the maiden. “I’m going to make you pay for what you did!” He drew out his sword. “Do you hear me?!” Qrow knew if Jaune was going to do what he was going to do, it could only turn out one way. Everyone else pulled out their weapons. “Well?”Cinder wasn’t’ the least bit intimidated by Jaune. “Who are you again?” That comment struck Jaune the most and it only made him angrier. He was about to charge headfirst to Cinder before they all heard a loud noise and felt the ground shake beneath them. Cinder and the others were confused as to what it was. “What was that?”Hazel glanced back at the shut doors. “It sounded like it came from outside.”Chelsea smiled as she knew exactly was it was. “Well, it looks like it’s finally starting.”Outside the building, all of the White Fang members saw a giant ice ball implanted in the center of the courtyard. All of them were confused as to why it appeared. Especially Adam. “What the hell is going on?” While they were wondering why a giant ice ball was in the middle of the courtyard, it began to shift and turn before it immediately became water. It swirled viciously in a large radius and swept up any nearby member. Adam set his right arm to the side. “Fall back! Fall back now!”The rest of the members did so and continued to watch to see what was happening. The whirlpool then started to recede and became a waterspout. After a few seconds, the waterspout exploded and in the center was Leone and her group. She flashed a wicked smile at all of them. Most importantly, to Adam. “Hey there, Adam. Long time, no see. How about we pick up where we left off back at Beacon?”Inside the building, Raven narrowed her eyes at Chelsea. “What do you mean it’s starting?”Chelsea smirked mischievously as she snapped her fingers and the rest of the group instantly vanished. Emerald immediately recognized what the other girl did. “Hey, those are my illusions!”Mercury didn’t like where this was going. “So, the rest of you weren’t here the entire time?”Unfortunately for Cinder, she had an idea where the rest of them might be. “Then that means…”“That’s right…” Chelsea answered in a sing-song voice. “The rest of my team is outside dealing with the White Fang. You see, we already knew they’d attack Haven the day before school starts. The reason we knew that in the first place was because we ran into a person from the White Fang Adam chased out. She told us and also said the White Fang was conspiring with another group to destroy Haven. It’d didn’t take a genius to put two and two together. There was also the suspicion Lionheart may have been in cahoots with you guys. I mean, calling us for a meeting right before the White Fang attacks Haven?” She tsked at the enemy group. “Not very smart of you guys and since you told us everything…” Chelsea held up her scroll which was recording. Doing that was her own idea. “Doing that just proves you’re all a bunch of fucking morons.”Now Cinder was angry at their situation. Here they were ready to ambush and kill Qrow, only be made fools of. Her anger was strongly directed to Adam. “Adam, you idiot! How can you be foolish enough to leave a loose end?!” “Oh, and there’s one more thing.” Chelsea put her scroll away and paid full attention to Raven. “Ever since you came on the scene, I’ve been sensing something really weird coming from you and I’m wondering what it could be.” Raven knew exactly what Chelsea was alluding to. If she revealed her secret now, her plan would be ruined. She thought back a conversation she had with Akame and threw it out of the window. Her plan couldn’t be ruined now, not when she was so close to the relic. She immediately rushed toward Chelsea to cut her down in order to silence her. However, her attack was blocked by Qrow with his own weapon. Chelsea was very thankful he intervened. Her part was done and had to go to the others. She had to tell what was happening. “I guess that’s my cue to go, bye!” She teleported straight out of there.As soon as she was gone, Qrow pushed her sister away and she rejoined the enemy group. She quietly growled at her brother. While they may have gotten the jump on them, it still doesn’t change the fact they’re group was larger. And since they were people Qrow hasn’t seen before, he doesn’t know what they could do. Shizuka smiled at the predicament. “Well, this has been quite the change in events.” She looked at the other maids and nodded. The four of them jumped and each stood at one corner and end of the railing.Emerald didn’t know what they were thinking. “Hey, what are all of you doing?”Shizuka smiled at the other girl. “Our orders were to help you because we were up against such a large group. That group has largely diminished and you’re all almost on equal terms. I’m sure all of you can handle them without us. As for the White Fang, well, they have their own mess to clean up.”Qrow didn’t know if he should be thankful, or worried. “They’re staying out of the fight. That’s good but I have a feeling they’re not your run of the mill maids.” Cinder knew she couldn’t count on Merraid’s forces. If she wanted to get something done, she might as well do it herself. "Fine, we don't need your help anyway.” She summoned her dust sword. “We’ll take care of this ourselves.” Jaune and the others readied themselves for the fight ahead. Jaune went ahead to deliver the first attack at Cinder.On the outside, the battle against the White Fang was well underway. Each member of Night Raid, Seryu, Wave, and Esren were fighting a small group of White Fang members. What should’ve been an easy fight for them turned out to be much more difficult than they thought. Insert Fairy Tail OST: Total War of Anger “Amplify times three!” A strong pulse emerged from Kurome and instantly disappeared from the member’s sight in front of her. They all looked around for a second before feeling incredibly powerful blows striking upon them. They were all knocked out one after another As Kurome reappeared, she heard several guns cocked and turned to see a couple of member’s pointing their guns at her. This didn’t frighten her in the least and in the next second, Kurome swung Trisula across at them. The two members screamed in pain and were blown away by her.They may have been done but more always came, just like weeds. “Kurome!” Kurome looked up to see Chelsea appear above her. The other girl landed before her just in time for another group to surround them. They all pointed their guns at them, but Chelsea just scoffed. She quickly took out Graceful Malevolence. “Sorry, guys. She’s already taken!” She raised both her fans to one side and did a sweeping across and powerful winds occurred. These winds knocked back the entire circle away from them.As usual, Kurome was impressed by her girlfriend’s skill and power. “Glad you’re back with us. I take it that everything else is going alright inside?”“Not exactly.” Chelsea replied as she sensed more were coming their way. “In short, I got bad news and weird news.”That wasn’t what Kurome exactly wanted to hear, but Chelsea was the only who knows what happened on the inside. “Start with the bad news first.”She and Chelsea went back to back to ready themselves for the next wave. "Well, the bad news is that the enemy has a few more members backing them up. It's actually Yang's mom and some other woman." Yang's mother? Kurome certain didn't expect that to happen. She had more questions to ask but now wasn't a good time. "Oh, they brought maids with them for some reason. I don't know why but I'm guessing they were back up. However, they're not going to fight because both parties are almost equal to each other. Least that’s how it was when I left.”They saw the next wave of members approaching them. Kurome knew they were short on time. “And the weird news?”That was something Chelsea needed to say to anyone, really. “Something’s up with Yang’s mom. When she showed up, I was getting some really weird vibes from her. Her aura felt different and yet…it kinda felt the same as Cinder’s.”Kurome glanced back at Chelsea with a surprised expression. Raven’s aura was the same as Cinder’s? How could that be, unless…Kurome gasped as she realized something important. “No way. She’s-”“Time’s up. Company’s here.” The next batch of White Fang members arrived, and they were ready to put their enemy down. Chelsea grinned at the challenge ahead. “Amplify times Two.” A strong pulse echoed from her and smiled confidently. “One more thing. The maids said a name. Someone called Madam Mera.”Hearing that raised some questions for Kurome. “Madam Mera?”Chelsea wanted to say more, the White Fang members before wouldn’t let her. “We’ll get back to it later. For now, let’s clean house first and then we’ll tell the others.” Kurome nodded and both of them charged at the opposite ends of the attacking group.Another group of White Fang members was keeping their distance from Rienna's flamethrowers. The gauntlets that were her flamethrowers were smaller and much sleeker, making it easier for her to equip and not waste a lot of time putting it on. There was also an added extra feature. Once her flames subsided, one of the members ran up to her with his spear ready. When he was close, the member jumped and swung his spear down at Rienna. However, Rienna raised her left arm and blocked the attack with her gauntlet. What’s more was that she was able to push the attack back and sent the member flying. That wasn’t the end of her counterattack as she jumped high into the air to his level. The member saw her and Rienna delivered a swift and powerful kick to him straight to the ground. The blonde landed on the ground not too long after her enemy did and fired up her weapons immediately. She spun her whole body around while dispensing flames at the other members surrounding her. “Flaming Spiral!” Several of the members were caught in the fire and were screaming out in pain. There were still a few who weren’t caught in the fire but Rienna would rectify that quickly. She put her left arm in front and her right on the apparatus circling around the gauntlets. She turned it and the muzzle changed to six holes. “Machine Hellfire!” Rienna fired a multitude of fire bullets at the remaining members as she turned around. The fire bullets were weak in power, but it was made up by the sheer amount being fired. All those shots would accumulate into a strong burning sensation. The last of the group fell down and Rienna was the last one standing. The blonde smiled at both her victory and how much she’d improved. However, she wasn’t done yet as the next batch of members arrived. That was fine since she was just getting started. “Come on, bring it on! I’m not done using Devil Incarnate.”Bullets were being fired by one member but not one of them were hitting their target. Before he knew it, Taeko appeared before him and she slashed him upward with Tsugaku-Hime. He groaned before falling back to the ground. One may be down but Taeko sensed there were more behind her. She turned around and she was right. A group of White Fang members was pointing their guns at her. Taeko took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She pulled her sword back and the wind began to circle around it. “Sakura Style…” Taeko opened her eyes and swung her sword at the group. “Single Petal!” Out of the force emerged a powerful blade of wind coming at the group. Before any of them knew it, the wind cut them and knocked them down the ground. But as soon as they were knocked down, another group came up from behind. Taeko sheathed her sword and leaned forward while still gripping the handle. “Sakura Style…” using the momentum of the wind pushing her forward, Taeko blasted toward the ground and drew out her sword. It seemed like a second had passed and Taeko was already behind the group. The second after, the whole group was struck individually by three powerful wind blades. “Three Petal Formation!” The next group fell all at once. While she had attained easy victories, Taeko didn’t like how she was obtaining them. “To think I would have to use the sword style taught by him. I’m sorry, Chelsea.” Taeko saw the next wave and pointed her sword at them. “In the name of the Oreburg family, I shall make you all repent and be your downfall!”The ground in front of another group began to shake and move forward like a wave quickly. The earth wave reached them and flung them all into the air. One unlucky member saw Cornelia above him with her axes crossed. She descended quickly to him and uncrossed her axes to attack. The result was a body blowing experience. “Seismic X-Slasher!” Cornelia landed on the ground while the rest of the group crashed. As soon as they did, another group appeared. The blonde wasn’t worried as she raised her foot and slammed it to the ground. What resulted was the ground shaking violently and it tripped up the members. Cornelia took advantage of this moment and rushed at them. As soon as she was close, the blonde jumped slightly and spun her body around when she hit the ground. Cornelia extended her arms to opposite sides and struck all the members at once with an earth-shattering force. “Seismic Cycle!” All the members were blown away from her but one managed to sneak up from behind her. Cornelia sensed he was coming and quickly turned around to deliver a powerful kick to his side with her semblance running through it. “Pulverization Kick!” The member screamed in pain as he was sent away from the blonde. Cornelia set her leg down and smiled at the progress she made. A tip Taeko gave her is that she should use her semblance on her legs for attack as she does with her axes. And the results definitely paid off. She saw the new batch coming and was ready for them. Cornelia put her axes up toward them. “How many times do I have to teach all of you. Don’t mess with a King.” “Gletscherwelle!” Esdeath slammed both her hands down and waves of ice quickly emerged from the ground heading toward a large group of White Fang members. The waves of ice consumed them, and they were all frozen solid. She heard some screams behind her and turned around to see her father holding his own against the members. Esdeath then sensed another group coming toward them and they were aiming at her father. “Father, to your right!”Esren turned to the direction his daughter yelled and saw a firing squad. He held his hand up as the members started firing. “Wasserschild!” A shield of water appeared before him and the bullets were caught in it. None of them even reached halfway. Esren narrowed eyes and closed his hand tightly. “Hydro-Nadal!” From the shield, thousands of water needles fired quickly at the members. Many of the needles became embedded in the members and they all fell to the ground.While impressive, Esdeath sensed another group coming toward them. “Behind you, father!”Esren turned around and saw the oncoming group. He raised his hands and then pulled them down in an X formation. “Doppelschnellen!” What happened next was water coming from Esdeath’s previous attack and became two powerful swirling rivers that came right at them. The group that had just arrived were swept up by the strong currents and sent away from them.Esdeath was in awe of her father’s power. It wasn’t often she’d get to see him in action but as of now, she was glad he was here with her. With his semblance over his mastery of water and her ice, they were an unbeatable team. She clapped happily at her father’s performance. “That was incredible, father!”Her father turned around and smiled at her. This wasn’t exactly what he had in mind for a father/daughter outing, but he wasn’t complaining. “Well, I do have to show my daughter the kind of Huntress she needs to be. Just like her old man.”Esdeath couldn’t help but smile but then it was dashed when she saw the next group. “They’re here, father.”Esren turned around to see the next group as well. He held his hand out in front of the group. “Aqua Hydra!” A massive volume of water appeared from behind him and Esdeath and sprouted a multitude of serpent heads. All of them roared at the group of White Fang members and they stopped while gazing the water monster in fear. “Just to be clear here, I have nothing against the Faunus. What I am against are the actions you White Fang members commit!”One White Fang member was being knocked off far away from one after another while screaming in terror. The other members couldn't do anything except tremble in fear of the person who was doing it. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy to see me again?” Seryu took another step forward to the group while holding her kanabo. She gave them all a very frightening expression to her former comrades. Her eyes were like that of a demon’s. “Or maybe you’re just surprised to see me here of all places? Nevertheless, all of you have chosen to walk a path of blood and death. What you have done is beyond unforgivable. For what you’ve done to me and what you’ve done to innocents at Menagerie.” She pointed one of her kanabo at them. “IN THE NAME OF RIGHTFUL JUSTICE, I SHALL MAKE ALL OF YOU PAY FOR YOUR UNJUST ACTIONS AGAINST OUR OWN KIND!” In the next second, screams of terror could be heard throughout the air.Wave yelled as he swung Grand Chariot at Syura. Syura managed to block the attack with his two kukri knives in an X formation but was still being pushed back. Wave managed to put in more force behind his attack. “You’re the last person I’d expect to see again, Syura. Even in this world, you’re still a scumbag. What you and the White Fang had done to Seryu, I’ll make sure you’ll pay for what you did to her!” He managed to blow Syura away, but he managed to keep his ground.Syura didn’t expect to run into a human that was this strong, but that wasn’t what he was thinking of now. “Okay, first off, how the hell do you know me? I’ve never met you before in my life! Second, you fighting for Seryu? That’s freaking hilarious! She’s always hated humans, but seeing her now fighting alongside them, I think she lost her mind. Third, it’s her own fault for not joining Adam, but that’s what she gets.” Every word Syura speaks just made Wave Angier. Speaking of Syura, he dashed back at Wave with his weapons ready. As soon as he was close, Syura started to swing his swords wildly at the soldier. Wave parried the attacks and tried to find an opening for his counterattack. It was that Syura was counting on and caught Wave’s weapon with his own. He pushed Grand Chariot upward and then jumped to deliver a double kick to Wave’s chest. He bounced off the attack while sending Wave away and did backward flip before landing on the grip. “I’m just getting started!” Syura flipped his weapons around and aimed the ends of the handles at the soldier. He fired two chained projectiles at Wave and they warped around his right arm.He then pressed a switch and delivered a strong electrical charge to Wave. Wave grunted in pain, but he endured the shocks. He gritted his teeth and wrapped the chains around his arm one time before pulling them to yank Syura to him. Syura yelled as he was pulled toward him and Wave raised his right arm. When his enemy was close, Wave punched Syura in the face right to the ground. Syura groaned as Wave took the chains off his arm while looking down at him. “No matter what, this fight will end like before. You can’t beat me, Syura. You didn’t back then, and you certainly won’t now.” Syura lifted his head with blood coming out from the corner of his mouth and scowled angrily at him. No human was going to get the best of him. Especially one that knows him that he’d never met before.Both Leone and Adam’s weapons clashed against one another. Both of them didn’t move and were giving their all. Well, Adam was in putting his full strength in his attack while Leone was just holding her own easily. She wasn’t going to mess around this time with him. “You have no idea how much I waited to make you pay for what you did. Only this time, you made it more personal!” She roared as she sent Adam away from her. Adam slid across the ground but maintained his stance. Leone’s eyes went feral once more looking at him. “For what you’ve done is unforgivable! First Blake, then Yang, what you did to your own, and finally the shit you pulled on Menagerie. Pieces of shit like you are the reason why I put them in six feet into the ground! For everything you did to make others suffer, I’ll make sure you feel that tenfold!”Adam growled at the Faunus. Someone like her would never understand and he knew it. "What do you know of suffering?!" He used his full speed to dash toward Leone. The Faunus blonde prepared herself, but Adam proved to be faster than the last time. He reached Leone and swung his sword at her. Blocking it was easy but Adam quickly followed up with more attacks that Leone had to defend herself against. "You are nothing but an outsider! You can't even begin to understand the years, the decades my kind had to put up and suffer because of the human race! For what they did to us! For discriminating us!” He began to change his tactics and started to attack Leone all around. Leone managed to block some attacks, but others did manage to hit her. “What I’m doing is best for all the Faunus! We deserve more than some foolish ideal of equality. We deserve retribution and I am the one who’ll make it happen! Anyone who gets in our way will pay the price!” He appeared behind Leone with his sword pulled back. There was one way he could defeat this monster and that was to stab it through the heart. He had one chance at this and his body glowed red.Leone turned around just enough for Adam to deliver the final piercing blow. The whole world became red and black for several seconds. Adam smiled as he’d finally done the impossible. As his world faded, Adam gasped, and his supposed victory was not within his grasp as he thought it did. True, his attack did pierce through Leone and her aura, but it wasn’t through her heart. It was through her left hand and she gripped Adam’s all the way through tightly. The Faunus blonde bared her fangs at the new High Leader. “You’re wrong…” She further tightened her grip and Adam grunted in pain as he was brought down to one knee. “I do know what’s it like to see suffering. Not from the Faunus but through my own experience. I’ve seen how miserable people were and I’ve seen death. I also know what’s it like to be discriminated.” Adam pointed his sheath at Leone to shoot her, but she knocked it out of his hands with her other arm. “I have you and everyone else want to know the difference between us? It’s our morals. When I was fighting for what’s right for the people, I made sure it was those who were guilty deserved it. You, on the other hand, don’t care who gets in your way, and if they do, you just see them as a threat to you.” Adam only responded by growling angrily at her. “Case in point is what happened in Menagerie. You saw Blake’s family as a threat to you and you did whatever it took to get them out of the way. It’s those kinds of actions and that way of thinking I hate the most. In the end, you’re not a leader, and you’re not even a Faunus. You’re just a scumbag who deserves to burn in hell!” Leone picked up Adam overhead and turned around. “And one more thing…” She tossed Adam right at the building Ruby and the others were. “My name is Leone Vermillion!” End Fairy Tail OST Adam screamed as he headed toward the building. Funny enough, someone else broke through the wall of the building and was headed straight toward Adam. The two collided with each other and landed on the ground. Adam groaned as he lifted himself to see who it was that slammed into him. “Hazel?” He didn't expect him to see him out here, nor see large dust crystals embedded into his arms. Hazel growled as he stood up and saw Adam standing right in front of him. He was already not very happy to see Adam. “You!” Hazel immediately grabbed Adam by the shirt and pulled him close. “This is all your fault, Adam! If you hadn’t been careless, we wouldn’t have been in this situation in the first place!” He tossed Adam back to the ground.Adam scowled at Hazel as he stood up again. “Touch me like that again, and I’ll make sure you’ll lose a hand. I have everything under control!”Hazel didn’t even try to believe that. “Is that so? It looks to me that most of your party has already been defeated.”Adam turned around to see what Hazel was talking about. It turned out that Hazel was right. Adam saw most of the group that was with him was now reduced to a handful. He even saw Syura on his last legs against a human of all things. He couldn’t believe this was happening and couldn’t understand how a group of humans managed to overturn his. This could not be any worse for him. “Adam!”Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked to where they heard the new voice. They all looked at one of the buildings and saw a face they haven’t seen in a long time. Especially to Adam. Only Hazel was the one who didn’t recognize her. “Who is that?Leone laughed when she saw her adoptive father while pulling Adam’s weapon out of her hand. “Ha, ha! Well, I’ll be damned!” She unknowingly discarded the sword close to where Adam was.Blake looked at the surrounding area. There were multitudes of White Fang members lying on the ground and there was only a few left. She saw Leone and the rest of her team, and…Esdeath’s dad for some reason. She’d figured they were the ones that did this. Blake turned her focus to Adam. “Stand down!”Adam just smiled as he was glad to see his former love again. “To think that I went through so much trouble to find you, only to have you deliver yourself to me.”That’s what he thought, and Blake knew it was wrong. “This isn’t what’s right for the Faunus. Stop what you’re doing, and we can end this peacefully!”Chelsea looked around to see dozens of White Fang members still lying unconscious on the ground. “I think it’s a little too late for that.” No matter how dire his situation was, Adam wouldn’t yield. “This will only end one way and I’ll see to it to the end. Even with this minor setback, you can’t stop us!”That’s where Blake knew he was wrong yet again. “No, I can’t. Not by myself.”“It’s over, Adam!” Adam and the remaining members turned to where they heard a familiar voice. He and the other members saw Sienna leading a huge group of the Menagerie civilians all armed with weapons. She swung Oerba Fang to the side. “You’ve already lost.” Adam growled furiously at seeing Sienna again. He couldn’t figure out how in the world did go from running away to being part of an army?Kurome and the others were astounded to see so many Faunus gathered in one place. It was a little overwhelming, actually. Wave felt the same way as he looked at all the Faunus present. Apparently, there was more than having a pair of animal ears to define a Faunus. Rienna laughed a little and waved cheerfully at the whole group. “Hey there! We’re Leone’s friends! It’s nice to meet you!” A couple of the Faunus waved back at her, but most of them wondered how a small group of humans managed to defeat such a large number of White Fang members at night?Seryu, finally hearing Sienna’s voice again, felt overemotional. Tears were almost on the verge of breaking out. “Sienna…you really are alive. I’m so glad.”“Seryu!” Seryu heard another familiar voice. One that she had not heard in a long time. She turned around and saw Syka in person for the first time in years. Syka was running toward Seryu and stopped when she was close enough. The two Faunus girls stared at each other before Syka waved awkwardly at her best friend. “Uh, hey there, Seryu. How have you be-”“Syka!”Seryu threw herself at Syka and gave her hug that would be made up of all the years they’ve missed each other. Syka didn’t expect her to do this but she wasn’t going to complain at all. She gladly returned the hug while her tail was flickering happily. “It’s great to see you too, Seryu.” As much as they wanted to continue to hug, they were in a situation and broke it off. They still smiled at each other, though. Syka then looked at all the White Fang members lying on the ground. Honestly, she was impressed. “Okay, but seriously, did you guys do all of this? Holy crap!” “This ends now, Adam!” Adam and the remaining members turned to where they heard the new voice. They saw Ghira, along with Kali wearing a headband, and another large group of armed Faunus. Ghira narrowed his eyes at the new High Leader. “You’ve lost.”The last of the standing White Fang members felt a little overwhelmed and decided to regroup back to their leader. Even Syura. Adam felt the walls around him were closing in, but he still wouldn’t give up, stubbornly enough. “Make no mistake, brothers! They are all our enemies! And we will not let them ruin-”He was interrupted by the loud whir of two airships appearing behind the school. One of them focused its spotlight at him and his group. “Adam Taurus! This is the Mistral Police Force! Lower your weapons and surrender peacefully!”Leone couldn’t help but hoot happily at what was going on. “This is so fucking awesome!” Even Wave was impressed by how dramatically the situation had shifted in their favor. Even from inside the building, Ruby and everyone else saw the lights. Weiss, who was laying on the floor being looked over by Jaune wondered what was going on. “What’s happening?”That’s what Jaune wanted to know, but he was a little busy treating Weiss. She was impaled by Cinder earlier in the fight. He looked down at her. “How are you feeling?”The former heiress didn’t feel like she was in pain and managed to sit up. “Better.” She turned to her hand and opened it to create a small glyph. “Much better.” Weiss turned to Jaune and smiled at him. She was very grateful what he did and thankful he finally found his semblance. “Keep it up.”Back outside, Blake finally landed on the ground and not far from Adam. He turned to her just as the Faunus girl did. The High Leader was furious about what happened. First, his ambush was ruined and then he was ambushed instead, most of his soldiers were defeated, they were surrounded by Blake’s own personal army, and now two airships were hovering above him. Adam couldn’t understand how things became his way. He slightly turned to Seryu who smiled in a snarky at him. “Karma’s a bitch, isn’t it?”Adam growled furiously and looked back at Blake. “How!? How did you do this!”Blake ignored his temper and glared at him sternly. “Adam, it’s over.”Syura was beginning to feel a little panicked and turned to his leader. “Adam, what the hell are we supposed to do now!?”Anger was getting the best of Adam. Everything he had been through, everything he had to work for, all of that was in danger of falling apart and losing everything. His anger finally got the better of him. “After all everything we’ve done for you, what I’ve done for all of you…this is how you repay us! Repay me!?” He yelled angrily at everyone. “What I’m doing is for the best for all of us! To give us what should’ve belonged to us in the first place! To claim our rightful place in the world and force the human race to serve us! Is that not what all of you wanted!?”He was receiving some very ambiguous looks from the Faunus all around him. Even the members around him threw strange looks with how he was acting. Sienna saw this an opportunity and took a few steps forward to them. “Is this truly someone you’d want as a leader?” They all turned to her and she stopped. “Is this someone you’d follow as a leader? Someone who breaks down at such important, critical moments such as this? A leader who throws a tantrum when the situation goes awry?”Some of the members looked at each other as they processed what Sienna said. Adam, however, wasn’t going to have it. “Do not listen to her! She was nothing but weak! I am the one who can truly lead us to our destiny!”“You’re the weak one, Adam!” Sienna retorted. “You do not deserve the position of High Leader. You took it by force. That alone says what kind of a person you are and to see you now just confirms it. A sad excuse of a man who is stubborn, conniving, wouldn’t hesitate to stab others in the back if they didn’t agree with their views, and won’t accept the fact that he has lost. Save what little dignity you have left and admit defeat.”Adam gritted his teeth hard as he was seething with anger. All that anger quickly disappeared as he found a way to end this. He pulled out a detonation device which freaked out his subordinates and Leone’s group. “Then it’s over for all of us.” Adam pressed the switch and would see everyone in hell shortly. At least, that’s what he thought when nothing happened. He pressed the switch a few more times and still nothing happened.Syura, who followed Adam for a long time, was understandably pissed at what his leader tried to do. “What the hell, Adam!? Are you trying to kill all of us!?”Adam grabbed him by the collar. “I am making humanity pay for what they’ve done!”For the first time, Syura would have to disagree with him. “Yeah, well, I don’t want to be part of your freaking suicide squad if it meant doing that!”“We sent someone over to confirm your explosives.” Adam pushed Syura away and turned to Blake. “And once we did, she disarmed them.” She looked at a random direction.Leone looked in the same direction and sensed someone was there. It turned out that someone was Ilia who revealed herself and was holding the wires from the bombs. The Faunus blonde couldn’t help but smile for what Ilia did for them. “Ilia, I have now officially forgiven you.”If the situation was desperate for Adam, it became absolutely hopeless now. Those bombs were his last resort and it had been taken away. He turned to Hazel for guidance. “What do we do now?”Hazel just responded by cracking his knuckles. “For the first time, I’m agreeing with the maids. This is your mess, you clean it up.” Adam became silent when he heard Hazel say that to him."I told you, Adam..." He looked back at Blake again. “It’s over.”At this point, Adam was sick and tired of hearing those words. He slightly looked down to see his weapon and rushed toward it. Adam grabbed it and ran toward Blake to cut her down. When he was near, Adam swung his sword at Blake, but made a shadow copy and appeared to the side of him. She raised both her arms, clasped her hands together, and struck him away from her. Adam was sent tumbling down to the ground. Seeing that happen was satisfying for both Seryu and Sienna. Adam managed to prop himself up and turned to his subordinates. “Kill them!” The members briefly looked at each other and then back to Adam. He didn’t quite like that they were doing nothing. “Didn’t you hear me? I gave you an order!”Instead of following his orders, one of the members just threw down his weapon. “I’m done following you. If this is how you really are, then forget it.” He took off his mask and threw it to the ground. “I’m going back to Mata.” Mata, who was in the crowd, smiled as he was getting his friend back. The rest of the members followed suit and dropped their weapons and discarded their masks“Yeah, I’m done too.”“Screw this.”“At this point, it’s not even worth it.”Adam didn’t believe what he was seeing. His comrades were abandoning him. Their dream to conquer humanity. His dream. He turned to Syura as a last saving grace. “Syura! Do something!” Syura’s only response was him dropping his weapons and putting his arms up in surrender.Adam now saw where they all stood. Not by him, but against him. Abandoned by those he thought were his comrade, but now, he could only depend on himself. He stood up and glared furiously at the others. “Useless, ALL OF YOU!”"Stop it now, Adam." The cornered High Leader turned to Sienna who was walking toward him. "You're just making yourself look like a fool at this point. You can either surrender or…" She stopped and pointed her weapon at him. "I'll make you. Honestly, I hope you choose the second option. I still have to make you pay for trying to kill me.” Adam growled at his former leader as he stared her down.Leone and co took that as their cue and headed toward the building where Ruby and the others were. The Faunus blonde gave Sienna one more look. “He’s all yours, Sienna! I hope you don’t mind if I roughed him up a bit!”Sienna just smiled confidently. “I don’t mind at all.”seeing Leone approaching him. Behind her were Wave and the others. The Faunus blonde stopped in front of him and glared at Hazel. “You’re in my way.” Hazel wasn’t intimated by her and grabbed a couple more dust crystals from his pouches. He inserted them into his arms and roared with power.Kurome didn’t know that was a good idea. “Well, that can’t be healthy for him.”Hazel looked down at Leone and raised his fist at her. He threw the first attack, but Leone easily caught it with her right hand. Hazel’s attack was stopped cold and was surprised anyone could stop his attack. The Faunus blonde grinned at him. “You call that a punch?” She pulled back her left arm and clenched her left hand. “This is a punch!” She yelled as Leone delivered a powerful blow straight at Hazel’s center. Hazel was blown back away by Leone’s attack and was sent flying back into the building. Everyone in the building saw him go by and crashed into the statue above where Lionheart was once standing.Hazel growled deeply as he and everyone saw Leone and her group enter the building. And not just her. Blake was following them behind and saw Yang, Ruby, Weiss, and the rest of her friends. And her team looked at her back. As much as Ruby would like to have their team reunion, she knew what was more important. She turned around to her sister and pointed at the entrance way before where Hazel was. “Yang, go!”Yang didn’t need to be told twice and ran toward the entrance. Emerald tried to stop her, but she missed. Mercury managed to grab her robotic arm, but he was kicked from behind to one of his sides and was sent crashing into one of the walls. When he did, Yang jumped into the hole and went after Cinder, and her mother. Mercury groaned in pain as he lifted his head to see who it was that attacked him. Leone glared at her enemy. “Touch her again, and I’ll make sure you’ll lose both of your arms of your arms next.”Emerald wanted to chase after Yang, but Weiss created an ice wall stop her. She took a step back and looked at the maids who were in their original positions. “Okay, now do you think you can help us out?!”Gilberta chuckled at Emerald’s request. “I don’t know. What do you think, Madam Mera?”Emerald didn’t know why one of the maids was asking her boss at this time. “My, my. Quite the unpleasant situation all of you have gotten yourselves into.”Emerald gasped as she heard a voice close to her. Everyone else had heard it too and searched to see where it was coming from.Mercury removed himself from the wall and spotted something strange about his teammate. “Emerald, your shadow!”Emerald looked down and saw that her shadow was darker than usual. It began to move and shift before part of it extended from her and moved to the center of the railing where the maids were. Out of the shadow emerged a woman with her umbrella opened in front of her. They all heard sweet giggling before Merraid lifted her umbrella and held it over her right shoulder. “Hello, everyone.”Emerald couldn’t believe what had just happened and how Merraid appeared. “You were in my shadow this whole time!?”Merraid giggled again at the thief. “But, of course. I was ordered to give you back up in case you needed it. And judging from this…” She gestured at everyone in the room. “It seems that you do.”Kurome took a closer look at the woman and gasped at her appearance. “A woman in her later twenties, long raven black hair, violet clothing, and a beauty mark next to her lips.” She figured out who the woman truly was. “You! You’re the one! You’re the one woman called Merraid! You’re the one who took Akame!”Qrow gasped quietly as he stared at Merraid. “Did she say Merraid? No, it can’t be her.” Merraid was surprised someone could recognize her. In fact, she recognized Kurome’s voice from before. “Oh, and you must be the girl who answered my call? I must say, you do look as adorable as you sound through the scroll.”Now everyone’s focus was on Merraid now. Especially Leone who became immediately angry at her. “So, this is the bitch who took Akame then? If you are, then where is she!? Where’s Akame!?”Merraid looked at Leone next and had a surprised expression. “You’re Leone Wild. I’d heard you’ve died, but here you are standing before me. I guess wonders never cease.”“Enough talk already!” Leone pointed her weapon at Merraid. “Look, lady! Your whole side is done for! The White Fang’s finished and so are you! We outnumber you heavily! I promise not to beat you within an inch of your life if you tell me where you have Akame!”Merraid still kept her smirk at the Faunus blonde. “Is that so? This fight, this ordeal, is not over until it is truly over. You think all of you have won, but all of you couldn't be farther from the truth.” She gave a confident smile at everyone. “Now I believe is the time to show all of you…” She extended her hand to everyone in front of her. “What my beloved can truly do.” The shadow beneath her began to shift and extend toward the center of the room.The shadow stopped, and another person emerged from it. Leone and everyone else gasped in surprise to see who it was. “Akame…”Akame’s eyes widened in shock in seeing Leone again. It was only for a second before she closed her eyes and opened them again to show her indifferent expression. Kurome had many questions going through her head but could only ask one. “Why? Why is Akame is with you people!?”Merraid loved the younger sister’s reaction. “It’s quite easy. Akame has pledged her loyalty to me. She is fighting for our side. She fights for Lady Salem.”“That’s bullshit!” Leone yelled out in anger. “There’s no way in hell Akame would ever fight for you fuckers. The only way she could is if you brainwashed her!”Merraid was expecting someone to say that. “I’m sorry to say this, but you’re wrong. I did not trick her. I did not drug her. I did not force her. And I most certainly did not brainwash her. Akame made the decision of her own free will. And who can blame her? Her own team shunned her for finding happiness again. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say all of you wanted her to stay miserable. At least back then when we knew Leone was no more.”“That’s not true!” Kurome yelled next. She turned to her sister with a worried expression. “It…can’t be true. Akame…that can’t be the reason why you joined them. It can’t be because I was angry at you. When we disapproved of what you did. There has to another reason! This has to be a joke! I thought you wanted to kill Salem, not join forces with her!” Her words fell on deaf ears as Akame’s expression remained unchanged.Merraid was loving this small soap opera, but time was wasting away. “Sorry to say this sweetie, but Akame has made her choice and we will both see to it that the filth of this world shall be burned away. Akame, my love, it’s time show them what you can do. Let us show them your ultimate trump card!”Akame grabbed Murasame’s handle and drew it out. Leone couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Akame, the girl she loved and wanted to see again, was standing on the opposite side, fighting for the enemy. “Akame, please don’t. Don’t make me fight you.” Akame ignored her plea and activated her power. She flipped Murasame down and it the blade was pointed at the floor. Her power circled around her arm and straight around her sword. Leone didn’t know what Akame was doing but she had to put a stop to whatever she was going to do. “No!” Insert Naruto OST: Akatsuki Theme 4 She ran toward Akame, but it was too late. Akame stabbed the ground with Murasame and her power exploded. A large, powerful wave of her semblance erupted out of Akame and struck everyone away from her. Leone and her group were blasted out of the building, and Ruby's group were blasted at the opposite ends of the room. The Faunus outside the building noticed the explosion and turned to the front entrance. They saw some kind of dark red essence coming out of the building. All of them felt an increasing alarm of danger from what they were seeing. They could even hear chilling wails and cries coming from the essence. Chelsea and the others groaned as they stood up. "What the hell was that?" She and everyone saw the essence moving strangely in place in front of the entrance. Kurome knew something was different this time around. “Something’s wrong. This isn’t like before when she released her power back at the Vytal Festival.”Wave agreed with her. The power Akame was exerting wasn’t like before when he fought Akame before. “Just what is she doing?”Merraid was on cloud nine with what she was witnessing. To see Akame’s true power coming into fruition, she knew this fight was theirs. It was all over for them. “I know all of you are aware of Akame’s semblance. The sins she’s carries within herself gives her power. It makes her stronger. However, Akame realized she could utilize it into something else. Something into more powerful and this is her result for working on it for the past month! She gave this new technique a name and it’s called…” As everyone continued to watch the essence, they saw an eyeball appear from out of it from the far right. “Murasame Manifestation.”Another eyeball appeared and so did a wicked grin. The essence surrounding it parted from the main body and began to morph into something human-shaped. Its emergence was completed and laughed just as wickedly as his grin was. Former Empire Executioner: Headhunter Zaku Leone gasped in shock as she recognized the person standing in front of her. The essence in front of them began to divide and became individual pieces. Each of them was taking different shapes and sizes. The one of the far left took the form a large muscular man wearing nothing but black shorts and had pure black eyes. What was most unsettling about him was his smile. Wave’s eyes widened in shock at who it was. “Wait, I’ve seen that guy before. Former Rakshasa Demon member: Ibara The piece next to Zaku became a tall slender man wearing a white suit and wore sunglasses. He was seen carrying an unusual looking scythe. Former Boric guard: Holimaca The next piece next to Ibara took the form a lean, muscular man wearing a black outfit that revealed his chest and wore a sash around his pants. He was also someone Wave had seen before. “No way, him too?” Former Wild Hunt member: Enshin The piece next to Enshin became a man who was tall and wore his hair in a ponytail fashion. One of his eyes were open to reveal it was black with a red iris. He was also chewing a twig in his mouth. He was another person Wave had seen before. “Him too?” Former Wild Hunt member: Izou The essence next to Holimaca took shape of a small girl wearing a black sailor uniform. Wave immediately knew who it was and couldn’t’ believe it. “It…can’t be…”Chelsea was in the same boat as him as she could scarcely believe who it was. “Kurome, that’s-”“Me.” Kurome finished as she saw herself standing next to this group of people. She’d heard of the Kurome from Akame’s world, but this was the first time she was seeing her. Former Jaeger member: Kurome With Kurome here, Wave figured out something with what Akame was doing. "I know what Akame is doing." Leone turned to him to hear what he had to say. "Akame…she's bringing back the sins of people she killed with Murasame. She's…summoning them as Kurome did with Yatsufusa."Akame summoning the people she killed with Murasame? Leone had no idea she could do such a thing. Then she realized something what Wave said before. About Akame bringing back people she killed. She looked back at the returned group and saw that one more piece of essence was present. It was far larger than when it first appeared and could dreadfully guess who it could be. "Please, god no. She can't be coming back. If she does then…it's all over. For all of us”The essence began to swirl, and the cries and wails shrieked louder. From the bottom, the swirling rose up to reveal high-heeled boots. From there, the swirling continued to rise to reveal the end of long light blue hair and a military style skirt. As the swirl rises, more of the body surrounding it was being revealed. The hands, the arms, and finally, a well-endowed chest that had a familiar red tattoo located above the cleavage. Esdeath couldn't tear her eyes away as she could tell who this person was, and neither did her father. The swirl finally reached the top of the head and vanished completely. As soon as she appeared, every Faunus, including Adam, felt an incredibly powerful sense of terror ripping through their bodies. None of them had felt anything like this before. The final figure before everyone finally opened her eyes and saw the massive crowd that was standing before her. Former strongest of the Empire: General Esdeath A/N: Okay, before anyone gets on my case about Esdeath, I admit I’ve never read the last two chapters of the Akame Ga Kill manga. I don’t know if Akame did kill Esdeath with Murasame or if Esdeath did that suicide thing with Tatsumi’s dragon corpse like she did in the anime. If she didn’t…well, I brought Leone back to make this story work, so I’ll apply that to here. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: And now, for the first time, insert Kiba Opening 2, version 2! If you don't know how that goes, well, take everything into account from the last chapter and then onwards from here. I don't how all of you interpret these openings. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Seventy Four: Opening ActEveryone who was at Haven Academy was standing still in silence for what they were seeing in front of them. Fear and terror were coursing through the Menagerie army from the sight of the arrival of new individuals by some mysterious means. What was most frightening of all is that a majority of that fear was coming from the woman in the center of those people. Only the officers in the airships didn’t know what was going on. They saw seven new faces standing in front of the building and didn't know what to do. The best way they could think of was to shine their lights at them and give them their usual warning. “This is the Mistral Police! Stay where you are and surrender peacefully!” Esdeath and the other operatives looked up at the airship. Some with curiosity as to what they were seeing and others with disinterest. Esdeath was among those who were disinterested. Her response to their warning was holding her right hand toward them. One of the officers didn’t understand her action. “What’s she doing?” Esdeath’s expression changed from disinterested to gleeful as two large ice pillars spontaneously sprouted from the ground before and reached both airships in less than a second. The ice didn’t stop there as it quickly enveloped the whole airship. Naturally, the officers were freaking out and screaming in terror. “What the hell is thi-” He didn’t get to finish his sentence as he and all the officers, and the airships became completely frozen solid in place.Everyone stood and watched in horror as to what they had witnessed. Leone realized what was going to happen next and turned to the crowd behind her. “Everyone, get back! Move, move, move!” They all took her advice and they and her team moved away from frozen airships. It was a smart move since Esdeath closed her hand and the two airships exploded into a cloud of ice. The airships didn’t completely disintegrate as several large parts of them crashed to the ground loudly. If Syka didn’t see it for herself, she wouldn’t have believed it. She was still having a hard time believing what she saw. “No way. She just…destroyed two Mistral police airships like it was nothing.” Insert Akame Ga Kill OST 26: Jaegers Esdeath seemed rather pleased with what she did. So pleased, she began to laugh and then cackled loudly for everyone to hear. “Incredible.” The general finally spoke as she set her hand in front of her face. “It’s been far too long since I’ve heard screams of terror from my enemies. I do find this situation strange. The last thing I remember was Akame piercing my heart with Murasame and now…I just destroyed two flying automatons” She laughed a little at her previous action. “I suppose this means that death is not the final destination after all.” Esdeath set her hand down and paid full attention to the crowd in front of her. “And now I have a mass standing before me welcoming my return. And I see a few familiar faces standing before me.”She gave a pleasant smiled to one certain soldier. “Hello there, Wave.” Wave knew he shouldn’t be happy to see his general again. They may have been on the same side, but now they were on opposite sides. General Esdeath was now his enemy. Esdeath turned to the next face she hadn’t seen in a long time. “Seryu. It’s so good to see you again. You do seem a bit…different though. Regardless, I do think the dog ears look quite adorable on you.” Seryu couldn’t respond to her. She couldn’t even if the Faunus girl tried. Her body was too focused on trying to process the terror she was sensing from the general. Seryu's every instinct told her to run away as far as possible, but her body was too afraid to even move. She guessed it was the same for the other Faunus present. Esdeath then turned to Rienna. “And you…” Rienna gasped quietly in fear when Esdeath talked to her. "You must be Bols' daughter. I can tell by your facial features. I do see a bit of him and your mother in you. If he were here now, I'm sure he'd be overjoyed to see how much you've grown." Rienna would take that as a compliment if it wasn’t coming from such a terrifying woman.Finally, Esdeath turned to the most two important people in the group. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you alive, father.”Esren remained silent as he saw an older version of his daughter speaking to him. He could already distinguish the differences between the Esdeath before him and his daughter. “This woman…there’s no doubt she is Esdeath. She is my daughter, but…she is not the same. The action she did, and I can see she has no compassion in her eyes.”Esdeath turned to her younger counterpart. “And then there’s you.” Remnant Esdeath gasped quietly in fear when her other self spoke to her. “My, my. Look how adorable and innocent my younger self looks.” Esdeath frowned at her younger counterpart. “I find it hard to believe you’re supposed to be me. At first glance, I can tell you're such a disappointment. You're not even half as experienced as I was at that age.” The younger Esdeath felt those word hurt her more than they’re supposed to. It was probably because those words were coming from the woman who had killed countless people in her life.Esdeath wasn’t the only one who had a few things to say. Enshin leered at the crowd and managed to spot someone familiar. “Oi, Syura! Is that you? The hell are you with these chumps?”Syura was both frightened and further confused that someone else knew who he was. “How the hell do all these people know me?!” “You are wasting your time, Enshin.” Enshin glanced over to Izou. “The man you are speaking to may look like Syura but is nothing like him. Syura was a man to be reckoned with and not to be crossed. The one you see now is nothing like him. A coward most describes this one best.” Now Syura took offense to that.Kurome smiled sweetly at her former teammate. It felt like forever since she’d seen him. In fact, Kurome thought she’d never see Wave again. “It’s great to see you again, Wave. The last time I saw you was when I…kinda knocked you out.”Wave couldn’t take his eyes off Kurome. Seeing the Kurome of this world was unbelievable enough but seeing the Kurome he knew standing before him…he didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know what to say. “Kurome…I…I…”Kurome giggled innocently at him. "Let me guess. You blamed yourself for my death and have been beating yourself up over it." She hit the nail on the head with her description. "Wave, I told you I knew what I was going into and I was prepared for how things were going to end. What I did, and my death is not your fault.” Wave continued to look at Kurome with sadness in his eyes. Kurome then turned her attention to her next person of interest. Herself. “And I can finally say it’s nice to meet you, my esteemed doppelganger.” Remnant Kurome remained silent at her other counterpart. It was still surreal to her seeing Akame’s actual younger sister. Kurome turned her attention to Chelsea next. “And you. I remember you.” She laughed and gave Chelsea a mischievous smile. “Didn’t I have Natala sever your head off and put it on a pike for everyone to see?” Chelsea gulped loudly as she now heard that from the actual girl who’d done the deed.While every Faunus was scared stiff of Esdeath and her group, one of them, Omar, finally found their nerve. “I think we still have a chance. I mean it’s all of us versus what, seven of them? I…think we can do it.”Kay thought of the complete opposite of her brother. “I don’t know where you’ve been in the last five minutes, but that freaking chick took out two Mistral police airships like it was nothing! You really think we could take on someone like her? And we don’t even know what those other guys can do!”Leone would have to agree. She and Wave knew better than anyone else just how powerful Esdeath is. “All of you would be killed before any of you could reach her. An army of fifty-thousand soldiers couldn’t touch her! A group of barely trained citizens wouldn’t even stand a chance! Hell, an entire army feared her power! You want to see the worst of humanity? Well, here she is standing right in front of you!”Sienna was in disbelief in what she heard about Esdeath. “fifty-thousand soldiers couldn’t do anything against a single woman?” Even Adam found that hard to believe.Esdeath turned her focus to Leone and observed her. “You seem familiar to me.” It took her a few seconds before finally realizing who Leone was. She smiled gleefully at the Faunus blonde. “Ah, now I remember. You’re that girl whose body I cut into pieces back at the Path of Peace headquarters. Yes, I remember all those delightful screams of yours. How your face looked in pain, how terrified you were, how you were helpless, powerless do to anything while lying on the floor. How would you like to experience that again?”What Esdeath described sounded familiar to Sienna. “Wait a minute…” She finally remembered what Leone told her about one of her prior experiences. "You have no idea what's it like feeling pieces of your body being carved out of you. Slowly, and painfully while you were helpless to stop it. And I just don't mean pieces of my skin. My eye gouged out, a hole in my cheek, nails ripped out of my hands, my right arm and breast, and my left leg being cut through. All of that happening while terror was coursing through my entire body. The only reason I was able to survive all of that was because of my regenerative abilities. And do you know what the fun part is? It was a human that did all of that to me and she did it for her own sick pleasure."Sienna became more frightened as she recognized who Esdeath was. “She was the one. This woman was the same one who did all of those horrible things to Leone. If a human can bring someone like Leone to her knees, then we’re all in danger. None of us are safe here.”Esdeath was having more fun with this small reunion than she thought. However, she had one more old face to visit. “I would advise you all to stay where you all are. I have someone else in mind to see again.” She turned away from the Leone and co, and the Menagerie army. “Be sure they don’t pull anything. If they do, make an example.”Kurome smirked as a response. “Of course.”With that confirmation, Esdeath walked into the building. The clacking of her heels echoed through the room as stepped inside. With one more step forward, everyone in the room felt an immense pressure coming down upon them. Emerald felt the coldest chill going down her spine. "Something tells me I wouldn't want to run into this woman in a dark alley. Or anywhere, honestly."Mercury felt the same way as his teammate. Just seeing made him hesitant. “If someone asked me to kill this woman and I see her up close, I’d quit instantly.” Oscar, who was still switched, noticed something different about the woman who entered. (Who…is that? She looks like Esdeath, but…there’s something different about her.)Ozpin knew exactly who the woman standing before them was. “I’m afraid the worst has come to pass. This Esdeath we see now is a different one from the one we know. This is the Esdeath from Miss Night’s and Miss Wild’s world. I have heard many of the terrible tales of her actions. And now she is here in physical form. I fear for the worst for all of us.” Ruby couldn’t take her eyes of the Esdeath standing before her. She knew immediately it wasn’t the Esdeath she knew, but a different one. Her breathing was deep and shaky as fear creeping through her body. Esdeath first glanced over to her and their eyes locked on to each other. As soon as they did, Ruby saw a vision of a giant icicle stabbing through her body and blood splattering everywhere from her death. The young leader gasped in shock and quickly realized such a thing didn’t happen to her. What Ruby saw was a vision of how she would die by Esdeath’s hands. The vision was so haunting to her, Ruby let go of Crimson Rose and it dropped to the ground. She stumbled a little before falling back to the floor on her hands. Weiss became worried about her leader and ran to her. “Ruby!” The former heiress kneeled next to her love interest for a closer look. “Ruby, are you okay?”Weiss already knew the answer to her question. She saw how terrified Ruby was and this was the girl who didn’t know what fear was. The former heiress turned her attention to Esdeath and became fearfully cautious. Qrow thought the same. His guard was on an all-time high ever since Esdeath entered the room. Never in his life has he felt this on edge before. Especially towards another person, if he could even consider Esdeath a human. “I’ve never felt anything like this before. It’s almost as if…I’m afraid of her. Who the hell, or rather, what the hell is this woman?”Esdeath looked away from Ruby and Weiss and saw the three people who were her allies. And they were such a letdown. “I assume you three are on the same side as us. How pathetic. Your master must have low standards when it comes to choosing their followers. A common street rat, an amateur assassin, and a dim-witted gorilla. And by the looks of it…” She scanned the whole room to see the rest of Ruby’s group and crossed her arms under her breasts. “You’re all struggling against children.” Esdeath focused back on Emerald and the others. “Just how incompetent all of you are?”Scared or not, Emerald wasn’t going to have it from the older woman. “Who the hell do you think you ar-”The general raised her foot and slammed her heel on the floor. From the second that happened, a blistering wave of cold spread through the room. It even ventured out of the building and everyone there felt it. That simple action was enough to silence Emerald. Esdeath glared coldly at the thief. “The next time you talk out of turn to me, I’ll introduce you to one of my torture methods. Do I make myself clear?” Emerald’s response was just silence.“My, aren’t you just lovely.” Esdeath looked up to see Merraid smiling happily at her. “You are quite the stunning woman. Such a cold disposition and the way you take command...” A shiver went through her body and it wasn’t from the cold. “If I wasn’t infatuated with Akame, I’d ask you out on a date in a heartbeat. Unless you’d be interested in a…ménage à trois sometime later.” She wiggled her eyebrows playfully at EsdeathApparently, there was one-person Esdeath could tolerate in this group. However, this was also the person she didn’t like even back then. “Merraid Oarburgh. I see you haven’t changed at all. The last time I heard of you is when you and your entire faction were killed by the team Gozuki had created. And the last time we saw each other, I remember telling you that if you ever hit on me again, I’ll kill you.”Merraid only purred at the general’s words. “You are a delightful treat. However, I am not affiliated with the Oarburgh family in this world.”That didn’t matter Esdeath. All she saw the woman who tried to get into her skirt the first time they met. She turned her attention to Mez and Shizuka next. “I see you have two of the Rakshasa Demons with you. I haven’t seen either of you for quite some time.”Her words reached Ibara and grinned creepily. He turned his whole head around to his back. which freaked the crowd. He chuckled when he saw two of his old comrades. “Shizuka, Mez. Didn’t think I get to see you two again in a place like this.” Mez and Shizuka were quite creeped out by their former ally. “I think that thing knows us.”Shizuka agreed with the other maid. “How revolting. Especially with what it can do with the head on top.” Ibara just grinned at them for a second before turning his head around to face the crowd.Now that Esdeath was done catching up with old enemies and familiar faces, she could finally focus on the one girl in the center. She saw Akame on one knee with both of her hands on Murasame’s handle. The tip of the sword was embedded in the floor and Akame’s eyes were closed while her body still retained those red markings. In all honesty, Esdeath was elated to see Akame again. “Look at you. I must say you’ve improved greatly since our last bout at the Capital, Akame. To think you were the one that got away. It’s almost a shame you decided to leave the Empire, but because of that, you gave me a fight that was worth remembering. And now, I see you’ve given me another chance to experience something extraordinary. However, is everything you’re doing worth it? I’d expect an answer when this ordeal is over.”She turned away and started walking back to the entrance. When Esdeath was near, the general stopped and glanced over to one more individual that stood behind the others. “Come with me. It’s time for you to see an old friend of yours.” Esdeath continued walking with this individual walking behind her. Esdeath returned to her group with one surprise behind her. “Before we start, I’d like you to introduce you to the last member of our group.” She stepped to the side and turned to the last member. “Go ahead and show yourself. I’m sure your…former teammate would be delighted to see you again.”Leone didn’t know what Esdeath was talking until this person stepped up. The Faunus blonde gasped in surprised and so did Wave as to who they saw. Who Leone saw shook her to her very core. This new character had medium length brown hair and wore an assassin style white jacket, a purple hoodie underneath, a black layer shirt, and black jeans. The most distinguishing feature of all was that his left eye was green while the right was blood red with a cross slit pupil. Leone didn’t want to believe it, but he was standing right in front of her. She could only utter his name. “Tatsumi…” Former Night Raid member: Tatsumi Blake caught the name her supposed daughter uttered and recognized it. She too couldn’t almost believe who the new person was standing before her. “Tatsumi? As in the same Tatsumi who was Leone’s teammate from before?”Wave didn’t know what to think of anymore. The last time he’d saw of Tatsumi was after their team-up battle against Emperor Makoto’s Imperial Arms. “No way. Tatsumi, why are you here?! Akame…she couldn’t have…she couldn’t have killed her own teammate!”It was surprising to Leone as well. A surprise she had not known for the longest time. “Akame told me Tatsumi was killed during the final battle against Esdeath. But she didn’t tell me she was the one who killed him.”Unlike the others in the group, Tatsumi smiled somberly at his former teammate and friend. “Hey there, sis. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. You look good. Actually, you look a little different than the last time I saw you. You seem…younger than I remember.” He turned to Chelsea next. “It’s great to see you again, Chelsea. I…want to say that I’m sorry I couldn’t make it in time to save you.” Chelsea knew why he was apologizing. It was because of the whole head incident that Kurome had caused. Tatsumi then turned to Wave last. “Wave. It feels like forever since I last saw you. Not since we took on the Emperor’s Imperial Arms together.” It has been a long time since then, now that Wave thought about it. He and Tatsumi were always at odds with each other, but the soldier respected Tatsumi. And now he was his enemy once again. Only this time, both sides are playing for keeps.Leone was still speechless at this turn of events. Tatsumi, the same person she swindled for fun when they first met, the person she introduced to Night Raid, the same person she fought side-by-side, was now her enemy. And if his appearance has given any hint, Tatsumi was in the exact stage when the Tyrant Dragon was taking over his body. If that was the case, then the situation became direr than she thought. And Esdeath knew it as she stepped forward and focused on the crowd. “Now that everyone is here and introduced, let’s start by showing all of you a small glimpse of the power from our world!” The general glanced over at Tatsumi. “Go ahead, Tatsumi. Show them what an Imperial Arms user is capable of.” Tatsumi’s smile faded and began walking down the steps. Esdeath had one more piece to say. “Ah, yes. If any of you decide to leave or interrupt, I’ll personally make sure it’ll be the last thing you’ll do. No matter who you might be.” She looked back at the group inside the building. As Tatsumi took off from the steps, Wave knew what he had to do. “All of you get back. If anyone has a shot on taking on Tatsumi, it’s me. Only I can handle him.”It wasn’t that Cornelia doubted him, but she wondered why it had to be him. “Couldn't Leone fight him? I mean, yeah, he was Leone’s teammate, but she also knows how he fights. Plus, I’m sure she could win if she went all out.”“No, I wouldn’t stand a chance.” Leone responded. “Tatsumi’s a hell of a lot stronger than I am. In fact, he could kill me if I ever fought him. Actually, he can.”That wasn’t something Chelsea wanted to hear. “Well, that’s reassuring.” Seryu thought the same. It was impossible for her to imagine a human stronger than then Leone. Much less have the power to kill her. However, she knew from first glance, Tatsumi was no ordinary human. Neither was the rest of the group he was with. Tatsumi stopped in front of Leone and the others and drew out the sword where the Tyrant Dragon resided in. Wave knew they were out of time. “Go, now.” The others didn’t need to be told again and scattered away from the soldier. Rienna and the others reached to different ends of the Menagerie army while Blake returned to her parents, Seryu went back to Syka, and Leone being with Sienna who was keeping Adam at bay.Tatsumi and Wave stared at each other before walking away from each other. They kept their eyes locked on to one another while walking toward the opposite ends of the center of the courtyard. Ghira had several questions regarding what was happening. “Who exactly is that man and who are those people?”Blake could answer the second question. “Those people…I think they’re the enemies Leone fought before from her world. The woman in the center is the Esdeath from her world. As for the man…I’ve never seen him before but judging how Esdeath knows him, I can guess he’s also from Leone’s world.” Esdeath. So, the woman who destroyed the two Mistral police airships was the very same one who was responsible for the countless murders in Leone’s world. Hearing about her exploits was one thing but seeing her in action was entirely different.Seryu couldn’t help but feel nervous about Wave. She’d seen him fight and train Ruby from the past month, but that was just training. That was Wave holding back. Right now, the Faunus girl was going to see Wave fight and against a person who was wielding a similar looking sword as his. Syka caught how Seryu was looking at Wave and it made her wonder. “I’ve never seen Seryu look at a human this way before. I thought she hated them to the point she couldn’t stand them. Then again, I did see her with a group of humans when we came along. I’m glad she’s changed, but she’s eyeing this guy differently.”Leone knew what was about to happen and made sure to warn Sienna. “I hope you’re ready, Sienna. You and everybody here are about to see what an Imperial Arms battle is like. My only hope and I can't believe I'm saying this, is that Wave wins. I know firsthand how powerful Tatsumi is and he's the only one who's a match for him.”The former High Leader felt like she was on edge. She heard Leone explain what Imperial Arms were and how they were created and how they operated. Sienna had no idea how this battle would play out, but she agreed with Leone. The tigress also hoped the human with the blue outfit would emerge victoriously. What worried Sienna the most was what would happen if he didn't win? She didn't want to find the answer to that. Insert Akame Ga Kill OST 09: Gekisen Wave and Tatsumi made it to their respective sides. Tatsumi flipped Incursio and held it underside as he held it in front of him. Wave mirrored the movement and took one last long look at him. “Tatsumi. I still can’t believe we met each other again in these circumstances. If it were any other time, I’d be happy to see you again. I held so much respect for you not only as an enemy, as an opponent, but as a genuine human being who believed what he was fighting for was right. But now we stand on opposite ends and I will not hold back. I will fight, and I will win for Seryu, for the Faunus that came here, and everyone in this city. I will… I must…end you HERE AND NOW!” Wave roared as he stabbed his weapon into the ground. “GRAND CHARIOT!” The ground began to shake violently before it erupted behind Wave. A giant hand emerged from the ground and the rest of a monster’s body finally revealed itself while chains scattered everywhere. The Danger Beast behind Wave gave out a loud and powerful roar that resonated deeply with every Faunus present.Tatsumi inserted his weapon into the ground as a response to Wave’s activation. “INCURSIO!” A similarly strong shaking happened behind Tatsumi before the ground erupted behind him. A large white dragon with multiple eyes appeared and bared its rows of razor-sharp teeth. The dragon let out its own frighteningly powerful roar for all to hear.All of the Faunus was beyond terrified of what they were seeing. It was unlike anything they'd seen before in their entire lives. Syka was among those who couldn't believe what she was even seeing. “Those definitely do not look like Grimm!” Seryu couldn’t look away at what she was seeing. She never knew Wave was capable of doing something so unbelievable. The Faunus girl then remembered that Nora said something about him being able to summon a dragon, but this was so much more than she thought it would be.Both dragons roared at each other as if they were challenging one another. Grand Chariot then surrounded Wave in a bright blue vortex while a vortex of fire surrounded Tatsumi. The crowd and even Ruby’s group felt powerful winds blowing through them. If the winds were this powerful, almost everyone couldn’t imagine how powerful these two humans would become. The first to change was the fire vortex surrounding Tatsumi as giant draconic eye appeared with the same cross slit pupil appeared. The vortex exploded and everybody what Tatsumi had become. They all became fearful of Tatsumi’s new appearance. He was wearing white armor that took the form of the dragon that appeared earlier and had wings, but Sienna knew there was more to it than that. “What…happened to his body? It’s like…he and that monster fused together!”Tatsumi growled deeply as he roared intensely as the dragon that appeared did before. “IMPERIAL ARMS DEMON DRAGON ARMOR: INCURSIO!” No one in the crowd didn’t know what to think. It was the most terrifying sight any of them had seen. Whoever this person was, he was no human. Not anymore. The vortex surrounding Wave did something a little different. A bright light could be seen in the center of the vortex and its glow continued to increase. In just a second, the vortex surrounding Wave exploded and the wind blew powerfully through the crowd once again. They had to cover themselves with their arms and shields from the wind. As it died down, they lowered their protection and saw what happened. When they did, everyone was in awe with what they all saw, including Tatsumi. Wave was on one knee while his right fist was on the ground and his other arm was resting on his left leg. He donned armor similar to the dragon that appeared behind him. What stood out the most was the wings he had behind his back. “IMPERIAL ARMS CARNAGE INCARNATE: GRAND CHARIOT…” Wave began to stand up. “AND IMPERIAL ARMS SOARING FOR MILES: MASTEMA….” He stretched his wings and pumped up his arms. “SIMULTANEOUS ACTIVATION!"Seryu felt like her jaw could drop to the floor with what she was seeing. It was the most incredible sight she'd ever seen. To her, Azure Angel had finally come to life. Syka shared the same feeling like her best friend but she was more freaking out on the inside. “Did this guy become freaking Azure Angel?! Seryu, who the hell did you meet, and can I shake his hand? Hell, I want his autograph and he’s not even the actor who plays Azure Angel!”Even Leone found this hard to believe. She never thought this would even be a possibility to her. However, Wave proved her wrong. “There’s no way. He can use two Imperial Arms at once?! I thought that was impossible!?” Ghira had seen a great many things in his life, including leading the White Fang. But none of them compared to the sight he was seeing before him now. He believed humans and Faunus could and should be viewed as equals, but seeing this sight proved there was a special exception. “These two are not men. They are not to be considered human. They are a realm far beyond.”Esdeath couldn’t’ help but smiled wickedly and proudly at what her subordinate had done. It was just a theory, but now she was finally witnessing it for the first time. “I knew you could do it, Wave. You truly are the most powerful soldier in the Empire. Now, I wonder which is stronger; Tatsumi's evolved Incursio or your mastery of wielding two Imperial Arms at once?" End Akame Ga Kill OST Wave pointed his finger at Tatsumi. “TATSUMI! LET’S FINISH WHAT WE STARTED BACK IN OUR WORLD! THIS TIME, ONLY ONE OF US WILL BE WALKING AWAY!”Tatsumi responded by stomping one foot forward toward Wave. “FINE BY ME! LET’S SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH TWO IMPERIAL ARMS, WAVE!” Insert Fairy Tail OST: Jaaku no Tsuchioto Both armor users crouched slightly and charged at each other at the same time. While doing so, they left a small crater after their takeoff. They met in the center with both their right arms pulled back. They threw their arms forward and their fists collided at each other. The result was a thunderous boom that resonated throughout the entire area. Everyone in the vicinity felt the power of that boom. Even Ruby’s group felt the force behind the clashing attacks. Qrow hated to admit it, but he was impressed. “What…incredible power!”Tatsumi and Wave were dead even for a few seconds until Wave lessened his strength a little for his opponent to move forward. This gave Wave the chance to headbutt Tatsumi and delivered an uppercut at him. The attack propelled Tatsumi high into the air. Wave himself took off with a strong amount of force to catch up to Tatsumi. Tatsumi spread his wings to stop his ascension and looked down. He looked just in time to see Wave pass him and was now higher than he was. The soldier wasted no time to kick Tatsumi on the shoulder back down to the ground. Like before, the force of the kick created a small booming effect to define how powerful the kick was. Tatsumi crashed to the ground and was temporarily down. Wave saw this as his next opportunity. “He’s down. Now’s my chance!” The soldier spread his wings and prepared his next attack. “GRAND FAL-” Wave gasped as he realized something important. He saw the mass crowd still standing around and looking up at him. It was at that moment his attack would do more harm than good. “No, I can’t. If I use my attack, all of them will be caught within the radius. I have to try something else.”Esdeath smiled as she knew the situation Wave was in. “Your passion to protect the innocent is one of the things that makes you strong, Wave. However, it also makes you weak in certain circumstances. What will you do?”In a change of tactics, Wave instead placed his hand out in front. Wave took aim at Tatsumi and fired a storm of raining feathers from Mastema at him. Tatsumi looked up to see the torrential rain of feathers coming at him and he opened his right hand. “Neuntote!” A spear appeared before his hand and grabbed it. Tatsumi put the spear in front of him and spun it quickly. It was in time too as the rain of feathers reached him. He deflected the incoming feathers and they ended up embedded in the ground away from him. Some even landed near the Faunus and wondered what they were made of. “What kind of feathers are these!?”As Tatsumi continued to defend against the attack, he’d already come up with a counter attack. With using one of the cycles to deflect the feathers with his spear, Tatsumi changed the direction of Neuntote to swing immensely at the rain of feathers. The force behind the swing traveled upward through the feathers and knocked them all out as the force continued to climb. Wave gasped as he saw this and couldn't dodge it in time. The attack struck the soldier and pushed him back further. Tatsumi saw this as his opportunity now as he pointed Neuntote at his enemy. He crouched slightly before launching himself back at Wave. The soldier shook off the previous attack and the next one coming at him. Wave quickly moved to the side to avoid the attack and Tatsumi's attack did miss. It was a good thing because if Wave was just a moment slower, that spear of Tatsumi's would've run through his body. He turned around and saw that Tatsumi was gone. It would’ve been unusual if Wave hadn’t figured out what Tatsumi did. “Crap. He’s using Incursio’s trump card!”Some of the other Faunus were confused as to what Tatsumi did. They all muttered and talked to each trying to figure out what he did. Ilia was among one of them. “Did he camouflage himself or something? Maybe something similar to what I can do?”Like Wave, Leone knew what Tatsumi was doing. “Damnit. It’s Incursio’s trump card.”Sienna was both worried and confused as to what that was. “Trump card?”The Faunus blonde tried to find Tatsumi but didn’t have any luck. “Incursio has the power to turn its wearer invisible. To most people, it can be deadly, and they can be killed without suspecting a thing. However, just because they’re invisible doesn’t mean they can’t be detected. If a person can sense their aura, the invisibility fails.” Now Sienna became more curious as to what Leone was talking about. “Sensing aura? You can do that?”Leone thought it was obvious at this point. “Yeah. How did you think my team kicked most of the White Fang’s ass at night before you guys arrived?”“Anyway, there is a trick not being detected and that’s what Tatsumi is doing. Even I can’t sense him. He’s gone completely silent.” Leone was right when she explained that the humans from her world were different. Sensing aura and hiding it? Having one of them turn into some dragon/human hybrid? It was almost too much to take.Wave frantically searched for Tatsumi. He even tried to sense his aura but even that wasn’t working. “Come on, come on. Where are you?” Unbeknownst to Wave, Tatsumi was above the soldier. He raised his weapon and took his chance. Before Wave knew it, he was struck from above by a mighty blow and was sent back down.The soldier crashed to the ground and that worried Seryu greatly. “Wave, no!”Syka noticed how Seryu yelled out the guy’s name. She honestly thought she’d never hear something like that out of her best friend. “Since when did Seryu call humans by their names? More importantly, it’s how she yelled out his name. I’ve never heard her like this before.” Wave groaned in pain as he stood up. He also felt the aura protecting him wore out. If it wasn’t for that, Wave would’ve been in much worse shape than he was now. “Damn it. He got the drop on me.” The soldier had to admit Tatsumi was giving it his all. And that’s what made him more dangerous. Back then, the first time they fought each when Tatsumi was like this, it was out of anger from the both of them. Right now, Tatsumi was calm and focused. He had to put his guard up for the next attack. The only question now was where the next attack would be.Leone was keeping two of her senses sharp to find out. Tatsumi may have masked his aura, but there were other ways to find him. Those two ways were scent and sound. “Where the hell is Tatsumi going to attack next? Above? Behind? In front?” She knew Tatsumi would go for the killing blow next. Leone slowed her breathing and closed her eyes. Even the slightest hint would make the difference between death and victory. Her surroundings faded into black and only focused on finding Tatsumi. It almost seemed like a lost cause until the Faunus blonde heard a slight metallic whirl. Without a doubt, that was Tatsumi wielding Neuntote. Leone focused on that particular sound to sense where Tatsumi would strike next. She heard it again and opened her eyes. Leone knew where Tatsumi was now. “He’s in front of you! Other side!”Wave gasped at Leone’s warning and only had a split second to react. Tatsumi leaned forward and charged at Wave with his weapon ready. Wave did the same thing except he had a trick up his sleeve. They headed toward each other and there was a loud slashing sound when they passed one another. Both armor users stopped at the opposite ends the other started and Wave stood still. In the next second, blood spurted from his right side which made some of the Faunus fearful. Including Seryu. “His attack. It was strong enough to go through Wave’s armor?”Everything was quiet until everyone saw a second spurt of blood come out of nowhere. Tatsumi’s invisibility wore off and he became visible once again. He turned around and growled deeply at the soldier while blood dripped from his side. Wave chuckled triumphantly as he felt like this was his first win over Tatsumi. “If there was anyone who’d make me pull this out, it’d be you, Tatsumi.” He turned around while twirling a spear of his own. “I didn’t think I had to use this.” Wave put up his own spear weapon up for Tatsumi to see. Both Syka and Seryu couldn’t believe their eyes what Wave was holding. “No way! He has the Spear of Heavens?!” Syka knew better it wasn’t the Spear of Heavens Azure Angel used, but it was pretty damn close.Wave looked at the wound he gave Tatsumi carefully. “Well, if there’s one good thing out of this, your blood’s going to reveal your position now.” Tatsumi continued to growl deeply as a response. His other response was twirling his spear back. Wave did the same and they stared each other down once again. They went at each other once more, only this time, they swung their spears at each other. Both of their weapons clashed in the manner their fists did earlier. When they struck each other, another resounding boom occurred. Both armor users were dead even before disappearing in front of everyone. What happened next was that everybody saw streaks of white and blue clashing at each other everywhere. With each time they ran into each other, a smaller but equally powerful booming sound appeared. Each of the booms happened around on the ground and several in the air.Syka thought this was one of the most incredible things she’d ever saw. “This totally reminds when Azure Angel fought against the Tyrant Lizard King. Only this is real and he’s fighting against a guy who’s more a Tyrant Dragon King.” These series of clashes continued for the next minute until the blue streak started to overpower the white streak. The next clash ended in Tatsumi crashing to the ground on his back. Wave landed on the ground and knew exactly how this fight was going. “A lot’s change in the past year since you died, Tatsumi. You’ve gotten stronger in this form, yeah, but I’ve improved since then.” He saw Tatsumi roll over and kneeled up to look at him. “It’s time to end this. I’m sorry, Tatsumi. You were one of the best people I’ve known.” The soldier charged right Tatsumi with his spear ready to deliver the final blow. Wave appeared right in front of Tatsumi and pointed his spear at him. It seemed like the battle between them was over. That seemed the case if Tatsumi moved forward and swung his left arm to dig his claws into Wave’s wound. Wave screamed loudly in pain as the claws dug in deeper and cracks began to appear around the wound. Tatsumi took his claw out and rose up to deliver a knee kick straight at Wave’s chest plate.Wave was sent back away from the other armor user and landed near where Syka and Seryu were. The soldier was in severe pain as he rolled over to his hand and knees. His other hand tightly gripped his wound. Seeing Wave like this tore Seryu’s heart in half. She admitted Wave was the most powerful human she’d ever met. He was also the humblest, the kindest person she’d had ever met. To see him in pain like this was almost too much for her to take. For Syka, this would be the first she, and everyone else present sees how this fight will end. “Is this how an Imperial Arms battle ends? Is he going to…”What she said didn’t go unnoticed by Seryu. “Is he going to what Syka? Die? He can’t. Wave can’t…”Unfortunately, Seryu didn’t have much of a choice in the matter and Syka knew why. “You don’t know, do you. Leone told me, Sienna, and Blake’s parents about these Imperial Arm things. Aside from being made from some freaking strong monsters, rare metals and certain people can only use them, there’s also a rule that surrounds them. When two of these users fight each other, one of them ends up dead.”Seryu gasped as her eyes widened in surprise. She then remembered what Wave said earlier before the fight began. “THIS TIME, ONLY ONE OF US WILL BE WALKING AWAY!” Seryu felt like a complete idiot. Wave knew this fight could end in his death. He knew and still decided to fight this dragon monster person. For her, for the Faunus, for everyone. Seryu didn’t know how the others would react to this.“Come on! You can still get up, right!” Seryu and Syka heard a voice from the crowd and turned to see who it came from. Sure enough, it was one of the Faunus."Stand up, please! You can do it!" They heard another voice from the crowd.Soon enough, more voices called out to Wave. “Beat that dragon guy’s ass!”“You’re the only one who can do this!”“I believe in you!”“Honestly, I thought you were scary, but you’re really awesome!”“Keep fighting!”Ghira thought he’d never see the day where the Faunus of Menagerie would be cheering for a human. Neither did Sienna, but both could see why. A human that they never met, a human that doesn’t know anything about them, was putting his life on the line for all of them selflessly. Wave heard all these voices and managed to stand up. Even though Wave could stand, there wasn’t much left in him. While Esdeath thought it was disgustingly cute for the crowd to cheer on Wave, it wouldn’t amount to much. She could already see how this fight would end. Tatsumi did also as he pointed Neuntote straight at Wave. He dashed straight at Wave with his weapon in front. Wave couldn’t dodge the attack in time. Even if he did, the attack would be headed straight for Seryu and the others behind him. It seemed like it truly was it for him. Tatsumi aimed his spear at Wave’s heart and thrust forward. A metallic sound echoed throughout the night air and everyone stared in shock and awe. The headpiece for Neuntote inserted itself into the ground after it had broken off.Tatsumi saw Wave’s armor glow for some reason. Whatever that reason was, it must’ve been why his weapon broke. "REINFORCE!" Syka looked over at Seryu with a bewildered expression on her face. Seryu extended her hand to reach Wave’s back and used her semblance to strengthen his armor. Seryu felt proud with what she did. “Whoever created these Imperial Arms, I’m sure they didn’t think of someone who can improve them.” Her expression became serious. “THERE’S NO WAY IN HELL I’M GOING TO LET WAVE DIE! I’LL GIVE HIM THE ADVANTAGE HE NEEDS TO WIN THIS!” The Faunus, mostly the White Fang members, have never seen Seryu act like this before. She even called out by his name. Sienna thought she'd never see that happen. Adam thought so as well. Seryu retracted her hand and smiled confidently at the soldiers. "WAVE! KICK THIS WANNABE TYRANT LIZARD KING'S ASS BACK TO THE SUBTERRANEAN EMPIRE WHERE HE BELONGS!”The way Seryu acted caught Kurome’s interest. “Seryu…are you…?”Wave didn’t need to be told twice and swung his spear upward at Tatsumi. Tatsumi managed to back off, but not before feeling the tip cutting his chest and blood spurted out. He kept his distance away from Wave and planned on what to do next. Wave held up his left and closed it tightly. “Seryu, thank you for what you did. If you didn’t, I’d be lying in a pool of my own blood right now. I promise I’ll repay you. I will win this for you. For the people I consider my allies. For all the Faunus here…I swear I’ll protect all of you. I swear…” Seryu’s ears picked up a strange sound. It almost sounded like…chains. “I…will...WIN!” A powerful pulse erupted from Wave as see-through chain appeared around his arms. They were moving ominously around his arms while making a clinking sound. Esdeath had to admit she didn’t see this coming. She became quite interested of this new development. “How strange. I wasn’t aware Wave would be capable of this.”To Sienna, she knew what exactly happened to the soldier. After all, the same thing happened to her back at Ghira’s estate. “Well, I’ll be damned. I believe he…awakened his semblance.”As if Syka wasn’t done fangirling now, she certainly was at this point. She easily recognized those eerie see-through chains wrapping around his arms. “Holy shit! He has the Criminal Chains! This guy really is Azure Angel!” Seryu figured that out as well and thought it was beyond incredible. She knew exactly what to do next. “Wave! Throw those chains at him now! Do it!”Wave didn't know what Seryu was talking about until he looked at his arms. He saw strange looking chains moving around his arms. He didn't know what they were, but he would follow what Seryu instructed him to do. Wave threw his left arm out and the chains extended all the way to Tatsumi. The chains struck through Tatsumi's body, but they didn't do any damage. He didn't even feel them penetrating his body. He grabbed the chain and tried to pull it out. When he did, Tatsumi felt a slight pain and couldn’t pull the chain out. The more he pulled on the chain, the more it hurt him. Syka smirk as she knew why he couldn’t. “The Criminal Chains. It was Azure Angel’s power and anyone that was struck by his chains had no way to break them. Even if they tried to pull the chains out, they’ll end up hurting themselves. It’s an easy way to put a stop to the villains.”Once Wave saw what happened, he came up with an idea. “TATSUMI!” The other armor user turned his focus to Wave. “It’s over.” His wings spread out and crouched slightly before launching himself into the air. The chain connecting him traveled with him, and that movement reached Tatsumi. Tatsumi was violently pulled upward after Wave and both of them ascended high into the night sky. Higher and higher, Wave traveled into the sky while more of the chain came off. Wave stopped flying as he reached the end of the troposphere and turned around to face Tatsumi. Tatsumi’s eyes widened as he looked back at Wave with the moon behind him. The sight almost made the soldier seem…ethereal in his current form. Wave held his left arm in front and strongly pulled it towards him. Tatsumi was pulled along with the chain and was headed toward the other armor user at a high speed. Almost instantaneously, Wave, propelled himself down toward Tatsumi with his right leg aimed right at him. At this height, Wave wasn’t restricted in using his attack this time. “GRAND FALL FLÜGEL…” The two armor users approached each other quickly and then finally met in the middle. At that moment, Wave’s attack struck Tatsumi dead on. “REINFORCED!!!” The point of impact created a monumental boom in the sky. The strength behind the attack was powerful enough to go through Tatsumi and traveled all the way to the bottom. Before anyone in the crowd knew it, the shockwave reached them and dispersed throughout the entire area. Screams appeared everywhere when they felt the dust blowing through and around them due to the amount of power generated. Ruby’s group felt the same thing inside the building. It was even strong enough to shatter all the windows in the campus. Blake couldn’t believe how strong the force was despite they were on ground level. “For him to generate that kind of power and for us to feel it here, it must’ve been off the scales. If he ever did that here, he’d destroy the entire academy. In one attack no less.” End OST The winds died down and everyone felt like they could almost relax again. Almost being the case since they didn’t know what happened up there. Everybody looked at the sky and didn’t know what to expect next. So far, it seemed like nothing had happened until one of them saw something. Whatever it was, it was dropping and dropping fast. The being came into view and they couldn’t believe it. They saw Tatsumi dropping at a high velocity right at them. From look of it, he wasn’t moving at all. After a couple more seconds passed, Tatsumi crashed loudly to the ground. When the dust settled, all of them saw Tatsumi laying face down and didn't move at all. Seeing that could've only meant one thing. Everyone in the crowd cheered at his defeat.Almost everyone. It broke Leone’s heart seeing Tatsumi lying motionless like that. She knew it was more dangerous for him being alive, but he was also her teammate. Even if he was an enemy, that fact would never change for her. A few seconds after Tatsumi’s crash landing, Wave finally landed with several feathers scattering upon his landing. Seryu was overcome with joy of Wave’s victory. She was glad to have been of help to him. “Wave…you’re the most incredible person…I’ve ever met.”Wave looked down at Tatsumi and felt…awful. Tatsumi may have been an enemy, but he was also someone he considered as a friend. An ally, and now…he was gone yet again by his hand. “I’m sorry it had to come to this, Tatsumi. As usual, you gave one hell of a fight.” The soldier knew he couldn’t mourn for long. Tatsumi was only the first of a long path of winning this battle. If anything, he had the best shot of beating Esdeath. However, Wave knew Esdeath would be the most difficult fight he’ll experience even if he was using two Imperial Arms.While everyone was cheering and Wave in deep in thought, Tatsumi’s eyes suddenly opened. Leone gasped as she saw it happen. The fight wasn’t over it. “Wave, look out!” Before Wave could react, Tatsumi roared loudly as he quickly stood up and grabbed the soldier by the neck tightly. He put all his strength into his grip and Tatsumi took off with a boom, along with Wave. Both armor users flew far away from the academy and soon enough, outside of Mistral.Everybody could only stare in shock and horror with what had happened. Chelsea summed up everything they were all thinking. “Well, there’s goes our only hope.”The whole group then heard laughter and turned to see it was Esdeath. The general applauded with what she’d witnessed. “How wonderful! Such a brilliant performance! I knew I praised you about your strength being perfect, Wave, but to see you improve, it’s simply incredible!” Esdeath stopped clapping and smiled maliciously at the crowd. “However, what you all saw is simply the beginning. In fact, it was just the opening act.” A/N: Again, I will re-instate that I have not read the last two chapters of the Akame Ga Kill manga. I did not know Tatsumi was still alive when I looked up his description on the AgK Wiki. In fact, I was surprised he was alive. That’s a spoiler on me and I don’t particularly mind that. Regardless, I’d planned on him appearing since I did see Akame stab him with Murasame and worked on that from there. That and I assumed he was dead to the end. Now that’s out of the way, insert Overlord ending 2 as the new ending. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Okay, before this chapter begins, I want to address something here. It’s about Holimaca’s Imperial Arms, Adayusu. As far as I know, there basically nothing I know about what its abilities are. Even if the Wiki says that “it appeared to fold to increase defensive capabilities”, it’s still incredibly vague for me to work with. So, I may have to change it up for what it can do. I’m not exactly proud of doing this but like with Wendy back in The Dragon of Night Raid, there’s only so much I can do with what I’m being given. So, yeah, I just wanted to get that fact straight. Also, I might not be able to complete this Vol by the time Vol 6 rolls around. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Seventy Five: The War in Haven“What you all saw is simply the beginning. In fact, it was just the opening act.”Syka really didn’t like how Esdeath said that. “She calls two guys summing monsters, wearing them as armor, had one of the most intense fights me and everyone else here have seen, and she calls that an opening act?” The scorpion girl foreboded something terrible was going to happen. Insert Akame Ga Kill OST 02: Adramelech Esdeath thought it was time to get the ball rolling and she knew exactly how to start. The general raised her right hand and grinned viciously. “Let’s begin the main event, shall we?!” Esdeath bent down and slammed her hand on the ground. When she did, strong, harsh, chilling, and snowy winds immediately occurred and blew through the entire crowd and behind her. These winds spread out quickly and went outside the boundaries of Haven Academy. It wasn’t before long until these winds circulated throughout Mistral entirely. If that wasn’t bad enough, everybody felt the ground shake violently and heard a thunderous noise. The younger Esdeath looked at the side of the academy and gasped. “Father, look!” She pointed at the direction she was looking at.Esren turned the same direction and shared his daughter’s reaction. “No, that’s impossible…” Soon everyone saw what Esdeath saw. It what appeared to be some sort of giant wall made of snow and ice encircling them the outer border of Mistral. If Esren wasn’t seeing this, he wouldn’t have believed it. “She’s surrounding all of Mistral in an ice storm?!”The younger Esdeath saw eerily similar this was to one of her own techniques. “It’s like my Walzer Der Zorn Des Winters. Except hers is so much stronger than mine!”This event obviously didn’t go unnoticed. Citizens of Mistral who were awake and did wake up saw what was happening. They were all wondering and panicking about what was happening. Among them was a certain monkey Faunus and his friend who was seeing this. Sun didn't know what to make what he was seeing through their window. "Something tells me this isn't our usual weather going on."Neptune nervously agreed. “Yeah, and it kinda reminds me what Esdeath did back at the Vytal Festival. Only this is like a hundred times stronger.” Sun had to agree with that. Although, it was hard for them to imagine Esdeath doing this sort of thing.Three Beast’s ramen also experienced this problem and it worried Nyau. “Sir! Something’s weird with the weather! What do we do!?”Daidara couldn’t agree more. “Yeah, it’s kinda getting bad out here!”For Liver, there was only one thing they could do. “Never falter! Come rain, sleet, snow, or an unnatural ice storm, we will continue making the ramen as if our very lives depended on it!” His apprentices could’ve sworn they saw a volcano erupt behind him.They felt their master’s passion and increased preparing their ramen tenfold. “YES SIR!”The soldiers and officers of Mistral knew what would happen next and they had to be prepared for the worst. “Get to the outskirts and rescue the people there! Get them to somewhere safe and do it quickly. Whatever this ice storm is, it's not natural! And keep a sharp eye out for any Grimm that might pass through that storm! We’re the last line of defense of keeping Mistral safe!”Esdeath cackled at her handiwork as she stood up looking very pleased. “Why settle for destroying a school when the entire city can be laid to waste!”Qrow would find that hard to believe if he wasn’t experiencing this power first hand. “Just how powerful is this woman? Summoning a storm of this magnitude and strength and strong enough to lay waste all of Mistral?”Syka had never felt more afraid as she did now. One person destroying Mistral? It was completely unheard of. “Now I can see why an entire army was afraid of this chick. It took a whole operation from the White Fang to bring Vale down its knees. But this woman is capable of doing the same thing all by herself!” Blake, on the other hand, thought very differently. She took a couple of steps toward the general while enduring the cold wind. “Why are you doing this?! Your fight is with us, not with the people of Mistral! They have nothing to do with this!”Esdeath scowled at the Faunus girl. “As if I care about the people living here. You should know by now that only one law applies. If you are strong, you survive. If you are weak, you die. That is the very basic principle of nature itself. I thought you beings with animalistic features would know better.”Syka hated to admit it, but the general was right. “She’s not technically wrong. It’s how evolution worked for countless years. It’s survival of the fittest. Unfortunately, I think we’re on the lower end of the food chain here.”“If you wish to stop this storm I’ve created than the solution is simple. If any of you have the bravado to fight and defeat me, then it will go away. So, who’s willing to step up first?!” Esdeath didn’t see anyone rise to the occasion. It was disappointing to her, so she thought of an alternative. “Not one of you? That’s fine.” She put both her hands in front and seven large icicles formed behind her. They were all aimed at the Faunus crowd as Esdeath smiled maliciously. “Then I’ll start by thinning out the herd!” Insert Fairy Tail OST: Haja no Sen Kaze “Weiss Schenbal!” Esdeath sent all seven icicles hurdling at the terrified crowd of Faunus. “Sich auflösen!” Those seven icicles instantly turned into water for some reason. The cause of it was Esren holding his hunting knife in an underhand fashion. Even if the attack was ice, ice was still frozen water. It was well within Esren’s power. He turned around to face Ghira. “If you value your people’s safety, fall back now!”Ghira hesitated at first but he knew Esren had a point. His people come first and foremost. “Everyone, retreat! Get to safety!” The Faunus of Menagerie followed their Chieftain’s order and they all began to move back. All of them knew they stood no chance against someone like Esdeath.As they moved away from the battle, Esdeath wasn’t going to let that happen. “Who says you get to walk away?”One of the Faunus of Faunus looked back and gasped in fear when she saw Zanku, Izou, Enshin, and Kurome in the air and closing in on them. Some of the other Faunus saw them coming and thought this was it for them. That is until a sword wrapped around Zaku’s leg and pulled him down, the other Kurome blocked Kurome’s attack, Enshin was blown out of the sky, and Izou was blown away by Taeko’s wind. The Faunus saw them and Blake facing against the enemy. “Keep running!” Blake pulled Gambol Shroud from Zaku’s leg and grabbed the handle. “We’ll hold them off!”Zanku laughed happily at her claim. “Oh, do stay kitty cat. I’d love to have a nice long chit-chat with you. Maybe have a talk about how many ways I can skin you alive!”Kurome giggled playfully at her double. “I wonder how you’ll stack up to me?”Enshin growled angrily at Rienna for what she did as he stood up. "You fucking whore!” The blonde wasn’t faltered by him.Izou smiled devilishly at Taeko. “It’s been too long since Kousetsu has fed. You shall be the first.” Taeko responded by pointing Tsugaku-Hime at him.Esdeath chuckled casually as she saw the opposition. “It seems everyone here is getting on the fun. I might as well too, and I know just who to start with.” The general charged forward straight at her Esren. She pulled out her sword and swung it at the Huntsmen. Esren saw the attack coming and pulled out a second hunting knife. He crossed his arms and the knives and blocked Esdeath’s attack. The moment Esren felt their weapons clash each other, he knew first hand that the Esdeath in front of him was strong. Very strong. It took all he had to stand his ground.“Father!” Esdeath ran up to her father. If she could just help him, then maybe they could stand a chance against her other self.“Esdeath, stay back!” Esdeath stopped at her father’s command. “Go and make sure that the Faunus get to safety!” Esdeath leaving her father was the last thing she wanted to do. She wanted to stay and help. However, her father thought otherwise. “Go, now!” His daughter gulped hard and was breathing hard. It pained her greatly to turn her back on her father and ran away to where the Faunus were.Esdeath was almost touched how her father acted toward her younger self. “How sweet that you care so much about your daughter. I don’t recall you acting that way toward me.”Esren bared his teeth at the general and glared angrily at her. “You are not my daughter. You are nothing, but a monstrosity brought into this world!”Esdeath laughed at the insult. “I’ve heard worse things about me.” She put in more of her strength behind her attack and sent Esren away. The general then pointed her finger at the Huntsmen. “Hagel Sprung!” A giant ice ball appeared above Esren and started to fall on top of him.Esren looked up and raised his right hand toward the attack. Before the ice ball could hit him, it dissolved into water and it circled around him. Then part of the water was shaped like a dragon and was aimed at Esdeath. “Wasserdrachen Gebrüll!” He sent the dragon to attack Esdeath head-on.The general only chuckled as she held out her left hand and froze it instantaneously. Cracks had appeared immediately after and the whole dragon shattered into dust. Esdeath continued to smile evilly at her father. “Do me a favor, father. At least try to entertain me before you die.”With Esdeath currently focused on Esren, she left the entrance to the building wide open. That gave Chelsea and the others a chance to help Ruby’s group. Chelsea glanced over at Kurome who was currently fighting her other self. Instinctively, she wanted to help her girlfriend, but Chelsea knew Kurome could hold her. And there were more things at stake here. She turned to Cornelia and Seryu. “Come on! Let’s go while we still alive and have the chance here!” Chelsea didn’t waste any time running toward the building. Cornelia did the same and looked over at Taeko who was fighting Izou. The blonde looked away and ran after Chelsea. Seryu looked back at the direction Wave was carried off. “Wave, I hope you make it back.” She looked back at the building and ran toward it.Syka saw her best friend run and thought to go after her. But not before looking around to see one other Faunus. “Where’s Syura?” She searched for Syura but couldn’t find him anywhere. The scorpion girl growled in frustration. “Damn it. He must’ve gotten away when the crowd moved back. However, I don’t think he’d be very welcome among them. He might be on his own.” Syka knew what was more important and went after Seryu.For Leone, the choice was obvious. She had to go where Akame was and get to the bottom of why she was doing this. Sienna saw her off and hoped she would be okay. After seeing what Wave can do, seeing what his opponent could do, and seeing what Esdeath can do, she knew the danger Leone would be walking into. Speaking of danger, Adam saw a chance and raised his sword. This didn’t go unnoticed by Sienna as she heard a slight metallic sound and turned around to see Adam swing his sword at him. The tigress responded by blocking the attack and pushing him away from her. She didn’t understand why he was still going through this. “Why are you still fighting, Adam? You lost your followers, you lost the White Fang, and you lost this battle. What’s the point of you doing this now?”Adam responded by smiling at her and pointed his sword at the tigress. “This fight is far from over! As long there’s a chance for Haven to fall, I’ll keep fighting! No matter who does it!” At this point, nothing Adam says surprises Sienna. As of now, he was nothing more than a desperate man trying to finish what he started.Back in the building, Qrow had seen enough and had to do something before things become more out of hand than they are now. He instinctively turned to Akame and figured something out important. “Go for Akame! We stop her, we stop this whole mess!” Everyone in Ruby’s group turned to Akame. Taking her out would be the quickest way to end this fight.Unfortunately, it would also be the most difficult and Merraid wouldn’t let that happen. “I won’t let you come close to her!” Merraid jumped from the railing and headed toward the Huntsmen. She swung her umbrella and Qrow swung his weapon as a reaction. Both of their weapons collided with each other but Merraid managed to send him back a few feet. She quickly turned to Emerald in the others. “If you value your lives, protect Akame at any costs!”As much as Mercury hated to be ordered around by Merraid, he’d actually go along with it this time. As of now, having the ghosts of Akame’s past was advantageous to them. They lose Akame, they lose their reinforcements, and they lose this battle. It was plain and simple. Something the enemy already knows. Merraid turned back to Qrow who was standing back up. He narrowed his eyes at her before dashing right at her again. He swung his sword at her and Merraid swung her umbrella in retaliation. In this confrontation, they both swung their weapons at each other multiple times. They reached a stalemate again while Qrow glared at Merraid. “How is it that you’re here? You disappeared ten years ago!”Merraid chuckled like the question was no big deal. “Is that what the tabloids are saying these days?” A shadow tendril appeared in the middle of their weapons and dislodged their statement. Qrow took a few steps back before seeing a second tendril going right at him. The Huntsmen swung his weapon at it to deflect the attack. As the tendril was smacked back, it receded back to Merraid’s shadow. “You should know better than to believe the words they say.”Ren and Nora were about to make a move when Ren was kicked away by Ibara. Nora saw him slid across the floor and hit the wall. “Ren!” She turned to Ibara and was furious at him. Nora lifted her hammer and took a step forward to swing her weapon at the Rakshasa demon. However, Ibara grinned and stretched his entire abdomen back and the attack missed. The momentum from the swing cause Nora to completely turn around. When she did, Ibara grabbed her by the throat and threw her overhead. Nora was flung over to where Ren was and landed on him. Both of them groaned before Nora rolled off Ren. They looked at Ibara who still had that creepy grin of his. "Come on. I haven't had my fill of fun yet." Jaune was the next to attempt to stop Akame, but he was also kicked away in the center by Shizuka. He groaned in pain as he started to stand up and saw the maid smirked at him. “As if I’ll let trash like you approach Lady Akame.” Jaune responded by readying his sword at her. Shizuka wasn’t the least bit intimidated by the sight. “Leave it to boys wielding swords bigger than their own.”Ruby and Weiss were the next ones to try and stop Akame, but something white and sticky was suddenly attached to her clothes. Before the former heiress knew it, Cassandra pulled herself toward her and kicked Weiss away from the young leader. Ruby immediately became worried about the other girl. “Weiss!”While Ruby preoccupied with Weiss' safety, she sensed something terrible behind her and dashed forward to get away what it. The young leader turned around to see Holimaca twirling his Imperial Arms and set the end nearly to the floor. “Aren’t you little young to be handling that scythe, girl?”Weiss shook off the initial shock of her surprise attack and stood up to face Cassandra. The former heiress gasped when she saw the maid’s hands. Her hands were all black with some white on her fingertips. Such a trait could only belong to one race. “You’re…a Faunus?”Cassandra gave the former heiress a neutral expression. “Do not be mistaken. I am not doing this out of the hatred for the Schnee family. I am doing this on behalf of Madam Mera’s will.”While everyone was preoccupied with their opponent, Hazel turned Ozpin and growled angrily at him. “OZPIN!” It seemed the former headmaster’s fight with him has not ended yet.While the first batch of fights was underway, Leone and the others arrived at the building. The Faunus blonde saw Akame kneeling motionlessly while there were several fights happening around her. “Akame!” She ran toward Akame but was cut off Gilberta jumping in-between her and Akame. The maid was up close and personal in Leone’s space and then did something the Faunus blonde never expected one of her enemies to do. Gilberda reached out and took each a handful of Leone’s breasts. Leone was shocked and appalled that one of her enemies would do such a weird thing to her. What became weirder was that her strength seemed to be draining away from her. “What the hell are you…get…OFF!” Leone attempted to kick the maid away from her, but she jumped back just in time to avoid the attack. The Faunus breathed heavily as she felt familiarly tired. “Damn, what the hell did that bitch do? I feel like that pipsqueak alchemist sucked out my blood again.” Gilberda giggled happily as she flexed her hands. “My, what a delightful chest you have. They were so nice and soft, it felt like my fingers could just sink into them.” She started to groan and then yelled as her sleeves were destroyed. What was revealed was that Gilberda was quite muscular. "I've never felt this much strength flow through my body before! It feels incredible!” Her eyes were now set on Leone. “I must have you!”Leone didn’t like the sound of that. It seemed like she was going to be preoccupied with this girl for a while. “Get to Akame now!” The other girls nodded and dashed to where Akame was. Leone charged at the maid and pulled back her right arm to punch the maid. Gilberda did the same, only she moved her head slightly to avoid the attack and struck a blow right at Leone’s stomach. The punch was much stronger than the Faunus blonde thought it was and it blasted her away from the maid. She slid on the floor until she stopped while groaning in pain from the attack. “What the hell? There’s no way she could deal that much power to me. Just how strong is this bitch?” She stood up and faced the maid who grinned pleasantly at her.Syka, Cornelia, Chelsea, and Seryu were approaching Akame when they felt the air around intensify and stopped moving completely. They all felt heavy pressure coming down on their bodies. "Who the hell turned up the gravity!?"Syka’s question remained unanswered as she was struck by an energy blast away from the group. The gravity lightened up a little on the group When it did, two chains wrapped around Chelsea’s waist and was yanked from the rest of the group. Cornelia tried to reach for her teammate. “Chelse-!” The blonde was interrupted by a black sphere striking her body, and away from Seryu.Remaining Faunus girl saw who were one of the people that separated them. Mercury walked up to her with his overconfident grin and cracked his knuckles. “Looks like you’re on your own.” Seryu responded by growling at him. Mercury pretended to be scared. “Oooh, we have a scary doggy here. What are you going to do? Bite m-?” He struck by Seryu’s metal fist fired from her.Seryu retracted her hand and gave Mercury a death glare. “You have no idea how much I am sick and tired of those fucking dog jokes! I’m going to kick your ass!”Despite being sucker punched, Mercury laughed as he stood up. “Okay, now we have a fight, and it looks like I’m going to have to put you down.”Chelsea was slammed to the wall as the chains dislodged from her. She grunted in pain as she slid to the floor. Chelsea looked up to see Emerald in front of her with her weapons out. “I got a bone to pick with you.”Chelsea laughed as she stood up. “Upset that I used your own power on you and your crony friends? Don’t worry, I get that a lot.” She drew out Graceful Malevolence and opened them.Cornelia became wobbly when she stood up from the surprise attack she took. She looked in front to see a maid smiling right in front of her. “Hey there, cutie. Sorry for the sneak attack, but Madam Mera is kinda serious about this. Can’t have anyone get close to Lady Akame. You understand, right? It’s just business.” Cornelia snapped out of her delirium and readied Twin Knight at her enemy. Mez just giggled playfully at the other blonde. “How scary.”Syka picked herself up after the surprise attack and shook her head. “I really hate sneak attacks. They’re so unfair.” The scorpion girl heard a yell and turned around to see Jaune knocked down by Shizuka. The maid walked slowly toward him. “Such a disappointment. Like all you men are.” Jaune panted heavily as he stood up again and gripped his sword as he pointed it at her. Shizuka was still unimpressed by him. “You just don’t know when to quit, do you? Or know you don’t stand a chance. I guess there’s only one way for you to understand." She dashed right at Jaune.Jaune was ready to try another counterattack, but as soon as the maid came in close, a tail came in-between them. Shizuka jumped back and the tail barely missed the maid. Not long after the surprise attack, Syka appeared between them and stared at the maid. "You know, when I got up this morning, the last thing I expected was seeing a bunch of specters appearing out of nowhere, see two guys summon monsters out of the ground, wear them as armor, and one completely overpowered chick surrounding Mistral in a freak ice storm. And now I can add fighting a maid of all people to that list. All in all, not your typical Saturday.”For the first since this fight started, Shizuka actually laughed. “Aren’t you a funny girl. And cute too. Tell me, what’s your name?”Syka flicked both her arms apart and spikes came out from her gauntlets. “Syka Taros, and I’m going to one of the people to take you down.” She glanced back at Jaune. “If you want the help that is.”In this situation, Jaune could use all the help he could get. Especially against someone like Shizuka. “Yeah, thanks. Just be careful. She’s really strong.”Syka didn't need to be reminded of that. She's already had plenty of experience seeing strong people. "So, what else is new?Shizuka didn’t have a problem if it was two on one. She already figured out who the weaker link was among them. “Fine by me, but I’d have the girl. Guess I’ll just have to rid of the excess baggage.” She pulled out a dagger and presented it to Syka and Jaune.Outside the building, Blake and the others had started fighting Akame’s forces. Zanku was laughing madly as he attacked Blake relentlessly with his weapons. The Faunus girl was on the complete defensive. It took everything for her to deflect the oncoming attacks and could see an opportunity to counterattack. Zanku continued to laugh at her struggles. “Come on, kitty cat! Give me a fight worth talking about!” He roared as he sent Blake away from him with his next attack. The Faunus girl tumbled across the ground and stopped. She looked up to see Zanku slowly walking up to her while still wearing that deranged grin. “Come now. Are you done already? We have so much more to chit-chat about.”Blake stared into his eyes. They were not the eyes of a human that has hatred toward the Faunus. No hatred toward anyone, really. They were the eyes of a person who took pleasure in what they were doing. In short, he was the worst kind of human there was. After Zanku took another step, something impaled him in the chest and received a massive shock. Blake stood up and turned around to see the person who did it reveal herself from the darkness. “Ilia?”Ilia pulled her weapon back and looked passed Zanku at Blake. “I’m not going let you fight this guy on your own!” Blake was surprised her friend was still here but was grateful she was.Their little reunion was cut short, though, when they heard wild laughter from Zanku. He gave Ilia his full attention. “Oh, it’s been far too long since I’ve had some good shock therapy!”What Ilia saw was unbelievable to her. “No way. That was enough electricity to drop a person. How is still-”“Standing?” Ilia gasped in shock at what Zanku said. How did he know what she was thinking? Zanku continued to grin madly at the chameleon girl. “It looks like we have another in my sights. Goodie! The more, the merrier is what I always say!”Blake jumped back to Ilia and stood next to her. Ilia had all kinds of questions to ask. “Blake, who is this guy?”The other Faunus didn’t know how to answer that. Luckily, Zanku was more than happy to oblige. “Introductions already? I’m so…delighted that you asked. I am, or was the Empire’s prison executioner, Headhunter Zanku! It’s so delightful to meet you two!”Executioner. That already spelled bad news for both of them. Ilia was almost afraid to ask her next question. “And…these people you killed. What did they do to get executed?”Zanku cackled wildly at the question. “Who knows?! I was just doing my job. Of course, when you do a job long enough, you begin to feel a little…stir crazy. After a while, I began hearing the voices I executed. Haunting me, never leaving me alone! It kinda drove me mad and I haven’t been able to stop killing ever since! I figured the only way to stop them was to keep talking. So, let’s keep talking!” He made a mad dash toward the two Faunus girls.Blake transformed Gambol Shroud into its gun form and fired a few times at the executioner. They did hit him and Zanku grunt in pain, but he kept smiling and coming at them. Blake had never seen this happen before. “Bullets don’t faze this guy either?” The Faunus quickly glanced over at her friend. “Ilia!”Zanku appeared in front of Blake and raised his right arm to strike her down. Blake looked back just in time and made a shadow copy of herself to take the attack in her place. The Faunus girl shifted to Zanku’s right. She pointed her gun again, but this time aimed at Zanku’s head. However, turned his head to her and swung his arm upward at Blake’s weapon. As he did, it made Blake shoot and miss her target. Zanku turned his whole body around and swung his left arm across where Blake’s neck was. Blake saw the attack coming and made another shadow copy to move away from the attack. The Faunus girl breathed heavily and felt her heart was beating like mad.The executioner was enjoying how his prey was struggling. Whether they were helpless before he killed them, or they tried to fight back, he savored every minute. This time was no less than the others. Of course, he hadn’t forgotten about the other girl. In fact, he knew where Ilia was. “Did you honestly think I wouldn’t notice? I can hear your thoughts. While he’s distracted with Blake, I can hit him again with another dose of electricity from my weapon. He’ll be stunned for a few minutes, and that’s when Blake will attack him.” He turned away from Blake and looked at what it seemed empty air. However, Zanku knew he was staring right at Ilia. “Isn’t that right?”Ilia gasped in fear when Zanku looked at her direction. What happened next was that she saw a bright flash of light and everything became dark. The only thing Ilia could see was Blake standing in front of her. Her eyes widened in disbelief as to who the two people were standing in front of her. “Blake? Where did that guy go?” The chameleon girl searched for Zanku but couldn’t find any trace of him. “Blake, where is he!?”“Ilia!” Ilia was immediately jerked away, and it snapped out whatever what was influencing her. The next thing she knew, Ilia crashed into Blake, and she was lying on top of her. Ilia realized this and turned into a bright shade of pink. Her body color returned to normal when she realized something and moved off Blake. Ilia stood up and tried to make sense of what she saw. “Blake, what happened? I thought you were standing in front of me, and…“I didn’t go anywhere.” Blake replied as she stood up. “You were just standing there like an easy target. If I hadn’t pulled you with Gambol Shroud, he…” She and Ilia turned to Zanku who was standing across from them. “He would’ve gotten you.”Ilia had a hard time comprehending of what she had just experienced. “Blake, what exactly did he do to me? How did I know what I was thinking? There’s no way a human can do that unless it was a semblance.”Blake had to agree with her right there and she could add more. “That’s not all. He can predict my movements too. Not to mention, despite fighting in the dark, he could fight with no problems against a Faunus. If you want to know, ask him. I think he’d be enjoyed if you did.”Ilia kinda doubted it’d be that easy, but she decided to give it a try. She gave Zanku her attention. “Hey! How are you doing these things?!”Zanku looked back at the girls while keeping his crazed smiled. He turned his whole body around and laughed. “I’m so delighted that you asked! Behold!” He pointed his weapon at the piece located on his forehead. “Imperial Arms Omnipotent Five Sights: Spectator!” He continued to laugh. “As the name suggests, it allows me to tap in five very useful senses. Insight: the ability to read your thoughts. Farsight: the ability to for to see clearly. Clearsight: the ability for me to look through solid objects. Precognition: Seeing the smallest of your muscle movements allows me to see what you’re going to do next. And Illusion Sight: An ability that allows me to project an illusion of a person you hold most dear to. Quite the handy little trinket, don’t you think?”Blake had never heard of a weapon that had so many abilities. It certainly did explain how he was able to do the things he did. Now there only remained one question. “How was it that Akame-”“Killed me?” Zanku finished her sentence. “Oh, let’s just say she was more than what I could handle. Compared to her, you two aren’t even close to her level.”Obviously, if Blake was struggling against him. There was one more question Ilia wanted to ask. “What’s an Imperial Arms?”Blake would be the one to answer her question. “The short answer; they’re very powerful and very dangerous weapons. In other words, get ready for a difficult fight.” They readied their weapons against Zanku. “One more thing, Ilia. This guy, he isn't like any of the other humans you’ve seen before. His eyes have no hate in them. He’s not doing this for any racial or discriminative reason. He’s doing this because he wants to. Because he enjoys it. In short, he’s the worst kind of human there is. In fact, you can sum that up about most of the people from Leone’s world. They kill for pleasure, and they enjoy it. You can even say they wouldn’t care if you were a Faunus. To them, we’re all the same. Victims waiting to be.”Hearing that made Ilia frightened. She never thought a human could act like that. All her life, she and the Faunus had dealt with hate from the humans. To encounter a human that had no hate for her, no hate for her race, with no other reason to kill her but simply because he’d enjoy it, that fact terrorized her. However, terrorized or not, Ilia knew there was only one way to stop him and that was taking him down. “How difficult a fight are we talking about?”Blake saw Zanku getting ready for the next round. “Considering his abilities and he was killed by Akame, very difficult.”Enshin was laughing maniacally as he swung his sword at Rienna and cross-shaped blades of wind emerged from his swings. Rienna was dodging the attacks and tried to find a way to counter-attack. Enshin was obviously enjoying this bout. “Come on! Quite dodging you bitch!”Rienna wasn’t a fool to keep still. If even one of the those hit her, a body part would be severed from her. She had to find some way to disrupt his attack pattern. And the blonde figured out she’d do it. After the next dodge, Rienna lowered her body and placed her hand in front. Enshin saw this as his chance swung his sword again. Rienna knew she had one shot at this. “Chain Explosion!” A series of explosions erupted one after another and headed right toward the pirate. Enshin's attacks couldn't cut through the explosions and they reached him. He was blown up high into the sky. That gave Rienna an advantage and pointed both her gauntlets at the pirate. She fired a stream of flames at Enshin while he was in midair.Enshin saw the flames coming at him and scowled at the attack. “You’re not burning me to ashes.” He swung his sword and slashed the air around him. The result was a sphere made of wind that spread the fire away. “Full Moon Wheel!” Rienna stopped shooting her flames, and as soon as she did, the sphere protecting Enshin exploded and he landed on the ground. The blonde was obviously confused as to what happened. “What kind of a sword does that?!”Enshin gave her a cocky grin and showed off his sword. “Imperial Arms Moonlight Sword Dance: Shamshir” He laughed a bit at her. “When a full moon is out, that’s when I can use it to its fullest abilities. And that just so happens to be tonight, as fucked up as the moon is now.” He lowered his weapons and his grin changed to an observative expression. “You know, you do look familiar to me. Feels like I’ve seen your face before.” It took a few seconds for him to finally remember and snapped his fingers. “Now I remember! You look like that one bitch Syura had his way with and she had a kid with her too.” Enshin laughed as he remembered every detail from that encounter. Rienna gasped in shock as a response. “Yeah, we met them at a graveyard and they were visiting a grave of some dead guy. Man, was I jealous of Syura while he raped her. I wanted to have a turn myself, but he hogged that bitch all for himself. Champ had his fun with her kid while he was busy, that fat clown fuck. But, damn did they not shut up with their screaming! I can still remember that kid screaming out help from daddy. Ah, that pissed me off so much. Oh, well, they didn’t keep screaming for long after they were done with them. Last I checked, we left them so damn bloody and disfigured. It was fucking awesome!” He arched his back and cackled wildly at the memory. The pirate quickly stopped. “And now I guess I have a second chance…” He straightened his back. “Don’ you thi-” Enshin gasped when he saw Rienna right in front him, crouched and arms crossed with fire enveloping her blades. What was most notable of all was the furious anger in her eyes. “What the-!”Rienna yelled as she uncrossed her arms and struck the center of Enshin’s chest and bypassed him. “Hell’s Edge!” Enshin screamed out in pain and fell backward to the ground. The flames were burning into his chest and he tried to put them out with his hands. “I’ll make you pay.” Rienna spoke with a dark tone in her voice. She turned around and gave the pirate a threatening look. “I’ll burn you for what you’ve done. To my mom, for defiling my dad’s grave, and what you did to me.”Enshin managed put out the flames and stood up while facing the burned blonde. He panted heavily as he took a closer look at Rienna. “Now that I think about it, you do look like that brat Champ had his fun with.” He laughed gleefully at her. “Shit, I think I might have fun with you now since you’re older. I don’t even care if you have some freaky ass burn scar.”Rienna responded by flicking her arms and flames surrounded her blades while still having menacing eyes. “Try it, asshole.”Taeko’s Tsugaku-Hime and Izou’s Kousetsu clashed against each other and neither backed off. However, Taeko noticed there was a wide difference between their strength. And Izou showed it when he easily pushed Taeko away from her. The distance was enough for Izou to close in with Kousetsu drawn back. Taeko saw the attack coming and pulled her sword back. “Sakura Style: Rising Spring!” She swung her sword upward as soon as Izou was in range. Izou managed to stop in time and jumped back to avoid the attack. However, he felt a blade of wind follow the attack and managed to cut his left cheek. His position gave Taeko another chance and she pulled her sword back again pointing at him. “Sakura Style: Piercing Petal!” She thrust her sword forward and a blast of wind shot out heading straight toward Izou. Izou just grinned as he dodged the attack, but not before it grazed his side. He then used that momentum to close the distance between them again. This time, Izou was faster and Taeko couldn’t react in time. Izou returned the favor by slashing her side and stopped when he was behind. Taeko grunted in pain and jumped forward to distance herself away from her enemy. Her aura was able to absorb the hit, but it couldn’t take another one. One more hit, and it’ll take another one from him to kill her. She turned around and faced Izou while still maintaining her guard.Izou chuckled as he turned around and smiled at his opponent. “Quite the sword style you utilize. I find it…quite interesting.”Taeko narrowed her eyes and pointed Tsugaku-Hime at him. “But, of course. After all, you were the one who taught it to me, Uncle Izou.”Kurome slid across the ground away from her Remnant self. She couldn’t help but laugh at the challenge her other half was giving her. “You’re actually not half-bad.”Remnant Kurome could almost say the same thing. “Yeah, well, compared to Akame, you’re like the easy version of her.”Kurome would take that as a compliment. She was honestly happy to see her double face-to-face now. “I can believe that. After all, I did see that fight you and Akame had back at that tournament.”R. Kurome was surprised to hear about that. “Wait, how do you know that?”Her original self giggled mischievously. “Of course. We all did. Who do you think helped her awaken her power in the first place?”R. Kurome thought back to when Akame first awakened her semblance during their match. She almost couldn’t believe it. “No way. You mean…that was you?”Kurome enjoyed seeing her reaction. "Sort of. All I did was give her a little push, and the result was more than I imagined it would be." She began to laugh a little crazily. "It's so good to know I can help out my big sister this way. I'm even happier to know that I got my wish after all. Akame and I are together forever!” Kurome cackled madly at the fact. “It’s not the way I planned, but I’m not complaining about.” Her expression changed into something more serious. “And there’s there. Do you honestly think you’re good enough to be me? To be Akame’s little sister?! You’re nothing but some random world copy! You don’t have the kind of bond I have with Akame! You don’t know her as well as I do! You aren’t even related to her! So, how can you ever know what she truly feels like!”Those words struck R. Kurome deeper than she thought. She really couldn’t argue what her original self said to her. R. Kurome had only known Akame for over six months. Compared to how Kurome knew her own sister since they were both sold, it would make sense she’d know more about Akame. However, there was one fact R. Kurome did know. “Two things. One: Akame never mentioned you had some siscon fetish for her. And two: yeah, you’re right. You do know a lot more about Akame than me, I don’t have that same kind of sisterly bond you and she have, and she and I aren’t related by blood. But…that doesn’t matter to me. Because to me, Akame is the third person who I would consider to be my family.”Kurome seemed unimpressed by her other self’s words. “Then let’s test that out, shall we? I want to see if you’re worthy of being Akame’s little sister.” She raised her sword above her and smiled. “Imperial Arms March of the Dead: Yatsufusa!” Black lightning sparked out from the sword and struck multiple points in the ground. Once the lightning had ceased, multiple arms came out of the ground, and different beings rose up.Seeing this happening reminded R. Kurome what Akame’s original sister was capable of. “Crap, that’s right. She’s a freaking necromancer.” The whole match was set and Kurome couldn’t wait for it to start. “Allow me to introduce to my precious dolls. Natala, he was a teammate of mine and Akame's from a team we were on. Doya, an assassin from the Northern Tribe who dual wields pistols. Wall here was a high paying security guard. I had to get through them to kill my target. Apeman is a danger beast that’s one of my favorites. One of the reasons is because he’s easy to control. Henter was a member of the Ban Tribe until I killed him. It was tricky, but I managed to do it. Rokugou used to be a general from the Empire until I had to kill him for trying to leave. Finally…" She turned to the last of her puppets. "This is Run. He was a former comrade of Wave and myself. I killed him because it was the only way to save him. He was also the previous owner of Mastema. Quite the lineup, if I do say so myself." She had one more thing to say to her otherworldly half. “By the way, you said Akame was the third person you considered to be family. If Najenda is the first, and Akame is the third, who’s the second?” R. Kurome didn’t reply, but she didn’t need to. Kurome already figured out who it was. “Wait, don’t tell me it’s that girl? What was her name? Chelsea, was it? You consider her to be family too?” She laughed at the absurdity of the thought. “How frigging hilarious! Not to mention ironic! You do realize she tried to kill us, right!?” A fun thought suddenly occurred to her. “Hey, how would you react if I had Natala decapitate her again. Wouldn’t that be funn-”"AMPLIFY TIMES FOUR!" A powerful pulse erupted from R. Kurome and gave the original a frightening death glare. “Threaten her again, and I’ll be the one to cut your head off. I don’t even give a damn if you are Akame’s sister. Also, I know what your weakness is. Since you summoned this many zombies, I can’t imagine you doing much. You left yourself vulnerable. All I have to do is take you out and the rest will follow.”Kurome giggled at her other self’s plan. “You’re right about that. However, there’s one thing that’s changed. Think about when Akame summoned Tatsumi. Why did she summon him in that state? She could’ve summoned him in his original form, and yet decided on his altered one. What does that tell you?" The other Kurome tried to come up a reason but couldn't think of one. Kurome decided to tell her. "Akame chooses how we’re summoned. Tatsumi was at his strongest at that form and for me…” She chuckled darkly. “She made sure I’d never have that weakness again. So, it’s actually eight against one. How do you feel against those odds?”R. Kurome narrowed her eyes and spun her weapon around before pointing it at Kurome and her undead army. “I’ll beat those corpses of yours back to their grave, and you back to whatever part of Akame’s subconscious you came from.”Back inside the building, the fights the others were involved in weren’t any easier. Ren and Nora were struggling against their fight against Ibara. Nora transformed her weapon into its gun form and fired a few shots at the Rakshasa Demon. Ibara just grinned as he threw his arms forward and stretched them out toward the grenades. He easily caught them and then retracted his arms back to him. In all her life, Nora had never seen that before. Ibara laughed gravely at the duo. “I think these belong to you.” He threw the grenades back at the duo powerfully. Both knew it was probably a good idea to dodge them. They did so by going opposite sides and the grenades missed them and exploded. Ren didn't waste any time running up to him and pointed his dual weapons at his enemy. He fired multiple rounds at Ibara, but the Rakshasa Demon continued to smile and jumped into the air to avoid the bullet fire. While in the air, he extended his right arm toward Ren. Ibara grabbed Ren’s head tightly and hoisted him up high. Ibara slammed Ren into the ceiling and when he landed on the floor, the Rakshasa Demon slammed Ren back to the floor. He then slammed Ren into the wall and retracted his arm while dragging Ren to him. Ibara still kept that grin as he pulled back his left arm and let go of Ren to punch Ren dead center. The amount of force Ibara blasted Ren all the way to the back wall and crashed into it. He let out a large pained gasped as he slid down to the floor.Nora became immediately worried about her teammate. “Ren!” She turned to Ibara and snarled angrily. Nora shifted her back into its original form and ran up to Ibara. When she was close enough, Nora jumped and swung her hammer forward at the Rakshasa Demon.Ibara just laughed as he easily caught the hammer long before it could reach him. He smiled creepily at his opponent. “I like that ferocity you have, girl. I think I might be falling for ya.” Nora didn’t know how to respond to that before Ibara opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out and struck her in the throat. Nora coughed harshly before Ibara let his hands and grabbed Nora’s head with his right. He smashed Nora’s head into the floor before picking her up again before him. Ibara tossed her into the air and jumped to deliver a powerful spin kick at her. The kick blasted Nora to the back wall and crashed. The Rakshasa Demon landed back on the floor and admired his word.Ren stood up slowly as he saw his teammate in bad shape. “Nora!”Nora groaned as she stood up. She looked straight ahead at their opponent and tried to figure him. “How’s he moving his body like that? I’ve never seen anything like it before. I’d like to call it a semblance, but it’s too weird to be that.”Ren looked at Ibara as well and wondered the same thing. He was wondered about something else. “Did Akame really kill someone like him? If so, how did she do it?” Even with Akame using Murasame, it couldn’t have been easy to kill someone like Ibara.Ibara continued to grin confidently at his opponents. “I trained at the Imperial Fist Temple and I’ve fought several Imperial Arms users. Do you really think you kids using those fancy toys of yours are a match for me?”Shizuka smiled happily as she stabbed her own hand with the dagger. Syka thought she was insane until she heard Jaune scream next to her. She turned to blonde as he dropped his sword and tightly gripped his bleeding hand. The scorpion girl didn’t know what happened until she heard some…rather unique sounds coming from the maid. Syka looked back at the maid and she was moaning out of pleasure as she took the dagger out. She already had two questions going through her head. “What the hell did you just do and why are you getting off from stabbing yourself? You a masochist or something?”Shizuka sighed out in pleasure as she smiled at the scorpion girl. “You can say something like that. As for what I did…” A thin strand of light appeared from her chest and it seemed to connect to Jaune. “I connected it to me. Whatever I feel, the other will feel it too. It just depends how much it can take.” Syka can easily recognize that Shizuka is referring Jaune as “it” and “other”. It was like she didn’t even see Jaune as a human being. As for her ability, Syka could compare it to a mirror effect. If pain and injury could be copied, who knew what else that power could copy. If she used her tail, Syka would think the paralysis would affect Jaune too. “Oh, and it’s also one way. If you decide to harm him, it won’t affect me.”There was a third question Syka wanted to ask the maid. “So, why uses it on him and not the both of us, if you can do that. You’d have an easier time.”The maid was glad the younger girl had asked that. “I can establish multiples, yes, but I wouldn’t want to use it on a pretty girl like you. Unless I’m ordered to otherwise. The animal next to you is of no consequence. Look at it. In such pain and misery from one little stab. What a pathetic excuse for a living being.”Syka was going to say something to the maid about degrading Jaune when he finally spoke. “I’m fine…” He was panting slightly as he picked up sword yet again. The blonde gave Shizuka his full attention. “This pain is nothing compared to from before.”The scorpion girl had to give Jaune some credit for his grit. He was stabbed in the hand and was still willing to fight. That was dedication right there. Shizuka could’ve blown off Jaune’s bravado, but then she saw something in his eyes. Something that rather caught her interest. “You lost someone, haven’t you?” Jaune gasped in surprised when he heard that from the maid. “Yes, you have that look of pain of someone you lost. Somebody important to you, I’d gather.” Jaune’s breathing began to pick up. “And this was somebody you let down. I can tell you solely put the blame on yourself for whatever happened to this person.”Anger was starting to get to Jaune. “Shut up.”“It’s because of you that person is now gone, and you couldn’t do anything about it.”“I said shut up!”“And because of that, you now regret you can never say the things you wanted to say to this person and never will. It has become a burden to you, and you will be forced to live with that guilt for the rest of your life!”“I SAID SHUT UP!” Jaune full out charged at Shizuka with the intent of cutting her down. The maid smiled as she knew she pushed the right buttons. She was about to stab herself in the left leg when Jaune apparently tripped and crashed on the floor.It wasn’t by accident since it was Syka using her tail to wrap around his ankle. “Calm down and think, you idiot. You fell for a simple psychology tactic and you let her get to you. Stay focused and remember what she can do to you. You slash her and you’ll end up slashing yourself. Keep it together.”Unfortunately, Jaune couldn’t keep that promise. His breathing became loud as if he was reliving something horrible. “Pyrrha’s dead because of me. She’s dead because I couldn’t do anything to stop it!”Syka had heard of the name Jaune said. “Pyrrha Nikos? That champion chick? Wait, she’s dead?!”“She’s gone, and I can’t ever…ever…”“Apologize to her?” Jaune and Syka looked to Shizuka. The maid tsked at Jaune. “Oh, you poor, poor creature. Nothing hurts more in this world than losing someone you care deeply about. You lost your chance, haven’t you? And now you have no way to redeem yourself for it.” Her words were just a reminder of how useless he felt when he learned there was nothing he could do for Pyrrha. It also reminded him of what a complete idiot he was in chasing after Weiss when Pyrrha had obvious feelings for him. And he was just oblivious. “You men are always at your most pitiful when this happens to you. You don’t know you have something good until it’s too late.” That was another blow to Jaune because he knew that was true.“That’s enough.” Syka finally spoke as she walked up to Jaune and stood next to him. “Stand up.”Jaune was confused by what Syka was telling him to do. “What are you…”"You must've been something else if someone like Pyrrha Nikos being interested in you. If you want to wallow around in your guilt that’s fine, but it won’t do anything for you. All it’ll do is just suffocate you unless you do something about. I don’t know how long you lost Nikos, but I lost my best friend years ago. Or at least I thought I did when I saw her on the news. It was at that moment I’d do something about what happened between us. You can either let that guilt rule over the rest of your life, or you can make something out of it. Besides, if that Pyrrha chick were here, I’d guess she’d say something about stop agonizing about her death and focus on what you can do now. It’s just a guess.”That was one point Jaune would agree on. After hearing what the Faunus girl had said, he calmed down just a little and picked up his sword. He stood up and readied himself against Shizuka. Syka was glad she was able to get through to him and the fight could really start. Shizuka saw that and went back to being disinterested. She threw out her right arm and another thin line of light connected between her and Syka. “If this is how you want it, fine. Just remember that anything you do to me, or to myself, you’ll feel it as well.”Syka just grinned confidently at the maid. “As if I’ll be afraid of a little pain being inflicted on me.”Seryu yelled as she threw her right arm straight at Mercury. Her enemy responded by kicked the attack head-on and their two attacks collided with one another. They blew back from each other and Seryu growled at the end result. She’d been fighting him for some time now and Seryu had never seen a fighting style like his before. She’d also noticed that his legs were completely mechanical like her arms. She’d hate to imagine what happened to him to get those replacements.With Mercury, normally, he wouldn’t give a damn about his opponent, but there was something interesting about her he noticed. “Call me crazy, but I couldn’t but see that those arms of yours look like they’re an older model. What, you couldn’t afford the more recent ones?”Seryu didn’t respond to this statement. He wouldn’t understand how much these arms meant to her. Her only response was flexing her arms to the sides. “Reinforce!” Her arms flashed for a second before taking her next battle stance. “Your group has committed acts of evil, brought harm to the innocent, and ensure chaos. For that, I swear to bring down the hammer of rightful justice upon all of you!"Mercury only laughed at Seryu’s words. “Wow. That was the cheesiest line I’ve ever heard. Let’s see if you can back up those words.”“Seismic X-Slasher!” Cornelia lunged forward at Mez and crossed her arms to slash at her enemy. However, her opponent mysteriously disappeared when she did. The blonde pulled her weapons back and looked for her enemy. “Where did she go?”“Yoo-hoo!” Cornelia looked up to see Mez hovering above her. Not only that, but she was also getting an unnecessary view of Mez’s black lace underwear from under her skirt. Mez grinned at the other blonde before moving her body forward and immediately dropped on top of Cornelia. Cornelia didn’t have time to react as Mez crashed into her from above. From the force of the impact, it felt like an anvil was dropped on top of her. She groaned in pain while lying face down on the floor and then was kicked forcefully to her side. Cornelia crashed into the wall and dropped to the floor yet again. Mez was actually a little disappointed in her opponent. “Aw, you’re done already? I thought you’d have more in you.”Cornelia growled angrily at the maid as she stood up. She may have been down, but the blonde wasn’t out yet. “I’ve got plenty more in me. This fight is far from over!” The only thing Cornelia had to worry about is what her enemy had done before.Emerald was facing off against Chelsea and made multiple copies of herself. Her plan was to confuse her opponent and take advantage of it. However, Chelsea wasn’t too worried about the tactic. There may be multiple Emeralds, but only one was giving off her aura. She was very grateful for Akame and Leone for teaching the rest of them of how to do it. “Let’s see. Eenie meenie miney…” Chelsea disappeared and then reappeared right in front of the real Emerald. “You!” Emerald gasped as Chelsea took the first swipe at her opponent with her fan blade. After the first hit, she disappeared again and then reappeared to deliver a swift to Emerald’s left shoulder. Chelsea vanished once more and started attacking Emerald all over her with a barrage of attacks. The other girl couldn’t surmount a counterattack because once Chelsea delivered one attack, she disappeared and reappeared somewhere else. Chelsea’s next attack allowed her to bypass the thief and stop from behind with both her arms spread out. The result of the attack launched Emerald into the air. “Gaia Style: Deadly Dance!” Emerald crashed back to the ground and let out a loud pained gasped. She panted and grunted as Emerald turned her body and around began to stand up. “No! I haven’t lost yet! We haven’t lost yet! When Cinder comes back with the relic, it’ll be over for all of you!”Chelsea turned around to face her enemy and had quite a curious expression. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you have a major hard-on for that fire cyclops.” Emerald took that as an offense and attacked Chelsea.Weiss pointed Myrtenaster at Cassandra, and the giant ice knight she summoned earlier was charging at the other girl. The ice knight swung its giant heavy sword overhead right at the maid. Cassandra jumped into the air to avoid the attack. The sword crashed into the ground and Cassandra pointed her arms at the sword. She fired multiple rounds of webs at the sword and they covered the weapon completely. The ice knight tried to pick up the sword but was unable to do so. Cassandra looked over at Weiss next and pointed her arms at the former heiress. Weiss reacted quickly by putting up a glyph in front of her to block the next attack. The maid merely smiled as she shot her two web strands at the glyph itself. She pulled herself right toward the glyph. Once the maid reached the floor, Cassandra slid across it and underneath the glyph. As well as under Weiss’ skirt.While the former heiress became flustered that such a thing happened, the maid quickly stood up and turned around to deliver an uppercut toward the other girl just as she turned around. Weiss was sent into the air and Cassandra jumped a second after her. While in the air, the maid delivered a few strong punches at the heiress before shooting web from both of her hands at Weiss. Cassandra pulled the former heiress toward her, only to implant both her feet directly at the other girl's body. She then used that momentum to jump off the Weiss and then shot her webs again at her. The maid flipped her whole body forward and pulled Weiss along with the momentum. She slammed the other girl to the floor and Cassandra shot out two more web strands outside of Weiss’ body. The maid pulled on the strands and propelled herself down straight at the former heiress’ back. Weiss let out a loud pained scream as Cassandra leaped off her. She then turned around and fired a single web strand and pulled her while making a complete turn. At the end of the turn, Cassandra let go and Weiss was hurled at the wall. The former heiress groaned as she slid down to the floor. The maid was quite pleased with her handiwork. “Your choice of underwear is as expected of an heiress. White and blue frills at the edges. It’s quite cute.”Weiss could do without her enemy commenting about her unmentionables and looked at her opponent. “What…kind of a fighting style…is that?” Cassandra didn’t reply and shot out another web strand at the former heiress. She pulled herself toward the other girl and went for the next attack.Holimaca swung his Imperial Arms downward at Ruby in order to strike her down. The young leader dodged the side and swung Crescent Rose from the side as a counterattack. The former bodyguard didn’t too worried and quickly held his left hand up to grab the base below the blade. Ruby gasped as Holimaca pulled back his own scythe and took another swing at the young leader. The scythe managed to strike Ruby and she felt something strange happen to her. She felt slightly pale once the scythe struck her. She was panting and felt…weak. The young leader was certain her aura protected her from the attack, but it still felt like something was cut from her.Holimaca took advantage of that weakness and kicked Ruby hard away from him. The young leader tumbled across the room and stopped. She managed to stand up but still didn’t quite feel like herself. Even lifting Crescent Rose seemed beginning to be difficult for her to carry. “What…did you do?”Holimaca twirled his weapon around before pointing it at his opponent. “Imperial Arms: The Mysterious Adayusu.” He twirled it around once more before setting the handle on his right shoulder. “What it can do is more than just cut my opponent. It reaps the life force from them. And every time it does, you can bet the next attack will take a bigger chunk from you until you’re nothing but an empty husk. It doesn’t even make a difference if you that fancy shield of yours. Judging from your size…I’d say two more hits will do it.” Hearing that scared Ruby. The young leader was already weakened from the first attack. If she was hit one more time, that would be it. She wouldn’t even be strong enough to defend herself from the last attack. The former bodyguard also saw that from looking into her eyes. “Hell of a thing, isn’t it? I know you Huntsmen type people are used to putting your lives on the line. However, those Grimm beasts you lot fight are one thing. It’s different when you’re fighting against another person. It’s natural for those things attacking you. For people, there are three reasons for killing a person. One is doing your job. For example, my job was to kill anyone who’d get close to my client. It’s nothing personal and it was just business. The other is desire. A person wanting or needing to kill another. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you do, they’ll kill you regardless. And you, girl, fit into the first one since you’re a target of interest.”Ruby already knew what that meant. “And that brings to the third reason. It’s survival. If you don’t want to be killed, you have to kill. The thing is…can you kill another person? Killing monsters is easy. Killing another person, that can weigh a lot on some people. Can you handle that weight, kid? Akame, the girl that killed me, she did it without so much as batting an eye and I just dropped dead. It was just another kill in her book. She’s gotten used to it. Now, the question is, can you do that? The only way this’ll end is that either one of us goes down for good. And you’re already one foot in the grave.” Ruby hated to admit it, but he had a point. When fighting against Tyrian, he just wanted to capture her for Salem. Right now, her entire life was on the line. However, she also knew other lives were at stake. If she was killed, who knows who else would follow her. Her only response was spinning Crescent Rose around and set it in front of her, pointing at Holimaca. It’s like Wave told her. All it could take to end a life is one careless mistake. One hint of hesitation.Leone roared as she swung her right arm at Gilberta with her claw out. The maid responded by kicking back at the attack. To Leone’s surprise, their attacks were equal. She growled and grabbed Gilberta’s leg with her other hand. The Faunus blonde spun her enemy around, but the maid kept her grin. She turned her body and delivered a kick to the side of Leone’s face. The attack resulted in Leone letting go of her opponent and being knocked to the floor. Gilberta just landed on the floor with her feet. Leone shook her head and stood up to face her enemy. She was not liking how this fight was turning out. “How the hell does one damn maid give me more trouble than those Six Fang guys? All she did was just grope me!” The closest explanation Leone had was that her opponent had a power similar to Dorothea. It just wasn’t her strength Gilberta was matching. It was her reaction and speed as well. It was like her enemy had absorbed her abilities.The Faunus blonde decided to pick up the pace. She slightly crouched and rushed at the maid. Leone immediately appeared right before her enemy and pulled her right arm back. She threw her attack forward, but Gilberta reacted by stepping to the side and the attack missed. The maid grabbed Leone’s arm and the Faunus blonde felt her strength leaving her. Gilberta kicked her opponent’s left leg and it forced Leone to take a knee. The maid then pulled back her arm and socked Leone at the side of her head to the floor. Leone groaned but regained focus. She used her new position to do a sweeping kick at the maid. The new tactic worked as it tripped Gilberta and she fell to the floor. Leone used the opportunity and stood up over her enemy. She pulled her right arm again and tried to stab her enemy while she was down. Gilberta wasn’t going let her do it and pulled both of her legs and kicked the Faunus girl away from her. Leone landed square on her back but managed to stand up again. She was becoming pissed off that the only thing standing between her and Akame was a damn maid. Twice, the Faunus blonde was grabbed, and already Leone felt weakened. And with her weakening, her enemy had become much stronger. However, Leone didn’t care about their difference in strength. All she needed was to get through Gilberta and get to Akame.Outside the building, Esren screamed in pain as he slid across the ground. Once he stopped, the Huntsmen dropped to one knee and panted heavily. Esren felt the last of his aura fade away and looked straight at Esdeath. To put it shortly, she completely overwhelmed him. Their powers obviously canceled each other, but Esdeath obviously had the edge in close quarters combat. He had never seen anyone fight like her before. Her strength, speed, and reaction time were unlike any other. And her relentlessness didn’t make things easier for him. Esren hated to admit it, but he saw no way of him defeating the general. While he was exhausted from the fight, Esdeath seemed like she didn’t even break a sweat. In fact, Esren could tell she wasn’t even trying in their fight. The Huntsmen could see the disappointment in her eyes. “Is that all you have? How dull. And to think you’re supposed to be my father.”There was that word again. No matter how long he looked at the general, the person in front of him was not his daughter. Esren slowly started to stand up. “If this is how you turned out to be, something must’ve gone seriously wrong in raising you.”Esdeath saw the irony in his words. “Oh, you did nothing wrong to raise me. You taught me everything I needed to know about surviving. You even taught me your philosophy. The weak die, and the strong survive. Survival of the fittest. You even made an off-hand comment about the woman who gave birth to me. She died because she was weak, and then you died because you were weak. I still remember you being impaled on your back, courtesy of our rival tribe.”Esren didn’t reply when she brought up his late wife. He couldn’t imagine how she’d react if she saw their daughter like this. What she’d become. “Jacklyn…”“Hagel Sprung!” Both of them saw a giant ice ball appeared above Esdeath and began to drop on top of her. Esdeath didn’t seem too worried and just smiled. “How adorable.” She swung her sword overhead at the ice ball, and the force behind it split it in half.Esren couldn’t believe what he just saw. “She cut through that attack?” He thought such a feat would be impossible to do. As the two halves fell to the sides, the Huntsmen saw his chance. He instantly clasped his hands together. “Marina-Felle!” The two ice halves became water and closed in on Esdeath. She gave a disinterested expression before the water completely encapsulated her. Esren didn't hope much, but the attack should hold her for the time being. He turned to the side to see his actual daughter had arrived. How else would that attack had appeared? Obviously, he wasn't happy to see her here. "Esdeath, why are you here!? I thought I told you to stay with the Faunus! It's too dangerous here!"Esdeath understood what her father told her to do, but she couldn’t bear the thought of her dad fighting alone. “I’d made sure the Faunus are alright. Once I did, I knew I needed to help you! I won’t let you fight her alone! I know we can beat her together!”Esren highly doubted they could accomplish such a feat. The last thing he needed was his daughter being here. “Don’t be such a fool! This enemy is far too strong for you to handl-” Both Partas members heard an explosion and turned to the water trap Esdeath was in. They saw a cloud of ice dust sweeping away. Esren stared in disbelief that his water trap was destroyed so easily. “That’s impossible. Marina-Felle puts enough pressure to render anyone incapable of doing anything. This woman…” They saw Esdeath still standing and remained unharmed. “Is she even human?” Esdeath’s expression changed slightly after being trapped. She was…a little peeved. The general glanced at her younger self. She instantly thought of an idea and smiled.“Little children such as you…” Esdeath bolted to where her younger half was and appeared in front of her. The younger Esdeath gasped and couldn’t react in time. Esdeath delivered a swift and powerful kick and sent R. Esdeath away from her. “Don’t belong on the battlefield!” The younger Esdeath tumbled across the ground before managing to stop. She had a hand on the ground and was her right knee. Once R. Esdeath stopped, she took a quick look at her older half, only to see her right in front with her right hand out in front. Esdeath smiled evilly letting out a blast of ice. In the next second, R. Esdeath was completely frozen solid.Esren couldn’t tear his eyes away from what happened to his daughter. He could only stare in horror at what happened to her. “Esdeath!” In his moment of panic, Esdeath quickly bypassed him while her sword extended behind her. What happened next was blood spurting out from his left shoulder. He screamed loudly out in pain before feeling a deep stab through his right shoulder. Esren looked back to see Esdeath behind him. She pulled her sword out and Esren fell backward the ground. Pain coursed through his body saw Esdeath standing over him. He could only glare at the general out of anger. His worry for his daughter outweighed his pain. “You…bitch! What did you do to my daughter!?”Esdeath was enjoying how her own father was acting. It was almost adorable to her. “I simply froze her solid. Don’t worry, she still has her senses such as sight, but it’s for one purpose only.” She removed her sword and then slashed her father across the chest with it. Esren screamed more which was music to Esdeath’s ears. “To make her see herself killing her own father!” She delivered another slash at her father’s chest. “And I’ll make sure to do it nice and slow, one slash at a time! Maybe a stab here and there as well. I don’t plan on giving you a quick, painless death!” The general gave Esren a few more slashes across his body. Esren screamed in pain each time it happened. Esdeath was laughing happily she was doing this to her father. “I must say, I never thought I’d be doing this to my own father! It’s quite exhilarating I must say!” She continued to slash away at her father.From afar, the younger Esdeath couldn’t do anything but watch helplessly inside a block of ice. It wasn’t just watching. She could also hear the screams of pain her father was yelling out. R. Esdeath had never heard her father like this before. He was always like a hero to her. Her protector. And that very same protector was lying helpless on the ground, being cut apart by her own evil apparition. Insert Akame Ga Kill OST Le Change De Roma “Father…Father, no. This can’t be happening. You can’t…you can’t…” Memories of her and her father began to flood through her mind. Ever since she could remember, her father was always there for her. Her mother, gone during her infancy and only her father remained to raise her as a single father. He was the one who gave her the courage to push through. He was the one that made Esdeath decide to become a Huntress. It was him who gave her everything she could’ve asked for. And that very same person, that same hero she’d looked up to, could be taken away from her at any moment now. All she could do now was just watch her father writhe in pain and hear his cries. More of those memories began to overflow her mind and could feel her heartbeat quicken. Out of all the memories, one stuck out. She remembered the day her father took her hunting and encountered Major Ursa. The only recollection she had was seeing that Grimm and waking up in her bed. She saw her father and ran up to him for a hug. At that moment, they felt a sudden chill and wondered what it was. Her father figured her semblance had awakened. At first, it was exciting, but then it turned out to be more of a curse. Her power made her isolated from the others and kept their distance away from her. Even at times like that, her father always comforted her in her time of need. One other memory she remembered is when she was making her bed and found something strange. “When I was cleaning my room, I found something. It was small, like a pebble. An ice pebble and it was incredibly beautiful with its bright shiny blue hue. The strange thing is, I could never recreate that beautiful blue ice again.” Her heartbeat raced madly until it came to a complete stop. At that single moment, her eyes brightly flashed. “FATHER!!!”After leaving another bloody slash, Esdeath marveled at her handiwork. Multiple slash wounds across the body, but her father was still alive. However, she felt like now was the time to end it. The general pointed her sword at him. “Well, it’s been fun, father, but our time together is now done. It was good seeing you again.” All Esren could do was stare at his inevitable end. Esdeath smiled gleefully. “Farewel-” A loud explosion occurred before she could deliver the final blow. The general turned around to see what it was, only to see multiple rows of ice headed toward her. Esdeath jumped to the side out of the path to avoid them. Esren used the last of his strength to roll away from the ice before they could hit him. Judging from the direction the ice came from, Esdeath figured who’d done it. "How? How did that brat manage to break through my ice?" There was also another distinction of the ice Esdeath noticed. “Is that…blue ice?” Not a second after, strong winds began to blow through her and everywhere. She knew instantly something wasn’t right. “What is happening!?”The others noticed the wind blowing strongly through them and thought it was strange. What was weirder was that clouds formed over them and began to darken as they swirled together. Rumblings could be heard, and multiple lightning strikes occurred all over the campus. R. Kurome momentarily stopped fighting her doubles dolls and asked the question everyone else was thinking. “What the hell is up with this weather?!”Taeko also paused for a moment as she sensed something strange. “What is this? I’ve…never felt an aura this powerful. It’s…unlike anything else I felt from before.” This didn’t go unnoticed for the group fighting inside the building. It caught the attention of Hazel and the others. It also grabbed Qrow’s attention and it seemed somewhat familiar to him. “This power…it can’t be…there’s no way.”Esdeath looked ahead at where her younger self was. She sensed something was different about her. More precisely, her aura. “What happened to her aura? It’s completely different than what it was from before!” One thing was for certain, the general knew her younger self was responsible for whatever was happening. The younger Esdeath was panting heavily as her head was lowered. As of now, only one thing was on her mind. “I won’t let you kill him.” She took a step forward to her older half. “I won’t let you kill my father.” She took another step forward. “I won’t let you kill my family!” She lifted her head and glared furiously at Esdeath with tears rolling out of her eyes. “DO YOU HEAR ME, ESDEATH!” At that moment of anger, flames spontaneously flared from her eyes.Esren couldn’t help but stare at what happened to his daughter. All he could do was close his eyes and look away in shame. “Jacklyn…I’m sorry. I couldn’t keep your promise.” There was no doubt, Qrow knew what this was, and he could only think of one person who could possibly do this. He’s had his suspicions, but now there was undeniable proof. “So, that’s the real reason you came here, Esren. You knew your daughter was a Maiden this whole time.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Right, if any of you are wondering if I’m going to put in the Raven vs Cinder battle, I’m not. I’d like to keep my sanity in check, thank you very much. (That and everything else I’ve done recently in this Vol has been a frigging toll.) So, think of this fight as a substitute for that. Also, I was already aware of the changes I’ll have to make for when the actual Winter Maiden makes in an appearance. Worst case scenario: I’ll just make my own version of Vol 6. Not to mention I remember some reviewers wanting me to change things up a little in the canon story. Well, here you all go. That, and you can thank a past reviewer for giving me the idea. I may not have finished the current Vol before Vol 6 arrived, but at least I was able to get this chapter out before it premiered. At least on RT’s website. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Seventy Six: Awakened Once AgainSoft coos could be heard in a small child’s room. A young girl, no more at the age of five, opened her eyes and saw the ceiling above. She sat up and seemed confused. “It’s my room. Why am I in my room? I thought I was outside with-” She heard the door open and turned to see someone she recognized. “Daddy?”Her father smiled as he was happy his daughter was awake. “Well, good morning, Esdeath. How did you sleep?” Esren walked over to Esdeath’s bed.Esdeath tilted her head to the side in confusion. “Sleep? I was sleeping? But…why was I…” She gasped as her eyes widened in realization. Young Esdeath remembered a powerful memory. She remembered tracking some game with her father and went ahead of him. He called out to her to be careful. Esdeath caught up with their game, but also stumbled across a Major Ursa.She became deathly afraid and only remembered her father calling out her name. “ESDEATH!” The young child screamed at the memory. Esren quickly wrapped his arms around his daughter and hugged her. He wanted her to calm down and know that things were okay. It seemed to work since Esdeath stopped screaming. Esren stroked the top of her head and shushed at her. “It’s okay. It’s okay. You’re safe. You’re not hurt.”Esdeath breathed heavily but seemed to gain back control over it. She looked over at her father innocently. “Daddy…what happened to the scary bear?”Esren chuckled and smiled sweetly at his only daughter. “The scary bear is gone. Don’t worry. I didn’t think we’d run into a Grimm. I’m sorry, Esdeath.”His daughter closed her eyes and shook her head while smiling. She stopped and opened her eyes to her father. “It’s okay because I have the best daddy in the whole wide world!” Esdeath giggled happily as she gave her father a big hug in return.What happened next was that cold gust of wind just appeared out of nowhere. It was a surprise to the both of them and they separated. Esren wasn’t sure what happened. “Esdeath, what…did you do?”Esdeath herself didn’t know and looked at her hands. She heard a small noise coming from them and saw some vapor emitting from them. Naturally, she was freaking out. “Daddy, what’s happening to me!?”Esren seemed to be a little worried as well and held his daughter’s hands. “Calm down.” Esdeath did just that and stopped freaking out. “Now, I want you to open your hands and close your eyes. Concentrate. Think of something and it can be anything that comes to your mind.” Esdeath what she was told and closed her eyes. She opened her hands and thought of the first thing that came to her mind. In the next moment, an ice snowflake appeared. Esdeath opened her eyes and saw what she’d done. She smiled brightly at what she created. “Daddy, look! It’s so pretty!”Her father nodded and smiled at his daughter. “Yes, it is. Let me take a closer look at it.” He inspected the snowflake carefully. To his relief, it wasn't what he thought it was. “It’s not blue ice. It’s not the power I saw before.” He remembered what happened yesterday during their hunting trip. As soon as he saw the Major Ursa, he tried to save his daughter. However, what happened was something he didn’t expect to see so soon. He heard his daughter scream and was blown back by a powerful gust of wind. The Huntsmen landed on the ground on his back and groaned. He set himself back and gasped at the sight before him. The Major Ursa before Esdeath was completely frozen solid in blue ice. It wasn’t just the Grimm, but there were waves of blue ice around and behind it. What frightened him the most was seeing flames coming out of his daughter’s eyes. The fateful day he dreaded had finally come. He couldn’t help but yell out her name. “ESDEATH!!!” Esdeath gasped as she heard her father calling out to her. The flames dissipated and began to sway back and forth. Esren quickly stood up and ran to his daughter. He managed to catch her before she fell backward. The Huntsmen inspected Esdeath closely and saw that she passed out. Esren let out a sigh of relief but he knew what this meant. From this day forward, his daughter would never live a normal life.Or so he thought. The snowflake wasn’t made of the blue ice he saw before. It was strange, but Esren was actually glad it didn’t happen. It meant his daughter still had a chance. “Daddy…” Esren looked at his daughter and saw she was scared. “You have a really scary face. Is it bad?”Esren just chuckled and smiled at his daughter. “No. In fact, it’s great. Esdeath, from what I can gather, your semblance has awakened.”Esdeath just blinked a few times in confusion. "Semblance?”Her father nodded in confirmation. “Yes. Think of it as your very own power. It's just like what I can do with water, and there are many kinds of it. And from the looks of it, you can use ice. It can be very powerful when mastered. In fact, believe it or not, it’s that very same power that saved you from the scary bear. It awakened just in time in your hour of need.” It wasn’t technically a lie. At least to Esren, it wasn’t.His daughter seemed enthralled by hearing that. It seemed like she had the best of luck when her father told her that. “Really?! I did that?! So, does that mean you can use power on my ice?”Esren loved how his daughter was reacting. "Yeah, I can. I'm pretty sure we could make a good team." Esdeath was overjoyed to hear that. She thought they'd be the ultimate team and be unstoppable. It was a dream she now longed for. "Now then…" He stood up from the bed and continued to smile at Esdeath. "How about I make you your favorite lunch? Think of it as a celebration.”Esdeath was both happy and surprised to hear that. “Lunch? Does that mean missed breakfast?”Her father chuckled again. “Something like that. You were out of a whole week. that means you’ll get a double serving. Maybe more. I’ll go prepare it now. You can help me once you make your bed.”Esdeath found that almost unbelievable. She was asleep for a whole week? Now that the young girl heard about it, her stomach growled loudly. It was a sure sign Esdeath was very hungry. She smiled brightly at her father. “Okay!” Her father took one last look at his daughter and left the room. As soon as he was gone, the young Esdeath tossed the covers aside. As she did, something fell out from the side to the floor. Esdeath wondered what it was and jumped down from the bed. She looked down and saw something unusual. “What’s that?” She crouched down and picked up the small item. From the look of it, it seemed to be a small pebble. However, it felt very cold and it had a bright blue hue. Esdeath was instantly entranced by it and smiled. “Wow! It’s so pretty!”In the kitchen, Esren started the stove and placed a pan on top of one of the burners. While preparing lunch, he thought back to the strange circumstances that had occurred. “I don’t know what happened, but it looks like Esdeath doesn’t remember what she did. Is that why the ice is normal and not blue? If so, does that mean her maiden powers are dormant once again? Is that even possible? It’d certainly explained why the ice looks normal. Could it be that…it was simply too much for her to handle?” These questions seemed like they would be unanswered for some time. However, there was one thing Esren was certain of. “Whatever the case, it seems there is a connection between her not remembering and her powers not being active now. I don’t know if I should be happy about that.” His thoughts then began to focus on what his late wife said to him just around when Esdeath was close to being born. "Esren. When our daughter comes into this world, I want you to protect her. It is inevitable her powers will awaken and once they do, her life will never be the same. Raise her the best you can. Teach her. And most of all...tell her that…her mother loved her very much to the end.”It was at that moment, Esren would do everything in his power to honor his late wife’s last wish. “Jacklyn. I promised you I'll look after our daughter. Esdeath is the only reminder I have of you. I still remember when we first met. How I found you wandering through the woods when I was hunting and took you in. Little did I know you would be the greatest thing to have ever happened to me and…told me about the terrible responsibility you were forced to carry. I will make sure nothing terrible will happen to her again.” Even with that said, there was one thing Esren feared now. Esdeath had awakened her power once and it seemed she cannot do so again. The question now was…when would her maiden powers awaken once again? F Insert Fairy Tail OST: Dragon King Rage. It was one of two things Esdeath was feeling within right now. The other was some strange and yet familiar power coursing through every fiber of her body. She had never felt so much power. It was…almost overwhelming to her. Burning, exactly. Esdeath was panting heavily just from just keeping this mysterious power inside of her. She didn’t know what was happening, or what it meant, but there was one thing she did know. Esdeath was going to use this power to stop her otherworld counterpart for good.Speaking of her counterpart, General Esdeath was still puzzled as to what her younger self had done. “What’s happened to her aura? It feels completely different from before. What the hell did she just do?” Despite this unknown development coming from her younger counterpart, the General couldn’t help but smile gleefully at what she’d achieved. “So, there is something interesting about you after all! And here I thought you were just unremarkable! Tell me, girl; do you really think you now stand a chance against me with this newfound power of yours?!” The younger Esdeath responded by narrowing her eyes and the flames intensifying. That was the answer the General was hoping for. This was too good of an opportunity for her to pass up. Fighting her own father was one thing, but fighting a younger version of herself who had awakened some unknown mysterious power? She saw this as a golden opportunity. In more ways than one. “Sorry, Akame. It looks like I’ll have to be a little rougher with this girl. I want to see what she’s capable of. I want to test her limits!” Insert Fairy Tail OST: Silver Raid The General raised her left hand and chuckled ominously. “Walzer der Zorn des Winters!” A powerful blizzard erupted from Esdeath and it surrounded the entire campus.Everyone in the vicinity felt the raging cold winds. Especially for the people fighting inside the building. Chelsea thought this was getting ridiculous now. “Okay, can we not have this right now!”Even the Faunus group away from the campus was hit by the blizzard. Kay shivered severely at the sudden drop of temperature. “THIS IS WHY I HATE THE COLD!”Blake and Ilia became exhausted fighting Zanku. At this point, Blake’s aura had given out from taking all the headhunter’s attacks. Even when using her semblance, Zanku was relentless with his attacks. Ilia shivered terribly as she fell to one knee and her eyes closed tightly. Her choice of clothing wasn’t exactly suited for cold weather. “Cold…it’s so…cold…”Blake turned to her as she was worried for her friend. “Ilia!” She heard Zanku laugh and charged straight at the chameleon girl. Her first instinct was run to the other Faunus girl before their enemy could reach her.Ilia was breathing heavily as her body temperature was dropping from the bitter cold. She didn’t know how much longer she could last. Apparently, not much longer as Zanku near her and laughed at his chance. Ilia heard his laugh and opened her eyes to see him right in front of her. Ilia couldn’t move as she was paralyzed with fear. All she could do was stare into Zanku’s crazed eyes. Zanku yelled as he swung his weapon at her and the next thing Ilia saw was blood. However, it wasn’t her blood. She stared in horror as Blake got in between her and Zanku’s attack. The Faunus girl was able to make it to her friend and grabbed her with her right arm to move away from their enemy. But, in doing so, Blake took the full brunt of Zanku’s attack at her left shoulder. Both girls tumbled away from Zanku and Ilia removed herself to look at Blake’s injury. The wound looked deep and the wound looked worse. Ilia was having a panic attack now that she the severity of her friend’s condition. “BLAKE!”General Esdeath laughed maniacally at her work. With the ice storm surrounding Mistral and a blizzard blowing through the campus, it was almost perfect to her. Almost. Still, she was having fun. The General lowered her hand and gave her younger self her full attention. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I can use one of your techniques! The answer’s simple! I watched you from within! From within Akame! All of us did! We are the sins that resided inside of her! Everything she knows, everything she’s seen, we know them as well! That includes this!” She held her sword out in front. Large hailstones appeared from both sides of her. “Hölle Hagel!” The hailstones were propelled straight at the younger Esdeath. The awakened maiden responded by both her arms up and a wall of intense fire appeared before her. The hailstones melted when they approached the firewall. General Esdeath was quite impressed with what she saw. “I must say, I’m not used to seeing myself utilizing fire.” Her next move was extending her left hand and closed it tightly. “Große Schlucht!” Two giant ice walls appeared off the sides of her opponent and closed in on the younger counterpart.Esdeath’s response was spreading her arms and her own blue ice walls erupted from the ground. The walls protected her from her otherworld counterpart’s attack. The General was mildly impressed at the tactic. “They say blue ice is the purest and strongest form of ice. Add the aura she’s applying to that ice, and you can consider it almost impenetrable.” She loved the idea of that alone. “Let’s see how strong your blue ice is, girl!” General Esdeath slammed both her hands on the ground. “Gletscherwelle!” Waves of ice emerged from the ground and headed straight to the younger Esdeath.Esdeath saw the attack coming at her and copied her counterpart’s action. She slammed her right hand on the ground and waves of blue ice traveled directly at Esdeath’s attack. Both ice waves collided with each other and both built up drastically one section at a time. It wasn’t long before Esdeath’s ice started to overcome her otherworld self’s and completely took it over. Now the blue ice was coming at the General, she continued to smile and jumped into the air to avoid the attack. The older Esdeath pointed her right finger at her younger self. Multiple icicles formed around her, and they were all pointed at Esdeath. “Weiss Schenbal!” She sent the icicles right at her younger counterpart. Esdeath saw the attack coming again and yelled as she swept right hand across. Fire erupted furiously out following her palm. Like before, the fire melted the icicles before they could reach Esdeath. The General created an ice pillar to stand on to further observe her opponent. The younger one slightly crouched down and then took off straight at her older counterpart. She created two ice swords once she was halfway. General Esdeath chuckled at the sight. “So, we’re getting up close and personal, are we!?” She jumped off her ice pillar and headed toward her younger self. They both swung their swords together when they met in the center. There was a loud clanging noise from the clash that echoed throughout the area. As General Esdeath suspected, the aura running through her younger self’s ice has strengthened them considerably. However, having strengthened weapons wasn’t enough to overtake her.The older Esdeath put more of her power behind her attack and sent her younger self crashing back the ground. She landed on the ground as well and saw her opponent struggling to stand up. The General pointed her sword above her younger self. “Hagel Sprung!” A giant ice ball appeared above Esdeath and she looked up and gasped. She rolled to the left to avoid the attack as the ice ball fell. The younger Esdeath stopped and slammed her right hand on the ground again. She yelled as multiple lightning strikes came down violently from the sky. They traveled from her all the way to the General. It was certainly an impressive show, but she wasn’t worried. The General dashed at her younger self while dodging the lightning strikes. She easily reached her younger counterpart and was in front of her. Esdeath gasped as the General suddenly disappeared. The next thing she knew, the awakened maiden felt a strong, sharp slash going diagonally across her back. Esdeath stumbled forward before turning around. Only to be struck at the right side of her face by a sword’s handle. After that, she was struck in the stomach by a powerful kick and was sent away.Esdeath tumbled across the ground before regaining her balance and stood up. However, as soon as she did, the maiden felt another strong slash going across her body. After that, she felt a multitude of slashes occurring all over and around her body. It was all the General’s doing. She delivered one slash while passing through her younger self and then quickly turned around to deliver the next one. All of this while going in different directions all around her. This went on for a least several more seconds before the General delivered her last attack on her younger self. Her back was turned to the maiden before turning around to see Esdeath on both her hands and one knee. She certainly was impressed by the strength of her aura. By now, any other person would’ve been bloodied and writhing in pain. Still, she expected more out of her. “Is this the extent of your power?! How pitiful! And to think I thought you were something special! Maybe I should direct my focus on something else. Perhaps that girl you like.” Esdeath gasped when she heard that and lifted her head to look at her older self. That was the expression the General was hoping to see. “Yes. I know about your little crush on her. What was her name? Ruby Rose, was it? Yes, I remember seeing her when I walked into that building. I could just see the pure innocence residing inside of her. Inside her eyes. And how much I would enjoy seeing that very same innocence fading away in her eyes. Her own blood pooling around her near lifeless body! I can't decide if I should just do it quickly to see the look on her face or take my time carving her every inch of her body. I'm sure she'd made some wonderful sounds as I skin her alive!”The maiden couldn’t help but envision that very scenario. Her first thought was seeing the General stabbing Ruby through the heart and take in the look of fear and death she had while staring at her. She would then pull her sword out and then swiping it across her throat as blood dripped out from it. Her other thought was seeing Ruby bound in chains, bare naked, and her body blooded by what the General had done. She saw her cutting more pieces of her skin apart while Ruby screamed in pain and terror. The General thought to push her more. Over the edge, if possible. “I JUST WON’T STOP AT THE GIRL! I’LL KILL EVERYONE YOU LOVE! RUBY, YOUR FATHER, YOUR FRIENDS, THOSE PEOPLE WITH ANIMAL TRAITS! I'LL MAKE IT INTO AN ENTIRE MASSACRE! IF YOU WANT TO STOP ME, THEN YOU KNOW THERE’S ONLY WAY TO DO IT!”Esdeath closed her eyes tightly. Her counterpart was right. There was only one way to stop her, but she didn’t know if she couldn’t do it. Regardless, she wouldn’t know if she didn’t try. The maiden opened her eyes and flames intensified more. Esdeath yelled powerfully as she stood up. “I WON’T LET YOU HURT RUBY! I WON’T LET YOU HURT MY FRIENDS! I WON’T LET YOU HURT MY FAMILY!” She created another two blue ice swords and grasped them tightly.The General pointed her own sword at her younger self. “THEN PROVE IT!” Both propelled at each other and had their swords pulled back. They swung their swords forward and clashed once again. This time, Esdeath was putting everything she had and a little extra too. The General felt a strong electric shock coursing through her arms. She figured out what her younger self was doing. “She’s having electricity running through her swords?” The surprise shock lessened the General’s strength slightly, and Esdeath used it to her advantage. She used both her swords to lift her older counterpart’s sword and instantly closed in.Esdeath swung both her swords at the General and bypassed her. Two long arches of ice appeared a second after where she had slashed her. “GEFRIERSCHLEIFEN!” She quickly turned around and pointed her right sword at her enemy. “ARKTISCHER RASH!” Multiple blue ice spikes sprouted out of the ground and were traveling to where the General was. The result also had her drop her sword. The older Esdeath turned around to see the attack coming at her. She shook off the previous attack and jumped to avoid the next one. The attack missed her, and the General landed on one of the tips of the spikes.The older Esdeath spread her arms and then crossed them. “KALT MAHLSTROM!” A violent vortex of snow and ice surrounded Esdeath. She narrowed her eyes glaringly in the position her younger self was in. “YOU KNOW YOU CAN’T BEAT ME! YOU’RE NOTHING MORE THAN A WEAK LITTLE GIRL USING SIMPLE MAGIC TRICKS!” Her response was the vortex being immediately destroyed and Esdeath floating in midair. The sight of it made the General cackle wildly. “NOW THAT’S MORE LIKE IT!”The maiden placed her hands in front of her and multiple icicles appeared around. A little something extra added was lightning striking the icicles and they became charged. “WEISS SCHENBAL!” All the icicles were sent hurdling at the General. She responded by placing her left hand forward and closed it tightly. “GROßER SCHLUCHT!” Two giant ice walls appeared from the side and closed right in front of the General. The icicles were embedded into the wall instead of hitting their target. The older Esdeath opened her hand again toward the ice wall. “GRAU HORN!” Out of the wall were multiple ice spears emerging from the wall and headed toward Esdeath. The maiden flew over the attacks to avoid them and over the wall to the other side. As she arrived at the other side of the wall, the maiden turned around, only to be kicked by the chin with a rising knee kick. The older Esdeath then performed a front flip and kicked Esdeath’s straight at the top of her head. The attack sent the maiden crashing back down to the ground. The General landed back on the ice spike, pulled her right arm back and swung it across. “GEFRORENE MISERY!” A large swirling wave of ice appeared and rushed toward the maiden. Esdeath couldn’t counter in time and the wave consumed her. The ice wave ran for several seconds before subsiding. What was left was a struggling Esdeath on the ground and her aura had finally reached its limit. The General observed her younger self closely. “IT TOOK AKAME EVERYTHING SHE HAD TO KILL ME AND MORE! AND THAT WAS JUST USING MURASAME! DO YOU HONESTLY THINK YOU CAN ACHIEVE THE SAME RESULT!?”Esdeath closed her eyes as she struggled to stand up. She hated to admit it, but her vicious counterpart was right. Even with this new power, the maiden could barely match her older self. Not to mention she learned some of her other attacks. How can she accomplish the same thing Akame did? What can she do to defeat her? "Esdeath's Imperial Arms didn't have a trump card at first but had done the impossible and created one of her own and it was freezing time. It was this ability that made her more powerful than before."The maiden gasped as she opened her eyes and realized what her mind came across. “Freezing time. That’s it! If I can do that, it’ll surely give me the win. But, can I really do that?” An idea came to her and realized something. She started to stand up and formulate her end game. “My semblance may not be strong enough to do it, but maybe this new power can. Or perhaps…” She noticed the raging blizzard the General had created and remembered the ice storm surrounding Mistral. “I can use this power to use hers to my advantage!” She turned around to face the General and smiled at her.The older Esdeath found it strange her younger counterpart was smiling. “And what’s that smile for? Have you finally cracked and accepted your fate?!” The maiden continued to smile as she spread her arms far apart and began her plan. The blizzard surrounding them suddenly changed its behavior and began blowing toward Esdeath’s direction. It began to circle around her arms and the ice storm surrounding Mistral followed similarly. The General had never seen anything like this. She didn’t even understand what was going on. “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING!?” Insert Akame Ga Kill 08 OST 2: Akame vs Esdeath Esdeath continued to smile at her older counterpart. She knew how dangerous this was, but it was the only way to defeat the General. “Sometimes, strength isn’t the only thing you need to survive!”The older Esdeath didn’t understand what she meant by that. What could it be that her enemy was planning? Well, no matter it was, she would put a stop to it. The General summoned a single icicle next to her and pointed it at her younger self. “You think I’ll allow you to execute whatever sorry plan you have, you’re sorely mistaken!” She pointed her finger at the maiden and it propelled itself right at her.The maiden saw it coming and created an icicle of her own. She sent it as a retaliation and the two collided with each other. It ended in a draw, but in creating an icicle, Esdeath's gathering lessened for a moment. She knew it was risky doing this in front of the General, but it was worse than she realized. “I thought so. I can’t gather enough power and defend myself at the same time. At least, not for long. I’ll just have to hold out for as long as I can.” Unfortunately for Esdeath, her older counterpart summoned more icicles around her. She gasped in fear as she couldn’t repel all of them. If she did, the maiden would have to start all over, and her enemy wouldn’t give her that next chance. “TOR VON ATLANTIS!” A large pillar of water erupted from underneath the General and it caused the icicles to disappear.Esdeath was surprised as well and turned her attention to the side to see the one who did the surprise attack. “Father?!”Esren panted heavily as he stood from the side. Come hell or highway, he’ll do whatever it’ll take to help his daughter to take down her enemy. Speaking of the General, the water pillar froze and then was destroyed as she yelled. She turned her attention to her father. “You’re still here!?”The Huntsmen glared at her and wasn’t fazed by her. “If you think I’ll allow you to kill my daughter, you’re wrong! You’re just not fighting her! You’re fighting the both of us! The strongest team there is!”His words rang something deep in the General’s mind. Something from her days with her father. “Ha ha! Father, we make a pretty good team, huh?”Her father chuckled as he rubbed her head. “Of course. With us working together, we’re the strongest team there is.”“AQUA HYDRA!” A giant water dragon with multiple heads appeared behind Esren and they all roared at the General. All of them attacked the General at once. She responded by holding her right hand forward and freezing all the heads at once. Esren didn’t let up as he summoned another large water dragon surrounding him. “DRACHE DES WASSER-DRACHENS” The dragon roared as it charged straight at the General quickly. This time, she couldn’t react in time and the dragon swallowed her whole and swept her away. Esren knew his attack wouldn’t hold her for long. The only thing he could do was hope for whatever plan his daughter had in plan. “ESDEATH! WHATEVER YOU’RE GOING TO DO, DO IT NOW!”The maiden was already planning on executing her plan. She just needed a few more seconds. Esdeath could already feel the power swelling drastically inside of her. Those few seconds would mean the difference between victory and death for both of them. Unfortunately for them, the water dragon froze over and was destroyed instantly. This fight had gone on long enough for her and needed it for it to end. “I DON’T THINK SO! I’LL STOP YOU BOTH BEFORE YOU CAN FINISH WHATEVER IT IS YOU’RE PLANNING!” She brought her hands close together and kept them slightly opened. A bright light could be seen in the middle. “MAHAPA-!” A strong sensation went straight through the General and stopped her technique. She was given a powerful reminder and the light within her hands faded away. “No, I can’t.” Whatever made the older Esdeath hesitate, the maiden used this chance to gather as much of her power as she could. It seemed to do the trick as she felt something powerful raging inside of her. She realized that it was time to execute her plan. “NOW!” Esdeath brought her hands together with them open and a bright light formed. She yelled loudly as the light within her hands glowed brighter until it erupted and everything was consumed by its overwhelming flash. Insert Akame Ga Kill OST 37: Esdeath no Unmei Esdeath gasped as she realized something was off. Everything around was silent and was standing still. Her father didn’t and neither did the weather. Even the General was standing motionlessly. It quickly dawned on her that she had done the impossible. Esdeath was finally able to stop time on her own. As much as the maiden wanted to celebrate in accomplishing such a thing, she knew there wasn’t much time. She didn’t know how long it would last and had to act fast. Esdeath created another blue ice sword and steeled herself for what she was about to do. She pointed her sword at her older counterpart and launched herself right at her. As Esdeath came ever so close to her enemy, time started to move forward again. As it did, the older Esdeath began to realize what had happened to her. She also saw her younger self coming right at her. All the General could do was simply smile. As soon as time returned to normal, Esdeath already managed to stab her enemy right through her body.It took Esren a moment to realize what had happened. At one moment, he saw his daughter standing and gathering, and the next, he saw her stab their enemy. He couldn't make sense of what happened. “Esdeath…what did you do?”The older Esdeath coughed out blood and some dripped from her mouth. She couldn’t help but laugh weakly at what happened. “So, that’s what…you were planning. To think…you were able to use my trump card, Mahapadma. You may not be…as experienced as I was when I was your age, but you are most definitely…stronger than I was at your age.” She looked directly at the maiden and cupped her cheek gently. The General gave her younger self one last confident smile. “I wonder… how far you’ll go? That’s something…I’m looking forward to seeing…deliciously.” Those were the last words the older Esdeath had spoken before her body reddened and then dissipated into several strands of dark red energy. The strands didn’t stay long as they retreated to whence they came from. End OST The strands of dark red energy arrived at the building and returned inside of Akame. This was enough to gain Merraid’s attention from her fight against Qrow. “What!? One of Akame’s manifestations was defeated?! How!?”Qrow had noticed it as well and could only take it as good news. “So, those things can be defeated. I have a feeling it was that girl who did it. The only question is how?” As prior to the General’s defeat, the blizzard had lessened and then disappeared. Not only the blizzard but the ice storm as well. It began to lose power and slowly started to scatter about. This phenomenon confused the Mistral Police and the citizens, but nonetheless glad it was over. Still, they wondered what could've happened for the storm to go away. Even if the storm went away, the Mistral Police still had to be wary of any Grimm heading toward the city.Esdeath dropped her sword and the flames coming out of her eyes faded away. She felt terribly exhausted after obtaining her victory. Her body began to sway to and fro until she started to fall backward. As the maiden did, Esren managed to catch her. “I got ya.” He managed to set her down and sat on the ground.His daughter managed to look up and smiled weakly at him. “Father…are you…okay?” Esdeath closed her eyes as she passed out.The Huntsmen sniff as he came close to tears. He hugged his daughter close to him. “Esdeath…I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.” Now that her maiden powers have awakened once more, he had to explain everything to her. Not right now, of course. Just until this whole ordeal was over. While holding his daughter close to him, Esren heard footsteps approaching from behind and looked back. He gasped at who it was. “It’s you…”The person the Huntsman saw as none other than Ghira. He came to see what help he could give, but it seemed it wasn’t necessary. The blizzard going away was proof of that. He saw Esren holding his unconscious daughter. He managed to figure out what had happened. “I assume your daughter was the one who defeated that…woman?”Esren nodded at the question. He still didn’t know how his daughter did it, but she managed to defeat a very terrifying foe. “Yeah, she did. I don’t know how or what she did, but she found a way.”Ghira would have to believe that. He was just grateful that terror of a human was finally gone. As far as he knew, she was the most dangerous being he had ever encountered. The Chieftain could think of one way to repay her. “Take her back to my people. I believe it’s best for her to recover there. She appears to be in no shape for another battle. And from the looks of it, neither are you.” Esren had to agree his body was still in pain after what General Esdeath had done to him. As of now, there wasn’t anything he and his daughter could do now. All he could do now was have faith in his comrades.The Huntsmen picked up his daughter and carried her princess style. He looked at the Chieftain with trusting eyes. “Lead the way.” Ghira nodded as he turned around and started to guide Esren back to his group. With General Esdeath defeated, this war was one step closer to ending. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Seventy Seven: Silent TearsGhira and Esren carrying Esdeath made it back to where the Menagerie Army was currently residing. While they were happy that the blizzard and the ice storm had stopped, many of them wondered what happened to make them stop. One of them saw their leader approaching them. “The Chieftain’s back!”Another of the Faunus also recognized Esren and his daughter. “Hey, I remember that guy. He’s the one who stopped that icicle attack!”“What happened to him? He’s all cut up and everything.”“Isn’t the woman who attacked he’s carrying? Why’d he bring her here?!”“She looks a lot younger than she did.”“Yeah, and she’s wearing different clothes.”Ghira thought it’d be best to clear this confusion up. He glanced over at the Huntsmen. “You can set your daughter down now. I'll explain it to them." Esren nodded and lowered himself to set Esdeath on the ground. The Chieftain then turned his attention to his group. "I understand all of you are confused. Yes, the girl with the Huntsmen I'm with is similar looking to the woman who attacked us, but I can assure you they are not one and the same! I saw it with my own eyes that she defeated that very same woman. So did the Huntsmen next to me! A sword made of ice pierced through her body! She is the reason why that blizzard and the ice storm surrounding Mistral is now gone! However, I believe the other threats summoned are still at large!”The Faunus found it almost hard to believe. A girl like that taking down a woman who was akin to that of a demon? They didn’t think someone like the General could be defeated. However, their Chieftain did bring up a good point. The blizzard and the ice storm did clear up and if he was a key witness to seeing it happen, they had no choice but to believe. Esren turned to the Chieftain. He was grateful for him to clear up this confusion. “Thank you.”Ghira looked back at the Huntsmen and nodded at him. “You protected my people. It’s only natural I would return the favor.” He saw Esren turn his attention back to his daughter and saw the clear worry he had for her. The Chieftain looked back and felt the same kind of worry for his daughter. “Blake…” She was still out there fighting one of those…ghosts. He could only hope that she made it to her. B Both Ilia and Blake yelled as they were blown back by Zanku’s next attack. They were panting heavily and were running out of steam. More so for Blake, since she had to continue fighting with the wound the Headhunter had given her while trying to protect her friend. Ilia still felt like it was her fault her crush got hurt in the first place. "Blake's not looking too good. I don't know how much longer she can keep this up. Neither do I."“Worried about your little friend?” The chameleon girl gasped when she heard Zanku speak. “How delightful you’re worried about her? I’ll make sure you two will take a trip to the afterlife together!” He charged right at the two girls. They prepared themselves for the next attack, but they didn’t know how much longer they could last against this kind of opponent. Zanku was about to attack the girls, he was blindsided by a very powerful and very angry kick to the side of his face. “GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER, YOU HOOLIGAN!” The kick blasted the executioner away from Blake and Ilia.Both girls saw what a most unexpected and impressive entranced by Kali. They still wondered why she appeared. “Mom/Mrs. Belladonna?”Kali landed on the ground and turned to the girls smiling. “Hello, dear.” Kali was wearing a sleeveless black kimono with a white undergarment underneath. It revealed the upper half of her back and a hole on each side that revealed her upper thighs. She also wore black armbands with metal braces extending from her wrists to her elbow.Blake still wasn’t used to seeing her mother wear semi-revealing clothing, but she said it was her battle outfit from her earlier days. Ilia, on the other hand, thought it looked pretty good on her. Blake was still confused at her mother’s sudden appearance. “Why are you here?”Her mother thought it was obvious. “I’m here to see if you were alright. Your father was here too, but we went our separate ways. We were worried about you since you were fighting one of those dangerous people. And from the looks of it, we were right.”Blake knew her mother was insinuating the wound on her arm. While she was thankful her mother had saved them, she was now caught up in their troubles. “It’s not often someone gets the drop on me.” All three Faunus girls turned to see Zanku standing up after being kicked while still smiling. He chuckled ominously while cracking his neck. “It seems we have someone new joining in. How’d you like to have a nice, delightful chit-chat?”Kali could tell right away something was wrong with this man. The way he smiled and the way his eyes looked rubbed her the wrong way. Blake thought to warn her what they were up against. “Mom, that man is unlike any human we’ve come across. That headpiece he’s wearing is one of those Imperial Arms. He can read thoughts, know your next move, and can use illusions. Even with Ilia working with me, we struggled at best fighting him.”The older Faunus woman could see how Blake and Ilia would have trouble fighting someone like him. Especially since they were up against someone using an Imperial Arms. Now that Kali knew the risks, and now knew what to do next. “How about you girls stand back? I’ll be the one to fight him.”Her daughter obviously thought that was an insane suggestion. “What?! Mother, you can’t! He’s not like any other human! He’s from Leone’s world! He’s-”“Blake…” Kali interrupted her daughter. “Honey, you should know that every time your father and I would spar with each other, he always lost. Have faith in me.”Faith wasn’t the problem Blake had. It was seeing her own mother getting hurt by a psychotic mass murderer. Possibly killed even. She wished to never see that happen. “Mom, please-”“Do you still think you can fight him? Even in your condition?” Her mother interrupted her once again. “You two are obviously fatigued, and Blake is injured. If you were both struggling against this person, what makes you think you can still fight him now?” Both girls didn’t have a reply to that. "This may have been an unexpected turn of events, but one thing hasn’t changed. We all knew the risks coming to Haven. It’s true these people could’ve decimated us, but the least I can do is save my daughter.” Blake struggled not to cry. Fighting White Fang members was one thing, but these were people from Leone’s world. People Leone, Akame, and their allies would fight. She didn’t know how well her mother would do against someone like Zanku. Kali, on the other hand, had a somewhat an idea. “Just stay back and let me handle this.” She started walking toward Zanku.Blake started chasing after her mother. “Mom, don’t-”Kali quickly turned around and punched her daughter in the stomach hard. The younger Faunus girl coughed loudly in pain. “You are stubborn like your father. I’m sorry, Blake.” She removed her fist and turned around and continued to walk toward Zanku.Ilia ran to where Blake was and picked her up. All her crush could do was weakly look at her mother going to fight. “Mom…”Zanku still kept smiling as he enjoyed the little spat he saw. “Nothing like a little family drama before a fight, right?”Kali stared at the headhunter seriously as she approached him. “Now that I have closer look at you, I can now see why Leone had to kill people like you.”Zanku chuckled at her words. “Oh? And do you think you can kill me?”The older Faunus woman stopped walking. Her mind flashed back to when she accidentally shot that White Fang member. Kali could never forget what she’d done. It was something she had to live with for the rest of her life. The older Faunus woman had already accepted that fact. However, she wouldn’t let it hold her back for the rest of her life. “I don’t need to kill you. I just need to stop you.”It was a good enough answer for Zanku either way. Just as long as his new opponent would give him the entrainment he needed. “Then let’s see you try!” He charged straight at Kali. Insert Fairy Tail OST: Setting Sun’s Great Melee Zanku neared Kali and threw his right arm at the older Faunus woman. Kali kept her calm expression and immediately moved her left arm to deflect the incoming attack. At the same time, she pulled her right arm back and instantly struck him in the chest with her palm. She quickly withdrew her palm and turned her body left. Kali then delivered a high kick straight at the underside of the executioner’s chin. Zanku grunted as he took a few steps back. He stopped and growled at what happened. The headhunter ran back toward Kali and threw his left arm this time.Kali responded by sidestepping back to the left and grabbed the executioner’s arm with her left hand. She then completed her turn and elbowed the right side of Zanku’s face. The older Faunus woman then made a full turn and delivered several quick hits across his chest. Kali finished by delivered an upward cycle kick to underneath his chin again before landing on the ground. Zanku took a few steps back again and growled in a frustrated fashion. He rushed back and attacked the older Faunus woman with a flurry of attacks. Kali responded by deflecting his attacks and matched his attacking speed. Zanku couldn’t understand how something like this was happening. “What the hell is going on?! I should be able to read this woman’s thoughts before she does them!”During one of his attacking, Kali managed to deflect one of them once again and landed a right palm strike underneath his chin yet again. She withdrew her palm and turned her body left. While doing so, the older Faunus woman jumped and delivered a flying left kick to the front of her enemy’s face. The kick sent Zanku flying and landed on the ground via his back. While this was going on, Blake couldn’t believe her eyes. She had no idea her mother could fight like that. Neither did Ilia. “Blake, your mother is…incredible.”Zanku managed to stand up again and didn't look too happy. The only way he couldn't read her thoughts was because her mind was clear. Just as Akame tried to do back during their fight. “You’re not used to fighting someone experienced, are you?” Kali gave the executioner a neutral expression. “Your Imperial Arms allows you to read your opponent’s mind, correct? I’m sure that would be advantageous to you. However, with my fighting style, I don’t need to think about my next move. It comes naturally to me as breathing air.”That explained it to Zanku. There was no use in reading her mind if her body acted as if it were independent. So, that left him with plan B. “Is that so? I guess it’s time for a switch of tactics then.” Spectator flashed for a second and Kali prepared herself for the second round. The headhunter charged at the older Faunus woman yet again. She anticipated how her opponent would attack. Would it be the right again or the left? Kali saw Zanku throw his right arm forward again and raised her left arm to deflect the attack. To her surprise, Zanku’s attack went inward more than she thought and instead knocked her arm away. Kali gasped in surprise at the move and saw Zanku attack with his left am now. The older Faunus woman sidestepped to the left in order to avoid the attack. It did, but Zanku chuckled as he swung his left arm across at his opponent. Kali jumped back to dodge the next attack, but the executioner’s weapon managed to cut her just below her chest. Zanku kept up the pace and continued to attack Kali at a blinding speed. The older Faunus woman had no other choice but to defend herself. She tried to her best to deflect Zanku’s attacks, but he was the one who countered them instead. During the flurry of the attacks, the headhunter managed to cut her around her arms and sides for a few times. It ultimately led to her crossing her arms as a last resort of defense. This was what Zanku wanted to see. “What’s wrong!? You were so confident before!” He swung his right arm upward to break Kali’s defense apart. He used this break to deliver a strong knee kick to her solar plexus. Kali gasped loudly in pain before Zanku clasped his hands together and struck a blow behind her neck. The initial blow caused the older Faunus woman to crash down on the ground heavily. The executioner then lifted his right leg in an attempt to stomp on her.Kali grunted as she gathered what strength she had left and rolled to the left. The stomp missed her, and the older Faunus woman propped herself up with her left arm. She attempted to perform a side kick to his right side, but Zanku caught it easily. Kali gasped in shock as Zanku lifted her overhead and slammed her face first into the ground. He lifted her again by her leg and spun around to toss her away. Kali tumbled across the ground before coming to a stop. The older Faunus woman was breathing heavily as she stood up and glared at her enemy. While it was almost traumatizing to see her mother being beaten violently, Blake couldn’t help but notice something didn’t seem right. “Why did he toss mom away? I know he’s supposed to be some crazed killer, but I’m noticing he’s had missed opportunities. Why a knee kick and not when he could’ve stabbed her right there? No. Now that I think about it, I noticed he’s been doing this for a while even against Ilia and me. He’s had ample opportunities to cause serious injuries, and yet he didn’t go for it. Even this injury I got from him doesn’t seem as bad as it looks. Is he really trying to kill us or is he...” Zanku cackled at the sight of his opponent. “As long as I have Spectator’s Precognition, I can see what your next moves will be! This fight will end up with you being cut up, bloodied, and on the ground!”The older Faunus woman wiped the right corner of her mouth. She closed her eyes and stretched her neck a few times. A few bones could even be heard popping. Kali moved her body and stretched every part “It has been a while since I’ve fought this long.” The older Faunus woman opened her eyes. “Tell me, is it true you can now see what move I can make next, right? As long as you can see it, correct?”The headhunter chuckled crazily at the question. “That’s correct. Any move you’ll make, I’ll see it before it happens.”That was all Kali needed to hear. “Then I guess I’ll have to move faster than you can see.” She leaned in forward toward Zanku and took aim. The executioner didn’t need Clearsight to see she was going for a direct attack. He could counter the attack easily. Kali narrowed her eyes at her opponent. She dug her heels a little deeper into the ground before disappearing. The next thing Zanku knew, Kali reappeared in front of him and she struck him in his solar plexus with her right elbow hard. Zanku yelled out in pain before looking down at the older Faunus woman and raised his right arm. He swung it down, but Kali vanished before the attack could hit her. She appeared behind and kicked his back away from her. Zanku crashed on the ground and slid across it for a few seconds. The headhunter stopped and quickly stood up as he turned around. He was obviously not happy with this sudden unexpected development. “How the hell are you moving that fast!?”Kali narrowed her eyes at her enemy. “It’s as I’ve said before; it’s been a while since I’ve had to fight like this. I’m surprised myself I can still move like that. I suppose it’s enough to outmaneuver your weapon.”The executioner growled angrily as he saw Kali lean in forward again. He knew that it was his only chance of stopping her. “I don’t think so!” Spectator flashed brightly and it blinded Kali for a second. The older Faunus woman closed her eyes and then opened them. What Kali saw was darkness and saw one person standing in front of her. She gasped at who it was. “It’s…you…” Kali saw the one person she hasn’t seen a very long time. Her friend, Leona. It almost felt surreal she was seeing her old friend again and her appearance hasn’t changed since that fateful night. The older Faunus woman almost hesitated to move until she closed her eyes again. “I’m sorry.” Kali reopened her eyes and dashed over to where her friend was. She threw her right arm forward and struck her own friend. The darkness surrounding her vanished and Leona was replaced by Zanku who was struck in the solar plexus again. He groaned in pain as the headhunter hunched over. Kali withdrew her fist and stepped back to perform and jumped forward and flipped. The older Faunus woman landed behind him while Zanku took a few steps forward as he clutched his stomach. Zanku breathed heavily in pain as he turned around to face his opponent. “How…did you…”Kali turned around as well to face the headhunter. “It’s true that person was precious to me. Leona was my best friend. However, I’ve already made peace of her passing. An illusion is just an illusion. It cannot replace the real thing.” She lifted her right arm to present she held Zanku's Imperial Arms in her hand. Zanku gasped as he realized what happened. She must've taken it off while she jumped over her head. Kali dropped Spectator and leaned in once again and dashed forward. She stopped just in front of Zanku and delivered a powerful upward kick with her right leg to him. He was launched high into the air and Kali jumped a second after him. She passed him by and raised her left arm. Kali swung arm down and struck Zanku on his back straight back down to the ground. While still in the air, Kali pointed her body downward and crossed her arms in front. The older Faunus woman began to descend and aimed at Zanku. Her attack ultimately struck his neck powerfully. Zanku choked out in pain and was unable to scream. Kali removed herself from her enemy and stood next to him. She examined her enemy closely and saw no sign of consciousness. He was completely done for.Kali let out a sigh of relief as this fight was now over. “Mom!” The Faunus woman turned around to see Blake running up to her and hugged her. She smiled gently as she rubbed her daughter’s head. Blake held her mother close to her as if she didn’t want to let her go. She looked up at her mother. “Mom, I was so…I mean you were…” Blake recollected herself and calmed down. She returned her mother’s gentle smile. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”Her mother giggled softly at the younger Faunus girl. “Of course, I am. You should know better than to doubt me. Also, I’m…sorry for hitting you.” Blake let go of her mother and took a few steps back while still smiling.Meanwhile, Ilia was still in awe at what she saw. Kali’s speed and skill were almost anything else she’s seen. Second to what Leone could do. She wondered if she was the one Blake inherited her skills from. “Blake’s mother is something else. I never knew she could fight like that. I’m curious as to who’d win between her and Sienna.” All three Faunus girls then heard a strange sound and looked at Zanku’s body. They saw it becoming a deep red and his body dissipated into several strands of dark red energy. The strands traveled back into the building Leone and the others were in. More specifically, back to Akame. Blake was wondering about this for a while but seeing it now confirmed her thoughts. “So, that’s what happens when they’re defeated. We may have a chance after all.” While Kali was glad their opponent was gone, she couldn’t help but worry about the person who summoned all those beings in the first place. “Leone, I hope you’ll be okay.” B Insert Fairy Tail OST: Sabertooth Sienna yelled as she swung her weapon against Adam’s. Neither of them let up and pushed against each other. The tigress pushed the bottom edge of her weapon upward to break their stalemate. She then turned around kicked the current high leader away with her left leg. Sienna’s next move was her kneeling down and she placed her right hand on the ground. The tigress unleashed a stream of electricity heading right toward Adam. The current White Fang leader didn’t have time to react and was struck by the lightning attack. He screamed out in pain while feeling multiple volts of electricity running through his body. The electric attack subsided, and Adam groaned groggily before feeling a sudden stabbing pain in his left shoulder. He screamed again and fell backward to the ground. Adam looked and saw Sienna’s weapons embedded into his shoulder. The current high leader felt another current of electricity going through the weapon and into his body again. Adam continued to scream in pain while writhing on the ground. The electricity became narrower and concentrated on Oerba Fang. The weapon was pulled out of Adam and returned to Sienna’s hand.The current leader breathed heavily out of relief and began to stand up. He was beyond furious of how this was going for him. “Why must you and everyone get in my way!? This is the only way for our race to dominate the humans!”Sienna huffed at his words. “And you plan to do that by sacrificing those who fought alongside you?!”Adam saw no flaws in his recent decision. “Their deaths would’ve contributed to our cause!”“You mean your cause!” Sienna barked back at the new High Leader. “Sacrificing your comrades, using them to only further this crusade of yours, that’s not what the White Fang is. It’s not who we are!”Adam gritted his teeth hard and charged straight at Sienna. He swung his sword at her once he was close enough. The tigress swung her own weapon to block the attack and the two were locked in both attacking each other and defending from one another’s attacks. “It’s the only way!” Adam shouted in response. “Great causes are not without making sacrifices!”Sienna thought that way of thinking was ludicrous. “Your cause is anything but great! You care nothing but your own selfish goals!” After the next block, the former leader separated into its three-part pole form and handled the ends with her hands. She became more fluid with her attacks. “Face the truth, Adam! The reason you’re doing this is not that for our race, it's for you and only you!" She made right forward thrust and Adam responded by blocking it. The attack was enough to push him back away from the tigress. "I remember you saying the reason why the White Fang wears those masks, it’s to make the humans perceive us as the monsters we really are. Well, you were partially right about it because you certainly are a monster. However, you are wrong thinking that any of us are the same as you. Not after what you tried to do. Only a monster would try to murder one of their own. Only a monster would think less of those around them. Only you would commit such acts as this.”Adam scowled at the former leader and her words. “And what about you, Sienna? Your hands are stained with blood. Do you think by doing this, you’ll wash off it all off by saving this insignificant school?!”Sienna was already aware of such a fact for quite some time. She only had one answer for Adam’s statement. “You’re right. My hands are stained deep in blood. I can never take back what I’ve done in past. However, it’s not too late for me to repent for my actions. In fact, stopping you and saving Haven is just the first step in getting my hands wet.” She stared at Adam with determination in her eyes. “As for you, there is no going back and there are only two places for you to go. They're either prison or hell and I honestly can't decide which you'll fit in better."The current leader growled deeply at the former. “Not if I take you down with me!” Adam charged right back at Sienna and this time, he serpentined his movements.Sienna kept a close eye of what Adam’s next move would be. As soon as he came near her, the current leader disappeared from the tigress’ sight. Sienna was confused as to what happened, but she quickly realized what he was planning. She had electricity envelop her body and felt something attack from behind. Sienna heard a scream and turned around to see Adam taking a few steps back. It was exactly like she thought he would do. The tigress took this opportunity and crossed her arms while charging her weapons. Sienna lunged forward and uncrossed her arms and stopped just behind him leaning forward. Her blades created an X-slash injury on his chest and blood spurted out of the wound. Adam screamed again as he was in absolute pain from both the shock and the injury. He stumbled a step forward while clutching his wound with his right hand tightly and then fell to one knee. Sienna made extra sure he’d feel the pain excruciatingly. The tigress stood up and turned around to see her work. “Attacking from behind me. You’re not only a monster but a coward as well.”Adam gave no response as he continued to breathe heavily. Sienna pointed the right blade at the current leader and aimed at the back of his neck. It was time for her to put an end to this. An end to the worst mistake of her life. The former leader took a step forward and thrust straight at Adam’s neck. There loud squelching sound and Sienna coughed out blood. She grunted and looked down to see that Adam managed to stab her with his sword. Just before Sienna could stab Adam, he was able to move his body to the left and then turn around to thrust his sword through Sienna’s midsection. The tigress knew she wasn’t going to go down that easy and gritted her teeth hard. She glared angrily at Adam and stabbed him back through the chest with her left blade being electrically charged. Adam coughed out blood and more blood poured out of his injury. To make extra measures, Sienna jammed her blade further into the current White Fang leader. More blood came out of Adam’s mouth and was breathing raggedly now. Sienna made sure he’d looked into her eyes. Even if it would cost her life, Sienna was determined to bring Adam down. It was as he said before; if she was going down, she was bringing Adam along with her. “Your vision…is not what’s best for our race. We will…achieve the dream. Ghira’s dream, our dream of…having Faunus and humans…standing as equals. This is…exactly what you deserve. For everything…you’ve done.” Adam didn’t give a response as he thought back to the words Sienna told him. He remembered saying something similar before departing for Mistral. It couldn’t end this way for him. He worked too hard for it all to end here of all places. Sienna chuckled weakly as he smiled at Adam. “I’ll see you in hell, you bastard.” She pulled out her blade and Adam began to fall back along with his sword. Insert Akame Ga Kill OST 40: Shinrai In Adam’s eyes, time seemed to slow down for him. Memories of his life began to play back in front of him. “It’s not fair. It’s not fair! Why are they treating me like this? Because I’m different? Because I’m a Faunus?” His memory led to him to when he first met Blake when they were children. “Hey, what’s your name?” “It’s…It’s Blake.” “Blake. That’s a nice name.” He remembered the first time he was introduced to the White Fang. “What’s the White Fang?” “It’s a big group my dad made. It’s about Faunus making their voices being heard. Or something like that. I’d think you’d like it.” And Blake was right. Adam did like being in the White Fang. For the first time in his life, he felt like he truly belonged somewhere. That is until his viewpoints began to change for the worse. Blake first saw it when she saw the mask he was wearing. “Adam, why are you wearing that mask?” “It’s simple, Blake. If the humans want to see us as monsters, then maybe we’ll show them just that. It may even teach them to know better than to underestimate us.” Soon, most of the White Fang followed Adam’s new idea. However, Ghira wasn’t in favor of Adam’s new way. Adam could say the same of how his leader was running the White Fang. “The humans aren’t going to change their minds about us. If anything, we have to force them to make them see what we’re truly capable of!” Ghira understood what Adam was saying, but he wasn’t fully onboard with the idea. “It’s true it’s been difficult, but given enough time-”Adam slammed his hands on Ghira’s desk. “Time!? While we’re wasting time, more of our kind are being ridiculed, beaten, murdered while you just sit behind and do nothing!” His leader from before narrowed his eyes at him. “Murdered. Just like you’ve done from before?”Adam became silent for a few moments before answering. “You know I had no control over what happened there. Events like that will happen occasionally. Honestly, do you think you would’ve lived with yourself if one of our own was killed? Again?” This time, Ghira remained silent as he continued to stare at Adam. It seemed he got his point across and left the leader’s room. Not long after, Blake approached him from behind. “Adam…” The other Faunus turned around to face her. “Why were you yelling at my dad?”Adam’s response was just smiling at her. “It’s nothing, Blake. Don’t worry about it.” It wasn’t long after that when Ghira stepped down as leader and he and his wife left the White Fang. Thankfully, Blake stayed behind and by his side. Little did he know; Adam’s troubles were only beginning. And it started with Blake leaving him. Adam took it hard and didn’t understand why she’d do such a thing. “Blake. Why did you leave of all people? I thought you were different, but you’re just like your parents.”Finally, Adam remembered what happened before he departed to Haven. Several of his followers entered the main chamber running toward Adam sitting in his throne. “High Leader!” They all stopped just before him. “We received a message from Hazel. The raid on Haven’s gonna be more complicated than we thought.” Their leader didn’t think that would be a problem in the slightest. “Don’t worry. Nothing will stop us now.” Adam stood up from his throne and smiled confidently. “It’s time I got what I deserved.” Before Adam knew it, he was lying on the ground and was staring at the moon. His sword already dislodged from his hand. Adam’s breathing became weak and he himself was feeling weaker with every passing second. His one thought was “how did everything go so wrong”? He had everything. The position of High Leader, the devotion of his followers, more power than he could’ve wished for. So, what went wrong for him? Why didn’t things work out the way he wanted them to be? Adam then remembered seeing Seryu, Seryu of all people being with that group who got the drop on him and his group. He finally found out that she must’ve told him his plans. It was the only way this could’ve happened. Adam even remembered what he said about her. “It doesn’t matter where you go now, Seryu. There’s nobody else for you out there.” And yet, he saw her fighting alongside humans. Stopping him and his plans. How did someone who hated humans her whole life now fought with them? Whatever the case, it seemed like her getting away has now come full circle to him. The same could be said for Sienna. A person he deemed too weak to lead and had planned to kill. In an ironic twist of fate, she was the one who dealt the final blow to him. As Adam stared at the moon, there was one last fleeting thought in his mind. Out of all the memories of his life, he remembered Blake the most. Adam remembered everything about her and now he’d never see her again. That’s what probably pained him the most. He kept the image of Blake smiling for as long as he could. Adam weakly held his right arm up to try to reach the image. However, no matter how much he reached for it, it would never be within his grasp. And it would forever be. “Blake…” Adam’s arm gave out and dropped back to the ground. Blake gasped as she felt something strange going through her body. She couldn’t place it, but the Faunus girl sensed something had happened. For some reason, she thought of Adam.Sienna took a long look at Adam and saw he wasn’t moving anymore. She’d finally done it. She’d finally killed Adam. The tigress wished to revel in this victory, but she felt weak herself. Sienna dropped her weapon and fell forward to the ground. Adam managed to get a good hit in her and struggled to keep her eyes open. For some reason, she thought back to when Ghira first presented the White Fang. She remembered when he first waved the flag in front of everyone. “From this day forward, we shall be known as the White Fang! We will make our voices be heard and see to that all Faunus deserve to stand as equals to the humans!” Everyone, including Sienna, cheered at his declaration.The tigress still believed strongly in that dream. She only hoped she helped in any way or form to make that dream closer to a reality. “Did I…do good, Ghira? Was I…able to help you…to bring you closer to your dream?”Her memory then shifted to when Ghira wanted to meet with her before his leaving. “Ghira, why are you and Kali leaving? The White Fang needs you to lead it!” “I’m sorry, Sienna. I’ve seen how restless and impatient the other members have become regarding my actions. I hate to admit it, but Adam was right about me. I…react too slowly when needed and it has cost some of the lives of others. I can’t lead the White Fang as it is now. As I step down, a new leader will take my place.” “Who are you going appoint as the new leader? Adam?” She saw Ghira shake his head. “I have decided it will be you, Sienna.” Sienna also remembered the last words her leader spoke to her before he left. “I ask of one more favor of you. Please, look after Blake.” And Sienna did just that. She’d paid more attention to Blake closely than others. She was a member that would make her parents proud but could also see the doubt in her eyes each time she saw her. It became evident when she learned of her leaving and Adam didn’t take it too well. Sienna was glad to see her, and her parents again after when Adam tried to kill her. And now, it felt like Sienna would never see them again or the future Ghira worked so hard to achieve. “I hate to admit it, but I don’t want to die. I want to see that future you talked about so much. With you, Ghira, with Kali, with Blake, with everyone. I’m sure it would be…a wonderful sight…to behold.” Sienna slowly closed her eyes and finally seemed to be at peace. End OST The fighting back at the building was still ongoing, but several of them were leaning toward the enemy's favor. Weiss fell to her hands and knees while being severely fatigued. Her weapon dropped some time ago and her usual side ponytail became undone. Cassandra walked up to her easily and looked at her closely. “So, this is how the great Schnee heiress has been reduced to. Quite a pitiful sight.” She pulled back her right leg and kicked the former heiress powerfully at Weiss’ side. She cried out in pain and was sent back a few feet away from the maid.Ruby momentarily saw what happened to her teammate and became very worried. “Weiss!”She then felt her hair being pulled forcefully. “Distractions are another way to get yourself killed, kid!” Holimaca smashed Ruby’s face against his knee. He kept a tight hold on Ruby and pulled him up to his level. The young leader was in a perfect position for his next attack and he pulled his scythe back. Ruby saw it and knew if this next attack struck her, that was it. Fear and panic quickly swelled and immediately pointed Crescent Rose. She fired a shot and the momentum quickly separated from her opponent. Ruby thought she was safe and prepared her next attack, but she gasped in shock. In her moment of fear, the young leader pointed her weapon directly at Holimaca, and created a bloody sniper bullet sized hole in his body. It was a horrifying sight for Ruby to see. She didn’t think, just acted, and that action caused her to shoot her opponent. Despite that, all Holimaca did was smile at her while clutching his wound. “Not bad…kid…” He dropped to the floor while dropping his weapon. Ruby saw him motionless before his body turned into a deep red and dissipated into multiple dark red energy strands. They all returned to Akame.The young leader was still in a state of shock that she actually killed someone. Yes, that someone was a person resurrected by a semblance, but a person nonetheless. Her shock was snapped out due to hearing another cry from Weiss. Ruby turned to the direction and saw one of the maids continuing to kick the former heiress. Weiss struggled to even prop herself up. She looked up to see that frightfully joyous expression on the maid's face. It was obvious she was enjoying this sickly. Weiss hated to admit it, but she was vulnerable enough to be killed by this girl's hand. The only reason she kept her breathing was that the maid wanted to see her at her weakest moment for as long as possible. Cassandra was about to kick the former heiress again when she saw a giant scythe swinging down on her. For the second time, Weiss couldn’t have been happier seeing her leader again. “R-Ruby…”Cassandra was a little miffed that someone else came in to ruin her fun. However, she recognized who it was that’d done it. The maid was almost surprised she was able to defeat one of Akame’s manifestations. That would explain why she heard a gunshot seconds earlier. “I see. So, you’ve finally arrived, girl with the silver eyes. I wonder if Lady Salem will allow us to use you for our…personal pleasures.” She gave Ruby a seductive look and licked her lips.Ruby really didn’t want to know what she meant by that. All that mattered to her now was her teammate’s safety. “I won’t let you hurt Weiss anymore.”The maid chuckled at the young leader. “Is that so? Then let’s see if you’re worth the challenge.”“PULVERIZATION KING!” Cornelia charged at her opponent and threw her right fist at her. Her axes were knocked were knocked out of her hands earlier but could still fight her enemy hand-to-hand.Mez responded by doing the same action, except a black blob-shaped substance enveloped her fist. “Heavy Fist!” Both girls’ attacks collided with each other and a massive shockwave occurred. Mez’s attack easily overwhelmed Cornelia’s and blasted her away. Cornelia screamed and slid across the floor. Her breathing became ragged and struggled to prop herself. Mez was so far unimpressed by her opponent. “Is that all you got? Talk about pitiful.”Cornelia managed to stand up and still had a determined look in her eyes. “This fight isn’t over yet. Not while I’m still standing!”The maid took that saying as a challenge. “Is that so?” She held out her right arm and increased the gravity surrounding the other blonde. Cornelia instantly slammed to the ground and felt an intense amount of pressure coming down on her. She whined and cried out from all the pain being inflicted on her. “Can you stand up now!?” She increased the gravity and Cornelia screamed louder.Jaune and Syka were breathing heavily and had several injuries on their bodies. Even with aura protecting them, they were still being injured. Syka had a theory as to why. “Whatever her freaking semblance can do, it’s bypassing our aura. How the hell do you beat someone without hurting yourself? Not to mention she gets off hurting herself. It’s kinda creepy.”Shizuka giggled happily at the state of condition her opponent was in. "What’s wrong? Tired already? I haven’t even begun to start the fun yet.” She rolled up her sleeves and presented something shocking.The maid had scars all over her arms, likely from cutting them. Jaune almost couldn’t believe it what he was seeing. “She’s done that all to herself? If that’s right, then…does have them all over her body?” “They’re quite beautiful, aren’t they?” Shizuka spoke as she felt proud of her work. “They all tell quite a unique story. And yours will be added as well.”Leone grunted in pain as she slid across the floor. She fell to one knee and was panting tiredly. The Faunus looked and scowled at her enemy. It almost like déjà vu for her. Fighting an opponent that was stronger than her. It became clear she could not outpower her enemy. Not outpower, but Leone could try something else. This was the exact scenario she prepared for. The Faunus blonde closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Leone stood up and opened her eyes to reveal she’d not lost her determination. Gilberda smirked as she was happy her opponent was still raring to go. “You still want to fight me? You know you can’t beat me! I have your strength! I haven’t felt this powerful in my life!”That was the first thing Leone agreed upon. She put a different stance this time. “You may have my strength, but you don’t know how to use it!”The maid narrowed her eyes at her enemy. “We’ll just see about that, won’t we!” She charged head-on toward Leone. Gilberda threw her right fist forward. Just as the attack came close, Leone swiped her left arm to redirect the incoming attack to the same direction. The Faunus blonde continued the momentum and spun her body around. She completed the turn back by kicking the maid back with her right leg.Gilberda grunted as she flew back away from the Faunus blonde. She managed to land on her feet and clutched her stomach. The maid glared angrily at the other girl. “That was just a lucky shot!” She ran back at the Faunus blonde. Gilberda was a little faster this time and tried to throw an uppercut. Leone quickly took a step back and grabbed the maid’s arm. The Faunus lifted Gilberda up and threw her overhead. She then slammed the other blonde to the floor. Gilberda growled out of frustration. That was twice her opponent was able to outmaneuver her. Leone stared at the maid below her. “See? Just having brute strength isn’t enough.”Gilberda gritted her teeth and stood up to face the other girl. She still had an angry expression on her face. “Yeah? Then prove it!” The maid closed her left hand and threw a punch at the Faunus blonde. Leone sidestepped to the left and used her left palm to deflect the attack away from her. Once she did, the Faunus blonde struck the maid in the stomach with her left elbow. Gilberda coughed out loudly and stopped her momentarily. Leone removed her elbow and pulled back her right arm. The Faunus blonde yelled as she threw her right arm right toward the maid. She struck Gilberda in her midsection and left a powerful impact. The impact was strong enough to crack the floor underneath them and the maid coughed out blood. The blades on Leone’s weapon managed to penetrate through her body and the ends appeared on the other side. One blow was all Leone needed to end this fight. Gilberda struggled to breathe and looked directly at the Faunus blonde.Leone leaned in next to Gilberda’s left ear. “Get…out…of…MY…WAY!” She yelled as the Faunus blonde pushed forward and spun the maid’s body around. Once she finished the turn, Leone used her strength to throw Gilberda high in the air. It only took a second for Gilberda crash into the wall and left a crater as a result. That wasn’t all the maid left behind. A massive blood spatter accompanied the crater.All the other fights immediately stopped and turned to see what happened. Ruby and Weiss were horrified at the bloody sight. Neither of them has seen that much blood coming from outside the body before. It left a greater impact on Ruby the image burned into her memory. Syka and Jaune shared similar reactions. For Seryu, she saw but a glimpse of the strength Leone had presented. “She…killed that woman in just one blow.”The same with Nora and Ren. Mercury, Emerald, and Hazel never thought they’d see one of the maids killed. And so brutally at that. The ones who took this the most of all was Merraid and the other maids. They couldn’t take their eyes off what happened to one of their own. It was almost too horrible for them to grasp. Merraid’s breathing quickened to the point she was hyperventilating. “G…G…G…” Memories of Gilberda flashed through her mind from the first time they met as children to everything else they’ve gone through. One certain memory was seeing Gilberda carrying on her back through smoke and fire. She saw Gilberda beginning to separate from the wall. “GILBERDA!” Her maid crashed to the floor face down. Merraid quickly abandoned her fight against Qrow and so did the other maids. All of them arrived at where Gilberda's corpse was and Merraid dropped her knees. She was close to breaking down from seeing the horrid sight before her. "No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! You can't be dead! Gilberda, you can't be!"“She’s only the first!” Merraid stood up and she and the other maids turned to Leone. The Faunus blonde glared at Merraid and the maids. “You took Akame away from me! From us! It’s only fair I do the same to you! I have no problem putting the rest of you in the ground and sending you all to hell!”Merraid felt raging coursing through her body. Rage and hatred that grew stronger with each passing second. This person, this Faunus, this…murderer killed one of the most important people in her life. As of now, Merraid wanted nothing more than revenge. “How dare you. HOW DARE YOU KILL GILBERDA! WHAT YOU’VE DONE IS UNFORGIVABLE! UNFORGIVABLE!”Emerald was frightenedly impressed at seeing how her ally was acting. “I’ve never seen Merraid lose it like this before.” “UNFORGIVABLE! UNFORGIVABLE! UNFORGIVABLE! UNFORGIVABLE!” Merraid’s shadow darkened and expanded dramatically. Two giant shadow arms emerged and grabbed the railings. A large, thin body emerged, and it had a giant creature’s head that had pointed ears. It opened its gaping mouth and let out a terrifying roar.Leone didn’t know what to think of the shadow creature appearing before her. “What…in the hell is that?!” Qrow was worried about everyone now. Merraid’s emotions were definitely in control now. There was no telling what kind of damage she could do now. “This just got from bad to worse.” Merraid was about to attack Leone when a swirling deep red vortex surrounded Akame. Now all attention was redirected at her. At almost the same time, Ibara’s body became the same color and dissipated into strands that joined the vortex. The same thing happened outside of the building when Kurome and the others when their bodies became a deep red. They all became stands and traveled back inside the building. The other Kurome didn’t understand what happened but knew it couldn’t have been good. She another group of strands pass by and went to join the others. Kurome had a feeling who that one was. “It must be that Tatsumi guy Wave fought earlier. If that’s the case, then what happened to Wave?”All the strands gathered into the vortex and it constricted around Akame. It did so for a second before explosively expanded and struck everyone. Both enemy and ally were blown away by the blast and either slid across the floor or crashed to the wall. All except Leone who was pushed back but was still on her feet. She saw Akame finally open her eyes and stand up as she removed Murasame from the floor. Insert Fairy Tail OST: Celestial Spirit King Summoned Merraid momentarily forgot about her anger and laughed happily and crazily. She couldn’t think of no better way to kill the Faunus blonde. “YES, DO IT, AKAME! KILL THIS HEARTLESS, MURDEROUS FAUNUS BITCH YOU CALL YOUR EX! MAKE HER SUFFER, MAKE HER REGRET DEEPLY FOR WHAT SHE’S DONE TO GILBERDA! SLIT HER THROAT LIKE THE ANIMAL THAT SHE TRULY IS!”Akame responded by setting Murasame to the side and dark red energy swirled around it. Leone admitted she was afraid the other girl was willing to do this. “Akame…don’t…” Akame didn’t say a word and raised her Imperial Arms above her. She then swung Murasame down in front of her.Minutes before, Rienna wondered what happened to her enemy. One second, she was fighting him and in the next, he just burst into strands. She was very confused at the moment. “What happened to that gu-”Everyone outside heard an explosion and turned to the entrance of the building. They saw a blast of dark red energy blow apart the entrance wider and saw Leone flying out screaming. The Faunus blonde crashed to the ground and groaned in pain. After the blast, they all saw Akame walking down the steps slowly with strands of her semblance swirling around her. Ilia gulped loudly as she had only sense such danger coming from Leone. “Blake…who is that girl?”Blake felt just as terrified the first time she saw Akame like this back at the Vytal Festival. In fact, it was even more so. “That’s…Akame. She’s from the same world as Leone.”Kali was both astounded and frightened by the sight of Akame in front of her. “So, that’s Akame. She’s the girl Leone wanted to reunite with. I’ve…never seen anything like her before.”Merraid continued to laugh as she knew her lover would easily handle her ex. “Do it, my love. It is the only solstice Gilberda can have now.” She heard groans all around the room and saw everyone stir. Merraid giggled as they were starting to come to. “Glad all of you can rejoin us.”Mercury groaned as he rubbed the back of his head. He growled and glared at the older woman. “What the hell was that for you crazy bitch!? We’re on your side!”Merraid narrowed her eyes disapprovingly at him and scoffed. “Silence, insect.” She waved her right arm and her shadow beast mimicked her movement. Mercury was struck by the beast’s hand and was slammed into the wall. The hand removed itself and Mercury groaned again as he slid down to the floor.Ruby and the others couldn’t believe Merraid attacked one of their own. This whole thing was devolving fast, and Hazel could see it. “Merraid’s quickly losing control of herself. If Cinder isn’t back with the relic soon, the situation will continue to grow worse. For all of us.”“Merraid, hold on!” Everyone’s attention turned to Emerald who was now standing up. She had her hands up in an attempt to show no harm. "Listen, I know you're pissed at what happened to Gilberda. You have every right to be. But remember what we came here for. The last thing we need right now is you flying off the rails. When Cinder comes back with the relic, it’ll be all over, and you can mourn over your loss when we get back. Okay?” Emerald really hoped that this worked. She knew Merraid always had a soft for her and hoped she could listen to reason.Merraid stared at the thief for a couple seconds longer before closing her eyes and sighing deeply. “I suppose you’re right.” She opened her eyes and turned to her shadow beast. Her beast growled deeply before turning to the deceased maid. It laid its right hand on top of the maid and began to recede into Merraid’s shadow, along with Gilberda’s body. It completely disappeared and returned to Merraid’s shadow. She turned her attention to everyone in the room. “I did act…undignified for a moment. I will make sure it will not happen again. With that being said, dear Emerald is right. We are here for the Relic of Knowledge, and we will not let anyone stop us. Shizuka, Cassandra, Mez.” Her maids stood next to her at both sides. "Do whatever it takes to keep these people preoccupied until Cinder returns with the relic. Kill them if you must. In fact, I encourage it to the animals. As for the silver-eyed girl, bring her back as a present for Lady Salem. I’m sure she won’t mind if the present is a little damage, though.”All three maids slightly bowed at their mistress’ commands. “As you wish, Madam Mera.” They all spoke at the same time. The maids straightened up and jumped toward different directions.As soon as they left, Merraid turned her attention to Qrow. “Let’s pick up where we left off, shall we?” She jumped on the railing and then jumped right toward the Huntsmen.Cassandra went back to the Whiterose duo. She did have unfinished business with them after all. Weiss saw that Myrtenaster was near her and grabbed it. Both girls stood up and readied themselves for the second round. Ruby spun Crescent Rose around and pointed it at Cassandra. “Can you still fight, Weiss?”The former heiress pointed her weapon at the maid as well. “Of course, I can.”Shizuka thought it was time for a change and headed toward Ren and Nora. The maid landed in front of Ren and immediately delivered a roundhouse kick to him. He was sent away from them, and Nora reacted by swinging her hammer at the older woman. Shizuka quickly turned around and used her left hand to redirect the attack down to the floor. The maid jumped and kicked Nora at the side of her head. Jaune became instantly worried about his teammates. “Guys!”Syka took a quick look over at Seryu who was charging at Mercury while he was still down. She turned her attention back to Jaune. “Go and help out your friends. I got something else to take care of.” Jaune turned to her and nodded. He looked away and ran over to where his teammates were. It was time for Syka to get going as well.Mercury groaned as he started to come to. “I really hate that woman.” His eyes finally focused on a fist coming right at him. He quickly avoided the attack by moving to the left and Seryu’s fist struck the wall. Mercury stood up and leaped to kick at her with his right leg.Seryu saw the attack coming and was about to do something when Syka came in between her and the attack. Syka caught the kick and immediately realized the leg was a replacement like Seryu’s arms. The scorpion girl quickly applied her semblance on the leg and melted the clothes and the metal. Mercury saw this and used his left leg to kick upward. The kick dislodged Syka's hand from his other leg and performed and did a backflip. He managed to land on the floor and looked at his leg. His pants were definitely melted and so was almost a quarter of his leg was missing. He looked back at the two Faunus girls and saw Syka smiling at him. “What do you think, Seryu? Azure Angel and Black Widow?”Seryu seemed to like the idea. “Why not? He can be the crime boss Alpone.”It wasn't a bad suggestion, but Syka didn't think it'd fit. "Nah, he's looks too much like a lackey for someone high profile like him." Mercury had no idea what they were talking about.Mez reunited with Emerald and turned to her. “Thank you for what you did.”Emerald was actually grateful for the maid’s thankfulness. It’d probably be the first time none of them hit on her. “Hey!” Both girls turned to Chelsea who was walking up to them. “We’re not done yet!” The thief wasn’t happy seeing her opponent again. There was one thing that was bothering her about Chelsea. “How the hell does she know where I am? There’s no way she can get it right on the first guess.” “Chelsea!” They saw Cornelia joining the fray now and she had her weapons back. As soon as the blonde arrived, she had to tell Chelsea something important about their other enemy. “Be careful with the maid. Her semblance is altering gravity.”Hearing that was good information for Chelsea to hear. “Is that so? I guess we’ll have to work our way around it then.” Outside the building, Leone was finally able to stand up and looked straight at Akame. She had to find some way to get through to her. She refused to believe, admit that Akame willingly joined the enemy’s side. “Come on, Akame! It’s me and you know it! This isn’t like you! This isn’t you! You have to be brainwashed, hypnotized, being forced to do this, or something!” Leone was close to shedding tears. However, it seemed her words fell on deaf ears as she didn’t see any kind of response from the other girl.“Akame!” Leone saw Kurome, Taeko, and Rienna arriving and surrounded their former leader. They all had their weapons pointed at Akame. Kurome was still frustrated at what her older sister was doing. If she did become their enemy, if she truly is their enemy, then Kurome and the others had no other choice then to treat Akame like an enemy. If they all attacked together, then maybe they had a chance to bring their former leader down. And Kurome had to make sure of something else. “AMPLIFY TIMES FIVE!” A powerful pulse erupted from her and she was ready.Her activation prompted Taeko and Rienna to attack first. The wind surrounded Taeko’s sword and she pulled backed. “Sakura Style: Scattering Bloom!” She swung her sword horizontally and multiple wind blades appeared that were headed toward Akame.Almost at the same time, Rienna pulled back her arms and flames ignited from her gauntlets. “Flaming Spiral!” She threw her arms around and sent twin fire spirals at her former leader.As the two attacks neared Akame, Kurome vanished and then reappeared in front of her sister. Her weapon was drawn back and prepared herself for the attack. Kurome swung her weapon and it almost reached Akame the same as the other attacks. In one still moment, Akame’s flashed a bright red and let loose a powerful burst of dark red energy. Kurome was struck full frontal burst and it scattered all around canceling the other attacks. The burst quickly reached Taeko, Rienna and Leone Kurome was blasted away from her sister and immediately knocked unconscious. The same result happened to Taeko and Rienna. Only Leone was still standing after the burst and saw her teammates on the ground. The Faunus blonde had to take a second look to see if they were okay. Thankfully, she saw Kurome breathing, but faintly. At least she was still alive and if she was then everyone else was too. However, that was the only bit of good news as it was just her and Akame now. She saw Akame take up usual stance and pointed Murasame at her. Of all the things Leone didn’t want to be on the side of, being targeted by Akame’s Imperial Arms was at the top of the list. “Akame…don’t…please…”It seemed Akame ignored her words and dashed right toward Leone. The other girl’s first instinct was to put up her right arm and the guard deflected the attack. She knew all too well what would happen if Murasame ever cut her. Akame regained control and swung her weapon at the Faunus blonde yet again. Leone jumped back to avoid the attack, but she knew Akame would keep attacking her. Akame took another step forward and swung Murasame again. Leone blocked the attack again with her guard, but Akame kept with the barrage of attacks and Leone kept blocking them. The Faunus kept a close watch of Akame’s attacks and when Akame swung her sword again, Leone managed to catch it in-between her weapon's claws. She used the opportunity to bring the weapon up and left Akame open. If she could separate Akame from Murasame, her chances of survival would be better. However, as soon as Leone hoisted the other girl’s weapon high, Akame let go of Murasame. She spun around to deliver a strong kick right at the Faunus blonde’s stomach. Leone was sent away and Akame caught Murasame’s handle. She pulled her arm back and dark red energy surrounded the blade. Akame swung her sword horizontally and a blade of her semblance came right out.All Leone could do was cross her arms and endure the attack. The attack struck the Faunus blonde and enveloped her completely. Once the attack passed, Leone dropped to one knee and panted heavily. She shivered at what she felt from the attack. Leone had to get through the girl she loved. She needed break Akame free of whatever control Merraid had on her. “What would the others say if they saw you right now? Najenda, Sheele, Bulat, Chelsea, Su, Lubb, Mine?! Do they mean nothing to you now!? What we did, what we had to sacrifice? What we had! Has it all become meaningless to you!?”For a second, Leone thought she saw a reaction from Akame. If there was, it was very brief and the other returned to her original state. She set Murasame to the side and her semblance erupted around her Imperial Arms. That wasn’t the response Leone wanted to see. She didn’t want to admit it, but it truly seemed like the Akame she knew was gone. From this point on, there was only one way for Leone to stop Akame. “Damn it, Akame. Are you really going to make me do this? Are you really going to make me…kill you?” The thought of it alone made Leone sick to her stomach. Kill the one person who had shared as much as experience as her? Through everything they had gone through, pain and loss alike? No matter how much the Faunus blonde hated it, it seemed to be the only way for her to end this fight. Leone had to cast away all personal feelings and treat Akame like an enemy. As tears were flowing out of her eyes now, they were narrowed toward her former lover. “DAMN…YOU!” The Faunus blonde roared as she charged right at Akame and swung her claw gauntlet. Akame responded swinging Murasame at the same time.Their weapons clashed against each other and the ground underneath them cracked underneath. Leone pushed forward and pushed the other girl back. “Is this my fault!?!” She chased after Akame and continued to attack her. “Because I couldn’t make it back to you? Is this why you joined that bitch!? Joined Salem!? After everything that’s happened to us!?” Akame was put on the defensive and had to use all her strength to endure Leone’s attacks. “What about all that talk about wanting to start over!? Have you given that up as well!?” She swiped Murasame away to the side and delivered a left punch to Akame’s stomach. Akame gasped out in pain and was blown further away from the Faunus blonde. Akame tumbled across the ground and managed to stand back up. She panted heavily while clutching her stomach. Akame had to focus her aura on the area Leone was punching at and if she took one more blow, her aura would be no more.Leone pulled her arm back and glared at her ex-girlfriend. “Let me tell where I’ve been and what I found out. After that crash, I somehow ended up in Menagerie, an island populated by Faunus. It was there I met up with Yang, Blake, and a part of the White Fang. It’s also where I met Ghira and Kali, Blake’s parents. And…it’s where I found out who I really am. I’m originally from this world, Akame. My mother made a wish and she went over to the Capital with me in her. This world, Remnant, is my home. I wanted to tell you this when I got to see you again. It just sucks I had to tell you this way. I’ll defend my home from whoever wants to bring harm to it, no matter who brings it. Even if it’s you. I hate it that it’s come to this between us, but it seems you’ve already made your choice. My only regret is that I hate that you’re making me do this to you. It’s over. Between us and this whole thing.”Leone dashed head-on toward Akame and went for the inevitable kill. As she came closer, memories of her and Akame flooded her mind. How they first met, everything they’ve been through, their drunken romp, every night they spent together, when they went their separate ways, their reunion, and everything that happened in Remnant up until now. In one small part in her heart, Leone didn’t want to kill Akame, but she had to. The tears were almost blinding to her but kept targeting Akame. As the Faunus blonde finally near Akame, she saw something that made her slow down for just a second. Leone saw tears coming out of Akame’s eyes. “She’s…crying?” Leone became almost distracted when she saw Akame starting to swing Murasame at her. The other girl immediately stopped and forcibly jumped back. She almost ran into the blade’s path and managed to avoid it in time. That is until she felt something off in her left hand. Leone turned her left hand toward her and gasped in horror. There was a slight cut in the center of her palm. Her memory came flooding back and recalled just as she jumped back, her left arm flailed forward before it could follow her body. Akame’s Imperial Arms must’ve managed to nick her palm before she could fully escape. It wasn’t a second later when Leone saw markings appear from the cut and started to quickly spread through her arm.Panic began to ensue and knew she only had seconds to live now. Leone screamed and constricted the muscles in her arm. The markings stopped just before the elbow and it brought a moment of relief. Leone managed to cut off the circulation in her arm, but the poison was still present. If she relaxed it for even a second, the poison would continue to spread until it reached her heart. The Faunus blonde almost found it funny since she talked about this exact scenario with Akame a long time ago. F Both girls were in the hot spring of their new base enjoying themselves. Leone thought it would be a good idea to get to know one of their newest members. “Hey, Akame?”Akame opened her eyes and looked at the older girl. “What is it?”This was a question the blonde wanted to ask her new teammate for a while now “You’re Imperial Arms is called the One-Hit Kill Sword, right? How’s that work anyway?”Akame saw no reason to explain how her Imperial Arms operated and decided to do so. “When Murasame cuts into my enemy’s skin, a poison quickly spreads from that point. It can reach the heart in a matter of seconds and when it does, the enemy dies.”Despite being in a hot spring, the older blonde shivered at the thought of that happening. “Wow, that’s not a good way to go. Humor me on this; is there any way to stop the poison?”The younger girl closed her eyes again and relaxed deeper in the spring. “Yes and no. There is no cure for the poison, but there is one way to stop it.”Hearing that caught Leone’s attention. “Oh, and what’s that?”Akame opened her eyes and stared at Leone. “In order to stop the poison…” F Leone raised her right arm and took aim at her other arm. Blake gasped as she knew what the other Faunus girl was about to do. She reached her right arm out toward Leone with fear in her eyes. “LEONE, NO!”Leone screamed again, and she swung her right arm down at her other arm. This was the only way she could be rid of the poison. “You have to sever the limb before the poison can spread further.” The Faunus blonde cut through above her elbow and the poisoned part of her arm went flying.The moment Ilia saw such an act is when her stomach became immediately upset and turned away to vomit. Kali didn’t blame the younger girl as she was horrified at seeing just a sight. She had never seen someone, her best friend’s daughter no less, do such a thing before. “Why…Why did she do that?”Blake was in the same state her mother was on. She understood why Leone did what she had to do. “She must’ve been cut by Murasame. Akame’s Imperial Arms has the power to kill anything in hit just so as long as it can cut through. When it does, a poison quickly spreads through the body and travels to the heart. When it does, that person is dead. Leone had to cut her arm off before the poison could spread further in. It was the only way.”Leone’s cut arm landed on the ground and blood began to drip from it. The same thing happened from the wound she created. It was the second time her arm had been cut off, but this time, she was the one who did it. The Faunus blonde grunted as she used the muscles to stop the bleeding. Leone’s breathing was deep and quick. All her focus right now was on Akame who looked to be devastated, but it barely registered to her. Her heart was thumping loud and hard and it was the only thing she could hear now. Leone's heart rate increased with each second until it physically harmed her. The Faunus groaned in pain as she grabbed the top of her chest and dropped to her knees. In conjunction with her pain, Leone felt her body was burning up as if it were on fire. These sensations were almost too much for her to handle. It was like something was threatening to burst out of her body. It all proved to be too much for her and Leone looked up as she screamed powerfully. A bright pillar of light erupted from her body and shot up into the sky. After the light appeared, it began to move, shift, and take form into something else entirely. Insert Honkai Impact Third OST: Befall The pillar of light took form of that a giant lion unlike any other standing in front of Akame. It seemed to be more ferocious, more feral, and it growled deeply at its target. Ilia, Blake, and Kali stood in absolute awe before the great beast. The lion roared thunderously at Akame and a golden pulse of light erupted from it. The roar and the pulse of light traveled quickly throughout Mistral. The first to be hit by the golden light were the ones fighting in the building. They all stopped momentarily and looked at the entrance from where the roar and the light came from. Qrow had no idea what kind of animal would cause an effect like this before. “What the hell is going on out there?” The roar and the light reached the Menagerie Army and they all on edge from the phenomenon. Ghira never felt such a sensation before going through his body. He turned to the direction where the roar had originated from. “That came from where Kali and Blake are.” For some reason, the Chieftain felt obligated to go to where the roar came from. Esren looked at the same direction and wondered what that roar was. “What kind of animal can make a roar like that?” He saw Ghira walk in the direction where the roar came and so did the other Faunus. Esren didn’t know if it was a good idea. “Hey! You’re just going to head to whatever made that roar!?”Ghira stopped and turned to the Huntsmen. “I have to make sure my wife, daughter, and Ilia are safe! If we do run into the beast that made that roar, we’ll take them and everyone back to safety!” It seemed to be like the best strategy at the moment.Esren wasn’t fully on board, but he understood the Chieftain’s motives. He was a husband and father worried about his family. If Esdeath was still there, he’d done the same thing. “Alright then, but don’t try to fight whatever it was that made that roar.” Ghira nodded and continued to head toward where the roar came from with the other Faunus.The golden light traveled outside of Mistral and traveled through the wilderness outside. Any Grimm heading toward there immediately stopped and hesitated to continue. This caught the attention of one of the soldiers looking at the borders of the city through his binoculars. “That’s weird.” He set his binoculars down. “The Grimm stopped moving. That’s never happened before. If they stopped moving, then…” He looked up at where Haven was. “There’s something a lot worse happening at Haven Academy. We have to deploy a full force there now!”As the light traveled further outward, a figure floating high above was witnessing the whole thing. “As the lands were blessed by the King’s roar, the dark armies halted their advance. It was as if they knew they could not challenge such a foe. The only one who is worth challenging the king…is the queen.” Back at Haven, the lion Danger Beast began to shrink and morph into something else. It took the shape of a young girl who had golden fur. It covered the lower half of her body, her breasts, and her arms. It was if the lion from before finally took its physical form. Blake knew who this girl was and couldn’t even fathom of what she was seeing. “Is that…Leone?” In all her life, she had never seen a Faunus will full animalistic traits. Lion ears, claws, a tail, and her eyes had slits in them. In truth, Blake was deeply afraid of what the other Faunus girl had become.Kali could say the same about her best friend’s daughter. Many questions went through her mind, but one was more prevalent than the rest. “Leona…what’s happened to your daughter?”The one affected the most by this was Akame. While tears continued to run down her cheeks, she had an expression of disbelief of what she was seeing. She saw Leone calmly walking toward her, almost elegantly. Before Akame knew it, Leone stood in front of her and placed her hand in front of Akame’s chest. All it took was a slight push and it blasted Akame away from her. In doing so, the scarf wrapped around Akame’s neck unwrapped and slowly fell to the ground. The other girl was sent back into the building and crashed on the floor.Merraid managed to push Qrow back before seeing her beloved lying on the ground. “AKAME!” She saw the younger girl stand up and saw that her aura had finally given out. Merraid was about to rush to her side when she saw something else enter the building. Her presence became known to everyone in the room.Syka didn’t know what to make of what she was seeing. It was as if there was something overwhelming coming from the other Faunus girl. If Leone was still considered a Faunus. “What the hell happened to Leone? There’s no way a Faunus can look like the way she does now.” She then put something together. “Wait, was she the one that made that roar from earlier? If that’s true, then what the hell is she then?”Leone’s presence made it clear she was an immediate threat. Shizuka immediately knew what she and the others had to do. “PROTECT LADY AKAME!” Cassandra, Mez, and Shizuka were quick to abandon their fights and surrounded Akame.They had no idea what their enemy could do now. They had no idea what their enemy was. Mez thought it’d be best to ask Cassandra. “Cassandra, you’re a Faunus. What the hell did she become?”In all honesty, the other maid had no answer. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen a Faunus look like this before.”The only response Chelsea could give was laughing nervously. She, the other members of Night Raid, RWBY, JNPR, Seryu, and Qrow didn't know what to make or think of what was happening. “Well, I don’t know anything about you guys, but I think this counts as all of you being screwed.”That was putting it lightly. Their trump card as down, they were put on the defensive, and Leone showed up looking like a full-on animal that looked like she could kill them all easily. Despite all of that, Emerald still held on to a slight glimmer of hope. “It’s not over yet! Cinder will come back, she’ll have the relic, and you’ll all lose! She won’t let us down.”As soon as she said that, they heard a loud hum and they turned their attention to it. The elevator Raven and Cinder used to go down was coming back up. However, the only person who made it back was Yang, and she was holding the relic. Upon coming up, Yang instantly saw Leone and already was confused by what she was seeing. “Leone?”Emerald couldn't believe her eyes. If Yang was holding the relic, then that meant the impossible had happened. Tears were already rolling out of her eyes and dropped her weapons. She fell to her hands and knees and continued to cry. Merraid growled in frustration at their situation but knew it wasn't finished yet. The relic was in sight and within reach. All she had to do was kill the girl who was holding it and then that would be the end. "Don't even think about it." Merraid heard a deep voice and turned to Leone. She saw the full Faunus blonde piercing through her body with her gaze. "If you ever so lay a finger on her…” Leone presented her left hand and razor-sharp claws extended from her fingertips. “Your head will be rolling across the floor before you can even make the first move. The same goes for all of you. Go ahead, give me an excuse.” Merraid had no other choice but to believe that. If she was strong enough to kill Gilberda in one hit, she couldn’t imagine how fast she could be.Mercury didn’t need to be told twice or know any better that they were all done for. They had to escape with their lives intact. He took a few steps back and so did Hazel. “Emerald, get up, we need to go.” Emerald was still in shock that Cinder was truly gone. She couldn’t accept the fact that Cinder was gone from her life. The thief raised her head and still had that expression of disbelief. Obviously, Mercury wasn’t having it with his teammate. “Emerald!”Emerald just looked around the room before placing her hands on her head. At this point, she became catatonic and screamed. The lights flickered a few times before the room went dark and a swirling dark mist rose from the floor. It converged into a monumental figure of white skin and a black robe. This figure roared at the entire group and most of them became frightened at it. Except for Leone who didn’t seem fazed by it. All her attention was on Akame and Akame looked back at her. Before the figure swept across the room, Leone just made out what the other girl had to say by mouthing her words. She gasped before everything went dark. End OST In the next second, the room lit back up and Akame and the others were nowhere to be seen. Ruby and the others were still reeling in what they saw. Seryu was the first to speak of what was on everyone’s mind. “What the hell was that?!”“An illusion.” Everyone turned Ozpin who was leaning on his cane. “But, an accurate one. That…was Salem.” Chelsea had a feeling and hated that she was right. “Great, so that’s who our true enemy is. If that’s the illusion, I’d hate to meet the real thing in person.”Despite her comment, Cornelia’s attention was on someone else. Leone was still in that strange state and was worried about her. “Leone…” She took a step closer carefully. The other blonde needed to be cautious since she didn’t know what her teammate would do in her state. As Cornelia took another step toward Leone, she saw Leone slowly close her eyes and began to fall forward.Before she could hit the floor, Syka managed to grab her. “Got ya!” She sighed as she was still trying to make sense of what just happened. “This night is just full of surprises, isn’t it?” Syka carefully laid Leone on the ground. As soon as she did, the other Faunus girl’s body began to glow, and that light soon faded. Leone’s full beast body reverted back into her normal body.As soon as Yang reached the bottom of the stairs, she set the relic down and ran toward her supposed daughter. She kneeled next to the other blonde and looked closer at her. “How is she?”Syka inspected the other Faunus girl and sighed in relief. “I think she’s fine. Just unconscious. Just what the hell did she become?” That was a question Yang wanted to know.Now that things calmed down, Chelsea looked at the entrance and became worried next. “Kurome…” She didn’t waste any time running toward the exit. Cornelia quickly followed her to see if their other teammates were alright.Back outside, Ghira and the rest of the Faunus came back to the academy. They saw no sign of whatever beast that made that roar. Ghira was relieved but still needed to find his wife and daughter. It didn't take him long to find them standing together and ran toward them. "Kali! Blake!”The two Faunus girl turned around to see Ghira coming toward them. “Dad/Ghira?”The Chieftain finally reached them and hugged them together. “I’m so glad you two are alright.” He let go of them and took a closer look at his wife. He gasped at all the cuts she had on her body. “Kali, you’re hurt!”Kali looked at herself before facing her husband smiling. “I’m fine, honey. Nothing more than scratches.”Hearing that didn’t lessen his worries much. Ghira noticed that someone else was missing among them. “Where’s Ilia?”Blake turned her attention to the building Yang and the others were. “She went inside there.” She looked back at her father. “Dad…”Ghira recognized the look in his daughter’s eyes. Something was greatly troubling her. “Blake, what happened?” Blake didn’t respond and instead stepped to the side. Once she did, Ghira saw what Blake was telling him. “Is that…”“Yeah…” Blake turned to what remained of Adam with sorrowful eyes. “It’s Adam.” She turned her attention to the person closest to Adam next. “And…Sienna….”Ghira looked at the same direction and saw that Sienna wasn't moving. He feared the worst that happened to her. "Is she-"The Chieftain was interrupted by the sound of several Mistral military helicopters arriving at the school. A large group of soldiers also came and pointed their guns at something that posed a threat. Among them was an elderly man who seemed to be quite serious. “Sweet mother of all that’s holy, what happened here?! This place looks like a goddamn warzone!” He walked across the courtyard and saw the dozens of White Fang members still unconscious. “Looks like these White Fang fellas are responsible for all of this. I don’t pity them since they’ll wake up being a cell!” As he walked through, he also saw Chelsea and Cornelia checking on their teammate. He looked over at the closest group of soldiers near him. “You lot!” The soldiers immediately paid attention to him. “Get those girls some medical attention on the double! Check to see if there are any more who needs it as well inside the building!” The soldiers nodded and ran to where Chelsea and the others were. The man continued walking to where Ghira was. “You must the leader of this ragtag Faunus army, Ghira Belladonna.”Ghira, Blake, and Kali turned around to see the man walking up to them. “I am…uh…”The man stopped and saluted at the Chieftain. “General Daniel of the Mistral Army.” He set his hand down. “We came here when we heard that loud roar coming from the academy. Didn’t know what we were going to deal with, so this was the response.” Daniel turned around to see his soldiers picking up the remaining White Fang members and tying their hands with zip ties. He turned back around and saw Adam lying on the floor. “Well, well. The infamous Adam Taurus. A criminal wanted in all of Remnant, now lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood.” He turned to the Chieftain again. “Sir, I will say this in all due respect and not to insult, but I say the world is a better place without someone like him. I know he was part of your kind and-”"It's fine." Blake interrupted him. She looked back at Adam one more time. "The world and our kind are better off without him."General Daniel wouldn’t argue with that. If one of their own said something like that, then he would accept it. His attention moved on to Sienna and walked up to her. “Excuse me.” He kneeled down and placed two fingers on her neck. General Daniel turned to the next closest group of soldiers. “We need more medical attention here! Get your asses in gear now!” He stood back up.“Uh, excuse me.” General Daniel turned to Kali. “Will she be alright? Is she going to live?”General Daniel looked back at Sienna. "It's hard to say, ma'am. She does have a pulse, but it's weak. If she doesn't get the help right away, I'm afraid of the worst is to come." That wasn't what Kali wanted to hear. She wanted Sienna to be alive to see what they had accomplished. "Now then…you wouldn't happen to know a man with cuts on his chest and a young girl? Met up with them before coming over here. And you're also going have to explain how these kids were involved here in the first place.” Ghira knew this was going to be very troubling to explain everything that happened here.Back inside the building, everyone was glad this whole ordeal was finally over. Mercury and company may have gotten away, but at least the relic was in their possession now. However, Qrow had no idea what happened to his sister but had a feeling he hasn't seen the last of her. As for Cinder, if was she gone, she was truly gone, it would mean there was one less person that would be bothering them. Qrow picked up the relic and walked over to Ozpin. He kneeled to his level. He saw Ozpin was completely exhausted. "You okay?"Ozpin, or rather Oscar, sighed. “I’m alright.”Qrow was surprised to hear from Oscar again. “Kid?”Oscar seemed to regain his breathing but was still feeling fatigued. “He’s resting. Too much energy fighting.”Obviously, the Huntsmen was worried about the younger boy. “Hey, don’t strain yourself.”He neared Oscar, but he freaked out for some reason. “No!” He calmed before telling Qrow something important. “He had…a message.” Oscar struggled to say the next few words to Qrow. “We must…get the lamp to…Atlas.” Those were the last words Oscar spoke before fainting. Luckily, Qrow caught him and set the younger boy down carefully on the floor. He stood up and looked at the scene before him. His nieces and mostly everyone else were happy they won, but he knew it wasn’t over yet. They may have gotten a brief time of peace and rest, but the war against Salem was far from over. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Okay, I want to explain two very important things. The first thing is me killing off Adam. You may (or may not) all remember that I said I planned this whole Vol through to the end. Me killing off Adam as not part of that. Neither were a few other things but that’s not important right now. Let me be clear that killing off Adam in the story was not because he was a jackass. It was due to the situation and position he was in. And I doubt Sienna would let him get away when she can just zap him to the ground to stop him. There was no way out for him and this was the result. In short, you can say karma finally caught up to him. At least in my story. Now as for Akame, no, she is not going to going to be the next Salem, Grimm Queen, or whatever you’re thinking of. The queen thing was strictly metaphorical. Meaning she is Leone’s queen since Leone is the king. I have absolutely no plans for Akame to take Salem’s place. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Seventy Eight: Results of the WarThe first thing Leone had noticed was that white was all around her. The second was that it also silent. The Faunus blonde looked around and saw nothing but an endless void. “Hello!?” Her greeting echoed into the void, but it was not returned. Leone groaned at the situation she was in. “Okay, so nothing. Is this the afterlife? Because if it is, it’s a lot more boring than I thought. Although, I don’t know if I did die. I can’t remember, actually. The only thing I can remember was some…burning feeling from within. I don’t know what that was.” “You can say it was your awakening.” Leone gasped in surprised and turned around to see some strange woman standing behind her. A woman with long, flowing green hair, wearing a simple white dress, and as barefoot for some reason. “Who the hell are you!?”The woman only chuckled at her question. “. You will have your answers soon enough. And…you will meet those from time’s past once again and one you have yet to meet. One last thing. You are the only one who can match against the queen. Her equal. Just as she attracts the darkness, your golden light can repel it.” The room suddenly became brighter and it blinded Leone. “It is up to you to save the queen.” The light completely enveloped the woman.Leone squinted her eyes from the blinding light and held her hand out in front. “Hey, hold on!” “Your world and this world are slowly colliding with one another. Your recent battle is proof of that. Soon, it shall be inevitable between the two.” ? “I said hold on!” Leone gasped once again as she saw a familiar ceiling. It took her less than a second to realize that she was back in one of the rooms at the house she and everyone else was living at. The second thing she realized was she was in bed and sat up. The third was the most shocking as the hand she held out was her left. Leone stared at her own hand in disbelief. It was one of the few things the Faunus blonde did remember. “W-What the hell? How’s my arm back? I thought I…” Her mind flashed back to when she cut her arm off to prevent Murasame’s poison from spreading further. Murasame. Akame. For some reason, her mind flashed to a part where Akame was crying and she spoke a couple of words to her before everything went black. She was still confused as to what the other girl said to her. “Akame, what did you mean by saying that?”The Faunus blonde heard the doorknob turning and focused her attention just in time to see Yang and Blake entering her room. The two girls stared at Leone with dumbfounded expressions. Leone stared at them back with the same expression. There was a small moment of silence between them before the Faunus blonde spoke. “Uh, hey ther-” The Faunus blonde didn't get to finish her sentence as Blake and Yang jumped at her in the first second. They wrapped their arms around the other girl and pushed her back on the bed. Leone could help but laugh awkwardly at this situation. "H-Hey! I'm glad to see you two." Both girls removed themselves and almost had tears. Yang couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s about time you woke up. We were getting worried.”Leone returned the laugh with her own. “How long was I out?”Blake wiped the tears from her eyes and continued to look at her supposed daughter. “For about two days. Leone, what happened to you, and…" She looked down to see the Faunus blonde's restored arm. It was a question she wanted to know ever since they carried Leone back to the house. "How is your arm back? I saw you sever it before me." Yang wanted to know that as well. In fact, everybody did when Blake told them what she saw.Leone sat back up and looked at her arm in confusion for a few seconds. “I…can’t remember anything after that except-” Her stomach interrupted her by growling and clutched it with both arms. She laughed again awkwardly. “I guess being out for two days kinda works up an appetite.” The other girls had to agree with that. They removed themselves from the bed and Leone was finally able to get out of it standing up. They all left the room and headed toward downstairs. While walking, Leone had some question. “By the way, what did exactly did happen after Haven? Missing two days is a lot of time.”Yang did know how to answer but didn't know how. "Well, you're just going to have to find out for yourself." The other blonde tilted her head in confusion. They finally reached downstairs where the others were. Both Yang and Blake moved to the respective sides and presented Leone. “Hey, guess who’s-”“LEONE!” Esdeath was the first one to jump toward the Faunus blonde and gave her a bone-crushing hug. Including shoving Leone’s face into the other girl’s breasts which muffled her cries. Esdeath cried out in happiness. “We were so worried about you!”“LEONE!” Cornelia and Rienna joined in on the hugging and hugged their teammate from the sides. They cried along with Esdeath in happiness.The Faunus managed to remove her face from Esdeath’s chest and breathed deeply. While she was happy to see her teammates, it was a little much for her. “H-H-Hey!”“DOGPILE!” Nora decided to join in and slammed herself into the group of girls. The impact caused all of them to fall over to the floor.Leone groaned as she found it very difficult to breathe now. “Hey, I’m happy to see you guys too, but can you get off me?! You’re all freaking heavy!”Three of her teammates were too overcome with emotion to hear her while Nora was just laughing. Then all of them were being lifted off from the Faunus blonde. “Okay girls, that’s enough.” Chelsea spoke as she has her right hand placed out in front.When the girls were lifted high enough, Leone managed to stand up and take in as much oxygen she can. “Sweet air at last.”“Chelsea!” Cornelia shouted from above. “Can you let us down now!”The other girl giggled mischievously at the other girl’s request. “If you say so. Leone, can you move a bit?” The Faunus blonde did just that and Chelsea snapped her fingers. All three girls in the air screamed as they dropped to the floor. They groaned while Chelsea took out a pen and notepad. “Okay, now that Leone is up and around, it’s time to vote. Mistral takeout or pizza? Place your votes, everyone!”Ruby was the first to eagerly raise her hand. “Ooh, ooh! I want double pepperoni!”Weiss was the next to raise her hand. “I’m fine with cheese, thank you very much.”Yang raised her arm enthusiastically. “Cheeseburger for me!”Blake half raised her hand. “I’ll take anchovies.”Jaune raised his hand. “Pineapple for me.”Chelsea glared at him. “Dude, seriously? The hell’s wrong with you?”Ren decided to raise his hand to save his teammate. “Black olives.”Nora quickly stood up and raised her right arm high. “You can’t go wrong with bacon!”Rienna was the next to stand up and raised her hand. “I’d like bell peppers on mine.”Cornelia stood up and smiled at her teammate. “The barbeque chicken option sounds great for me.”Esdeath was the last to stand up and groaned a little. “I’ll have…mushrooms thank you.”Taeko just closed her eyes. “Green bell peppers.”Kurome thought she might as well joined the fray. “Guess I’ll go with onions.”Oscar hesitated in what he wanted. “Maybe…sausage.”Chelsea wrote everyone’s orders down and looked over at Seryu. “What about you, Seryu?” Seryu seemed to be distant as she was staring into space. “Seryu?”The other Faunus girl finally heard her and turned to the other girl. “Huh? Oh, it doesn’t matter. I’m not interested anyway.”This wasn’t the first time Chelsea and the others saw Seryu act like this. In fact, she’s been like this ever since Wave disappeared. They still haven't heard anything from him or about him. Chelsea turned to Leone now to see what her choice was. “What about you, Leone? What do you want?”Leone was caught off guard by the question. “I…uh…” In all honesty, Leone didn’t know how to answer. She’s only had a few instances of having pizza, which was very delicious to her. “I…don’t know.”Luckily, Chelsea already knew what to get her teammate and wrote on her notepad. “Okay, meat lovers for Leone than.” She finished writing and looked over everyone’s order. “Now that I got everyone’s order, Qrow’s footing the bill.”Obviously, Qrow wasn’t a fan of that option. “Hey, who said I was paying?”Chelsea huffed at the Huntsmen and narrowed her eyes at him. “Do I have to remind you that we risked our lives and busted our asses…” Chelsea pointed at the relic on the table. “In getting this stupid genie’s lamp!? You freaking owe us!”Everyone else agreed with her. “She’s got a point.”“Uh-huh.” “You kinda do.”“It’s not like Ozpin’s paying, even though he should.”Qrow sighed as he rolled his eyes. "Fine, but I'm not paying the extra large for all of you." Chelsea accepted the conditions and made a call to one of the pizza places in Mistral on her scroll. While she did, Leone finally saw the relic and was mesmerized by it. “Is that…”“The Relic of Knowledge.” Qrow replied as he sat back on the side couch. “Against all odds, we managed to get it in our hands on it.”Leone continued to stare at it for a few more seconds. “So, that’s the relic you’ve been talking about, huh?” She looked at everyone next. “Can you fill me in what happened after Haven?”The whole group looked at each other before looking back at the Faunus blonde. "You may want to sit down." Ren spoke.The Faunus walked over to the main couch and sat on it. Qrow took a quick sip from his flash before putting the cap back on. “Well, to start it off, the Mistral military arrived, and we were all put into questioning. Some of us later when they woke up.” He looked at Kurome, Rienna, Taeko, and Esdeath before looking back at Leone. “Basically, the story is this. The Menagerie army arrived in time to thwart the White Fang’s plan to destroy Haven and we…just got involved. The ones you guys knocked out are already put in jail cells.”Already, Leone saw something wrong with the story. "No offense, but we kinda did all the hard work in the White Fang. Granted, Ilia did disable the bombs, which I still need to thank her for." She turned to Blake. "What does your dad think about this?"The other Faunus girl did look uncertain, but she decided to tell the truth. “It’s true, but everyone else didn’t seem to mind. With it, it’s a great start for us and for our kind. My dad was a little uncomfortable with the idea, but it was unanimous.” Now Leone could understand. If people thought the Faunus from Menagerie stopped the White Fang, their reputation would be repaired and be recognized by the general public. It was a dishonest move, but the same can be said for what she and the rest of Night Raid did.Qrow continued his explanation. “There was also something else. They found the body of Leonardo Lionheart, stabbed multiple times in his room.” Leone gasped in shock when she heard that. “My guess is that Salem got to him somehow while we were all busy fighting for our lives. Also…” He turned to Chelsea who finished her orders.She looked back at him and knew what to say. “Right. I gave the military my scroll to them so they could listen what I recorded before the fighting happened. Let’s just say Emerald and her friends won’t be showing their faces anytime soon. Unfortunately, they also heard what Lionheart did.”Qrow picked up where Chelsea left off. “Which is why they decided to keep it secret. If the public ever found out what Leo did, it would lead to mass hysteria. So, they decided to give the story that he died a hero protecting Haven. They also had questions about the blood spatter on the wall and we said it was self-defense. They were trying to kill us after all.” Again, Leone could understand the reason why. It was better to lie and protect, rather than tell the truth and do more harm.There were other questions Leone wanted to ask. There was one question she really needed an answer for. “What about Adam? Did he get away or…?” Everyone remained silent at the question. That alone said something was wrong for Leone. “He did, didn’t he?”“No.” Blake replied. Leone turned to the other Faunus girl and saw she was…saddened. “Adam…Adam was killed. He’s gone. For good.”Leone was beyond astounded in hearing that. It was almost hard for her to believe it. “No way. He’s…really dead?” Blake looked at her supposed daughter and nodded at her. The news crashed heavily upon Leone. It took her a few seconds for it to actually sink in and lowered her head slightly. “So, I guess Sienna really did it then, huh? Talk about the tigress stealing the lion’s kill.” The Faunus lifted her head to look back at Blake. “How do you feel about it, Blake?”Blake crossed her arms and looked away from everyone. “Adam…the Adam I knew was killed a long time ago. Whoever he was now, it was just a matter of time.”The Faunus blonde could see the remorse in Blake’s eyes. No matter who Adam was before, she still considered him somewhat important to her in her life. Speaking of Sienna, Leone wanted to know how she was doing. “What about Sienna? I’m sure it wasn’t easy for her to do what she did?”Again, Blake remained silent and looked back at her supposed daughter. “Sienna…almost didn’t make it. From the looks of it, Adam managed to stab her pretty good before he died. Even if he did miss her vitals, she was losing a lot of blood.”Leone knew Sienna wouldn’t win the fight unscathed, but it was more serious than she thought. “You said she almost didn’t make it. That means she’s fine, right?”For once, Blake smiled and nodded again. “She is and…” The Faunus girl turned to Jaune. “It was all thanks to Jaune.”Jaune chuckled nervously as he was put in the spotlight. “I only did what was right.”Now the Faunus blonde was confused by what she heard. “What did Jaune do to save her?”Blake thought to explain the whole thing. “Well, it started when Ilia came to us…” F “Syka!”Syka and Seryu looked over at Ilia who just arrived. From the look of it, the other Faunus girl seemed panicked. “Ilia? What’s wrong?”It took Ilia a few seconds to reply. “It’s…It’s Sienna. She’s hurt, badly.”That was more than enough for Syka and Seryu. They ran over to the other Faunus girl and when they joined, they all ran out of the building. As they did, they saw the soldiers entering the building. Seeing them freaked Seryu out a little. “The military’s here?”Ilia ignored them and led them to where Sienna was. They were joined by Blake and her family and Syka gasped at what she saw. “Sienna!” She immediately kneeled to see if her former leader was still breathing.Seryu was also for a loss for words when she saw Adam lying across Sienna. It didn’t take her long to figure out what happened. “Adam’s…dead?”Syka looked at the same direction and shared Seryu’s reaction. “No way. Did Sienna kill him?” She decided not to focus on Adam for the moment and check on Sienna closer. “She’s still breathing, but…I don’t know how much longer she’ll last. She’s losing a lot of blood.”Seryu broke her attention on Adam and tried to hold in her sobbing. “No, Sienna can’t die! Not after everything she’s been through! There’s gotta be something we can do!”“Maybe I can help.”Everyone looked behind and saw Jaune. Blake was confused by him being here. “Jaune? What are you doing here?”Jaune looked back at the Faunus girl. “I saw Seryu and Syka run out and I had a feeling.” He looked down at Sienna. “Does she have her aura activated? If not, can you?”Syka was embarrassed to admit something about her herself. “I tried to, but I wasn’t very good at it.”“I can.” Seryu answered but she still had doubts. “But what’s activating her aura going to do? It won’t be enough to heal an injury like that.”Jaune stared at Seryu directly. “You’re going to have to trust me. You have this far, right Seryu?”Ilia was confused as to where this was going. She and most of the White Fang knew how well known Seryu’s hatred for humans were. For her to trust one was…almost impossible to imagine. Then again, she did see her use her semblance on the blue armor guy earlier. Seryu ultimately kneeled next to Sienna and placed her hands on her body. She managed to activate Sienna’s aura, but it wasn’t healing her injury. However, that was all Jaune needed as he kneeled next to her and placed his hands on her body. What he did next was surprised everyone. They saw Sienna glow and saw pulse lines traveling across her body. “Are you…healing her?”Jaune continued to focus on Sienna. “Not quite. From what I know so far is that I’m amplifying her aura enough to heal her injury by using my own. I’ve done the same with Weiss.”Ilia caught the name and was confused. “Weiss? As in Weiss Schnee? The heiress of the Schnee Dust Company?”“Former heiress, actually. It’s a long story.” Seryu explained. Ilia looked at the other Faunus girl with a confused expression.A few minutes in and they heard Sienna moaning and coming to. She finally opened her eyes to see Blake and the others surrounding her. “Why do all of you look so worried?” Her response was almost every one of them laughing in relief. F Leone couldn’t help but laugh and clap her hands to Jaune. “Well, I’ll be. It’s about time your semblance activated.”Jaune laughed again while rubbing the back of his head. “I just wanted to help. I was glad I was able to.”The Faunus blonde turned her attention to Blake again. “I guess it was kinda awkward for Ilia and your parents to know Weiss was on your team.”Blake thought so too. “Yeah, it was, but Seryu managed to explain the whole story to them. They seemed accepting after that. Even Ilia.”That was something Leone thought she’d never hear. She turned to the other Faunus girl and smiled at her. “Bet you thought you’d never defend a Schnee, huh?” She didn’t get a reply from Seryu. This kind of behavior was strange for the Faunus blonde. “What’s up with her?”“She’s been like that for a while now.” Kurome answered. Leone turned her attention to her teammate now. "Ever since Wave hasn't come back to us yet from his fight against that Tatsumi guy. The only thing I know was that there was the last set of those strands flying by. We don't know if he's still alive or…" She didn't want to say that last part since she knew it'd upset Seryu. "Anyway, we couldn't go out and look for him since he was carried outside of Mistral. They could've ended up anywhere for all we know."Leone could see why that was worrisome, but she did have some faith. “Call me crazy, but I don’t think he’s dead. It’d take a lot more than that to kill him for good.” Seryu didn’t show it, but she was glad Leone said that. It meant there was still hope for him to come back.Since everything else was cleared up after the events of Haven, it was the group’s turn to question Leone. Starting with the most obvious one by Yang. “Speaking of, Leone, what exactly happened to you? The way you looked was…radically insane.”Weiss could vouch for Yang. “Yeah, you looked drastically different than any normal Faunus. You had claws, fangs, fur, even a tail. Most Faunus just have one animal trait, but you had it all.”Leone groaned as she closed her eyes and placed her right hand on her forehead. “I know what you guys are saying, but my memory is a little fuzzy about it. I can only remember little things and that’s it. Honestly, I don’t know what happened to me.”“I might have an idea.” Blake spoke again. Leone removed her hand and opened her eyes as all attention turned to her again. “It…may be a stretch but I think it was your semblance awakening. It was similar to how Akame’s was back at the Vytal Festival.”Blake was right about one thing. It was a stretch. A very, very long and far stretch. The other Faunus girl scoff in disbelief. “No, no, no! That’s impossible! My semblance is self-healing. There’s no way what I went through is something like that. Not unless having two semblances is a thing here."“Then we’ll agree it’s something we don’t know.” Qrow intervened. “Whatever it is you did kid, it had one hell of an effect. From what I heard, any Grimm that was headed toward Mistral stopped in their tracks. There’s no record of any kind like that happening before.”What Qrow said had Taeko thinking about something. “Now that you mention it, what Leone did is the exact opposite of what Akame’s semblance can do. It has the unfortunate consequence of attracting Grimm while what Leone did stop them. It kinda backs up Blake's claim about how your new form being some kind of an awaking. A sort of light and darkness balance effect.”It was a confusing topic for everyone to wrap their head around. Qrow sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. “We’ll continue that conversation for later. Right now, there’s another issue we need to address.” He turned to Esren who was leaning against the wall. He knew full well what the other Huntsmen was going to ask. “How long did you know, Esren? How long did you know your daughter was a Maiden?”That question caught Leone off guard. “Wait, Esdeath’s what now?” She focused on Esdeath and certainly did notice something different about her aura. “Holy shit. I thought I sensed something different about your aura. Esdeath’s really a Maiden?”Esren sighed as he knew it was time to reveal everything about his daughter. “To be honest, I didn’t know Esdeath was a Maiden until he…” He glanced over at Oscar. “Or rather Ozpin explained the whole thing.” He refocused on the whole group. “It made a lot more sense now after hearing his story.”That still didn’t answer Qrow’s question. “When did you know, and which maiden is she?”Esren remained silent for a few more seconds before answering. “Since she was born. And, if we’re following the story correctly, her mother, Jacklyn, was the previous Winter Maiden.”Esdeath’s eyes widened in shock and so was her gasp. It took her a moment to recompose herself as this was a large bomb dropped on her. “Is…that why you rarely speak of my mother?”Her father looked at her and sighed somberly. “When I first met your mother, I found her wandering the wilderness while I was hunting. She was weak and hungry, and I took her in to care for her. She feared me, but I showed her that I meant no harm. The more I cared for her, the more she opened up to me. However, she still seemed to be afraid of what I’d do to her if she revealed who she truly was. It was then that Jacklyn showed me this strange power she had. I was…speechless with what she could do. I’d never seen anything like it before and was afraid what I’d do to her now that I knew her secret. I showed her that I meant no harm even after she showed me her powers. I was the first one to accept who she was and what she could do. After that, Jacklyn lived with me and…we fell in love with each other. Before we knew it, she was pregnant with you, Esdeath.”Esdeath was deeply touched by how her parents met. She couldn't imagine what happened to her mother for her to fear other people. Esren continued his story. “Unfortunately, that happiness didn’t last long as she fell ill during her pregnancy. I was worried, but Jacklyn kept faith our child would be alright. Our daughter. I asked her what made her sure our child is a girl and she replied, ‘just a mother’s instinct.’.” He couldn’t help but chuckle at remembering his wife saying that. “She was aware that when you were born, you would be the one to inherit her power and she feared that what happened to her would happen to you.”Something about that didn’t make sense to Yang. “Wait, if your late wife didn’t know she was a maiden, how did she know Esdeath would have her power? After all, a Maiden’s power is transferred to the last person they think of.”“She just knew.” Esren replied. “Before Esdeath could be born, Jacklyn wanted me to promise her to protect our daughter and nothing terrible happen to her just like what her mother had to go through.”Ruby almost hesitated to ask her question about the subject. “What exactly did Esdeath’s mom had to go through? You mentioned before she was scared of you when you two first met.”Esren could answer the young leader’s question. “Ever since Jacklyn’s power awakened when she was a young girl, the village she once called her home ridiculed her. They branded her as a witch, a demon, being possessed by a devil. I couldn’t imagine the kind of abuse she had to endure all because of that power she had. It became bad enough that they ran her out of the village and she’s roamed around Atlas ever since until she met me.” He turned his attention to Qrow again. “That power made her life a living hell. I don’t care how important these Maiden powers were if all it did was make Jacklyn miserable. She didn’t ask for it and yet she was chosen to carry that burden her entire life. And it would be the same for our daughter. The only difference is that she would have me to look after her.” Qrow stared back and said nothing to the other Huntsmen. Esren looked back at the entire group. “The only solstice Jacklyn had was meeting me and the life we had together. Of course, fate had to be cruel and took Jacklyn away not after Esdeath was born.” He seemed saddened when he spoke of his wife’s passing. “I raised Esdeath the best I could and waited for that day when the power her mother had before would awaken. And it did.” Esren focused on his daughter. “It happened when that Major Ursa attacked you. Even though I was prepared, I feared for the worst. However, when you woke up, you didn’t show any sign of creating that blue ice. Instead, it was your semblance.”Weiss was having trouble understanding that part of Esren’s explanation. “If Esdeath’s Maiden powers awakened when she was a kid, why did it happen again now? In fact, we would’ve noticed her ice was blue multiple times by now.”Esren admitted that was a good question coming from the former heiress. “My guess was that her awakening proved to be too much for her to handle. She…must’ve blocked it out somehow and couldn’t remember what happened. Because of that, her power didn’t show again.” Esdeath thought about her father’s explanation and it did line up perfectly with her own experience. She really couldn’t remember what happened between with the Ursa and when she woke up. “That is until recently.”Qrow turned his attention to the newly awakened Winter Maiden. “How about it, kid? Do you remember how your power reawakened this time?”Esdeath tried to recall what exactly happen for her Maiden powers to reawaken. “I saw her…I saw the other me hurting my father. She was cutting him and…I was afraid of losing him. I wanted to save him, but I wasn’t strong enough. I couldn’t lose what family I had left. This…feeling within me swelled up until it was too much for me hold in. The next thing I knew is that I was fighting her with these…powers. I used fire, lightning, I flew, it was almost unbelievable.”Qrow could piece together how Esdeath’s Maiden power awakened both times. They both had fear factored in them. The first time, Esdeath must've been deathly afraid that Major Ursa was going to kill her and that was the catalyst for her awakening. However, since she was young, the power was too much for her and she unconsciously blocked it out. When Esdeath saw her father being tortured and almost killed, that same fear came back and the power that was dormant within her reawakened. There were just two more questions he wanted to ask the other Huntsmen. "When were you going to tell your daughter, Esren?"Esren sighed again. “I was going to tell her when she fully graduated as a Huntress. At least then I knew she would be ready for the responsibility of the burden she would carry.”The answer led Qrow to his next question. “And despite you knowing the truth about your daughter, you still let her want to become a Huntress. Didn’t you think of the consequences if her Maiden powers would awaken during that time before now?”“Of course, I did!” Esren yelled back at Qrow angrily. “Esdeath wanting to be a Huntress was her own decision. There wasn’t a day I wasn’t worried that power would resurface, and the worst would happen. Especially during the Vytal Festival. But, it’s not my place to tell my daughter how to live her life.” He calmed and struggled to contain his tears. “I’m sorry I’ve kept this a secret from you this entire time, Esdeath. I just…I was so worried about what would happen if your power came back. When it did, I knew I couldn’t protect you anymore. I…can’t keep my promise to your mother any longer.”This was the first time Esdeath had seen her father like this. She had no idea he was carrying such a heavy burden by himself. Carrying the fear of what would happen to his only daughter if that power would reawaken at any time. It was this understanding that made Esdeath walk over to her father and reach for his hands. “Father…” She grabbed her father’s hands and held them with her own. Esren looked at his own daughter in the eyes and saw her smiling. “It must’ve been difficult for you, keeping this secret for so long. But now you don’t have to anymore. Learning that I’m the Winter Maiden and where my powers come from is surprising, but I accept it all. I accept the responsibility this power comes with. Also, it was wonderful to learn more about my mother and how much she meant to you. It’s because of her I’m here now and I had the chance to live the life she wanted me to have. Even if it was temporary. So, thank you, father.”Esdeath's speech was the final blow for Esren to finally cry and gave her a fatherly hug. Esdeath gladly returned the hug. Never has she loved her father more so than now. Seeing this sight made some of the members of the group miss their parents. Cornelia with Gozuki, Rienna with her mother, Chelsea, and Taeko with Babara, Ruby, and Yang with Taiyang, and Seryu with her father as well. The only one who didn’t share such feelings was Kurome. “A parent’s love for their child, huh? I still don’t know what Najenda sees in me.” While this was a tender moment, there was one question he wanted to ask a certain someone. He turned his attention to Oscar. “Hey, kid. If Oz is awake, I want to ask him a question. Did he know Esdeath was the Winter Maiden this whole time?”Esdeath broke her hug with her father and everyone turned to Oscar this time. Oscar closed his eyes and tried his best to hear what Ozpin had to say. He opened his eyes when he finally received the answer. "He said that he was unaware Esdeath was a Maiden for some time. He really did scout out Esdeath because of how she used her semblance uniquely. It wasn't until her match at the Vytal Festival that he had suspicions. Her semblance was more powerful than what it was supposed to be. He wrote a special file just her describing she could be a Maiden. That file must've been sent to Najenda when Team ALCE transferred to Shade Academy."Hearing that made much more sense to Taeko now. “And when we left Shade, Najenda must’ve sent that letter to Esdeath’s father saying that she left. That’s why he was here, and our parents and guardians didn’t appear along with him.” She looked over at Esren. “I assume she didn’t mention your daughter could be a Maiden, did she?”The Huntsmen nodded at her question. "You're correct. As I said, I didn't know any of this Maiden business until Ozpin explained it when those two young girls arrived at the same time as Qrow and I."Qrow had his own evidence to compare. "And what I saw on what she could do back in that abandoned city, it just further proves it." He saw the upside to this whole thing, but he also saw the downside. "Well, the good news is that we have the Winter Maiden. The bad news is that Salem knows about her existence by now. It’s going to be a harder fight for us from now on. Especially now that she has Akame with her. What that girl demonstrated is proof enough of what she’s capable of. If she can summon that many people, Salem has the advantage in numbers over us. And it doesn’t help that they all have these Imperial Arms. We were lucky we all survived that whole ordeal.”Leone had a worried expression. She still didn’t understand why Akame would betray them and join Salem’s side. She wanted an answer but couldn’t find any. However, Taeko had a certain theory she wanted to express to the rest of the group. “Speaking of Akame, I want to…say something related to her.”Chelsea scoffed at her childhood friend’s words. “Say what? Akame switched sides and now she’s our enemy. She summoned all those people and let hell loose on us.”As usual, Taeko expected Chelsea to speak up first. “You’re forgetting something, Chelsea. You were the only one who was present in front of Raven.”Now the Faunus blonde became further confused by what her teammate said. “What does Raven have to do with this?”Yang decided to answer her supposed daughter’s question. “She means Raven, my mom is the Spring Maiden. She killed the previous one and her powers transferred to her.”Leone wasn’t expecting Yang’s mother of all people being a Maiden. Yang’s explanation also reminded Chelsea something important. “Oh, yeah, that’s right. When Raven made her surprise appearance, I did sense something weird about her at first. She even tried to attack because she knew I was letting on about something important about her. Now that I’m closer to Esdeath, I definitely now know their aura is one and the same. Now that I think about it, Cinder's too. I guess a Maiden's aura is something else entirely and unique to them." Now she was confused as to what Taeko was getting at. "But, wait. Why is that important?" This was the theory Taeko had for some time now. "Think about it. If Chelsea could sense such a difference in aura, in this case, a Maiden's aura, wouldn't Akame be able to sense it as well? And if she did, wouldn't she reveal Cinder and the others the truth about her?" Everyone went silent after hearing that.Hearing that definitely made Ren think and think back to their pre-confrontation. “They certainly did act like they were allies. If they did learn about Raven’s true identity, I’m positive they wouldn’t treat the same way.”Weiss had something else to add in the conversation. “What about that woman she was with. Vernal, was it? I remember Raven saying to her that she shouldn’t waste her Maiden powers in the fight.” She finally realized something between Vernal and Raven. “Wait, if Raven was the Spring Maiden, then that means she must’ve used Vernal as a decoy. She must’ve created some kind of ruse to fool Cinder and the others to make them believe Vernal was the Spring Maiden.”Jaune started to piece together what Taeko was trying to say. “Wait, so, if Akame met Raven and Vernal a time before-”"Then Akame would've revealed that secret and as Ren said, they would've treated Raven very differently. They wouldn't have wasted time trying to ambush us. They could've just went straight into the chamber, force Raven to open the seal, and take the relic for themselves. We wouldn't know at it all until we checked the chamber after we dealt with the White Fang." Takeo fully explained.Oscar had more to add into the fray. “There was something else I noticed that was strange.” All attention turned to him now. “It was during our fight against Hazel. He and his teammates were actually surprised to know Ozpin was alive. Like it was the first time they heard of it. I think Akame would’ve told them about him by now, but I don’t she did. She was on their side, right? So, why didn’t she tell them something that important to them?”What Oscar said added more into Taeko’s theory. It made some strange sense to her. If Akame was on the enemy sides, why didn't she tell her allies about Raven? Why didn’t she tell them the truth about Ozpin? Taeko had more thoughts to share with the rest of the group. "There's something else that's been bugging me. We all saw that she could summon multiple apparitions, but why summon that many?”Cornelia thought she had an answer to that. “Because to even the odds on both sides?”Taeko closed her eyes and shook her head. “No.” She stopped and opened her eyes. “Think back to Esdeath. General Esdeath. We all saw her, experienced that she had the power to surround all of Mistral in an ice storm. If Akame was our enemy and following her assassin’s instinct, she could’ve just summoned Esdeath alone, have her do that time stopping ability, and have us all killed before we knew it. Instead, she summoned multiples for some reason. And they themselves were strange.”Yang raised an eyebrow since she was the only one wasn’t present when the fighting went down. “Strange how?”Taeko looked at the whole group. “Have any of you seen your opponents acting unusual? Out of place even? For me, my opponent had dozens of opportunities to strike me down but didn't. At most, he did shallow strikes. Non-threatening to be exact.Her description struck a bell with Blake. “Now that you say it, that headhunter guy had chances to severely injure my mother but didn’t. He chose other alternatives in attacking.”Kurome experienced something similar when fighting her double. “Those zombies my other self summoned were a pain, but they didn’t try landing any fatal blows. They just did heavy blunt attacks.”Rienna thought back to her fight against Enshin. "Well, my enemy was nothing more than a big fat jerk. Although, I did see him swing that sword of his wider than they're supposed to be. Kinda made it easy to avoid and counter."Nora didn’t have such luck in seeing how her and Ren’s fight was against Ibara. “Well, that stretchy guy me and Ren were fighting was hard. He said he was a…Rasasa Demon or whatever.”Leone recognized what Nora tried to say. “I think you mean Rakshasa Demon. If you were fighting one of them and they were serious, you and Ren wouldn’t be standing now. You’d be dead before you knew it.”As much as Ruby hated to remember, she tried to recall something unusual about her opponent. “I don’t know much about mine. The most I know about him was that he was a professional.”Esren had something else to add in the conversation. “That…woman I fought. Terrifying as she was, the most she did to me was shallow cuts. Along with that, I did see her position her hands like this.” He mirrored General Esdeath’s hands. “And some blue light appeared. But for some reason, it faded and the next thing I knew, Esdeath stabbed her body through.”The shallow cuts sounded like something Esdeath would do to torture her victims, but the light was another thing. She could only assume what she was trying to do. "I think she was going to use her time-stopping power. Why she stopped, I don't know. That isn't like her at all."Taeko had something else to say relating to the General. “Speaking of her, there’s something you should know. You remember the pilots that first arrived in those helicopters? The ones she froze over and destroyed? When the military dug through that debris, they found them frozen over. Frozen, but surprisingly alive. There was movement in their eyes and everything. It took a while for the military to thaw them out.”Now, that definitely didn’t sound like the Esdeath Leone knew of. “There’s no way! That’s not Esdeath’s M.O! She doesn’t leave anyone alive!”“And yet, she did.” Taeko retorted. “Remember, who was it that summoned them? More importantly, what orders did she give them?”It was almost too much for Leone. There too many factors that didn't make any sense. The only thing Leone could think of is what Akame said to her before that darkness covered everything. “Remember what I said about me remembering about some things when I…turned? One of them was Akame crying and saying something to me before everything went dark. She only mouthed them but, she said to me ‘I’m sorry’. I don’t know what she meant by that.” She lowered her head and tried to rack her head behind the meaning.Kurome was also confused by her sister’s last words. “She’s sorry? For what exactly? For putting us through all that that hell? We still don’t know why she joined the enemy!”Taeko wanted to know too, but what Leone said did put in some insight. “Before, we all made assumptions why Akame joined the enemy. Drugs, hypnotism, force, which is the closest explanation, but she had a chance to come back with us. Why she stayed is a mystery. Plus, if she was drugged or hypnotized, why she cry and apologize for something she wouldn’t be aware of?” Everyone was confused at this point. Some things made sense, there were theories, but none of them had answers. They just couldn’t figure what Akame’s intentions were.To break them out of their confusion, all of them heard knocking on the door. Chelsea was surprised for a good reason. “Seriously? That was fast. I gotta give this pizza place a five-star review for quick delivery.” She walked over to the door and peeked through the peephole. Chelsea gasped as she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “No…way.”Her reaction caught the other’s attention. “Who is it? Is it the pizza guy?” Jaune asked.Chelsea stepped back and looked back at the group. “No, it’s…it’s actually Wave. He’s back!”That alone was enough for Seryu to get up and run toward the door. She shoved Chelsea aside and opened the door. “Wave!”“Ow!”Seryu looked down to see Wave lying on the ground. The Faunus girl was too overcome with emotion and jumped on top of him. “Wave!” She grabbed the soldier by the shirt and leaned over him.Wave groaned again when he felt Seryu's weight on him. He looked up to see his teammate and chuckled. "Hey…Seryu. Sorry, I…took so long."Seryu sniffed and had tears on the verge of breaking. “You…You idiot! Do you have any idea how worried I was!? I thought you died! I thought…you left me.”Wave understood why Seryu was upset and didn’t blame her. “Well, you don’t have to worry…anymore.” He winced at the pain he was experiencing. “Can you…kinda get off now? You’re…agitating my injuries.”Seryu did just that and stood up. She also offered her hand to the soldier. Wave saw it and smiled as he gladly accepted it. Seryu pulled him up and not a second after, gave him a welcoming hug. Wave returned the hug and was glad to see Seryu again. While hugging, she heard a set of footsteps walk past them. The Faunus girl separated from the hug and turned to see who it was. “What in the…?”The others in the group saw this individual stop at the entranceway. They were all confused as to who this person was. They did see this person smile for some reason. More specifically, at Leone. “It’s rare that I get to see you sulk like this, Leone.”Leone gasped and thought what she was impossible. “That voice. There’s…no way…” She slowly lifted her head and saw who the person was. The Faunus blonde thought she was seeing a ghost, but she recognized that scent anywhere. She could never forget that scent as long as she lived. “It’s…you…” Insert Overlord second opening as ending song They saw this person enter and saw what she looked like. Her outfit consisted of pink boots, black stockings, light brown shorts stopping just above her knees, a pink sleeveless muscle tank top with a white line going across and dipped at the middle, and long fingerless pink gloves. Around her waist was a white jacket tied at the front and had two crossbows, one placed on each side of her leg. To top off her look, she had her pink hair set up in twin tails and her eyes were the same color.Above Mistral, that same deity couldn’t help but smile at the girl’s arrival. "I may have bent my own rules, but she did fulfill one of the requirements. Akame's decision certainly did throw me a loop. I know this one will be of great help to you. After all, she too is seeking closure. I've done all I can now for you. The next time, I shall be ready to use that move. Until that time comes, I hope everything will work out in your favor.” She vanished once again in a brief flash of light.”Seryu was confused as to who this person was. “Wave…who is that girl? Is she with you?”Wave could only smile as a response. In truth, he was glad to have run into her. “Someone I thought I’d never see again.”Leone stood up still appearing to be in disbelief. Tears began to form and were rolling down her cheeks. Cornelia could only guess as to who this girl was. “She said Leone’s name so, does that mean she’s from the same world as Leone and Akame?” Leone couldn’t stop the tears and continued to cry. The Faunus blonde didn't care how or why she, of all people, came to this world. All that mattered to her was that she saw someone Leone assumed she wouldn't see ever again. “I thought…I thought you were gone. I thought they had already…”The girl stopped and smiled smugly at her longtime teammate. “It’s been over a year since we’ve last seen each other.” She crossed her arms across her chest. “What do you say we catch up on old times?" Former Night Raid member: Mine ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Okay, before this chapter begins, I want to issue a viewer’s discretion is advised warning. This chapter will contain....an uncomfortable scene. I just want to let you know what you’re going to read down the road. It’s not overly graphic, but it still gets the point across. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Now that I gave the warning, it’s time for your burning question to be finally answered. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FourKill Seventy Nine: Breaking PointSoft music was playing through a music player with a woman singing a somber song. Merraid was currently in her room sitting in a chair while her maids surrounded her. A wine bottle that was almost empty was on the table, along with an empty wine glass, and a white vase next to it. Merraid sighed sadly as she stared at the vase longingly. “Gilberda…you didn’t deserve such a fate.” She picked up the bottle and poured the remaining contents into the glass. Merraid finished pouring and set the bottle back down. She grabbed the glass and lifted it up to the ceiling. “You were more than just a maid to me. You were family.” Merraid downed the glass of wine and set it back on the table. Her somber expression changed to anger and growled deeply. “And that Faunus bitch took you away from me!” Merraid stood up and grabbed the glass, only to throw it against the wall. The glass shattered upon impact and the pieces scattered. Shizuka went over to where the mess was and kneeled to sweep it up in the dustpan. Once the maid was done, she went over to the trashcan nearby and dumped the contents.Merraid was still seething in anger about what happened to one of her maids. She wanted nothing more than revenge on the one person who took Gilberda. It didn’t help any better when she heard knocking on her door. “WHAT!” The door opened, and it revealed Hazel standing in front of the entranceway. He was the last person Merraid wanted to see. “What do you want, you ignoramus?”Hazel stared at Merraid for a few seconds before answering. “Salem wants all of us to meet. She wants to go over what happened at Haven.”Merraid sighed as she knew full well she couldn’t ignore her mistresses’ order. “Fine. I’ll come along.”Cassandra took a few steps forward toward the other woman. “Should I wake Lady Akame?” She and the other maids turned to see Akame resting on Merraid’s bed.Merraid waved her hand at Cassandra. “No, Akame needs her rest. Summoning that many spirits drains a lot of energy from her. Make sure she’s well rested.” Her maids bowed to her and Merraid walked over to where Hazel was. Once she joined him, Merraid grabbed the handle and closed the door.Shizuka sighed as she and the other maids felt their mistresses’ pain. She looked over at Cassandra. “You knew Gilberda the longest, Cassandra. I imagine your pain is just as great as Madam Mera’s.”Cassandra slightly looked down and seemed saddened. “I still remember how we met. Madam Mera’s father bought us like the slaves we were offered. We feared what would happen to us when we entered that prison of a mansion. Instead, Madam Mera treated us fondly. She even helped us with the chores and defended us against her father’s cruel actions. Her being gone is still…well, I suppose I’m still trying to get used to it.”Mez placed her arms behind her head and interlocked her fingers. “Well, one thing’s for sure. I wouldn’t want to be that lion Faunus girl. Madam Mera’s fury knows no bounds. It’s only a matter of time before it runs her over and she’s roadkill.”Shizuka turned to the sleeping Akame again. “I wonder what Lady Akame thinks about this recent turn of events?” The other maids turned to Akame as well.Unbeknownst to them, Akame was awake and she was taking this harder than anyone else in the room. Except, she wasn’t mourning over the loss of Gilberda. She was mourning over the consequences of her actions. Of what she did to her friends and most importantly, the one girl she loved. “Leone…” Akame knew the risks when she decided to go down this path, but they were far more severe than she anticipated. She couldn’t help but think back to when all this started. F “Think carefully and please consider. Should you choose to refuse then I will follow you into the next world. Please, Akame. Please.”What Merraid was asking was completely impossible for Akame to decide. She could never betray her friends, but she didn’t like the option of dying right here. To never see her friends again. There seemed to be no way out of this situation. That is…until Akame saw something else. She thought back why Merraid took her here. Introduced her to Salem and the others. The older woman was doing more than asking, begging her to join. Merraid was recruiting her. In a way, Akame saw this as an opportunity. She could gather intel on her enemies, learn more about Salem, and maybe…even kill Salem. This was the closest Akame was ever going to get to the one person who ruined her life her in Remnant. However, this would also mean Akame would become an enemy to her friends. She had to tread carefully around that aspect. If Akame slipped up just even a little, her cover would be blown and that would be it. The only trouble Akame would have is relaying the information to the rest of her group. She couldn’t get a signal through, so contacting them through their scrolls is out of the plan. Akame would have to come up with another way, but that would have to be another time. Akame had made her decision. “Okay then.”Merraid lessened her grip as she seemed surprised by the younger girl’s answer. Akame noticed this and gently removed her arm from the older woman’s grip and cupped her cheek lightly. The younger girl gave Merraid a soft smile. “You’re absolutely right. You are the only one who can understand me. My sister, my team could never understand. After all, they did reject me when I found you. When I finally found happiness again. Perhaps the stars were aligned for us to meet. I did lose you once and now we have a second chance to be together again.”In actuality, Akame felt bad she was taking advantage of Merraid’s affection for her. She was practically using the older woman, but it was the only way to get her good graces. Yes, Akame had feelings for Merraid, but her loyalty to her friends was stronger. This was for their sake and for her own. This was the only way for her. Merraid giggled happily as she cupped Akame’s cheek in return. “You have no idea how happy you made me, Akame. Let’s…consummate the occasion.” Merraid closed her eyes as her face neared toward Akame’s and kissed the younger girl fully on her lips. Akame’s eyes widened for a second before closing and returned to the kiss. She even moved her hand to the back of Merraid’s head to deepen the kiss between them. It was from that moment on, Akame knew there was no going back. B The doors to Salem’s main room opened and Merraid walked in with Akame following her close behind. In the room was Salem herself standing at the other end of the room. At her sides were Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, Doctor Watts, and Hazel. Merraid stopped and so did Akame in front of the Grimm Queen. The older woman stepped off to the side and Akame walked up to Salem. She could still feel that powerful dark aura the woman in front of her was emitting. Even when prepared, it still felt a little too much for Akame to handle. One thing was for sure, Salem was far more dangerous and far more powerful than Esdeath. She closed her eyes and kneeled before the dark queen. “My name is Akame Night, and I willingly, solemnly swear to serve you. To help you achieve your goal, and I will put a stop to anyone who will stand in your way. My sword is yours to wield. Command me, and I shall follow through. Even to the depths to hell itself.” Akame hoped she was convincing enough. She figured someone of Salem’s statues would accept anything less than complete devotion to her.One thing was for sure, it sure did convince Emerald. She found it almost unbelievable with what Akame had said. “No way. What the hell did Merraid say for Akame to switch to our side?”Salem had a neutral expression when she heard Akame’s speech. She only had one thing to say to the other girl. “I may have your word, but you have not proven your worth.” She turned to the good doctor. “Doctor Watts, fetch Tyrian. It’s time to see who’s worthier.”Watts looked back at his master and bowed to her. “Of course, your grace.” He straightened up and promptly walked over to the exit and left.Akame opened her eyes and stood up as she looked at Salem. The queen herself looked back at her and narrowed her eyes at Akame. “We’ll see if you can meet my expectations.” B In the training area, Akame stood at one side waiting patiently. Along with her were Salem and company. Approaching Akame was two of Merraid’s maids, Shizuka, and Gilberda who carried her weapons. They stopped just next to her and offered her weapons back. “Here are your weapons back, Lady Akame.” Shizuka spoke.Akame looked at her weapons before taking them. She situated Yatsufusa and Murasame back into their original positions and awaited what was to come next. It wasn’t a second longer when Watts arrived with Tyrian following behind him. Akame immediately recognized that part of his tail was replaced by a robotic replacement. Watts stopped next to his master. “I’ve brought Tyrian as you’ve said.”Salem turned her attention to Tyrian who was largely humbled by her presences. He bowed respectfully to her. “My goddess. There are no words to describe how wonderful it is to gaze upon you yet again.”Obviously, Salem didn’t share the same feeling as him. “Tyrian…” Tyrian immediately stood up at the sound of her voice. “I have not forgotten of your previous failure. I do not condone such a thing. However, I am not cruel enough to give you a chance to redeem yourself.”To Tyrian, it was the best kind of news he heard. “Oh, thank you! Thank you, my goddess! Your generosity knows no bounds! What must I do to regain your good graces?” Salem turned to Akame and so did Tyrian. “It’s simple, really. Both of you have something to prove to me. You making up to me for your failure, and that girl is being tested to have a place beside me. You two are to fight to the death. If you win, I shall look past your failure. If she wins, well, it just proves she’s stronger than you. I have no use of those who are weak.”Tyrian growled at Akame now that he knew what was at stake. “I shall not lose. I will win in honor for you.”Merraid shrugged as she overheard what Salem said to Tyrian. “I’m sorry, Akame. I can’t do anything about this. If Lady Salem wills it, it must be carried out. There’s no other way.”Akame didn’t mind this at all. She figured something like this would happen. She saw Tyrian approach her and stopped a fair distance away from her. He gave her quite a serious look and seemed determined. “I shall prove I am worthy to stay by my goddess. I will not let you win.”Akame could say the same thing, but she was fighting for a much larger cause. This fight was the first step for her. She grabbed Murasame’s handle and unsheathed her Imperial Arms. Cinder narrowed her eye as she knew what Akame’s endgame was. “She’s going to end this quickly. Tyrian may be a deranged lunatic, but he knows how to fight. However, Akame is no ordinary opponent and that sword of hers is far from ordinary.” Tyrian flailed his arms and his blades appeared. He chuckled crazily as he was ready to fight. Akame took up her usual stance as a response. Salem knew they were ready to start. “This is a fight to the death. One of you will die, and the other will earn a place among us. If you are ready, you may begin.”Tyrian laughed as he ran straight up to the Akame. He was going to make sure she wasn’t going to have a chance to defend herself. Tyrian jumped and descended upon his opponent. Akame just stood still and her eyes flashed red. Tyrian was blasted away by a wave a dark red energy and crashed back to the ground. He quickly stood up and gasped at what he saw before him. Akame’s eyes were similar of that to Salem’s and she had red markings around her body. She pulled Murasame back and a spiral of her semblance surrounded it. Tyrian was completely frozen with fear and was frightened by what he was seeing. “Is she a demon!?” The next thing Tyrian knew, he saw Akame disappear in front of him and felt a powerful slash going in a diagonal direction across his chest.Akame reappeared behind Tyrian as he coughed out blood and more of his blood sprayed out of his injury. Hazel and most of the others have never seen such a thing before. He also noticed something strange about what Akame had done. “How was it that girl managed to cut through Tyrian’s aura?”Despite the injury, Tyrian managed to keep standing. He was breathing heavily and was still determined to see the fight through. That is until he felt something strange. Strange markings began to appear and quickly spread throughout his body. Tyrian felt something was terribly wrong and knew what was happening. He slowly turned around to see the object of his life and reached out for him. “My…goddess…”Unfortunately for him, Salem seemed disappointed in him and for the last time. “Pathetic.”Akame sheathed Murasame and as soon the handle clinked with the sheath, Tyrian collapsed on the floor without a sound. As soon as he did, Akame deactivated her semblance. Salem turned to Hazel this time. “Hazel. Help the doctor dispose of Tyrian’s body. Feed him to the Grimm since now that’s all he’s useful for.”Hazel nodded at his master’s command. “As you wish.” Doctor Watts was a little miffed that all his work on giving Tyrian a new tail was all for naught. However, he did become interested in what Akame’s sword had done.Salem finally turned her attention to Akame and smiled pleasantly at her. “Everyone, please give your greetings to our newest member; Akame Night.” B After Akame’s victory, mostly everyone went back to the main chamber. The only ones missing was Hazel and Watts since they were busy getting rid of Tyrian’s body. Luckily, they came back just in time for Salem to question Akame further about her abilities. “Now that you’re one of us, I would like to ask you a few questions. More specifically, who you really are. Cinder has told a few things about you, but I’d like to hear them from yourself.”Akame knew what this was. It was an interrogation. If she wanted them to fully trust her, she had to explain almost everything to them. “I’ll spare you my life’s story and give you the important details. I was raised as an assassin and carried out missions for whom I devoted my life to. The Empire as you would call it. However, I left them and joined the enemy, the Revolutionary Army and help them overthrow the Empire. I became part of a group called Night Raid that carried out assassinations of high valued targets. One of my former teammates, Leone, was also part of this group.” Hearing that confirmed Emerald and Mercury’s suspicions about the Faunus blonde. Akame held the end of Murasame’s handle. “And the weapon I used to kill Tyrian is called an Imperial arms. They’re powerful weapons created a thousand years ago in my world’s time from rare metals and S-Class Danger Beasts, creatures that resided in my world. Forty-eight of them were created and they have won wars. Each Imperial Arms has a power unique to them and Murasame is known as the One-Hit Kill Sword. What it does is that once it cuts into my opponent’s skin, a powerful poison is interjected and quickly spreads through the body until it reaches the heart. There is no cure for it but there has been only one who survived it.” She glanced over at Cinder.Watts became immediately interested in Akame’s weapon. “A poison that spreads quickly and has no known cure? I’d very much like to study that.”There was no chance Akame would let that happen and she knew how to demonstrate it. She walked over to Mercury and stopped right in front of him. The more experienced assassin pulled out Murasame and presented it to him. Mercury had some idea of what Akame was trying to do but didn’t understand why. “What, you’re just giving this to me?” He took Murasame by the handle anyway and tried to see what was so special about. However, Mercury didn’t have much of a chance as he felt an incredible burning sensation and threw the sword up. “Ah, ah! Son of a bitch!” Mercury grabbed his hand and glared at Akame. Merraid and her maids giggled at his misfortune. Murasame spun around as it began to fall and Akame caught it by the handle with ease. Mercury held his hand with his other and growled at the other assassin. “What the hell was that?!”Akame just stared at him with a disinterested expression. “One more thing you should know about Imperial Arms.” She sheathed Murasame back and walked away from Mercury. “Imperial Arms can only be wielded by those they have an affinity with.”Hearing that detail definitely didn’t escape Watt’s interest. “Ah, so it’s some form of a security system. Not just anyone can wield these…Imperial Arms.” He became more and more intrigued by the second.Akame stopped just in time for Mercury to shake his hand from the burning sensation. “Okay, fine, only she can use that stupid sword. Let’s just get to the good stuff already.” He stopped shaking his hand. “Now that she’s here, we can actually attack where friends are hiding out. We go there, we bust them up, and make sure they’re not a problem anymore. Easy, right?”Not if Akame had anything to say about it. “I’m afraid it isn’t as simple as you claim it’ll be.”Mercury narrowed his eyes at the other assassin. “And why’s that? You that sword of yours, there’s all of us, we can take them out easy!”Akame now understood how fully naïve Mercury really was. She turned around to face him again. “It’s not as easy as you think it’ll be. Yes, I will admit the others will be somewhat taken care of easily, but there is one that you will never stand a chance. In fact, you’re nothing compared to him.”Emerald had a feeling this wasn’t Qrow the other girl was talking about. “And who would he be?”Akame counted on this for the others to be safe for the time being. “His name is Wave, and he’s a soldier of the Empire.” This time, Cinder was the one to speak up since it caught her interest. “You’re saying there’s someone else from your world here?”The other girl nodded and had to explain everything to them. It was her only chance for them not attacking her friends. “Yes, and he wields an Imperial Arms of his own. In fact, he wields two, which was unheard of. He’s extremely powerful and even I almost fell to him. You can try if you like, but you are not even in the same league as him.” For Akame to say that there was someone stronger than her was quite surprising for everyone else in the room to hear. Especially to Cinder. She couldn’t fathom how powerful this Wave person was. If Akame couldn’t beat him, what chance did they have? Of course, Cinder has yet to unleash her full power as a Maiden, but she wasn’t going risk exposing herself in a public place.Mercury sighed in defeat as he could admit when something wasn’t worth it. “Fine, we won’t attack them. It’s still a pain in the ass that we can’t, though. Still, if this guy is as strong as you say he is, how are we supposed to deal with him then?” Honestly, Akame didn’t have an answer to that. The best option at the moment was taking one of her friends hostage and Wave complies. But Akame wasn’t a fan of that plan. Going up against them as their enemy was as close as dangerous as is. Thankfully, Salem didn’t seem as worried. “We’ll handle this problem when the times comes. As for now, our only focus shall be obtaining the Relic of Knowledge from Haven.”Akame was glad that conversation was over, but she really needed to come up with a plan. Not only she had come up with some way to deal with Wave, but also find a way to let her friends know what she was doing. Changing the topic, Emerald decided to ask a question she’s been meaning to ask since her fight with Tyrian. “By the way, how did you manage to cut through Tyrian’s aura?”The other girl drew Murasame out again and activated her semblance. She held the sword horizontally as her semblance twisted around the sword. “It’s something I’ve been working on for some time now. By applying my power to Murasame, it can cut through one’s aura. Of course, I tested this out with my bare hands at first with my…former teammates. If it worked through my hands, it can assuredly do the same through my sword. In fact, I developed this technique sorely for killing Cinder.” She deactivated her semblance and sheathed Murasame back in again.Cinder glared at the other girl. Apparently, she still wasn’t a fan of how their fight went back at Beacon. For Salem, she admired the girl for her honesty. “How noble of you to reveal the purpose of your power. However, not that I expect you to get along with others, you must work alongside with them. Even Cinder. Is that understood?”Akame was already painfully aware of that fact. “Yes.”Salem felt like had all she needed to know. “In that case, I thank you for sharing such important information to us. You may take your leave now.” Akame, Merraid, and the maids bowed to Salem before straightening up and took their leave. B Akame sighed as she was taking a bath. It was rather quite the largest bath she’d seen and even had small waterfalls coming out several statue’s gourds from the center. Akame hated that she was enjoying it since the bath did belong to the enemy after all. By now, it’s been several days since Akame came to this strange place and Merraid was more than happy to be her tour guide. She showed her the kitchen, library, Doctor Watts’ laboratory, dungeon, and a view from the outside which was the strangest Akame had seen. Of course, there were some areas that were forbidden by Salem herself. That was fine with Akame as it gave her the layout of the castle. She sighed again and looked up at the ceiling. Akame saw images of her friends and felt a slight pain in her heart. “Kurome and the other’s must be worried sick that I’ve disappeared. It’s not like I can communicate with them through my scroll since I can’t get a signal here.” There was something else that was troubling her well. “The only way I’ll be able to contact them is when they launch the attack on Haven. At that point, I can assume they’ll be confused as to why I’m with the enemy. I need to find a way to tell them the truth, but how? A hint, maybe? Something they can only understand? No, Merraid and the others might suspect something if I do that. They’ll always be around me. Especially Merraid’s maids. I won’t be able to send any kind of message with them around.” Akame sighed out of frustration now. She may have until the night before the semester start, but the days were coming and going quickly. If Akame couldn’t find a way to let her friends know about her plan, then they’ll definitely get the wrong idea of what she’s doing. There’s also the problem with dealing with Wave. He is currently the strongest opponent and the greatest threat. Wave was able to overwhelm her during their fight. She closed her eyes and thought more about the soldier. Wave is able to use two Imperial Arms at once which can greatly boost his strength and speed. For some reason, Akame thought back to Tatsumi when the Tyrant Dragon was slowly taking over his body. “I wonder. Can Tatsumi match up to Wave? It certainly seems believable. It’s almost as if I can picture it in my mind. If there was only a way to-”Akame gasped as a thought struck her. She brought her hand out of the water and activated her semblance. She summoned a small portion of her power in her palm. Akame didn’t know if this would work but it seemed plausible. After all, someone else she knew was able to break the boundaries of her Imperial Arms. “Esdeath managed to use her Imperial Arms in ways that weren’t even considered to be possible. Flight, freeze time, create an entire army of her own, she managed to do all of that. It was because she explored the limits of her power. Of what it can do. I’ve done something similar with my power. So far, it’s able to go through aura. What if I can do more with it just like what Esdeath did with her power. After all, my semblance is my sin. I know it can go further than increasing my speed, strength, and cutting through aura. Maybe I can-”“What are you doing, Akame?”Akame immediately deactivated her power and slammed her hand back into the water. She recognized who was talking to her. “What are you doing here, Merra-” as soon Akame turned, she instantly lost all thought. Akame had a full, great view of Merraid’s naked figure.The older woman smiled and giggled as she walked toward her lover. “I heard you were taking a bath and I wanted to join you.” She entered the bath and waded over to where Akame was. The younger girl looked away but still looked flushed. And it didn’t help that her heart was beating madly. Akame wondered why history had to cruelly repeat itself in her life. Merraid thought it was adorable with the way the younger girl was acting. “There’s no need to be ashamed of. It’s not the first time you’ve seen me naked. Nor will it be the last.” She reached to where Akame was and sat down next to her.Akame had to think of some kind of a distraction. “It’s just…that it may not be a good time to be doing those sorts of things.”Merraid frowned at her lover’s choice of words. “Is that really how you think about me? “You know, not everything between us has to be about sex or sexually related. Let me show you.” She grabbed Akame by the shoulders and had her lean against her body. Merraid wrapped her arms around the other girl lovingly and rested her chin on Akame’s left shoulder. She nuzzled her cheek against Akame’s and smiled pleasantly. Aside from feeling Merraid’s breasts pressing against her back, Akame did admit this was rather nice. “See? I know how to read the room. Moments like these are good enough for me. For us.” Akame couldn’t deny that. It was a nice moment they were having. In fact, this was the perfect opportunity to know more about this Merraid. The more she knew about her enemy, the better. At least, that’s what Akame kept telling herself. “Merraid…” Her lover responded with a small sound. “What is it?”The younger girl placed her hand on top of Merraid’s. “What…was your life like? Before you met Salem?” She noticed a change in Merraid’s behavior. Her body tensed up for some reason. Akame thought she must’ve struck a chord inside the older woman. “If you don’t want to talk about it-”“It’s fine.” Merraid interrupted. “It’s fine. You do have a right to know about my past.” She relaxed her body and sighed. “I was born into a wealthy family. An heiress, actually, and my father was a brilliant businessman. My mother, I never really got the chance to know since she passed away when I was young. I was mostly privately tutored by highly valued and revered professors. I didn’t have many friends to talk to since they were all the maids working under my father. I suppose they are the reason why I developed a preference for girls since all of them were quite lovely to look at. Especially the head maid. She was my absolute favorite. Lovely long red hair in twin braids, those golden eyes of hers, and her glowing tan skin. To top it off, she was a wolf Faunus. She was honestly my first love and…I kinda confessed to her.” She couldn’t help but laugh at the embarrassing memory. “She just laughed it off and patted my head saying I was being adorable. I suppose that’s to be expected from a girl who was ten years old.” Her expression changed into a more somber one. “Unfortunately, she transferred out shortly after and was replaced by a more elderly woman who was very strict. I didn’t know at the time, but I believe my father was behind it.”Akame had a slight feeling as what kind of person Merraid’s father was. “On my twelfth birthday, my father gave me two very special presents. Two girls who would be my personal maids from now on. One was about ten and the other seemed to be a little younger. It was the first time I met Gilberda and Cassandra. I didn’t question how my father acquired them at the time since I was happy having girls close to my own age. However, I quickly learned how afraid they were. Of me, and what I would do to them if they ever have done something wrong. I assured them I would do them no harm and even helped them with their daily chores. I actually found it quite fun since most of the other maids do that kind of stuff for me. What cemented our friendship is when I defended them from my father when they made the mistake of spilling hot tea on his lap. It was from that moment on, we became family to each other. At least more of a family then I was with my father.”Merraid steeled herself for the most painful part of her early life. “At age sixteen, my father had arranged a number of potential suitors for me to marry. Unfortunately for him, I had already cemented my sexuality toward women. He didn’t take it too kindly and said the usual things a parent having a homosexual child would say. ‘You’ll grow out of it, you have no choice, it’s for the benefit of the family,’ that sort of thing. I abided just to shut him up and met these suitors. To sum them all up, they were all scum. They were all full of themselves, bloated by their own ego, treated Gilberda and Cassandra like they were lesser beings, I was furious. One of them even had the gall to grab me by the arm and said I was nothing more than a pretty bitch. This went on for a whole year and I’ve had enough. I marched up to my father’s office and straight up told him I would never marry any of the suitors he’d chosen for me. Or any man for that matter. The conversation we had after that was…ugly, I’ll say the least. After that, we barely spoke to each other. Then…he had the gall to do the vilest thing a father can do to his daughter.”Akame noticed Merraid was tightening her hold around her. She guessed what happened next was the triggered the biggest change in her life. “It was the eve of my eighteenth birthday. My father had summoned me into his private study. For what reason, I didn’t know but I was unaware of the horror that was about to befall me. I entered the study and saw him standing on the upper balcony. Below were three men I’ve never seen before. I heard the doors close behind me and turned around to see another two. I began to panic and demanded my father to explain what this was about. However, before he could answer me, one of the men knocked me down to the floor while the other held me down and the third tearing my clothes. The other two joined in and I struggled to break free, but I couldn’t. I screamed and screamed and begged for them to stop but they all had these predatory eyes on me. When my all my clothes were torn away, they started to undo their pants and I feared the worst that was going to happen to me. I heard my father tell me if I will not to bear him a child, he would force me to have one instead.”Akame had a horrified expression. She couldn’t believe her own father would arrange his daughter to be gang-raped. In terms of her world, he would be someone who had to be killed for what he’d done to Merraid. The older woman’s breathing became shaky as she recalled more of those terrible events that night. “Those animals had their way with me. Treated my body as if it were nothing more than a piece of meat. It was like an unending nightmare to me. My screams fell on deaf ears, my pleas remained unheard and my tears stained my face. I have never felt such violation in my life. It seemed like it went on for an eternity until I heard a crash. I didn’t know what was happening, but I could hear Gilberda and Cassandra’s voices. I heard yelling and other noises quickly after. It sounded like a fight and I saw those same men fall to the floor with an empty look in their eyes. Almost as if they were dead. I could hear that monster and Gilberda yelling at each other and that bastard scream. Then I heard a squelching noise and that scum remained silent. I remember being picked up and…the rest is still hazy to me. What I do remember after is smelling and seeing smoke and fire. Before I knew it, I found myself outside with a blanket draped over me and Gilberta carrying me on her back. And the sight we saw before us was my home being burned to the ground.”Merraid’s hold on Akame lessened and stood up from the bath from Akame. She felt more tired than usual after telling her horrible tale. “I’m…going to go to bed now. Goodnight, Akame.” The older woman turned and walked away from Akame. A few seconds later, and she left the bathroom. Akame stayed in the bath for a moment longer in silence. After the moment had passed, she stood up and walked out of the bathroom shortly after. B Akame entered Merraid’s room wearing only a red robe. None of the maids were around so she assumed they were sleeping in their own quarters. The younger girl saw Merraid sleeping sounding under her covers. No doubt sleeping in the nude as in typical Merraid fashion. Akame untied the sash wrapped around and the robe fell to the floor seamlessly. The younger girl walked over to the bed and lifted the covers to enter. She shifted a little closer to Merraid and when she was close enough, Akame could see how seemingly peaceful the older woman was sleeping. She wondered how Merraid was able to sleep the way she could after telling her a horrific event that happening in her life. The younger girl still felt bad for asking Merraid what her life was like before Salem. She knew Merraid was fast asleep but still felt like she should apologize. “Merraid, I’m…sorry I had to make you remember something so terrible. You should’ve never experienced something like that and…I made you recall that experience all over again. I hope you’ll forgive me.”“There’s nothing to forgive.” Akame gasped quietly in surprise when she saw Merraid open her eyes. Apparently, she wasn’t deep asleep the younger thought she was. The younger girl saw her lover smile sweetly at her. “I told you because I trust you. Because I love you.” Merraid reached for Akame’s hand and held it gently with care as she interlocked their fingers together. “You deserve to know of my past, no matter how painful it is to me.” Akame’s heart ached more and more every time Merraid spoke something meaningful to her. It was like both fate and history loved to screw around between her and Merraid. Akame had wished before that in a different time and place, they could’ve been something together. When she saw Merraid again, it was like her wish almost came true. Except for the fact they’re on opposite sides once again. And with different morals. Now Akame just wished Merraid can just leave this life and live a peaceful one instead. However, the younger girl knew that kind of wish would never come true.“Akame…” Merraid’s words broke Akame out of her train of thought and refocused on the older woman. “May I ask what your early life was? You said earlier you were raised as an assassin. I can’t imagine it must’ve been easy.”Akame had no choice but to reveal a bit of her past to the older woman. After all, Merraid had shared her pain to her. She had to do the same for her. Akame gently tightened her hold on Merraid’s hand in return. “You’re right. It really wasn’t. Having to be sold away like an animal, surviving a dark forest full of monsters that could kill you if you’re not prepared, growing up and learning how to survive in the wilderness, and seeing the people you call friends and comrades die before you one by one. And I’ll never forget how I was being used as a tool to do the Empire’s bidding.” Akame could really see the irony in herself saying those words.It was less than Merraid’s, but that was all the older woman needed to understand. In a way, she could see that Akame has lived a much harder life than hers. While that dreaded night was like a nightmare to her, Akame’s must’ve been a living one. A living hell, to be precise. Still, it was these experiences that brought them closer together. “At least we found each other again against all odds.” Akame smiled back at Merraid and nodded in agreement. Nothing more can be said between them now as they both closed their eyes and fell asleep. Their hands still holding on to each other as they slept. B A few weeks had passed now and Akame has been working on something new with her semblance. There were a few kinks to work out, but she has made some significant strides. All Akame had to do was explore further of what she could do more with her power. As of now, Akame was waiting in the large outdoor garden which was surprisingly well taken care of. She saw the doors up ahead open and Merraid and her maids entered the garden. The older woman was obviously happy seeing her beloved again. “Hello, Akame. I was told through my maids that you had a surprise waiting for me?”The younger girl smiled and nodded at the small group. “That’s correct. It’s something I’m working on that I wanted to show you.”Merraid liked these kinds of surprises and couldn’t wait for Akame’s. “Is that why I haven’t seen you around lately? And here I thought you were purposely avoiding me after I opened my heart to you.”Akame still felt bad about that and what she was doing, but she wouldn’t focus on that for now. “No, it’s nothing like that. I believe it’ll be useful for the upcoming fight. Here, let me show you.” She grabbed Murasame’s handle and drew it out. The younger girl activated her semblance and surrounded her sword. Akame swung Murasame to the side and pointed it at the ground. Her power transferred from her sword to the ground. As it did, it rose up and began to take a form. Soon, it began to look more like a human being and its summoning was fully complete. Akame successfully summoned someone she’d kill with Murasame back into the living world. This person seemed to be a scientist one time with a quite a unique look to him. Former Jaeger member: Doctor Stylish Merraid was astounded by what she saw and clapped at her beloveds performed. “How incredible! You can actually do something like that now?”Akame moved Murasame away and continued to hold accordingly. “My semblance is my sin. For each person I killed with Murasame, I carry that sin within me. I once thought I could do more with my power other than increasing my strength and speed and having the power to cut through aura. I figured I could use my sins in a different way and this is the result.” She glanced over at the doctor who hasn’t said anything yet. “So far, what I found out is that I’m able to move with one or two summonings. However, I need to concentrate on maintaining their forms if I need to summon more.” Akame has noticed the similarities between her new power and what Kurome could do with Yatsufusa.“Well, haven’t you thought of everything, dear Akame.” Akame, Merraid, and the maids immediately turned their attention to Stylish who finally spoke. He looked back at Akame and smiled at her brightly. “You’ve certainly grown a bit since the last time we tussled. It was back at that base of yours, wasn’t it?” He looked up to see the dark sky and was already not a fan of it. “Ugh, what a dreary sight. Someone needs to put more sunshine into their life.” While Merraid was surprised Akame’s summoning could speak, it wasn’t all that surprising to Akame. This was one of the first things she discovered about her new power. It was one of the key differences between her and what Kurome could do with Yatsufusa. For one, they retained the personality of the person she killed and were able to talk. The other is that can learn and adapt. They seemed to learn things from her…personal life, but only bits and fragments of it.Akame looked back at Merraid. “The man I summoned is known as Doctor Stylish. He was a member of the Jaegers and the first one we defeated.”Stylish looked at Merraid again and smirked at the woman. “Charmed in meeting you.”Surprisingly enough, Merraid actually smiled back at Stylish. “Likewise.”Her greeting back was a shock to Akame and the maids. Gilberda was the first to speak on what was on everyone else’s mind. “M-Madam Mera? Are feeling alright? You spoke normally to this cur!”Merraid turned her attention to her maid. “Of course, I am. He’s not like the other animals we came across. He’s gay.” Akame felt stupid in knowing that the older woman was right. Apparently, if a man was gay, Merraid held no bitter feelings toward them. The older woman looked back at Akame. “This has been quite educational. Is there anything else your new power can do?”In fact, there was one more thing and it was another similarity. “They are able to use the weapons they had when I killed them with Murasame. In Stylish’s case…”Stylish proudly presented his gloves. “Imperial Arms Glorious Hands of God: Perfector.” He set his hands down and chuckled. “What they can do is increase my speed and precision of my fingers several hundredfold. They’re very excellent when used in my experiments.”The older woman was impressed with what she heard and seen. “Ah, a different kind of Imperial Arms then. I can see its usefulness for someone like you. I can see our current doctor being useless now.” She suddenly thought up a fun idea for the doctor. “You know, we do have a lovely specimen you can enjoy all you can. I believe it’ll be to your taste.”Stylish became very interested in hearing that proposal. “You don’t say? Ooh, I can’t wait to meet this special specimen then.”Akame knew Merraid was hinting toward Mercury. He did seem to fit Stylish’s taste. She cleared her throat to regain the focus of the conversation. “In any case, Stylish is just one of several Imperial Arm users I’ve killed with Murasame. Including one that can be a match against Wave.”Now that was something Merraid was particularly interested in. “Is that so? I’m sure Lady Salem will be delighted to hear that. Have you thought of a name for this technique of yours yet?”Akame hadn’t thought of a name for her new move. Since Merraid brought it up, she did have some idea of what to call it. “I believe I’ll call it…Murasame Manifestation.”It was a name that rolled off the tongue and even sounded menacing. It was a perfect name for Merraid. “An excellent name for a powerful technique such as this. You truly are beauty and brilliance rolled into one stunning woman. If you don’t mind, I’d like to tell Lady Salem about this.”Akame didn’t mind at all, but she did have one condition. “As long as you don’t tell the others. I can’t spoil the surprise this early.”The older woman loved the idea and turned away from her beloved. “I won’t. I can’t wait to see you unleash it when the time comes.” She walked away, and the maids bowed to Akame before following their mistress.As they left, Akame glanced over at Stylish. “What do you think?”The doctor only chuckled as a response. “It’s such a shame you’re doing such a thing to that poor girl. Playing with her heart as you’ve been doing this entire time.” Akame didn’t need to be told twice about that. One detail Akame didn’t tell Merraid about was that she could communicate with her summonings telepathically. They were part of her after all. It was one of the details she discovered while exploring her powers. In short, not only she came up with a way to deal with Wave, but a way to tell the others of what she’s been doing and what she’s learned. The only things left to do was polish the technique more and wait for her fateful encounter with her team once again. B Never has Akame been so grateful in seeing a clear blue sky again. After spending a month in that castle and seeing that same black sky day after day made Akame appreciate the outside world much more. Unfortunately, she wasn’t outside for the sake of pleasure or a vacation. She was out on a mission with Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, and Doctor Watts to meet with Raven. Shizuka accompanied her as usual. For all of them to reach this bandit camp, they had to take an airship and dock it far away enough so that the bandits wouldn’t notice their presence. It also taught Akame that they just couldn’t go just anywhere without the need for transportation.The small group arrived at the gates where several bandits were on guard duty. Emerald was about to take them out but Akame beat her to it. She at least had to prove she can be of some use to them without raising suspicion. After they made their presence known, one of the bandits went inside the tent where they leader was. Akame and the others waited while she heard some of the other bandits talking about her. One of them saying that she looked similar to their leader. A few seconds later and their leader emerged from her tent. Akame tensed slightly as soon as she felt her aura. She narrowed her eyes slightly at Raven. “This aura…” There was no doubt in her mind who Raven really was. After all, her aura was exactly the same as Cinder’s.Cinder began the introductions and Raven wasn’t impressed by them. That is until she turned her attention to Shizuka and Akame. “And…who are you two?”Shizuka did a courtesy bow to the leader. “Greetings. My name is Shizuka and I am a maid representing my mistress, Madam Mera And, this is Madam Mera's betrothed, Lady Akame. Our newest addition to our group.”Akame had to groan internally at Shizuka’s introduction to her. “Selling it a little high there.” The younger girl could clearly see that Raven was focusing on her now. “I see. I wonder what your reason is for working with Salem?” Akame just remained silent as she stared back at the tribal leader. She wasn’t going to disclose that information anytime soon to her. The conversation continued for a little longer until Raven looked back at her tent. “Vernal!”That same woman from before came out of the tent and walked up to where Raven was. As Akame expected, Cinder assumed who Vernal was. “So, this the long-lost Spring Maiden. Prove it.”And Vernal did. The sky darkened, and the wind blew strongly through everyone. It was an impressive show, but Akame knew what was really going on. “She’s not the one doing this.” She shifted her attention to Raven. “It’s her. She’s the Spring Maiden.” The only question Akame had now was how did Raven acquire the power of the Spring Maiden? She could only think of one answer to that question.Vernal stopped using her “power” and Raven and Cinder continued to talk. They were beginning their negations now. It was the usual “you help us, we’ll leave you alone” routine but Akame knew it’ll never work. She then saw Raven take off her helmet and finally saw her face. She could see some resemblance between her and Raven. The real Spring Maiden made it clear she didn’t want to do anything with Salem. Unfortunately, Raven didn’t have much room to negotiate. She would agree to help them but only one condition. “I want my brother dead.” Hearing that definitely caught Akame’s attention. Now the deal was that if she helped them, they, in return, would lure Qrow and the others to Haven and ambush them. For Raven to summarize the whole plan: “He arrives at Haven, we take him down, you get your relic, and we all leave happy.”Watts intervened saying that killing Qrow was easier said than done. Raven was confident that if all of them attacked Qrow together, he’d go down easily. However, not as easy as she thought since Shizuka explained something important. “There is one other who may be possibly stronger than your brother and perhaps you. Lady Akame has express how powerful this individual is. This…person come from the same world as Lady Akame and possess the same kind of weaponry unseen in this world.”Her words seemed to interest Raven. “Is that so? If that’s true, then what do you plan to do about it?”“It just so happens that Lady Akame has developed a special technique to handle this person, your brother, and anyone else who dares to get in our way.” It was a little earlier for Akame to reveal her new move, but Shizuka was still smart to remain ambiguous about it. Watts made a comment about Cinder having a grudge against Ruby, if this plan falls apart, they’ll be deep trouble, all the usual risks. Cinder offered her hand to Raven again and they shook hands. However, Akame knew Raven had something else planned. B Akame was walking in the hallway headed toward the room where Raven and Vernal were currently in. Their operation would start in a couple of hours and Akame needed to talk with Raven. She managed to give the maids the slip as they could undermine her plan. Akame finally arrived at the door to their room and knocked on it a couple of times. It didn’t take long to hear a response. “What is it?” Akame reached for the doorknob, turned it, and opened the door. What she saw was as expected from them. Raven sitting on her bed tending to her sword while Vernal was leaning on the wall. Her arrival certainly grabbed the tribal leader’s interest. “Well, this is a surprise? Where're your maids? Don’t you need them to continuously suck up to you?” The younger girl didn’t reply right away as she entered the room and closed the door behind. All joking aside, Raven stared at Akame as she sheathed her sword and stood up from the bed. “Why are you really here?”Akame just glared back as she knew how to begin their conversation. “I know what you’re planning.”Already Raven wasn’t amused by the younger girl’s accusation. “Is that so? Then, go ahead. Tell me what it is that I plan to do.”Akame would be more than glad to explain. After all, she’s seen this strategy before. “I know how you tribal leaders think. You don’t join forces with the enemy without having a plan to undermine them in some way. This is more than about protecting your tribe. You’re planning to steal the relic for yourself while everyone is busy fighting Qrow and the others at Haven.” Raven had to admit the girl was good. Apparently, she wasn’t as much of a fool as the others. However, she did wonder why she’d say this in front of her now of all times. Akame had one more thing to say to the tribal leader. “And…I know you’re the real Spring Maiden. The woman with you is nothing more than a decoy for you to use to fool others. Like Cinder, for example. You’re lucky she’s an imbecile because if it were me that wanted to prove her power, I would’ve just asked her to ignite her eyes. It seems to be the trademark of you Maidens.”Vernal was immediately surprised while Raven narrowed her eyes at Akame. “Really now? And what makes you think I’m the Spring Maiden you boldly claim?”The younger girl thought it’d be best to tell the truth. “Because I can sense aura.”Raven tried to best not to laugh because she had never heard of such an ability. A person being able to sense other people’s aura? Such a thing couldn’t exist without her knowing it firsthand. “Is that your defense? Because if it is, it’s very weak.”Akame expected that as a response. So, she decided to go more in-depth and closed her eyes. “One of the things I’ve learned in my training is that each person’s aura is different. For example, the woman with you, Vernal, has a normal kind of aura. There isn’t anything special about it. Weak, even. Therefore, there’s nothing special about her. She’s just a regular woman who is your pawn to be used as a distraction.” Vernal kinda took offense to that. She opened her eyes to stare deeply at Raven. “And then there’s you. Your aura is vastly different. It’s powerful and anyone who was weaker would be frightened and flee. There is one other detail about it. Your aura is the same as Cinder’s. I suppose that’s because Maidens have the same kind of aura. However, while your aura is powerful, I’ve encountered stronger.”Raven studied Akame’s eyes carefully. She tried to find some sign that the younger girl was bluffing. To her surprise, there wasn’t any of that. There was no hint of a lie she could find anywhere. Raven had no choice but to accept the fact that Akame can sense her aura. If that were the case, she had one question to ask Akame. “If you can sense my aura is that of a Maiden’s and know what I’m planning, why didn’t you tell the people you’re with?” She quickly discovered the answer to her own question. “Unless you’re not actually on their side, are you?”Akame continued to stare at the older woman. Now was the perfect time to answer her question. “Earlier, you asked me what my reason was for joining Salem. The answer is simple. It’s because it’s my closest and only chance of killing her.”Now Raven’s expression changed to surprised, as did Vernal’s. She then laughed at Akame’s declaration as if it were a joke. This went on for several seconds until she calmed down. “Oh, I haven’t laughed like in a long time.” She laughed a few more times before returning to her serious expression again. “Now I know what you really are. You’re about the biggest fool I’ve ever met. I hate to break it to you, but Salem cannot be killed. What you’re doing is nothing more than a fool’s quest.”Funny Raven would say that because Akame knew what kind of person Raven was as well. “And that’s the difference between you and me. I’m prepared for the worst to happen while you just run away from your problems like the coward you are. You’re even lesser compared to your brother. To my friends, even. Perhaps what we’re doing may be foolish to you, but it’s better being a fool who tried rather being a coward who runs away and doesn’t try at all.”Raven growled deeply at the younger girl’s words. She had the gall to call her a coward. The tribal leader wanted to teach this brat a lesson in respect. “You’re on thin ice, little girl. You have no idea what I’m capable of. Maiden wise and what I was trained to do.”Akame wasn’t intimated by Raven’s words. “Cute. I was trained to kill people like you. And it’s also ironic you say that. You have all these powers, these skills, and yet you still choose to run away.”“I don’t have a choice!” Raven yelled back at the younger girl. “You don’t even have the slightest idea what Salem is capable of! Of what she can do! What makes you think you can kill her!?”The younger girl’s response was just a shrug. “First of all, you’re wrong. You do have a choice. You just keep choosing to run away. If you want to cower and live in fear for the rest of your life, go ahead, be my guest. It’s not my place to tell you what to do. Second, I won’t know until I try. And third, I will only say this to you once.” She quickly drew Murasame out and rushed toward Raven. The tribal immediately grabbed the handle of her sword, but Akame already arrived and swung her sword right where Raven’s jugular was. It stopped just mere inches away before Raven had a chance to draw her own sword. She let out several shaky breaths as she’s never seen such speed before. The tribal leader took a second look at Akame and saw that she activated her semblance. Akame was glaring at Raven furiously. “I don’t give a damn if you’re the Spring Maiden! I don’t give a damn if you’re Yang’s mother! If you do anything to harm my friends, I will kill you in one of three ways; Through the head. Through the heart. Or decapitation. I will not make the same mistake twice. And I won’t just stop with you. I will kill your entire tribe as well!”Raven’s seen many things in her life and there were very few that frightened her. Salem being one of them and now the look Akame was giving her. Now that she got a closer look, Raven could see how hard and steeled the younger girl’s eyes were. It was clear she had been in many battles. Probably just as much as Raven and she was about the same age as Yang. The tribal leader was then surprised by seeing Akame withdraw her weapon away from the older woman and turned away from her. She sheathed Murasame and closed her eyes as her semblance deactivated. “I have another reason to kill Salem. I believed Ozpin would give us a new chance to start over. A new beginning, you could say. The night that Beacon fell was the night my new life was taken away from me.”Raven still held on the to her sword’s handle. She scoffed at the younger girl’s words. “Well, that was your first mistake. You were a fool to believe that Ozpin would give such a thing.”Akame admitted there was some truth in Raven’s words. “Perhaps, but it’s not the first time. I was a fool in believing what I did for the Empire was right before I realized the truth.” She glanced back at the current Spring Maiden. “By the way, a word of warning. My friends are also capable of sensing aura. They’re not as efficient as I am but they will be able to notice the difference. I’d suggest you get done with what you need to do quickly. Otherwise, you won’t be on such good terms with the others.” She began to walk away from the older woman.As Raven watched Akame almost reach the door, she had one burning question to ask her. “Hold on.” The younger girl stopped in front of the door and Raven removed her hand from the handle. “Why are you telling me all of this?”Akame was silent for a few seconds and didn’t look back at the older woman. “Because you’re the only person I can trust. Whether the relic falls into your hands or my friends’, I don’t care either way. Just as long as Salem doesn’t have it.”Raven had one more question to ask the younger girl. “And what makes you think I won’t tell the others what you’re really planning?”Akame already knew the answer to that. “Because you know that if you do, I’ll tell them what you’re planning. Who do you think which side they’ll take?” The current Maiden already knew the answer to that. Before Akame could leave, she had one more thing to say to her. “You’re going to have to make a choice, you know that. Is this vendetta of yours more important than the lives of your friends? You may control the outcomes of your actions, but you cannot control the outcomes of the others.” Akame didn’t say anything back as she turned the knob and opened the door. She left Raven’s room without saying another word and closed the door behind her.Akame had to return to Merraid as soon as possible. While walking back, she thought about her talk with Raven. “I think I may have gone a little too far in saying I’ll kill her entire tribe, but I believe I made my point. I just hope Kurome and the others thought of a plan to handle.”She stopped momentarily as Akame thought back to what Raven said before she left. “You’re going to have to make a choice, you know that. Is this vendetta of yours more important than the lives of your friends? You may control the outcomes of your actions, but you cannot control the outcomes of the others.” Akame hated to admit it, but Raven was right about that. She really was risking the lives of her friends just so she’d have a chance to kill Salem. Was it really worth it to go through all of this? The only way Akame will know the answer was to experience the forthcoming battle herself. B “Akame…”Akame couldn’t believe what she was seeing. What she heard. She saw Leone standing right in front of her. A myriad of emotions was running through her entire being. “Leone. She’s here. Leone’s really here. She’s alive!” For the past month, Akame had thought that Leone had died in a crash. But here she was standing in front of the other girl. That single moment in seeing Leone again was the most joy she’s felt in a long time. However, that joy was short lived as Akame realized something dreadful. She had to treat Leone as an enemy now. Akame had to get over her initial shock and keep up with her charade. She didn’t show it but Akame was furious about her position. It seemed fate itself has dealt another cruel hand to her. First, it was Merraid fighting on the enemy’s side and now she had to fight Leone as an enemy. She was already in this deep. Akame couldn’t turn back now. She had to continue to pretend she was on the enemy’s side.Her appearance on the enemy’s side certainly convinced her friends. “Why? What is Akame with you people!”“It’s quite easy. Akame has pledged her loyalty to me. She is fighting for our side. She fights for Lady Salem.”“That’s bullshit! There’s no way in hell Akame would ever fight for you fuckers! The only she could be if you brainwashed her!”“I’m sorry to say this, but you’re wrong. I did not trick her. I did not drug her. I did not force her. And I most certainly did not brainwash her. Akame made the decision of her free will. And who can blame her? Her own team shunned her for finding happiness again. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say all of you wanted her to stay miserable. At least back then when we knew Leone was no more.”“That’s not true! It…can’t be true. Akame…that can’t be the reason you joined them. It can’t be because I was angry at you. When we disapproved of what you did. There has to be another reason!” While Akame didn’t express any emotion, hearing her sister like this was breaking her inside.“Sorry to say this sweetie, but Akame has made her choice and we will both see to it that the filth of this world shall be burned away. Akame, my love, it’s time to show them what you can do. Let us show them your ultimate trump card!”This is what Akame was prepared for. What she planned for and drew Murasame out. It was now or never. Akame saw the fearful expression Leone was making toward her. “Akame, please don’t. Don’t make me fight you.” Another sharp dagger of pain stabbed her. This was just as painful to her as it was to Leone and the others. Maybe even more. She just must keep in the mindset that her own plan would follow through long enough for either Raven or her friends to obtain the relic. Akame activated her semblance and flipped Murasame pointed it at the floor. Her semblance circled around her sword and Leone started to run toward the other girl. “No!” Before the Faunus blonde could reach her, Akame stabbed Murasame into the floor and her power exploded.The next thing Akame knew was that she was in a focused state. She had to be since she was summoning seven opponents Akame had killed in the past. All the spirits she summoned had made their debut. Headhunter Zanku, Ibara, Holimaca, Enshin, Izou, Kurome, Esdeath, and Tatsumi who was in his state when the Tyrant Dragon was overtaking his body. As soon as they were summoned, Akame discovered something new. She was able to see what they were seeing presently. Leone and the others standing in fear of they were seeing. A large group of Faunus standing behind them, dozens of White Fang members lying on the ground unconscious, and two helicopters hovering above the campus. Akame immediately knew what her first was to give them their first order. “You are not to kill the people present. Only act as if you’re trying to kill them.” The order was good enough for General Esdeath as she held her hand out toward the helicopters. She summoned two massive ice pillars and enveloped both helicopters. She then crushed the two helicopters into ice dust. It was not exactly what Akame was hoping for. Esdeath made her introductions to people she knew and once knew. Even Esren who Akame was surprised to see again. Enshin and Izou made a few comments themselves about Syura. After saying her greetings, General Esdeath walked back into the building and gave her thoughts about Emerald and the others. Akame was surprised to know that General Esdeath knew Merraid before and wasn’t surprised that Merraid hit on the General. She then saw General Esdeath look at her. “Look at you. I must say you've improved greatly since our last bout at the Capital, Akame. To think you were the one that got away. It's almost a shame you decided to leave the Empire, but because of that, you gave me a fight that was worth remembering. And now, I see you've given me another chance to experience something extraordinary. However, is everything you're doing worth it? I'd expect an answer when this ordeal is over.”The older woman turned away, but Akame still had a few things to say to her. “Esdeath…”“Relax.” The General responded. “I made sure the piolets were frozen alive with their consciousness intact. As long as you will it, we’ll follow.” Hearing that put Akame’s mind at ease. Esdeath was the kind of person who wouldn’t lie. She brought Tatsumi along and presented him to everyone. Leone included. It was with this, Akame had to reveal a secret she’d kept from the Faunus girl for the longest time. She knew how fond Leone was toward Tatsumi and couldn’t bring herself to tell her the truth about what really happened to him.Like Akame expected, Wave would be the one to fight him. This was her only chance and had to make it count. She just needed the oncoming fight look believable for everyone to see. “You’re going to have to fight Wave seriously, Tatsumi.” Tatsumi understood clearly of Akame’s orders. “Got it. I just wonder how much stronger Wave’s gotten since we last fought together.”Both Wave and Tatsumi summoned their armors and began their battle. As Akame expected, their battle was fierce and saw a new weapon Wave summoned. She also hoped that one of them wouldn’t die due to the rule between Imperial Arms. It almost seemed that way when Akame saw Wave being stabbed by Tatsumi’s claws. Well, Akame did order to make the fight convincing to Tatsumi. However, making the fight look real was one thing. Having Tatsumi relay the message was another since there wasn’t an opportunity to do so. It almost seemed like it wasn’t going to happen until Seryu used her semblance to enhance Grand Chariot.As Seryu said, her power gave Wave the advantage he needed. With this new powerup, Wave managed to defeat Tatsumi. This was the opportunity Akame was waiting for. “Tatsumi, now! Grab Wave and take him as far away from here as possible!” Tatsumi woke up and roared as he grabbed Wave by the throat and they flew far away from Mistral.Now that Wave was out of the picture, for the time being, all Akame had to do now was prolong the battle long enough for either her friends or Raven to get the relic. And she knew the right person to start it. “Esdeath…” The General smiled slammed her hand on the ground. In the next second, General Esdeath summoned a colossal ice storm surrounding Mistral. Her next move was summoning seven icicles aimed at the group. A move that didn’t please Akame. “Esdeath!” “I know, I know. This is just to scare them. I’ll chalk it up to being out of practice.” She sent her icicles at the group, but Esren used his power to dissolve the attack into ice. Neither General Esdeath or Akame expected him to do that, but they could use it to their advantage. It wasn’t long for the real battle to begin. Zanku fighting Blake, Kurome fighting against the Kurome from Remnant, Enshin fighting Rienna, Izou fighting Taeko, and General Esdeath fighting Esren. In the building, it was Ibara fighting Ren and Nora, and Holimaca fighting Ruby. That just left Weiss, Jaune, Chelsea, Cornelia, Qrow, Oscar, and Leone fighting Mercury, Emerald, Merraid, Hazel, and the maids. She’ll just have to hope they could last long enough for either them or Raven to claim the relic.As the battles continued, Akame saw another girl fight alongside Blake and discovered that Izou was Taeko’s uncle. That could only mean that the Izou in this world was a member of the Oarburgh family. Rienna was holding on her own against Enshin until he made a comment about her family. It was honestly the first time Akame had seen Rienna angry like this since she’s usually the carefree member of the group. Kurome was having a small chat with the Kurome from Remnant and she said something about the original having a siscon fetish. She never really thought of it that way before. Ibara was playing around with Ren and Nora and made his usual “falling in love” comment, and Holimaca was teaching Ruby that it was either kill or to be killed. What really caught Akame’s attention was General Esdeath’s fight against her father. It was obvious Esren was outmatched by the General, but the Esdeath in this world showed up to help. Obviously, her father knew it was a bad idea and General Esdeath proved it. She froze her younger self solid and started to cut Esren in her usual fashion.During this, something else happened. There was an explosion and Akame saw familiar weather phenomenon happening. She saw what happened to Esdeath through the General’s eyes and couldn’t be it. “Esdeath’s…a Maiden?” This was something Akame wasn’t expecting to see.General Esdeath saw this as an opportunity. “Sorry, Akame. It looks like I'll have to be a little rougher with this girl. I want to see what she's capable of. I want to test her limits!”Akame wasn’t sure if that was a good idea, but she had to keep the charade going. “As long as you don’t overdo it. And I forbid you from using your trump card.” It was good enough for General Esdeath and used one of her younger counterpart’s moves. After that, she instigated the first attack and the two Esdeath’s began fighting. The younger Esdeath demonstrated her Maiden powers and matched the General move to move.Akame could tell Esdeath was having fun fighting her other self and wanted to push her over the edge. “Is this the extent of your power?! How pitiful! And to think I thought you were something special! Maybe I should direct my focus on something else. Perhaps that girl you like. Yes. I know about your little crush on her. What was her name? Ruby Rose, was it? Yes, I remember seeing her when I walked into that building. I could just see the pure innocence residing inside of her. Inside her eyes. And how much I would enjoy seeing that very same innocence fading away in her eyes. Her own blood pooling around her near lifeless body! I can't decide if I should just do it quickly to see the look on her face or take my time carving her every inch of her body. I'm sure she'd made some wonderful sounds as I skin her alive! I JUST WON'T STOP AT THE GIRL! I'LL KILL EVERYONE YOU LOVE! RUBY, YOUR FATHER, YOUR FRIENDS, THOSE PEOPLE WITH ANIMAL TRAITS! I'LL MAKE IT INTO AN ENTIRE MASSACRE! IF YOU WANT TO STOP ME, THEN YOU KNOW THERE'S ONLY WAY TO DO IT!”“I WON'T LET YOU HURT RUBY! I WON'T LET YOU HURT MY FRIENDS! I WON'T LET YOU HURT MY FAMILY!” The two Esdeath’s fought harder than before. Neither one of them was letting up and their attacks became fiercer each time. In time, General Esdeath started to gain the upper hand in the fight. Esdeath may have awakened her Maiden powers, but she was still new in using them. It was as the General mentioned before; it took Akame using everything she had to kill her, including using Murasame’s trump card. How could someone like Esdeath do the same without having the same battle experience? Apparently, Esdeath had a plan as she gathered the General’s ice around her arms. Akame wondered the same question Esdeath asked. “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING!?”“Sometimes, strength isn’t the only thing you need to survive!”Esdeath summoned an icicle next to her. “You think I’ll allow you to execute whatever sorry plan you have, you’re sorely mistaken!” She sent the icicle over and Esdeath sent one of her own as a response. General Esdeath was about to send more icicles at her younger self when Esren appeared again to intercept her. Esren kept General Esdeath preoccupied while buying his daughter enough time for whatever she was trying to do. The General countered the attacks easily and had enough with what was going on. “I DON'T THINK SO! I'LL STOP YOU BOTH BEFORE YOU CAN FINISH WHATEVER IT IS YOU'RE PLANNING!” She placed her hands close together and attempted to activate her trump card. “MAHAPA-” A powerful sensation went through her body and ceased using her trump card. Akame’s orders were absolute and there was no room for disobedience. What happened next was strange for Akame. In an instant, Esdeath was able to stab the General through her body. It took Akame a second to finally realize what Esdeath had done. And so did the General. "So, that's what…you were planning. To think…you were able to use my trump card, Mahapadma. You may not be…as experienced as I was when I was your age, but you are most definitely…stronger than I was at your age. "So, that's what…you were planning. To think…you were able to use my trump card, Mahapadma. You may not be…as experienced as I was when I was your age, but you are most definitely…stronger than I was at your age. I wonder… how far you'll go? That's something…I'm looking forward to seeing…deliciously.”Akame couldn’t see anything else from that point forward from the General. She felt several strands of her power return to her and so did General Esdeath. Akame had to admit she didn’t foresee Esdeath actually use the General’s trump card. It was no small accomplishment, that’s for sure. With General Esdeath returned, it became easier for Akame to focus on the others. One of them was Zanku continuing his fight against Blake and the other girl. Blake seemed to be having trouble as did the other girl. That is until a new woman surprised attacked Zanku. Judging from the conversation Blake was having with a woman similar looking to her, this woman was her mother. She was to be the one to fight Zanku now and Akame didn’t know how that would work out. Apparently, better than she thought because this woman was able to outmaneuver Zanku even with using Spectator. Just when Zanku had the advantage again, the Faunus woman overturned it with her own. She even overcame Spectator’s illusion ability and managed to defeat him. She didn’t see anything more and Zanku burst into strands that returned to Akame. That was the second summoning that was defeated. While impressive, it left Akame with less time to stall. Even less now since Ruby accidentally shot Holimaca. That was three now.It just wasn’t her summonings being defeated. Her friends were struggling to fend off the maid’s attacks. She heard the screams of pain each of them yelled out. The first was Weiss who was being badly beaten by Cassandra. “Weiss...” The second was Cornelia who yelled as she was being crushed by Mez’s intense gravity. “Cora…” The third was Jaune was exhausted from fighting Shizuka. “Jaune…” And finally, Leone struggling against Gilberda. “Leone…” Hearing the screams of her friends proving to be too much for Akame. Raven was right all along. Having her friends being hurt like this for the sake of her goal wasn’t worth it. She had to give it up and stop this once and for all.Or she thought when Akame heard a loud crash and sensed something had changed. “Gilberda’s aura. It’s…gone.”Akame had heard Merraid scream loudly at her killed maid. “GILBERDA!”“She’s only the first! You took Akame away from me! From us! It’s only fair I do the same to you! I have no problem putting the rest of you in the ground and sending you all to hell!”“How dare you. HOW DARE YOU KILL GILBERDA! WHAT YOU’VE DONE IS UNFORGIVABLE! UNFORGIVABLE!” This was the angriest Akame had heard Merraid has ever been. And for good reason since Gilberda was with Merraid since she was a child. “UNFORGIVABLE! UNFORGIVABLE! UNFORGIVABLE! UNFORGIVABLE!”Merraid summoned a giant shadow beast and roared at her friends. Now Akame had to do something or else Leone would be on the receiving end of Merraid’s wrath. She had no choice but to recall all her summonings back to her. A vortex surrounding her appeared and her summonings returned, including Tatsumi. The result of gathering them back was everyone else being blasted by her power. Akame opened her eyes and removed Murasame from the floor. She saw Leone still standing in front of her. “I have to do this. I must be the one to fight Leone, or else Merraid will go on a rampage. If I turn on her now…she’ll be a danger to everyone. If I can just stall long enough, for the relic to be recovered, then this’ll be finally over.” The plan did work as Merraid was happily pleased. “YES, DO IT, AKAME! KILL THIS HEARTLESS, MURDEROUS FAUNUS BITCH YOU CALL YOUR EX! MAKE HER SUFFER, MAKE HER REGRET DEEPLY FOR WHAT SHE’S DONE TO GLIBERDA! SLIT HER THROAT LIKE THE ANIMAL THAT SHE TRULY IS!” Okay, somewhat worked.Akame set Murasame to the side and her semblance swirled around it. She saw the fear in Leone’s eyes. “Akame…don’t…” Akame didn’t want to do this as much as Leone, but she had to. She raised Murasame and swung it down. Her semblance blasted Leone out of the building. Not long after that, Akame exited the building and walked down the steps. Leone stood up and looked straight at Akame again. “Come on, Akame! It’s me and you know it! This isn’t like you! This isn’t you! You have to be brainwashed, hypnotized, being forced to do this, or something!” Her words cracked Akame’s heart deeply. She hated doing this, having to fight Leone. Akame didn’t know how much more she could take it.“Akame!” Kurome, Taeko, and Rienna arrived and surrounded Akame. Kurome activated her semblance and all three attack Akame almost simultaneously. Fighting Leone was painful enough, but her sister and friends too? She had to take them out quickly and safely. “STAY AWAY!” Her eyes flashed red and let out a strong burst of her semblance striking her three teammates at once and canceling their attacks at the same time. Leone was caught in the blast as well but remained standing. Kurome and others were sent away from Akame. The attack she did was nonlethal, so they should be okay for the time being. The only one Akame had to worry now was fighting Leone. And not to have Murasame cut any part of her body. The best she could do was attack the guard Leone’s weapon had.The Faunus blonde dropped to one knee and stared at the other girl. “What would the others say if they saw you right now? Najenda, Sheele, Bulat, Chelsea, Su, Lubb, Mine!? Do they mean nothing to you now?! What we did, what we had to sacrifice? What we had!? Has it all become meaningless to you!?” Guilt and pain continuously stacked on Akame’s heart. Her words cut her deeper and hurt more than any other blade or injury. Leone ran right at Akame and swung her new weapon at her. Akame had to retaliate by swinging her sword back. The result was the ground cracking underneath them. Akame knew Leone was serious about killing her now. Their fight continued, and Leone continued attack Akame. “is this my fault!? Because I couldn’t make it back to you? Is this why you joined that bitch!? Joined Salem!? After everything that’s happened to us!? What about all that talk about wanting to start over!? Have you given that up as well!?”Akame heart was becoming more fractured by Leone’s words. She wanted to tell Leone the truth. She wanted to tell all of them the truth. “It’s not true, Leone! I haven’t given up what I promised! What we promised! What we wanted! And-” Her thought was interrupted as Leone punched her in the stomach. The Faunus blonde’s attack sent Akame back and managed to stand up again. She panted heavily and clutched her stomach. The other girl had just barely focused her aura on the point of impact to survive Leone’s blow. One more attack like that, her aura would be gone completely.Akame saw Leone glare at her. “Let me tell you where I’ve been and what I found out. After that crash, I somehow ended up in Menagerie, an island populated by Faunus. It was there I met up with Yang, Blake, and a part of the White Fang. It’s also where I met Ghira and Kali, Blake’s parents. And…it’s where I found out who I really am. I’m originally from this world, Akame. My mother made a wish and she went over to the Capital with me in her. This world, Remnant, is my home. I wanted to tell you this when I got to see you again. It just sucks I had to tell you this way. I’ll defend my home from whoever wants to bring harm to it, no matter who brings it. Even if it’s you. I hate it that it’s come to this between us, but it seems you’ve already made your choice. My only regret is that I hate that you’re making me do this to you. It’s over. Between us and this whole thing.”Akame could hardly believe what she heard. Not only Leone was alive this whole time, but she was also in a place called Menagerie where she learned the truth about her. What really destroyed her heart was that Leone said it was over between them. This…was the ultimate loss to Akame. The final sacrifice to what she was planning to do. Everything came crashing down on Akame and finally cried. From this point on, it was survival. Akame had to survive long enough until the relic could be recovered. After that, then what? For all she knew, Akame destroyed every relationship she had with her friends and family. She had to continue fighting. Akame swung Murasame at Leone and the Faunus blonde jumped back in time to avoid it.Or at least that’s what Akame thought when she saw the tip of the sword cut Leone’s palm. Dread completely overcame Akame as she had done the unthinkable. “No. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! Leone must’ve not dodged it in time. The poison, it’s…I only meant to scare her!” She saw the markings appear and started to travel up the other girl’s arms. Then it stopped just right below Leone’s elbow. Akame thought Leone was constricting her muscles to stop the blood flow. It was one way to stop the poison, but it was only temporarily.Then she remembered a conversation they had when they were both new to the base. About the only to truly get rid of the poison. The thought alone swept fear throughout Akame’s body. She saw Leone raise her right arm and aimed at her other arm. Akame heard Blake call out to Leone before she severed her arm from her body.The sight of her arm flying horrified Akame. She blamed herself that Leone was forced to do such a thing for her own survival. She thought Leone was safe but saw something was wrong. Her breathing was faster and deeper than normal. She looked directly at Akame and noticed a strange look in Leone’s eyes. Leone screamed loudly as she was enveloped by a bright light pillar. Akame had to squint her eyes to be prevented from being blinded by it. From what she could see, the pillar started to change form and it ultimately became a giant lion. Akame couldn’t make sense of what was going on now. The only question she had running through her mind was what happened to Leone? The lion roared as a strange golden light erupted and traveled throughout the campus. After the roar, the lion began to shrink and transform into something else. Someone else. Akame finally realized what happened. “Leo…ne? What’s happened to you?” Leone had taken the form of something animalistic. Almost similar to what Tatsumi was going through with the Tyrant Dragon. If that were the case, then Akame feared the worst of what would happen to Leone.Before she knew it, Leone walked up to her and placed her hand in front of her chest. It took a second for her to realize what the other girl was doing and focused her aura again. Leone pushed her hand slightly and Akame was blasted away from Leone. During that, the scarf that belonged to Leone came undone around her neck. The next thing Akame knew was that she crashed on the floor inside the building. Even with the aura protecting her, Akame was in an extreme amount of pain. She was lucky to be even standing after taking an attack like that. All of her strength was just going toward her holding on to Murasame at this point. Akame heard Merraid call out to her.As soon as Leone entered the building, and the maids surrounded her. Akame had seen this kind of scenario multiple times. It was the endgame and the others were close to claiming checkmate. All Akame could hope now was that she bought enough time. Emerald thought the same but for different reasons. “It’s not over yet! Cinder will come back, she’ll have the relic, and you’ll all lose! She won’t let us down!” Akame hoped for the opposite.Then they all heard a loud hum and turned to where it was coming from. It sounded like an elevator and it was when Akame saw Yang come up and she was holding the relic. For the first time, Akame smiled as something good did come out of this. However, she couldn’t do much now since she was gravely injured. That smile soon faded as Akame realized something else. Yang may have the relic, but that won’t stop the others from taking it from her. If Akame could do something now, summon enough power to do so, she could at least repent for what she’d done. “Don’t even think about it.” Akame turned back to Leone who was glaring daggers through Merraid. “If you ever so lay a finger on her…” Akame saw Leone raise her left arm which was a surprise since it was cut off earlier. “Your head will be rolling across the floor before you can even make the first move. The same goes for all of you. Go ahead, give me an excuse.” Akame knew she was speaking to all of them. Emerald was freaking out a little that Cinder didn’t come back. It resulted in her darkening the room and an illusion of Salem appeared.Akame looked at Leone one last time and mouthed her final words before she could go. “I’m sorry.” After that, everything went dark. F When the fight ended, Akame was treated for her wounds and was now resting. Various negative emotions were going through her. Betrayal, destruction, pain, regret, and failure. Yes, her friends managed to get the relic, and maybe Tatsumi was able to get the word out to Wave, but at what cost? As of now, she wanted nothing more than to go back to her friends. Back to Leone. All of this pain wasn’t worth it to kill Salem. Her only problem was how to leave and convince she was gone for good. She had the chance back at Haven, but her body was too badly damaged to do anything. And now she was back at this miserable, suffering castle again. Well, as long as she was here, Akame might as well find out what happened after the battle.Akame threw the covers away and the maids noticed. Shizuka was the first to approach her. “Lady Akame! You shouldn’t be moving now.”The younger girl sat up and turned her attention to the maid. “Where’s Merraid?”Cassandra was the one to answer her question. “She’s going to a meeting with Lady Salem.”Akame had to get to that meeting as soon as possible. She stood up from the bed while feeling some slight pain and walked over to the door. Mez wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. “Um…are you sure you should be moving? You were hit pretty bad.”Akame grabbed the handle and opened the door. “I’m fine. I just need to see Merraid again.” Those were the last words she spoke to the maids before leaving. Akame quickly made her way to the main chamber. That’s where the meetings always took place. She needed to know what became of Cinder, of Raven, and the White Fang.Akame reached the doors and then pushed them open. Everyone seemed to be here, including Emerald. Merraid was surprised to see her beloved standing up so soon. “Akame? Why are you up? Are you-”“You!” Hazel interrupted as he stood up from his chair and glared at her angrily. “You knew all along that Ozpin came back! You knew our plans would be exploited and said nothing!” Well, that's one secret out. Ozpin must’ve shown himself through Oscar. Explaining how she didn’t know of the plan was another. Thankfully, Merraid was able to intervene. “Bite your tongue, you blundering oaf!” Hazel turned back to his ally. “What makes you think you can just accuse her of doing such a thing? If Akame did know, she would’ve told us right from the start!”Hazel puffed as he looked back at Akame. “Because she was with them before she joined us. She must’ve known about the boy beforehand.”At least Akame came up with an excuse to cover that. “If I may remind you, Hazel…I joined your group a month ago. And the last time I checked, he wasn’t with my group when I left. A month is a lot of time between now and then. But, go ahead. Make more baseless accusations about me with no proof.”Hazel only growled as a response. He then thought of a counter-argument. “Then how was it that your group just so happened to know about the White Fang attacking Haven?”Mercury hated to defend Akame, but he had a theory. “That girl said it was someone who was the White Fang who ratted them out. Leave it to Adam for leaving a loose end behind.” He had something else to complain about. “By the way, doc.” Mercury lifted the leg that was melted off partially and set it on the table. “Are you going to fix this or not!?”That was the first thing Akame wanted to know after the battle. “What happened to the White Fang and Adam?”Salem thought to answer the question this time while Mercury set his leg down again. “Adam Taurus is pronounced dead and any member of the White Fang under his command was arrested. As of now, they are no more use to me. It’s only a matter of time before they’re properly disposed of.”“I would like to do it,” Merraid spoke up. She had a very serious expression on her. “I need something to vent out my anger for what that blonde Faunus bitch did to Gilberda.”It seemed Merraid was still furious at what Leone did to one of her maids. Still, hearing that Adam was out of the picture was good to hear. If he was dead now, then Leone wasn’t a target of the White Fang anymore. Unfortunately, she was now a target of Merraid. Since Adam was dead, Akame decided to ask her next question. “And…what happened to Cinder? And to Raven?”Emerald’s response was just hanging her head while Salem answered again. “For Raven Branwen, there is no sign of what became of her. As for Cinder…she’s very much alive.”Hearing that brought Emerald’s head back up and had hope in her eyes. “Cinder’s alive? Really?”Watts thought so as much and knew why. “Of course. If Cinder was no more, her Maiden powers would’ve transferred to someone else. Probably to you if you were the last person she thought of.” Emerald was beyond relieved that Cinder was still alive.It was the opposite for Akame. “If Cinder is still alive, then that means she knows of Raven’s true identity.” Salem had something else to say about Cinder. “Cinder may be alive, but I doubt she’ll return to us anytime soon. Lest she wants to be punished for her failure. As of now, we must look at the facts. Ozpin and his allies have the relic. While it is…unfortunate we lost the battle, we may have gained something of it.”Mercury had a hard time believing that. “And what would that be?”Salem looked at everyone in the room. “The appearance of another Maiden. It seems one was among Ozpin’s group this entire time.”Emerald knew exactly who the new Maiden was. “Wait a minute. I think it’s that girl with the ice powers. I think her name was…” She snapped her fingers a few times as she finally remembered. “Esdeath Partas! I mean, not the Esdeath that was a bitch to us, but the other one. From Akame’s team. I told Cinder back at the Vytal festival I thought she could be a maiden. Looks like I was right after all. If she uses ice and all that, I think she might be the Winter Maiden.”If that were true, then all attention turned to Akame. Thankfully, she didn’t need to lie about this. “Before any of you ask, no. I didn’t know Esdeath was a Maiden. It’s as much of a surprise to me as it was to you.”Now that they confirmed Esdeath was a Maiden, possibly the Winter Maiden, Salem had a theory as to what Ozpin might do next. “If it truly is the Winter Maiden, then Atlas is next. I suppose that’ll coincide with what Ozpin will do next. Now that he has the relic, his next move might be traveling to Atlas and their academy under the rule of General Ironwood. If they reach Atlas, then they’ll have access to the Vault under the academy there. I believe that’ll be our next opportunity to strike.”While it was a good plan, Watts had some doubts about it. “Yes, but, Atlas has closed its borders. It is in a state of total isolation. How are we to infiltrate it?”That wasn’t much of a problem to Salem. “Bypassing Atlas’ borders will be child’s play. It’s how Ozpin and his group will pass through is the challenge. If they do find a way, we’ll exploit it.”After hearing that, Hazel knew what to do next. “I know a group who’ll give us the intel we need. I’ll seek them out.”Salem was fine with that. She had one other motive in mind and focused on Akame. “Akame…” The other girl straightened up as the Grimm Queen spoke to her. “Since Ozpin is reborn, it also means he’s weakened. When Merraid returns from her mission, you are to seek out your former group with Hazel and kill him. You can leave everyone else alone as we need them to open the vault.”Akame held in a gasp and stared back at her supposed leader. There was no way Akame would ever follow through those orders. The only upside to this was that it gave her a chance to leave and reunite with the others. She closed her eyes and bowed to Salem. “As you wish.” She stood back up and opened her eyes.Now that all of this was settled, Salem had one more question to ask her new subordinate. “And Akame, did you know about the attack the White Fang was to do on Haven?”Akame had to be careful of how to answer the question. One slip up, and she may never get out of this castle alive. “It wasn’t something I knew of. I believe my previous team wanted to tell me while I was out on a date with Merraid. They never had the chance to do so.”It seemed to be a good enough answer for Salem and accepted it. “Very well. You may leave now and continue to recover. Merraid will tell you the rest after everything is done.”That was fine for Akame as she heard everything she needed to hear. She bowed to Salem again and left the room. As soon as the doors closed, Mercury turned to Salem again. “Are you sure she can be trusted?”Salem responded with one chuckle. “Of course not, but she still has some use to us.” She turned her attention to Merraid. “I know how fond you are for the girl, Merraid, but don’t forget where your loyalties lie. Remember, it was your idea in the first place to have her join among our ranks. The moment she becomes a loose end, a liability, she will be terminated.”Merraid had already accounted that and hoped that situation would never happen. She closed her eyes and hanged her head as a response to her leader. “I understand, Lady Salem.”When Akame was halfway back to Merraid’s room, she stopped and opened a door to the room adjacent to her. She had one more conversation to have and wanted it to be private. “Esdeath…” She activated her semblance and summoned General Esdeath.Esdeath chuckled as she saw the younger girl before her. “Well, this is unexpected. Whatever reason do you have in summoning me?”Akame stared back at the former strongest of the Empire. “Earlier, you asked me if everything I was doing was worth it. I assume you already know the answer since you did come back to me.”The older woman chuckled again as she smiled at Akame. “It seems this little mission of yours was a bit too much for you to handle. It’s not like you to forget one of the most basic rules of combat. There are some objectives that are too great for one person to take. It wasn’t you alone that brought down the Empire. It was you, your team, and the Revolutionary Army. You killing me may have been an impressive feat, but it was only a small part of the bigger goal. Just because you have Murasame doesn’t mean you’re able to kill everything. Even I counted on the Jaegers. If you want to put a stop to Salem, you can’t do it by yourself. It might’ve been a good idea at first but the baggage it carried was too heavy for you to take alone. So, Akame, what are you going to do now?”Akame already knew the answer to that question. “I’ll find a way to get back to the others. If they are going to plan a trip to Atlas, chances are we’ll meet them along the way. I’ll just have to think of a way to fool Merraid and the others, so I can be back with my friends.”It wasn’t the most concrete plan, but it was a start. There was one small detail Esdeath wanted to address. “And what about poor Merraid? Are you prepared to leave her and kill her again?”The younger girl hesitated to answer the question for a moment. “Honestly, I hope something like that doesn’t come to pass. I know Merraid deserves a better life than this, but I also know she won’t rest until Merraid has her revenge. Some part of me wants to talk her out of it, but I know it won’t happen. This’ll only end one way for her and if it comes down to it, I’ll do it myself again.”A solemn answer coming from Akame but that lead to another question. “Will you kill her with Murasame? Having her join us might be beneficial to you.”Akame wasn’t sure that was a good idea. It would be like they’re together again, but not in the sense she wanted. At most, she just won’t summon her but knows Merraid will always be there. Akame also couldn’t bear the thought of having Merraid living the rest of her existence as a spirit. In the end, Akame came to her conclusion. “No. Merraid deserves to be at peace after death.”Esdeath should’ve expected an answer like that. “I suppose putting one’s love to death can be the kindest gesture you can do. It’s almost funny how you’re caught up in a twisted love triangle. That reminds me, you must be ecstatic that Leone is still alive.”Ecstatic? Akame was overjoyed that Leone was still alive. It was just under cruel circumstances they were reunited. After that whole ordeal back at Haven, Akame didn’t know if they could ever go back to what they were before. The same with her friends. But as of now, all she cared about was getting back to them. Speaking of her friends, she did learn something new when Tatsumi returned to her. “While on the subject of twisted love triangles, I’m sure you know already that Mine is here Remnant. She must’ve made a wish and transferred over here. If she made it to the others, then our group has a significant advantage.”Esdeath really couldn’t care less about Mine. After all, she was the girl who stole Tatsumi for her. “Well, good for them. It’s too bad for Mine that Tatsumi and I are finally together and she’ll never have him again.”Hearing that actually brought a laugh out of Akame. “You really think that? While it’s true you and Tatsumi are reunited, his heart and his love will always belong to Mine. It’s the greatest piece of irony you’ll ever receive.” Esdeath glared at the younger girl before returning to Akame. She had gotten everything she ever needed. Now Akame just needed to figure out a plan of how to get back to the others. Even if Wave tells them what she was really planning, they may hate her for what she’s done. It was at least better than staying here. The only regret Akame would have was breaking Merraid’s heart. It was unavoidable, but she would prepare for that fateful moment. That moment wasn’t here yet and Akame had to focus on what do to from this moment on. The plan now was to find her friends, tell them that Cinder was still alive and may be looking for them, and leave Salem’s side. It was easier said than done but then again, whatever was? With a new goal in mind, Akame turned around to grab the handle and opened the door. Akame walked out of the room and closed the door behind her with a soft, gentle click. Vol Four End A/N: And that, everyone, is the end of this Vol. It was very rough, this Vol. It was taxing, the chapters were a pain to write, the way I had to plan around and fix up the main problem I had with the fifth volume, all of that. In fact, this Vol is the longest one I have worked yet on this story. Twenty-four chapters in total. Six of those being over 10,000 words, two being slightly over 15,000 and this one being over eighteen freaking thousand words. And since this took me such a long time to finish this and the sixth Vol of RWBY has already started, I’m very sure I’m not going to update this story while the current Vol of RWBY is airing at this time. In fact, I don’t think I’ll work on the next Vol for at least a year. Maybe a year and a half. I’ve worked on this story long enough. I want to work on my other stories, and I’ve kept people waiting long enough for them. I’ll still watch the new Vol but only to see what I can do since I…threw everything out of the loop. Until then, I’ll see you all in the next Vol. Also, damn, I keep breaking my personal record. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: And just like a Smash Direct, just when you think I’m done, I have more to give. Hey, I said I wouldn’t be working on the next Vol. I didn’t say anything about not working on the in-betweens. Another reason is that I didn’t want to make you guys wait a long time for Mine’s side of the story and Kurome and the others finding out what Akame was doing. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol 4.5 Part OneKill Eighty: The One Left Behind “I have…to hurry…and stop this snow. Mine…must be cold. Before I disappear…then…before it takes over completely…I want to be of some use!” Mine opened her eyes and gasped loudly. Her breathing was quick and panicked and had various thoughts running through her mind. Some of them were where her friends, where was she, and where was Tatsumi? Was Tatsumi okay? What happened in the war and did they win? Her breathing became slower and calmer once Mine had her bearings. She saw a wooden ceiling and managed to sit up. Mine looked around the room and saw it was a standard hospital room. A window, a desk next to her, and door. Mine was also wearing medical robes that she didn't wear before. She placed her right hand on her forehead and tried to recall how she arrived here. “What happened to me? The last thing I remember is…pushing back Budo’s trump card with Pumpkin and…everything else went blank after that.” Mine still had questions she desperately needed answers from.Before Mine could ponder more about her circumstances, she heard the door open and turned to it. The former sniper saw a nurse gawking at her as if she was a being from another planet. She even dropped her clipboard to the ground. The nurse then immediately fled while yelling. “Somebody get General Najenda now!” B Even with the bad hospital food and tasteless jello, Mine quickly found out just how starving she was. It wasn’t even close to Susanoo’s cooking, but she’ll take it regardless. Just when she was about done, the door opened and Mine stopped to look who it was. She gulped down the last of her food and was bewildered at the person who was standing at the doorway. "Boss…"Najenda smiled pleasantly at the younger girl. She said nothing as of yet and walked over to where Mine was. Before Mine could speak again, the General gave Mine a much-awaited warming and heartfelt hug. “Words can’t begin to describe how happy I am seeing you awake.”It was rare for Mine to see Najenda act this way, but she felt the same way. She returned the hug and it lasted for several minutes. After they broke the hug, it was a good time for Mine to receive her burning answers. “So, what happened when I blacked out after that fight with Budo? Where did the others go? What happened to Tatsumi and…did we…”Three of those questions Najenda could answer easily. “To start off, you went into a coma after you won against Budo. Secondly,” She still kept her smile present in front of the younger girl. “We won. The Empire is no more, Esdeath, the Prime Minister, and all others who were high priority targets are now dead. Everyone's deaths were not in vain. As for the others, well…" It was this time Najenda wanted a smoke but knew better since she was in a hospital. The next best thing she could do was sigh sadly. "For Leone, she was shot several times by the Prime Minister. She was badly injured but managed to pull through. As for Akame, she…went her own way. So did Leone shortly after that. You and I are all that’s left of Night Raid. At least for the time being. Once you fully recover, Night Raid will officially disband. I’ll make sure the public will know you’ve been framed for a crime you didn’t commit so that you won’t be a wanted criminal anymore. You will be compensated to live anywhere of your choosing.”After hearing all of that, there was a flurry of emotions running through Mine. First, she was happy that the Revolutionary Army won the war and that Esdeath and the Prime Minister are now dead. The world will be indefinitely better off without them. Second, Mine was relieved that Sheele’s, Bulat’s Chelsea’s, Susanoo’s, and Lubbock’s deaths didn’t go to waste. She felt like they can finally be at peace now. Third was that she was saddened by her teammate’s leaving. Mine didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye to them. They must still think she was in a coma. Finally, at fourth, there was confusion. Mine had noticed that Najenda hasn’t said Tatsumi’s name once during her explanation. “What about Tatsumi? What happened to him?” She saw Najenda’s expression changed and seemed somber now. Now, Mine’s confusion became worry. She needed to know what happened to her boyfriend. “Damn it, Najenda! Will you just tell me what happened to Tatsumi!?”Najenda just closed her eye and prepared herself to tell Mine the truth. “Mine, I’m to say this to you but…” She opened her eye to see the younger girl distraught. From outside the window, everything was silent within the room. Najenda told the unfortunate truth about Tatsumi’s fate and Mine responded in disbelief at first. The reaction lasted for a few seconds before Najenda pulled Mine into another hug. A hug out of reassurance. Mine resisted at first but ultimately gave in and buried her face into Najenda’s shoulder with her ears deeply staining it. B Two weeks later Mine was walking down a familiar path while carrying a bouquet of flowers in her arms and wearing a black dress. Behind her were two soldiers from the Revolutionary Army. They were tasked to protect Mine in case any Danger Beast were to attack. Thankfully, that situation hasn’t happened yet. They soon arrived at a very familiar location. The group stopped momentarily and Mine looked back at the soldiers. “You can go on ahead from here, ma’am. Take as much time as you need.” Mine continued to look at the soldiers for a second before turning away. She walked up the hill by herself.Mine finally made it to the top where it was a cliff overlooking more of the forest. On top of the cliff were two unmarked graves and a third one behind them. She couldn’t help but laugh somberly a little at the sight before her. “I guess…you’re finally with your two friends. Right, Tatsumi?” Mine walked pasted Saya’s and Ieyasu’s graves and stopped in front of Tatsumi’s. Realistically, Tatsumi’s body isn’t actually buried here. Mine had no idea what became of his body since the Tyrant Dragon took it over. It was Najenda’s idea to put his grave alongside with the friends he came with to the Capital. Regardless, it pained Mine greatly seeing the grave in front of her. She kneeled and set the flowers in front of Tatsumi’s grave. It didn’t take long for the tears to start rolling down her cheeks. “You stupid idiot. Why did you have to die? I’d hope to see you again, hear your laugh, your voice. Instead, I’m in front of your grave.” Mine began to sniffle and sob. “You’re the worst boyfriend ever! Everyone else is gone! I’m…all alone now.” Mine continued to cry as the sun began to set. B One Year Later “I don’t know. What if he doesn’t like it?”“Are you kidding me? If that outfit doesn’t grab him the instant he sees it, you have permission to slap him upside the head.”The customer had to admit she had a point. “Alright then, I’ll take it!”A cash register ring was heard and the sound of a bell of a door opening rang. “Come back again soon!” Mine sighed as she was glad the purchase was done. Probably because it was the last one for the night.“Great work as usual.” Mine turned to see a young woman walking up to her. She had short messy green hair, wore a yellow tank top with several bead necklaces, several bracelets around her wrists, ripped jean shorts, and beige boots. “I think that wraps up for today, don’t you think?” Mine responded with a faint smile.True to Najenda’s word, Mine wasn’t a wanted criminal anymore and could safely be out in public. While she did have the option of going anywhere, Mine decided to stay in the Capital. Of course, there was still the main problem of getting a job. Of course, Mine was greatly compensated by the Revolutionary Army so she didn’t need to work. However, just lazing around and not doing anything cramped Mine’s style so she started to look for work. Non-assassin related work. Thankfully, she managed to land a job working at a boutique which suited her just fine. And Mine’s worked there ever since. She and her boss were outside the shop now and her boss locked the door. “Until tomorrow.” She turned around to face her employee. “You know, Mine, I’ve been invited to a mixer. Why don’t you come with me? I’m sure you’ll make a guy’s night. Or vice versa.” She giggled playfully at the other girl.A generous offer, but Mine had to decline. “I’m sorry. I’m…not into those sorts of things. But take care anyway, okay?”Her boss understood. She managed to learn a few things about her employee. One of them being that her boyfriend died in the war last year. He must’ve been one hell of a guy for Mine not wanting to date other guys. She nodded at her employee. “Yeah, I will. See ya later.” The two girls waved goodbye to each other before Mine’s employer went off her own way. Mine continued to watch her boss walk away until she turned around the corner. The former sniper sighed tiredly and turned around the other way. She still had some time left before heading back home. Mine started to walk toward her usual spot after her shift was done.It had become a routine for Mine. After a day’s work, she’d like to treat herself a small reward. That reward being enjoying a parfait. Mine reached her usual parfait stand and the owner instantly knew what her order would be. She’d become one of his regulars in the year she went to his stand. After handing Mine her parfait, the former assassin would sit in her usual spot to enjoy her treat. While eating, she would seldom look at the streets and saw people still walking about the streets. Mine could see a clear difference in their expressions today compared to last year. They were all happy. They didn’t have to worry about something terrible happening to them or their loved ones. Having to live in fear for the rest of their lives. Mine was happy for them that they could live in peace. And yet…she still felt a pang of sadness within her. Mine finished her parfait and started to walk around for a brief time.Mine continued to look at the faces of the people. More specifically, the couples. She knew she should be happy for them, but there was always that pang of sadness occurring. “This is what we fought for, right? Why we risked our lives. Sacrificed, even. So…” In her mind, endless darkness surrounded Mine from all sides and everlasting silence. “Why is it that I always feel so empty inside?” The former assassin knew the answer to that question. And that answer it what truly saddened her. Before Mine knew it, she found herself walking through a park. It wasn’t just any park. It was the park where she first encountered Seryu Ubiquitous. Where she first saw Sheele ripped in half by Seryu’s Imperial Arms. It was an image that would be forever scarred into Mine’s memory for the rest of her life. She didn’t stay around for long and headed back to her home.After walking quite a distance, Mine arrived at her home. Her apartment, actually. It was a one bedroom apparent and it was quaint for her taste. She unlocked her door and opened it. As usual, there was no one there to greet her. "I'm…home…" Mine sighed sadly and entered her apartment while closing the door from behind and locked it. As soon as the former sniper walked in, she felt incredibly tired. Mine didn't even bother to take off her shoes and went straight to her bedroom. In regards to her own apartment, Mine didn't bother to decorate it. It was as barren looking as the day Mine moved in with just the basic necessities. Mine approached her bed and jumped forward. She landed on the bed face first and embraced the softness it had to offer to her. As nice as it felt, Mine still couldn't shake off this empty feeling she had within. The former sniper closed her eyes and immediately saw the images of her friends. Mine still found it hard to believe they were all gone. Yes, she still had Najenda, but she was always busy in helping and maintaining the order in the Capital. That and the last time she saw the General was a month ago. As sleep was quickly taking over, Mine saw everyone smiling at her. All that did was make her sadder. She was the only left of the group called Night Raid. No one outside the public knew they existed and yet it was them that faced the hidden dangers. It was them that risked their lives and most of them paid for it.And because of that price, Mine was the last one to remain. She knew Leone and Akame were out there somewhere in the world. Leone probably running up a bar’s tab and Akame just wandering around. She wanted to see them again. She wanted to see everyone again. Even if it was just for a single moment, that’d be enough for her. Mine had one last fleeting thought before sleep overcame her and the image of her friends faded away. “I wish…I can see you all again.” That was her last thought before Mine fell into a deep sleep.A few seconds after Mine fell asleep, a strange, ethereal figure walked up to the bed without making a single sound. The figure smiled at the lonesome girl. “Although you are not within my realm, you did manage to fulfill one of the requirements. I shall grant you what you desire the most. However, you will soon learn of the dangers that wish will come with. I hope you’ll find the path you’re looking for and forgive me for the hardships you’ll come across.” She held her right hand in front and a bright light enveloped Mine and her room. B As Mine began to stir, she began to notice a few differences. One was that it seemed to be a little colder than she remembered. The second was that her bed definitely didn’t feel this hard. The third was that the former sniper heard loud chirping. Mine opened her eyes and found out the truth. She wasn’t on her bed. She wasn’t in her room. She wasn’t even in her apartment. Mine was strangely outside in a forest. It took a few minutes all of this to sink in before Mine could react normally to her situation. “WHERE THE HELL AM I?!” Her screeching voice made numerous birds fly away from the treetops. B "I can't freaking believe this." Mine was walking through the forest while still being wary of the unknown dangers surrounding her. "If this is someone's idea of a prank, I'm not laughing! How the hell did I end up here anyway? The door and windows were locked, and I would've noticed a slight change in movement. What I can't figure out is why would someone just leave me in the middle of a forest. What would they gain out of it? To see me struggle to survive? For their amusement? Whatever the case, if I ever find out who did this to me, I’ll kick their asses!” The former sniper continued to walk her aimless path through the forest until she found a road or a river. Finding that would mean leading her to some civilization.Mine felt like she wasn’t making any headway until she heard two voices. The former assassin walked toward where the voices were and were able to distinguish them. One male and one female and they were in front of a small one-story house. The closer she walked toward them, the more it sounded like they were arguing. The female voice sounded particularly upset. “Tell your boss I already paid! What more do you want?”“There’s still the matter of insurance, girly. Until you pay that off, we’ll keep your sister good company.”“That wasn’t part of the deal!”Mine finally arrived at where the voices were and hid in the bushes. She saw the male was the older of the two. Definitely in his early thirties. The girl was the younger party. She seemed to be a year or two older than Mine. What caught her eye was that the girl had long pink hair like hers and was fashioned in a long side ponytail. Her outfit also seemed to on the fancier side of commoner clothing. There was something…strangely familiar about her. Mine continued to eavesdrop on their conversation. “Too bad. It’s part of the deal and if you don’t pay, you get your sister back. That is…” He had a creepy smile on his face. “You’re willing to pay in other ways.” His offer gained him an immediate slap from the girl. She was obviously furious by his proposition. The male didn’t take too kindly to that action. “I guess I’ll have to remind you where your place is!” He raised his right arm and prepared to hit the girl in front of him.“Hey!”The two looked to the side and saw Mine emerge from the brushes. While the man was confused by her sudden appearance, the girl wondered about something else about her. “Was that girl there the entire time?” Honestly, the male didn’t care of Mine’s arrival and glared at her. “Get out of here, kid. This is grownup business. Crawl back to whatever bush you came out of.”And now Mine didn’t like this guy more now. Assassin or not, she couldn’t just let this scenario go on any longer. She stopped just a small distance between her and them. “How about you walk away before you end up with a bloody nose.”Obviously, the male didn’t take the threat seriously and walked over to the former assassin. “Think you’re cute, huh?” He stopped in front of him and raised his arm up to her. “Let’s see how cute you are when you’re lying on the ground!” He took a swing at Mine.Mine didn’t flinch at the incoming attack and ducked to avoid the attack. As soon as the attack passed, she stood back up and threw her right fist forward at the thug. Her punch straight up hit him right on the nose and kept the momentum going. The thug’s body slammed to the ground and tumbled across until he hit a tree. Mine may not have Pumpkin anymore, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t adept to hand-to-hand combat. She had Akame to thank for that after all. The thug screamed in pain as he held his hand on his nose. Blood trickled down and covered his hand. “You fucking broke my nose!” He stood up and was very angry at what Mine did to him. “You have no idea who you’re messing with! I’ll make you pay for this!” He quickly ran away from the two girls.As Mine thought, guys who pick on the weak ran away from those stronger than themselves. She knew he would come back with some company. That was a problem to be dealt with later. Right now, she had a possibly scared girl to calm down. She turned to here to see how she was doing. “Are you okay?”The girl sighed and smiled calmly at Mine. “I’m fine. Thank you for your help but you didn’t have to involve yourself.”The former sniper begged to differ. “Well, I just couldn’t let that guy hit you. And I’m involved anyway, you might as well tell me what you two were arguing about. Something about your sister? That is if you want to.”The girl might as well. It would be nice to tell someone about the trouble she was in. “Of course. Let me invite you to my house. I’ll explain everything there.” She turned and walked toward her home with Mine closely following her. B “Here you go.” The girl set a cup of hot tea on the coffee table in front of Mine. She was sitting on the couch and the older girl joined her with her own cup.The former sniper greatly appreciated the gesture and reached for her cup. “Thank you very much.” She grabbed her cup and held it while blowing on it slightly.While doing so, curiosity got the better of the older girl. “I’m sorry, but, I never quite got your name.”Mine quickly glanced at the other girl. “It’s Mine.”And the girl already seemed confused. “Of course, your name is yours. Who else would it belong to?” Her comment earned a deadpan stare from Mine. It’s the not the first time someone made a comment like that regarding her name. She remembered Leone making fun it the first time they met. The girl quickly realized about Mine’s name. “Oh, your name is actually Mine. I’m so sorry.”Mine’s expression eased and looked back at her cup. “It’s fine. You’re not the first one to assume.” She finally managed to take a sip of her tea and found it to be quite good.The girl was relieved to hear that. “I see. Well then, Mine, my name is Hana. It’s very nice to meet you.” Hana. It was a nice name for someone like her, but something about her bugged Mine. It wasn't annoying or anything, but there was a sense of familiarity about her. She couldn't pinpoint the feeling exactly, but it wasn't unwelcome to her. Apparently, Hana had a similar feeling. "Excuse me for saying this, but you do seem somewhat familiar to me. Have I seen you before?”That was something Mine was being used to being asked. Her wanted poster was placed throughout the Capital. Even her employer had asked that question before. Thankfully, Najenda was able to “clear” her name and say she was just “framed”. Mine set her teacup down and cleared her throat while looking back at Hana. “Maybe, if you’ve seen the wanted posters around the Capital, but I’ve already been proven innocent.”Hana seemed worried and confused at the same time. “Wanted poster? Capital? What are you saying? Are you perhaps talking about Mistral? And what’s this about you being proven innocent?”Mistral? Mine has never heard of a place like that before. Before she could question what this Mistral place was, she should elaborate on her previous statement. "I was framed for a crime I didn't commit and General Najenda was able to clear my name." Now Hana was more confused than worried. “General Najenda? I thought she was the headmistress of Shade Academy? Unless she has some secret job working in Atlas.” Shade Academy? Atlas? These were places Mine hasn’t heard before. And Najenda being a headmistress? She could somehow see that, but it was still strange. Something finally clicked in Hana’s mind and figured something important out about Mine. “Oh! You must come from another place called the Capital.” That was wasn’t wrong. “It’s surprising how far you’ve traveled considering you don’t have a weapon. Especially with the Grimm around.” First this Mistral place, then Shade Academy, Atlas, and now Grimm. She’d never heard of that kind of Danger Beast before.There all kinds of questions Mine wanted to ask, but they would have to come later. Right now, Mine needed to focus on the problem at hand. “Uh, yes. Anyway, can you tell me what kind of trouble you’re in?”Hana responded by looking away and seemed saddened. “That man is part of a small group who say their ‘investors’. They told me they were acquainted with my late father and said I had to repay a debt he owed them. They told me I had to pay them back in lien. I didn’t realize I was being scammed until it was too late. Now, they took my younger sister as ‘collateral’ until I pay them the rest. Apparently, insurance included.”Mine could understand the gist of Hana’s predicament. Since Hana lost her father, she became an easy target for scammers to get her money. Kidnapping the sister was nothing more than a cowardly move to squeeze more money out of Hana. Speaking about Hana’s father. “You said late father. What…exactly happened to him?” Mine wondered if she was asking too much of the other girl.Hana didn’t seem to mind telling her the story. “My father, our parents, they…died from life-threatening wounds from a mission they were on last year. I was just barely going on my second year at Haven when I heard the news. My sister took the news harder than I did. I had no choice but to drop out and take care of my sister. Right now, I just work as a waitress in a bar in Mistral while making some extra money by selling clothes I make.” She sighed sadly before continuing. “My sister and I, we’re all that we have now. I can’t imagine what those people have been doing to her. I wanted to fight back, but they’ll hurt her if I did. I already gave them all the money I had. Most of it coming from our parent’s life insurance. I just…don’t know what to do now.”And hearing that cemented this group’s reason for targeting Hana and her sister. They must’ve inherited a hefty sum of money left from their parents. And that amount drew them out like moths to a flame. “Couldn’t you just go to the police and tell them?”Hana closed her eyes and shook her head. “No.” She stopped and opened her eyes. “The village close to here still a little far away from where Mistral is. The fastest way to get there is by taking the train. Besides, they threatened to harm my sister if I involved the police.”Mine had no idea what a train was but she still understood the situation. She already knew what to do for Hana. “Well then, I guess I’ll just have to handle them myself.”Hana turned to the younger girl and thought she was crazy. “Y-You can’t! This is my problem! I’ll handle it somehow!”Mine begged to differ. “Look, I just can’t turn away from someone who needs help. You obviously need it. I know you don’t want me involved in this any further, but I’ll have to be. Believe it or not, I’m your best shot at dealing with them.” Hana still wasn’t sure this was a good idea. Yes, Mine was able to handle one of the men, but the whole group? It just didn’t seem favorable to her. Hana was about to decline until she saw the determined look in the younger girl’s eyes. It almost felt like she could believe in Mine. No, she can believe in her. It was a risk, but somehow, Hana was willing to bet her entire hand on the younger girl. Mine could see the other girl’s answer and smiled at her. “Alright then. now, do you have a weapon I can use?” B As night came, the thug was walking down the trail that led to Hana's house. Accompanying him were two others and they all had weapons. The thug that confronted Hana had bandages on his nose and it still hurt. One of the other thugs laughed. “Man, I still can’t believe you got your ass handed to you by some random girl. You lost major man points right there.”The first thug growled in an annoyed fashion. “I’ll teach that brat a lesson she’ll never forget. No one makes a fool out of me.”While the third thug of the group agreed, he still had to remind the other two what they had to do. "Just don't forget what the boss ordered us to. Deal with this new girl, handle the other girl in giving us the rest of the money, or else she'll be getting her sister back in piece-" And part of his head was shot off and dropped dead immediately.The other two thugs were freaked out until the second thug was shot through the chest and dropped dead next. The first thug was beyond frightened and was shot in the right leg. He cried out in pain when another shot was fired into his left leg this time around. He fell forward to the ground and groaning and whimpering in pain. The thug stopped when he heard footsteps approaching him and looked ahead to see who it was. He gasped in fear when he saw Mine walking toward him carrying a sniper rifle in her right hand. “It’s…you. What the hell, you bitch!?” Mine ignored his cry and stopped in front of him. She then pointed the sniper rifle in front of his face. The thug was quick to change his tone. “H-Hold on now. Let’s not be hasty here.”Mine just gave him a merciless glare at him. “Tell me where your boss is.” She demanded in a cold voice.The thug didn’t think twice to tell her. “I-In an abandoned warehouse near the village! J-Just follow the trail behind me! You can’t miss it! Two stories high!” Mine would never get tired of seeing men bullying others being the cowards they really are. She didn’t say anything else to them and removed the rifle out of the thug’s sight. She walked past him and headed toward the warehouse. “Hey, you’re just going to leave me like this!?” He didn’t hear a response and grunted in pain while fishing out his scroll from his pocket. The thug brought it up to his face and unlocked it. “Gotta call the boss. I have to warn h-” He was shot in the back of the head and dropped the scroll with a bit blood on it.Mine set the rifle down and felt no remorse for the thug. “As if I’d let you live, jackass.” She walked back to the former thug and picked up the scroll. Mine looked at it as if it was something alien to her. “What the hell is this thing?” That was a question to be asked another time. As of now, she had the boss to deal with. But first, Mine had to get rid of the bodies. I’d be a little awkward if some passerby were to see them laying in the middle of the trail. The blood Mine can cover up easily with the dirt, but the bodies had to be dealt with immediately. The best way to handle it was to drag their bodies into the forest and hope whatever wildlife there was to eat the remains. All Mine could do was sigh in dread. “Where’s Leone when you need her?” B After painstakingly dealing with thug’s bodies, Mine continued onward to where their boss was. It was a little of trek until she reached the village near Hana’s house. It seemed like everyone was sleeping in. A perfect environment for Mine. She trailed the outline of the village until she came across a taller building that looked condemned. It must’ve been the warehouse the thugs’ boss is at. There was definitely some source of light being seen through the windows. Mine cautiously approached the building. She neared one of the broken windows and heard an unexpected voice. “Where the hell are those guys? They should’ve been back by now.”Mine was surprised what their boss sounded like. “Their boss is a woman?” Woman or not, she was still scum for targeting Hana and her family. Mine went up to one of the broken windows to peer inside. It was obviously damaged with several lit lamps lighting up the place. She also the boss leaning on a chair and her black boots on the table. She had long violet hair, dark skin, yellow eyes, wearing a black jacket with a white top and a black skirt. She also had duel crossbows in leg holsters. They were especially strange since their design was something Mine had never seen before. What caught Mine’s attention were a set of animal ears stationed on top of her head that looked like fox ears. Seeing that really confused Mine. “She looks similar to Leone in her beast form, but I don’t see her wearing a belt similar to Lionel.” As Mine observed the boss more, she instantly drew one of her crossbows out and pointed to where Mine was out. She fired a single bolt at the younger girl and Mine jumped back in time before the bolt pierced through the wall. Mine retaliated by pointing the rifle at the wall but remember that the gunshot could alert the whole village. The Faunus woman stood up from her chair and drew out her other crossbow. “I could hear you sneaking around outside. Why don’t you come inside so I can look at you?” Right, Mine should’ve guessed this beast woman would have enhanced senses like Leone. The only bright side is that she doesn’t have the same strength as Leone. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be using weapons in the first place. She walked around to the front doors of the warehouse. Mine carefully opened the doors and saw the beast woman in the same spot pointing both crossbows at her. She took a few steps in and stopped. The boss chuckled lightly at her. “And who are you supposed to be? The girl’s unknown sister?”Mine wasn’t going to dignify that with an answer. “I’m here for the girl. You give her back to me, give back all the money you took from her sister, and hightail it out of here.”The older woman thought the demands were hilarious. “As if I’ll do any of that. It was way too easy getting the money off that girl. Nice and quick. I may hand the brat back to you but only one condition; drop your weapon. You do that, and I’ll give the girl back to you.”That actually worked in Mine’s favor. “I’ll do you one better. I’ll hand it over to you.” Mine tossed the rifle over to the Faunus boss and it momentarily distracted her. Mine dashed over to the Faunus woman and quickly disarmed the crossbow in her left hand and grabbed her right arm. She kicked the older Faunus woman’s leg and punched her in the face afterward. After she dropped to one knee, Mine delivered a roundhouse kick to send her against the back wall as the rifle. While she was temporarily out of it, Mine looked down and picked up one of the crossbows. She examined it quickly before pointing it at the Faunus woman’s leg.Mine shot the bolt into the Faunus boss’ leg and screamed in pain. Mine saw the other crossbow and walked over to it. She picked it up and walked back to the Faunus woman and planted her right boot on her stomach before pointing the other crossbow at her. The boss was clearly afraid of what Mine would do to her next. “W-Wait! Let’s not be hasty! I’ll give you back the girl! I’ll give you back the money! I won’t bother anyone else again!”All Mine did was give the Faunus woman a cold stare. “And you won’t.” She fired the next bolt straight at the woman’s neck. She gurgled in pain while grabbing for the bolt. The Faunus woman attempted to pull it out, but it was too late. The gurgling stopped, and her hand dropped to the floor. That was another end to a piece of scum the world won’t miss. Mine looked at the crossbows again and already like she was used to them. “Well, they’re not Pumpkin, but I think I’ll keep these. They’ll definitely be put to better use.” After taking the Faunus woman’s holsters to set her newly acquired crossbows, and setting Hana’s rifle on her back, Mine turned to the stairs. She walked over to them and then up to the second story.As Mine arrived at the second floor, she immediately ducked to avoid some sort of pot smashing the wall. “Get away from me!”Mine turned to where the pot was thrown at and saw a young girl, probably ten or eleven years old. She wore clothing similar to Hana, but her appearance was slightly different. She had the same green eyes, but her hair brown and slightly spiky and put up in a short ponytail. Mine figured it was the younger sister and was frightened by the noise downstairs. She had to calm her down. “It’s alright. You’re Hana’s sister, right? I’m not here to hurt you! The people who were harassing your sister are gone now.”The smaller girl’s expression slightly changed and seemed at ease. “They’re gone? Really? All of them?”Mine smiled at her and nodded. “Yeah, they won’t be bothering you anymore. What do you say we take back the money your sister paid and take you back home?” She kneeled at the younger sister while smiling sweetly at her. The younger girl was hesitant at first but soon started walk toward her. She stopped in front of Mine and the older girl placed her hand on the younger girl’s head. “Come on, let’s go.” B Mine had finally came back to the house bringing Tatsuki back and knocked on the door. When Hana opened the door, she was overjoyed seeing her younger sister again and unharmed. "Tatsuki!"Hana!” Tatsuki ran over to her older sister and they gave each other the biggest, heartwarming hug they can give.Seeing a sight like this reminded how much Mine loved to help those in need. It brought comfort to them and a sense of accomplishment to them. She tossed a bag behind the sisters and landed with a heavy thud. Both sisters looked at the bag with Hana looking at it with curiosity. “That bag right there has all the money you paid those guys. I think you’ll be fine for a while and those guys won’t be showing their faces again.” When exiting the warehouse, Mine had to make sure Tatsuki didn’t look at the direction the Faunus boss was lying at. The building was condemned and planned to be demolished anyway and by that time, there’d be no trace to connect her. There was one more thing Mine needed to do. “Oh, yeah.” She removed the sniper rifle from her back and presented it to Hana. “Thank you for lending this for me. It’s a really great rifle and it shows. You've really taken care of it." Hana stood up and took back her weapon and smiled at the younger girl. "Thank you. Even if I did drop out of Haven, I still haven't neglected in taking care of my weapon. You can say our mother heavily influenced me. I can't say thank you enough for what you've done for us. I don't know how to thank you.”Mine smiled back as she drew out one of the crossbows. “I say these are a good enough reward. They’re not the usual weapon I use, but I think I can adapt.” She put it back in the holster. Now that this little job was done, Mine had to figure out her next move. She could try to go to this Mistral place to see what it was, but what then? The places Hana mentioned before clearly tell her that she wasn’t anywhere near the Capital or any other place near it. Not to mention she saw a person with animalistic traits which was unheard of. Since Mine was already acquainted with people here, there was just one thing for her to do. “Actually, do you mind I stay with you two for a bit? You can teach me about the surrounding area and other things and as a compromise, I can…help you out with your clothing design. I’m somewhat good at it.”Hana didn’t seem to mind the offer. It did seem like she didn’t know much about the area beforehand and would like to teach her a few things. Plus, it’d be nice to have more help in selling her clothes. She nodded at the former assassin. “Yes, of course.” One month later Mine has definitely stayed at Hana’s house little longer than she intended to. Still, it gave her some time to learn several things. One of which she discovered that she wasn’t even in her own world. She was in a land called Remnant. Learning that convinced Mine that this was far beyond any prank somebody would do to her. This Remnant was made up of four kingdoms; Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo, and Vale. Within Remnant were three kinds of beings; the humans, obviously, the Faunus who were beings with one set of animalistic features. It explained what that woman was before, and they seem to have a bit of a…cruel history with humans. Mine even learned there was a group of extremists called the White Fang. From what Mine could gather, they were similar to the Revolutionary Army, but doing the exact opposite. The third was called Grimm. Apparently, they were humanity's enemy and specialists called Huntsmen were called to kill them.There were even schools to train Huntsmen Haven Academy was one of the schools Hana used to go to before she had to drop out to take care of her younger sister. There was also something called Dust that humanity the edge to drive back the Grimm. From what Mine could understand, they had different elemental properties that could be utilized in a number of ways. They could even be applied to special abilities called semblances. If Mine could sum up this strange new world in one word, it’d be diverse. Speaking of diverse, she also used the time in getting used to using her new weapons. The strangest thing about them was they were able to transform into bladed weapons. Something similar to katars. They weren’t Imperial Arms but were definitely useful. She even practiced with them in their bladed form just in case someone wanted to get up close and personal to her.At other times, Mine did help Hana designing clothes. She had a real knack for it and Mine enjoyed it herself. Whenever Hana had to leave for work, the former assassin would look after Tatsuki. She was a handful at times and wanted to learn more about Mine. She also helped Mine in learning more about this scroll device she picked up. (She still had no idea why they were called that since they didn’t look like scrolls at all.) Like Hana, Mine could shake off this strange feeling whenever she was around the younger girl, but it wasn’t unwelcoming. She really apricated the sisters for what they did for her. The only thing Mine was curious about them were their parents. They barely spoke a word about them. Well, Mine didn't want to pressure them into telling her. It was their own family matter after all and she had no business to be in it.Tonight was like any other night for the three girls. They had dinner, Hana talked about how work went, the usual dinner talk. As dinner was done and Tatsuki was getting ready for bed, they all heard a loud noise followed by a violet rumbling throughout the house. It surprised and freaked all of them out. The shaking stopped, and Hana was immediately worried about her sister. “Tatsuki! Are you okay!?”Tatsuki just came out of the bathroom in her pajamas. “I’m fine!” She ran over to her older sister and Hana held her in her arms. “What was that shaking? It kinda felt like an earthquake.”Mine looked out the window and became suspicious. “No, it was way too short to be an earthquake. Besides, it sounded like something crashed over in the east.”Hana only had one guess as to what it was. “Could have it been a meteorite or something?”Mine very doubted that. “I don’t think so, but I’ll go to check it out. Stay here and look after Tatsuki.” She grabbed her crossbows and holsters and ran out of the house in the direction the crash was at. Mine knew the layout of the surrounding area thanks to Hana and could navigate the woods with ease. If she remembered right, there was a large clearing up ahead. The clearing also showed a view of Mistral. It was probably where whatever it was crashed. As Mine got closer, she sensed two different kinds of aura. One of them felt strangely familiar while the other one was just strange. Almost like it was less like an aura and more like…something else. She reached the end of the forest and the clearing. The first thing that caught her eye was something massive. Mine stopped and turned to see a massively large ice storm surrounding Mistral. Obviously, Mine thought that wasn’t a natural phenomenon. “What the hell is going on? Why is some freaky ice storm covering Mistral?” For some reason, Mine was reminded of Esdeath as she would be the only one who could be capable of doing such a thing. That thought would have to be on hold for now. Mine had to focus on the two people who were near. They were very near and turned to their direction.As she did, time had entirely stopped for her. From a small distance, she saw two people standing in a crater in very familiar armor. From the looks of it, it seemed like they were talking about something important. At first, Mine thought her eyes were playing tricks at her. There was no way they could be here in this world. One of them looking straight at her proved her wrong otherwise and seemed just as surprised. The second person in armor looked at the same direction and was just as surprised. “No…way. It’s you.”Mine ignored the second armored person and focused on the one wearing armor appearing similar to that of a familiar dragon. She could only utter one word. “Ta…tsumi.” Before she knew it, Mine was walking toward Tatsumi and Wave. The entire walk was Mine focused on Tatsumi. While walking toward him, Mine’s thoughts were racing through her mind. She was told he died in the final battle against Esdeath, and yet he was standing right in front of her. Soon enough, Mine found herself standing in front of Mine with clear disbelief in her eyes. “Tatsumi. Is it…really you?” She unconsciously placed her right hand on the left side of Tatsumi’s cheek. Aside from Tatsumi looking radically different in Incursio’s armor, she also made a surprising discovery. “I can’t…feel any warmth from him.” She thought it was too good to be true until Tatsumi placed his hand over his and gave her loving eyes. “Mine. You’re awake. You’re actually awake and standing in front of me. You have no idea…how happy I am to see you again.”Mine’s heart swelled at the words. Only he would have this effect on her. It was Tatsumi and he was here right in front of her. Mine smiled briefly before scowling at him and quickly removed her hand to slap him with her right. The slap may have hurt her more than Tatsumi, but she wanted to get her point across. “That was leaving for me.” She gave Tatsumi another slap. “That was for dying!” And Mine gave Tatsumi a third slap. “And that was for breaking my heart!” While Mine was happy to see Tatsumi again, she was also a little angry at him. “Do you have any idea how many times I went to visit your grave?! How much I cried!? How much I wished you survived?! How could you do that to me!? How could you just…” Tears started to form and Mine started to cry as she placed both arms on Tatsumi’s chest. “How can just leave me like that?” She began to cry into Tatsumi’s chest.Tatsumi allowed Mine to cry as he did deserve those slaps. He comforted his love by wrapping his arms around Mine’s waist and pulled her closer to him while closing his eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for leaving you alone. For having you to experience this pain you had. Most of all, I’m sorry for breaking my promise to you. Right now, I’m just glad to see you again.”Mine embraced the hug and closed her eyes while a single tear fell from her cheek. That teardrop fell all the way to her boot and her whole body glowed faintly for a second. It seemed Mine didn't notice as she opened her eyes and looked up at Tatsumi. “Please, let me see your face. I want to see the face of the man I love.” Tatsumi hesitated at first but complied with Mine’s request. It was the least he could do since they were momentarily together again. His armor started to dissipate and was removed completely. This was the Tatsumi Mine knew and loved. He did look a little more different than she remembered. Especially the eyes and she noticed the height difference. Mine couldn’t help but laugh. “Did you get taller the last time I saw you?”Tatsumi chuckled back as they stared at each other lovingly. “Ahem.”Their moment was instantly broken when they heard a third voice and turned to Wave who witness the whole thing. Mine temporarily forgot about him and realized he of all people were here. "Oh, yeah. WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE!?" She separated from Tatsumi and was still confused by his appearance.The feeling was mutual for Wave. “I could say the same thing about you. I didn’t expect to see you in this world.” Wave had a lot of questions to ask Mine. He did have a feeling how she did arrive in this world.Before their conversation could go any further, they heard a loud rumbling sound and turned to Mistral’s direction. They all saw the ice storm breaking up and Mistral started to become visible again. Now, Mine was more confused than ever. “That ice storm’s stopping. Just what in the world is happening over there?”Tatsumi knew very well what the answer was. “It looks like someone was able to beat Esdeath.”“WHAT!?” Mine and Wave shouted at the same time.Mine wasn’t sure if she heard that right. “I’m sorry, Esdeath?! How the hell is she here?! I thought Akame killed her!? On top of that, who the hell is strong enough to kill her without Murasame’s poison?!”Wave wondered the same question. Esdeath was a force to be reckoned with. It was hard to imagine someone from his side being strong enough to subdue her. How was the biggest question he had.The ice storm completely vanished, and everything went unpleasantly silent. All Mine and the others could do was stare at the clear view of Mistral. She couldn’t help but wonder what the hell was going on over there. Before she could bring it up, they heard an even more unpleasant sound. They all turned to the left side to see multiple red eyes and saw a large number of Grimm emerging from the woods. Mine immediately pulled out her crossbows. “It’s those Grimm things! Whatever you do, don’t let them reach the village beyond here!” Wave responded by summoning his own spear. He may have been badly injured from his “fight” with Tatsumi but he still had enough strength to deal with this group of Grimm. Tatsumi was also going to help until he grunted loudly in pain. Hearing that caught Mine’s attention. “Tatsumi?”She and Wave saw Tatsumi acting strangely like he was resisting something. “Mine, Wave, I’m sorry. I can’t…stay any longer. Something…must’ve happened with Akame.”Hearing that name didn’t escape Mine’s ears. “Akame? She’s here too? What does she have to do with whatever’s happening to you?”Her only response from Tatsumi was him taking her hand once again and smiled at her. “Leone’s also at Mistral. I’m sure…she’d be…overjoyed seeing you again. When you do see her…tell her that…it was a promise made between me…and Akame.” Mine wanted to ask what he meant by that when she saw Tatsumi’s body darken and burst into several streams of some kind of dark red energy. She saw all those streams rushing back to Mistral.And just like a dream, Tatsumi was gone. Him bursting into those streams certainly explained why she felt such a strange sensation coming from him. It was for a short time, but Mine was glad to see Tatsumi again. And from the sound of it, she could see Akame and Leone too. How they ended up this world, she’ll ask later. Right now, there was a far more important matter. She turned back to the group of Grimm and glared angrily at them. Mine pulled out her crossbows locked and loaded. "Alright, let's kill some danger beast knock-offs!" Insert Akame Ga Kill OST 33: Rasetsu Yonki Wave made the first move as he launched himself at the incoming Grimm horde and pulled his spear inward. As he reached the first line of Grimm, he swung his spear out and severed multiple Grimm in a single swipe. The soldier spun his spear around before swinging it around again to demolish more of the Grimm. While he was busy dealing one batch of Grimm, others ran past him and were headed toward Mine. Several Beowulves were quickly closing the distance. Mine took careful aim. She was about to fire the bolt when a small orb of orange light appeared and shot out instead of the bolt. The light shot through the Beowulf’s head and it dropped dead. Mine didn’t have enough time to question of what happened and aimed her other crossbow at the second Beowulf. Like before, a beam of light shot out and went through the second Beowulf’s head.While two were dead, more came at her while spreading around her. Mine quickly focused on them and started shooting these beams of light at them. All of the shots went through the Grimm with ease. A small detail she noticed was that the closer they came to her, the larger the blasts were. When a Beowulf was approaching her, Mine pointed one of her crossbows at it and fired off a large and very powerful blast at it. It enveloped the Beowulf whole and it disintegrated entirely. After that display, there was no doubt in her mind what this strange power was. It brought a sense of pride she hadn’t felt in quite a while. “I don’t know how it happened, and I don’t know what’s going on, but welcome back, Pumpkin.” She heard a roar and saw a much larger Grimm coming at her. Mine barely had enough time to dodge its incoming attack. The former assassin instinctively pressed a switch and her crossbows changed into their katar form. The Beringel threw another punch and Mine ducked to avoid the attack. She closed in on it and pulled her arm back. Unknown to her, her blades glowed that same light from before. Mine yelled as she swung her left arm at the Beringel’s left arm and it was severed easily. It cried out in pain while Mine swung her other arm from under. The attack cut into the Grimm’s body and was almost severed in it in half.The Beringel disintegrated into dust and Mine saw several Major Ursas coming at her. She quickly glanced at her weapons. They still glowed and figured to try something out. The former sniper pulled her right arm back and swung it forward. What came out was a blade of energy that headed toward one of the Major Ursa. The energy blade sliced through the Grimm and it dropped dead. Mine swung her other weapon and another energy blade emerged. Like before, it reached the next Major Ursa and sliced it in half. Mine was liking this new adaptation very much. “Apparently, you picked up a new trick, Pumpkin.” She reverted her katars back into their crossbow form and readied herself for the next wave. End OST The next few minutes were spent on stopping the Grimm wave. Mine and Wave were making some good headway and the group didn’t even make it past the halfway point of the clearing. It was almost under control until Mine noticed something bright coming their way. Before Mine and Wave could react, the mysterious golden wave enveloped them and the Grimm. It passed quickly and Mine felt a little strange. “What…was that?” Her confusion was furthered when she saw the Grimm just standing still.Like Mine, Wave wondered what just hit them. Whatever it was, it seemed to have an effect on the Grimm surrounding him. They stopped attacking and weren’t doing anything. Then they did something that surprised them both. All of the Grimm began to retreat back into the forest. It was almost unbelievable to him. “They’re all…retreating. Why? Was it because of that weird wave?” Soon, all the Grimm retreated and didn't bother coming back. In one way or another, it was a win for both of them.Mine sighed out of relief and holstered her crossbows. “I think that’s it for now. Any idea what that golden light was about?”Wave turned around to face her and wasn’t any closer to having an answer. “No clue, but whatever that was, it saved us a lot of trouble.” He took a step forward but stumbled. Then everything around him went black. The soldier collapsed on the ground and his Grand Chariot armor reverted into its cutlass form.Mine figured Wave must’ve reached his limit. Just in time too since all the Grimm left. For now, all she had to do was get back to Hana’s house. While dragging Wave’s unconscious body with her. They weren’t enemies anymore and she didn’t feel comfortable leaving him out here alone. There was only thing Mine could say about this and sighed. “Damn it.” B Wave groaned as he came around. He opened his eyes to see a ceiling and quickly found out he was laying on a couch. The soldier felt a little groggy while he sat up and placed a hand on his face. “Well, about time you woke up.”Wave put his hand down and looked to where he heard the voice. He saw Mine sitting on a chair not far from the couch and wearing a different outfit. The soldier tried to shake off some of the sleep. “Hi there. What…happened?”Mine was more than happy enough to explain that part to him. “What happened was that after you blacked out, I had to carry you all the way here, tend to some pretty serious wounds you had, and I had to wait for you to wake up. You were out for two days.”“Two days?!” Hearing that snapped Wave out of his fun and tried to stand up from the couch. Before he did, the soldier a sharp pain occurred. He put his hand on his wound in an attempt to quell the pain. "I gotta…get back to Mistral." He was very worried about Seryu. She must’ve been freaking out since he didn’t come back after Tatsumi carried him away.Mine understood why he wanted to move out as soon as possible. And he wasn’t going alone. “And you will. And I’m coming along with you.” The soldier looked back at the former sniper. “I have a feeling you knew something was going back in Mistral. You also mentioned Akame and Tatsumi said something about Leone at Mistral. I go with you, I may find her.”Wave understood Mine’s reason and could sweeten the deal. “I’ll do you one better. I’ll take you where she currently is. All I have to tell you now is that she’s with a pretty big group. I think you’ll like them.” A group? Well, at least Leone wasn’t flying solo. The only question Mine had now was what was going on with Akame? Wave looked around the living and decided to change the subject. "So, whose house is this?"Mine looked around the living room. “The house belongs to a pair of sisters I’ve been staying for a while. However, today marks the last day I’ll be staying with them. Hana, the older of the two, made me this outfit as a farewell gift. I think it’s pretty good. A lot more practical to fight in.” She really couldn’t thank Hana enough for everything she’d done for her. Now that Wave was here, she can finally make some headway and see a couple of old friends again.“Mine, it’s done now!” Hana walked into the room carrying a folded white jacket. She saw Wave already up. “Oh, I see your friend is already awake. It’s nice to meet you. Well, again. The first time I saw you, you were unconscious.”Wave was taken by surprise of how similar Hana looked to Mine. He decided to keep that to himself. “It’s nice to meet you too. I’m sorry to have been an inconvenience.”Hana just smiled at the former soldier. “It’s fine. So, how do you know Mine?”There was a bit of awkward silence between the two and Mine cleared her throat. "He's a …an acquaintance of mine that I haven't seen in quite a long time. Honestly, I didn't expect to see him way out here." It wasn't technically a lie.Hana understood the general of it and cleared up a misunderstanding. “Oh, I see. I thought he was like an ex-boyfriend or something.” Both Mine and Wave didn’t know how to take that. “Anyway, I figured something was missing with your outfit and I thought this would complete it. Take a look.” She unfurled the jacket and presented it to Mine. Both her and Wave gasped at it since it looked very familiar. “Like it? It’s a replica of my father’s jacket that he used to wear. I thought it’d look good on you. Tie it around your waist.” Hana tossed the jacket to Mine and the other girl caught it. The former sniper stood up and tied the sleeves around her waist. It was the look Hana was looking for. “Perfect! Now you’re ready to kick butt and take names.”Mine would have to agree. It was definitely a good look for her. She smiled at Hana. “Thank you for this.” The former sniper turned her attention to Wave. “So, you ready to go?” Wave responded by nodding.A few minutes later, Mine, Wave, Hana, and Tatsuki were all standing outside the house. Mine wanted to say her final goodbyes to the two sisters. “Thank you again for everything you’ve done for me. I’ll never forget the hospitality you’ve given me.”Hana could say the same for the other girl. “And we’ll never forget what you’ve done for us. It’s almost sad for us to see you leave, but we knew it would happen eventually. I hope things go well for you in the future.”Tatsuki agreed with her sister. “Yeah, take care of yourself, and thanks for helping my sister and spending time with me.”Mine walked up to the sisters and gave them both one last hug before departing. “Look out for each other and make sure you’re there for one another.”All Hana could do smile at Mine’s words. “Yeah, we will.” Mine separated from the girls and walked back to Wave. The two took one last look at the sisters before finally departing. All Hana and Tatsuki could do now was wave goodbye. Seeing this scene reminded her the last time she saw her parents going off to their mission for the last time. In fact, she already knew one thing about Mine she never told her. It was almost unbelievable at first when she first met her. She even acted similarly to her. It was for a brief time, but Hana was glad to spend that time with her once again. She could only say one thought about Mine’s leaving. “Goodbye, mom.” After traveling a distance from Hana’s house and the village, Wave and Mine stopped momentarily. The former sniper wanted to make sure no one was around. She turned to the soldier. “Think you’re well enough to use your Imperial Arms? It’d definitely cut our travel time a lot more.”Wave responded by smiling at Mine and pulled out Grand Chariot. “Of course. One time should be enough. Now, stand back.” Mine did just that and Wave stabbed his Imperial Arms into the ground. “Grand Chariot!” What happened afterward was the ground shaking and flocks of birds flying out of the trees. B Mine had forgotten what it felt like being carried by someone wearing armor. Wave may have just recovered, but it seemed it didn’t affect his traveling speed. Before she knew it, they arrived at Mistral. It was certainly a lot bigger up close than it did from a distance. Even the look of it reminded her of the Capital’s red-light district. Wave managed to land in the middle of Mistral and Mine got off his back. The soldier deactivated his armor and they exited out of an alleyway. “Your friend is living near the top of Mistral. Staying at a hotel, actually. Her and the others. The best way to get there is by taking an elevator. After that, I’ll lead you.”Hearing that was good enough for Mine. It was about time she reunited with Leone. “Alright then. Lead the way.” And Wave did just that. The two of them maneuvered around the crowds and arrived at the elevator. It was much larger than what Mine thought it would be. There were multiple crowds all waiting for their stop. They went on the elevator and waited for some time. When it finally arrived at their floor, they went on the move again. Since they were near their destination, Mine decided to ask Wave a burning question she had about him. “So, how did you end up in this world anyway and for how long? I thought you were still in the Capital.”Wave could say the same thing about Mine. “It’s…kinda of a long story. Let’s just say I tried to find myself and I kinda arrived in this world. As for how long, over six months.” Okay, so, Wave’s been in this world a lot longer she has. If that was the case, then how long were Leone and Akame were in this world? They soon approached a building that certainly did look fancy. “And here we are. Just stay back and let me knock on the door. If Qrow sees you, he may become suspicious.” Qrow? Mine wondered if that was one of the people Leone was with? Wave walked up to the door and knocked on it a couple of times. He waited a couple of seconds before the door abruptly opened and smacked him directly. “Ow!”“Wave!”Mine gasped in surprised as to who it was that opened the door. “Seryu…Ubiquitous? Why the hell is she here!?” The last time Mine saw Seryu was when she tried to kill her via suicide bomb. Anger immediately flared up inside of her.“Hey…Seryu. Sorry, I…took so long.”“You…You idiot! Do you have any idea how worried I as!? I thought you died! I thought…you left me.”Hearing those words snapped Mine out of her anger. There was no way Seryu would say those kinds of words. Even if she was once on the same team as Wave. And upon a closer look, she saw that Seryu had a pair of dog ears on her head. Mine definitely remembered Seryu didn’t have those when they fought each other. She also appeared to be…kinder, surprisingly. Like she didn’t have that crazed look about justice and was looking at Wave in a strange way. “Well, you don’t have to worry…anymore.” Mine heard Wave wince at the pain Seryu may be causing. “Can you…kinda get off now? You’re…agitating my injuries.”Mine saw Seryu do just that and helped Wave to stand back up. She was still very conflicted on seeing of seeing one of her worst enemies again. It’s Seryu but different. Very different. She turned her attention through the door and gasped in surprise. The former sniper saw a clear view of a girl with wild blonde hair and had lion ears perched on top of her head. Mine could recognize that look anywhere. After all this time, she would finally see one of her friends again. Mine walked past Wave and Seryu and stopped at the doorway. She was aware of different people looking at her, but she was entirely focused on the girl sitting on the couch. Mine couldn’t help but smile. “It's rare that I get to see you sulk like this, Leone.”She heard a small gasp and saw Leone raise her head. Her reaction was exactly what Mine thought it’d be. Also, Leone seemed slightly different than the last time she saw her. She appeared to be…younger. “It’s…you…” Mine walked into the living room and saw Leone stand up while crying tears of joy. Mine would be lying if she didn’t feel the same way as her former teammate. “I thought…I thought you were gone. I thought they had already…”Mine stopped and continued to smile at Leone. It was as she thought. Leone must’ve thought she was still in a coma this whole time. And from the sound of it, Leone must’ve thought she was to be dead at this point. Oh, how she missed her. “It’s been over a year since we’ve last seen each other.” She crossed her arms and for the first time in a long time, she was happy seeing her old friend again. “How about we catch up on old times?” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol 4.5 Part TwoKill Eighty One: Catching UpLeone couldn’t stop crying at seeing the sight in front of her. Emotions were swelling up swiftly inside her of her. Most of it was happiness. The Faunus blonde hoped this wasn’t some joke. That some higher power wasn’t screwing around with her. She had enough of that already. Mine’s scent and her saying Leone’s name was more than enough to convince her that Mine was here. She was here standing and awake right in front of her. “Mine…you’re here. You’re really here.” Leone laughed joyfully as she leaped over the table and right over toward her friend with arms ready for a momentous reunion hug while laughing joyfully. “MINE!”Mine smiled in return as she opened her arms to welcome her former teammate. “Leone!” The two girls laughed like old times once again. It was a sweet and touching scene for everyone else in the room to see. As soon as Leone neared Mine, Mine’s eyes flashed red and punched the Faunus blonde straight on the cheek straight to the floor. “YOU…IDIOT!” The impact was powerful enough to produce a gust of wind that blew through the room and even felt the furniture being shaken. Everyone in the room was speechless at the action and in fearful awe. Leone groaned in pain before Mine picked up her up again by the collar and began to shake her violently. All while being completely pissed at the Faunus blonde. “How can you just leave like that!? You didn’t even bother to say goodbye to me when I was a coma?! That would’ve been better than to know you just up and left without saying anything! Do you have any idea how it felt to know that!? Did you even care!? Apparently not since you’re a thoughtless bitch! How dare you do that to me! After all the hell we’ve been through! Some friend you are!”Yang and the others didn’t know what to make of this scene. What Yang did know is what she thought of Mine upon seeing her act like this for the first time. “She’s like a more violent version of Weiss.” Seryu had similar thoughts about Mine’s erratic behavior towards Leone. “This human…kinda scares me.” For Leone, she really should've been surprised by Mine's outrage toward her. “Yep, Mine hasn’t changed at all.” “Really…” The shaking stopped, and Leone could finally regain some focus. She was able to see that tears were coming out of the other girl and had a hurt expression. “You’re a horrible, horrible friend.” She sniffled a few times and her grip on Leone’s collar lessened.Leone gave a sympathetic expression to Mine and wrapped one arm around her to bring the other girl closer to her. Her other hand was placed behind Mine’s head and placed it on the top of her chest. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye to you. The reason was that I still wasn’t sure you were going to wake up. I didn’t want my last memory of you to be you lying in a bed still comatose. More so when I expected them to put you out of your misery if you couldn’t wake up. And I thought they did. I’m actually glad I was wrong. I am happy to see you again, Mine. More than you’ll ever know.”Mine chuckled as she removed herself from Leone. She wiped the tears away and smiled once again at her friend. “You have a lot of making up to do if you want me to fully forgive you.”Leone giggled as she knew that fact already. “I will. I’ll promise you that.” And she intended to keep that promise. The touching moment between them had returned once again. And then it went away again as Mine’s hands went for Leone’s cheeks and pinched them. Obviously, that hurt the Faunus blonde. “Ow, ow, ow, ow! What are you doing!?”The other girl tugged on the cheeks a few more times. “Trying to figure out how you look like this? I know it’s been over a year since we’ve seen each other, but I know you didn’t look this young. Seriously, why do you look around the same age as me?” She stopped pinching Leone’s cheeks, much to the Faunus girl’s relief.Except Mine’s focus was now on Leone’s lion ears and pinched them next. Again, Leone didn’t enjoy that. “Hey, easy on the ears, okay!?Mine stretched the ears out and was still trying to figure out Leone’s current appearance. “And why do you look like you’re only halfway into your beast form using Lionel? Najenda told me it was destroyed.” To Mine, it almost seemed like Leone was one of the Faunus.“Can you please stop now!?”Mine did but not because Leone said so. She stopped because she heard very familiar laughter. Laughter Mine thought she'd never hear again. She removed her hands away from Leone, (again, much to her relief) and looked past her to see a certain girl Mine thought to never see again. "Well, this entertaining to watch. You’re a lot more than what Leone said you were.” Mine could only respond by staring at her once dead former ally. Chelsea smiled smugly as she wanted to play around with the other girl. “What’s wrong, Mine? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”There were a few more moments of silence from Mine before actually speaking again. “WHAT THE-CHELSEA!?” She wasn’t sure if it was her eyes playing tricks on her. It almost seemed unbelievable to her. “How the hell are you-I mean, you can’t be alive! You can’t be even here because last time I checked, you were decapitated!” Chelsea absolutely loved Mine’s reaction to her. She could tell she was going to have a lot of fun with the other girl.“Right, she hasn’t seen some of us yet on account of not seeing Leone for a long time.”Mine heard another familiar and turned it out. If seeing Chelsea was unbelievable enough, seeing Kurome added further disbelief. “Kuro…me?” From what Mine remembered, Najenda told her that Akame had killed her sister in their last confrontation. First Chelsea, and now Kurome. That was two people she knew that was supposed to be dead but are actually here before her.“Um…”Mine heard a third voice and turned to where it came from. As she did, Mine gasped in fear as her eyes went wide. Chelsea was a thing, and Kurome was another, but this one person was someone who struck her to her very core. “How…?” Esdeath chuckled nervously while waving at the other girl in a frightened fashion. “Hi…?”Mine’s response to the former General was perfectly natural. She pulled out one of her crossbows and pointed it at Esdeath while a small orb of light appeared in front of it. Before Mine could fire off the shot, Leone stood in front of the shot with her arms spread wide out. “Whoa, Mine, hold on!”Lucky for the Faunus blonde, her friend didn’t have an itchy trigger finger. That still didn’t mean she was willing to shoot. “Get out of the way, Leone!”Leone didn’t blame Mine reacting this way. This was a lot for the other girl to take in and had to calm her down before she did anything else. “Look, I know this is all confusing at first, but calm down. Everything going to be explained. First off, ask yourself this; would Esdeath hide behind a couch and hope that you don’t shoot a hole through her?”The question confused Mine and looked past the Faunus blonde. Sure enough, Esdeath wasn’t there anymore and saw a hand grab the top of the couch and the top of Esdeath’s head popped out. Now that Mine calmed down a little, she could clearly see a very large difference in Esdeath now. The look she was giving off was more akin of a scared rabbit rather than a psychopathic mass murderer. “Please, don’t shoot me.” And that was definitely not what Esdeath would say. Whoever this person was, she acted the opposite of the Esdeath she knew of. Which begged the question; was this not the Esdeath Tatsumi mention from before? Mine didn’t even have the drive to shoot the girl anymore and the orb faded as she lowered her weapon. She sighed out of frustration while holstering her crossbow. “Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on!? Kurome’s alive, Esdeath’s alive, even Chelsea’s alive!”Chelsea couldn’t help but feel insulted by Mine’s comment. “Hey, what do you mean by ‘even Chelsea’?”“Uh, guys?” Everyone turned to Wave who was standing at the door. “Some guy is here saying he’s here with a…pizza delivery?”Mine was just as confused as Wave by hearing a word neither of them heard before. “What the hell’s pizza?”And Chelsea all forgot about Mine’s comment and perked up. “Hey, awesome! Now we can all catch up while eating. Qrow, pay the guy, will ya? And don’t forget to leave a tip.”Mine was puzzled when she heard the new name Chelsea spoke of and heard a new voice. “Don’t tell me what to do, kid.”The former sniper looked at the general direction of where she heard the voice and narrowed her eyes at the Huntsmen. She didn’t know how she didn’t notice before, but he had an incredibly strong aura. Mine could tell he was experienced. Qrow just ignored Mine and went over to where the delivery guy was. He fished out his wallet from his pocket and sighed tiredly. “At least it won’t be much.” B “Thank you for your patronage, sir.”“Y-Yeah…”Qrow closed the door and slowly turned around to face the rest of the group. His eyes seemed like his very life was drained out of him and experienced a terror like no other. “You…what did you order?”His first response was seeing the entire group passing their desired pizzas to each other. And there were a lot of sides placed on the table. Chelsea giggled mischievously and had a Cheshire grin. “Well, you did say I wasn’t allowed to order a large pizza. You didn’t say I couldn’t order anything else. So, I ordered three extra-large with everyone’s orders, twelve one liters of soda, three orders of each three dipping sauces, honey barbeque, garlic parmesan, and ranch, and a dozen orders of insanity breadsticks and wings each. With all of this, now we can call it even in getting that genie’s lamp. Hey, you gotta spend that money on something else other than booze somehow.”This is one of the few times where Taeko was impressed by Chelsea’s underhandedness. “And this is what happens when someone gives Chelsea free range of what to do. Especially to those who’ve wronged her. I will say this is one of her better choices.” Esren couldn’t help but guffaw at Chelsea’s trick toward Qrow. “I gotta say, Qrow, she pulled a good one over you.”Almost everyone momentarily stopped eating their pizza. “Thanks/Thank you Qrow!” They resumed eating their pizza.Qrow still had that lifeless expression on his face and walked over to the kitchen to recuperate. Meanwhile, Jaune seemed a little confused when he finally got his pizza. “Hey, what happened to my pineapple pizza?”Chelsea leered over at the single male blonde of the group. “Oh, I got you jalapeno instead, so you can enjoy pizza like a normal citizen instead of a filthy heretic who deserves to be burned alive at the stake.” Jaune couldn’t help but think that was an oddly specific insult toward him. Still, he wouldn’t argue against jalapeno, even if he did prefer his pineapple pizza. While was beginning to eat their pizza, Mine was studying it as if it were an alien of some kind. “So, what’s this called again?”Leone, who was sitting next to her on the couch, picked up two slices of her pizza and put them on a paper plate. “They call it pizza. It’s really good, actually. Try it for yourself.” To demonstrate, the Faunus blonde took her slice in her hand and ate it.It seemed simple enough and copied Leone’s action. Mine was surprised how good the slice was from the first bite. “This tastes amazing.”Wave shared Mine’s impression as his mind was blown away at one of the toppings. “I’ll say…” He picked up one of Blake’s slices and marveled at the small fish on top of the slice. “I never thought of applying anchovies as a topping on something like this.” Before the soldier could take a bite, he saw Blake looking at him. “Uh, you don’t mind if I eat this, right?”Blake smiled at him and nodded. “Go ahead. There’s plenty to go around.” She took her own slice.Wave went on ahead and took a bite of his slice. His reaction was the same Mine’s. “I’ve never tasted anything like this. This combination of flavors is so unique.”Nora enjoyed their reactions since they were experiencing something for the first time. “You guys never had pizza before? You really did live in a dark and lawless world, huh?”Her comment attracted Mine’s attention and turned her focus to her and everyone else in the group. “Right, who…are all of you again?” Aside from Chelsea, Kurome, and Esdeath, she didn’t know any of the other people in the room.Nora stood up immediately and seemed excited by Mine’s question. “Oh, introductions! Time for you to meet everyone!” She went to each member of the group as she introduced them to Mine. “This is Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Ren, Cornelia, Taeko, Rienna, Oscar, this is Esdeath’s dad, the guy wallowing in despair is Qrow…” She posed across the table at Mine. “And I’m Nora!” She threw confetti everywhere and Mine had no idea where Nora got it from.All Mine did was stare suspiciously at Nora. “Okay, what kind of drugs is this girl on?”Leone couldn’t help but laugh at Mine’s question. “Oh, that’s just how Nora is. You’ll get used to it. Eventually.”Well, one thing was for certain; Leone had met some fairly colorful people and they seemed nice. While eating the rest of her slice, Mine observed the rest of the group closely. A few of them did catch her attention. One of them was Blake who had cat ears so that would make her a Faunus. Yang seemed strikingly similar to Leone. Almost as if she could be Leone’s sister or something. Not to mention she had a robotic arm that seemed more advanced than Najenda’s. Ruby had a childlike innocence to her, especially with those kinds of eyes of hers. Weiss had an air of elegance to her. She could be someone important. Nora, Mine already found strange but not unlikable. Ren had a calm demeanor and Jaune…just seemed like a regular guy. The same with Oscar expect he was a kid.Onto the second slice, Mine paid attention to the second half of the group. Now that she had a closer look, Kurome did look older and Chelsea was younger. Cornelia seemed like a nice girl and so was Rienna, even if she did have a large burn scar. Taeko looked to be refined and disciplined as if she came from a strict family. Honestly, the biggest thing that caught Mine’s attention was Esdeath. She had never seen a bigger difference. The former sniper saw Esdeath sharing her pizza with her father, which Tatsumi explained that he was killed during rival tribe attack and was laughing happily. And not the kind of happy when she’s slaughtering people. The kind of happy of an actual human being would have. Not to mention she appeared to be a teenager. It was bizarre, to say the least, and there was something else Mine found strange. She narrowed her eyes at the former General. “Just what is up with her aura? It feels so strange.” Mine felt an arm wrap around her neck and was brought closer to Leone. “So, Mine, what do you think of them? They may be rough around the edges, but they have experience. Somewhat, at least.”Weiss caught that and glared at the Faunus blonde as she finished her pizza. “Excuse me! Just because we haven’t been in a war doesn’t mean we haven’t had difficulties ourselves! Or lack thereof.”Leone couldn’t help but laugh at the ex-heiress’ words. "Ha, ha. Right, sorry, Weiss. You're right. After all, this is the second major battle all of you had. Maybe third since some of you did fight that weird Grimm and the Grimm horde in Kuroyuri.” Weiss was glad Leone agreed with her.However, Chelsea had something extra to add to the former heiress’ statement. “I don’t know, Weiss. I say you’re certainly lacking in something important.”Weiss glared at the other girl as she knew she wasn’t liking what Chelsea was insulating. “And just what are you referring to?”Chelsea grinned smugly at the ex-heiress and chuckled nefariously. “Well, let’s just say that between you and Esdeath, she’s got you beaten in…centimeters. A lot of it.” The males of the group shamefully admit what Chelsea was talking about and looked away, so they wouldn’t be involved in the topic. More so for Esren as it was already awkward enough for him in trying to explain his daughter’s early development. Weiss squealed in embarrassment and crossed her arms over her chest. A blush appeared on her face and she was just as mad at Chelsea for saying such a thing. “H-How dare you even bring up such a subject!”Chelsea laughed at Weiss’ reaction as she picked up one of the insanity breadsticks. She pointed it at the former heiress. “Hey, it’s not my fault you drew the short straw. Or should I say the flat straw?” Weiss growled threateningly at Chelsea while the other girl continued to laugh.Chelsea’s laugh was cut short, though, as something came by and her food suddenly disappeared. She was in both in shock and saddened. “My insanity bread!” She took a second look in front and saw that Taeko was holding her breadstick up high. “Taeko! Give me back my breadstick!”All her childhood friend did was stare at her. “I will, after this.”“After wha-” Taeko brought her hand down upon Chelsea’s head with a loud thwack. “Ow!” She held the top of her head with her hands and Taeko flicked the breadstick at Chelsea’s face.After that, Taeko unscrewed the cap of one of the sodas and pour it into her cup. “I’d suggest you watch what say. One of these days, that mouth of yours is going to get yourself killed. Again” She finished pouring and took a sip.Chelsea growled at the other girl frustratedly. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You always say that.” She grabbed her breadstick and took a bite out of it. Weiss smirked as justice was delivered.Mine was about to intervene and possibly teach Chelsea a lesson, but this worked out as well. She was also curious about the way Chelsea acted. In the time the former sniper had worked with Chelsea, she had never seen this side of her. Mine had always seen Chelsea as brash, egotistical, and someone she really wanted to punch at times. Seeing Chelsea getting her just deserts was quite a surprise. Also, seeing the exchange between her and Taeko left Mine with another question. “I wonder what their relationship is?” “So, Mine…” Leone calling out her name snapped the former sniper out of her thoughts. “Before you came to Remnant, what’ve you been doing in the past year since you woke?”Her question sparked a question from Cornelia. “And how did you arrive in Remnant? Did you wander into a forest and make a wish?”“And what have you been doing in Remnant before you met up with us?” Rienna asked next.“And where did you get those crossbows? They look really cool!” Ruby had stars in her eyes while looking at Mine’s weapons.Mine groaned at the question being asked to her. “Just give me a minute, okay!” She gave out a sigh and collected her thoughts. The former sniper was now ready to explain everything that happened to her up until now. “To start off, when I woke up, Najenda was there to greet me. She told me everything that happened when I was in that coma. Including that Tatsumi died in the final battle.” Leone felt her heart wrench upon hearing that. She couldn’t imagine the pain Mine must’ve felt hearing that Tatsumi of all people died. “His grave is where we buried his two friends and I made sure to visit him when I could.” Leone chuckled lightly at that fact. “I was compensated by the Revolutionary Army and I decided to stay in the Capital. I could’ve gone anywhere, but there was nothing out there for me. I found myself a normal job and worked at a boutique.”The Faunus blonde couldn’t help but laugh at that fac. “You working at a boutique, huh? Yeah, I can see you doing working there.”Mine smiled faintly as she took another slice and took a bite out of it. “I did like working there, but there was always this hollow feeling inside me. After all the bloodshed, the lives lost and sacrificed, I should be grateful, and I was and yet, this hollow feeling would still be in me.” She sighed again and took another bite. “Anyway, to answer your second question, as soon as I went to sleep on my bed, in my apartment, I woke up in a forest near a village.”Her answer confused the rest of the group. Yang raised an eyebrow and was the first to ask the question on everyone’s mind. “Wait, so, you didn’t fall asleep in a forest and made a wish?”The former sniper didn’t understand why everybody was confused in the first place. “No, I didn’t sleep in a forest. I slept in my bed and I ended up waking up in a forest. Why did you say that?”Taeko thought to explain that part to the other girl. “Because Leone, Akame, and Wave fall into that category. They all slept in a forest and woke up entering our world. And yet you seem to be the exception. I wonder why that is?”Mine was more annoyed than curious at the reason why she ended up in Remnant. “How am I supposed to know that!?” She blew a raspberry through her lips and calmed down a little. “I do remember one thing before I fell asleep. I remember I thought of something before I went to sleep.”“Do you remember what it was?” Cornelia asked.The former puffed up her cheeks and narrowed her eyes at the blonde. “How should I know?! This happened a month ago!”Well, that outburst answered one of their questions. Mine had only been in Remnant for over a month. Hearing that made Taeko ponder about something important. “A month ago. I wonder…”“Taeko…” Taeko turned to Kurome who finished her first box. “You got that look again. Mind telling us what it is?”Her teammate nodded and decided what to share what she heard of so far. “It’s just what Mine said. She arrived in our world over a month ago. That’s around the same time Akame went missing. That kind of timing appears to be too coincidental. Furthermore, she didn’t arrive in our world with the same conditions as Leone and Wave. Why was her arrival to our world different? There are factors that don’t match up with what heard before. Something just isn’t adding up here.” Qrow couldn’t help but overhear what Taeko said in the kitchen while drinking his flask. He was suspicious of these turns of events as well.Once again, Taeko brought up a few good points. The way Mine arrived was different than how Leone, Akame, and Wave arrived. Mine was actually impressed by Taeko’s deductive skills. “Has she always been this perceptive?”Chelsea chuckled as she finished her second breadstick. “Yeah, Taeko has a knack for noticing tiny details. You can say she’s the brains of our team.”Ren gave some thought to what Taeko said previously. “It is a bit strange. Considering the timing and the events, it almost seems like her arrival was perfect.” It was a strange case, to say the least.Yang let out a groan and smiled. “Come on, we can think more about that stuff later. Right now, we’re celebrating our win and the arrival of one of Leone’s friends.” She turned her attention to the former sniper. “So, Mine, what did you do when you arrived in our world?”Mine had to agree with the brawler and had to tell the rest of her story. This time, she decided to take one of the wings. “Well, obviously, I was confused at first and wandered through the forest. It wasn’t long until I encountered a girl called Hana having a problem with a guy. I intervened and learned that the guy was trying to threaten her to give him money. What’s worse is that guy was part of a group of scammers that targeted Hana because she inherited life insurance money from her parent’s death. These people were so low, they even took her younger sister as collateral until she gave them all the money. I offered my help and she accepted it. She let me borrow her sniper rifle and not only I managed to kill that guy from before and his two friends, but I also killed their boss and rescued her sister, Tatsuki."Jaune noticed one odd detail in Mine's story. "Wait, she let you borrow a sniper rifle?"The former sniper took a bite out of her wing. “That’s right. Hana mentioned she used to be a student attending Haven. She had to drop out in order to take care of her younger sister.” Out of everyone in the group, Yang understood Hana’s situation the best. Having to sacrifice her dream to become a Huntress to take care of her younger sister. The blonde knew she would’ve made the same decision if the same thing happened to her and Ruby. “And speaking of weapons…” Mine pulled out one of her crossbows with the hand that’s not covered in sauce. “I took these crossbows from the scammer’s boss. She’s dead now so she won’t be using them anymore." There was a sense of uneasiness that befell on almost everyone. Only Leone had a smile at what Mine had done. "It's quite something, I'll say." Mine lowered her crossbow to take a closer look at her weapon. "I've never seen a weapon like this before. I mean it’s a crossbow, but it’s not like one I’ve seen before. Not to mention it does this.” She pressed a switch and it transformed into its katar form. Ruby was gushing over at Mine’s weapon and wanted to take a closer look at it. "It does this and it's weird. Not that it's a bad thing. It's just another way for me to kill something. Of course, I did have to practice hand-to-hand combat more.” Mine had the weapon revert into its crossbow form and holstered it. “They’re not as good as Pumpkin, but they’re good enough.” She took a napkin and wiped the sauce from her mouth. “After all of that, I decided to stay with the sisters since they were the only people that could trust me and needed the info on this world.”“And what did you learn?” Ruby asked.Mine tried to recall everything she learned from Hana and Tatsuki. “Quite a few interesting things. I know about the Grimm and the Huntsmen that fight them. I know of this Dust stuff they utilize to fight. I know how aura can be used as a sort of a defense, as useful that would’ve been in the past. I know about the four major academies that train them and I know these powers called semblance Huntsmen use. I was told there’s quite a variety of them. I suppose all of you have you them as well?”Chelsea was glad Mine asked that question and was more than glad to explain all their semblances to her. “Yeah, you’re right about that. My semblance is copying other people’s Semblances. And just to get it over with; Ruby’s is speed, Weiss’ is glyphs, Blake’s is shadow copies, Yang’s is damage amplification, meaning the more damage she takes, the stronger her attacks become. It can also be used as something kinky in some S & M play.” Yang choked on her pizza and downed it with her soda. Blake’s face turned a deep red and lowered her head to hide her embarrassment. “Nora gets stronger if she’s struck by electricity, Ren can nullify emotions, Jaune’s is kinda like a booster, Cora’s is vibration, hint hint, nudge nudge." Cornelia's face became red out of anger and embarrassment. In her defense, Cornelia struck the top of Chelsea's head again. "OW!" Okay, she was kinda asking for that and continued. "Taeko's is wind, Rienna's is explosions, Kurome's is body amplification, and Esdeath's is obviously ice. Seryu's is reinforcement, Wave's is like some phantom chain thing, and Leone's is…" Chelsea paused as she still wasn't sure what Leone's semblance was. She decided to go with the usual. "Its self-healing which is a pain. And I'm guessing that weird orb of light you created from before is your semblance.”So, that's what it was. Mine had wondered she was able to use Pumpkin's power without her Imperial Arms. She wasn't surprised Leone's semblance would be the same as her Imperial Arms' trump card. After hearing what everyone’s semblances could do, Mine was right in her previous assumption. They all varied and could be applied in different situations (Chelsea’s comments withheld). In a way, semblances are like what an Imperial Arms could do and only that person could use them. It certainly explained how Mine could use Pumpkin’s power again and Leone’s. It was quite an insight for the former sniper to see. There was one more bothersome thing Mine had to bring up. "I see. Now, let's see if you can answer this question for me." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her scroll. Mine showed it to everyone in the room. "How the hell is this thing a scroll? It doesn't look like any scroll I’ve seen before!”Leone knew just how Mine felt about them. “I know, right!” Some of the group couldn’t help but chuckle awkwardly. They were definitely from the same world.Mine put the scroll away in her pocket. “And I know about these Faunus and a group called the White Fang made up of them.” She turned her attention to Blake. “I assume that’s what you are considering those cat ears on your head.” Blake nodded and didn’t know why she felt nervous. The former sniper looked at Seryu next. “And apparently, you too, Seryu.” Mine gave Seryu a rather serious glare. Her focus shifted to Leone last. “And I guess you’re one too now, Leone?”Leone laughed as she pushed Mine closer to her again. “Oh, Mine! You’ve must’ve been in that coma longer than you thought! I’ve always been like this!” She laughed some more as if she were trying to be more convincing. Thankfully, her hold on the other girl wasn’t strong and Mine managed to break out. “So, you’ve heard of the White Fang. What do you think of them?”Leone’s question brought curiously from the others. They already know what Leone thought of the White Fang as a Faunus. It’d be interesting to know what Mine thought of them. All the former sniper did was huff at the mere mention of the White Fang. “Well, I get what they’re trying to do. I have heard the Faunus has a pretty rough history. In a way, they suffered similarly to that of the people living in the Capital. I can understand why this White Fang wants to fight of the Faunus that can't fight back, but the way they're doing it is completely asinine. If you want to create a group that supposed to help the people you're supposed to protect, then maybe doing terrorist acts isn't the brightest of ideas. All that does is send a message to the public that other Faunus are just ruthless, merciless, and cold-hearted as they are. Even the Revolutionary Army knew there were soldiers within the Empire that weren’t like the rest. Wave is a prime example of this. Bols as well.” Wave was surprised to hear that coming from Mine. “This White Fang may think they’re doing the right thing, but honestly, they’re a bunch of idiots thinking they’re doing the right thing. The same goes for whatever dumbass they chose as a leader who thought it was a good idea to do all of those things in the first place.” B In another part of Mistral, Sienna sneezed loudly and sniffed. Her sneeze caught the attention of Ghira and Kali and wondered if she was feeling well. B Chelsea grinned at Mine’s response to the White Fang. “Figures that would be your answer. Spoken like a person who fought the front lines with Leone. Speaking of her, you should know the White Fang was gunning for Leone for quite a while. They even branded her with the title ‘Faunus Traitor’.”Mine had a sneaking suspicion of why Leone was called that. She glanced over at her teammate. “You killed some of them, didn’t you?”Leone responded by a small laugh. “You got it.”The former sniper sighed tiredly. “I see trouble still follows you around as always.”The Faunus blonde let out another small laugh. “I guess so. But, you don’t have to worry about the White Fang’s leader. He’s dead now and the White Fang will be in better hands. It’ll be the way it used to before.”Hearing that sparked Mine’s curiously. “The way it was before?”Leone smiled and nodded at her friend. “Yeah. The White fang used to be a peaceful group that wanted humans to treat them with respect and see them as equals. They didn’t need to use guns, terrorism, or violence to send their message. The only reason why they ended up as they did now was that the first leader stepped down and Sienna was the one who led them to do all those things." Mine was amazed by what Leone had said. She had never heard this tone of voice from her before. “Huh, I guess you have changed a bit since I’ve last seen you. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you being this passionate about something before. Other than money and booze. By the way, who’s Sienna?”Leone realized she said Sienna’s name and had to explain a bit more. However, Taeko beat her to the punch. “As Leone said, Sienna Khan was the second leader of the White Fang that prompted them to perform the actions they are known for. However, we learned that even she had a limit to the White Fang’s actions. One member of the White Fang, Adam Taurus, saw this as a weakness and decided to overthrow her by murder. Thankfully, she managed to escape but Adam had assumed the position of High Leader of the White Fang.”Mine had to give more thought on Taeko’s explanation. “coup d'é tat, huh? That almost never goes well. Still, I had to give it to this Sienna person in finally realizing her actions may not have been the best. So, where did she escape to?”The Faunus blonde was more than happy to explain that part. “Oh, to Menagerie.”And the former sniper already seemed confused. “Menage-what now? What’s that?”Blake thought to answer that question. “It’s an island populated by Faunus, governed by the chieftain there. You can say it’s almost like a refuge for Faunus who wanted to get away from the hate from humans. Sienna managed to arrive and that’s where Leone and I encountered her.”An island populated by Faunus. It sounded something almost exotic to Mine. However, Blake’s explanation left a question for the former sniper and glanced over at Leone. “So, how did you end up in a place like that?”All Leone did was rub the back of her head and gave an uneasy chuckle. "That's…kinda a long story. Which reminds me…" She looked directly at Seryu. "You owe me a rematch! That move you did to me was nothing but cheap!" Seryu knew that was going to bite her in the ass sooner or later. At least this rematch will between allies instead of enemies, so she didn't have to worry about the Faunus blonde killing her. Meanwhile, Mien had no idea what the Faunus blonde was talking about. Apparently, from what she heard, Leone and Seryu must've fought in the past before. Leone looked back at Mine as she thought of something important. "Oh, yeah. Since you were in the Capital for a bit, can you tell us how Najenda’s doing? It’s been way too long since I’ve seen her.”Leone’s question was enough for Kurome to stop eating her second pizza box. Mine’s response was her slightly lowering her head and seemed worried. “The last time I’d seen her was the month before I arrived in this world. To be honest with you, she doesn’t look good at all. Najenda tries to put up a front to hide it, but I could see it. I think…the cost of Su’s trump card has finally caught up with her.” Kurome felt a slight hitch in her breathing.Mine’s telling of Najenda also reminded Wave about something. “Come to think of it, I remember General Najenda not being her usual self in the times I’ve seen her.”Leone had a saddened expression upon hearing her former boss’ condition. “I see. I guess that’s to be expected. She almost did use up Su’s trump card a third time.”After hearing all of that, Esren finally spoke up in wanting to know something about what Mine and Leone were talking about. “Excuse me…” Both girls looked at him now. “What is this trump card and this Su character you two speak of? What does it have to do with this person you know?”The Faunus blonde saw no harm in telling him about what happened. “Su was a human organic Imperial Arms known as Lightning Fast Susanoo. He was Najenda’s Imperial Arms and a hell of a good cook too. In fact…” She looked over at Wave. “He was the guy that blew you out of the water back on Romari Road.”Her words brought back a memory Wave had back then and finally realized something. “Wait, that guy was an Imperial Arms!?” It made much more sense now how that person was powerful and was able to render the soldier immobile for a while.“Getting back on topic…” Mine resumed the conversation. “Su’s trump is powerful, but in order to activate it, the user has to give up part of their life force. If used three times, the user dies." Esren was taken back to hear the cost of using such a technique. He had never heard such a heavy toll for an exchange before. The same goes for Qrow and even he thought it was insane for somebody to use it once. "Najenda used it the first time when we fought against the Jaegers in Romari Road against Bols and Kurome. Mostly against Kurome's Desta-ghoul, an S-Class Danger Beast powerful enough to ravage an entire area with one attack." Hearing that description made Kurome think back to her fight against the original. “So, she could’ve summoned that too. If that girl was serious, she could’ve used that instead and we would’ve lost the fight in Haven instantly. Along with dealing massive damage to Mistral. I guess that’s another reason to believe Akame is still on our side.” “The second time she used it was our fight against Esdeath in the Path of Peace headquarters.” Leone continued. “She, Kurome, and what was left of her creepy corpses were standing between us and the target we were supposed to kill. It…was a lot more difficult than we’d thought.” The Faunus shivered a little at the mere memory of Esdeath cutting her body into pieces. “It was bad, but we managed to kill our target. But Esdeath was deadset on us not escaping with our lives. She’d already killed Su at that point and was gunning for us next. Najenda was forced to use her third activation to buy us time. Su used that to throw us out while he had to fight Esdeath all on his own. And that was the last time we saw him. We figured Esdeath must’ve killed him again before the activation was complete. Because of that, she was able to continue living, but it did take a lot out of her. It’s a miracle she lasted this long. Of course, not all miracles will last. Judging from what Mine said, it sounds like she doesn’t have much time lef-”Everyone heard a loud noise and turned to where it came from. They saw Kurome’s hand close all the way on her cup and all the soda spilled on her and onto the floor. Her head was slightly lowered while her bangs covered her eyes. Chelsea was clearly worried about her girlfriend. “Whoa, Kurome, you alright?”Kurome crinkled the cup a little more before releasing it and lifted her head. She looked down and saw the mess she made. Kurome appeared to be surprised by what she had done. “Oh, sorry. I’ll go get some paper towels.” She stood up and walked over to the kitchen. While doing so, Kurome was wrapped up in her thoughts. “Damn it, get it together. That Najenda and the one I know are different. Not to mention…” Her thoughts trailed back to a memory about the day Najenda took her in and all the times she had trained Kurome into the person she became today. “I still don’t know if she took me in as a daughter or she just thought I’d be just an easy soldier to train.” While Kurome was getting paper towels, Mine thought to change the subject, now that she was done explaining everything that happened to her. “So, Leone, tell me how you've been in the last year. I'm curious as to how you went from leaving the Capital to ending up here."Leone took another slice and recounted everything that’s happened to her. “Well, I did do some wandering around and got into some trouble here and there. Honestly, I was just aimlessly wandering around without a purpose. It was just dumb luck I ran into Akame into that forest. We caught up and a wish we could start over. Next thing we knew, we ended up here.” She gave a small smile and glanced over at Ruby and the others and they smiled back at her. “That’s when we met up with these four and thanks to their headmaster, we were able to enroll at their school.” The Faunus blonde looked back at Mine. “We thought we might as well get try this whole Huntsmen thing. Figured our previous experience would help us out.” Leone took a bite out of her slice. “Next thing we knew, we were put on a team. First, it was Cora, and then it was Esdeath, surprisingly enough. With the four us, we became known as Team ALCE.”While it was good to hear what Leone had been up to, she was having a hard time believing one detail about her story. “So, you actually went to school.”Leone looked at Mine as if she was actually surprised. “Yeah, why’s that a big deal?”In the next second, Mine burst out laughing hysterically while crunching her sides. Kurome came back with the paper towels and saw the whole thing happening. “Y-You going to school? Y-Y can’t even r-read half a book! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!”The Faunus blonde pouted at the other girl. “That’s not true!” Mine managed to stop laughing and she and Leone looked over at Cornelia. “I’ll have you know Leone’s capable of reading a whole book now.”Leone grimaced at the other blonde’s words and Mine resumed laughing. “Not helping, Cora!”Weiss had another thing to say about Leone’s academics. “And let’s not forget how your grades were. I believe they were above average at most.” The Faunus blonde growled angrily at the former heiress.“And if it wasn’t for the extra tutoring, your grades might’ve been slightly worse.” Blake’s comment really didn’t help Leone’s situation.”"That's true," Chelsea spoke. "That hasn't changed when you went to Shade.”Leone had about enough of all the comments being said about her. “Come on! I thought you guys were my friends here!”Mine was able to calm down to ask her next question. “Hold on, Shade? You went to Shade Academy?”The Faunus blonde took an angry bite out of her slice this time. “No, Shade was the second school we went to. It’s the school Kurome, Rienna, Chelsea, and Taeko came from. The first school we went to is one you heard of and what happened to it. It was Beacon.”The former sniper knew what Leone was talking about. “You went to Beacon?” Mine remembered what Hana told her about Beacon. About what happened to it over seven months ago and how the White Fang was involved with it. Something else clicked with Mine and turned to Ruby and the others. "So, that means you four were also…"The young leader thought to speak for the rest of them. “Yeah, and so was Jaune, Ren, and Nora.”So, they were survivors. Mine couldn’t imagine what they had to go through during all that happened in Beacon. “It must’ve been difficult, having to go through all of that. I’ve heard what happened, but all of you experienced it firsthand.”“It was.” Mine focused her attention to Yang. “Everyone calls it the Fall of Beacon and it was the day that changed everything for us. It’s also…” She put up her robotic arm to show Mine. “Where I lost my arm.” Blake couldn’t help but look away and be reminded of that awful moment. Yang lowered her arm and continued. “We also lost someone important to us. A girl called Pyrrha Nikos. She was our friend and…she lost her life during that whole thing.”Mine knew all too well of what it felt like losing a friend. The Fall of Beacon must’ve affected them a lot more than she thought. “I see. I’m sorry for your loss. It seems a lot has happened to you, Leone.”Leone finished her slice and sighed. “That’s putting it lightly. This world definitely threw a lot of loops. For example, Cora here used to be one of Akame’s former teammates. When she was still with the Empire.”That was a detail Mine wasn’t aware of. Then again, Akame never did share much of her past affiliated with the Empire. “Is that so?”Cornelia chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head. “Y-Yeah. It was a surprise for me too when I first heard of it.”The Faunus blonde continued mentioning the others. “And Taeko here used to be an enemy of Akame’s. I think they were called…”"Oarburgh," Taeko answered. "That's what I was told. I'm still part of the Oarburgh family, though we're more known for information gathering rather than assassinations."Mine had heard of that name before. To think they existed in this world as well. It also made her think about something else since this was a good a time as any. “Oh, yeah. I’ve been wondering about something. What exactly is your relationship with Chelsea?”Taeko closed her eyes while sipping the last of her soda. “Childhood friends. My grandmother took in her and she’s been a nuisance ever since.”Chelsea scoffed at the other girl’s words. “Oh, please. You can’t imagine what your life would if you haven’t met me.”“It’d be a lot more peaceful and a lot less annoying.” Taeko retorted.Chelsea obviously didn’t take the comment well. “Hey!”Childhood friends. It certainly explained more about the dynamics between them. In fact, it was kinda expected, but Mine will have to explain that when she has the chance. In the meantime, Leone continued introducing the former sniper to the others. “Believe it or not, Rienna here is actually Bols’ daughter grown up.” That was a surprise for Mine to know. She had heard what Wild Hunt had done to Bols’ family and it disgusted her. They had nothing do with anything and they were still killed. To see Bols’ grown up like this now was…pleasant. There was one thing Mine did have to address. “I see. It must be awkward knowing Chelsea is on your team.”Rienna smiled at the other girl as she knew what Mine was talking about. “It’s fine, really. I’ve long accepted what happened and it was nice to know my dad hasn’t changed even if it was in another world.”Chelsea would have to disagree about something else. “Not as awkward as finding out that your girlfriend was the one who killed me in another world.”Her comment left Mine baffled a little bit. “Wait, girlfriend?”Leone thought to explain that small tidbit of explanation. “Yeah, Chelsea and Kurome are going out together.”That was a bomb Mine didn’t expect to drop on her. “Well, that’s ironic. Chelsea’s dating the girl that killed her. Also, apparently, they swing that way. Not that I don’t mind it, it’s just surprising is all.”Speaking of surprises, the former sniper turned her attention to Seryu again. She stared at the third Faunus girl and Seryu didn’t take like how Mine was staring at her. “What?”Mine narrowed her eyes at her former enemy. “You know, aside from Esdeath, I’m surprised to see your face.”Seryu could hear the hostility in the other girl’s voice. She recognized it before from hearing Akame. “Let me guess. You hate me because I killed your teammate back in your world.”So, she did know about that, but Mine had more to say. “I’ll do you one better. I saw it happen before my eyes.” Seryu gasped in surprise and her eyes widened as a result. “I could never forget it. How your damn dog tore Sheele’s body in half. I swore I'd get revenge for what you did to her.”Seryu couldn’t help but gulp nervously at Mine’s words. “Were you…the one that killed me?”To her surprise, Mine closed her eyes and shook her head. “No.” She stopped and opened her eyes. “All I did was return the favor and severed your body in half, along with destroying your Imperial Arms. You still didn’t give up and tried to blow me up via suicide bomb Dr. Stylish installed into your head.”“I/she had what now!?” Both Seryu and Wave had the same reaction to what Mine had said.Yang couldn’t help but be amazed. “Whoa, that’s hardcore.”Mine still had more to say about the Faunus girl. “All I can say is good riddance for someone like you.” Seryu began to have similar feelings when she heard those painful words. She remembered some humans speak them before. The Faunus girl tried to remind herself that Mine was talking about the version of her from Mine’s world. Yet, Seryu still felt like she was reliving a painful part of her past. “To be honest, I think I prefer you this way.” Mine’s choice of words surprised Seryu unexpectedly. “While that Seryu was a nothing more than a monster, you seem to be different. After all, the way you looked at Wave is enough to tell me you’re different.” Seryu couldn’t help but blush at the mention of her previous action. “So, yeah, I pretty much prefer this version of you over the one I know. That’s all there is to it.”Seryu couldn’t help but smile as Mine was much faster in accepting her than the others. Chelsea was going to reveal that Seryu was a member of the White Fang and everything that happened to her, but Taeko struck her painfully on the head again. Chelsea whined as she turned her attention to her childhood friend. “Don’t ruin the moment.”Now that Mine was done, she had one more thing to say and it was related to her previous topic. “Speaking of acting differently…" The former sniper turned her attention to Esdeath now. “Now that I know you’re a different Esdeath, there’s still something off about you. To be exact, I’m feeling something off about you. Everyone else’s aura feels normal enough but yours is different. What I can’t figure out is why.”Since Mine was from the same world as Leone, it'd made sense she'd have the same aura-sensing ability as the Faunus blonde. Leone thought now was a good time to explain everything now. "About that, ask yourself this question, Mine. You know we're all students from Beacon and Shade yet we're here in Mistral. Ever wondered why we're here in the first place?"Mine had already suspected that long ago. “Yeah, I did. And while we’re at it, maybe you can answer my question too. Like what was with that golden wave that came from Mistral? And since Leone is with all of you, I can’t help but feel like you’re all somewhat involved.”Leave it to Mine to piece things together about the recent events. She wasn’t far but there were other things she needed to be caught up on. Again, Taeko would explain everything to the former sniper. “You’re correct but you need to know about the details prior to what led to those events. To begin, you’re right about Esdeath’s aura feeling different to our own. The reason for that is because she’s a Maiden.”All that explanation did was leave Mine a little confused. “A Maiden? Like a virgin or something?”Esdeath's face flushed a deep red and Weiss shared a similar reaction. Chelsea and Yang had difficulty holding back their laughter. Ruby didn't understand what Mine was referring to and Esren facepalmed. He really didn't need to hear that sort of thing pertaining to his daughter. Almost everyone else didn't say anything and couldn't shake off the awkward air. Only Taeko remained unchanged and cleared her throat. "No, nothing like that. To put it in simple terms, a maiden is a girl chosen who wields powerful magic. This comes from an old fairy tale called The Story of the Seasons. Basically, it’s about how four sisters who showed their own brand of kindness to an elderly man and in return he gave them powerful magical abilities. These sisters became the first Maidens and they were known as the Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall maidens. These Maidens have magic abilities that are separate from everyone else using dust and semblance.”So far, Mine was able to follow Taeko’s explanation clearly. However, she was puzzled about other details. “Okay, but how was it that Esdeath received these Maiden powers? From what I learned, this fairy tale took place a long time ago. I strongly doubt Esdeath lived that long.”Taeko nodded in agreement with Mine’s statement. “You’re correct. When a Maiden passes away, their power is transferred to the last person they thought of. If they have no one in mind, the power is handed over to a random person. Most of all, all the Maidens are female. When they reach a young age, that power awakens, and they become the new Maiden.” She glanced over at Esdeath. “Not too long ago, we’ve recently learned Esdeath is the Winter Maiden and her power was handed down by her mother who was the previous Winter Maiden.” Taeko looked back at Mine. “In Esdeath’s case, it was rather…unheard of. Her power did awaken but upon that awakening, it left a memory gap and her power didn’t show itself again. Until our battle on Haven Academy.”Mine was right on her assumption. These people with Leone were involved with whatever was going on at Haven. The explanation still didn’t answer her question, though. “Okay, so, how do these Maidens relate to all of you being involved? What exactly happened?”“We were here for the Relic.” Everyone turned their attention to Qrow who recovered from his initial shock from earlier. He rejoined everyone else and would explain this part of their reason. “The Maidens are the only ones who can open the vaults that lie beneath the academies. Within those vaults are ancient artifacts called Relics. If used in the wrong hands, they can become dangerous weapons. The Fall of Beacon was the result of the enemy trying to obtain the Relic over there, but they failed. We knew their next target would be Haven and so, we would be the ones to stop them from causing another Fall of Beacon incident.” He looked down at the Relic sitting on the table being surrounded by pizza boxes. “And that is the Relic we fought with our lives for. The Relic of Knowledge.”Mine looked at the Relic and didn’t seem too impressed by it. “Really, this thing’s a Relic? I thought it was just some gaudy lamp for decoration.”Her comment made Chelsea laugh enjoyingly. “Okay, I’m starting to like you more and more, Mine.”The former sniper appreciated the compliment and looked back at Qrow. “So, did Esdeath use her new Maiden powers to open this vault to get this thing?”"No," Qrow replied. "Esdeath’s power was awakened during our power. It was another Maiden who was working with our enemy. It was-”"It was my mother, Raven Branwen," Yang answered instead.Mine certainly wasn’t expecting to hear that. Before she could ask her question, Chelsea opted to answer before that. “Yeah, her mom is the leader of a bandit tribe and tried to set up an ambush to kill of all us. Mother of the year, huh?”Apparently, there was much more going on than Mine originally thought. “How the hell does a bandit gain the power of Maiden and why would she work with the enemy?”It was best for Yang to explain that part since she was the only one there. “She killed the previous Maiden and ended up inheriting her power. As for why she worked with the enemy, she was trying to take the Relic for herself and double cross the people she was working with.”Now that sounded like more what a bandit leader would do to Mine. “So, how did you get the Relic from your mom?”Yang’s response was looking away from the other girl. “We had a small talk is all.”Mine knew the blonde wasn’t telling her everything but would let it go for now. There was something else more important she needed to know. “Okay then. What about this enemy all of you are fighting against?”"Salem," Leone answered Mine's question. The former sniper shifted her eyes to the Faunus blonde. "She's the one behind everything we had to go through. And let me tell you, Salem is on a whole other level compared to Esdeath. The scary part is that we don't even know what she's capable of. All we know about her is that she wants the Maiden’s powers for some reason and that she’s the ruler of all the Grimm in Remnant.”Ruler of all the Grimm. Leone wasn’t kidding when she described Salem so vastly different from Esdeath. At the end of the day, Esdeath was just a General serving the Empire. This Salem character clearly outclassed her by miles and was the head of the chain of command. “I see. That’s quite a lot to handle on all of your hands.”That was putting it lightly and Chelsea knew had to add more. “If you want a better look, check this out.” She snapped her fingers and an illusion of Salem appeared before the front door. “Behold the big bad boss lady herself, Salem.”Already, Mine was disgusted by the sight of Salem. “Ugh, she looks like some ugly goth ghost.“Well, glad we got that out of the way. Now, getting back on track, what else do we know about Salem’s forces?”Chelsea responded by snapping her fingers and illusions of Mercury, Emerald, Hazel, Cinder, and Merraid appeared to the sides of Salem. “These are Salem’s cronies.” Leone spoke, “They’re Mercury Black, Emerald Sustrai, the big guy is some guy called Hazel, the bitch with the eyepatch is Cinder Fall, and the last one is Merraid.” There was clear anger in Leone’s voice at saying Merraid’s name. “And Cinder here is the Fall Maiden. Or at least that’s what she calls herself.”Mine raised an eyebrow at Leone’s choice of words out of curiosity. “What’s that supposed to mean?”"It means Cinder stole those powers," Jaune answered Mine's question. "Pyrrha was supposed to be the Fall Maiden, but Cinder stole that power from her. She was also the one who killed Pyrrha.” Ruby and the others appreciated Jaune for explaining that. It must’ve not been easy for him to say what happened on that dreadful night.The former sniper was finally starting to get the whole picture now about what’s been going on. “From what I understand, these people are just the grunts. There is one that has caught my interest. Tell me, what do you know about Merraid Oarburgh?”Taeko narrowed her eyes at Mine’s question. “Impossible. Merraid isn’t part of my family.”“You’re misunderstanding me.” Mine replied, “I’m saying Merraid Oarburgh was the leader of the Oarburgh assassination group.” A/N: For the first time in an over 10,000-word chapter, I’m going to cut this into two parts. This also means all of you get to have more Mine then I originally intended. This also means getting to my other stories will have to wait a little longer. And since this is a good time as any, no, I haven't seen Vol 6 yet, but I’ve heard several things about it. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: This is no April Fool’s joke, folks. Sorry this took a while, but you know the usual. Assignments to turn in that determine my grades and all. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol 4.5 Part ThreeKill Eighty Two: Past History RevealedThe silence was prevalent in the room. Almost everyone in the room had nothing to say about what Mine had said. Chelsea was the only one who broke the silence. "Hold on, leader? Akame didn't tell us anything about that!"Mine became interested in what the other girl had said. “Then what did she tell you?”Leone recalled everything Akame had told them about the Oarburgh clan thus far. “All we know is that Oarburgh clan was hired by the Revolutionary Army to deal with a group called the Elite Seven. A group Akame was in before. They fought against the Oarburgh and both sides lost their members.” Saying that made the Faunus rethink about what Akame explained to them and realized something. “Now that I think about it, Akame didn’t say anything about what happened to the leader. She didn’t even mention a name.” Since Leone brought it up, her teammates tried to recall any mention of the leader but came up with nothing.Mine crossed her arms and thought about what Leone had explained. “So, Akame was with that group, huh? Najenda sure has some sick sense of irony.”Leone raised an eyebrow at her friend’s choice of words. “What do you mean by that? Come on, tell us.”Mine didn’t think she would have to explain this part to them, but the circumstances said otherwise. “Back when Chelsea was still new to Night Raid, I wanted to get some dirt on her, so I could use it against her. Tatsumi said something about her being on a team before, so I went to Najenda to see if she could tell me more. That’s when she told me everything about her. Her previous team and more. The truth about Chelsea is that she was part of the Oarburgh Clan." Leone remained silent when she heard that surprising fact. Chelsea herself became wide-eyed with disbelief.Even Taeko could scarcely believe in that surprising fact. Now she understood why Mien said Najenda had a sick sense of irony. “Akame and Chelsea were enemies on opposite sides and yet brought together as allies.”Mine nodded at Taeko’s words. “Yeah, screwed up, huh? Najenda did tell me the Oarburgh Clan was brought in to deal with a group from the Empire called the Elite Seven. She didn’t disclose any of their names, though. Now I can see why, thanks to Leone.” It was just as much of a surprise to Leone as it was to Mine.Something about that twist didn’t make sense to Oscar. “So, they were on the same team but didn’t know they were enemies?”It was a good question coming from him and Mine didn't see any resentment between them. "I suppose so. I guess you can chalk it up to incredible dumb luck that they didn't meet each other. Otherwise, Chelsea would've had a lot resentment of what Akame and her previous team had done. The same could be said for Akame as she would've felt guilty for killing Chelsea's team."It seemed fate had a cruel sense of humor for Akame even back then. It was as if she attracted bad luck wherever she went. Taeko glanced at the illusion of Merraid and wanted to know more about her. "How much do you know of the Merraid from your world?" Her reason for asking is to obtain any knowledge about the woman since they know nothing of her. Perhaps learning more about her would give them some insight into who their unknown enemy was.Mine can’t offer a whole lot since she could only repeat what Najenda had told her about the former Oarburgh leader. “I don’t know much about her, so I can’t say a whole lot. What I do know is that she had an ability that allowed her to control small insect-type danger beasts called Wrigglers. They’re shadow beasts used to attack and transportation. She even kept their eggs underneath her fingernails so when she digs them into an enemy’s opening, their injected. After that, they hatch and eat their prey from the inside out.” That description made some of the others slightly lose their appetite. “Her umbrella can put people under hypnosis to make them weaker, thus making them easier to kill." As much of a terrifying technique that is, Qrow didn't remember her using such a thing in their fight. "She also has some other techniques, but no one knows what they were and if they did, they’d be dead. Oh, and she always preferred girls and really hated men. Except for a butler that was always around her and had two maids with her.” Leone had a sneaking suspicion who one of the two maids were. That was about as much as Mine knew about Merraid until she remembered one last detail about her. “There’s also one other strange thing about her. There was a report from the Revolutionary Army about Merraid’s death. Apparently, a grave was made for her.”Esdeath, like the rest of the group, became confused. “A grave?”The former sniper nodded and continued. “Yeah, and it seemed like she was buried peacefully with lily flowers covering her entire body. They found it strange as to why someone would put in that much effort in their enemy’s burial. It was almost like they cared deeply for Merraid. They assumed it was someone from the Elite Seven who killed her and I’m guessing Akame was the one who did it. It kinda fits, actually, since Akame is the kind of person who’d take on somebody as strong as Merraid.”Mine’s description did make sense to the others in the group. It sounded like something Akame would do and there seemed to be some sort of connection between her and the Merraid from her world. Taeko remembered briefly what Merraid had called Akame back at Haven. She called Akame “her love” and seemed very infatuated with her. With all this evidence, Taeko could only come up with one conclusion. “From everything you said and what we know, it sounds like Akame and the previous Merraid were…intimate with each other.”Leone and most of everyone else had no words to speak about Taeko's assumption. Only Chelsea could muster up words to speak her thoughts. "Wait, so Merraid's like an ex-girlfriend and now Akame's back with her?" She couldn't help but laugh at the fact. "Well, that's a huge mistake. It's never a good idea to go back to your ex."Chelsea’s comment aside, Cornelia noticed something odd about Akame’s past relationship with Merraid. “Hold on. Akame was with the Elite Seven and Merraid was working for the Revolutionary Army. Yet Taeko said they may’ve loved each other. It almost sounds romantic if it wasn’t for the fact-”“If it took place in our world.” Mine interrupted. “This is all just speculation. The only person who knows the whole story is Akame. We won’t know the whole truth until we hear it from her.” Mine’s words rang deep within Leone’s mind. Just hearing about this now made the Faunus think that there were still some secrets Akame hid from her. Merraid must’ve been someone important for Akame if she didn’t even mention her at all during their time together. “That’s about all I know about Merraid Oarburgh and Akame is somehow tied in with her. Does it help to know the Merraid in this world?"Mine certainly did deliver a plethora of information to the group. However, all it did was bring up that Akame had some sort of affiliation with the Merraid back in her world. The only connection they could make was that both versions of Merraid preferred girls. That was about as much as they know about the Merraid living in Remnant. Weiss and the others were trying to figure out what else is there about their unknown enemy. “Not by much, honestly. There’s still so much we don’t know about her. The most prominent question is still who Merraid is really.”“Merraid Lavande” Everyone turned to Qrow with surprised expressions. The Huntsmen took out his flask and unscrewed the top. “That’s who she is.” He took the cap off and took a swig from his flask.Qrow wasn’t the only one who knew the name. As soon as he said the full name, Esren had an inkling of who Merraid was as well.” Lavande. I think I heard of that name before.”Qrow knowing Merraid’s full name brought forth curiously from Ruby and the others. “Wait, you know her, Qrow?”Her uncle finished his drink and looked at the entire group with a deadpan expression. “I know of her. I was actually surprised to see her back at Haven and working under Salem.”Now they were getting somewhere. Apparently, Qrow has some information about Merraid and any they can get would hopefully beneficial to the whole group. Yang was as impatient as the rest of the group. “So, come on. Tell us what you know of her already!”Qrow screwed the cap back on his flask and looked at Merraid’s illusion with that same deadpan expression. “Merraid Lavande was originally an heiress to a major perfume company called Lavande Scents. She was to inherit the company herself when her father retired. However, on the eve of Merraid’s eighteenth birthday, the entire Lavande estate burned to the ground and she was nowhere to be found. When the fire died out, first responders found five bodies lying close together burned to a crisp. An autopsy report later revealed that it wasn’t the fire that killed them. Four of the five bodies showed they were ruthlessly beaten to the point of major internal damage. The fifth one was simpler; the throat was completely crushed.”While this info was helpful to the group, Oscar had one question about it. “How do you know all of this?”“It was on the news.” Everyone turned to Esren again. “It made pretty big headlines on TV back then. It's not every day an heiress goes missing on the night of her eighteenth birthday and her home is burned to ashes with bodies left behind. To continue where Qrow left off, since the bodies were burned, they had to confirm their identities through dental records. The four bodies were confirmed to be heirs from different wealthy families while the fifth was revealed to be Merraid’s father. As soon as that was brought to light, multiple theories began to run around. Some say intruders kidnapped Merraid and killed the others while others thought it some sort of assassination attempt and hid Merraid's body where no one could find it. However, there was one other rumor that floated around that seemed to have people riled up. However, like the others, there was no theory to back it up. Can any of you guess what that is?”The whole group tried to figure out what this theory was Esren was talking about but came up with nothing. That is until Leone remembered one fact about Merraid and it all clicked together. “Oh, that bastard!”Taeko came to the same conclusion and was equally disgusted. “So, that’s it. How deplorable.”Mine was the third one to figure it out and shared the same feeling as the other two. “Wow. Now I can say those bastards can rot in hell.”Their reactions had Ruby and the others curious as to what they found out. “What is it? Did you figure it out?”Taeko opted to explain it, but Mine beat her to the punch. "Put it all together. Merraid had a preference for girls and had no interest in guys. There were four guys together in the same room and it was her eighteenth birthday. What does all that spell out to you?"As soon as Mine pointed all those clues out, it soon dawned on most of the rest of the group what this theory Esren was talking about before. Some of them had expressions of disgust while others felt pity. Chelsea being among them. “Wow, now I feel kinda bad for her. If my own father did that me, I’d probably hate guys with a passion too.”Only Ruby was the one remaining left out on what everyone else had figured out. “Uh, can anyone tell me what you’re talking about? I’m still lost.”There as a bit of awkward silence in the air after Ruby asked her question. More so for Yang and Qrow since neither of them or Taiyang gave Ruby the “talk”. Before the older sister could reply, Mine managed to speak first. “Before we get to that, I have a question.” The former sniper focused on Qrow. “Did the media ever know about Merraid’s preference?”Qrow rubbed the back of his head as he tried to remember that detail. “I think so. They interviewed some of the maids who worked for the Lavande family. They may have mentioned something about her father not being too keen on his daughter's…interests. They've heard arguments between them every now and then."Ruby became further confused as to where this conversation was going. “Can somebody just tell me what’s going on!?”Mine sighed frustratedly and decided to just say it flat out to the young leader. “Merraid’s father orchestrated to have his own daughter gang-raped.”The older girl’s explanation may have been a little too blatant for Ruby. She had a confused expression and blinked several times. “Huh? What…do you mean by…that?”Mine’s left eye twitched slightly at the young leader’s question. Apparently, she hadn’t received the “talk” yet and had to break her explanation down to where she could understand. “Okay, listen closely. Merraid’s dad had five guys trying to force her to have a baby against her will. Got it?” Ruby slightly nodded uneasily at the explanation. The young leader had a feeling there was more to it but didn’t want to delve deeper into it. At least not yet. She would have to ask Yang about it later. Now that the explanation was over with, Mine can investigate this theory of Esren’s deeper. “Getting back to the topic on hand, it’s like Esdeath’s dad said; it’s one of the theories, but it’s one that’s the most probable given the circumstances. Of course, it’s all we got since it’s not exactly we can beat the truth out of those involved. If it did happen…” Mine tried to imagine the horrors Merraid must’ve suffered that night. “In all honesty, this is the first time a possible victim may be our enemy.” The former sniper remembered they took up jobs from those who were also victims. In a way, Mine couldn’t help but feel pity for Merraid. Even if she was the enemy, Merraid must’ve had a somewhat normal life before that horrific night happened.“I don’t give a crap about any of that.” Mine and the others turned to Leone who had a serious expression. "I don't give a damn if she is some victim. That bitch is part of the group who not only ruined mine and Akame's chance of starting over but ruined the lives of countless others, including those among us. She didn't seem to mind bringing down Haven and Mistral down in a complete state of chaos. Her being some would-be victim means jack-shit to me. It doesn’t excuse her for what she did.” Mine had to agree Leone had a point. No matter how tragic Merraid’s past may have been, she was still an enemy to them and an enemy must be stopped by any means necessary. “Even if it’s all theory, at least we know more about her. Now if we can only learn more about the rest of them.”As soon as Wave heard those words, he knew it was time for him to intervene. “About that…” Everyone in the group turned to him now. “I think I can shed some light on that.”The soldier’s proposition surprised everyone, and few were even suspicious of his claim. Weiss was among one of them. “And how would you know anything about them?”“Because Tatsumi told me himself.” Wave replied strongly and confidently. His reply certainly caught everyone off guard. “He told right after he grabbed from me from Haven and…” F Wave struggled to break free of Tatsumi’s grasp but found it to be of no use. Before the soldier knew it, both crashed into the ground thunderously in a large clearing far away from Mistral. The impact of crashed caused a tremendously powerful quake that could be felt miles within the vicinity. Upon impact, Wave separated from Tatsumi and laid across from him just a few feet away from him on the ground. The soldier groaned wearily a little as he saw the other armor user on one knee. Wave pushed himself up and readied himself for the next round despite how fatigued he was in their last bout. He took a quick notice as to where they were now. “Looks like we’re away from Mistral. It seems no one is around here which means I can fight without holding back.” Wave took up a stance and prepared to make the first strike while Tatsumi was indisposed for the moment.Tatsumi groaned as he stood up while still being in pain from Wave’s last attack. “Damn, Wave. You’ve gotten a lot stronger since the last time I’ve seen you.” Tatsumi's casual tone of voice caught Wave off guard and made him forget about his first attack. "I think you could topple the Emperor's Imperial Arms with that kind of power." Tatsumi laughed nostalgically which put Wave off further.The soldier didn't know how to react to this situation. Just a few minutes ago, they were fighting for their lives and now here was Tatsumi laughing like they were old friends. Wave was going to ask Tatsumi a question about what this was about when they heard a thunderous noise and looked at Mistral's direction. They saw a massive ice storm circling around Mistral and it left Wave in awe and in worry. “What’s happening to the city!?” The soldier figured it was General Esdeath’s doing since she’s the only who could accomplish such a feat.“Looks like Esdeath is putting up a barrier.”Wave turned his attention to Tatsumi and become further confused as to what exactly was happening. Questions were running rampant in the soldier’s mind, but he could only ask Tatsumi one of them. “Tatsumi, what exactly is going on here?! First, you attack me, tried to kill me, grabbed me by the throat, and now you're acting as if nothing happened! What kind of game are you playing at here!?"Tatsumi looked back at the other armor user and stared at him intensely. “Right, about the fight before. I’m sorry about that but I had to make it look convincing as Akame ordered. I was honestly making it up as it was going along. I was worried about what I was going to do next when I cornered you. But never mind all of that. What you're seeing now is a barrier Esdeath created around the city. The power Akame used to summon us might've attracted those Grimm things so that barrier is protecting the city in case any of them come close to it." Protection against the Grimm? Now that Tatsumi mentioned it, he heard that Akame's semblance was akin to a double edge sword. Yes, it was powerful, but it could also attract the Grimm in great numbers since it was full of negative emotions if there was an overwhelming amount of it. “Since we’re far away enough from the enemy, I can finally relay Akame’s information to you.”Wave certainly didn’t expect to hear that and thought he misunderstood at first. “What are you saying? Akame’s information?”The other armor user nodded at Wave’s question. “Yes. To start off, Akame is still on your side. How she ended up on the enemy’s side is because of that woman, Merraid, wanted to recruit Akame to have some use of her power. Akame saw this an opportunity to learn more about the enemy but she also knew this meant her friends would see this as a betrayal in their eyes. She knew that the moment she accepted the proposal. Akame also knew it would be a month until she saw them again. During that month, Akame learned everything she could about the enemy. Their numbers, base of operations, all that she could gather. The difficult part was how she could tell you that information. That’s when she came up with the idea that you and everyone else witnessed; summoning me and everyone else she killed with Murasame. Akame entrusted me with the information and knew that you would be the only one who can stand up against me. As for the others, I’m sure Akame gave explicit orders not to kill them. After all, everything they’re doing is just for show.”While impressive, Wave couldn’t help but laugh at Akame’s planning. “So, she planned that far ahead for this? Akame…you risked a lot on this moment, haven’t you?” Tatsumi did explain why Akame was doing this, but Wave knew what the real point was. “If everything you said is true, then can you tell me what Akame found out? I’m sure she’d want me to tell everyone else about this.”Tatsumi couldn’t agree more and explain everything. “Right. Here’s what Akame knows so far. Excluding Akame, there are ten following this Salem woman. The woman you know as Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, Hazel, Gilberta, Cassandra, Mez, Shizuka, and Merraid. One member you haven’t seen before is a man called Arthur Watts who’s a doctor from Atlas. As for a guy called Tyrian, Akame killed him in order to join the enemy.” The soldier was surprised to hear that kind of news. He remembered the last time he saw Tyrian was back when he first met Ruby and her friends. Wave didn’t know that would be the last time they’d see Tyrian. “As for their base, it's an enormous castle in an unknown location. The best to describe it is that it's a desolate, craggy wasteland that endlessly spawns those Grimm things. It's also like its night that goes on for an eternity there. The only known way to get there is through some sort of path, though it’s unknown how they appear. It’s something only they know. As for the one called Salem…” Tatsumi gave Wave a most intensifying stare. “She’s unlike anything Akame has felt before. Salem is far beyond anything we’ve faced before. Even Akame had doubts if she could kill her with Murasame. Whoever or whatever Salem is, it’s going to take more than we have to defeat her.” Judging by the sound of his voice and the description, Wave can gather that Salem must be an overwhelmingly powerful enemy. If that’s the kind enemy they’re up against, then the fights up until now will be nothing compared to what’s coming ahead. That was about all Tatsumi could tell Wave and he’ll tell the rest of Akame’s friends the same thing. However, now that part was done, Tatsumi couldn’t help but worry about her next move. “Akame, what are you going to do next once Wave tells the others?”Amidst his thinking, something caught his eye and looked at the direction he saw. He gasped in surprise and Wave seemed confused by his reaction. He turned in the same direction and had the same reaction as Tatsumi. "No way. It’s you.” F “And that’s when Mine appeared.” Wave sighed as he was glad to relay Akame’s findings to the rest of the group. “That’s about all he told me about Akame’s findings. Hopefully, it’ll be some use to us.”Everyone in the group thought so since they were overjoyed by Wave’s explanation. Cornelia started to sob, and tears began to fall from her eyes while she sniffed. “Thank goodness. Akame really is still on our side.”Taeko was impressed by Akame’s tactic and smirked. “In order to deceive your enemy, you must deceive your allies. I must admit, Akame played her role very well. She certainly did have all of us fooled.” She was glad her theory about Akame proved to be all along.Kurome felt like a giant weight was lifted from her shoulders and could breathe easier now. “Jeez, Akame. If you ever do come back to us, I’m giving you such a scolding.” Ruby had a slight sense of disbelief when she heard what happened about Tyrian. “It’s almost hard to believe Tyrian’s gone now.” Qrow took another sip from his flask and thought back to one of the names among Wave described. “Arthur Watts. Why does that sound familiar to me?” While Mine was happy to hear that Akame was still on her side, she couldn’t help but draw lines about something similar she’d done before in the past. “After hearing all of that, what Akame’s doing is almost the same thing she did when she left the Empire.”Rienna seemed confused by Mine’s statement. “What do you mean?”Mine took a quick bite out of her pizza before explaining. “I mean this is similar to when Akame left the Empire to save Kurome. The only difference is that Akame is still on our side. Still, this must be one of the gutsiest moves she’s done. Not to mention risky.”Risky or not, Leone thought it was worth it despite everything they’ve gone through. “At least we know some details about the enemy and I say that’s good enough for me.” She stood up from the couch and started walk over to Salem’s illusion. “Plus, their numbers are reduced to eight now. It’s only a matter of time before the rest follows.” The Faunus blonde stood in front of the illusion. “And the same thing can be said about her. I have no doubts about what Akame said about her; about how she’s frightening enough to scare her even when Akame has Murasame. I know it’s not going to be an easy fight, but then what is? All I have to say is…” Leone pulled back her arm and punched the illusion straight into its face with a powerful force behind it. “Be ready for when we finally face her and end this once and for all.” Leone drew her fist back and turned around to face the rest of the group and smiled confidently at all of them. “All we can do now is plan our next move. So, what are we going to do next?” A/N: And that’s the end of A New Beginning…and how I wish that was true. The truth is that during working on this chapter, I have one more planned and blame Vol six for leaving this giant plot hole and someone’s gotta close it up. I apologize, but this has been bugging me for quite a bit. As I’ve said before, I’m sorry but at least we’re finally near the end. I swear this time. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Nobody: Me: And here’s the chapter none of you have asked for. Hey, blame RT for skipping this over. I don’t know if anyone else was expecting this, but I certainly was. Also, I finally finished the rest of Vol 6 (I was up to episode two before when I started working on this chapter) and let me say, I definitely enjoyed it a lot more than Vol 5. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol 4.5 Part FourKill Eighty Three: Chances and Promises“Are you sure this a good idea?”“Positive.”“You can still turn back, you know.”“Not an option.”“You don’t have to do this.”“Blake, nothing you say will change my mind. This is an opportunity I cannot pass up on.”Weiss and Blake were walking in one of the busy streets of Mistral in the morning toward their next destination. The reason for it is since the Menagerie Army led by Blake's father is still present, Weiss thought it was the perfect chance to have a meeting with him. The former heiress wanted to put ease on the Faunus' minds that she can be an ally they can trust and not as an enemy. Blake had made sure to call her parents to let them know they’re coming, along with a few others in tow. While they were at it, Blake thought it would be a good idea to explain to her father about Akame’s recent actions at Haven and about their enemy. Behind the monochrome duo was Leone and Mine walking beside her. During the few days she stayed with the group, the former sniper has learned quite a bit about them. Mine found Blake and Weiss to be fairly interesting in this situation. “So, Weiss is a former heiress to her family’s Dust company who are notoriously known for their treatment of their Faunus workers and Blake just so happens to be the daughter of not only the first leader of the White Fang but who is also the Chieftain.”Leone nodded at Mine’s deductions surely. “Yep, you got all that right.”The former sniper could only shake her head in response and groan. “There’s some serious levels of irony right there. The only thing that’s missing if they somehow ended up together.” The Faunus girl tried to imagine that scenario and indeed it would be strange if that did happen. “Plus, with everything I’ve heard about Weiss’ family, they sound like the kind of people we’d target if we ever got the job offer.”Leone had to admit Mine was right about that. A family that abuses their workers and treated poorly? They’d accept the offer no problem and kill every last one of them. Thankfully, Leone knew better regarding Weiss. “Well, Weiss isn’t like the rest of her family. I’ve known her long enough to know she isn’t that kind of person. I guess the same can said about her sister, though I’ve only met her one time. If anyone deserves to be offed, it’s her old man and her brother. A lot of problems would be solved if they were out of the picture.” Mine would have to agree with that. It would be hard to believe a father would do that to their own child if she had not already heard what a scumbag he was. It was actually not surprising.Mine took one more look at Weiss who was still talking to Blake. “I guess I can see that after getting to know her for the last few days. Still, I’ve never heard family issues like hers before.” Leone couldn’t agree more with the other girl’s statement. There was one other question the former sniper wanted to ask. “By the way, why are you dragging me along in this?”The Faunus blonde snickered happily and flashed the other girl a bright smile. “Because I really want you to meet Kali, Ghira, and everyone else. They’re really awesome people. Especially Kali.” These must be very special to Leone if she was smiling this much about them. “They must be something else if Leone is praising about them this much.” Mine was looking forward to seeing more of these people Leone has met in her time in this world.Behind the two former assassins were Wave and Seryu. While Seryu came along to see Sienna, she can’t figure out is why Wave was coming along. Not that she was happy about it or anything. “Why are you coming along? I’m having a hard time figuring out what’s your reason.”Wave’s reason was very simple, really. “I just want to see how they’re doing. I did kinda leave under…excruciating circumstances.” So, he was really worried about them. That seemed like something he’d do. “And I also want to meet this Sienna person you talked about so much. I really want to see the person you held so much respect for.” Seryu smiled as she knew Wave would like Sienna. She has wondered how her former leader was doing since that night at Haven.Back to Blake and Weiss, Blake had another question she wanted to ask the former heiress. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to leave Ruby alone with Esdeath? She might use this as an opportunity while you’re away.”Weiss had that thought before but wasn’t too worried about. “Not in the slightest. Remember, Esdeath has been with Ruby long before I arrived in Mistral. She could’ve used that to advantage but didn’t. I’m sure me being away for a few hours won’t make much a difference.” Even if Weiss was confident that Esdeath wouldn’t try anything on Ruby while she was away, the former heiress did have a backup plan. Yang would keep a close eye on Ruby and would spend as much time as possible with her sister. She was certain Esdeath wouldn’t be making a move anytime soon. “So, how much longer until we reach the place your family and the Menagerie army?”In the direction their group was heading, it wasn’t far. “Not much longer. In fact, we’re going to one of the hotels my father is staying. The Menagerie Army is too large for any one hotel for them to stay. Some of them are staying on the lower levels of Mistral since they don’t have much money, but my dad gave them enough money to stay.” That was nice for Blake’s father to do that for his people. Obviously, Weiss couldn’t see her father doing the same thing. “We’re coming up to the hotel now.”Weiss looked ahead and saw the hotel Blake's family and some of the other members of the Menagerie Army was staying at. It was certainly larger than the place she and the others were staying at and much more extravagant. The former heiress thought being chieftain must've had its perks. Weiss also saw three people standing in front of the entrance. As the group came closer to the hotel, they saw Syka, Ilia, and Sienna waiting for their arrival. They were happy to Blake at first but then saw who was walking beside her. Old feelings began to resurface within Sienna as she stared at her once hated enemy. “What’s a Schnee of all people doing here? No, the better question is why Blake is with a Schnee in the first place?” Never had Sienna thought this would be how she would meet one of the Schnee family in person. She had always pictured it them groveling before her before being executed for their crimes. That thought still existed in the back of her mind.Ilia shared the same feeling. She knew of the promise she made to Blake but seeing Weiss walking next to her made it a little difficult. “Why? Why is a Schnee of all people with Blake?”Only Syka didn’t seem to have any feeling of hostility toward the former heiress. She could only sigh uneasily at what was to come. “Well, let’s hope this doesn’t turn out to be a disaster before the morning’s over.” The group finally arrived at the hotel and Weiss could see the disdain in their eyes. That was to be expected. Leone and Seryu had the same thought. They knew Weiss wasn't going to get a warm welcome from the Faunus of Menagerie. Much less than a former White Fang member and the former leader of the White Fang. Blake was the first to speak up to break the silence. “Ilia, Sienna, good morning.”Sienna collected herself and sighed as it was only polite to reply. “Good morning, Blake. I’m glad to see you’ve arrived. Ghira had us to be the welcoming party for your arrival.” She briefly turned her attention to Weiss. “Though, I must say this is a surprise. I didn’t expect you of all people to bring someone like her.” Sienna may have had some venom in words when she mentioned Weiss.Blake was going to explain, but Weiss beat her to the punch. “I came of my own volition and I’m aware of what your feelings are to me. To tell the truth, the feeling’s mutual.” Leone noticed Weiss had her left hand clenched tightly and shaking slightly. “I know who you are. You’re Sienna Khan, the former leader of the White Fang.” Like with how Ilia and Sienna felt about Weiss, the former heiress remembered the pain of losing family members because of the White Fang under Sienna’s command. But she knew this wasn’t the time nor place for such feelings. Weiss came here for a purpose. Her hand stopped shaking. “For now, let’s both agree to set aside our differences.” Sienna didn’t expect Weiss to say that. Here are two enemies standing face to face and the former heiress decided to set aside any bitter feelings between them. “And just so you know, I can’t think of having anyone else but Blake to be on my team. In fact, I put my complete faith and trust in her having my back. She’s one of the best teammates I could’ve asked for and a better friend at that.”Ilia thought she misheard Weiss at first. She never would’ve thought, would’ve imagined a Schnee of all people would say those kinds of words about Blake of all people. She and Sienna tried to find proof that Weiss’ words were empty and were just saying them to be on their good graces. Sienna studied the former heiress’ face and found no sign of deception. Her eyes had honest resolve in them. It was difficult to say such words with such an expression. “Sienna, Ilia…” The two turned their attention to Blake who was smiling. “I can confidently tell you what Weiss is saying is true. In fact, everything she said about me, I can say the same thing about her.” As if Weiss’ words weren’t enough, it was almost unbelievable Blake herself would vouch for someone who was a member of their greatest enemy. It was hard to argue about this now since they witnessed it firsthand for themselves. If Blake trusted Weiss, then they’ll have to take her word for it. Syka was more than happy that this didn’t turn into a huge mess.As the tension died down, Ilia and Sienna’s necks were suddenly hooked around by powerful arms from behind and heard a cheerful laugh. “H-Hey! How are you two doing!?”Sienna was both impressed and struggling to break Leone’s hold around her neck. How she got behind them without anyone noticing was beyond her. For Ilia, Leone had her hold on the chameleon girl’s face pressed up against the side of her breast. She didn’t exactly know what to feel in this situation, but her body did it for her and it was bright pink. “S-So soft…”. Blake and Weiss could guess why her body become that color.“Judging by how you’re being friendly with them, I’m guessing these are more your new friends?”Leone instantly let go of Sienna and Ilia (who quickly returned to her normal color) as soon as she heard a new voice. They were grateful to breathe air once again. “Uh-huh. They’re pretty cool too.” They saw Leone walk past Blake and Weiss to someone they’ve never seen before. The Faunus blonde stood next to her and smiled at the unknown girl. All three Faunus girls had exactly the same thought. “Who’s this girl?”Syka took a closer look at the new girl and felt unusually wary of her. “That’s weird. Why am I feeling anxious around this girl? She doesn’t appear to be a Huntress, but there’s something about this girl that I shouldn’t let my guard down. I think Ilia is feeling the same thing I am too.” Mine stared at the trio of Faunus before glancing at Leone. “Are you going to introduce me to them or not?”That would be a good idea right about now. Leone turned her attention to the three Faunus before her and smiled at them. “Right. Ilia, Sienna, Syka, this girl here is Mine.”Sienna gasped silently in shock as soon as she heard the name. “It can’t be. She’s the same person Leone spoke of from before?”For Ilia and Syka, they were slightly confused by Leone’s introduction to her friend. “In what context?” Ilia asked.Mine groaned while rolling her eyes. she couldn’t believe this was happening again. Thankfully, Blake was there to clear the misunderstanding. “Her name is actually Mine. It’s strange, I know.”Strange was right. They wondered why her parents would name her that of all things. There was one thing Syka was curious about the new girl. “So, how does she know you, Leone? I find it hard to believe you made a new friend in the past couple of days since the Haven Incident.”Leone was going to answer, but Sienna beat her to the punch. “Because they were on the same team.” The two Faunus girls turned their attention to Sienna who was staring intensely at Mine. “Leone mentioned you before back in Ghira’s office. She had told us what happened to you. About you ended up in a coma and the possibility you’d never wake up again.” Syka and Ilia were astounded to hear such a thing. “If I may ask, how is it that you’ve come to Remnant?”Mine responded by crossing her arms and staring back at Sienna. “Well, it seems Leone’s told you a bit about me. At least that clears things up a little so, nice to meet you all. As for how I got here, I’m still not sure but I’m not complaining. And if Leone trusts you, I won't question it. She's always had a keen eye for that sort of thing. Believe me, I don't think I have to explain what Leone will do to people she finds…antagonistic." Ilia didn't need to be reminded of that. She can still clearly tell the difference between how she treated her now versus when Ilia was still following Adam. It still spooked her.As Mine’s introduction was over, Syka caught sight of a familiar character standing behind the rest of the girls and gasped surprisingly. “Holy shit, no way!” She dashed past the group and was immediately standing in front of Wave with stars in her eyes. The soldier found the sight quite…unusual. “You're that guy who wore the Azure Angel armor! I knew you'd survive that fight with that Tyrant Lizard King knockoff guy!” Syka quickly pulled out a small notepad and pen. She opened the notebook and held them in front of the soldier. “Can I get your autograph? I mean, I know you’re not the actor who plays the actual Azure Angel, but I think you’re like a million times cooler!”It was rare for Seryu to see Syka fangirl like this, but it was unsurprising. Syka was always the bigger fan between them. To Wave, this wasn't something he was used to but would oblige to her request. “Okay then…” He took the pen and notebook. “Uh, what should I write?”Syka squealed with delight while giggling happily. “Just write ‘To Syka’ and then your signature. That’ll be enough for me.” It seemed simple enough for Wave to do and proceeded to do so.While the soldier was signing into the notebook, Sienna stared at Wave’s direction. She thought she’d seen the last of him, but Wave being here surprised her. “So, he survived the fight with that dragon armor user after all.” His battle against Tatsumi would serve as a permanent reminder of how powerful the humans from Leone's world were. What caught Sienna’s attention next was Seryu standing next to Wave. She felt a sense of relief seeing the other Faunus woman is doing fine. However, Sienna was quite curious about something regarding Seryu.Wave finished signing and handed the notebook back to Syka. “Here you go. I hope you’ll like it.”Syka eagerly took the notebook back and hugged it close to her. “More than you’ll know.” She held the notebook in front of her and smiled at her newest prized possession.Seryu couldn’t help but smile as she knew Syka fulfilled a childhood fantasy. She had to agree with her best friend; Wave was better than the Azure Angel they knew and looked up to. Seryu quickly glanced at Sienna and saw that the other Faunus woman was looking at her direction. She smiled and walked towards her former leader. This reunion was long overdue for both of them. As Seryu stopped in front of Sienna, the former High Leader was the first to speak. “Seryu.”Seryu chuckled a little and continued to smile at the other Faunus woman. “Hello, Sienna. I’m glad to see you’ve recovered.” She took a quick glance at the spot where Sienna's wound was before looking at her again. “How’s your wound?”Sienna looked down at where her wound was and lightly placed her right hand over it. "It's fine. Much better than before. Never thought I'd be grateful to a human for healing me.” She removed her hand and turned her attention back to Seryu. Now that Sienna had a closer look, she could definitely tell Seryu had changed. “You seem to be much different from the last time I saw you. I never thought I’d see the day of you standing side-by-side with humans. Much less a Schnee in the group you’re in.”Now that Sienna mentioned it, it was very surprising for Ilia as well. “That’s right. Seryu’s hatred for humans was notorious among the White Fang. I was even afraid of making eye contact whenever we passed each other by. Looking at Seryu now, she doesn’t have that frightening look in her eye anymore.” She wondered what could’ve happened to Seryu for such a change to happen.What was more unbelievable is that Ilia and Sienna saw Seryu slightly blush while looking away. “Y-Yeah, I…well, it’s mostly thanks to Wave. It’s because of him that I’m still here. I…owe him a lot.” Syka saw how bashful Seryu acted as soon as she said Wave’s name. That gave her a good idea of how much her best friend thought of Wave.Meanwhile, what Seryu said about Wave brought out another surprised reaction from Ilia and Sienna. It was one thing fighting a person who wore a terrifying dragon as armor. It was an entirely completely different matter about how he managed to get through someone like Seryu of all people. Both girls had the same thought about the soldier. “What kind of human is this guy?!” “Oh, so you’re Sienna. It’s finally nice to meet you.” Sienna saw Wave walking up to her and stop in front of her. He gave the former High Leader a welcoming smile and extended his hand to Sienna. “Seryu’s mentioned you a lot. You must’ve been a very impressive person for her to praise so much about. I’m glad I’m able finally to meet you in…less strenuous circumstances.”Sienna stared at the hand being offered to her. It wasn't that she was going to refuse it, it was because this'll be the first handshake Sienna will have with a human. What's more, is that it's the same human who could decimate her and the White Fang entirely if he felt like it. And yet, he doesn't look down on them. He doesn't think he is superior to them. In a way, Sienna viewed handshakes between two people as a sign of equality and she would gladly take the opportunity. She grabbed Wave's hand and grasped firmly. "And it's an honor to meet someone such as yourself. You must've left quite an impression on Seryu." They shook hands for a few seconds longer before finally breaking the handshake off. Wave could only chuckle at Sienna's words. She turned around away from the group and faced the hotel. “Now that all the pleasantries are done, come inside.” She walked toward the hotel with Ilia following close behind her. The rest of the group did the same and all of them entered the hotel.The front office looked wide and extravagant as a hotel near the top of Mistral should be. There were chairs with red velvet cushions on each side in groups of four circling around a black square table and red couches with shimmery golden trims next to the group of chairs. “I’ll go fetch Ghira.” Sienna turned around to face the group. “In the meantime, you can have a seat while waiting. I’ll be back.” She turned away from the group again and proceeded to walk away to fetch Ghira.As soon as she did, Syka came up from behind and hooked her right arm around Seryu’s neck. “Well, while you guys are waiting, I’ll be taking Seryu away for a bit. Catching up and all. See ya.” She began dragging Seryu away from the rest of the group.“Wait, Syka!” Even for Syka, this was all very sudden for Seryu and didn’t understand what her friend’s goal was. All the others could do was stare in confusion as the two Faunus girls ended up at the other side of the room and sat on the couch. When they sat down, Seryu finally broke free of the other girl’s hold on her. “What was that for?! Her question went unanswered as Syka’s face became awkwardly close to her own and smiled mischievously. Seryu obviously didn’t like the look Syka as giving her. “What’s with that face you’re making?”Syka responded with a cheeky giggle. “You liiiike him, don’t you Seryu? That Wave guy.” Seryu’s face became a deep red while Syka removed her face from Seryu’s. She still had that smile on her face. “Your face says it all. You do, don’t you?”Seryu struggled to find the words to defend herself. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”A weak argument and Syka had the perfect counter to it. She clasped her hands together and pressed them on her left cheek while she closed her eyes. “There’s no way in hell I’m going to let Wave die. I’ll give him the advantage he needs to win this” She spoke in a dramatic, parody voice. Seryu's face became redder and lowered her head in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. Syka thought she had enough fun and decided to get serious about her topic. "Okay but seriously though, as far as I've known you, both outside and inside of the White Fang, you've always hated humans. For you to be hanging around a group of humans and a Schnee at that, for you did for that Wave guy and say that about him, you’ve definitely changed big time and I know Wave must mean a lot to you. So, come on, tell me that you like him.”Seryu just remained silent since what Syka said wasn’t wrong. She owed everything to Wave since that day she bumped into him in the streets. Since then, Seryu has noticed a change in herself as the days went by. And most of that change revolved around Wave. Now that Syka mentioned it, it did answer a burning question she had for a long time. About how Seryu always had this faint feeling inside of her whenever she was with him. She didn’t want to admit because how foolish it was, but there was no denying it. Her response to Syka’s question was a small nod. The answer was enough for the scorpion Faunus to smile happily. “I knew it! Have you told him or are you going to tell him? Come on, give me the details!”“It wouldn’t work out.” Seryu’s answer stopped Syka’s questioning and looked away from her friend. “We’re too different, he and I. It could never happen.”Syka leaned in closer to see visible pain in Seryu’s eyes. She tried to guess why Seryu would say such a thing about the person she liked the most. “Is it because he’s a human and you’re a Faunus?” To her surprise, she saw Seryu close her eyes and shake her head."No, it's not that." Seryu stopped and opened her eyes with that same pained look in them. "If there's one thing I've learned about Wave is that he's incredibly selfless. He's always said that a soldier's duty is to protect the people. I can't think of a stronger example than when he offered to fight his former friend back at Haven for the sake of the Faunus with no hesitation. I can imagine how much he’d done the same thing beforehand. Compared to me, I always harmed people. Being with Wave made me happy, but it also reminded me what a horrible person I was. Someone like me doesn’t deserve to be with a person like Wave.”Syka had a clear understanding of why Seryu would say such a thing. She may not know much about the soldier, but she could understand a small portion of the situation. In the best description to explain all of this, Seryu was once a villain who did terrible things, but once she met someone special, she abandoned her villainess ways and changed. However, that lingering regret of her actions has kept her from having true happiness. That's the best Syka can see into all of this and she knew exactly how to make Seryu see this in a different way. All she had to do was have her hand reach over to Seryu's left ear and gave it a quick flick. The action gave Seryu a small jolt and turned to the anger girl angrily while lightly pinching her ear. "What was that for?!"Her outburst didn't faze Syka at all and gave her a serious expression. "For you to snap out of it." Her answer softened Seryu's anger and was left slightly confused. "I'll agree that you have done terrible things in the past, but you're not that person anymore. More importantly, I don't think Wave would care about any of that. If you said he helped you out despite what you did, then that didn't matter to him. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind if you have a thing for him. I think it may be better to tell him upfront. I may not know this Wave guy too well, but I get the feeling he's a bit on the dense side." Syka placed her hand on Seryu's shoulder and smiled. "And I also think it's stupid of you to pass up on a chance to finally be happy. You can’t let the past decide what your future will be. I mean it worked for Azure Angel as he finally put his past behind him and finally married Kate.”“Wait, what!?” Syka saw the wide-eyed surprised reaction Seryu had. It almost seemed what she heard from the other was unbelievable. “You’re telling me Azure Angel married one of his college students?!”Syka couldn’t help but chuckle awkwardly and forgot something important about Seryu. In their time apart, Seryu had never seen the new episodes of Azure Angel after she left. Saying that was akin to dropping a huge bomb on the other Faunus girl. She could only come up with a meager response. “Oh, uh…spoiler?”Over at the other side, Leone’s lion ear twitched as she may have been listening in on Syka and Seryu’s conversation. She couldn’t but smile and chuckle quietly. Mine was sitting next to her and noticed the familiar look. “What are you so happy about?”Leone looked over at Mine’s direction and smiled at her. “Oh, nothing special.”Mine didn’t buy that response for a second. “Yeah, right. I’ve seen that look before, Leone. Now, tell me what is it that you heard.” Leone remained silent in respect for Seryu. Her ears twitched again when she heard multiple steps coming their way. The Faunus blonde turned her attention to the hallway entrance and Sienna came back with Ghira and Kali following behind her. Everyone stood up from their seats and Blake walked over to her parents. Kali was overjoyed seeing her daughter again. “Oh, Blake!” She met Blake halfway through and the two hugged each other.Blake was just as happy seeing her mother. “Hi, mom.” She separated from the hug and went over to her father to him a hug as well. “Hi, dad.”Ghira held his daughter a little closer to him. “Hello, Blake.”While Blake was done hugging her mom, Leone was the next one to do so and a little tight for Kali’s taste. “Kali!” The younger Faunus laughed happily.While Kali was happy to see Leone as well, it was also a little hard to breathe for her. “Oh…hello…Leone. So good…to see you’re…fine…”Thankfully for her, Leone let go of the hug and went to hug Ghira next after Blake was done. Unfortunately for him, her hug was just as tight. “It’s nice to…see you…again.” Now that he thought about it, this was the first time Ghira was experiencing Leone’s strength firsthand.While amusing to Kali, something caught her attention off the corner of her eye. She turned her focus to Mine and was generally confused. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ve met you before.”Mine’s first impression of Kali was that she certainly seemed motherly and figured Blake got her looks from her. She also had a distinct feeling there was something else about her. Like there was a faint sense that Kali was more than she seemed to be. Leone separated from the hug (much to Ghira’s relief.) and walked over to Mine and stood next to her. “Right, about that…” She hooked her left arm around Mine. “Kali, Ghira, I want you to meet my close friend, Mine.”Ghira instantly recognized the name and almost couldn’t believe it. “Could she be the same friend you spoke of before? The one who went into a coma after being in a fierce battle?”Leone grinned happily at Ghira’s question. “The one and the same.” She stepped in between Blake’s parents and Mine and looked at her teammate. “Mine, I’d like you to meet Kali, and her husband Ghira, who’s the new leader of the White Fang. Well, technically, he’s back as the leader, but we’ll save that story for late.”Kali, Mine had already had her thoughts on. For Ghira, he was surprised by how human he looked despite being a Faunus. He was also quite a large man, but nothing intimidating. Compared to Budo, Ghira was quite tame. She put her hands together and bowed to Ghira and Kali. “It’s nice to meet you both. Leone’s told me a lot about you.” She finished her bow and straightened herself again.Kali smiled and walked over to the younger girl. She stopped and grabbed Mine’s hands with her own and held them up between them. The older Faunus smiled sweetly at Leone’s friend. “And it’s so nice to finally meet one of Leone’s friends. You have to tell me all the little details you know about Leone, okay?” If Kali’s smile were any brighter, Mine thought it would blind her.While his wife was getting acquainted with Leone’s friend, he also noticed someone else in their group and narrowed his eyes at Weiss. “And I see you’ve brought more…unexpected company.”Unlike Mine, Weiss was intimidated by Ghira’s large size. It was almost hard to believe he was Blake’s father. Thankfully, Blake came to her rescue. “I’ll explain everything. Does this place we have an office we can use?”Ghira gave Weiss one last stare before turning to his daughter. “Of course. We’ll head there now and then we’ll hear what you have to say.” Blake nodded and Ghira turned around to guide them to the office they’ll use while they followed him B The office Ghira led the group was spacious enough with a large wooden circular desk with mostly everyone sitting in chairs surrounding it. The walls were burgundy colored and there was a window overlooking a small garden. The only ones standing were Mine, Leone Kali standing next to Ghira. As Ghira promised, he’d hear out Blake on what she had to say to him. His daughter began explaining everything to her parents, Sienna, Syka, and Ilia about who their enemy truly was and Akame’s actions at Haven. Everything except telling them that Ozpin is currently inhabiting another person and the maidens. Those details they’ll keep to themselves. Unsurprisingly, They and Ghira took this as a little unbelievable. Especially for Sienna. “So, this Salem woman was the person I was dealing with before. I had no idea she was such a terrifying force.” Even just thinking about it sent shivers down her spine.Ghira leaned towards on the table on his elbow while pinching his temples. He released his fingers and opened his eyes to look at his daughter. “Is everything you said true, Blake?”Blake knew dumping this much info on her friends and parents would be a bit much for them, but they had to know the truth. She nodded slightly at her father’s question. “It is.”All Ghira could do was sigh. He never would’ve imagined his daughter being involved in such a thing. Leone shared the same feeling. “I know, it’s crazy and a lot to take in even for me and that’s saying something.” Sometimes Leone can't believe she even ended up in this situation in the first place. She was content with the idea of being in another world and starting over. However, after what happened at Beacon and learning about Salem almost proved to be too much for her at times.Kali looked at Leone worryingly once she heard the whole. Especially about Akame. “Akame was the girl you desperately want to see, Leone? The same one who…did all of that?”Leone sighed as a response and looked slightly down at the floor with a saddened expression. “Yeah, that was her. I blame myself for letting this happen. If I had just gotten here one day earlier. Then again, we wouldn't know so much about the enemy because of her. But, honestly, I'd rather have Akame back. Can't do anything about that now except figuring out a way to get her back before something happens to her.” She couldn’t help but chuckle at Akame’s sneaking. “And I also should’ve known Akame would come up with a plan like that. She wouldn’t have switched to their side that easily without having something up her sleeve.”Kali understood Leone’s worry. The position Akame put herself in was a dangerous one, even if she was an assassin. It also made sense about a few other things for her. “Now that Blake explained it all, and your friend’s actions, it makes much more sense about the person I was fighting from before. He had several opportunities to severely injure me, but never took them. I supposed that’s part of the reason of what attributed my victory over him.”Mine raised an eyebrow curiously at Kali’s statement and leaned slightly over to Leone. “Who’s she talking about?”Leone raised her head and leaned her head toward Mine’s. “Oh, Kali kinda fought against Headhunter Zanku and beat him.”“She fought against Zanku and won!?” Mine was absolutely flabbergasted in knowing Kali had won a battle over Headhunter Zanku. Even if Akame ordered her summons to not kill anyone, it was still an incredible feat to hear. Apparently, Mine was right about Kali being more than she seemed to be.Out of everyone in Ghira’s group, Ilia took the news the hardest. She was deeply worried and concerned about what Blake got herself into. “Why does it have to be you?” The other Faunus girl looked directly at Ilia’s direction and saw she was clearly worried about her. “Why you? Can’t someone else do…whatever this is?”Blake understood why Ilia would ask that kind of question and knew she wouldn’t like the answer she would give to her. “It has to be us, Ilia. My team, my friends, we’re already deeply involved in this. We have to see it through and make sure that they don’t and will not hurt anyone else.”Ghira saw the determination in his daughter’s eyes. She was set on seeing this ordeal through despite the dangers she and her friends will come across later. He was worried just as Ilia was but knew there was no way in stopping her. Ghira just needed to know one thing about her. “How soon will you leave Mistral?”“We’ll still be staying in Mistral for a while longer," Blake responded. "We're still recovering after the battle at Haven." That was only half-true. Ozpin’s yet to reawaken from their battle and Oscar mentioned he was feeling a little better. They’re using the time they have now for him to fully recover and then plan out their next move.While Ghira was glad his daughter would be staying in Mistral, for the time being, he was still worried as a father should be. This was no normal enemy they were up against. Then again, the people Blake was with were no ordinary people. Case in point was Wave as Ghira’s focus shifted to him. Though he had only seen the soldier fight once, it was one that the Chieftain would never forget. Now that Wave was back, Ghira could finally express his gratitude to him for what he had done back at Haven. “I never did hear what your name was, young man.”Wave stiffened a little but quickly relaxed. “It’s Wave, sir.”Ghira caught how Wave reacted when he spoke to the soldier. It almost seemed like he was nervous for a second which the Chieftain found odd. “Wave, is it? I must say I’ve never seen a human quite like you before. You have my gratitude for what you did back at Haven. I don’t think anyone else could’ve done what you did.”The soldier smiled at the Chieftain’s words. ““A soldier. Is that what you are?”“Yes, sir. As a soldier, I took an oath to protect the people, no matter what. Even if I am in a different world, that principle has not changed for me.” Wave gave Ghira an absolutely determined expression with his answer.Ghira admired Wave’s strong integrity. He couldn’t help but smile at the soldier. “If there were only more people like him in this world.” Ghira was glad someone like Wave was on their side.For Sienna, she observed Wave, Mine, and Leone and had thoughts of what happened at Haven. “What Leone said before was true. I don’t think I could’ve lasted five minutes in her world. Not with humans like them existed.” Her thoughts came back to Wave’s drastic transformation against Tatsumi and what Akame and Esdeath could do. Their power was truly terrifying to her. Even hearing Kali’s tale of her fight against her opponent sounded like something the former high leader couldn’t hope to achieve. And to think, Sienna had only seen but a small glimpse of Leone’s world. She couldn’t fathom how the actual war was Leone fought in. Her focus shifted to Mine and thought of something. “Mine, was it? I have two questions I want to ask you.” Mine looked back at Sienna with an observable expression. “The first question is what is your opinion of the White Fang?”Mine crossed her arms and huffed at the question. “To sum it up, they had the right idea, but the execution is beyond horrible. The worst I’ve ever seen. Whoever their previous leader was, that person must've been a real idiot thinking that was the was the best way. Probably the biggest dumbass leader I’ve ever heard of.” A heavy imaginary arrow impaled on the top of Sienna’s head with the word “dumbass” inscribed on it. She had to remember that Mine was speaking out of experience. Leone’s response to Mine’s answer was a stifled laugh.Sienna shook her head to dispel the imaginary arrow and ask her next question. “Moving on, as someone who fought alongside with Leone, what was your reason fighting in a war?”That question made Mine narrow her eyes before closing them and sigh. “To put it the best way possible, I can relate to your kind.”Her statement caught most of every Faunus in the room. Sienna asked the question on all their minds. “How so?”Mine tightened her grip on her arm as she remembered unpleasant memories. “I mean I was beaten for being different.” She opened her eyes to look at Sienna again. “You see, half of my blood comes from a group called the Western Tribe. It what gives me my ‘unique appearance’. Because of that, I’ve spent every day trying to survive and getting beaten and being left out on the street like a dog. But no matter how many beatings I got, I wouldn't let them win. Do you want to know my reason for fighting? My reason was that I don't want anyone else to experience that kind of hellish life. The only difference between what I do and what the White Fang does is that I wasn’t out attacking innocent people among those who deserve it. Don’t go thinking that you’re the only ones who’re suffering.” Like Leone, it seemed Mine’s reasons was also selfless. Sienna remained quiet as she had received her answers.Ghira took the silence as a cue to move on and he had a very important question to ask. It was about a certain former heiress who was with his daughter. He placed both elbows on the table and entwined his fingers as Ghira focused his gaze on Weiss with some intensity in his eyes. Weiss couldn’t help but feel nervous that he was throwing her such a look. “Let me begin by saying I am surprised that a member of the Schnee family is accompanying my daughter. Just what exactly is your affiliation with Blake?”Weiss gulped nervously and quietly as she felt the intense glare from Blake’s father. All she could do was answer honestly to him. “I-I’m her partner. Her teammate. More importantly, I’m her friend.”Ghira’ hadn’t changed his look on Weiss. “A Schnee seeing a Faunus as their friend and teammate? If this is some sort of joke, it is of poor taste. Especially coming from you.”“It’s not a joke!” Weiss raised her voice at Ghira. In a second, Weiss realized what she had done and became timid again. She recollected herself and give Ghira the whole truth. “To tell the truth, this is actually the second time Blake’s surprised me. The first was actually finding out she used to be a member of the White Fang. I admit I was…less than happy about, especially with my family’s history with them. Then they actually did attack in the harbor back at Vale and I became more worried for my teammate. After that, nothing else mattered. I didn’t care if Blake was with the White Fang. All that matters to me is my friend.” Weiss had finally managed to speak all that right in front of Blake’s father. It almost felt like an entire weight was lifted off her. She sighed and continued to speak. “And the second time she surprised me was finding out that she was the daughter of a Chieftain. It’s ironic when you think about it considering who we are. Still, all that tells me is that Blake’s a more incredible person than I thought and that she had more reason to fight for the Faunus.” She stared back at Ghira’s gaze this time around. “I am aware of what my family has done to the Faunus. How they treat them while working at the dust mines. Let me be perfectly clear that I am not anything like my father. Once I regain my inheritance, when I became the head of the company, I will do everything in my power to fix the damage he has done. I am in support of Blake’s goal and I do want to make it happen. With my help, that goal will be closer to reality.” Ghira and even Sienna were surprised to hear such words from Weiss. Judging from the look they saw in her eyes, they knew she was being absolutely truthful in what she said, just like before.For Sienna, she never thought she’d hear those words coming from a Schnee ever. Speaking of the words Weiss spoke, she did hear something unusual in her speech. “What do you mean by regaining your inheritance? Are you not the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company?”Sienna’s question made Weiss close her eyes and sighed deeply. “Not anymore I’m not.” She opened her eyes to look at the Faunus in front of her. “After not behaving like my father wanted and with my rebellious attitude, he thought it was best to strip me of my inheritance and give it over to my younger brother. That only gave me more reason to escape that prison." Ilia shared Sienna’s confusion. “Escape?”Weiss narrowed her eyes at the two ex-White Fang members. “I’m sure the White Fang and among many others had the same thought about the prestigious Schnee Family. About how we’re so perfect, wouldn’t worry about the most trivial of things. Hate to break it to you all, but none of that is true.” Sienna, Ilia, and Syka became instantly invested in what Weiss truly had to say about her family. “All my mother does now is drink wine day in and day out, my younger brother, Whitley, is someone you want to punch in the face every time you see him, and my father…” Kali and the rest of the Faunus could’ve sworn they heard venom drip from the mere mention of Weiss’s father. “He’s the one I can’t forgive the most starting this whole thing in the first place, starting with saying to my mother that the only reason he married my mother was for the Schnee name. There’s more I can’t stand about him but what I can’t forgive the most about him is forcing me to come to that empty, desolate prison I, unfortunately, have to call my home. Add that to my father who took away my inheritance, you can see why I wanted to get as far away from all of that as possible. The only people I considered to be my family is my sister, Winter, and my butler, Klein. Most of all, where I feel like I truly belong is with my friends.” She briefly stopped and sighed once again. “I know what I had to go through pales in comparison of what the Faunus had to endure. But, as Mine put it, don’t go thinking you’re the only ones suffering.”This was surprising news for every Faunus present in the room. For Sienna and Ilia, Weiss was correct. They have thought the Schnee family were ones without toil and trouble. Something that they could never understand from the Faunus’ point of view. Apparently, that wasn’t the case if what Weiss said was true. It wasn’t enough to justify what her family did to their kind, but at least they now know that the Schnee family wasn’t as infallible as they thought they were. Still, Weiss has already proven she was quite different from her family. Her saying she valued Blake as a teammate and a friend, and that she'd rather be by her and the rest of her friends. It was quite ironic for Sienna. The heiress of the Schnee Dust Company who had lived a hollow and empty life found the one thing no amount of lien could buy. Friends, companionship, those she could proudly stand by and see them as equals. Human and Faunus. Over the select few who were her family. Perhaps that’s what changed her the most.For Ghira, he was more agitated by Weiss's father's decisions. Even if he was her father, Weiss was still her own person and should've been allowed to make decisions for her. Even Ghira respected Blake’s choice of staying in the White Fang even if he did fear something would happen to her. He was livider as a parent himself. What’s more is that he did notice that what Weiss said about her family, she probably grew up mostly not knowing how it felt being loved, aside from her sister and butler. For her to escape from her own home to be with her friends shows where Weiss would rather be. After hearing the former heiress out, he had to confirm a few things. "While you may be right about the differences in our struggles, you do still have my sympathies. As a father myself, I'll have to disagree with what your father has done to you is unfair. Although, since you mentioned he stripped you of your inheritance, how do you plan on taking it back?”For once, they saw an expression of uncertainty from Weiss and looked slightly away from them. "I…haven't figured that out yet.” She looked back at them and her previous expression changed back to a determined one. “But I know I have to get it back and I will. Once I do, I promise I will set things straight for Faunus working at the mines. I promise.”It was a bold claim for Weiss to say that even when she doesn’t have a plan on how to take back her inherence. However, Ghira had a feeling he’d take up the promise Weiss had made. He gave her a stern look right into her eyes. “Can I count on you keeping your promise? That you’ll do everything you can to help the Faunus?”Weiss returned his look with one of her own and didn’t back down. “You have my word as a Schnee and we always make true of it.”Ghira smiled at her and chuckled heartily a little. “Very well then. I can now see why my daughter can place so much trust in you now.” Weiss sighed in relief now that she was in Ghira’s good graces. She will do what she must do so the Faunus working at Dust mines won’t be working in such miserable conditions. Blake felt the same as she was glad her father had accepted her.For Sienna and Ilia, they felt like they could actually trust Weiss on her word. Perhaps when she is in charge of the company, no other Faunus would have to experience the same thing she had. Then the chameleon Faunus what she said back at Menagerie. “Where was their help when the Dust companies treated our people as slaves?! Where was their help when kingdoms hunted Faunus just for being who they are?! Where was my help when my parents were killed in a Dust mine!? Where!?” Who would've thought that someone she considered to be the Faunus' greatest enemy would be their greatest ally? Ilia almost had to hold back her tears and choked a little.Now that Weiss’s ordeal was over, Ghira can move on to his next question and he turned his attention to Leone. The Faunus blonde couldn’t help but think it was strange he was looking at her now. “Uh, what’s up?”Ghira let out a steady sigh before getting to his question. “Kali has told me told that something…unusual happened to you back at Haven. About how you…transformed.”Mine raised an eyebrow while Wave was slightly confused. Both of them had the same thought. “Transformed?”“I was also told that you cut off your own arm during the battle. I do find it a bit strange that you have it again.” Ghira mentioned.And Mine instantly reacted wildly. “Your arm got cut off again?!”And her comment caught the attention of Ilia and the others. “What do you mean again?”Leone held up her hand to them. “Not important.” She quickly set it down. The others didn’t understand how getting her arm cut off apparently again was not important.Ghira also had the same question about that but will let it go for now. “And how a golden wave of light erupted from you.” That description caught Wave’s and Mine’s attention the most. “Do have an idea of what happened to you?”Leone’s response was looking uncertain and rubbed the back of her head before setting it back down. “Like I told my friends before, I don’t remember much what happened after I…‘transformed’. She used air quotes. “Before that, all I can remember was cutting off my arm before the poison could spread to my heart. After that….the next thing I knew, I woke up in bed with my arm back. I'm still not sure how that happened. I don't even know what this golden lightwave you're talking about." It was unfortunate Ghira couldn’t learn more about Leone’s transformation. Thankfully, Blake could fill them in with her theory. “It’s just a guess but I think what happened to Leone was something like a semblance awakening. Something I’ve seen similarly happen to Akame back at the Vytal Festival.”"And I told you that's bullshit," Leone responded snappily. “We all decided that we don’t know what I did or what it was.”“Well, it explains something.” Everybody turned their attention to Mine. She scanned across the room before focusing on the people in front of her. “After our little reunion…” She nodded toward Wave. “A bunch of those Grimm things attacked us, and we fought them off. The next thing we know we got hit by some weird golden light wave coming from Mistral. After it passed, they just stood in place like they were afraid or something.” Mine shifted her eyes toward Leone. “I never thought something like that would come from you.”Ghira was surprised to hear that detail. Grimm was always known to be vicious and relentless when attacking. Hearing that they stopped was very unusual for Grimm behavior. "What Mine said is true. We have heard reports of that happening, so it is true.” More mysteries appeared as they learned more about Leone’s new transformation. The biggest question is why would the Grimm react such a way regarding it?“Can you describe what Leone looked like when she transformed?” Wave asked Ghira.While Ghira couldn't answer, Kali did for him. "Leone appeared to be more…animalistic. She had golden fur, a tail, claws, and fangs. Usually, Faunus is known to have one animal trait, but Leone had most to them.”Wave slightly looked down while lightly doing a thinking pose with what he heard. It was actually the first time Seryu saw the solider this way. “Wave?”Leone thought it was just funny to her. “I think this is the hardest I’ve ever seen him think.”Wave decided to ignore that comment and continuing thinking. He finally came across an idea that might’ve made the most sense. He removed his hand and looked at everyone in the room. “It sounds like to me that whatever happened to Leone is something similar to what happened to Tatsumi.”Leone’s eyes went wide with shock while Kali and everyone else seemed confused. “What do you mean?”To explain that, Wave had to start where he came up with the idea in the first place. “To start off, the reason why Tatsumi ended up looking as he did was because of the Tyrant Dragon trying to take over his body.”Sienna raised an eyebrow in question. “Tyrant Dragon?”“It’s an S-Class Danger Beast from our world.” Mine informed. “It’s known for surviving any environment, no matter how harsh it may be. It was used to become Incursio, the armor Tatsumi wears and the person we knew before, Bulat. The thing about it is that the Tyrant Dragon is so damn powerful, that even as a set of armor, it still lives on.” Ilia gulped at the mere details of what she heard. Sienna assumed the Tyrant Dragon they were speaking of was that monster she and everyone else saw back at Haven. These Danger Beasts were more terrifying than any Grimm Sienna had come across.Seryu immediately became worried when she learned Wave’s armor and Tatsumi’s armor were similar to each other. “Does that mean the same thing will happen to Wave!?”"No. Incursio was the prototype for Grand Chariot," Wave responded. “The main thing about Incursio is that it constantly evolved and thus getting stronger, but at the cost of taking over Tatsumi’s body. Grand Chariot’s always in equilibrium so it won’t evolve.” Hearing that calmed Seryu down a little. She really didn’t want to see what Wave would look like if the dragon that made up his armor would try to take over his body.However, Leone seemed panicked once she heard the unfortunate details that may happen to her. She was distraught with her both her hands clutching the sides of her head tightly. “Does that mean I’m going to end up like the Danger Beast that made up Lionel!?” In her head, she saw herself as the Danger Beast itself wreaking havoc upon Mistral and the people.“I don’t think so.” Wave’s answer made Leone turn to him. “Otherwise, we would’ve seen an alteration. You look the same as you do now.” Now that the soldier mentioned it, Leone really didn’t see the claws that she originally used or her tail. When the Tyrant Dragon started to take over Tatsumi’s body, one of his eyes changed into the Tyrant Dragon’s and later, half of his face became draconic before returning to normal. The Faunus blonde really hoped something like that wouldn’t happen to her. “All we need to know now is how it happened in the first place. You said you don’t remember transforming but what about how you felt before it happened? Can you recall that?”The Faunus Blonde thought to give a try and looked away from Wave. She closed her eyes and tried to remember what she felt on that night. “Pain, sadness, betrayal at the time, my heart racing, pounding even. My body feeling like it was on fire, and every one of those things kinda combined and wanted to get out.” Leone opened her eyes and felt like she didn’t achieve anything all. “After that, it’s all bits and pieces. Like I remember threatening Merraid, but everything else…”“It sounds like you were under intense emotional pressure.” Leone looked directly at Syka. “Maybe Blake’s not too far off with what she said. Some semblances can awaken under feeling intense emotions. Although, in your case, it could’ve been something more. You did mention you had to cut off your arm so maybe that could’ve been a contributing factor.”Leone was skeptical about that detail. “What, you’re saying I have to cut off my arm again to activate this transformation?”Everyone in the room had the same thought to that idea. “Please don’t do that.”Ghira cleared his throat. “Well, at least we have some sort of idea of your new ability. I believe that will be all for this meeting. We’ve learned very much here.” With that announcement, there was nothing left to say except for their goodbyes for the time being. They all left the room and headed to the front of the hotel. Except for Kali who went the opposite direction. All Blake and Leone noticed is seeing her whispering into Ghira's ear before heading off somewhere else. The rest of the group were standing in front of the hotel with Ghira, Syka, Sienna, and Ilia seeing Blake and the others off. Ghira smiled at his daughter as he was somber to see her go once again. “I hope you can visit us again in under more…casual circumstances, Blake”Blake smiled back at her dad and loved the sound of the idea. "I’d like that a lot. It’d be nice to spend some time with you and mom.” She would still be staying in Mistral for a while longer. It’d be nice to spend some normal family time once without any danger hanging among them.Syka was a little sad seeing Seryu go, but it wasn’t like she wasn’t going to see her again. “Hope you come back to visit. We still have a lot to catch up.”Seryu nodded in agreement and smiled at her friend. “Yeah, especially catching up on Azure Angel. I’m wondering how many episodes I’ve missed.” She really wanted to know how Azure Angel ended up with one of his college students and what his ex-wife would think.As much as Syka would love to see those episodes with Seryu again, there was something else she needed to say. She took a step forward toward the other girl. “Seryu, there one thing I have to tell you.”Seryu’s curiosity peaked and tilted her head to the side in confusion. “What is it?” The other Faunus girl leaned in toward Seryu’s ear and whispered something. In the next second, Seryu’s eyes widened in shock and gasped quietly. Syka stepped back and saw the reaction she knew Seryu would have. The other Faunus girl remained quiet for a few seconds before speaking again. “Is that true?”Syka nodded at Seryu’s question. “I wouldn’t tell you that if I wasn’t sure.”It was almost unbelievable Syka would even tell her that kind of information. There was one thing that didn’t make sense to her. “Why would you keep track of that of all things?”The other girl chuckled awkwardly at the question. “Because I was worried. I figured if things smoothed over between us, I’ll tell you that. It’s your decision if you want to do it.”Seryu mulled over the choice. It was a possibility she thought would never happen, but now that the opportunity presented itself, Seryu thought she could go through it. However, there was still a slight pang of regret lingering in her heart. It almost felt like she wasn’t emotionally ready for it. But the alignment was too perfect to pass up. Seryu thought a chance like this wouldn’t come around again. She sighed and made up her mind. “Okay, I’ll do it. Thanks for telling me, Syka.” Syka smiled happily at her friend’s decision. Meanwhile, Wave couldn’t help but overhear their discussion and saw how serious Seryu looked for a bit.Sienna and Ilia were looking at Weiss and the former high leader had a slightly regretful expression toward the ex-heiress. “I know what we have to your family cannot be forgiven. Meeting you and hearing what you’ll do for the sake of the Faunus, I’ve decided I’ll trust your promise.” She extended her hand toward Weiss. “Earlier, you said we should set aside our differences. Perhaps in the future, we can put them behind us and work toward the future where humans and Faunus can stand by each other equally.”Weiss stared at the hand and grabbed it firmly. She looked at Sienna straight in the eye. “Of course. I’ll work hard to make sure that goal becomes a reality.” They both shook their hands together. Once again, Sienna thought she’d never see herself doing this kind of thing. First with a human with power unimaginable and yet was the humblest human she had ever met and now here Sienna was shaking hands from someone she once considered to be the worst enemy of Faunus everywhere. “Weiss…” Weiss stopped shaking Sienna’s hand and let go to see over in Ilia’s direction. The chameleon girl smiled sweetly at the other girl. “Thank you. It…really means a lot to us.”The former heiress smiled back at Ilia. “I know.”Leone had been glancing over at their small conversation and chuckled quietly. There was something slightly distracted her and had to voice out her question. “So…does anyone know where Kali went? She went into a completely different direction when we left the meeting room.”Ghira had a pretty good idea where his wife was. “She went back to our room to retrieve something.” As soon as he spoke, he and the others heard the doors behind them open and the Chieftain looked back at his wife’s recent arrival. “Ah, there she is.”Kali smiled at Leone as she carried something folded in her hands. She walked toward the rest of the group and Leone realized what it was Kali was carrying. Kali stopped in front of the younger Faunus girl and presented a familiar looking scarf to her. “I believe this should belong to you.” All Leone could do was stare in disbelief at what was being given to her. It was the very same scarf her mother had knitted her, taken away, and Akame wore. She carefully took the scarf and continued to stare at it. “I did notice Akame was wearing this back at Haven. I just…picked it up before we left and took care of it while you were recovering.”Leone couldn’t help but smile nostalgically at her scarf. “I don’t remember if I told you this, but this scarf was given to me by my mom when I was a kid. Aside from the song she’d sing me It was taken away when the White Fang jumped me. My friends told me it was sent to them as a message and Akame ended up wearing it. I guess things came full circle.” She unfolded the scarf and wrapped it around her neck. Leone could slightly smell Akame’s scent on her scarf. The Faunus blonde gave Kali a most sentimental and caring smile to her. “Thank you, Kali.” The older Faunus woman smiled back and couldn’t help but give her a loving hug. Leone hugged her back and really appreciated what Kali did for her.While doing so, Mine suspected there was more between them then Leone originally described. “I’ve never seen Leone act like this before. I thought the way she talked about Ghira and Kali was out of respect, but this looks more like…familial.” She’ll have to ask Leone later about what her relationship between them was really.Kali broke the hug and hugged Blake next. It lasted for a few seconds and Blake thought that would be it before leaving. However, as a surprise, Kali went up to Weiss and gave her a hug as well. It was quite unexpected for all of them, especially for Weiss as she felt a new, unfamiliar feeling to her. Yes, she has hugged Yang back at her mother’s camp and the others, but this hug felt differently for her. Kali moved her lips closer to Weiss’s ear. “I hope things get better for you, dear.” She broke off the hug and took a few steps back to look at the whole group. “Come visit us again anytime you want.”There were smiles among the group before Blake and the others waved goodbye. They all turned around and headed back to the house. They made it to the main street while Weiss was pondering what had just happened to her. That strange feeling when Kali hugged her wouldn’t go away. It wasn’t bad, but it felt so foreign to her. She glanced over at Blake and thought to ask her. “Hey, Blake…” The other girl looked over at her teammate. “Is getting a hug from a mother…supposed to feel good?”Blake couldn’t help but smile and chuckle lightly. “It is and it’s one of the best feelings in the world.”Weiss looked away from Blake and looked at the sky. She had a faint smile and welcomed the happy feeling. “So, that’s what a mother’s hug feels like then.” Weiss couldn’t remember the last time her mother hugged her. If at all even.While the former heiress was relishing the feeling of her first motherly hug in a long time, Blake’s cat ears flattened slightly. Back when Weiss said all that stuff about her family, she had no idea it was that rough for her. The Faunus girl growing as the heiress for Schnee Dust Company wasn’t easy, but she didn’t know Weiss had such a miserable home life. Blake felt like she had to say something to Weiss. “Weiss, I just want to say that I’m-”“Don’t worry about it.” Weiss interrupted her. She looked back at Blake and smiled at her. “As far as I’m concerned, Team RWBY is the best family I could’ve asked for.” Blake smiled back after hearing that. As Weiss said before, she couldn’t have asked for a better teammate.Behind them was Seryu and Wave and Seryu was in deep thought of what Syka had previously told her. All she could do was sigh somberly. “I suppose it was only a matter of time before my past caught up to me. I guess it was inevitable I’d confront it.” “Seryu?” Wave’s voice broke Seryu’s train of thought and turned her attention to him. The soldier seemed concerned about her. “Is everything okay? You can talk to me if something’s bothering you.”Seryu slightly blushed as her heartbeat became a little faster. She just looked away and became flustered. “It’s fine. It’s just some gossip Syka told me is all. Don’t worry about it.” She says so, but Wave could tell something was bothering Seryu. Whatever her friend told her, it must’ve been something important or something important to Seryu. He could only hope Seryu could tell in him in time. Speaking of telling him, Seryu had another problem on her hands concerning the soldier. “On top of that, how I am supposed to tell Wave that I…have feelings for him? How would he react? I don’t know anything about confessions! Maybe I can talk to someone about it, but who?”Lastly, at the back of the group, Leone was marveling at having her scarf back. She had really missed it dearly and was glad to have it back. Now all the Faunus blonde needed was to get Akame back. Meanwhile, Mine was busy staring how Leone was acting. It was almost strange to her. “You know, I was wondering where your scarf was when I saw you again. I’ve almost never seen you without it.”Leone stopped paying attention to her scarf and looked at Mine. “Yeah, it means a lot to me. Even more now since Akame was wearing it for a while.” As soon as she mentioned Akame’s name, Leone’s expression changed to a melancholy look and slightly lowered her head. “we’ve got to get her back. We’re all that’s left for her.”Mine had to agree with Leone on that and placed her hand on the other girl’s shoulder. Both stopped simultaneously, and Leone turned her attention to Mine. “We’ll see her again, I know it. And we will get Akame back.”Leone kinda needed to hear that. She knew it wouldn’t be easy, but they would be reunited again. How it would happen is the tricky question. Leone guessed they'll figure that out once they cross that bridge. Leone flashed Mine a toothy grin and chuckled happily at the other girl. "Yeah, and I really want to see her reaction when she sees you again. It'll be like old times again.” Mine liked the idea of that. They’ll have a lot to talk about once they have their reunion.“Hey, you two better catch up, or leaving you behind!” Both girls looked in front as soon as they heard Weiss’s voice. They looked at each other once more before running to catch up with the rest of the group. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: So, I'm going to assume all of you are confused by what you saw and asking yourself "didn't you already upload chapter eighty-four?". Well, before I get to that, I'd like to say THANK YOU FOR THE 666 FAVORITES! ALEXA, PLAY "INSIDE OF EVERY DEMON IS A RAINBOW"! But in all seriousness, I was going to work on this chapter when I was done with Assassins of Fairy Tail, but with hitting the 666 mark, I thought "screw it, let's reward these wonderful people". I also originally planned to update the story for when it reached 700 favorites, but I thought 666 would be funnier. And less of a wait time for all of you. Anyway, back to the main topic, there's a reason why this is chapter eighty-four. You see, what I'm starting this time is a project I've long planned for and was originally going to be its own story connecting to A New Beginning. Then I thought "maybe this is too much of a hassle for people needing to read a separate story to understand what I have planned down the line in this one.". So, the project I had in mind that was originally going to be its own story is now part of A New Beginning and that means what's going to happen in the special vol will be canon for what I have planned further down in this story. "Laughs maniacally." As for the original chapter eighty-four chapter, I'll repost it as soon as a new chapter number after this is done. So, sit back, relax, and see what I've planned all this time for our favorite cast of characters. And as for the previous chapter eighty-four, I'll post it back when I'm done with the special arc. Now, play Fairy Tail opening 24 as the fifth and special opening. It's hard to believe this story has this many favorites despite all the fck-ups I've made relating to the RWBY lore and characters. Bumblebee being one of them I've read on the bird app I'm on. A/N 2: Right, so, I have some explaining to do. To people asking me to update A New Beginning on here, I've actually done so over at my Fanfiction account. As you've all read the first A/N, this chapter came out a long time ago. I kinda treat Ao3 as a second bastard child. So, why am I updating this now? Well, let's just say I've received one too many whiny, rude, entitled guest reviews asking for updates (even in some other stories) and I decided I'll make them wait longer for the next update. I was originally going to upload all the chapters of the special Vol after I was done with it but that's not going to happen for a long time. A New Beginning: Vol Special Part OneAcross WorldsKill Eighty Four: The Multi-Verse TheoryCountless white waterdrops fell from the sky and pelted the smooth water surface. Every drop caused a ripple and within that ripple, an image would appear within. Countless different images appeared from different ripples all showing an important event. Throughout this rainfall, the figure in white walked gracefully on top of the water. She stopped in what was to be the center and looked at the images that appeared after a water droplet struck the surface. She raised her left arm and swung it across which made all the raindrops stop in place. All except for a few. One drop struck the surface and it showed the moment when Syka rescued Sienna. "The prevention of Sienna Kahn's death…" Another drop fell to the surface and it showed Sienna running her weapon through Adam at Haven. "And Adam Taurus's death at Haven Academy. Also…" A third water drop struck the surface and it showed the moment when Esdeath's Maiden powers had awakened in Haven Academy. "And the re-awakening of the Winter Maiden. This has certainly been an interesting timeline to witness. Especially since Sienna was doomed to die by Adam's hand." Another water droplet fell and showed Adam stabbing Sienna. "And in turn, Adam perished much sooner in this timeline than he originally did." Another droplet fell and showed Yang and Blake simultaneously stab Adam together. "And…for what Leone had achieved near the end of the war…" One more droplet fell and revealed Leone in her new mysterious form."For what has transpired at Haven and everything else in relation, this has been the biggest change thus far. However, I fear that these two awakenings, Leone's and Esdeath's, will not be enough for what is to come next. The next major shift will happen soon and there is not enough time." Despite these worrying thoughts, she did at least have a plan for this and smiled. "I suppose it's finally time for her to repay her debt to me." She laughed at the mere thought of what she planned to do. "It'll certainly be an…interesting experience for both parties." B "I'm sorry, but can you repeat that again?"Leone, Mine, and Wave were at Three Beasts Ramen. It was Mine's idea to see the sights of Mistral before they could leave for their next destination and decided to make this their last stop. That and Mine had never had ramen from Three Beasts Ramen before and Kurome and the others highly recommended it. There was one other reason why Mine did this, but first, she had to explain again what she had said before. "Agh, like I said, it's great that Esdeath has her…'new flowers…'" She put up air quotes. Since they were out in public, they had to be careful not to say the word "maiden powers" for safety's sake and just in case. "But she doesn't know how to take care of them."Leone picked that up as Esdeath didn't know how to use her newly founded Maiden powers. "So, it's not good enough that she has the flowers then? I mean I thought they'd be useful in our fight."Mine sighed and leaned back slightly while crossing her arms. "Look, think of it this way. Just because you get a shiny new weapon doesn't mean you're instantly an expert at it. You have to practice in order to be good with it."Wave was reminded what Leo had said before regarding the maidens when their power first awakens. "Come to think of it, Headmaster Lionheart did mention that…the flowers are watered at an early age in order to…grow."Mine snapped her fingers at Wave in agreement. "Yes, exactly. Esdeath spent most of her life without knowing her…flowers, so it's still new to her. And we don't exactly have the right people to teach her how to properly grow those flowers of hers. I mean, Ozpin is stuck inside of a kid's body and can't do much of anything, and Qrow-""Can only turn into a bird." Leone finished. She could see Mine's point relating to Esdeath's Maiden powers. It is great she has them now and her team is now considerably stronger, However, Esdeath doesn't know how to properly use them. Compared to Cinder and even Raven, if Esdeath ever faced against either of them, she'd most likely lose. All Leone could do was sigh. "So, we're really boned in that aspect, huh?""Unfortunately." Mine picked up her bowl and drank the last of the broth from her bowl. She set it down once it was all gone. "Look, we'll figure it out sooner or later but the sooner she learns how to use these powers, the better our chances are. Plain and simple." Leone couldn't argue against that logic. Speaking of controlling new powers, the Faunus blonde was curious about her own new power. If she could learn how to properly utilize it, it'd defiantly be a powerful asset to her and the rest of the group. She just needed it to happen again to get a feel for it.Mine stood up from her seat and put both her hands on the counter. "Okay, I think we should head back now." They paid for the ramen and promptly left but not before Liver thanked them loudly and graciously.While walking through the streets, Leone looked around the area closely and couldn't help but smile. "You know, even though we had a rough time at this place, I think I'm going to miss it. I feel like it's grown on me."While Mine didn't exactly feel the same kind of nostalgia the Faunus blonde did, she did appreciate it. "I say it's a nice place. Though, I still see some shady things happening every now and then. I'm just wondering where we're going after we leave here.""Leave." Wave slightly looked down at the ground and had an obviously worried look."Still wondering about Seryu?" The soldier lifted his head and looked over at Mine's direction. His look told her she was right on the mark. "I thought bringing you along might help, but I guess she's still stuck on your mind, huh? It's been what, a couple of days since she left without a word?"That sounded about right to Wave. Several days ago, Seryu told the group she was leaving to do some important business with Syka. What it was, Wave had no idea and neither did the others and since then, Seryu has never left his mind. It just felt everything felt so different without her. Obviously, he wasn't worried since she was with Syka, but one thing he was worried about was what would happen to her after they left Mistral?Leone put her arms behind her head and didn't worry about Seryu's business all that much. "Eh, Relax, Wave. I'm sure you'll see her again. It's not like Seryu's gone for…ever…" Leone suddenly stopped and so did the other two. They saw that Leone had an expression of disbelief like she'd seen a ghost.Mine waved her hand in front of her friend's face. "Uh, Leone? Everything okay?"Leone unconsciously ignored Mine's hand waving and was focused on one thing. "There's no way…" She pushed Mine and Wave aside and started running toward one of the street intersections. The Faunus blonde looked at the left side and started rushing toward that direction. While running past the people, her mind flashed back to what she briefly saw. "There's no mistaking it. I know it was her! It's gotta be her!" After passing several more people, Leone finally saw her target. Leone felt her heart race and her breathing quickened. Without thinking, she reached her hand out and grabbed the other girl's shoulder. Leone turned her around and her suspicions were right. At that moment, Leone felt a powerful surge of joy and happiness throughout her body. Tears began to form in the corners in her eyes and smiled. "It really is you, Akame." She pulled Akame in for a warm and loving hug. "You came back! You came back! I'm so glad!" Leone began to cry into Akame's shoulder.Leone didn't care how or why Akame came back from Salem, but she was just happy Akame was back with her. In fact, she was so happy, the Faunus blonde overlooked one slight detail. Akame's markings were visible. Leone also didn't notice that Akame had a rather perplexed look on her. Leone also had failed to notice there was a set of footsteps headed her way and stopped."Leone?"Leone opened her eyes and saw a young girl with long dark blue hair put up in twin tail style wearing a green dress with crisscross stripes and wore a sky-blue colored bracelet on her left wrist. Leone also noticed a bite mark-like scare on the girl's left shoulder. She was looking at her with a puzzled expression and Leone shared the same expression as the young girl. "Who's the kid? And why does she know my name?""Hey, Wendy!" Leone gasped in shock when she somehow heard her own voice and saw another figure walking up from behind the young girl. Her eyes widened in disbelief at who she was looking at. Herself. "There you are. Did you find Akame ye-" The other Leone looked at Faunus Leone with a surprised expression and Faunus Leone let go of Akame and they pointed their fingers at each other. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!" They spoke in unison at each other.Akame took this as a chance to retreat to Wendy and the other Leone while Wendy became extremely confused as she looked between the two Leones. "Wha-Why are there two Leones!?" Akame was equally as confused with this situation.The Leone with Wendy scowled at her double. "There's only one of me! This chick's obviously gotta be a fake!"Obviously, Faunus Leone took offense to that. "I ain't no fake, bitch! If anything, you're the fake!" Both Leones growled at each other."There you are! What the hell, Leone!?" Leone, Akame, and Wendy gasped when they heard a familiar voice. They saw Mine and Wave approaching them from behind Faunus Leone. "Where were you going in such a hur…ry." Mine finally noticed there was another Leone standing in front of the Leone she knew along with Akame and a kid she's never seen before. Wave shared Mine's reaction of who they were seeing in front of them.And so did Wendy seeing them. "Mine?! And Wave!?"Mine's attention briefly turned to Wendy. "How the hell does this kid know our names?!""Yo, Leone! You find Akame yet!?" Mine's eyes widened in shock when she heard another familiar voice."Honestly, it's not a good idea to get lost in this strange place." Mine, Wave, and Leone saw two more figures approaching them. One of them seemed like a young cat girl Faunus and the other was someone Faunus Leone and Mine thought they'd never see again. Chelsea. Not the Chelsea hanging around with them. The Chelsea they knew before.Chelsea and Carla also stopped when they saw not only two Leones, but Mine and Wave as well. Everyone just stared at each other in confusion and bewilderment until Chelsea finally shouted what was on everyone's mind. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?" B Qrow couldn't help but sigh at the sight of him. It was way too much for him to comprehend and unscrewed the cap of his flask to take another drink from it. "Hey, buddy." Qrow stopped drinking and looked at the other Leone and co sitting on the couch and leered at him. "Think you can pass that along to me? Because I kinda need it to process WHAT THE HELL I'M SEEING HERE!"The older Leone and her group stared back at Ruby and the others standing in front and around them. Meanwhile, upon their arrival, Esdeath bolted to the kitchen out of fear and flipped the table on its side as a cover so she wouldn't be attacked again. Carla was rather impressed with the people she was looking at. "This is quite the colorful bunch here, huh?"Wendy meekly nodded in agreement. "Y-Yeah." She felt a little nervous since so many people looking at her.Everyone else in the room was just as confused as Leone, Mine, and Wave were when they saw the other Leone and others. All Yang could do was chuckle awkwardly and rub the back of her head. "So…this is something, huh?"Weiss was trying to fathom what she was seeing before her. "How in the world are there two Leones?"The younger Leone took a slight offense to that. "She's not me. She's gotta be some kind of imposter or something." She glared at her older doppelganger. "So, tell me, who the hell are you!?"Her older version glared back. "Who the hell am I? Who the hell are you and why do you look like a younger half transformed version of me?!"Chelsea shared the mutual feeling. "I'd like to know the same since I'm looking at a younger version of myself which is kinda creepy, really." Her attention slightly turned to Taeko and felt a small pain in her heart. "Taeko…"Chelsea's younger self could say the same. "Join the club. It's weird seeing an older version of myself."Speaking of alternate versions, Akame was surprised to see a slightly older-looking version of Kurome. Even more surprising was seeing Cornelia again but not as an apparition from when she went insane before or a manifestation. However, she could still sense that this Cornelia was different from the one she knew from before. Speaking of Cornelia, she noticed some differences between the two Leones. "Now that I look at the older Leone, she doesn't have the long hair and lion ears our Leone has. I think I remember Leone telling us she was a human in her world before coming to ours. Maybe this is what Leone looked like as a human. But, if that's true, why is she still a human in our world?" Cornelia's attention turned to Akame next. "And this is Akame, but her markings are visible."The older Leone crossed her arms underneath her breasts and stared disapprovingly at her younger self. "Okay, if you say you're me, then prove it! What's the one thing that I only know that no one else does?"The Faunus Leone was taken aback by her older counterpart's challenge and closed her eyes to think about what she would know. Then she opened her eyes when a thought came. "Okay, I got it." The younger Leone slowly walked up to her older counterpart and her face neared the other Leone's ear. She whispered quietly into her and the older Leone instantly blushed out of embarrassment. Faunus Leone moved back and smiled at her older counterpart's reaction. "Looks like I hit the mark."Chelsea, Akame, and everyone else wondered what Faunus Leone said to make her older counterpart blush so much. Among them all, Wendy was the only one who was confused by what she heard. "What was that about playing with her own tail?"While the older Leone sighed in defeat, Mine had thought an alternative in proving they were the same person. "There was an actual easier way." Both Leones looked at Mine with a puzzled expression. "Your aura." Now that Mine mentioned it, it was very obvious. "Look, everyone's aura is different. Even comparing children with their parents, their auras are all different. Except in this case…" She sensed both Leones' aura. "Both of your auras are the same. So, it's safe to say that even if you two look different, it's without a doubt you're the same person." While that was true, Mine also knew there was another exception to that rule. "And it's also apparent the Maidens also share similar auras to each other. At least that's what I heard of from the others." The two Leones looked at each other. Even if they were the same person, Mine had also noticed a major difference between them. "They may be the same person, which is still unbelievable, this older Leone's aura is majorly stronger than the one I know. And it's just not her." Her attention went to Akame and Chelsea. "Their aura is also incredibly strong. Stronger than the Akame and Chelsea I know. Also…" Her attention focused on Wendy. "What is it with this kid? Her aura is insanely strong. On top of that, why is a kid hanging out with them?""Mine has a point." Everyone turned their attention to Akame. "Even if the two Leones here are the same, I have noticed some differences among the rest of you. Take the two Chelseas for example. They look similar but their aura feels different from each other. The same can be said for Kurome here and Cornelia.""Taeko too," Chelsea added.Ren thought that was very interesting learning about their aura. At this point, Rienna got the gist of the situation. "So, since both Leones' aura are the same, we can assume the Akame and Chelsea here are the same person?""I'd say so." Kurome agreed. "This Akame here may be a different one, but her aura does feel the same as the Akame we know. As for the Chelsea with them, we can assume yes since she's with them." The older Chelsea didn't know how to feel being validated by Kurome of all people."And that's what's weird," Mine spoke.The older Chelsea raised an eyebrow at Mine. "And what's weird about that?"Mine narrowed her eyes at the older Chelsea. "Because the last time we saw you, we learned your decapitated head put on a pike of a building!"Her comment made the older Chelsea gasp and her eyes widened in shock. Akame, the older Leone, and Wendy had the same reaction. Chelsea's face relaxed and chuckled for some reason. "Let me guess. That happened on Romani Road, didn't it?""It did." Mine replied.Chelsea sighed as she lowered her head. "So, that's what would've happened if I decided to go after Kurome. Now I really feel like I dodged one hell of a bullet there."Her comment left Mine and the younger Leone a little confused. "Wait, you didn't go after Kurome?"Chelsea lifted her head to look at Mine. "I did think about it, but I changed my mind at the last second."That explained why the Chelsea they knew was still alive. But what prompted her to change her mind is what Mine wanted to know. "Speaking of being surprised," The older Leone spoke. "It's surprising to see you here, Mine. Then again, you're probably a different Mine than the one we know, but still. I figured you and Tatsumi would have a couple of kids by now."Her comment left Mine speechless for a few seconds and the younger Leone had a surprised expression. Mine shook off her shock and needed to hear what the older Leone had said. "What did you say?"The older Leone didn't know what spooked Mine in the first place, so she repeated what she said again. "That you and Tatsumi would have kids-""Tatsumi's alive!?"Now the older Leone was further confused by Mine's reaction. "Yeah, why wouldn't he be? Tatsumi, Lubb, and Su are alive. Kurome and Run too.""Kurome's alive too?!" Now Wave shared the same surprised look as Mine and Leone.Now the other group was confused by their reactions. "Okay, what's going on here? Why are you so surprised that they're alive?" Chelsea asked.The younger Leone lowered head and clenched her tightly as she did with her teeth. "Because they're all dead." This time, the other gasped in shock at what they heard. "Su sacrificed his life in trying to help us escape from Esdeath back at the Path of Peace Headquarters. Lubbock didn't make it when he and Tatsumi were captured. And Tatsumi…he died during the final battle." Hearing this came crashing down on the other group. Now they understood why the others were surprised by how everybody they knew survived. Especially Wendy."And…what about Kurome?" Akame asked.Wave lowered his head as well at her answer. "She was killed by Akame. The one we know and Run died during their confrontation of Wild Hunt." Akame was deeply shaken learning what happened to her sister. It appeared she'd really did set out what she had originally planned to do when meeting with Kurome again. They were also surprised that Run didn't make it from when he and Kurome faced against Wild Hunt."Interesting."Everyone turned their attention to Taeko. "What's interesting?" Jaune asked.Taeko looked at both groups. "From what we learned from the Leone and others we know, all of their friends died. And yet, from the other group, we now know that they all survived. As far as we know, there are two very different outcomes from this."Blake raised an eyebrow at what Taeko was saying. "What are you getting at?"Taeko lightly touched her chin and looked at everyone. "Have you ever heard of the Multi-Verse Theory?"Both Leones looked at Taeko while having the same confused expression on their faces. "Multi what now?" They spoke in unison with and it became more apparent they were the same person."The Multi-Verse Theory," Taeko spoke again. "Take the universe we live in. In its eternity, it's just one but there can exist countless others just like ours with either small differences or major differences, all with different outcomes."The younger Chelsea thought of an idea. "So, if that's true, then maybe there's a universe where… I don't know, Ruby becoming some sort of goddess or Esdeath having her own harem?" Now that she brought it up, Ruby tried to imagine what she'd look like as a goddess. Where she'd got the idea of Esdeath having her own harem, everyone had no idea.Takeo just sighed while closing her eyes. "As absurd as that sounds, it is possible." She opened her eyes again. "Anyway, a prime example is what we just learned. One side had lost all their friends while the other had theirs survive. The Chelsea they know is another example of that given what we heard before. It's fascinating. If this proves the theory, then maybe it's possible…" She started to mumble to herself.The younger Chelsea couldn't help but laugh at how intensely focused her friend was. "Right, when something really interest's Taeko, she tends to go on ramblings like this.""AHHHH!" Everyone turned to the older Leone who clutched her head while scratching it furiously. "COME THE HELL ON!""Is everything alright, Leone?" Akame asked.The older Leone stopped scratching her head and sighed as she put her arms down. "No. I mean, I just got used to the idea of different worlds. Now I gotta get used to knowing there are different universes too!?"The older Chelsea shared Leone's sentiment. "I know what you mean. It does seem a lot take, and it sounds crazy." She looked over at Wendy. "I bet this is a lot more to take in for you, huh Wendy?"Wendy chuckled nervously as a response. "Just a little."Carla took this a little more seriously. "If what that girl said is true, then maybe this theory applies to our world as well."Wendy looked at her friend with an astounded expression. "You really think so, Carla?"Now that they thought about it, everyone thought it was strange that a couple of kids was with the older Leone and her group. Oscar was the one that brought up the question on everyone's mind. "I hope I'm not coming off as rude, but why are you two with them? It seems kinda strange and out of place."Esren had something else to add to Oscar's question. "On top of that, you said briefly mentioned 'your world'. Are you not from the same world as they are?" He gestured at the older Leone and her group.The older Leone laughed at his question and smiled at them. "You see, the thing about that is…Wendy and Carla here aren't from our world. They're from an entirely different world."The entire room went silent for several seconds before everyone else shouted the exact same reaction. "HUH!?" A/N: And, for the first time ever, insert RWBY song Armed and Ready as the fifth and special ending song. Now, for some bad news. This'll be the last update I'll do for this story for a LONG while because this WILL spoil a lot of things I've yet to get to in Assassins of Fairy Tail. Hell, I think I revealed a little more then I should've in this chapter. I apologize, but if I get to that certain point of where it spoils, I'll update this story again. Also, disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill, RWBY, and/or Fairy Tail . They belong to their original owners. A/N 2: Assassins of Fairy Tail is up right now if you want to avoid spoilers if you care. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: First off, let me just say thank you all for your patience and for putting up with me. As promised, here's the next chapter of A New Beginning and as I've stressed this before immensely, this chapter will spoil what's to come in Assassins of Fairy Tail and probably the rest in this special Vol. With all that being said, and with all the warnings, let us all finally, finally continue. Speaking of warnings... WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! FROM THIS POINT ON, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS OF EVENTS AND INTERACTIONS YET TO COME FROM ASSASSINS OF FAIRY TAIL THROUGHOUT THIS SPECIAL VOL. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE WARNING HAS CONCLUDED. A New Beginning: Vol Special Part TwoAcross WorldsKill Eighty Five: Repaying the DebtAs peace was slowly returning to the Kingdom of Fiore, so was the way of life for the towns and the people. Such can be said the same for the town of Magnolia. And for the Fairy Tail guild. "You damn melting popsicle!""Least I'm not some half-ass spark!"Or as close to peace with Gray and Natsu at each other's throats yet again. All Lucy could do was sigh as she once again sees the two brawling and felt another headache coming. "Come on, guys. It's too early for this." Her words fell on deaf ears as the two wizards started pummeling each other again and continue to poorly insult each other.Not far from where the brawl was, Wendy, Carla, Leone, Akame, and Chelsea were all sitting at one of the tables enjoying their breakfast. Chelsea took a sip of her orange choice while watching the brawl. "It's so weird how things are back to normal considering the war ended like a month ago."Leone was looking at a brochure of restaurants and agreed with the other girl's statement. "It really does feel weird. It doesn't seem like that long ago we were at war with Alverez and fighting for our lives." She found a particular section that caught her attention. "What about here, Akame? This place serves some good fish and the scenery is pretty."Akame leaned toward Leone to take a look at the brochure. "I think that's a fine place to go."Leone smiled at Akame's words and her eyes trailed along with the markings on Akame's body and there was a hint of worry in her eyes. "How are you feeling?"Akame drew back and sighed. "I keep telling you, I'm fine. If I feel any abnormalities, I'll let you know."This wasn't the first time Akame had told the older girl about her new condition, but Leone couldn't help but worry, "I know, I know. It's just...we still don't know any of the side effects Murasame's Trump Card has done to you."Carla took a sip of her morning tea. "As far as we know, the only thing that's changed about Akame is her eating habits. I think that's hardly a cause for concern." She was right as Akame was eating less than she normally would."If that's the only side effect Akame is suffering, I think you can relax a little," Chelsea commented.That didn't ease Leone's doubts. "Yeah, but-""Leone..." Leone felt Akame place her hand over hers and they looked at each other. Akame gave her a reassuring smile. "As I keep telling you, I'm fine. As the others pointed out, I think it's just my appetite that's changed. We've sparred more than enough times to know that there doesn't seem to be any change in my physical abilities. So, please, you don't have to worry."If there was one weakness Leone had, it was the look Akame was giving her and she couldn't help but sigh and slightly look away. "I just can't help but worry, okay?"Carla took another sip of her tea. "My goodness, I never would've thought of you as the worrying type."Wendy couldn't help but giggle. After the war, Akame and Leone have been going on dates and have spent more time with each other. They've gotten much closer as a result. Speaking of couples... "By the way, Wendy, how's Chelia doing?" Leone asked.The young dragon slayer perked a little. "She's doing fine. She's helping out Lamia Scale by being a server to the guild members." Ever since Chelia lost her magic back when she and Wendy fought Dimaria, she's been finding other ways to help out the Lamia Scale guild. Though Chelia was told she may never use magic again, that didn't stop her at least trying. Wendy always saw that and encouraged her."I gotta say, Chelia giving up her magic for you is something else. While it does suck, it does show how much she loves you. You really did find someone special, Wendy." Chelsea took another sip of her juice.Since they were on the topic of relationships, now was a good a time as any for Leone to drop a small bomb on her friend. "Hey, speaking of special someones, when are you going to ask Lisanna out?"Leone's question caused Chelsea to spit out her juice and cough a few times. She finally regained her composure and turned her attention to Leone looking flustered. "Where did that come from all of a sudden?!"Leone giggled as she smirked at the other girl. "Because we have a bet going on. It's whether you asked Lisanna out this month or the month after."Chelsea became slightly annoyed after hearing that. "Who the hell came up with a bet like that!?""Believe it or not, it was Mira," Carla answered.That was certainly not the answer Chelsea was expecting to hear. All she could do was sigh. "Really?""I mean, it's clear you two have something for each other. Like how you two were holding hands after Wendy and the others came out that space-time hole thing back in Hargeon."Chelsea sighed in frustration this time. "Okay, If you want the truth, I'm trying to find the right time. And trying to work up the courage."Akame raised an eyebrow at that. "Why is that? I'm sure Lisanna would happily accept you."Chelsea responded by laughing nervously. "It's not the rejection I'm afraid of. It's her family. I know Elfman's a nice guy, but I'm pretty sure he can crush me. And I've seen Mira's new Satan Soul form. As far as I know, there's only two I'm afraid of; Granny Babara, and Mira."Leone couldn't help but laugh at Chelsea's worries. "We all know you wouldn't treat Lisanna badly so you don't have to worry about that. And what, Esdeath and Erza don't count as scary people to you?""I'd rather fight them together than fight Granny! Or Mira!" Akame giggled a little. She'd really like to hear more stories of the famous Babara Oarburgh from Chelsea since she was with her for a long time."THAT'S ENOUGH OUT OF YOU TWO!" The group heard a loud crash and turned to see Erza standing above Natsu and Gray who were lying on the ground with large bumps on their heads.Lucy was relieved once again. "Thank you, Erza."Happy walked up to Natsu. "You okay, Natsu?" His only response was a groan.Juvia wasted no time rushing over to Gray's side and held him gently. "It'll be alright, my love. Your precious Juvia will heal you." Her response was also a groan.Leone laughed at the sight until all of them heard the doors to the guild squeak open. All of them turned to the entrance to see a small, elderly woman with a wooden cane enter and walk slowly toward them. Very slowly. Lucy looked at the old woman curiously. "Is there something we can help you with, ma'am?"The old woman stopped and looked around the guild with her closed eyes. "Yes. Is this the guild, uh...oh, consarn it, what the name again?" It took her a few seconds to remember what she was going to ask. "Oh! Gary Smell?"The guild members stared at the elderly woman blankly. Happy raise his paw at her. "Do you mean Fairy Tail?"The old woman looked at him with a confused expression. "Isn't that what I asked? Anyway, I'm looking for certain people you might have here. I believe their names were...uh, consarn it, what were they again?" Again, it took her a few seconds to remember what she needed to ask. "Oh, yes. I'm looking for...Wendell, Akabe, Leon, and Charlie."The guild members continued to stare at the old lady blankly. This time, Carla raised her paw at her. "Do you mean Wendy, Akame, Leone, and Chelsea?"The old lady tilted her head in confusion. "Isn't that what I asked?"Laxus, who was present, walked up to the elderly woman and stopped in front of her. "I'm the guild master of Fairy Tail, Laxus. Do you have a request for us?"The old lady smiled at the Lightning Dragon slayer. "Ah, yes. You see, I have a group of little ones who would like to see magic and I would very much like these people to show them."A reasonable request, but Chelsea couldn't help but question it. "Okay, but why request us? You can choose anyone in the guild and they can do the job all the same."The old lady laughed heartily. "Because I heard you four have a peculiar kind of magic and I think the little ones would enjoy that more."Chelsea eyed the old woman curiously. "Is that so?"Leone didn't seem to mind and happily raised her arm. "Sure, we'll take the job! When do we go?"The old lady smiled at Leone's enthusiasm. "We can depart right now. We must hurry as time waits for no one." She turned around and started to move. Very slowly. She shuffled a few inches while moving her cane forward. Everyone in the guild wondered how long it took her to reach the guild in the first place."You know what, maybe I should carry you instead." Leone offered.The old lady stopped and looked back at the blonde and smiled at her. "Why, thank you for offering, Charlie.""That's not even close to the wrong name!" B "Ah, this is nice. Thank you so much for doing this, Charlie.""That's still the wrong name and still not my name."Leone and co were walking up a small mountain path surrounding by a lush green forest. Leone was carrying the old lady on her back while the others trailed behind. While everything seemed okay, something was still bothering Chelsea. "So, why are we going up a mountain path for some kids? What, she couldn't meet them up somewhere like a lake or something?"Carla shared the same thoughts and feelings. "It does seem a little out of the way."Throughout the entire journey, Akame couldn't help but be suspicious of their client. "Something doesn't feel right about this.""What do you mean?" Wendy asked.Akame continued to study the old woman. "How is it she knows what magic we use? As far as we know, no one else but a few of our friends knows about it.""Maybe they talked about them during one of their jobs?" Wendy guessed. It was a good guess, but it was barely plausible to Akame. A month was barely enough time for their magic to be known to other people. She couldn't place it, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about their client.The group arrived at the top of a cliff overlooking the forest. Leone walked into the center and looked around the area. "So, where are the kids?""Oh, you'll meet them soon enough. Now, can you be as so kind to let me down, Charlie?" At this point, Leone gave up on trying to correct their client. She lowered herself and the old lady hopped down. She walked slowly to the edge of the cliff and thankfully stopped and looked at the vast forest below in front. Wendy and the rest walked up behind Leone and stood all together while wondering how long they had to wait to meet these kids the old lady was talking about. "Now then..." The wind blew softly through them and something about it seemed off about it to Wendy. The old woman turned around to the group. "The time has come for you to repay your debt." The old lady spoke in a much younger, mysterious voice.Wendy gasped as her eyes widened in shock. Before anyone could do something, the mysterious lady turned around opened her eyes to reveal they were pure white. She stretched out her opened hand and a bright, blue light emitted from it. It quickly spread throughout the whole area and enveloped Wendy and the others. They had to cover their eyes with their arms. "I can't see!""What the hell is going on!?""What is this!?""Who are you!?"The mysterious woman didn't reply and a pillar of light shot out into the sky. The bright light lingered around for longer than the whole group would've liked and started to dim. Once it vanished entirely, the group lowered their arms and opened their eyes. They noticed two things; the mysterious old woman was no longer standing in front of them and they were not in the same location they once were in. They were in an open plain now and Leone and the others were shaken up by what just happened. "Where the hell did that old go? And what the hell did she do!?"Carla scanned the area. "It seems like she teleported us. To where is the question." To find the answer, Carla sprouted her wings and flew up into the sky to get a better grasp of where they are. She looked around and gasped in shock at what she saw in the distance.Thanks to her hearing, Wendy heard it. "What is it, Carla? Did you find something?" Wendy didn't know the half it. Carla was right the mysterious woman teleported them. However, where they were was another thing since she saw a towering city surrounded by mountains and has a waterfall. B Thanks to Chelsea's teleport magic, the group managed to reach the bottom outskirts of the city Carla saw. As they were now closer to the city, they were in awe at the sheer size of the city up close. However, the village they were in felt the complete opposite. It seemed...sad. Seeing such a sight was depressing to Chelsea. "Well, this place looks like it's seen better days."Leone scoffed at that. "Still an improvement over the slums I used to live in back at the Capital." While walking, she was still trying to figure out who or what the old lady really was. "Just what was up with that old hag before? Who or what the hell was she? More importantly, was that whole getting our names wrong thing just an act!?" That fact alone annoyed Leone more than anything.Chelsea pondered further about their so-called client. "There really wasn't anything out of the ordinary with her. I mean, there was something weird about her, but I chalked that up of her being an old lady. Even her aura seemed normal. And yet, nothing about this makes sense." Everyone agreed with that notion.While continuing to walk through the village, Carla recognized the look Wendy had when something was bothering her. "Is there something the matter, Wendy? You've been quiet this whole time."Wendy hugged Carla closer and stopped walking. The other girls noticed it and stopped walking as well and turned to the young dragon slayer. Like Carla, they could tell something was bothering her. "Well, it may sound crazy, but..." She raised her head to look at the other girls. "I believe heard that voice before."Chelsea and the others had a mix of shock and confused reactions. "Wait, really? If that's true, when and where did this happen?"Wendy thought back to when she first heard the voice. "It was after when Erza, Carla, and I were separated from everyone else..." F "Wendy, Wendy, please no!" Located in a large, unknown grassy area, Carla, in her cat-girl transformed state, was frantically performing chest compressions with an expression that matched what she was currently feeling. Wendy's face was pale and her lips were blue. How Wendy ended up this condition was a mix of taking an unfathomable amount of damage from fighting a frighteningly powerful foe, fighting a past fallen enemy shortly after while her body had far exceeded its limits, and suddenly transported to a different location from where they originally were while trying to recover. All of this came at a grave price of her very nearly losing her life. Something Carla was desperately trying to prevent. However, it seemed like her efforts were all becoming in vain. "You can't, Wendy! You can't leave me! You can't leave all of us! We all need you! You can't die!" Carla closed her eyes tightly "WEEEENDY!" Her cry echoed throughout the night sky.As if on cue, Wendy opened her eyes and took in a deep breath before suddenly sitting up and coughing violently. Carla immediately retracted her arms away from her friend, wondering if what she was seeing was actually real. "Wendy?"Wendy coughed a few more times before able to breathe properly. And that one of the things that confused her. The last thing she remembered was Chelia running up to her and she wanted to apologize for how she treated the former Sky God slayer before blacking out. Not only was she breathing correctly, it felt like all the pain, all the exhaustion, all her injuries she had before went away. By all means, she shouldn't have recovered this quickly. Or perhaps miraculously was the right word for this situation because this time it felt like she was closer to death than she was after her battle with Esdeath at the Capital. The question now was how was she able to recover from such drastic conditions? "You still have a role to fulfill."Wendy quietly gasped when she heard a woman's voice. Even with her hearing, it sounded like it came from all around her. She finally turned to Carla who had tears coming out of her eyes. "Carla-""WENDY!" Carla threw herself at the young dragon slayer and hugged her tightly. "You're okay! You're alive!"Alive. It almost felt like Wendy shouldn't be alive right about now. Taking an entire life's worth of damage done to her all at once, her leg pierced, and the added pain of using her Imperial Arms in her damaged condition, all of that would've been too much for her to handle. And yet, here she was, wounds all healed and feeling re-energized. Out of all the questions she had about this, the most prevalent one was who was responsible for this? Since Chelia had lost her magic for her sake, she was the only one who could perform healing magic. So, who could've had the capabilities of healing such grave injuries? "You will repay your debt when the time comes."Hearing that voice again, Wendy was now certain someone was speaking to her. It seemed like telepathy magic, yet there was something off about it that she couldn't quite put it. "Carla..." Once Carla heard Wendy speak to her, she removed herself from her friend but refused to let go of the other girl's shoulders. "Did you hear a voice just now?"Carla tilted her head in confusion. "I did not. Why do you ask?"Before Wendy could speak again, both girls heard a noise not too far from them and they both turned to see Erza sitting up with one of her hands touching her forehead. "What happened?""ERZA!"Erza quickly turned to Wendy and Carla and was surprised to see them. "Wendy? And Carla?"After Carla transformed back into her cat form, she informed Erza what had happened at Hargeon and how they ended up in the situation they're in now. Erza understood clearly. "I see. So, we were able to take back Hargeon but then this light appeared in the sky, and from what I can gather, we're separated from everyone else." If that was the case, then Erza thought Jellal must've ended up in a completely different location as well.Like Wendy, Carla was puzzled by how Erza was able to make a complete recovery. "Just how did you recover from your injuries? You, Wendy, and Laxus were the only ones among us that suffered such critical and heavy damage. In fact, out of all three of you, Laxus had the least severe injuries."Carla brought up a good point and Erza looked at her hand closely. It was strange she was able to make a full recovery after taking such an intense amount of pain from Kyouka drastically increasing her sense of pain. And that was only one of the reasons responsible for her to end up in her previous position. Wendy couldn't help but have a feeling that whatever or whoever healed her, healed Erza as well. For what reason, she still didn't have a clue. Speaking of not having a clue, she and the others had no idea what their next course of action would be. "I suppose our top priority is to find the others. If we're separated, then it makes sense our enemies are also affected by this. We have to regroup before they locate the First Master and take the Fairy Heart."It was easier said than done as they have no idea where they are, where their friends were or the guild. "There must be a way for us to look for the others. But they could be anywhere for all we know." Carla was worried about how they'll be able to find their friends."The guild is this way."All three girls were surprised to hear a voice in their heads. It wasn't the same voice Wendy heard before since this voice sounded like a young girl. "Who was that?" "Make for the guild! Everyone! You must gather at once! You've all been separated due to the enemy's magic, but now is the time to act as one!" Carla turned in the direction where they were hearing the voice. "It sounds like it's coming from this way.""Mavis is in a lot of trouble! She is like a mother-like figure to all of you! Head towards the guild and make haste! Return to the guild, to Mavis's side, and protect her!""It seems this voice is guiding us to the guild. For better or for worse, it does seem to be our only lead." Carla assumed.Erza thought this was a little too convenient for them. "We should be careful. For all we know, this could be a trap laid out by the enemy." "You don't do this much, do you? You're far too high-handed. Next time, you might want to try injecting a bit of charm and delicacy along with your message." "Is that Gajeel?" Wendy wondered."I'm starting to wonder if you're really friends with the First.""I believe it is," Carla confirmed confidently.Erza smiled as any doubt she had was gone. "If Gajeel is with this girl, then I can believe the voice that's with him. We have to reconvene with everyone else as soon as possible."Wendy and Carla both nodded in agreement. Wendy spread out Mastema's wings. "Carla, can you carry Erza?""I'm capable of flying on my own." Erza pointed out."Yes, but I'm capable of keeping up with Wendy when she uses Mastema. Also, you need to save up as much magic power as you can for the fights ahead. I have a feeling they'll be very difficult." With a point like that, Erza understood and allowed Carla to carry her. Once Carla's wings sprouted, all three took to the sky and flew as fast as they could in the direction of where their guild was. F "And that's when you and Erza showed up just in time to give us air support," Chelsea spoke and Wendy nodded. This wasn't the first time Leone heard Wendy saying she heard a voice talking about a debt to be repaid. She told her about it just right after her confrontation with Esdeath but now she heard the full story in detail.With everything explained, Chelsea couldn't help but sigh in frustration. "Okay, let's say the old lady is the voice you heard before, why involve the rest of us? Sure, we had some close calls, but none of them were as bad as Wendy's.""Perhaps it's because we all use Imperial Arms Magic?" Akame guessed.It was a good guess, but Leone had a feeling it was more than that. "Nah, it's gotta something else.""Maybe it's because we all went through the Other Gateway? That's the only other thing we have in common. Though, I guess it's also because we all share a close bond with Wendy. Some more than others." Chelsea looked over in Leone's direction.Leone narrowed her eyes back at Chelsea. "Hey, you're just as guilty as me in that category. But I think you do have point in your last guess. It can't be the Other Gateway because Sting and the others used it too. I don't see them standing around in a depressing neighborhood like this."They all tried to connect the dots, but nothing came to them. "I do have one thing to add," Carla spoke. Everyone turned their attention to the Exceed. "Though it was short, the light that woman emitted from her looked exactly like the light the Other Gateway had when it pulled Wendy in."A small detail, but it was enough to warrant reactions from Leone and the other girls. "Wait, so does that mean that old lady has something to do with the Other Gateway?""And if that's true, then we're not just in another location we're not familiar of. We might be in an entirely different world." Akame surmised.If that was true, then at least Chelsea saw a bright side. "If that light the old lady had was the same as the Other Gateway, it's safe to assume we can use our magic in this world. I mean, that was kinda obvious with Carla flying before and me teleporting us here. Though, I think it's a good idea that we shouldn't stick around too long. The last thing we need is all of us catching Magic Deficiency Disease." Everyone agreed with that. The only questions left unanswered were how was the old woman connected to the Other Gateway and was she the one who spoke to Wendy before? More importantly, how'll they find their way back to Earthland? Unfortunately, they'll have to find the answers at a later time."We should find a place where we can gather information," Akame suggested.Carla nodded in agreement. "Yes, we should and quickly."Thankfully, Leone had a good idea of where to obtain some information. "There's gotta be a dive around here somewhere." She looked around and saw a person sitting on the ground against a wall.Leone walked up to the person and when she approached him, he looked up with tired eyes. "Go away. I don't have any money to give."Leone gave him a smirk. "I'm not here to ask for money. Do you know the local dive is around here?"The man scoffed at her but she wasn't doing any harm. "Yeah, I know a bar around here." He pointed in the direction she needed to hear. "Just head over there. You'll find the bar there."Leone looked over at the direction the man was pointing at and then back to him. She slightly bowed to him. "Thanks a lot. You've been a big help." The man just grunted and waved his hand at the blonde. Leone walked back to the group and rejoined them. "We'll be heading that way." She gestured in the direction they'll be going.All of them walked in the direction where this bar was with Leone leading the group. As the man before said, they managed to see a bar up ahead. Or at least what passes as a bar to Leone. All of them stopped in front of the entrance and Chelsea noticed a sign. "No Faunus allowed. What's a Faunus? Something animal-related maybe?"Leone just shrugged at the question. "Beats me, but I know we're not them. I'll head in and see what info I can find. All of you stay right here." Leone approached the door and slide it open. Once she was inside, she closed the door and sure enough, the smell of booze was prevalent throughout the air. It seemed no one was in and there was only the bartender standing behind the counter busy carving a piece of wood. She walked up to the counter and gave the bartender a cheerful smile. "Hiya, pal! I was wondering if you can answer a few questions."The bartender stopped carving and looked at Leone with a nasty glare. "What the hell are you doing back here? I already gave your answers, so beat it."Leone immediately became confused by his attitude toward her. "Uh, buddy, this is the first time we're talking to each other. Also, the attitude is unwanted."The bartender scoffed and continued to glare at her. "Playing dumb won't work on me. I gave you your answers so get out. And I am not your buddy."Leone wasn't here for five minutes and already the bartender was getting on her nerves. "Refresh my memory then and I'll get out of your hair."The bartender refused and pointed his knife at Leone. "I'm not telling you crap. Last warning or else." She may be a Faunus he didn't want to mess with, but he wasn't a fan of this little game she was playing.Leone looked at the knife for a few seconds before looking at the bartender again. "Are you threatening me?"The bartender narrowed his eyes at Leone. "I'll do a lot more than threaten if you don't get your ass out of here."Naturally, Leone didn't feel threatened at all by the Bartender. "Huh."Meanwhile, outside of the dive, Akame, Chelsea, Wendy, and Carla were leaning against the wall next to the door. "I give it less than five minutes." Chelsea bargained. Not too long after she said that, all of them heard crashes and noises coming from inside the dive. "Okay, make that less than two minutes."The door to the dive broke when Leone threw the bartender. He screamed before crashing to the ground face first. Leone, in her beast form now, flew out of the dive and landed on the bartender. He cried out in pain while she put him in a hold he couldn't escape from. "You bitch! My place isn't even insured!"Leone tightened her hold on the bartender. "Well, you should've thought of that before you decided it was a good idea to point your knife at me." She looked back at Akame. "Akame, think you can tie this guy up for me?"Akame walked away from the wall and stopped. She put her hands together. "Shadow-Make: Shadow Bindings." Long shadow tendrils emerged from Akame's shadow and they stretched toward the bartender. They emerged from the ground and wrapped around his body tightly. Once secured, Leone got off him.The bartender tried to struggle free but to no avail. "W-What is this?!""Okay, buddy..." The bartender looked up at Leone. "Let's try this again. Where are we, what is this place, how does it work, and where can we find some help?"The bartender growled at Leone. "I already told you that so let me go!"Leone sighed and she rolled her eyes. She kneeled next to the bartender and grabbed his ring finger. "Wait what are you-" She pulled the finger all the way back and he cried out in pain. "I'll ask again nicely. You either give me the information I so politely asked for or I'll break your fucking wrist next and you're going have to learn how to make whatever crap drinks you serve one-handed in that piece of shit place you call a bar!"The bartender breathed heavily and fearfully. "You're in Mistral, okay! The higher you go on the elevator, the nicer the place gets. Haven Academy is at the top, but it was recently attacked! That's all, I swear!"Leone smiled at the answers the bartender gave her. She looked over at Akame nodded at her. Akame released her magic. "Thank you." Leone patted the side of his face. "See what happens when you cooperate?" She grabbed his ring finger and straightened it out, much to his pain. She stood up and turned to the rest of the group. "Hey, Wendy, think you can heal his finger up?" Wendy nodded and she ran up to the captive bartender. She set Carla down and kneeled next to him. She placed her hands next to his ring fingers and they started to glow. In the next few seconds, the pain he felt before was suddenly gone.Wendy stood up and Leone took that as a sign and gestured at Akame. She understood and released her magic holding him. He groaned as he started to sand up. Leone paid him no mind now. "Alright, you heard him. Let's head up in this place." She walked away with Akame, and Chelsea following in two. As they passed the bartender who was rubbing his finger and was still astounded that his pain went away like that, Wendy walked in front of him and turned around to face him. "I'm sorry about what she did to you. She really is a nice person." She bowed politely to him before picking Carla up and running to catch up with the others.The bartender watched as the group walked away from him. He looked at his finger, confounded by what happened. "What did the kid do? Some kind of healing semblance or something?" He looked back at Leone. "Also, what was up with that girl? It's like she became a different person." As he continued to look at Leone, he noticed that her hair became shorter and her lion ears disappeared. Seeing that puzzled him further. "Has she always done that?" He decided not to question it further and sigh. "I'll never understand Faunus." B As the bartender described, Leone and co traveled up this Mistral city, and sure enough, the higher they went, the nice it looked. By the time they're almost at the top, it seemed like a completely different place compared to what they saw at the bottom. Needless to say, Leone was very impressed by what she was seeing. "Man, this reminds me of the red light district from the Captial, only less sleazy.""It's definitely impressive," Chelsea spoke. "It defiantly has a feeling similar to the Captial and aside from Crocus, there isn't anything else near like this back in Fiore."While walking through the crowds, Akame did notice some residents looked slightly different from others. "It seems some of the people have animalistic traits from cat ears to a tail, or something else animal-related. I wonder if these are the Faunus that sign referred to."If they were, that gave Leone a good idea. "Hey, Carla, why don't transform into your human form? If this is the norm in this world, then it should work for you too."Carla had no obligations with the idea. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt, but I believe it'd be best I transform somewhere I can't be seen." That was a good idea. People would start asking questions as to why a cat suddenly transformed into a human. Wendy looked around and saw a dark alley not too far away from them. She ran toward the ally and entered it. A few seconds later, she and Carla emerged from it with Carla in her human form now.The group continued to walk through the crowd and taking in the sights. When they passed by a television store, Wendy stopped and became immediately interested in the TV sets. The others stopped and noticed that she was looking at something. "What are you looking at, Wendy?" Leone asked. She looked at the same thing Wendy was looking for and raised an eyebrow. "What the hell are these things?"Akame was equally as confused as Leone. "They look like lacrima yet they seem to be more advanced."Chelsea leaned forward a little bit toward the TVs. "How do they fit so many people inside this thing?"The screen changed and it showed two people, a human woman and a man with deer antlers wearing suits, and were sitting behind a desk. "Hello, and welcome back to the Mistral News." The deer Faunus news anchor spoke. "Today marks a week since the White Fang's attempted assault on Haven Academy." A picture of Haven appeared next to his head."Hey, it's the place that guy mentioned before." Leone commented."The assault was prevented thanks to the efforts of the Menagerie Army, led by the Chieftain of Menagerie, Ghira Belladonna." A picture of Ghira appeared next."Furthermore," The newswoman spoke next. "A separate group was caught in the middle of the Menagerie Army stopping the White Fang's plan of attacking Haven Academy. They were all thankfully unharmed. However, there were two casualties with a suspected third. One of the casualties was Haven Academy's headmaster, Leonardo Lionheart," A picture of the former headmaster appeared next to her head. "He was found murdered in his office, and the cause of death seemed he was fatally stabbed." His picture disappeared and was replaced with another. "And the other casualty was one of the White Fang's highest-ranking members, Adam Taurus who led the attempted assault. The cause of death was a fatal stab wound in the chest." His picture went away."Sucks for that guy. He probably deserved it." Leone commented again. "Plus, he looks like an asshole and I'm sure he is one too considering he led the assault. Serves him right being killed.""And there has still been no explanation for the ice storm that mysteriously appeared and surrounded all of Mistral during the time of the assault. Nor the golden wave phenomenon that appeared right before by what people had described as a bestial roar that occurred It is still unconfirmed if the two were related. No causalities have been reported from either as a result of it." The newsman added.Hearing about an ice storm surrounding a city as large as this reminded Wendy and the rest about Esdeath. It sounded like something she could do. What's just as frightening was that there could be a person in this world who's capable of such a feat Esdeath could pull off. As for the golden wave, that struck them as odd as well."With the assault stopped by the Menagerie Army, this could spell the end for the White Fang as many of its members were arrested. Some did comply and they may receive a reduced sentence in exchange. Though, some members still appear to be missing and are at large." The newswoman stated. "However, there is speculation that Ghira Belladonna has plans of retaking the White Fang and becoming its leader once again after stepping down for reasons unknown and returning the group to what it was once was; a group that strives for the equality between the Faunus and the human race through diplomatic means rather than through terrorism.""There are still those involved with assault still at large." Four pictures appeared on the screen that appeared to be mugshots. "These are the four individuals who were involved with the assault; Cinder Fall, Mercury Black, Emerald Sustrai, and Hazel Rainart. A fifth individual was also identified by the group that was involved with the assault." The four pictures vanished and another appeared. As soon as it did, Akame, Leone, and Chelsea all gasped at once when they saw who it was. "The fifth individual involved with the assault is none other than Merraid Lavande, the heiress of Lavande Scents who went missing on the eve of her eighteenth birthday when her home had mysteriously burned down. Five bodies were discovered in the aftermath, all burned away. Dental records revealed they were the bodies of four wealthy heirs and the father of Merraid. However, autopsy reports revealed that the cause of death wasn't the fire, but they were all killed by severe blunt force trauma all over their bodies, with the father having his throat crushed. Many suspected this was either a robbery, attempted kidnapping that went wrong, or a failed assassination. However, none of these had enough evidence to prove it otherwise. Upon further information, Merraid Lavande was accompanied by..." The newsman cleared his throat as if he couldn't believe he had to say this out loud. "Four...maids. This was confirmed by the group who was involved."Akame, Leone Chelsea couldn't help but take a guess of who two of those maids were with Merraid. "Three of the four maids are unnamed, but their descriptions are known." Merraid's mugshot went away and was replaced by three sketches of people once again Akame, Leone, and Chelsea known before. "The first sketch is a young girl in her late teens, short and petite build, tan skin, and blonde hair put in pigtails. The second sketch is a woman appearing in her early twenties, black hair put up in a ponytail, and a noticeable scar across the bridge of her nose. The third sketch is another young girl in her late teens with purple hair put up in pigtails. As for the fourth...maid, we believe she was the suspected third casualty.The only evidence was a massive blood splatter located high against a wall where a crater was also located where the blood was found. The body has yet to be located. We do have a name for the deceased and according to the group that was involved, the identity of the fourth maid is known as Gilberda."All the mugshots that were shown before appeared on the screen. "As of now, these eight individuals remain at large. If any are seen or located, contact, please contact the authorities. They are armed and dangerous."The mugshots went away. "When we come back, we'll head over to the weather forecast to see how the week will be." The broadcast ended and a commercial played.Chelsea blew some air out after feeling a little overwhelmed by what she and the rest had just learned. "Well, that was a hell of an info dump.""It seems this place has had their own slew of problems as of late," Carla spoke.Akame had seen enough and turned away. "Let's go. We can discuss this while walking." She began to walk away and the others followed suit.As they resumed walking through the streets, Chelsea thought to get the obvious out the way first. "So, Merraid, huh? That's something, right? Never thought I'd see her again even in a different world."Leone couldn't agree more, but she did notice a slight difference between the Merraid she saw before and the one she saw on the TV. "Yeah, but didn't it say that her last name was Lavander or something? And that she was like an heiress? Judging from all of that, I say this Merraid is way different than the one you two knew."Chelsea put her arms behind her head. "I'll say. For one, there's no way she would be on a wanted list. Not to mention there is no way in hell she would work alongside guys." She thought about some of the other members in Merraid's clique. "Speaking of Merraid, it's unsurprising that Cassandra is with her but very surprising that two members of the Rakshasa Demons are working under her. And, well, Gilberda...""Saves me the time beating her ass again," Leone spoke. She could still remember her fight against the resurrected maid along with the others. It's not often she faced foes that could match her strength. Especially if they were enchanted."Um..." All three turned their attention toward Wendy. "Who is the Merraid person?""You do seem to know quite a bit about this woman," Carla added.It suddenly dawned on them that they never talked about Merraid to Wendy. Then again, there wasn't a reason to since it was only involved between the three of them. Chelsea thought to finally inform the young dragon slayer. "You can Merraid was my former employer. Before I joined the Revolutionary Army, I was part of a mercenary group called the Oarburgh Clan. I was trained under Babara Oarburgh, who was pretty well known back in her day, alongside her granddaughter and a friend of mine, Taeko. The leader of the clan was Merraid Oarburgh and...well, no other way to put this lightly, she was a lesbian so most of the group was girls who were also maids. The ones who stuck by Merraid the most were Cassandra, who had four arms, and Gilberda who had insane strength. Kinda like Leone but without Lionel. The only guy I know that was with Merraid was her butler, Daniel, and I think she tolerated him. She did throw some insults at him, but I don't think he'd mind."Wendy was impressed to hear Chelsea was with such a group. Then she remembered what Chelsea had told her a long time. "You know, not too long ago when I came back from a mission, I had found out the team I was on before was killed while I was gone.""That was the team you talked about before."Chelsea nodded at that. "It was."That was one question answered, but another remained unanswered. "Then who killed your old team?""It was my father, and the Rakshasa Demons." Wendy and Carla looked over at Akame. "They were the ones who were responsible for eliminating the Oarburgh Clan and I was the one who killed Merraid. The team I was on, the Elite Seven, was also responsible for killing Chelsea's comrades."After hearing that, a metaphorical anvil dropped on Wendy's head as she instantly realized something about Akame and Chelsea, and stopped walking. The others noticed and stopped walking as they turned around to face the young dragon slayer. They saw she had quite the expression of disbelief. "Wait, so does that mean you two were enemies!?"Akame and Chelsea briefly looked at each other before looking at Wendy again with Chelsea smiling at her. "Eh, don't worry about it. It's all water under the bridge at this point. Besides, it's not like Akame and I met each other during all of this."Carla turned her focus on Leone. "Is this surprising for you to learn, Leone?"To her surprise, Leone smiled and shrugged. "I kinda learned about this in a crash course sort of way. But, Akame told me everything on our first date after the war. She told me Merraid was one of the reasons why she defected from the Empire. Among other things too, but we'll get to that later. Come on, let's keep moving." She went on ahead and the rest quickly followed. However, something caught Akame's attention as soon as she smelled something wonderful nearby.With their conversation with Merraid out of the way, they moved on to the next subject which was what to do next now they were in Mistral. "So, I'm guessing going to this Haven Academy is out of the question, I guess we can't exactly go there since the headmaster here or whoever was killed. So, what's our next move?"Carla gave some thought to what they could do next. "Perhaps we should head toward a library. A city as large as this surely must one around."The idea sounded fun for Wendy and giggled a little as she remembered something funny a long time ago. "Hey, it'll be like when we went to the library back at the Captial, Leone."Leone laughed awkwardly at the memory. "Yeah, I remember that was a lot of fun."Chelsea snickered a little. "Yeah, maybe this time you can get through more than half a book," Leone growled at the other girl and threw a nasty glare at her."I suggest we split into two groups. One where we can find a library and learn more about his world, and one to scout the city."Leone was more than happy to take the second option. "I'm for looking around this place more. If I'm lucky, I'll see what kind of bars this place has.""I don't think this world will accept our currency." Carla pointed out.Though the situation may be a bit dire, it was a little exciting to explore an entirely new world. "What do think you'll do, Akame?" Wendy asked. She didn't hear a reply. "Akame?" She looked around in the group and screamed. "Where's Akame!?"The others stopped to look around and all of them now noticed Akame wasn't with them. Leone and the rest looked around the area. "Where the hell did she go?!""She couldn't have gone too far." Chelsea reasoned."We've only been walking a linear path, so we should be able to find her if we trace back." Carla pointed out. Though, alarming, it should be easy enough to find Akame again.Wendy looked back at the street. "I'll go find her." She ran back through the crowd.While Leone was confident that Wendy would find Akame soon, she couldn't help but worry a little about the young dragon slayer. "Maybe I should go with her to help. Don't wait up, you two." She left the group as well and followed Wendy as close as possible. Chelsea and Carla looked at each other for several seconds before looking at the crowded street and followed the previous two girls.Meanwhile, Akame was staring with hungry intent and drooled a little at what she was looking at. It was a bunch of grilled squid on a stick that seemed cooked to perfection. And from the scent she picking up from them, delicious spices must've been added to them. Out of all the food Akame has eaten, grilled squid was among her favorites. She could hear her stomach growling and wanted to buy the whole thing. "Hey there, little lady. You interested in buying?"As much as Akame wanted to buy them all, she was sure she couldn't since she couldn't pay in Jewels. "I wish I could.""Well, I could give one for you for free if you want."Free. Akame could get behind with free. She started to raise her head. "Thank you so mu-" She gasped as soon as she saw who the vendor was.The vendor gave Akame a hearty smile. "No problem miss. Uncle Jamo always aims to please a customer."His compliment didn't reach Akame as she stared at him in disbelief. "One of the Gravekeepers?!"Akame remembered this Gravekeeper member very well since he tied her up with his tenacles. "The tables have turned! Uncle Jamo wins!" How Akame got out of that situation was by literally eating his squid tentacles. He didn't like that too much and fled from her. It wasn't too long after that when he and the rest of the Gravekeepers were all eliminated except for one at the time. The vendor raised an eyebrow as she was looking at him weirdly. "Uh, miss? Are you okay? It's like you've seen a ghost."Akame snapped out of it and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'll be leaving now." She quickly left the stall in a hurry.Jamo became further confused as to why a customer left when he offered something for free. "That was weird. I wonder what was going through that girl's head? Huh, now that I think about it, she does look kinda familiar." He gave it a little more thought and it suddenly hit him. "Oh! She was that girl from the Vytal Festival! If I would've remembered sooner, I would've offered three for her. Maybe then she would've stayed." All in all, he just shrugged and waited for the next customer to come by.As Akame walked through the streets, she was still in a bit of shock from seeing an enemy long dead. "That was most definitely one of the Gravekeepers, but it didn't seem like he remembered me." Akame stopped walked as soon as she noticed Leone and the others weren't around. "Where did everyone go?" She figured they couldn't have gone too far. And if she couldn't find them or vice versa, they could always call each other on their mini-lacrimas. They couldn't have gotten too far so she decided to walk in the same direction the others must've gone. It wasn't too long that she passed by a street intersection. Her thoughts returned to Jamo and more specifically, Merraid. "That's twice now I've seen two people I've met that are dead and are now alive. Then again, Leone said the Merraid we've seen before is a different one, so maybe the Jamo I've seen before is a different one as well. It does make sense since he didn't seem to recognize me." Her mind wandered off to Merraid now and what had this one gotten herself into. "I wonder what made this world's Merraid attack a school of all places? And as Chelsea said before, Merraid would never ally herself with men involved. What could've been so important to attack an academy? And why align herself with a group that has men in it?" All Akame could do was sigh as there were too many questions and no answers in sight. All she could do was sigh. "I wonder what other surprises this world has."In amidst of her thoughts, Akame failed to sense someone approaching her from behind and felt a hand grab her shoulder. She was then suddenly turned around and was met by a strange a surprising sight. "Leone?" It was most certainly Leone, but something seemed strange and didn't add up. Wasn't Leone with the others and why did she look younger? She also appeared to be slightly different, as it seemed to be in her beast form.She saw this Leone look at her as if she hadn't seen her in a long time. There were even tears coming out of the corners of her eyes. "It really is you, Akame." She pulled the other girl into a hug. "You came back! You came back! I'm so glad!"Akame became further confused as to why Leone was acting this way. They haven't been separated for that long."Leone?"Akame heard Wendy and looked back the same as Leone did. Like Akame, Wendy was just as confused. "I thought Leone was behind me? She looks different like she became younger.""Hey, Wendy!"Speaking of Leone, the Leone they knew finally arrived and caught with Wendy. "There you are. Did you find Akame ye-" She stopped once she saw past Wendy and saw another version of her hugging Akame. This other Leone let go of Akame and both pointed their fingers at each other. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!"Akame retreated to the Leone she knew and Wendy. Just when she thought this day couldn't get any stranger, she was now seeing two Leones. One was the one she knew, and one that appeared to be a younger version of her and was in a half-transformed state. Wendy was more flustered during this as she looked back and forth between the two Leones. "Wha-Why are there two Leones!?""There's only one of me! This chick's obviously gotta be a fake!""I ain't no fake, bitch! If anything, you're the fake!"As if this situation couldn't weirder, Leone, Akame, and Wendy all heard a familiar voice they haven't heard in a long time. "There you are! What the hell, Leone!?" All of them saw Mine and Wave approaching the younger Leone "Where were you going in such a hur…ry." She and Wave finally saw the other group and they were both surprised to see them.Wendy and the others shared their reactions upon seeing each other. "Mine?! And Wave!?"Now it was becoming a little too much for Akame to handle. "How are Mine and Wave here? And if Wave's here, what about Kurome?""Yo, Leone! You find Akame yet!?""Honestly, it's not a good idea to get lost in this strange place."They heard Chelsea and Carla caught up to them and they saw both saw Mine, Wave, and a younger version of Leone. There was confusion and silence among all of them until Chelsea shouted what they were all thinking together. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?" A/N: Holy shit, this ended up so much longer than I originally thought it was going to be. Especially the news portion. Oh, and for clarity of what Chelsea said about she and Akame not seeing each other throughout the whole Oarburgh Clan thing, that was before I was able to catch up on the Akame Ga Kill Zero manga and when I caught up with it, I said to myself "well, that's going to leave some plot holes.". I'm going to keep my original idea because that's how I planned things out back in Assassins of Fairy Tail. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to play some Smash Brothers to get the feeling of certain moves so I can work on a story with some angsty feels. And speaking of Smash Bros, R.I.P Dante. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Okay, this chapter was originally supposed to be one HUGE chapter, but the more I thought about how this first part went, the more I thought it'd be better if this idea was cut into two, maybe three parts. A/N 2: This chapter also spoils The Dragon of Night Raid, just wanted to get that out there. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill, RWBY, and/or Fairy Tail. They belong to their original owners.A New Beginning: Vol Special Part ThreeAcross WorldsKill Eighty Six: Parallel Experiences"So you guys came from a world full of magic?""Yup.""That's about right.""It's called Earthland, by the way.""And you were sent here by some old lady who turned out was not an old lady.""You're correct.""And this isn't the kid's first time going to a different world?""Yes."Weiss sighed as she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples as she and the others were trying to take in everything the Other Leone and her group explained before. The younger Chelsea laughed sheepishly. "It's kinda hard to wrap around. I mean, it sounds unbelievable.""Is that so then?" Carla spoke. "Then perhaps you require further proof." She stood up and everyone looked at her wondering what she was going to do. Then next they saw a puff of smoke and it cleared up quickly reveal her in her cat form, flying. "Well? How is this?"The room was completely silent as Ruby and the rest of the group stared at Carla dumbfounded. The silence only lasted for several seconds. "AHHHH!" The only one who didn't scream was Taeko, but even she was surprised by Carla's transformation.While mostly everyone screamed, Ruby had stars in her eyes and quickly disappeared, leaving a couple of rose petals and swiped Carla from where she flew. She was on the other side of the room, hugging Carla tightly while nuzzling Carla's head against the side of her cheek. "You're so cute!" She squealed with happiness.Carla, on the other, obviously and greatly disliked what Ruby was doing. "Unhand me at once!"Yang felt like she had to do a double-take of what she had just seen. "She just turned into a flying, talking cat!"Leone held up a finger. "Correction: Carla IS a flying talking cat.""More specifically, Carla's an Exceed; a race of flying talking cats that came from a world parallel to Earthland known as Edolas," Chelsea explained.The (younger) Leone groaned in pain as she held her head with both hands. "Please, no. Let's not bring any more worlds into this."Chelsea leaned back into the sofa while looking at the other group. "Alright, how about this? Can you tell us who the hell are the rest of you people? We were kinda dragged to this place by people we don't know. The only people we do know here are Taeko, Mine, Wave, the Leone you know, Kurome, Akame's former teammate, and my younger self. So, again, I ask; who the hell are the rest of you?"The older Chelsea brought up a good point. They basically knew nothing of them except for the people they once knew back in the version of their world. Nora smiled as another chance appeared for her. "Well, you can learn our names now!" She started zipping around the room and appearing next to her friends. "This is Blake, Weiss, Yang, the girl squeezing your magic talking cat is Ruby, Ren, Jaune, Oscar, Qrow, Esren, Rienna, and..." She stopped when she stood behind the couch and noticed Esdeath still sitting on the floor hiding from the other group. She really didn't want a repeat of what happened last time with Mine. Esdeath looked up at Nora and pressed her right index finger to her lips to make sure the girl kept quiet. Nora slightly nodded and quickly went to the front of the couch and spread her arms out while throwing confetti from her hands with a bright, cheery smile. "I'm Nora! That's all of us!"Chelsea looked at Nora with a deadpan expression and then looked at the others. "Okay, what kind of drugs is this girl on?" Cornelia couldn't help but laugh as Mine said something similar."That's just how Nora is." The "younger" Leone spoke. "She and the rest here, they're all good people, trust me." They'd take other Leone's word on it. Otherwise, she and the others wouldn't be with them in the first place. However, two things caught Chelsea's interest. One was how Nora acted strangely before finishing introducing everyone. It was probably because of the person hiding behind the couch. A person with an unusual aura and strong magic power. The second is where she turned her focus to Rienna. There was something about her that caught her attention but couldn't place it. Rienna felt a little unnerved about Chelsea looking at her.Chelsea wasn't the only one who was interested in a person. Wendy glanced over in Esren's direction. "Esren. Why does he remind me of someone?""So, we introduced our group, it's about time you introduce the kid that's with you."The "younger" Leone brought up a fair point and Wendy stood up from the couch. She looked at the other with a kind yet stern look in her eyes. "Hello, everyone. My name is Wendy Marvell." She closed her eyes as she clasped her hands together and bowed to all of them. "It's very nice to meet you all."Upon seeing Wendy's greeting, almost everyone had the same thought. "Damn, she's polite/she's so polite."With Ruby distracted, Carla took this chance to escape from her grasp and flew back to Wendy. The young dragon slayer straightened up and opened her eyes to see Carla flying toward her and caught her. "And this Carla. She's my best friend and she's been with me ever since I was little." She giggled happily as she smiled the same way.The more the other group heard Wendy talking, the more they found it unbelievable she was with Akame and the others. Then again, she must've been something else if she was with them. Meanwhile, Esdeath was astounded by how innocent Wendy sounded. "She sounds so nice." She wished she could see what Wendy looked like, but was afraid of how the other Akame and her group would react."By the way, who's the person hiding behind the couch?" Esdeath quietly gasped when she heard Wendy mention her. "I think you forgot to introduce them." She and the others noticed their sudden change in demeanor. "Is something the matter?"Jaune rubbed the back of his head while looking unsure. "Well, the thing is...there's a good reason why she's hiding.""And what reason's that?" Leone asked. "It's not like we're going to attack the person. Hell, judging by their aura, they seem pretty strong." And everyone felt stupid at that point because of course, they could sense aura. "So, why all the secrecy?"Everyone remained quiet as they didn't know how to explain it to them. While they were trying to come up with a way to let them know lightly, Ruby already thought of something. She walked to the back of the couch and kneeled in front of Esdeath. The other girl looked into Ruby's silver eyes. "It'll be alright. I'll make sure they won't attack, okay?" To seal the deal, Ruby gave Esdeath that smile that made her fall for her in the first place. She stood up and looked at the other group. "She's going to show herself now, but you have to promise not to attack her. She's not a bad person." It was weird to be receiving a warning, but Wendy and the others would abide.Ruby stepped aside and Wendy's group paid close attention to the couch. They saw two hands appear from behind the couch and grabbed the edge. Then they saw the top of the head slowly appearing from behind. However, that was enough for Wendy and the others to recognize who the person was hiding behind the couch. Their eyes went wide with shock as they finally saw who it was. Wendy's breath became slightly shaky when she fully revealed herself. "Es...death..."Leone found herself speechless as she and the others found themselves once again looking at Esdeath. Wendy continued to stare at Esdeath, but the longer she did, the more she noticed a stark difference. For one, she appeared to be much younger. Two, she seemed nervous and wasn't directly looking at them. Three, her aura was completely different from that of the Esdeath they once knew. She grabbed her arm and slightly looked at Wendy and others. As soon as she did, became frightened again. "Eep!" Esdeath quickly retreated behind the couch again.Out of everything thus far, this was certainly not what Leone expected to hear. "Did...she just eep?""I believe so," Akame spoke."She's so different from the Esdeath we know," Chelsea added.Wendy let go of Carla and started to walk over to the couch. Everyone focused on Wendy as she went behind the couch. There, Wendy saw Esdeath cowering. Upon seeing her, she was reminded of what the Esdeath she knew put her through, both physically and mentally. Esdeath looked up to see Wendy standing over her. Their eyes met and Esdeath saw deeply into Wendy's. There, she saw not the eyes of a child, but someone who went through many hardships. Much more than what she and the others have gone through. Wendy was younger, and yet Esdeath felt a sense of fear running through her body. She wondered what the other girl would do her. To Esdeath's complete surprise, Wendy's eyes softened and brightened up as she gave her a gentle smile. A smile Esdeath thought only Ruby would give. "It's nice to meet you." Wendy offered her hand to Esdeath. "If you don't mind, would you like to be friends?" Esdeath stared at Wendy completely bewildered. She had no words to say, but her hand went out to reach Wendy's.Carla and the others saw Wendy bring Esdeath back up and saw her smiling. Carla couldn't help but smile as well as she was proud of how far Wendy had come. "Wendy..."Seeing Wendy smile was all Leone and the rest needed to be convinced. "Well, if Wendy thinks she's cool, then it's fine for the rest of us." Akame and Chelsea nodded in agreement.Her choice of words made Mine raise an eyebrow. "Why would they care what the kid thinks?"Wendy went back to her seat and sat down while holding Carla again. Esdeath, now confident, stood among the rest of her group. She chuckled awkwardly at the other group. "I'm sorry I had to hide. I just didn't want the same thing to happen to me again after what happened last time.""What happened last time?" Chelsea asked."Mine here pointed her weapons at her the first time she saw her," Yang answered. That made much more sense now to the others. It was a no-brainer Esdeath would be scared of three people who knew her other self trying to kill her. In fact, Esdeath being scared was something none of them would ever see, but judging by her aura, the Esdeath standing before them couldn't be any more different."Well, now that we're all done with the introductions, I have a question to ask." Mine turned her attention to Wendy. "Wendy, was it? Can you explain how you know Akame and the others?"Wendy saw no problem in explaining to the others, though there was one catch. "Sure, but it's kind of a long story."The younger Chelsea shrugged at that. "Eh, it's not like we have anything else better to do today."Wendy had the go-to and began her tale. "Well, it all started when Carla, Chelia, and I took a job request to protect a group of researchers who discovered an incredible artifact. It was called...The Other Gateway."Kurome tilted her head slightly in confusion. "The Other Gateway?"Wendy nodded at her. "Yes. From what they told us, it had the power to lead to other worlds. However, when we arrived, we discovered the group was attacked by suspicious people at the time. We fought them, but during our fight, we must've accidentally activated the Other Gateway and it pulled me and the five others into it. The next thing I knew, I ended up in the Captial, unconscious."Leone thought to interject in this part of the story. "Though we didn't know it at the time, Wendy's arrival was made really obvious. It was in the morning we heard a loud sonic boom. It shook the whole hideout and freaked us out." She couldn't help but snicker at a certain part. "It was kinda funny seeing the Mine we knew being all grouchy because it woke her up suddenly." That sounded something like how Mine would react. "Anyway, the next night, we were sent to take out a target." She looked over in Mine's direction. "Hey, Mine, does the name Reginald Lostar ring any bells to you? Oh, and my other self too?"Mine and the "younger" Leone thought back to all the jobs they did and the people they killed, but nothing came up. "No, it doesn't sound like someone we heard of before.""But if he was a target, he must've been doing something despicable."Akame nodded at the assumption. "He did. Reginal Lostar was guilty of murdering children he found from the street out of enjoyment. He even killed his own child." Esren and Qrow felt rather angry hearing that. Everyone else felt appalled."So, that was our mission. Kill the bastard and anyone else who was with the guy." Leone continued. "But, little did we know, someone else beat us to it. We saw her..." She gestured to Wendy. "Bust out of his place and beat the crap out of some big guy with ease. Lostar pulled out a gun and tried to shoot her, but the dumbass fainted right in front of her."Mine had a deadpan look as soon as she heard that. "He fainted because of a kid? That's pathetic." Leone quietly laughed at that because the Mine she knew said the same thing."And ironic." The "younger" Leone added."And as soon as he was down, I appeared before Wendy and killed the guy while he was out." Leone said as if she was still proud of that moment.Mine sighed at that. "Of course, you would." Most of the others were horrified to learn that."After Wendy, fainted, we took her to the base. I mean, we weren't going to leave an unconscious kid alone in the Captial." Mine would have issues with that, but the older Leone did bring up a good point."When I woke up," Wendy continued. "I found myself at Night Raid's base and met Leone for the first time. It was there I met the rest of them; Mine, Lubbock, Bulat, Sheele, Tatsumi, Akame, and Miss Najenda. I learned they were all assassins and Miss Najenda offered me a deal. I either join Night Raid, or I can try to survive on my own in the Captial. She made it clear that I do join, there's a chance I would die and everything would focus on killing the Prime Minister and I would have to find a way back on my own time since they couldn't spare any. I said yes with no hesitation."Leone giggled at that moment. "Yeah, I remember that. You said something like 'I refuse to die because I have friends waiting and won't die!'. That was pretty cool and I still think it was."The "younger" Leone had the same impression. "Girl's got guts saying something like that. I can see why my other self took a shine to her."Mine wasn't as impressed as the older Leone. "Saying something like that is pretty much triggering a death flag. But you're here now, so I guess you lived up to that promise."Wendy couldn't help but giggle at that. "It's funny you say that because the Mine I knew said the same thing to me."The younger Chelsea laughed at that. "I guess that proves that all Mines' think alike, no matter the world." Mine rolled her eyes at the other girl."After I joined, I did participate in a couple of missions. One was where we had to go to an auction where they were selling women and saving a village who were badly poisoned so they can join the Revolutionary Army. It was nice, helping people out." She showed a small smile remembering how everyone in Nanaya's village was grateful for her for curing their poison. Her smile faded as she remembered what happened next. "But then, we lost both Sheele and Bulat." Mine felt a twinge of pain in her heart as she remembered Sheele being torn in half in front of her due to Seryu's Imperial Arms. "And then after that, I met Esdeath." Everyone else in the room tensed up as they were anxious to learn how Wendy's encounter with Esdeath went. "It was during a tournament. I joined because I thought it was a good opportunity to train and it also help out Tatsumi since he wanted to send the prize money to his village. It was also the first time I met Wave. I won my match and then shortly after, Esdeath approached me." The "younger" Leone blinked a few times as something seemed a little off to her. "I thought she was going to give me the money herself, but instead...she put a metal collar around me and knocked me out shortly after."It took Mine, Leone, and Wave a few seconds to register what Wendy said. "SHE DID WHAT NOW!?" Everyone else shared their shocked reactions."There's no way that happened!" Mine accused."Lubb, me, and Tatsumi all saw it happen," Leone confirmed."But that doesn't make any sense!" The other Leone yelled. "Because when that happened, Esdeath took Tatsumi!""Tatsumi?" Akame, Chelsea, Leone, and Wendy spoke in confusion at once."Yeah! Esdeath took Tatsumi to the palace after that tournament and-" The "younger" Leone's thought process came to an abrupt halt as she quickly pieced together the rest. "Kid, please don't tell me Esdeath's plan is what I think it was." Mine quickly caught on to what Leone was asking about and was appalled.Unfortunately for the "younger" Leone, Wendy nodded. "She...said that I was to be her lover."Silence filled the room once again for several seconds before everyone shouted loudly. "WHAT/HUH!?"The younger Chelsea did find some humor in that. "Huh, well, what do you know. I never pegged Esdeath as a lolicon."Ruby got over her shock and noticed Esdeath wasn't with them anymore. She quickly saw the older girl facing the wall, sitting down while hugging her legs. She felt very...unclean. "I want to crawl into a deep hole."Ruby went to Esdeath's side in no time in trying to comfort her. "It's not like you did it, Esdeath! It's the other one that did!"Mine crossed her arms and was very displeased about what the other Esdeath had done. "Wow. I knew Esdeath was a monster beyond imagination, but she's lower than I thought."Wendy threw her hands up and waved them a little. "She didn't do anything strange to me, I swear!" That was a white lie as Esdeath did take her first kiss, but she wasn't going to tell all of them that. "And she did say she'd wait for me to become older, but all we did was just sleep in the same bed. That's it!" Kurome raised an eyebrow as she somehow got the feeling Wendy wasn't telling the whole truth but decided not to open that door. "A-Anyway, I was introduced to the rest of Jaegers; Kurome, Wave, Seryu, Mr. Run, Mr. Bols, and Dr. Stylish. I had to lie a little about myself so they wouldn't suspect anything from me. After seeing what they could do and...that night, Esdeath took me on a date to learn more about me. I lied again, but she took it. Then she told me a little about herself and...I understood why she was so terrifying. She was who she was. Just a killer with no remorse or reason." Ruby gulped in fear at that last part.Mine gave some thought to what she heard so far. "Okay, what happened with this kid almost sounds like what happened with Tatsumi. But something isn't adding up. Tatsumi said he didn't learn about Esdeath's backstory up until they were both stranded on an island together. That was well after he escaped from the Jaegers. But she learned about her backstory while she was in the Jaegers. What's going on here?""Not too long after that, I was put on my first assignment with the Jaegers. I was with Kurome while Wave was with Esdeath. "Kurome already made it clear she didn't like me nor trust me. I knew I had to escape as soon as possible."Upon hearing that, Wave knew what mission Wendy was talking about, but there was a major difference. "It definitely sounds like that scouting mission I did Tatsumi when he first joined. But, Kurome was with Esdeath during that.""Night fell, and we switched teams. I was with Esdeath and Kurome went with Wave. We soon ran into the bandits, but Esdeath killed them quickly. I took that as my chance to escape. Thanks to Lubbock teaching me the layout, I was able to reach the base grounds and ran into Akame."That was another deviation the "younger" Leone noticed. "She ran into Akame that early? When Tatsumi got away, it was during the day and she saved him from a danger beast after he fought Wave-" She silently gasped as she quickly realized what happened next."Unfortunately, our reunion was cut short and Esdeath found us and discovered I was with Night Raid."Yet another deviation Mine found. "Esdeath didn't find out Tatsumi was with us until way after he and Lubb were captured by Wild Hunt." Despite that, she was rather impressed Wendy was still alive to tell the tale. "The fact you're still here means you survived. That alone is an unbelievable feat. How did you and Akame pull that off?"Before Wendy could answer, everyone heard Leone laugh smugly. "Oh, Wendy did more than survive." She gave everyone a cocky grin. "You're looking at the girl who beat Esdeath."Everyone's eyes went wide when they heard that. That declaration was enough for Esdeath to snap out of her depression and looked at Wendy's way. "She...beat someone like her?" She thought back to what Esdeath had done at Haven, surrounding all of Mistral in an ice storm and it took her awakened Maiden powers to only barely defeating her.Mine growled at Leone's declaration. "Okay, I'm going to have to call bullshit on that! Esdeath was a terror known far and wide. There's no way in hell some kid was able to beat her. Hell, it took Akame everything she had with Murasame to kill her!""It's true." Mine turned her attention to Chelsea. "When word got to the Revolutionary Army about how the new kid from Night Raid beat Esdeath, I can assure you everyone was talking about her. Morale shot through the roof as it was proven Esdeath wasn't as invincible as everyone thought she was. I was interested myself in meeting Wendy since I was going to meet her soon enough. Also, Wendy did more than just beat Esdeath. She was the one who killed her at the end of the war. Her first kill, to be exact." She smiled at everyone for that last part.Now everyone was just speechless when they heard that. The "younger" Leone herself could hardly believe it. "You have to be shitting me. Talk about insane. Akame fought tooth and nail against Esdeath even when using Murasame's Trump Card and barely managed to come out on top. And this kid was the one who killed Esdeath in their world? I know her aura is strong, but still. Not to mention that's one hell of a first kill. Also..." She turned her attention to Akame. "If this Akame wasn't the one who killed Esdeath, then why does she have those markings?"Wave himself had to take in about what he heard. She's just a kid and she yet was able to defeat the strongest person in the Empire. Just how powerful is this kid?""Also, Akame killed Esdeath, huh," Chelsea spoke and she looked over at Akame. "I guess you fulfilled that mission in one way."Akame just closed her eyes. "It would seem so.""As Leone and Chelsea said, I managed to beat Esdeath. When I returned to Night Raid, we did celebrate my victory over Esdeath and me returning, but it was interrupted when Dr. Stylish attacked. I don't think I need to say more than that since I believe you went through the same thing. Shortly after, we met Chelsea and Mr. Su for the first time and we left the hideout until the new one was built. Two months have passed and we moved into the new hideout with a new mission."Let me guess; kill some strange danger beasts that have been killing people in their homes outside the Captial?" Mine guessed.Wendy nodded at the question. "Yes. And it was during that mission the I encountered them. The demons from Tartaros."Cornelia gulped as she hoped she misheard what Wendy said. "Did you say...demons?""More importantly, what is Tartarros?" Weiss asked."Tartaros..." Akame spoke and opened her eyes. "Was a dark guild that Wendy's guild fought eight months before she arrived in the Captial. It was a guild made up of powerful demons. More specifically, they were the demons from the Books of Zeref."Hearing that caught Blake's interest. "Books of Zeref? Who's that?""To put it short, Zeref was once known as the Black Mage who created countless books known as Etherious that took the form of a demon." Actual living beings created from books. Qrow had known magic could do incredible things, but this was beyond anything he could've imagined. "Tartaros's goal was to eliminate all the magic in Wendy's world so they could rule and revive a demon known as E.N.D who is the strongest demon Zeref created. It wouldn't affect them because what they used wasn't magic, but curses instead. However, Tartaros was defeated, and whatever remnants it had left scattered."Esren wanted to know a little more about the demons. More specifically, the one who created them. "What can you tell us about this Zeref person? From what I can gather, it sounds like he was very powerful if he could create these demons from books.""Powerful is putting it lightly," Leone responded. "The guy was immortal.""Immortal!?" The rest shouted."Yeah, and he was over four hundred years old. It was because he was cursed by something called..." Leone snapped her fingers trying to remember the name. "Ah, damn it. What did the First Master call it again?""The Curse of Ankhseram." Akame informed. "It was a contradictory curse where if a person cares more about life, the more it takes. The more the person doesn't care, no life will be taken. Zeref received that curse when he tried tampering with the rules of life and death. Since then, he tried to find ways in how he'd finally die. Ironically, because of that, he was able to meet our First Master, Mavis Vermillion, and had a hand in creating our guild one hundred years ago."Oscar noticed a slight change in Ozpin. "Is everything alright?"Strangely enough, it took Ozpin a few moments to respond. "Yes, everything is fine." Oscar wasn't sold on the answer, but he wouldn't bother Ozpin any further."The five individuals Wendy mentioned earlier, they were from Tartaros."Ren was able to piece together what happened next. "I can imagine they would want revenge on Wendy since she's from the same guild that defeated them.""You're correct," Akame spoke. "Leone and I fought one of them, but neither of us was close to injuring him." Yang had a hard time imagining Leone struggling to beat an enemy considering how strong she was."Then Wendy showed up and fought the guy." Leone continued. "And let me tell you, through that fight, we caught a glimpse of just how strong Wendy's world was. The guy also had a curse that did something, but it involved him being purposely being hit."Taeko had a pretty good guess of what it was. "If he let himself being hit, I say his curse is something similar to Yang's semblance. The more damage he received, the stronger his attacks became."Hearing that made so much more sense to Leone. "Huh. I never thought of it that way. Anyway, Wendy managed to beat the guy, but it was Mine who dealt the killing shot. Not long after that encounter, we ran into another of those Tartaros guys. I don't know much what happened during that because me and Wendy were knocked out.""I can explain some of it." Akame offered. "During our brief fight, I discovered the demon's curse was inflicting madness whenever he cut you. I was afflicted and...saw phantoms of my former team and those that I killed.""Well, that sounds like fun." Qrow thought sarcastically."And I'll take over from here," Chelsea spoke. "While Akame was busy freaking out, the rest of us showed up and fought the guy. And by fought, I mean Lubb, Mine, Tatsumi, and Su fought him. I just hid behind a rock because what could I do?"Mine wasn't the least bit surprised hearing that. "Yeah, that sounds like something Chelsea would do.""He was kinda stupid. He spoke to us through telepathy but forgot to turn it off a couple of times. Because of that, we knew he was the weakest out of the group."Mine became less impressed about the demon now. "Wow, what a dumbass.""But for being the weakest, they still had some trouble fighting him. Especially when they fought him in a transformed state.""Of course, they can transform." Kurome thought."Even Su had a hard time keeping up with the guy." Mine and Leone found it very difficult to imagine Susanoo having difficulty fighting an opponent unless that opponent was Esdeath. "It was a hard fight, but they managed to kill him in the end. After that, we all just went back to the hideout."Leone thought there was something majorly missing from that last part. "Wait, so Tatsumi never got transported to an island?"The other Leone thought that was a strange question to ask. "No? He was with us the entire time. Why?""Because during that whole Danger Beast extermination, he was transported to a deserted island, along with Esdeath. He made it back because that same teleport circle reappeared and left Esdeath stranded on that island. Fat lot that did since she came back to the Capital not long after." Mine explained. Taeko was beginning to be further intrigued by these differences between the two. "Anyway, I think I can guess what happened after that. It was planning around the Path of Peace and the fight against Kurome's puppets. What I want to know is what difference did you make during that." The "younger" Leone also was curious about that too since it was a difficult fight for all of them during that time. Wave couldn't help but grimaced at the memory since all he did was get blasted away by Susanoo.Leone grinned at Mine's words. "Damn straight, Wendy made a difference. Thanks to her magic, our fights went off without a hitch. Hell, if it wasn't for her magic, Kurome could've cut off my arm when I wasn't looking."And that was a screeching halt to the "younger" Leone. "Wait, so your arm wasn't cut off during your fight?"Leone didn't expect that kind of reaction from her other self. "No, it wasn't. And You?"The "younger" Leone sighed and lifted her arm. "Kurome managed to cut my arm off. It wasn't that bad, though and I managed to get it attached again.""Lubb's Cross-Wire and Regenerator?"The "younger" Leone snapped her fingers at her other self. "You got it."Knowing that her other self's arm was cut off that early was interesting to Leone. "Guess it took me longer for that to happen." She continued with the story. "Back to the fight, we managed to beat all of Kurome's weapons, but before she fled and that explosion happened, she let us know something. She told us that she and the rest of Jaegers now know that Wendy wasn't from our world. If that wasn't bad enough, another one of those demons appeared. At that point, we knew it wasn't a coincidence. The demons have been working with the Empire."Mine wasn't at all surprised by that. "Makes sense given they just happen to run into the previous two while exterminating the Danger Beasts.""What's worse was that this was a demon that had it out for Wendy.""Why's that?" Cornelia asked."Because I was the one who defeated the demon he looked up to," Wendy answered. "A demon that went by the name of Ezel who was part of a group within Tartaros known as the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros.""Not going to lie, that sounds like a cool name." Yang thought."What made this demon worse was that his curse power was rotting everything he touches or anything that touches him and he could manipulate it," Leone informed. "Most of us couldn't fight him. Out of all of us, only three people could fight him. One of them was obviously Wendy. The other two..." Leone smiled in Mine's direction. "Was Mine and Su."At first, Mine was surprised to hear that until she figured out why. "I see, because of Pumpkin. And Su wouldn't have a problem with this Rot curse since he could regenerate.""Having you and Mr. Su was a big help and Mr. Su was the one who killed him. After that, I blacked out, but they took me back with the others."Now they arrived at the part where Mine wanted to know something the most. "If I remember right, after our fight with the Jaegers, Chelsea killed Bols not long after." Rienna placed her hand on her other wrist and gripped it tightly. "Then she tried to go after Kurome, but she was killed." Even she seemed sad to remember that moment. "Tatsumi took your death hard when he found you. But we couldn't have the time to mourn." She changed her expression for a more serious one. "So, what I want to know is, how is that you survived?"Chelsea sighed as she rubbed the back of her head and closed her eyes. "It was because of a promise I made to Wendy. I knew she'd be worried if I did something stupid say like going after Kurome. After what you told me what happened to the other me, I really did dodge a hell of a bullet." Wendy felt rather touched now knowing why Chelsea came back. She'd make sure to hug her as a thank you when they have the time.""Well, lucky you." The younger Chelsea said with some spite in her voice. "At least you're not the butt of some head jokes.""No need to lose your head over this, Chelsea," Taeko spoke.The younger Chelsea pointed at Taeko. "See what I mean!?" Now Chelsea felt bad for her younger self. Though, it was surprising to hear Taeko joke."Anyway," The "younger" Leone resumed. "After what you guys went through, can you explain what happened to you guys at the Path of Peace headquarters?" She and Mine really wanted to know what they had to go through during all that.Leone briefly blew out some air through her lips. "Path of Peace headquarters, huh? That was something back then. Well, to start off, me, Su, and Wendy snuck in, caused a commotion, and we confronted Kurome again, and Wave."The "younger" Leone was surprised to hear that. "Wait, Wave was there? But he was busy fighting Mine, Lubb, and Akame outside the Path of Peace Headquarters. And Esdeath wasn't there with Borick?" She also noticed that Najenda wasn't with their group as well.Leone felt a chill go down her spine hearing that. "Nope," Chelsea answered. "Esdeath and Borick were in another room. I know that because I disguised myself as one of the guards. He escaped to an underground passage, along with some guy wearing sunglasses and had a scythe Imperial Arms who I guessed was his bodyguard. Never knew what that one did, though." Ruby knew who Chelsea was talking about she since fought him back at Haven. "He was killed quickly by Akame and Lubb killed Borick." The "younger" Leone was almost flabbergasted of how easy Borick's assassination went for them."And back at the Path of Peace Headquarters for us..." Leone continued. "The main fight that happened there was Wendy fighting Wave."Wave looked over in Wendy's direction, seeming confused. "I fought against her?""When we met again, you asked me why I joined Night Raid," Wendy spoke. "I replied saying they took me in because I had no place to go and I was indebted to them. I couldn't tell the Jaegers the truth about me because you were my enemy. Most importantly, I didn't want to know what Esdeath could do with my magic. The magic I wield cannot be used in the wrong hands."Yang felt rather touched by what Wendy said. Upon a closer look into her eyes, she could see how hardened they were. She's so much younger than Ruby, and yet she's been through more than all of us.""You then asked me if felt any regret in knowing that they killed Mr. Bols. As you said, any blood on their hands is on mine as well. And I'll say this to you; I did feel regret about what happened to Mr. Bols, but I've accepted the fact of what happens in that world. It's not like my world where we could get along. The Empire was Night Raid's enemy which made them my enemy and that meant you were my enemy too, Wave."The "younger" Leone blew out some air quietly through her lips after hearing Wendy's speech. "Damn, this kid is hardcore. She knew exactly the situation she was in and accepted it. I don't think anyone her age could do what she did.""After that, we fought. Even with my magic, you weren't an easy opponent to fight against."Kurome wasn't surprised hearing that. "After what we've seen of what Wave could do fighting against Tatsumi back at Haven, I believe that.""But in the end, I managed to defeat you.""WHAT!?" Wendy became a little confused when she saw the shocked expressions coming from some people from the other group.The "younger" Leone had trouble believing that. "How the hell does some kid beat Wave? Like I know this was before he got Mastema, but still." Mine silently agreed as she remembered how difficult an opponentWave was when he was able to fight her, Lubb, and Akame at once. It took a full blast from Pumpkin to knock him out of the sky again.Wendy cleared her throat before resuming. "But, you didn't stay down for long which was very impressive. You really were determined to stop us. However, the fourth Tartaros demon appeared and she knocked you out while you were weakened. Like the others before, she wanted revenge and she transformed. We had no choice but to escape the Path of Peace headquarters while she chased Leone and I through the city. Eventually, we led her to the outskirts and it was there Leone and I fought her together. Her curse power was something venom related""And it was pretty awesome!" Leone exclaimed excitedly. "That scorpion demon girl was tough, but she wasn't a match for Wendy and me's teamwork!"The "younger" Leone raised an eyebrow at her other self's description. "Scorpion demon girl?" For some reason, she thought of Syka and tried to imagine her as a demon."We beat her and I was the one who dealt the killing blow. During that same night, Mine fought Seryu and apparently blew herself up. So, not only we got rid of another one of the demons, but another member of the Jaegers." Even if this did happen in another world, Wave still wasn't comfortable hearing the deaths of his allies.Mine had already seen a big difference about what Leone said before about her fighting Seryu. "But I fought Seryu long before we started the operation in infiltrating the Path of Peace headquarters.""After that giant mess of a mission, all of us left Kyoroch and took the longer way around to get back to our hideout."The "younger" Leone had a saddened expression after hearing that. "All of you, huh?"Leone noticed this and thought it was their turn now. "Since we're done with our side, how about you tell us your side about what went down at the Path of Peace headquarters. You've already mentioned that Esdeath was there, so I can imagine it wasn't an easy fight."Her "younger" self chuckled. "That's putting it lightly. What happened on our end was that me, Su, Tatsumi, and Najenda were the ones that infiltrated the Path of Peace headquarters. Esdeath was already there waiting for us and had Borick out in the open. Kurome was there too. It was actually the first time I came face to face with Esdeath and she was more monstrous than I thought. Especially with what she did to me." She grabbed her arm and gripped it tightly.Yang noticed a slight change in her expression. An expression she's rarely seen. "Is she...afraid? What did Esdeath do to her?" Blake thought the same. In the time they knew about her, she had always exuded confidence. To see her like this was new.Leone noticed this as well. She knew herself well enough what was going through her head. Whatever Esdeath did to her back then must've scarred her pretty bad. I wouldn't be surprised if Esdeath tortured her for fun." She'd have to remember to ask her other self more about that later on."Meanwhile, I was with Lubb and Akame," Mine spoke. "We were going to meet up with the rest, but we were ambushed by Run. I managed to drive him off, but then Wave intercepted us. He slowed us down considerably, but I managed to blow him away with Pumpkin."Wave closed his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, I still remember that.""Lubb was out for the time being and Akame and I went on ahead.""And from what I could remember, things were getting pretty bad for us. I was...out for the count, Su was frozen solid, and Najenda had no choice but to use Su's Trump Card for the second time. He and Tatsumi fought together against her, but even that wasn't enough. She completely overpowered us. Esdeath even managed to destroy Su." Wendy's group shared the same shocked reaction."Thankfully, Akame and I arrived and Akame managed to kill Borick. With that, our mission was complete, things were still grim for us. There was still Esdeath, Kurome, and her puppets, and reinforcements were coming soon. In an act of desperation, Najenda used Su's Trump Card again to speed up his regeneration." The other group knew what that meant. They were all aware of the heavy cost of using Susunoo's Trump Card; if the user activates Susanoo's Trump Card three times, the user dies. The fact she used it a third time came as a surprise to them because the Najenda they knew only used it a second time in their final battle against Emperor Makoto's Supreme Imperial Arms. Mine lowered her head and also had a saddened expression. "In the end, Su sacrificed himself so we could get away and that was the last we ever saw of him."Wendy felt a slight pain in her heart after hearing what happened to Susanoo. "Mr. Su..." She then remembered all the memories of the times she spent with him.Leone closed her eyes and sighed. "Yeah, that sounds like something Su would do." She opened her eyes to look at the other group. "I'm sorry all of that happened to you."Her "younger" self waved nonchalantly at her. "Don't worry about it. In the end, it was all about finishing the mission and Su was doing his duty. But I won't lie saying it was painful losing him, despite his OCD and stick in the ass." Leone chuckled in agreement. Then the "younger" Leone had a thought. "Come to think of it, we've met people we've previously known in Remnant as different people. I wonder if we'll ever encounter Remnant's version of Su? Hell, I wonder what he'd be like.""And after all of that happened, we also left Kyoroch.""If I remember right, it was also the trip where you and Tatsumi finally got together." The "younger" Leone commented.Mine shot her friend a dirty glare. "Yeah, and I remember that didn't stop you from flirting with him."Hearing that caught Leone's interest. "You flirted with Tatsumi even though he was already with Mine?"Her "younger" self didn't see what the problem was. "Well, more like teasing him. Though, Mine ruins all the fun. What, you didn't tease Tatsumi?"Leone slightly looked away at her other self. "At first...I mean a little.""And then she solely focused on Wendy." Akame ratted.Leone groaned now that the cat was out of the bag. "Okay, so what?! Wendy's adorable! How could I resist!?"The "younger" Leone took another look at Wendy. I mean, she is kinda cute. I can see why she would tease her. As long as it didn't cross a line."Leone sighed as she felt like they were getting off course. "Back on the topic, after we arrived at the new hideout, I came up with an idea of throwing Wendy a birthday party because at this point, she's been in our world for over six months and add that to when her guild was disbanded, it's been a year since that happened. Add that to everything else she's been through with us and..."Mine knew where that went. "Not surprising there. No matter how strong she is, she's still just a kid.""Luckily, my plan worked and we all had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end as we received our next assignment.""Killing Wild Hunt, right?" The "younger" Leone guessed, but she already knew the others.Her older self nodded. "Yep. And we managed to find three of them fighting Kurome and Run.""And then this kid..." Chelsea pointed at Wendy. "Had the idea of intervening." Wave became strongly interested in what happened during that fight. "If that wasn't bad enough, the last of the Tartaros demons appeared.""I was surprised when she showed up," Wendy spoke. "But instead of wanting to fight me, she said she wanted to make a truce since we're fighting the same enemy. I fought against Champ while she fought against Enshin and Cosmina. She managed to kill both of them using her curse power, which was silence while Run intercepted an attack from Champ and sent it back to him. I thanked him and he told me he was just repaying a debt for me saving him earlier." Wave had a faint smile on him now that he knows how Run was able to survive his encounter with Wild Hunt. "After all that was over, she left, saying that it wasn't the right time for her to have her revenge on me. Kurome and Run fled shortly after that.""And then after that, Najenda chewed your ass out for saving the enemy," Chelsea commented. Wendy whined at that as could still clearly remember how angry Najenda was about that. She turned her attention to the others. "So, how'd your encounter with Wild Hunt go?"Mine just shrugged. "We were able to kill two of them easily, and one was already dead. Though, Kurome and Run had fled before we could deal with them next.""I can fill in the rest." Everyone turned to Wave. "Before I do, I do want to thank you for saving Run's life. At least now I know how he was able to survive. He was definitely a good person." Wendy strongly agreed with that. Though, on opposite sides, Wendy could tell Run was a gentle person. "After their encounter with Wild Hunt, Run was gravely injured and there wasn't a chance he'd make it. Kurome's solution...was to end with him with Yatsufusa." Akame slightly narrowed her eyes and Wendy was horrified to know what befell to Run. "But even after death, Run still cared for us. Still, I didn't like how Kurome used her power. The last thing I need is to have one of my comrades being turned into a puppet and not finding peace." He sighed as he felt a little better after saying that. "So, what happened with you guys?"This was the part Wendy wasn't fond of remembering. "A week after Miss Najenda...lectured me, Lubbock, Tatsumi, and I were going to meet a contact. She was from something called Anti-Minister Party that supported the Revolutionary Army." Mine could already tell something was suspicious about this and that wasn't including this already sounded much different to what happened to Tatsumi and Lubbock back in their world. "She took us to the palace where the resistance was at. But when we got there, we quickly discovered they were all killed and we were ambushed by Wild Hunt. Among them was one of the Rakshasa Demons. They figured out we were Night Raid and Budo quickly appeared to confront us." Hearing Budo's name again left a sour taste in Mine's mouth. "Tatsumi fought against Budo and Lubbock fought against the leader of Wild Hunt. Syura, I think his name was." Wave felt his blood boil a little hearing that name again. "And I fought the rest of Wild Hun and the Rakshasa Demon. It was during that fight..." Wendy lowered her head slightly and placed her right hand on her left shoulder where her bite mark scar was located. "Where I received this scar Dorothea gave me when she bit into my shoulder." The "younger" Leone silently winced as she knew all too well how painful Dorothea's bite was. The fact that it happened to Wendy made her think she had it worse. Wendy removed her hand and raised her head. I managed to drive them all away."The "younger" Leone was rather impressed by that. She was able to fight off Wild Hunt on her own? I'd say how strong this kid is but she also killed Esdeath.""After I dealt with Wild Hunt and the Rakshasa Demon, I helped Tatsumi fight Budo. Even with my magic helping us, he was still powerful to go up against. The next thing I knew, I smelled Lubbock's scent from above and looked up."Mine seemed a little confused by Wendy's previous description. "Lubbock's scent?""Lubbock was falling along with Syura and at the height, he was at, he'd most likely die. So, I told Tatsumi to save him while I tried to fend off Budo so he could escape with Lubbock." The "younger" Leone started to have a bad feeling of how this'll play out. "They managed to escape and I stayed behind to buy them time. I was going to fight Budo but then I felt a terrible pain going through my body and I coughed up blood.""That can't be good." The younger Chelsea commented."I passed out and I was captured.""And it wasn't long until we saw the announcement of Wendy's execution," Leone spoke and sighed next. "So, what happened to you guys when all of this happened?"Leone's "younger" self crossed her arms under her breasts. "I actually want to hear more of this. I want to know how this story ends."Wendy didn't see a problem with that and continued. "I woke up in a cell, I was greeted by Dorothea. For better or for worse, Esdeath arrived in time and drove her off. Despite the circumstances, she was happy to see me. She still wanted me to join her but I refused. She made it a point that I'd be executed if I don't join. I was adamant about my choice, but then I remembered Kurome must be within the palace I lied saying I'd join if she'd take me to Kurome. She agreed and took me to her. When I saw Kurome, I saw how bad how she was. I heard how much damage the drugs did to Kurome when she took them. So, what I did was use my magic on Kurome and I cured her."Wave became confused, but also a little interested. "What do you mean you cured her?""My magic." Wendy response. "It's what's known as a Lost Magic in my world and it's healing magic. I used my magic to heal Kurome anded expel the drugs that were harming Kurome and any damage they've done to her."The "younger" Leone whistled impressively at that. Wave felt incredibly grateful to Wendy for what she had done for Kurome. Out of all of them, Ozpin was the most impressive. Healing magic. Even though my experience, I heard it's exceedingly rare. But her healing magic must be quite special to do all of that." Oscar wholeheartedly agreed.While it was impressive what Wendy did for Kurome, something still didn't make sense to Mine. "Healing magic or not, how the hell does a healer kill Esdeath? There's definitely a lot more to this kid than that.""After I healed Kurome, I fainted again and I found myself in my cell with Esdeath with me. I confessed to her saying that I lied only to heal Kurome for Akame's sake. What happened after that was..." Wendy lowered her head and had a saddened expression while covering her bracelet with her other hand. "This bracelet I'm wearing, I had one before this. It was a gift Chelia gave me and she wore one similar to mine and we each had our initials on each other's; mine on Chelia's and Chelia's on mine. That bracelet was the only thing I had to remind me of Chelia, of my friends, of my world. It's why I fought so hard to get back to my world, no matter what. When I told Esdeath I could never be with someone who only understood war and bloodshed and that I was already in love with someone, she took that bracelet from me, froze it, and destroyed it right before my eyes, saying that if she couldn't have me, then neither would Chelia."Silence filled the room and everyone in Ruby's group had horrified expressions after hearing what happened to Wendy's possession. However, Esdeath was the only one who wasn't horrified. What she was currently feeling was anger and she gritted her teeth. How? How could she do such a thing? Destroying something precious that meant so much to a person. Of someone that person loves...!" Her maiden's powers temporarily spiked for a second, but it was enough for Akame and the others to sense her magic power."When Wendy's execution started," Akame began. "We arrived to save her, but we didn't expect that Tartaros demon woman to be there as well. However, she attacked Budo and Esdeath."Cornelia tilted her head sideways in confusion. "Why would she do that?""I assumed it was because they weren't on the same side anymore. With Budo and Esdeath briefly indisposed, we managed to rescue Wendy and escaped. What happened after we saved Wendy is that demon woman fighting Budo and Esdeath at once and somehow destroyed the arena. With their defeat, the Empire's army that was preoccupying Shikusen was overwhelmed by the Revolutionary Army and advanced. However, we were well aware the final battle will be difficult with both Esdeath and Budo fighting."Mine raised an eyebrow as soon as she heard Budo's name. "Budo was still alive after what happened in the arena?""But not everything was good news. As soon as we retrieved Wendy, she quickly discovered she was sick. However, the sickness she had wasn't anything the doctor could identify nor do anything even with Perfector. We didn't know what it was until Wendy told us what it was.""And...what as it?" Rienna asked."Magic Deficiency Disease," Wendy responded. "It's a disease from my world."Chelsea chuckled dryly. "Well, that sounds like it's fun. What exactly is that?""I'm glad you asked." Everyone turned to the older Chelsea who presented Gaea Foundation and swiped herself with a couple of makeup brushes and transformed her clothing into a teacher's outfit, with her blouse having a couple of buttons undone to reveal some of her bra. "It's time to educate all of you of what Wendy's world, Earthland is like." She put on some glasses.Mine narrowed her eyes disapprovingly at Chelsea. "Is really necessary to have your shirt like that?"Chelsea chuckled as she waved her finger at the other girl. "You see Mine, this is something called fanservice. Something I doubt you and Weiss would understand since you both are as flat as washboards."And angry veins popped up in corner of both Mine's and Weiss's foreheads. "What was that/What!?" The younger Chelsea couldn't help but stifle a laugh."Anyway..." Chelsea ignored their outbursts and pulled out a strange pen. She uncapped it and began drawing a large circle with light lines.Everyone in Ruby's group was astounded the other Chelsea was doing such a thing. Ruby was especially captivated by what she was seeing. "Whoa! How are you doing that?"Chelsea stopped drawing her circle and showed the pen to the group. "It's a magic item called a Light Pen. It allows me to draw in the air. Now then, no talking young lady. We're in class now."Ruby whined while her sister laughed. "It's kinda like we're back at Beacon."Chelsea pointed at the large light circle she drew with her Light Pen. "So, let's pretend this giant circle is Wendy's world." She put in multiple dots in the circle. "And these dots are something called Ethernano Particles." She drew a stick figure inside the circle next and added a smaller circle in the figure. "These Ethernano Particles is what allows the people in Wendy's world to use magic. Inside them is a magic container where they're stored. When it's full, they're able to use their magic. In Wendy's case, and some others, they have a second magic container where they can hold more magic within them. When their magic container or containers are low, they aren't able to use their magic. That's where the Ethernano Particles come into play. Their bodies absorb these particles and replenish their magic containers" She capped the pen and the circle disappeared. She then uncapped the pen and drew another circle. "However, in Wendy's case in our world..." She drew a stick figure that kinda looked like Wendy. "Our world doesn't have Ethernano Particles. However, since she passed through the Other Gateway, it granted her the ability to use her magic in our world. But that effect was starting to wear off. Her fainting spells were a sign of that. And that's where Magic Deficiency Disease comes into play. You see, Magic Deficiency Disease happens when a person suddenly loses all of their magic, and death is known to occur if their magic isn't recovered fast enough. This happens because their magic and their life force are similar to each other. In Wendy's case, she had something of a slower version of it. Our world has no Ethernano Particles for Wendy to absorb so she can't replenish her magic. So, that only left to one conclusion; the more magic Wendy used...""The closer she is to her death." Mine finished.Chelsea capped the pen and the drawings disappeared. "Exactly."Esdeath gulped at the idea while the "younger" Leone felt bad for the younger girl. Poor kid. Having the one thing that's helped others and saved her skin God knows how many times only to be the one that'd eventually kill her. It's similar to what Tatsumi had to go through.""Even with all of that," Wendy spoke again. "I still wanted to continue. We were so close to ending this and I knew I could make my magic last until I saw through this to the end. And I still had unfinished business with that Tartaros woman. Speaking of her, Tatsumi handed me a letter that was from her at the time he took me from the arena. She gave that letter to him so I could have it. It was a challenge and she wanted to finish things between us. Naturally, I accepted it. As I said, we were so close to ending this and I would see it through to the end, no matter what."The "younger" Leone couldn't help but smile at Wendy. "She could give Tatsumi a run for his money in terms of determination." She figured she'd heard enough of their side of what happened. "Alright, we'll tell you what happened to us now. For starters, Tatsumi and Lubb went out to the Captial in search of leads about Wild Hunt, but they came up with nothing. That was when they were ambushed and they were captured. The next thing we knew, we saw the announcement of Tatsumi's execution. As soon as that was put out, Mine here wasted no time going into action."Mine huffed at her friend. "Well, I wasn't going to let them kill my boyfriend, was I?"The "younger" chuckled at that. "Our rescue mission was underway and Mine was the one who started it. On the day of the execution, she busted in there by herself and took on Budo and Esdeath."Carla was both impressed and concerned at the same time. "Oh, my. That's rather quite reckless."Leone, on the other hand, guffawed. "Yeah, that sounds like something Mine would do.""And considering what Pumpkin could do, the more danger you're in, the more powerful it gets, I can't imagine how insanely strong it was when taking on both Budo and Esdeath at once." Chelsea analyzed."I'd be damned if I let them kill Tatsumi. While I fought Esdeath, I managed to free Tatsumi. But, as soon as he used Incursio, something changed. When he put on Incursio's armor, it was different. It didn't look like armor. It was more...monstrous. But we couldn't afford to ask questions. We both fought Esdeath, but it wasn't enough. Akame and Leone showed up, but so did Budo. When there was a spare moment..." Mine lowered her head and had a saddened expression. "Tatsumi told us...that was Lubb was killed at the palace. We had to mourn later and we fought Budo and Esdeath."The "younger" Leone groaned at remembering her experience fighting Budo. "Man, thinking about that fight reminds me of when Budo attacked Tatsumi and me with that lightning attack of his. That was not fun. But Tatsumi was more than a match for the guy. He looked pretty cool.""We fought them as hard as we could until Najenda showed up with the Danger Beasts. However, Budo proved to be overwhelming, but, again, Tatsumi managed to drive him away. We escaped the arena, but as soon as Tatsumi unequipped Incursio, he was badly damaged by what it did to him, and what the poison barbs did to him as soon as he grabbed it back at the arena. We thought were in the clear, but Budo chased after us. He struck us down, and most of us weren't in any condition to fight. He was getting ready to kill all of us and there was only one thing to do. I took on Budo's strongest attack with Pumpkin, which was already at its limit. I put everything into that one final attack. My soul, my spirit, and every ounce of my energy. I finally managed to kill Budo, but not without a cost."The room was silent for a seconds before the "younger" Leone spoke up. "After Mine killed Budo, Pumpkin was destroyed, and Mine went into a coma. With that, only me, Akame, Najenda, and Tatsumi were left." She sighed exhaustedly. "And we had more bad news. We learned what was happening with Tatsumi and Incursio. The Tyrant Dragon within Incursio was taking over Tatsumi's body." Something about that sounded very familiar to Leone. "If Tatsumi used Incursio three or four more times, the Tyrant Dragon would completely take over Tatsumi and kill him. After what happened to Mine and everything relating to Incursio, Tatsumi changed. He didn't smile the way he used to. It's more like he didn't smile anymore." She turned her attention to Wendy. "Like you, kid, Tatsumi was determined to see through this fight to the end and have a future with Mine. Honestly, I don't know who had it worse; you with your magic running out and killing you, or Tatsumi using Incursio a few more times before it takes over him and kills him." She sighed again. "And that's the end of what happened to us at that part. We didn't get the happy ending you guys had.""And when you said Budo survived in your encounter, that surprised me since he was definitely killed by me." Mine stated.Leone could hear a bit of bitterness in her "younger" self's voice but didn't blame her. Hearing Lubbock died, Tatsumi transforming into a monstrous version of Incursio, Mine put into a coma, and learning Tatsumi could die if he used Incursio a few more times, there was only so much a person could take. There was one part that interested her, though. "Yeah, we can tell you two had it rough. But when you mentioned that Tatsumi transformed, it reminded me of something kinda like that happening."Mine and the "younger" Leone had a brief worrying expression. "What do you mean by that? What happened to Tatsumi?""It ties into when we fought against Wild Hunt for the last time," Leone responded. "If our experiences are similar, then I won't bore you the details. I'll only go into three main things. The first one is Akame killing that Izou guy. The second is Tatsumi transforming but not exactly how you described it."Her "younger" self raised an eyebrow. "How so?""Well, for one, Incurio remained looking the same, but Tasumi grew a pair of cool-looking wings. After that, he managed to split that Danger Beast that was with them in half easy. After that, he was basically the same. None of that limited uses on Incursio things that affected your Tatsumi." The "younger" Leone couldn't decide if she was either jealous or relieved hearing that their Tatsumi didn't have to suffer what their Tatsumi had to suffer through. "But the best part I saved for last. I know you remember how the fight with that pint-sized alchemist went, right?"The "younger" Leone wouldn't forget that fight for as long as she lived. "Oh, yeah. Freaking pipsqueak was stronger than she look, freaking drained all my blood, I had to fight her a bit differently than usual."Leone couldn't agree more. "Yep. But in my case, I was out for most of the fight. The one who really gave that brat a hard time..." She looked over at Wendy. "Was Wendy here."Her "younger" self found herself hardly believing that. "You gotta be freaking kidding me!"Wendy couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. "It was a little hard, but it was thanks to Akame, Leone, Mr. Su, and Chelsea teaching and training me."The "younger" Leone had a feeling there was more to that. "Still, though! I know she killed Esdeath, but how the hell can a kid who knows healing magic do all of this? What, does she power herself up or something?""Wendy may have beaten Dorothea, but I was the one who dropped a huge boulder on her. She did try to deal her way out and saying she could help Wendy with her problem, but Wendy's response to that was pretty good. Although, what was it again? Something about living and dying." Leone felt very stupid for forgetting such a great moment."I would rather die as a human instead of living as a monster like you," Akame spoke. "That's what she said to Dorothea."Leone snapped her fingers at Akame. "That's it right there!"Her "younger" self had to admit it was a pretty cool thing to say to Dorothea. Especially with how she lived for so long. "And that was pretty much the end of Wild Hunt. What about you guys?"The "younger" Leone just shrugged. "Pretty open and shut. The only notable thing was Tatsumi using Incursio and fought that Danger Beast they brought with them. Everything else is as you said; Akame killing Izou, and I fought that alchemist brat and I dropped a boulder on her. Although, after that, Tatsumi did start to become his old self again." Looking at the whole picture, it seemed like their fight against Wild Hunt didn't have that much significance other than wiping them out entirely. "So, onto the next major thing that happened, you said that Kurome survived. How did that happen?" Wave would very much like to learn that as well."When Wave told me Wendy cured Kurome, I was...happy," Akame spoke. "However, though the drugs have been expelled from her body, she was still loyal to the Empire and was willing to fight for them and her comrades. Because of that, I had no other choice but to fight her.""You said the same thing when I fought you." Wave spoke. "So, what changed?"Akame closed her eyes. "I arrived at the location Kurome wanted to meet me and we fought. Thanks to Wendy curing Kurome's condition, she was able to fight me on equal grounds. But then you came along, Wave."Wave was surprised to hear that. "I...actually arrived?""You did," Akame confirmed. "And you were still adamant about saving Kurome. In fact, so adamant, you declared your love for Kurome."Wave felt rather embarrassed and blushed slightly. Most of the girls made awed at that. "That's so romantic," Cornelia spoke."It took some convincing from you, a punch from Wendy, and destroying Yatsufusa, Kurome agreed to leave the Empire with you and Run. But in return, neither you nor Run would join the Revolutionary Army. That was good enough for me." She opened her eyes and smiled at Wave. "I was thankful to you for doing that. You found a third way for Kurome to live without either of us dying." Her smile faded. "But from what you told us, the worst did happen."Wave closed his eyes and sighed. "I didn't want Kurome to be killed. I tried as hard as I could to find her, but when I did, I was too late. You ran Murasame through her. I was furious and I wanted to kill you, but Tatsumi stopped me." He opened his eyes and they had a hint of anger in them. "I remember shouting at you that I'd never forgive you for what you've done." Somehow, Akame figured Wave would feel that about her if she did kill Kurome. The anger in his eyes vanished and they became softer-looking. "But, even if it is in another world, I'm happy Kurome survived and is living her life to the fullest.""And you're probably Akame's brother-in-law in that world too at this point," Chelsea commented. Wave couldn't help but chuckle at that. It would certainly be strange and interesting.The "younger" Leone sighed as she stretched her arms out. "So, I guess we finally made it to the big final fight. So, how did that work out for all of you?"The other Leone smiled brightly. "Oh, it was freaking awesome! Like, holy shit! I mean there were a few rough patches, but man, it was something else.""Allow me to clarify," Akame interjected. "The final battle was upon us and we had our objectives and targets. Our targets were the Prime Minister, Esdeath, Budo, Koukei, Saikyuu, Youkan, Dousen, and that Tartaros woman. We split into separate groups. Tatsumi and Su were with Najenda on the front lines with Revolutionary Army. Lubbock was with Mine, Chelsea, Leone, and I were tasked to kill Saikyuu and the others."The "younger" Leone chuckled a little at Lubbock's group. "Bet Lubb was real happy being put on a team full of girls.""And Wendy...""I went to fight that Tartaros woman as promised." Wendy finished."We were also aware of Esdeath's Ice Calvary." Akame continued. "Killing Saikyuu and the others was easy enough, but some of us did run into problems."Leone raised her hand. "Like me." She put her hand down. "I was after the Prime Minister, but I was stopped by one of the Rakshasa demons." And that was the first major difference the "younger" Leone noticed between her and her other self."And I was fighting an opponent that had an Imperial Arms that specializes in traps," Akame added. Najenda and the army were currently fighting the Empire's army and her Ice Calvary. However, during the entire operation, something strange happened. There was a ringing coming from the sky, like a bell and above the Captial was a bright orb. Then that orb exploded and a loud sonic boom appeared. Out of that orb were several rays of light that struck different locations. Eight of them struck the palace, one veered off course, and the rest of them struck the battlefield.""And what were these lights?" Mine asked.Wendy smiled brightly at the question. "My friends. They all came to save me, but they've done so much more."Chelsea held up a finger. "It was kinda like this; If Wendy herself made a huge difference in our fights, can you guess what kind of change her friends did in the final fight? I'll give you a good hint." She looked over in Leone's direction. "How many people ended up on the battlefield?"Leone had to think about that for a bit and counted with her fingers. "Let's see, there Lyon, Yuka, Sherry..." She mumbled the rest of the names."Sixteen in total," Akame answered. "And it was those sixteen that drove back the Empire's army and we easily gained the upper hand.""Say what!?" Mine and the "younger" Leone screamed at the same time.Leone's "younger" self found that hard to believe "You're saying sixteen people took on the Empire's entire army?""Yep and one of those people wiped about half of the Empire's army on his own." Chelsea included. Mine and the "younger" Leone found that impossible to imagine. "Hell, even Esdeath's Ice Calvery wasn't a match for them. In fact, they made them outright useless. The army did help out, though." Wave found it difficult to believe since the Ice Calvary was one of Esdeath's strongest attacks. "And if that wasn't enough, one person in that group, in particular, managed to beat Budo one on one. Easy, I might add to." Mine and Wave had a very hard time imagining someone who defeated Budo with no problem."Meanwhile, the eight people that hit the palace met with the rest of us. I got to meet Cosmos and she fought against that Rakshasa demon woman." Leone explained."What was she like?" Yang asked.Leone just shrugged. "Better to have her as an ally than an enemy and... wait, now that I think about it, you kinda sound like her."Wendy didn't of it before, but yes, Yang did sound like Cosmos. "You...do strangely sound like Cosmos." The way they sound the same was almost uncanny.Hearing that made Yang more curious about this. "Huh. Now I really want to meet this Cosmos chick.""We're getting off-topic here. Can you tell us how the hell does something like this happened!?" Mine questioned."It was Chelia," Charla answered. "After Wendy was pulled into the Other Gateway, she did everything she could to bring her back. We learned how the Other Gateway operated, found a way to have her returned to Earthland, and gained many allies who would risk their lives to save Wendy. It was a rescue operation like no other. In fact, I remember that Najenda woman asking for our assistance and the reward we asked for was bringing Wendy back. If you can believe us, overthrowing a corrupt Empire isn't the most absurd thing we've done." Mine would really like to know what did was more absurd than overthrowing the Empire."With Budo out of the picture, and the Empire's army pretty much beaten, and Esdeath went who knows where our chances of winning this thing were looking pretty good. But then something else appeared. Something really dangerous."A giant freaking robot," Chelsea added."To be more specific, the Supreme Imperial Arms, Imperial Guardian: Primus Imperator." Akame informed."And around that time, when I reunited with Chelia and Carla, that Tartaros woman came back after Chelia knocked her away when she arrived. We fought her together and she proved no match against our combined strength.""And while they were fighting her, we ended up in the middle of what that Supreme Imperial Arms was doing which destroying the Captial." Chelsea clarified. "But our reinforcements arrived and they were all kicking that things ass. No matter what that thing did, they were able to take it head-on. Even Wave and Tatsumi showed up to beat it up. Pretty soon, they all managed to destroy it. That was one threat down, but two more remained.""Or more like one," Wendy spoke. "Not soon after the Supreme Imperial Arms was destroyed, that Tartaros woman came back. But as she did, Esdeath appeared and killed her. She then froze me and attacked Chelia. I saw everything that happened through that ice. She was going to kill Chelia and..." She intertwined her fingers together and tightened them. "That was when I awakened my true power. The true form of my magic and I destroyed the ice she trapped me in." Wendy's situation sounded very familiar of what Esdeath went through back at Haven when her other self was about "kill" her father. "I gave everything I had and, in the end, I managed to do it. My first kill was Esdeath." The "younger" Leone, Mine, and Wave remained silent to that. "But it came too heavy a cost. I used up most of my remaining magic in that fight and I was beginning to die." Her expression softened at the memory.""While that was going on..." Leone spoke. "Me and Cosmos caught up with the Prime Minister. In case he tried to do anything scummy, Cosmos wrapped him up nice and tight with her plant magic. With him not being able to do a damn thing, I just knocked his block off right out of his body. And that was the end of that."Leone's "younger" counterpart sighed and slightly furrowed her brow. "So, she didn't have to go through what that bastard Minister did to me."Leone's expression saddened a little at what happened next. "But when we learned Wendy was at death's door, we all lost our cool. I mean, it wasn't fair. She had gone through so much with us, went through hell, and even Chelia and her friends came to our world to save her, only to be near death. But through Chelia..." She smiled happily. "Wendy made it! We were all so happy and so were her friends. After that, we had one hell of a celebration party. The day after that, Wendy and her friends were to go back to their world. It was a bittersweet parting, but they gave one hell of a farewell. After using some rainbow-colored lacrima, a portal opened and they said their goodbyes to us before going through it.""I did think that was the end of it," Wendy spoke next. "But to my surprise, Leone, Akame, Chelsea followed me to my world."Mine raised an eyebrow to that. "And why did you three do that? Akame, what about your sister?"Leone chuckled lightly. "Well, the war was over. What point was there to stick around? It's not like there's any work for an ex-assassin to do." Her "younger" counterpart resonated with those words strongly."And I knew Kurome would be in good hands with Wave looking after her. She didn't need me anymore.""And with that, we all said our goodbyes to Wendy's friends and we headed toward Margrett Town where the guild Wendy joined is," Chelsea added.The "younger" Leone couldn't help but feel envious of her counterpart. "So, they had something to do after everything ended, huh?""And from there we became guild members. A lot more happened after that, but we'll stop there.""Uh, question." The other group saw Jaune raise his hand. "How much time passed in Wendy's world? You said she was in your world for a long time. I bet a lot changed, huh?"Chelsea grinned at that. "Actually, less than you think. You see, Wendy was in our world for a total of six and half months. But when we went to Earthland, it turned out only three and half weeks passed.""THREE WEEKS?!" Almost everyone in Ruby's group shouted."Wow, how convenient." The younger Chelsea commented.Chelsea stretched and groaned. "Well, that's our tale of the final battle. So, how did things go with you?"The "younger" Leone just closed her eyes and sighed. "I'll say this; it wasn't easy." She opened her eyes to look at the other group. "To start off, Tatsumi was with Najenda in the front lines and he fought against Esdeath and her Ice Calvery. Meanwhile, me and Akame infiltrated the palace to kill our targets. Everything went smoothly at that point up until that giant freaking robot showed up. It was destroying the Captial and it decimated a large part of the Revolutionary Army. Then Tatsumi showed up with Incursio and I think at that point he used it a fourth time. He fought like hell against that thing.""And then I appeared." Wave spoke. "I couldn't stand by watching the Emperor destroy the Captial and endanger the people. I fought alongside Tatsumi and we managed to stop the Emperor and his Imperial Arms. At that point, I had no choice but to leave.""A lot of things happened after that." The "younger" Leone continued. "I think what I should start with is that after the fourth time Tatsumi used Incursio, the Tyrant dragon took over his body. During that, Akame fought Esdeath. And, well..." She slightly shifted her eyes to the side. "Tatsumi was killed during the final confrontation." Mine felt some pain in her heart after hearing that. It'd always hurt hearing what happened to the person she loved. The "younger" Leone looked at the other group once again. "And Akame used her Trump Card and was able to kill Esdeath. As for me...I managed to track down that bastard Prime Minister. I thought it was going to be easy, but I was wrong. He pulled a cheap trick and used some Imperial Arms to break Lionel and I no longer had it. He then shot me several times in the stomach." Leone felt her own stomach turn listening to what happened to her "younger" counterpart. "But that didn't stop me from bashing his face in and killing him. It was a miracle that I survived that." She sighed again. "And that was the end of Night Raid. After the war ended, me and Akame went our separate ways. It was like Tatsumi said, there won't be any work for ex-assassins like us.""It wasn't long after that when I woke up from my coma and learned that everyone left," Mine added."And that's how it ended for us. How it ended for Night Raid. And I guess that's the end of our comparisons. It's like night and day between us." Leone couldn't argue against that."It truly is fascinating." Everyone's attention turned to Taeko. "Hearing the differences between the two groups and the experiences they have. What intrigued me the most was that any misfortune that befallen Tatsumi happened to Wendy. I wonder, if Wendy had not arrived in your world, could the events we've heard so much about from the Leone and Akame we knew would've happened to you?" Leone really didn't want to find the answer to that. "It's almost as if Wendy served as a catalyst and that's when things started to change.""You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Chelsea guessed."That's Taeko whenever she hears something that grabs her interest." The younger Chelsea. "So, you mentioned a lot more happened after you joined a guild. What exactly was that?"Leone was more than happy to explain. "Well, to start off, since we were in Wendy's world, we had to learn magic. Thanks to the Other Gateway, we had the ability to do so."Hearing that surprised the "younger" Leone. "Wait, so all of you can use magic?""Yep/uh-huh/yes." All three replied. Now the other group was curious to see what their magic was."And we did learn the kind of magic we wanted to learn. That and we finally made Wendy confess her love to Chelia." Wendy slightly blushed at the memory. "Next thing we knew, six months went by." Her expression turned more serious. "And it was during those six months that we learned that Wendy took more of a toll in our world than we thought. She was left psychologically scarred."Mine wasn't surprised to hear that. "After everything she went through in the Captial, of course, it's going to leave some scars.""Even after her death," Wendy spoke. "Esdeath was still plaguing my mind. She wouldn't leave me alone, but as long as I had Leone and the others, I was always kept in check.""And when the Lamia Scale Thanksgiving happened, we met a couple of Wendy's old guildmates; Natsu, Lucy, and Happy, who's one of the three talking cats like Carla." Leone described. "They wanted to bring Wendy back so they could re-form their old guild, but Wendy refused. It was during that same day where our rival guild, Orochi's Fin, attacked the town by sending over a hundred thousand monsters. We all handled them, but Natsu just straight up bulldozed through the entire herd. But, in the end, it was Wendy that put an end to their leader and gave up. After that, it took some convincing from Chelia for Wendy to agree to leave Lamia Scale. Something about not wanting to be lonely or something. Wendy left and we followed. Anywhere she goes, we go.""And then we ended fighting against a death cult called Avatar who worshipped Zeref, tried to genocide a town, and then we had to go up against a giant war god that dwarfed the Supreme Imperial Arms in size," Chelsea added nonchalantly. "And let me say, Natsu was able to one-shot said war god. Oh, and it was stronger too. Like, able-to-cleave-a-mountain-half-with-its-giant-sword-stronger." The other group had absolutely no comment on that.Wave had a very hard time imagining that. It took everything Tatsumi and I fighting the Supreme Imperial Arms, and this Natsu person was able to defeat such a being in one hit?""After that," Akame spoke next. "We arrived at Magnolia where the guild was and we were able to meet the other guild members of Wendy's guild. With everyone present, they could now start in bringing back the guild."Throughout the entire time they talked about Wendy's guild, Blake had one burning question about it. "What exactly is the name of Wendy's guild? I don't I've heard you mentioned the name once."Wendy smiled at the question. "Oh, I'm sorry. If you want to know the name of our guild, it's known as...Fairy Tail." They all showed off their guild marks to the other group.Ruby gasped in delight as she immediately loved the name. "That name sounds so cool!"Weiss was still a little confused about the name. "Fairy Tail. As in like a story or...""It was something the first master came up with when she first formed the guild," Chelsea explained. "Something about wondering if Fairies have tails and that's the reason why we go off adventuring. To see if Faires have tails.""She sounds like a kid," Weiss commented."Well, that's because she was." Chelsea countered. "Our first master, Mavis Vermillion, who formed the Fairy Tail guild almost one hundred years ago. Oh, and she was a hell of a person too. She received a moniker known as the Fairy Tactician so she wasn't your run-of-the-mill kid.""It almost sounds like you've met her." Yang pointed out."That's because we did." Leone said without a care.Kurome found that hard to believe. "Okay, how do you meet a person who's a hundred years old? Even if she lived that long, she'd had to be an old lady at that point."It was that sentence where the air surrounding Leone and the others changed. The other group found that to be strange. "What's wrong?" Ruby asked.Leone gave out a deep sigh. "Our first master was more important than you think. Our days of peace didn't last long because little did we know, we were going to have the fight of our lives. A war, in fact, against an enemy that made the Empire we fought so hard before look like a bunch of weak amateurs. Esdeath included."Now the other group became more curious and fearful of what this enemy was that Leone and the others fought. Ruby gulped as she was almost afraid to ask. "And... who were they?"Wendy looked at the other group with a serious look in her eyes. "They were known as the Alverez Empire and within Alverez were twelve powerful wizards known as the Spriggan Twelve who were all stronger than Esdeath." A/N: This is the twelfth time I've worked on a chapter that has over 10,000 words. But unlike the previous ones, I had a lot of fun with this one. It's also going to be the last chapter from me for a while because I'm in the middle of moving so the next chapter of Assassins of Fairy Tail will take a little longer to get out. But I will leave all of you with this; out of all the moments I've planned in Assassins of Fairy Tail, this next one had me the most emotional. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: So, not only this chapter was a pain in the ass to edit, it now makes this story longer than War and Peace which has 587,287 words. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill, RWBY, and/or Fairy Tail. They belong to their original ownersA New Beginning: Vol Special Part FourAcross WorldsKill Eighty Seven: A World of Differences"They were known as the Alverez Empire and within Alverez were twelve powerful wizards known as the Spriggan Twelve who were all stronger than Esdeath."Esdeath couldn't help but gulp out of fear. It was even hard to imagine someone else stronger than her other self, much less twelve. Even after seeing General Esdeath surrounding all of Mistral in a giant ice storm. While it was terrifying to know these people were more powerful than Esdeath, Esren wanted to know something else first. "Before we get into these Spriggan Twelve people, can you explain why this Alverez Empire wanted to go war against a guild?"A reasonable question to ask and Wendy was glad to answer it. "After everyone in the guild reunited, we soon learned the secret our guild had. A secret basement that held an astonishing secret; the actual body of our First Master, encased in a giant lacrima called the Lumen Histoire. Through Mest's magic, we saw memories between him and our previous master, Makarov. It was mostly about Mest going undercover in the Magic Council to search for information. It wasn't until after our battle against Tartaros we learned the truth the reason why he chose to disband the guild. With the Magic Council gone, we didn't have the means to use a powerful weapon known as Etherion which is powerful enough to destroy a country and all the Faces were destroyed before they could activate and completely wipe out all magic in Fiore. With Etherion and Face no more, Fiore had no means of protection from invading forces west of Ishgar, the continent we live on. And that means Alverez will invade in a short time. Our master went to Alverez in hopes to stop the invasion and didn't want us to be involved and he stayed there for over a year."It was interesting to learn how this situation of theirs began, but Esren's question still wasn't answered. "What's the connection between this Lumen Histoire and Alverez and what is the Lumen Histoire?""And how did this first master of yours end up in a...lacrima, you said?" Weiss asked.This time, Akame spoke. "The First Master, Mavis Vermillion, had created three powerful spells known as the Three Great Fairy Magics. The first spell is called Fairy Law which is a spell the caster uses to be rid of anyone who sees them as a threat. The second is known as Fairy Glitter which is just as powerful and is said to deny the existence of any nearby enemy. Finally, there's the Fairy Sphere, which is an absolute impenetrable shield from any attack. However, there was a fourth kind of magic that was said to be even more powerful than the Three Great Fairy Magic and the sole reason why Alverez invaded. The fourth Great Fairy Magic, Eternal Magic: Fairy Heart which was the Lumen Histoire where magic is infinite. Our First Master's body was the Fairy Heart itself."Ruby and the others were blown away by even hearing the word 'infinite'. "When you say infinite, you mean like never running out? Like, never ever, ever, ever, ever running kind of infinite?"Chelsea leaned back a little on the couch. "Yep. That's right."While Mine was surprised to learn about infinite magic, she wasn't surprised at the reason why Alverez decided to invade. "That makes sense. A source of infinite magic would be the cause of a war. But the question now is; why did they need an infinite magic source for?"Oscar wanted to know what Ozpin's thoughts were on infinite magic. "What do you think of this?"Hearing something like infinite magic amazed even Ozpin. "It's rather quite astonishing. Infinite magic is hard to grasp even to me. This Mavis must've had an unmatched talent relating to magic if she could create such a thing and the three previous spells mentioned before."There was still something else Yang wanted to know. "Okay, but how does something like that exist? Also, we still don't know how she got trapped in a...lacrima, is that a kind of crystal or something?""It is," Leone answered."And we're getting to that," Chelsea spoke. "Mavis herself, in her ghost form, which only members of Fairy Tail can see, told us everything. About how she met Zeref one hundred years ago, how she and the other three founding members stopped a dark guild that had an iron grip on Magnolia and used a spell to destroy some evil skeleton monster. But that using that spell came at a cost where she couldn't grow up physically anymore, but that didn't worry her. She created the Fairy Tail guild and in a short time, she was nicknamed the Fairy Tactician. Six years after a second guild war, she accidentally met Zeref again, but in that meeting, she learned something horrible. It turns out that the spell she used to destroy that skeleton monster had placed that Ankhseram curse, the same curse Zeref had where the more a person cares about life, the more that person takes it's from all around them and was immortal. She didn't believe him at first but learned the hard way that Zeref was right. One year had passed since then and she met Zeref again for the third time. She wanted to die, but couldn't because of the curse. This is where it gets a little sappy where Mavis said she'd accept Zeref even if the world wouldn't because she understood how he felt and they'd find a way to break the curse." Cornelia thought that was romantic to hear. "Zeref kissed Mavis but in doing so, he took Mavis's life, something about love between two cursed beings bringing a hell of a contradiction. Anyway, Zeref brought Mavis's body back to the guild and left to be never seen again. The second guild master at the time, Precht, put Mavis's body in that giant lacrima and did everything he could to bring her back, but nothing worked. Even working over fifty years, he never gave up. Mavis was in a state of animated suspension; Alive yet dead and it was that combination that brought forth the Fairy Heart."Oscar noticed another subtle change in Ozpin. "Is everything okay? This is the second time you're acting like this."Again, it took Ozpin several seconds to respond. "I'm fine. I just...feel sorry that something like this happened to them." It seemed like a good enough answer to Oscar, but he had the feeling Ozpin was hiding something.Cornelia couldn't help but sniffle sadly at Zeref's and Mavis's tragic romance. "How sad. A cursed being who lived hundreds of years finally found love, only for it to be taken away from him."Chelsea thought otherwise. "Yeah, well, you don't have to worry about that because as soon as we arrived at Alverez to save Makarov, we learned that Zeref was the Emperor.""SAY WHAT/HUH/HE'S AN EMPEROR/THAT GUY'S AN EMPEROR?!"Most of everyone's reactions were expected to Chelsea and the others. "Yeah, he went by the name of Emperor Spriggan. Funny enough, he was actually loved by his people. Or so we heard so he wasn't exactly a bad emperor. But yeah, he was the one who led the invasion and wanted the Fairy Heart. It was basically us against our First Master's ex-boyfriend."Cornelia sniffled sadly again. "How awful. Two people who were once lovers were now enemies.""Are you serious right now!?"Akame wasn't the least bit surprised. "Cornelia has always been a romantic at heart." She was glad that hasn't changed about her former teammate. Taeko silently agreed as she remembered Cornelia crying whenever she read a romance book.The "younger" Leone sighed knowing what kind of enemy her other self and the others were up against. "So, you basically had to fight a guy who's immortal who is an emperor of an Empire, and has these Twelve Spriggan guys. I know you said they're stronger than Esdeath, but honestly, I'm having a hard time believing that. I mean, Esdeath was the scariest thing out there and that's still true. Like how much stronger are they really?"The "younger" Leone and her group saw Leone holding up her hand and snapping her fingers once all while giving the other group a serious look. "And just like that, this entire city is now the size of a pebble."Kurome had a hard time believing that. "You can't be serious.""It's true," Akame spoke. "On our way to the continent Alakitasia, where Alverez is, we encountered one of the Spriggan Twelve.""To put more accurately..." Leone looked at her "younger" self. "You tailed Esdeath, right?"The "younger" Leone nodded. "Yeah, and I had to retreat because her aura was the most terrifying thing I've felt.""Yeah, the person we're talking about, her aura was far more powerful. It completely dwarfed Esdeath's and she was only the first of the Twelve we've encountered." Everyone remained silent as Leone narrowed her eyes at all of them. "You have no idea just how terrifyingly strong the Spriggan Twelve were." F Insert Fairy Tail OST: Immortality of Tempester The ground began to shake violently everywhere. When Carla took Wendy to fly up from the ground, it felt like they didn't go far up from the ground. When they flew out, that was when they saw something unbelievable. The island they and the others were currently on had raised out of the water as if it grew. "THE ISLAND CHANGED!"The woman responsible for such a drastic change looked back at her underling. "Don't make me...repeat myself." Spriggan Twelve Member, The Nation Destroyer: Brandish μ "This is a warning. Don't come any closer." Within the next second, the entire island Akame and her group were standing on instantly disappeared and suddenly found themselves in the water while Brandish stood on an extremely small version of the island beneath her shoes. "There are twelve more wizards of this power in Alverez. So, don't fight a battle you cannot win, Fairy Tail."Later on, Brandish found herself fighting against Lucy. "Aqua Metria!" Lucy sent large waves of earth swell and surge like ocean waves at Brandish.Brandish held her hand toward the surging earth waves. "Command T: Reduction!" Within an instant, she compressed Lucy's attack to fit in the palm of her hand which surprised Lucy. "The difference in quality of magic power is simply too great. Between you and I, a Spriggan, that is!" She put both her hands out. "Command T: Magnification!" She sent Lucy's attack back at her and instantly returned it to its original size and the blonde felt the full force of her own attack. "Ant Lion Larva's Pit!" Wendy and her group screamed as they and their magic vehicle fell into a giant sandpit. A man appeared at the edge of the pit before them. "I'll give you points for the effort, little girl! Now all of you and my undivided attention!" He laughed at all of them. "Would you look at that! You guys look great now!" Spriggan Twelve Member, The Desert King: Ajeel Raml "Let me tell you how many I've killed and towns I've swallowed with this. This ant lion larva's pit is my version of Hell's door. No one's escaped it before. So, listen closely since it's the last thing you'll hear before you die! I eat wizards like you for breakfast! You never stood a chance! We're just too different in level, you worms! Ishgar's a land abandoned by the gods! It's only a matter of time until Alverez takes control of it! You frustrated? I'm sure! He cackled at all of them. "Very good! I love the faces you're making right now!A while later before they escaped Ajeel's attack, he caught up with them again. "Did you really think you could protect them all like that? You don't seem to understand, do you? The power of the Spriggan Twelve!" Makarov heard a loud rumbling and looked to see a gargantuan sandstorm heading toward them. "Let the sands of death swallow you whole! This is the end! Anyone that comes into contact with this sandstorm dries up from the inside! Ta-da! Mummified fairies!"At a battle high above Magnolia Ajeel unleashed a powerful sandstorm that engulfed the town entirely. "Welcome to my Sand World where I am..." Ajeel's face appeared above Erza. "God!" He fired countless sand blades at Erza. "Ramel Sayf!" The attack pushed Erza back while yelling out in pain. "The fear of not being able to move freely and the fear of an invisible attack...I see it all. That fear of your when you're up against us..." Erza tried to attack, but Ajeel grabbed her by the throat tightly. "Revere me like a God, and maybe, I'll forgive you. At least I'll promise to end you in blow to save you from this pain."When the sandstorm ended, Akame and her group were now faced with metallic soldiers and they were created by another of their enemy. "My magic, Weakness, allows me to construct soldiers that exploit my enemy's shortcomings. The good and the bad of humanity, I have the power to see through it all, I do." Former Spriggan Twelve Member, The Adjudicator: Badd Mann Leone, Chelsea, and Akame quickly found out how powerful these metallic soldiers were against them. For Leone, the soldier she was fighting had speakers appear on its arm. "What the hell are you-" She didn't finish her sentence and screamed loudly in pain while covering her lion ears. "What the hell is that noise!? It feels like my head's going to split in half!"For Chelsea, she attacked the metallic soldier she was fighting with her Needle magic, but it held out its hand and summoned a mirror in front of it. The needles were absorbed into the mirror and were sent back out to Chelsea. Her own attack pierced through her skin. For Akame, while using Murasame, dodged the attack of the metallic soldier she was fighting and saw the spot where her opponent struck was browning. "So, my opponent can rust anything that it can touch. If it grabs Murasame..." She bypassed her opponent and went straight for Badd. When she slashed him with Murasame, she thought that'd be the end of it, but that wasn't the case. Not only she wasn't able to cut Badd, but she felt a familiar feeling. "This sensation...I felt it before. The moment Murasame came into contact with him, it felt just the same when I first struck one of Doctor Stylish's soldiers, Toby."Then remembered what Chelsea had told Akame about Badd from before. "There's no doubt at the other end of this group is their leader and he's probably one of the Twelve but here's the weird part; I couldn't sense any aura coming from the guy."Akame pieced together everything she had learned and came to a shocking conclusion. "The fact his body is metallic and he doesn't have an aura could only mean..." She stared at Badd with bewildered eyes. "You're...""Figured it out now, have we? Unfortunately, it's too late for you and for your friends. I think I can just leave things here to my Weakness soldiers. I must attend to the slaughter of that creator of this irksome Jutsu Shiki barrier." Badd launched himself from the sky and left the battlefield.At the cathedral, Badd revealed who or rather what he really was as his body transformed. "I am a Machina. I am not human."Even with Ichiya's arrival and using his Thunder Parfum magic, that too was proved useless on Badd. In fact, it made the situation direr for him and The Thunder Legion. "It may be true that machines made of organic material are susceptible to electricity. However, do you really think that I, one who has ascended to the Spriggan Twelve, would overcome such a vulnerability? My magic identifies my enemy's weakness. It is only natural I would conquer my own weakness as well. And that's not all. I have mastered a technique that enables me to freely convert and use electrical energy!" Badd discharged all the electricity he took from Ichiya's attack and powerfully dispersed it everywhere throughout the room of the cathedral. "Vortex Charge!" The attack destroyed parts of the building from the inside and everyone was caught in the attack and severely damaged. Badd's transformation was complete and looked more machine-like before as a result of Ichiya's attack. He also became more powerful. "By absorbing electrical energy...I can enhance and augment my strength even further!"In the battle to reclaim the seaside town of Hargeon, Laxus was fighting the true form of the person who seriously injured Freed and the other members of the Thunder Legion. "Hey, you're pretty good, arent'cha? Let's see here." Former Spriggan Twelve Member, (Real Form), The Adjudicator: Wahl Icht Wahl locked onto Laus and saw an x-ray of his body. "Analyze." He gasped at what he saw was going on inside his opponent's body. "You...what the hell? Your organs are..." Laxus came at him full force before Wahl could finish what he was going to say. Wahl grinned as his left arm transformed into a fully robotic arm with the Alvarez emblem on his shoulder. Both of them attacked with their fists head-on and a force of lightning flying out everywhere as a result. "You're quite something, punk! How're you even alive right now? There's no way you're human."Laxus pulled back his left arm with his lightning surrounding it. "How am I alive? I never have and never will sweat the details." He struck Wahl right into the ground with enough power to destroy it. "It's all about how I live from here on out!"Wahl thought what Laxus said earlier as amusing to him as he grinned. "Give me a break. You humans are always fixated on your little 'expressions' and 'morals'." Now his right arm became fully robotic. "Well, before you get your hopes up, hear me out. Lightning ain't going to do shit to me!" He quickly came back up and punched Laxus right back at him with his right fist while cackling. "So, how do you want to die?! Think E-xtra hard!" His fight with Laxus proved to be more difficult than he originally thought and crashed through a house on all fours. "Analysis complete. He's afflicted by large quantities of Magic Barrier Particles which somehow infiltrated his body. However, this lug's magic power is still top-tier within Fairy Tail. With my current 'frivolous' personality setting, there is a possibility that I could get the carpet pulled out from under me." Light began to emit from his body. "Overwriting current personality setting to 'coldhearted'. Strengthening exoskeleton. Switching to Assault Mode. Setting 'Laxus' as sole target. Diverting all magic power fusion over ignition." His body began to change shape. "Estimated time frame for complete annihilation: Ninety seconds." A sphere of light came out of the hole Wahl was in and quickly passed by Laxus. The sphere then exploded massively in the air behind Laxus which burned the left part of his shirt. Smoke began to clear up from around Wahl. "Amending erroneous calculations..." His appearance now was completely cybernetic and a very serious look on his face. "Assault Wahl, ready for sortie." While Laxus was weakened, Wahl wasted no time in attacking him. Wahl fired up the thrusters behind his back and flew straight at Laxus. He struck him in the chest and several smaller thrusters opened in his arm. They fired up and launched Laxus away while giving off a thunderous sonic boom that caused extra damage. Wahl was far from over with his attacks. "Confirming target's current survival status. Engaging pursuit system." He fired multiple missiles out from his back and all of them were targeting Laxus. "Missile Bombardment: Fire!" All of the missiles struck Laxus at once and multiple explosions occurred Whal pointed his left arm forward and it opened up. "Anti-Matter Laser!" He fired his laser right at Laxus and struck him. The attack managed to destroy Laxus's shirt. "Confirming target's current survival status..." Wahl manifested a large railgun on his back. "Railgun Bombardment!" The Shield fired a powerful stream of electricity at Laxus. "Pierce the target!" Unlike the previous two attacks, Wahl's railgun attack didn't affect Laxus. In fact, the lightning surrounded Laxus's body and quickly headed back to him. "Miscalculation! Electric-type attacks are favored by this target!" Laxus punched Wahl in the head and sent him flying through the streets. Wahl managed to stabilize himself. "However, my components are immune to electricity as well." He put his right arm forward and opened up to fire countless bullets at the Lightning Dragon slayer. Laus dodged the bullets while closing in on Wahl As soon as he came in close, Laxus delivered a lightning clad kick at the Adjudicator. Wahl crashed through some crates and realized he miscalculated. "System error! Planned extermination time limit exceeded! System error! This human..." Wahl saw Laxus walking toward him but then saw that he dropped to one knee while coughing out blood. Wahl knew what was happening to Laxus. "it seems...the target's body has reached its limit. The Magic Barrier Particles contaminating the target's internal organs are interfering with his vital functions. It is therefore reasonable to assume that his mobility is severely limited and even the act of breathing is a painful task." He stood up. "Even if mobility were still within his capabilities, his lightning attacks would be ineffectual. In chess, this situation would be referred to as 'checkmate'."Let me show you the true power of the Twelve. Let me show you what it means to control time itself!" Spriggan Twelve Member, The Valkyrie: Dimaria Yesta Dimaria pushed Wendy and Chelia back and her armor covering her right arm was instantly destroyed. Dimaria took a step forward and put her right arm in front. The ground underneath the Sky Lovers was immediately destroyed and sent them away. When they recovered, they, Carla, and Ultear saw a figure where Dimaria once stood. Once the smoke started clear, everyone saw what happened to their opponent. Dimaria looked completely different. Her body was cloaked in shadows with most of her body being covered with ethereal lines. Only her jaw was visible in all of this and her eyes were replaced by two small bright discs while her hair was flowing upwards in that same shadow. "Take-Over: God Soul." Dimaria roared as a monumental pillar of magic erupted out from her body and struck everyone in its vicinity. it quickly subsided and only a large crater was left after the attack's wake. "Know fear. For my name is Chronos and I am the Goddess of Time."Dimaria, or rather Chronos raised her left arm and pointed her finger at the trio. Carla gasped and immediately pushed Wendy away to the ground "Wendy!" Chronos's fingertip glowed briefly just before she fired an energy beam. The attack instantly pierced through Carla's abdomen from the side. All everyone could do was just stare in horror at what had happened to Carla.Wendy couldn't believe what happened to her best friend. "CARLAAAAAA!"Unfortunately for them, Carla was only the first one to go and Chronos had no intention of stopping. "Ye who have committed the sin of defiling my world, repent thy sins as corpses!" Wendy attacked Chronos with everything she had but none of them had any effect on her. "I shall state it once more. I am the God who governs time." She gave her enemy a slight smirk. "I will forcefully make you recall all the pain which time has etched into your body." A glow appeared from her body and a vortex of black and white struck Wendy. "Age Scratch!" Wendy screeched out in pain as the attack blew her away. Her whole body was experiencing pain beyond anything she could've imagined. The young dragon slayer could feel every attack that struck her in the past all at once. She even felt the scar Dorothea gave her reopen once again. "Can you comprehend it yet? The folly of a mortal attempting to so much as touch a god?"Erza, Jellal, and Kagura heard laughter coming above from the ship they were on and looked to see a person sitting on the spar of the ship. What you're seeing is your 'Historia'. A tale of love, friendship, family, betrayal, and death. What a beautiful, sorid Historia indeed." Spriggan Twelve Member, The Historia Collector: Neinhart "You did well to take notice in a short instant. Indeed, what you all are witnessing is your Historia." Neinhart smirked at all of them. "The magician in your hearts. I can gaze into peoples' hearts. There is a myriad of emotions and sentiments to be found in the heart and with my magic, you see, I can materialize those emotions into reality. The creation of life. That is the beauty of my Historia."Simon, who was Kagura's older brother and killed by Jellal back at the Tower of Heaven, began to phase in and out while looking at Kagura. "It's you...isn't it?"Kagura ran past Jellal and tried to run over to her elder sibling. "Big brother!""Kagura...you've...grown..." It was too late as Simon vanished in front of them. For what it felt like a second time, Kagura had lost her older brother yet again.While she was in despair losing her brother, Jellal wasn't as easily tricked. "Calm yourself! That's merely an illusion created by him!"Neinhart closed his eyes and smiled while raising his left arm A glow surrounded his hand. "I'm insulted that you called my creations mere illusions. You witnessed it, did you not? The life I create can even use magic. It has memories and a personality as well." He unleashed a powerful magic attack and aimed it toward Kagura. Before it could hit her, Jella grabbed her and shielded her from the attack with his body. The attack was powerful enough to blow a hole through the ship and straight into under the water. After they were dealt with, Neinhart summoned three Historia important to Erza; Ikaruga from the Death's Head dark guild, and Azuma from the Grimoire Heart guild. They overwhelmed Erza and seeing her struggle was amusing to Neinhart. "The Historia of one who overcame countless powerful foes. How magnetically beautiful!" He summoned a third Historia who was Kyoka from the Tartaros guild. "Behold! This is my magic! The power to conjure the very history of all your battles! Historia of Corpses! These souls which originally had never interacted with one another, my Historia brings them together. This is the epitome of elegance and beauty!" Neinhart extended his arms apart and laughed gleefully. "Now, extend even further, Historia of Corpses!"The entire battlefield was now overrun with people long dead and held dearly to others. For Gray and Lyon, they faced their former master, Ur. For Meredy, she was met with Zancrow, a fellow former member of the Seven Purgatory of Kin. For Juvia, she encountered Keyes, a former member of the Nine Demon Gates from Tartaros. For Wendy, she had to fight Ezel, another former member of the Nine Demon Gates in her severally weakened state. For Laxus, he encountered Hades, or rather Precht Gaebolg who was the second guild master of Fairy Tail and former guild master of Grimoire Heart.For Leone... "What the hell is going out there? I thought we were winning this thing?" While looking away, a strong sense took over her entire body and jumped away from her current position. As she did, something struck the ground the blonde previously stood, and dust kicked up everywhere. Leone landed on the ground and turned around with her claws ready and smiled at her next victims. "Alright, who's the next to die?!" There was no response and that puzzled the blonde. And now that she thought about it, something else didn't make sense to her. "That's weird. I can't even sense their aura. There's no way these guys know how to hide it or else they couldn't have gotten the drop on me. Hell, the only reason why I avoided their attack in the first place was that my beast instinct sensed something dangerous was coming at me from behind."The dust cloud remained and so did the silence until Leone heard a voice coming from within. "It's good to see you again, Leone."At an instant Leone heard the voice, her heart immediately dropped. Her breathing became shaky and so did her body. "There's no way. It... can't be...""Hey, Leone! Long-time no see! How've you been?!"As if the first voice wasn't enough to send Leone through a sense of disbelief, the second made her doubt entirely what was happening. A flood of emotions was running rampant throughout her body. The dust began to clear and she saw two people standing within it. One was a young girl with long purple hair and wore a sleeveless lilac cheongsam. She also wore glasses and wielded a familiar pair of giant scissors. The other was an older male wearing green armor with a black leather jacket over it and sported a familiar pompadour hairstyle. At that moment, the entire world seemed to have frozen over for Leone as she couldn't believe her eyes at the who was standing in front of her. The two people she thought she'd never see again, even less so in Earthland and they smiled at her. Former Night Raid Member: Sheele Former Night Raid Member and Empire Solider: Bulat Neinhart as enjoying seeing Erza struggling to fight against her Historia and hearing her cries. "Dimaria and Wahl are truly pathetic indeed. Observe how handily I alone have suppressed these weaklings. A simple task for yours truly." He saw Ikaruga and the other Historia overwhelm Erza and put down on all fours. Neinhart noticed a particular look in Erza's and was entranced by it. "That spark in your eyes...you will surely become someone else's Historia in the near future. Yet another beautiful corpse.""Hey, please tell me this is some kind of joke. Is this really all you're capable of against lowly 'ole me? And to think, after that pathetic display, you dare don the title of Wizard Saints?" Former Spriggan Twelve Member and former Ten Wizard Saint Rank One, The Hybrid Theory: God Serena God Serena grinned wickedly as the sclera from his eyes turned black while his iris' became white. His teeth sharpened as he stood up while unleashing his magic power. God Serena roared as he slammed both his hand down the ground and it instantly broke apart as it shook violently while rocks slammed down upon the four Wizard Saints he was fighting against. "CAVERN DRAGON'S EARTH DESTRUCTION!" He pulled back his arm and fire circled around his right fist. "PURGATORY DRAGON'S BLAZING HELL!" He sent his arm forward and his four opponents were consumed by a massive sphere of fire. However, he wasn't done with them yet as his left fist had water circling around it. "SEA KING DRAGON'S ENCIRCLING DELUGE!" He sent his left arm forward and unleashed massive powerful waves of water at them. After being told to stop by August, he saw the state he left his fellow former Saints and laughed at them. "What's this? It appears I got a bit too overzealous."During the battle against Fairy Tail fighting Alverez's army, eight giant dragons emerged from the ground which surprised Natsu and the others. Out from the dragons, God Serena leaped out spinning from one of them, and landed on the ground before posing. "You shan't take one step further! God Serena (corpse)! A god has appeared!"Akame instantly sensed something was wrong with their enemy standing before them. "He doesn't have an aura, which means he's the same as Cora and the others from before." It also meant to her that he must've died at some point during the war.God Serena thrust his left hand forward. "PURGATORY DRAGON'S BLAZING HELL!" He sent a massive column of fire at the group. To Natsu, it was a giant meal that he desperately needed and ate it. A notion that surprised God Serena, but didn't worry him. "Oh? Then how about..." He thrust his right arm forward next. "SEA KING DRAGON'S WATER FORMATION ENVELOPMENT!" He unleashed a powerful stream of water right next to his previous attack. The combined attacks overwhelmed Natsu and the others.Leone was trying her best to endure the two attacks. "Come on! This guy's a dragon slayer and he can use two kinds of Dragon Slayer magic at once?!"God Serena took in a deep breath. "STORM DRAGON'S..." He opened his mouth and his eyes changed color once again. "SONG OF THE WIND AND MOON!" His breath attack struck everyone and left a massive explosion after its wake."Hmm...quite the charming guild you've got here. The smell of alcohol is ingrained in the wood. I'd heard this was an old guild, but it looks like you've done some remodeling." Spriggan Twelve Member, The Assassin: Jacob Lessio "The art of assassination is fundamentally based upon hiding in the shadows and hunting down your prey, quietly and swiftly. And yet, here I am right in front of you. Why do you think that is? Simple. Because there's no need for me to hide." He brought his hands close together. "The only things I'll be hiding are corpses and witnesses. Before you know it, there'll be no one left." He clapped his hands together and a bright light came out from him. Outside the guild, a dark area appeared from underneath. In the next second, everyone in the guild vanished without a trace.Or so Jacob thought when he was attacked by Lucy and Akame. He took an immediate interest in Akame. "I like the look of your eyes, girl. And I'm not talking about the color. You've been some pretty grueling battles before, have you not? They also tell me that you've lost comrades along the way. How many was it? Two?" He saw no reaction from Akame. "Five?" He saw a light reaction coming from his opponent. Jacob knew he was getting closer and needed one more guess. "Eight then?" He saw Akame's eyes widen slightly heard a soft gasp. That was the reaction Jacob was looking for. "So, you lost eight of your pals, huh? That must've been rough on you."Akame regained her composure and need to know an answer from the other assassin. "Exactly who are you? I know you're one of the Spriggan Twelve, but that's all."Jacob smirked at Akame's question and would appeal it. "I see no harm in answering." He placed his right hand in front of his torso and his left behind his lower back. "Jacob Lessio, member of the Spriggan Twelve and holder of the title Assassin." Jacob finished his bow and straightened out. "Now that I told you my name, it's only common courtesy that you tell me yours, girl."Akame didn't see a reason why she should since they were about to fight but would oblige anyway. "It's Akame."The Shield chuckled amusingly at her name. "Akame is it? Well then, Akame, I will say you're not the first assassin I've faced against, but I will say you're the youngest I've encountered." He placed his left arm behind his back and held up his right arm in front of him. "Let's see how well you stack up." To Jacob's surprise, Akame was quite the opponent for him to face. However, Jacob was by far stronger than any opponent Akame had fought before in the past. She also couldn't use Murasame because she feared that if she killed Jacob, she'd risk losing everyone in the guild since he was the only one who could bring them back. Jacob struck Akame from under her chin while invisible and sent her flying into the air. However, that didn't last long as Akame felt a powerful kick straight to her stomach and crashed back into the floor. Akame coughed up blood as a result and groaned in pain. "Painful, ain't it?" Jacob appeared right above Akame with his foot digging into her body. "How about we end it with this? He held up Akame's Murasame and inspected it closely. "Before this scuffle began, you sheathed this sword of yours. I gotta admit, this little sword got me curious as to why you didn't use it? Guess we'll see now, won't we?" He chuckled at his next move. "Death by your own weapon. How ironic." The Shield grabbed the handle and unsheathed Murasame. He marveled at its sinister gleam. Quite the sword you have." Before Jacob could finish the job, he noticed a few red sparks coming from the handle. Then the handle began sparking wildly and he felt a great pain coursing through his hand. "What the bloody hell!?" He tossed Murasame in the air and the pain stopped.At this moment, Akame took advantage of his distraction and sank within her shadow and away from the Shield. When Jacob noticed his foot was on the floor, the other assassin came out of her shadow. She put her hands together once more. "Shadow-Make: Twin Shadow Swords!" Akame rushed at Jacob and swung her left shadow sword at the Sheild. He crossed his arms to block the attack and was pushed back. "We may be both assassins..." She made her right sword vanish and managed to grab Murasame by the handle as it dropped in front of her. "But the difference between you and I is that you don't carry the burden of the lives you've taken."Jacob lowered his arms and glared at Akame as the Shield tossed the Sheath away. He thought Akame's words were nothing more than a joke to him. "An assassin gone soft, huh? It seems you've forgotten something important in this line of work. Never mix business with personal feelings." He put his fist up in front of him and readied himself for the next round.Even with his magic, Akame could sense his aura and track him easily. That's what gave her the edge over Jacob. She raised her right shadow sword at the Shield. "You've lost. Now, return our friends or I'll force you to."Even in his position, Jacabo couldn't help but laugh. "Oh really?" He groaned as the Shield stood up. Jacob removed his hand from his side and started to clap slowly at the other assassin while smiling. I have to admit, I should give you more credit." He stopped clapping and set his arms down. "You're the first assassin that's lasted this long against me and the first who could tell where I am even with my magic. Still, between the two of us, you..." He rushed over at Akame.Akame drew her left sword back and swung it at the Shield, but instead, it passed through and faded completely. Akame hadn't expected him to use the same technique she used on him. "He used an afterimage?!"In the next second, Akame felt a powerful blow to her back and propelled her across the guildhall. "...ARE STILL NOTHING BUT A RANK AMATEUR COMPARED TO ME!"Even with Natsu appeared fully recovered from his fight against Zeref, Jacob still proved to be a powerful foe. But, they still had the advantage over Jacob. "Natsu!" The fire dragon slayer turned to Akame who gave her a serious look. "Listen to me; he has the power to hide his presence. It must be some kind of stealth magic he's using. I doubt even with your senses you'd find him. However, I can. Just leave that part to me.""Really? That's awesome! That sensing aura thing you do really does in handy, huh?"And from that moment on, they lost their only advantage over Jacob. He seemed quite happy by what his enemy revealed to him. "Sensing my aura, was it? So, that's how you were able to counter my magic. Quite the trick you have there, girl. However, now it won't work anymore." He disappeared in front of everyone once more.Natsu frantically looked for their enemy, but again, he couldn't find any trace of him. He turned to look back at Akame. "Hey, Akame! Can't you sense his aura or something to tell where he is!?"Unfortunately for them, Akame couldn't. "I... can't. He's concealing his aura now." That wasn't the only thing that shocked her the most. "He was able to learn to hide his aura this fast?" Before Akame could contemplate this further, she was blown away by an unseen attack and crashed over one of the tables."Akame!" Natsu was also attacked by another unseen attack. He recovered but the fire dragon slayer became frustrated. Where the hell he's attacking from?!"That was something Akame wished she knew. "Now that he's able to hide his aura, I can't tell where his next ill come from or what he'll do next."They weren't completely out of options as Lucy had an idea and brought out one of her Golden Gate Keys. "We still have a way to find him even without sensing aura! Loke!"Her key flashed a bright light and Loke appeared next to her. "I'm on it!" He grabbed his left arm and bright lighted shined from his body. "Shining Lion!" The light shined throughout the guild and Jacob was revealed. Loke didn't waste any time coming over to him. "There you are!" The light enveloped his body and delivered a punch straight at Jacob.The Shield didn't need another nuisance in revealing him. "As if I need another pain in my ass to deal with." He pulled back his right arm and flung it forward which created some kind of boom that sent Loke away from him and crashed into one of the tables.Lucy expressed concern for her spirit whereas Loke was confused as to what happened to him. "What the hell...was that just now?"Jacob chuckled a little as he spread his arms apart and sent a multitude of invisible attacks at Natsu, Lucy, and Akame Natsu was pushed back while Lucy and Akame tried to shield themselves as best as they could from the attacks. He had quite the sinister expression he was showing. "Erase...vanish...see...and make unseen. That is the power of my magic.""What you have touched is death itself." Former Spriggan Twelve Member, The Grim Reaper: Bloodman Bloodman "phased" to the side out of Gajeel's attack and his body returned to normal. Bloodman immediately grabbed the iron dragon slayer by the throat tightly. "There will be no reprieve and no escape!" As Gajeel's fight with Bloodman started, their fists collided with one another. however, Bloodman was confident in his power that this fight would end soon. "My Bane Particles spells doom for any wizard who inhales them! Soon, you'll feel the sensation of your organs liquefying!"Gajeel wasn't worried about that kind of thing happening to him. "Yeah, I don't think so because my lungs are made of iron!"Bloodman gladly welcomed that fact and excited him further. "Excellent news!" He extended his arm by stretching it out via that black mist, but Gajeel managed to jump out of the way in time. "It's been too long since I've faced a truly challenging opponent!"Gajeel flipped his body around and kicked with his left leg and transformed into a spear to extend it. "Iron Dragon's Spear!" His attack managed to reach Bloodman, but it went through him instead without any sign of damage. The iron dragon slayer was surprised his attack didn't do anything to him.To make it worse, that black mist appeared and surround Bloodman. "My body is made of Bane Particles, so touching me will seal your doom!" The mist became thicker and countless skulls appeared all around. Gajeeel then found himself surrounded by Bloodman's Bane Particles and large piles of skulls surrounding him. "I AM A GOD OF DEATH, DRAGGING ALL I FACE TO THE UNDERWORLD!" Gajeel screamed in pain as he felt the full force of Bloodman's attack and sent him higher into the air. "My legion of the dead will consume your soul!" Thankfully, Levy appeared and saved Gajeel from Bloodman's attack. He was against Levy for sticking around, but she was insistent. Meanwhile, not too far from them, Bloodman's hood was removed and revealed his demonic-looking face. "Those who oppose me cannot escape death. I'll drag your souls through the gates of hell, for I am Death and this promise of life you cling to will be broken without any mercy!" Since another opponent appeared before him, Bloodman decided to push this fight further. he raised his hand with his index finger held up. "When the first seal is broken, Bane Particles drain your magic power." He held his middle finger next. "The second opens a gate to the underworld beneath this field of corpses." "Bloodman held up three fingers next. "Upon breaking the third seal..." His body began to change and became enveloped in Bane Particles. "The God of death renders judgment upon you." His entire body darkened with a ghastly bright purple glow from his eyes and mouth and didn't appear human any longer. "And when that happens, you are condemned down to the land of the dead!"Despite his drastic transformation, Gajeel smiled as he wasn't the least bit intimated by his enemy. "I get you're trying to be scary, but your magic power is a joke. You got nothing on the rest of the Twelve, do you?"Bloodman widened his eyes and stared menacingly at Gajeel and Levy. "That's because I wield the power of curses!"Gajeel gasped in shock at what Bloodman announced and Levy shared his reaction. "So, does that mean what I think it does?"Bloodman held his right arm in front with his palm open. "I control what rises from the depths of Tartaros; CURSE POWER!" He unleashed a massive dark purple swirling explosion onto Gajeel and Levy and blew them away. "EXPLOSION SPIRAL!" Bloodman drew back his left arm next. "TENGA GOKEN!" Bloodman threw his arm in front and a powerful cross slash appeared that struck Gajeel and cut down the trees surrounding him. "ONIMARU!" Gajeel defended against the attack by turning his arm into iron. Bloodman roared as he threw both his arm up and black water suddenly surged from underneath the ground. "UNLEASH..." The massive wave flooded the entire area and swept up Gajeel and Levy. "DARK DELUGE!"Gajeel couldn't believe the kind of power his enemy possessed. "Aw, man, can he use all of Tartaros' curses!?"Thankfully, they had experience in dealing with Torafuzar's curse, one of the Nine Demon Gates they faced in the past, before. "Maybe..." Levy wasted no time in swimming down. "But I'm not falling for the same trick twice!" Once she was close enough to the ground, she pointed two of her fingers at it. "Solid Script: Hole!" The word "hole" appeared in the ground and the water was being immediately drained through the o of the word.They immediately escaped Bloodman's attack and Gajeel was impressed by what she did. "Nice one, Levy!" He took in a deep breath as did Bloodman. They both unleashed their attacks at once against each other. "Iron Dragon's Roar!""ICE DEMON'S RAGE!" Both breath attacks fiercely collied with each other and canceled each other out. Then Gajeel noticed a couple of ghostly white tendrils wrapping around his legs and Levy's. Bloodman spread his arms apart. "Behold, a curse beyond the Nine Demons! To the underworld, to the underworld, the dead eternally walk!" Countless skulls started to rise out from the fields with those same strange tendrils sticking out from underneath them screeching and moaning. Gajeel didn't like where this was going and, unfortunately, knew where this was headed. "THE THIRD SEAL BREAKS AS JUDGEMENT HAS RENDERED!" A bright light erupted from his forehead. "OVERSKELTOR!" Bloodman sent a torrent of skulls and Bane Particles that swept up Gajeel and Levey entirely. They both found themselves stuck in a giant vortex of skulls and Gajeel screamed in pain.Gajeel and Levy were able to escape from Bloodman's attack, during the process, Levy lost her mask that prevented her from breathing in the Bane Particles. However, that was just a bluff as she explained that Bane Particles could also be absorbed through the skin. She smiled weakly at Gajeel before collapsing on the ground. "LEVY!" Gajeel stood up and listened carefully to Levy's breathing. It was weak, but that was good enough for him. He turned his attention to Bloodman. If he defeated him, then the Bane Particles surrounding them would disappear and Levy would finally be out of danger. "Okay..." Gajeel made a mad dash toward his enemy. "Hang in there, Levy! I'M GOING TO TAKE DOWN THIS UGLY BASTARD FOR GOOD!" He pulled his left arm back and threw it forward.It transformed into iron an iron rod and all it did was go through Bloodman's head ineffectively. "All your struggling is for naught!" He brought up his hand and wiggled his index finger. Several blackened thorns appeared and pierced through Gajeel's body as they pushed him back. Gajeel managed to fight through the thorns reached Bloodman yet again. He threw a punch at his enemy, but it too proved to be ineffective as it just went through him. "There is nothing you can do to harm me!""Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu unleashed his breath attack at a battalion of Alverez soldiers, but his attack was frozen instantly. He shot Gray an angry glare. "That was dirty, Gray!""It wasn't me." Gray defended, but something did feel off in the air. "Come to think of it, this cold..."A sudden strong cold wind blew through Natsu and his group. "BURN!" Natsu let out huge flames to weaken the cold, but they too instantly froze over. His body began to freeze over. "N-No way."Natsu, Lucy, Happy, and Juvia were completely frozen over, leaving Gray the only one remaining. A figure was walking toward them. "Oh? You seem to be immune to this cold. Fascinating." Spriggan Twelve Member, The Winter General: Invel Yura Gray instantly recognized his enemy and tried to attack but he was struck at his left side by a massive ice attack. He crashed through a wall and saw that part of his body was frozen. Invel held two fingers up and Gray was bombarded with more powerful ice attacks. "You may address me as Invel Yura. I am he who brings winter's wrath to all. Your paltry chill is naught before my winter."Gray breathed heavily as his breath became visible and felt a feeling he hasn't had in a long time. "My body is...freezing solid. Me, of all people...he's actually making me shiver from the cold." Invel raised his hand and delivered another ice attack at Gray. "Ice-Make: Shield!" Gray created an ice shield to block the Winter General's attack and raised his fist. "Ice-Make..." He slammed his fist into his other hand. "Ice Impact!"Gray summoned a large, intricate designed hammer above Invel but his opponent easily stopped the attack with his hand. Gray was surprised by this act. "I see. Ice-Maker Magic. No wonder you were able to withstand my cold."Invel froze Gray's attack and it cracked immediately before it shattered. "He froze then shattered it?!"Invel gave Gray a cold, emotionless look. "I am the purest of ice mages. I do not simply make toys out of ice. I use the very essence of ice itself to freeze all. Your derivative failings could never hold a candle to me. I will break them as easily as I would a child's plaything."If Gray's usual magic wouldn't work on Invel, he'd use his other magic. He stuck his right arm out to the side and black markings began to appear around it. "Then how about this stuff? I inherited this power from my old man. The power to slay devils." Hearing that caught Invel's attention. "A power for defeating E.N.D itself." Gray's right side blackened and he put his hands together. In an instant, he passed by Invel while wielding an ice sword of sinister color. "Ice Devil's Zeroth Long Sword!" Invel was surprised by how powerful Gray's attack was. Gray turned around and swung his ice sword again at the Winter General.Invel turned around while holding the spot where Gray attacked with his hand. He didn't anticipate his enemy wielding such powerful magic. "This...this power. Devil Slayer Magic?! He uses this power to mold ice weapons?! But...this power eats away at the soul. Those who hunt devils cannot long retain their sanity." He smiled. "You have my attention." He caught Gray's attack and their combined ice magic summoned a huge winter storm that enveloped the entire area and beyond. "You have what it takes to stand alongside me as a comrade." Gray didn't expect to receive a compliment from his enemy. "I fear you yourself are unaware of it, but your heart is slowly being tainted by darkness."Gray still didn't understand what Invel was talking about. "Eh? What're blathering on about?""The powers of darkness are seeds of black magic itself. Proof of the reality of the powers of the Emperor himself." Invel explained."What the-so you're basically telling me you know that you're the bad guys?" Gray pointed out.To Invel, it wasn't as simple as that. "Darkness is a fearsome power that resides in the hearts of all. Darkness is neither good nor evil. Your darkness is on the brink of releasing itself in the world."Gray closed his right hand tightly as Invel's words were pissing him off more. "You're starting to make my ears bleed. I ain't trying to play Mr. Superhero over here either, you know. If it's my family on the line, I'll be as dark and black a villain as I need to in order to protect 'em!""Atta boy, Gray!" Natsu managed to thaw out from the ice as did Lucy, Juvia, and Happy. "A Fairy Tail mage through and through!"Gray was happy his friends were alright while Invel was impressed with what Natsu had done. In fact, he smiled. "He actually melted my ice. I see. This one called Natsu, he truly is..." Before the battle could continue, Brandish appeared and grabbed Natsu, Lucy, and Happy, and walked away. Before Gray and Juvia could stop her, Invel created ice collars and a chain that bounded them both. "Ice Lock. A magic that seals a person's heart and makes them my willing puppets. You two will now fight to the death. You have zero say in the matter. This chain cannot be removed until one of you lies lifeless." He planned to have Gray kill Juvia and fully unleash Gray's Ice Devil Slayer magic to kill Natsu. Gray and Juvia fought each other against their will. However, he didn't anticipate both of them taking their own lives. They fell to the ground and he became frustrated. "Rather than killing one another, they voluntarily took their own lives? How... How could any rational being do such a thing?!" The chain that bound them together started to crack and dissipate. "I've made a gross miscalculation." He turned around and started to walk away from Gray and Juvia's corpses. "Now that it's come to this, it seems the duty of eliminating E.N.D falls unto my own hands." He followed the path where Brandish had taken Natsu and his party. "Brandish was headed in this direction, as I recall." He stopped when he sensed overwhelmingly powerful magic approaching him. He looked back and saw Gray not only still alive, but he was absolutely furious. The fact he was still alive astounded him. "This is...unprecedented! I cannot believe you still breathe! But one thing is crystal clear, you will not be able to fight at full strength with such grievous woun-"Gray punched Invel straight in the face and broke his glasses in the process and straight into the ground. "YOU TOOK HER LIFE AWAY!"Gray then kicked Invel away while he was down. For once in his life, Invel was afraid. "This man..." Gray punched him again and sent the Winter General through a wall. "This man is..." He managed to recover. "He seems intent on forcing me to unleash 'that'." Ice started to form around his body until it became a massive suit of armor created out of ice. "Ice-Rending Divine Raiment!" He saw Gray closing in for another attack, but he believed it would be all for naught. "This is ice from the depths of the underworld itself. All things unlucky enough to graze it shall freeze instantly!" He put his right hand in front and blocked Gray's punch. "Even the likes of you and your body's immunity to ice, it matters not! This unholy armor freezes anything and everything without fail!" Even with Gray's Ice Devil Slayer magic, his arm began to freeze over thoroughly. "Be frozen forever in time...and shatter into pieces!"Makarov used the Fairy Law spell to wipe out most of the Alverez army, but some forces still remained. "I must say that was quite the gaudy little spell." Yukino, Sorano, Lector, and Frosch looked up to see a figure sitting on a small rocky hill not far from them. "Thanks to that, our forces have considerably dwindled. Quite troublesome indeed. And so, it falls upon me to return the favor if only a bit. I simply would be able to face my father otherwise. "The sun shined brilliantly behind him. Former Spriggan Twelve Member, The White Dragneel: Larcade Dragneel Larcade started to part his hands and bright light began to shine in-between them. "I shall 'take on' all those who dared oppose us." He let out an intense flash of light that blinded the two sisters as he spread his arms apart. "Let their pure, white souls ascend to the free heavens." The light traveled far across the battlefield and within moments, the people began to feel the effects of Larcade's magic. Sorano was one of them while Yukino remained unaffected. They all stopped and moaned in pleasure and couldn't resist such an overwhelmingly pleasant feeling nor could they fight back. They simply couldn't do anything while waves of intense pleasure wracked through their bodies. "My magic is pleasure. It is impossible for those who have already tasted the forbidden fruit to escape my magic." Larcade smirked. "I wonder...are you aware of exactly what happens to humans who are granted pleasure over and over and over again?"Yukino brought out one of her Gate Keys. "Open, Gate of the Twin Fish!""It's simple, really. They die." Before Yukino could summon her spirit, multiple white tendrils of light captured her "Knowledge is ignorance as black is to white. May you come to know both pleasure and agony." Yukino moaned as she couldn't do anything to fight back the pleasure that running rampant through her body.That is until the Kagura appeared and cut the tendrils wrapping around Yukino. "White light? Granting pleasure? It's quite hard to fathom that you are a comrade of the Black Wizard." Her appetence didn't worry Larcade and attacked Kagura with blades of light from a distance. She managed to parry them all easily. "How long do you plan on lecturing us from your high perch?" She swung her sword and cut through the entire base of the hill Larcade was sitting on. "Come down and face me!"While still on the hill, Larcade clapped his hand together and more white tendrils appeared and began to wrap around Kagura. He landed on the ground. "I shall introduce you to the sweet nectar of pleasure as well." Kagura began to feel good and moan. "Humans cannot possibly disobey their natural instincts." To his surprise, Kagura managed to fight her way through the pleasure and bit her tongue. She then managed to cut away the light tendrils once more. He didn't expect her to go to such lengths. "She actually bit her own tongue? By inflicting great pain upon herself, she was able to liberate herself from the pleasure?"Kagura launched herself right at Larcade and was immediately in front of him crouched down with her hand on her sword's handle. She threw her enemy a disgusted glare. "What a vulgar magic you wield." She unsheathed her sword and struck Larcade with a bright light shining. "Judgement!" Everything went still for just a moment, but Kagura quickly realized something didn't feel right. She gasped as she saw Larcade block her attack with just his fingers. "You stopped my sword with your...bare hands?"Larcade slightly narrowed his eyes at Kagura. "It would appear you lot have made a horrible miscalculation after managing to defeat several of the Twelve." Kagura pulled her sword back and retreated from Larcade. "August, Irene, and I, we are...how should I put this...special exceptions," Kagura yelled as she swung her sword once again at her enemy. "Such a delightful expression. It is the face of one who has completely abandoned hope. Knowing they cannot possibly defeat the enemy before them." He caught Kagura's attack once more and at the same time, struck her side with his other hand and blood spurted out of her fresh wound. She trembled in pain in front of him. "Fear not. Your pain, your suffering...before long, it will all transform into pure pleasure." Kagura dropped to her knees. "A short while ago, you referred my magic as 'vulgar', did you not? That might very well be the case, so to speak." He closed his eyes and put his hands together. "However, this can also be called 'love'. I shall give you a peaceful death. One without even a hint of anguish." Kagura finally fell before Larcade. "Let her pure white soul ascend to the free heavens."Yukino immediately became worried about Kagura's condition. "Lady Kagura!"Larcade chuckled lightly. "How wonderful. I will dye your very despair into pleasure." More of the white tendrils appeared and wrapped around Yukino once again. She screamed out of defiance before they became screams of pleasure. Larcade then had a very sinister expression. "Now...rise to the heavens...and your death."An explosion suddenly occurred and blew away Erza and her group. Out the smoke, a figure appeared before them. "So, it is true. You're still alive, Erza." Former Spriggan Twelve Member, The Scarlet Despair: Irene Belserion Erza narrowed her eyes at Irene. "Who are you?"Irene gave Erza a sinister smirk. "I am you and you are me."Erza and Leone attacked Irene together but even with their combined strength, they couldn't do much against their opponent. She sent both girls back and held her hand out before closing it. A giant explosion erupted from beneath them. While Leone was blown back, Erza jumped out of the explosion and switched armors. "Heaven's Wheel!" She sent countless swords at Irene and they all struck at once. "Blumentblatt!" A large dust cloud appeared after the attack landed.Leone laughed ecstatically watching Erza's work. "Hell yeah! That attack had to hurt!"Wendy was a little more cautious. "Have we done it?"Erza very much doubted that statement. "No. She's not an opponent who'd go down from just that."They saw Irene's shadowy figure from within the dust cloud. "I see. You launch indiscriminate slashing attacks by means of your innumerable swords. Being able to control such a large number of blades at once is no small feat." They heard her clap. "I applaud you." When the dust cleared, it revealed that not only did any of Erza's swords hit Irene, she set them all up in a flower formation. "For that, you have earned a flower circle."Leone's eyes went wide with disbelief at what she was seeing. "No way. Not one of them hit her?'Wendy shared Leone's reaction. "Not only did she fend off Erza's attack, but she even managed to do that? I can't believe it."Erza growled a little as she narrowed her eyes at her enemy. "She's screwing around with me."While Irene was impressed by the scale of Erza's attack, her strength and Leone's did not. "And yet, even after being strengthened by that little girl's enchantments, this is the best you and that other girl can muster, Erza?" She pointed her staff at once of the swords. "How utterly disappointing." In an instant, all the swords surrounding her dissolved at once."Identify yourself, you fiend!" Erza had about enough of the mystery behind the identity of the woman she and other girls were fighting.Irene giggled a little at Erza's demand. "You've still yet to figure it out?" Erza just gave her an intense stare without saying another word. "No, in reality, you've begun to realize, but you simply refuse to acknowledge it."Erza requipped into her Heart Kreuz Armor. "I know nothing of the likes of you!"Wendy did slowly piece together the connection between Erza and Irene. "Her resemblance to Erza aren't limited to only her facial features. Even their scents are similar."Irene only smirked as she was more than glad to reveal who she truly was to Erza. "I am... your mother." All three shared the same shocked expression once they learned Irene's identity, but she had more to reveal. "My full name is Irene Belserion. The former Queen of the Dragons." Irene had told them who she was, the tragedy that had befallen her, and planned to enchant herself unto her unborn child. "But it was a failure. Casting enchantment magic on my own child was a fool's errand. It was impossible." She gave Erza a disgusted, sneering smile while waving her hand nonchalantly at her. "And so, I lost all interest in you and threw you away like the worthless garbage you were. In the back alleys of a small, dirty village.""And that village was Rosemary, was it not?" Erza asked.Irene scoffed at the question. "I've long since forgotten."Even if Irene did throw her away, she was still somewhat thankful to her. "I suppose I have no choice but to express my thanks to you for bringing me into this world."Irene could care less about her daughter thanking her. "Please, I need no gratitude from trash."Irene's comment angered Wendy and she went into her Dragon Force. "How could you say such things to your only daughter!?"Leone shared Wendy's reaction. In fact, she was a little more pissed at Irene for what she had planned to do and what she had done. "You know, I've met and encountered a lot of scumbags that deserved to be killed. One, in particular, made it the top of my to-kill list and that was the Prime Minister." She slammed her hand down to the ground and fire erupted from the ground surrounding her. Behind her appeared a giant dragon that roared ferociously.While Erza was surprised Leone could summon such a beast, Wendy felt a sense of familiarity from it. "That dragon looks like Incursio."The dragon roared once again before consuming Leone entirely. A pillar of fire shot up into the air and quickly exploded. When it cleared, it was revealed that Leone had taken the form of the dragon that swallowed her. "Imperial Arms Magic! Takeover: Lionel Danger Beast Soul Combination! TYRANT DRAGON!" She let out a powerful roar."Seeing Leone's current form confirmed Wendy's suspicions. "It is! It's the Tyrant Dragon that made up Incursio. But, how did Leone manage to take over it? In fact, where she did find it in the first place?!"Leone growled deeply as she glared at Irene with hatred in her eyes. "And guess what, lady?" She launched herself over right at Irene. "You've made it onto that list!" She quickly neared Irene with her right arm raised high. "TYRANT OVERLOAD!" She swung her arm down at Irene and struck her. Several sparkles of light appeared around them before a massive pillar of light erupted from underneath them. Erza and Wendy had to shield themselves from the fierce wind that blew through them from the attack.The attack quickly faded and they set their arms down. They both shared the same surprised reaction to what they saw before them. Leone reacted the same way at what she was seeing. She originally thought she'd struck Irene, but instead, she hit Irene's staff which used to block her attack. What's more, is that Irene didn't seem the least likely injured from her attack. Still, she was impressed by what Leone had done. "I must say this is the first time I've seen a Take-Over of a dragon. Where did you find one? I don't believe I recognize it. Oh, well." Her staff glowed and Leone was struck by a powerful magic blast that blew her away."Leone!" Wendy became worried for Leone as the older girl crashed through the ground until she stopped.Leone groaned as she managed to stand up and looked at Irene again. "My strongest attack and it didn't even hurt her? Just how powerful is this chick? What's more..." She felt her body trembling in fear. "Even with the Tyrant Dragon combined with Lionel, my instincts are still screaming at me to run away." She knew better than to run away. This was a fight she had to stay and see through the end, no matter what.Even with that display of power, Erza still wasn't fazed by her mother's power. "One more thing I'd like to say to you. I'm equally grateful that you threw me away." She requipped into a new armor, her Red-Black Twin Blades Armor. "Thanks to that, I was able to meet my true family. Even though you're my real mother, I will annihilate any who dares block my path to the guild."For once, Irene shared a mutual feeling with her daughter. "Me too. I thought that maybe if I told you about our past, my child, my feelings towards you may have changed." She immediately placed her hand in front and it glowed brightly while having a devious expression. "Such a shame. None of my feelings have changed." Another explosion occurred near Erza, but she managed to avoid it and flew straight at her mother. She swung both her swords at Irene, but she blocked them easily. Irene smiled at her daughter's futile attempt. "Do you really think you can win against the queen of a country by merely using magical powers?""It's all crystal clear to me now, Brandish. This...This is their way of resolving things!" Former Spriggan Twelve Member and Leader, The Wizard King and The Calamity: August Akame and the others saw August's form change. His body became darker, red lines appeared on his skin, and his hair was floating. He was beyond furious. The air felt heavy and tense as everyone saw one of the strongest Spriggan Twelve change form. The magic power they felt from him before was overwhelming enough for them, but now it had reached an unfathomable level. And to Akame, his aura felt like it wasn't even of this world. In short, all of them were terrified at the mere sight of the man known as the Calamity. August made Brandish lose consciousness and they saw an intensely bright light coming from August. "Dissolve into oblivion." A colossal pillar of burning light erupted from the entire area they were in and shot up into the sky. Natsu and the others screamed as they were completely enveloped by the attack.When Irene's Universe One spell wore off, everyone in Fairy Tail and the other guilds found themselves in Magnolia Town. However, so did their enemy and August was among them standing on top of the tallest spire of Kardia Cathedral. "So, I am the last Spriggan left? Children of his Majesty! The proud Twelve! Let's devote our souls and bodies to his Majesty!" The ground underneath the town began to quake violently as did the sky above too. "I, as a child of his Majesty, will exterminate the enemy with all of your souls." Before he could be rid of all of the enemies, Gildarts arrived to attack August, destroying the Cathedral in the process. Gildarts threw his cloak away and started fighting August. He managed to get behind the strongest Spriggan and used his Crush magic to completely disassemble him. However, to his surprise, August kept his body together. "What amusing magic you use." He broke apart and all of his pieces traveled quickly to where Gildarts stood. He reassembled quickly and delivered a strong punch that even blew Gildarts away. "You cannot win against me."August then saw several magic cards being thrown at him and jumped out of the way to avoid them. "Making the impossible possible is my old man's specialty." Cana arrived with a confident girn.However, Gildarts wasn't happy his daughter arrived. In fact, he immediately became worried. "Cana, no! Don't come any closer!"August was surprised to hear Cana Gildarts was her father. "Father and daughter?" He grinned at the aspect. "Tell me, do you love your father?"Cana was caught extremely off guard by August's question. "What?!" She then became flustered. "W-Well, I don't really feel for him.""That's a lie, Cana!""That has nothing to do with what's happening now!"August then turned his attention to Gildarts. "Do you love your child?""Of course!" Gildarts didn't hesitate with his answer.August was satisfied with their answers, but something still eluded him. "Even I who have mastered all magic which exists in this world have one thing that I do not understand." He slammed the end tip of his staff to the ground. "The love between parent and child." He grinned evilly at Gildarts. "If your child were to die in front of your eyes, what would your emotions be like?"Hearing that made Gildarts immediately angry. "You mother-fucker. If you even lay a single finger on Cana, I"LL SHOW YOU A SPECIAL HELL THAT PUTS DEATH TO SHAME!" He rushed toward August recklessly.Gildarts threw a punch at August, but the Wizard King easily caught it and slammed him to the ground. "So, all children love their parents and in turn, parents love their children, is that right?""You're damn right it is!"As soon as Gildarts started to stand up, August pressed the end tip of his staff against Gildart's chest. "In that case..." His staff began to glow. "Then pray tell why was his Majesty's child not loved?" He delivered a massively powerful pillar of magic that struck Gildart's body entirely.Cana jumped from where she stood. "Gildarts!"Once again, Gildarts didn't want his daughter to be in harm's way. "Stay back, Cana!""How long are you going to treat me like I'm still just a kid!?" She threw several more cards at August. "I"m a grown woman, I'll have you know" August jumped back again to avoid Cana's card attack. She landed near her father. "So, try giving me some independence why don't you?"Gildarts couldn't help but smile hearing his daughter say that. "Nope. I could never let go of my little girl."Even after seeing more of their parent/child relationship, August still didn't have an answer to his question. "Why was his Majesty's child not loved?"Gildarts kept fighting against August while Cana threw more of her magic cards at him. He saw Cana's attack coming at him and jumped back to avoid them. That allowed Gildarts to attack him as he held his right hand in front. "All Crush!" August was blasted by a larger version of Gildart's Crush magic. However, he quickly emerged from the attack completely unscathed and attacked both Gildarts and Cana as he passed them by. Gildarts managed to recover but was seeing they were running out of options. "Neither Fairy Glitter nor my magic will work on him."August quickly turned around and targeted Cana first. "Such a thing as love between parent and child." He thrust his staff forward at Cana, but Gildarts intervened and the bottom end of the staff pierce through his left shoulder. Despite his injury, Gildarts pushed August back with everything he had. The Wizard King was baffled as to how far his enemy would go in not only defeating him but protecting his daughter as well. Still, there was nothing Gildarts could do to harm him. "None of your magic will work against me."Gildarts grinned confidently at that statement. "I've figured out the true form of your magic. The instantaneous copying of magic. At the same time, this can nullify the magician's magic in front of you."August didn't expect his enemy to expose the kind of magic he used. "He figured it out in this short time?!""But even though you can protect yourself from Fairy Glitter or my magic? Why did you dodge from Cana's cards?" Now that he mentioned it, Cana remembered August always avoiding her cards. "It seems like you can't copy the Holder Type magic." He tore August's staff away from him. "Of course, without the key, you won't be able to handle Lucy's Celestial Spirits!" He pulled his left prosthetic arm back and closed his fist tightly. "You can't copy without the material!"Cana smiled as now they knew August's weakness. "So, that's it!" She threw countless cards at August now while being pissed at her dad for risking his life earlier. "Don't show off like you were to drag somebody to death!" All of her cards struck August at once."I won't die!" Gildarts smiled. "For the sake of my daughter's smile!" August hesitated as Gildarts threw his prosthetic arm forward. "You can't copy the fist of this prosthetic arm!" He struck the Wizard King with one of his strongest attacks. "Crushing Evil, Spreading the Truth: Absolute Heaven!" He struck powerfully at August with his Crush magic imbued and a powerful explosion occurred upon impact.However, even with Gildarts's attack, August stood up from the rubble. The fact he recovered so quickly shocked Gildarts and Cana. He stared at them intensely. "I was...born with a mighty magic power. But I've thrown it away, neglected it, and eventually reached the barrier that every living being faces. But my life was saved by his Majesty." He spread his arms apart and his body began to glow brightly. "That's why even if this body decays, the most powerful mage of the Spriggan Twelve, August, will destroy this country with his power!" The light blinded both Gildarts and Cana. "Scatter, and turn to ashes..." He obliterated everything surrounding him and flew up high into the air. "Along with my body." Throughout Magnolia, everyone within it suddenly couldn't breathe, but it was much more than that. August had unleashed the Ars-Magia, an ancient spell that had the power to evaporate the blood of any living being, destroying any inorganic material, and melting the earth. It was even powerful enough to destroy an entire country. Every building within the town began to crumble and break apart. This would be the last thing August would do. He'd gladly sacrifice his life for his Emperor, Zeref in order to completelybe rid of their enemy once and for all. "Disappear." End OST F After hearing what the Spriggan Twelve could do, everyone in the other group had similar reactions. Some were fearful, some in awe, and some were scared. The younger Chelsea couldn't help but laugh sheepishly quietly. "Okay, yeah, if we ever faced any of those Spriggan Twelve guys, I'm pretty sure we'd be dead instantly. Compared to them, they make Cinder and her cronies look like a bunch of amateurs."All Qrow did was sigh as he unscrewed the cap of his flask and took a quick drink from it before capping it again. "Increase and shrink the size of any object, able summon giant sandstorms, magic robots creating robot soldiers exploiting their enemy's weakness and has weaponry matching Atlas', the power to become a time god, being able to summon the dead, destructive dragon magic, to make people vanish instantly, a scarier Grim Reaper, powerful, unmatched ice magic that can take away your will, pleasure, which is weird, a person who's lived over four hundred years, and an old guy who's mastered every kind of magic out there. I always thought magic was crazy, but the kind they went up against is beyond on a whole other level."Some in the other group had different thoughts about several of the Spriggan Twelve, starting with Kurome. "What the hell kind of magic is pleasure? What, does he make them orgasm to death or something?"Esdeath's thoughts. "Ice with ability to take away a person's free will and force them to do something against their will. The mere thought of it is scary." She had a quick thought of her and Ruby in that scenario and it went away just as quick. She never wanted to think of that again.The "younger" Leone's thoughts. "It's rare I hear Akame struggle fighting another person. Then again, she really couldn't use Murasame on a guy who can bring back all her friends."Ruby's thoughts. "I wonder if Penny used magic, she'd be a Machina too?"Yang's thoughts. "Geez, this Irene lady makes my mom look like a saint."Wave's thoughts. "Never thought I hear of a person who has a stronger version of Kurome's Yatsufusa." He'd hate to fight any of his former comrades if they were resurrected. The same with Mine.Jaune's thoughts. "I... really don't want to meet this Grim Reaper guy."Nora's thoughts. "I so want that magic where I can make myself huge and crush everything! That'd be so much fun! Or maybe eat the world's biggest pancake stack!""It's hard to believe all of you made it out alive," Blake spoke.Chelsea scoffed lightly at that. "Yeah, well, as powerful as those guys were, there was someone else who was stronger than them.""Oh, come on!" Chelsea's younger self exclaimed. "We already have a time god and a Grim Reaper. What the hell is stronger than that?!""Acnologia," Wendy spoke.Everyone turned their attention to Wendy and was now curious about the name she uttered. "Who's Acnologia?" Rienna asked."Basically, take the scariest thing you can think of, multiply it by a thousand, and it still wouldn't even come close to how powerful Aconolgia is." Leone described."And Acnologia can easily destroy this city, this area, and this entire continent in minutes," Chelsea added. By those descriptions alone, the other group had a basic grasp of what Aconolgia was like.Wendy slightly looked down while her hands closed tightly. They could see the younger dragon slayer's hands tremble slightly. "Acnologia was an overwhelmingly powerful person. He was referred to as the Black Dragon of Destruction."The "younger" Leone laughed a little at the title "Wow, he sounds like a friendly guy." She said sarcastically."He also went by the title of 'King of the Dragons' because he killed countless dragons. Both foe and friend alike."Cornelia was horrified to hear that. "He...killed his friends too?""And any kind of magic was useless against him." Wendy further clarified. "My guild and I, we encountered Acnologia three times. The first was on Tenrou Island where we didn't even hurt him and he used a breath attack to destroy the entire island. Thankfully, the First Master's third spell, Fairy Sphere, saved us. The second time is when he appeared while we were fighting Tataros. And the third time is when Natsu, Gajeel, Laxus, Cobra, Sting, Rogue, and I fought him. It was a hard fight, but in the end, we managed to defeat him.""And with Acnologia's defeat, we won the whole war," Chelsea spoke.While that was good to hear, there was still something obviously missing from Blake. "And what happened to Zeref?"To their surprise, Wendy and the others looked at each other with slightly confused expressions before looking back at the other group. "The most we know about what happened is that we heard the First Master had a plan to defeat him. Whatever it was, it must've worked because he was no longer around by the time we went back to the guild." Akame explained. The other group now wondered how Mavis was able to kill someone immortal?"And I'm going to correct you on something you said earlier," Chelsea spoke. "Not everyone made it out alive in the war." Wendy lowered her further and Wave noticed she had a rather saddened expression. "You see, when Makarov used the Fairy Law spell, he used it on the Alverez army we were fighting. Fairy Law is powerful, but it comes with a price. It's meant to be used on a single enemy, but if it's used on more targets, it becomes more lethal to the caster such as shortening their lifespan and even killing them. He used that spell on an army of one million and wiped out most of them, but it ended up killing him in the end. But he ultimately knew that and his sacrifice did give us a chance. When the war was over, we mourned his death, and Laxus, his grandson, became the next guild master. He was more than a guild master to Wendy and the others, he was a father to all of them. We didn't know him that long, but we knew how important he was to them."Ruby and Yang could relate since they lost their mother and so did Esdeath and Ren with his parents. "I'm sorry for your loss." Esren apologized.Leone smiled as she placed her hand on top of Wendy's head and ruffled her hair a bit to get her attention. The young dragon slayer turned the older girl and smiled. "Thanks, but I'm sure our previous master wouldn't want us to mourn him for a long time. Laxus himself said that at the funeral and we can is keep moving forward." She stopped and removed her hand from Wendys' head. "And that's about it for our adventures. We went through two wars, fought a lot of tough enemies, lost friends and allies, and went up against the strongest people we've ever come across. To say we needed a break is an understatement. So..." She leaned forward and looked at the other entire group. More specifically, her "younger" self. "How about you tell us your side of the side of what happened after the war was over for you. More importantly, where's your Akame?" Her "younger" self had a slightly panicked look. "Because throughout this entire explanation, she hasn't shown up. Which is a shame because I really want to meet her. She isn't...""No, she's not." The "younger" Leone quickly replied. "It's...a long story.""We have nothing but time, currently," Carla spoke. "Plus, I'd like to know more about this world you live in."The "younger" Leone closed her eyes and seemed a bit frustrated. "I guess." She opened her eyes to look at Wendy's group. "It was about six months after the war with the Empire was over when I ran into Akame in a forest and she was nearly starved to death." Akame shuttered because that was a low-key fear for her. We were happy to see each other and we reconciled since we didn't leave at the best of terms with each other. We fell asleep together but when we woke up, we found ourselves in a completely different forest. Not only that but the scars Akame had previously when activating Murasame's Trump Card were gone and I look like this now." She pointed at her Faunus lion ears. "We came across some Beowulves, killed them, and that's when we first met Ruby and her team."Already Wendy had a question. "What's a Beowolf?"The "younger" Leone remembered Carla's question from earlier. "Right, you need to know what this world is. It's...uh..."Before anyone else could explain, someone else spoke up. "Perhaps I can explain, Miss Wild." Everyone now saw Oscar walking in between them with Ozpin's cane in hand. He smiled gently at Wendy's group. "First, I must say I was very astounded to hear about this Earthland you came from and the hardships you had to endure. I have been around for a very long time yet and I have not heard such a tale before."Immediately, Leone sensed something was different about Oscar. "You're not the kid. Who the hell are you?"Oscar, or rather Ozpin, smiled gently at her. "Very astute of you. I expect no less from Miss Wild's otherworldly self. I should probably introduce myself." He closed his eyes and cleared his throat. He then opened his eyes again. "My name is Ozpin. I was the former headmaster of Beacon Academy." Leone was going to ask another question, but Ozpin beat her to it. "And I will explain what Beacon is. Along with everything of what the world you're currently in." He turned his attention to the younger Chelsea. "Miss Gaia, a visual, please."Chelsea raised an eyebrow at hearing her younger self's last name. "Gaia?"The younger Chelsea was more than happy to help. "Sure thing." She held her hand out and in place of the Relic in the center of the table was a small-scale model of the world of Remnant.Wendy and the others were impressed at what they were seeing. "Illusion magic?""The world you are currently in is known as Remnant. It was first created by two brother gods." Two mini-figures of light and dark appeared in front of the world. "They were known as the God of Light, and the God of Darkness. The God of Light sought to create life, while the God of Darkness sought to destroy. Until they eventually agreed to create a form of life that can think on its own and create on its own as a joint project That was the beginning of humanity." The two God figures disappeared. "However, there is a third species that inhabit this world. An enemy that mankind has fought since humanity can remember." A black wolf with bony features appeared in front of the world. "They are known as Grimm."Leone thought the creature looked familiar to her. "Huh, that kinda looks like the Alpha Black Wolf I took over.""The Grimm have only one goal that we know of and that is destroying mankind. Humanity could not fight such a fearsome enemy before they found something that would turn the tide." A diamond-shaped object appeared next to the Grimm. "It was known as Dust."Already Chelsea questioned the name "Why the hell is it called Dust when it looks like a crystal?""The founding of Dust gave mankind a chance to fight back against the Grimm. With a means to fight them now, mankind had known a time of peace and created kingdoms which you see know on this model." The Beowulf vanished. "Remnant is made up of four different kingdoms." One continent glowed green. "The Kingdom of Vale." The second glowed purple. "The Kingdom of Mistral which is where we are now." The third glowed white. "The Kingdom of Atlas." The last one glowed red. "And the Kingdom of Vacuo. Within this world, two intelligent species inhabit it; the humans, such as us, and the Faunus, who possess a certain animalistic trait such as Miss Belladonna and Miss Wild" Wendy's group looked at Blake and saw her wiggle her cat ears. "To combat the Grimm, people and Faunus who were capable of fighting them were Huntsmen and Huntresses. To train such people, four academies were created." Four small-scale models of each academy appeared. "In the Kingdom of Vacuo, is Shade Academy. In the Kingdom of Atlas is Atlas Academy. In the Kingdom of Mistral is Haven Academy. And in the Kingdom of Vale is Beacon Academy. The very school where Miss Wild, Miss Night, and most of everyone you see before you once attended. With the exception of Miss Chariot, Miss Locke, Miss Gaia, and Miss Oarburgh who previously attended Shade Academy."Hearing that was very interesting for Wendy to hear. "So, you're all students then?"Yang grinned. "Yep!" She hooked her arm around Ruby's neck. "And Ruby here got into Beacon a whole twos year earlier. That's my little sister for ya!" Ruby giggled happily with her older sister."They're sisters?" Akame didn't expect Ruby and Yang to be sisters since they looked so different from one another.Yang let go of Ruby and thought of a fun idea. "Ruby, go get Cresent Rose and show it to them."Ruby gasped excitedly and smiled. "On it!" She instantly ran while leaving several rose petals from where she stood.They waited for a couple of seconds before Chelsea spoke. "So... what's with the rose petals she left behind? Is that a thing she can do?"Before anyone could answer, Ruby reappeared with her weapon. "Ta-da! Here she is! This is my pride and joy, Cresent Rose!"Chelsea and the others saw Ruby's weapon and it seemed to be a more technologically advanced sniper gun. "It's a sniper gun?"Ruby smiled proudly at the other group. "She's more than a sniper gun." She made it transform into its scythe form which astounded Wendy and the others. "It's also a scythe.""So, you're telling me that thing is two weapons combined?" Leone asked the question Wendy and the others were thinking."I can imagine Erza having a very strong interest in that concept." Carla thought. She could imagine Erza having stars in her eyes if she ever saw Ruby's weapon."Ruby switched Crescent Rose back into its sniper rifle form and sat back down while it lay on her lap. "Miss Rose is just one example of many. Countless Huntsmen and Huntresses have their own preferred weapon to use. As for your question earlier, Miss Chelsea, the rose petals Miss Rose left behind are part of her semblance." Leone was going to ask what a semblance is but Ozpin beat her to it. "A semblance is a power unique to each Huntsman and Huntresses that help aid them in fighting the Grimm. An example is Miss Rose with her semblance of speed and Miss Gaia's who is showing the small-scale models you see now. Along with the semblance, there is also aura. Just as you have the ability to sense aura, in our world, our aura acts as a shield to protect us from receiving any damage during a fight. However, it does have a limit. Once that limit has reached, the aura deactivates and the person is now susceptible to injury and death."Leone whined at the explanation. "So, your aura can protect you? That would've been so freaking useful to us in God knows how many situations." The others agreed wholeheartedly. "Indeed. One other aspect about Huntsmen and Huntresses is when they first come to the academies to train to become one, they are put into teams of four. These are the teams they will be in for the next four years while attending and they sometimes stay together long after they graduate. They are also given team names. For Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long, they are known as Team RWBY." Chelsea couldn't help but snicker. "So, your team name is based on the first letter of your first names? I have to admit, that's kinda cute.""It's not that different with the guilds," Akame spoke. "Some guild members form a team so a job would become easier. An example of this is several of our guild members, Levy, Jet, and Droy who make Team Shadowgear. Another example is Evergreen, Bickslow, and Freed who call themselves the Thunder Legion. And there is us who we call ourselves Night Raid." Mine and Leone weren't surprised they call their team that. It was a name they stuck with for a long time."And with the mention of teams, I suppose this is where Miss Night and Miss Wild come in. After Miss Rose and her team discovered them in the Emerald Forest, they brought them to Beacon. They told me their story of everything that had happened to them. After hearing their story, I made a proposal to them; they would enroll into Beacon Academy as students and they accepted it. Of course, there were a few conditions. The first condition is that they could not join or participate in any team activities as long as they were a team of two. The second was they must have weapons of their own. Miss Night's primary weapon wasn't suitable due to its ability and Miss Wild didn't have one at all at the moment. Until they have weapons, they could use, they couldn't participate in any sparring matches." Akame clearly understood why her other half couldn't use Murasame. It's good for killing targets, not so good if it's used for friendly sparring."And I helped make them!" Ruby said as she raised her arm excitedly. She set her arm down. "They were specific about the weapons they wanted and I delivered. For Akame, she wanted a sword to extend to reach targets that were further away. For Leone, she had claw gauntlets since she likes to fight up close and personal."The "younger" Leone was still thankful for Ruby making their weapons. "Yeah. My weapon was called Lionel in honor of my destroyed Imperial Arms while Akame named hers Yatsufusa after Kurome's Imperial Arms." Akame couldn't help but smile at her other half's weapon name."With Miss Night and Miss Wild having weapons they can now use, there was only the matter of finding their teammates which I sought to that task. It wasn't long until I found their first one."Cornelia then raised her hand and laughed sheepishly. "And that's where I first met Akame and Leone. When they first met me, Akame fainted on the spot. After she woke up, I fought Akame to see what she was like and she was strong." "Shortly after Miss King joined their group, I found another due to how unique she was. I believe you already know her." Leone's group turned to Esdeath who giggled nervously and raised her hand. "Hi..."The "younger" Leone thought to clarify. "Yeah, Akame and I were shocked, to say the least, to see a version of Esdeath here, but we quickly learn that she was the complete opposite of the Esdeath we knew. Hell, she had a teddy bear she slept with.""My teddy-ursa." Esdeath clarified. Now Wendy thought it was adorable Esdeath slept with a teddy bear."And she slept in dragon-printed pajamas." Hearing that didn't surprise Leone and the others."And it was during sparring class we saw how powerful Esdeath was. The thing with her is that she's the only one in our group who doesn't use a weapon. That's because of how powerful her semblance is which is ice, not surprisingly. But we've all seen first hand just how strong it was." Again, not surprising considering it is Esdeath, though she did fight with a sword also. "And with Miss Partas joining their group, they were now a team of four. Akame Night as their leader, Leone Wild, Cornelia King, and Esdeath Partas, their team name was Team ALCE." After hearing their names enough times, Chelsea raised her hand. "Okay, you've 'Miss Night' and 'Miss Wild' repeatedly and I gotta know something." She turned her attention to the "younger" Leone. "Did you pick those last names because of Night Raid and Wild Hunt?"The "younger" Leone laughed. "Yep. Thought it'd go well with us."Akame also had a question to ask and turned to Kurome. "What about you, Kurome? What's your team's name?"Kurome smiled proudly at the question. "It's Team KRCT."Wendy immediately thought of a carrot. "Like the vegetable?"And an angry vein appeared in the corner of Kurome's forehead. "It's not the damn vegetable! It's the unit of gold!"The younger Chelsea laughed dryly. "I feel like it's been a long time since you got angry at that subject."Leone looked over at Jaune's way. "And what about you guys? What was your team name?"To her surprise, Jaune and the others turned away slightly while having bothered expressions. "It was Team JNPR, but...""We'll reach that point soon." Ren finished. Now that Leone thought about it, there were only three of them out of the four that made up their name. Whatever happened to their fourth member, they seemed very troubled about it.Akame then turned to Ruby and her friends. "I have one more question; when did you find out that our other selves were assassins? Did anyone else know?"Ozpin cleared his throat. "I informed the faculty of their situation so they were aware of what their previous occupation was.""As for us..." Yang spoke. "They told us the truth right after we found Ruby collapsed in their room with Akame's sword near her. Obviously we were surprised, but I did get angry at one moment when Akame told us she killed her younger sister. Hearing that hit close to me. But in the end, we were glad they told us and even gladder they're on our side." Akame's group was glad to hear that, even it was rocky at one point."Akame looked back at Kurome. "And, when did you meet them, Kurome?""At the Vytal Festival," Kurome responded.Wendy tilted her head in confusion. "What's that?" "The Vytal Festival is a competition of sorts between all four kingdoms. It was created to serve celebration of peace between them. It happens every two years and it allows citizens from each kingdom to meet and learn each other's culture." "Basically, it's a tournament where people all over the world come watch teenagers with fancy weapons beat the crap out of each other." The "younger" Leone summed.Ozpin cleared his throat again. "A tactless way to put it.""And it was during the Vytal Festival where we saw Kurome and Chelsea. Taeko for Akame more." The "younger" Leone informed. "I mean, how do you react seeing the people you knew are dead alive again? I mean, I suppose you do." She looked over at her older self.Akame and Chelsea knew the feeling all too well. "More than you think. Neinhart used his Historia magic on me and I saw everyone I knew that either I killed or died appear before me. And when Chelsea saw Taeko, she learned the truth of what happened to the Oarburgh clan."Chelsea waved her hand nonchalantly. "But, as I said, it's all water under the bridge now. But, yeah, it was something else seeing your dead allies and enemies alive again standing in front of you." Of course, the "younger" should've known they would've encountered their past enemies since Neinhart did have the power to bring back the dead."Akame and I fought each other in the first round of the finals," Kurome spoke. "I had to admit, she was the toughest opponent I've fought. We were constantly one-upping each other until...that happened.""What happened?" Akame asked.Kurome blew out a sigh. "To put it simply, just when I was about to win the match, she pulled out some really creepy shit. Like a giant, smokey demon came out of her and she absorbed it into her body."Akame already could tell the similarities between what happened to her other self and her. "It's just like when I activated Murasame's Trump Card when I fought against one of the Spriggan Twelve.""To be more accurate, Akame looked like when she first used Murasame's Trump Card." The "younger" Leone spoke. "At that point, we found out that it was Akame's semblance which was sin." Again, that sounded similar to Akame's Imperial Arms Magic."In the end, the match ended in a draw. After that, Akame told me she was my sister. I would've thought she was nuts if I didn't see weird visions during the fight. From that point on, we became sisters. Not long after that, she told me the truth about her and Leone. Everything was pretty peaceful, until..." Her expression changed to be a sorrowful one and she looked away. It wasn't just her. It was everyone in the room.This sudden change was baffling to Leone and the others. "What happened?"Ozpin closed his eyes and sighed. "The Fall of Beacon." He opened his eyes. "Beacon and all of Vale were attacked by Grimm, Atlas' robot soldiers, and the White Fang."Leone recognized the last name. "Hey that's the group we heard about before in that...magic talking lacrima. From what we heard, they're not exactly good people. Who exactly are they?"The "younger" Leone looked over in Blake's direction. "You want to explain it?"Blake closed her eyes as she had to mentally prepare herself. She then opened them. "The White Fang started as a peaceful organization protesting equal rights. The Faunus have faced discrimination for a long time and we wanted equality, respect. We wanted to improve the relationships between us and the humans. We did nonviolent mass rallies and boycotts that against discriminated Faunus. " Her ears flattened and slightly looked away. "But that all changed when my father stepped down and Sienna succeeded him. My father and mother, they left the White Fang while I stayed behind. Sienna's approach was radically different than my father's. The White Fang became more... aggressive." She looked back at the other group. "We soon turned to criminal activity such as theft sabotage, firebombing places that refused service to Faunus, and targeting organizations that used Faunus labor. Because of that, people started thinking all Faunus was like the White Fang. What's worse is that people did start to treat Faunus as equals, but not out of respect but in fear. I couldn't accept what they had become and I left the White Fang."Leone started to connect the dots. "So, they were an organization that was supposed to help the Faunus but made things worse for them?" Blake nodded at her question. "That's so freaking dumb!""Tell me about it!" Leone's "younger" self shouted back. "To describe them better, think of them like the Revolutionary Army, but doing the complete opposite of what they're supposed to do."Leone couldn't help but laugh at that. "Wow, this Sienna chick must the biggest idiot around." B Sienna sneezed loudly. B "What else can you tell us that they did?" Leone asked."They killed several members of my family." Leone and the others looked toward Weiss. "My family was...often targeted by the White Fang. My family runs a company known as the Schnee Dust Company in Atlas. It's one of the largest producers and exporters of Dust.""And Weiss here happens to be the heiress of said company." The younger Chelsea stated.Weiss glared at the other girl. "Ex- heiress."Hearing that summed up what Leone first thought of Weiss. "Huh, I thought you came from something rich because you do have that prissy rich girl look."Weiss glared at Leone while Blake snickered quietly before continuing. "The White Fang constantly targeted the company because of how they treated the Faunus workers. Most of that is due to my father. Nevertheless, I have lost family members to the White Fang and...I will admit I was one of those people who had a lower opinion of Faunus because of what the White Fang had done."Chelsea now saw the irony in Ruby's team. "So, we have an heiress, I'm sorry, an ex-heiress, of a company that treats its Faunus workers horribly whose family was killed by the White Fang, and we have a Faunus who was part of the White Fang. Boy, that is some high irony right there."Weiss had to agree. "Yes, it is. When Team RWBY first formed, none of us knew Blake was a Faunus until we had a heated argument about the Faunus and the White Fang. After she accidentally revealed her true identity, she ran away. We found her again and I was worried about her. She was still a teammate.""We're on good terms now," Blake clarified."That's good to know," Chelsea commented. "Now, where were we with Beacon being invaded again?"Ozpin cleared his throat a third time. "Yes. The attack on Beacon was only one part of a grander scheme." He began pacing back and forth. "The enemy behind this attack was also after something else. Something of great importance." He stopped and turned to Wendy's group. "The power of the Fall Maiden."Leone raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Maiden? Like a virgin or something?" Esdeath blushed heavily upon hearing the comment."No, not that." Ozpin began pacing again. "The previous Fall Maiden, Amber, was attacked and was killed. We were lucky to retrieve her when the enemy had the chance to take her. She was in a comatose state when we put her in a healing pod, but the power Amber had needed to be transferred to someone else. We had a person in mind." A familiar figure appeared before the model. "Her name was Pyrrha Nikos, the fourth member of Team JNPR." Wendy noticed Jaune looked away while looking remorseful. "Given her record, she would be the next Fall Maiden. We had explained everything to her about this before and she accepted. But before the transfer could begin, we were attacked and the power of the Fall Maiden was successfully stolen." He stopped pacing again. "I had remained to fight her, but ultimately, I lost my life."Chelsea looked at Ozpin questionably. "Her who?""And what happened to Pyrrha?" Akame asked."She was killed," Ruby answered. Akame's group turned their attention to her who had a saddened expression. "I only heard about it, but she was killed. Akame fought the person responsible, but she couldn't beat her either."Something about that didn't seem right to Leone. "Akame not beating this person? This person's gotta be strong. Either that or they did some major bullshit to win." She couldn't imagine Akame losing given how strong she is."We lost a lot of things from that night," Yang spoke while looking down. "We lost our friend, our school, the entire city of Vale was almost destroyed, and a piece of ourselves." She raised her head and looked at Leone's group. "Among other things." She brought up her robotic hand and presented it to the other group."After the invasion, our team split up," Ruby added. "Yang lost her arm, Weiss was taken back to Atlas, and Blake ran away.""But she came back to me." Yang clarified.Wendy hugged Carla closer to her while feeling sympathy for Ruby and her group. "How awful."Ruby closed her fights tightly while looking down. "I just...couldn't let her get away with what she did. Jaune and the others thought so too. So, I left home and we traveled to Mistral to stop her from hurting more people.""Meanwhile, Akame and the rest of our team were transferred to Shade Academy." The "younger" Leone spoke. "And boy let me tell you that place is something else. Think Vacuo like the Empire, but it's kinda switched. Meaning that it's the people who don't obey the law and the government and the school is the only law around. One of the most surprising things about that place is that Najenda is the Headmistress there.""WHAT!?" Leone, Akame, Chelsea, Wendy, Mine, and Wave shouted at once in surprise."Oh, and Dr. Stylish is a teacher there, and so is that brat alchemist, and Budo is the fighting instructor.""WHAT!?" The same people shouted again louder. The "younger" Leone loved their reactions.It took a few seconds for Leone to recover from the shock. "You sure that place isn't like an alternate Empire or something?"Akame nodded in agreement. "It sounds like it."The "younger" Leone laughed at them. "It's wild, I'll tell you that. Anyway, we also told Kurome and the others who we were. It... went as well as we thought. The only one who really didn't take it too well was Chelsea when she learned Akame killed Kurome."The younger Chelsea huffed at that and crossed her arms. "Well, how else was I supposed to react? Akame freaking killed my girlfriend. Even if she was from another world. Among other things I heard."It took several seconds for Akame and the others, and Mine to register what the younger Chelsea had said. "WHAT!?"Kurome patted Chelsea's head. "Now, now. Let's not get worked up on that again." She stopped."And after Chelsea fought Akame for Kurome's honor, we were all friends again." The "younger" Leone continued and smiled at the next part. "And after their fight, we were discovered by the janitor who..." She began to laugh. "The janitor was the Prime Minister!"Once again, it took Akame and her group to register what the "younger" Leone said. The same with Mine and Wave. "WHAT!?"The only one who did shout with them was Leone who was guffawing loudly. "AH, HA, HA, HA, HA! The Prime Minister is a janitor! That's so freaking hilarious!"The "younger" Leone calmed down. "Yeah, Shade's a wild place." She took a deep breath and her expression changed to a more serious one. "But, like Ruby, we couldn't just stand by with what happened at Beacon. So, we ran off from Shade with Najenda's permission to Mistral. That was over six months ago."Chelsea crossed her arms while observing the other group. "Well, sounds like all of you had it rough, but two questions come to mind. The first one is what in the hell is this Fall Maiden power and why someone would go so far as to destroy the school and the city for it? The second question is; who is this person you mentioned before? The one who killed this Pyrrha chick?"Ozpin knew this question would eventually come. "Of course. The Fall Maiden is one part of a larger whole. In right hands, the power of Maiden can be of great use. However, if in the wrong hands, they can cause great destruction among other things. Ultimately, when a person possesses the power of a Maiden, they gain the ability to use magic. Powerful magic."Hearing that immediately gained Wendy's attention. "These Maidens can use magic?"Ozpin nodded at the younger dragon slayer. "Yes, and there are four in total; the Spring Maiden, which has the gift of knowledge. The Summer Maiden which has the gift of destruction. The Fall Maiden, which has the gift of Choice. And the Winter Maiden, which has the gift of creation. There is a fairy tale explaining how the Maidens came to be known as the Story of the Seasons. It was about how four sisters visited an old wizard who were kind to him. The first sister encouraged him to meditate and reflect. The second sister brought him fruits and flowers for his garden. The third sister made him come outside and embrace the world. And the fourth encouraged him to be thankful for what he has. In return for their kindness, he gifted them magical powers which were to be used to spread their gifts."It was a touching story, but Leone had another question. "They still can't be alive right? I mean this Amber chick couldn't live that long." "You are correct. The power of the Maidens does transfer from one person to another. When the previous Maiden is close to death, the person they think of last will become the next Maiden. However, if the next host is not chosen, the power will go to someone else at random. Unlike your world, only a select few know about the existence of the Maidens. The Maiden powers can do one more thing and that is to unlock the vaults." Akame became slightly confused. "Vaults?" "Yes. These vaults are hidden underneath the academies and can only be accessed through the Maiden's powers. Within them are artifacts of great power known as Relics. That was their ultimate goal in the end and destroying Beacon was part of it." "And who are they?" Chelsea asked.Ozpin looked over at the younger Chelsea and she nodded. All the illusions she cast vanished. "A great and powerful enemy who will stop at nothing to see humanity destroyed." Chelsea snapped her fingers and another figure shown on a larger scale appeared at the side of the room. Wendy and the others looked in the direction and saw the figure. "Her name is Salem and she is the one who rules all of the Grimm."Carla shuttered a little seeing Salem's appearance. "My, she has quite the ghastly appearance.""That's putting it lightly." Leone commented. "She looks like she came out of a horror story or something.""That's putting it mildly. Salem has several followers. One of them was mentioned before and was the one who stole the Fall Maiden's powers." The younger Chelsea snapped her fingers again and another figure appeared. "Her name was Cinder Fall. The one responsible for the Fall of Beacon and the death of Pyrrha Nikos."Akame instantly recognized Cinder. "She was one of the people mentioned earlier from that lacrima.""And she had others with her." The younger Chelsea snapped her fingers a third time and more figures appeared. One made Akame and Chelsea gasp quietly. "Mercury Black, Emerald Sustrai, Hazel Rainhart, and Merraid Lavande. They also serve under Salem. As far as we know, we know three of the four Maiden's whereabouts. As you know, Cinder is the Fall Maiden. The Spring Maiden..." The younger Chelsea snapped her finger for a fourth time and another figure appeared. "Is this woman, Raven Branwen."Leone squinted her eyes at the illusion. "She looks familiar.""That's because Raven's my mom." Leone and the others looked over in Yang's direction. "And she's also Qrow's twin sister. And she's the leader of a group of bandits."Hearing all of that hit Leone like a train. "Wait, this chick is your mom?""My mom." Yang pointed out. "She isn't Ruby's. We have the same father, but different mothers.""So, they're half-sisters then." Akame was glad to hear that."And she killed the previous Spring Maiden so she could have the Maiden power, and the previous Spring Maiden was a kid."Wendy shuddered a little while Chelsea and the others had a look of disgust. "Wow, your mom is a piece of shit.""And a coward," Yang added. "She worked with Salem's group only to steal the Relic for herself and still run away because she was afraid of her." Hearing something like that irked Akame for some reason.Leone couldn't help but laugh at what she heard so far. "So, right now, we have a Maiden that works for your enemy and a Maiden who acts tough but is chicken-shit. As for the third, we already know it's Esdeath."Jaune and the others were surprised the other group already knew that fact. "How did you-""We sensed her magic the moment we saw her," Chelsea explained. "Plus, her aura is completely different from the rest of yours. By the way, her magic is powerful. I say it's on par to an S-Class Mage." In all honesty, they really should've known better that they were able to sense aura as well. Sensing magic was new and Esdeath was surprised to know just how powerful she was. Probably the same with the other maidens. "So, who gave SEsdeath her Maiden powers?""We will arrive at that explanation later." Chelsea shrugged and could wait. They'll eventually get to that point sooner or later.Carla started to piece together everything related to the Maidens. "So, the magic power of these Maidens, they differ from the semblances you mentioned before and the Dust you use. And they're a key part in this fight you have against this Salem woman."The younger Chelsea laughed lightly at that. "That's putting it lightly, but yeah. And that's about everything we know about the Maidens." She snapped her fingers and the three figures vanished.Learning about the Maidens was interesting to Akame and the others. It was also interesting to know that magic was actually a secret. They just wondered how magic worked in this world since it didn't have any ethernano? There must be something since they could use it in Remnant. With the explanation now over, Akame turned her attention to Wave and Mine since she was curious how they arrived in this world. "What about you? How did you come into this world?"Mine and Wave looked at each other. "You go first. You've been here longer than me."Wave nodded and looked back at Akame. "I first arrived at this world over six months ago. I met a Faunus called Armasu when I woke up in a forest. She was nice and even let me live with her for a while since I didn't have anywhere else to go. In her spare time, she'd go to the nearby village to sell her crops and even the fish I caught. When we were coming back after selling the crops and fish, we decided to cut through an old village. When we approached it, I sense several auras and gunfire. That's when I first met Ruby and her group and they were fighting someone. A guy called Tyrian and he was also a Faunus since he had a scorpion tail. He told me that he was ordered to take Ruby.""And why's that?" Leone asked."Because she has silver eyes." Akame and the others looked in Qrow's direction. "There're myths and legends about a powerful group who had silver eyes that have the power to destroy Grimm. Ruby first unleashed this power back at the Fall of Beacon on a giant Grimm dragon and it turned to stone. Tyrian was sent by Salem to capture Ruby because of this. For what reason, we still don't know."Chelsea whistled impressively upon hearing that. "Wow, and here I thought you wielding a scythe was something." Ruby giggled sheepishly."We saw Wave fight Tyrian." Ren spoke. "And it was the first time we saw someone else use an Imperial Arms. Needless to say, it was a one-sided fight, but it was still incredible to see. He even ripped off Tyrian's tail." Wendy and Akame agreed since they both fought Wave at one point."I was about to finish him when Armasu ran up to me. She was frightened because she never saw me fight the way I did. Tyrian escaped but we haven't seen him since.""And it was after that Qrow told us the truth," Ruby spoke. "About the Brother Gods, magic, and the reason why Pyrrha died. It just gave us more of a reason to stop Cinder for what she had planned for Haven as she did back at Beacon.""After hearing all that, Armasu urged me to join them. After all, a soldier's job is to protect the people. And that's when I joined Ruby's group." Wave finished.The younger Chelsea raised her hand next. "And... we'll start on our side and it's a doozy." She lowered her hand. "Tell them, Leone."The "younger" Leone nodded as she was more than happy to tell. "Sure thing. It's been over six months since we left Shade and we were staying at an inn in a town. I was returning after looking around and gathering information. That's when I encountered a member of the White Fang. Thinking back at it now, I should've suspected something when he easily complied when I told him to take me to where the rest of his group was. I also learned they called me 'Faunus Traitor' because I killed a few of their guys back at Beacon. Unsurprisingly, I was ambushed but I was surprised who did it. It was Seryu.""SERYU!?/THAT CHICK IS ALIVE HERE!?"The "younger" Leone expected the other group's reaction. "Yep, and she was still a crazy bitch. At least back then. We fought but the bitch pulled out a dirty trick on me. She used catnip on me."Carla raised an eyebrow at that. "Catnip?"The "younger" Leone nodded. "Catnip." Now Wendy imagined how Leone would react if she had catnip in her beast form. She would be laying on the floor laughing goofily and playing with a cat's toy. "Next thing I knew, I was wound up in their airship, in cuffs, they took Lionel away from me, and my scarf. Luckily, they were stupid enough to carry the keys on them and I got out of the cuffs. Unluckily, I accidentally killed the driver and the airship was nosediving into the ocean and then I crashed into it." And Leone thought she had it rough."Meanwhile..." Cornelia spoke. "We received a package and we found out it was Leone's scarf with blood on it. Akame didn't take it too well but we were confident we'd meet Leone in Mistral. I mean, she was one of our strongest.""Cutting back to me..." The "younger" Leone spoke, I woke up and I found myself on an island called Menagerie. It's a small continent south of Anima and it's populated by only Faunus. The weirdest part was that where I crashed, it was nowhere near Menagerie. Anyway, these two snake siblings found me and looked over me while I was unconscious. When I woke up, they pointed me to their Chieftain's place to see if he can help get back to Akame and the others. When I got there, I was surprised to see Blake and Yang there."Leone looked over at the Bumblebee pair. "What were you doing in this Menagerie place?""Blake had unfinished business in Menagerie and I wanted to come along." Yang explained. "I was totally surprised when I learned that Blake is a princess in Menagerie.""Chieftain's daughter." Blake corrected.Yang waved her hand at that. "Potato, potahto. And we were surprised to see Leone too."The "younger" Leone smiled at the next part. "Speaking of the Chieftain, Blake's parents are awesome. Especially Kali. She's one of the most awesome people I've met."Wendy's ear caught the excitement in the "younger" Leone's voice. "You know, I've noticed you tend to talk excitedly whenever you talk about someone you really admire like our Leone.""We do?" Both Leones spoke at the same time.Chelsea nodded in agreement. "Yep. We noticed that a long time ago.""I suppose that's another way to tell they're the same person," Akame added.The "younger" Leone thought that was a fun little detail between them. "Huh, interesting. Anyway, Kali told us that the White Fang was in Menagerie not wearing their usual masks. That meant we didn't know which Faunus was part of them and we had to warn Blake. It wasn't long after that encountered Ilia, a former friend of Blake's back when she was in the White Fang. Unfortunately, she got away but it wouldn't be the last we'd seen of her. Lucky for us, she dropped her scroll and it had pretty important information."Wendy tilted her head in confusion again. "A scroll?"The "younger" Leone quickly realized that the other group didn't know what a scroll was. Or rather, they knew what a scroll was but not the kind they were thinking about. She took hers out and presented it to them. "This thing right here."Leone and the others leaned forward to take a closer look at the scroll. "I've seen scrolls before and that's definitely not how they look like."Leone's "younger" counterpart couldn't agree more. "I know right! But these things are pretty handy when calling someone from far away. A hell of a lot better than messenger birds. Oh, and it connects to something called the intranet.""Internet." Rienna corrected her."Internet."Wendy blinked a few times upon hearing the internet. "What's an internet?"The "younger" Leone thought about how to best explain it. "It's something where you get a lot of information for free like...food recipes." Akame already like this internet they have. "and... imagine all the world's books stored in one place. I don't know. It's something like that.""It can also have a lot of...interesting things. Scarring things like even with all your years trained as an assassin, you'll want to cleanse your eyes. With bleach." The younger Chelsea further explained.Akame didn't quite get the joke. "Isn't that harmful?"Kurome waved her hand at her alternate sister. "It's a joke and reference to that there are some things on the internet that'll even disturb assassins."Akame didn't know what kinds of stuff this internet had but it would have to try very hard to disgust her since she's been in life-and-death battles. Seeing the scroll reminded her of something. "It looks similar to the Mini-Lacrima communication device."This time, the "younger" Leone was confused. "A mini what now?"Akame and the others brought out their Mini-Lacrima communication devices and showed them to the other group. "A friend of ours, Rocko, he was the one who created them. They're miniature versions of communication Lacrima which allows us to talk to one another who have the same one. They're useful but the greater the distance, the weaker the connection.""Rocko is planning some improvements on them," Chelsea added and they put their Lacrima Communication Devices away.Learning about them was very interesting to Taeko. "I see. So, they're similar to our scrolls, but not as effective. Then again, there are technological differences between our two worlds."The "younger" Leone was still amazed by them. "Still a step up from when we were in the Capital." Mine nodded in agreement. "Anyway, what the scroll Ilia had was urgent because it disclosed a plan of Adam overthrowing the leader of the White Fang, Sienna, and attack Haven Academy."Chelsea whistled at that. "A coup d'état, huh?" Akame recognized Adam's name since it was mentioned in the magic lacrima and he was one of the deaths announced."Yeah," The "younger" Leone replied. "It was basically going to be the Fall of Beacon all over again if we didn't stop it. I suggested we destroy them, but Blake had the idea of taking it back instead." Akame agreed that was the better option. "There's a lot more to say after that, but I'll let the others take the reins from here.""Gladly," Kurome spoke. "We were close to Mistral and we took a break at an abandoned village called Kuroyuri. But that peace didn't last as heard the creepiest roar I ever heard in my life. To add to the situation, Wave showed up and he took Akame away. It wasn't long after that we ran into Ruby and her group. And after that, we came face-to-face with the thing that made the creepy noise. We looked up it and it was a Grimm called a Nuckelavee. Think of it as a creepy as hell person as the top half and the lower half was a creepy as hell horse. To make the situation worse, it summoned a horde of its friends. I was worried about Akame and Chelsea urged me to go to her.""Kurome left..." Esdeath spoke next and we dealt with the Grimm horde while Ruby and the others fought the Nuckelavee. It was a hard fight, but we managed to win. Shortly after the fight, a couple of airships appeared because they saw activity near the village. They'd take us straight to Mistral, but we need to find Akame first."Wave closed his eyes and sighed. "I'll explain things on my end." He opened his eyes. "After I took Akame away from her group we fought. I wanted to avenge Kurome's death and finish what she started. She'd become stronger since our last bout, but so have I. I managed to have the upper hand and I was about to kill her until Kurome appeared. After that, I lost consciousness. When I woke up, we were at hotel near Mistral. Akame filled me in. About Kurome and everything. We reconciled and I would help since we have the same goal. After our recovery, Qrow told Akame and everyone else in her group the truth and I got to learn more about her team.""Meanwhile, for me..." The "younger" Leone spoke. "While Yang and Blake were out following a lead from that scroll, I stayed behind. I did get to spend some time with Kali and she offered to spar. I figured why not and... she got the better of me."Leone was confused upon hearing that. "How so? You're me, right? How'd you lose?"Her "younger" self had reasons. "One; I had to go easy on her. I am physically stronger. Two; she kept deflecting my attacks and struck when I was open. She also told me that my strength was also my weakness. A couple of examples of that is when I went up against Esdeath and that brat alchemist. So, she offered to teach me her fighting style. It's come in quite handy several times." Leone never thought of adopting a fighting style before. She figured her raw strength was enough, but her "younger" self learned that lesson and maybe she should too. Then again, she had her Take-Over magic. "It wasn't long after that when Blake suggested Yang to leave Menagerie to find her mom since we..." She gestured between her and Blake. "Have this whole business with the White Fang to deal with. She did offer me to come along since after she meets with her mom, she'd be going to Mistral, but I declined. After Yang left, we decided to take Corsic and Fennrac, two guys from the White Fang because of what we found on the scroll." She laughed sarcastically. "That went nowhere because Ilia took the fall for them. Shortly after that, we ran into Ilia again. She told us our plan wouldn't work, to convince the Faunus in Menagerie to take back the White Fang and told us to leave. Shortly after that, she left. The next day, Ghira held a conference saying that the White Fang will attack Haven and Adam overthrowing Sienna. He asked for the Faunus of Menagerie to stand up and take back the White Fang, but Ilia had to cause a scene." She sighed in annoyance as even thinking about it back then caused her a headache. "She started spouting out holier than thou bullshit about how Adam's way was the right way and how we're the villains. I did see another girl stop her and Ilia ran away. But I had a funny feeling about the girl that stopped her so I tailed her. The next thing I knew, she was an accomplice of Sienna's who was also there. I also found out that her accomplice was friends with Seryu, so that gave me another reason to kill them."Chelsea felt like she could see where this was going. "So, what did you do after you found Sienna?""I was going to kill them..." The "younger" Leone resumed. "But then Sienna mentioned Adam and she had this desperate look on her. To me, that really doesn't say they had plans to cause any trouble. So, me and Blake took them back to Ghira's house and that's when Sienna revealed that Adam had already taken the White Fang and she was no longer the leader. If it wasn't for Syka, the scorpion girl Faunus she was with I mentioned before, she would've been killed." For some reason, hearing Syka's name reminded them of the time when they both fought that scorpion demon from Tartaros together. "What's more and this really surprised me is that Adam also got rid of Seryu. Apparently, they don't play nice together. Then Sienna dropped the ball telling Ghira and Kali I killed other Faunus. So, I told them the truth about me. After I did, Sienna asked me why I wasn't an ally of the White Fang since she thought they and the Revolutionary Army were the same. I told her they're not and she was narrowminded."Akame could see why Leone's "younger" counterpart would think so. "There is a right way and wrong way to fight for a cause. With Revolutionary Army, we fought so all the people would finally know peace and wouldn't suffer. Friends and allies risked their lives and even died for that cause. With the White Fang, I can see why they'd want equality, but the way they're doing it is hypocritical. You don't help others if your cause is hurting them. Also, using fear as a way to gain respect will backfire sooner or later and it will have dire consequences." Leone and Chelsea nodded in agreement. So did Mine.The "younger" Leone smiled at Akame. "I knew you'd get it, Akame." If this wasn't a different Akame, she'd kiss her. "Later that day, before I went to Ghira's office, Kali asked me to meet with her in her bedroom after my meeting with Ghira. I went to Ghira's office and Sienna was there. Ghira was still the Chieftain of Menagerie and he wasn't quite happy he was housing a former assassin. I'll give you the short version; I told him I'd killed those Faunus because they threatened my friends and I'll kill anyone who'd do so, human or Faunus. The same goes for any other innocent civilian. Sienna then asked me what was the difference between the White Fang and the Revolutionary Army. I told her there were two differences. One was that the Revolutionary Army gave hope to the people we helped. The second was experience. The Faunus experience racism and discrimination, but we put our lives on the line. I used my own experience as an example. What we have to go through, what we have to give, and what we lost just so people can have a better a life." Wendy noticed that this Leone sounded a little wiser than the one she knows. "After explaining all of that, Ghira gave me a pardon. After the meeting, I met with Kali in her bedroom and she gave me a weapon to replace the ones I lost. It's really cool and it's called Silver Saber. She told me it used to belong to a friend of hers." She decided to leave out the part where it was her mother's weapon and she was originally from Remnant. They didn't need to know about that. "After that was squared off, me and Blake went into Kuo Kuana, the capital of Menagerie where we lived, to get signatures the next morning. Needless to say, that was easier said than done but there was a good reason. Unlike the Revolutionary Army recruiting me and Akame who already have experience, we're asking civilians risking their lives and doing something way out of what they normally do and most of them came to Menagerie to get away from all the fighting."Chelsea agreed with that. "That's true. You really can't ask a person to fight when they wanted to get away from the fighting in the first place."The "younger" Leone nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but we weren't going to give up. We were going to hit the nocturnal section when Blake told me she had to go somewhere first. I didn't listen and I followed. Good thing too because she was caught in a trap set up by Ilia. They were going to take to her Adam and kill her family.""WHAT!?/That's messed up.""And Ilia confessed to Blake she had feelings for her. I heard enough and took care of the three Faunus that held her, didn't kill them by the way, but Ilia ran away. At this point, I was more pissed than I ever was in my life. I hightailed it back to Blake's house where the White Fang was already attacking. I arrived and I met Corsec and Fennec. Then they had to nerve to say they're doing this because they said this was for the better for the Faunus while they kept saying I was a Faunus Traitor."And then Leone internally heard a record scratch in her head. "Wait, wait, wait, wait. They called you a Faunus Traitor because you killed their guys, but they're going to kill Blake's parents, who are obviously Faunus, and they see that as a good thing even though they're going to do the same thing?""And Sienna. They were going to kill Sienna."Leone felt her brain hurt as she groaned and facepalmed. She then removed her hand. "THAT IS COMPLETELY FUCKING STUPID!""I KNOW!" Yet another example that they were the same person. "Then they threw catnip gas and I got Ghira and Sienna out of there quick. Kali was somewhere else in the house. Blake showed up and that's when I came up with a plan."Chelsea couldn't help but snicker. "You coming up with a plan? That's funny."Leone glared at Chelsea. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean? I can be smart."Chelsea laughed at that. "Leone, you're more of a 'punch first and don't bother to ask questions later' kind of person." Her younger counter thought it was creepy hearing that since she said the exact same thing when she first heard Leone coming up with a plan.Wendy thought of another example. "You also did struggle reading a book while trying to help me return to Earthland."Leone felt her heart break hearing Wendy saying that too. Tears started to flow out of her eyes. "You too, Wendy?" She spoke in a whining voiceThe "younger" Leone couldn't help but wince. "Well, I can make plans and this was the best I could considering the circumstances. I'd take on whatever security force they brought along to deal with me because I know they're not that stupid if they're attacking the house and I'm there. Meanwhile, Blake would trap them while Ghira and Sienna go the long way around and jump the two jackasses. It... went exactly how I thought it'd go. They did bring some heavy guards with them. I think they called themselves the Six Fangs or something. I had to admit, they did get some good hits on me, but I managed to beat them. I went back to Sienna and Ghira and we had to deal with the two jackasses.""Meanwhile..." Blake spoke as she thought this would be a good time to intervene. "I was looking for my mother, but I encountered Ilia along the way. I fought her, but I tried to convince her that what the White Fang was doing was wrong. I knew Ilia better than anyone. She is a good person, but the choices she was making were wrong. I was getting through to her when Corsac crashed in. Leone, Sienna, and my dad came in too. My father and Sienna fought Corsac and Fennac and Sienna killed Fennac while Corsac was knocked out for the time being. Leone saw Ilia and she was going to kill her, but I pleaded to her in sparing Ilia. She wasn't happy, but she did. Corsac was furious that we killed her brother but Sienna told him that this is what happens when you fight for Adam's goal; pain, misery, and death. Ilia then knocked Corsac out for good." She sighed for a second. "After all of that, the proper authorities arrested any White Fang member involved with the attack, including the Six Fangs that attacked Leone. With everything that happened within the house, the citizens gathered and I told them that it was Faunus that did this. I said we were capable of hate and violence just as much as humans. If we let Adam speak for us and they didn't like it, that's on them for not doing anything about it. I don't know how to make the hate go away, but I do know what Adam did isn't the solution. I know it was asking too much of them to leave home and fight to protect Haven. I was prepared to do it myself when so much of them wanted to come along and join our cause. Ilia too."Leone smiled at Blake. "All that hard work paid off then. I have to say, Blake, I think you'd fit in pretty well with the Revolutionary Army." Again, it was slightly weird for Blake to hear that from Leone when the Leone she knew said the same thing to her. Leone's "younger" counterpart thought the same.The "younger" Leone thought to end it here. "The day after that, I said my goodbyes to Blake, Ghira, Kali, Sienna, and Ilia since my business in Menagerie was over now. I took a boat Ghira chartered for me and I left, hoping to see Akame and the others since I'm pretty sure I made them worried sick. Well, I was right about that, but little did I know, I was going to experience something far worse than what I went through the night before."Wendy became a little frightened. "W-What was it?"Cornelia raised her hand. "I think I'll explain things on our side now." She set her hand down. "When we arrived at Mistral, we headed straight to Haven Academy. When we got there, it was empty for some strange reason. We did get to meet Headmaster Lionheart and he told us that the entire staff in Haven was away with no one guarding the relic."Chelsa had doubts already. "Yeah, that's not suspicious at all.""We learned that Mistral had problems of their own and the previous Spring Maiden ran away and was found by Raven's bandit group. You already know what happened next when Raven found her. Qrow wanted to go after the Spring Maiden and save her from Raven's tribe but Headmaster Lionheart was...very unsure. He said we could go in a few weeks when we needed to do it now, the kingdom was in peril, he needed to convince the council, we didn't have enough Huntsmen for the task, and we couldn't handle Raven, her tribe, and the Spring Maiden."Leone wasn't convinced by Lionheart's reasons. "It sounds like he was making excuses."Cornelia nodded as Leone was right. She and her group couldn't see right through Lionheart's excuses. "So, with the meeting not going as well as we hoped, we decided to do some sightseeing while Qrow went off somewhere to drink. Kurome had to go to a clothing store to change outfits because Headmaster Lionheart mistook her as Wave's little sister because they wore the same outfit." Now Akame tried imagining Kurome wearing Wave's outfit. "During our sightseeing, we encountered Seryu. She ran, but Wave and Akame ran after her. They caught up with her and we brought her back to the house where we're staying in now. Akame was...adamant in wanting answers from her about what happened to Leone since we learned she was the one who took her away. Seryu told us that the airship that was carrying her crashed into the ocean and there were no survivors." She lowered her head and had a remorseful expression. "Akame was beside herself and she walked out of the house. I chased after her and I did catch up. I told her that we came too far just to give up but she was too distraught. I told her I knew what it was like to lose the people you love, that we're all upset and we can sort it out. But she just wanted to be left alone and walked away from me." She intertwined her fingers together. "I really did wish I was more aggressive back then. I should've tried to take her back by force. If I had done any of that, none of this would've happened."Akame could see how much Cornelia regretted not taking her other self back and it bothered her greatly. Leone did now notice what the other blonde had said about the other Akame and her "younger" self. "Wait, when you said you knew how Akame felt losing people she loved, and I can't believe I'm asking this since we're this far in, was your Akame and...""Together? Yeah, we were." The "younger" Leone confirmed. "I won't bother you with the details of how we ended up together, but we were happy we're together. Hell, we've gone a date, danced together at the school ball, that sort of stuff." Leone wondered what were the odds that hers and Akame's other selves were also a couple. The younger Chelsea also wanted to add the number of times her leader and teammate had obscene amounts of sex but decided to keep quiet about it."While Cornelia was away..." Wave began. "Seryu told us what the White Fang was planning which was attacking Haven. She also said that hunting down Leone was her own choice. And ass Leone said, she was driven out of the White Fang but there was more to it. The White Fang betrayed her and even tried to kill her because she wouldn't follow nor accept Adam as the leader. She couldn't believe that all that she's done, and what Sienna had done, they'd do something like this for Adam. As awful as the White Fang were, it was the only place she felt like she belonged. She...wanted to give up." Unbelievably, Mine started to feel sorry for Seryu. She had no idea the other girl went through something like that. "But I didn't. I told Seryu if that the White Fang did betray her, betrayed the leader she believed in so much, she would make them pay in doing so. Seryu has always said about punishing evil in the name of absolute justice and I thought this would help her get back at them. So, I asked her if she could fight alongside us since we both had the same enemy now. Seryu was reluctant but agreed. Not long after that, Qrow came back, drunk with Cornelia carrying him, but that's when he brought Oscar with him who has Ozpin in him. He explained what happened to him and what he is. Something about being a self-reincarnating person." Chelsea quietly winced at that since she knew that meant Ozpin must've died several times over and been reborn inside a different person each time. She didn't know who had it worse; Zeref and his contradiction curse of eternal life or Ozpin who keeps dying and reincarnating in an endless cycle. With Ozpin now with us, we had a plan. The first part of it was looking for Huntsmen that could help us and the second part was preparing all of them..." He gestured at Ruby and the others. "For the upcoming fight and work on their weaknesses. For me, it's unlocking my aura and my semblance."Hearing that peaked Wendy's interest. "Can you use a semblance, Wave?"Wave smiled at the young dragon slayer and nodded at her. "I can.""So can I, just so you know," Mine added. Now Wendy and the other group were curious as to what their semblances were like."We had about a month to prepare for the attack since that's when school starts. I was also in charge of training Ruby and Oscar on how to fight in hand-to-hand combat. The results were...bad when I first saw how they fought." Ruby felt rather embarrassed remembering how horrible she was fighting without Cresent Rose. "We had a huge feast, had a good time together, and reminisced. Except for Seryu who kept her distance from us, understandably. I did tell her how I knew her and where I came from and I did leave her some food.""Since then..." Kurome started. "It's been a whole day since we've last seen Akame. We did receive a text from her and, of course, we all texted her back. She then came back to us an hour later." Akame noticed Kurome said that last part with some anger in them. "We were all happy and Akame was filled in of what she missed. She also told us what we needed to improve on. It almost felt like things were back to normal. Almost." Her brow furrowed. "Then I found out Akame had a name listed on her scroll that I never saw before' Merraid's." Akame slightly hitched her breath for a second the moment she heard Merraid's name. "It didn't take long for me to put two and two together. Angry doesn't even describe how pissed I was at her. Blowing us off an hour for sex was part of it, but I was so mad that after everything she and Leone went through, as soon as she heard about Leone's 'death'," She put up air quotations. "She didn't waste any time sleeping with another woman. Like, did their time together mean anything to her?""I believe so." Kurome focused on Akame. "If your Akame and I have a similar history, we lost those close to us. The difference is she continued to lose those she considered precious until only Leone was left. When she was taken away, that must've been what done it. I am aware all of you have a sort of relationship with your Akame, but only Leone was the one who she had a special connection with. With Leone, it served as a reminder of all the good memories she had with the Night Raid she was with. Without Leone, that was all gone and I'm sure she saw nothing but darkness."Leone felt a slight heaviness in her heart after hearing Akame's explanation. "If that's true for their Akame, it must be true to my Akame too if something like that happened to her.""It's only human to react in such a way and all humans have their limits.""I can relate," Mine spoke. "I was lucky enough to still have Najenda but it still felt lonely that I was the only one left."The feeling was mural for Wave as well. "Yeah, losing Kurome and the others, it affected how I did my job back at the Captial. General Najenda noticed this and put me on leave so I could recover."Kurome sighed after hearing Akame's explanation. "I guess that must be true then because Leone said something like that after she came back and we told her what happened." An idea suddenly struck her. "Wait, since you said that our Akame and your history are similar, that means you know something of Merraid. If you can tell us-""No." The "younger" Kuome looked over in the "younger" Leone's direction when she spoke up. "If I want to hear about Merraid from Akame, I want to hear it from my Akame. I just...feel like it'd be right." She looked over at her older counterpart. "I'm sure you know about it, right?"Leone smiled back at her "younger" self and nodded. "Yeah, she told me."Kurome huffed as she had no choice but to accept it. "Fine. Continuing on, I confronted Akame about Merraid and she said she'd deal with her. She went out the next morning to meet her. Later that day, Qrow showed up with Esdeath's dad and Yang along with Weiss." She turned to Yang. "You want to tell them your side?"Weiss raised her hand. "I'll start. After spending over six months in my family's mansion, I've about reached my limit with my father, and my younger brother. As much as everyone glorifies my family, like someone saying I have a prissy rich girl look..." She glared at Leone. "It's anything but glamourous. Most of the time, I can't stand them apart from my older sister, Winter. My butler, Klein, managed to arrange an airship to help me sneak out of the mansion and go to Mistral where my sister was stationed. I did manage to successfully sneak out, but that didn't last long as the airship I was on was attacked by Lancers." The younger Chelsea snapped her fingers and a small figure of a Lancer Grimm appeared.Leone and the others leaned slightly forward to get a better look at the Lancer. "That is one ugly wasp."Weiss couldn't agree more and the younger Chelsea snapped her fingers again to make the Lancer vanish. "I dealt with them, but the airship was damaged and we crashed. I regained consciousness, but when I did, I was met with Raven and her bandit tribe. They knocked me out and took me to their camp. I regained consciousness again and they were willing to sell me back to my father since there was no doubt, he already discovered I left. I wasn't worried since I knew my sister would come and find me, but they just laughed and said Winter was recalled back to Atlas. It was a bad situation, but I didn't give up. I was about to make a quick getaway when Yang punched one of the bandits into one of their tents. To say we were surprised to see each other after the Fall of Beacon doesn't even describe how happy I was seeing her. Then I learned Raven was her mother and she was the one that kidnapped me. Not wanting to cause more trouble, Raven allowed us into her tent. Before that, I... had to hug Yang because I was so happy to see her."Yang smiled at her teammate. "Same here. We went inside my mom's tent and she told us that not all Huntsmen wanted to save people. Some just wanted the money and glory that came with it and just to be stronger. She also told us that we were fools believing Ozpin and told us about Salem and about magic. She even showed us she could transform into a bird.""Oh, so your mom can do Take-Over magic then," Chelsea commented."After showing us, she used her semblance to create a portal leading to Qrow and went through it. Shortly after that, we met with Ruby and the others." Yang smiled at the next part. "And we had another huge feast since it's been so long since we've seen each other and talking about the old days. Then Ozpin confirmed what my mom said about the Maidens and Salem and he gave my mom and Qrow the magic to turn into birds."As soon as Leone heard that, she laughed. "Ha! Because their names are Raven and Qrow, like the birds. That's funny, if not corny."Akame slightly turned her focus to Qrow. "If he does have magic, it must be weak enough for not us to be able to sense it. The same with Ozpin.""My magic is quite limited," Ozpin spoke. "I only granted them a rather small amount of magic. Most of it went to the Maidens."Chelsea instantly connected what Ozpin said to what he explained earlier. "So, I guess that means you were the old guy from the story then."Ozpin nodded at Chelsea. "Yes, I was.""Yang also told us that Leone was alive." Kurome resumed. "All of us were beyond happy to hear that and we called Akame immediately. But when we did, none of our calls were getting through. The next day, we went out into Mistral to find some clues as to what happened to her. We eventually got some information that Akame was with an older woman and gave us a description of her at the ramen place they were at. At a later time, we all ate at the ramen place and that's when Leone ran into. We didn't waste any time bringing her to the house. She told us what happened to her and on Menagerie. She even said Sienna was still alive, much to Seryu's joy. We told her what happened to us while she was gone and what happened to Akame. After we all had our next reunion, Headmaster Lionheart called us saying he had a lead. The day before the White Fang attacks Haven Academy."Already Leone had huge doubts. "Really? He wants to see all of you the day before the White Fang attacks the school? Not only that sounds like a setup, but it also sounds like he's working with the enemy.""Took the words right out of my mouth." The "younger" Leone spoke. "We knew this would be a big operation with both the White Fang and Cinder's group attacking Haven. And that's when I came up with an idea." Chelsea snickered again because it was still funny for her to hear Leone coming up with plans. The "younger" Leone threw a glare at her. "As I was saying, the plan was we split up into two groups. One deals with Cinder's group in the school while the other deals with the White Fang. Our team would deal with the White Fang since the Faunus have the can see clearly in the night."Leone instantly figured out why. "Oh, because you can sense their aura which evens the playing field."The "younger" Leone snapped her fingers at her older counterpart. "Exactly and most of us in our group can sense their aura. Esdeath's dad tagged along too. Chelsea was excluded because she could use her illusions to fool Lionheart since he hadn't met some of the others. And so, that was our plan; take out the White Fang, take out Cinder's group, and take back the Relic. The night came and that's when all hell broke loose. Our team fought and wiped the floor with the White Fang while Ruby's group dealt with Cinder's and we even found out that Yang's mom joined in on the fun. To make things better, for us, Blake finally arrived with the Menagerie Army plus two police airships. It was a total checkmate for Adam and his response? He tried to blow himself up trying to take everyone else with him. But even that failed when Ilia removed the bombs they planted on the CCT tower. If that wasn't good enough, a lot of the White Fang members dropped their weapons and left him." Leone couldn't help but guffaw. "I knew Sienna and the others would handle it and I made my way to the school. We thought we had this in the bag, but then Merraid showed up..." Her expression saddened a little. "And Akame too. She told us Akame was working with Salem now. I called bullshit and she somehow tricked her or brainwashed her, but told us she didn't. Then Akame did something. Something I've never seen before. What none of us seen before." She focused on Akame's group. "What was the guy you mentioned before that brought back the dead? Nein-something? Well, Akame did something similar using her semblance and it was something unlike anything we've seen before. She summoned the sins of her kills and appeared before us. People that Akame killed using Murasame. There was Zanku, one of the Rakshasa Demons, some guy wielding an Imperial Arms scythe," It was faint, but Akame did barely remember killing a person wielding a scythe who protected Boric. "Some of the members of Wild Hunt, Kurome, and worst of all, Esdeath." Wendy's eyes widened a little and gulped at the mention of the name. "As per usual fashion from Esdeath, she easily destroyed the two airships. What surprised me the most was that Tatsumi was there too."Akame and the others were surprised to hear that. "Tatsumi...was there?"The "younger" Leone nodded. "Yeah. Akame told me he died in the final battle, but I didn't know she was the one who killed him. Wave fought Tatsumi and from what I heard, the battle must've been incredible. Wave won, but Tatsumi took him away from Mistral. After that, that's when the real fight began. Me, along with Ruby's group, fought Cinder's and Merraid's damn maids, and a couple of Akame's Sin Summonings while everyone else outside dealt with the other summonings and chased after her mom in getting the relic. A lot...happened, let's just say that. It was also during that battle where the Esdeath we know awakened her Maiden powers. Surprisingly enough, she was able to beat the Esdeath we know and Sienna managed to kill Adam. Rest in shit, asshole." She whispered that last part, but Wendy caught it. "Meanwhile, I managed to kill one of the maids which pissed Merraid off. Just when she was about to lose it, Akame recalled all of her summonings, including Tatsumi. Kurome and the other tried to stop her, but she knocked them all out easily. Finally, it was me who had to fight her and it broke my heart. I really didn't want to kill Akame, but if push came to shove, I may have had no other choice. I almost did too when I saw her crying but in doing so, that came with a consequence; she cut my palm with Murasame." Leone and the others silently gasped in shock. The "younger" Leone grabbed her left arm. "I managed to stop the poison by constricting my muscles so it wouldn't spread anymore but that was only temporary. There was only one way to completely stop Murasame's poison from killing me."Leone's eyes widened as she knew where her "younger" counterpart was going. "You mean..."The "younger" Leone closed her eyes. "Yeah, I cut my own arm off. It was the only way." She opened her eyes. "After that is when things started to get weird. I remember my body felt like being on fire and from what everyone said, my appearance changed, and apparently, my arm grew back. I stopped Akame and Yang managed to get the Relic and Raven somehow ran away. Their side lost and they managed to get away and I passed out. That was fine since we got the Relic anyway and it's that lamp thingy that's been there the entire time."Chelsea and the others looked down at the Relic of Knowledge. "Wait, that thing is the Relic you guys were talking about? I thought it was some gaudy genie's lamp decoration." Her younger counterpart snickered at her comment."When I woke up, I was filled in what happened after I passed out. One of them was finding out how Esdeath got her Maiden powers in the first place. One specific detail I was told was that all of Akame's Sin Summonings weren't really trying to kill us which was weird. The other strange part that Chelsea brought up was that Akame must've met Raven at some point and she could sense her Maiden aura. She could've told them the truth and that would've made things easier for them. They were also surprised that Ozpin was back and didn't know about it before then. Taeko also brought why Akame brought out so many summonings when Esdeath was more than enough to kill us all. Hell, the two pilots in the airships were still alive after when she destroyed them. Before we could figure out it more, Wave came back and with a surprise." She looked over in Mine's direction and smiled.Mine took that as it was her time to explain. "I guess I should start explaining how I got here then. After I woke up from my coma, Najenda told me everything that happened, including that Tatsumi died. A year later, with my name being cleared and didn't have any wanted posters now, I worked at a boutique."Leone laughed when she heard that. "You working at a boutique, huh? Yeah, I can see you doing work there." Mine couldn't help but feel a little creeped out since that's what the Leone she knew said the same thing."After I finished my shift, I went back to my apartment and I went to sleep. When I woke up, I found myself waking up in a forest." Akame saw a pattern with how everyone from their world ended up waking up in forests. Why though is what she wanted to know. "After wandering around for a bit, I ran into a girl who was being hassled by a couple of guys. Compared to what I faced before; they were practically nothing. They ran away like the cowards they were. She invited me to her house and told me her name was Hana. When I mentioned the Captial and Najenda she was confused and that made me confused. Anyway, she told the reason why those guys were harassing her. Apparently, they were "acquaintances" with her late father and were "investors" that wanted a debt repaid and she had to repay them. Obviously, it was a scam, but it was too late for her. They took her younger sister as collateral until she paid them, including insurance."Already Leone hated these guys. "What a bunch of scumbags."Mine couldn't agree more. "She told me a bit about her parents too, how they died during a mission. She was actually a student at Haven when it happened but had to drop out to take care of her sister. She couldn't go to the police because they'd harm her sister. That's when I offered to help her. I couldn't just leave her in this situation. She accepted and she let me borrow her weapon. I found the assholes plus one more and I killed two of them. I put a bullet in the third guy's leg and I made him tell me where their boss was. After he told me, I shot him in the head."The younger Chelsea shuddered a little. "Note to self; do not piss Mine off.""Getting rid of the bodies was a pain, though. After that, I went to where their boss was at. I managed to kill her easily and I took her crossbows. They would've been wasted on her anyway. I found Hana's sister, Tatsuki and I took her back home. Both of them were very happy to see each other again and I returned the money those bastards took to them. Since I didn't have anywhere else to go, I asked them if could stay with them for a while and they agreed."Leone had a passing thought as soon as she heard the two girls' names. "If Tatsumi and Mine did have kids, I wonder if that's what they named them?" She just shrugged and continued listening."And that's how I was able to learn about this world I'm in. A month passed since then when dinner finished, we heard a loud crash coming from the east. I went out to investigate and... I saw Wave along with Tatsumi with a giant ice storm surrounding Mistral. At first, I thought it was a dream, but Tatsumi was really standing in front of me. I made sure I gave him a piece of my mind of the heartbreak he gave me when he died. When the ice storm died down, he told me that Akame and Leone were here too before he burst into some weird dark red energy and flew back to the city. Wave and I dealt with a small horde of those Grimm things and some weird golden light erupted from the city. Whatever it was, it made what was left of the horde retreat. Good timing too because Wave passed out. He was out for two days before he woke up. When he said he needed to get to Mistral, I wanted to come along. Hana gave me a parting gift before I left." She gestured at her jacket. "After I said my goodbyes, Wave took me to Mistral and that's when I reunited with Leone and met the rest."The "younger" Leone smiled brightly after Mine was done with her explanation. "I was in tears when I saw Mine again and we caught up on what's been happening over pizza."Wendy again blinked her eyes in confusion. "What's pizza?"Leone was the same. "Yeah, I never heard of that."Nora was appalled at the question. "You guys don't have pizza in your world either? Man, you're missing out."The "younger" Leone grinned at the question. "Something really good, I'll say that. Anyway, we told Mine what happened the night before and showed her who was responsible for attacking Haven. Then she told us about Merraid since Najenda was the one that told her when she was trying to get dirt on Chelsea to use it against her." Chelsea had a couple of guesses as to why Mine would get back at her. "We were surprised how involved Akame was with the Merraid back in our world. Then we learned a little more about the Merraid in this world. Apparently, she used to be an heiress from a big-shot perfume company but her mansion burned down on her eighteenth birthday. Five bodies were found and they were the dad and four other rich guys. Theories came out like an assassination or kidnapping gone wrong but no body was found. But there was one rumor that floated around. Can you guess what that is?"Leone tried putting two and two together, but Akame beat her to the punch. "Considering how much Merraid hated men, I can imagine her father not accepting that. From what you've given me, it seemed that her father had brought these four men to...force themselves upon her."Now Leone was disgusted upon knowing what happened to Merraid. "Oh, that bastard!"Chelsea shuddered a little at the mere thought. "Yeah, that's...one way to hate guys more so than usual. Then again, if any guy tried that with the Merraid I knew, they'd be dead instantly. If my own dad did that to me, I'd probably hate guys with a passion too." Only Wendy was the one that remained in the dark and unbeknownst to her, that was a good thing."While we learned a little more about Merraid's past, Wave told us what happened after Tatsumi took him away. He told us it was an order from Akame. In fact, she told him to relay everything she learned about Salem while being with them. Akame was still on our side and Merraid took her Salem because her semblance had the side effect of attracting Grimm. It was a dangerous opportunity, but she took it knowing the consequences. And Tatsumi confirmed what we thought about her summonings; they really weren't trying to kill us. It was all for show. As of now, we know ten people following Salem, plus one more. Some guy called Watts. Well, more like nine now since I killed one of the maids. As for Tyrian, the guy that attacked Ruby and her group, Akame killed him in order to join Salem's side. We know their base is in an unknown location that's some desolate, craggy place where there's a lot of those Grimm. There's a way to get there, but we don't know what it is yet. And she has met Salem, she was unlike anyone Akame met before. That was all Tatsumi said to him before Mine showed up." The "younger" Leone lowered her head a little, but had a slightly happier smile this time. "I was so happy to hear that Akame hadn't really left us." She raised her head. "Still, though, it was a gutsy move on her part but it did pay off. We know a little more about Salem and how big her group is now. A part of me is still a little worried, but the larger part of me says she'll be alright as long as she isn't caught. But we have to move fast on our part who knows how long it'll be until Salem notices." She let out a big sigh. "And that's about it and why you haven't seen our Akame this entire time. It's kind of a shame because I really want her to see all of you."After hearing everything Leone's "younger" self and the group she was with went through, she blew out some air and was amazed. "I gotta say, all of you went through a lot of shit and most of you are still just kids. And after hearing all of that, it's now apparent you guys were this third party that deer guy was saying in that magic lacrima.""It's called a T.V, FYI." The younger Chelsea stated. She also saw some irony in Leone's words. "And what about the kid you're with? Didn't she go through like, two wars with you guys?""Wendy's also been through fighting a dark guild finding a giant walking magic city that can change the light and darkness within a person, went to an alternate world saving her guild that turned into a giant magic crystal and fought a giant mechanical dragon, had to fight the strongest dark guild in Fiore and encountered a scary black dragon, had to find pieces to a dangerous magic clock that had the power distort time and bring chaos, fought in a tournament, fought time-traveled dragons four hundred years from the past, Celestial Spirits gone rogue in their world, and fought a guild packed with demons trying to eliminate all of the magic in Fiore. Trust us, Wendy's been through a lot more way before she met us." Chelsea argued. The "younger" Leone had no idea Wendy had that much experience under her belt. It was almost funny that a kid was the one with the most experience out of all of them.There was one prevalent question Taeko needed to ask. "Now that we know each other's history, what do you plan to do now?"Leone closed her eyes and crossed her arms under her breasts. "Well, find a way back to Earthland for one. But the problem is we don't know how. I doubt this world has an Other Gateway and even if it did, the one in Earthland is already destroyed. None of our guildmates know we've gone missing so I don't think they'll be mounting a rescue." She sighed again in annoyance. "So, we're basically stuck here. All thanks to that weird lady and her stupid false request of us showing a bunch of kids magi-" She gasped and her eyes opened wide with sudden realization. "Oh, my god."It wasn't often Akame saw Leone like this. "What is it, Leone?"Leone quickly figured out that the request the old woman made for them wasn't a total lie after all. She looked at Ruby's group. "You guys might be the kids we're supposed to show our magic."Weiss raised an eyebrow at that and doubted Leone's words. "What makes you think that? We only just met each other by pure coincidence."Cornelia thought differently. "I don't know. I mean, what the chances they met people who know about magic and us meeting people from a magic world? If they told anyone else about their world, they would think they're crazy. I don't think it is a coincidence they met us. Like my Papa always said; coincidence can sometimes be fate in disguise."Akame questioned Cornelia's saying. "If Gozuki is still Cornelia's father in this world, it'd be strange hearing him say those kinds of things.""And there's Cora's usual sayings from her dad." The younger Chelsea commented."There is something to be gained here," Taeko spoke. "We are up against a foe who wields magic and we have little to no experience in fighting such a thing. If we see the kind of magic they use, it may give us an idea how to fight back."It was a solid idea. They have fought against the White Fang, Grimm, other people, and Akame's Sin Summonings, but only a few have faced a Maiden and their magic power. It was still something foreign to them. Leone wholeheartedly agreed, but she had one different idea. "Yeah, yeah, we can show you guys our magic." She smiled with something entertaining in mind. "But if we're going to show you guys our magic, it's going be through the fun way."Ruby gulped a little and was a little afraid. "And... what's the fun way?"Leone laughed at Ruby's question. "You guys fight us. You guys want to see magic, it's going have to be through a firsthand experience. But...we have to be far away from the city if we're going to do that."Rienna failed to see why they needed to leave the city. "Why not fight us here? We do have training grounds at the house."Chelsea laughed at that. "Yeah, the thing about our guild is that we kinda have an infamous reputation of going overboard with the destruction of public property. So much that even the Magic Council gets involved sometimes. If we fought here, you're not going to have a house and everything else around it." The other group would take their word for it. It'd be a financial disaster for them if the house they were renting was destroyed and major fines for destruction of public property.Leone stood up and clapped her hands together. "So, how about all of you get your weapons and let's get this show on the road? It's not like we have anything else better to do." Ruby was already ready since she still has Cresent Rose. The rest stood up and left to retrieve their weapons. B "Damn, all of your weapons look pretty cool." Leone saw everyone's weapons and prepping them. She saw her "younger" counterpart's weapon. "Is that the Silver Saber thing you mentioned before?"The "younger" Leone laughed happily as she showed off her weapon. "Yep and this means a lot to me."Leone then turned to Mine and saw her weapons. "And I gotta say, I'm not used to you using a different weapon, Mine."Mine didn't blame Leone for saying that. "Eh, like I said; they're not Pumpkin, but they're useful. Plus, I can do things with them I couldn't do with Pumpkin." Leone was looking forward to what Mine's new weapons could do.Chelsea had some doubts about her younger counterpart's weapons. "Fans? Really?"The younger Chelsea glared at her older counterpart. "Hey, Graceful Malevolence is good and a hell lot more useful than some fancy makeup kit."Chelsea would soon prove her wrong. She looked over at Taeko who was ready with her sword. I guess no matter the world, Taeko will always stick with a sword. I wonder if it's poisoned." She then turned Rienna prepping her weapon and something about her kept bugging her. "I feel like I've seen this girl reminds me of someone, but who?"Akame was amazed at how different the weapons Kurome and Cornelia used. "Your weapon reminds me of the Shingu Natala used, Kurome."Kurome showed off her weapon to Akame. "Funny you should say that because that's the name of my weapon. Wait until you see what I can do with it."Akame looked forward to that and she turned to Cornelia next. "And I didn't expect you to use axes, Cora."Cornelia smiled at Akame. "I'm sure it's quite different than from what the Cornelia you knew. They really help me out."Wendy and Carla saw Yang's and everyone else's weapons. "So, do all of them have a gun feature?"Yang cocked Ember Celica to demonstrate. "Yep. My weapon's name is Ember Celica."Blake showed her weapon next. "Gambol Shroud."Weiss next. "Myrtenaster. Though it doesn't have a gun feature like everyone else here, it does have a rotating chamber where I can utilize different Dust."Nora happily showed her weapon. "Magnhild is my weapons name and it literally packs more than a punch. It's also great for breaking knees!"Carla became very wary of Nora's description. "My, how violent."Ren displayed his weapons. "Stormflower." That was all he had to say.Lastly, Jaune showed his. "Crocea Mors. It's actually a family heirloom passed down from my great-great-grandfather. Sure, it doesn't have a gun feature, but it's still reliable." Wendy was still impressed nonetheless.Chelsea clapped her hands to attract everyone's attention. "Alright, is everyone ready?"Weiss sheathed Myrtenaster. "Of course. We might as well go n-" And everyone vanished together in an instant. Far away from Mistral, everyone reappeared in the same open field Leone and the others arrived in. "ow-WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?"Everyone else shared Weiss's reaction. Esdeath turned around and gasped as she was surprised to see Mistral so far away now. "There's...Mistral, but we were just there a second ago."Chelsea raised her hand. "We're here because I used something called Transportation Magic. Kinda handy when you want to go somewhere quick."The younger Chelsea was impressed by what her older counterpart did. Again, magic is freaking crazy. Also, this Transportation Magic of hers is like a stronger version of his semblance."Leone took a few steps forward away from the group and turned around to face them. "Okay, so, before we do this thing, I have to ask something first. Who among you is the strongest in your group?"Ruby and the others looked at each other before looking back at Leone. "I guess that'd be our Leone, Wave, and Esdeath."Leone thought as much and nodded. "Alright then. That means you three will be fighting Wendy last."Mine wasn't expecting to hear that. "What? Why?""Because out of all of us, Wendy here is the strongest." Ruby's group looked at Wendy. For Mine and the others who could sense her aura, it was already obvious that she was much stronger than she appeared to be. "Plus, if we want to get to the main event, you'll have to fight us first." Akame and Chelsea walked up to Leone and stood next to her on each side. "This is how it'll work; you guys can form as big of a group you want to fight one of us. It doesn't matter how many." It'd be unfair since Ruby's group would have an advantage in numbers, but Leone and her group were vastly stronger. "So, we'll decide who goes first for us and then you guys can choose who'll fight one of us." Chelsea and Akame turned in Leone's direction and they all pulled their arms back with their hands closed tightly. They all had very serious expressions. "NOW...ROCK...!""PAPER...""SCISSORS!"They yelled together and threw their hand forward. They all came up as rock. They drew back their arms again. "ROCK, PAPER SCISSORS!" The next round was a tie. "ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!" A tie again. They again repeated.While this was going, Mine and the others didn't know what to think what they were seeing. It was almost uncanny to Mine. "What in the world are they doing?"The other group threw their arms one more time. "SCISSORS!" They finally had a different outcome.Leone groaned at the end result. "Damnit. I wanted to go first."Chelsea laughed a little. "Welp, I guess that settles it. You're going first, Akame." Akame didn't mind going first.Leone turned to Ruby's first. "Okay, Akame's going first. Who's it going to be from you guys?"Everyone looked at each other and seemed a little unsure. Except for one. "Eh, why the hell not?" Kurome walked out of the group. "It's not every day I get to fight an alternate version of my sister." Akame could say the same.As soon as Kurome stepped up, the younger Chelsea quickly followed. "Not like I'm going to let you fight her alone."Taeko was the third to walk up. "I suppose I'll join in. Somebody has to look after Chelsea." The younger Chelsea threw a quick glare at her.Cornelia was the fourth. "I'll join too! This'll be the second time I'll fight Akame."Leone looked at the rest of the group. "Anyone else?" No one else spoke or stepped up. She guessed that was it. "Alright then, I guess that's it. And so, we'll begin the first match! Akame vs Kurome, Chelsea, Taeko, and Cornelia!" A/N: JESUS FUCKING D. CHRIST, I FEEL LIKE I ATE TOO MUCH AT AN ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT BUFFET AFTER WRITING THIS GODDAMN CHAPTER! ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Okay, a bit of an important announcement. Over at my Assassins of Fairy Tail story, I am very close to arriving at a moment I've been waiting for four years to get to. So, in a bit, I will be focusing on AOFT until I reach that moment. What about A New Beginning? Don't worry. Until I reach a certain point, I'll continue doing the between story updates. In fact, after this chapter, I'll go back to working on the next chapter of AOFT and then back to ANB. Basically, two chapters per story where I already finished the last chapter of AOFT. That way both can still be worked on up until I get to "the" moment in AOFT. Four chapters of AOFT will be worked on but in return, after I'm done with that, I'll work on four chapters for ANB and after that, it'll be back to in-between story chapter updates. I'm sorry for this but I've been waiting for four years for this moment. I'm impatient and I'm so close. Plus...nope. Keeping that part quiet. So, yes. Two chapters for AOFT, with the last one already done, and two chapters for ANB, this one being one of the two. I hope all of you can understand. And I hope I was clear enough in this A/N. Also, MERRY CHIRSTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill, RWBY, and/or Fairy Tail. They belong to their original owners. A New Beginning: Vol Special Part Five Across Worlds Kill Eighty Eight: Outnumbered, Outpowered The wind blew softly through the field as Akame stood quite a distance away from Kurome and the others. Off to the side were Ruby and the others as they waited for the fight to start. The "younger" Leone turned her attention to her counterpart. "Hey, there's something I've been meaning to ask. How did your Akame get her scars and..." She took a closer look at Akame. "I noticed she doesn't have Murasame. What happened?" Leone crossed her arms and let out a heavy sigh. "From what I heard, Akame went up against one of the Spriggan Twelve, one of the stronger ones. She had no choice but to use Murasame's Trump Card. She managed to kill him but not without a heavy consequence and lost Murasame as a result. That's all I'll say." Now the "younger" Leone was curious about the consequence her counterpart mentioned. She had a theory but ultimately kept it to herself. On the battlefield, Kurome and the others observed Akame carefully. More specifically, they were sensing Akame's aura. She could sense the overwhelming difference between her and the Akame they knew. "She's strong. Very strong. You guys can sense it too, right?" Cornelia gulped and nodded uneasily. "Y-Yeah. We've been around Akame long enough to know how strong her aura is but this Akame..." "Her aura is on a completely different scale." Taeko finished. "It shows how much more powerful this Akame is compared to the Akame we know. I'm sure the others have noticed this as well." Out of all of them, the younger Chelsea was the least overwhelmed of the group. "Stronger or not, we'll show her what we're made of. All we have to do is hit her hard and hit her fast. There's more of us so we can use our combinations on her." Taeko silently agreed with her. With an opponent as powerful as this Akame, their combinations and teamwork would be a dire key in their upcoming fight. Over to Akame, she was looking at Kurome and the others each. She couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia washing over her. "Kurome..." She remembered all the times she protected her younger sister and fought her too. "Cora..." She remembered all the good times she spent with Cornelia back when she was part of the Elite Seven and before her death. "Taeko." Her time with Taeko was brief but if they weren't enemies, they've could've been friends. Seeing these three made her smile. Kurome noticed Akame smiling and was curious about the reason. "What are you smiling about?" Akame continued to smile at the other group. "It's just that...I'm happy to see all of you together again. And I'm happy we're not fighting for our lives. For once, we can fight just for the fun of it." The younger Chelsea couldn't agree more with Akame's sentiment. "You got a point there. We've been fighting for our lives for so long, it's almost weird we're fighting for fun. Best to enjoy this while it lasts." Again, Taeko silently agreed. "So, how about we stop talking and get to the fighting already?" Everyone agreed to that. With the other group, Jaune brought out his scroll and it displayed the aura gauges belonging to Kurome, Cornelia, Taeko, and the younger Chelsea. He did have a slight concern about Akame. "Should Akame be fighting without an aura? She could get seriously hurt." Leone didn't seem the least bit worried. "Eh, don't worry about it. I think your girls there need the aura more considering how strong Akame is." Jaune still had doubts but reluctantly continued. "Okay then. The way the fights will go is when a person's aura gauge runs out, they won't continue fighting and are considered to be out. If...what's the win condition for you guys?" Jaune brought up a good point since the whole aura gauge thing didn't really apply to them. Chelsea had an idea. "How about if you guys' land three hits on us? Do that and it's considered our loss." That condition seemed about right for Jaune. "Fair enough. So, without any further delays, let the first match..." He pulled up an air horn app and raised his scroll above him. "Start!" He pressed on the app and a blaringly loud horn came out of it. Insert RWBY Song: Red Like Rose Part II (Amalee Ver) Kurome immediately stretched her arm out to the side. "Quaking Wind Formation!" Cornelia instantly combined both her axes into their halberd form and twirled it around before slamming the blunt end into the ground. As soon as she did, the ground began to quake and tremble beneath all of them. Leone and the others could also feel the strong effects of Cornelia's doing. "W-What the hell? She could do earthquakes?" Her "younger" counterpart smiled at the assumption. "Not exactly." Akame took a step back and looked at the ground. "All of this is coming from Cora?" Upon taking a closer look, she noticed something peculiar happening to the ground. "The ground, it's..." "Chelsea!" Taeko drew her sword out and placed it behind her while the wind funneled around it strongly. "Right!" The younger Chelsea pulled her left arm back and the wind funneled out strongly from the end tip of her fan. Wendy was especially interested in what they could do. "They can use the wind?" Taeko and the younger Chelsea both swung their weapons simultaneously and their wind funnels quickly followed. Both winds picked up the comminuted earth Cornelia made with her semblance and merged creating a towering tornado with fragments of the earth carried by its winds. "Raging Earth Twister!" Leone was astounded by the attack she was seeing. "Whoa, that's awesome! You guys can pull that off?" Her "younger" smiled proudly at that. "Yep. Our team is pretty good with combination attacks with us combining our semblances." Chelsea immediately saw a connection. "Oh, so it's like a Unison Raid." "What's a Unison Raid?" Ruby asked. "It's where two different kinds of magic merge into a more powerful one. The drawback is that it's very difficult to pull off. Some studied it all their lives and have never been able to pull it off. But it looks like you guys can pull something similar quite easily." Chelsea described. The fact they also used semblances to accomplish such a thing amazed Wendy. Akame remained still as she saw the earth tornado approaching her. To think they could do something like this was quite impressive. Kurome smiled as she thought they had this in the bag. "Let's see her handle this." Just to be on the safe side, Kurome activated her semblance. "Amplify times-" She and the others then heard a slashing sound and saw their earth twister cut in half and dissipate quickly. From the other side, they saw Akame with her sword drawn out. Kurome was bewildered at what she had just seen. "She just...cut our combo attack in half like it was nothing." Akame smiled at her alternate sister and teammates' effort. "That was quite the attack. I can imagine it was very powerful. Now, it's my turn." She placed one hand on top of another, handle and all. "Shadow-Make..." The shadow beneath her began to shift and twist. She then slammed her left hand on the ground. "Dark Embrace!" The shadow grew and stretched out from both sides and took a shape resembling giant hands. The giant shadow hands emerged from the ground and quickly closed in on Kurome and the others. As the hands almost trapped them, Kurome immediately grabbed Cornelia's wrist while the younger Chelsea grabbed Taeko's shoulder. "Amplify times two!" Kurome and Cornelia vanished as did the younger Chelsea and Taeko. They reappeared in front of the hands that fully closed behind them with a thundering sound. The younger Chelsea and others turned around and saw the giant shadow hands sink into the ground. "What the hell is that!? They just appeared out of nowhere." "Not nowhere." Taeko looked at the ground and followed the shadows retreating to Akame. "It's more they were created from her shadow." "There's magic like that?" Cornelia spoke with some slight fear in her voice. To the "younger" Leone, she narrowed her eyes at the attack Akame did. "It's just like Merraid's semblance." She shouldn't be surprised Akame has a similar power to Merraid given their previous relationship. Meanwhile, Ruby was a little curious about what Akame had done. "So, she can summon giant shadow hands from the ground?" Leone chuckled at the question. "Oh, Akame can do a lot more than that." Akame put her hands together once more. "Shadow-Make..." "She's doing that stance again," Ren spoke. Her shadow beneath began to twist and shift again. "Shadow Star!" Akame separated her hands and stretched her left arm out to the side and multiple shadow shuriken shot out from her shadow. As they reached Kurome and the others, they began deflecting them with their weapons in rapid succession. Now Blake was interested in what Akame could do. "She can create shuriken from her shadows?" Kurome and the others continued to deflect the shadow shuriken but several have passed through and grazed them. It's wouldn't be long until they were overcome. That is until the younger Chelsea had an idea. She then vanished and at the same time, so did Akame and her shuriken barrage stopped. They then reappeared in the other girl's location. It took Akame a second to realize what happened to her. "Now!" On the younger Chelsea's command, Kurome, Taeko, and Cornelia immediately surrounded Akame with their weapons ready. Taeko and Cornelia surrounded Akame by the sides while Kurome was behind her. Kurome was the first to attack as she started to swing her weapon at Akame. "Shadow Surprise." A black spike appeared from Akame's shadow and struck Kurome into the air and landed on the ground away from the others with a heavy thud. "Kurome!" The other three girls shouted. Wave was also worried about Kurome, but he was also impressed by Akame's tactic. "So, she has a move for behind-the-back attacks." Akame summoned an extra shadow sword to her other hand just about when Taeko was the first to attack. She swung her sword at Akame and it was easily blocked. Taeko wasn't deterred as she kept attacking Akame and her attacks continued being blocked. What struck as interesting to Akame was how Taeko was attacking. If it was a diagonal slash and blocked, she's continued the attack, spun her body around, and attack in a different direction. Sometimes she would follow up with a different quick attack after her previous one was blocked. This attack pattern was quickly noticeable to Akame and followed where Taeko would attack next. She'd begun walking back while blocking Taeko's attacks and even avoiding several fast thrusts from her sword. She found an opening and swung her sword from the side, but Taeko jumped back to avoid it before closing in on Akame to continue her onslaught of attacks. It was a fighting style she'd never seen before. It also told her that the way this Taeko fought was vastly different from the Taeko she fought in the past. As Akame continually blocked and avoided Taeko's attacks, she noticed Cornelia jumping over Taeko from behind with her both her axes raised above her. Akame jumped back once more before slamming her weapons into the ground where Akame once stood. The blonde raised her head and swiftly changed the way she held her weapons from before in an underhand position and rushed forward while lifting her weapons from the ground. She swung her left axe upward diagonally while pulling her other axe out of the ground. Akame avoided the attack, but Cornelia followed by swinging her other axe, but the other girl avoided that as well. Following up, Cornelia spun her body around and flipped her grip holding her, axes and crossed her arms before completing her spin. Once she was in front of Akame again, she lunged forward uncrossed her arms aiming at Akame. Akame jumped out of the way and over Cornelia while swinging one of her swords at her. Cornelia swung one of her axes overhead and deflected Akame's attack. Akame landed and turned around just in time to see Cornelia still attacking her. This time, she blocked the other girl's attacks, but the blonde kept pressing her attacks by swinging her axes in different directions and Akame continued to block them. Like Taeko, this Cornelia fought completely different than the one Akame knew a long time. After blocking yet another of Cornelia's attacks from the side, the blonde set both arms to the left side and swung both at the same time. Akame blocked the attack, but she felt something strange happen as soon as their weapons clashed. Akame's sword was immediately deflected and shot up, leaving her open for another attack. Her eye took a quick glance at her sword. "How did she do that?" Leone didn't follow what just occurred. "The hell? How did she manage to break Akame's guard?" Cornelia smiled as she swung both her axes at once while passing by Akame and positioned her arms like a cross. "King's Cross!" Akame grunted in pain as she didn't expect something like that to happen. The blonde felt very proud of what she did. "And that's our first point!" She turned around and looked at Taeko. "Taeko, Chelsea, Cold Front Formation!" The younger Chelsea appeared next to Taeko and smiled at her. "Let's go!" Taeko nodded and they both pulled their weapons back. The wind circled Taeko's sword and blew out fiercely while ice surrounded the younger Chelsea's fan. "Heulender Schneestrum!" They both threw their weapons forward and the wind blew out fiercely out of Taeko's sword while blistering freezing winds blew out from the younger Chelsea's fan. The two attacks combined into a larger ice storm attack. "Frigid Winds Assault!" At the same time, Cornelia combined her two axes into their halberd form and slammed the end part of the handle into the ground. "Seismic Terror!" The ground started to shake violently and began to raise and roll as a wave headed toward Akame. The two attacks closed in Akame fast and time became still for a moment. In an instant, Akame recovered quickly and spun her body with great force, and giant, powerful shadow streaks followed her swords. "CHAOS TWISTER!" A massive twister created by shadows erupted from where Akame stood that shot up into the sky. The attack not only stopped the two attacks, but also destroyed the combination attack. The intense wind blew out throughout the entire field as did the ground. Ruby and the others screamed and shrieked as they shielded themselves from the wind. The attack finally subsided and everyone put their arms down. They were bewildered at the sight they were seeing. They Akame standing in the middle of a circle with the ground deeply cut. Away from her were Taeko, the younger Chelsea, and Cornelia was blown away from her attacks. Upon seeing this sight, Mine was starting to understand just how much more powerful this Akame was. "The Akame I know isn't even close to being this strong to pull something like that off." Cornelia groaned as she started to stand back up. She too saw the aftermath of Akame's counterattack. She felt a little overwhelmed thinking how Akame pulled it off. Not only did she manage to destroy our combination attack, but she also created stronger shockwaves in the ground to counter my attack with pure power alone. She's on a completely different scale compared to the Akame I know." The younger Chelsea sighed exhaustedly as she and Taeko stood up. "Well, that was a thing. I really thought we had her that time." "It just goes to show you how much of a stronger opponent this Akame is," Taeko spoke. The younger Chelsea stretched her neck on both sides. "Still though, doesn't hurt to keep trying." She holstered her weapons and clapped her hands together while closing her eyes. Her hair began to glow with a golden light and three yellow clones appeared. All three clones rushed at Akame with their weapons drawn out. Chelsea became slightly confused upon seeing what her younger did. "She previously used wind, ice, shift a person's position with her own, and now she's using light clones?" Akame readied herself as the first of the clones swung one of its fans at her. She blocked the attack, but the clone spun its body around and attacked with its other fan. That was also blocked but the clone kept attacking. With every block, the clone kept twisting and turning its body while keeping its onslaught of attacks. The other two clones joined in, using the same fighting style as the first one, and Akame was now blocking and avoiding their attacks. She blocked one attack from a clone only for another attack to come from the other two. There was almost no time for her to do another counterattack. Leone and the others were impressed by what they were seeing thus far. More specifically, the way they fought. "Huh, is this how you guys' normally fight?" Weiss didn't see what Leone was talking about. "Why do you ask that?" Leone continued to witness the fight. "It's just that it's..." Chelsea and the others caught on to what Leone was talking about. "Specific." "Intricate." "Kinda neat." "Fancy." Leone finally finished. Now that they brought it up, Yang never really realized that before. "I guess it's kinda second nature for us." The younger Chelsea felt her body straining and breathed slightly heavily. "Can't keep this up much longer. I got thirty seconds left." "Thirty seconds is plenty." Taeko sheathed her sword and leaned forward. She closely observed the fight between Akame and the younger Chelsea's clones. She steadied her breathing and, in her eyes, time began to slow down. "Ten seconds, Taeko." Ten seconds was still enough time. She watched carefully and saw one of the clones catch one of Akame's swords with its closed fan and that provided the crucial opportunity. "Three seconds." And three seconds was all Taeko needed. "Twister." She vanished and left Chelsea's side and immediately reappeared next to Akame. The younger Chelsea reached her limit and brokeoff using Sun's semblance. The clones vanished, but it left a wide enough window for Taeko to attack. "Zypher!" She instantly drew out her sword and a bright light came forth. The faded as quickly as it appeared and Taeko managed to cut Akame. And that is our second point." Chelsea smiled at that statement. "You think so?" Taeko quickly realized something felt off and saw Akame blacken and break into smaller shadow streaks. "A copy?" "Taeko, look behind you!" Taeko did what Cornelia said and turned around only to see Akame standing behind Chelsea with her back turned against her and sheathed her sword. Chelsea said nothing before falling to the ground with a thud. "Shadow-Make: Shadow Double and Silent Shadow Slash." "CHELSEA!" Both Taeko and Cornelia shouted. Jaune looked at his scroll. "Chelsea's aura gauge went down to zero!" Leone chuckled at that. "Well, that's one down." End Insert Song Insert Fairy Tail OST: Seven Kin of Purgatory Akame turned around to face Taeko and Cornelia. "It was right when those clones disappeared and before you attacked, Taeko when I created my shadow double. If you'd been one second faster, you could've gotten another hit on me and Chelsea wouldn't be lying the ground." Kurome then suddenly appeared behind Akame and swung Trisula from the side. but Akame turned around and drew out her sword to block the attack. She saw she had a slightly angry expression. "You didn't think I'd forgotten about you, did you, Kurome?" She vanished from Kurome's sight and reappeared behind her. She then delivered a powerful kick and sent her away to Taeko. She then sheathed her sword. "I believe it's about time to show you what I can truly do." She placed her right arm forward. "Imperial Arms Magic..." The markings on her body glowed and the sclera in her eyes turned black. Crimson red magic power erupted from her body and shot out into the sky. Almost everyone present was already familiar with this feeling. It was exactly like how the Akame they knew used her semblance. The only one who was new to this was Mine. That same magic power circled her arms. "Imperial Empire Replicator." The "younger" Leone became wary of what this Akame can do. "It's definitely like Akame's power but what can she do that's different?" Akame took up her usual stance and placed her fist on top of her other hand. "Imperial-Make..." The magic swirled around her right arm and began to make its form. It finally took shape of a gauntlet. "Shingu: Pulverization King." Cornelia immediately recognized the name Akame called out. "Pulverization King? But that's..." "Isn't that one of Cora's attacks?" Kurome asked. "It is and also from what we heard from Akame, it used to be the weapon that belonged to the Cornelia she knew," Taeko spoke. Akame pulled back her right arm and aimed. "Oh, no you don't!" Kurome didn't want to know what her alternate sister could do and vanished. She reappeared in front of her and swung her weapon but she hit nothing. In the next second, she heard a massive explosion behind her and turned around. She gasped as her eyes widened at what she saw. Akame was standing in front of her and front of her were large amounts of dust. She kept staring at the sight before her with a bewildered expression. "What...the hell happened?" The "younger" Leone barely saw what happened seconds before. Just when Kurome moved, Akame moved almost the same time. She moved several feet ahead when Kurome showed up at the spot where Akame stood previously. When she swung Trisula, Akame threw her arm in front and that's when we all saw it. A giant shockwave or something came out of her and it traveled way out of the battlefield." The dust began to settle and the others saw what was left behind. Yang could scarcely believe what she saw. "What...the hell?" The ground was carved in deep in a curve shape by the attack and it stretched out from the battlefield. Even Qrow felt overwhelmed by what he saw. "All of that from one attack?" Nora laughed nervously after seeing what Akame's attack could do. "Okay, yeah, I can see why it was a good idea to move the fight way out here." Ren didn't even want to know how much collateral damage that attack would've caused in the city. The dust cloud finally settled and Kurome gasped at what she saw. "Taeko! Cora!" She and the others saw the two girls lying on the ground unconscious. Jaune looked at his scroll to check their aura gauge. "Their aura gauges are already down." Akame kept staring at the path of destruction she caused. "It looks like you're the last one standing, Kurome." She turned around to face her alternate sister. "Shall we continue?" For the first time in a long time, Kurome felt overwhelmed. It was obvious this Akame was leagues more powerful than her actual sister. "Now what do I do? I still need to land two hits on her to win. I don't think even my times five can keep up with her. Do I... use that instead?" The thought of using that did frighten Kurome a little. It was extremely risky and she could end up worse than she was the last time. She remembered what Najenda told her when she was recovering. "Kurome, I forbid you from using that technique. You're able to survive this time, but if you use it again; it may destroy your body." Kurome closed her eyes and shook her head before stopping. Using such a dangerous technique wasn't worth it in this fight. Instead, she held her weapon in front of her. "Amplify time five!" A strong pulse erupted from her body and she smiled at Akame. "Bring it on. I won't hold anything back, big sister." Both sisters stared each other down and waited to see who'd make the first move. While seeing this, Wave couldn't help but gulp as he remembered what happened the last time they fought each other. Both sisters continued to look each other in the eye until Akame moved and Kurome instantly disappeared and reappeared above Akame swinging her weapon down. Akame stepped back and the attack missed but Kurome quickly lifted Trisula and spun it around. Akame put her gauntlet in front and stopped the spinning attack but then Kurome spun her body around and swung her weapon from the left side this time. Akame blocked that attack as well and Kurome spun her body in the other direction with her weapon following. This time Akame jumped away from the attack but Kurome chased after her. She kept attacking her alternate sister while they were in mid-air but all of them were blocked. She then swung her weapon overhead and that was blocked but continued to push her attack and sent Akame hurdling toward the ground. Akame crashed to the ground but remained unharmed and stood up. She looked up to see Kurome coming at her with her weapon pulled back. She remained still and pulled her right arm back. Once close enough, both sisters attacked each other at the same time and both weapons clashed against one another. A thundering boom occurred and the ground cracked beneath Akame. Even with times five the strength, Kurome felt like she wasn't her attack wasn't doing anything. As soon as Kurome landed on the ground, she disappeared again as did Akame. In the next second, multiple booms occurred throughout the battlefield. They reappeared for one second before disappearing again. It wasn't long until Akame began to have the upper hand and Kurome noticed it. Whenever she appeared in one spot, Akame was already there and instantly moved to another spot but Akame would be there too."She's faster than me when I'm in my times five state." This continued for a couple more seconds before Akame appeared in front of her and managed to deal a quick blow to her. Akame blasted Kurome away and crashed through the ground until she stopped. With Kurome being out of commission for a brief time, she took up her stance. "Imperial-Make!" The gauntlet on her arm changed shape and it became six small crimson orbs. "Imperial Arms Chaos Throw: Big Leaguer!" Mine was astonished at what she saw Akame create. "Wait, can she create any Imperial Arms?" She grabbed one of the orbs and did a wind-up. "Storm Orb!" She threw the orb at Kurome and it transformed into a powerful whirlwind. Kurome recovered just in time to see the whirlwind headed straight at her. She moved to the side and the attack missed, but she could still feel how powerful the winds were. She launched herself right at Akame, leaving a small crater behind. She was about halfway through when she suddenly and forcibly stopped as something wrapped around her. Akame was already behind her facing away with a new weapon. "Imperial-Make! Shingu: Sidewinder!" She moved her right arm overhead and Kurome followed all the way crashing back into the ground. She put her hands together again. "Imperial-Make!" Her magic now took the form of dual gauntlets with lightning conductor attachments. "Imperial Arms Thunder God's Rage: Adramelech!" Wave and Mine recognized who Imperial Arms belonged to. "That's Great General Budo's Imperial Arms!" Akame slammed her right gauntlet and crimson lightning crackled around it. "Lightning Crasher!" Lightning erupted from the gauntlet and traveled instantly to where Kurome was. She was struck by the attack and felt the electricity running rampant through her body. Amazingly enough, after the attack subsided, she was still standing but barely. It was then Akame returned to her normal state and put her hands together. Two shadow swords appeared in her hands. "Shadow-Make: Twin Shadow Swords!" Vanished and headed straight for Kurome. She uncrossed her swords at her once she was closed enough. "Shadow X-Cution!" A black X appeared on Kurome's body as Akame appeared behind her with her swords stretched out to the sides and a small whirlwind blew out around them. It was silent for a few seconds before Kurome fell forward. End OST Jaune looked at his scroll and saw Kurome's aura gauge fall to zero. "And that's the match." He pressed the air horn app to signal the end of the match. "The winner of the first match is Akame!" After the match ended, everyone moved Kurome and the others off the battlefield and laid them side-by-side. Leone was impressed they didn't even have a scratch on them. "They took all that damage and they don't look even hurt." "That's because their aura took most of the damage," Esren explained. "So, do we wait for them to recover and wake up before we move on to the next match?" Yang asked. "No need," Wendy spoke as she kneeled next to Cornelia. She placed her hands above her body and they began to glow. It didn't take long for her to stir and open her eyes. Wendy stopped her healing as Cornelia groaned groggily. "Man, what happened? Did we win?" Leone laughed at that. "Not really." Wendy went ahead and healed everyone else quickly. They had similar questions about what happened before. "The hell happened to me? I blacked out all of a sudden." "The last thing I remember was being by something powerful," Kurome said nothing as she kept looking at her hands. Wendy stood up as she felt rather proud of her healing. "You were all knocked out but I managed to rid of your fatigue." Everyone stood up and stretched their bodies. Cornelia couldn't help but sigh. "So, we lost, huh?" "Unfortunately," Akame spoke but smile at Cornelia and the others. After they were done stretching and recovered fully, Kurome finally asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "Okay, so what was that magic you used? Those shadow weapons and whatever the hell you did next?" Cornelia and the others didn't know what she was talking about in that last part. Weiss decided as the question that was on everyone's mind. "So, what kind of magic is she using with her shadow?" Akame was more than happy to explain. "The type of magic I use is called Molding Magic. It allows me to create anything I wish with the element I'm using. The stance you've seen me do before allows my concentrate my magic in my hands. As you can guess by seeing it for yourself, I use Shadow-Make magic along with general Shadow magic." Ruby was reminded of something important. "Oh, so it's something like Esdeath can do with her ice. She's created a lot of things with her ice." "We know two guys who're experts in Ice-Make magic and let's just say they're more unique when it comes to what they can create with their magic," Chelsea added. "As for the magic you saw before..." She activated her Imperial Arms magic which surprised Cornelia and the others since this was the first time they saw this. "To begin, this is a kind of magic only we can use called Imperial Arms Magic. It uses the magic we knew combined with our Imperial Arms. Mine is called Imperial Empire Replicator which is molding magic that allows me to create any Imperial Arms or Shingu I know of." The "younger" Leone was astounded to hear that. "Wait, like any Imperial Arms?" Akame nodded and decided to demonstrate. "Yes. For example..." She created her first example and wore a very familiar suit of armor. "Grand Chariot," She created another one. "Cross-wire," And another one. "Shamshir," and another. "Belvac," Her last demonstration impressed everyone. "And even Su, albeit without his personality. The Imperial Arms I create with my magic is more powerful than the original and don't require the costs to use their Trump Cards." To demonstrate, she snapped her fingers and the Maker-Su went into his transformed state. Now the "younger" Leone laughed amazingly at that. "Holy shit, that's awesome!" While the "younger" Leone was amazed by this, Mine had different thoughts. "A magic that allows her to create any Imperial Arms and use them without consequence. That's something not to be trifled with." Yang raised her hand to Akame. "So, what's the difference between your Shadow Magic and this magic? Couldn't you just do the same thing with the Shadow Magic?" It was a good question and Akame had an answer for that. "The difference is my Imperial Arms Magic can replicate their abilities while my Shadow-Make Magic cannot. Although, as powerful as it is, I'd rather use my Shadow-Make Magic and use my Imperial Arms Magic when the situation calls for it. I'm sure all of you by this point know how powerful Imperial Arms are." They saw the point Akame was making. Just because she had access to all the Imperial Arms doesn't mean she should use them all the time given their vast powers and abilities. "A magic that allows you to create anything you can imagine is quite formidable indeed." Oscar, or rather Ozpin walked up to the group. "I can see it being quite useful in many situations." Qrow was quite surprised Ozpin was still around. "I thought you would've left by now, Oz." Ozpin chuckled lightly at Qrow's remark. I do have a keen interest in seeing what kind of magic these four possess. I'd like to see them for myself." Akame deactivated her magic and Maker-Su disappeared. Now it was her turn to ask a question. "Now that I explained what my magic could do, I'd to know what your abilities are." Akame brought up a good point and it was their turn to explain, starting with Cornelia. "I guess I should go first. My semblance is vibrations." Now Akame understood what Cornelia did earlier in their confrontation. "I see. That explains how you were able to break my guard from before." It also explained the odd sensation she felt when their weapons struck each other. "And how you were able to do those earthquakes," Leone added. Cornelia couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, it can really be handy at times." "In more ways than one, I can imagine," Chelsea muttered. Wendy heard that but didn't quite understand what the older girl meant by that. "I suppose I'll go next," Taeko spoke. She held her sword in front and the wind circled the blade. "My semblance is wind, as you've seen. My family uses a certain sword style that is used in tandem with our semblances." That was the first mostly everyone to hear that Taeko could use a sword style Especially for Cornelia. "I've never seen her use this sword style before. I wonder why she's only now saying this?" Akame was also wondering what this sword style was as she had the feeling Taeko never used it in their fight. Taeko sheathed her sword and looked over in the younger Chelsea's direction. She huffed. "Fine. The thing about my semblance is that I can copy and use other people's semblances." Her older counterpart now understood how she was able to use so many different abilities. "So, that explains why you could all of that." And there was an obvious similarity between she and her. It's kinda like my Imperial Arms Magic. But I doubt her power is as good as mine." The younger Chelsea continued to explain. "If you want to know what the semblances I use, they were Taeko's, obviously, the three golden clones were a semblance Sun uses, a Faunus we all know, ice because what else would Esdeath's semblance be? And the teleportation? Let's just say that every time I use it, I imagine a certain jackass being irritated about it every time I use it." She seemed very proud to say that last part. "There are plenty of others I could've used but I didn't want to give them all away for the upcoming fights. I don't give you guys any ideas how to counter them." "That's awfully nice of her." Chelsea thought. "But I wonder who this person is she hates with a passion?" Kurome herself was also curious about this because she too didn't bring this up until now. Finally, all attention went to Kurome who just sighed. "Alright, fine. My semblance is amplify which increases my strength, speed, agility, and everything the human body can do. They all have levels from times two to times five. Times five is my highest. However, the more powerful the amplify is, the more strain it puts on my body." Akame had a particular interest in Kurome's semblance. So, it's something similar to the performance-enhancing drugs Kurome took." It was a frightful comparison and made her a little worried. "And... are there other negative side effects when using your power at higher stages?" Kurome saw this question coming since it was her sister, no matter the world she came from. "Nothing more than a sore body and that's all. Although, thanks to our Akame's training, it's not as bad as before. It's better than having my lifespan shortened, that's for sure." Akame was relieved to know that this Kurome isn't suffering from major drawbacks as her original sister did. "And that's all of it. I have to say, you are stronger than the Akame I know." "More so than you think." Taeko pointed out. Everyone looked over to her next. "Akame, tell the truth. You could've ended this fight as soon as it started, couldn't you? We've heard all trials and hardships you previously had and the opponents you've faced who were all strong. I can imagine much stronger than us. A good example is that." She pointed out the leftover trail of destruction from one of Akame's previous attacks. "That attack was powerful enough to knock out Cornelia and I and yet I know it has more than enough power to decimate a small village. Probably destroy it entirely which fits due to we heard about what your guild is well known for." She looked back at Akame. "There's also the fact that you cut our first combination attack in half with ease. In short, you were holding back on us and testing our abilities." Akame closed her eyes and smiled before opening them again. "You're very perceptive, Taeko. You're correct; I did want to see what all of you could do and I wasn't disappointed. If I had gone all out from the start, the fight truly would've been over within the first few seconds." If everything Akame had done in that fight was her holding back, they couldn't imagine how powerful she truly was. Chelsea clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Okay, that's enough analyzing Akame's motive and everything else. We need to get to the next match. So..." She turned to Leone. "Ready, Leone?" Leone grinned at Chelsea. "You're on!" Both girls pulled their arms back and had a strong determined look in their eyes. "ROCK, PAPER..." They threw their arms out at the same time. 'SCISSORS!" There was a brief moment of silence before the was a yell of disappointment and a cheerful cry. "DAMNIT!" "Sorry, Leone. I guess you're going last." Chelsea winked at the other girl and flashed a victory sign. Chelsea was the second to go and Wendy was happy that it was her turn. "Congratulations, Chelsea. So, who do you think will fight you?" Chelsea turned to the group and pondered about who would fight her next. "Hmm. There's definitely a good pick of people here who I can see be worth my time. Except for two." Now everyone was curious who Chelsea was referring to. "I mean I don't think Mine would be a very challenging opponent for me and I can say the same for that...what's your name again? Wide Sneeze?" An angry vein instantly appeared on the corner of Mine's forehead. "EXCUSE ME!?" Weiss had a similar reaction. "IT'S WEISS SCHNEE!" Chelsea wasn't intimated by their outburst and continued to smile. "I mean I'm pretty sure I can beat both of you with my eyes closed without breaking a sweat. You two are better off cheering on the sidelines, you walking flat boards." At that moment, in an instant, both Mine and Weiss pointed their weapons at Chelsea. "THAT'S IT! I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS!" "I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU REGRET TALKING DOWN ON ME!" It seemed obvious now who was going to fight Chelsea. "Hey, I want to join too!" Nora appeared from behind Mine and hooked her arm around her neck. "We'll call ourselves TEAM PINK and take her on together!" Mine was less than enthusiastic about the name. "Do not ever use that name again." "If Nora is going to fight, I might as well." Ren stepped up next. "I guess I'll join too," Jaune spoke. Chelsea already had a sizable group to fight and she was more than ready to take them all on. "I'll fight too." Everyone heard a new voice and turned their attention to the direction they heard it from. They saw this person walk up with a look neither the "younger" Leone or the rest of Night Raid saw before. Rienna joined the others narrowed her eyes at Chelsea. "I'll fight her too." Everyone else waited for anyone else to see if they'll step up but no one else did. Wave thought that was it and decided to declare the next match. "Alright, I suppose that's it. The second match is Chelsea vs Mine, Weiss, Nora, Ren, Jaune, and Rienna!" ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: And now it's time for a chapter that centers around the most underused character of the entire story! Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill, RWBY, and/or Fairy Tail. They belong to their original owners.A New Beginning: Vol Special Part SixAcross WorldsKill Eighty Nine: The Devil's DaughterIn a large room with orange walls and a large custom-made heat radiator set in the corner. In the middle of the room were two people sitting; a father with a strong, muscular build with multiple scars on his body, and his eight-year-old daughter with her having a recently healed large burn scar on the left side of her face trailing to her neck. The father only wore shorts while the daughter also wore shorts and a top fitted for a child her age. Both had their eyes closed and appeared to be deep in thought while their bodies were enduring the intense heat. The father was perfectly okay while his daughter was sweating up a storm. She trembled slightly at first until the bearing the heat became too much and let out a loud gasp. She fell backward to the floor and was breathing heavily. The father opened his eyes and looked over at his child and chuckled lightly. "I guess we can call it for today." He stood up and walked to the radiator to turn it off. As he did, they finally left the room which was connected to the garage where the daughter sighed in relief feeling the cool air. Her father closed the door behind them and laughed heartily. "I have to say, you did pretty well lasting this long for the first time, Rienna."Rienna whined as she still felt a little warmer than usual. "I don't know how you can handle that much heat, daddy."Bols, her father, laughed again. "That's because I've been doing this a long time. Heat at that level doesn't even bother me. Don't worry, though because if you keep at this, you'll eventually handle the strongest heat and flames. Now, about some lunch? I'm sure your mother has left some delicious sandwiches for us and I'm starving. Let's go." He walked over to the door and was about to reach the handle when he stopped. He turned around to see his daughter didn't follow him and was looking at the mirror near the door. He saw her lightly touch the burn scars and seemed a little sad. He knew exactly why as it's been about two months since that terrible accident. Rienna was playing around with the fire dust that he uses for ammo for his weapon and she accidentally set them off. She was caught in a huge blaze. He managed to rescue her but part of her body was badly burned and had to be taken to the hospital. She was able to make a full recovery but the doctor told her parents that the nerve endings in the part of her body were seared off and could no longer feel pain. It was the same for the area around the eye as she couldn't cry from it anymore due to the tear ducts being seared off as well. It took another month for her to take off the bandages and was left those burn scars.They didn't make her life easier when she returned to school because the other kids made fun of her. They constantly teased her because of her scars and called her names. There were times when Rienna didn't want to go to school because the teasing and bullying became too much. This was one of those days. Rienna's mother had enough of this and she was currently at the school right now to talk to the principal and teachers about this. Bols loves his wife to the moon but when she becomes angry, he knows better to stay out of the way and pray to whatever God there is to the unfortunate souls who will face her wrath. While his wife was tearing the school system into a new one, Bols had the responsibility of cheering up her daughter and that's exactly what he was going to do. "Are they still bothering you?"Rienna was spooked a little hearing her father talking to her and immediately turned in his direction. She then grabbed her left arm while looking away from her father before closing her eyes and nodding. Bols walked up to his daughter and kneeled before her. He then put his hand on her head and she opened her eyes to look at him. He gave her a gentle and sweet smile. "You know, not all scars are bad. Look at mine." He stood up and spread his arms out to show off the countless scars he's received from the missions he's been on. "These scars tell stories of the missions I went on and how I got them. Some of them are worse than others but they're proof of what I've gone through. Although, there are scars that can't be normally seen." He set his arms down. "That scar of yours tells the story of how you got it."His explanation only depressed Rienna more about how she got it. "But I got this because I was playing around with your fire Dust."Her father only chuckled at that. "And you survived. That's all that matters. Plus, that scar will carry memories of what you experienced, the emotions you've felt, and how it would be part of your life. All of that can contribute to making you stronger." After his explanation, he saw a little light returning in his daughter's eyes. He figured his explanation helped her. Little did he know, it'd help her much more than he originally thought. "Okay, now how about those sandwiches?" Rienna smiled and nodded as they left together.Rienna enjoyed spending time with her father and greatly looked up to him. However, unbeknownst to her, that time would be cut short. Two years after her father gave her advice, she and her mother were patiently waiting for Bols to return from his latest mission. From what she heard, it was extremely dangerous, and skilled and experienced huntsmen were needed. The mission was to only be a few days long but it's been a week. This hasn't been the first time he's been away on a mission longer than it needed to be but what worried them is that if he was taking longer than usual, he would've told them via text or letter. The fact they haven't received either left a bad taste in Rienna's mouth. To distract her from these bad feelings, she was in the heat room strengthening her heat endurance and resistance. She's made quite a lot of progress since she and her father first trained together but was still not ready for the highest setting. She tried it once and didn't even last three minutes while her father spent hours at a time with that setting.While Rienna was preoccupied with her training, several knocks were coming from behind the door. "Rienna, dear? Can you come out?" Rienna stood up and turned off the machine before walking to the door.Rienna grabbed the handle and opened the door to see her mother slightly worried. Judging by how she looked, it must've been something serious. "What's the matter, mom?""Just...come into the living room."As her mother walked away, Rienna quickly changed in her casual clothes and walked over to her house. When she walked into the living room, she saw her mother sitting on the couch while a man was sitting on the chair across the coffee table from her mother. He had the same expression as her mother. "I'm here, mom. What's going on? Who's this man?"The man looked over in Rienna's direction. "You must be his daughter. Please, have a seat." Rienna did as she was told but with each step, that bad feeling within her felt heavier and worse. She sat next to her mother and the entire living room remained silent. Only the ticking of the clock could be heard and it didn't help with this tense atmosphere. "Since we're all here now, I'd like to apologize for this sudden intrusion and I'd like to introduce myself. I'm one of the Huntsmen that participated in the mission alongside Bols. There's no easy way for me to say this so I'll come out with the truth." Upon hearing his next words, the clock rang out in the living room and Rienna's world with her father shattered into countless pieces.The following months after the Huntsmen told them what happened to Bols were the most difficult for Rienna and her mother. He told them that the Grimm horde they were supposed to eliminate was much larger than anticipated and they were overwhelmed. Only a few stayed back to fight off the horde, Bols being one of them and before the Huntsman last saw him, Bols wanted to relay a message to them. "Tell my wife and daughter what happened and I loved them to the very end." Moments after that, he'd heard and felt a powerful explosion Days after the Huntsman left, the remains of Bol's flamethrowers arrived and were badly damaged. It sat in the garage in all those months and Rienna hadn't been in there since she heard about her father's death. The kids and teachers at her school expressed their condolences and apologies to her for losing her father.Rienna was grateful to hear all of that but it still didn't close the hole in her heart that was left by her father's death. Everything seemed so different to her now that her father wasn't of this world anymore. She couldn't enjoy the things she loved anymore and seemed to lose interest in all things. Her mother was in the same state but she hid it better. One day, she had overheard her mother talking to her friends on her scroll in seeing someone else but told them Bols was the only love of her life and no one could replace him. After that, Rienna left and was headed to the garage. When she opened the door, she saw her father's flamethrowers laying in the middle of the floor. Seeing them in this state pained her heart as she spent countless hours watching her father fix and repair them. She looked past the weapons and saw the door leading to the heat room. She walked up to the door and placed her hand on it. She hadn't been in it ever since she heard of her father's passing. She sighed heavily and turned around but stopped midway when she saw her reflection. She looked at her reflection and focused on her burn scar. Suddenly, she remembered what her father told her about scars. "These scars tell stories of the missions I went on and how I got them. Some of them are worse than others but they're proof of what I've gone through. Although, there are scars that can't be normally seen.""Scars that can't be normally seen." It was an apt description of what she was feeling in her heart.There was something else she remembered her father said. "That scar will carry memories of what you experienced, the emotions you've felt, and how it would be part of your life. All of that can contribute to making you stronger." Rienna placed her hand over her chest and clutched it tightly. Inside of her, a small flame suddenly flared up and became a powerful blaze. Insert Symphogear Song: KNOCK OUT! She went over to the workbench and took out a large red toolbox. She brought it over to the weapons and opened it. After seeing her father fix his weapons countless times, she knew every inch and corner of how they worked. For the next few weeks, she worked tirelessly on restoring Devil Incarnate. Within those few weeks, her teacher and classmates did notice she had a change in her demeanor. Her mother even took notice of this as well. She saw Rienna go into the garage more often and came out with oil splotches on her clothes. After a month, she decided to follow her daughter in the garage. As soon as her daughter closed the door, she opened it. "Rienna, what have you been-" She eyes widened, and gasped in shock at what she was seeing.Rienna turned around and was surprised to see her mother but giggled happily and smiled at her. "Oh, mom look!" She turned her attention to an almost fully restored Devil Incarnate. "Look, I'm almost done fixing up dad's weapon. I just need to work on it a bit more and it'll be good as new." She looked back at her mother and gave her a serious expression. "Hey, mom? Can I ask you something?"Rienna grunted in pain as she was thrown to the ground. It was the afternoon of the next day and both she and her mother were sparring outfits. She pushed herself up from the ground and stood up. She turned around to face her mother who was worried about her. "Perhaps we should stop here for today.""No, I want to keep going." Kije was surprised by her daughter's response. "I'm not done yet. I want to keep going. I want to be the kind of daughter dad can be proud of. I want...to be just like him."In that instant, Kije saw just a little of her husband in her daughter and couldn't help but chuckle a little. "You are just like your father. You know, he kept on pestering me to go out with him but I refused every time. Then a whim, I'd thought I humor him saying yes this one time. Little did I know that one simple answer changed my life and the next thing I knew, we were married and we had you." She sighed one more time before smiling at her daughter. "If you're really serious about this, Rienna, I'll help you." She slammed her fist into her other hand and her eyes glowed red while her hair flowed around her. A threatening red aura could be seen emitting out of her. "So, get ready because I won't go easy on you." Rienna couldn't help but gulp in fear.From that day forth, this became Rienna's routine. Eventually, she went back to the heat room to work on her endurance and began to work out to use Devil Incarnate. Five years later, she was able to wield her father's weapon, but it still felt heavier than she thought. Obviously, she figured her movement would be limited but she was okay with that. She could always make that up with her semblance. The next year, she was finally able to withstand the highest setting in the heat room and continued to train on that setting for the next year. And it was the next year that she went to Shade Academy.In the middle of the initiation trial, Rienna burned down the Grimm surrounding her. Some did get past the fire, but she wasn't worried. As the Grimm surrounded, they were all blown up by her explosions. Just because she was mostly stationary doesn't mean she wasn't prepared. More Grimm appeared and she was more than prepared to take them on when Kurome, Chelsea, and Taeko appeared in front of her. She couldn't but smile and they all took on the Grimm horde together. End OST After the initiation and the teams were established, Kurome, Chelsea, and Taeko were all in their dorm room getting comfortable. Then the door opened to reveal Rienna walking in and looking a little nervous. She threw a small, awkward wave at them. "Uh, hi. I guess we're all on the same team now." She laughed a little awkwardly. "It's kinda funny. I've never been on a team before. My name is-""Rienna Louge," Taeko spoke. "The daughter of the late Bols Louge, also known as the Devil Huntsman which granted you the nickname 'The Devil's Daughter'." She chuckled a little. "Our team will do well with you on it."Rienna stared at Taeko with a baffled look before Chelsea interjected. "Don't get too weirded out. She does that all the time. Family thing and all. Anyway, nice to officially meet you. I'm Chelsea," She gestured to Taeko. "That's Taeko, and she's..." She looked over at Kurome sitting on the bottom bunk.Kurome looked in Rienna's direction. "Kurome Chariot. Nice to meet you. And with you here..." She stood up from the bed. "I have a feeling we're going to be the best team in Shade Academy." She placed her hand in front of the others. "So, how about it?" The other girls looked at each other before smiling and placing their hands on Kurome's. She then smirked at all of them. "Let's show them what Team KRCT is made of." From that moment on, Team KRCT quickly rose to be one of the best teams in Shade Academy. Little did she know that her life was about to have another drastic change.…Rienna was standing with Mine, Weiss, Nora, Ren, and Jaune and across from her was the person who killed her father."Mine, you know Chelsea the best out of all of us. What do you know about her?" Ren asked.Mine studied Chelsea from where she stood. "Well, for one, the Chelsea I know wouldn't even think about getting into a fight. Stealth was more of her specialty. Besides..." She sensed how powerful this Chelsea's aura was. "Comparing her aura and the Chelsea's I once knew, it's like night and day. Yeah, we have the advantage of numbers and but that didn't help Kurome and the others fighting Akame. Not to mention she can use magic like Akame. The only thing we know what magic she can do is teleport a large group of people." There was something else Mine thought was off-putting about Chelsea. "Teleporting can't be the only thing she does. This is Chelsea we're talking about. She has to have other tricks up her sleeve. I know it. We just need to figure a pla-" Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Rienna walk past her. "H-Hey! Where're you going? We still need to-""I'm fighting her."Mine chased after Rienna and grabbed her shoulder. "No, you're not. We still don't know-"Rienna quickly turned around and grabbed Mine's arm while glaring at her. "I'm...fighting...her." Her grip on Mine's arm tightened and the other winced at the pain. She had no idea this girl had such strength.Rienna let Mine go and turned around. Mine rubbed her arm as she could still feel the pressure from Rienna's grip. She looked back at the others. "Aren't any of you going to stop her?!" She saw that all of them had remorseful expressions. Her anger became confusion. "What's wrong?'Jaune looked at Mine. "Just...let her do what she needs to do." Mine became more confused as she didn't know what was going on.Off to the side, Wendy observed Rienna closely and groaned a little. "What seems to be the problem, Wendy?" Carla asked.Wendy kept focusing on Rienna. "I don't know but for some reason, I feel like I've seen her before but I don't know why because I've never met her before.""You're not the only one who thinks that," Leone spoke. "She reminds me of someone but I can't place it."Akame shared the feeling. She thought more about who Rienna really was. "Considering what I've seen so far, most of the people in this group are comprised of people we know and encountered from the Captial. And yet we've never encountered her before. What's more..." She looked at Wave and the others and they all had the same expression Jaune and most of his group had. "They all know something about her. What's her connection with all of this?"Finally, out of everyone, Chelsea was the most intrigued by Rienna. This girl's been giving me the eye ever since we told each of our side's stories. What I want to know is what's her deal with me?" She knew she'd receive her answer soon enough. She saw Rienna stop and still gave her that same glare. She just smirked in response. "So, I guess you're the first one up. So..." The wing blew softly through them. "You got something to say to me?" Rienna said nothing as she made the first move and ran straight at the other girl."H-Hey! I didn't announce the match yet!" Wave called out. Insert RWBY OST: I Burn Chelsea was caught off guard by Rienna's speed. She and the other Night Raid members had the same thought. "She's fast." As soon as Rienna neared Chelsea, she threw her right arm forward with her blade aiming at her. Chelsea conjured a long needle made of light and parried the other girl's attack. She used the momentum of the parry to turn her body and use the other half of her needle staff to deliver a counterattack on the other girl's back. Rienna was struck on the back and lost her footing for a few seconds but recovered. She quickly turned around and ran back to Chelsea. She delivered another swift attack from her left arm and Chelsea blocked it again. As soon as her first attack was blocked, Rienna turned her body clockwise and used the momentum to swing her other arm to deliver another attack. Chelsea blocked that attack but Rienna swung her left arm upward for another attack. Chelsea used the other half of her needle staff to block the next attack. At that moment, withdrew her arm and immediately lowered her body to perform a sweeping kick. Chelsea jumped back to avoid the kick and twirled her needle staff before lunging it forward at the other girl. Rienna looked at the blunt end of the stuff dead in the eye before disappearing before Chelsea.Chelsea became confused for a few seconds until she looked down to see Rienna crouched down with her arms crossed. Fire lit up along the edges of the blades and Rienna uncrossed her arms to deliver a burning cross-shaped slash as she quickly bypassed Chelsea, her needle staff being destroyed in the process. "Hell's Edge!" Seeing the fire tickled something in Wendy's memory and it only added to this strange feeling she had about the blonde. Chelsea yelled out in pain as she felt the fire burning into her. Rienna quickly turned around and passed by Chelsea again while delivering another burning slash attack. She turned around again and delivered another burning slash as she passed Chelsea. She repeated this attack pattern two more times and Akame noticed there was a pattern with her attacks. From above Rienna made a star-shaped pattern with her attacks. "Burning Star Slash!"Rienna turned around once more and charged at Chelsea with her right arm pulled back. Wave gulped as he feared for the worst of what Rienna was going to do. "Rienna, don't do it." Before she threw her right arm forward, the blade on her weapon retracted and gave a successful, non-lethal punch square at Chelsea's jaw. Wave sighed out of relief upon seeing that.Yang let out an impressed whistle seeing Rienna's punch. "Nice right hook."Taeko narrowed her eyes at the scene. "Something's not right."A few seconds after Rienna punched Chelsea, she quickly noticed the other girl didn't budge and smiled through the punch. In the next instant, Chelsea delivered a small, swift strike with her fingers at a specific point at the other girl's body. The first hit was strong enough to separate from the two and Chelsea unleashed a swift flurry of attacks with her fingers hitting all over Rienna's body, all hitting specific points. Her final attack pushed Rienna back away from her which gave her another opening. She spread her arms apart and countless small yellow needles appeared in front of her "Paralysis Needle!" All of the needles were sent flying right at Rienna. The blonde recovered quickly as she used both her weapons to deflect the needles, but with so many, it was inevitable the other needles pierced her. The attack stopped and Rienna panted heavily as the needles embedded in her body disappeared.Ruby had a confused expression to what she'd witnessed. "Wait, what happened?""She let herself be hit with Rienna's last attack," Taeko explained. "She used it as an opportunity for a counterattack. There's something else about her too. Do you notice it?" The others took another look at Chelsea.They saw Chelsea moving her head around and stretching her arms in front of her chest. "I have to say, those weren't bad attacks you did. If this were a normal fight, I'm pretty sure they'd be lethal."Weiss figured out what was very wrong with this scene. "She took all those attacks and she doesn't seem the least bit hurt."Seeing that made Mine very wary about Chelsea and realized something important. "If the Chelsea I knew took those kinds of attacks, chances are they would've killed her. Or at least seriously injure her. The fact that she's still standing and just shrugged them off like nothing shows how much stronger she is."The "younger" Leone was impressed by what she's seen in the fight so far. "Man, never thought I'd see Chelsea fight like that. That was pretty cool."The younger Chelsea threw a quick glare at the "younger" Leone. "I'm right here you know."Taeko took notice of what she saw during the brief exchange. "It's interesting she's using a fighting style focused on a body's pressure points."Ruby looked at Taeko with another confused expression. "Pressure points?""Pressure points are points on the human body," Blake explained. "They're used in practices like acupuncture to help soothe the human body but there are also fighting styles focusing on them. If you hit a specific pressure point, it can cause a great amount of pain. Even render that person immobile."Upon hearing that, Chelsea's fighting style made more sense to the "younger" Leone. "Considering how Chelsea killed her targets, that suits her perfectly.""There's something else," Taeko spoke again. "It's the magic this Chelsea used.""Oh, that? Chelsea uses Needle Magic." Leone explained."And yet..."Taeko thought back to what Chelsea did previously. "We're here because I used something called Transportation Magic. Kinda handy when you want to go somewhere quick.""She used this Transportation Magic and can use this Needle Magic. Clearly, she's hiding her true strength. And since this is Chelsea, we're talking about, her magic must be something similar to the Chelsea we know."Back at the fight, Chelsea stopped her stretching and was surprised to see Rienna still standing even after hitting all her pressure points and being hit by her Paralysis Needle Magic. "She must be still standing because of that aura of hers. And here I washed my hands to get rid of the poison painted on my nails so I don't poison her. I guess my usual thing won't work on her." She saw Rienna make her next move and rushed toward her. This time, she was making serpentine movements. Chelsea couldn't help but laugh. "So, is that all you got, or are you finished now?" She already knew the answer to that question as she could still see that certain look in the other girl's eye. Rienna didn't say anything back as she rushed back right at Chelsea while trying to serpentine this time. Chelsea grinned at the other girl's tactic. "The same thing again? Sorry, but that's not going to work a second time!" She slammed her right hand on the ground and multiple large needles came out of the ground surrounding her. "Needle Spire Field!" Just when Rienna was getting closer to Chelsea, she saw the needle spires coming out of the ground and jumped just before one was able to hit her. "Ha! Now, what are you going to do? You can't get close to me no-" Rienna put her right arm in front of her and the next second, a large and powerful explosion erupted from underneath Chelsea.The loud boom of the explosion shocked Leone and the others. "What the hell was that!?"The younger Chelsea was more than happy to explain. "That was Rienna's semblance. She can create explosions.""Explosions, huh?" For some reason, hearing what Rienna's semblance reminded her about the time Bols detonated his Imperial Arms to create a devastatingly powerful explosion.Mine was relativity impressed at what she saw Rienna do. "She used Chelsea's defense against her. That's a pretty smart tactic she did."Rienna landed on the ground and saw both the smoke and the needles vanishing. Within the smoke, she saw Chelsea temporarily out of it from being hit by her explosion attack. She rushed toward her again and once she was near, she stopped just a few feet in front and put both her arms in front of her. Her two gauntlets combined into one and the front ends of it glowed bright red. "Purgatory Judgement!" A large, powerful burst of flames erupted from her combined gauntlets and Chelsea was enveloped by the fire."CHELSEA!" Both Leone and Wendy yelled together."I hope she's fire-proof." The younger Chelsea commented.As Wendy continued to look at the fire attack, her eyes drifted to Rienna. Time seemed to slow down for her as she continued to stare at the blonde. Then something deep in her memory resurfaced and instead of seeing Rienna, she was seeing Bols with his Imperial Arms. As soon as she remembered Bols, Wendy screamed once she realized why Rienna seemed familiar to her. Carla became worried about her friend. "Wendy, what is it? What seems to be the matter?"Wendy's eyes were still wide at her realization. "This girl. She reminds me of Mr. Bols!"As soon as Wendy said that, Leone and Akame took a second look at Rienna and they could see what the young dragon slayer was talking about. "Holy crap, Wendy's right!"Akame turned her attention to Wave. "Does she have a connection to Bols?" Wave didn't answer as he looked away from her. She looked back at Rienna and started to put the pieces together. "The fact she brings a strong familiarity to Bols and she's fighting Chelsea all on her own, with our other world selves telling them the truth about who we were, there can only be one possible explanation."The flames from Rienna's attack died down and she could finally see the damage she dealt with Chelsea. Only for her to see that Chelsea had completely vanished. She had a moment of confusion before feeling a powerful kick at her left side and was sent away. From the Taeko's and the other's viewpoint, they saw Chelsea suddenly appearing behind Rienna and delivering that same kick. "There's that teleportation magic again." End OST Chelsea landed on the ground and narrowed her eyes at Rienna who groaned in pain while standing up again. "Okay, enough bullshit. It's obvious you have a grudge against me. Who the hell are you, really?"Rienna glared back at Chelsea. "You already know the answer."Chelsea wasn't satisfied with that answer but it was true. "I can piece together some things but I want to hear it from you."Rienna was more than happy to reveal her identity to Chelsea. "Fine, I'll tell you. I am the Devil's Daughter, Rienna Louge, and my father was known as the Huntsman Devil and he was someone you confronted once before." As soon as she said those words, Chelsea's eyes widened as she began to realize who Rienna was. "My father's name was Bols Louge and, in your world, YOU KILLED HIM!"As soon as Rienna said those words, the realization hit both Wendy and Leone like a sack of hammers dropped on their heads. "MR. BOLS'S/BOL'S DAUGHTER!?"Akame was surprised to hear this as well, but for a different reason. "I guess she isn't a female version of Bols then."Mine had the same reaction as the other former Night Raid members and turned to Jaune and the others. "She's Bols's daughter? Is this true?! And you all knew about this already?!"Jaune and the others looked at each other before looking at her. "Yeah, we did and it's true. Leone told us about what happened to her back in your world.""You haven't been with us for that long so it's no surprise this is news to you," Nora spoke.Mine looked back at the fight and everything now made sense to her. Now I understand why she was so adamant about fighting Chelsea in the first place. And yet...I get the feeling she isn't out for revenge.""The Huntsman Devil..." Qrow took out his flask and unscrewed the top. "That's a name I haven't heard in a long time.""Do you know him?" Yang asked.Qrow closed his eyes and shook his head before stopping and opening his eyes. "I know of him. He specialized in crowd control and handling large hordes of Grimm with his signature flamethrowers."Esren had more to add. "He received the nickname 'Devil Huntsmen' due to him wearing a mask and the flames burning Grimm behind him. With a nickname like that, people were often surprised at how nice and friendly he was. He'd even gush over telling people about his wife and child. However, eight years ago, he went on a mission with other Huntsmen dealing with a massive Grimm horde. From what I heard, the horde was much larger than they thought and he and other Huntsmen gave their lives to stop it and for the others to escape."To Wendy, it was nice to know Bols was still a nice person in this world, but it was tragic to learn what happened to him. Though she long accepted Bols was an enemy that had to be eliminated, she felt bad they left his daughter without a father. She knew all too well what it was like to lose a parent. She was still in shock learning Bols had a daughter. "I knew Mr. Bols was married, but I didn't know he had a daughter."Leone strongly agreed with Wendy. "Yeah, it's crazy. It makes me wonder what's going on with her other self from our world.""About that..." Wendy, Leone, and Akame turned their attention to the younger Chelsea. "There's something you should know about Rienna." She solely focused on her teammate. "I know a majority of us are people you know that died but if you ask me, out of all of us, Rienna has the worst in that category."The younger Chelsea's words piqued Akame's interest. "What do you mean by that?'There were a few seconds of silence among the rest of the group before Cornelia spoke. "The truth about Rienna is that back in our Leone and Akame's world, they were killed. They were victims who were killed by the group you know as Wild Hunt."Leone's eyes went wide with shock while Wendy silently gasped upon hearing this. As soon as Cornelia explained what happened to Rienna and her mother, she suddenly remembered what Najenda said about Wild Hunt before they started their mission to eliminate them. "Their most recent crime was killing a woman and her child and left them beyond recognition."As soon as she realized that, Wendy could feel her heart drop. So, the woman and her child Wild Hunt killed were..."Akame looked over at Wave. "Is that true?"Wave closed his hands tightly while lowering his head slightly. "It's true. I was there when I saw them. When I did, I never felt so much anger before. They had nothing to do with anything and yet that happened to them. I fought against Syura for what he and Wild Hunt did and I won, but it wasn't enough. Kurome and Run knew how I felt about this and they were going to take the fight to them. I wanted to join but they knocked me out.""I see. Now it makes sense why we saw them fighting Wild Hunt back in the park." Akame spoke.Leone couldn't help but growl angrily at what Wild Hunt had done. "Two worlds over and Wild Hunt still pisses me off what they've done. I know Bols was a target, but as Wave said, they had nothing to do with what've been doing." She focused her attention on Rienna. "Man, now I feel sorry for this girl."The younger Chelsea had one more fact to reveal about her teammate. "Another thing you should know about Rienna is that she has extreme coulrophobia."Wendy tilted her head in confusion. "What is that?""She's really afraid of clowns," Ruby explained. Given what Wild Hunt did and Wendy fighting against Champ, she could understand why Rienna was afraid of them.Back to Chelsea, she was still in disbelief that she was fighting against Bols's daughter. She felt a bitter feeling deep within her. "Why? I've killed countless people so why?" Her mind flashed back to when she first killed Bols and then when she met him again when Fairy Tail was fighting against the Empire. "Why does Bols always keep coming back to haunt me? First him and now his daughter is fighting me." There was something she noticed while Rienna was attacking and something about her opponent herself. "Bols's daughter, huh? Somehow, I get the feeling you're not really after getting revenge. You had the chance to stab me with your weapon but at the last second, it retracted just before you punched me. So, tell me, what's your goal in this if you're not trying to kill me for what I did?"Rienna kept glaring at Chelsea. "I wanted to see how strong the person responsible for killing my dad is. And I'll make you pay for what you did to him, to my mom, and me!" Insert Akame Ga Kill OST: Yami O Kiru Rienna slammed her hand on the ground and glared daggers at Chelsea. "Chain Explosion!" Multiple explosions were headed to Chelsea in a straight line. She evaded the chain attack by moving right and vanished. She then reappeared in front of Rienna and thrust two fingers at her as her starting attack. As soon as Chelsea did, another explosion underneath the two girls. Chelsea groaned loudly as she didn't expect Rienna to unleash an explosion on both of them. Meanwhile, Rienna was completely unaffected by her own attack and the blade on her other gauntlet retracted.She delivered a swift uppercut at Chelsa before delivering a right hook at her jaw and delivering a few more jabs. Yang seemed to know what fighting style Rienna was doing. "Is she doing boxing?" After getting a few more hits in, Rienna grabbed Chelsea's left arm and twisted it forward before delivering a right kick to her shoulder. Okay, not boxing unless it's kickboxing but I don't recognize that move." Rienna let go of Chelsea's arm and struck the other girl with her left elbow and then another right jab and then left punch to the side. After that, she grabbed Chelsea's right arm and turned her body around so now her back was turned to the other girl. Her other hand grabbed Chelsea's bicep and performed a full shoulder throw. Chelsea's face was slammed into the ground at full force. Her body remained still for a second before falling forward and her laying on the ground face up. End OST The "younger" Leone was astounded by Rienna's fighting style. "Damn. I didn't Rienna could fight like that.""I guess the reason why we haven't seen her fight is that she's always proving backup and support from the rear. That and I'm pretty sure it wasn't very useful since her flamethrowers were so frigging heavy."Leone raised an eyebrow upon hearing that detail. "Those things are heavy? She swings them around like they're nothing.""No, they didn't look like that before," Kurome spoke. "They were a hell of a lot bigger, heavier, and it took Rienna forever to get them on. They were originally were her dad's and she didn't budge on changing them until recently.""All that added weight contributed to making her more agile and made it possible for her to accomplish feats she couldn't do before," Taeko added.All of that was very interesting to hear for Leone and turned her attention to the fight. "The question now is what she's going to do now?"Rienna's glare deepened and there was a deep fury in her eyes. "I know this goes without saying but I hate you. Ever since I saw you, I've had this burning hatred for you and the more I look at you, the more intense it becomes." Her hands closed very tightly and shook with anger. "Tell me, do you carry the weight of those you killed like Akame? Or did you not feel anything when you killed my dad? It's because of you my dad died and because of you I died alongside my mom." She gritted her teeth hard. "You hear me? IT'S YOUR FAULT ME AND MY MOM DIED!"Cornelia closed her hand and placed it on her chest while having a worried expression. "Oh, Rienna.""She must've been bottling up these emotions inside of her for a long time," Taeko spoke. "And now they're finally being let out."The younger Chelsea couldn't help but look away from the fight. "It must've been insufferable for her to be around me. I mean I have the same face as the person who killed her dad.""That's not true, Chelsea!" The younger Chelsea and others turned in Kurome's direction. "You and she are different people. You don't have to feel responsible for what another you did." The younger Chelsea smiled at the other girl and really needed to hear that.Mine had similar feelings relating to Rienna's situation. "I know how she feels. When the Seryu I knew killed Sheele, I wanted revenge for what she did and I did get it in the end. Now, Rienna, what are you going to do?"There was silence present in the air for several seconds before Chelsea spoke. Rienna's eyes locked onto the other girl's. "I'll answer your question with another question; why do you care about a Bols from my world? As far as I know, the Bols I know and your dad are completely different people. Why be angry for something about a person who's different than the one you know?"Rienna snarled at Chelsea. "Because of what Wave told me. What he told me about my father of what he was like from his world and he's exactly like the dad I've known growing up. So, it doesn't matter if it is a different person or not, he was still the same dad I've looked up to and wanted to be like!""Even if means being a murderer like him?" Chelsea asked. She stood up from the ground and turned around to face Rienna. She narrowed her eyes at the other girl. "You dad burned thousands of innocent people to their deaths, women and children included. Do you honestly believe you can still look up to someone like that?""I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANY OF THAT!" Chelsea was taken aback by Rienna's answer. The blonde slightly lowered her head and her bangs covered her eyes. "I don't care if he did kill people. I don't care if he did do all of those terrible things. As I said, Wave told me what he was like from his world and I know my dad better than anyone else. He loved us and he'd do anything to protect his family!" She raised her head and Chelsea saw Rienna crying from her right eye only. "If it's for his family, I don't care what he does because he'll always love his family no matter what!" An image of her family smiling flashed through her mind.Chelsea was bewildered by Rienna's answer before closing her eyes and sighed. "You really are Bols's daughter. He told me something similar when I confronted him again."Now Rienna had a confused look on her face. "What do you mean by that?""It was back when Fairy Tail fought against everyone we in Night Raid encountered from the Empire..." F Chelsea couldn't help but stare at Bols. It was like she was seeing a ghost but he was actually there standing in front of her. There was a tense silence between them before he spoke. "I remember you. It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Chelsea didn't say anything back to him. "Since I believe this'll be the only time, I'll be able to talk to you, let me just say I don't hate you for killing me. Like me, you were just following orders." Chelsea was surprised to hear that coming from him. "And to answer your question, you're right. I didn't recognize that girl." He was talking about when Chelsea took the appearance of a young girl to fool him to kill him. "But there is one thing I do remember and it was their screams. I could never forget that. There were times when I woke up at night because I always heard their screams. The only thing that kept me going was my family. I'd do anything to protect them because they meant the world to me. Even if all the things I've done were unforgivable, I'll bear all the sins I've committed for them" Though, Chelsea couldn't see it, Bols was giving her a fierce and determined look. "If it means protecting my family, I'll become the devil himself if I have to!" F "And that's what he said to me. After fighting you, I can definitely see the resemblance." Chelsea gave Rienna a faint smile. "I can also see a bit of myself in you."Rienna became a little confused upon hearing that. "What do you mean?"Chelsea closed her eyes and let out a little chuckle before opening her eyes again. "Remember when I said everything was all water under the bridge between me and Akame? Well, when I first found out she was the one who killed Taeko and her team killed Granny, I wanted revenge. I was so angry that the person I fought alongside killed the two people I looked up to the most. It's so ironic, it's not even funny but I was able to move past it. What I've done in the past, I can never undo but I won't ask for your forgiveness. The only thing I can do is move forward." She turned around and walked away from Rienna.Rienna became further confused by what Chelsea was doing. "Where're you going?"Once Chelsea was at a far enough distance, she turned around to face Rienna again. "Out of respect, I'm going to fight you with my true strength and I know the perfect person to fight you with." She held her right hand in front and was carrying Gaea Foundation. "It's a shame, though because I was saving this for Mine and her group."Mine immediately became confused by this. "What is she doing? Gaea Foundation isn't suited for battle."Leone chuckled and that caught Blake's and everyone else's attention. "What's so funny?"Leone just kept smiling. "Pay attention now. What you're going to see is Chelsea's true strength."Chelsea kept looking at Rienna with a determined look. "I got one more thing to say to you. It's not enough for you to try to be just as good as your dad. Instead, be someone who can surpass him!"Those words dug deep into Rienna and she became very bewildered hearing them. "Surpass...my dad?"Chelsea smiled as she took out a couple of makeup brushes from Gaea Foundation and swiped herself with them. In the next second, she took on the appearance of a different person. As soon as she did, Mine and everyone else who could sense aura felt tremendous pressure and it made Mine feel shaky. "What...the hell?"Weiss saw Mine's reaction and didn't understand what was frightening her. "What's wrong?"Mine just kept staring at the person Chelsea transformed into. "How? How is that even possible?"The "younger" Leone shared Mine's reaction. "What the hell kind of aura is this?"Wave had similar thoughts. "I've...never felt an aura this powerful before."Esdeath gulped as she and the other member of Night Raid felt overwhelmed. "It's...incredible."Yang looked around the Night Raid group and let out a frustrated groan. "Okay, mind telling us the rest of us who can't sense aura!?"Leone chuckled again. "Just wait and see."Mine was still having a hard time believing what she was sensing. "It doesn't make sense. How can Chelsea have a completely different aura by taking another appearance? What the hell is going on!?" Meanwhile, "Chelsea" smiled through her disguise and showed his fangs. Fairy Tail Member, Salamander: Natsu Dragneel "Hope you're ready because I'm all fired up!"Kurome wasn't impressed by "Natsu's" line. "That's a dumb thing to say." Insert Fairy Tail OST: Blazing Dance "Natsu" slightly lowered his body and launched himself right at Rienna. She didn't have time to react as he already reached her and threw his right fist forward to her midsection. The impact of the punch was already strong but then intense flames burst out and quickly spread out from the fist and strangely enough, almost sounded like a dragon roaring. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!Rienna screamed in pain as "Natsu" sent Rienna flying from him and she crashed through the ground while leaving tall clouds of dust behind.Mine was flabbergasted at what she witnessed. "How's that even possible? Chelsea can't even do anything like that!"When Rienna stopped, everything around her seemed to stop. She felt a strange feeling coming from the area where "Natsu" punched her and it quickly became too much for her to ignore. She screamed in pain again as she clutched the area while writhing in pain. "IT BURNS! WHY DOES IT BURN!? WHY'S IT SO HOT!?"The younger Chelsea's eyes went wide with shock. "Rienna's burned? That shouldn't even be frigging possible!""Why's that?" Ruby asked."Because out of all of us, Rienna has the highest resistance when it comes to heat and fire," Taeko explained.Carla remembered what Rienna did before when she used an explosion on herself and Chelsea. "I see. That explains why she wasn't affected by her own attack.""And no matter how hot it got; Rienna was never bothered by it. Hell, she crossed the damn Vacuo desert getting to Shade without having a canteen on her.""She did what?!" Blake found that to be almost unbelievable that someone could accomplish such a thing.There was something else Taeko noticed that was peculiar. "What's stranger is that Rienna is feeling pain. Her aura should've protected her.""Oh, that's probably because Natsu's fire burned through it. It's not that surprising." Leone explained.The name instantly grabbed Blake's attention. "Did you say Natsu? As the same person, you told us who defeated a war god with one attack?""Yep." She added a pop effect to the end of the word. "The same person. As you all know and heard, Chelsea's pretty good at pretending to be another person but that's all she can do. She couldn't do the things that a person is known for. That's why she learned a magic that fits perfectly with Gaea Foundation. It's known as Mimic Magic which not only allows her to use another person's magic, but can also move like them, have their strength, abilities, and as most of you can sense, even their aura. Basically, it's almost like she becomes that person fully."The "younger" Leone started to piece together how powerful this magic was. "In other words, this Mimic Magic eliminates any weakness Chelsea has when using Gaea Foundation."The younger Chelsea had similar thoughts about her older counterpart's magic. "So, her magic is kinda like a combination of my semblance and Velvet's.""Who's Velvet?" Akame asked.The "younger" Leone smiled at the question. "A really awesome person."Something Leone said about Chelsea's magic caught Taeko's attention. "You mentioned this Mimic Magic can allow her to use other kinds of magic. I'm assuming that Transportation Magic she used before belongs to someone else."Wendy nodded at Taeko's question. "Yes. It's Mest's magic, another person from our guild.""And this magic is called Imperial Arms Magic: Gaea Mimicry." Leone explained.Ozpin took a special interest Chelsea's magic. "A magic that can mimic not only another person's magic but their physical abilities as well. Quite the formidable magic and dangerous as well."Rienna managed to recover and stood up while panting heavily and clutching her stomach. The pain she was feeling from "Natsu's" fire attack was beyond anything she'd felt before. The last time she felt heat that strong was when she was enduring the highest setting of her late father's heat room back when she was younger. But the heat she felt before was stronger and it wasn't often she experienced burning. Whatever fire it was, it was something completely different. I guess that's to be expected. Since this Chelsea is from another different world. I guess the person she's now is someone she knows and is extremely proficient in fire magic." She narrowed her eyes slightly and had a strong, determined look in them. "As someone who specializes in fire and explosions, I won't be outdone!" She slammed her two gauntlets together again. Two rectangular pistons emerged from both sides of the gauntlets and they quickly became red as did the front of the gauntlets. "Now, take this! My strongest attack!" She aimed at "Natsu" "Devil's Inferno Invitation!" Her gauntlets reached their full charge and she unleashed a massively powerful flamethrower attack that spiraled straight to "Natsu"."Natsu" just stood in place and smiled as the fierce flamethrower attack neared him. The attack struck him head-on and the flames widely spread out in every direction. "It's a direct hit!" Cornelia shouted."Not quite," Leone spoke.In the next second, all of them heard a strange sound. The younger Chelsea and the others took a closer look and they all shared the same surprised reaction. "Is she...he...eating...?""Rienna's attack?!" Cornelia shouted.Mine was having trouble processing what she was seeing right before her eyes. "This person attacks with fire and can eat other fire-based attacks? What the hell is this person Chelsea is supposed to be?""I don't know, but I don't think it's healthy to eat fire," Jaune added.They all kept seeing "Natsu" taking in Rienna's attack into his mouth and devouring her attack until it was all consumed. Kurome had only one thing going through her head. "What the fu-""Natsu" burped loudly and let out a refreshed sigh. "Now that was a good meal. A little on the grainy side, though."Rienna had a look of absolute disbelief as her arms dropped to her sides. "My attack...was eaten. How is that even possible?""Natsu" grinned at Rienna. "Not a bad attack and now it's my turn. Thanks to your attack, now I got a fire in my belly!" Kurome was too stunned to make another comment about his next catchphrase. He slammed his fists together and took in a deep breath. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" He opened his mouth and let out an intensely powerful stream of fire right at Rienna. She couldn't avoid the attack in time and she was completely enveloped by the attack. As soon as she was, she let out another painful scream."Rienna!" Almost everyone shouted at once.The attack stopped and Rienna was barely standing now and swaying slightly side-to-side. Weiss decided she'd seen enough and had enough of standing on the sidelines. "Okay, it's time for us to step in now." The others nodded and started to move."STAY OUT OF THIS!" Weiss and the others immediately stopped when they heard Rienna shout at them. Though she was badly injured and burned, she didn't lose her spirit as she glared at "Natsu". "This...is still between me and her! As long as I'm still standing, she hasn't won!" She then smiled at him. "Besides, I don't think I'll get another chance experiencing this kind of fire again." She turned her attention to the rest of her team. "So, don't get in the way, no matter what happens."Mine looked at Rienna in the eyes and saw a strong resolve in them. Weiss thought differently about Rienna's demand. "No, we're going to help-""Let her go," Mine spoke.Weiss turned to Mine and thought she was crazy. "But she needs-""She's already accepted the outcome. Interfering would just add insult to injury. Just let her be." Weiss growled at the other girl but reluctantly relented. Jaune and the others felt the same way but they'll respect Rienna's wishes.Ruby was still confused as to what Rienna was doing. "I don't get it. Why doesn't she want Weiss and the others to help?""Because this fight's already decided." The "younger" Leone spoke. "She knows she can't win if that guy can just eat any fire attacks she uses. Plus, this is the same guy that one-shot a war god so she's outclassed in strength. Yeah, it's easy to call it quits but for the sake of pride, she won't admit defeat. The only way this'll end is her defeat."After hearing that, Wave focused on Rienna and gripped his hands tightly. "Rienna..."Even Chelsea caught on to what Rienna was insinuating. She saw the other girl look in her direction and looked at her those same determined eyes. She sighed internally. "If that's the way you want to go out, fine. I'll grant your wish." "Natsu" spread his arms apart. "With a flame on the right hand and a flame on the left hand..." The fire appeared in the palms of his hands. "You put them together to create...!" He clasped his hands together and two flames merged into a larger sphere of fire. He yelled as he threw both hands forward and sent the sphere of flames right at Rienna. "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" Rienna smiled as the attack quickly approached her and struck her. When it did, it became a funnel of flames that shot up into the sky and she let out another painful scream. "Natsu" wasn't done yet as he slightly lowered his body and flames covered his entire body. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" He launched himself right at Rienna traveling at a high speed. When the fire funnel dispersed, Rienna was immediately hit by "Natsu's" next attack. She used all her strength to endure the attack as it pushed her back while bearing the intense hot flames that were coming out of him. "Natsu" broke off his attack and flew back a little away from Rienna. As soon as he landed on the ground, large streams of fire spewed out from his arms. He swung his arms around and the fire followed. "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" The fire reached Rienna and enveloped her completely while twisting around her body widely. He ran toward Rienna once more while fire covered his right hand. "Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang!" He swiped his hand against Rienna from the right side and that caused his previous attack to disperse. However, he wasn't done yet as fire erupted from his left elbow and swung it at the other girl. "Fire Dragon's Burning Elbow!" His elbow strike was just as powerful and fire flared up from underneath his right sandal. "Fire Dragon's Talon!" He kicked Rienna from the right side.While seeing "Natsu's" attacks, Ozpin was impressed by how strong his fire magic was."I've never seen fire magic with such power before. There's certainly something about it that sets it apart from the fire magic I've seen before."Rienna let out weak moans when "Natsu" grabbed her face with his left hand and put his other hand on his arm. "Fire Dragon's Grip Strike!" A powerful explosive flame erupted from his hand and covered Rienna's entire body.Once the attack stopped, "Natsu" let go of Rienna who was barely conscious at this point. He pulled his right hand back and both of his hands glowed bright orange as flames gathered around them. "Dragon Slayer's Secret Arts!" He then unleashed a continuous barrage of powerful punches all over her body. "Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Fist!" He roared loudly as he continued to pummel Rienna's body.With her losing consciousness, every hit Rienna was being dealt with made her remember a memory related to her father. One was where she was young and crying while he was trying to comfort her while her mother was profusely apologizing to the circus ringmaster for her daughter blowing up the tent. There, there, Rienna. It's okay. The scary clown is gone.""I'm so sorry for what my daughter has done!"Another memory was her father sitting next to her bed. "So, Rienna, which bedtime story do you want to hear this time?""This one, daddy!""Ha, ha. Okay then."And other memory where she was talking to her father over the scroll. "Daddy, when are you coming back?""I'll be back soon, sweetie and when I do, I'll make sure I'll give you a big hug!""Ha, ha! Not if I give you a bigger hug!"And she remembered the memory of when the accident happened. "Daddy...it hurts...daddy. It hurts so much!""Treat our daughter, quickly!"Soon different memories about her father were flooding into her mind, only appearing for a brief second before another one appeared. It almost became too much for her until everything went white and saw an image of her father smiling. "Da-" "Natsu" delivered a final punch to the side of Rienna's face while yelling loudly. Fire fiercely erupted from his elbow to add more power to his punch and pushed all the way through. He sent Rienna flying away from him and crashed through the ground and dust kicked up into the air. When she stopped, the dust began to clear out and it revealed that Rienna was knocked unconscious and badly injured. End OST The entire field was silent as everyone stared at Rienna's beaten and battered body. All Wave can do was sigh sadly at the sight. This fight started because Rienna wanted revenge for her father on the person who killed him, only to be beaten by that same person. At least history didn't repeat itself like last time and this fight will most definitely have a lasting effect on her. Especially with what Chelsea told her earlier. "It's not enough for you trying to be just as good as your dad. Instead, be someone who can surpass him!"After seeing what Chelsea can truly do, she turned her attention to Mine. "Be honest. How tough of a fight are we looking at here now?"After seeing everything, Mine had a clear and easy answer for Weiss. "Considering what we've seen what Chelsea can do now..." She saw "Natsu" set his right arm to the side while it was still covered in fire. "Extremely tough." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Well, I’m back to this much sooner than I expected even after playing all through Fire Emblem Engage and Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed. And hey, I worked on this chapter while playing Tears of the Kingdom. There are two good reasons for that. The first reason is I want to promote a good friend of mine, Crimson Soldat’s Fairy Tail/Bloodborne crossover story, Fairyborne. If you’re a fan of Wendy being psychologically scarred and like to see her face untold Eldrich horrors, it may be the story for you. With that promotion out of the way, let’s get to the chapter. Oh, and by the time this chapter comes out, I’ve officially graduated from University. Also, I apologize for the shitty writing in this chapter. It’s been a while. Oh, and by the time this chapter comes out, Bumbleby is fucking canon now. Awesome. I’m a whole eight Vols and seven years early! Also, shoutout to SilverStarWolfGoddessAmarantha for suggesting using FT for the Leone, Akame, and Chelsea from Assassins of Fairy Tail. That’s definitely a lot better. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill, RWBY, and/or Fairy Tail. They belong to their original owners. A New Beginning: Vol Special Part Seven Across Worlds Kill Ninety: Absolute Hell "Be honest. How tough of a fight are we looking at here now?" "Considering what we've seen what Chelsea can do now...extremely tough." Mine, Weiss, Ren, Jaune, and Nora all looked at “Natsu”. They all had to be cautious since they had a first-hand look at FT Chelseas’s abilities. She truly was much stronger than the Chelsea Mine once knew. Then saw FT Chelsea undo her Natsu transformation looking very fatigued and panting heavily. “Okay, time out. I need a rest.” Everyone except for Ren almost fell over before recomposing themselves. “Are you kidding me!” Mine yelled out frustratedly. “Hey, using Natsu takes a lot out of me! I’d like to see you try to handle him!” FT Chelsea looked at Rienna before turning her attention to the peanut gallery. “Hey, Leone!” “Yeah?!” Both Leones responded. “Can one of you get Rienna? I hate to see her unconscious body get caught up in the remainder of the fight.” The two Leones looked at each other for a second before the “younger” Leone smiled at her FT half. “I’ll get her. She’s my teammate after all.” With that said, she went onto the battlefield and walked over to where Rienna was laying at. Once she was close enough, she saw the damage Chelsea had done to her. The most prominent wound was the massive burn scar on her midsection. She picked her up bridal style. “Man, she really did a number on you, huh Rienna? Come on, let’s get you healed up.” She walked back to the rest of the group where Wendy could heal her. FT Chelsea paid close attention to Rienna while the “younger” Leone was carrying her. She couldn’t help but think back to what Babara said to her when she told Rienna to surpass her father. F “And cheers to another successful mission!” Chelsea, Taeko, and Babara were all in a teahouse celebrating after completing another mission. Well, Chelsea at least. Taeko and Babara were quietly eating their food. “Though I gotta say, it was a bit touch and go, huh? Good thing it all worked out in the end.” “That’s because you were the one that almost made it a failure, Chelsea.” Taeko pointed out. Chelsea just waved off the comment. “We still got out okay. Luckily, Granny managed to finish everything off. Just goes to show that there isn’t anyone who can match up to her.” “And you still have much to learn,” Babara spoke. Chelsea looked at Babara with a confused expression. “But it’s true, isn’t it? You’re the strongest person I know.” Babara just laughed and closed her eyes. “That’s what I’m talking about. You seem to forget I am not as strong as I used to be back when I was young and beautiful. In fact, Taeko has the potential to surpass me even when I was in my prime.” She opened her eyes. “After all, it is inevitable for the younger generation to surpass the previous. Admiring the person, you look up to isn’t enough. You must become stronger than the person you admire.” Chelsea blinked a few times at Babara before laughing a little. “Nah, I’d still say you’re the strongest person I know. There’s no way I can be stronger than you.” “If you keep thinking that way, you will never grow, Chelsea,” Babara advised. Chelsea still had doubts, but she was content with how she is. She wasn’t much of a fighter, to begin with. She's got other ways to support Taeko and Babara and do what she can. F After seeing Rienna, FT Chelsea better understood what Babara was telling her. She admired her father the same way she admired Taeko and Babara. It was only after she fought Taeko again she realized how much stronger she became. She even remembered what Taeko had told her at the end of their fight. "Grandmother would be proud of how far you've come." FT Chelsea sighed and saw “younger” Leone make it back to the rest of the group. "Rienna, I hope Granny’s words reach you. It took me a long time to learn that lesson. Maybe you’ll learn it a lot faster than I did.” The “younger” Leone set Rienna down on the ground gently. Wendy immediately went to work on healing her. Now having a closer look at her and seeing all her injuries, Cornelia had a remorseful expression. “Oh, Rienna.” “Chelsea really did a number on her, huh?” Yang commented. “Is she going to be, okay?” Ruby asked. “She’ll be fine.” FT Leone answered. “Wendy’s healing is pretty much next to none.” A few more seconds passed before Wendy finished Rienna’s wounds and removed her hands from her. “She should be fine now. I think she’ll be out for a while but,” She looked at the burn scar at Rienna’s midsection. “I think she’ll have that scar permanently.” “I think she’ll like it,” The younger Chelsea commented. “It’s a burn scar and from a ‘fire dragon’ no less. I don’t think she’ll mind.” She had a good point. Everyone on Rienna’s team knew how much she likes things fire related. Back to FT Chelsea, she saw Wendy heal Rienna and smiled. She knew the other girl would be alright. “Hey, Chelsea!” She turned her attention to Mine and her group. “You done resting yet or have you already given up? If so, that means we win, right?” FT Chelsea couldn’t help but laugh a little. “I don’t know. Did yours and Weiss’s chests grow any bigger in the last five minutes?” An angry vein appeared in the corner of Mine’s forehead and growled angrily. “THAT’S IT! I'M MOUNTING YOUR HEAD ON A PIKE MYSELF!” FT Chelsea laughed at Mine’s threat. “You can try but know this...” She presented Gaea Foundation in front of her. “I’m not going to hold back this time. You’re going get a front-row seat of what I can really do. So, let’s stop beating around the bush and get this party started!” She swiped herself using the different makeup brushes and transformed herself into Lisanna. “Lisanna” smiled at the group. “Hope you’re ready to see what I can do. Now...” Her body glowed and took on a different appearance. “Animal Soul: Cat!” She lowered her body and set her right hand on the ground before lifting her head smiling at her targets. Insert Fairy Tail Dragon Cry OST: Setting Sun’s Great Melee She launched herself right at the other group with surprising blinding speed. Before they knew it, she’d already reached them. They couldn’t act in time as “Lisanna” made a sweeping claw attack at Weiss first and sent her away. She then turned her attention to Mine and vanished before her and then kicked in her midsection sending her in the same direction as Weiss. As soon as she was done with Mine, she was going to turn her attention to the other three. Only to evade an attack made by Ren when he brought up one of Stormflower’s blades at her. He kept swiping both of Stormflower at her, but she kept dodging and evading all the while Jaune and Nora ran up to her from the sides. Lisanna saw this as they swung both their weapons at the same time at her. However, she jumped back a great distance away from the trio and their attacks missed. As soon as she landed, she used her speed to go right back at them and attacked them all by delivering swift claw attacks while passing them by. The attack brought Jaune and the others to their knees and looked over at “Lisanna.” “She’s...really fast. How’re we supposed to hit her?” “It’s not over yet. There’s always a way.” Ren commented. Nora was far from finished and readied Magnhild. “Well, bring it on! I’m still raring to go.” They had the numbers advantage, but their opponent still had the power and strength advantage. There had to be a way to get the drop on her. Then an idea struck Jaune. “Ren, Nora! Flower Power!” Nora grinned. “On it!” She twirled Magnhild around before it transformed into its revolver form and fired several shots around “Lisanna”. As soon as the shells hit the ground, pink clouds appeared and obscured her vision A problem that was trivial to her. “Come on, a smokescreen?” She sensed Ren’s aura and turned in the direction where she sensed it. As she thought, Ren ran up to her and tried to attack her, but she easily avoided it. “I can sense your aura, you idiots. You can’t get the drop on me!” As soon as Ren’s attack missed, he retreated into the cloud. As soon as he did, Nora appeared and swung her weapon at her several times. Like before, “Lisanna” avoided the attacks and this time when Nora swung from the side, she grabbed the handle of the weapon and jumped while kicking the other girl to the side of her head. The attack sent her away and “Lisanna” chuckled victoriously. “Ha! Try all you like but it’s not going to matter! You can’t-” A large shadow covered her and turned around just in time to see an Arma Gigas suddenly behind her with its sword raised high. “Surprise me?” She jumped out of the way before the Gigas swung its heavy ice sword at the ground where she previously stood. The wind that came out from the missed attack blew out the cloud as a result. “What the hell is that thing!? Moving ice?!” Just as “Lisanna” was about to land, the ground below her suddenly froze over and as soon as she landed, she slipped and fell. She groaned a bit before hearing a familiar voice. “How’s that, Chelsea?” She looked back to see Mine standing outside the border of where the ice ended. Mine had to admit, this plan worked out great for them. Several minutes earlier Weiss and Mine groaned in pain when “Lisanna” attacked them while standing up. “I didn’t expect her to hit that hard. I couldn’t even see her coming.” “She definitely doesn’t fight like the Chelsea I knew. And that’s just one impersonation she can do.” They looked over in the direction where “Lisanna” and the others were and saw they were fighting her. They were trying their best, but they couldn’t land a hit on her. “They can’t hit her either. We’re getting nowhere at this rate.” Mine pointed out. Then they saw Nora shoot at “Lisanna” and a pink cloud surrounded her. A good tactic, but pointless. “Sneak attacks aren’t going to work on her. She can sense their aura.” Upon hearing that, Weiss had a thought. “Wait, aura is something all living things have, right? What if we can attack her with something that doesn’t have an aura? The cloud’s obstructing her view so she wouldn’t see it coming.” It was a good idea, but Mine had no idea how they’d pull that off. “And how are we going to do that?” Weiss said nothing and smiled as she kneeled and stabbed the ground with the tip of Myrtenaster. A glyph appeared and a giant knight made of ice emerged from it. “Will this work?” Mine was impressed to see such a thing. It appeared to be something similar when she heard of what Esdeath could do; making moving ice soldiers. “And here.” She tossed an ice Dust cylinder to the other girl and Mine caught it. “She’s fast, right? We can use that to our advantage. Put that in the chamber of your weapon and freeze the ground. You can hide your aura too, right? Like Akame and Leone? You can ride on my Arma Gigas and surprise her. She won’t be expecting it.” Mine put the cylinder into one of her weapons. “Pretty good plan. Let’s do it. By the way, where did you get the extra cylinder from?” “Never mind that. It’s not important.” With that said, Mine jumped to the shoulder of the Arma Gigas. When she landed, it started to run to the cloud. When it approached the cloud, it raised its ice sword over its head once it saw “Lisanna” in its line of sight. Mine jumped off the shoulder and into the air overhead. She saw the Arma Gigas swing its sword and “Lisanna” jumped to avoid the attack. In a quick second, she transformed one of her katars into its crossbow form and used her semblance to shoot not in its original appearance, but it was light blue in color right at the ground where “Lisanna” was going to land. The shot struck the ground and covered a large area in ice. When “Lisanna” landed, it was too late, and slipped on the ice. Mine landed just outside the border and just smiled seeing Chelsea looking like a fool. “How’s that, Chelsea?” “Lisanna” had slight trouble standing up while trying not to slip on the ice. When she did, she saw something coming at her from the corner of her eye and jumped back to avoid a sweeping attack by Weiss. Insert RWBY OST: Mirror, Mirror (Amalee Ver) As soon as she landed away from Weiss, the other girl immediately closed the gap using her white glyphs and made several fast thrusts with Myrtenaster at “Lisanna”. Already, something felt off to her. “What the hell?! How’d she get this fast?!” Weiss spun around and made another sweeping attack, but “Lisanna” jumped back again to avoid it. The former heiress made another twirl before stabbing the ground with Myrtenaster and creating a wave of ice to send right at her opponent. “Lisanna” saw the attack coming and jumped up into the air to avoid it. However, that provided Weiss with the perfect opportunity. “Gotcha” She pointed her weapon into the air and made a black glyph appear above “Lisanna”. “Lisanna” stopped mid-air and was then propelled back down to the ground. Weiss jumped and made another black glyph behind her and landed on it with Myrtenaster pulled back. She looked at her opponent and aimed at her. The glyph turned white, and it propelled her right at “Lisanna”. The distance between them closed quickly and as soon Weiss was close, she swung her weapon and made the critical first strike on “Lisanna” as she passed the other girl by. Weiss made another black glyph and landed on it gracefully while “Lisanna” crashed to the ground with a heavy thud with arms and legs sprawled out and her transformation was undone. End OST Over at the other group, Ruby and her team cheered for their first victory. “Weiss, that was so awesome!” “Way to go!” “Nice job.” The only other person who was just as ecstatic as Ruby was Esdeath. “Incredible, Weiss.” She’d expected nothing less from her rival. FT Leone let out an impressed whistle at what she and Akame saw. “I gotta admit, that was a pretty good strategy. Can’t really sense the aura of something that if that something isn’t alive in the first place. Kinda surprising to see someone else create moving ice.” Back to Mine and Wiess, Jaune and the others regrouped with them. “Weiss, Mine! That was amazing teamwork you guys did.” Mine and Weiss couldn’t take all the credit for their strategy. “It wouldn’t have been possible if you didn’t surround her in a cloud. That’s what provided us with the opportunity. Smart thinking on your part. You must’ve planned ahead knowing Chelsea couldn’t sense something that didn't have an aura.” All eyes were focused on Jaune as he just chuckled nervously. “Yeah, all part of the plan.” In truth, he thought the cloud would give them the advantage to jump on Chelsea, but he’d completely forgotten they could sense aura. “Well, in any case, we got the first hit! Two more and victory is totally ours!” Nora cheered. “Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. The fight isn’t over yet.” Ren cautioned. He and the rest of the group turned their attention to Chelsea. Chelsea regained consciousness a few seconds after Weiss struck her after her last attack. Right now, she was just lying on the frozen ground and looking up into the sky. She couldn’t believe they had gotten the drop on her. For some reason, she remembered something specific Babara told her a long time ago. “ Chelsea, there are three ways for a person to die. The first is being killed by someone stronger than yourself. Though, that circumstance seldom happens. The other two occur far more frequently. They are having overconfidence in yourself and underestimating your opponent.” She closed her eyes as she sighed. When I think about it, Takeo died because Akame was stronger than her. Meanwhile and according to Mine, I died when I tried to kill Kurome. I guess I must’ve underestimated her or overestimated myself. And I guess that’s what happened to me recently. Heh, why I am remembering Granny’s words now? It’s been so long since I’ve heard them. I guess you’re still teaching me even now.” As she opened her eyes, remembered what Taeko told her at the end of their fight. "Grandmother would be proud of how far you've come." “How far I’ve come, huh? I don’t think I’ve changed that much as a person.” "As long as you remain alive, the Oreburgh Clan will never die. It's up to you to decide what you want to do with it.” As long as I’m alive, the Oreburgh Clan will never die,” “Hey, Chelsea! Are you still alive?! Weiss didn’t hit you that hard, did she? Or are you just giving up?” Mine saw the other girl finally starting to stand up. “So, you finally ready or what-” She quietly gasped once she saw the look in Chelsea’s eyes and set her right arm to the side while holding a couple of makeup brushes. “Fine. I won’t make the same mistake twice. They want a fight; I’ll give them one. I’ll show them what Chelsea Oreburgh can do.” Mine immediately readied herself for the next round. “Everyone, be careful. Chelsea’s taking this seriously now.” Everyone else prepared themselves. Insert Fairy Tail OST: Ice Guy Chelsea swiped her brushes at herself and transformed herself into someone else. Lamia Scale Guild Member: Lyon Vastia “I’m the Cold Emperor, Lyon Vastia and I will show you the strength of my magic taught by my Master, Ur! And you!” “He” pointed at Weiss. “I’ll show you that my magic is superior!” Weiss raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What’s he talking about?” “Lyon” put his hands together in a very familiar stance everyone has seen before. Ice-Make: Eagle!” “He” put his right hand out and countless ice eagles were summoned that flew over at “his” opponents. The other group was surprised to see the attack and when the eagles were close, they retaliated. Weiss swung Myrtenaster slashing the eagles apart, Mine was shooting the ones farther away, Jaune attacked them with his sword blocked several with his shield, Ren swiftly slashed them, and Nora swung her hammer completely destroying them. However, more came at them than they could destroy. That’s when Mine had an idea. “Everyone, get down!” Everyone ducked as Mine pointed both her crossbows in opposite directions and fired two large powerful beams at the flocks of ice eagles. She turned her body around and eliminated the rest of the ice eagle flock. Once they were all gone, everyone stood up, but they were far from done. “Ice-Make: Snow Dragon! Ice-Make: Ape! Ice Make: Snow Tiger!” They saw “Lyon” summon an ice dragon, a large, towering ape, and a large ice tiger and they all roared together. The “younger” Leone was quite surprised seeing “Lyon’s” ice summons. “So, this guy Chelsea’s supposed to be can do moving ice too!” “Okay, now this whole moving ice thing is looking a lot less impressive.” The younger Chelsea seemed not surprised at this point. Meanwhile, Esdeath was captivated by what she saw. “Ice magic that can create moving ice...” She looked at one of her hands and wondered if she could do the same with her Maiden powers. “Lyon” sent “his” three ice beasts at the other group with the dragon attacking first. Weiss pointed Myrtenaster at the dragon and summoned her Arma Gigas again to grab hold of it. The dragon pushed the Gigas back, but Weiss had a black glyph appear underneath her summon to halt its movement. Meanwhile, the ice tiger and ape ran past the dragon and Gigas to attack the others. Ren, Nora, and Jaune ran in one direction with the ice tiger chasing after them and Mine ran in the other direction with the ice ape chasing after her. Weiss’s focus was solely on the dragon, and she looked up into the sky. She had her Arma Gigas tighten its grip on the ice dragon and spun around a few times before chucking it into the air. She then had multiple white glyphs surround it and spun the chamber in her weapon to use her fire dust. “It’s a giant magic ice dragon but at the end of the day, it’s still just ice!” Another white glyph appeared underneath her and launched herself right at the other glyph in the air. Once she landed, flames surrounded her weapon and launched herself once more to the other glyphs at a fast speed attacking the ice dragon with her flame-covered weapon while passing it by as she went higher into the sky in a zig-zag pattern. When she reached the top, she noticed that despite using her fire Dust, it seemed that none of her attacks scratched it. She jumped off from the last white glyph, she summoned another glyph from above and her Arma Gigas emerged from it with its sword drawn back. When it came close, it swung its sword and slashed through the ice dragon, effectively destroying it. Weiss used black glyphs to travel back to the ground and fully landed. “That’s one down.” Meanwhile, the ice ape slammed one of its fists right where Mine was, but she jumped into the air and pointed one of her crossbows at it. With her being in the air, she made herself an easy target for the ice ape to attack her. Which it did as it threw another punch at her. She just smiled and fired a powerful shot that enveloped the upper half of the body. When she landed, the upper half was gone, and the lower half fell. “That was almost too easy.” She then heard a scream and turned her attention to where she heard it. It appeared Jaune and his group were struggling against the ice tiger. The ice tiger swiped one of its claws at Jaune and he jumped back to avoid the attack. He counterattacked by charging at it while slashing it with his sword. As soon as he was behind it, he turned around only to see his attack didn’t even scratch it. It turned around and growled at him while he gulped in fear. It was about to attack him again until it was shot by multiple gunshots. It turned its attention to Ren and charged right at him. Ren remained still until the ice tiger was close enough and that’s when Nora ran past him and swung her from below right under the chin of the ice tiger. She sent it into the air and jumped after it and once she was above it, she swung her hammer again overhead and slammed it on the top of its head right back to the ground. When it did, dust kicked up and she landed. However, when the dust cleared, the ice tiger remained undamaged and standing. “That attack should’ve smashed it to pieces. I guess magic ice is a little stronger than regular ice.” Jaune and Ren regrouped with her. “Any idea how we’re supposed to beat this thing?” “Oh, I know! We just have to hit it harder!” Nora suggested. Jaune wasn’t so sure about the idea. “Uh, you sure about that?” Surprisingly enough, Ren could see how Nora’s plan can work. “If Nora’s powered up by electricity, she could potentially destroy it.” “Right, so we just need to find Weiss and-” “WATCH OUT!” Thanks to Jaune’s warning, all of them managed to avoid another attack from the ice tiger. They were all separated but it was focused on Jaune again. It attacked him once again and he was prepared to avoid the attack, but then someone moved in between him and the ice tiger. The next thing he knew was seeing a laser that shot through it and a large chunk of it vanished. Jaune stared dumbfoundedly while Mine turned around to face him. “You alright?” Her voice snapped Jaune out of his trance. “Uh, yeah. Thanks for the save.” “You’re welcome.” Everyone else, Weiss included, managed to regroup with them. “Nice save there, Mine. Did you already beat that giant ice gorilla?” Nora asked. “I did.” Ren and Nora were rather impressed Mine could beat them on her own when they had trouble. “That makes two of us then,” Weiss commented. She and the others turned their attention to “Lyon”. “So much for your little ice animals. Is that all you got!?” “Lyon” wasn’t bothered by Mine’s comment. “You’ve only just begun to see the teachings of my Master Ur. I’m not the only one who studied under her.” “He” swiped himself and transformed into Gray. “Now you’re dealing with me.” Fairy Tail guild member: Gray Fullbuster Mine immediately noticed how powerful “his” aura was. They saw “him” take up that usual stance. “Ice-Make: Ice Impact!” In the next second, a giant, intricate ice hammer appeared above them and slammed on top of the group. They all screamed in unison while scattering about. “Gray” made another stance. “Ice-Make: Freeze Lancer!” “He” sent several large ice lances that moved in different directions heading toward the ground. They came in at fast speed so there was only one option for them to do. Since they couldn’t retaliate, they had to move out of the way. “WATCH OUT!” Jaune immediately tackled Mine out of one of the attack’s way, and it missed them both. Mine groaned a little before opening her eyes to see Jaune on top of her with their faces near each other. He just laughed awkwardly. “You okay?” Mine said nothing at first as she blushed heavily before narrowing her eyes in anger at him. “GET OFF ME, YOU IDIOT!” She punched Jaune off her and he cried in pain. She then immediately stood up while still having that blush and looked away from him. “And thanks.” Upon seeing such a scene, the younger Chelsea laughed a little as she had a small idea. “Hey, Mine! I don’t think this is the right time for flirting!” And Mine instantly turned her direction and gave her a death glare. “Say that again and I’ll put your head on a pike too!” The younger Chelsea just laughed at the threat. “Worth it.” “Ice-Make: Geyser!” “Gray” slammed “his” hands to the ground and created columns of towering ice heading toward the other group. The attack quickly reached the other group and surrounded them. In one part of the battlefield, Ren and Nora were keeping a close eye as to where “Gray” would attack next. As expected, “Gray” was jumping off near the tips of the ice towers and was above the green and pink duo. As soon as “he” was above them, “he” put “his” hands together. “Ice-Make: Ice Cannon!” “He” created a hand-held ice cannon and shot at the duo. The attack came at them fast and couldn’t dodge them in time. The attack struck the space in between them and the blast separated them with ice dust kicking up blocking their view. Gray emerged from the dust cloud and headed straight toward Ren with ice blades jutting out from “his” right hand and left elbow. “Ice-Blade: Seven Slice Dance!” The first attack sent Ren into the air and “Gray” chased after him. Then “he” proceeded to slash him four more times in the air before slashing him with a dual attack. Ren gasped out in pain before falling to the ground unconscious while “Gray” landed on “his” feet. The dust cloud cleared up just in time for Nora to see Ren defeated and her eyes went wide with shock. “Ren!” Her expression quickly changed to anger as she rushed toward “Gray” with her hammer drawn back. “Gray” just stood in place while when Nora was close enough, swung her hammer at “him”. At first, the attack did hit “him” but the attack kept going and shattered “Gray” into pieces. Just like ice “he” was created from. She was surprised to know this, and “Gray” appeared behind her with both “his” hands clasped together. “Ice-Make: Knuckle!” “He” froze the ground underneath Nora and multiple giant fists of ice erupted from the ground and struck her all over her body. The attack sent her hurdling to one of the ice walls and slammed into it. “And that makes two.” End OST “Gray” went into another stance to knock Nora out once and for all but before “he” could, a large laser blast came through from the side in between them and it surprised “him.” When the laser subsided, “Gray” heard a voice. “Are you crazy!? You could’ve shot Nora!” “I could sense her aura, you idiot. There’s no way I would’ve shot her.” From the other side of the ice wall, “Gray” saw Mine and Jaune standing next to each other. Mine seemed a little disgruntled seeing the result. “The problem is I knew I was taking a potshot since Chelsea’s hiding her aura. This is why you never rely on luck.” Jaune took a closer look at the area and gasped in shock when he saw Ren lying on the ground. “Ren!” Mine saw Ren as well. “So, one of us is already down. Great.” The situation right now wasn’t bad for “Gray” In fact, it was made better for “him” since three of “his” opponents were gathered all together. “He” was about to attack when “he” and everyone else heard and “Gray” and Mine sensed something coming their way. Everyone looked up to see Weiss riding her Queen Lancer Summon. The summon shot its stinger at “Gray” and “he” jumped high into the air to avoid the attack. “He” landed on the tip of the ice towers. “He” then put “his” hands together and aimed at Weiss. “Ice-Make-!" Before “he” could finish, Mine shot another blast at “him”. “He” saw the attack coming before it reached him. When the attack subsided, she saw that “he” wasn’t there anymore. Instead of being glad, she let out an annoyed growl. “Damn. Got away.” With a brief refresher, Jaune ran over to Nora to check on her. “Nora, you okay?” Nora just groaned a bit before opening her eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. Now I really want payback.” Jaune just laughed a little. “Knowing you, you will.” Mine looked up to Weiss. “Can you see anything up there?!” Weiss carefully scanned the area but couldn’t find either hair or hide of their opponent. “No, I don’t know where they went. Also,” She narrowed her eyes at Mine. “What were you thinking shooting through the ice? I almost got shot at!” “You’re still alive, aren’t you-!?” Within an instant, Mine felt a great pressure pressing down on her. The sheer strength of it was alarming to her. “W-What the hell? What kind of aura is this?” The “younger” Leone, Wave, and the rest of Night Raid had the same reaction. “This aura is crazy strong. Who the hell did she become?” Even Wave shuddered at how strong this aura is. The only other time he’s felt an aura this strong was General Esdeath’s and that was no small feat to accomplish. FT Leone couldn’t help but grin at the person FT Chelsea had become. “Wow, Chelsea. At least try to give them a chance.” Over to Mine and the others, she looked up to where she was sensing the aura. “Weiss, land now! She’s above you!” Before Weiss could respond, something small and quick slashed through her Queen Lancer and it was immediately split in half. She fell from the sky but placing some glyphs helped her descent to the ground safely. She and the others saw Mine looking up to the sky. “Up there.” Everyone looked in the same direction and saw a person floating in the air. Insert Fairy Tail OST: Celestial Spirit King’s Awakening What they saw was a woman with long, scarlet hair who wore silver armor with metal wings. Strongest Female Fairy Tail member, Titiania: Erza Scarlet Mine immediately put her guard up. “Be careful, everyone. This person is extremely strong.” “Considering you have the same ability to sense aura as Leone and Akame, I trust your judgment. She looks intimidating.” Weiss pointed out. Nora just relished the challenge. “That just means she’s going to be fun to fight! Come on, let’s go!” “Am I the only one that’s nervous?” Jaune asked. “Erza” smiled faintly at the other group and crossed her arms. “If you wish to fight me, be forewarned; you will not be coming out unscathed. Now....” End OST, insert Fairy Tail OST: Erza Scarlet Theme She summoned two swords and held one in each hand and more circled around her. “Dance, my blades!” The swords began to spin quickly around her and swung both swords in an X formation. “Circle Sword!” She sent the disc of swords right to the other group. “Everyone, move!” Everybody in the group scattered to avoid the attack. When the attack struck the ground, the swords separated and flew in different directions that destroyed the surrounding ice towers. Mine and the others were caught in a volley and were struck. They groaned and as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the sky was riddled with different-sized swords. Everyone else saw them too. Yang’s reaction was about normal to anyone who’d see such a sight. “ISN’T THAT A BIT OVERKILL!?” “Not with Erza, it isn’t.” FT Leone pointed out. With Weiss starting down at the end of a hundred swords or more, she could only come up with one idea on how to counter it. She looked over to Jaune. “Jaune, put your hands on me and Mine.” “Wait, what?” Both Mine and Jaune said at the same time. Wiess turned her attention to Mine. “Do you trust me?” Whatever Weiss had planned, she seemed confident enough in it and that was enough for Mine. “You seem to know what you’re going to do, so yes.” Both girls looked back at the sky full of swords and Jaune placed one hand on each of their shoulders. “Erza” put her hand down and all the swords began to fall on the other group. Weiss rotated the chamber in her weapon and pointed it at the swords. “Now!” Jaune activated his semblance and both Weiss’s and Mine’s bodies glowed. Weiss had several of her glyphs appear, but they appeared much larger than usual, and they became black. When the swords struck the glyphs, they became stuck in place. “Shoot them!” Mine aimed with one of her crossbows and fired a massively powerful laser blast that eliminated half of the swords. Upon seeing it, she moved her shot to the side and destroyed the rest of the swords in front of them. FT Leone let out an impressive whistle. “I don’t think I’ve seen Mine’s attack get that huge before.” Mine herself was surprised to see how powerful her blast was. Even if staring at the end of a sky full of swords, there was no way her power would be this strong on its own. She figured Jaune must’ve had a hand in it, and she won’t complain about the results. However, as impressive as the sight was, it’d mean nothing if there weren’t any results. “Weiss, do you see her anywhere in the sky?” She focused on scanning the surrounding area. Weiss kept a close eye on the sky. “No, I don’t see anything.” “Neither do I,” Jaune added. “Do you think we beat her-?” “Sonic Claw!” In the next second, all four were suddenly slashed multiple times all over their bodies. They were sent into the air and fell to the ground. Behind them was “Erza” wearing a different armor that seemed more like attire with cheetah patterns. They all groaned in pain while “Erza” requiped into her Black Wing Armor and turned around. She aimed and dashed at the group while they were recovering. “Moon flash!” She dashed rushed past them and slashed Jaune twice with her attack. The intensity of the attack scattered Weiss, Mine, and Nora away while Jaune was sent flying into the air before crashing to the ground again and didn’t move. End OST “JAUNE!” Weiss and Nora both shouted. That was another member they lost from their group. Whoever this person was Chelsea was supposed to be, she must be incredibly powerful to either survive or avoid her attack. However, she still has the advantage. In a quick motion, she pointed both her crossbows at “Erza” and fired another giant, powerful blast right at her. It may not have been as powerful as the previous attack, but it should still get the job done regardless. The attack enveloped her and Mine ceased her attack. That should've done it but she and the other girls were surprised to see “Erza” not only still standing but appeared unharmed due to her wearing her Adamantine Armor. Mine was bewildered upon seeing such a sight. “You’ve gotta be kidding me!” The younger Leone shared her reaction. “She took a direct hit from Mine’s attack and that didn’t even do anything?! What the hell?!” FT Leone just grinned. “That’s Erza’s Adamantine Armor for you. It’s strong enough to withstand a magic beam that can destroy an entire town.” Seeing the different armor made Ruby curious about it. “So, her magic thing is swapping out armor?” “Yep. That’s Erza. She uses a magic called Requip and hers is called ‘The Knight’. It allows her to swap different armor and weapons.” FT Leone answered. Ozpin was fascinated by Erza’s magic. “Quite the interesting magic. Seeing it for myself, it must’ve been difficult to master if she could use a variety of weapons and armor.” “Oh, that’s just the tip of the iceberg for her. Erza’s the strongest female wizard of the guild. On top of being one of the S-Class wizards in our guild, she has the title of Queen of the Fairies; Titania, and she’s earned that title. She took on a hundred monsters at once and she can destroy three whole mountains.” FT Leone continued. The younger Chelsea found that difficult to take in. “Okay, taking on one hundred monsters I believe, but destroying three mountains?!” “Leone’s exaggerating.” Akame clarified. “She can possibly destroy two.” “Oh, she destroyed an entire meteor too. I saw that with my own eyes.” FT Leone added. “I’d really hate to fight anyone else that’s from your world,” Kurome commented. Weiss and Nora managed to recover from “Erza’s” previous attack. For Weiss and Mine, they must be extremely careful fighting her from now on since they’ve seen what she could do. Nora, on the other hand, still wants to fight her up close and personal. In any case, they were ready for the second round. Then saw her swipe herself and take on a different appearance. This time, she took on the appearance of an older man with tanned skin, short black hair with it being slightly longer from the back of his head, a mustache along with stubble on his chin, and wore a white ruffled shirt with a black vest on top with gold lining on the edges and jet-black pants with black shoes. They heard “him” let out a hearty laugh. "Whenever there are beautiful women around, you can make sure that I, the Magnifico Tango, shall appear!" FT Leone laughed as soon as she saw “him”. “Hey, it’s the funny guy!” “Do you know him?” Cornelia asked. "He was an opponent we fought once before. Despite his...eccentricity, he proved to be a challenge.” Akame explained. “He was nice, though. He gave us flowers before fighting us.” Wendy added. Despite the change of opponent, Mine was still wary. “This person’s aura isn’t as strong as before but there’s always a reason why she changed into him.” Insert Bleach OST : La Distancia Para Un Duelo Tango grinned before flipping two fingers at Mine. “Tornado De Rosas!” A large tornado made of roses erupted from underneath Mine and struck her into the air. "Ventisca Carmesí" “He” swept “his” arm across and Nora and Weiss were enveloped by a blizzard of rose petals. The younger Chelsea couldn’t help but laugh. “Hey, Ruby, I think we found your magic.” In all honesty, Ruby was a little interested. “That’d be pretty cool to learn.” Now that Esdeath thought about it, she too would love to see Ruby use this rose magic. The rose blizzard subsided and the trio were kneeling while hurt. Weiss stood up and turned the chamber in her weapon before stabbing it into the ground. When she did, she sent a powerful line of ice right at her opponent. Tango saw the attack coming and placed “his” hand in front. "Torrente De Rosas" He” shot another tornado of rose petals from “his” hand and it collided with Weiss’s attack. It overcame the other girl’s attack and struck her again. Weiss groaned as looked at “Tango” while “he” laughed heartedly at her. “A good try, mi señorita. My roses are strong enough to withstand even the most bitter and harshest of winters. Their beauty is unparalleled and should last for all to see. After all, don’t you agree that the rose is the most beautiful flower in the world?” Upon hearing “his” words, Weiss couldn’t help but blush as she immediately thought of Ruby. Then the moment was interrupted when everyone heard screaming and Mine landed on the ground with a loud thud. She growled as she stood up and glared at “Tango.” "Devastación De La Rosa!" “He” raised “his” hand above “him” and three rose tornados erupted from around all three girls. All three were struck at once by the attack. Or so it seemed when all the rose petals were blown away by powerful winds. When they were, it was revealed that the trio was surrounded by a circle of glyphs with the wind swirling out of them. A move “he” didn’t expect. “Que!?” Weiss smiled at “his” reaction. “If I can’t freeze your attacks, I’ll just blow them away instead! Mine, keep ‘em! busy” Mine didn’t need to be told twice and pointed both her crossbows at “him”. She fired shot after shot at “Tango”. “He” was managing to avoid the attacks but while doing so, Weiss summoned her usual glyphs to reach their opponent. “Now, Nora!” “You got it!” They used the glyphs to move quickly right toward “Tango” while Mine provided cover fire. “Tango” saw the pair coming at her quickly and didn’t have time to counterattack. “Aw, crap.” If they both struck “him” at once, they’d win the match. Once they were near, they swung their weapons together and struck “Tango” at the same time. When they did, something felt immediately off to Weiss and their weapons went past “him”. End OST They landed behind “Tango” and looked back to see a horrifying scene of seeing the spots where they attacked “him” completely gone. Mine shared their reaction. Then they saw “him” turn into water and dropped to the ground. Blake and the others were equally confused. “Did she...just turn into water?” The three girls saw the water move and rise to take the form of a young woman. “Drip, drip, drop.” Fairy Tail Guild Member: Juvia Lockster She turned her attention to Mine and held her hand out toward her. “ Water ray!” She shot a ray of water out of her hand. The attack quickly reached the other girl and managed to hit her. She then turned her attention to Weiss and Nora and put both her hands together. “Water Cyclone!” She fired a whirling torrent of water at the duo and they were struck directly. When the attack subsided, they both coughed while being soaked to the bone. Seeing her power grabbed Esren’s attention. “Interesting. So, this person specializes in water magic.” “Yep. Juvia’s a rain woman who can turn her body into water as you’ve seen before.” Leone answered. “A person who uses water magic and has a body made of water. I guess we found Neptune’s worst nightmare opponent.” “Who’s Neptune?” Wendy asked. “A guy we know who has severe hydrophobia.” The younger Chelsea answered. “Having a body made of water would prove a difficult opponent to defeat, but not impossible.” Ozpin pointed out. Back to the fight, “Juvia” appeared behind Weiss and Nora. “Juvia Kick!” She delivered a swift kick to them and sent them away. “Isn’t that just a regular kick?” Yang asked as she didn’t understand why she’d call an attack for a regular kick. “Juvia” put her right hand in front of her. “Water Nebula!” She unleashed two large columns of water that formed a helix right at the trio. The attack pushed Weiss and Nora back to Mine and they were all submerged into the water. When the attack finally subsided, Mine coughed and growled at their opponent while scowling at her. “It’s not even been five minutes and already I’m sick of her.” She and the others stood up. “So, how do fight against a person who’s made of water?” Nora wondered. The answer came quickly to Weiss as she had an idea. “Easy.” She rotated her weapon’s chamber and had several yellow glyphs appear. “Having a body of water is just a huge disadvantage when you’re up against electric attacks!” She shot out lighting out of the glyphs and headed right toward “Juvia”. As the attack neared, “Juvia” just smiled and struck her. “Hell yeah! That’s the second hit!” The younger Chelsea cheered. Taeko, however, narrowed her eyes as she noticed something subtle. “No, something’s wrong.” Just as she said, what Weiss thought she landed a second hit, everyone heard a familiar sound and saw a sight that surprised her and the others. “She’s... “Eating the lightning.” Nora finished. “I wonder if it tastes good.” Ignoring the question, Mine immediately knew what this meant. “If memory serves, that Natsu person ate Rienna’s fire. Either this person Chelsea’s right now can also do the same or...” “Juvia” finished eating the lightning and continued to smile while swiping herself once more. As she did, Mine and the others felt an immensely powerful aura. It felt just as strong, if not stronger than Erza’s. The feeling made Wave and the others feel on edge. “The strength of this aura feels unreal. It’s like on a whole other level compared to what we felt before.” The “younger” Leone nodded in agreement. “Yeah, no kidding. This guy feels like he’s a monster.” FT Leone laughed at the description. “You’re not wrong but he’s a monster to those who harm his family.” Mine and the others continued to stare at the person Chelsea had become. “Remember when I said there was one particular person who beat easily Budo one-on-one? You’re looking right at him now.” She spoke. “You’re looking at the person who did it.” Fairy Tail Ninth Guild Master: Laxus Dreyar Insert Fairy Tail OST: Jaaku No Tsuchioto “Laxus” took in a deep breath. “Lightning Dragon’s Roar!” “He” unleashed a powerful lightning breath attack right at the trio. Seeing it coming at them reminded Mine of Budo’s Trump Card. On instinct, she pointed both her crossbows at the attack and fired her attack. When her attack collided with “Laxus’s” they were at a stalemate thanks to her semblance of it being more powerful the more dangerous the situation is. However, while her semblance was powerful, her weapons were not. Within seconds, they began to crack. I knew these things weren't going to be as strong as Pumpkin but really?!” Around the same time, “Laxus” roared as “he” added more power to his attack and it started to overpower Mine’s attack. Mine tried her best to push the attack back, but the more she did, the more her weapons started to break down. Then with some quick thinking, Weiss summoned one of her glyphs and pushed all of them out of the attack's way. “Laxus’s” attack went by them and continued until it caused a powerful explosion further down the line far from everyone else. Yet everyone felt how strong the blast was. Mine especially. She turned her attention back to “Laxus”. “I can see why this guy was able to beat Budo so easily. Eating electrical attacks and using them, probably immune too, there’s no way he would’ve stood a chance. It’s like comparing a mouse to an S-Class Danger Beast.” Ozpin had similar thoughts now that he witnessed “Laxus’s” powerful. “ Incredible. I’ve never seen lightning magic of that magnitude before.” “Laxus” put both “his” hands to the side and conjured a massive amount of electricity that formed a giant halberd. “Lightning Dragon’s Heavenward Halberd!” The attack was coming at them fast and Mine was about to counter until she saw the state of weapons. Judging how damaged they are, they could withstand one more attack and no more. Would she risk it with this attack or let it hit her? “MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE!” Mine heard Nora call her name out. “WHAT?!” As soon as she turned her attention to the other girl running toward the attack and wasn’t calling out her name. “IS SHE INSANE!?” Her reaction was understandable to Weiss "You'd be surprised how often that question’s been asked.” Nora stopped just in time and pointed Magnchild in front. The attack struck her head-on and a pillar of lightning shot up into the air. When it subsided, both “Laxus”, the original Night Raid crew, and the FT crew were all surprised to see Nora still standing after taking that attack. Lightning cracked all over her body as she smiled and raised her weapon into the air. “I HAAAVE THE POOOOWER!!!!!!” She held her hammer with both hands and growled at “Laxus”. Weiss pointed her weapon at her had a glyph appeared underneath her. Nora pulled her hammer back, tightened her grip, aimed, and launched herself right at Laxus at an incredible speed. “Laxus” didn’t even have to react as Nora swung her hammer and delivered a mighty heavy and powerful blow right at the center of his body. “GRAND SLAM!” She roared as she put all her strength into her attack and blasted him straight through the ground away from her. Ruby and the others cheered as their team finally got their second hit. End OST Nora chuckled weakly as this was by far the proudest moment she’s had thus far. “Finally got a hit on you. That...was...for Ren.” She quickly lost consciousness as she dropped her weapon and dropped to the ground. Despite Nora being the third person to fall, FT Leone and the others were quite surprised by what they saw. “Wow, I didn’t think I’d see anyone still standing after taking one of Laxus’s attacks. Much less attack back.” “She made sure to make use of the situation to her advantage, probably knowing how it’d end for her. It paid off since their team has done two hits now.” Akame spoke. “The question now is, what will she do next?” Carla asked. Mine stood up as did Weiss. They both felt exhausted after fighting for so long but they were just one hit away. “Just one more. One more and we win. How’re you doing?” “Fine. I can keep going.” Weiss answered. “What about you?” Mine looked at her weapons again. “I can do one more shot with these each. I gotta make them coun-” She was interrupted by sensing an immensely powerful and heavy aura. The strength of it felt unreal, almost impossible. This wasn’t left unnoticed by the “younger” Leone and the others. She immediately dropped to her hands and knees while breathing heavily and with a look of absolute fear. “W-What the hell is this...?” Never had she felt an aura this terrifying and powerful before. It completely dwarfed what she felt the first time she sensed Esdeath’s when she tailed her. Wave fell to one knee and the rest of Night Raid fell to the ground. Ruby and the others became immediately concerned. “Hey, what’s wrong? Esdeath, everyone! What happening?” Cornelia was trembling and shaking badly. “This aura...it’s...it feels like it’s crushing me.” “It’s...so strong.” Esdeath described. “No, strong doesn’t even begin to describe it. It’s overwhelming.” Ruby had never seen Esdeath so frightened before. “Yeah, not to mention it feels really freaking scary too.” The younger Chelsea added. “Any sane person would run in the opposite direction. If they can get away.” “Does it really feel that bad?” Yang asked. “Trust me, consider yourself lucky you can’t sense aura as we can,” Kurome spoke. “To give you an inkling of how strong this aura is, it completely encapsulates this entire field and stretches to Mistral.” “The aura we felt before, they’re nothing compared to this one,” Taeko spoke next. “Whoever Chelsea took the form of, they’re far, far stronger than the ones she’s been before.” “They’re right.” Wave spoke. “Of all the auras we’ve sensed, this is the strongest one by far. A weaker person would be absolutely crushed just by feeling the aura itself. Akame and the rest of the FT group understood the feeling. Especially Akame as she knew who this aura belonged to. “So, she’s decided to end this once and for all.” Whoever Chelsea decided to be, they must be powerful to them feel like this. To Mine, this was the worst feeling she’d felt and she went up against Esdeath and Budo. “Who? Who did Chelsea become this time?” Then, the aura just vanished, like a heavy weight finally lifted itself. The “younger” Leone and the others breathed a sigh of relief but that didn’t mean the danger had passed. Mine looked everywhere in the vicinity to spot Chelsea but to no avail. “Where is she? More importantly, where’s she going to attack?” “Hello there.” Mine and Weiss screamed as they immediately moved away and turned around to see a tall, muscular middle-aged man wearing a black blazer with a purple spandex turtleneck and black pants. What stood out the most to him was the small skull tattoo on his forehead. “He” chuckled at their reaction. “Caught ya off guard, did I? Allow me to introduce myself.” “He” bowed to them with “his” arm placed before the chest. “I’m one of the Spriggan Twelve, the Assassin, Jacob Lessio.” “Spriggan Twelve?” Mine had heard that name before. Then she remembered what Wendy said before. "They were known as the Alverez Empire and within Alverez were twelve powerful wizards known as the Spriggan Twelve who were all stronger than Esdeath." “Now it makes sense why his aura was so strong. So, this is one of the Spriggan Twelve they fought.” The “younger” Leone could hardly believe it herself. “So, this is how strong these Spriggan Twelve guys are? You guys were up against absolute monsters!” FT Leone chuckled at her counterpart’s reaction. “You want to know the crazy part? Three of the Twelve are insanely stronger than this guy.” The color drained from the “younger” Leone’s face. “If this is how strong this guy is, I really don’t want to know what the strongest of these guys feels like. I don’t give them enough credit for going up against them.” “Jacob” smirked at the duo. “Right then, I believe it’s time we end this little scrap. But before I do that...” “His” face darkened and gave them a frightening look. “I’ll make you experience absolute hell.” “He” spoke in a dark voice then clapped his hands together. The sound echoed throughout the air and then fell dead silent. Seconds passed and Mine and Weiss didn’t understand what happened. “Nothing happened.” “Weiss?” “Maybe it was a bluff.” “Weiss!?” “It could be something to psych us out.” “Weiss!” “Or leading us to a false sense of security.” Weiss growled as she turned her attention to Ruby. “WHAT, RUBY!?” Her anger turned into confusion once she saw how everyone was looking at them. Ruby was looking at her dumbfounded, Yang had her hand over her mouth and looked like she was containing laughter, the same with the “younger” Leone and her FT counterpart, Blake was looking away as was Kurome, Taeko was shaking her head, the same with Carla, the younger Chelsea was snickering, Cornelia was red in embarrassment as was Wendy, and Wave, and the other guys had their eyes closed for some reason, and Akame just seemed indifferent. Ruby pointed at Weiss. “Your...uh, clothes...” Weiss blinked a few times before she and Mine finally looked down at themselves. They shrieked at what they saw. Cue in a certain “wow” sound as they suddenly found themselves wearing only their bras and underwear. They instantly tried to cover themselves up with their hands and arms while being very red with embarrassment. “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY CLOTHES!” “Wait, I can still feel them. Are they invisible!?” Both Leones were now laughing as were the younger Chelsea and Yang. “Nice taste in underwear you two!” Qrow could only sigh at what he was hearing. “Well, it’s a type of hell alright.” Esren couldn’t agree more. Wave kept talking to himself. “Do not look, do not look, do not look, do not look, it’s very rude.” Oscar kept his eyes closed but Ozpin had some words to say about this situation. “I do hope this magic wasn’t used in any other more inappropriate situations.” In a very rare moment for Chelsea, she broke character and laughed hysterically atwthe sight she was seeing. “AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! You should see the looks on your faces!” Mine glared at her and her face was now red with anger more than embarrassment. “CHELSEA!” She pointed one of her crossbows at “him” and fired another powerful shot. With “Jacob” being around, the power increased immensely. All “he” did was smile at the attack. Mine’s weapon finally broke down and her attack stopped. When it did, she and Weiss didn’t see “him”. At the same time, their clothes became visible again. Before they could make their move, Weiss felt a tremendously powerful blow to her solar plexus which let out a strong gust of wind that blew all around. The former heiress let out a loud, pained gasp before everything went black around her, and fell to the ground. At the same time, Mine witnessed the attack to see “Jacob” deliver it. She pointed her other crossbow at “him” but “he” vanished before she could attack. The next thing she knew, “Jacob” was already walking past her and she felt a quick, sharp, precise attack to her neck for an instant. That instant was all it took for everything to go black for her and fell to the ground face forward. “And that’s all of them.” Wave and the rest of the group could only stare in disbelief until he snapped out of it. “That’s the end of the match! The winner is Chelsea!” B Weiss groaned as she slowly started coming to and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Ruby, Esdeath, and Wendy hovering over her and feeling warm. Probably because of the younger girl’s healing magic. Her leader and the older girl were overjoyed and worried at the same time seeing her wake up. “Weiss! Are you okay?!” The former heiress groaned as she sat up. And then Esdeath pulled her into a hug and shoved her face into her breasts again. “Oh, Weiss, I’m so happy you’re awake now!” The other girl’s response was muffled screaming and waving her arms wildly. Wendy couldn't help but laugh a little at the sight. “Why does this look familiar?” Esdeath let go of Weiss and the other girl finally managed to breathe again. She could now answer Ruby’s question. "Remember when Cinder's weapon pierced through my side?" That was a memory that still frightened Ruby. "Yeah?" "That last attack hurt a lot worse." Wendy was surprised to hear that small detail. “Wait, you were stabbed before?!” The three girls looked at each other “That’s...something to explain for another time.” All three girls stood up and Weiss heard Nora talking excitedly. “You should’ve seen it, Ren! It was the most powerful I ever felt! Man, it was a rush!” Weiss looked around and saw that everyone else was up and about. “CHELSEA!” And her attention immediately went to Mine yelling at FT Chelsea and she looked absolutely furious at her. “YOU GOT A LOT OF NERVE FOR PULLING A STUNT LIKE THAT!” Despite Mine giving FT Chelsea a look that could kill, she just kept laughing. “Hey, it worked, didn’t it? Ah, man, I’m going to remember that for a long time.” Upon hearing this, Jaune couldn’t help but feel relieved. “I’m so glad I was knocked out before that happened. Did you guys see?” “No.” Wave, Oscar, Qrow, and Esren replied at the same time. Weiss shared Mine’s feelings about the whole thing. Then she realized that Ruby saw her in her underwear and heavily blushed again. “I can’t believe that happened.” Meanwhile, FT Leone was still giggling about that scene. “It was pretty funny.” “Yeah, it was.” Her “younger” counterpart agreed. Mine turned her attention to them. “Don’t freaking encourage her!” As much as FT Chelsea wanted to ride this out, she had some questions to ask about the fight. “Okay, okay, time for a subject change. How about you explain to me how your...semblances work. I’m kinda curious. Let's start with you, Weiss.” It was a harmless enough request. Though, Weiss was still a little pissed at the other girl. “Fine. My semblance is glyphs. It’s hereditary in my family. At basic, I use them for propulsion purposes. I combine them with my dust and they gain different effects, such as you’ve seen.” “Like how you conjured ice, summoned lightning, and managed to stop Erza’s swords.” FT Leone pointed out. “Oh, and the summonings too.” “Yes, though the summonings are also part of my semblance.” “I gotta say, it definitely looks magicky with how versatile it is,” Chelsea admitted. “And it’s really pretty.” Wendy added.” FT Chelsea turned her attention to Ren. “And I don’t think I’ve seen yours during the whole fight.” Ren wasn’t surprised by that. “My semblance masks negative emotion. It’s better used on Grimm.” That explained why FT Cheslea never saw him use his semblance during the fight. If it masked aura, that’d be a different story. She then turned to Jaune. As soon as she saw how he did something to Mine and Weiss, she wanted to know what it is. After all, that was the sole reason why she went for him next. Jaune just laughed weakly while rubbing the back of his head. “What my semblance does is amplify either my own or other peoples’. I’m thinking of calling it ‘Power Booster.’” “Yeah, no, try a different name.” The Younger Chelsea suggested. Then FT Chelsea focused on Nora. “And what exactly is yours?” Out of everyone she’d fought, Nora was probably the only person she knows who willingly took an attack. Laxus’s attack no less. Nora just grinned at the other girl. “My semblance is awesome! Whenever I get with hit electric attacks, I get stronger!” “Now it makes sense why she took Laxus’s attack.” “And man, magic dragon lightning hits a WHOLE lot different than regular electricity. Man, that’s the kind of magic I want! Either that or that one magic where you can increase the size of anything you want.” FT Chelsea could already tell she’d be a force to reckon with if she ever got ahold of Laxus’s magic. Still, she had to give credit where credit is due. “I have to say, you guys put up more of a fight than I expected. Props to you all.” Weiss just leered at her. “Gee, thanks.” “And we must thank you for displaying a wide variety of magic.” Everyone turned their attention to Oscar. Or rather Ozpin. Even for as long as I’ve lived, I’ve never seen the kind of magic you demonstrated and the power they’ve shown. Speaking of which, it’s clear you’ve worked hard to impersonate the people you’ve become and use their magic accordingly. You’ve quite the incredible talent.” FT Chelsea couldn’t help but chuckle at the compliment. “Funny enough, you’re the second person to tell me that.” Before the conversation could continue, everyone heard a loud yawn and turned their attention to where they heard it from. They all saw Rienna sitting up and stretching her arms upward. After she was done, she managed to open her eyes and saw everyone else. “Oh, good morning, everyone?” “RIENNA!” Cornelia immediately rushed over to her teammate and hugged her tightly. The other Night Raid members gathered around her all looking happy to see their teammate awake. “How do you feel?” The younger Chelsea asked. Cornelia let go of Rienna and stood. “I still feel a little sore. Other than that, I feel fine. Though,” She looked down to see her new burn scar. “I guess I have this now.” She laughed happily at it. “I think this one’s going to be my new favorite. It’s not every day I get a burn scar from a fire dragon.” “See, I’d told you she’d like it.” The younger Chelsea said. Rienna refocused on the rest of the group. “Oh, yeah. What about the fight? Did we win?” “No, we didn’t.” Mine answered. “We’d got two hits in but we lost in the end.” Rienna blinked a few times. “So, we won?” Now Weiss was confused. “What? No. We lost. We didn’t get the third hit.” “But you did.” Rienna pointed out. “I got more than a few hits on her when we fought despite...well...” She couldn’t help but look away as she remembered how she felt during her fight with FT Chelsea. “I mean, I know I jumped the gun but I was still part of the group. Does that not count?” After hearing that, everyone recalled Rienna’s fight with FT Chelsea and she did get a couple of hits in. Once they realized that, Mine, Weiss, Nora, and Jaune cheered. “WE ACTUALLY WON!” The girls high-fived each other. Meanwhile, FT Chelsea just closed her eyes and sighed. “Are you not upset?” Akame asked. FT Chelsea opened her eyes and looked over at the other girl. “Not really. Honestly, I think they deserve it. Even if I did go easy on them.” She had a lot more options to defeat them but it wouldn’t have been fun if she could one-shot them in one go. “Alright!” FT Leone yelled. “Now that Chelsea’s done with her fight, it’s time for the next round.” She set her sights on Yang, Blake and, Ruby. “Hope you three are ready because I’ve been raring to go for a while.” She cracked her knuckles while grinning at them. Yang just smiled back. “Same here. Time to see how you stack up to the Leone we know.” Blake, although she didn’t show it, couldn’t help but feel a little worried. “I have a feeling she may be stronger than the Leone we know. We still don’t know what she can do.” Still, she’ll give it her all in the upcoming fight and won’t back down. Ruby shared her sister’s enthusiasm. “Okay! It’s time for the rest of Team RWBY to show everyone what we’re made of!” Esdeath couldn’t help but smile at the younger girl while all three girls looked at FT Leone with determined eyes. The third match was soon to begin. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: So, between working on this chapter and the last chapter, a lot of things happened and will continue to happen. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill, RWBY, and/or Fairy Tail. They belong to their original owners.A New Beginning: Vol Special Part EightAcross WorldsKill Ninety One: Family Brawl"Okay! It's time for the rest of Team RWBY to show everyone what we're made of!"Ruby, Blake, and FT Leone began to make their way to the field. Yang followed close behind but felt a hand on her right shoulder and stopped. She looked back at the "younger" Leone looking at her with concern. "I need to tell you something. A warning."For as long as Yang's known the other girl, this was the first she's seen her like this. "Yeah, what's up?"The "younger" Leone removed her hand from Yang's shoulder and gave her a serious look. "Unlike me, she won't hold back on you guys. I mean, I know she won't kill you, but-""I know what you're saying." Yang interjected and smiled at the "younger" Leone. "I'll see this as a new learning experience. Besides, I think it'll be cool learning about you another way. I'll keep my guard up, though." With that said, she walked away to join her younger sister and Blake.Ruby and Blake saw her finally walking up to them. "Hey, Yang. What did Leone want to talk to you about?"Yang just waved nonchalantly at her sister. "Just to say be really careful when fighting this Leone." She and the other two girls turned their attention to FT Leone. They saw her stretching her arms and her neck. She stopped as soon as she saw them look at her and waved at them while smiling."We should take that warning seriously," Blake advised."At least we have the advantage." Yang pointed out. "We know the more damage she takes, the longer it takes her to heal.""She's not good at fighting opponents who are quick and agile," Blake added."And people who are stronger than her."Ruby started to understand their situation. "Right, so we have agility working for us."To Blake, there was one more important detail about their opponent. "There's still one thing we need to remember; this Leone has that Imperial Arms Magic and we don't know what it is or what it can do."Yang saw the point Blake brought up, but there really wasn't anything they could do right now with that limited information. "We'll just have to deal with it when it happens. If we keep our heads in the game, we totally got this."Both parties seemed ready. "Okay, the third match is about to begin. And..." Jaune raised his scroll and used the airhorn app. "Start!" He pressed the app and the airhorn blared.FT Leone grinned as she slammed her fists together and Lionel began to glow. Yang, Ruby, and Blake then saw her transform into her beast form that looked very similar to the Leone they know. Yang couldn't help but smile. "So, I guess that's the famous Lionel we've heard so much about."Upon seeing FT Leone's beast form, Blake was slightly more wary. "She almost looks like that one form the Leone took back at Haven. Is there a connection?"The "younger" Leone couldn't help but smile at the familiar sight before her. "Ah, I feel so nostalgic seeing that form."Upon a closer look, FT Chelsea noticed something about Leone and Blake and Yang "Hey, does anyone else notice that Leone can kinda pass off as-""Yes!" Weiss and most of the others replied in unison."Okay, I guess that question's been asked already.'Yang slammed her fists together while grinning. "Alright, let's go-!" She couldn't finish her sentence as she instantly felt a strong force grip her face. It took a second for her, Blake, and Ruby to see FT Leone already where they were. Yang saw the other blond through in between her fingers and saw her grinning wickedly and a red glow in her eyes. That was the last thing she saw before FT Leone slammed her head into the ground and left a small crater."Yang!" Blake and Ruby shouted.FT Leone chuckled a little as she picked up Yang still by her face and spun her around while smacking Blake and Ruby with their teammate's legs. After making a complete cycle, she chucked the brawler far away from her. Blake groaned a little before recovering and stood up. She immediately drew out Gambol Shroud and charged right to FT Leone. She swung both her weapon and her sheath at the same time but FT Leone caught both of her arms and powerfully kneed her in the stomach. Blake let out a loud, pained gasp before her opponent gave her a damaging headbutt straight to the forehead. She let go of the other girl's arms and Blake dropped to the ground.Ruby saw it happen when recovered. "Blake!" She transformed Cresent Rose into its scythe form. However, FT Leone already reached her before she knew it and grabbed the snath. She gave the younger girl a grin before lifting her overhead with her still holding onto her weapon. Before Ruby knew it, FT Leone slammed her into the ground on her back. She also let out a pained gasp."RUBY!" Both Weiss and Esdeath shouted together.Rienna winced at the move. "Ooh, that's going to hurt a lot more since she couldn't relax her body for it to absorb the impact."Ruby looked up to see FT Leone to see her other arm raised and prepared for the next attack. The young leader used her semblance to escape before the other girl's fist created a small crater in the ground with some rose petals left behind. Ruby managed to gain some distance between her and her opponent. FT Leone turned around to face her. "Well, you're a squirrely one," Ruby said nothing as she twirled Cresent Rose and held it behind her while staring intensely at the other girl. FT Leone just grinned at the expression. "Alright then, show me what you can do, pipsqueak." Insert RWBY Ice Queendom OST: Capabilities Unseen Ruby observed FT Leone closely before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath and opening them. She ran straight toward her opponent with her scythe pulled back. The blonde just smirked. "A head-on attack? Big mistake!" She pulled her arm back and clenched her claw before punching straight at Ruby. However, before the attack could connect, the young leader used her semblance to avoid the attack again and split into three parts rushing past her. They reconvened behind her and FT Leone turned around only to barely avoid an upward slash by stepping back. That didn't stop Ruby as she turned around to the left for another attack. The attack was quick and FT Leone avoided that one as well. Ruby kept up with her onslaught of attacks with her opponent constantly avoiding them while moving back.Thankfully, Ruby presented a small window for FT Leone's counterattack. She threw a punch the moment she had the opportunity, but Ruby used her semblance to avoid once more. She moved to the right side and the blonde threw another punch at her. Ruby used her semblance again to avoid it and was now on the opposite side. FT Leone growled in frustration as she attempted to deliver a rolling right kick again. The young leader used her semblance once more and avoided the attack by going up. Ruby went into the air and swung Cresent Rose down. FT Leone turned around just in time to see the attack coming and jumped back to avoid it. Ruby landed on the ground and FT Leone just growled as she went in for another attack.From the peanut gallery, the "younger" Leone couldn't help but critique her counterpart's fighting style. "Man, did I really fight like that? I never realized how sloppy it looked."Meanwhile, Weiss noticed something strange about the way Ruby was fighting. "Why is Ruby using her semblance to avoid her attacks? She's not using Cresent Rose like she normally does." She knew her leader must have a reason for doing something like this. She has faith in whatever plan the younger girl has.As the fight went on, Wave watched Ruby's fighting style with her scythe carefully. He was astounded by the difference he was seeing compared to when he was training her without her weapon. "This is the first time I'm seeing her fight with her weapon. The way she's fighting is like night and day. Her moves are much sharper than when she was sparring with me. She also seems to be following the advice I've given her too."Ruby swung Crescent Rose upward at FT Leone and she avoided it. She then turned for another attack from the side and her opponent saw that as a perfect opportunity. She immediately closed the distance between them and caught the snaith. She grinned at the younger girl. "Ha!" In an instant, Ruby jumped while still gripping her weapon with her other hand with both her boots in front for a second. At the same time, she pulled the trigger to fire a shot to push her forward and kicked FT Leone straight in her face. She lost her grip on Ruby's weapon and was sent flying away from her.The younger Chelsea couldn't help but snicker and laugh at what she and the rest saw. "She got you good there, Leone!"Mine narrowed her eyes a little as she recalled what Ruby briefly did. "That's right. Ruby mentioned her weapon was also a gun. She used the recoil of her weapon to propel herself and get a hit in with her attack. A clever tactic."FT Leone took a few steps back while her right hand was on her face to quell the pain. "Ah, son of a-!" She growled frustratedly and removed her hand from her face only to see Ruby up close to her with Cresent Rose in its gun form placed right next to the right side of her head. She immediately fired a gunshot. The recoil pushed the younger girl back while the older girl screamed bloody murder while putting her hand on her lion's ear with her eyes closed.The "younger" Leone understood quite well what happened. "While in Lionel form, all the senses are increased. If you fire a gun near one of the ears, it's going to hurt like a bitch. Ruby's using Lionel's strengths against her. I guess that's something else I must work on."FT Leone groaned in pain as she kept hearing the loud ringing in her ear. "Shit, keep it together." She opened one of her eyes to see Ruby rushing toward her. "Don't take your eyes off your opponent!" The young leader swung Cresent Rose from the left, but the older girl ducked to avoid the attack. She lunged at Ruby, but the young leader spun her weapon and pointed the heel of her weapon to the ground. She fired another shot and was propelled into the air.Mine started to understand Ruby's fighting style. "So, that's how she fights. She didn't reveal that before because she wanted to catch Leone off-guard."FT Leone's attack missed and looked up. She saw this situation as an opportunity and smiled. "Bad move!" Ruby was a sitting duck while in the air since she couldn't move. Before she could jump, she felt a strong tug on her right leg and was strongly pulled away from Ruby. She screamed while being thrown overhead. She caught a quick glimpse, looking down to see it was Blake who pulled her away. Ruby turned Cresent Rose around, so the heel was behind her. She aimed at FT Leone and fired another shot to propel herself right at her. The older blonde saw her coming and panicked a little. "Crap!"Once Ruby was close, she swung her scythe at her opponent and struck her. "Alright, she got the second hit!" Nora exclaimed excitedly"Not exactly." Ren corrected.Upon a closer look, Ruby's eyes went wide with shock when she saw FT Leone not only stop her attack but caught the toe of her weapon with her teeth. Before she could let her make her next move, the older blonde delivered a powerful kick to her left side. For a moment, her body flickered. She followed the momentum of her kick and turned her body around and kicked Ruby straight to the ground. End OST "RUBY!" Weiss, Esdeath, Blake, and Qrow shouted.Blake was about to catch Ruby when a quick, yellow flash rushed by her. Yang jumped and slid across the ground and caught her younger sister. "Gotcha!" At almost the same time, Leone landed on her feet. Yang came to a stop and took a closer look at Ruby. She smiled knowing that Ruby didn't take too much damage thanks to her aura.Jaune looked at his scroll and saw that Ruby's aura gauge was nearly empty. "Ruby's aura is almost gone. She can't go on fighting anymore.""Not that she can anyway after Leone's last attack." Mine commented.The fight went on pause when Yang walked over to the rest of the group carrying Ruby. Once she reached them, she set Ruby down in front of them. Wendy immediately went up to the unconscious girl. "I'll heal her. Don't worry."All Yang did was smile at the young dragon slayer. "Won't have to consider everything I heard about you. Now, if you'll excuse me..." As soon as she walked away from the group, Wendy kneeled next to her and began healing her.While doing so, there was something FT Chelsea was wondering about. "So, how did Ruby's aura go down? Leone never managed to get a hit on her except for that last one.""Her semblance," Weiss answered. "Whenever she uses her semblance, it takes up some of her aura."Mine recalled how much Ruby used her semblance earlier in the fight. "That makes sense. She must've known the consequences when doing that.""She did get a hit on Leone in the funniest way possible, so I say it was worth it." FT Chelsea commented."Still, she was lucky this wasn't a battle to the death. Sacrificing too much for too little is one way to get yourself killed."As Yang was walking back, she saw FT Leone unwrap Blake's weapon and threw it back to her. She managed to reconvene with Blake. "So, what did I miss while I was gone?""Ruby managed to get a hit on her," Blake Explained.Yang couldn't help but smile. "Ha, that's my little sister." Both turned their attention to FT Leone."She's strong but not unbeatable. Ruby's already taken advantage of using her hearing against her." Blake shifted her attention to her girlfriend. "Yang..." The other girl did the same. And looked at each other for a few seconds before Yang smiled. "Got it. Let's do this." They looked back at FT Leone again. She grinned confidently and slammed her robotic fist into her other hand. "Alright, let's get the next round started!" Insert RWBY OST: I'm The One Both Yang and Blake took a running start right at FT Leone with Yang following Blake closely. All FT Leone did was smile as she rushed toward the Bumblebee duo. It took her no time to close the gap between them and she pulled her arm back before throwing the first punch. When she did, her attack surprisingly went through, and Blake vanished. This moment of surprise provided both girls enough time to use this opportunity to gang up on her from both sides. Blake swung Gambol Shroud and Yang threw her robotic fist at the same time. However, in an instant, FT Leone grabbed their wrists and slammed their bodies together in front of her. She then momentarily let go of both girls and turned counterclockwise to deliver a swift, powerful kick to Blake's side.Blake managed to block the incoming attack with both sword and cleaver, but it didn't stop it from sending them away from their opponent. The duo separated as soon as they hit the ground while grunting in pain. When they stopped, they immediately stood up while panting. After taking a brief rest, Blake started running again toward FT Leone with Yang following her again. She was about to meet them halfway through when she saw Blake create a double of herself running next to her.An interesting fact that caught FT Akame's attention. "She can create clones of herself?"After seeing Blake's semblance, Leone managed to put together what must've happened earlier. "So, that's what she did. Her power must be something like Akame's Afterimage and Shadow Copy. Still, I can tell which one of you is fake!" Before she could move, she saw the real Blake jump high into the air and threw the blade part of Gambol Shroud at her. As soon as it reached her, she easily caught it with her hand and grinned. "You'd really think this'll work on me!" She strongly tugged at the weapon toward her.Which was what Blake wanted her to do as she let go of her weapon just before FT Leone pulled it. The blonde became off balance since she used her strength to pull the weapon and fell back a bit. Blake's shadow slowed down a little for Yang to catch up and the shadow grabbed her right hand. The shadow momentarily stopped and threw Yang with everything she had right at FT Leone. After that, she leaped into the air and grabbed the handle of Gamble Shroud and threw it back to Blake. The shadow then vanished Meanwhile the distance between them closed quickly as Yang aimed and pulled her left arm back. Once near enough, Yang threw her left forward right next FT Leone's left lion ear and fired a loud shot right next to it. The shot blew her back away from her opponent while she screamed in agony once again while covering her ear. "SON OF A BITCH, AGAIN!?"Blake waited for this opportunity and inserted a Dust cartridge into Gambol Shroud. A small detail Akame noticed. Blake then ran toward FT Leone once more. She joined up with Yang and this time she was taking charge. FT Leone managed to recover from the gunshot noise and saw the two running toward her again. This time, she set her sights on a different target. She leaned in slightly and launched herself right at Yang. This time, she saw the other blonde coming at her and immediately stopped. When she did, FT Leone was already in front of her, and she crossed her arms with the robotic arm in front to block. FT Leone threw her punch and though Yang did manage to block the attack, it also sent her away. While she was dealt with, she saw off the corner of her eye that Blake with Gambol Shroud pulled in ready to strike. She grinned as she jumped over the other cat girl just as she swung her weapon. She wasn't going to attack Blake a third time in case she uses that Afterimage technique.However, to Blake, it didn't matter how her opponent avoided her attack because she was counting on it. She created another Shadow that went right up to where FT Leone was, and she had no choice but to attack it lest she attacks and gets the second hit. As soon as she swung her fist at the shadow, the attack hit but was then struck by a strong electrical current that ran rampant throughout her body. "NOW!" Blake turned around and threw Gambol Shroud around FT Leone's torso and pulled everything she had to send her opponent further into the air. "YANG, NOW!"Yang blasted herself into the air using her gauntlet and arm and headed over to where FT Leone was. They only had a few seconds left before their opponent could recover from the shock. A few seconds was all the brawler needed. Once she was above the other blonde, she activated her semblance, and her hair went aflame as her eyes went red. She dived right at FT Leone with her robotic arm pulled back. Once she was near, she yelled loudly and punched straight at the other girl's solar plexus with a mighty, powerful blow. She continued to yell and pushed her attack all the way through and sent FT Leone hurdling toward the ground. She crashed into the ground and a large dust cloud appeared. When it cleared, she was laying in the center of a crater created by the impact. Yang landed not too far away and deactivated her semblance. Blake pulled back her weapon to her and reconvened with her girlfriend. As soon as they were together again, they both smiled and high-fived each other. End OST Nora and the others cheered as they celebrated their team getting their second hit. Meanwhile, FT Akame put together what the Bumblebee duo had done. "That gunshot move Yang did before was meant to disrupt Leone's hearing. As soon as that happened, Blake inserted a cartridge into her weapon. Leone couldn't hear it, so she had no idea. And then there was that afterimage that shocked her. I'm assuming it's because whatever she inserted into her is what caused it. It's interesting to see how their abilities can change depending on what Dust they're using."Meanwhile, Wendy focused on something else in the fight. That something was Yang's hair and eyes looked. She couldn't help but rememberwhat the Mine she knew said back she was partaking in her first mission. "I swear if I didn't know better, her eyes would turn red, and her hair would be on fire or something."While they enjoyed their brief victory, Blake and Yang knew this fight wasn't over yet. Yang noticed during this entire time; FT Leone hadn't moved since her attack. "Come on, Leone! I fought against your otherself once and I know it'll take more than that to beat you!" She heard no reply from the other girl. They were beginning to worry until they heard a loud sound coming from FT Leone's direction. A sound that made her and Blake curious. "What was that sound?"They heard that same sound again but this time it was going at a particular rhythm. Something Blake recognized. "It almost sounds like it's a heartbeat."The sound of the heartbeat became faster and sounded stronger with each passing second. Then the heartbeats were becoming quicker between intervals until it sounded like it was beating like mad with no rest in between. Then for one still moment, FT Leone's eyes opened with a bright blue in them, and lightning erupted from her body. Insert Bleach OST: Invasion The wind blew fiercely throughout the battlefield and through everyone. When the lightning passed, everyone saw FT Leone stand up while still hearing that impossibly fast heartbeat. They heard her growl deeply and saw that her skin and hair were changing color. Her hair and fur became white while her skin changed to a golden tone. Two large, curved horns grew out of her forehead. She took a deep breath and flexed as she let out a mighty, terrifying strong roar that echoed throughout the entire field. "Imperial Arms Magic! Take-Over: Lionel Beast Soul Combination! Mighty Savage Golden Lion!" End OST From that roar alone, the fear the "younger" Leone felt was overwhelming. She wasn't even on the field and yet her instinct told her to run as far away as possible from whatever her otherself had become. "W-What the hell did she do? What did she become?!""Take-Over." FT Chelsea explained."And what exactly is that?" Mine asked.FT Chelsea looked over in Mine's direction. "Take Over is a magic that allows the user to take over another being. One example is when I fought all of you guys as Lisanna using her Animal Soul: Cat Take Over. Animal Soul Take Over is just one of the other Take Over types. Others include Take Over: Beast Soul which allows you to take over any large, dangerous, powerful beast, and Take Over: Satan Soul which allows you to take over demons. And there's God Soul where which allows you to take over a God."Mine could scarcely believe that last part. "What kind of freaking magic is this?! Take over Gods?! Really?!""That's quite intriguing to hear," Ozpin said. "However, such magic must have a drawback to it.""You're right. The trick with Take Over magic is that you must know the target you're taking over. If it's too strong, the castor will be unable to control it and go berserk. Something that's already happened before." She couldn't help but think about what happened to Lisanna all that time ago when Elfman tried to take over that rampaging beast but lost control. "The kind of Take Over Leone is using is Beast Take Over. Hell, it was something she decided a long time ago because it fits perfectly with Lionel. In fact, she's the one who coined the term 'Imperial Arms Magic'. When it came to finding targets, she wouldn't settle for anything less than the best. Even if we had to...do an illegal S-Rank quest or two."There was only one fact that caught the "younger" Leone's attention. "Wait, so she's using this Take-Over while Lionel is active?""Yep. I think the Take-Over increases Lionel's strength by...ten-fold, I think? Maybe more. Fun fact about this Take Over is that we heard it was some guardian deity that went mad when lightning struck it and was destroying anything in sight or came up to it." The "younger" Leone's mouth went agape when she heard that description. She turned her attention back to the battle knowing fully well that Yang and Blake didn't have a chance in hell in winning this fight. Insert Legend Of Zelda: Breath of the Wild OST: Molduga Battle FT Leone slammed her claws into the ground and opened her mouth to form a fireball that grew quickly in size. She sent that fireball right at the Bumblebee duo plus two more after in quick succession. "Move, move, move, MOVE!" Both girls ran in the same direction and managed to avoid the attacks, FT Leone was just getting started.She stood up and put both of her arms above her head. Lightning crackled as it formed in the space between her hands. Mighty Savage Lightning Bomber!" She hurled her lightning sphere right at the duo and again, they ran for their lives to avoid it. Thankfully, they did but when the attack struck the ground where they previously stood, multiple bolts of lightning went in different directions everywhere. Both girls grabbed each other and fell to the ground to avoid the lightning.Yang glanced back at FT Leone. "She's seriously not playing around now. How are we supposed to fight something like that?"FT Leone let out another mighty roar before launching herself at the duo. They managed to stand up and began to run away, but their opponent was already behind them and punched the ground where a large, powerful explosion occurred. While the explosion didn't directly hurt them, they certainly felt the force behind it and were blown away by it.They stood up again and felt exhausted. They couldn't take another attack like that. They turned around to see FT Leone standing across from them and for some strange reason, she smiled. She hunched her back and crossed her arms in front. Her fur turned black with bone-like armor covering the top of her hands and extending all the way to her forearms. Three spines emerged from each of the arms of the armor and one extending out from her elbows. That same bone armor covered the lower half of her face. Leone's eyes turned bright orange with red markings going through her eyes and her hair turned black. "Take-Over: Lionel Beast Soul Combination!" She uncrossed her arms and leaned back while letting out a terrifying howl. "Alpha Black Wolf!"Her new appearance surprised Weiss and the others. "When did she have the time to take over a Grimm? She looks like an Alpha Beowolf!"FT Chelsea looked at the former heiress with a confused expression. "Alpha what now? No, this is a Take Over of an Alpha Black Wolf we went up against that was terrorizing several villages. We had to deal with fifty of its spawn before we could get to it. After that, Leone took care of it."FT Leone leaned forward, and multiple large, curved bone spikes shot out from all over her upper torso and arms. She launched herself right at the duo while spinning her whole body. "Crazy Frenzy!" Blake and Yang had no choice but to jump far away in opposite directions to avoid the attack. FT Leone stopped her attack and retracted all the bones in her body. She then spread her arms apart and aimed at the two girls. Multiple sharp bones then shot out from her forearms and headed straight at the duo. They avoided the next attack and managed to reconvene with one another. End OST Yang let out a frustrated growl at how this fight was going. "How are we supposed to fight against something like that?"Blake had to agree. "Fighting up close is near suicide and our usual tactics won't work. I'm not seeing a way we can win."Yang couldn't help but laugh. "Overcoming everything with brute strength alone. That's Leone for you."They saw FT Leone retract the bones into her body again and turned around to face them. Insert Akame Ga Kill OST: Gekisen The Bumblebee Duo prepared themselves for her next move but what they saw was her lean forward and slam her right claw into the ground. Then the ground began to shake violently before a giant, horrid dragon emerged from the ground behind her. It was a beast Mine, the "younger" Leone, Wave, and most of the Remnant Group recognized. "No way...""That's...""The TYRANT DRAGON!?"The Tyrant Dragon roared as it opened its mouth and ate FT Leone. When it did, a bright pillar of light shot up into the air. When the light faded, they saw her with a different appearance. To mostly everyone, they saw a familiar white-armored, humanoid version of the Tyrant Dragon. A headpiece that had two long protrusions coming out from the sides with wild long grey hair coming out from the bottom of the headpiece and two skirt tails coming from behind the waist. A star cross marking was located just above the breasts. "Imperial Arms Magic! Take-Over: Lionel Danger Beast Soul Combination! Tyrant Dragon!" She let out a loud, harrowing roar that echoed throughout the entire field. End OST The "younger" Leone somehow got over her shock and turned her attention to FT Akame and the others. "How? How does she have the Tyrant Dragon?!"FT Chelea just crossed her arms. "From what we heard; it happened back in Hargeon when Alverez invaded. Remember when we told you there was one guy with the enemy that could bring back people from the dead? Bulat and Sheele were among them. When she fought them, she managed to take the Tyrant Dragon from Bulat's Incursio since if he was alive, so was the dragon. So, she used her Take Over magic on it. She did say something about how it sucked, she couldn't use it on a Danger Beast back in our world. But lo and behold, she managed to do it."Even after hearing that, the logic behind it sounded insane to the "younger" Leone. "Okay, but what about the Tyrant Dragon trying to take over her? It happened to Tatsumi.""You don't have to worry about that." FT Akame answered. "She made the Tyrant Dragon succumb to her so there's no danger of it trying to take over her like it did to Tatsumi."And after hearing that, it sounded more unbelievable to the "younger" Leone and the rest of the group. Except for Mine. Of course. Leone would be crazy enough to do something like that. Still, it's impressive. It took an entire army to bring that thing down to make it into an Imperial Arms and she was able to do just that on her own. Plus, a Take Over of the Tyrant Dragon combined with Lionel? I hate to be the one to fight that and unfortunately, they're the ones who are."Speaking of the Bumblebee Duo, they were frozen in fear of seeing FT Leone's Tyrant Dragon Take Over with her star-shaped pupils staring at them intensely. It felt like if they moved one inch, it'd be over before they knew it. "Blake, got any ideas? Any tricks we can use?""Unfortunately, no."Yang couldn't help but laugh nervously. "Well, I guess there's only one thing to do now GO OUT GUNS BLAZ-" She stopped talking when FT Leone suddenly went past them and stood behind them with her right arm sticking out to the side with her index finger curved.All was quiet for several seconds. "Tyrant Dragon's Overload Slash: Light." Two flashes of sparkling light appeared just before two small explosions appeared from the two girls. Their bodies fell out from the smoke with their aura flickering and fell to the ground, both unconscious and damaged. FT Leone smiled as she undid her Take Over and smiled. "And that's game, set, match."Jaune looked at his scroll and saw that their aura gauges were nearly depleted. "And that's the end of the third battle. The winner is Leone!" B "Good fight you three. It was a lot of fun." FT Leone laughed heartily.After she brought over the unconscious Blake and Yang back to the group, Wendy used her healing magic. Around that time, Ruby woke up with Yang and Blake waking up not too long after that. They weren't as happy as the other girl and Yang sighed. "I was warned, and I knew you were going to be strong, but man, you're something else entirely."Ruby only whined in disappointment. "Man, I wanted to see that Beowolf form.""Oh, I can do that now. Check it." FT Leone transformed into her Alpha Black Wolf Take Over form and howled.Immediately Ruby had stars in her eyes. "Oh, that's so cool!"Weiss wasn't as impressed. It's surprising how similar she looks to an Alpha Beowolf. Thank goodness they don't have any of the abilities she demonstrated in the fight."Nora was also excited to see FT Leone's forms. "What else can you transform into?"FT Leone smiled as she was more than happy to show off her Take Overs. "I'm glad you asked! Here!" She transformed into her various Take Overs. Imperial Arms Magic! Lionel Beast Soul Combination! Spiky Silver Beast! Lion of the Full Moon! Radiant Sunne Lion! Aggrorian Beast!"It felt strange seeing her different Take Over forms in a more casual situation rather than in a fight. "So, what else can you transform into?" The younger Chelsea asked.FT Leone just reverted to her original form. "A lot more but if I try to show them all, we'll be here all day. In any case..." She turned her attention to Ruby, Yang, and Blake. "Time for you guys to explain your powers. Starting with you." She focused solely on Ruby.Ruby laughed as she had no problem explaining. "Right. My semblance is Petal Burst which makes me really fast.""And apparently leaving rose petals whenever you use it." FT Chelsea added.After hearing that explanation, FT Leone didn't seem like she was satisfied with the answer. "Hmm, I don't know. I somehow get the feeling there's more to it than you think." Ruby just seemed confused as she didn't know what the older girl meant by that. She turned her attention to Blake. "So, what about yours?"Blake just closed her eyes and sighed before opening them again. "My semblance is called Shadow. It creates a copy of myself to take the hit while I..." She slightly looked away as if she was ashamed. "Run away." She looked back at FT Leone. "Also, if I apply Dust, the shadow can take on its properties.""Like when one of them electrified me." FT Leone commented. She then smiled. "Actually, that's a pretty good power you have. I hate sneak attacks but I gotta admit you got me good with it. That and pretty much using my strengths against me. You should be proud of that power of yours. It reminds me a lot of Akame's Shadow Copy power and her Afterimage." Blake decided to take the compliment. FT Leone finally looked over in Yang's direction. "And so, what's yours?"Yang grinned at the question. "It's called Burn. The more you hit me, the stronger I get and the harder I hit back."The other blonde grinned at the description. "My kind of power. Speaking of, the way you look reminded me of what I heard to describe me one time. How it looked like my hair was on fire and my eyes were red. Kinda weird, huh?"Yang thought so as well. "Yeah, it is.""Well, in any case..." She, and then everyone else turned to Wendy, Esdeath, the "younger" Leone, and Wave. "I think it's about time we'd get to the main event. What do you say, Wendy? Ready to show everyone what you got?" Wendy didn't say anything as she looked at the "younger" Leone, Esdeath, and Wave and they did the same. After seeing three incredible fights, the final one was finally at hand. A/N: And this'll be the last update on the Vol or any story for that matter for a while due to the difficult and delicate situation I'm currently in. But don't worry, I'll still be working on the next chapter. Nothing can stop us fanfiction writers from working on our stories. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: Since the last chapter, I: had Covid for the second time, hernia surgery, finally moved out into a new apartment away from the lying Jackasshole, have been catching up on some anime new and old (have watched 413 at the time this is being posted), finished* Hades, finished Pumpkin Jack, finished Nights of Azure 1 and 2 (2 again and still a good game.), almost finished with Warriors All Stars, and recovering from a bronchitis infection. On the story side of things, put out two chapters of my Kingdom Hearts story, Light of Salvation. I was working on another one-shot story, but I felt like working on this. So yeah, that’s what’s been going on with me lately. Oh, and I should plug this in; if you want to see Wendy shoot a shotgun in ye old days of the wild west, check out Crimson Soldat’s Fairy Tail/Red Dead Redemption crossover story, Wild West Dragon. I’ve been helping him a bit with it. You’ll even see a familiar character in it. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill, RWBY, and/or Fairy Tail. They belong to their original owners. A New Beginning: Vol Special Part Nine Across Worlds Kill Ninety Two: Get Hit Hard, Hit Back Harder Everyone waited in silence as they saw Esdeath, Wave, and the "younger" Leone standing on the side of the worn-torn battlefield while Wendy was standing on the other side. Yang was one such feeling a little excited. "Alright, we finally got the last fight. I guess we'll see what the kid's got." "And it'll be a different experience," Taeko added. "Why do you say that?" Rienna asked. "Because of the three fights we've participated in and witnessed, FT Akame, FT Chelsea, and FT Leone we met all adapted to Wendy's world. Wendy herself is a native of that world. So, we'll be catching a glimpse of what her world is truly like." Among the group, there was one who was more curious than anxious. "What's wrong, Mine?" Mine glanced over at Cordelia who was looking at her with curiosity. "Is there something on your mind?" Mine looked back at Wendy. "There's something that's been bothering me that I can't figure out for the life of me. How is it that a kid like her was able to kill Esdeath? I get her aura is strong for a kid her age, but all we know about her is that she can use healing magic. So, how can someone with healing magic kill someone like Esdeath? I know there's something more to her than that." Rienna could understand Mine's plight about the young dragon slayer and looked in the younger girl's direction. "I'm sure we'll see soon enough. FT Akame, FT Leone, and FT Chelsea wouldn't have a lot of respect for her otherwise." It was a good point she brought up. She and everyone else will find out what made Wendy so special to her three otherworldly comrades. Weiss was wondering about something else. "So, our side has one point, and the other has two. Four matches total so it'll still be our loss even if our side does win." "Well, how about this?" Weiss turned to FT Chelsea. "If your side manages to win, we'll call it your win for the whole thing. After all, Wendy's pretty strong." "You sure keep her in high regard," Blake spoke. "It's only natural," FT Leone spoke next. "That girl's done a lot for us. Sometimes I think we don't deserve someone like her and yet she's changed our whole lives. That's something we'll always be grateful to her." Meanwhile, Wave, Esdeath, and the "younger" Leone looked at Wendy from across the distance. "So, what are your guys' impressions of the kid?" The "younger" Leone asked. Wave crossed his arms while looking at Wendy. "From what we know so far, she has a powerful aura and is strong enough to kill the General." "She also has healing magic," Esdeath added "But I don't see how healing magic can be used in a fight." "Well, she's gotta be something else. I don't think my other self and the others are the type to lie and build up hype for nothing on some things. Especially about some kid killing Esdeath. Anyway, just because she's a kid doesn't mean we hold back. Got it?" "Right." Wave and Esdeath replied in unison. Over to Wendy, she took a long look at each of her opponents. "Leone..." She remembered her first fight with FT Leone at the hideout. "Wave..." She recalled her fight against Wave back at the Path of Peace headquarters. "Esdeath..." She remembered all the moments she spent with Esdeath from her capture to their first fight, to her second capture, to their final fight, and finally their rematch. There was no doubt she was a figure that left a permanent mark in her life and continued to be one for the rest of it. That much she's accepted. At least this Esdeath was a much kinder one. She could say the same about the other two. "They're all opponents I've fought before and now I'm fighting them again. At least it's in friendlier terms." She had a determined look in her eyes. "I beat them once, Esdeath twice, and I can do it again. I won't back down." Jaune looked at the two opposing sides. "The final match between Esdeath, Leone, and Wave vs. Wendy is about to begin. Are both sides ready?" The "younger" Leone slammed her fist into her palm. "We're ready." "As am I," Wendy replied. Jaune nodded as he raised his scroll above him. "Then let the final match begin!" He tapped the air horn app and it blared. Insert Fairy Tail OST: Indomitable Wendy immediately went into a stance while spreading her left arm in front and her right arm back. "Elemental resistance rise, Deus Corona! Physical ability rise, Deus Eques!" She closed her eyes, and her body began to glow. "Ile Arms, Ile Armor, Ile Vernier! Enchant!" Her body glowed brighter. Her magic quickly caught Ozpin's attention. "Oh, my. She's an enchanter." "What's an enchanter?" Ruby asked. "Enchanters use a special kind of magic known as Enchantments. Even in my time, they were quite rare to see." "Okay, and what the hell are Enchantments?" Kurome asked next. "Think of Enchantments as something similar to your semblance, Miss Chariot. Except for strengthening one's self, they attach magic power and strengthen a certain parameter to a person or object. I've heard that even a stick that's been enchanted would have the power to surpass that of even the strongest forged weapon. What I find most incredible is her casting multiple enchantments. It's difficult to cast so many enchantments and yet she does it easily. Quite impressive for someone of her age." As soon as the "younger" saw Wendy close her eyes, she immediately jumped at the chance and launched herself at the younger girl. Yang was quite impressed at the sight. "I don't think I've ever seen Leone move that fast before." "Bad move, kid! You're not supposed to take your eyes off your opponent!" The "younger" Leone did feel a twinge of guilt fighting someone younger than her, but only slightly. "Sorry, Wendy but when it comes to a fight, I won't hold back even if you are a kid." Meanwhile, FT Leone couldn't help but feel a sense of Deja Vu seeing this scene. The "younger" Leone had already reached where the young dragon slayer was and pulled her right arm back. She threw the first punch at her opponent and made the first hit. Or at least she thought when her punch went through her and vanished. She and the others immediately knew what it was "She can use Akame's Afterimage technique?!" Before she could react, she felt a powerful punch striking her midsection. Powerful winds erupted from Wendy's attack "Sky Dragon's Iron Fist! And..." A funnel of wind erupted from her elbow. "Sky Dragon's Gusting Elbow!" Her second move added more power and blew the "younger" Leone away from her. The attack made her skip across the ground like a rock on water. FT Leone closed her eyes and nodded at what happened. "Yep, something like that happened to me too. Though, she got it rougher than I did." She passed Esdeath and Wave and stopped a little away from them while groaning in pain. They were shocked to see what'd happen. Cordelia and the others shared their reaction. "You guys heard that too, right? When she yelled out her attack name?" Mine narrowed her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, I sure did." She turned her attention to the FT group. "That kid yelled out 'Dragon'. At this point, we know all too well what that means. So, do you mind telling us who the hell is this kid?" FT Leone and FT Chelsea smiled at her. "She's the Fairy Tail member, Wendy Marvell and she is the Sky Dragon Slayer, the Sky Maiden." "Sky Dragon Slayer?!" Almost everyone yelled at the same time. "Yep," FT Chelsea spoke. "Sky Dragon Slayer magic works a bit differently than your usual Dragon Slayer Magic. While healing magic is the main forte, it's also capable of powerful support magic called Enchantments. That makes her an Enchanter as well. And since it's Dragon Slayer Magic, it's also very powerful. And one thing about dragon slayers is that they have heightened senses meaning they have better hearing and smell. Better than Leone’s even." Now Mine got her answer to the question that's been bugging her. "So, that's how a kid like her was able to take on Esdeath. Still, Dragon Slayer or not, there has to be more." "So, does she eat the ozone layer or something?" The younger Chelsea questioned. "She devours air." FT Akame answered. Wave took out his Imperial Arms and stabbed the ground. "Grand Chariot!" The Danger Beast that made up his armor appeared from behind out of the ground roaring. It vanished and Wave equipped his armor. "ESDEATH!' "Right!" Esdeath slammed her right hand on the ground. "Arktischer Rausch!" A line of large ice spikes erupted from the ground and headed right toward Wendy. The young dragon slayer jumped high into the air to avoid the attack but that left her open. An opportunity Wave immediately took. He launched himself right at her and quickly closed the distance between them. "You can't dodge in midair!" He threw a punch at Wendy and the attack hit. Right through her and she vanished, which surprised him. "Another Afterimage!?" "Sky Dragon Talon!" In the next second, he felt a powerful kick strike him at the top of his head. The blow sent him hurdling to the ground and crashing near Esdeath. Wave groaned as he stood up recovering from the attack. "Ow, that hurt. How did she manage to avoid my attac-" As he looked up, he gasped in shock at what he saw. The rest of the RWBY crew had a similar reaction to what they saw. They saw Wendy floating in the air with a very familiar pair of wings. "MASTEMA!?" Mine looked back at the FT crew. "How the hell does she have Mastema?!" "It was a gift from Run just before Wendy and us went to Earthland," FT Akame replied. "He mentioned about how a Sky Dragon should be able to soar through the skies." That was one question answered but another had to be asked. "Wait, since Wendy has an Imperial Arms, and Wave has one does that mean one of them will die?" The younger Chelsea asked. It was a good question and FT Leone provided a good answer. "I don't believe we have to worry about that. I spared with Wendy plenty of times while she was using Mastema and I was using Lionel. No deaths whatsoever." "We suspected if it's a fight to the death, yes the rule would apply but that doesn't seem the case when it comes to friendly sparing. And since this fight isn't a fight to the death either, I don't think we have to worry about either of them dying." FT Chelsea explained. Wendy spread her arms out. "With the wind gathered in my right hand…" The wind circled her right hand. "And the wind gathered in my left hand…" The wind circled her left hand. "When these winds merge together…" She combined the two winds above her and formed a massive sphere of wind. "Sky Dragon's Raging Storm!" She hurled the sphere right at Wave and Esdeath. They jumped back to avoid the attack but as it struck the ground, it exploded and powerful winds burst everywhere. Esdeath raised her right hand and created a wall of ice to block the winds. When the wind died out, the wall broke apart and she put both her arms in front. "Weiss Schenbal!" She summoned countless icicles right at the young dragon slayer. Wendy retaliated by putting her arms in front on top of each other with her index and middle fingers extending outwards. "Sky Dragon's Serrading Winds!" She sent countless blades of sharp winds at the icicles. The two attacks struck each other, and the wind blades slashed the icicles in half. The remainder of the attack was headed for Esdeath but she moved to the side to avoid it. While it wasn't surprising this Esdeath could use ice like her counterpart, the FT group quickly noticed something about it. "Is it just me or was I sensing aura in Esdeath's ice?" FT Chelsea wondered. “It’s a thing Esdeath does. She applies her aura to her ice attacks to make them a bit stronger.” Ruby explained. “Though, admittedly, that hasn’t worked out a lot in her past fights,” The younger Chelsea commented. Esdeath brought her right hand down. “Hagel Sprung!” A gigantic sphere of ice appeared above Wendy and began to fall on top of her. Wendy looked up to see the attack and in a strange move, she moved up toward it. Once near, she veered off and was now behind it. The wind circled her right leg. “Sky Dragon Talon!” She kicked the giant ice sphere and sent it right at Esdeath and Wave. They saw the attack coming right at them and Wave did think of destroying it, but he never got the chance to do so. Out of nowhere, he and Esdeath saw the “younger” Leone run past them and to the giant ice sphere. She stopped dead in her tracks and put both her arms in front to catch the attack. She managed to catch the ice sphere, but the momentum had pushed her back a bit with her boots digging into the ground and leaving a trail. She grunted and struggled a little but managed to stop. With a mighty grunt, she spun around while gripping the ice sphere tightly several times. “Here, kid! Have your present back!” She threw the sphere back right back at the young dragon slayer. “Esdeath, make a wall as big as you can!” “Uh, right!” She slammed both hands on the ground and created a giant ice wall behind Wendy. “Wave, you take left and I take right!” Wendy heard that and had to escape lest she get caught in a pincer attack. She flew up as her only choice of escape. She successfully did so as the ice sphere broke through the ice wall. As it did, she gasped once she saw who was above her. “Wave?!” She thought Wave would attack her from the side, not from above. Wave threw his right arm around and sent out a chain from his palm right at her. The chain managed to connect to her. Seeing such a thing surprised her. “What’s this chain?” Whatever it was, she knew she had to break away from the chain. “Deus Zero!” She cast a separation enchantment spell to cancel the chain, but it did nothing. Wave pulled the chain with Wendy along with it and fell right toward her. The young dragon slayer had no time to brace herself for the incoming attack. In a matter of seconds, his attack hit her dead center. “GRAND FALL!” The moment the attack hit, a small but loud boom occurred and canceled the chain. In the next second, his attack immediately launched her away from him and crashed through the giant ice sphere, shattering it into countless pieces and crashing into the ground. End OST After the attack, Wave landed on the ground. “Nice shot, Wave.” He turned to face the “younger Leone smiling at him with Esdeath behind her. “Thanks to you, we got our first hit on the kid.” “Thanks, but I still don’t know how to feel using Grand Fall on a kid.” Wave spoke with uncertainty as he put a hand behind his head. The plan you thought of was incredible, Leone!” Esdeath praised. Wave recalled a few seconds earlier when the “younger” Leone told him to attack from the left. But what she said was different from what she actually told him to do. “Wave, you take left and I take right!” As soon as she spoke those words, she gestured to him to go up and then made a fist and brought it down on her other hand but didn’t touch it. She then lowered herself and interlocked her fingers to give him a jump start. He understood the assignment and put one foot in her hands, and she launched him with everything she had. Once he and Wendy locked eyes, he had to close the distance between them and the only choice he had was to use his semblance. All in all, it was a good plan but now there was a problem. “Since I used my semblance, she now knows about it. I was hoping to save it for later.” The “younger” Leone didn’t see a problem with that. “It’ll be fine. This fight’s far from over. And besides,” She looked in Wendy’s direction. “We’re dealing with the kid who killed the Esdeath we knew. I know she’s far from done.” Speaking of the “younger” Leone’s plan, Carla thought highly of it. “She had Esdeath create a wall behind Wendy to seal off her escape and then blatantly yelled she and Wave would attack from both sides. The only way to escape was to fly up but instead found Wave above her and used that chance to issue a surprise attack. Quite a well thought-out-tactic. Clearly, she’s much cleverer than the Leone we know.” FT Leone did agree with her but then her words finally kicked in and she realized what she said. “Hey! I can be smart at times!” She heard FT Chelsea snicker and turned in her direction. “No offense, Leone, but you’re definitely a ‘punch first, ask questions never’ kind of person.” FT Leone refused to believe that. “That’s not true! Akame, back me up here!” She, unfortunately, didn’t hear a reply from her and looked away. That was not the answer she was hoping for. “You too!? Come on!” Now Mine couldn’t help but snicker. Meanwhile, Blake couldn’t help but smile as she remembered the plan the “younger” Leone came up with back in Menagerie. “So, is the kid going to be alright?” Yang asked. “She did take one hell of a kick from Wave.” That was something FT Leone could smile about. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about her. She’s taken worse hits.” She and everyone else looked in the direction where the young dragon slayer lay. Within the next second, everyone saw her hop back on the ground effortlessly. Mine was honestly impressed by that. “She got back up that easy after taking an attack like that? An attack like that would’ve killed a normal person.” “That goes to show you how crazy strong this enchantment magic is,” Kurome commented. “There’s one more thing you should know,” FT Leone continued. “When it comes to Fairy Tail, whenever we get hit hard, we hit back harder.” Wendy patted her stomach and sighed. “That last attack really hurt.” She focused her attention on Wave. “ This Wave is much stronger than the Wave I fought back at Path of Peace headquarters.” She then thought back to the chain he used and tried to get rid of it. “Deus Zero didn’t work on the chain. I guess that shows my magic doesn’t affect semblances. It must be something this Wave can do because I don’t remember the Wave I know doing this.” She sighed again and closed her eyes for a moment. “Okay, I think it’s time to take this to the next level.” She opened her eyes and took a deep breath. Insert Fairy Tail OST: Third Generation Dragon Slayer She let out a powerful yell as her hair immediately turned white except for the tips of her hair and that same white color covered her hands to her elbows. It also covered the sides of her eyes to her cheeks and the sides of her jaws. “CHANGE MODE: ICE SKY DRAGON!” Strong, cold, harsh winds erupted from her when she transformed and powerful pulses traveled through the ground and reverberated through the air. Everyone in the area could feel them. “The ground’s shaking! What’s going on!?” Jaune shouted. Those who could sense aura were immediately taken back when they sensed Wendy’s. “What the hell?! The strength of her aura skyrocketed like crazy!” Mine exclaimed. Next, they heard a bunch of panicked caws, chirps, and squawks coming from the forest behind the “younger” Leone and her group and saw countless birds fleeing from the trees and away from the area as fast as they could. “That can’t be good,” Qrow commented. Wendy took another deep breath. “ICE SKY DRAGON’S ROAR!” She unleashed a massively powerful breath attack of ice and wind right at the other group. Naturally, the “younger” Leone instantly thought of the most sensible thing to do in this situation. “HIT THE DECK!” She, Esdeath, and Wave moved out of the attack’s way. The attack missed them and instead struck the forest behind them. The attack decimated the trees that stood in its path and traveled to the base of the mountain that lay behind the forest. As the attack struck the base of the mountain, a huge explosion occurred, and the ground shook violently. At the same time, fierce winds blew out as a result. The winds traveled to where the rest of the group was, and most of them had to put their arms up to protect themselves from how strong the winds were. When the winds died down, everyone lowered their arms and were stunned by the sight they saw. “Did that kid just destroy an entire forest!?” Weiss exclaimed. “I think she blew up the base of the mountain too.” Yang pointed out. The “younger” Leone and co had similar thoughts when they saw the destruction Wendy’s attack left behind. “What the hell kind of kid is this!?” "With the wind gathered in my right hand...” The group turned around to see Wendy with her arms spread out and a large vortex of wind circling her right hand. “And ice gathered in my left hand,” A large vortex of ice circled her left hand. “You merge them together to form…" She combined the two together above her head to create a large sphere of ice and wind. "ICE SKY DRAGON'S RAGING STORM!" She threw the sphere across the ground as it headed toward the three. They almost had no time to react as the sphere reached them and exploded. The sphere expanded quickly as the ground shook violently once more while cold winds blew furiously. Everyone who was watching was in awe of the devastating power Wendy had displayed thus far. “Hey, remember when it took all of us and everything we had to stop Cinder and the White Fang from destroying Haven?” The younger Chelsea asked. “Yeah?” Ruby responded. “I think she could do that all on her own.” Qrow thought differently. “I think she’d destroy Haven on her own. Hell, I think she’d destroy all of Mistral.” Out of everyone, Ozpin was the most astonished by what he saw. "Such power and destruction.” The only time he’s seen magic this powerful was out on battlefields. There was one other detail he noticed about Wendy’s power. “And she can use two different kinds of magic at once and combine them. I’ve never seen such a phenomenon before.” “What exactly is this power Wendy’s using?” Blake asked. “Ice Sky Dragon Mode” FT Leone replied. Everyone turned in her direction. “It’s a power Wendy can use and as you can see, it’s powerful. She got this power when she first fought against Esdeath and ate her ice. She used that power to beat her.” Mine found that hard to believe. “She ate Esdeath’s ice? I thought you told us dragon slayers can only eat their own element?” “They do,” FT Chelsea responded. “But there have been some circumstances where they can eat other elements and that leads to the result you see now. Wendy’s not the only one who can do this sort of thing. Natsu can use something called Lightning Flame Dragon Mode and Gajeel can use Iron Shadow Dragon Mode.” “And Sting can use White Shadow Dragon Mode,” FT Akame added. The more they heard about what dragon slayers could do, the more insane they appeared to be. After hearing that, Taeko noticed a tiny detail in FT Leone’s explanation. “She said defeated Esdeath using this form, not killed. That leads me to believe she either killed Esdeath in her normal form or...” She didn’t have enough evidence to prove that latter idea to be true but she wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. The sphere vanished and the “younger” Leone and others were lying on the ground groaning. The pain was rampant throughout their bodies. “Ah, God. Is anyone else alive?” Wave groaned as he stood up. “I can still move.” “Me too.” Esdeath groaned in pain They were all shaken up by the immense power Wendy had displayed thus far. It was far beyond what the “younger” Leone and Esdeath had encountered thus far. Second for Wave since the first was him and Tatsumi fighting Emperor Makoto and his mutant Supreme Imperial Arms together. As they stood up, all three looked in Wendy’s direction. Only for them to see she wasn’t there. “Where the hell did she go!?” The “younger” Leone shouted. “ICE SKY DRAGON’S...” They all looked up to see Wendy in the air with ice and wind circling her forearm and arm. She was descending quickly right toward Wave. “No time.” He crossed his arms and braced for the incoming attack. Once Wendy was near, she threw her punch at Wave. “STRIKING SPEAR!” As soon as the attack struck, a giant spire of bluish-white light appeared and shot up into the sky. The “younger” Leone and Esdeath both screamed as they endured the winds caused by the attack. They heard Wave scream and were sent hurdling out of the spire. The “younger” Leone saw this and jumped in his path behind him to catch him. “Gotcha!” Her boots dug into the ground again while moving through it until they both stopped. “You okay? You’re still conscious, right?” Her reply was Wave groaning in pain. “I’ll be...fine. I just...need to recover for a second.” “Alright, I’ll set you down.” She set him on the ground. Seeing Wave like that was almost unbelievable to Kurome. “This is the same guy who went toe-to-toe against that Tatsumi guy and that one attack from Wendy was enough to hurt him that much? The power this kid has is insane.” The “younger” Leone looked over in Wendy’s direction and narrowed her eyes at her. She didn’t have a lot of options fighting her, so she went with the only option she had. She launched herself right at the young dragon slayer. “Esdeath, back me up!” “R-Right!” As the “younger” Leone charged at her, she began to serpentine so she wouldn’t be as obvious as she was the first time. “Attacking her head-on is stupid, but she’s a lot more dangerous with those attacks. Up close and personal is my only choice.” She managed to reach Wendy and threw the first punch with her right fist. However, even with that close-range attack, the younger girl moved her head to avoid the attack. That didn’t deter her and moved her body along with the momentum of her previous attack. She spun her body and delivered a kick with her left leg. However, Wendy ducked to avoid the attack and saw an opening for her next attack. She counterattacked by striking the “younger” Leone’s midsection with two fingers. With only two fingers, the older girl grunted loudly in pain as she was pushed back away from the young dragon slayer. The “younger”’ Leone held the side where Wendy struck her and felt the pain from her attack. Upon seeing it, Taeko narrowed her eyes. “That attack...it’s the same fighting style Chelsea used in her fight against Rienna.” Wendy was going to follow up with her previous attack when Esdeath started her attack. “Heilige Hölle!” She put her right hand in front and sent out countless hailstones at the young dragon slayer. Wendy saw them coming and moved her wings in front to block them all. Try as they might, no matter how many, none could penetrate them. That was fine for the “younger” Leone as she took this as an opportunity. While the younger girl was busy blocking Esdeath’s attack, her back was vulnerable. She quickly moved behind her and pulled back her right arm. “Gotcha!” She threw her fist forward and finally landed a hit. Or so she thought when her attack went through instead as she attacked another Afterimage instead. “Oh, come on-” She couldn’t finish her surprised thought as she was pelted by countless hailstones. Esdeath saw this and stopped her attack. “Leone! I’m so sorry!” The “younger” Leone rubbed her face after the last hailstone struck it. “It’s fine. It’s fin-” “ICE SKY DRAGON’S IRON FIST!” The “younger” Leone felt an immensely powerful attack from behind. It sent her hurdling right toward Esdeath. Both the “younger” Leone and the attack struck her, and another explosion occurred. “Esdeath!” Ruby cried out in worry. End OST The attack subsided and it showed the “younger” Leone and Esdeath lying on the ground. The blonde Faunus groaned as she opened her eyes to see the condition of her teammate. “Please tell me you’re okay.” Her response was a weak groan. It was good enough for her and she stood up. She panted heavily as her body was heavily damaged by Wendy’s last attack. All her focus was on the young dragon slayer as she took a few steps forward. “Damn it, this kid.” At that moment, she remembered every opponent she’d faced. Out of all of them, none of them came close to how powerful Wendy was. In reality, she was staring down at a young child but, in her mind, she was a small person up against a giant. That’s how she viewed the difference in their strength. She stopped walking. Insert Akame Ga Kill OST: Le Chant De Roma It was subtle, but her body was trembling. Ever since Wendy went into her Ice Sky Dragon Mode, her animal instincts screamed at her to run away, but she refused to listen to them. She only had one thought running through her mind. “I need to get stronger. If I don’t get stronger then...” In her mind, she was in an endless black void, and in front of her was Akame with her back facing her. She remembered how happy she was to see her again, only to learn she had joined the enemy’s side and then they fought. It was the most heartbreaking moment she’d experienced. It was followed by learning what her true intention was as explained by Taeko. “In order to deceive your enemy, you must deceive your allies. I must admit, Akame played her role very well. She certainly did have all of us fooled." Right now, Akame was dead center next to the greatest evil they’re facing; Salem. She’d be lying if part of her wasn’t worried about what’d happen if something went wrong. If it did, then there’d be nothing she could do about it. She knew Akame was doing this for their benefit, but she still wanted to save her because she was more important to her. If she wanted to get her back, she’d have to get through Salem and her followers first. To do that, she had to get stronger. “Stronger...” She clenched her hands tightly and gritted her teeth. “If I want to get Akame back, I...” She had brief flashes of her and Akame’s time together both while in Night Raid and after. I’ll do anything, give up anything...” She envisioned Akame finally looking back at her. “To get the kind of strength I need to do it!” As soon as she finished that thought, she felt a familiar, painful thumping within her chest. At the same time, it felt like her body was set on fire. She clutched her chest tightly while feeling the pain in her chest increasing with each heartbeat. She was heaving and panting more heavily than usual. This caught the attention of FT Leone and the rest of the Fairy Tail group. “What’s going on? Is she okay?” The heartbeats became faster until they became a constant rhythm with no rest in between. The “younger” Leone groaned in pain until her heart stopped and the pupils in her eyes became slits. In the next moment, she let out a powerful yell and a bright pillar of light erupted from her body. As the light appeared, it quickly took the shape of a giant lion. A lion FT Leone immediately recognized. “No way. That’s the Danger Beast used to make Lionel. What the hell is going on?!” The lion roared thunderously, and a golden pulse of light erupted from it. The light traveled throughout the battlefield. Almost everyone had to cover their ears from the roar. After the roar, the lion Danger Beast began to shrink and morph into a new shape. It took the form of a young girl who had golden fur. It covered the lower half of her body, her breasts, and her arms. It was undoubtedly the “younger” Leone, but this took the Fairy Tail group by surprise, including Wendy. “Is that...supposed to be Leone? What the hell happened?” FT Chelsea asked. “I don’t know,” FT Leone replied. “It’s like she became one with the lion Danger Beast.” “It happened again.” Everyone turned their attention to Blake who was in a state of disbelief. “Again? What do you mean?” FT Akame asked. Blake nodded at the question. “Yes, back at Haven when she was fighting against the Akame we know.” Everyone else heard about it, but it was something else entirely seeing it. FT Akame then remembered what the “younger” Leone said earlier. “After that is when things started to get weird. I remember my body felt like being on fire and from what everyone said, my appearance changed, and apparently, my arm grew back.” Seeing this phenomenon now, it made sense to FT Akame to what she was talking about from before. “So, that’s what she meant.” Seeing this transformation for the first time, Wave couldn’t help but notice something about the “younger” Leone’s transformation. “This form...it reminds me of when the Tyrant Dragon was trying to take over Tatsumi’s body.” “Wave, Esdeath,” Both of them heard her speak. “Can you still fight?” Wave groaned as he finally stood up. “I can.” Esdeath stood up as well. “S-So can I.” “Good. Let’s give this everything we got.” Wave took a quick look over in Wendy’s direction and sighed as he deactivated Grand Chariot. A move FT Leone thought was strange. “Why’d he take off his armor?” He stabbed the ground with his Imperial Arms once again and assumed his usual stance. “GRAND CHARIOT!” The dragon that created Grand Chariot appeared behind him as it roared. He donned the armor once more but this time, they saw he had a familiar set of wings. "IMPERIAL ARMS SIMULTANEOUS ACTIVATION!" Wendy and the other Fairy Tail members couldn’t believe what they were seeing. “Wave has Mastema too?!” “What in the hell?!” FT Chelsea shouted. “How can he use two Imperial Arms at once? I thought that was impossible!?” “I suppose if anyone could do it, it’d be Wave.” FT Akame had a feeling Wave would be the person to pull off such an impossible feat. As Esdeath saw this, she looked down at her hands and clenched them tightly. “Wave and Leone are going to give it their all and I should too.” She took a deep breath and concentrated. In the next second, the sky began to darken as storm clouds gathered. This left FT Chelsea rather confused. “Uh, were we expecting rain or something today? What’s with the clouds?” The wind was blowing harshly from Esdeath and multiple bolts of lightning struck the ground. She began to slightly levitate above the ground and opened her eyes to reveal fiery ice-blue flames coming out of them. Esren noted that. “So, you’re going to use your Maiden powers again, Esdeath?” The “younger” Leone in her strange new form, Wave using two Imperial Arms at once, and Esdeath using her Winter Maiden powers. All three are up against Wendy in her Ice Sky Dragon Mode. FT Leone couldn’t help but grin at the matchup. “Looks like the second round’s going to start and it’s going to be interesting.” A/N: Next chapter. Oh, ho, ho, ho, next chapter. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: And happy new year to all. This story is getting awfully close to quad digits which is something I never imagined would happen. Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill, RWBY, and/or Fairy Tail. They belong to their original owners. A New Beginning: Vol Special Part TenAcross Worlds Kill Ninety Three: K.o.DThe air on the battlefield was tense. On one side was Leone in her new form, Wave using two Imperial Arms at once, Esdeath using her Maiden powers, and on the other side, Wendy in her Ice Sky Dragon Mode. It was a sight to behold for everyone seeing it. Cordelia couldn’t help but laugh nervously. “Does anyone else feel a little overwhelmed seeing this?”Kurome had to agree with her teammate. “No kidding. The fight was already insane before this.”“A Maiden, a former soldier, and a former assassin up against someone who is a dragon slayer. They say truth is stranger than fiction.” Taeko stated. “It does sound ridiculous when you put it that way.” Weiss pointed out. “This whole fight has been ridiculous,” Mine spoke. “And from the looks of it, it’s going to be more insane.”Ozpin was watching the fight with great interest. “The power of a Maiden against the power of a dragon slayer. I wonder how it’ll fair?”Meanwhile, FT Leone couldn’t help but stare at her “younger” counterpart’s transformation. “It almost looks like a complete transformation from Lionel.” She looked down at her Imperial Arms. “I wonder if the same thing could happen to me?” Insert Akame Ga Kill OST: Gekkisen If anyone was wary of what was happening, it was Wendy. She may have fought all three before, but this was completely new. She had to be careful from here on out. Over to the “younger” Leone, she looked at her hand and opened and closed it a couple of times. Her mind was much clearer than it was last time. What she was feeling was strange. She felt...calm. She had no idea what this power was, Semblance or not. However, all that mattered to her was using it for a single goal; to bring Akame back. And the first person to fully test this new power was standing right before her. She focused her attention on the young dragon slayer. She slightly lowered her body before vanishing from everyone’s sight. This surprised Wendy at first until she looked down slightly to see the older blonde crouched right in front of her with her right arm pulled back.Time slowed down at that moment for Wendy to process what she saw before her. Her eyes widened and immediately moved back before the “younger” Leone delivered an uppercut that nearly missed her. When it did, the force behind the attack was explosive as a visible powerful blast shot into the air. That alone told Wendy she needed distance between her and her opponent. She moved away quickly, but the “younger” Leone easily followed. She once again appeared and pulled her right arm back again. She threw her punch down, but the young dragon slayer jumped over the attack and her. The attack struck the ground instead and created a massive crater with bits of earth flying in every direction. With Wendy mid-air, Esdeath saw a perfect opportunity to score their second hit. She raised her hand above her hand and then threw it down. Multiple lightning bolts struck from the sky and they all missed. She wasn’t ecstatic about the result. The attack surprised Wendy but didn’t deter her from counterattacking. She placed both arms in front of her just before the “younger” Leone turned around to face them. And then the young dragon slayer was yanked away from her into the air thanks to Wave using his semblance in time to fly into the air. When Wave was high enough, he turned around and aimed at Wendy. “GRAND FALL-”Wendy knew the attack was coming and thought of a quick plan and took in a deep breath. “ICE SKY DRAGON’S...”And Wave instantly regretted his decision. As strong as he is, it was doubtful he could endure the young dragon slayer’s breath attack. “Wave!” Esdeath saw what was about to happen and had to act fast. She swung both her arms diagonally and a powerful gust of wind blew Wave out of Wendy’s attack path.“ROAR!” Wendy unleashed her breath attack and it missed its target but he still felt the shock waves from it. She refocused on Wave and judged her situation. She glanced at her back. “As long as I have this chain, I’m bound to him. I can’t escape. So,” The wind and ice circled her right hand and flew straight at him. “I’ll just come to him instead!” Wave saw her coming in quickly. “I can only block one of her attacks one more time. I can’t waste that. So,” Once Wendy was close enough, she threw her right fist forward. “ICE SKY DRAGON’S IRON FIST!” At almost the same time, Wave moved his body to avoid the attack. Again, Wave felt the shock waves of the attack but that didn’t deter him. “I’ll just have to avoid her attacks until the time is right!” With her miss, the young dragon slayer left herself wide open. He immediately raised his knee to strike her. The attack did hit but something felt off. He then quickly found out Wendy blocked his attack with her left arm with ice and wind circling it. She pushed his knee away and turned her body to kick him with her left foot. Wave moved away to avoid the attack but the young dragon slayer quickly followed. He couldn’t allow her to use one of her attacks. He at least had one advantage over her. He charged at Wendy and threw a punch with his right fist at her. Wendy moved her body to avoid Wave’s attack but he followed with another punch with his left fist. The young dragon slayer avoided the second attack but the soldier raised his right knee for a third attack. Wendy countered by blocking the attack with her left knee. He threw another punch but the young dragon slayer blocked it with her wrist. Wave kept repeating his attacks and Wendy continued to block them. Soon, it was a barrage of attacks and blocks too fast for the naked eye to see. All that can be seen and heard are flashes and loud booms. From afar, the sight was incredible to the others. “Man, they’re fast. I can’t even keep track.” Jaune spoke. Rienna squinted her eyes to see the exchange better. “From what I can tell, Wave has the advantage in reach.”“How so?” Ren asked. “The height difference. As strong as Wendy is, she’s still a kid. Because of that, her reach is much shorter than Wave’s. There’s also their difference in weight. The heavier you are, the stronger your blows are.” Yang was very impressed by how much Rienna knew about all that. “Well, that’d apply in a normal fight but...”“Wendy is jacked up with all that enchantment magic. That pretty much makes up the differences between them.” Kurome closed her hands tightly. “It must be nice to have all those enhancements without any drawbacks.” While Esdeath and the “younger” Leone watched the fight from above, the blonde of the two thought of an idea. “Esdeath...” The other girl turned to her. The “younger” Leone didn’t say anything but gestured her head up toward the fight. Esdeath looked up and figured out what the “younger” Leone was asking her to do. It was a huge thing she was asking her to do. But she guessed it was better to learn now than later. She gulped out of nervousness and looked back at the “younger” Leone and nodded at her. She grabbed the other girl’s wrist and the wind circled them both. Esdeath used that wind to blast them high into the air to where Wave was fighting Wendy. The FT group was amazed to see such a thing. “Is Esdeath using wind?” FT Leone asked.“It did seem like she used lightning earlier.” FT Akame pointed out.“It’s weird seeing Esdeath use something other than ice.” FT Chelsea commented.Speaking of the lightning Akame mentioned, she noticed something off about it. “If any of those lightning strikes did hit Wendy, they would’ve had their second hit by now. Does she not know how to control her magic?”As they were going higher and higher, Esdeath felt nervous and anxious. She’d never flown before before, much less this high. They flew past Wave and Wendy. Luckily, the soldier saw them and immediately knew what to do next. He let up his next move and the young dragon slayer noticed it. She took advantage of it and punched him square in the jaw. Esdeath saw this and figured Wave being hit was the only way for him to gain distance from her without drawing any suspicion. Without hesitating, she threw the “younger” Leone right at the young dragon slayer. The blonde Faunus pulled her right arm back and flames enveloped her arm. Wendy sensed something dangerous was coming and turned around to see the “younger” Leone just above her. The “younger” Leone threw her fist forward and everyone on the ground saw a giant fireball appear in the sky. That fireball went straight down to the ground and crashed into it with a large dust cloud appearing. She looked to Wave as she began falling. “Wave! Hit her hard while she’s down and fast!” Wave heard her message as she saw her fall with Esdeath following. He then looked where Wendy had crashed. He aimed and rapidly fell with his right leg sticking out. “GRAND FALL FLÜGEL!” He fell straight into the dust cloud and a loud crash could be heard. Almost instantaneously, a larger column of dust erupted while the ground rumbled tremendously. Within the dust cloud, Wave immediately noticed his attack missed when he struck the ground. “Where did she go? She couldn’t have gotten far.” While he was searching for her, behind him, there were two brief flashes of light, and the dust surrounding the soldier was blown away. He turned around just for Wendy to strike him dead in the solar plexus. “ICE SKY DRAGON’S STRIKING SPEAR!” Wave screamed in pain as the attack sent him hurdling away from Wendy and tore through the ground while leaving a trail of dust behind. End OST He finally stopped and groaned in pain while lying on the ground and the chain he had connected to Wendy vanished. The sight was unbelievable to see for Kurome and the others. “He’s the first one to go down? Seriously?!”“He fought a guy wearing dragon armor the same as his and won and yet got his ass kicked by a thirteen-year-old. Yeah, that checks out.” The younger Chelsea commented. The “younger” Leone finally landed on the ground safely and she found it hard to believe Wave went down. “So, she brought down Wave, huh?”She then heard screaming from above and looked up to see Esdeath jetting down fast. “How do you control this thin-” And she crashed into the ground right nearby where the “younger” Leone was. Naturally, the transformed blonde was worried about her teammate. “Uh, are you alright, Esdeath?” Esdeath just groaned in pain as she removed herself from the ground. “Ow.” She shook her head and stood up. “What did I miss?”“Well, we lost Wave so it’s just the two of us now.” Esdeath felt a little saddened upon hearing that. “Oh, that’s too bad. But at least we have our second hit thanks to you.” Surprisingly, she saw the “younger” Leone close her eyes and shake her head. “No, I didn’t.” She opened her eyes to look at her. “Damn brat used her wings to block my attack in the nick of time. We’re still at one. There is a bright side, though.” She looked over in Wendy’s direction and saw she was panting heavily. “She’s getting worn out. I don’t think she can keep this up for much longer. We just need to keep the pressure on. You with me?”Esdeath nodded confidently. “Yeah.”“Then, start off!” Insert Fairy Tail OST: Setting Sun’s Great Melee Esdeath slammed both her hands on the ground. “Gletscherwelle!” Large waves of blue ice erupted from the ground one after another and it was headed Wendy’s way. The young dragon slayer saw the attack coming and jumped into the air to avoid it. She counterattacked by sending countless sharp feathers at her. Esdeath responded by pulling her arms up and a giant blue ice wall appeared before her. The ice wall caught the feathers. As long as she was airborne, she had an advantage over them. “Wait, airborne?” An idea came to her and raised her right hand before swinging it down. Once again, lightning struck down from the clouds except there were more than previously. As soon as the lightning crackled around her, Wendy realized something troubling. She had no choice but to land. It was a move everyone understood. “Wendy can’t be airborne because she has a higher chance of being struck by the lightning.” “Perfect.” Wendy had lost her only advantage and with her becoming exhausted, this was the ideal chance for a counterattack. The “younger” Leone wasted no time rushing headfirst to her. When near, she threw the first punch. The young dragon slayer avoided the first attack but the “younger” kept throwing one punch after another. After the last punch was avoided, she delivered a right kick but when that missed, she spun her body to deliver a left kick. Wendy jumped back to evade them and her opponent left herself wide open. She rebounded and rushed toward her and threw a right punch at the other girl.Which was something the “younger” Leone wanted her to do. She side-stepped out of the attack’s path and deflected the attack up with her right palm. Wendy had a moment of confusion when it happened. At the same time, she pulled back her left arm and fire enveloped it. She yelled as she delivered a powerful punch straight at the young dragon’s abdomen. As soon as the attack hit, a giant crater formed underneath them while a ring of fire burst outward. The attack launched Wendy away from her and skipped across the ground like a pebble across the water. FT Chelsea couldn’t help but wince. “Ooh, she’s going to feel that in the morning.” The “younger” Leone immediately chased after her. If she attacked her again while unable to defend, their side would get their third hit and would win. She already caught up with Wendy while she was in mid-air. She raised her right arm and was about to end it. Before she could deliver the final blow, she felt a slight electrical tingle in her hair and her eyes widened. She jumped back just in time to evade a lightning bolt that struck where she was previously a second ago. Unfortunately, that lightning bolt also missed Wendy and she kept traveling. She turned her attention to her teammate with a frustrated expression “Esdeath!”“I’m sorry! I can’t control these things!” She freaked out when another lightning bolt struck near her. FT Akame took another note of that. “ICE SKY DRAGON’S ROAR!” The “younger” Leone turned back around to see Wendy’s breath attack coming at her. “Crap! I let her gain distance!” Without thinking, she jumped into the air to evade the attack. Only for one of the lightning bolts to strike her and then drop to the ground. She propped herself off the ground while groaning. “Ow.” This was yet another leap before looking moments. “Leone, move back!” The “younger” Leone looked back to see Esdeath raise both arms in the air. She retreated to Esdeath’s side. As soon as she did, her teammate slammed both fists to the ground. The ground beneath rumbled and the earth surged forward. In seconds, the earth became a giant rock wave heading toward the young dragon slayer. The “younger” Leone was impressed the attack was that large. Wendy saw the attack coming. She couldn’t go into the air at risk of being struck by lightning, retreating wouldn’t work, and the attack was too large to evade by the side. So, there was only one way to deal with it. Wendy crossed her arms and the wind and ice swirled her body. She then rushed headfirst into the attack. She collided with the attack and grunted a little while going through the rocks and rubble. She managed to pass through the attack and emerged from the other side. Once she did, she saw Esdeath with her fists closed on top of one another. A fireball formed in front and it grew in size quickly. She then launched it right at the young dragon slayer. As it traveled, the fireball drastically increased in size further until it was monumental. “What, is she an avatar of the elements or something?” FT Chelsea commented now since she and the rest of the FT group seeing Esdeath’s attacks. With another giant attack coming at her, she already thought of a way to deal with it. She raised her hands above her and created a massive sphere of wind and ice. “ICE SKY DRAGON’S RAGING STORM!” She threw her attack right at the other attack. Her attack collided with Esdeath’s and for a moment, the two seemed at a stalemate until Wendy’s attack broke through it. Esdeath’s widened in shock as the attack neared them. The “younger” Leone considered taking her and avoiding the attack altogether. However,“MASTEMA, TRUMP CARD ACTIVATE!” Both girls saw Wave, who appeared out of nowhere, move in front of them with his wings glowing brightly. “DIVINE WINGS!” He used his wings to block the incoming attack. Even with his trump card, it was proving difficult to keep the attack at bay, let alone deflect it back. He grunted and strained to block the attack and it pushed him back a little. It took all of his strength to hold the attack back. If he relaxed for a moment, the attack would bowl them over. He felt himself buckling. Then he immediately felt support and looked back to see the “younger” Leone helping him hold back the attack with her hands on his shoulders. Esdeath helped by forming her blue ice around his feet to help support him further. With the extra support, all three yelled and Wave managed to reflect the attack at Wendy. As the young dragon saw her attack coming back, she pulled her right arm back as the wind circled her fist. She yelled as she punched her attack and stopped it in its tracks. The cold wind blew fiercely as she continued to yell. With one more powerful push, she punched her attack into the air. The attack kept going until it dissipated. She panted heavily and exited her Ice Sky Dragon Mode. End OST Throughout this entire fight, Mine had to admit she was impressed. “I have to say, I’m surprised she’s lasted this long. If it were anyone lesser, they’d long pass out from exhaustion. I can see why she was able to survive a version of our world.”Wave dropped to his knees when felt his strength finally leave him. The “younger” Leone smiled at him. “Great job sending the attack back, Wave. By the way, where did you come from anyway? I thought she knocked you out earlier?”Wave sighed. “She did but I managed to regain consciousness. But when I did, I found myself swept up in the ground.” Esdeath laughed awkwardly as she looked off to the side. “Anyway, I doubt I can move much now. Holding back that attack took a lot out of me. The best I can do now is limit her movement with my chain.”The “younger” Leone looked at Wendy and saw how exhausted she was. “I don’t know if you need to do that.” She took a couple of steps forward before stopping. “Hey, kid! How about you call it quits now? You look like you’re at your limit.” Sure, it’d be easy to get the third hit now and call it a victory, but there wouldn’t be any meaning behind it if their opponent was exhausted. It’d be much better if she forfeited the fight of her own volition. “So, what do you say? You want to throw in the towel and call it a day?”Wendy’s response wasn’t one the “younger” Leone expected; she smiled at her. “Leone, Wave, Esdeath, all of you have been giving it everything you have and I respect that. So, In return, I won’t hold anything back either.”Weiss had to do a double-take as soon as she and everyone else heard that. “I’m sorry, what?! So, she hasn’t gotten serious this entire time!?”FT Leone couldn’t help but smile. “Oh, I think I know what she’s going to do.”Wendy closed her hands and flexed her arms. “Second Origin, RELEASE!” Red magic lines appeared on her body. Insert Fairy Tail OST: Challenge Wendy yelled powerfully as a large column of wind surrounded her. That same wind blew relentlessly everywhere in the area. Almost everyone had to shield themselves with their arms from the wind. “You got to be kidding me! She still has this much power left in her?!” Mine shouted.“Uh, guys?! I think the wind’s acting kinda weird!” Jaune pointed out. Indeed, he was right. From what everyone could see, the column surrounding Wendy began to morph and change into something else. From the right side came a huge dragon arm and claw made of wind that dug itself deeply into the ground. Another appeared on the left and did the same. Giant dragon wings made of wind sprouted and hind legs. Finally, the head emerged and let out a draconic roar. It was obvious to everyone what they were seeing and had the same thought “THAT’S A DRAGON!” Esdeath felt a chill go down her spine when she saw the dragon looking at her in a very distinct way. “Is it just me or is that dragon looking at me very angrily?” She didn’t even know what she did to deserve the dragon’s ire. The dragon began to lose its form and became swirling wind once more with some segments separated from each other. In between the segments, everyone saw Wendy standing in the center with her appearance changed again. Unlike her Ice Sky Dragon Mode, her hair became pink and had feather-like white scales coming out of her back and smaller ones from her wrists and ankles. Cornelia and the rest were surprised to see such a sight. “She looks different again. What is that?”“Dragon Force.” FT Leone replied. “What’s that? It sounds like a band name.” Yang said. “You can say Dragon Force is a dragon slayer’s most powerful form. It’s where they gain the power of a dragon and the power to defeat one.”“She can kinda pass off as Mine’s kid sister with that hair color.” Chelsea joked. Wendy’s wings spread wide. “Mastema, Trump Card activate!” A bright light shined from the wings and blinded everyone in the area and shot up into the sky. Again, everyone had to cover their eyes to protect themselves from how bright the light was. “So bright!”“I can’t see a thing!” While shielding her eyes, something was bothering Taeko. “I don’t understand. Why would she activate Mastema’s Trump Card now? Unless...” Her eyes widened when she figured out what Wendy was doing.Meanwhile, from atop the highest point of Mistral, a familiar figure saw the beam of light and she couldn’t help but smile. “While it is true the only one who can challenge the King is the Queen, that only applies within their domain. If the King faces off against another King, defeat is all but certain. After all, the King may rule all beasts but...” The light began to fade and everyone could finally lower their arms. What they saw next was an incredible sight. Wendy had changed forms once again. Mastema's angelic wing-like appearance now looked that of a dragon's and her hair was pure white. Her hands and her arms were covered in white dragon scales up to her shoulders which looked like a slender dragon's claw and arm. The same-colored scales and features were also shown on her legs and feet. Both sides of her neck to her face had those same white dragon scales as well. Her wrists and her ankles had larger and longer wing-like scales coming out of them. When Wendy opened her eyes, they were revealed to be azure blue and draconic in appearance. “Is no match for the King of Dragons.”Wendy flexed again as she let out a mighty and powerful draconic roar that echoed through the air far and wide. “IMPERIAL ARMS MAGIC: DIVINE SKY DRAGON MODE!” End OST The white wind blew from Wendy and anyone who could sense aura felt how unbelievably strong it was. Even in her new form, the “younger” Leone trembled a little. “What the hell kind of aura am I sensing from this kid? Not only it feels stronger than before, but it doesn’t even feel human anymore. What the hell are we up against? The better question is, what the hell is this kid?” Insert Fairy Tail OST: Natsu vs Zeref Wendy took in a deep breath. “DIVINE SKY DRAGON’S ROAR!” She unleashed a colossal, all-powerful breath attack of white wind at the trio. The “younger” Leone immediately grabbed Wave and Esdeath’s wrist and moved to the right to avoid the attack. “HIT THE DECK AGAIN!” They managed to evade the attack and it continued until it struck a mountain. There was a brief flash of light before it was enveloped by a tremendous explosion followed by powerful winds blowing everywhere and the ground shaking violently. Even if the mountain was far away, everyone felt how powerful the aftereffects were. When the smoke cleared, everyone saw the mountain from before was now reduced to rubble. It was a sight that was almost too much to take in for them. “DID SHE JUST BLOW UP AN ENTIRE MOUNTAIN!?” Weiss shouted with disbelief in her voice. Upon seeing Wendy’s power firsthand, Wave was in awe. The last time he saw power like this was when he and Tatsumi fought against the Emperor in his Supreme Imperial Arms. He wasn’t in any shape to fight but he could restrict her movement. He placed his right hand in front and sent his chain right at her. “That’s not going to work.” FT Leone said in a sing-song voice.When the chain reached her, it immediately broke. “What?!” Wave was surprised to see such a thing happen.Ruby was just as confused. “Wave’s chain broke? But why? It worked on her earlier.” “That’s because, in this form, Wendy has divine protection.” FT Chelsea explained. “Any negative status ailment or otherwise won’t affect her. From what she told us, even a time-stopping technique Esdeath tried to use didn’t even work on her. It’s the ultimate defense.” “So, she has the power to destroy mountains and can pretty much defend herself from anything. This kid is too OP and broken, someone please nerf her.” The younger Chelsea half-joked. Since restricting her movement didn’t work, so they had to try something else. “Well, if all else fails,” The “younger” Leone yelled as her muscles bulked and fire enveloped her hands, legs, and hair. She slightly lowered her body before launching herself right at the young dragon slayer while leaving a small crater behind. Her speed was too fast for anyone to see. The next thing they knew, they heard a loud boom, and the ground behind Wendy was demolished. It took a second for everyone to register what they saw next and gasped. Even the “younger” Leone had a rattled expression of what had happened. “No...way...”In what seemed to be impossible, Wendy had caught the “younger” Leone’s right fist with her left hand. What’s more, is that she didn’t even budge when she stopped her attack. The young dragon slayer narrowed her eyes at the older girl. “My turn.” She briefly let go of the “younger” Leone’s hand and pulled back her right arm. The white wind circled her fist and struck the older girl in the solar plexus. “DIVINE SKY DRAGON’S MITHRIL FIST!” The resulting attack caused the ground beneath them to rumble and shatter. The effects spread further from them and even reached the other party. Most of them screamed when they felt the ground break apart beneath them. Wendy roared as she blasted the “younger” Leone away from her. She was sent back to Esdeath and Wave. Said soldier quickly stood in her path and caught her. However, he was knocked down to the ground when he did catch her. Esdeath looked at the two of them and they both groaned. It was astonishing to her to see the “younger” Leone be knocked back like that so easily. Especially in her new form. She looked back at Wendy and closed her fist.“WALZER DES ZORNS DES WINTERS!” Esdeath summoned a massive blizzard that covered the entire area. While everyone had to shield themselves from the blizzard, Wendy remained unaffected. She spread her arms and turned them counterclockwise. “BLAUER EISBOHRER!” the blizzard surrounding them turned inward and became a giant, blue spiral headed straight for Wendy. Wendy stood still as she spread her arms apart. “DRAGON SLAYER’S IMPERIAL ARTS” The white wind furiously circled her and blocked Esdeath’s attack. In fact, the wind absorbed Esdeath’s attack and became part of it. It became larger and larger until it completely overtook the new Maiden’s blizzard and expanded beyond that as well. FT Chelsea used gravity magic to keep everyone in place so they wouldn’t be blown by the wind. Wendy turned her arms counterclockwise. “SHATTERING LIGHT: DIVINE SKY DRILL!” The wind surrounding her turned inward and became a colossal attack. The last thing Esdeath, Wave, and the “younger” Leone were white and blue before the attack enveloped them completely. The attack continued, destroying everything in its path until it vanished. End OST When the wind finally subsided, FT Chelsea released her magic and everyone could move. Ruby and the rest opened their eyes and witnessed a terrifying sight. “No...way...”What they saw were several mountains gone. It was a staggering sight to take in for all of them. Two to three at most. The younger Chelsea couldn’t help but laugh nervously. “Someone’s going to have a rough time remapping that area.”For Ozpin, he couldn’t even find the words to describe what he’d witnessed. There was only one thing he did know. “Such power for one so young. And to think, she hasn’t even reached her full potential yet.”(“Full potential? You’re saying this isn’t the strongest she can be?”) Oscar asked. “Indeed. Even I can’t see the heights she’ll attain. However, I do know one thing; she will accomplish great things in the future.” Ruby finally snapped out of it as she remembered something important. “Esdeath!” She and everyone looked in the direction of where their friends were. She was relieved to see they were alright and standing. But, something seemed wrong. They all seemed...out of it. Esdeath let out a raspy groan. “She’s so...powerful. I can’t...compare...” She dropped to her knees and fell to the ground. Wave was in the same state. “She’s strong. So much stronger than....the Emperor’s Supreme Imperial...Arms...” He too fell to the ground and his Imperial Arms deactivated. Finally, the “younger” Leone chuckled a little as she stared at Wendy. “This kid...isn’t human. She’s far beyond that. She’s a freaking monster. No, she’s an unstoppable force of nature.” In her mind once more, the giant she saw before was no longer a giant, but a dragon that greatly towered over a small feline that called itself the King of Beasts. And that was the light sight she saw before everything went black. B The “younger” Leone groaned as she opened her eyes and saw a ceiling. “Hey, you woke up.” She then saw Yang’s face hovering over hers. “Yang...” She sat up on the bed she was on and saw both Yang and Blake were with her. She noticed she reverted to her original form. “What happened?”“You, Wave, and Esdeath passed out after you lost your fight. After it was over, we came back to the house.” Blake explained. “How do you feel?”The “younger” Leone rotated her shoulders and moved her neck. “As far as I feel, pretty good, surprisingly.”“That’s because Wendy used her healing magic on you and the others after the fight,” Blake informed. “That explains it.” The “younger” Leone closed her eyes and sighed. She couldn’t help but think back about her fight with Wendy. She was the definition of the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”. Out of all the opponents she’d faced, she was by far the most overwhelming. The difference between them was as wide as an ocean. She had no chance of beating someone like her. She opened her eyes. “So, what happened to everyone else? How long was I out?”“It’s a bit past sunset so it’s been a while since the fight ended. As for Wave and Esdeath, they’re either still asleep or they’ve woken up like you did.” Blake said. That was good enough for the “younger” Leone. “Okay, let’s see everyone. I’m sure they want to see me again.” Blake and Yang nodded and all three left the bedroom together. They arrived in the living room where they saw a most interesting sight. “Please, teach me how to use magic! I’m begging you!” They and everyone else in the room saw Esdeath on her hands and knees with her head on the floor in front of the FT group.Already the “younger” Leone was confused. “Uh, what’s going on here?”Her voice caught everyone’s attention. “Oh, Leone. You’re awake.” Cornelia spoke. “How’re feeling?”“I’m fine. What’s the deal with Esdeath?”“As soon as she woke up and met with everyone else, she immediately bowed and begged just as you saw,” Ren explained. FT Leone and her group were just as confused. “Uh, I’m kinda lost here. Why do you want us to teach you?”“It’s because Esdeath doesn’t know how to control her Maiden powers,” Ozpin spoke as he took over Oscar again. “As I’ve explained before, when a previous Maiden approaches death, their power is transferred to the next person they think of last. A new Maiden’s power awakens when they’re young. When they do, they’re trained to control that power. In Miss Partas’s case, she did awaken her power at a young age but it was suppressed due to trauma. Her power had only reawakened shortly before.”“Now it makes sense,” FT Akame spoke. “It did seem like she had trouble controlling her power during her fight against Wendy.” “I was...so impressed,” Esdeath said. “When I saw your fights, how you used your magic, I thought it was incredible. There was a part of me that wanted to do the things you did. If I could do those things, even if it was a few, it’d help me become stronger. It’d help me to protect those who I care about.” She raised her head to look at the FT group. “That’s what I want to use my Maiden powers for.”The FT group looked at each other for a bit before turning their attention to Esdeath. “Okay, sure. We’ll teach ya.” FT Leone answered.As soon as she heard those words, Esdeath smiled and immediately stood up to hug FT Leone. A hug where she shoved FT Leone into her chest.“THANK YOU, YOU, THANK YOU!” Esdeath didn’t seem to notice she was suffocating the other girl with her chest while she flailed her arms and had her screams muffled. Wendy couldn’t help but laugh and find it strange to see this scenario happen to someone else.“Hate to break the happy celebration short, but there’s still a problem,”. Everyone turned their attention to Qrow who drank out of his flask. Esdeath lessened her hold on FT Leone and she managed to remove her head from her chest while taking in a much-needed deep breath. “Okay, what problem are you talking about?” Kurome asked. Qrow finished drinking his flask. “I’m saying we don’t have the time for Esdeath to fully grasp to control her power. As Oz said, their powers awaken when they’re kids and they spend their whole lives training their power to control it. We don’t have that luxury. Salem’s not going to wait that long. We need to get to Atlas as soon as possible.” Qrow brought up a good point. Ruby and her group were in a hurry to stop Salem and they didn’t have all the time in the world for Esdeath to gain perfect control of her Maiden power. “How much time can you give us?” FT Chelsea asked. “One week,” Qrow answered. “That’s the most I can give you. After that, we need to prepare to leave for Atlas.”“And how do we get inside? Atlas’s borders are closed.” Yang pointed out. “I have an idea. Anyway, one week. That’s it.”One week wasn’t a lot of time but FT Leone shrugged at the suggestion. “Sure, a week is plenty enough time. We’ll have her back by then.”“But, if we’re going to train her, it’s gotta be far from here unless you want things to end up like the field we were just at.” FT Chelsea pointed out. Everyone agreed she brought up a good point. There was no way they were going to risk anything being destroyed with their magic. “Boy, the news is going to be fun to watch when people find out several mountains were destroyed.” The younger Chelsea thought.“I can help with that,” Ren spoke up. “It’s a little far but there’s an abandoned village you can use.” Ruby and the others knew exactly what village he was talking about; Kuroyuri where they fought a horde of Grimm and the Nuckelavee. “I can show the directions. With your power, I’m sure you’ll be there with no problem.”FT Leone clapped her hands together and smiled. “Deal! The question now is do you want to go now or early in the morning tomorrow?”“Right now!” Esdeath quickly answered. “Like Qrow said, we don’t have a lot of time. So, I want to use what time we’re given to improve myself. I’ll go get my toothbrush right now! Plus, some other things!” She wasted no time rushing out of the living room and into her bedroom.“Quite enthusiastic, isn’t she?” Carla spoke. “I’ll go get a map.” Ren walked away from the group. “Are you guys going to be alright surviving an abandoned village?” Weiss asked. She was mostly concerned about what they’d do about food and water.“Eh, we’ll be alright. My other half should’ve told you guys we survived six months in the wilderness after we fled Kyoroch. A week in an abandoned village is a major upgrade compared to that.” Weiss admitted she had a good point. “When you put it that way, yeah, that’s much easier.” The “younger” Leone agreed. “Pretty much.” Mine agreed too.Five minutes later, Esdeath was already packed, toothbrush and all. Standing behind her was the FT group. Ren had already given them a map of where Kuroyuri was located. Even if it was for a week, Esren couldn’t help but be a little worried he wouldn’t be seeing his daughter for that long. His daughter noticed his worried face and smiled at him. “I’ll be fine, father, so don’t you worry.” Esren’s face lightened and she smiled back. He focused on the FT group. “I’m leaving my daughter in your care. She means the world to me.”“You can trust us to watch over her. We’re not going to let anything happen to her.” FT Leone assured. Esdeath looked at Ruby next and smiled at her. “Ruby, the next time you see me, I’ll be a stronger person.”Ruby smiled back and nodded. “Do your best, Esdeath.”Esdeath looked at Weiss next. “Weiss...”“I know,” Weiss replied. She was well aware of their unspoken rule; no winning Ruby’s affection without the other party present. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair.Everyone else said their goodbyes to Esdeath. “Alright then, we should get going now. See you all in a week.” FT Chelsea said.Wendy smiled and waved at the other group. “Goodbye, everyone!” FT Chelsea snapped her fingers and they and Esdeath vanished. One week later Kurome growled as she flipped through the TV channels. She and the rest of Night Raid were in the living room while the others were at the training ground watching Wave and Ozpin training Ruby and Oscar. Esren was taking residence in a nearby hotel. A week passed by since the fights happened. With the mass destruction they caused (mostly done by the FT group), they expected it’d be reported by the news. But as the days rolled by and checking the channels every day, there was no mention of it. Not even a single post on social media or even a mention on a gossip blog. The whole thing was strange to the group. “ What the hell?! There’s no way something like mountains being destroyed near Mistral wouldn’t go unnoticed.”“It is kinda weird we haven’t heard anything about it,” Rienna said while eating some spicy cheese curls. “I believe Chelsea and I have an answer for that,” Taeko announced. Everyone turned their attention to them. “I had Chelsea use one of her semblances to take us to the field where we fought against Wendy and the others. It was almost hard to believe at first upon seeing it but the entire area had returned to its previous state, mountains and all.” “How the hell is that even possible?!” The “younger” Leone shouted. How could such a thing even happen? In a week no less? Something didn’t add up. “That’s what I want to know. No matter what, I keep coming to the same improbable conclusion; it had to be the work of a higher power.” Obviously, Kurome found that hard to believe. “A higher power? Really? Come on.” “I know Taeko and she isn’t the type to joke around. If she’s taking this seriously, she is.” The younger Chelsea said. The “younger” slightly lowered her head as she thought of something else. “Something improbable, huh?” She couldn’t help but remember when she found herself in Menagerie when she was in another place far away from it. She still didn’t know why something like that happened. “Just what the hell is going on? First, me showing up in Menagerie, and now this? I don’t understand.” Though Taeko won’t say it right now, she had one thought about this mystery. “It’s just a theory but I believe what happened at the plains and the mysterious woman the other Akame and her group met might be connected. Unlike Leone, the Akame we know, Wave, and Mine, they were purposefully sent here. As a matter of fact, the other group just so happens to know magic, and Esdeath needed to learn how to control her Maiden power. That can’t be a coincidence.” If a higher power was at work, they were making their moves well. The younger Chelsea clapped her hands to gain everyone’s attention. “Okay, that’s enough. Let’s focus on something else."Rienna thought of a topic they could discuss. It was something she wanted to talk about for quite some time to the rest of the group. “Do you think...they’ll join us? The other Leone and her group helping us to fight Salem? ”She brought up a good question. On the one hand, if they were to join, they’d have a much easier time fighting Salem and her forces. They certainly had the power to back it up. But that’s where the problem occurs. “Having them on our side would prove advantageous. However...”“They totally wreck everything!” The younger Chelsea added. Everyone then imagined Wendy’s group destroying a village accidentally and then getting in trouble. Something like that may be acceptable in their world but it’d be disastrous in theirs.“That’s true.” Kurome agreed. “They even said their guild is notorious for destroying public property when on a job. That brings all kinds of trouble we don’t want to attract. Not to mention all the legal trouble we could get into. I doubt even Taeko’s family could cover it up.” “There’s also the problem of them finding their way back to their world,” Taeko added. “As of now, we have no leads of sending them back. There’s also a risk they all could develop that magic disease, Wendy had when she was in their world since their magic works differently.”That was another good point. Still, Cornelia felt like it wouldn’t be too much of a problem. “I’m sure we’ll figure out a way. Like my papa always said, the solution just sometimes lies beyond the problem. You just gotta pick at it until you get it.” Cornelia’s saying aside, there really wasn’t a point worrying about it now. “I guess we’ll have to ask them about this whole situation and see what they think.” The younger Chelsea suggested.” “Hey, speaking of them, today’s the day Esdeath’s come back from her training. It’s been a week since she left.” That was something else everyone wondered about. How Esdeath’s training was going. A week was better than nothing to have better control of her Maiden powers. Ruby was the most worried out of the group followed by Weiss. One thing that was true with everyone was they hadn’t heard anything from her. Probably because she was out of range. “So, how about we get some dinner ready before she gets back-”As the younger Chelsea was about to finish her sentence, the FT group and Esdeath appeared in the center of the living room. Their sudden appearance freaked everyone else and some screamed. “And we’re back.” FT Chelsea announced. Their screams attracted the attention of Ruby and the others and hurried to the living room. They also saw the other group standing in the living room. “Oh, hey everyone. What’s up?”Wave laughed a little when he saw them. “You guys are back.”“Indeed, we are,” Carla spoke.Ruby focused on Esdeath and screamed once she saw her state. “Esdeath!” She and everyone else noticed Esdeath had sunken eyes and looked like she hadn’t slept for days. She had a dead look in her eyes. “What the hell you guys do to her?” Mine asked.“What? We only had a week to work with. So, to work with what we had, we really had to go hard on her.” FT Leone explained. “For the most part, she’s done very well to keep up with us.” Akame pointed out. “It doesn’t seem like it.” Mine thought. Whatever training regime they put Esdeath through, it must’ve been brutal. The young leader ran up to Esdeath. “Esdeath, are you okay?” She stopped in front of her.Her voice barely registered to Esdeath but as soon as she heard it, some life returned in her eyes. “Ruby?” Once she recognized her, she gasped and her eyes widened. “Ruby?” She immediately pulled the other girl in for a hug, face in chest in all. “Ruby, I missed you so much!” Ruby couldn’t respond due to her screams being muffled and her arms flailing about. Again, Wendy found it strange to see a sight like this happen to someone else.“Enough already! You’re suffocating the poor girl!” Carla shouted.Esdeath stopped hugging Ruby and separated from her. She saw that the other girl was almost unconscious. “Ah, Ruby! I’m so sorry!”Thankfully, Ruby recovered and gave that same smile Esdeath loved so much. “Welcome back, Esdeath.”Esdeath smiled back at her. She really couldn’t get enough of her. She was happy to see her once again. “I’m home.” A/N: And to answer a question no one asked, yes, Wendy is powerful enough to one-shot Salem’s Grimm Whale. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill, RWBY, and/or Fairy Tail. They belong to their original owners.A New Beginning: Vol Special Part ElevenAcross WorldsKill Ninety Four: A Day in MistralIn one of the busy streets of Mistral, Yang, Blake, and the "younger" Leone were walking down one of them. Following closely behind them was a cloaked person with a hood covering their head. They were all headed to one specific location. Once they arrived at the front door, Blake sent a text message on her scroll and they waited for a minute or two. Then the front door opened. "Blake!""Hi, Ilia." Blake smiled at her friend.Ilia ran up to the other Faunus girl they hugged each other. They separated and Ilia turned her attention to Yang "Uh, hi."Yang waved at her. "Hey, how's it going?" It was a bit awkward between them since the last time they met each other was when Yang and Blake were chasing after her in Menagerie.Ilia then turned to the "younger" Leone. "Hi, Leon-""ILIA!" The "younger" Leone immediately hugged the other Faunus girl and shoved her face into her chest. Her skin turned bright pink while her screams were muffled and her arms flailing.Yang laughed a little at the sight. "I think I'm starting to see a pattern here.""Leone..."The "younger" Leone noticed the stern tone in Blake's voice and let go of Ilia. She laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, I was happy to see her."Meanwhile, Ilia was gasping for air. When she took in enough, she let out a sigh of relief and returned to her normal skin color. "I thought I was going to die..." She really couldn't tell if going out that way was a good thing or a bad thing. She looked at the group again and noticed the hooded figure. "And who's that?" Whoever it was, they looked very out of place with the rest of the group. She couldn't help but feel a little suspicious about them.Luckily, Blake anticipated this. "It's okay, Ilia. She's with us.""And it was my idea she'd come with us in the first place. It's a surprise for Kali." The "younger" Leone assured.Well, if they were backing up this person, she must be good. Though, she was still suspicious about the hooded girl. "Okay then, if you say so. Follow me to the Chieftain's room." She turned around and walked back into the building with Blake's group following suit. Not surprisingly, other Faunus were giving weird looks at the group because of the hooded figure. They finally arrived at the room Ghira was currently in.Ilia knocked on the door a few times. "You can enter!" Another voice answered from the other side.Blake was the one to open the door and upon opening was Ghira writing documents on his desk and Kali attending him while Sienna sat on the couch looking over the documents he'd already signed. Both Kali and Ghira turned their attention to the door and smiled once they saw their daughter. "Blake! What a wonderful surprise!" Kali walked over to her daughter to hug her.Blake laughed as she hugged her mother back. "Hi, mom." She let go of her mother and went over to her father to hug him too. "Hi, dad."Ghira chuckled as he returned the hug. "Hello, Blake."Yang walked into the room next. "Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna! It's nice to see you again!""Oh, Yang! It's been quite a while, hasn't it?" Kali walked over to her to hug her."Kali, hey!" The "younger" Leone greeted as she entered the room next."Leone!" And Kali hugged her next.She broke the hug and the "younger" Leone looked over at Sienna. "Nice to see you too, Sienna.""It's good to see you too." Sienna noticed the hood figure that was with the group. "So, who's that?" Kali and Ghira also noticed the hooded figure.Yang and Blake looked at each other with uncertain expressions. "Well..." The "younger" Leone just snickered.The hooded figure smiled and grabbed the edges of the hood. With a simple flip back, her face was revealed and Ilia's, Sienna's Ghira's, and Kali's instantly widened with shock. FT Leone gave them all a bright and friendly smile. "Hiya, Kali! How're doing?"There was stunned silence for a few moments before Kali fainted. "Kali/Mom/Mrs. Belladonna!" Ghira, Sienna, and Ilia shouted out of concern.Blake closed her eyes and just sighed. She opened them and looked at the "younger" Leone. "I told you this was going to happen." B "Here you go, Kali.""Thank you, Sienna." Sienna had poured some tea into Kali's cup. The tea was supposed to help calm her down after seeing FT Leone. She, Ghira, and Sienna were sitting on the couch while Blake, Yang, the "younger" Leone, and FT Leone sat on the couch across from them. Ilia was standing behind Kali, Ghira, and Sienna. After Kali regained consciousness, Blake and Yang explained FT Leone was from a different world than the Leone they all know. Kali picked up the teacup, though it was shaking a bit. She was still trying to get over the shock. "So, you're a Leone from a different world than the one we know?""Yep, that's right."Blake closed her eyes and sighed. "When I decided we should visit you, Leone had the 'fun' idea of bringing her double along. I told her my mom would faint on the spot if she ever saw two of her. She said it'll be fine. Then her double agreed to it. Then Yang." She shot her girlfriend a disapproving look while the blonde looked away and laughed nervously.Kali took a quick sip from her cup. "I must say it is quite shocking to see two of you.""In any case, let me officially introduce you. These are my parents; My father, Ghira Belladonna who is the Chieftain of Menagerie and leader of the White Fang,""Hello.""And this is my mother, Kali Belladonna.""It's very nice to meet you." She was getting more used to seeing FT Leone."This is Ilia.""H-Hi." It was strange for you to see two Leones, one of them being human."And this is Sienna Khan.""It's nice to meet you.""Oh, so you're that Sienna woman I've heard about that went ass backward with the White Fang's goal." FT Leone sent her a disapproving look. And an imaginary arrow struck the top of Sienna's head. She was never going to live that down. Blake just sighed. She couldn't say FT Leone was wrong, though.Sienna shook the pain off and sighed in resignation. She can guess what FT Leone thought of how she handled the White Fang just as the Leone she knew did and Mine. "Yes, that's me. Can I say it's interesting to see what Leone looks like as a human? It's so strange.""The world she comes from is where most of my friends actually did survive." The "younger" Leone clarified.That was very interesting for the other group to hear since the Leone they knew had explained she'd lost most of her allies. "That's wonderful to hear. How did that happen?" Kali asked.FT Leone flashed the other group a bright smile. "Wendy, of course. We owe it everything to her.""Who's Wendy?" Ilia asked next curiously."Oh, Wendy's really awesome! But this is where it's a little...complicated. See, she comes from a different world from where I'm from, called Earthland."And Ilia was already confused. "Wait, you're from a different world than the Leone we know but this Wendy girl is from another different world?"FT Leone nodded at the question. "Yep. Pretty much. To make a long story short, after everything was settled and she found a way back home, me, Akame, and Chelsea went along and joined the guild she was with. But that goes into another long story.""A guild, huh?" Sienna spotted the guild mark FT Leone had. "That explains the unusual marking you have. I assume that's to tell others what guild you're affiliated with?""Yep, that's right. The guild we're with is called Fairy Tail."Sienna raised an eyebrow at the name "Fairy Tail?" The name sounded a bit childish to her."Yeah, we're pretty strong but notorious for causing huge amounts of property damage and getting into trouble." She laughed as she was proud of that. The other group didn't share the same sentiment. Suddenly, the name didn't seem so childish if they could cause such huge disturbances."Oh, another thing you should know about her is she's way stronger than me." The "younger" Leone pointed out. Now that came as a surprise for the other party to hear. Especially for Sienna and Ilia since she was a well-known terror within the White Fang. It's hard to believe there's someone stronger than her. "Hey, show them, Lionel.""Ooh, good idea." The other group saw FT Leone stand up. They saw her belt buckle glow and then saw her transform into her beast form. "What do you think?"Kali's first thought was shockingly similar FT Leone's new form looked similar to the form she saw the Leone she knew back at Haven. To Ghira and Sienna, she definitely looked closer to the Leone they knew. Ghira took a second look at the belt FT Leone was wearing. "I see. So, this belt buckle is what allows you to transform?""Yep. It's called Lionel.""I assume you also had this as well, Leone? Ah, I'm asking the Leone I know." Kali clarified."Yeah, I did until that fucking Prime Minister destroyed it and then shot me a couple of times in the stomach." That was something the "younger" Leone would not like to experience again. Speaking of which, Ghira and Sienna did recall her mentioning something like that happened to her when they were talking to her back in Menagerie."Show them what you can really do next." Yang encouraged.FT Leone grinned as she knew what the other blonde was referring to. "Right." She held her right hand in front and presented it to the other group. Ghira and the others didn't know what she was going to do. In the next second, they saw her arm transform into something different like a beast had.Naturally, they reacted normally. "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR ARM!?" Ilia shouted. Ghira, Kali, and Sienna shared their shocked reaction.This was a reaction Blake and the others expected them to have. "It's called Take-Over, a magic I can use.""Take-Over? Magic?" Sienna wondered while raising an eyebrow.FT Leone reverted her arm to its original form. "Yeah. You see, Wendy's world, Earthland, is a world of magic. Fairy Tail is a magic guild. Akame and Chelsea can use magic too and there's a lot of different kinds.""Think of magic something similar to the semblances we use here in Remnant," Blake explained. Her family didn't know what magic was so this was the best explanation for them to understand. The whole group decided not to mention to them that Esdeath could also use magic as one of the four Maidens. They didn't mention it before the last visit because it was unnecessary. That was something they would keep to themselves since they were not involved in fighting Salem. "They operate with different rules, though. There is a limit to how much magic they can use.""Yeah, and we fought them last week to see how strong they are," Yang added"You did?" The other party said at the same time."We thought it'd be a good experience. Yang, Ruby, and I fought against the Leone standing in front of you now.""And she was tough," Yang added.FT Leone undid her transformation and sat back down on the couch. "You three did put up a pretty good fight, though.""Yeah, but once she started using that Take-Over magic, there wasn't anything we could do."Again, the other group can only imagine how strong this version of Leone was. "And who did Leone, the one we know, fight against?" Kali asked.The "younger" Leone only chuckled as she slightly lowered her head. This was something the other group hadn't seen her like this before. "I...went up against Wendy. Wave and Esdeath too.""Wave?" Sienna felt like she'd heard that name before. Then she remembered that he met him before when Blake last visited them. "Oh, you mean the human in blue armor.""Yeah. We all fought against her...and lost." That was something the other group didn't expect to hear. Leone, losing? With how strong she is and given her reputation, it was hard to imagine such a thing happening. In that same regard, it would also be hard to believe someone like Wave would lose after fighting such a tremendous fight back at Haven. "Let's just say there's a massive gap between her and us." There was more to it than that but the "younger" Leone decided to keep that to herself. Still, whoever this Wendy was, she must've been a terrifying force even the "younger" Leone to feel this way."I have two questions for you," Sienna spoke. "If you and this Wendy are from another world, how did you arrive at our world and how will you return to yours?""By an old lady when she hired us for a job," FT Leone replied. She answered that in a way that just seemed like it was normal. "As for how to get back, beats me. We'll just figure it out when we cross that bridge. No use worrying about it now." It was unusual for the other party to see someone so nonchalant about their situation. Then again, she was right about one thing; it was useless to worry about their predicament when there's nothing to do about it. "Anyway, I think that's enough about me. How about we get to the topic we're here for."Ghira had thought as much ever since he saw his daughter. "I assumed the reason for your visit wasn't just to introduce us to your new friend. What is it you wanted to talk to us about?"Blake decided to get right to the point. "There are two reasons. The first is that we're leaving Mistral the day after tomorrow for Atlas."It wasn't all that surprising to hear they were leaving. They knew it would eventually happen sooner or later. Ilia couldn't help but feel a little saddened by this. Still, there was some concern. "Just how will you enter Atlas? Its borders are closed and they haven't opened up to anyone other than their military personnel." Ghira pointed out."Uncle Qrow said he has an idea on how to deal with that. He'll tell us about it tomorrow." Yang clarified.As long as they had a plan about entering Atlas. Whether it was good or even possible is what worried the other group. Then again, this was the same group who saved Haven and Blake and the "younger" Leone thwarted Adam's attempt to assassinate Ghira. Even if it is a little, they don't have to have any worries. "I see. And what is the second reason?"Yang and the "younger" Leone smiled. "It's to invite all of you to the party we're hosting later tonight. It's only exclusive for those who were involved with Haven. It starts at seven." Yang explained."Some of our friends are already getting the ingredients. Everything should be ready by the time everyone arrives." The "younger" Leone added.Ghira smiled at the prospect of a party. "That sounds wonderful. What do the rest of you think?" He asked Kali, Sienna, and Ilia."I think that's a wonderful idea. I'd love to go.""I don't mind. I could use some fun as a distraction.""I-I'll go. It sounds fun."It was unanimous then. "It seems we're all in agreement. You can expect us to attend to your party." That was enough for the other group to smile brightly.There was still one more question to ask. "Um, is she going to be at the party too?" Ilia pointed at FT Leone. "You did say this party was only for people who were involved with saving Haven.""She and her friends are a special exception." The "younger" Leone responded. "Plus, it's not like they have anywhere else to go, so why not? Plus, you'll get a better look at their magic. It's really amazing." The other group certainly looked forward to seeing their magic.Ghira slapped both of his legs with his hands as he smiled. "I believe this concludes our meeting. We'll see you at the party tonight.""Alright then. We should probably get going now. We have some shopping to do." The "younger" Leone and co began to stand up."I have one more question," The other group focused on Kali. "Leone, ah, the one who can do magic. Where did you obtain your scarf?"FT Leone tilted her head in confusion. "My scarf?" She held her scarf for a little before dropping it. "I got it a flea market for a cheap price. Nothing special.""O-Oh, I see." Kali seemed to deflate a little upon hearing the answer. "They really are different then." The "younger" Leone knew why she'd ask that question since her scarf was a memento from her mother. That didn't seem like the case with her counterpart.With everything said and done, Blake's group readied themselves to leave and FT Leone put the hood back on. Before they went, there was still one question the "younger" Leone wanted to ask. "Oh yeah, have you heard anything from Seryu and Syka? We haven't heard anything from them for a while. We'd like to tell them about the party and when we'll be leaving."Ghira just shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I haven't heard nor seen them. If I see either of them, I'll let them know."That was the best they could hope for. The group said their goodbyes to Ghira and the rest and made their way to pick up the ingredients for the upcoming party. While walking, Blake saw FT Leone was in thought and had her arms crossed. "Is something on your mind?""Yeah. I just feel like I heard the name Syka somewhere before. It's on the tip of my tongue." Try as she might, FT Leone just couldn't remember where she heard the name "Syka" before. This was going to bother her for quite a while.As soon as Blake and the others were out of sight, Ilia went back to her room and pulled out her scroll. She began texting a certain number. "Blake and the others were here. They said they were having a party tonight and are leaving the day after tomorrow for Atlas." She sent the message.A few seconds later, she received a reply. "Got it. Thanks for telling me. I'll let Seryu know." Another few seconds later she received another message. "Sorry, but we won't be making it to the party. Seryu's still not ready yet. So, we'll have our own little party instead. We'll see them soon."On the other receiving end, Syka looked over at Seryu who was lying on her bed. They were in another room in the building. "Are you sure you're ready for this, Seryu? We've spent two weeks preparing for this."Seryu just kept looking out the window. She was as if she was in a daze thinking about something else. "Yeah, I think I'm ready." Though she said that, she couldn't help but feel nervous for what was to come. B "Hey, Ren! How about this?!" Nora held up a dead octopus."No, Nora.""How about this?!" Nora held up a basket of open eggs with unborn chicks inside them."No, Nora.""How about this!? Whoo, it smells funky." She held up a durian, not bothered by the smell."No, Nora."While Nora was doing her usual antics, Mine wasn't sure what to make of the other girl. "This girl doesn't slow down, does she?"Jaune just chuckled. "That's just Nora. You get used to it.""It sounds like you have and him." She figured Ren had the patience of a saint to handle someone like her.The group was in one of the market streets in Mistral. They were in charge of procuring ingredients for the party later tonight. Kurome, Cornelia, and FT Akame went in another way while Wendy, Carla, Esdeath, Ruby, and Weiss went to the hotel where Esren is currently staying. Meanwhile, Rienna, Taeko, Wave, FT Chelsea, and the younger Chelsea stayed back at the house. As did Oscar and Qrow. The reason why is FT Chelsea said she had to do something for Rienna. What it was, she didn't say. All she could say was that it was important.Back to Mine and her group, she continued to see Nora keep suggesting outlandish ingredients that were not on their list. She let out a tired sigh. "At this rate, it'll be nighttime before we get the necessary ingredients. HEY!" Nora and Ren looked back at Mine. "Just pick one thing and that's it. We're burning daylight here!" That one thing ended up with several things and they walked away with dumplings, several packs of yakisoba and ramen noodles, broth, and vegetables.Nora seemed happy with their purchases. "Whoo! We're going to eat good tonight!"Mine sighed exhaustively. "How did it even end up this way?""It happens sometimes," Ren assured. "Now that we have ingredients, we should head back to the house.""I think we have enough money to buy one more thing." Jaune pointed out."If that's the case, I'll go ahead and buy it." Mine offered. She didn't want to run the risk of Nora choosing random things out of the market again. She went ahead from the rest of the group and scouted what stall to buy their final ingredient. Though she's spent a brief time in Mistral, she's quite enjoyed her stay. During the week Esdeath was away for her training, she went to tour the city since she had little time to do it before. Mostly it's been visiting cafes and clothing shops. A shame she couldn't buy any of the dresses but the food was good at least. Even if it's a tiny amount, she was glad to learn more about the world of Remnant. It's a different experience than learning about it from someone else and through the news."What to buy, what to buy?" She was having trouble deciding what ingredient to buy next while walking past the stalls."Why, hello there."And Mine immediately felt her mood sour once she heard an annoying voice talking to her. She looked ahead and saw a guy with messy blue hair with yellow goggles on his forehead. He flashed her smile but she wasn't interested in the least. "So, what's a cutie like you doing in a place like this? You new here? I can show you the good places Mistral has to offer."Mine just walked past him. "Get lost."The guy was a little speechless as his advances weren't returned. He turned around to catch up to her. "H-Hey, wait!" He ran past her and stood in front of her. "At least give me a chanc-"And he was immediately punched in the face and tumbled to the ground. He cried in pain while clutching his face. "Ah, you punched me in the face!" He then felt a foot pressing onto his chest and removed his hands to see Mine pointing one of her crossbows at him. "Whoa, whoa, hey! Let's not get hasty here!""Your face or your crotch. You have three seconds to decide. Three...""Hey, there's no need for this!""Two...""Isn't this going a little too far!?""One..." She began powering her crossbow."PLEASE DON'T!"Before Mine could pull the trigger, he was yanked from underneath Mine's foot. She looked in front to see two golden figures in front of her. One standing and one kneeling next to the guy who was hitting on her. Immediately she recognized them. "Wait, I've seen these before. They're different looking but...""H-Hey! I'm sorry about that!" She saw another guy running up to them. This one had short blonde hair and wore an open shirt revealing his abs. What caught her attention the most was the monkey tail he had. He picked up what she assumed was his friend. The two golden figures vanished. "Please forgive him. He sometimes doesn't know when to quit.""You got that right." He seemed to be a little more levelheaded than his friend."So, how about we just take our leave and-""Sun? Neptune?"Mine looked back when she heard Jaune's voice and saw him, Nora, and Ren approaching them. "Jaune?" Sun spoke."Nora and Ren too. What are you guys doing here?" Neptune asked. "Is this girl with you?"Mine looked back and forth between the two groups. "I take it you all know each other?" B The whole group decided to take their business elsewhere since Mine's actions did attract some attention. As of now, they were all at an outside cafe, recommended by Neptune. Sun and Neptune were happy to see Jaune and the others. "We haven't seen each other since the Vytal Festival. We didn't expect to see you guys here in Mistral.""It's good to see you two again," Ren spoke.Mine looked between the two groups. "You want to introduce me to these two idiots?"Sun and Neptune just laughed the insult off. "I'm Sun Wukong and he's...""Neptune Vasilias.""We're part of Team SSSN. I'm the leader. We met Jaune and the others when we participated in the Vytal Festival. We also know Ruby and her team. And can you tell us who you are and how you know these three?""Oh, she's Mine." Jaune introduced Mine for her.Neptune and Sun just stared at him and now Neptune felt embarrassed. "Oh, my bad, Jaune. I didn't mean to make a move on your girlfriend.""GIRLFRIEND?!" Mine and Jaune shouted at the same time. Meanwhile, Nora snickered."S-She's not my girlfriend!" Jaune defended.Neptune raised an eyebrow in confusion. "But you said she was yours, right?""Mine is her actual name." Ren clarified"Yeah, and she's friends with Leone and Akame," Nora added.Hearing that caught Neptune's interest. "Oh, you are? That's pretty cool. I guess that makes you an ex-assassin too?"Mine was surprised to hear that from him. "So, you already know that about them." At least it made things slightly easier between them."Yeah, hearing that the first time surprised us." Neptune should've taken his advice and not made an ex-assassin mad. "By the way..." He rubbed his face a little since he still felt some pain from her punch. "Did you have to punch me in the face?"Mine didn't feel sorry for what she did to him. "I knew right from the start you're the type of guy who wouldn't take no for an answer. I had to let you know more directly.""Okay, but was it necessary to threaten to shoot my face or my-""I was going to shoot next to your head anyway. Besides, I hate pushy guys like you." Mine gave Neptune a nasty, disapproving glare.Sun winced as he felt that for his friend. "Ooh, better luck next time, dude. Jaune, buddy, you definitely have your hands full with her."Now Mine glared at Sun. "I told you I'm not his girlfriend!"Sun wasn't convinced in the least. "Oh, yeah? That's not what your reaction is telling me. Did something happen between you two?"Mine and Jaune immediately recalled their fight with FT Chelsea and how Jaune saved her from one of her attacks. That save resulted in him being on top of her and their faces close to each other. They blushed at the same time. "NOTHING HAPPENED!""Yeah, except for her punching me," Jaune spoke in a tired voice."That and Jaune being on top of her," Nora added. She wasn't going to pass this opportunity up."NORA!" Mine and Jaune shouted at the same time.Neptune let out an impressed whistle. "Jaune, you dog. You move fast.""You're totally misunderstanding this!""Can we just change the subject already!?" This situation was becoming worse and worse by the second for Mine. She was very close to pointing her crossbow at them to force them to change the conversation.The Sea Monkey duo thought this was enough but they weren't wholeheartedly convinced something didn't happen between them. Otherwise, they wouldn't have these reactions in the first place. "Okay, okay. For starters, how long have you guys been in Mistral?""We've been here for a while now," Ren replied. "But we're leaving in a couple of days."The disappointment was visible on Sun and Neptune's faces. "Aw, that sucks. I wish we would've known you guys were here earlier. We could've shown you all the good sights Mistral has to offer. So, where are you guys heading?""We're going to Atlas," Nora replied."ATLAS?!" Sun and Neptune shouted at the same time. Mine wasn't sure if Nora divulging that info to them was a good idea."Why would you go there?""And aren't the borders closed?""We can't say," Ren informed. "All you need to know is that it's important. As for how we'll arrive, we have an idea."Sun wasn't satisfied with the answer, but he accepted it anyway. He did have a couple more questions to ask. "Okay, then maybe you can confirm something for me. You guys wouldn't happen to have been involved with whatever happened over at Haven, right?"Mine raised an eyebrow at the question. "What makes you say that?""Considering what happened back at Beacon and the same thing almost happened at Haven, the news mentioning a separate group that was involved, and you guys just so happen to be here can't be a coincidence."Mine was impressed by Sun's deduction."He's smarter than he looks."Denying it would only further prove his point. Jaune let out a resigned sigh. "What you say is true. We were involved with what happened in Haven. But that's all we can say." He and the rest of the group couldn't tell them that magic existed and that their true enemy was Salem. This wasn't their fight.Jaune's confession was enough to satisfy Sun's curiosity. "Fair enough. I guess the military would want you to keep what happened at Haven under wraps. Too bad, though. I wanted to know what caused that huge ice storm that surrounded Mistral. It was like a mega-powerful version of that one attack Esdeath used back in the Vytal Festival. That was definitely freaky.""And that weird golden wave," Neptune added."Seriously, what happened at Haven?""You don't want to know." Jaune, Ren, and Nora had the same thought."Well, there's a couple of things we do know," Neptune said. "We know Headmaster Lionheart died during the attack," Neptune and Sun seemed a little sad knowing that fact. That was another thing the other group couldn't tell them. About how Lionheart sold out all the Huntsmen and Huntresses and had them killed. Some things were better off left not knowing and unsaid. "And there were some maids, as weird as that is. Oh, and that Adam guy died and so did that one other maid.""I still can't believe Cinder and her pals are still out ther-" Sun stopped mid-sentence as something struck him. "That's why you guys are going to Atlas. They're going to pull the same stunt there too, right?""So, he figured that out too, huh?" Mine thought.Sun was half-right, though. Part of the reason was to get the Relic of Knowledge to Atlas to be better protected. Again, the other group couldn't say that to them. "You're right about that," Ren confirmed."But that's not the only reason, is it?" The other group looked slightly away as if to avoid the question. Sun took the hint. "Something else you can't tell us, right? I understand. Still..." He thought of something for a brief second. "Well, in any case, one last question to ask; what's with the food you guys are carrying?"Jaune and the others looked at the bags settled on the ground before looking back at the Sea Monkey duo. "They're...actually for a party we're having tonight. To celebrate our victory at Haven.""PARTY?!" Sun and Neptune immediately lit up as soon as they heard the word."Awesome! Can we come too?" Sun eagerly asked.Ren had to give them an apologetic smile. "Sorry, but this party is only for those who were involved in Haven."And Sun became a little disappointed. "Ah, that sucks. Now I wish we were there.""You really shouldn't." Jaune, Ren, and Nora thought at once.Neptune shared the feeling. "Yeah, just imagine it. Sun and me coming at the last minute to save the day. I can see it now...""I really want to punch these two in their faces." That was the only thing Mine imagined doing to them.While imagining their fantastic rescue, a thought occurred to Sun. He looked at Mine. "Since this party is only for those who were involved with what happened at Haven, does that mean you were involved too, Mine?" This was their first time meeting her. Jaune and the others they understand but they practically know nothing about her other than the fact she's friends with Leone and Akame.Mine can't say she saw this coming. Indeed, she hasn't been involved with whatever happened back at Haven but she was privy to the information. "I can't say I was involved but I do know what happened. Let's just say you two wouldn't make a difference if you did show up."The more Sun heard the other party say they couldn't disclose what happened at Haven, the more he was intrigued. The White Fang attacking, Cinder and her friends involved, that giant ice storm, that golden wave, Headmaster Lionheart dead, Adam Taurus dead, and maids of all things. He really did want to know. Perhaps one day. He wasn't going to get more information out of them. "Well, I guess that's it then. We'll be on our way." He and Neptune stood up from their chairs. "Hey, tell us when you guys are leaving so we can say goodbye. I have a feeling we won't be seeing each other for a while again. Oh, and tell Blake I said hi.""Same with Weiss," Neptune added."Oh, and the others too."Jaune smiled and nodded at them. "Will do."The Sea Monkey duo gave a final goodbye to Jaune and the others before leaving. Then they stopped as Sun turned around. "And make sure you invite us to the wedding, you two!"And an angry vein appeared on Mine's forehead and immediately stood up. "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE ALREADY BEFORE I SHOOT BOTH OF YOU!"Sun just laughed at the outburst and he and Neptune walked away. While walking, Sun pondered about what he heard. Specifically about how Beacon and Haven were connected since the White Fang and Cinder's friends targeted them both. Right now the White Fang was under Ghira's command so they wouldn't cause any more problems. The problem now was Cinder and her friends If anything, it felt like the White Fang were being used as pawns and Cinder herself didn't seem like she was the big brains behind the attack. No, something bigger was happening behind the scenes, and Jaune and the others knew something about it. Perhaps that's part of the reason why they couldn't say much about what happened at Haven. What worried him the most was Vacuo. If the pattern's the same, Shade Academy will be eventually targeted. He may not have the full picture but that wasn't going to stop him from helping in any way he could.He smiled as he thought of a plan. "Neptune. What do you say about taking a little trip?"Neptune couldn't help but have a bad feeling about Sun's question. "Uh, what kind of trip?"Sun grinned at the question. "You, me, Scarlet, and Sage travel to Vacuo.""Wait, what?! Why?""Because I have the feeling the others may need all the help they can get. What do you say?"Neptune couldn't help but sigh. "It's not like I can say no. You'll drag us along anyway.""Darn right. So, let's go tell the others and pack up. We'll leave as soon as we see Blake and the rest off." Sun pumped his fist into the air. "Watch out, Vacuo! Team SSSN is heading your way!" Neptune enjoyed seeing Sun's enthusiasm. Plus, if there's one thing he's looking forward to on this trip, it's that he won't see any bodies of water for miles. B FT Akame, Kurome, and Cornelia were walking in one of the streets with groceries in hand. Kurome was especially happy to have them and was humming a little song. " Food, food, yay. Yummy delicious food. Ready for my tummy. " No matter the world, FT Akame guessed Kurome would always love food."Hey, it's the squid girl!" The group stopped when they heard a voice calling out to them. They looked in the direction they heard it from and FT Akame recognized him. "You remember me, right? Uncle Jamo?!"Cornelia blinked a few times out of confusion. "Do you know him, Akame?""I do." Since he called out to her, it'd be rude to ignore him. Plus, he wasn't the person she once knew. The way she looked him at made Cornelia a little curious.FT Akame walked over to him with Cornelia and Kurome. They stopped in front of his stall and he gave his usual bright, cheery smile. "It's great to see you again, miss. And I see you brought some friends too. Now that I think about it..." He took a closer look at them. "Ah, you're the girls from the Vytal Festival. Me and my family saw your fights. Boy, were they a spectacle to watch. How about I give you girls two grilled squid each on the house?""DEAL!" Kurome quickly replied with stars in her eyes."Uh, sure. Thank you very much." Cornelia meekly replied. She thought it'd be rude to refuse such a generous offer. FT Akame just nodded quietly.A few seconds later, Jamo handed them two grilled squid each. Them holding some groceries didn't escape his gaze either. "I see you three are carrying a lot of groceries. Got a big party planned?""Yeah, it's tonight," Kurome replied.Hearing that gave Jamo a great idea. "Is that so? It's not a party without squid! Tell you what, I'll sell you two dozen squid for ya half price. How does that sound? You won't find better squid anywhere in Mistral.""DEAL!" Kurome excitedly replied again."Kurome, can you not think with your stomach?" However, Cornelia thought the offer was too good to pass up. They already had bought what they needed but there was no harm in buying something extra. "We'll take up your offer, sir."Jamo laughed happily. "Wonderful! I hope your party will go well. Thank you!"After making the purchase, the trio made their way. While walking, Cornelia glanced at FT Akame again who had that same look on her face she recognized before. "Hey, Akame..." The other girl looked at her. "Are you okay?"FT Akame looked at the street. "I'm fine."Even if it's a different Akame, that was a typical response for her. Cornelia knew there was more. "I'll ask you this question again; did you know him? You may be a different Akame but I know that look you have when you see someone you know."FT Akame should've guessed this as inevitable since she knew this other Akame for a long time. She figured there really was no harm in telling her. "You're correct. I do know him.""Where from?" Kurome asked. She wanted to know as well.FT Akame stopped and the other two did so as well. "It's a long story. We may need to find a place to sit." B The trio found themselves sitting on a bench next to a dango shop. FT Akame told him about Jamo, the group he was from, and the mission she and the Elite Seven did. It was quite the tale for the other two girls to hear. "So, let me get this straight," Kurome spoke. "You and your old team went to this Grave Keeper crypt place to take their treasure and valuables because you were told they refused to pay tribute to the Empire. Knowing how your world works, that was probably a bullshit lie.""And the powers these Grave Keepers have, having their bodies turn into animals, it sounds so much like what Leone could do," Cornelia added.Kurome shuddered a little when she recalled one specific detail FT Akame told them. "And that old guy wanting me to be his wife? Major creep alert.""Yeah, and...losing two more people you cared about." Cornelia was referring to two of Akame's former teammates; Guy and Najasho. This wasn't the first time she heard Akame losing friends but that didn't make it easier for her.Kurome had one more additional thought about what she heard. "I think this happened before Akame met that Merraid woman. So, what happened when they met?""So, the Akame you two know. She never told you this before?"Cornelia shook her head. "No. All we know about her is that she was with Night Raid and her previous team. She's never told us about what missions she's been on." That wasn't a surprise to FT Akame. If she and the other Akame were the same, she could guess why she didn't tell them. "Did you ever tell Leone or anyone else about your past?" She was curious since this was a different Akame. Now that she thought about it, there was still so much they didn't know about the Akame she knew. Not even the Leone she knew, knew much about Akame's past life. It saddened her a little."I did," Akame replied which surprised Cornelia. "I told...Leone everything about. I had to since we had to fight against my past.""Your past?" Kurome didn't know what FT Akame meant by that."At one point in fighting Alverez, I was with Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Happy, who's an Exceed like Carla, and Juvia. We were all separated by a spell that also reshaped the entire continent of Ishgar.""HOW THE HELL DOES THAT WORK!?" Kurome had no idea there was a kind of magic that strong to do that kind of thing. She can't even imagine how Remnant would look like if everything was mixed up."Kurome, let her finish.""We were on our way to the guild," FT Akame continued. "We found it but the Alverez army was standing in our way. So, we did the only thing we could do; we took them head-on.""Uh, just to be clear, how big was the army?" Cornelia asked."I think it was one million.""ONE MILLION!?" Both Akame and Kurome shouted at the same time. Any normal person would think that was so insane, that it was suicidal. Yet five people and a flying, talking cat took on an army of one million? What surprised them the most was FT Akame of all people doing it.Not that FT Akame blamed them for having that reaction in the first place. Alverez's forces dwarfed the Empire she knew. "If you can believe it, that was the easy part. While fighting them, we encountered enemies I never expected to see." She slightly lowered her head. "My old team." Cornelia went silent as soon as she heard that. "It was the work of one of the Spriggan Twelve. The one who can bring back the dead of those who made an impact on their lives. I wanted Natsu and the others to continue and I fight them.""But why?" Kurome asked. "You would've had an easier time fighting them if they fought alongside you.""I had to. This was my past to face. However, I ended up fighting more people from my past. Zanku, Ibara, the leader of the Grave Keepers, Taeko, Gin, Natala, Gilberda, Cassandra, and Merraid." There were some names Kurome and Cornelia recognized but there were a few they never heard of before. "Even I knew I couldn't fight all of them at once. That's when Leone and Chelsea arrived. And that's when I also learned Chelsea was once part of the Oarburgh Clan. It was...a little awkward between us." Kurome could only imagine so. "We each took them in a separate group. I ended up fighting the Grave Keeper leader, Zanku, Ibara, Gozuki, and Merraid. In the end, I managed to win but it wasn't easy. Chelsea and Leone won their fights too. After that, Leone said she wanted to know everything about me and she'd tell everything about me.""And because of that, you two are closer, huh?" Cornelia realized something important when FT Akame explained everything to them. "Just why? Why do you always have to keep your past to yourself? That's something I can't understand. Both you and the Akame I know."FT Akame had a pretty good guess as to why. "If she's anything like me, it's probably because we believe the past should stay in the past. In our line of work, there's no use in thinking about 'what if' situations. We accept it and we move on. But that doesn't mean we don't feel sad when someone we care about has died. We all mourned your death, Cora. We mourned Guy's death. I mourned every death of someone close to me. I was once told I wear my heart on my sleeve and that can be used as a weakness. Though it may look like I'm stoic, it always tears me up inside and it takes everything I have not to lose it. She most likely has those same thoughts as I do."After hearing all of that, Cornelia sighed and decided on something. "Akame, can you look at me for a moment."FT Akame did just that. As soon as she did, Cornelia gave her a quick flick to the forehead. "Ow!" She winced at the pain and put her hand on her forehead. "What was that for?"Cornelia glared at the other girl. "Because what is it with you always thinking this way!? To me, it just sounds like you're always keeping this pain inside of you, and every time something bad happens, it just builds and builds and you're just supposed to grin and bear it like it's nothing!? I hate knowing that you're suffering!" Deep down, Cornelia knew this was something she wanted to say to the Akame she knew. Even if she did horrible things, and thinks that she doesn't deserve redemption, she is still a kind and just girl. The fact she just holds this all in just sounded insane and nonsensical to her. Tears were forming in the corners of her eyes."I really, really hate it."After seeing that display of emotion, FT Akame couldn't help but smile. "It's good to know you're still the same, Cora. I think the next time you see the Akame you know, you should tell her that."Cornelia sniffed as she wiped the tears away from her eyes. "Right. I guess that was just bottled up inside me. I know you already explained everything. Me telling you all that kinda feels redundant now, huh?"Akame shook her head. "No, I think that's something I did need to hear. It sounds something like me. I believe Leone would agree with you too." Cornelia was happy to hear that. The next time she sees the Akame she knows, she'll give her an earful."Hey, Cora?" Both girls looked over at Kurome. They saw her point at a place on the far side of the street. "Think you can get me something good from over there?"Already Cornelia couldn't believe her teammate's request. "Really? Why don't you go yourself?""I think you should do it, Cora." FT Akame suggested.Cornelia looked back at her flabbergasted. "Really, Akame?!""Welp, it's two against one, Cora. You're outnumbered."Cornelia sighed in defeat and stood up. She sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'll go get something. I'll be back." She walked away from the other two girls.FT Akame looked at Kurome. "You sent her away on purpose, didn't you?""And you figured it out quick.""Because I knew you wanted to talk to me. I guess you were feeling a little left out."FT Akame wasn't too far off the mark. "That and I wanted to ask you a question.""And what question would that be?"Kurome just sighed. This was a question she wanted to ask for a long time. Akame was the closest one to ask but she wasn't here. So, this Akame was the next best choice. "What did you feel when you found out you were just being used?" This was a question that weighed heavily on Kurome's mind ever since she found out that Huntsmen and Huntresses were soldiers used to fight against Salem. One thought kept repeating in her mind. "Does Najenda only see me as a tool?" She was the one who adopted her from the foster system and trained her. But that's what's been bothering her. Did Najenda really see her as a daughter or was she just a tool to be used by her? She hated thinking she was viewed as nothing more than a tool. A puppet being told what to do by its master.FT Akame had to think about the question for a minute. Then she found her answer. "I felt...angry. For my entire life, I was told what I was doing was for the benefit of the Empire. I..." She had to hold her tongue on the next part. It involved Merraid and Kurome stated she wanted to hear that part of her story from that Akame. "One of the contributing factors to me doubting everything is when my old team visited this village. It was nice and peaceful. I even played with some of the kids there. But then I saw it burn to the ground. I watched in horror as I knew those kids I played with before were burning to death. They were innocent. They hadn't done anything to deserve such a fate. Not long after that, I secretly met up with Najenda and the world she wants, what the Revolutionary Army wants is the world I want. What drove the final nail was Kurome."She clasped her hands together tightly and lowered her head. "When I found out what they were doing to her, I was infuriated. Kurome was the only family I had and I had to save her. If I could, I didn't want to fight my old team. In fact, I wanted them to join me. But..." That moment was still a bitter one for her. "I had to fight Gozuki, the man who was our father figure for our entire lives. I killed him with Murasame but in his dying words, he said he viewed us as his children. But even after that, I failed to bring Kurome with me." She looked at Kurome again. "Does that answer your question?"There was a lot to unpack. Kurome couldn't imagine the waves of feelings Akame felt when she finally knew the truth. Yet even still when she and her team were being used, the Gozuki she knew still saw them as his children. Which was shocking considering mostly everyone in the Empire was a piece of shit. If something like that could happen then maybe there was a sliver of hope that Najenda was the same. Then again, the only way she'll ever truly know is if she asks herself. For now, this was good. "Yeah, that's good enough. I have to agree with Cora, though. You really need to share this stuff. At least the Akame we know."At this point, FT Akame would have to agree. She'd very much like to meet her and exchange stories with one another. Since it was just her and Kurome alone, she had an idea. Without warning, she scooted over next to Kurome. She wrapped her arm with Kurome's and rested her head on the other girl's shoulder. She smiled contentedly while Kurome was taken quite aback by this. "What are you doing?" Other version of her sister or not, she wasn't used to this sudden closeness."Just let me have this." FT Akame tightened her arm around Kurome's gently.At first, Kurome thought this was strange until she figured out why FT Akame was doing this. As soon as she did, she smiled. "I get it now. You really miss your sister, huh?"Kurome hit the nail on the head. "I do. There hasn't been a day where I haven't thought of her. I always wonder how she's doing.""Heh, you do sound like a worrying big sister. I'm glad you two have your happy ending with everything you two went through." FT Akame highly agreed with that. "How long has it been since you've last seen her?""Seven months, I believe," FT Akame responded. "But for her, it should be over five years since she last saw me.""FIVE YEARS?!" That was quite a shocking time difference for Kurome to hear. That time difference was insane for her. "So, your younger sister is older than you, huh? That's kinda ironic."FT Akame agreed with that but she didn't mind. "It is but I don't mind.""I bet she misses you as much as you miss her."FT Akame could imagine that but she wasn't that worried. "I'm sure she does but I know Wave will take care of her. I have faith in my brother-in-law."Kurome snickered a little upon hearing that. "Brother-in-law, huh?""It's been five years. I'm sure they're married at this point." Honestly, FT Akame believed her sister deserved the best life she could have. She had more than enough faith for Wave to make that happen. The thought of her being an aunt did cross her mind a few times. "What about you? What's your relationship like with the Akame you know? You two aren't actual sisters since you're native to this world."Kurome had to think about that for a bit. "I'll admit, it was weird having a sister at first and a little unbelievable. I thought it was funny having a sister who was an assassin. I also noticed she was happy. She couldn't save her sister and I was a second chance at that. Even if we weren't related, even if I wasn't the Kurome she once knew, she at least wanted to make things right. I think she saw that as a kind of atonement. As for me, I kinda like it now. It's nice to have a sister." Then she remembered something important she had to tell FT Akame. "Speaking of sisters, you do realize your sister has a siscon fetish, right?"FT Akame was a little confused. "Siscon fetish?""Yeah, when I fought her at Haven, she mentioned something like 'I wanted to kill my big sister so we can be together forever.' or something like that. She also said that I'm just a copy and I'll never have the kind of bond those two have." Hearing that did piss her off a little. Admittedly, FT Akame has heard Kurome mention her sister say such a thing when they reunited for the first time in Romani Road. "In any case, yeah, I like having her as a big sister. But when I see her again, I'm going to hit her on the head for everything she put us through. Me especially."FT Akame couldn't help but laugh. "Then I feel sorry for her for inducing your wrath.""Yeah, and I'm going to scold her too. And she'll pay for all my meals for all the worry and pain she caused me and-" As Kurome continued to rant, FT Akame giggled a little. She truly did care for her Akame a lot. It also convinced her that no matter the world, Kurome would always be the cutest to her.While Kurome was still ranting, FT Akame took this as an opportunity to give her a gentle head pat. The other girl instantly became quiet. She felt a tingling sensation throughout her body as soon as the older girl was head patting her. "There, there." She stopped and smiled at her. "Has your Akame done that before?"Kurome's blush returned and slightly looked away. "I don't think so." She was too embarrassed to admit she enjoyed that."I see. You should tell her that next time too." FT Akame continued to rest her head on Kurome's shoulder. It was a nice, peaceful moment between other world sisters.Then they heard a loud shutter sound and looked to where they heard it. They saw Cornelia holding her scroll with one hand while holding a bag of snacks with the other. She had a huge smile on her face. "Oh, my gosh, this is so adorable!"Kurome was embarrassed at first and then became angry. "Cora! Delete that picture right now!""Nope." Cornelia hit a few buttons on her scroll. "And I sent it to the group chat."That did it for Kurome as she jumped from the bench. "That's it! Gimme your scroll now!" She ran after Cornelia. The blonde just laughed and ran away from her. While seeing those two run around in the street, FT Akame smiled as she remembered some of the better times she spent with her old team. She and the Cornelia she knew playing and spending time with the Kurome she knew. B "So, what was it you wanted to see me about?"Rienna stood in front of FT Chelsea who stood in front of Rienna's bedroom door. The older girl wanted to speak to Rienna. About what, the blonde had no idea but from the look on the other girl's face, it seemed important. "I have two reasons. The first is I at least want to make things right. The second is I want to give you a chance."Rienna raised an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean by giving me a chance?" It almost sounded like FT Chelsea was hitting on her. Her body language said otherwise so it wasn't that.FT Chelsea closed her eyes and sighed before opening them again. "I think it's better to show you than to tell you. To give you a heads-up, I'm doing this to help you. I'm not insulting you in any way." Rienna was becoming more confused by the second. "So, I'll go inside the room, give me a second, and I'll call you." She said nothing more and turned around to open the door. As soon as she walked through it, she closed the door. Rienna waited a few seconds until she heard FT Chelsea's voice from the other side. "Okay, you come in."Rienna just sighed and decided to at least humor the older girl. She'd found out what the other girl wasn't exactly telling you. She closed her eyes and opened the door. She walked into the room. "Okay, what is it you wanted to sho-" She opened her eyes and stopped mid-sentence. She gasped as her eyes went wide with shock and it felt like her heart shot straight up into her throat. She was entirely speechless at the person who was standing before her; her father.Nothing but silence was filling the room until "Bols" spoke. "Hello, Rienna. You've grown up so much since the last time I've seen you." Hearing her father's voice nearly broke Rienna. This just didn't look like him, it had his voice too. It was like he was actually here. "What's the matter? Are you alright? You haven't said anything yet." For FT Chelsea, this was becoming awkward for her. "Come on, say something!" Rienna was still stunned by this. Then she remembered what FT Chelsea said to her before. "The second is I want to give you a chance." A chance. This is what she must've meant. A chance to talk to her father. Tears began to form in the corner of her eyes and began to cry. On the inside, FT Chelsea began to panic. "Crap, crap, crap! Why's she crying?" She hoped to still salvage this idea. "Rienna, are you okay? What's wron-" "He" didn't get a chance to finish "his" sentence as Rienna ran to "him" and hugged "him".She sobbed into "his" chest. "I'm fine. I'm just happy to see you again." She knew this was FT Chelsea impersonating her father but she didn't care about that. Just for this one moment, she wanted to pretend he was here with her. That he came back. "I missed you so much." She tightened her hug.FT Chelsea internally sighed in relief. She was worried this plan wasn't going to work but she didn't have to anymore. In the entire time she's used Gaea Foundation for assassinations, this was the first she was using it for something like this. The end goal was to still help someone but this was without driving a needle into someone's neck. The hug lasted a few minutes before Rienna separated from her "father". The two then sat next to each other on the bed. The first part of FT Chelsea's plan went off without a hitch. Now it was time for phase two. "How have you been since I last saw you? Tell me everything."This was the happiest Rienna felt in a long time. There was so much she wanted to tell her father what she'd done, who she met, and what she'd gone through. She finally had the chance to do so. She began telling "him" everything that happened to her. From how she trained to use Devil Incarnate, to what happened at Haven. She did leave out some details such as Salem, magic, and the Maidens. She didn't want to worry "him" too much. She enjoyed talking to her "father" the entire time they spent together. "And that's about it. A little bit more happened after that, but I'll tell you about that later.""You've gone through so much since I've been gone. By the way, where did you get that awful burn scar." "Bols" pointed at the burn scar located at "his" daughter's midsection.Rienna just laughed as she placed her hand on the scar while smiling gently. "This? If you can believe it, I got it from fighting a powerful fire dragon. The flames were the hottest I've ever felt. Having a burn scar like this, I actually like it. It's a reminder of how powerful that dragon was. It's not every day you get a burn scar from a dragon, you know?""I guess my other self was right. She did end up liking it." FT Chelsea did feel a little guilty leaving that mark on her but now she didn't have to worry. "Fighting that dragon must've been a harrowing experience."Rienna shook her head. "No, I'm actually glad for it. It's something I'll always remember." She meant that in more ways than one.Bols chuckled. "You've grown so strong."Even if it was FT Chelsea, Rienna felt proud hearing that. "And I continue to get stronger. Stronger than you until I can be a Huntress you can be proud of. I know it sounds a little egotistic.""Bols" just head patted Rienna. "It doesn't. I know you'll be a great Huntress one day. You'll make me and your mother proud. Oh, speaking of your mother, when you see her again, tell her I said hi and give her a hug for me." "He" removed "his" hand from her head.Rienna almost felt like crying again and smiled at her "father". "Yeah, I will. It's been great talking to you, Dad.""Bols" chuckled. "I've enjoyed our time together too. Just remember, I'm always with you no matter how far away I am."Rienna said nothing at first and hugged her "father" one last time. "I love you, Dad.""Bols" returned the hug. "I love you too, sweetie."Rienna wanted this moment to last forever. To hold on to her "father". But she knew she had to let go. She treasured these last few seconds of hugging her father before finally letting go. She still kept her eyes shut. That was fine for FT Chelsea and she undid her transformation. "Rienna?" Rienna opened her eyes to see FT Chelsea sitting beside her. "How do you feel?"Rienna clenched her fist to the top of her chest. "I feel...a lot better. A lot lighter too." She felt like a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders. She hadn't felt this good in who knows how long? She smiled at the other girl. "Thank you, Chelsea. For everything. I...like to be alone for a bit."FT Chelsea didn't need to be told twice. "Sure and you're welcome. Take all the time you need." She stood up from the bed and left the room. Once she closed the door, she sighed. She couldn't deny that it felt good to help Rienna reconnect with her father. It was the least she could do for her. She walked away from the door and went to the living room.That's when she saw her younger other self sitting on a chair watching TV while eating a bowl of popcorn. "Yo." It was weird for FT Chelsea to see a younger version of herself. "How's it going?""Fine. When did you get back?""A bit ago. Taeko and Wave are putting the groceries away now. How'd things go with Rienna? You two wanted to be alone, right?" The younger Chelsea could've joked about that but decided not to."Things went fine. She's doing much better now." FT Chelsea didn't think she needed to disclose what happened between her and Reinna. She walked over to one of the chairs and sat on it. "Can you pass that bowl?"The younger Chelsea suddenly held her bowl closer to her and threw her older counterpart a glare. "No way. Get your own bowl!""But you already have one.""And it's mine!""Chelsea quit arguing with yourself."Both Chelseas looked back to see Taeko and Wave enter the living room. FT Chelsea almost couldn't believe what she heard. "Did you just make a joke?""And it's the first one without a head too.""You'll never get ahead in life with that attitude, Chelsea.""GODDAMNIT, TAKEO!" While the younger was furious at the joke, FT Chelsea couldn't help but laugh. Something the younger Chelsea didn't approve of. "Really? You do realize that was directed toward us, right?"FT Chelsea laughed a little more. "I know, I know. It's just...Taeko telling jokes is something I never thought I'd hear. When I was traveling with her and Granny, she was always so serious." Her expression soon changed to a somber one.Taeko noticed this as soon as she sat down on the couch. "Something on your mind?"FT Chelsea just sighed. "Just thinking about my life is all.""Mid-life crisis?" The younger Chelsea joked."Ha, ha," FT Chelsea laughed sarcastically. "No. It's just that I've killed God knows how many people. And yet Bols is the only one who continuously comes back to haunt me." As soon as she mentioned Bols, Wave listened more closely. "First it was me and Lisanna fighting him resurrected while we were fighting Alverez and now I had a run-in with his daughter. I don't even know what the chances are of that happening. But since I had the opportunity, I figured she'd have the chance to at least talk to him since I did encounter him. Something to make her feel better. I don't know, I feel like I should take responsibility or something.""Well, what you did was good." The younger Chelsea spoke. She then leaned back in her chair. "When Rienna just...let it all out in your fight, I'd no idea she was keeping something like that in her for all this time. She was always the happy-go-lucky girl who really liked her dad's weapons. I wonder if she's been like this ever sinceAkame told us the truth back at Shade. I always wondered if...she secretly resented me.""I highly doubt that." The younger Chelsea looked at Taeko. "I know Rienna wouldn't harbor any hatred for you. You are not responsible for killing her father. Another Bols from another world at that. Such as Cora doesn't blame me for my other self for killing her other self and I do not blame Akame for killing my other self. We may be people Akame recognizes but we are not them. To put this another perspective, do you blame Kurome for her other self for putting your other self's head on a pike?" FT Chelsea still didn't like to hear about her alternate fate."Of course not!" The younger Chelsea responded strongly. Aside from Taeko and Babara, Kurome was the most important person in her life"Then there you go. I rest my case."While they were on the subject, FT Chelsea turned her attention to Wave. "What about you, Wave? Do you resent me for killing Bols? I know you're from a different world but the same thing happened, didn't it?"That was true and he was face to face with the person who was responsible for killing Bols. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to hate her. "It's not that I don't resent you. It's that I kinda understand. I knew Bols a little personally so I knew he was a good person, despite his appearance. Yet he never saw himself as that. He's aware of the atrocities he committed and not proud of them. He knew that one day, karma would get him. I thought that was unfair but I understood why he had to do the things he had to do. He had a family to support and he would've done anything for them."FT Chelsea remembered the words Bols told her when she met him again. "The only thing that kept me going was my family. I'd do anything to protect them because they meant the world to me. Even if all the things I've done were unforgivable, I'll bear all the sins I've committed for them. If it means protecting my family, I'll become the devil himself if I have to!"She internally sighed. "I'll admit I was wrong about the guy. It's just unfortunate we had to be on opposite sides." She had another question for him. "What about Mine? Do you hate her for killing Seryu?" She wasn't going to add the part where Seryu was responsible for Sheele's death since that was the reason why Mine wanted to get revenge on her.Wave had to think a little more about the question. " I won't deny I didn't approve of some of the things Seryu's done, but I still think of her as an ally. In the end, I had to accept her death. Just as I had to with Bols. Having any hatred now would be meaningless.""Says the guy that tried to kill Akame." The younger Chelsea pointed out."That was a different situation. As of now, I do think of Akame as an ally since we're fighting the same enemy. Besides, I'm worried about her the same as everyone else."The younger Chelsea had another question to ask. "So, going back to Bols, why he couldn't join the Revolutionary Army?""I don't think he could." FT Chelsea answered. "Bols had a family and he needed money to support them. While the Revolutionary Army was fighting for a good cause, that doesn't exactly mean they have deep pockets. It'd be kinda hard for him to support his family. Not to mention they'd be targets for the Empire. Also, it was expensive for them to hire the Oarburgh Clan. And I know how that ended.""Speaking of the Oarburgh, what were they like in your world? Ooh, what was Granny like in your world?" The younger Chelsea asked eagerly. "Oh, and can you only turn yourself into other people? How'd you become an assassin in the first place?" Mine had explained some of this before, but it was a different experience from hearing from the person who was involved with Oarburgh Clan."One at a time, holy crap!" FT Chelsea wasn't used to seeing herself with this much enthusiasm. But she asked nicely so it didn't hurt to answer her questions. "Let me see if I can answer those chronologically." It took her a minute to organize her answers. "To start, I first worked as a maid to a viceroy because I wanted to marry rich. However, the noble I worked under hunted people for sport. In his basement, that's where I found Gaea Foundation. It took me no time at all to kill the bastard and that's when I realized I could use this power to help people. A little later after that, I was scouted by the Oarburgh Clan. I was lucky to train under Babara Oarburgh. She may be an old lady but she could still kill a person effortlessly. Also, it's a really good idea not to get on her bad side."The younger Chelsea shuttered at that detail. "I know what you mean. You really don't want to be on the other end of her terrifying aura. Even at her age, she'd still make a grown man piss himself." Taeko silently agreed."After I lost...Granny and Taeko, I was sent over to serve under Merraid." Then FT Chelsea's expression turned despondent. "I...rather not talk about my time with her." The younger Chelsea was a little disappointed since she couldn't learn more about the Merraid from Akame's world. Whatever happened, it must've been traumatizing for her older counterpart. "After Merraid died, I went back to the Revolutionary Army and joined Night Raid. Oh, and you did ask what Gaea Foundation can do. Let me give you a demonstration."She pulled out Gaea Foundation and used it to transform into a cat. The younger Chelsea was already impressed. "Oh, that's so cool!""So, you can also transform into animals. I can see how that can be useful in espionage." Taeko stated.Meanwhile, Wave was looking at FT Chelsea's cat form curiously. "Why does that cat look familiar to me?"FT Chelsea undid the transformation. "Yep, and I can also transform into various plant life too. Gaea Foundation is really versatile."The younger Chelsea suddenly had an idea. "Hey, think I can try that thing out?"FT Chelsea didn't see the harm in complying. After all, it was a good thing Gaea Foundation wasn't an Imperial Arms that doesn't kill its users if they're not compatible. "Sure, knock yourself out." She handed her Imperial Arms to her younger counterpart.Upon a closer look, Gaea Foundation looks like any other cosmetic case. "So, how does this work?""Take out a brush and whatnot and imagine what you want to become. It'll do the rest." FT Chelsea instructed. She still had no idea if Gaea Foundation would work for her. Aside from the age difference, they are similar but her aura was different from her own. She wouldn't be surprised if it didn't work."What I want to become..." The younger Chelsea thought about who or what to become. Then she had her idea and smiled. "Okay, here we go!" She took out a couple of make-up brushes and swiped herself. To FT Chelsea's surprise, it actually worked and the younger Chelsea transformed into Taeko. She laughed happily once she saw herself. "Hey, it worked!" She made a small twirl and faced the real Taeko. "Check it out, Taeko! I'm you now!""I see that." It was strange for her to see herself being so...cheerful. "So, why did you decide to transform into me?""It was the first thing that came to my mind, really." The younger Chelsea replied. Then she had another idea. "Ooh, I know who I want to turn into next!" She swiped herself and transformed into the "younger" Leone. For whatever reason, the rest didn't know. That is until they saw her grab her breasts. She gave them a couple of squeezes. "Damn, Leone has some huge knockers. What size are they? Does she really carry these things around? They're heavy. She's gotta have incredible back strength to support these all the time. Akame must've been real happy grabbing them when they f-" And FT Chelsea hit the top of the younger Chelsea's head. "OW!" She knelt while holding the top of her head to quell the pain. She looked at her older counterpart with tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "What was that for!?"FT Chelsea just glared at her. "That's not how you're supposed to use Gaea Foundation!" Taeko just sighed and facepalmed. She knew the younger Chelsea would do something like this. Wave looked away because what she did was indecent.The younger Chelsea glared back. "Oh, like you never did it either! Admit it!""No, I did not!" The thought never even occurred to her.The younger Chelsea groaned as she stood up. "I'll try one more thing." She swiped herself and turned into Jaune. She just stood still but soon had an uncomfortable expression. "Yep, I can definitely feel it. I don't like it."FT Chelsea laughed a little. "You kinda get used to it. You have to adapt if you want to be an assassin.""I think I'll pass." The younger Chelsea swiped herself and returned to her original form. "This thing's pretty fun." She handed Gaea Foundation back to her older counterpart. "Too bad I can't get one of my own. Then I could have your fighting style."FT Chelsea took back her Imperial Arms. "Since you had your fun, I'm sure you don't mind if I ask some questions?"The younger Chelsea didn't see a problem with that. "Sure, go ahead."FT Chelsea sat back down on her chair. "I want to know what's different about the Oarburgh Clan in this world. Obviously, Merraid isn't the head so I want to know what else changed."This time, Taeko would take the reins of the conversation. "The Oarburgh Clan has existed for generations. The head of the clan is my grandmother, Babara.""Which makes Taeko the heiress of the clan." The younger Chelsea added."The clan did start off gaining fame by assassinations. But then the clan slowly transitioned into information gathering since it proved to be more effective. We may not do assassinations anymore but members are still required to learn how to use weapons effectively."So far, FT Chelsea has been interested in this Oarburgh Clan's history. "So, did you guys ever pick up jobs from anyone or did you have specifics?""We sought out the clients. More specifically, clients who were wronged by their employers and other dishonest people and corporations. How the payment worked is once the target is dealt with, any fortune they had, it went to the client and some of that goes to us."While impressive, there was something FT Chelsea found hard to believe. "If that's the case, there's no way one person can accomplish that on their own.""No. It's usually done by a team with different skills. Hitters, hackers, thieves, and grifters. Let's just say any corporations that went out of business, it may have been us. Now that I think about it, that may as well be a type of assassination. Only that the public knows about it."FT Chelsea laughed a little. "I guess whether it's assassinations or information gathering, the Oarburgh Clan is still as scary as ever. Anything else I should know about them?""There's Taeko's weapon." The younger Chelsea chimed in. "It's been in the clan for generations.""Tsugaku-Hime," Taeko spoke. "As Chelsea said, it's been in the clan for generations. It's also part of a family of weapons. Tsugaku-Hime is the oldest and can be only used by the head of the clan. There is a story about it that it grows stronger for every battle it's been in. Moving on to the second oldest is Tsuki-Hime, a naginata. The third is twin wakizashi known as Kyoko and Sayaka. Finally, there is Kagutsuchi-Hime which is a tachi. It has the epitaph of 'Little Princess'. There is also a fighting style the Oarburgh Clan uses known as Sakura-Style. It incorporates our semblance to our swordsmanship. It's done well to keep up with today's world. The one who created it was a man called Kojiro Oarburgh."The younger Chelsea had a slightly worried expression. "And Taeko stopped using it when she couldn't take her uncle keep harassing me. He was the one that trained her in the Sakura-Style after all. I'm pretty sure that hurt him the most. So, why was she using it back in Akame's fight?" It was a topic she wanted to talk to Taeko about but hadn't found the chance to do so.So far, FT Chelsea was impressed by what she's heard about the Oarburgh Clan in this world. "Wow. It sounds like your Oarburgh Clan is more steeped in tradition. However, I have a question. If you're the heiress, isn't your family worried about where you are? I can imagine they're not too happy with what you're involved in.""That I can say for certain they're not pleased by my sudden leaving. However, they don't know what we're up against. This is an enemy that has little to no information at all.""Still, they haven't sent anyone to stop you?" Even if this was a different Oarburgh Clan, FT Chelsea knew they take her back by any means necessary."I was already well aware of that. I wouldn't be surprised if we encountered some agents during this journey. If they haven't stopped us, that means their orders were to observe." She had a feeling that their only objective was to observe. "If they are to observe, that means they already sent someone after me. I have no doubt it'd be him to do it."FT Chelsea turned her attention to her younger self. "What about you? You're part of the Oarburgh Clan, right?"The response she received was the younger Chelsea laughing awkwardly. "Kinda in name only. Granny was the one who took me in and a lot of the people didn't like that."FT Chelsea raised an eyebrow at that. "Why? Granny's the head, isn't she? Why did everyone not like that?""Because of tradition," Taeko answered. "The only way to be accepted into the clan is through marriage. Grandmother brought in Chelsea knowing she was breaking that tradition. You're correct that no one would dare go against her but that didn't stop them from showing disapproval.""Some gave me such great nicknames like 'mongrel', 'street rat', and the like. Others just ignored me like I didn't exist. It didn't bother me much because I had Granny and Taeko on my side. Everyone else I don't give a crap about. Calling me names was the best they could do. If they tried anything else, let's just say even if they die, there's no place in hell they can hide from Granny's wrath.".FT Chelsea couldn't help but smile. It sounded like this Babara was the same as the one she knew. "It sounds like you owe Granny a lot. Always remember to appreciate that." That was a bit of advice for her younger self since she lost Babara and Taeko. She really did take them for granted. If she'd known they would die on that mission, she would've told them how much she appreciated them."You don't have to tell me that twice." The younger Chelsea just smiled a little as she remembered a memory. A memory where she was a little girl with matted hair and wore a dirty, ragged oversized shirt with holes sitting against a wall. Standing across from her was Babara who held her hand out to her. A younger Taeko was standing next to her. "I owe her my life. If I'd never met her, I don't know where I'd be right now. I don't even want to think about that."Now FT Chelsea felt a little nostalgic remembering Babara. "Man, I miss Granny." S "How is she in this world? Does she still eat hamburgers? The Granny I knew always did.""She used to but had to stop for health reasons." The younger Chelsea answered. "Hey, whatever happened to the Granny you know? Is it...hard to bring it up?"FT Chelsea shook her head. "No, I can talk about it. How I heard she died was that she killed herself." She laughed a little at that. "It's something she'd do alright. There was no way she'd let someone get the fame of killing her."Taeko hated to admit it, but she agreed. "It sounds like something Grandmother would do."The younger Chelsea thought the same. "Granny's hardcore even in your world, huh?" Then an idea came to her. She fished out her scroll and ignored the text message Cornelia sent to everyone. She went to the gallery and found the photo she was looking for. "Hey, I think you'll like this." She showed a picture to her older counterpart. FT Chelsea looked at it and smiled gently. It was a picture of Babara, not smiling. While that was expected, it's been a long time since she's seen Babara. She only had her memories of her to remember "I figured since you haven't seen your Granny for a long time, I figured this cheer you up a little. Too bad you can't meet her, though.""No, it's fine. I'm satisfied with this." FT Chelsea really did want to meet the Babara of this world. If she was like the Babara she knew, she probably wouldn't be surprised to see an older version of the Chelsea she knew. "Thank you for that.""No problem." The younger Chelsea put her Scroll away. "So, I have one more question. We heard like the basics from this Earthland place but can you tell us more about it?"Now hearing that question made FT Chelsea smile. "Oh, I can tell you about it, but I'd rather do it when everyone is here for the party. I don't want to spoil the surprise." The younger Chelsea didn't understand. what kind of surprise there was in telling what Earthland was like."I suppose we can...look ahead to that then.""TAEKO!" B "I see. So, you're leaving soon then.""Yes. I'd be happy if you could attend the party."Esdeath, Ruby, Weiss, Wendy, and Carla (in her human form) were all in Esren's hotel room. Esdeath went there to tell him they were leaving Mistral in a couple of days and invited him to the party happening later tonight. Ruby tagged along which made Weiss tag along and Wendy and Carla followed. Esren smiled at the offer. "I'll be there right on the dot."Never did he imagine his daughter would be caught up in something like this. It seemed so trivial that his biggest worry was her power reappearing one day. Now she's in a fight against a powerful enemy that barely anyone can comprehend. He was worried, what father wouldn't be? More so because his daughter is targeted because she is a Maiden. Though he hadn't met any of the other parents, he was sure some of them were worry what their children were up against. Again, children. And yet they've proven they're capable of fighting against Salem. At this point, he considers them as Huntsmen and Huntresses.Esdeath smiled happily at her father's answer. "Thank you, Father."Esren just chuckled in return. "I have a feeling I won't be seeing you for a while after this. I'll spend as much time with you as I can." Esdeath couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed but she felt the same. She didn't know how long it'd be to see her father again after the group left Mistral. "You do seem a little different since the last time I saw you." He did notice there was something slightly different about her. It was nothing physical but it was more of a feeling. He turned his attention to Wendy. "You didn't train her too far during that week, right?"Wendy just laughed awkwardly in response. "We did the most we could with the time we're given." Meanwhile, Esdeath groaned as she remembered all the pain she had to go through during her training.That alone told Esren the training must've been grueling to her. It was a shame he couldn't see the fruits of her training. He'd love to see what she could do now. "If only your mother could see you now. I'm sure she'd be proud of the person you'd become. And I'm sure she'd be equally as worried as me."It's not often Esdeath hears her father mention her mother but every time he does, it makes her feel warm inside. "Don't worry, Mr. Partas! As long as we're here, we'll make sure nothing bad happens to her." Ruby assured."That's correct. We'll do everything we can to protect her." Weiss added."Ha, now I feel a little better. I'm counting on you girls." Ruby and Weiss smiled and nodded at him. With the meeting now wrapped up, the group left and would see Esren at the party later tonight. B The group now found themselves walking down one of Mistral's streets. They had a bit of time on their hands before they could shop for the groceries needed for the party. "Your father's a nice person, Esdeath."Esdeath giggled a little at the younger girl's compliment. "He truly is. He's worked hard to raise me all by himself. I'm grateful for what he's done for me." Wendy was happy to hear that. During her brief date with the Esdeath she knew, she disregarded her father entirely and called him weak because he died. She had no emotional attachment to him. Hearing this Esdeath praise her father so much was refreshing to her. Now that she actually met a version of Esdeath's father, she agreed he seemed like a great man.While taking in the sights, something glistened that caught the corner of Weiss's eye. She walked ahead of the group toward a stall. It was a small stall that displayed a lot small different gemstones. "Do you see something that's caught your interest?"Weiss looked up to see an elderly lady smiling at her. "Oh, I'm just looking." She resumed observing the different gemstones. Out of all of them, there was one that caught her interest. It was an opal stone. She picked it up to look at it closely."Does that one interest you?" Weiss looked at the old lady again. "That stone represents love and passion. Perhaps a gift for a special someone?" The former heiress heavily blushed at the explanation. "Ah, I believe I hit the mark." She chuckled.Then she remembered what Ruby told her. "You still owe me a present.""How much for this?"Meanwhile, Ruby and the others kept watching Weiss from where they stood. "I wonder what Weiss is doing?" Ruby said."She's been standing there for quite a bit," Carla added. Esdeath had a feeling and Wendy already knew thanks to her hearing. They saw Weiss walking back to them"What did you buy, Weiss?" Ruby asked.Weiss immediately hid the gem behind her back. "Nothing you need to know now." She at least wanted to give it to the other girl in private before they left Mistral.Esdeath slightly narrowed her eyes. "I'll be back."She left the group this time and headed toward the stall. Already Weiss knew what the other girl was up to.Esdeath approached the stall and saw the gemstones that were displayed. "So, this is what she was going to give Ruby." The only question now was which stone did Weiss pick? She'd like to avoid a scenario where they both picked the same gem as it'd be tacky. She wanted her gift to Ruby to be unique. After looking for a minute, one of the gemstones caught her eye, and picked up it"Ah, a good choice." Esdeath looked at the elderly lady. "A rose quartz is known for love and marriage." She blushed as soon as she heard the word 'marriage'. She already heard wedding bells going off inside her head and saw Ruby wearing a wedding dress. Her expression made the old lady chuckle "A present for a special someone? Ah, young love is precious. Whoever it is must be lucky to have two lovely girls vying for affection." She wasn't wrong there.After spending a few minutes, Esdeath made her purchase and walked back to the group. "What did you buy, Esdeath?" Ruby asked again. Weiss was curious as to what she bought.Like Weiss, Esdeath held her gemstone behind her back. "It's...a surprise for later." When she and Ruby were alone, then she could give it to Ruby. Hopefully, before they leave Mistral.After hearing what the elderly lady said to them, Wendy was very curious about the relationship between the three of them. Carla caught this on. "Weiss, Esdeath, would you go on ahead with the grocery shopping? Wendy and I would like to spend a little more time with Ruby here."The two girls looked at each other momentarily. They didn't see the harm of Carla's suggestion but the former heiress had a feeling she had a reason for asking. They looked back at the other three girls. "Sure, we can do that. Catch up when you can." They both went on ahead from the other girls. They temporarily looked at each other before looking ahead.As soon as they left, Carla went ahead to ask her what was on her mind. "So, Ruby, how long have Weiss and Esdeath been fighting for your attention?"Ruby just laughed as she couldn't deny that. "You figured that out quick, huh?""Those two going to the same stall and being secretive when they didn't want to show you what they bought was an obvious hint. We can walk and speak about it at the same time." The group began walking. "So, when did they start?""I think it started back at Beacon," Ruby replied. "Though, Esdeath was the first. She was the one who asked me to the dance and I accepted. A little after that, she did tell me she liked me and asked me out on a date. I kinda hesitated and said I'd think about it. I never had another girl ask me out or have one interested in me. Especially from someone as amazing as Esdeath. I found out about Weiss when she wrote me a letter after she was taken to Atlas. I felt a lot of things from thinking about it."Carla started to see what was Ruby's plight. "I see. Let's simplify this; what do you think about them?" The attraction was a two-way street. Esdeath and Weiss have made it known they like Ruby but what about the girl in question?That was the only easy part to answer the question. "Well, they're both strong and incredible and-""Perhaps I should be clearer. What do you think of them from your heart?"That was the part Ruby was afraid of because she still didn't have an answer. "Maybe I can help." The young leader turned to Wendy. "When you think of someone special, there's a warm and pleasant feeling inside your chest. Your heart beats in a certain way whenever you think about that certain someone. Like it's racing and won't calm down and it feels like your chest tightens a bit. " She placed her hand on her chest and smiled gently. "It happens every time you're with that special person. I certainly feel that whenever I'm with Chelia. When I was separated from her, she was all I could think about. I wanted to see her again. It was the same after we were separated again after Hargeon but it was worse when I said some mean things to her. I wanted to see her again but I had to go through so much before that. She's who I care for the most about and who I love." The young dragon slayer lowered her hand and laughed a little. "Now I wish she was here because she's more of an expert on love than me."Nevertheless, Ruby smiled at Wendy's explanation. "No, I think I understand." She'll have to test that theory at a later time."I do think it's nice Esdeath's like this. Having a healthy competition with Weiss, that is." The Esdeath Wendy knew had an idea of what love was but it was apparent she clearly didn't understand it. If you wanted someone to fall in love with you in return, maybe putting a metal collar around their neck when you first meet probably isn't the best start. Followed by being kidnapped, then stealing your first kiss, destroying a bracelet that was precious to you because it was from the girl you loved and not her, and then trying to kill said girl that you loved. The group then heard a loud noise. It turned out that the noise was Wendy's stomach growling. She placed both hands on her stomach and laughed out of embarrassment. "I guess I've gotten a little hungry.""I suppose we can eat something while we still have the time. We should let Weiss and Esdeath know."Then Ruby had an idea. "Oh, I know a place where we can eat." B "This is so good!"Wendy and the group were now at the Three Beasts ramen shop all enjoying different ramen dishes. She sat next to Carla and Esdeath sat next to her. Ruby sat in between Esdeath and Weiss. As soon as the young dragon slayer tasted the ramen she ordered, it was phenomenal to her.No matter how many times he's heard it, Liver loved hearing people praise his ramen. "Thank you, young lady! Nothing but the best of ramen to serve our customers! Isn't that right, men!?""Yes, sir!""Let us know when you want more!" The three went into the back to prepare more ramen."They seem unusually passionate about ramen of all things," Carla commented. She looked over at Ruby. "So, how did you know about this place?""I heard about it from the others." Just as Ruby was about to eat her ramen, she glanced over at Weiss who had just finished her bit of noodles. She looked at the other girl a little longer than she wanted to but she couldn't stop staring at her. The more she looked at her, the more she noticed how her heart beat in a certain pattern.Before Weiss could take her next bite, she noticed Ruby looking at her and stopped. "Ruby, you're staring."Ruby blushed a little out of embarrassment and looked away. "S-Sorry."Esdeath looked at Ruby for a bit until she picked up one of her fried pork cutlets with her chopsticks. "Here, Ruby. You can have this."Ruby's eyes immediately lit up. "Oh, thank you, Esdeath."She thought the other girl was going to place it in her ramen bowl but she still held it. She quickly figured out what Esdeath was trying to do. The young leader took the initiative and took a big bite from Esdeath's chopsticks. She looked over at Weiss and gave her a smug look. Weiss scowled as she knew exactly what look meant. "I managed to get an indirect kiss with Ruby right under you."Weiss needed to counter and fast. Meanwhile, Ruby squealed with delight. "So good! Thanks, Esdeath!"Esdeath gave the other a warm and loving smile. As soon as she saw Esdeath's smile, she felt her heart race a little and felt her chest tighten a little. Weiss dug into her ramen bowl a bit and picked up some pieces of shredded chicken. "Hey, Ruby..." The young leader turned to her teammate and saw her offering her toppings held by her chopsticks. "You can have some of this.""Really?! Thanks, Weiss!" She immediately took a bite out of the chicken. Now Weiss gave a smug look at Esdeath while said girl glared at her. Meanwhile, Wendy and Carla just watched the whole thing unfold.The sight was almost amusing to the cat girl. "Those two, I swear.""Um, Esdeath?"Esdeath looked back at Wendy. "Yes?""What do you know about your mom?" Wendy had been curious ever since she heard Esren mention her mother."I don't know much about her. She died shortly after I was born. I only knew her through photos of her my father had. But I heard so much about her from my father. Whenever he spoke of her, he always had this certain look. I could tell he loved her very much and he told me she loved me when she first held me. When I learned my...gift was from her, I was happy. Like I finally have a connection with her." Gift was a code word for Esdeath's Maiden magic.After hearing that, Wendy had a better understanding of the other girl. "I see. I feel the same way about my mother. She loved me very much too and when she disappeared without a trace, I was sad. I wanted to know what happened to her and why she was gone. It wasn't until much later I learned the reason and the truth of how she was already dead. I lost her for a second time but now I like to believe she's still with me with the...gift she taught me. I'd like the believe it's the same with you and your gift."It was an interesting way to interpret the magic Esdeath was given by her mother. Having a connection was one thing but she seemed like Wendy's interpretation more. Her mother looks after her even in death through her magic. She'd never thought of it that way before. Speaking of mothers, she couldn't help but think back to what she saw when she, Wave, and the "younger" Leone fought the young dragon slayer. "Her mother's magic can be terrifying." That was a thought she'd keep to herself. A mother can be scary when her child is threatened, but it's another deal when that child's mother is a giant dragon. She still didn't know why that dragon looked at her angrily before. However, there was one thing she could agree with what Wendy had said about their mothers. "Mothers are incredible when you really think about it."Wendy nodded in agreement. "Yes, they are."Ruby caught the whole conversation and was reminded of her own mother. She was one of the biggest inspirations for why she wanted to become a huntress. Weiss also heard the conversation but unfortunately, she couldn't share the same feeling. She figured her mother was still sipping on a glass of wine as usual. She tried to cope by drinking the broth from her ramen bowl after finishing her ramen.The rest of the group finished their bowls and paid for them. "Thank you for your payment! Come to Three Beasts' Ramen again! Tell your friends and family about us!"Out of the group, Wendy waved them goodbye and they were all walking back home with groceries in tow. Wendy was talking to Esdeath a bit more while Carla was having a conversation with Weiss. Ruby walked behind the four girls and was mostly focused on Esdeath and Weiss. Now that Wendy had explained the whole love concept, it explained a few things about what she was feeling before, and has now started seeing them a little differently. However, a new problem presented itself. "How can I choose either one?" If she chose one of the girls, she knew she would hurt the other girl's feelings. However, there was a bigger problem looming over her. "But how can I think of love when we're up against someone like Salem?" She started this journey to stop Cinder but this whole thing became so much bigger than she originally thought.Her favorite fairy tale is real, magic exists, Ozpin coming back, and Salem who is the leader of the Grimm. Suddenly, it felt like the whole world was on her shoulders. If she doesn't stop Salem, more people will get hurt. This may've been beyond why she wanted to become a huntress but the reason was still the same; she wanted to save people and protect them. But right now, she wanted to focus on spending time with friends and family. She could worry about what Salem will do after that.Little did Ruby know that this would be the last time she would feel such peace. A/N: I've lost count of how many times I've written over 10,000 words at this point. And something tells me the next chapter will also be over 10,000 words. Also, this has been a long time coming, I credit Tsugaku-Hime, Tsuki-Hime, Kyoko and Sayaka, and Kagutsuchi-Hime to my Facebook sibling, Tsuki-no-Hazama Hime. They're a huge fan of my work and I really liked this idea so I put them in the story. By the way, find the reference in this chapter and try to find out where that reference is from. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A/N: And finally, what seems like an eternity, we’ve finally reached the end of the special Vol. This took SOOO much longer than I originally thought. And a lot of stuff happened in-between. But now, let’s end this and FINALLY GET TO VOL FIVE!!!!! Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill, RWBY, and/or Fairy Tail. They belong to their original owners. A New Beginning: Vol Special Part TwelveAcross Worlds Kill Ninety Five: Countless Worlds, Countless PossibilitiesIt was sunset when Ghira’s group was walking over to the house Ruby and the others had been currently living in during their stay in Mistral. Along the way, he ran into Ghira and his group and now they were walking together. “What do you think they have planned for this party?”“I’m sure it’ll be wonderful,” Kali said.Ilia was mostly excited to see Blake again. Sienna was just looking forward to a good time. Finally, the whole group made it to the house, and Ghira knocked on the door. They waited for a few minutes until the door opened and Ghira’s group saw a little girl they didn’t recognize. “Oh, hello.” They briefly wondered if they had the wrong house.Thankfully, she recognized them. “Hello. You must be Blake’s family and friends. My name’s Wendy Marvell. It’s very nice to meet you.” She gave them her usual polite bow.Already Kali took a shine to her. “Oh, my. You’re such a polite young girl.” It took her a second to register her name. “Did you say your name is Wendy?” The Leone they knew mentioned a Wendy who managed to defeat her. “It is. Leone told me about you. Ah, the Leone I know.” With that confirmation, she was indeed the little girl who bested the Leone they knew. That fact terrified Ilia a little. “How could someone like her beat Leone?” To her, it looked like she couldn’t harm a fly. That was a question to be answered later, if ever.Wendy opened the door wider and the group walked into the house. “Everyone’s on the training balcony. I’ll take you to them.” The group followed the young dragon slayer. They reached the training balcony and saw quite the sight. Long tables were set with the food prepared and soda on top of them. The spread was less than incredible to them and everyone was around it. They spotted not only FT Leone but also the FT counterparts of Akame and Chelsea and a white-haired cat Faunus girl. FT Leone saw them and smiled. “Hey, you guys made it!” She walked over to them with Blake, Esren, and the “younger” Leone behind her. “Blake!” As soon as Ilia saw Blake, she ran up to her with Kali and Ghira. She hugged Blake and the other girl hugged her back. “It’s great to see you here.” They broke the hug. “Ilia-!” As soon as the “younger” Leone took a step forward, Ilia immediately took five steps back away from her. The action made her a little mad. “Hey, what gives!?”“Not this time.” Ilia was happy to see the “younger” Leone too. But as much as she loved breasts as the next girl who was into them, she didn’t want her face to be suddenly shoved into them again. Her FT counterpart snickered. Seeing the two Leones, Ghira looked over to Esren and was surprised to see he wasn’t the least bit bothered by them. “This isn’t strange to you?”Esren only chuckled at the question. “I’ve known about it for a while.” “Yo.” Ghira’s group looked over to FT Chelsea and Akame with Carla who approached them. “It’s nice to meet you all. Leone’s told us a bit about you guys.” They were a little unnerved seeing FT Akame since her counterpart was the one who summoned those dangerous people back at Haven. “And you must be her friends. Ah, we should properly introduce ourselves. I’m Kali Belladonna, Blake’s mother. ” Kali said. “Ghira Belladonna. Blake’s father and the Chieftain of Menagerie and leader of the White Fang.”“Ilia Amitola. I’ve known Blake for a long time.”“Sienna Khan and-”“Oh, so you’re-”“Yes, I know already.” Sienna interrupted FT Chelsea. She didn’t need to be reminded every time. She turned to Carla. “And I don’t believe we caught your name.”“It’s Carla. I’ve known Wendy for a long time as well.”“Hey, want to show them what you really look like?” FT Leone suggested. “Might as well get it out of the way now, right?”Carla was reluctant to the idea but agreed. “I suppose so.” In the next second, a puff of smoke came out of her. When it cleared, the group saw a small, white cat with wings. “Are you satisfied now?” She leered over in FT Chelsea’s direction. The Faunus group just stared dumbfounded at Carla before they all screamed. “You turned into a flying, talking cat!” Ilia pointed out. “She is a flying talking cat.” FT Akame explained. Wendy just smiled and nodded. “Yeah, this is what Carla really looks like.”“And there’s a whole race like her back in Earthland.” FT Leone added. It was a bit hard for the Menagerie group to imagine a whole race of flying, talking cats.She then clapped her hands to gain everyone’s attention. “Okay, now that everyone is here,” She raised her right hand and smiled. “LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!” Insert Fairy Tail Opening FourEveryone quickly feasted on the food and was blown away by the taste. “This is amazing. Who cooked this?” Ghira asked. The “younger” Leone finished slurping her udon. “That’d be Akame, Wave, and Rienna. They’re the ones that did all the prep work.” “Well, they certainly did a fantastic job.” Kali squealed in delight as she took another bite of her food. “Still...” Sienna looked over at the table where there was still plenty of food. “Even with a group our size, this seems a little much.”“Oh, that’s because of Kurome.” The younger Chelsea explained. Speaking of Kurome, she let out a refreshed sigh as she finished her dumplings. “Ah, that was good! More please!” She set down her sixth plate. “How did you go through six plates already!?” Jaune shouted. “The only thing missing is drinking some good booze to go along with the food,” Leone said. She was disappointed they couldn’t buy any for the party while shopping for ingredients. And Yang wasn’t a fan of that idea. “Except most of us are minors.” She wasn’t going to have any alcohol with Ruby and Oscar present. Esren strongly agreed with her. “Especially Esdeath. She’s only four and a half years old.”His words caused everyone to stop eating and stare at him in disbelief. Then they all shouted at the same time “WHAT!?”Meanwhile, Esdeath was embarrassed. “FATHER!”“What do you mean Esdeath’s four and a half years old?!” Ruby very much wanted to know. Weiss as well. “Esdeath was born on a leap year. Technically, she is eighteen but if you factor in leap years, she’s four and a half.” That was a fact Esdeath was always embarrassed about herself. “I think that’s kinda cute.” Ruby praised. Esdeath immediately perked up when she heard that. The “younger” Leone thought back to when Najenda said about Esdeath from before. “I guess when she said Esdeath was younger than her, that’s what she really meant. Probably.” “Esdeath’s age aside, it’s still disappointing there’s no booze. I mean it’s not every day you get the opportunity to have a drinking contest with yourself.” FT Leone wanted to have this for quite some time ever since she met her other self. She wanted to see how they stack against each other. For the “younger” Leone, she hadn’t thought of drinking for a long time. She hadn’t had a drop ever since she arrived in Remnant. Mostly because of her current age and the drinking age is twenty-one so she couldn’t buy any beer if she wanted to Still, shared the sentiment of wanting to have a drinking contest with her FT counterpart. “Damn society rules.” “I think I have an idea.” Both Leones turned to FT Chelsea. “Ice-Make: Ice Table!” She created an ice table with her magic which amazed Ilia and the others. “You just made this out of thin air?”Sienna was equally impressed. “So, this is magic. I don’t think any semblance can do something like this.” And to think this was only but a small glimpse of the world known as Earthland. A large cloth was thrown onto the table. “And there. If you can’t have a drinking contest, then I guess you’ll have to settle for an arm wrestling contest. What do you say?”The two Leones looked at each other and smiled at each other. In the next couple of seconds, they stood on the opposite ends of the table and rested their elbows on it. FT Leone transformed into her beast form. They gripped the edges with their other hands and clasped each other’s hands tightly. “Come on, Leone! Don’t lose to the other Leone!” Nora cheered. FT Chelsea looked at the two Leones and raised her right arm. “And...” She brought her arm down. “Go!” The “younger” Leone put all her strength into her arm but the match was over in an instant. FT Leone not only easily brought down her counterpart’s arm, but she also managed to destroy the table. Her “younger” counterpart was lying on the ground. There was some stunned silence from the crowd. Of all of them, the “younger” Leone was most bewildered. “Holy crap. I knew there was a difference between our strengths, but I didn’t know it’d be that huge.”Meanwhile, FT Leone laughed awkwardly. “Whoops, sorry about that. I guess I don’t know my own strength.” She offered her hand to her “younger” half. The “younger” Leone took her hand and was helped up. “I guess staying in Earthland did wonders increasing my strength.” If she needed this kind of strength to survive in Earthland, it’s just another way to show just how strong that world is compared to the Empire and Remnant. With the arm wrestling done, some moved on to the next activity while others continued eating the food. It was something Ilia wasn’t a fan of as she was screaming in terror while being lifted into the air by Wendy. “Ahhh! Too high! Too high!” “It’s fine, don’t worry. I’m not going to drop you.”“I HOPE SO!” Meanwhile, Kali was quite enjoying her brief flight with Carla carrying her. “This is so exhilarating.” “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”Sienna was also impressed by how high she was in the sky while being carried by FT Chelsea who took on Happy’s form. “This is amazing. And this is all just a day-by-day basis?”“Aye, sir!”The more magic Sienna saw the more she was entranced by it. Part of her really wanted to see what this Earthland was like and compare it to Remnant. Down below, the rest of the group watched, and Mine had a slight concern. “Is this really a good idea? I’m some people would notice three people being carried into the air by two cats and a kid.” “Not to worry. I’m casting an illusion over this place where nothing is happening. The people won’t notice a thing.” The younger Chelsea reassured. Ruby was feeling giddy just by watching the others fly. “That looks so fun! Weiss, want to join me?”“Sure.” At least it’ll be a more pleasant experience than when they rode on that Nevermore back at their entrance exam. “I’d like to join too if you don’t mind. Esdeath inquired. She’d like to see what’s it like to fly in the air too. Being with Ruby was just a bonus. “Yeah, that’d be great!”After a few more minutes, Kali, Sienna, and Ilia landed on the ground. Ilia already fell to her hands and knees while relief washed over her body. “Finally, solid ground.” Sienna shook her head while Kali laughed a little. She then turned to her husband. “You should give it a try, dear.”Ghira just chuckled at the suggestion. “A fine idea but I don’t believe it’ll happen.” He very much doubted these little flying cats could lift someone of his bulk. “Not a problem!” Everyone turned to “Happy”. “Happy” grinned as “he” transformed into another cat but with black fur. Now, FT Chelsea was Panther Lily. Kurome and the rest of the Remnant group were confused by this. “Okay, so you became another cat. What makes this one so different?”“This.” “Panther Lily” responded as “he” transformed and became a much larger version of “himself”. “He” towered over Ghira which he and his family didn’t think there’d be anyone larger than him. “That’s a big kitty,” Yang said.“Panther Lily” flashed a toothy grin at the Chieftain. “Going up.” “He” went behind Ghira and grabbed him by the sides. They flew up into the sky together. As the rest of the group saw them soar, the younger Chelsea wondered about something. “Okay, so can all these flying talking cats transform?” She remembered how Carla transformed back into her original form when they first met. “As far we know, only Carla and Lily.” FT Leone answered. For the next segment, it was charades. Or at least FT Chelsea’s version of charades when she took up Gajeel’s form. “He” pointed at Ruby. “You’re under arrest for swinging a large weapon!”“How else am I supposed to fight!?”“You’re under arrest for being a spoiled brat!”Weiss just scoffed at the accusation. “What kind of reason is that?”“You’re under arrest for reading too many books!” “A crime I’d be glad to commit.” “You’re under arrest for riding a vehicle without a license!” “You’re not the first one to tell me that.” Mine leaned over to FT Akame. “Is this for real?”“Yes, unfortunately. Gajeel had a habit of doing this when he was with the Magic Council Custody Enforcement.” “Oh, so he let the power go to his head.” “Kinda,” FT Leone interjected. “He only did that to people he didn’t like. Especially Natsu. Even then, it’s not like he actually arrested us for those dumb reasons.” “Gajeel” pointed at the “younger” Leone next. “You’re under arrest for being a copycat!”“How am I a copycat!? We’re both the same person!”“You’re under arrest for saying the stupid things your dad says!”Now that, Cordelia took great offense. “Hey, my papa’s sayings aren’t stupid!”“You’re under arrest for age-gap romance!” “How am I guilty of someone else’s crime!?”“Gajeel” pointed at Jaune next. “You’re under arrest for liking cereal!”“But Pumpkin Pete’s is delicious!”“You’re under arrest for farming!”“How else is my family supposed to make a living?”“You’re under arrest for being too quiet!” Ren said nothing in response. “You’re under arrest for eating too many pancakes!” “Ha! You’ll have to catch me first, copper!”“Gajeel” pointed at Kurome next. “You’re under arrest for eating too much!”“I’m going to beat the ever-loving crap out of you.”“You’re under arrest for arson!”“Okay, I like fire but not that kind.”“You’re under arrest for plagiarism!” “Pot calling the kettle black right here.”“You’re under arrest for not being fun!” “Tell me, did you always lose to the Taeko you knew from playing Shougi?” “You always cheat at that game!” The younger Chelsea shouted. “No, I’m just that much better of a player than you.” “You’re under arrest for liking the sea too much!”“I grew up in a seaside village!”“You’re under arrest because I feel like it!”“W-What?” Truth be told, FT Chelsea couldn’t come up with a ridiculous reason to arrest Ilia without sounding racist toward her.“And you’re under arrest for being flat-chested!” And “Gajeel” immediately received a punch to the face from Mine. However, there was a bit of silence and it seemed like the punch unaffected “him”. But for Mine, her body shook a bit before yelling in pain. “OWWW!” She grabbed her hand tightly to quell the pain. “WHAT IS YOUR FACE MADE OF!?”“Iron.” FT Chelsea knew Mine would punch her if she said something about her chest. It was honestly funnier to her. After FT Chelsea’s version of charades (and Mine properly punching her), everyone in the group split into smaller groups for small chit-chat. Esren, Ghira, Kali, and Sienna were in one group discussing past deeds and adventures. Qrow decided to sit out and drink in solitude. As for everyone else, a certain topic came up while talking to each other. “So, you had a dream where you were fighting a bartender?” FT Leone asked. Yang nodded at the question. “Yep. Right around the Vytal Festival too. She was a pretty good fighter too and for some reason, a dolphin came out of the floor when she uppercut me. I won though but I sometimes wonder if snapping her neck was necessary.” Blake raised her hand next. “I had a similar dream too. I was fighting this one girl who moved interestingly. She used some sort of gear to maneuver around the buildings and she was strong. A terrifying moment was when she managed to cut my arm off but I managed to win. I’d rather have her as an ally than an enemy.” Yang shuttered when she heard Blake lose an arm. She’d rather not relive that memory again. “I have one too,” Weiss spoke. “In my dream, I was fighting a girl who had similar powers to me and she was strong. I even asked her that question and she replied ‘strong enough’ before shooting herself in the head with a gun and that somehow restored her power.”“Okay, that’s weird.” FT Chelsea commented. “Ooh, ooh! I got one!” Ruby excitedly spoke. “I dreamed I was fighting another girl that had a talking scythe.” “Did you win or lose?” The younger Chelsea asked. Ruby just shrugged. “I don’t know. I woke up before the huge climax happened.” Esdeath and Weiss were sure Ruby would win. FT Leone raised her hand next. “I had a dream where I fought this one tiger lady that was hella strong. Like, was naturally strong and she used a huge sword that she swung around like it was nothing. I don’t remember how that fight ended.” “I think I got something too.” Wave spoke next. “I remembered as soon as I saw that...Gajeel guy, was it? I fought someone like him and he was real tough. I don’t know how that fight ended, though.”Already FT Leone liked the idea. “Ooh, you fighting Gajeel would be cool!”“Um...” Everyone looked over at Wendy. “I had...a strange dream. I still don’t know what to make of it.” “What was it, Wendy?” Carla asked. “Well, I was fighting a girl who seemed like a couple of years older than me. She had long glowing blonde hair and...eerie scarlet eyes. I remembered they looked so cold.”Everyone looked over at Yang’s direction and she held her hands up. “Hey, don’t look at me.”“No, it wasn’t Yang.” Wendy clarified. “The girl I mentioned is younger than her. I was fighting her in my Divine Sky Dragon Mode but she overwhelmed me with her power and I lost. The last thing I remember was a searing bright light. What I found the strangest of all is that her voice sounded so much like mine.” The fact of even hearing that Wendy lost in a dream was nigh unbelievable to the rest of the group. “What, no way. You losing in your strongest form? You’re the girl who beat Esdeath twice and helped beat Achnologia. If this mystery girl is as strong as you said, she’d have to be impossibly strong.” “It is just a dream,” Taeko spoke. “However, there’s been evidence that dreams may hold meaning.” “Okay, but what does it mean when Wendy loses to some random girl?” FT Chelsea asked.“Who knows? Our world alone has many mysteries.” It was still hard to imagine Wendy of all people losing even if it was in a dream considering almost everyone here has seen what she can do. “Uh...” Everyone looked at Ilia who seemed a little confused. “What’s a Divine Sky Dragon Mode? And she killed Esdeath twice?” She pointed over at Esdeath. “And who’s Achnologia?” Everyone was reminded that Ilia was a bit out of the loop. So, they explained everything to her. Needless to say, she was overwhelmed and couldn’t believe half of the stuff the young dragon slayer had gone through. The next event was a simple one; taking pictures of everyone in groups with their phones and mini lacrimas. The first one up was the Fairy Tail group and they all stood next to each other. Ruby was the one taking the picture as was FT Chelsea. “Okay, everyone! Say cheese!”“CHEESE!” Everyone smiled and Ruby took the photo. Next was both Team RWBY and ORNJ. Wendy was the one taking the picture next. “It’s kinda surprising those things can take photos,” Yang stated. “Yeah, Warren added that feature not too long ago. It comes in handy sometimes.” FT Chelsea explained. “Say cheese, everyone!” “CHEESE!” They all smiled and Wendy and Jaune took the photo. The Night Raid group was next with Mine and Wave involved. Wendy was taking the photo again. “Everyone say cheese!”“CHEESE!” The photo was taken.With the teams done, now it was time for other groups. “Okay, let’s have a photo with the White Fang group this time!” Yang announced. Ghira, Kali, Blake, and Ilia gathered while Sienna couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. Kali noticed one more person was missing. “Leone, dear. Why don’t you join us?”The “younger” Leone was taken aback a little. “Really? But I’m not part of the White Fang.”Ghira chuckled. “You played an invaluable part back at Menagerie. If it’ll make you feel better, you can be an honorary member of a reformed White Fang.” Her being a White Fang member. Never once did she think something like that happened to her with everything she’s been through with them. No, Adam’s White Fang. The White Fang Ghira will lead is different and that was a group she’d gladly follow. She smiled at him. “Sure, I’ll take you up on that offer.” She joined the rest of the White Fang group. Yang was the one taking the photo this time. “You know the drill, everyone! Say tuna!” Ghira, Kali, Blake, and the “younger” Leone laughed a little. “Tuna!” Sienna was a little less enthusiastic about saying it. Yang and FT Leone took the picture. Once their picture was done, it was time for another group photo. “How’s this for a fun idea; a picture with the other’s double?” The younger Chelsea suggested. Everyone agreed to it. The two Leones and the two Chelsea’s gathered for the photo. FT Akame felt a little left out since her double wasn’t here. The ones taking the picture were Wendy and Ruby. “Say cheese, everyone!” “CHEESE!” Both girls took the photo. And with that ended the photo shoot of the groups. The ones who took the photos sent them to the others. End Opening For the next activity, it was karaoke since they have a karaoke machine they’re renting and a list of songs to choose from. The first one up was FT Akame. The music was electronic with guitars accompanying it. The lyrics involved taking ahead of any kind of future, seeking places to shine in, and racing impulses to a boundless world. It was very well received by FT Leone, the “younger” Leone, Wave, and Mine. Cordelia was amazed by her singing voice. “Wow, it’s like this song was made for her.”“I’ll say. It kinda fits her perfectly.” The younger Chelsea said.Then the “younger” Leone had a passing thought. “I wonder if we could play this song sometime? I could see the team playing it.” She envisioned herself playing drums, Cordelia playing bass, Esdeath playing the follow up guitarist, and Akame on vocals and lead guitarist. After FT Akame, it was FT Leone’s turn. The song she chose was an upbeat pop song about Love or Hate. After her, it was FT Chelsea’s turn to sing a song that had something to do with a billion flowers. The song Wendy chose to sing had something to do with flowers of bravery. Her performance even impressed Weiss. “I had no idea she could sing that well.”“Wendy and Chelia were an idol group in Lamia Scale known as the Sky Lovers.” FT Chelsea explained. “It’s a shame Chelia isn’t with us. We could’ve listened to their most popular song.” “What’s the name of the song?” Cornelia asked.“All I can say is it has to do something with Magnets.” Next up was Carla in her cat girl form who chose a song about having a better tomorrow. She finished the song and that was it from the FT group. The next group up was Kurome’s and she decided to sing a song about dying young. It was a song Wave wasn’t too thrilled to hear. Especially from Kurome of all people singing it even if she was a different Kurome than the one he knew. After Kurome, it was Rienna. What made her turn unique wasn’t the rock song all about burning every bridge built. It was that everyone discovered she had a screamo voice every time she shouted “MAYDAY” and the last quarter of the song. To say she left an impression was an understatement. “Huh, I had no idea Rienna’s voice could go that deep,” Yang commented. Once Rienna was done, she bowed as everyone applauded her. She couldn’t help but laugh sheepishly. “So, you can fight up close and personal and can sing like that. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself?” Kurome asked. Rienna chuckled a little in response. “Maybe another time.”The younger Chelsea chose a song that was more upbeat and energetic and repeated the word “applause” many times. When she was done, It was Taeko’s turn.She chose her song. The opening instrumental, which had horns and a guitar, sounded like something from an old drama. Kali clapped her hands, excited to hear it. “Oh, this is such a lovely song.”The younger Chelsea jeered. “Boo! You always chose such boring, old songs.” “That’s because you don’t know how to appreciate the classics, Chelsea.” Taeko cleared her throat before singing the lyrics. The whole song was about what an evil goddess did to her lips and there was a promise to strike her down with a blade of resentment. She had a marvelous singing voice to the whole group but none paid more attention than Cornelia. She never took her eyes off her girlfriend and drank in every beautiful word the other girl sang. Then she felt a sharp pinching pain. “Ow!” She looked over to Kurome who pinched her cheek and was understandably mad at her. “What was that for!?”“To snap you out of it before you take Taeko to bed and keep the rest of us up through the night.” Her crude description made Cornelia blush heavily. With Taeko’s turn finished, it was now the remainder of ALCE’s turn. The first up was Cornelia. The song she chose was a rock song and sang with a sultry voice about burning under the Vacuo sun and being taken down somewhere. Her voice had a powerful effect on Taeko and couldn’t take her eyes off the other girl. Like Cornelia, she drank every word the other girl sang. Then she had her cheek pinched by the younger Chelsea. “Ah!” She turned to her childhood friend who was just grinning. “You might want to reign yourself in, tiger. We don’t need you to be the one to take her down in the bed later tonight.” Taeko blushed at her comment. “You’re ridiculous.” She looked away while the younger Chelsea laughed a little. It was rare for her to see Taeko flustered like this. After Cornelia was done, the “younger” Leone was next. The song she chose was a rock song counting up one, two, three, and for the money. FT Akame, Leone, Chelsea, Mine, and Wave quite enjoyed the song a lot. When she was done, it was Esdeath’s turn. Ruby was especially excited to her sing. “Let’s go, Esdeath!”“Yeah, let’s hear you sing!” Yang encouraged. Weiss was also interested in what song her rival would choose to sing. Esdeath already decided what song to sing and thought it was perfect for conveying her feelings for Ruby. The song she chose had much of a keyboard playing and she poured her heart out while singing the lyrics. Ruby was struck early in the song as soon as she heard Esdeath sing the lyrics about how a smile pierced her heart. No doubt that was referring to when she smiled at Esdeath after their first fight back at Beacon. Throughout the entire song, Esdeath hasn’t taken her eyes off Ruby and Ruby the same. As they continued to look at each other, the young leader felt a tightness in her chest. The song kept continuing and now described how she found the one to protect. The song ended and Esdeath received a loud applause and some whistles. However, Esdeath was only focusing on Ruby and smiled at her. She hoped the song she chose reached her. She bowed to the crowd and walked to rejoin. Meanwhile, Weiss had to admit her rival did a phenomenal job. When it was her turn, she’d had to find a song just as good or better than the one Esdeath sang. With the remainder of ALCE done, it was time for the next group. The first one up was Oscar and the song he chose had vocals right off the bat. The song mentioned going further and peace signs. When he was done with his song, Ren was up next. Nora cheered the loudest out of the group. “Whoo! Go, Ren! Let’s hear that pretty singing voice of yours!” Ren cleared his throat before singing the song he chose. The song had lyrics about following scars and pain as protection. His performance was good and as usual, Nora was the one who was enjoying it the most. When he was done, Nora wasted no time getting her turn. “Alright! Time to show all of you what I can do!” She pulled out a white fedora. “Is no one going to comment where she got that from?” Mine asked. Nora snapped her fingers and the song began. It was a song that had a catchy beat to it. Some of the lyrics had something to do with being so hot for a dragon to retire which Wendy doubted Natsu would do and something to do with uptown funk. There was also something about riding to Vale, Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo. Everyone saw how much fun Nora had when singing her song of choice. When she was done, she flashed a peace sign to everyone. Again, everyone applauded her performance. Next was Jaune’s turn. “I wonder what song Jaune’s chosen to sing?” Ruby wondered. Yang then suddenly chuckled out of nowhere which caught Mine’s attention. “What’s so funny?” “Oh, nothing. I just remembered the time he wore a dress at our school dance.” Hearing that threw Mine out of the loop. “I’m sorry, he what now?! Is he into that?” She wasn’t a person to judge what a person likes. “No, it was a bet he made about if he didn’t get a date to the dance, he’d wear a dress if...Pyrrha didn’t.” Nora answered but she briefly paused when she mentioned Pyrrha’s name. “We still had fun at the dance and if you ask me, he kinda rocked it in the dress. I saw how much fun Pyrrha had when she danced with him.”“Oh, I see.” She wanted to know more about Pyrrha since it was obvious she meant a lot to the group. If there’s one thing she’ll admit about Jaune, he was a man of his word.Once Jaune was ready, he cleared his throat. “Testing, testing, one, two, three.” He then played the song he chose. It was a dance-pop song that had loud trumpets at the start. It was a song about a girl who’ll take your clothes off and dance in the rain and be upside, inside out. What amazed everyone was the dance moves Jaune was doing while singing. While he was doing his performance, the younger Chelsea nudged Mine’s arm with her elbow. “So, what do you think, Mine?”Mine huffed in response. “He doesn’t have half the charm Tatsumi has.” “So, you’re saying he has some charm to you then?”Mine immediately became irritated by the other girl’s reply. “Oh, shut up!”“I didn’t hear a no.”“I swear to whatever God exists in this world, I will kill you and put your head on a pike myself!” “I don’t know, Mine. Tatsumi had his goofy moments too, ya know.” The “younger” Leone added.“Oh, not you too!” Jaune’s song came to an end and he received applause from the group, except for Mine who just kept looking at him. “He’s nothing like Tatsumi. Then again, I suppose no guy can be like him.” She fondly remembered the time he saved her from Seryu’s last suicide bomb attack in an attempt to take Mine with her. She could never forget the sight of him carrying her in his arms. A far cry compared to when Jaune saved her but she’ll admit he did the right thing and his heart was in the right place. She knew no one could ever replace Tatsumi. She could still recall the pain she felt when she first heard of his passing. At least she saw him briefly before he returned to Akame. But it still didn’t change the fact he wasn’t coming back. “Knowing Tatsumi, he’d probably say something like I should move on and find happiness again.” Perhaps one day but not in the foreseeable future. She’ll also admit that Jaune wasn’t half-bad at dancing. Finally, it was Team RWBY’s turn to sing their songs. Their friends were excited to hear what songs they chose to sing. Up first was Ruby and Esdeath and Weiss were particularly eager to hear what song she’ll sing. As for the song, Ruby picked it because on a whim. The song began with the piano playing and then the violins. The song was about moving forward in the world, not forgetting promises, and shaking off darkness. Not surprisingly, Esdeath cheered the loudest while Weiss listened to Ruby’s voice closely. She had to admit her leader was a good singer and could be better with more practice. After Ruby’s turn, Weiss stepped up to the plate. Esdeath wondered what kind of song Weiss would sing. As soon as she took the stage, the song began to play. The song had several guitars playing and she began to sing. It was about how she wanted to be someone’s girl, wanting to be on their side, sharing them with someone else, and being the only one they loved. Like Esdeath, Ruby was enthralled by the song Weiss chose and her singing voice. Pretty was an understatement. Her singing was beautiful to her. She felt that same tight feeling within her chest. As soon as Weiss finished singing, she was met with thunderous applause. Meanwhile, Esdeath just growled because she had to admit not only Weiss chose a very good song but it was also more direct. As soon as Weiss walked past her, she gave her rival a smug smirk and Esdeath responded by glaring daggers at her. She knew the former heiress won this round. After Weiss’s turn, it was Blake’s. Yang cheered the loudest out of the group and received positive support from her parents. The song began and it was a pop synthesizer song. It was about how love set her free and see and how it was wonderful. There was also a mention of the moon and sun. Blake looked straight at Yang while she was singing the song. The song could be summed up as how much of an impact Yang had on Blake’s life and just how much better it’d become ever since she met her. The song ended and everyone applauded. During that, Blake gave Yang a wink, and the blonde slightly blushed. After Blake’s performance, Yang was more than happy to take the stage. She snapped her fingers and the song she chose began. It was a pop song. The lyrics were along the lines of being raised by wolves, being sent to confession, and the prominent use of the words “woo hoo”. When the song ended, again, there was applause. Now that the teams were done, it was some of the others’ turn to sing. Both Leones encouraged Mine to sing next and she reluctantly went with it. The song she chose began and the lyrics had something with not shedding tears of either gold or silver, chasing a real dream, and telling a hero to run past through. Out of everyone, Wendy and Carla enjoyed the song the most. Jaune did as well as he enjoyed listening to Mine’s singing. He then felt a nudge on his shoulder and turned to see Nora. “So, what do you think of her?”Jaune went back to looking at Mine. “She’s great. She can be a little mean sometimes, though. But she is reliable.”“Not exactly what I was asking.” Nora hoped that one day Jaune would heal from losing Pyrrha. Even if he didn’t show it now, she could tell her death still weighed heavily on him. Perhaps one day someone else will fill in that hole Pyrrha left in his life. The song ended and so did Mine’s turn. Next was Wave’s turn and at first he didn’t want to because he didn’t think he’d be good at it. But with some encouragement from the others, he had no choice. He didn’t want to disappoint. Out of all the songs he chose, he thought this one suited him best. The song began with some soft strums of the guitar and he sang the lyrics. The lyrics had something to do with heroes waiting, brothers and sisters to care, protecting those from despair, and the main point was citizens and soldiers. All in all, the song seemed to fit Wave to a T. Meanwhile, the younger Chelsea was recording Wave’s performance. “Seryu is so going to kick herself for missing this.” The song ended and Wave felt a little embarrassed when he received applause. He’d never done something like this before but it was fun for him. He was a little disappointed that Seryu wasn’t here. He’d hoped to see her again before leaving Mistral. Next up was Ilia but she was a little shy to sing in front of so many people. But she gave in since she figured Blake would want her to and stepped up on the stage. She chose a song that seemed pretty good for her to sing. The song began and there was already fast playing of an electric guitar and drums. The lyrics had to be in shadows, being nice and sweet but brave and strong, and shouting about girls showing what they got. Sugar and spice were also prevalent in the lyrics. The song ended and Ilia was a bit out of breath but she enjoyed it. She could see that Blake also liked her performance and that was good enough for her. With Ilia’s performance at an end, that was about it for the younger crowd. However... “I guess I’ll this kind of thing a shot.” Everyone, especially Esdeath was surprised to see Esren showing some interest in this sort of thing. Esdeath wondered what kind of song her father would sing. Probably one of the older ones. “Let’s see, how does this thing work?” After some help from his daughter, he chose a song to sing. Sure enough, it was an older song given how the guitars were being played. As soon as Ghira heard the music, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Ah, I haven’t this song in quite a long time. A classic.” The lyrics had something to do with wayward sons coming home, can see but was a blind man, and there being peace when everything was done. During all of this, Qrow couldn’t help but scoff quietly when heard the song. The song ended and Esren laughed a little while receiving applause. Ghira especially. “Bravo! It was great hearing that song again.”“Thank you, thank you. Honestly, there was one other song I wanted to sing but...” Esren’s eyes trailed off to Sienna. Immediately, Sienna knew what he meant and sighed. “I appreciate the consideration. That being said...” She walked up to him and snatched the microphone from him. “I believe it’s my turn now.” Upon seeing this, never in a million years, Blake thought she’d see Sienna of people singing karaoke. She quickly chose her song and as soon as it began, her foot began to tap along with the beat. The lyrics had to be back in the streets, trading passion for glory, stacking the odds, and something to do eye of the tiger. Ilia, Blake, Ghira, and Kali figured that particular lyric was why Esren was hesitant to sing this song. Still, it’s been too long since all of them saw her just enjoy herself. When the song was done, Sienna bowed as everyone applauded. She couldn’t remember the last time she had so much fun. Looking back on it it felt like her role as the High Leader of the White Fang seemed like a lifetime ago. Ruby and Yang looked over at their uncle. “C’mon, Uncle Qrow! How about you sing next?”“Yeah, give it a try! It’s a lot of fun.”Qrow scoffed as he showed no interest whatsoever. “I don’t think so. Not really my thing.” Ruby and Yang pouted at his answer. “I guess I’ll give it a shot then,” Ghira announced. He chose the song he’d sing and it began. Like the previous songs Sienna and Esren sang, it was an older song. It started with four words being spoken followed by what sounded like a cowbell and then an electric guitar. The lyrics had something to do with rising up, rocking the ground, and blowing up like dynamite. Naturally, Rienna liked the song as did the “younger” Leone. “This song’s pretty damn good.” She heard Kali laugh a little and that caught her attention. “What’s so funny.”Kali laughed a little more. “I should’ve guessed you and him are the same.” “Who? Ghira?”“No, dear. Your father.” Wendy’s ear twitched when she heard that. “Raus had this kind of taste of music back then. I assume Ghira knew this when he chose this song.” The “younger” Leone was quite happy to learn something about her father. Once the song ended, Ghira received applause. Again, Blake didn’t expect her father of all people to engage in this kind of thing. When he was done, Kali stepped up. “I believe it’s my turn now.” “Knock ‘em dead, Kali!” The “younger” Leone cheered. “Not literally, though!”Kali was the last one of the group to participate. She smiled and waved at the crowd as she stood in front of everyone. They all figured she’d sing an older song like Esren, Ghira, and Sienna but they were quickly proven wrong when the song she chose began to play. It was definitely a more modern song with electric beats to it. She began to dance along to the beat which was impressive. The lyrics had something to do with accepting an invitation to a place where truth and lies don’t exist. But when you enter this place, there is no escape. Just to dance and forget about time. Her dancing enticed everyone and when she leaned forward for a certain part of the song, she gave a flirty wink at her husband. At that point, Esren placed his hand on Ghira’s shoulder and laughed a little. “Ghira, you are a lucky man.” Ghira lightly chuckled in response. “I know.” The song ended and Kali ended up receiving huge applause and whistles as she gave them a bow. Yang leaned over to Blake. “Blake, I don’t know about you, but I think you’ll be getting a new sibling after tonight.” Blake couldn’t help but laugh. As the applause finally began to die down, noticed a flash. It lasted for a second but then it came back again. Then the flash of light began to repeat and everyone turned to where the flashes were coming from. They saw those flashes of light coming from the FT group as their bodies were glowing. They were just as confused as everyone else. “What’s with the glowing?” Kurome asked. FT Akame looked at her glowing hand. “I think...it’s a sign. This light looks the same as we saw that elderly woman.” “So, this is how we’ll go back, huh?” FT Leone spoke. “Well, at least we don’t have to look for a way back.” “Wait, you guys are just going back just like that?” Yang said. “That just seemed so sudden.” “Maybe so. Too bad because I wanted to see a bit more of this world.” FT Chelsea said. The FT group gathered together and stood across from the Remnant group. “It’s kinda sad seeing you all go after everything we’ve been through,” Ruby said. FT Leone just smiled at the young leader. “We feel the same way. It’s been fun hanging out with all of you.” She then smiled. “Actually, I have an idea since this happened before.” The others didn’t know what she meant by that. The Remnant group saw her raise her right arm and point up to the sky. The rest of the FT group saw it and smiled as they did the same. “What are they doing?” The younger Chelsea asked. “The first rule of leaving Fairy Tail!” FT Leone spoke first. “You must never reveal sensitive information about Fairy Tail to others for as long as you live!”“The second rule of leaving Fairy Tail,” Akame spoke next. “You must never use former contacts met through your being in the guild for personal gain.”“The third rule of leaving Fairy Tail,” Wendy spoke after. “Though our paths may have diverged, you must continue to live out your life with all your might, you must never consider your own life to be something insignificant, and you must never forget about your friends for as long as you live.”Everyone in the other group admitted those were strong words coming from the other group. Qrow just thought it was cheesy. “You know, before we go, how I show you what Earthland is like?” FT Chelsea suggested. “I did promise after all. Not exactly the situation I imagined doing it in but now’s as good as ever before we go. So, here’s a quick look at what Earthland is like. Enjoy.” After that, everyone in the Remnant began seeing Earthland in their minds thanks to the memory magic FT Chelsea got from Mest. Insert Fairy Tail Opening One The whole group then found themselves not at the house but on a hill overlooking a large town with a river flowing through it and a large cathedral. It certainly looked otherworldly to them. “Finally, we made it back. Hello, Magnolia Town!” They looked to the side to see Wendy and her group standing on the same hill away from them. The scene changed and they found themselves in the middle of the town. Seeing it up close, it was a literal world apart from what they’d seen back in Remnant. They saw the FT group walk past Kardia Cathedral and it was magnificent to behold for the group. Then they finally arrived at a rather large building with a familiar-looking emblem above a sign that said “Fairy Tail”. They saw FT Leone open the doors and the group walked in. “Hey, everyone! We’re back!” She and her group were greeted with welcoming cheers from all kinds of different people within the building. One of them approached the FT group, a young lady with long white hair who gave the group a beaming smile. “Welcome back!”“Hey, Mi-” And then something crashed into the white-haired girl and knocked her out. “-ra. Mira!” They heard a growl and saw a second person stand up. The most surprising thing about him was that he wasn’t wearing any clothes except for his boxers. “You’re going to pay for that you sorry excuse for a spark!” They heard laughter from the other side of the building and saw a young man with spiky pink hair. “What are you going to do, you melty popsicle?!”“I’m going to kick your ass, that’s what!” He ran back to the other guy and they got into another scuffle while calling each other names. “THAT’S ENOUGH!” Then a familiar redhead came up and broke the fight with her fists. “Do I have to recommend the two of you again?” She gave them a frightening glare. “No, ma’am!” The two guys suddenly have their arms around each others’ necks while smiling forcefully. “We’re just playing around, Erza. Isn’t that right, Gray ol’ buddy ol’ pal?”“Right as rain, Natsu, my best friend in the entire world.” Their answers seemed to please Erza. “Good. It’s nice to see you get along so well.” “Jeez, the actual person is scarier.” The younger Chelsea thought. Meanwhile, another familiar face sitting at a table nearby was grinning. “Heh, it’s always funny to see Salamander sweat like this.” “Some things never change, huh?” A smaller girl with short blue hair near him spoke. “He’ll take any win.” A familiar small black talking cat spoke next. “Oh, Erza,” Akame walked up to her and presented a box that she carried. “This is for you.” “Oh, thank you.” She opened the box and immediately had stars in her eyes. That was the kind of reaction Akame knew the other girl would have. “I knew you’d like it. It’s a strawberry cake from the previous stop before we arrived here.”“Thank you for this generous gift!” Erza wasted no time enjoying her cake and squealing in delight. The stark difference in her personality was staggering to the Remnant group. “How can someone be so intimidating one second and then be goofy in the next?” The younger Chelsea thought. “Chelsea, you’re back!” Both FT Chelsea and the younger Chelsea looked in the direction where they heard the voice. They saw another girl with white hair like Mira’s but short and younger. She stopped in front of FT Chelsea and smiled brightly at her. “It’s great to see you again.”For the first time, some of the Remnant group saw FT Chelsea a little flustered seeing the other girl. “Oh, Lisanna. Hi.” The younger Chelsea then had a Cheshire grin on her face. “Oh, so that’s who you like then.” Then FT Chelsea noticed a large shadow looming over her and looked up to see a very large, muscular man with spiky white hair looming over her. He was giving her a very nasty glare. When the Remnant group saw him, they were surprised. “That guy is jacked!” Yang shouted. “What kind of steroids did this guy take?” Kurome wondered. “Elfman, you’re scaring her again.” Lisanna hated her older brother did this whenever FT Chelsea was close to her. “His name is Elfman?!” Ruby shouted next. She didn’t expect someone like him to have such an adorable name. “Now, now, Elfman,” They saw Mirajane who recovered quickly walk up to the smaller group. “There’s no need to frighten poor Chelsea here.” Elfman seemed to calm down after hearing that. “Right. Sorry, big sis.” “SHE’S THE OLDER SIBLING?!” Ruby, Yang, and Weiss shouted in disbelief. “Besides, She wouldn’t even think of doing anything bad to Lisanna, right?” Mirajane gave FT Chelsea a rather cheerful smile. Despite being a happy smile, FT Chelsea seemed more terrified of her than Elfman. “R-Right.” The younger Chelsea didn’t quite understand why her older counterpart was scared of her. Meanwhile, FT Leone couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, Wendy!” Then the Remnant group saw another girl with long blonde hair walk up to the other group. And Ilia was already checking her out. “Ohh, wow...” “Carla!” They also saw a familiar blue cat flying over to Carla. He seemed very happy to see Carla. The same could be said about the blonde. “It’s great to see you again. It feels like it’s been forever since you’ve been on a job with us. You are still part of our group.” Now Wendy felt bad because Lucy was right. “I-I still am! I’ve just been busy with...” “It’s fine.” FT Leone interjected. “We just want her to spend a bit more time with us before you, Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Wendy go on that hundred-year quest thing. Who knows how long that’ll take for you guys to finish.” “Hundred-year what now?!” Weiss exclaimed. “In any case, CANA, WHERE ARE YOU! I STILL HAVE A SCORE TO SETTLE!” “I’m right here! You don’t need to shout.” FT Leone looked over at a table to find a woman with long brunette hair who was wearing a bikini top with tan pants. She was casually drinking a mug of booze. FT Leone smiled at her. “Okay, Cana! This is the day I beat you!” Cana just smiled at the challenge. “Oh, really? I’ll be happy to take you on again.” The Remnant group wondered why FT Leone wanted to fight this woman. Then they saw their answer and it didn’t surprise Mine at all. They saw her slam down her mug of booze and sat across from Cana. The rest of the guild gathered around them and cheered. “You ready?” Cana asked. “You know it! Let’s start!” They began their drinking contest. At first, it seems even but FT Leone became a bit tipsy by the seventh mug. At fifteen, she began reaching her limit. Twenty was her limit and groaned as she fell back. She groaned as she had spiral eyes. “Leone!” Wendy quickly went to her and used her healing magic. To Mine, it was surprising to her losing in a drinking contest. The same could be said for the younger version. They both shared the same reaction when throughout the entire time, Cana was unaffected. “How the hell is she still conscious? She drank twenty mugs of booze!”Cana seemed amused by her victory over FT Leone. “Is that all you got? I didn’t even get started. Well, time for a victory drink then.” She then picked up an entire barrel and began to drink straight from it. The sight was something to the other group. Especially to Ruby and Yang. “And here I thought Uncle Qrow was a heavy drinker.” “Just what is her liver made of!?” Speaking of Qrow, this was the first time he felt unsettled seeing someone else drink so much. As soon as FT Leone recovered, the Night Raid group heard another familiar voice. “There you are.” All five members looked over to the voice and, they and, the Remnant group saw who it was. “Oh, Laxus! I-mean Master! I mean Boss!” It was still awkward to call the head of a guild Master as it left a bad taste in most of the Night Raid members’ mouths. Boss sounded more natural to Leone and the others.Laxus had his arms crossed and looked at the Night Raid group. “How did the job go?” His response from FT Leone and FT Chelsea was some nervous laughter. “I’ll ask the same question differently; what was the damage?” That question seemed to hit the nail on their heads, and they all lowered their heads. “We kinda destroyed half the town.” FT Leone answered. “More like three-fourths of it.” FT Akame corrected. “And so did three-fourths of our reward.” FT Chelsea added. “So, you guys do more harm than good?” Mine asked. Instead of being scolded, Laxus just chuckled at them. “Well, that’s nothing new. It’s still better than Natsu’s team when they destroy whole towns. Although...” Electricity sparked from his eyes as he glared at them. “You lot gave me more paperwork to do.” He finally understood what his grandfather had to endure whenever the guild destroyed something beyond recognition. “We’re sorry!” Everyone but Carla bowed to him.“I suppose he must have a difficult job if something like this is the norm,” Ghira said. The scene changed and the Remnant group found themselves in a forest with giant trees that reached the sky. And wrapped around them were equally huge centipedes that were eating the trees. “AHHH! WHY ARE THOSE THINGS HUGE?!” Illia screamed. “You’ll really need some big exterminators for those,” Yang said. The group then heard explosions and saw several centipedes fall off the trees. From close by, they saw the Night Raid group standing on one of the branches. “Are we even close to being done here?” FT Leone asked. “We have about half left.” FT Akame answered. “Simple extermination my ass! We’ve been at this all day! This job sucks!” FT Chelsea complained. “If I remember right, you took this job because you’ll be short on paying rent next month?” Carla inquire. “I do remember you saying that, Chelsea,” Wendy confirmed. “LET’S KILL THOSE CENIPIEDES RIGHT NOW! TIME’S A-WASTING!” All five resumed. There were two ways to kill these giant centipedes; either through enough excessive force or in between its armored segments where the softer body parts are located. FT Leone roared as she jumped to the nearest centipede and punched it. The force behind her attack was strong enough to shatter its hard exoskeleton and it dropped to the ground. The “younger” Leone was astounded by her strength. “I don’t even think I could kill something like that in one hit.” She was strong, but not strong enough to accomplish a feat like she saw. It was just another example of how far apart their strength was. Yang, Blake, and Ruby were equally impressed. If FT Leone had used that level of strength in their fight, it would’ve been over in a matter of seconds. She truly was holding back. The group then saw FT Akame meticulously slash the centipede’s weak points with her swords with ease. It fell apart to pieces. FT Chelsea followed suit by sending countless magic poison needles in between the sections. It roared in pain before dropping to the ground. “Sky Dragon’s Raging Storm!” The whole group saw Wendy hurl a giant wind sphere at one of the centipedes and destroyed it. Her strength surprised the Menagerie group. They didn’t expect to see such a young girl to be so powerful. After seeing the destruction of these giant centipedes, the scene changed. The group found themselves in a large flower field in the middle of the night. What captivated them was the flowers were glowing in different shades of blue—sky, navy, indigo, teal, lapis, and much more. Ruby loved the sight. “Oh, it’s so pretty!” Esdeath wondered if she could make a bouquet of these flowers and give them to Ruby. Weiss had the same thought. Then that peace of tranquility was interrupted when everyone heard a loud explosion followed by a terrifying roar. They all turned in the direction they heard the roar and saw a colossal monster. It was a giant plant with countless large vines with deadly spikes swinging everywhere. It had five anthers with petals of the same colors as the flowers in the field. Fighting it was the FT group again. The heads spewed some glowing liquid out of their anthers at the group. They dodged the attack and when the liquid hit where they once stood, there was a sizzling sound and the flowers there melted. “Okay, the giant centipedes were one thing but a giant flower monster that shoots out acid!?” Mine thought this was absolutely ridiculous. On a rare occasion, FT Chelsea agreed with her as she dodged one of the spiky vines. “Why the hell do we need to get the flowers from this thing!? There’s a lot of other flowers to use from this field!” She sent some of her magic needles at the beast. FT Akame slashed several of the vines with her sword. “The client specifically requested we get the flowers from this creature to make the decorations for the wedding ceremony. Nothing but the best as he put it. He was also clear not to damage the petals.” FT Leone yelled as she ran to the flower monster headfirst and kicked it at the base. “Fall down already, ya big bastard” Meanwhile, Wendy flew from behind with Mastema. “Sky Dragon’s Roar!” Her attack blasted the back and it roared in pain. It retaliated by swinging one of its vines at her but she easily avoided it. FT Chelsea could only sigh in exhaustion. “This is going to be such a pain in the ass.”The scene changed once more for the Remnant group. The scene they found themselves in now was different from before. They found themselves in a theater packed to the brim with people. “Huh, I wonder what these people are watching?” The younger Chelsea wondered. They got their answer when they heard a loud scream from the stage. They saw a faux arm flying through the air along with some long red paper that followed. They saw the FT group dressed up as different people on the stage. FT Leone wore a white sleeveless top with a black collar and a short mini-skirt with black thigh-highs. Akame wore an orange cheetah print bikini top and a sarong. She still wore boots. Carla was lying on the floor like she was unconscious and she was wearing a spiky yellow wig. The Remnant group figured the scream and the faux arm came from her. Wendy wore a jacket with a black undershirt and pants. She wore a pair of goggles along with a black spiky wig. FT Chelsea wore a very expensive-looking coat hanging from her shoulders with a white jacket underneath, a wavy shirt, and black pants. She wore a ridiculously large spiky black wig and a fake beard. With how the scene looked, was lying face down as was Wendy. FT Akame and FT Leone were sitting on their legs while FT Chelsea stood in front of them. They didn’t know what was happening but they were already interested. “Whatever’s happening right now, it doesn’t look good,” Yang said. “The audience certainly agrees,” Weiss added. She and everyone else saw the horrified and terrified expressions. They heard FT Chelsea laugh like she was enjoying this. “Get a look at that pathetic face! He’s a dog with his tail between his legs!” They and the audience saw how Wendy and the rest of the FT group trembled in fear and were crying. “Oh? Finally feeling scared, are you? Good, not enough youngsters are like that. Show your emotions. It’s good to be honest.” Mine knew Chelsea’s acting was good due to her previous profession as an assassin but she was still impressed by how good she was. “Take that kid to sick bay. Don’t kill him.” “Yessir!” Some random actors carried Carla away and off the stage. “Now then, even though the situation seems desperate enough as it is, it’s actually more desperate than you know. My subordinates have already dealt with the rest of your group with ease on your ship. It’s in my control now.” FT Chelsea gave them a frightening and victorious look. “In other words, the Edens Zero crew has been annihilated.” The audience heard FT Akame and Leone sob a little while Wendy remained quiet. “So, what have we learned today? If you wanna become heroes on some adventures, more power to you. But there are some guys in the world you just don’t cross.” She put her foot on top of Wendy’s head and pointed a prop gun at her. “Get the point, kid?”“That’s enough,” FT Akame cried. “We understand. We lost.” “Please, forgive us.” FT Leone pleaded. Hearing them speak this way, like they lost a grand battle was baffling to hear for Ruby and the others. “Are you listening, kid? Answer.” She and the audience finally heard Wendy cry. The sounds filled FT Chelsea with joy. “That’s just pathetic. Crying in front of women.”“It wasn’t supposed to be like this...” Wendy finally spoke in a weak voice. “This should’ve been a fun adventure where I’d make lots of friends and everyone would get along.” Tears were flowing from FT Leone’s eyes. The same with Akame’s. “It was fun, Shiki.”“I met people I could call my friend for the first time.” “It wasn’t supposed to be like this...” Wendy began to stand on one knee and the gun was now pointed at her head. “But I won’t give up.” She raised her head and gave FT Chelsea a fierce and determined expression with tears coming from his eyes. “Someday I will definitely beat you. And since you don’t have any friends I’ll be yours.” As bleak as things seemed, Ruby still had some hope for the characters. “Don’t worry, guys! I’ve seen this situation a thousand times in all the TV shows, comics, and stories. In situations like these, the hero will pull out something really awesome and turn things around!” FT Chelsea just smirked at the words. “There won’t be a ‘someday’. Your adventure ends here now.” She pulled the trigger on her prop gun and shot Wendy straight in the forehead. FT Akame and Leone displayed shock and fear beyond imagination. She fell backward to the floor and no longer moved. The scene made everyone in the audience gasp in shock and awe. The Remnant group had the same reactions. The biggest was Ruby since it didn’t plan out the way she thought it would. “You were saying?” The younger Chelsea chided. “I have a rule against killing people. But I make exceptions.” FT Chelsea made an expression where she enjoyed shooting Wendy in the head. “I mercilessly kill any brats who don’t submit to me. They’re not human anymore, so I treat them like I treat a bug.”FT Leone and Akame stared in disbelief as they couldn’t believe what transpired before them. They felt despair overflowing throughout their bodies as they stared at Wendy’s lifeless body. “No way...”“Shiki...”The whole stage and room became dead silent with only FT Leone’s whimpering voice to be heard. “I hate this. I hate it, Shiki. Hey, please...answer me...” The lights went dark and the curtains closed. The scene changed for the Remnant group and they now found themselves in a rather large dressing room. “Get this damn thing off me!” They saw FT Chelsea take off her wig and breathe a sigh of relief. “I hate how I have to use a costume of all things!”“You did really great, Chelsea.” Wendy praised as she sat on a chair. “Yeah, you really know how to play the villain.” FT Leone grinned at the other girl. “How the hell did I end up with the villain roar!? Also, can I say something about that scene because holy crap, was that dark! What kind of story kills the protagonist like that!?”“Yeah, that was dark even by our standards.” FT Leone agreed. “And this Drakken character is something else. Esdeath was a psychopath but this guy...”“Sometimes businessmen are more cruel,” FT Akame added. “You don’t want to end up being in debt to someone like him.” “Yeah, I’m really glad I don’t have to worry about my debts anymore.” That was something both FT Leone and the “younger” Leone could agree. “I’d rather not find out what it feels like to have your arm cut off,” Carla said. “It’s not fun.” Yang thought. “By the way, I wonder if we can keep some of the costumes from this play because...” FT Leone eyed on FT Akame and really liked what she saw. She gave the other girl a sultry smile. “You really do look good in that, Akame.” “Thank you, Leone.”“Maybe after we’re done with this play, we can have a private one just between us?” The older blonde wiggled her eyebrows. “Not in front of Wendy!” Carla shouted. Meanwhile, Wendy was just confused. “Akame really does look good in that outfit.” The “younger” Leone commented. “Glad to know you two are the same no matter the world,” Cornelia added remembering the first time she walked in before her teammates went further. “After this, we have the next part of the play and after that, we have another one. What was it called again?” FT Chelsea asked. “I remember it has to do something with demons attending a school.” FT Akame answered. “Right, Dead Something or Other.” FT Leone clarified. FT Chelsea sighed tiredly. “Let’s get these plays over with so we can finally get paid.” “And the sooner we finish these plays, the sooner I can get out of these damn skirts! Seriously, how the hell can Lucy stand wearing these short things?!”After that, the scene changed. The Remnant group now found themselves in a small restaurant and saw most of the girls in orange waitress outfits. FT Chelsea was looking at herself. “Well, it’s a lot better than my last job as a maid. I don’t know about the design, though.” “I think you look cute, Chelsea.” Wendy complimented. The older girl took the compliment. “Well, thank you. You and Carla make this outfit look surprisingly adorable.” Carla was in her human cat girl form. “Meanwhile, I’m taking over as head chef since Mister Yajima is currently down with a cold.” FT Akame added while she wore a chef’s outfit. “Yeah, that’s great and all but...” Everyone turned to FT Leone who didn’t seem too happy. “WHY THE HELL AM I WEARING THIS!?” The group saw her wear a rabbit costume that was supposed to be the restaurant’s mascot. Her job was to advertise the restaurant and attract customers. Some of the Remnant group laughed, including the “younger” Leone. “Well, you don’t like wearing outfits like these and this was the only other job available for you. ” FT Chelsea pointed out. “I look so stupid in this! ” “And yet you still put it on,” Carla added.“Just bear with it, Leone.” FT Akame said. “It’ll only be a few days and then we’ll be paid for our services.” FT Leone just scoffed. “A few days too long if you ask me.” She can already imagine what the other guild members would say and how they react when they see her in this ridiculous costume. FT Akame clapped her hands to gain everyone’s attention. “That’s enough talking. Let’s open up.” After that, the scene ended. The next scene they entered, they found themselves in a different building that looked similar to the Fairy Tail guild. “Who are these people?” Rienna asked. “One of them looks like a dog Faunus.” Blake pointed out. “That guy has some serious eyebrows!” Jaune shouted. “Hold on, we’ve seen that guy before!” Weiss and Mine recognized Lyon who FT Chelsea became in their fight. “Chelia!” Everyone saw Wendy run up to another young girl close to her age with red hair put in pigtails. She immediately smiled as soon as she saw the young dragon slayer. “Wendy!” They ran to each other but in the next second, they both tripped and fell to the ground. “Something tells me they’re like two peas in a pod.” The younger Chelsea commented. The two young girls stood up and walked toward each other. They stopped and smiled sweetly at each other. They held each others’ hands and closed their eyes as their foreheads touched. “I missed you.”“I missed you too.” It was a touching scene for everybody to see. Then Cornelia noticed something. “Look!” She pointed at Chelia and saw she was wearing a similar bracelet to Wendy’s with the initials “W.M” on it. “Aw. I think that’s her girlfriend.” Esdeath said. “What brings you here to Lamia Scale?” Lyon asked. “And why haven’t you been here in a long time?! It’s been ages since we’ve seen you!” Tobi shouted. “They are in another guild, you know.” Yuka clarified. “We were in the area and thought we drop by.” FT Chelsea explained. “How’s the old hag doing anyway?” FT Leone asked. And then she was spinning wildly. The group saw an old woman circling her index finger. “Show some respect, ya brat!” “I THOUGHT I WAS ALLOWED TO SAY IT!?”“I guess not since we’re not part of the guild anymore.” FT Akame said. The scene changed and the group found themselves in a different building. From the looks of it, it was something like an escort service. They saw two older guys surrounding Wendy; one with messy brownish-blonde hair had his hand on her shoulder. His name was Hibiki “Welcome, young miss. Would you like me to accompany you?”And Yang already felt uneasy seeing this. “Uh, isn’t she a minor?”“Hey, hands off her!” FT Leone warned him. Instead of heeding the warning, he just approached her and put his hand on her shoulder. “Very well. I don’t mind spending time with a woman as lovely as you. I admire that ferocity of yours.”If the “younger” Leone were in her counterpart’s shoes, she would’ve clobbered the guy instantly. Yet her counterpart didn’t. “As long as you’re not being weird to Wendy and you’re buying drinks.” “But of course.” “Meeen. You don’t have to worry.” Everyone saw a very short man with orange hair, Ichiya, approached her. And Mine already hated him. “Ew.”“We at the Blue Pegasus Guild are professionals. We would never do something uncouth.” “I hope not.” FT Chelsea said. “Perhaps you’d like to spend some time with me to put your worries at ease.” Said a young blonde man, Eve, who was already close to her. FT Chelsea just sighed. She thought when in Ishgar, “Yeah, whatever. Do anything funny and you’ll regret it.”Meanwhile, the Remnant group saw FT Akame and Carla sitting at a counter with a young woman with long blonde hair in a ponytail wearing a light purple dress. Behind the counter an elderly bald man wearing a purple striped spaghetti strap shirt cleaning a glass. “I swear, you girls don’t know how to relax.” The woman, Jenny spoke. FT Akame took a bite out of a delicious steak served to her. “We do. We’re just not used to this kind of service.”“It’s not so bad,” Master Bob spoke. “It’s nice to relax every now and then. Enjoy peaceful moments like this when you have the chance. “And I am.” She showed Master Bob her empty plate. “Another steak, please.” “Of course.” He handed her another plate of steak. “By the way,” Akame spoke before taking another bite of her second steak. “What happened to Ren? He’s usually around with Hibiki and Eve.” “Oh, he and Shelly are on their honeymoon so he won’t be back for a while.”“Ren, when did you have time to see another girl?! When did you get married!? Why didn’t you tell me!” Nora exclaimed. She felt so betrayed. “She’s talking about another Ren.” After that, the scene changed for the group and they found themselves in a new location. The room was much bigger than the last building. “Hey, everyone! Hope you don’t mind us barging in.” FT Leone greeted. “Oh, hey guys! It’s a surprise to see you all!” The Remnant group saw another group across the room. Four guys and two girls. “What brings you here to Sabertooth?” The man with the short blonde hair asked. His voice sounded very familiar to Blake. “He kinda sounds like Sun.” “We were in the area and Wendy wanted to see you guys.” FT Chelsea answered. “Have you all been doing well?” Wendy asked. “We’ve been doing fine.” The man with the short black hair responded. “It’s great to see you again, Miss Carla!” The group heard a new voice and looked around to see who said that. “You look pretty as ever.”Then Mine looked down to see two cats similar to Carla. One of them was unremarkable, but the green cat wearing a frog costume captured her attention. "Holy crap! What is that and why is it so cute?"“I think so too!” The pink cat spoke. “How’s Natsu doing?” Sting asked. “He’s doing fine,” Wendy answered. “You still want to fight him, Sting?” FT Chelsea asked. “Of course,” Sting replied.”“Is this supposed to be a dragon slayer thing or what?” “That guy’s a dragon slayer?!” Yang shouted in disbelief. “Are you the same with Gajeel, Rogue?” FT Leone asked. “I’m not.” “I guess he’s a dragon slayer too,” Oscar said. “Speaking of that guy, tell him I still want a sing-off! He’s not stealing my thunder again!” The large man with long green hair spoke.“You’re still hanging onto that?” Carla asked. “Ah, yes. I remember that being a wonderful time.” The man with the mask and hat spoke. “By the way, Akame,” The young woman with the short white spoke. “how are you feeling?”FT Akame knew what she was asking about and smiled reassuringly. “If it’s about the effects of Murasame, nothing too drastic. At most, my appetite is affected. Which is a shame because I heard your guild as an eating competition and I wanted to join.” “Unfortunately, only members of our guild are allowed to participate.” The woman with long black hair informed. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll allow it. I'll let you join if you get your appetite back when it happens again. I gotta warn you though, M’Lady is difficult to beat.”Sting spoke from experience as both he and Rogue passed out after being too full and Minerva kept eating. FT Akame rather liked the challenge. “Oh? Then I have something to look forward to then.” Minerva smiled at the other girl. “I could say the same.” Lightning sparked between the two girls’ eyes. “I’d like to see this girl try to outeat. Akame.” The “younger” Leone said. She’s never one person who could eat more than her. The scene ended for the Remnant group and moved on to the next one. They found themselves in an open field this time. “Where are we?” Weiss asked. “Here’s a good spot.” The group saw Wendy and her group with another group of girls. One of them was a young woman had long purple hair with a bow. The second was a slim woman with long pale green hair put in multiple dreadlocks. The third was a petite young girl with long orange-brown hair tied in two braided pigtails. The fourth was a chubby woman with tan skin with black curly hair. She also wore a beige headband. The fifth was a young girl with shoulder-length brown hair. She was currently holding Carla in her arms while smiling. Her appearance caught Ghira’s, Kali’s, Blake’s, Sienna’s, and the “younger” Leone’s attention. “Is she a Faunus?” Sienna thought.The other group set a large blanket on the grass and after that a rather large picnic basket. “It’s nice of you to spend time with us like this, Wendy. It’s a lovely idea.” The girl with the bow said. Wendy smiled at her. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other so I thought this would be a good way to spend time together.” The older girl then hugged Wendy affectionately. Amazingly enough, she did not shove the younger girl into her chest. “Oh, you’re just so adorable and caring, my little sister!”“LITTLE SISTER!?” Almost everyone shouted at the same time. Everyone’s first thought was that didn’t look anything like sisters. “Maybe they’re like me and Ruby? Same dad but different moms?” That was the only logical explanation Yang could come up with. “But we didn’t see them in their guild. I think they’re in a different one.” Blake explained. If they were sisters, why be in different guilds?“Plus, Wendy has that seven-year gap thing so that makes less sense,” Kurome added. “Then I guess it’s kinda like a sistership thing then.” Cornelia guessed. “I wonder what it’d be like to have Wendy as a younger sister?” Esdeath thought. “Kagura sure does become a whole different person whenever Wendy comes to visit.” The girl with the braided pigtails said. “That’s Kagura for ya!” The chubby woman said with a smile. “Enough with the talking already, let’s get to eating!” FT Leone shouted. Everyone else agreed. The one who prepared all the food was Akame and everyone from Mermaid Heel enjoyed it greatly. “Whoo-wee, this is some tasty grub. Hard to believe you prepared it in our guild.” The chubby woman complimented. “Yes, the highest compliments to the chef.” The green-haired woman praised. “I’d like to get some recipes from you, Akame.” The pigtailed girl said. “If you ask me, food always tastes better when you have a cute kitty.” The cat girl of the group hugged Carla a little tighter. FT Akame enjoyed the compliments she received from the other girls. “Now that we’ve had our fill of the food, how about we work it off? Would you care to spare, Akame?” Kagura asked. A spare with Kagura? It was a chance FT Akame wasn’t going to let pass. “I’d gladly accept. I’d like to see how I fare against the strongest wizard from Mermaid Heel.”“She’s the strongest in another guild?” Kurome thought.As FT Akame and Kagura took their respective positions, FT Leone noticed Wendy seemed a little troubled. “Something the matter, Wendy?”“Mmm, it’s nothing too bad but I’m a little conflicted. Akame’s my friend and fellow guild member, but Kagura is my older sister. I don’t know who to cheer for.” “Eh, I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s just a light sparring match anyway.” “Still, this is Kagura we’re talking about,” FT Chelsea added. “This is the same girl who went head-to-head with Erza.” “Wait, seriously?” Mine recalled her fight with FT Chelsea when she took the form of Erza. While not the real thing, it gave a strong impression of her power. If this Kagura woman is just as strong, she and Weiss were anxious to see her strength. FT Akame drew her sword out and went into her usual battle stance. Kagura just held her sword in front and Blake was confused as to what she was doing. “She’s fighting with her sword still sheathed?” The wind blew softly through them and a single blade of grass flew in between them. As it passed, they immediately rushed at each other. They swung their swords at each other and when their weapons clashed, it created a loud boom that reverberated throughout the air. It was a stalemate at first until Kagura pushed FT Akame away and chased after her. FT Akame slid through the ground and managed to slow to a crawl but saw Kagura rapidly closing the distance between them. The other girl swung her sheathed sword from the side but her opponent managed to jump into the air to avoid it. The attack missed but the force behind it continued. There was a strong whoosh of air before the ground that was behind FT Akame was widely destroyed in waves. The sight of the destruction understandably startled everyone in the Remnant group. “She did that with her sword still sheathed!?” Weiss exclaimed. “I thought this was supposed to be a sparring match!? A little excessive, don’t you think?!” The younger Chelsea added. Meanwhile, Sienna was in awe of Kagura’s strength. “So strong. Is this what the humans from Wendy’s world are capable of?” “Shadow-Make: Shadow Vector!” FT Akame sent several shadow arrows at Kagura going in different directions, all aimed at her. As Kagura saw the attacks coming, she swung her sword again and slashed the attacks into pieces. She then pointed her hand at FT Akame. The former assassin then felt tremendous pressure on her and was falling. Something about what Kagura did seemed familiar to Cornelia. “Is she using gravity magic?” She recalled her fight against one of Merraid’s maids, Mez. As FT Akame neared the ground, Kagura ran toward her with her sheathed sword pulled back. She reached her target in a few seconds and swung her weapons at the other girl. The result was cutting FT Akame in half. “A LITTLE EXTREME, DON’T YOU THINK!?” Mine shouted. However, FT Akame’s body darkened and became shadows. This tactic surprised Kagura. “A fake?” She saw a shadow in front of her and saw FT Akame swiftly come out of it. “Silent Shadow Slash!” She attacked Kagura while passing by her without making a sound and stood behind her. There was silence before FT Akame turned around and immediately blocked Kagura’s attack. The resulting action caused another loud boom before FT Akame jumped away to distance herself from her opponent. It seemed her attack didn’t harm Kagura in the slightest. The reason for that was that Kagura blocked the attack with her sheathed sword. She smiled at the other girl. “As expected from a former assassin. You’re a formidable opponent.” She usually dislikes fighting opponents using underhanded tactics and sneak attacks. The difference is she respects Akame. “And you’re as strong as I heard. Shall we start the second round?” Kagura’s answer was getting into her usual battle stance. FT Akame did the same and they stared at each other. The wind blew through them once more and another blade of grass flew in between them. That signified the start of the next round the two girls took a running start to each other like before. As they swung their swords at each other, the sun shined a bright light and enveloped both girls and it blinded the Remnant group. End opening When the light faded, everyone opened their eyes and saw they were back at the house. The only difference was that the Fairy Tail group was no longer standing in front of them. Ruby felt a little sad they were gone now. “I guess they finally went back home.” “And at the worst time too. I wanted to see the end of that fight.” Nora said. Still, everyone was glad they were able to meet them. Esdeath especially since they taught her how to use her magic in the short time they spent together. She’d make sure to put their lessons to good use. “Thank you, for everything.” It was a melancholic moment for everyone. Until Mine realized something. “Wait, couldn’t Chelsea do the whole memory thing from the start explaining everything?!” B A crow’s caw could be heard while the sun was setting. Leone, Akame, Chelsea, Wendy, and Carla, being in Wendy’s arms, were walking back. “Well, we’re finally back home. And just when we were getting to the good part.” “I believe I remember that fight ending with Akame’s loss.” Carla clarified. “Still, it was pretty fun meeting everyone. Especially our counterparts. Too bad we couldn’t meet their Akame.” Leone said. Meanwhile, Akame was deep in thought about something. Wendy noticed this. “Is something the matter, Akame?” Leone and Chelsea looked back at their teammate as they were curious about what Akame was thinking about. “Do you remember what that old woman said? The one who sent us to Remnant.” The rest of the group did remember her. It was hard to forget someone like her. “Yeah, I remember her but I don’t remember what she said. I do know she had to do with Wendy’s debt.” Leone said. “While you’re right about that, it was something she said before. About how she wanted us to show a group of kids magic. Especially the kind of magic we have. After she transported us to Remnant, we encountered Ruby and the others who had barely any experience with magic and we showed them ours. And after that, we taught Esdeath how to use her magic.” “It’s almost like you’re saying that woman planned all of this from the start,” Carla said. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”If it was true, then they all played into that mysterious woman’s hands. “Tch, so you’re saying she played us like a fiddle, huh? I hate that.” It was obvious Chelsea had bitter feelings about it but then sighed. “Well, at least she didn’t screw us over. She could’ve left us stranded in that world but we’re back here. Plus, it’s not like it’s all bad.” If there was one thing she was grateful for, it was seeing Taeko again and helping Rienna. She did still have some complaints. “Still, we didn’t get paid in the end.” “But it was an eventful experience.” Carla pointed out. “Experience doesn’t pay the rent!” Leone agreed. The group soon approached Fairy Hills and entered through the front door. “Hey, we’re home.” Though they had only been gone for a week, seeing home felt a little nostalgic for them. “Ah, welcome home.” Everyone saw Erza arrive and was the first to greet them. “How did the job go?”“A lot more than we expected,” Leone replied. “But it was a hell of an experience, we’ll say that.”“A little longer than usual. What’d we miss during the week we’ve been gone?” Chelsea asked. Erza had a slightly confused expression. “A week? You only left for the job this morning today.” The other group could only stare at her in disbelief. “Oh, was it because the time you spent with the children made it feel like a week? I can see that.”“Y-Yeah.” Chelsea weakly replied. She and the others were still trying to contemplate how they spent a week in Remnant, yet the day hadn’t even ended in Earthland. “I think we’ll be going to our rooms now.” “That’s fine. It’ll still be a while for dinner so rest a little. I look forward to it.” Erza said before leaving. When she fully left, Chelsea sighed while frustratingly rubbing her head. “NOTHING MAKES ANY FRIGGING SENSE ANYMORE!”At this point, she just wanted to take a nap. The group went to their respective rooms but when Chelsea opened her door, she spotted several odd things on her bed. “Uh, guys?” Before everyone else went into their rooms, they looked over at her who pointed at her bed. They looked in the direction she was pointing and saw five envelopes laid out on the bed. Four of them seemed a little thicker than the one laid out in front of them. On top of it was a small note that said: “Read first”. “Might as well,” Leone said. They entered Chelsea’s room and Akame opened the letter. She began to read it. “Dear Akabe, Charlie, Leon, and Wendell,”And Chelsea already didn’t like it. “Oh, so it’s from her and she’s screwing with us.” “Let her continue reading.” Carla chided. “Thank you for helping the others for what you did. It will no doubt aid them in the future. I do hope this experience was an exciting one for all of you. For such an exceptional job, I bestow two rewards. The first is to a place where time has moved on yet stood still for you. The second is the four envelopes you see. One for each of you. Thank you for everything.”“So, these are supposed to be our pay?” Leone leaned over the bed and grabbed one of the envelopes. Meanwhile, Chelsea just raised an eyebrow in confusion about the first reward. “What’s the first reward supposed to mean? And how are we supposed to go to this place?”“It is rather vague,” Carla added. “A place where time has moved on yet stood still for us?” Akame repeated these words to get a better understanding and yet was no closer to figuring it out. “It almost kinda sounds like the First Master’s spell, the Fairy Sphere.”“Okay, but what kinda of place is like that?” Chelsea wondered. Before they could question this mysterious place further, they all heard Leone scream. They immediately turned their attention to her and saw her visually shaking. Upon a closer look, they saw her holding a rather large stack of money, probably from the envelope she picked. Her body language worried Wendy. “Is everything alright, Leone?”“Thr...Thr...”“Thr?” Akame raised an eyebrow. “IT’S THREE MILLION JEWEL!” It took a moment for the others to register what Leone had shouted. “THREE MILLION!?”They grabbed their respective envelopes and opened them. Sure enough, each contained two million Jewel. Needless to say, Chelsea was beyond ecstatic as she raised her money above her smiling. “Three million Jewel! That’s enough to pay the rent for over two years! Oh, thank you, mysterious lady!”Leone shared her enjoyment. “Hell yeah! I can drink all the booze I want now!”“So much. What can I buy with this?” Akame wondered. Wendy was the only one who seemed a little nervous about receiving such a large amount. “I-I never had so much money before! I don’t even know what to do with it!” “You could take Chelia out to a fancy restaurant or something,” Leone suggested. It was a start, but that still left the younger girl with a lot of money. Or you can get her a really good gift. We’ll figure out something to spend it,”Though the advice was for Wendy, Chelsea made a note of it too. “Buying a gift, huh? I wonder what gift I should buy for Lisanna.” “But as Chelsea said, this money is enough to pay our rent for the next year. No reckless spending. Or gambling.” Akame narrowed her eyes at Leone who only laughed sheepishly. “Noted.”Chelsea, Wendy, and Carla laughed together. It was a heartwarming moment for all. An otherworldly journey, meeting new people and old faces, seeing all new powers, and being paid a substantial amount. Needless to say, they won’t be forgetting about this recent adventure anytime soon. A single drop then fell on the scene and ripples spread from the epicenter. From above was the mysterious figure in white sitting in her chair. She too smiled softly at the scene before her. “And thus ends this small saga. However, when one ends, another is just right around the corner. As much as a boon they would be for that other group, their help is needed somewhere else. A world where their presence will change the lives of multiple people.” The mysterious figure smiled. “I wonder what effect the Fairies’ light would have on an Azure Moon, a gust of a Verdant Wind, and a Crimson Flower?” She was looking forward to the chain of events happening in that world. “Speaking of worlds, what was it that Taeko girl said before? I believe it was something called the Multiverse Theory. Hmm, she isn’t exactly wrong. As there are countless worlds, there are countless possibilities.” She looked into the distance and saw more white water droplets hit the surface. Within the ripples were other worlds that had their own troubles and battles. Insert Fairy Tail Opening 23 In the battle to reclaim Hargeon from the Alverez Empire, the tide turned to the enemy’s side when Neinhart summoned his Histora. Just outside of town, a young girl with long pink hair as she cried out in pain while being pushed back. “Oi, partner! You alright?!” The girl panted and recovered from the last attack. “Yeah, I’m fine, Derf.” She answered her talking sword. Fairy Tail guild member: Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière Louise heard another cry and saw another girl blown away right toward her. She crashed just in front of her and groaned. She had long white hair and wore a dark blue cloak. Underneath the cloak, she wore a black tank top, skirt, knee socks, and boots. “Aw, damnit! What the hell!” She stood up while appearing very pissed. Crime Sorcière guild member: Maroline Luster She growled at the person who pushed her and Louise back. She’d never thought to see this person again after what he’d done. “Why the hell are you here? Actually, how the hell are you here!? Last I heard, you croaked in jail!”Both Maroline and Louise saw the man across from them walk toward them calmly. He had long black hair, some of the upper half put in a ponytail, and long bangs from each side of his head lay on his shoulders. His outfit consisted of a black coat with gold trimmings on the ends. He wore a dark violet vest with a white ruffed shirt underneath along with black pants with silver crosses on each side. He only smiled at them but that smile had utter malice behind it. That same malice was reflected in his violet eyes. “Is that what you have to say to me after all this time, Maroline? You’ve changed much since the last I saw you. Your soul reflects that. The same to you, Vallière.” Former Soulless Void Dark Guild Master: Nopeal “Void” Versailles Nopeal, or rather, Void chuckled at the environment surrounding him. “This is quite the return for me. I will make sure to make the most of it. This battle shall make an excellent feast for me. All these weary souls shall make a fantastic feast for me to devour and I will have my revenge on you, Vallière, as well as the rest of Fairy Tail. Most of all, against Dragneel. Perhaps seeing the soulless husks of his friends and allies will bring his attention.” All that talk about souls was him referring to his Lost Magic. Void was a Soul Slayer. As Natsu uses dragon flames to attack, Void uses soul power for his. And like all Slayer magic, he can devour souls. Those with weak or weary souls can easily be devoured from their bodies. However, he can’t do that to those who have stronger souls. His power is dependent on the number of souls he devoured and when Louise and the rest of Fairy Tail fought him, he ate countless souls. His relation with Louise was that they came from the same world and were their own Familiars. Louise had a mark on her left hand known as Gandálfr or “The Left Hand of God” as it’s known in the language of their world. Void had Lífþrasir, the “Heart of God” on his back. They were both known as Void Mages and they possess a different kind of magic from the rest of the people from their world. For Louise, she casts explosion magic, something that she had great disdain for in the past. For Void, he could increase his Void magic but at the cost of his life force. However, thanks to his Soul Slayer magic, he didn’t have to worry about the consequences thanks to an increased life force of six hundred years. He, Louise, and the rest of Fairy Tail fought him and his guild, Soulless Void in Louise’s world where he tried to take it over and eliminate the nobility. Among them was Maroline who was their Diamond Dragon Slayer but after a fateful confrontation, she left and joined Crime Sorcière. Void was ultimately defeated and was jailed in Earthland. Sometime after that, he perished for having little to no soul left. Louise glared at Void and pointed Derf at him. “Like hell you’re going to do any of that, asshole! We kicked your ass once and we’ll do it again! “I’m going to enjoy breaking that audaciousness of yours, Vallière” Void opened his right, and greenish flames enveloped it. “And I haven’t forgotten about you, Maroline.”“Gee, thanks,” Maroline replied sarcastically. He may be back but the two were much stronger than when they first fought him. That much the Diamond Dragon slayer was confident about. However, she couldn’t help but worry about a certain someone as she was somewhere else on this chaotic battlefield. “I hope you’re doing alright, Evo.”In another part of the battlefield, a young woman cried out in pain as she was sent back from her opponent’s last attack. Her appearance was identical to Maroline’s but she had two silver ribbons, one on each side of her head. Fairy Tail guild member: Evoline Luster Evoline grimaced at the pain she was feeling but it was nothing compared to the pain she was feeling in her heart. She wouldn't hold back if it were anyone else she was fighting. But the person she was fighting against, didn’t have the heart to do so. As soon as she first saw him, tears started to form in the corners of her eyes, and her determination and courage wavered. To think this was how she was to see him again. “I can’t do it. I can’t hurt you. I won’t!” Her opponent was a large cat standing on two legs. He had bright orange fur with black stripes on each side of his face cheeks. He also wore a small, purple sleeveless waistcoat and his trousers were the same color with a green cloth wrapped around his waist. His weapons were two large handheld axes, one held in each hand. “Skeeter!” Former Exceed of Evoline and Maroline: Skeeter Though he was forced to fight his former friend, he wasn’t enjoying this either. “It’s not that I want to do this either, Evoline. But you and me both know this can only end one way, no matter how much you don’t like it.” Evoline grimaced at the thought. She finally saw Skeeter again after all this time. And yet it was through this war against Alverez that it happened. His sacrifice was still seared into her mind. Sometimes she wished if she were a little stronger, he’d still be alive and laughing along with her and Maroline like they did in the past. That kind of wishful thinking hurts her the most. “EVOLINE!” Skeeter’s shout snapped Evoline out of her funk and paid close attention to him. “What happened to me was not your fault. I made the decision and I don’t regret it. It pains me to see you sad. Didn’t you make up with Maroline?”Evoline slightly lowered her head. “Yeah, we did. We’re not in the same guild but she’s trying to be a better person. She’s...somewhere around here fighting.” She hoped her twin was alright during all this chaos. If she was fighting Skeeter, then that meant her sister was fighting someone she knew. “I think she’s fighting that soul slayer guy.” “Then that’s good enough,” Skeeter said with a smile. “And that’s all the reason you need to see through this. Get back with your sister and the only way to do that...” He raised one of his weapons to her. “Is through me. Show me how strong you’ve become since then. Show me what I missed.” As much she hated it, Evoline had to admit Skeeter had a point. Right now, her driving point is to reunite with her sister. And Skeeter is the only one standing in her way. It was still a messed up situation for her. Having to go through one family member to reach another. The difference was her sister was still around. She rubbed her eyes with her arm to wipe away the tears and had a renewed determination in her eyes. “Diamond Dragon’s Sword Edge.” She flicked her right arm and a sword made of diamond came out from the top of her forearm. “Okay, Skeeter, you win. I’ll take you on.” Skeeter grinned at her declaration. “That’s what I like to hear. Bring it on, Evoline!” A water droplet fell another scene changed within the ripples. Two young girls were in a dark elevator with only dim light shining from the windows located at the bottom. One of the girls had long, blonde hair put up in high pigtails and had lilac eyes. She wore a black and yellow horizontally striped sporty tank with the number of a white fifteen, black pleated shorts, orange knee socks, and gray espadrilles with yellow and red spots on the top of the shoes. To complete the look, she had a pair of yellow sunglasses in her left pocket and a black sporty bag.The other girl had long black hair, golden eyes, and wore a satin bow on top of her head. She wore a purple halter top, white Capri pants, the young blonde could see the other girl was wearing black socks, black espadrilles, and was carrying a white messenger bag.While the black-haired girl was calm, the other had a look of nervousness on her face. It was something she noticed easily. “Are you alright, Yang?”Yang hesitated at first and then sighed. “No, not really, Blake.”“Want to talk about it? It may help.” “I hope so.” Yang closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Once she exhaled, she opened her eyes. “It’s just...when I started this island challenge, the last thing I expected was fighting a gang, going up against the Aether Foundation, going through a dimensional wormhole, and ending up in a different world and now we’re going to fight a really powerful Pokémon that has the power to steal a world’s light.”“It does sound like a lot when you put it that way.” “I really doubt kids our age have to deal with stuff like this.” Blake laughed a little at that. “At least one of us is having fun.” “I’m sorry,” Blake apologized. “But I feel the same way. It’s completely nerve-wracking.”Yang found that hard to believe. “You look like you’ve been calm this entire time.” “No, I feel the same as you. In fact, I feel like I’ve only gotten this far because I’m with you.” Blake smiled at Yang. The young blonde admitted Blake wasn’t wrong. Ever since they started the Island Challenge together, they’ve been through a lot thick and thin. They’re rivals in a sense but they also helped each other with their struggles. “And this’ll be no different,” Blake held Yang’s hand. Yang turned to the other girl looking surprised while their fingers intertwined. Blake only gave her a soft smile. “We’re in this together and we’ll finish it together.” She tightened her grip. Yang tightened her hand in return and smiled as she nodded. She noticed a slight detail while holding Blake’s hand. “Did her hand always feel this warm?” That was a question to be answered later on. It’s best to focus on what they’re going to do right now. The elevator stopped and the door opened. Exiting the elevator, they walked up a railed spiral walkway toward the top with Blake leading Yang while the dark city was below them. With each step, Yang grew more nervous. If she were by herself, she doubted she’d take one step out. The warmth of Blake’s hand calmed her down a little and gave her the courage to move forward. As they reached the top, they saw a bright light that belonged to Necrozma currently inhabiting Nebby’s body, a Pokemon that Lillie once looked over. As they approached the Pokémon, a multi-colored triangular prism emerged from its forehead and hovered above it. Then an explosion of bright light flashed from the prism that blinded both girls. They shielded their eyes with their arms from the blinding light and when it faded, they put their arms down. What they saw was a sight to behold even beyond their wildest dreams. Necrozma changed forms into a colossal dragon made of pure light energy. The sight was almost breathtaking to them. It stared at them, observing the two girls like it was eager to battle them. A request they would gladly grant. Their hands separated and they brought out their Pokéballs. They had a strong determination and resolve to finish this fight. “Blake, let’s give this thing a fight it’ll never forget!”“Right!” The battle to protect their world’s light had begun. Another white water droplet fell and the ripples changed the scene. Six people were in a rather large cathedral-like room fighting a lone man. Despite one side having a numbers advantage, they were losing against the lone man. One of them, a woman with a bright, red sword was in a stalemate with the man as their swords grind against each other. While the woman struggled to push her enemy, said enemy showed no signs of struggling. He was completely calm and stood firm in place. However, what caught his attention the most from his enemy was the red flames coming out of her eyes, which were the same color. The black wings on her back were also enveloped in red flames. “So, the rumors were true. A Daemon with powers similar to that of a Malakhim.” Head Exorcist of the Exorcist’s Abbey of the Church of Midgand and Shepard: Artorius Collbrande Artorius easily pushed the woman away with his sword. From that one push, the woman could tell he was strong. Very strong. It was no wonder he could fend off the rest of the group she was with single-handedly. She held her sword inward to her left side, and it wreathed in fire. She yelled as she swung her sword upward, sending powerful flames at the Shepard. The flames reached him and became a raging spiraling inferno that enveloped him. However, the attack proved ineffective as Artorius cut the attack apart from within. The black-haired woman summoned multiple large ice shards and sent them to her enemy. Like before, he cut them apart easily and remained unharmed. Meanwhile, the rest of the woman’s party was surprised by her newfound power. “Well, it seems our little Raven here had a trick hidden underneath her wing.” Witch: Mazhigigika Miludin do Din Nolurun Dou “Excuse me, aren’t you forgetting something?!” Er, Famous, lovely Witch: Magilou “Much better.” “Who are you talking to?” Malakhim: Laphicet “Don’t worry about it.” “Think this is our chance to take the fight?” Sixth son of the Rangetsu Family: Rokuro Rangetsu “I believe it’ll take more than a new power to defeat someone like him.” First Mate of Aifread's Pirates: Eizen “Then I’ll make it happen.” The other black-haired woman said. “I’ll use anything to crush him.” Therion and soon to be called King of Calamity: Velvet Crowe Raven swung her sword down and summoned multiple lightning bolts at Artorius. He evaded them easily, closed the distance between them, and swung his sword at her once he was near. She raised her sword to block the attack but the strength behind it pushed her back. She panted and felt tired. She figured this strange new power she gained would give her the edge, but so far, that proved wrong. There was also this weird feeling she had whenever she used it. It felt...familiar to her. “Did I use this power before I lost my memories?” There was still so much she didn’t know about herself. This momentary distraction provided Artorius an opportunity to attack. Before Raven knew it, he was right in front of her with his sword ready to cut her down. “Blood Moon!” A bright, red sphere appeared between them and blocked Artorius’s attack. He jumped back away from Raven. “Focus on the battle!” Raven heard Velvet’s voice and looked back to see her and the rest of the group join back. “You’re of no use to me dead.” “R-Right.” A part of Raven really didn’t like how Velvet said that. Not like she could voice her opinion right now since they’re still fighting the strongest swordsman in the world. As Velvet said before, she’ll use anything and anyone available to fulfill her revenge for what he did to her three years ago. Something he did that was unforgivable to her. “I’ll take you down, Artorius, no matter what it takes!” Another white water droplet fell and the scene changed. Gray clouds covered the sky over a Japanese city. Three figures were floating high above a certain Japanese high school and two of them were fighting together against the one. One of the three was a young man with short spiky black hair with a bang covering his right eye. He wore a purple vest with a black overcoat and blue pants. He held his right hand before him and a bluish white orb formed in his palm. “Dragon Pulse!” He sent the attack at his opponent. She just smiled as she held her hand in front. An inky, black orb formed in her hand. “Dark Pulse.” She sent her attack and it collided with the other. It overwhelmed the other attack and headed to the other person. “Uh-oh.” The attack blasted him and smoke appeared. The woman grinned wickedly at the result but didn’t forget about her other opponent. This spiky, orange-haired man wearing a black outfit wielded a giant sword. The sword was enveloped by a bright white glow. “GETSUGA TENSHOU!” He swung his sword at the woman as she saw it coming from the corner of her eye. When the attack struck, a powerful explosion happened, and strong winds blew everywhere. The previous man, having recovered from the last attack, shielded himself from the winds. He was impressed by the power behind them. “Whoa, that’s strong. That had to do some damage, right?”Unfortunately, that didn’t seem the case. He saw their enemy catch the sword with her hand and gave her other opponent that same wicked grin. “Not bad, but not good enough!” She took in a deep breath. “Hyper Voice!” She let out a loud, ear-screeching cry and her opponent was hit point blank. He grunted in pain but it was his ears that were in real pain. She ceased her attack and turned around to throw her opponent away from her. “Ichi-Bro!” The black-haired man managed to catch his ally in his arms. “You okay?” Elite Guard Member: Hyreno of the Hydreigon Race “Ngh, I’m fine. And I told you not to call me that.” Substitute Soul Reaper: Ichigo Kurosaki They heard laughter from their opponent and looked directly at her. “Is this the best you two have? How disappointing. Then again, that’s nothing new for you, little brother.” One of the Six Shadow Ciphers: Hyrena of the Hydreigon Race Ichigo scowled at Hyrena. “Why are you even attacking the school in the first place? What’s your goal?”Hyrena only laughed at his question. “Why? No reason, really. Just because I want to. I thought it’d be fun and kill some boredom.”“Do innocent lives really matter that little to you?!”“Well, duh.” Hyrena stuck her tongue out at Ichigo. “I don’t care what I do as long as it’s fun. If it hurts or kills someone, who cares? In fact, it adds a layer of hilarity to it.” Never before was Ichigo so appalled by someone’s reasoning. With every fight he’s been in, there was at least a sensible reason his opponents had. She, on the other hand, acted on her desire without thinking of the consequences of her actions. It was all nothing more than just a game to her.“But I do hate how you two are ruining my fun. So, I’ll just obliterate the both of you from existence!” Powerful dark, purple wind blew from her and a strange energy of the same color enveloped her body. As that energy began to lift, they saw that her appearance changed. Her hair became white as her outfit, her skin was purple, and her eyes red. Upon seeing the sight, Hyreno felt more disappointed than afraid. “You really went off the deep end, huh sister?” Hyrena smiled sinisterly at her next victims. “Hope you’re ready for your funerals. This is where the real massacre begins!” And then another white water droplet fell and the scene changed. The next scene showed a dark room with two beds on either side and a small dresser in the middle. Moonlight was the only source of light that illuminated part of the room. In the light were two girls; one had shoulder-length hair and was wearing pink girls, and another wore a sleeveless black blouse with shoulder frills and a white frilled skirt. The second girl was kneeling before the first one and held her hand. Keyblade Apprentice of Aqua: Shion Princess of Radiant Garden and one of the Seven Princesses of Light: Kairi “I, Shion, hereby swear to protect the princess of Radiant Garden with my life. No harm shall ever befall her so as long as I’m with her.” She then proceeded to kiss the other girl’s hand. As polite as a gesture it was, Kairi couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. “Is this uh, necessary?” “Isn’t this normal to do for royalty?” Shion asked as she stood up. “I mean, yes. I’m just...not used to a girl kissing my hand.” Kairi lightly grasped the hand Shion kissed. “Oh, I’m sorry.”Now Kairi felt bad for what she said. “No, no! It’s fine! Right now, I’m really glad you’re here with me after everything that’s...” She slightly lowered her head and had a forlorn expression. Shion knew what the other girl was talking about and brought her into a hug. “It’ll be fine. So as long as there’s the faintest glint of light, it’ll pierce through the darkness. We’ll survive and make it through.” Hearing those strong words was comforting to hear for Kairi. Right now, she needed to be strong, and she was glad Shion was by her side for this arduous journey. She returned the hug and buried her face into the other girl’s neck. “Yeah, we will.” And then a white water droplet fell and the ripples changed the scene. The scene presented showed a young woman with long, blonde hair put in a ponytail. She was sitting at a white table enjoying her beverage. Across from her was a young man who seemed very nervous. Vongola Family Boss Tenth Generation Successor: Tsunayoshi “Tsuna” Sawada “Tell me, Tsunayoshi, recall the times you fought against your foes. Have you ever fought them as the successor of the Vongola Family or have you fought them as yourself.” Alighieri Family Tenth Generation Boss: Angelica Luce It was a strange question but Tsuna thought about how to answer the question best. He thought about the powerful foes he fought in the past; Rokudo Mukuro, Xanxus, Byakuran, Enma, Demon Spade, and Jaeger. Try as he might, he only came up with one answer. “I think I just fought them as myself.” Not once did he think he fought them as the tenth head of the Vongola Family. He was mostly fighting for his friends. “I see.” Angelica put her cup down. “Then it stands to reason they all lost to you.” “Um, isn’t that how it usually works?” Tsuna didn’t understand what she meant. “Let me explain. There’s a difference between fighting as yourself and as the Boss of the Family. When you fight as the Boss, you carry a heavier burden. I’m sure when you fight as yourself, you fight with other things in mind. Such as protecting friends and family. Overall, the foes you’ve fought didn’t lose to Vongola Decimo; they lost to Tsunayoshi Sawada because they underestimated him. However, there’s only so much you can do as yourself.” She held her hand to Tsuna. “So, I want to see what not Vongola Decimo can do but what Tsunayoshi Sawada can do. And I shall fight you as the Boss of the Alighieri Family. After all, I’m sure you want to get back at me for what I did, do you not?” That was something Tsuna couldn’t deny. He wanted to stop her before she and her family put any more of his friends and family in danger. “So, what do you say?”Usually, Tsuna would rather avoid fighting but this became one of those situations where he can’t walk away. He displayed a rare determined expression. “I...I will stop you.”Angelica just smirked. “We’ll see about that.” And a white water droplet fell and the ripples changed the scene. The new scene revealed a dimly lit school gymnasium with several dead, massacred bodies lying on the floor. Gunfire, grunts, and shrieks from undead, mutated children with long, deadly claws. One Pack of these children ganged up on a familiar young blue-haired girl wearing a version of the Hacker Suit fitted to her size. One of the Pack swung one of their claws at her, but she jumped back to avoid the attack. She pulled her right arm back and closed her fist while deep crimson lightning surrounded her arm. Mysterious red symbols of an alien language appeared on the back of her neck and glowed. She took the first opening and punched the undead child who attacked her previously. Upon impact, the child’s limbs blew apart and the main body crashed into the other members of the Pack. Its dismembered body crashed into other members of the Pack and they they let out a loud shriek as they died. There were many, but they weren’t very strong. More surrounded her but that same deep red lightning surrounded her body and went on the offensive. Before the rest of the Pack could attack her, she attacked them first and they went down easily. After she took out one group of the Pack, she heard a strange sound similar to that of a weak, gargled baby. She looked down to see one of the undead babies she’d seen before several times in the school. She acted too late and the undead baby exploded. The explosion sent her back and tumbled to the ground. That left her momentarily vulnerable and a swarm of the Pack and several undead Crawler babies headed towards her. She was about to retaliate but then a sharp, stinging headache occurred, and the surrounding environment flashed. She winced at the pain and had one eye closed behind her mask. “No, not now!” She couldn’t recover in time and saw the Pack and Crawlers ready to kill her. For a moment, she saw a familiar phantom figure behind them. She was slightly older than her and had pink hair put up in two short pigtails. Her appearance was horrifying as her skin was pale, a large, and bloody gash ran diagonally across her body. Her eyes glowed a bright, eerie white light with blood running down from them. “Make us whole...!” Her eyes widened with fear. “Wendy!” A familiar voice rang out before a large canister with a bright blue center was tossed at the group. It exploded and a light blue field enveloped them. They moved much slower and gunfire followed. The Pack were easily mowed down, and their death shriek was low and distorted. The Crawlers exploded when the gunfire hit them. The field faded and every enemy in the gym was taken down. Finally, after having a moment of peace, Wendy breathed a sigh of relief. “You okay?” She looked up to see an older man wearing a bronze engineering suit holding a Pulse Rifle. “Y-Yeah, I am. Thank you for saving me, Mr. Issac.” The headache she had before went away. “You’re welcome.” Issac sighed tiredly. “Let’s keep going. The longer we stand around, the more likely they’ll show up again. We have to get to the Government Sector.” He walked over to the gym’s exit doors. Wendy followed closely behind him. And then a white water droplet fell and the ripples changed the scene. The scene now showed three women sitting at a table in a bar. One had long, wild blond hair with lion ears sitting on one side. She wore a black tube top, detached sleeves, tan exposed pants, and boots. She currently was wearing some bandages on her body. On the other side, one of the women had long pink hair with fox ears and wore a kimono hanging on her shoulders revealing a generous amount of cleavage. The young girl sitting next to her had long brown hair with a small side ponytail and wore what seemed to be a knight’s outfit that revealed some cleavage. The lion woman leered at the fox woman at what she just told her. “I’m sorry. I’m your what now?” Former Night Raid member: Leone The fox woman smiled and lightly laughed. The girl next to her sighed, her eyes closed. “I said you’re my slave now. I thought I made it clear.” Former Dungeon Lord: Yomi “If it makes you feel better, Ceri here is also my slave.” She gestured to the girl next to her. “That explanation doesn’t make it any better!” Adventuring Knight: Ceri Hearing the explanation again only pissed off Leone more. “I’m no one’s damn slave!” She wanted nothing more than to break Yomi’s neck. Despite her staring killer daggers at the fox woman, she remained unintimidated. “In your situation, you had no choice. Had Ceri and I not come along, you would’ve died in the dungeon by being gored by that Boar. Using the Capture spell was the only way to save you.” Leone grimaced. Being shot multiple times by Honest was bad enough. She didn’t want to almost die again via that Boar girl which still astounded her. “Seriously, how was that freaking chick stronger than me when I was in Lionel form? Actually, how am I in this form without it?” “Now, perhaps you can answer two questions I have,” Yomi asked inquisitively.“And what would those be?” Leone replied. “Before I ask, let me state some perplexities about you. I know all the monsters that dwell within my dungeon. I know for a fact I do not have a lion prowling within my dungeon. You could’ve wandered in but a monster can’t do so from outside. There’s also the fact a Boar did attack you. The monsters within the dungeon would not do such a thing. This leads me back to my two questions; who exactly are you and how did you enter my dungeon?”This fox woman was more perspective than Leone thought. She was still trying to figure out the second question. The last thing she remembered was slowly dying in an alley. The next thing she knew, she was lying on the ground in the dungeon. Not long after, she encountered that Boar girl and was almost killed again. As for the first, she was hesitant to answer. “I’m not sure you’d believe me if I told you.” “They say truth is stranger than fiction. Besides, I am very interested in you.” Yomi smiled at Leone.Leone sighed as she resigned herself to tell them the truth. “Okay, fine. The truth is I used to be an assassin and I came from another world. The last thing I remember was passing out in an alley and just waiting for my death. But, it didn’t come, and I woke up in that cave. Also, I don’t normally look like this. I am a human but for some reason, I’m in a half-transformed state when I use Lionel. That’s my Imperial Arms by the way and that was destroyed.” She crossed her arms under her breasts. “So, happy?”She received two different reactions to her explanation. Ceri was surprised and stood up from her chair. “You’re an assassin?!” Yomi was quite delighted. “Oh, how interesting.” “Interesting?! She’s an assassin! From a different world no less!” “You’re actually taking that pretty well,” Leone added. Yomi just laughed lightly. “When you live as long I have, few things can surprise me.”Ceri found that hard to believe. “How is a person from another world not surprising to you?” She felt like she would never understand this fox.“Still, I wonder if this is related to what happened in the dungeon in my absence?” Yomi then thought of a wonderful idea. She clapped her hands. “Ah, since you’re an assassin, perhaps I can hire you.” “You want to hire her/me!?” Both Leone and Ceri shouted at the same time. “But of course. If you dislike the idea of being a slave, perhaps a contract would suit you better. You help me take back my dungeon, I can help you return to your world. Unless you don’t have anything worth coming back to your world. Leone thought back to her world. In truth, she’d want to return to her world for one reason. An image of a young girl with long black hair and red eyes came to her mind. “Yeah, I do. If you can help me return to my world, I’ll help you.” She hated the idea of being a slave to someone but at least she has a chance to end that. If this was indeed a second chance at life, she’d take it. Though, she still didn’t understand why someone like her deserved a second chance. Yomi clapped her hands. “Then it’s settled. Welcome to our merry party.”And then a white water droplet fell and the ripples changed the scene. The next scene had a bright, setting sun overlooking a large, brick-laden bridge over a canyon. A massive battle was taking place between two large groups. Near the far end of the bridge, two young women were locked in combat. One was a young girl with long, white hair put in a braid wearing a pale blue sleeveless dress with red lining. The weapon she wielded was a rapier with a multi-colored rotating chamber as a hilt. Her opponent had long brown hair and wielded a sword and had a shield. The white-haired girl was pushed back by her opponent and slightly panted. “She’s much tougher than I originally thought.” Team RWBY member: Weiss Schnee Her opponent seemed rather pleased with herself. “Oh, are you having trouble keeping up with me? That’s alright since I am a much better fighter than you.” Elusia Soldier and Retainer of Princess Hortensia: Goldmary If one thing was grating on Weiss’s nerves, it was how much this woman boasted about herself during this entire fight. She wanted nothing more than to take her down a peg or two. She pointed Myrtenaster at Goldmary and summoned several of her glyphs in a zig-zag pattern. She summoned another one underneath her and propelled her to the next glyph. She followed the predetermined path to her opponent. Despite how fast she was going, Goldmary followed Weiss’s movements. She saw her move past her and turned to see her heading right toward her, rapier in front. The attack was nothing to worry about as Goldmary successfully blocked the attack with her sword. “I admit, an interesting tactic but blatantly obvious. I can still defeat you with ease.” And Weiss knew she’d say that. “Sure, you can.” She jumped back away from Goldmary. The other woman was confused as to why she did that. She relieved her answer shortly after when she noticed another glyph appeared underneath her. A giant ice arm emerged from the glyph and struck her with a powerful uppercut. The attack sent her into the air and she fell to the ground. She groaned in pain as she lay on the ground. “How did that feel?” Goldmary looked at Weiss who had a smug grin. “For someone as great as you, you sure fell from grace.” That was her attempt at making a pun.Normally, Goldmary would let comments about her slide, but this she couldn’t abide. She growled as she stood up while glaring daggers at Weiss. “I will personally show you that I am far superior.” “Bring it on. I still haven’t shown you what I can do.” The two girls were ready for the second round. And then a white water droplet fell and the ripples changed the scene. The scene changed to a single room with two women sitting at a table across from each other. One was a young woman wearing a light purple kimono. She had long purple hair with a white hairband with a ribbon tied. The woman across from her was an older woman with tan skin with tiger stripe tattoos. She wore a form-fitting dark gray sleeveless dress with white trim. “So, have you decided?” Mermaid Heel’s Strongest Wizard: Kagura Mikazuchi The tiger woman had a troubled expression. She couldn’t believe someone such as her was in a situation like this. “I have, though I don’t know how I feel about it.” Former White Fang High Leader: Sienna Khan “Why do you say that?”Sienna was silent for a few seconds before answering. “I’ve fought for so long to have us Faunus be equal to humans.” She clenched her hands tightly. “I can never forgive them for what they’ve done to us. And now I’m joining a guild of humans.” That was mostly correct since there was still Millianna who Sienna thought was the closest to a Faunus.“If you’re worried we’ll treat you less because you’re a Faunus, you do not need to. In a guild, we all see each other as equals.” That’s what felt strangest of all for Sienna. She fought so hard for equality for Faunus and now she would be given it. It’s such a shame it had to come to the price of her life and only to her. “I can’t imagine what Adam is doing with the White Fang right now.” The fact she had to carry the failure of being the High Leader is what weighed her the most. The failure of being Ghira Belladonna’s successor. The best she could do now was live with that while trying to make a new life in this strange new world. “With all that said, we gladly welcome you to Mermaid Heel, Sienna Khan.” And then a white water droplet fell and the ripples changed the scene. The next scene showed many cars were quickly abandoned on a highway in the middle of the night. People were running away scared from a horde of monsters that’d suddenly appeared. A multitude of them were flying high in the air. They all surrounded one lone girl with long white hair. New Schicksal Valkyrie: Kiana Kaslana Kiana pulled out two black and dark orange-colored guns from her black coat and aimed at these angel creatures. The creatures flew straight at her, and she fired her guns in return. The gunfire struck some but many more still targeted her. She jumped into the air and as she did, a black hole appeared and held the remaining angels in place. While in the air, she summoned several spiral lances and threw them at the angels. The spears pierced through the angels and they were destroyed. When she landed, she felt very proud of herself. “Yeah! I think I’m getting the hang of this no-” And she was slammed by a huge shield and crashed into one of the abandoned cars. “Ow...” She opened her blue and orange eyes and saw three large white and purple colored monsters holding shields covering their bodies and wielding spears. Before she could respond, a bright, pink light shined on her from above. She immediately exited the light before a laser shot down where she previously was and destroyed the car. More lasers shot down and Kiana was running to avoid them. When they stopped, she turned around to see the large body of a monster with the same color scheme and segmented parts floating around it. It was floating behind the three monsters. “This...looks bad.” She immediately knew she was in over her head. Fighting the smaller angel monsters was problematic enough. From what she heard, these monsters would take someone far more powerful than her to beat. Two options were left for her; either run away or hope that backup would arrive. Running away was out of the question and as for the backup, she’d rather avoid her. The last thing she needed was to get another hateful glare from her saying she was useless. But she didn’t have much of a choice. Right now, she had to survive. "♪Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron…♪" Kiana heard a girl’s singing voice and the next thing she knew, she saw something hit one of the shield monsters and knocked it into the other. They were both sent flying away. Meanwhile, far away from the situation, a loud, blaring alarm rang in a control room. “A new signal appeared where the Honkai is located!” “Do we know who it is?”“Negative. It’s unknown. The signal isn’t from one of our own.”“Curious. Who is this person?”Back on the highway, Kiana saw a girl wearing an orange and yellow-colored half-mecha suit with a very long scarf standing in between her and the Honkai beasts. S.O.N.G Member and Gungnir Relic Wielder: Hibiki Tachibana Upon seeing her, Kiana couldn’t help but have a sense of Déjà Vu. “Wait, have I seen this girl before?” She saw Hibiki charge right at the spear-and-shield monster with her right hand pulled back. When she neared, she threw her punch but the shield blocked it. That didn’t stop her, though and her gauntlet transformed into a larger version of itself, and a rocket formed at the end of her arm. She yelled powerfully while the rocket fired and added more force to the attack. The shield held up a little before cracks appeared throughout and eventually broke through. The punch struck the Honkai beast and caused it to fly away and it exploded. Kiana was also blown away but in a metaphorical sense.”That was so cool.” Then she noticed the two previous shield Honkai beasts flying right at Hibiki. “Hey, look out!” She had to do something to help. She charged at one of the beasts and fired a few shots at it. The bullets caught its attention and turned at her. It thrust its spear at her but she jumped over it. Her evasion caused a black hole to appear and trapped the beast. She landed behind it and immediately turned around to summon a lance. She attacked it a few times with the lance and it dealt significant damage to it. She dispelled the lance and raised her hand and she and the Honkai beast floated momentarily in the air. “Void Impact!” She swung her hand down and the beast slammed into the ground with a powerful force behind it. After that attack, the beast was destroyed and she sighed tiredly. “Finally. Why do these things have to be so tough?”Around the same time when one of the shield Honkai beasts went after Kiana, the first one thrust its spear at Hibiki. She caught the spear by the tip but then it delivered a powerful electrical shock through the weapon. She grunted in pain as the electricity went through her body. Then a bright, pink light shined above her. She took notice and fought through the pain to lift it while yelling. As soon as she lifted the beast above her, a laser shot down from above and hit it instead. She screamed again as she threw the damaged shield Honkai at the other. They crashed into each other and Hibiki went into a fighting stance with the gear of her arm extending. She released a punch and sent a powerful stream of yellow energy at the two beasts. The beam struck them and they were thoroughly destroyed. She sighed out of relief. “I’m glad that’s over. What exactly are these things? They don’t look like any Noise I’ve seen.”“Um....” Hibiki turned around to see Kiana. “Thanks for helping me. I just gotta ask; who exactly are you?” Whoever this girl was, it was no doubt she was powerful but whatever power she was using was nothing like she’s seen before. “Just what exactly is that? Karaoke armor?” Whoever she was and whatever power she was using, she hoped to learn more about her. And a white water droplet fell and the ripples changed the scene. The next scene revealed a rocky area with a large body of water with multiple small islets in it with high cliffs overlooking and a ruined abandoned building. A loud crash occurred at one of the inlets and dust covered it. When the dust cleared out, there was a young woman with dark-brown eyes, long, navy blue hair, and a beauty mark located under her left eye. Her hair reached to her waist and part of it was tied in a high ponytail with a yellow ribbon. Her outfit consisted of a sleeveless, yellow-colored kimono with red loud-based designs with a light-colored rose on her hip, a navy-blue hakama with white trimming on the bottoms, a fitted leotard under her kimono, and knee-length black stockings with sandals.She coughed as she was on all fours on the ground. Demon King's Four Shining Stars member, Sword of Edens, Valkyrie: Homura Kōgetsu “Sorry about that. Hope the landing wasn’t too rough for you.” Homura looked up to see a person wearing a metallic-like suit and her helmet looked draconic floating in the air. From her voice, she was a woman. Mobius Member: Consul ? The Consul landed on the island as Homura stood up. “And now I have you all to myself. J can have his fun with Ouroboros.”Many questions were running through Homura’s mind but only asked the one. “Why did you take me away from the others?” The Consul just laughed at her question. “Because you’re interesting, little Miss Anomaly. Well, more interesting than the other.”“Anomaly?” Homura didn’t understand what she meant by that. “Yes, Anomaly. To get to the point, you’re not supposed to be here. There’s a delicate balance here in Aionios and you can very well upset it. It’s bad enough with Ouroboros. But I don’t care about any of that. The rest of Mobius can handle that. I just want a good fight. A fight to get my blood pumping, to push me to the very edge.” She spread her arms out. “Yes, killing you would bring me the joy I’ve missed for so long!”“So, you’re goal is to kill me?” “Oh, I’m going to do more than that. I want to put someone as strong as you in so much pain as I desire. There’s no feeling quite like it. Yes, I remember doing such things both friend and foe in the past.” “You’d do such things to your allies?”The Consul scoffed. “One thing you should know about Aionios is that it’s survival of the fittest. The strong survive and the weak die. If my allies died during my attacks, it meant they were weak. Me standing here now is proof I am among the strongest. Unfortunately, that means things got boring. That is until I saw you. I know what you’ll give me what I missed for so long.” “That’s enough!” Homura summoned her Ether sword. She had heard enough of this Consul’s insane rambling. “I am not your plaything to relieve your boredom! As not people’s lives!” The Consul cackled in response. “I disagree! Now, show me your strength! Give me the joy I miss so much!” She went into a fighting stance. “Oh, I’ll give you a warning; I’m much stronger than K” She had one more reason for wanting to fight Homura. “At least I’ll be getting a shot at her. After all, She really hates this woman for some reason.” She couldn’t care less about what that reason was. Right now, she focused on the battle ahead. And then a white water droplet fell and the ripples changed the scene. The next revealed a small western town. Within the main street was a rather large crowd that gathered around a fight that was going on between two rough and rowdy men. "You okay there, Arthur?" Charles asked while spectating the fight."Yeah, I got this son of a bitch." Van Der Linde Gang member: Arthur Morgan Arthur answered before being hit in the face and stumbled to the ground. The larger man, Tommy, he was fighting against then put the outlaw in a chokehold. Despite the size difference, Arthur elbowed Tommy in the stomach multiple times before he was released and retaliated. All the while the spectators continued to cheer on for the big guy. "Show him how we do it in Valentine!"The same could be said for the other individual. "You've got this one, Arthur!"Arthur ducked down to avoid a swing and stood up to hit his opponent in the face. "You're making a real fool of yourself." A few hits and dodges in, it seems like all of his attacks will be ineffective against Tommy. When he got closer, the other guy wrapped his hands around the Outlaw's neck. "I'll crack your damn skull open!" With all of his strength, he throws Arthur to the muddy ground and proceeds to bury his head into it. It seems like Arthur struggled to break free this time. In a sudden twist, Arthur manages to break free and punches Tommy directly to the left side of his head before proceeding to kick him in the balls which makes him fall to the ground. Not wanting to lose this opportunity, Arthur gets on top of the big guy before he starts to punch him in the head.Seeing the obvious winner, a certain dark blue-haired young girl tried to stop Arthur from continuing to beat the man. She wore a long-sleeved top with two buttons in the center. It was an outfit similar to the one she wore before in another world. She also wore a dark orange bandanna around her neck, dark blue jeans, and brown boots. "Arthur, I think you should stop." Fairy Tail Guild member: Wendy Marvell Much to her dismay, he didn't stop and proceeded to punch Tommy once again. The onlookers didn't make a move to even stop the fight. Even Arthur's friends took no action. A disappointed sigh escaped her lips as she had to deal with this on own her. "I don't want to do this. But this is for his own good. I'm sorry about what I am about to do, Mr. Arthur."Arthur shook his right hand before he threw another punch to his opponent's face. Right before he was about to, he felt a pair of hands grabbing onto his back brown jacket. As he was about to look at who was behind him, he was suddenly thrown to the side, with his back slammed onto one of the wooden poles of the saloon. All watchers were silent as they watched him land back onto the muddy ground. He felt dazed for a bit before shaking his head and standing and looking to see who had done it."Okay, why did you do that, you little shit?!" He said, feeling infuriated that she had interrupted him with his fight against Tommy. He walked towards her despite the pain he felt in his back and was about to…"Stop! Stop!" A stranger from the crowds put himself in between Arthur and Wendy as he was facing the former. "Please, I beg you. Stop."Arthur did just that. However, that didn't prevent him from glaring at this stranger as he continued speaking. "Come, sir. She only did that just to stop the fight. You won the fight already, surely that's enough?""What business is it of yours?" A muddied Arthur asked this stranger."No business. No business, sir." He pleaded. "But please... I beg you. Don't make it worse for yourself."Being fed up with the man's words, Arthur pushed the man aside to sit in front of the General Store. The stranger looked at Wendy and held out his hand. "Thank you. For stopping the fight. Not many folks are brave enough to break up fights these days."The young dragon slayer nervously laughed. "You're welcome." She was about to shake when she heard him cough to the side and smelled something. Blood. This caused her to be concerned. "Are you okay?"The man looked back at her. "Oh, there's nothing you should be concerned about, miss." He glanced over to her side to see Tommy rubbing the left side of his face. "Excuse me. I need to check up on someone."The young dragon slayer saw the man walking over to the big guy and checked up on him. It looked like the crowd was heading back to the building but not before giving a few glances at her due to what occurred earlier. She then looked over at the General Store, where Arthur, Javier, Bill, and Charles were talking to Dutch and another man wearing a fancy suit. The new person caught her interest. "Who is that?"Wendy walked towards them, and the new man peeked at his side to see her approaching them. "Ah, this must be the one that Dutch spoke highly of?"Dutch also looked at where she came from and smiled at seeing her. "Look who it is! And with more suitable clothing.""You can thank Arthur for giving me enough to buy these, Mr. Van Der Linde." She clarified to him before looking back at the other man. "By the way, who's he?The man in the suit bowed down and greeted her with a smile of his own. "Josiah Trelawny at your service, miss.""It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Trelawny." Wendy gave her own bow.As the introduction has been already done, Javier thought it would be best to do the group's assignment. "Well, now that has been sorted, me and the others need to go to Blackwater."Arthur just held his hand up in the air. "Just hold on." Seeing that the little girl was them; it would be the right time to get some answers. "Now that she is here, we all need to head back to camp so she can just answer a few questions." Wendy didn't know why, but a sense of dread came to her as they knew she was hiding something from them.And then a white water droplet fell and the ripples changed the scene. The next scene revealed two men, one of average build and the other chubby driving a car with a large tarp covering something in the back. The average-built man was driving frantically as if they were trying to get away from something. He was right to do so since there was a tow cable that linked to the end of the car and a young woman was holding on tightly to it. It was unnatural for any normal person to have a tight grip on the cable and was still holding on to it at the speed they were going.“What is with this kid?!”“She isn’t shaking off! And she’s getting closer!” The chubby guy noticed.“Well, see how you like this!” The first man started wildly steering the car, trying to jettison their unnecessary cargo. However, despite the shaking, the young girl wouldn’t let go.“You think I would be rid of that easily?! You should try using magic!” Crimson Lions Magic Knight Member: Sienna Vulpes They continued to try and shake her, the swaying getting more and more violent before she was flung towards the cliff wall. She saw it and twisted her body to plant her feet onto it, forcibly running to keep up with the truck.“EEEEEEEH?!” The two brothers exclaimed as they watched her running.“Big bro, is that even possible?!” The chubby guy asked.“How should I know?!” He answered, “This is utter Tauros crap!” He then looked ahead and saw a chunk of rock sticking out of the wall before grinning maliciously. “But that’s all gonna change!” He pushed hard on the gas pedal, wanting to gain enough momentum to send the girl crashing into the boulder.“You have got to be kidding me!” Sienna demanded, thinking frantically. Jumping out of the way would just push her off the cliff side they were already driving on. There was only one way to avoid this: bust out the magic.Sienna started emanating fire around her body before producing it into her fist. With one punch, she blasted right through the rocks, turning them into burning, falling rocks.“WHAT THE-?!” The brothers exclaimed before seeing the boulders fall about, and they started swerving around to avoid them. However, one flaming boulder hit one of their wheels, causing them to spin out of control. As they did so, the tarp flew off the back of the vehicles, and the cages filled with trapped Pokémon were flung about as well. Many crashed, and their cages broke open to free the creatures within. As for the ones named Eevee and Litleo, they were knocked to the edge of the cliff side. Litleo was knocked out from the impact, but Eevee’s cage broke just barely enough for the little creature to get out. She squeezed through, poking her head through first, before seeing the cage Litleo was in start to tilt towards the edge. She panicked, got through the cage, and grabbed the grate of the near-falling cage with her teeth, making sure it didn’t fall.The two thieves got out of the truck, scrambling as they saw their prey starting to be freed. “No! Not like this!” The shorter brother shouted, his hands on top of his head.“What do we do, big bro?!” The chubby brother asked.“What do you think?! We gotta get them back!” They each pulled out the Pokéballs they had on them, only for them to see someone do a high flip over the stopped truck, her body in flames, before landing in between them and their formerly captured Pokémon. “Stop RIGHT there!” Sienna growled, “You got a lot of nerve!”“GAH! That girl is on fire!” The chubby brother exclaimed.“How are you not burning up?!” The shorter brother demanded, “Just who the hell are you?!”Sienna wasn’t sure how to answer. It’s not like she wanted to say she was a Magic Knight, especially since that occupation didn’t exist in this world. She also knew she blew her cover to these two guys, so at this point, there was no turning back. Not unless she did something she would regret later on, but that wasn’t gonna happen.She thought for a few seconds before answering, “I’m just a normal girl with special powers. That’s all.”There was a three-second pause before the two brothers answered, “YOU ARE NOT NORMAL!!”“Well, whatever.” The shorter brother growled, his Pokéball at the ready, “I’m gonna show you why you should be afraid of us! Primape, go!” He tossed out a ball and out came what looked like a raging pig-monkey with fists for hands.“Go, Bibarel!” The chubby brother called out, and he produced a beaver-looking creature.“We’re not afraid to resort to brute force, you know!” The shorter brother called out, “You are gonna regret this! Primape, Cross Chop!” His Pokémon charged forward, his arms crossed in front of him, ready to attack Sienna, who pulled back her hands, igniting them in flames. She created flaming claws as she swung them forward just as Primape unleashed his attack. Both attacks struck simultaneously, but Sienna’s attack was much stronger than Primape’s, sending him flying backward in pain.“Impossible!” The younger brother exclaimed, turning to his chubby brother, “Don’t stand there! Use a Water-type attack! That’ll douse her fire out!”“R-Right!” He replied, “Bibarel, Water Pulse!” Bibarel opened his mouth and fired off a ball of compressed water at Sienna.“Is that supposed to scare me?!” The magic-user demanded, turning one of her claws into a fist and punching the water ball. The result was steam erupting around her body, which she dissipated with her other hand.“EEEEEEEHHH?!” The brother screamed, their tongues wagging out of their mouths at the sheer shock of the super-effective move being nullified.“You had your fun. Now it is my turn!” She told them, getting on all fours as her body became encased in flames, taking the shape of that of a demon fox. The brothers hugged each other in fear of her form as she charged at their Pokémon, readying her flaming claws and swinging them at the pair with such force and firepower. She turned the two of them into flaming projectiles as they hit the brothers, slamming them into their truck. Unfortunately, their truck was leaking gasoline from beneath, and the flames hit it, causing it to ignite, reach the truck, and detonate. This made the thugs and their Pokémon be sent flying as a result of them disappearing into the sky with a twinkle.Sienna turned around and saw the force of the explosion was making the cage Litleo was in fall over, and Eevee was getting pulled along, causing the pair to fall off the cliff. “NO!” She cried, running to them, and jumped after them. She caught them as they were in mid-fall, melting the cage, freeing the little lion as she and the fox were in her arms.She looked up to see the cliff they fell from. “Think, think, think!” She cried out before looking at her flaming claw. She wasn’t sure if she could do this, but she hoped that she had enough Mana left.Using her flaming appendages, she thrust her fist forward, hoping the flame claw would reach. Her prayers were answered as the appendage grabbed the cliffside and stopped her fall. After making sure she’s got a grip on the cliff side, Sienna looks at the Pokemon in her free arm. “You two ok?” Sienna asked worryingly. The fox and lion cub answered that they were all right with their cries. “That’s good,” she sighed in relief at their answer. Looking up, she starts climbing up the cliffside slowly so as not to slip. Sienna made it halfway up when the flaming claw started to flicker. With very little mana in this world, it’s hard to maintain the fire claw.“No, no, no, no! Not now!!” Sienna shouted in panic. Looking around the cliffside for something to hold on to. She spots a root growing out and, with no other option, runs along the side to the root.Just as the fire claw flickered out, Sienna managed to jump to the root and grab it. She sighed in relief for a moment before trying to figure out how to get herself and the Pokemon in her arm out of this predicament. “I don’t suppose you two know how we get out of this?” Sienna asks rhetorically, though. The fox and lion cub shook their heads in response.“Great… Hope help comes soon. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold on.”Just as she said that a rope came down to her, and then she heard a familiar voice above.“SIENNA!!”Sienna looked up and saw Cynthia and Garchomp. “Cynthia!! Garchomp!” Sienna shouted happily.“Grab the rope!” Cynthia shouted.Sienna looked at the rope, only now noticing it was just out of reach. “Hey!! Cynthia!! Think you can lower the rope a little?!” Sienna shouted so Cynthia could hear.“Sorry! This is all I have!” Cynthia replied.Sienna groaned at that. “Alright. No choice. Gonna have to swing to it.” She then looked at the lion cub and fox. “Hang on tight, you two.” They did just that.Sienna started swinging on the branch to get the momentum to reach the rope. After a bit, she swung with all her might. Time seemed to slow down as Sienna reached the rope. Cynthia and Garchomp held their breath and prayed Sienna could reach the rope.She then defied all forms of physics as she started to push herself back up. Mind you, she was only using her feet and one hand, as the other had the two Pokémon in them, who were shocked at her efforts.“I can only do this for so much!” She growled, her body straining from what she was doing, “But I am close enough to do THIS!” She pulled back her free hand and thrust it upwards. Her fire extended, her flaming claw reaching the very cliff edge. She wrapped her claws around it and pulled herself upwards. She reached the top, and her real hands grabbed the cliff edge, dissipating her flames on the hand in the process.Sienna and her two Pokémon gave a deep sigh of relief as they found themselves safe. However, this relaxed state was premature, as she felt the rocks she was holding onto break apart. She used too much fire to retain it, and it was crumbling away at her very fingertips. She was about to fall back down off the edge again. She was panicking, as were the Pokémon. However, this was stopped by a pair of hands wrapped around her arm, stopping her from falling. She feared the worst for a second, but then realized she was not gonna fall, and looked up to see who it was. It was Cynthia.“I got you!” She cried out, holding her barely up. She would’ve fallen with her had it not been for her Garchomp holding her from behind.“Cynthia! Garchomp!” Sienna cried, happy to see them.The blonde trainer smiled at her, before asking, “So…are you gonna explain those flames coming off your body NOW?” Sienna forgot she was still producing flames and panicked as she tried to dismiss this.“Uh…well…” Sienna wasn’t sure how to answer this.“If you promise to tell me, I’ll pull you up.” She told her, “Otherwise, my Garchomp will keep you hanging like this.” Her said dragon smirked mischievously at this.“Oh, how is that fair?!” Sienna demanded. Cynthia just laughed at her reaction. And then a white water droplet fell and the ripples changed the scene. OST begins to fade... In a desolate wasteland, there was a gargantuan Gothic castle surrounded by dark clouds with red lightning flashing around it. In one of the balconies, there was a young woman with long, crimson hair. Her hand grabbed onto the ledge and looked into the distance. She closed her eyes sightly at what she was seeing “So, all of you have arrived.” The Demon Queen: Rias Gremory Across from her far away was a steep cliff where she saw six massive armies approaching the castle. Along with them were seven giant catapults that had large tree trunks as ammo. Each was being pushed by a squadron of soldiers. When they reached the edge, they all halted their advance. At the front of the army were six women looking at the castle. One of them was a young woman with long, blue hair and wore a gray cloak. “To think this day has finally arrived.” Queen of the Bondsax Queendom: Medaka Kurokami She swung her arm and held it in place to her side. “For three years we have fought this war against Rias the Demon Queen! Today, we end this war once and for all and reclaim the peace for our land!” The soldiers behind her roared and cheered. The second was also a young, well-endowed woman with long blonde hair and pointed ears. Unlike Medaka, she was nervous but she had to be strong for her people. “The Demon Queen has brought forth unfathomable ruin to our land. Stole who were precious to us. Her tyranny ends today!” Her soldiers rallied behind her. Queen of Alfnia, Queendom of the Forest: Tiffania Westwood “May the spirits protect us all.” She whispered to herself. The third was a young woman with short purple hair wearing glistening armor and a purple cloak. She was currently on her horse. Approaching her was a woman with short blonde hair and wore a knight’s armor. “Your Majesty, if it ever should come to it, I’ll gladly lay my life for you.” Captain of the Musketeer Knights: Agnès de Milan Her queen immediately disliked those words. “Agnès, please don’t say such things. I couldn’t bear it if you sacrificed your life for me. You are very precious to me. So, I’ll be giving you an order and you will not refuse it. You are not allowed to fall in battle.” Queen of the Queendom of Tristain: Henrietta de Tristain As usual, her words pierced Agnès’s heart. She couldn’t refuse such an order. “If it’s by your order, I’ll follow it. And...when we make it through this battle, I wish to tell you something important.” It was a promise Agnès was making to herself. Henrietta smiled at her beloved captain. “Then, I will persevere to hear your words.” She faced the castle. “When the Divine Four arrive, the battle shall ultimately shift in our favor.” Now it was her turn to give her speech. She drew her sword and raised it to the air. “The time is upon us where we quell the threat the Demon Queen was wrought upon us! No more shall we endure the despair she and her ilk have brought forth! We shall end her reign of terror!” Her army raised their arms and cheered. None were more moved than Agnès. “Well said, your Majesty.” Next were two young women riding on rather large bipedal birds. One had long pink hair with dog ears and wore armor. The woman next to her was older and had waist-length white hair with small pointed cat ears. She noticed how nervous the girl next to her looked. “It’ll be alright.” The other girl turned to her. The older one gave her a comforting smile. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” Arch-queen of the Queendom of the Feline Faunus, Galette: Leonmitchelli Galette des Rois The younger girl calmed down a little and felt relieved. As long as she had her beloved wife, she’d be safe no matter what. “Thank you, Leo. I’ll make sure to do the same. We’re in this together.” Queen of the Queendom of the Canine Faunus, Biscotti: Millhiore Firianno Biscotti Leo decided to give the speech to their soldiers. “Three years ago, the Demon Queen and her forces invaded Galette on a most important day and took those who were precious to us. That day would forever be infamous to us and not too long ago, her forces would once again ruin such an event. Today, we shall have our revenge for what she and her kind have done to us and we shall pay them back tenfold for what they’ve done to us!” Their soldiers cheered behind them. The sixth and last young woman had long, light blonde hair put up in a ponytail and wore a light pink puffy dress. She just grinned excitedly at the upcoming fight ahead. “Well, I don’t have any great and rousing speeches so why fix something that isn’t broken?” She pulled out her katana and pointed it at the castle. “LET’S KICK THE DEMON QUEEN’S ASS AND SEND HER BACK TO HELL WHERE SHE BELONGS!” Queen of the Queendom of Forland: Alita Forland Her army cheered behind her. “Yeah! Let’s break her legs!” High above the five armies was the sixth one where every soldier had wings. One of them was a young woman with long brown hair wearing a red military outfit. Five specific women surrounded her. She couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight below her. “Look at them. It’s adorable with how excited they are. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say we also want to put that Demon Queen wench in her place. I’ll make her regret even thinking of invading the Heavenly Plane. Her, and that traitorous bitch.” Leader of the Virtuous Order: Michael “FIRE THE CATAPULTS!” Medaka commanded. As soon as they heard the command, the soldiers knocked on the tree trunks. “FIRE THE CATAPULTS!”“FIRE THE CATAPALTS!“FIRE THE CATAPALTS!”“FIRE THE CATAPALTS!”“FIRE THE CATAPALTS!”“FIRE THE CATAPALTS!”“FIRE THE CATAPALTS!”They aimed the catapults at the castle and cut the ropes holding them. When the tension was released, each of the seven large trunks flew off and hurdled toward the castle. All seven struck the castle in different places with the noise of the crashes echoing throughout the area. Despite all this, Rias remained unaffected. In fact, she smiled. “So, it begins.” She brought her right arm forward and snapped her fingers. The field and sky before the castle was covered with countless red magic circles. Countless monstrous soldiers wearing black armor and among them were some of her stronger forces, the Devils of Darkness.“The time has come to end this! We’ll show this pitiful alliance who is superior once and for all! Have your fill and capture whoever you can! Especially the queens. Now, go forth!” Her forces roared as they charged toward the six armies. Seeing this, Medaka grabbed her cloak and tossed it away. What she wore underneath was a skintight orange and white leotard. “Everyone, CHARGE!” She and the rest of the five armies yelled powerfully as they charged down the cliff headfirst toward Rias’s army. The two armies finally converged and their swords and weapons clashed one after another. While the two armies began their war, another fight was about to start within the castle. The tree trunks were still embedded in different locations in the castle. With the front end of the trunks inside, part of it the trunk opened like a hatch. Insert Queen’s Blade Opening One A young woman with long, black hair put up in a long side ponytail and wore a white and green outfit. She wore a silver bracelet with markings on it around her right wrist. “Ow, ow, ow, ow. That was much rougher than I thought.” One of the Seven Chosen Heroines, The Beautiful Black-Haired Bandit Hunter: Kan'u Unchou AKA Aisha Aisha checked her surroundings. “Looks like I’m in a hallway. Hopefully, the others will be all right. Now, let’s find the Demon Queen and stop her for good.” With her Guan Dao in hand, she ran down the hallway in search of her target. To the second trunk, the hatch opened and out came a young girl with long waist-length brown hair. She wore a tank top with an oversized blue jacket that had several cells strapped to the belt. “Whew, that was a rougher landing than expected Glad I came out in one piece.” One of the Seven Chosen Heroines, The Gust of Beautiful Wind: IF “Mmm, not a bad title to give me. I’ll roll with it. Is this a new thing you’ve been doing a for while since the last time you worked on this?” IF, shouldn’t you be doing something right about now? “Yeah, yeah, I was getting to it. Anyway, looks like I’m in one of the larger rooms in this castle. I don’t suppose I could find a map detailing this place in a chest somewhere?” IF highly doubted that. The best she could do now was pick a direction. The real question was which one. “Let’s see if I were the Demon Queen, my final boss room would be higher up. So, let’s climb.” She ran up the stairs and went through one of the doors. “Time to make you pay for what you did, Demon Queen.” To the third trunk, the hatch for the tree trunk was kicked open, and out came a young girl. She had short silver hair, red eyes, and wore a large red jacket. She was currently in another hallway of the castle. “We’re finally in. Let’s go kill the monster now.” One of the Seven Chosen Heroines, The Angel from Hell: Jo Jo didn’t’ waste time and ran down the hallway to find the first person to take down. To the fourth trunk, the hatch opened slowly and a groan could be heard. A young teenage girl appeared hanging over with long red hair put up in a long ponytail tied by a black ribbon. She wore a long-sleeved black and white outfit and a pair of shorts with black stripes going down. “That was not a fun ride.” One of the Seven Chosen Heroines, The Chivalrous Knight (in training): Sora Himoto Sora found herself in one of the hallways of the castle. She slapped her face cheeks to hype herself up. “Right, we’re here and we’ll finally stop the Demon Quee-”“GET YOUR ASS OUT NOW!” Something kicked Sora from behind and she fell out of the trunk. “Ow.” She looked up at the hatch. “Right, we need to save your friend first. I haven’t forgotten my promise. So, let’s go.” She saw a hand come out of the hatch and grab the edge. To the fifth trunk, the hatch opened and an older woman came out of the trunk. She had long red hair and wore a one-piece armor that showed her cleavage. She also wore a dark red skirt stopping mid-thigh and a yellow cloak hanging off her left shoulder. She sighed in relief. “Thank goodness that’s over. I don’t want to go through that again.” One of the Seven Chosen Heroines, The Lightning Warrior: Raidy Raidy found herself at the entrance to one of the four towers of the castle. The debris from the impact blocked the exit. “I guess I’m leaving that way.” She turned to the stairs. “Nowhere to go but up.” She ran up the stairs of the tower to see if she could find another route. To the sixth trunk, located in a great parlor, the hatch opened and a figure immediately jumped out of it. This pale-skinned young girl landed on the floor. She had long dark blue hair put up in uneven spiky twin tails and wore a black tank top with a black waist-length jacket over it that had detached sleeves, and black shorts that ended mid-thigh. One of the Seven Chosen Heroines, The Lone Eternal Wanderer: Black Rock Shooter Her bright, blue eyes looked around to see the nearest exit. It didn’t her long to find one and immediately ran to it. She already had the goal in mind to defeat the Demon Queen but she had an additional reason to add. And she’ll make sure to see it through.To the seventh and final trunk, it was located in another hallway and the hatch was blocked by the debris. There was some knocking to get the hatch open but to no avail. In the next second, the trunk was cut open by a sword. A young woman with long scarlet-colored hair and armor landed on the floor. “There we go. From the looks of it, things are going according to plan.” One of the Seven Chosen Heroines, Queen of the Fairies, Titania: Erza Scarlet “Now, where to find the Demon Queen?” The best answer for her would be scouring the castle. If she comes across any opposition, she’d deal with it accordingly. The best course of action now was to find her. “It’s time to end this war.” She ran down the hallway and began her search. As each of the seven heroines went their own way looking for the Demon Queen, there was another powerful force waiting for them. In a large room with multiple gears rotating on the walls, a girl with long black hair put up in twin tails was sitting on a throne. She wore a frilly red and black striped dress. Her most striking feature was her left golden eye with a clock in it. She laughed playfully while waiting for her unfortunate victim. “Now, who’s going to be my plaything? I hope they won’t be disappointing. Hell Elite Member, The Clock of Nightmares: Kurumi Tokisaki In another large room, it was akin to a giant birdcage with several giant trees. The outside of the cage had large, creepy children’s toys hanging from the ceiling. Within the cage a large hanging bird perch where a young girl was sitting on it. Her hair was long and ghostly white as was her skin. She wore a skin-tight body suit with the sleeves and black leggings. Her hands were viable and had scars on them. Next to her perch was a smaller cage with a star-patterned purple cloak covering it. “Come into my birdcage, little one. Once you enter, you will not come out alive.” Hell Elite Member, The Blood Queen: Shiro In the courtyard center of the castle, a woman with long silver braided hair was leaning against a large statue. Her most striking feature was her silver eyes. Since she was outside, she saw the seven tree trunks crash into the castle. She just laughed. “Things are about to be fun. Hope you and I can have our rematch, Miss Heroine.” Hell Elite Member, The Wicked Warrior: Ophelia Inside the castle was a large wooden platform surrounded by spider lily flowers. Sitting in the center was a young tan-skinned girl with long purple hair. She wore a short skirt shrine maiden outfit. She tightly gripped her sword while muttering the same words to herself over and over. “Unforgivable. I’ll kill her. Unforgivable. I’ll kill her. Unforgivable. I’ll kill her. Unforgivable. I’ll kill her. Unforgivable. I’ll kill her. Unforgivable. I’ll kill her. Unforgivable. I’ll kill her.” Hell Elite Member, The Demonic Child: Yukio In a giant lake in the castle, a nice-looking galleon ship was floating on the water. Small laughter was coming from a young girl lying on the deck. She had long black hair and wore a black dress with red markings, detached sleeves, and black thigh-high boots. She had a severed head attached to her hip. “Which one? Which one will I kill first? Oh, I want to know so badly. I want to see their blood dripping from my blade. It’ll look so pretty. ” She held the severed head above her face. “What do you think, my love?” Hell Elite Member, The Insane Lover: Kotonoha Katsura In a greenhouse with various plants of different shapes and sides, a young woman was standing within it. She had chin-length dark burgundy hair and wore a high-collared, low-cut red corset with puffy sleeves underneath a sleeveless magenta trench coat. She tenderly caressed a black rose gently while thinking of the people most important to her. “And this is it. This is the fight that will determine our future. For the three of us, I will fight with everything I have for that safe future.” Hell Elite Member, The Witch of Ruin: Akiza Izayoi In another part of the castle, there was another throne room that glistened brightly. Within it were multiple large crystals that held people within them scattered throughout. On a throne was a young woman with long silver hair and a metal eye patch over her right eye. Her bright red outfit was scandalous showing off her cleavage and only had a small metal piece serving as her undergarment. Her left arm was tied behind her back while her right remained free. “So, they’re here. Which one of you shall be the first to be added to my collection?” Hell Elite Member, The Cursed Eye: Aldra In a small room, a baby’s cry could be heard throughout the room. A young woman with waist-length white hair approached the crib and picked up the baby carefully. “There, there. it’ll be alright.” She gently cradled the child and managed to calm her down. She smiled as her bright blue eyes looked at the baby’s pink, fluffy hair. “This. This is what we’re fighting for. For our child never to experience what we had to go through.” Hell Elite Member, The White Dragon of Absolute Destruction: Kisara The Demon Queen, the Kingdom Alliance, the Hell Elite, and the Seven Heroines. A monumental battle taking place that’ll decide the future of this land. And then a white water droplet fell and the ripples changed the scene. End songMore white water drops fell and showed different scenes from different worlds. From Wendy fighting Esdeath with unusual creatures to seeing two girls performing on a stage together, to two groups of high schoolers surviving a zombie apocalypse together, to a young woman having what seemed like a harem of monsters of the night, to a man clad in lightning protecting his younger sister, to a young assassin girl falling in love with a normal girl, to a woman with blonde hair finally enjoying have a younger sister of her own, to a demonic woman joining an adventure group, and finally, a group of individuals from different worlds coming together to fight a powerful entity of light.All of these the mysterious figure is seeing and more. She couldn’t help but smile at all the different possibilities. “Yes, countless worlds, countless possibilities. Now, what will the next one bring?” It was an exciting thought to her. “Oh yes, I believe it won’t be long until that Huntsmen group will run into those two. It’ll be quite the reunion. Let’s observe how it’ll play out.” And with that, another white water droplet fell to the ground and the ripples showed what was next to come. A/N: If you had told me over ten years ago I’d have a somewhat large following today, my past self wouldn’t believe it and would say “I’m just going to be a non-existent fan fiction writer.” And yet, here I am. Like I said, writing this Vol took so much longer than I thought. Over four years in fact. In the U.S., that’s the equivalent of someone who went into high school as a freshman at the beginning and then a senior at the end. So, now that I’m done, what’s next? Well, since the Fairy Tail 100YQ anime was announced (and currently airing by the time this chapter comes out), I’m taking that as a sign to focus on Assassins of Fairy Tail. Let’s hope I can finally stick to this schedule without any interruptions “cough” A New Beginning “cough”. So, with all that said, I’ll see you all in Vol Five in A New Beginning. Meanwhile, someone from a long distance: “FUCKING FINALLY!” Wild West Dragon by Crimson Soldat Trapped But Not Stopped by FreelancerAmber Songs mentioned in karaoke: FT Akame: Skyreach by Sora Amamiya FT Leone: Villainess LV 99 OP FT Chelsea: The Executioner and Her Way of Life OP Wendy: Koihime Musou OP 1 Carla: Good Night by Rico Sasaki Kurome: Die Young by Ke$ha (Suggested by Crimson Soldat) Rienna: Fire Force S1 OP 2 Chelsea: Applause by Lady Gaga Taeko: Koi no Okehazama Cornelia: Take Me Down by Pretty Reckless Leone: One for the Money by Escape the Fate Esdeath: Kannazuki No Miko ED Oscar: My Hero Academia OP 2 Ren: Naruto Shippuden OP 6 Nora: Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson Jaune: Living’ La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin Ruby: Puella Magi Magica Madoka OP Weiss: Elfin Lied ED Blake: It’s So Magical by A Touch of Class Yang: Woo Hoo by Ke$ha Mine: Fairy Tail OP 16 Wave: Citizen/Soldier by 3 Doors Down Ilia: RTS Sugar and Spice from Release the Spyce Esren: Carry On My Wayward Son by Kansas Sienna: Eye of the Tiger by Survivor Ghira: Rock of Ages by Def Leppard Kali: Gokuraku Joudo by GARNiDELiA By the way, who wants to hear a joke? Okay, an isekai former academy student and her villainess wife, an isekai princess and her spirit queen girlfriend, a cursed F-Rank class adventurer and her maid, a priestess and an OP time girl, and a vampire shut-in with her pervy maid all wake up in a mysterious mansion. And...you’ll have to wait for the rest of that joke. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- EDIT: This chapter was originally chapter eighty-four before being reuploaded. A/N: “Sighs and mutters” I swear to fcking God this freaking story sometimes feels like a goddamn curse to me-oh hello, everyone. I know all of you are either excited, confused or both as to why I added another chapter. Even though I said I’d be going on a hiatus with this story last chapter (Edit: ignore that last part). Ha, ha, “repeatedly beats my head against the wall several times and stops.” More importantly, the first chapter of Vol Five of A New Beginning. First off, this isn’t exactly the beginning-beginning of the Vol. It’s more like a prologue to it. Second, and of course, this was an idea I needed to get out of my head. So, even though this is the start of Vol Five, don’t expect me to update after this chapter. I still have other stories to work on (Edit: That’s still true). I do, however, more or less know how Vol Five will go (Edit: I know how it’ll go). Let’s just say that I’m NOT writing every single detail happening alongside Ruby and co (Edit: This is still true). Although, I’m still undecided on one critical moment that’ll happen later on (Edit: I don’t remember what this critical moment was anymore). With all of that being said, let’s begin the chapter. Also, there’s no opening this time but it’ll be announced next chapter. (Edit: Screw that. Insert Sword Art Online Alicization Op 2 as the sixth opening.) Disclaimer: I do not own Akame Ga Kill and/or RWBY. They belong to their original owners. The OCs that appear here belong to me.A New Beginning: Vol FiveKill Ninety Six: Moonlit Clash Between DeathIt was a calm, soothing night with the moon shining down brilliantly on a tall, grassy, open field with only a large, towering rock. A lone hooded figure walked through the field not paying any mind to her surroundings. She'd been walking all day, save for taking brief rests every now and then to eat and continue her way. The rock up ahead seemed ideal to rest for tonight before moving on. As she took one more step forward, a strong breeze blew in her direction and removed the hood covering her head. It was revealed she was wearing a skull-like mask covering her face. As the wind died down, she saw something strange fall slowly in front of her. It seemed like a small pink petal to her. "Ya-hoo!" The masked figure heard a voice and looked up at the top of the rock to see another figure standing on top of the rock. A woman around the same age as her wearing purple clothing and her hat of the same color. So were her eyes and had long black hair. Her sword was set on her left hip and wore a metal glove on her left hand. The other woman smiled at her. “I was wondering when you going to show up. You sure took your time.” She jumped off the rock and landed on the ground away from the masked figure. She turned around and looked at the masked figure carefully and continued to smile at her. “So, you’re the famous Grimm Reaper. I’ve been looking for you for quite some time now.” The Grimm Reaper had an internal sigh as soon as she heard those words. “Of course. Yet another one coming after me.” She observed her opponent closely. “She seems different than the others I’ve fought before.” She immediately grabbed her weapons, Life, and Death, and readied herself for yet another inevitable battle. “I can’t let my guard down against her.” The other woman whistled and chuckled. “Eager to start, are we? Good.” She reached for the handle of her sword and slowly drew it out of its sheath. The light of the moon struck the blade and gave it a shimmering appearance. The Grimm Reaper was almost captivated by its beauty. The other woman fully drew out her sword and smiled confidently at her opponent. “Let me see for myself what the Grimm Reaper is capable of.” The wind blew through them softly as they stared at each other intensely. As the wind died down, The Reaper’s opponent made the first move. Insert Song: A Flower Caught In Time - The World Forever Night (Dio vs Sakuya) [JJBA vs Touhou] by Brandon Yates She dashed to where the Reaper was and was amazed at how quick she was. “She’s fast.” Her opponent wasted no time approaching the Reaper and then disappeared. It took the Reaper a second to realize what had happened before hearing the other woman’s voice. “Sakura Style…” She looked down to see her opponent crouching down near her with her blade drawn back. “Rising Spring!” Before the other woman swung her blade up, the Reaper jumped back to avoid the attack, though a bit closer than she would’ve liked. However, a strange phenomenon happened, and she was somehow struck by something. She saw a flash of bright pink before being blown away by the mysterious attack. The Reaper slid across the ground away from her opponent and grunted out of surprise. She was confounded by what had happened to her. “What was that she just did? I was able to sense the attack before it happened, and I was able to move back before it could hit. Yet I was still hit by something. Her semblance maybe?” There was only one way to prove her theory and twirled her weapons once before pointing them behind her. She fired a single round to give herself a boost and twirled her weapons back to attack her opponent. The other woman smiled at the incoming attack and flipped her sword around. She took up a stance and held the sword behind her. “Sakura Style…” Countless small pink petals appeared and circled the sword around. She circularly swung her sword with a flurry of those same petals surrounding her now. “Blossom Dance!” It was as the Reaper suspected. These petals were part of her opponent's semblance. As she came closer to the swirling mass of pink petals, the Reaper swung one of her weapons at it and felt a powerful counterforce. Again, it sent her back a bit and landed on the ground. She jumped a few times back to gain some distance between her and her opponent. She saw the other woman jump out of the petal mass and into the air. “Sakura Style…” She raised her sword over her head and petals surrounded her weapon. “Single Petal!” The woman swung her sword down and a blade of petals came forth hurdling toward the Reaper. She dodged to the side to avoid the attack and threw her right kama at her opponent. The woman saw the weapon coming and couldn’t block it with her sword. She put her left arm and blocked it with the metal cover. The woman yelled as she pushed kama away from her. The Reaper extended her right hand and the kama she threw responded and returned to her. As soon as she grabbed it and the other woman landed on the ground, the Reaper wasted no time charging at her opponent with her weapons ready. The Reaper reached to where her opponent was and swung her right kama at her. The other woman used her sword to block the incoming attack but as soon as she did, she felt it shift. The Reaper made use of her weapons and bring the sword down along with her own. When it was low enough, she disengaged her weapon and spun around to deliver a right kick to her opponent’s right side of her face. The kick made heavy contact and it made the woman take a few steps back, reeling from the pain of the kick. As she regained focus on the fight, she saw the Reaper swing her left kama inward. As she did, the other woman seemed to disappear. This caught the Reaper off guard until she sensed something and looked down. Her opponent lowered her body to avoid the attack and had her sword drawn back with both hands on the handle. “Sakura Style…” The woman stood up as she swung her sword upwards with pink petals following the blade. “Rising Spring!” The petals quickly scattered, and the swordswoman gasped to see her opponent had vanished. Until she caught the Reaper off the corner of her left eye with both her kama raised. Before the swordswoman swung her blade, the Reaper spun toward the right to avoid the attack while raising her weapons above her. The Reaper swung both her weapons down, but her opponent jumped back to avoid the attack. That didn’t stop the Reaper as she threw her left kama. The swordswoman gritted her teeth at the incoming weapon. “The same attack again?” She was prepared to deflect the weapon away, but to her surprise, it passed by her instead. The swordswoman slightly shifted her eyes to where the weapon was going in confusion. “It passed by me?” Then just barely, her focus turned to the Reaper heading her way. Before the swordswoman could react, the Reaper bypassed her opponent before finally striking the first blow on her right side. The swordswoman winced at the pain. “She got a hit on me.” The Reaper stopped just behind her opponent and held her left hand behind her. The kama she threw before returned to her and dashed toward the swords woman. Her opponent quickly turned around to see the Reaper closing in on her. The swordswoman didn’t have enough time to counterattack and had no choice but to defend against the incoming attack. She put her sword in front, but as soon the Reaper made it to her, she swung her left kama up and shifted the sword away to the left. In the same motion, the Reaper swung her right kama upward and managed to hit her opponent with a diagonal slash. Carrying the momentum, the Reaper jumped and turned around with her left kama ready to strike. She swung her left kama at a downward diagonal slash as she landed on the ground.The swordswoman had a pained expression and took a step back. The Reaper spun around and pulled her right leg in only to extend it to kick her opponent in the solar plexus. The force of the kick sent the swordswoman tumbling across the ground before she regained control and quickly stood back up. However, the Reaper wasn’t finished yet as she charged at the other woman with her kama crossed. The swordswoman gritted her teeth and pulled her sword back. “Sakura Style…” She made a series of slashes with pink petals following behind just as the Reaper slashed forward once she was near. “Five Petal Formation!” The two attacks clashed at each other and canceled each other out. The force of the attack launched the Reaper back and gave the swordswoman a little room to breathe. She breathed heavily while staring at her opponent before smiling and chuckled. "You really are what the stories perceive you to be. The Grimm Reaper. A title that is a play on words for death. It makes sense considering how much Grimm you've killed. However, that's all it is; just a title. Whereas my family name derives from a deity of death.” She gripped the handle of her sword with both hands tightly and positioned in front of her. The swordswoman narrowed her eyes at her opponent. “Let me show you the difference between your title and my family name.” She raised her sword high over her right shoulder with a flurry of pink petals swirled around it. “Sakura Style…” The Reaper didn’t wasn’t any time charging back at her opponent before she had the chance to unleash her next attack. But it was too late. “Sweeping Gust!” The swordswoman swung her swords at a lowered angle and a flood of pink petals emerged from the blade, all headed toward their target. The Reaper stopped and jumped back into the air to avoid the flood of petals. She turned her attention to her opponent, only to see she wasn’t there. Before she could question the disappearance, a dark and dreadful feeling overcame her. In her mind, a large, skeletal being was behind her. Its skull donned giant curved horns, its mouth with large razor-sharp fangs with its incisors being the biggest, and a deep, eerily red light appearing from its eye sockets. The being had its broad arms surrounding the Reaper. An icy chill ran down her spine and hesitantly looked at the giant skeletal figure. Only for her to get blasted and crashed into the ground. She groaned as she stood up slowly and saw the other woman land on the ground across from her. Already, the Reaper could feel something ominous coming from the swordswoman. It slightly made her shudder. “What is this…malevolent air I’m sensing?”The swordswoman held her sword set next to her and her bangs covered her eyes. “Black Sakura…” Black petals swirled around her sword and lifted her head to reveal that her eyes seemed cold and emotionless. “Petal Whirlwind!” She swung her sword in an upward diagonal direction and a large tornado of black petals appeared headed quickly toward its target. The Reaper couldn’t avoid the attack due to how large and how quick it was. The only option she had was to brace. She crossed her arms and held her ground as strong as she could. The attack struck her, and the Reaper felt the full force behind it. She struggled while bearing against the barrage of petals pelting her entire body. This level of power was beyond what she experienced before in their fight previously. “Her semblance is stronger now!” The Reaper figured it must’ve had to do with how the color of her petals changed. That’s what confused her the most. “Is this her true semblance, or did she have two along? No, she couldn’t have a second semblance. It’s not possible.” The tornado had finally subsided, and the Reaper panted heavily while feeling her aura fading away after taking so much damage. “Black Sakura…” The Reaper gasped as she saw her opponent taking a stance. She had her sword pulled pack while her left hand was stretched out forward flat. Swirls of black petals were coming from the tip of the sword to the handle. “Piercing Petal!” The swordswoman blitzed from her starting position toward the other woman and thrust her sword forward. With her aura depleted, all the Reaper could do was cross her kama together and redirect the attack in her favor. Unfortunately for her, two could play at that game. The swordswoman attack did collide with the Reaper’s guard, but unbeknownst to the Reaper, her opponent had her sword slightly raised. The tip of the sword broke the Reaper’s guard and the other woman threw a punch with her left arm just below the chest. The Reaper let out a pained gasp before being launched away from the other woman. The metal glove the swordswoman wore on her left hand dealt additional damage to her. She tumbled across the ground away from the swordswoman before stopping. The pain was rampant throughout the Reaper's body as she struggled to stand on one knee. “Black Sakura…” The Reaper turned her attention to her opponent who had her sword pulled back at her left side and her left-hand hovering above it. Black petals surrounded the blade. She knew her opponent was preparing another powerful attack. The Reaper only had one chance for a counter-attack. “Four Season Cycle!” The swordswoman swung her blade forward with a wave of black petals following behind while she moved forward spinning toward the other woman. She made three full cycles before reaching the Reaper, with the petals increasing from the previous cycles, expanding its range as the swordswoman went on. In the fourth cycle, it reached the Reaper and in a split second, the petals dispersed and scattered in every direction. End Song The swordswoman stood behind her opponent unmoving. All was quiet until she let out a groan of pain and her aura had reached its limit. Her eyes had returned to their previous state. She arched her body forward a little and turned around to face the other woman. “So, you had a trick up your sleeve.” She saw the Reaper standing and her two kama had combined into a single weapon. Just before her opponent reached her, the Reaper combined her kama and swung it in the opposite direction her opponent was swinging her sword. The forward momentum the swordswoman had increased the damage the Reaper had caused. Doubly so since she spun around for the second kama to strike her opponent. However, she was caught in the flurry of petals and sustained heavy damage. At the least, they were at an even playing field now. The mask she wore fell from her face and landed on the ground. The Reaper turned around to face the other woman while breathing heavily.This was the first time the swordswoman had seen her opponent’s face and had singled out the most prominent feature she had. Her silver eyes. “Interesting set of eyes you got there. Is that the reason why you wear a mask?” She didn’t hear a reply and just shrugged it off. “Well, I won’t pry into it.” She gave the other woman a confident smile. “You truly are strong, and you have my respect. Not that I believe you’d care much, but you should at least know who I am.” She pointed her sword at the other woman while smiling with valor. “My name is Babara Oarburgh, the next head in line of the Oarburgh Family!”Babara’s announcement surprised the Reaper. She hadn’t encountered one adversary who told her their name. And the look on her face was unlike anything she’d seen before. Throughout the entire fight, she noticed her opponent never had the same look previous bounty hunters and mercenaries had when she fought them. Babara didn't even state she was here to kill her. Just to see what the Reaper was capable of. Of course, Babara did have that strange power before that sent shivers down the Reaper's spine, but if she had that in the first place, she could've used it at the start of the battle and overwhelmed her but didn’t.She was right about something being different about Babara. For some strange reason, the Reaper felt calm before. “Maria Calavera.” She finally spoke to Babara. “That’s my name.” Maria quickly realized she told the other woman her name and didn’t know why. Perhaps because Babara was the first person she encountered who didn’t want to kill her and the closest to her equal.Barbara chuckled happily when she heard Maria's name. She didn't expect that to happen but welcomed it greatly. "Maria Calavera. It's quite the name you have. It's much better than calling you the Grimm Reaper. This fight will be all the more exciting for both of us!" She pointed her sword at Maria with a courageous smile and renewed vigor. "Now, COME AT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE, MARIA CALAVERA!" Maria smiled back as she twirled her weapon before holding it behind her. She was more damaged than Babara, but she was far from being done. Both women looked at each other in the eyes and then immediately dashed toward each other. As they came close to each other, they swung their weapons almost simultaneously. The sound of their weapons, Life, Death, and Tsugaku-Hime echoed throughout the night air with a single pink petal flying up toward the shining moon. ... ... ... In a small bar located in an unknown town, a man with long black hair tied in a ponytail sitting down on a stool at the countertop. The woman on the other side was pouring him some tea. She handed the teapot with shaky hands as she was deathly afraid. Once she was done, the man picked up his teacup and had a small sip. He was immediately displeased. "What vile and wrenched tea. It's as if it was brewed with pond scum." He threw the teacup away and it smashed into pieces against the wall. As he stood up, The woman yelped in fear as she fell the to floor. She shook and cowered violently. "P-Please! Don't hurt me!" She didn't want to end up like the others. He ignored her and turned away. “If this is the best hospitality you can offer, I’m very disappointed, Miss Malachite.” The whole bar was in ruin and littered with the bodies of Lil’ Miss Malachite’s men. A young teenage boy sat on a pile of them while a young teenage girl sat on one of the tables on her Scroll looking bored. She made her bubblegum inflate before it popped. Her henchmen were not killed. Just unconscious by his orders. A roughed-up Lil’ Miss Malachite herself was tied to a chair in the middle of the room. He walked up to her and stopped before he pulled out his katana. He stabbed the tied-up woman in the shoulder and she cried in pain. “Now, tell me...” He pulled his sword out. “Why did you think it was wise to attack us? We were only passing by.” He sheathed his sword. Lil’ Miss Malachite breathed heavily while dealing with the pain. She looked at him with one eye open. “Because....you were invading my territory. I...won’t allow you to take it.”“How stupid.” The older woman turned to the younger girl sitting at the table. "What makes you think we're interested in this backwater shithole you call a base, you decrepit old hag?"“Young lady, weren’t you taught to respect your elders?”“I was and you’re an elder not worth respecting, you stupid, fat, ugly decrepit old hag.” “Why you disrespectful little brat-!”“You’re not going to win.” Lil’ Miss Malachite turned to the boy. “She’s been in many flame wars and has not lost one. You don’t have a chance of beating her.” She had no idea what a flame war was. “You’re actually laughable considering what Roman Torchwick pulled over you.” The girl mocked. “Ha! Roman? Why should I care about him? He’s dead now.” “And he still lives rent-free in your head. He was responsible for shutting down Lady Browning's Preparatory Academy. He’s responsible for destroying your plan to expand your little network in Vale. And you’re responsible for blowing up the Vanille estate with Jimmy and Carmel Vanille along with Hei Xiong, the crime boss. And now because of that mess, your two whore daughters are working under Hei’s son, Junior. And as for Lady Beat, well she doesn’t have a career as a Huntress anymore considering she was involved.”There was a little more to the story. During all that chaos, Vanille's only daughter, Trivia, went missing. However, not too long after that, the girl known as Neopolitan appeared shortly after. With some research and cross-referencing with the student list, it was discovered Neopolitan and Trivia Vanille were the same. Not that she would inform Lil' Miss Malachite that. All Lil’ Miss Malachite scowled at the young girl. “I believe we’re done here.” The man said. “We’ll be taking our leave now.” Both the girl and boy stood up and all three began to leave. “Just hold up.” They stopped and turned around to look at the older woman. “There were multiple routes you could’ve taken to reach Mistral. Why did you choose this one?” The man just smiled as he walked back to her. "It's simple, really. We are in your territory. No matter what route we took, we were bound to run into opposition with your group. Conflict was inevitable. The best way to deal with you was to take the direct path. Straight through you." He stopped in front of her. "With that said.." He pulled his sword again and pointed it at her. She then saw a giant horned skeletal demon appear behind him. It had her trapped in between its hands. The terror she felt was like no other before. "Ingrain this into your mind; the spiders may bring death but we are death itself. I am sparing you and your group on a whim. If you attempt this again on our family, not only will we exterminate all your spiders, but we will burn every web you have spun." The giant skeletal demon vanished and he sheathed his sword once more. He turned away from her. “Stay in your small corner, little spider, and have a nice day.” He and his group finally left the bar. As soon as they did, Lil’ Miss Malachite let out a sigh of relief. Never did she want to feel terror like that again. Still, she had one thing over them and that’s why she smiled. “I still have the last laugh. I know where your target is going. You’re not going to find her anytime soon.” Now the only problem she has getting untied from the chair. Meanwhile, outside. “She’s heading to Argus via train.” The girl said while looking at her Scroll. “A lot of train tickets were purchased in Mistral.” The man gave a light chuckle. “There’s an Atlesian military base located in Argus. They must have the missing former heiress of the Schnee Dust Company with them. Otherwise, why else would they travel there? They must think they can use what authority she has left to charter an airship and travel to Atlas. For what reason, we still don’t know.” “So, sir, are we traveling to Argus?” The boy asked. “We are. Purchase the tickets. First class, if you will.” “On it.”With every step, he grew closer to her. He couldn’t wait to see her. It’d been too long since he’d last seen her. The last time he did was when she and the “mongrel ” left the estate for Shade. It was rare for him to be excited, let alone contain it. “Soon, we shall see each other again. And once we do, it shall be the end of your little trip. You will come back home with us, my darling niece.” A/N: Okay, brain. I did the chapter. NOW LET ME WORK ON ASSASSINS OF FAIRY TAIL (Edit: AGAIN!) ALREADY! Seriously, the anime is almost fcking over (and probably is by the time this chapter is out [Edit: lol. You can tell when I wrote this chapter. Not the second part. that's new.]). And no, I'm not going to repeat myself about it. At this point, it'd just make me look whiny. Oh, and speaking of long projects, I've picked up a certain game~. I'll let you all take a guess what it is. (Edit: Also, The Reflection ending as ending six. No, it did not take me this long to choose one.)
10991976	teeth	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Sans (Undertale), Papyrus (Undertale)", "Fandom": "Undertale (Video Game)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by therentistoodamnhigh", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-24T00:00:00", "words": "1,104", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - Underfell, Underfell Papyrus, Underfell Sans, baby bones, a little violence, nothing too graphic, lots of fluff, Brotherly Affection", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Much of Papyrus’ childhood is fuzzy and unclear, but there are some moments that are crystal clear. Some of these are cozy and warm, others are embarrassing, and others still are varying levels of uncomfortable and painful, but nearly all of them involve his brother.There’s one memory in particular that he finds himself lingering on frequently; it’s of himself staring into the mirror at about ten or eleven years old, marveling at his full set of permanent adult teeth and how sharp they were. He distinctly remembers how strange they all felt in his mouth, how wrong and too big they were.Sans had come in later. “whatcha doin’, paps?”“My teeth feel weird.” Papyrus had clicked his jaw shut and tapped little phalanges against the zigzag seam of his teeth.Sans had frowned, all brotherly concern despite barely being out of stripes himself. “weird? weird how? does it hurt?”Papyrus dropped his hands. “No.” He’d paused, searching for the right words. “It just feel weird. Like- like my mouth closes too much.”Sans’ frown had pulled deeper, confused. “’too much’? what do you- oh yeah, that. you’ll get used to it, don’t worry bro.” The ‘that’ Sans had been referring to was the sensation of one’s mouth closing too far after one graduates from flat teeth to pointy teeth that slot between each other.Papyrus had frowned, still doubtful. “Okay.”Sans had knelt down on one knee, getting eye level with Papyrus. “hey, look at it this way: you look a lot like me now don’t you?” Sans had grinned at him, showing off his full set of shark teeth.“Yeah,” Papyrus said slowly, in the way children do when an adult is explaining something to them.“and i’m your cool big brother, right?”“Yeah,” Papyrus said, more emphatic.“so that makes you cool, too, right? a cool look for the best little brother in the underground!” Sans eye lights were big and bright, something he’d rarely seen since.Papyrus had grinned in response, his face brightening underneath the praise. “Yeah!!” He paused, something occurring to him. “Wait, I’m your only little brother, Sans.”“so? that automatically makes you the best, doesn’t it?” Sans was still grinning, unfazed.“Well- ugh, whatever,” Papyrus groaned, unwilling to argue semantics with him.Sans had chuckled and gave him a few pats on the shoulder and stood up. “welp, i think there’s some mac in the fridge callin’ your name, buddy. how ‘bout we get some dinner?”Sans had been right, of course, but it took a while. Papyrus remembers many meals where his teeth made quicker work of his meat than expected and subsequently flinging the food on his fork across the table, and Sans snickering while Papyrus would stab his fork angrily into the errant bit of food, flushing brightly and chewing with force. There were also many conversations with people and instances of grinding his teeth where the bumpy sides of his teeth would catch awkwardly on each other and he’d have to use every inch of his willpower to keep from shivering in discomfort and flailing at the weirdness of it.Papyrus also remembers the first time he had to use those sharp teeth offensively. At the tender age of twelve, he’d bit deep into the shoulder of a fleshier monster around his age that had been picking on him, and he recalls vividly the sensation of ripping the flesh away - and it promptly dissolving to dust in his mouth. He doesn’t remember what the other had done - wailed and run away, probably - but he’d promptly shoved the other away hard and spat out what hadn’t fallen through the space in his mandible with something building in his chest that felt a lot like horror. The Dust had been gritty and tasted like ash, chalky and clinging to the inside of his mouth and he’d wanted it out and he’d begun scraping it out from the nooks and crannies of his mouth.Papyrus doesn’t remember how much time had passed, but the next thing he knew, Sans was calmly guiding him back to the house and into the bathroom where he murmured encouragements and thoroughly brushed his teeth with minty toothpaste. Sans had given him a piece of gum to chew on (”it’ll help get the gritty feeling out, trust me.”) and Papyrus had immediately popped it into his mouth, the incredibly sharp minty-ness of it scouring the inside of his skull.Looking back on it, Sans had struck the delicate balance between praising his self-defense (his violence) and soothing the still-soft, horror-struck corner of his child-like mind. Sans had taken the same approach thereafter with every incident that left him shocked and horrified, and if Papyrus was being perfectly honest, it was probably the only thing that kept him sane and kept him from turning into a giant asshole (or at least, a worse one than he already was).“hey boss, are ya gonna keep starin’ at yourself or what? i know you’re a handsome dude an’ all, but if we don’t get goin’ soon, the captain’s gonna break our door down, again.”Sans’ voice jerked Papyrus out of his reverie. He snapped his gaze from where it lingered on his teeth in the mirror over to Sans, who was leaning against the doorway. “Don’t get sassy with me, Sans, I know exactly what time it is! We won’t be late!” he declared. With an unnecessary flourish, he brushed past Sans and into the hallway. Upon reaching the stairway, something occurred to him and he abruptly stopped and turned around.“uhh, is something up, boss?” Sans asked.Papyrus placed a gloved hand on Sans’ shoulder and found himself smiling fondly. “You’re a good brother, Sans, you always have been. Don’t let anyone, even yourself, tell you otherwise.”Sans blushed and shrunk in on himself, burying his face into the fluff of his collar. “aw geez, boss, what brought this on? you goin’ soft on me?”“I am never soft, I am the Great and Terrible Papyrus!” Papyrus hand slipped off Sans’ shoulder. “Just because I know I’m great doesn’t mean you don’t need a reminder yourself. Any brother of mine is cool!” He grinned, his face brightening.Sans blushed brighter and shrunk further into his jacket. “thanks boss,” he mumbled, unable to stop grinning. “let’s get goin’ huh?”“Right! Of course!” Papyrus turned and headed down the stairs. “The captain waits for no one!”Sans watched Papyrus for a moment before unshrinking from from his jacket. He shook his head fondly and started down the stairs himself. “heh heh. so cool.”
10926480	Burning Up	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Mark Fischbach, Jack McLoughlin, Markiplier, Jacksepticeye - Character, Chica", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by LightningDrawz", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-17T00:00:00", "words": "523", "Additional Tags": "Anal Sex, Fingering, Masturbation, Established Relationship, sub!jack, dom!Mark, Mark is an oblivious idiot, Jack is desperate, Chica is a cockblock, Drabble", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Mark Fischbach/Jack McLoughlin, Markiplier/Jacksepticeye", "Series": "Septiplier Drabbles (Indefinite Haitus)", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Video Blogging RPF, Septiplier - Fandom", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Jack woke up and let out a yawn as he stretched. He immediately noticed the heat in his stomach, groin, and inside him. He then could hear Mark recording in the next room. Jack whined, wishing Mark wasn't recording so he could get rid of the heat inside him. Jack got up and headed to the bathroom, grabbing some clothes to change into. Jack changed into a shirt with his logo on it and a pair of gray sweatpants. He noticed while brushing his teeth that his cheeks were hot as well. Jack sighed loudly as he lay on the bed he and Mark shared. Jack could feel his hardened member brushing against his boxers, causing a small whimper to slip out. Jack grabbed his phone off the nightstand and played games until Mark finished recording. After about a half hour, Mark finished and Jack began his attempts at getting Mark to 'assist' him. Attempt 1: Jack tried to bite Mark's neck to turn him on but was interrupted by Chica. Attempt 2: Jack was going to cuddle with Mark and rub his excitement against Mark but Mark ended up cuddling Jack from behind. Attempt 3: Jack tried to tell Mark that he was burning up but Chica had to be taken out. Jack had given up, he was desperate and his heat was getting worse. Jack headed into the bedroom and grabbed a bottle of lube from the nightstand. Jack removed his pants and boxers and layed on the bed. He stuffed his face into Mark's pillow and sniffed it and began stroking himself. After stroking himself for a bit, Jack stuck his behind in the air and lubed up his fingers and hole. Mark had come back from taking Chica out and noticed that Jack wasn't on the couch. He heard a needy whine come from the bedroom and he opened the door and saw Jack fingering himself and whimpering and moaning. Mark let a chuckle and Jack's eyes shot open. "Need help there, buddy?" Mark asked, arms crossed. Jack whined in response, "Pl-please, Mark...I'm burning up..." Mark got behind Jack and pulled down his pants and using the nearby lube to prep himself. Mark slid his member into Jack with no struggle due to Jack's fingering. Jack moaned and whimpered as Mark thrusted trying to find Jack's prostate. Mark felt himself brush against it and Jack let a shriek of pleasure. "You're so warm, Jack..." Mark grunted, slamming into Jack's prostate. Jack was a moaning mess under Mark. Mark continued to abuse Jack's prostate and began stroking his member, soaked with precum. Jack felt his groin get even hotter as his orgasm grew. Jack let out a shaky moan as his seed coated the bed and Mark's hand. Mark finished after thrusting a few more times. The two collapsed into a sweaty, panting mess. Jack wrapped his arms around Mark, sighing as he felt the heat inside him slowly fade away. Mark let out a chuckle, "You could of just asked, you know..." Jack let a sleepy mumble before quietly snoring. Mark chuckled again before he too, fell asleep.
10969245	The Goodbye We Never	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Zhang Yi Xing \| Lay, Lu Han, Wu Yi Fan \| Kris, Huang Zi Tao \| Z.Tao, the rest of exo", "Fandom": "EXO (Band)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by Counterattack", "chapters": "4/15", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-22T00:00:00", "words": "17,949", "Additional Tags": "OT12 - Freeform, Chinalinecentric", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Lu Han/Zhang Yi Xing \| Lay, Wu Yi Fan \| Kris/Zhang Yi Xing \| Lay, Huang Zi Tao \| Z.Tao/Wu Yi Fan \| Kris, AllTheExoShipsUnderTheSuntbh", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Time was becoming slippery and before he knew it, another day had passed. The warm sunshine that had held throughout the day was dwindling, reluctant as it retreated behind grey clouds to make room for the night. Yixing sighed, watching his breath escape in a puff of white towards the sky. He was hungry, cold and exhausted, much like he was the first time he wandered these streets. Back then, he was only a child, trailing obediently behind his parents as his eyes danced from one side of the unfamiliar concrete to the other. Now, he was the one leading the way. His people followed him: Assistants mumbling quietly among themselves regarding his schedule for the next two weeks, bodyguard blocking off a crowd of overenthusiastic fans and makeup artist sweeping a final layer of powder across his increasingly prominent cheek bones. They’ve once again made the mistake of scheduling too tight. A plane delay ate up his dinner and touch up time. The makeup artist was in distress as she had no choice but to scramble and get Yixing ready in the car. It had been a bumpy ride and they both knew her work was not up to the usual standard. Perhaps the powder would hide her mistakes but more likely, Yixing’s tiredness would just show again on camera and make his fans worried. Many idols shouted ‘I love you’ to their fans and blew kisses with twinkling eyes but it was suspected only a few believed in the words they spoke. After all, love was an emotion too precious to hand off to just anybody. At least, that was what Yixing was told. Still, while he could not claim to love his fans with the same searing intensity as they loved him, he did think of them as highly important. Without them, he would be a nobody playing his guitar on the streets. The melodies that invaded his dreams every night would never be noted down nor would they be played for everyone’s ears. So yes, for giving him the opportunity to share himself with them, he sincerely valued and appreciated his fans. That was why they deserved nothing but the best from him. Lately, he had been failing in giving them that. His control was slipping and his body silently protested against his determination every day. Between EXO and his career in China, he was working himself to the bones. It was to the point he could no longer hide it and his fans began sending him concerned letters, asking him to rest. However, though Yixing was touched by their kindness, he knew he could not afford a break. The world wouldn’t wait for him and he had to keep marching forward no matter what. That was what he promised himself stepping into S.M. Entertainment. A few interviews ago Yixing had joked about dying on the dance floor but now thinking about it, fate just might choose to be cruel and prove him right one day. Let’s not hope it won’t be any time soon. This new game show felt like a mixture of a few popular ones from the past. The director had money, reputation and already proved his success with his other works. When Yixing received the invitation, he knew there was no way he could let the opportunity pass. A few phone calls were exchanged between the show director and Yixing’s manager. The conversations had not been long due to the busy schedules of both parties but Yixing was able to gather a few pieces of information. Firstly, the show will have seven celebrities, five males and two females. All of them would be young, fresh and relatively popular already to appeal to the juvenile audience the show was aiming for. Yixing was told to prepare himself as there will be some familiar faces for him. Prepare himself, huh? Yixing’s lips curved in a smile that was anything but happy. It would appear that the game has begun and he was already falling behind. Technically speaking, he knew most of the young Chinese celebrities in the circle so all of them should be considered familiar faces. Yet, judging by the director’s wording and that ever curious ‘prepare yourself’ part, Yixing was clearly expected to be surprised by whoever the guest was. A part of him didn’t want to guess because that would be the only way to give the director that genuine shock the man no doubt desired. After all, Yixing really wasn’t the best actor and the only time he could truly convince anyone that he was astonished was when he actually was. Yet, despite of his efforts, a name still appeared in his mind, drifting lazily across his thoughts like a soft, soothing feather. Luhan . It had to be him – the person with a perfectly familiar face yet whose presence on the show would surprise him. The director sure was a risk taker, putting the two of them together on the same stage. Yixing just hoped he was prepared for all of the controversies because while he was certain many would be overjoyed to see their reunion, no less others would be ready to trash them with the ugliest words available to men. People were always watching – that’s something those trying to survive in this trialing industry should never forget. Eyes, ears and cameras followed an idol’s every move, waiting for the opportunity to make or destroy him. Youth Day Gala was aired on CCTV a few months ago and two days after its initial showing, Yixing received a text message from Sehun. He recalled being pleasantly surprised to hear from Sehun because the youngest EXO member was also one of the only ones he kept in touch with even when he was engaged in his own activities in China. They were close – closer than what most people thought because unlike some of the others, Sehun smiled at Yixing regardless of whether or not the camera was on. This text message was all writing – no emoticons, no stickers and no pictures – which was against the maknae’s usual style: Hyung, are you asleep? Can I call you? It was two in the morning in China but since Yixing was awake and this seemed serious, he replied with ‘okay’. Their phone call lasted longer than usual as Sehun rambled on about his day and EXO’s activities. Yixing let him talk and remained a good listener the entire time, but he did wonder where this conversation was going. Clearly, Sehun had a reason for calling and he had been dancing around the real issue for over twenty minutes. When they were drifting close to that dangerous 2:30 A.M. mark and dreamland was sinking its fangs into prey Xing’s neck, Sehun finally found his courage. “I heard you were on a show with Luhan hyung.” Poor maknae was trying his best to make the conversation transition naturally to this point, but sadly, he failed. “They were talking about it earlier.” Yixing’s desire to sleep dispersed. “Who was talking about it?” “Everyone,” Sehun replied. “You’ll get a call later. Maybe tomorrow.” The conversation ceased for a moment as Yixing ran various situations in his head, imagining the how the phone call Sehun described would go. His chest felt heavier, hands felt clammier as he gripped the phone harder and harder. A phone call should not be something to dread. A few exchanged words and laughs with his former best friend should be no ground for trepidation. But with idols, everything was different. He needed to figure out what to say back and how to word everything so the repercussions of his past decision could be minimized as much as possible. “Hyung?” His knuckles had turned white by the time Sehun’s voice pulled him back to reality. Yixing made himself loosen his fingers slightly and let out a slow breath to calm himself. Quietly too, so Sehun on the other side wouldn’t hear. “Yeah, I am here.” “I just…” The other struggled for a second before continuing. “How was he?” There was no need for him to reconfirm who the ‘he’ was referring to. “He is doing well. Healthy, glowing and energetic. Typical deer, you know.” “Oh good.” Sehun’s voice on the other side lifted in cheeriness. “Well, I will let you sleep now. Good night, hyung. I’ll message you again!” With that, their chat concluded and Yixing fell back against his pillow. His mind was still a mess due to the new information he received but the happiness laced in Sehun’s voice before he rang off gave him some comfort. At least Sehun would have a good night's sleep. At least Sehun was still young and simple enough to become joyous from a few words of reassurance. At least Sehun still dared to ask the questions he had on his heart. At least he still dared…to care. “Yixing?” A different voice was against his ear, softer but richer, also unmistakeably female. It took Yixing a few seconds to recognize that the voice belonged to his assistant and where he was. “What’s wrong?’ She asked with some urgency in her tone. After all, they were heading to a very important meeeting and it would not do for them to be late. “Sorry, I zoned out for a second,” he drawled sheepishly, summoning his sleepy charm to reassure her as he picked up his pace. xxx The director arranged a meet and greet for all of the guests, just so he could go over the game mechanics and the cast could become familiarized with each other. Yixing ended up arriving on location ten minutes early despite of zoning out and was surprised to see a tucked away tea house instead of a conveniently located restaurant. He was greeted politely at the entrance by a pair of ladies dressed in traditional Chinese silk gown. One of them smiled, emerald hips swaying elegantly as she led his people towards one side of the hall, where they were promised hot tea and cakes as they waited for his return. The remaining lady in violet took Yixing the opposite way, up the creaky wooden staircase until they reached a private room. She knocked on the door twice and announced Yixing’s arrival before showing him in. A pair of hands, strengthened with confidence, took grasp of Yixing’s as soon as he stepped in. The director’s smile was crinkly but no less charming as he thanked his guest for coming. Yixing’s back automatically straightened, a smile forming on his lips as he shook the director’s hand back with as much enthusiasm as he could summon. “As you can see, not everyone’s here yet!” The director’s voice was deep but jovial. “That’s all right, more tea for us. We will make the last person pay the bill.” He laughed at his own words as he gestured for Yixing to find a seat. For the sake of good manners, Yixing was going to find himself a seat in the back of the room, just so those who came in afterwards could find a seat quickly. He was on his way to do just that when he made his first mistake of the evening – looking up before he was ready. Dark hair, pale skin. Fine bone structures, perfectly symmetrical features and striking eyes. This was a face destined to make women swoon and men envious. Yixing knew that, ever since the first time he saw it as a trainee of S.M. Entertainment and back then this face had been partially covered by messy bangs. His smile froze along with the rest of his body. He needed to speak but the words were stuck inside of his mouth. The director had poured Yixing’s tea for him, eyes gleaming as he took in the younger male’s reaction. This was actual shock, just as anticipated. “Yixing.” Sensing his inability to speak, the other party decided to spare some kindness. This was Yixing’s cue to greet back. It should have been a simple task except the remaining EXO member no longer knew how to address the man that sat a seat away from him. No longer was this man his Duizhang, nor did he go by the name of Kris. Yixing could have called him Wu Yifan as he did when they first met but such a greeting would be considered cold and inappropriate for the occasion. He could call him ge, the way he called the other Chinese celebrities his senior when they met for the first time but this man didn’t feel like a brother to him. He could call him Yifan like he did when they became close friends but that would feel wrong too. And…it would also hurt. So instead, he just kept on staring. Wu Yifan stared back. Their eye contact eventually broke, not of their own accord but because of a cough from the opposite side of the table. The cough sounded familiar and a quick glance at its source told Yixing why. It was Huang Zitao, holding a cup of tea with his pinky ever slightly raised. His first look at Yixing featured a pair of unfriendly eyes but quickly, the trace of hostility faded. “Hi, Yixing!” He put down his cup and gave Yixing a smile. It was fake – just as the cough earlier was. Though he had matured some, Yixing was glad to see this one did not change completely. In a way, it almost felt appropriate that he interrupted with that cough when he did. After all, it was what he would have done back in the dorm rooms. Zitao always needed to be in the center of attention, especially when it came to his beloved Duizhang. He was possessive over Yifan in a way that no one else in EXO was over each other. Some said it was childishness but Yixing thought there was something more. One time, when Zitao was more than a little tipsy, he told Yixing he didn’t like him because he thought there was something going on between him and the EXO-M leader. A few others heard his slur and laughed it off, telling Yixing to ignore their Taozi because he was clearly drunk and being a kid. Yixing nodded at their words and hauled Zitao off to bed so he could sleep it off but he knew the truth as none of those other EXO members did – Zitao was a kid, but it was always the children who had sharper intuitions. And on top of those good instincts, Yixing also had to admire Zitao for his resilience. Like Sehun, he did not let the world crush his ability to show that he cared. Look, even now, it was clear that Zitao held onto his emotions. Notice how he chose the seat that was the furthest away from Yifan and made a show of drinking tea when it was obvious his focus never shifted from the man sitting opposite him. He was still Tao and perhaps he'll always stay true to himself. How many others in the entertainment industry would be able to claim the same? “Good to see you, Zitao.” Yixing sank down on his seat and trained his eyes on the tea menu. He realized that subconsciously, he had put a seat between himself and the former EXO members on either side. The seating arrangement had become extremely awkward because of that but the director did not appear to be interested in changing anything. Thankfully, others showed up soon. Two female celebrities made their appearance, followed by another male. With them around the table, conversations started again. Zitao chatted with the girls while Yifan spoke with the male actor that was a fellow co-star of his in movie. Yixing was left to sit there with his own steaming tea cup. He should have felt content because anything was better than that awkward introduction earlier. But instead, he felt…lonely. These faces were just too familiar and he couldn’t help stop the past from flooding back. In the scene he remembered, Zitao should be sitting next to Yifan, his arms around the older male’s shoulders as he whined for the other to go shopping with him. Yifan, trying to focus on his game match with Chanyeol, would tell him ‘no’. But at the same time, there would be a smile tucked at the corner of their Duizhang’s lips, indicating the ‘no’ was only a playful rejection and that with a little more persistence, Zitao would get what he want and possibly more. Baekhyun would be there, observing the game match. He’d be cheering loudly for Yifan and giving out helpful hints in hopes of sinking Chanyeol’s team sooner. Chanyeol, realizing that he was losing, would yell at Baekhyun to shut up – an order which the smaller male would casually ignore. Minseok and Jongdae would shake their heads at the other side of the room as they set up the table for the evening meal. Kyungsoo would rise to help them, only to be stopped by Jongin’s whine of stomach pains. Over the sound of Kyungsoo’s concerned voice, their not-so-fierce EXO-K leader would be shouting for someone to shut down the television because a horror movie had began playing. Though he seemed unimpressed, Minseok would follow Junmyeon’s request because he knew the other wouldn’t even go near the television set knowing a scary face could pop up on the screen. Yixing would be at the couch, Sehun seated comfortably on his lap as they both watched the door for the arrival of pizzas and the guy who had volunteered to go pick them up. Such a beautiful moment. At that time no one realized just how precious it would be. Now they’ve lost it forever and Yixing wished he could just go back there for an hour or two. All twelve of them around a table, fighting over the best slices of pizza. Even if they didn’t speak, their friendship would be loud and clear. Even if they didn’t smile, the room would be filled with comradery and Yixing would bask in the warmth of their shared affection. Now, Yixing was just stuck. He was doomed to sit in this room next to familiar faces but feel nothing but icy, cutting cold of their emotional distance. “Sorry, am I late?” The door swung open behind Yixing and the final guest of this game show announced his arrival. Yixing felt the warm palm against his back before he saw his face. So his earlier guess wasn’t completely wrong, only he underestimated the depth of the director’s insanity. “Wow, everyone got here so fast. Here, as the last person to arrive, let me treat everyone to pastries.” Luhan pulled the chair next to Yixing and sat down without hesitation. “How about this red bean and sesame one we tried last time here, Zitao? Not too sweet, you girls will probably like it.” He pushed the menu towards the middle of the table so everyone could have a look. “So what did I miss?” He helped himself to the nearest tea pot and refreshed everyone on the left’s drinks on his way. He smiled when Yifan said ‘thank you’ at the refill and somehow it seemed natural. Clearly, Luhan had accepted his role as the glue that would pull the rest of them together for this show. To Yixing, though, this felt like an impossible task considering how much tension there already was before they even reached episode one. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Sometimes it is not just about how things ended but how they began. Just like the opening chapter of a good book, the first episode of any new television series should have the ability to hook in its audience and leave them in want of more. Yixing was not worried about the popularity of this game show because their appearances alone in the first episode would entice the viewers. The fans who were heartbroken by the departure and separation of their EXO favorites might cry happy tears. Some of the old Chinese EXO ‘ships’ – yes, Yixing knew about them – might renew, giving the four men each an additional boost of fame. Even those who were not interested in reality shows may give this one a watch, just for the drama that might come out of this unexpected reunion of former EXO. Yixing innocently thought this would be enough and that the director would rest on his laurels and not put as much thoughts into the first episode. But no, he had once again made the mistake of underestimating the director’s ambition and insanity. Apparently, the excitement his controversial guests would bring was not enough – the director planned a first episode that would start things off with a literal bang. At the firing of the starter pistol, everyone sprang into action. The rule was simple – eliminate each other. Points would be allocated to the seven guests based on the order of elimination and the final winner would receive an additional prize. The viewers, of course, would not know the purpose of these points but Yixing’s manager had told him in advance they’d be used for the final episode, which was going to be really intense. All of the guests wore name tags – one on their chest and one on their back. The way to eliminate others was by pouring ink over both of their name tags. As for how to get the ink…this is where the game became interesting. Right in front of each guest was an ink bottle, which they could easily grab. That said, trying to pour a little bottle of ink over moving targets may be difficult, which was why other weapons were provided. There was a water gun, good range and loaded with ink. Zitao was looking at it as if it was his already, though the gun was located a good 50 meters away from his starting point. There were water pistols, which were smaller, had limited range but easier to carry. For fun, there was also a rubber ducky that could squirt ink. Yixing didn’t think it would be any good but anyone who wanted to play up their aegyo could give it a go. Everyone started standing in a circle and the better weapon you wanted, the further you had to run in. Yixing knew right away he was going to end up with nothing except for the bottle in front of him. It couldn’t be helped; his reactions were just naturally slow. Sure enough, it took him a solid two seconds to gather himself after the shot fired. By this point, Zitao was already half way to his water gun. Yixing scooped up the tiny ink bottle in front of him and tucked it in his pocket. Then he turned around and ran, heart pounding as he left the noisy crowd. He took one turn, then another and soon, his world was quiet again but for the sound of his camera man’s laborious breathing. xxxEveryone’s battle strategy became clear quite quickly after that shot was fired. Zitao was charging in with a loud cry as if this was an actual war and his life was on the line. Yang Mi, one of their only two female guests, ran in after him. Clearly, their time together on Takes a Real Man created a bond and they were teaming up. William Chan, determined to have a good time, had grabbed himself a water pistol and opened fire on Dilraba Dilmurat, even though she was the other lady of the show. William’s aim was good and Dilraba would have been the first blood had Luhan not tugged her out of the way. This scene alone could cause an eruption as the internet was still full of rumors about Luhan and Dilraba due to how intimately they behaved on the Chinese Running Man. The two initially avoided each other because of those rumors but it became quickly apparent that the media would not rest. Their avoidance of each other only made the paparazzi more curious. Sometimes, one must simply admit defeat to the media storm and join the chaos. It took them a few months but these two seemed to have finally caught on. Looking at them now, dodging from William’s attack hand-in-hand, even Yifan could see the couple potential. That said, there was no real love. How did he know? Because there was no lust in Luhan’s eyes when he exchanged gazes with the woman in his arms. His pupils did not darken with desire, nor did his features take on those subtle changes that would turn his flawless prettiness savage. Luhan in lust turned him from a prancing deer into a creature on the hunt, the same as it did with any man. In that aspect at least, they were all the same. And no lust, no love. That was what Yifan believed and witnessed his entire life. Besides, maybe Dilraba should consider herself lucky. From what Yifan knew of her, she seemed like a sweet, cheerful person who preferred the brighter half of the street. Perhaps she shouldn’t risk being with a man like Luhan, who lured people in with his long-eyelashed prettiness only to deliver them a rude awakening down the line when he revealed their gentle deer actually preferred his bedroom activities on the freakier side. So caught up in his observation of the couple, Yifan nearly missed the blast of ink Yang Mi sent his way. He dodged in a hurry and ended up falling on his behind. This was frustrating. After his latest photo shoot accident, Yifan really needed to hold onto his cool points in front of the camera. This comedic fall would not help him any and he already knew there was no way the director would edit out something as amusing as this. Thankfully, while scrambling to get away, his hand chanced upon another water pistol, enabling him to return fire. He was luckier than Yang Mi and managed to hit her name tag in the front. Being hit also surprised the actress enough to stop her advance, giving Yifan enough time to stand. “Wait, wait!” It was William’s voice, just loud enough to turn all of their attention from the individual battles. “Aren’t we moving too fast? What about the side missions?” So the guests looked down at themselves. At this point, though they were only twenty minutes in, four of them already carried ink on their name tag. If they continued like this, then most of them would be eliminated before they even got to the side missions, which were little tasks assigned in various areas of this park meant to earn additional points. “Truce for now?” Yifan suggested to the crowd and was satisfied to see guns (and a rubber ducky) lower. One by one, the crowd dispersed. If the director wasn’t going to give them any directions, then they had to take care of things themselves and make sure the day didn’t end too early. xxx “Oh my gosh, it’s Wu Yifan!” A pair of joggers stopped in their path to gawk at him. Phones were pulled out rapidly and cameras were angled to film before Yifan could even slap the signature smirk on his face. “What are you doing here?” They squealed excitedly as they crowded in a little closer. “It is for a show, isn’t it?” The camera man following him made that pretty obvious. “Yes,” he answered simply. Others in the park were drawing closer, pulled in by the commotion the first two girls were making. He was attracting too much attention and soon, would become an easy target for the other guests. “I have to go,” he said, making what he felt like was the right choice. “Have you guys seen anyone else in this park?” By anyone else he meant fellow celebrities. He should have worded himself better but the girls caught on to his meaning. “I think I saw Zhang Yixing over there, but he ran past really fast so I can’t be sure.” One of the girls pointed, directing Yifan’s gaze towards the trees where a small fleck of white could be observed among the green. Great, just his luck. xxx Yixing was standing underneath a tree, letting its leaves block off the worst of the burning sun. He squinted at the map with slightly slumped shoulders as he mumbled to himself, completely distracted and the perfect target of ambush. Yifan told the camera man to wait for him and approached Yixing slowly from the back. He moved cautiously, pausing when he was three meters away, then again at two meters. By this point he was close enough to shoot but instead of pulling the trigger, he found himself taking a few more steps forward. Less than a meter, that was how far they were apart when he finally came to a complete stop. Yixing remained oblivious to Yifan’s advance, even as his own camera man took notice. Yifan put a hand to his lip and the camera man looked down again, having decided to not tip off Yixing for the sake of professionalism. Yifan waited for Yixing to become aware of his presence but seconds ticked past and still nothing happened. This guy, Yifan wanted to shake his head. He is still as clueless as ever. The first time he met Yixing, the other also had a map in his hands. It was a typical weekend afternoon and Yifan was doing some grocery shopping. It wasn’t a bad haul and with an extra smile, he was able to charm a can of soda from the shop owner. As S.M. trainees, they were given a decent amount of monthly allowances. Though it wasn’t enough for luxuries, he had never felt too poor to pay for his own beverages. Free, however, was always better than not and to be honest, Yifan liked the effect his looks sometimes had on people. Today, shop owner noona was beyond kind and along with the soda, she gave him compliments. Those praises played over and over in Yifan’s mind until he felt almost light-headed. He stopped looking at where he was going and a hard collision with a fellow trainee was the unfortunate consequence. Having the size advantage and a free hand to balance himself, Yifan managed to remain solidly standing. The other guy, with both of his hands occupied by a map, however, was not so lucky. “Careful!” Yifan reached out, managing to catch the falling person by the arm. With a hard yank, Yifan helped the other back on his feet. “I am sorry,” the other guy said, giving him an almost formal 90 degree bow of apology. “Please forgive me!” Yifan studied him, somewhat amused. Believe it or not, he actually knew this person. While they’ve never officially met, he’d heard rumors about the Chinese trainee who had a tendency of remaining in the dance studio until midnight. Then, the next morning, he’d be back in there again before the sun even rose. When Yifan first heard about this guy, he’d imagined a man of impeccable good looks with ambition glowing like a fire in his hooded eyes. Clearly, his assumptions were wrong. The man – or really, still teenager – who stood before him had a sweet round face and messy, sweat drenched dark bangs. His eyes, which were revealed when he finally raised his head slightly, were a gentle brown. They were nice eyes, Yifan decided, good sized and thick lashed. However, the other trainee didn’t have much of that intense gaze that all idols were supposed to be able to summon on stage. In fact, the look in this guy’s eyes reminded Yifan of the neighborhood puppy that he used to play with – the one that kept on running into the glass door whenever it saw a squirrel in the yard. As an insensitive kid, Yifan always laughed at its dumbness but was also quick to fetch treats when the puppy turned its confused, pleading eyes on him. So deep in thought, Yifan took too long to notice that the other trainee still remained at the 90 degrees angle, likely because he haven’t received words of forgiveness. This was politeness at its finest. Appreciated by S.M. but not necessarily required on public streets. “It’s not your fault. I wasn’t watching where I was going anyway.” Yifan waved the other off. Finally, with that reassurance, Mister Hardworking straightened. Yifan saw his lips shift to form words of farewell but instead, something different came out. “Wow,” the other mumbled in Chinese. “So handsome.” “Thanks,” replied Yifan, the right corner of his lips lifting. Another compliment to add onto his list for the day, and this one came from a fellow trainee. Yifan must admit, his mood was getting better and better with each passing minute. Perhaps it was because the unexpected praise pleased his growing ego, or maybe the guy’s smooth Chinese reminded him of the childhood he could no longer get back – whatever it was, Yifan decided to introduce himself instead of turning away. “My name is Wu Yifan. You can call me Kris.” He decided to talk in Chinese – just because the other trainee’s Korean (judging by the apology speech earlier) wasn’t nearly as smooth as his mother tongue. He expected an enthusiastic response but the reality was quite different. The other trainee actually seemed to be frozen on the spot by his words, eyes wide as if he couldn’t believe this was happening. Yifan began regretting his decision – someone who worked as hard as this guy likely had a goal in mind. He was probably here just to debut, not to exchange pleasantries and possibly make friends. A few long awkward seconds stretched past and Yifan started considering if he could just…casually walk away. But before he could, the other guy pounced on him. Yes, pounced. Just like that neighborhood puppy did to him once on a rainy day. “My name is Zhang Yixing!” The other trainee’s smile was bright to the point of blinding. After a moment of hesitation, Yifan returned it, though his was not nearly as dazzling. “Can we be friends?” “Uh….” Now it was Yifan’s turn to stare. This was moving way too fast – only first meeting and he was already asking for friendship? But how did this guy know they would get along? They didn’t really know each other yet… Yifan wasn’t used to this. While he got along reasonably well with the other trainees, he didn’t really hang out with them excessively or chat outside of the classes. Other people assumed he was cold from his appearance and often walked away from him because they found him intimidating. This wasn’t really a problem with Yifan, though, because he wasn’t one of those people that needed good friends. As long as he wasn’t being bullied and there were semi-friendly faces in the hallway, he was set. So hhy was this guy so eager for his friendship? Because he was Chinese? Because he didn’t let him fall earlier? Don’t tell him it was because of his handsomeness? Yifan looked back at Yixing, searching that happy little round face for answers. Instead, he only found sincerity and a tiny dimple tucked by Yixing’s lips. There was only one, but somehow that made it even more endearing. “Sure,” he responded before his mind was made up. Maybe he was just doomed to always be a softie towards the cute things. xxx “Zhang Yixing!” The voice startled him. Yixing turned, eyes widening with shock as he scrambled to his feet. How did he manage to not notice when someone was this close to him? Yifan was less than a meter away, a somber expression on his face. If that water pistol wasn’t a laughable neon pink, one could have totally imagined this to be some sort of movie scene. Yixing contemplated briefly if he should put his hands up or run away but figured at this range, he’d get hit no matter what. Perhaps he should try negotiating, which was something the show encouraged them to do. After all, some entertaining scenes might come out of it and the guests might end up with more screen time. “Hey…let’s talk about this.” He agreed to be on this show so he needed to push himself to play, even if all he wanted to do was go home and end things as soon as possible. Luckily for him, the negotiation didn’t actually end up happening as a powerful splash of ink hit Yifan on his back. It was Zitao, his aim was dead on but after watching Takes a Real Man, Yixing couldn’t say he was surprised. Then, before any words could be exchanged, Yifan chose to turn around so he could see who the culprit of this sneak attack was. That was, however, a mistake because all he did was to give Zitao access to the name tag he wore on his chest. WU YIFAN. OUT. First eliminated, poor Wu Yifan’s heart must be bleeding. He pretended he didn’t care but Yixing knew how much the former EXO-M leader liked to win. The entire EXO had to hear him whine for three days after filming their group appearance on the Korean Running Man, because he got eliminated so quickly and ‘uncoolly’. But this was no time to pity someone else for Yixing was also in the line of fire. Picking up the water pistol Yifan dropped, Yixing rolled to the side and tried to get a clear shot of Zitao, who had emerged from the bushes he was hiding behind to assess the damage he’d done. He would have gotten a hit in except Yang Mi, Zitao’s teammate, came with him. She blocked Yixing’s shot and was declared the second elimination of the game. As always, Zitao chose to be over dramatic and shouted over Yang Mi’s OUT as if a bandit had murdered his actual family. Then, he took revenge for her and called Yixing’s participation in the first episode to an end. Three of them: Yixing, Yang Mi and Yifan were told to take a break. They still had to come together for the final scene after they figured out the winner but since the Luhan pair and William were on a whole different map, it might take some time still. “Why don’t you guys go for lunch?” One of the staff members suggested, pointing to a quaint looking Korean restaurant in the corner. Yixing was hungry so he agreed without much thought. He expected Yifan to find himself another place and was baffled when he found all three of them sitting down at the same table with steaming stone bowl rice in front of each. The atmosphere became uncomfortable again and Yixing tried to ignore the gathering of tension by digging into his food. And to be honest, his meal was so well seasoned that it deserved his undivided attention anyway. Yixing carried on eating; not realizing that a partial smile had been restored to his face from getting good food alone and that someone else was watching him and reminiscing. xxx “What are you doing?” A hand had swiftly snatched away Yifan’s spoon before the tasty content could make its way between his lips. “Eating, clearly.” Yifan made a grab to get his spoon back and glared in frustration when his palm hit nothing but air. “You have to mix it properly! You can’t just eat it straight like this.” Yixing gave him a stern look, clearly disappointed by his supposed best friend’s lack of appreciation for food. “Here, I’ll do it for you.” With a light ‘hmph’, the younger male took Yifan’s stone bowl from him. Using the pair of scissors helpfully provided by their waitress, Yixing cut through the egg in the middle of the bowl and allowed the still soften golden yoke to pour forth onto the rice, meat and vegetables. Then, making a perfect swirl of red with the spicy sauce, Yixing declared the dish ready for mixing. One spoon was not enough, or so Yixing claimed. Two spoons were needed in order to properly push and tuck until everything in the stone bowl was mixed into a colorful, sticky pile of goodness. If the aroma was just delicious before, now it was beyond delectable. “There,” he gave a content smile as he passed one of the spoons back to Yifan. The other spoon he licked clean before putting aside. Not a single grain wasted, that was his motto. “Now you can eat.” “Stop being such a foodie or you’ll gain it all back,” Yifan warned, casually lifting Yixing’s shirt under the table and pinching with long fingers the final bit of belly chub the other’s ten-hours-a-day dance practices couldn’t take away. “Stop that!” Yixing swatted his hand away, his anger only half playful as this was a sensitive spot of his. Too many people had told him he was fat during his time here, some with kind intentions and others out of pure rudeness. Those comments left a mark and though he’d been trying to hide just how sore he still was about it, the insecurities still sometimes crawled to the surface and revealed themselves as snappy remarks. “Alright, alright, don’t be mad.” Yifan raised his hands into the air as a gesture of surrender. “I am sorry, okay? Will treat you tonight to make up for it.” “You don’t have to.” Yixing returned his attention to his own food, his tone suggesting that he shall not to be so easily placated this time. This is what happens when you become close with someone. Yifan inwardly sighed, remembering the good old times. When their friendship first started, Yixing was the sweetest guy ever. He texted often and did not seem to mind if Yifan did not text back. He shared random stories about his day without needing Yifan to respond with too much energy. He was even okay with Yifan forgetting his birthday after preparing laboriously and celebrating Yifan’s with him. Now, two years down the line, Yixing ditched his politeness around him. Lost his temper more easily and stopped worrying about his appearance when it was just the two of them watching television in Yifan’s messy dorm room. If those girls who sometimes giggled at Yixing on their way to school knew how their cute dimpled oppa ate chips until he was too full to move and got crumbs all over his shirt, they’d be appalled. That said – Yixing didn’t indulge in junk food like that too often. He had to watch his weight closely those first two years and now, though his weight was relatively stable, he still kept an eye firmly on the scale. “I am supposed to pay anyway, since I am older. Chinese tradition, isn’t it the same for your area?” That got Yixing’s attention. Being away from home, Yixing loved to talk about China and the culture there. “Actually, yes! But it doesn’t seem fair, does it, since the younger person doesn’t have to do anything in return. I wouldn’t feel good if people kept on just paying for me all the time…” “Well, no, you do have to pay. Not in money but in respect.” Yifan pulled up his signature smirk. “You should be calling me ge and listening to everything I say.” Yixing snorted at such ridiculousness but for some reasons, decided it wouldn’t hurt to play along this once “Alright, ge. Your little brother will pour wine for you.” He bowed his head, feigning demureness as he poured some hot tea into Yifan’s cup. “Are you well pleased?” Now it was Yifan’s turn to laugh. He would have told Yixing he resembled a Japanese geisha more than a dutiful little brother with that look he gave just now, but maybe he’d risked the other’s anger enough for one night. “So what did you want to talk to me about anyway? I thought you had some news?” “Oh yeah!” Foodie Xing must have focused so hard on his dinner that he forgot everything else. “I got a new roommate.” Getting a new roommate was common enough for trainees. People quit often once they lose hope. Some of them only stick around for two years, some leave even earlier than that. Never to worry, though, there were plenty eager young people out there, ready to replace any drop outs. Yifan had his roommate switched twice already so hearing Yixing was getting a new one was no surprise. “Is he rude to you or something?” There must be a reason Yixing was calling this important news and the only thing Yifan could think of was bullying. That was what Yixing’s old roommate did, after all, and why Yixing spent so much of his time in the dance studio in the beginning. Anything to get away from his dirty looks, or so Yixing told him four months into their friendship. Yifan supposed in the long run, the other guy’s pettiness actually helped Yixing in becoming the excellent dancer he was now. Funny how life worked. “No, he’s Chinese!” Yixing smiled. “His Chinese was really fluent when we chatted and his Korean too.” There was admiration in his voice. Yifan understood – though Yixing’s been around for two years, his Korean was still not up to par. Languages just didn’t come to him as naturally as music and dancing, he supposed. “He is also really handsome!” Somehow that sentence irked him. Yixing was generous with his compliments when it came to other trainees but in terms of appearance, he never called anyone really handsome except for Yifan. “Did he tell you his name yet?” Yifan put down his tea cup. He might need to go see this really handsome Chinese trainee himself, just to confirm Yixing’s claims. “Oh yeah, he told me. It’s Luhan.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Humans were greedy creatures in constant need of entertainment and that was why they started with something exciting. However, too much of anything could become boring after a while, even something as powerful as stimulation. The second episode, as some might have predicted, involved something a lot calmer and happier – charity work. Come now, we couldn’t let the fans see these celebrities as savages from now on, could we? Time to rescue those slightly tarnished reputations with cute homeless animals! It was still a competition but this one was about how many good deed tasks one would be able to complete by the end of the day. For every task completed, a point would be earned towards the final episode, which was actually becoming a very well kept secret. After last episode, Yixing and Luhan went for a quick but also very discreet supper. Their managers were there, as were the rest of the staff. The managers exchanged information and apparently, no one knew anything about that mysterious final episode. Yixing supposed the director wanted the final episode to be a complete surprise to everyone which could be good for getting genuine reactions but also risky since things could go horribly wrong. Then again, this director was a high stake gambler. He’d proven that time and time again. Perhaps he’ll make us kill each other for real. Yixing briefly mused but just as quickly dismissed the dark thought out of consideration for his mental health. Back to the present, everyone was getting dropped off at this shelter for abandoned animals. They were dressed in bright colors to emphasize on the happy feeling this episode was supposed to create. Yixing was put in white and his hoodie had a cartoon sheep sewed in. Luhan, of course, was a deer. Zitao was a panda and he was the only whining because he wanted a cooler animal on his back like a cheetah. Yang Mi, adorable in pink, was petting the complaining peach with a comforting bunny paw (which might be from her private collection since paws weren’t a part of their wardrobe for this episode). The shelter was huge and conveniently divided into stations. The guests were free to choose which station they started at and upon completion of the task assigned at each place, they’d get their precious point. Every station had different animals and to be honest, Yixing was certain he’d never get to them all because he was terrified of some of those animals. Perhaps the director included them on purpose. There were ducks, chickens and pigeons. People kept on accusing him of pretending to be scared of pigeons after that episode on Go Fighting but that was no acting. He was actually petrified of those creatures with their beady little eyes, unpredictably flappy wings and beaks. One flew unsteadily over his head as a child and he never forgot the look it gave him. People thought pigeons were friendly dumb creatures that could be enjoyed in soup but Yixing knew to not underestimate them. Some pigeons, like the one that flew over his toddler form, were capable of murder. Only Yixing’s mom took him away before it could act on its evil intents. What he also did not fake was that fainting session on Go Fighting. He’d felt the fogginess grow in his head that entire morning of filming and was telling himself to just push through it. He caught himself twice and even managed to request to go to the bathroom so he could clear his mind up. However, darkness swallowed him before he made it to the door. It made great television, of course, and caused a rather significant uproar. His fans were worried while his haters slapped terms such as ‘fake’ and ‘liar’ all over him. They said this was his ploy so he could leave EXO and the excuse he chose wasn’t even original. They said they felt sick to their stomachs, looking at his face as he pretended to lose consciousness. To be honest, Yixing didn’t blame them – he felt a little sick looking at himself on the screen too. The fainting was real and that was why he couldn’t stand it. It meant he lost control on camera and allowed himself to be shown as fragile. It was frustrating because he used to be one of those people that could control himself really well, especially physically. He could make himself dance when his body was at its limits after twelve hours of nonstop movements. He could sing through fevers and smile with blood seeping through bandages on his hand. Even on those terrible days when sadness felt so overwhelming that it made his chest constrict in pain…even when tears dance in circles in his eyes and he couldn’t breathe properly, he’d hold it together. He’d wait until the dead of the night when everyone was asleep and then he’d bury his face in the pillow and let it out quietly. He was older now, more mature – the trials of his life should have made him stronger than ever so why this? Why now? The other guests were stretching, trying to figure out which station to go to first. For Luhan, it was an easy choice. “Want to go for the cat one with me?” He asked William, who agreed without any hesitation. “Maybe it’ll make my cats angry when I go home tonight but that’s alright. I can win them back with a can of food, cats are like that.” Luhan was flipping through his phone for pictures of his personal felines. The guests circled around him to see but left space for the cameras. Surely the fans would also love to see pictures of those cats. Since announcing their existence and making them models on his social media accounts, Luhan attracted quite a few cat-lover fans. There was talk that he only showed that much love to his cats for the sake of popularity but Yixing knew that wasn’t true. Luhan’s love for cats was real and he’d known that for a very long time. xxx The sky was dark and rain came down in waves. The pavement was wet and so was the bottom of Yixing’s trousers. The strong wind made him abandon his crappy cheap umbrella a while ago and now, he was just trying to make it back to the dorms as fast as possible. There were too many puddles to run and he couldn’t afford to lose another pair of sneakers since he was drawing dangerously close to a negative balance and the next allowance distribution was in four days. So instead, he speed walked and maneuvered around the tiny ponds to the best of his ability. Yixing was just a block from the dorms when he saw him through the silver sheets of rain. It was such a beautiful sight that for a second, he thought he’d walked into a painting. A young man crouched over a calico cat, red umbrella over them both. His features were partially concealed by the umbrella and what the umbrella did not cover was a blur due to the steady downpour from the scarlet polyester fabric. But even with all that distracting the view, Yixing could still see the slenderness of the man’s neck and that soft, but defined jaw line. The cat was meowing, its slightly wet tail swishing lazily from side to side as it leaned in to sniff at the hand it was offered. “Luhan?” He called out. The other turned; umbrella tilting back to reveal a pair of pleasantly surprised eyes framed by thick lashes. “Yixing!” Luhan greeted back. “Come here, come here.” Yixing did as he was told but approached extra slowly for the sake of not startling the cat. Animals didn’t usually like him but it was perhaps because they could sense his internal fear. Even now, though it seemed docile enough as it pawed Luhan’s shoe, Yixing remembered that cats had claws. Sharp ones, too, that could hurt someone if they chose to attack. Cats were also finickier than dogs and there was no real way to tell if they were in a decent mood. “Don’t be scared, he won’t hurt you.” Yixing’s toeing around must have been obvious if Luhan started reassuring him like this. He did not want to be embarrassed by a third beckoning so Yixing manned up and crouched down next to Luhan. The cat looked at him for a second when he first showed up but soon lost its interest and turned back to Luhan. See, even the feline knew who the better looking one was. But that’s okay – Yixing was long past the point of being jealous of his fellow trainee’s handsomeness. “This one is a fighter and I’ve seen him chasing off dogs. He’s only being sweet like this because he’s feeling vulnerable now that he’s wet,” Luhan explained, brushing his index finger lightly over the cat’s forehead, earning from it another satisfied mewl. “He likes the umbrella and my body heat. It is very cold today and I think if I want to, he’ll come home with me.” Luhan’s lips curved in a smile, a hint of mischief entering his eyes as he imagined sneaking the cat past everyone and into the dorm room. “Do it, then!” Yixing blurted out without much thinking, and only afterwards did he remember he was encouraging something that was against the rules. “I mean, I won’t tell anyone…” Their other roommate was also going to be away for a few days in the hospital due to an injury. They’d be alone and no one really visited unless asked so technically, the cat could stay for the night and the chance of them getting away with it was fairly high. His small outburst had Luhan chuckling. “I thought you were a good child, Yixing.” “I am a loyal friend first,” Yixing replied and couldn’t help but feeling a little indignant at the word ‘child’. “It’s not like breaking the no pet dormitory rule once in a while would hurt anyone.” Unless someone was allergic and started sneezing all day…in that case Yixing would actually feel really bad. Luhan raised a brow as if considering his words. “Loyalty is under appreciated in today’s society.” Yixing thought that was such a strange thing to say, especially coming from someone as young and successful as Luhan. Out of the trainees he’d seen, Luhan was the one he really had his money on debuting. Look at him – handsome, smart, beautiful vocals and capable of following the dance routine without putting in many hours like Yixing had to. On top of it, Luhan was already popular with the other trainees. The awkwardness that accompanied Yixing for the first year of his time in Korea seemed to have bypassed Luhan completely. He wasn’t really bullied or shunned by the native Koreans and in fact, seemed welcomed when he walked among them. It was more than his good grasp of the Korean language. Yixing thought Luhan possessed something he’d never be able to learn and that was charisma. Even he, who thought he didn’t need to make any more friends after finding Yifan, was drawn in by this deer’s charms. “Sorry, what I meant was, let’s do it!” Luhan was smiling again, the somber expression that briefly flashed past his face completely dissipated as if it never existed in the first place. “Here, hold the umbrella for a second.” Yixing nodded and held the umbrella over all three of them as Luhan scooped the cat into his arms. The creature initially wiggled in bewilderment but calmed when he was placed into the front of Luhan’s zipped jacket. “Come on,” said Yixing’s roommate as he positioned a hand over the cat bump sticking out from his middle. It was a hilarious sight but Yixing supposed they couldn’t just walk through the gates with a bundle of fur in their arms. None of them brought a back pack and the grocery bags in Yixing’s hands were transparent. Hopefully the cat won’t kick up too much of a fuss in Luhan’s jacket and they could sneak past everyone without any trouble. Their luck held. The hallway was emptier today – perhaps everyone decided to sleep earlier due to the freezing rain. Luhan and Yixing sneaked to their room, tidied things up quickly before letting the feline loose. It seemed shocked by its new environment and promptly began sniffing around. Eventually, though, it found itself a nice nap spot on Yixing’s bed, right by his pillow. Such good taste the cat had, Yixing mused. The pillow was actually brought from China by his mom and the casing was sewed by his aunties. It didn’t look fancy but was extremely soft. He always fell asleep on it like a tiny baby carried and rocked by the clouds. “I think I’ll name him Lan Lan.” That meant ‘lazy lazy’ in Chinese, which Yixing thought was an appropriate name considering how the first thing the cat did was to nap. Luhan had followed Lan Lan to Yixing’s bed, now sprawling himself out into a more comfortable position. He was stroking the cat’s back and getting a steady purr going when he noticed Yixing was still standing by the door. “Come and pet him too.” “I have to go,” Yixing said. The cat, now that it was asleep, seemed safe to approach and extra adorable. He was tempted to linger for a while but knew he had another, much more important task on hand. “I have to take these to Wu Yifan.” The grocery bags, now soaked just like the rest of him, were lifted for Luhan’s examination. “I think you bought too much,” Luhan commented, side eyeing the containers of meds in one of the plastic bags. “I know. I just didn’t know what worked better so I asked the lady for recommendations. She couldn’t decide either so I just got all of them.” And after the drug store he stopped by the supermarket so he could pick up some fruits and ready-made sandwiches. “You really are a good friend,” Luhan complimented, giving Yixing an air pat on the head. “Kris must be important to you.” Yixing nodded in agreement, pausing as he searched his mind for the right words. “Yifan was my only friend for a long time…I was really lonely in the months I spent here before meeting him.” He didn’t know why he felt like explaining himself to Luhan but perhaps he just wanted someone to know how grateful he was to find another Chinese trainee. When Yifan spoke to him in Chinese that day, Yixing almost felt like bursting into tears. He just missed home so much – his parents, relatives and even the neighbors. When he dreamt, he heard their voices, soft and familiar in his mother tongue. When Yifan spoke, though his dialect was different from the one featured in Yixing’s dreams, the familiarity of the Chinese language still felt like a balm that soothed the wound his home sickness left. For being the first person that made his trainee life in Korea less unbearable, Yifan managed to wiggle himself into a special place in Yixing’s heart. “He’s my best friend.” That was Yixing’s final declaration before fleeing the room in embarrassment. Luhan stared at the door long after the other Chinese male disappeared, brows knotted. The cat, noticing his lack of movement, meowed to prompt its renewal. And so he did, rubbing gently into the soft fur. A best friend, hm? Luhan propped up his elbow, rested his chin against his palm and thought over the words. It had been a long time since he considered anyone that. Sure, he made friends easily and had a way of bringing fellow trainees into his social circle. But how many of these friends considered him as their top priority? How many of them would run into the icy rain to get him enough fever medicine to last three years? How many would forgo comfort and push aside competitiveness, ditch responsibilities so they could take care of him? For once, jealousy between the two Chinese roommates flipped in direction and Luhan wished he had a best friend who could see him as Yixing saw Yifan. A friendship of such purity had value within itself and was worth its weight in shiny dollar bills. xxxThe bunny station’s task was simple and all Yixing had to do was to chop up some vegetables and add it to the oversized feeding bowl. He sliced away, slow but well practiced with a knife. It would appear he had not forgotten his cooking skill, though it’s been a while since he had the opportunity to use it. The last meal he cooked was…a little over a year ago when he was in Korea. The hotel they were staying at had a fully equipped kitchen and upon request, he made some fried rice and grilled pork belly for his hungry roommate Jongdae. The savory aroma ended up reaching out of the door and spreading into the hallway and soon, two more hungry critters by the name of Jongin and Sehun wandered in. Yixing pulled up chairs for them and dumped a plateful in front of each. Their content expressions made him feel happy because it reminded him of the EXO dorm days when he was known as the EXO-M’s ‘cooking mom’. Wu Yifan was at the bunny station too, communicating enthusiastically with the camera as he held a small, fragile looking creature in his massive hand. It looked really cute in front of the camera and after some good editing, would be even better on the actual television. In reality though, Yixing could tell the bunny was trying to wiggle away. Perhaps it didn’t actually like the humans, after all, they must seem like massive beings of unlimited strength to the little ones. If a giant showed up in Yixing’s world and tried to pick him up, he’d want to run too. “It must miss its mother.” Yifan eventually noticed the bunny’s attempt to escape and set it back down, allowing it scurry off to a rabbit’s side. Yixing subtly raised a brow, his eyes drawn to the taller male against his desires. Yifan’s eyes had turned gentler unknowingly, likely because of the word ‘mother’ – the one person Yifan truly loved in this life time. xxx Yixing crouched by Yifan’s bed, testing his forehead to see if the fever had gone down. Unfortunately, it had not. “Don’t worry, I got meds,” he said, though he wasn’t certain if Yifan could hear him. At the sound of his voice, the eyes that had been squeezed shut fluttered open. Yifan looked confused and tired but managed to follow Yixing’s movements around the bedroom with his eyes. “Mom?” He called out. “No, it’s your Xing ge,” Yixing replied, sorting through the stack of medication he bought.* “Mom!” Yifan insisted, brows knotting with stubbornness as he made a snatch for Yixing’s hand. Somehow, Yixing managed to find the strength to hold back his laughter. He shouldn’t find this situation entertaining but he rarely seen Yifan with his child mode activated like this. “Alright fine, I am mom.” Another wave of laughter threatened to push past his lips with that word but Yixing made himself swallow it back down. “Now be a good son and put your arm back under the blanket, alright? Mom needs to decide which meds to give you.” For the first time ever, Yifan nodded and obeyed. Yixing felt his chest swell with pride for himself for getting this guy to listen to him. He also felt trusted, which meant he had to take care of this guy extra well. Unfortunately for Yifan, his Xing ge wasn’t actually an expert at taking care of people. He was, after all, just eighteen and barely even remembered to feed himself. The Korean labelling on the medicine was confusing and since he bought too many, he couldn’t remember which one was for which. He pressed his hand against Yifan’s forehead again. It was definitely not going down on its own. “Okay, we are going to try the red package here. Here’s to hoping I won’t accidentally overdose you. If I do, though, please don’t hold any grudges and rest in peace. Possibly even consider protecting me when your soul enters heaven because at least I gave it a good go.” Two tablets went down and seemed to have gotten the job done. Yifan’s fever disappeared sometimes during the night and by the next day; he was feeling a lot better. Yifan woke up to soft whirring of machinery and realized soon it was Yixing, who was fiddling with the portable rice cooker. “Hey…” His head felt foggy but he was no longer confused. “What are you doing here?” It was early afternoon, which meant Yixing should be in classes. “I am making you congee,” said Yixing in a matter-of-fact voice. “What about classes?” “I took the day off.” Since he was usually so good with his attendance, the instructors didn’t give him hell over it, only warned to not make it a habit. It would be a lie if Yifan said he was not touched by these simple words. Here was Yixing, the legendary trainee who danced morning to night. This was Mister Hardworking, who never took time for himself and pushed his body until it threatened to fall apart. Look at him now, taking a day off and skipping all of his classes just to take care of a friend who didn’t even treat him all that well. A part of Yifan wanted to tell Yixing he was the best and how thankful he was for the care he received…but his manly pride didn’t allow it. So instead, he said “I owe you one.” Yixing smiled through his panda eyes, dimple sweetening away the exhaustion. “Oh yeah, you do. Better think of a good way to pay me back or I’ll collect lots of interest.” A dinner was not going to cover this one, was it? Yifan returned the smile, the gesture hurting a little due to his dry lips. “I will treat you better from now on. As your best buddy.” It was a bit of a cheesy promise but Yixing brightened at it. “I am holding you to it! Now sit up, let’s try to get some of this congee in you.” Yixing was fetching a bowl and scooping a glop of questionable white material in it. “I think I cooked it for too long and didn’t add enough water. Sorry, it won’t taste good but you need to eat something…” “Zhang Yixing.” His rambling was interrupted. “What?” “Friends for life, I mean it. First we’ll train together and then we’ll debut. Afterwards we’ll do concerts, interviews and reality shows…” “And when we are old we’ll retire and buy houses next to each other. Get pretty wives and try to get our kids to marry each other?” Yixing flashed his teeth at the thought of him and Yifan grey and wrinkly, waving their canes at grand kids. It was a nice thing to think about stuff like that, especially during this stress period. “Sure.” “It’s a promise then.” Back then, they honestly thought they could make it happen. Everything did go according to plans for a few years and the promise they made to each other expanded to include more people like Luhan and Zitao. Eventually, the other EXO members became part of their wish too and for the first few glorious months after debut, Yixing imagined twelve houses next to each other. Then, the longer they worked as idols and the faster their popularity grew, the more he realized his dream was just that – a fantasy that cannot be achieved. He really was too young, too naive and too foolish as to think promises like the one Yifan made with him could be held for life. Reality gave him a harsh lesson but Yixing was thankful to have the truth hammered into him early – lies were made to be kept and promises were made to be broken. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Luhan was welcomed, Yifan was respected, Yixing was mostly ignored but the one who had received the worst treatment out of the four Chinese trainees was Zitao. He was too young, too sheltered and unfortunately inexperienced in the ways of the world. He walked into the building expecting to be loved right away and so when his first attempt at making friends received nothing but sneers, he really felt the burn.This felt like kindergarten again, when that tall kid pushed him off of the swing and called him a scrawny brat. Zitao was stunned because it was the first time he had felt such unkindness. Before kindergarten, he’d been surrounded by family. Those who weren’t family worked for his family and therefore had only the sweetest words for him. They convinced him that he was an angel, born to be loved and treasured. He was always given what he wanted and never dared anyone hurt him.He wailed when that boy pushed him, arms flailing as he made his confused anger known. Normally, his tears would bring adults to their knees as they scrambled to comfort him with gentle touches and promises. The tall kid, however, did the opposite of that. Instead of consoling, Zitao received a kick to his stomach. The other kid was around the same age but his size made him stronger. Zitao had the breath knocked out of him and found himself curled on his side, unable to stop coughing.Thankfully, one of the other kids standing by gathered their wits enough to find the teacher. After some deliberation, the woman made the decision to take Zitao to the hospital because she knew she could not risk letting this one sustain any sort of lasting damage. In the end, her choice was a wise one for Zitao managed to get some internal bleeding from that one kick alone.Zitao’s father flew into a truly terrifying rage and proved to be merciless even when the bully’s father came begging for Zitao’s forgiveness on his knees. Zitao’s father yelled at the man and cursed his son, telling them this matter won’t be let go of easily and he’d see the bully’s future ruined. The conversation took place right in front of Zitao’s hospital bed and to this day, fragments of memory regarding that day remained. Perhaps he should have felt proud of his father’s strong presence and glad the child who made him suffer was going to get severely reprimanded. Or maybe he should have felt some sort of pity, seeing how the bully’s father pleaded. But in truth, all Zitao felt was fear. It was buzzing at the back of his skull, reluctant to leave even when the tall kid was thrown out of the room.The next day, Zitao told his dad that he wanted to take martial arts. His thought was simple – he must get stronger so people won’t be able to hurt him anymore. Those Wushu masters looked really cool on television and they were always capable of defending themselves. At first his father was reluctant, saying there was no need for him to participate in such activities. But Zitao insisted relentlessly and his dad caved, letting his son enroll into some classes even though he was only five-years-old at the time.His first day as S.M. Entertainment trainee brought the buzz of fear back. Though he was taller, stronger and so much more than he used to be, Zitao felt as uncertain as he was when he laid on his side at the playground.Why wouldn’t they like me? He thought to himself, a little dejected. He’d been working so hard on his social skills, forcing himself to be less quiet so he could get along with these guys in case they were placed in the same group. He even complimented that other trainee’s shoes last Tuesday, even though they were positively hideous and came from a nobody brand…why wouldn’t these people just notice how much effort he was putting in to being friendly and cut him some slack?After that, he gave up on making friends for a bit and focused on his classes. He wasn’t the best in his classes but certainly not the worst. Since he had Wushu on his side, the chance of him becoming famous was pretty good, at least that was what he thought. The schedule was so busy that he forgot for a while that he was lonely and allowed nightly conversations with his family back in China soothe his need for companionship.Then one day, in the hallway, he saw them. It was the Chinese trainees, all three of them, walking together. The one on the left he knew the name of but only because this guy called Sehun from his vocals class wouldn’t stop talking about how amazing the Chinese trainee Luhan was (honestly, from the way Sehun talked about him, you’d think this Luhan was the descendant of a god or something!). In reality, this guy wasn’t all that. Sure, he was good looking and that much Zitao has to give him. But this Luhan also looked like a young girl and didn’t possess enough masculinity in his fragile looking features to really impress Zitao. Because of dad’s influences, Zitao looked up to men who were tough and often turned his nose at the ‘girly’ type of guy celebrities.Anyway, Luhan had his arm around the waist of the Chinese trainee in the middle. That one wasn’t very handsome, nor did he look particularly intelligent. Zitao was willing to bet ten thousand won that Dimples won’t be getting his contract renewed this year.The guy on the right was the one that Zitao really looked at. Not going to lie, that one was super handsome and tall. If Zitao was a thirsty fan girl, this would be the idol he screamed for.…Okay, maybe he shouldn’t have imagined himself as a fan girl just now. Too weird.Zitao watched as the three chatted among themselves, laughing and smiling abundantly to show their closeness. The one called Luhan carried a cup of bubble tea with a single purple straw. He took a sip himself before passing it to the other two. The one in the middle took a tiny taste test sip first, then sucked down a gulp of the sweet liquid in approval before passing the bubble tea to the right. Zitao partially expected the cool looking guy to push the tea with its slightly chewed straw right back at him but that did not happen. The three of them passed by him, sharing their drink in what felt like a closed established bubble of happy friendship. I want friends. Zitao’s heart clenched. I want to be friends with that guy on the right.With his desire for friendship renewed, Zitao practiced his most charming smile in the bathroom mirror before finally heading out one day on a hunt. The guy he decided to target was called Kim Minseok. He had a friendly looking round face and seemed to be really gentle mannered when Zitao observed his interactions with other people. Surely befriending him wouldn’t be so difficult. Minseok seemed to like affectionate younger trainees, so today, Zitao shall pretend to be Sehun.Clearing his throat, Zitao caught up to Minseok in the hallway and tapped him from the back. “Minseok oppa!” He greeted in his most lovable – though also slightly high pinched – voice.Minseok turned around slowly and did not smile. In fact, Zitao’s greeting seemed to have somehow shocked him to the point that his face turned pale. A quick ‘hi’ was choked out before Minseok fled the hallway, leaving a confused Zitao to pick up the pieces of his shattered pride from the floor.Where did I go wrong? Zitao found himself thinking as he popped coins into the vending machine. His mood was dropping and his mind was a mess. A cool drink was exactly what he needed but as his golden luck would have it, the soda can managed to get stuck in there.“Oh come on!” Zitao kicked the vending machine. It did not budge and the soda remained solidly stuck. Zitao threw up his middle finger and started enthusiastically cursing at the machine. He used both Korean and Chinese, rallying up all the nasty words he could think of as he continued banging on the piece of shit.Eventually he exhausted himself, and that was when he heard the quiet laughter.It was the handsome Chinese trainee from a few days before, only this time, he was alone. Zitao’s eyes brightened as he tried to think of a proper way to say hello. But somehow, his tongue felt like it was glued to the bottom of his mouth. Maybe it was because what happened with Minseok broke his confidence and he hasn’t recovered enough to risk another rejection. Zitao remained silent as the friend of his dreams brushed past him in front of the vending machine and pushed some coins in. Zitao noticed that the guy ordered the same drink as he did and with a twist of the bar, both sodas fell.“Here,” the guy said, picking up both sodas and handing one to Zitao. “This is yours.”That moment was perfect. If Zitao wasn’t so manly, he’d totally say it felt like a scene from some manga. With soft background music and flowers in the panel.“Thank you…” Zitao stammered.“You should say thank you, hyung. Not oppa – hyung. ” The left corner of the guy’s lips lifted in playful smirk, indicating he’d saw what happened with Minseok earlier. “Oppa is for girls to boys.”Zitao’s face was instantly flushed with embarrassment. So that was what happened. No wonder Minseok looked at him all weird like that. “I am not a girl!” Somehow those were the words he ended up spewing.“I know,” the guy said, looking like he was ready to start laughing again. “My name is Wu Yifan.”And from there on, they became friends. Zitao was introduced to Luhan and the middle guy, Yixing. The four of them became really close and through Luhan, Zitao even managed to get to know the others. Minseok, too, he finally managed to properly introduce himself to. That oppa story shall remain in Zitao’s memory bank and hopefully, no one will ever learn of it. Just remembering it made him feel all tingly with embarrassment.After a few months, Zitao became a guy with many friends. Still, Yifan was his favorite and he never failed to show it. Whenever they were out, he always tried to walk beside Yifan. He liked clinging onto Yifan’s arm, just for fun, and pestering the other to go on solo outings with him. Zitao secretly hoped he’d get to debut with Yifan in the same group and before too long, his wish was granted. The two of them became even closer, to the point where Zitao couldn’t imagine what it would be like if he didn’t have his Duizhang.But now, only a few years after the prime of their friendship, they barely looked at each other. Look at them now, walking next to each other but each holding a stone expression. If this was before, Zitao would have his arm around Yifan’s and the two of them would be pressed right against each other.Something has to change.Zitao took a deep breath and stopped in his path. This episode essentially locked the guests in one of the most famous malls in Shanghai. The guests had to explore the shops in hopes of finding clues that would eventually lead them to a key to unlock the front doors of the shopping centre. The game officially started at eight in the afternoon and the guests were warned by a mystery video tape they found on the first floor to get out by midnight, or something terrible was going to happen. The clock had announced midnight about half an hour ago and while everyone was able to find some clues, they just didn’t manage to piece it together in time. Besides, this was likely supposed to happen anyway. The director probably had some sort of special twist planned after midnight and was purposely keeping back some of the clues to delay the guests.The guests speculated this was going to be a horror style episode just based on that midnight warning so decided to pair up. Zitao agreed because for this episode, they didn’t even have camera men following them. The mall had cameras hooked up everywhere to capture their actions but they would feel alone wandering these shops. For the sake of his mental health, Zitao decided to put himself up for partnering. They drew names for fairness’s sake in order to determine the groups. William was with Dilraba. Yixing was with Yang Mi and Luhan. Zitao was somehow lucky enough to end with Yifan and the atmosphere had been suffocating since the moment they stepped onto the sixth floor together.Fuck this shit.“Wu Yifan!” He called out suddenly, a little louder than he needed to considering the fact they were standing right next to each other. “Let’s talk.” He checked and there weren’t any cameras at this exact corner, this was as alone as they were going to get on this show.Yifan turned, eyes briefly widening at the usage of his full name. His first reaction was to look up at the walls, checking their proximity for cameras because Zitao was doing a fine job at ruining the carefully maintained amicableness between them. Then again, was he really surprised? The four of them left a lot of things unsaid between them when they went their separate ways and at some point, it must come out. Of course Zitao would be the first one to crack – he’d never been good at holding in his emotions, no matter what consequences his impulsiveness may bring.“No.” Yifan delivered the rejection with as much iciness as he could summon before pressing his lips into a thin, grim line. “Let’s not.” He couldn’t and didn’t want to risk opening this can of worm. “Now keep walking.”Zitao should understand. And even if he didn’t, Yifan hoped that cold refusal hurt the other’s ego enough that he’d never try to converse again.But Yifan underestimated Zitao’s resolve. Instead of shutting up and continuing on with the game show, Zitao grabbed Yifan by the arm and hauled him back before he could take a single step out of their safety corner. “No, we are going to talk whether you like it or not. I have some things that I need to get off of my chest and you will hear me out!” Zitao’s words were angry and his grip was hard but neither of those things would have stopped Yifan from leaving. Instead, it was Zitao’s eyes, blazing with determination and growing red at the rims that made Yifan pull back the foot he stepped out with. After all, he was never good at dealing with upset kids, especially when they were on the brink of water works. “You have to hear me out.” Zitao shook the arm he was holding onto almost violently. “You just have to.” Bright lights, inviting signs, giant posters featuring smiling celebrities and brand new merchandises waiting patiently for their owners. This was Cloud Nine, one of the biggest shopping malls in Shanghai and featured popular brands from all over the world. Yixing had shopped here before and could not say he enjoyed the visit due to the sensory overload he experienced. The mixture of music pounding against his ears and the constant noise of chattering from those who walked by… He wouldn’t mind some of that noise right now, though. One of the clues he discovered led him to a mystery room holding a puzzle that he must solve alone. His teammates Yang Mi and Luhan waited for him outside and promised to cheer him on. Yixing was certain he’d fail since he was terrible at puzzles but it turned out okay and he successfully received a video tape. There was a television set up so Yixing popped in the tape without any hesitation. It was a audio recording featuring a girl’s hushed voice. The girl talked about being trapped in the mall and how when midnight hit, the mannequins came alive and tried to kill everyone. There was one person among those trapped who actually controlled the mannequins and the way to escape the mall was by eliminating that person. The tape ended abruptly, with the girl screaming as if she was discovered by some unknown evil. Needless to say, Yixing was scared half to death by the time he walked out of the room. And guess what? His teammates weren’t out there anymore. “They are supposed to be waiting for me,” Yixing complained into the camera beside the mystery room. “Mi jie, Lu ge, how could you guys just leave me?” At least they had communication tool. Everyone was given a walkie talkie at the beginning of the episode so they could check in with each other’s progress. Yixing called for his teammates first and when they didn’t respond, he asked for anyone else listening to say something. Again, nothing.The lights flickered above his head and innocent sheep Xing entered full panic mode. He wandered about in aimless fear until he spotted the familiar figure in a shop window. He let loose a noise of delight before charging towards Luhan, who for some reasons had his back turned and wrapped both of his arms around the other. Yixing realized something was wrong when Luhan turned to face him, his movements robotic and his eyes devoid of emotions. The other three mannequins in the window moved then too, turning to him with rather savage painted smiles. These were only actresses hired for the purpose of this episode but in that moment, with the creepy background music and pure darkness, they felt every bit as dangerous as real monsters. “Help! Somebody help!” Yixing managed to shout before running in the opposite direction at full speed. Behind him, the mannequins chased. Mannequin Luhan was in the lead and he was a lot faster than Yixing anticipated.In a stupid but very typical horror movie protagonist move, Yixing got himself into the elevator. He was pressing the button to go down repeatedly and hoping that the door would shut in time. His plan would have worked if it was only the three high heeled female actress mannequins chasing after him but soccer enthusiast Lu was just too fast. By the time the elevators pinged shut, Luhan was already on top of Yixing, breathing heavily from the exertion of the chase. His face remained terrifyingly expressionless for the camera but he tickled Yixing’s arm discreetly with his pinky while pushing the other into the elevator floor as reassurance. Meanwhile, all Yixing could think was so close as he stared into Luhan's eyes. The first time they were this close to each other was on an evening very close to Christmas. It was their first real break since debuting but since the weather was not exactly safe for going out, the boys decided to order pizza and stay in. Everyone was full of carbs and slowly dozing off when Chanyeol announced a game was in order. He thought simply passing out would be a waste of their precious free time and to be honest, everyone agreed with him. The managers were out so the boys were feeling extra brave. The underage babies were given orange juice while the others all poured their shot glasses full. Chanyeol handed out pieces of paper and asked everyone to write a fun task on there. Then, one by one, the boys pulled a piece of paper out and had to perform the task written on it or take a shot. The game started out innocent enough with the tasks mostly featuring push ups or chores. Eventually, though, as tipsiness sank in, the tasks became wilder and more embarrassing in nature.Luhan managed to pick up a task that required a second person in order to complete. It was an incredibly childish game but Luhan played it before because stupidity was popular among college aged boys. Pretty much, the game required for two guys to feel up each other and whoever had to stop due to embarrassment first lost. Considering how loudly Park Chanyeol laughed when he picked this piece of paper, Luhan dared to guess that he was the one who wrote it. “Come on, then,” said Luhan, waving at Chanyeol to join him in the middle of the circle. “Let’s do it. It’s only fair.”“No way, I wrote the task. You have to pick someone else!” Chanyeol protested, eyes quickly scanning around the circle for a victim. “There, do it with Lay hyung.”And so poor Yixing, who had his head comfortably rested on the most cushion-y part of Sehun’s ass and wasn’t even following this exchange, was caught by the ankle by the evil Park and dragged into the ring.“What’s going on?” Yixing whined in Chinese, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He couldn’t handle his liquor as well as the others and though he had the least out of all who were drinking, he was already on the verge of passing out. “I don’t want to play,” he whined as he casually made his escape attempt.“Quick, stop him!” Chanyeol yelled and was pleased when someone heeded his order. It was Yifan, propping Yixing into a sitting position before Luhan with firm grips on the other’s shoulders. “Now everyone else, let’s take bets, who do you think would win?” For the most, it was an easy choice. By now, everyone knew how deceptive Luhan’s delicate features were and how playful he could get. Shots were lined up on the table and all eyes were on the three in the middle of the room. Yixing had abandoned his futile attempts of escape and found himself a comfortable place to rest against Yifan’s chest. Judging by his dopey expression, Luhan was pretty sure the other still didn’t know what the heck was going on but no longer cared enough to protest. “Go on, Luhan.” Chanyeol prompted impatiently on the other side, dripping chilly oil into the young ones’ orange juice to make the bet extra exciting even for them. “If Lay hyung asks you to stop or flinches away, you win.” He also betted on Luhan’s victory and was eager to see it. Luckily for Chanyeol, Luhan also happened to be in the mood to win. He played this game before with plenty of friends and knew the key to success was actually slowness. Most people made the mistake of going in too fast and aggressive, to the point the other person had no time to react. So, determined to not follow in those losers’ footsteps, Luhan slid his hand up Yixing’s ankle with steady gentleness. He expected Yixing to lose before he even reached knee cap because years of rooming together made him more than aware how sensitive the other was. Yixing, however, decided to surprise him as he made not a single noise even as Luhan’s fingers reached up his pajama pants and glided across his inner thigh. What’s going on? Luhan raised a brow at Yixing’s unperturbed expression. He literally had his hand inches away from the place fan girls would sell their souls to get themselves on and this guy was not giving him any reaction? If Luhan had a shot or two less, maybe this is where he would have declared Yixing the winner and laughed the whole situation off. Yixing’s exhaustion probably overwhelmed his ticklishness and there was nothing shameful about losing. But the alcohol…it made him less careful. The frustrations that he had been so good at suppressing surfaced and pushed aside his patience. The other boys collectively oohed when Luhan unexpectedly grabbed Yixing by the chin with his other hand and pulled the other in closer. Their gazes – blazing flame and calm water – locked and Luhan felt desire rising from the dangerous clash. Yixing’s lips, which were so close to his, looked extra inviting tonight under the dull ceiling lights. Perhaps it was due to the sting of alcohol but Yixing’s lips seemed redder and more plump than usual. And Luhan knew if he just leaned a little closer, he could pull those lips between his teeth and test out their texture himself.He wanted to. Really fucking wanted to.And to be fair, his lust should not be faulted by anyone. People seem to forget that EXO was a group of hot blooded men in the prime of their youth. When beautiful fans screamed their names and stared at them with undiluted thirst in their eyes, the idols were tempted. Like ordinary men, they wanted to rake their teeth against soft skin and bury themselves in a woman’s warmth. Their occupation ensured that they were loved and coveted, but their innocent images also forbade them from harvesting from those who desired them.As their fame grew, their freedoms became lost. The boys had to be careful because if they even brushed a female idol’s shoulder while walking by them, it might come back to haunt them as some scandalous gossip. At this point, they were desperate for physical affection and their dicks simply needed more than their own hands could give. Thinking about fucking the other group members was likely more common than people would imagine. After all, they only had each other. If a vote was taken, Luhan would guess that Kyungsoo’s name would come up as one of the top lusted. Yes, it would be due to his size. Kyungsoo’s smaller frame, pale skin and seemingly innocent owl eyes made him closer to the ideal female candidate than the rest of the members. Besides, Kyungsoo also got warm easily and therefore had a tendency to walk around in only boxer shorts when summer hit. If Kyungsoo knew how crazy it drove some of the other EXO members, maybe he would have opted to stay in his air conditioned room and not wander about so often.Baekhyun, of course, would be the other popular choice. He was also small and had a sweet voice when he whined. He fake moaned to make fun of an actress’s horrendous acting one time and it actually got someone hard on the spot. Luhan shall not name any names but here’s a hint – fans really appreciated seeing this particular individual with Baekhyun and lovingly named them the puppy couple.Sehun was likely featured in some people’s fantasy time before sleep too. It was a bit wrong, considering how young he was but perhaps that added to the thrill. After all, as the youngest, he must listen to his hyungs no matter what, right? Even if hyungs stepped over the line and made him unhappy, they could make him smile again the next day with a casual bribe of bubble tea, right? Zitao might have been popular too if he wasn’t so keen on looking grossed out every time the group members playfully humped each other. He kept on telling everyone that they looked gay and it was really disgusting but Luhan thought out of them all, Zitao was probably one of the only two people in EXO who were actually in the closet. Who did he like?Come now, that must be obvious. Who did he stare at all the time? Who did he cling to day and night? Whose attention did he pine for the most and who broke his heart when he left without saying a word? We all know. It was puppy love – the sweetest, most innocent type of affection there was. Luhan was not an exception and occasionally lusted after his group members. Most of the times it was between Sehun and Minseok and never did he think of Yixing in that way until this very night. He wondered why it took so long for him to want Yixing, especially when his roommate was so cute…so obedient and so easy to get to.Oh. He remembered why. It was the look in Yixing’s eyes.Though they were a little clouded tonight because of the alcohol, those eyes still held the same emotions. The beginning of panic was crawling in to those dark pupils due to Luhan’s rough grip but there was still more trust. Yixing was calm because it was Luhan grabbing and touching him. Though the other looked intimidating and he didn’t even understand the game rules, he trusted Luhan to play safe. Such pure trust was difficult to disrespect and so Luhan pushed himself off of his roommate.“You win.” He manfully sucked down his own shot before excusing himself to the bathroom. Outside of the small, confined space, he heard his team members grumbling over their loss and downing their own drinks. When he came out, Baekhyun was singing Primadonna Girl and demanding that Chanyeol got on his knees. Jongdae had made a ring out of some tissue paper, claimed it diamond and enthusiastically sang along. The party continued but Luhan did notice, out of the corner of his eyes, that some people went missing. Yixing was gone.And so was Yifan. They wrestled all the way during the elevator ride and rolled outside when the doors opened. Luhan was gaining the upper hand and close to taking Yixing out when the lights all turned on without warning. Unused to the light after being in the dark for so long, both Yixing and Luhan rubbed at their eyes in pain. Staff members appeared from the emergency exits and told Luhan the game was being paused due to an unexpected incident. Rolling off Yixing, Luhan busied himself inquiring the details of the delay. The staff members seemed distressed but ultimately decided to reveal what had happened.Apparently, some fans were able to find out that they were filming at this mall and managed to sneak themselves in. It was a group of five girls and one was caught by one of the hidden camera crew. They’ll continue the episode once the other intruders were caught.Luhan fell silent for a moment. While tackling Yixing earlier on the seventh floor, he did hear a click followed by a tiny flash of light in one of the nearby shop windows. He thought it was one of the show’s hidden cameras but perhaps he was wrong…He approached the shop he heard the sound from earlier alone, keeping his footsteps as quiet as possible. Sure enough, he heard unfamiliar voices whispering behind one of the clothing racks. There were two different voices, one softer and the other richer. The girl with the sweeter voice sounded excited while the other one was concerned.“I am so not selling this one. You don’t know how close it was – I thought William would see me for sure but he didn’t turn around. Ah, I got so lucky!”“I don’t think we should sell any of these pictures. What if we get in trouble?”“Don’t be such a coward. No pain, no gain and besides, everything worked out fine. I risked a lot to get these photos and why shouldn’t I use it to pay for my tuition?”“Ugh. Let’s discuss this later. Where are the others?”“I don’t know. Been texting them but got no replies – hey look, I got one for Yixing. You can have this one if you promise to not lecture me anymore!”By now, Luhan was close enough to see the girls, crouched in the corner. They seemed young – high school aged most likely. Still, that did not excuse their behavior. He was livid inside but kept his smile comforting as he stepped into the girls’ line of vision. They were startled to see him initially but it didn’t take long for his gentle words to win them over. “It’s not safe for you girls to be here after hours. It’s past midnight and your parents must be worried sick.” He beckoned at the girls and after a slight hesitation, they stepped closer.The sweeter voiced girl was the less pretty of the two and now that she recovered from her shock, was staring at him with undisguised adoration. The other girl hung her head and seemed to be feeling shameful about her behavior. “We are really sorry,” said the more mature one. “We will delete all the pictures, I promise.” A death glare was given to her oblivious friend when the other began protesting.“Delete them? Nonsense! I bet you guys took some interesting pictures. Were there any of me?” He played curious and that made the foolish first girl’s guard drop to a complete zero.“Yes!” She scooted over with her phone, batting her eyelashes coyly as she leaned into his side. Luhan allowed her closeness only so he could use the opportunity and snatch away her phone.“I just want to have a look, don’t worry.” He promised, flipping through the photos. These girls were apparently hiding in the changing room. How they managed to not get discovered he’ll never know but he will have a talk with the director about this tomorrow. With a sigh, Luhan clicked shut the phone gallery. The girl, noticing that he was done, held out her hand for the phone. “What’s your rush?” A dangerous edge crept into Luhan’s eyes as his smile widened. “Is it because this is a new phone?”The girl nodded, her blush deepening.“That’s a pity.” With a swift movement, Luhan tossed the phone backwards. They were on the seventh floor and it was a long way down. These phones were pretty to look at but fragile as hell so there was no way it would survive.“Y-you…” The girl’s eyes widened. “H-how could you? You can’t possibly be Luhan. Luhan is so sweet and kind, he’d never do this!” Her eyes were brimming with tears but Luhan had no sympathy to spare for her kind.“Don't,” he said. “Call my name as if you know me.”The other girl, who had been quiet during this entire exchange, pulled her own cell phone from her pocket. With a determined look, she smashed the phone onto the floor and ground it with her foot until it was in pieces. “I am really sorry, please don’t hate us.” She pleaded, bangs concealing her eyes.Luhan gave a curt nod before turning around. He’ll call the security to deal with the rest of this. As he left, he heard the petulant girl yelling. She promised she’ll write blogs about his behavior and make everyone see him for who he really was so they’d hate him. Luhan carried on walking, unconcerned about her threats.He was an idol. Everyone’s beloved deer. His kind, lovable image was carefully crafted and well maintained for the past few years. No one would believe her, no matter what she said and how true her words actually were. Her claims would get dismissed and his fans would shield his reputation.Besides…it didn’t matter anyway. Even if people did see through his mask…even if they did finally figure out he wasn’t a nice guy…well, that might just work out fine. He was beginning to get real tired of living like this. In the end, they found four of the five girls. The last one was never found and it was close to morning. The director decided they’ll shoot the episode again next day and told everyone to go home and rest. On his way home, Luhan was placed in the same car as Yifan, who was holding his chest as if he was in pain.“What’s wrong?” He asked but Yifan only shook his head. Luhan was curious but as always, knew when to stop pushing for answers.The next day, he found out what happened: Yifan and Zitao had an argument and Zitao threw a punch that was harder than necessary. Unfortunately, he was not the only one who found out about this piece of information. The girl who was never caught by the security apparently hid in a shop near Yifan and Zitao’s argument. She managed to take a brief six second video about the conversation and upload it to the internet. The video was taken down in less than half an hour but by then, it already had over 200, 000 views. Those six seconds of Zitao swinging his fist towards Yifan could not be pulled back and soon, it was everywhere. It made news headlines and blog pages. Yifan fans and Zitao fans started a war as the shippers dissected and analyzed every second of the blurry video.It was total mayhem.The show was delayed once again, this time for two days. When finally they were ready to shoot again, Yifan didn’t show up. Five phone calls and an hour later, he turned up with his manager. Both of them had dark circles under their eyes and it was apparent that they weren’t able to get much sleep.“I want out,” Yifan said as soon as he stepped on the set.Only three episodes into this show and they were already falling apart. Yifan would be the first to quit, just like before. Such perfect irony.
10997805	Pathfinder and Smuggler	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": "Vetra Nyx, Ryder, Female Ryder, mentions of her twin blair ryder", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by astarions", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-27T00:00:00", "words": "912", "Additional Tags": "Fluff, Love Confessions, Hugging, smooching everyones fav turian", "Relationship": "Vetra Nyx/Female Ryder", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Mass Effect, Mass Effect Andromeda", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	The coffee slipped past Sahana’s lips and down her throat. Seconds later, a certain former smuggler turian sat in front of her. Sahana turned her head to look over at her, directing her full attention at her, the blue visor over her eyes were flickering. “Ryder!” Vetra greeted, a silent question was hanging on her lips.“Let me finish my coffee, it’s the only way I can get shit done this early.”“It’s just a quick question, pathfinder-"Sahana held up her finger as she took a sip of her light colored coffee. Vetra stayed silent, clearly looking unamused. “Now, what can I do for my favorite turian?”As Vetra was about to respond, Sahana held a finger up again. “No, I am not going to help upgrade armor or whatever it is you do again, remember last time that happened?”The turian tried to keep a chuckle back, unsuccessfully, as she recalled how Sahana nearly had killed herself many times just from working on armor, guns, etc. to help the crew. “No need to worry, Ryder. I won’t be asking for your help with that anymore.”“Good call, I’m supposed to find paths, I’m not a weapon or armor finder.” Sahana teased with a grin on her face.“You nearly broke your arm and broke some of the pieces, lost the materials that took us days to find –“Sahana held her finger up to protest, but as soon as Vetra shot her a knowing look she put it down. “Point taken.. Now, what was your question?” She wanted to change direction of the topic, not wanting to poke fun at herself further.“Good call on changing the topic.” Vetra teased before coughing and sitting forward. Sahana recognized the body language, Vetra was serious. She looked around, indicating she was nervous. Sahana Ryder was always good at reading body language, what it meant. Especially with those she considered close, so Vetra and Liam specifically. “You… I’ve been hearing-“Sahana could tease and finish Vetra’s sentence, saying ‘…hearing…? How dashing I am? How good I am? How amazing my cooking skills are?’ but when people did that it was one of her biggest pet peeves. Blair, her twin brother still currently in the coma, always did that and it annoyed the fuck out of her.The pathfinder patiently waited, but anxiety bubbled in her stomach. Was Vetra hearing bad things about the initiative? Had she been hearing negative things about Sahana’s leadership skills? She wasn’t the best leader, compared to her brother who was able to take control of a situation and command it to his best.“..Hearing that you have some sort of… crush? On me.” Ryder’s eyes opened wide immediately. Was the crush she had on the Turian that obvious? How her body would relax immediately when she’d speak and everything else in the room just drowned? How she’d make excuses just to be close to Vetra? That one time during movie night where she happened to just curl up next to Vetra’s damn plated side and say “I’m cold,” earning a confused look from the Turian.“I… yeah.” She confessed bluntly. Liam must’ve ran his mouth, she knew he probably didn’t mean to. He just allowed his mouth to talk more than it should have.“There’s no use in hiding it, really. I’m a terrible liar.” Sahana joked, an awkward, forced smile going on her face.She noticed Vetra looked away, scratching the side of her head and cleared her throat, softly chuckling. “Shit, I didn’t know you actually felt that way.”Vetra’s voice was quieter, small stutters. “Really?” Sahana seemed surprised at that, her brother always had told her she could be read like a children’s book. She laughed. “You aren’t exactly easy to read.” Vetra confessed. “You are funny, occasionally joke and are serious at inappropriate times aaand can’t aim a gun to save your life, and enjoy running to shoot as somebody keeping someone hostage even if they threaten to harm –““I get it!”“I… I would be lying if I said I didn’t have the same kind of cheesy feelings, and I don’t lie.” Sahana grinned and moved her hand slowly over to Vetra’s ghosting over the top of it as if silently asking for permission to hold it. Vetra noticed and glanced down at their hands, she hesitantly held Sahana’s hand gently. A beaming grin appeared on the pathfinders face as she leaned in and rested her forehead against Vetra’s. They remained in that soft position for a few moments before Vetra slightly cocked her head and pressed a soft kiss to Sahana’s lips.“So…does this mean you’ve smuggled my heart away?” Sahana teased before she pressed a soft kiss to Vetra’s sharp plated cheek. Vetra gave Sahana an unamused look at the crappy pickup line. “Ryder, remind me again why your pickup lines absolutely suck.”Sahana protested. “Can you come up with a different one, honey?” Honey. A soft affectionate nickname that Sahana would only call Vetra, that made the turian feel warm, happy.“….” Vetra's witty tongue didn't provide a witty response in time, which earned her a smart response from the pathfinder. “That’s what I thought.” Did Sahana truly think Vetra was defeated in this 'battle?'“I’m not sure about you, Ryder. But I’m plenty fine at things, maybe just not… pickup lines.” The pathfinder sighed and pulled Vetra closer to her.“Believe me, I’ve noticed.”“What is that supposed to mean?!”
10920369	Everlasting	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Reader, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Miss_Kitten", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-16T00:00:00", "words": "1,677", "Additional Tags": "Light Angst, Fluff", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Tony Stark/Reader", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel, Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Calculations correct! The screen lights up with a green gleam as the words appear, rousing you from a nap. You’ve been working on a formula for past three weeks, with minimum of rest. You’re pretty sure that your blood turned into coffee by now but the end justifies the means and what you’re trying to achieve will surely be a life-changing discovery.Well, only if you decide to announce it, which most likely won’t happen.After being Tony’s apprentice, of sorts, you’ve learnt that more often than not, whatever his genius brain came up with, sooner or later would be used to morally questionable purposes. It’s better to keep your discoveries hidden, used only by you and trusted people.And, as of now, the formula which was confirmed to be working, is supposed to be turned into a serum that, later on, will be given to a very important and very missed person.“Tony! Get your ass here!” you shout through a communication system, receiving dismayed grunts from the other end. It seemed that Tony was using a break to catch up on sleeping, too, but he must know it now.Few minutes later, he walks into the lab, yawing, not even bothering to cover his mouth. You grimace but usher him to come to your side and once he does, you point your finger at the screen of your computer.“Look. It checks out.”“Holy… Did you double-check?”“Triple-checked even.”“Dear Lord, you did it,” his eyes are wide opened as he stares at the screen, his mouth falling agape. You feel proud of yourself – you managed to amaze Tony Stark, something that very few people can do.“I’m glad that you’re not taking credit for that,” you jest with a small smirk and Tony scoffs.“I’m your tutor, so it’s partially my merit, Y/N,” he says cheekily, winking at you and you shake your head.“Okay, my brilliant teacher, let’s make that serum.”_______“Who’s gonna tell him?”“Don’t know, maybe you?”“You know him longer, you should do it.”“Yeah, and he’s gonna punch me for not telling him sooner.”“Well, we couldn’t tell him sooner…”“Yes, but it’s Steve, it’s black or white with him. We knew, so we should’ve immediately let him know.”“But after…”“I know, Y/N. And I know that he’ll understand why we waited.”“You sure?” you lift your worried gaze at Tony who reaches out and squeezes your shoulder reassuringly. You prop your elbows on the desk, hiding your face in your palms and trying to find proper words to tell as gently as you can about what the two of you have done.The door slides open and Steve steps in, his brows knitting as he sees you and Tony in rather official manner.“What’s going on?”“Steve, sit down, please,” you say kindly, pointing a chair opposite you. Tony shifts a little but remains standing next to you with his palm on your shoulder. It’s a calming gesture yet it does send tickles across your body. You note to think about it later; there’s more important matter on hand now.“You know that after Natasha released all of SHIELD’s information, a lot of data suddenly were widely available and a lot of information was found, right?” you start, placing your hands on your lap and fidgeting with your fingers. You start to feel nauseous due to nerves and you swallow hard as Steve nods his head.“Thanks to that I’ve received a note from my father. A coded message.”“We cracked the code, obviously, but it was only coordinates with no explanation whatsoever.”“So of course, we hit the road and went there.” You pat Tony’s hand, hinting that you’re taking talking from here and give Steve a gentle smile. He’s confused, which is understandable, given that neither of you said anything that would make sense to him.“We arrived at a kind of army shelter, or something, and when we walked in, we found a file and a closed room. Tony wanted to go into the room, first, but I stopped him and said that we should find out what was happening there. The file had no title, no description on it so we had no idea what would be there. But since we were already there…First, there were couple of notes saying that Howard and Peggy somehow realized that HYDRA wasn’t eliminated and started to grow under their noses. They tried to create a sort of preventing procedure, a backup plan, but it failed. Howard almost got killed and so he proposed something absolutely crazy.”“Y/N, what has he done? What happened to Peggy?” Steve’s voice is thick, low and hardly audible and you swallow hard again, feeling guilt rising in your stomach. It was not your fault and you had no part in it but after what happened to Bucky, you’re not sure how Steve will react to the news you’re about to tell him.“She was comatose, she had drip-bags for intravenous feeding. The room was turned into something similar to cryo chamber. Once we opened the door, we activated a waking up procedure.”Steve’s jaw drops, he blinks and then drapes a hand over his face. He looks crestfallen, almost heartbroken and you feel an urge to jump onto your feet and hug him. Maybe later, you tell yourself and take a deep breath to deliver the rest of the news. “We transported her here, took care of her and she’s now well and healthy. However, the problem that appeared after a while was that her body was feeling older that she felt to be, as if her system was trying to catch up with all those years she was asleep for. Which would surely lead to Peggy’s death.”“W-would? She’s alive?” Steve mutters, his voice shaking, disbelief evident in his eyes. You reach out your hand to take his and squeeze it lightly.“I’ve managed to create a serum. It cured her aging so she will now age like you. She’s not a superhero, obviously, but she’s fine. Still trying to figure out how to use a phone and a computer but we’re on a good way, I suppose.”“Can I see her?” Steve’s voice is more of a plea and you shift your gaze at Tony, who flashes Steve a tight but happy smile.“Sure, Cap. Come with me,” he tilts his head and Steve stands up, rounding the desk. You stand up, too, but you’re pondering whether you should go. It’s going to be rather intimate moment and you’re convinced what Steve wouldn’t want it to be witnessed by too many people.Surprisingly to you, Steve grasps your forearm gently and bores his tearful eyes into yours.“I don’t know how to thank you, Y/N.”“It’s my job, Steve. Go and get your girl. She’s waiting.”He cracks a smile, wide and joyous and pulls you into a tight bone-crashing hug and it’s the best display of gratitude you would’ve asked for. He plants a kiss on top of your head before he disappears after Tony, going few floor down, where Tony found a secluded, quiet room for Peggy.You fall into your seat, only now feeling how exhausted you are. But you fixed something, gave Steve and Peggy a happy ending that they thought they’d never have. It’s a great feeling.“I gave them some privacy. They have a lot to catch up on,” Tony’s voice comes from behind you and you straighten your back.“I think I’m hitting the hay now. I’ve enough of sleeping on the couch,” you say playfully as you make to walk out, however Tony jumps in front of you, prompting you to frown.“Y/N, I want to thank you. For doing this. For your outstanding skills and knowledge –““Oh, no, you’re too nice, I’m scared.”“Dammit, you think so lowly of me?”You give him ‘are you f—king kidding me’ look and Tony’s face falls for a moment before he starts speaking again.“What I’m trying to say is that I’m really grateful. I couldn’t have done it without you.”“Wow, now I’m terrified. But it’s nice of you, so thank you, Tony, and goodnight.”“I also want to ask you to be my date on their wedding.”“Ask then,” you cock an eyebrow up and Tony chuckles.“Y/N, would you be my date on Cap’s and Peggy’s wedding?”“I’d love to, but why the rush? It’s not like they’re going to marry next month or- they are, aren’t they?”“Well, Cap said something about not wanting to waste any more time and finally having what he wished for, so I guess it’ll be very soon.”“They deserve it, if you ask me.”“Sure they do. I’m glad that we did it, Y/N. It’s good to see him happy, especially after losing Barnes again.”“Look at you, being worried and happy for your friends! It’s a great change, keep it up, Stark. And now, I’m going to bed, night!”“Goodnight, Y/N, sleep well!”_______Five weeks later, as you stand near the alter as one of the maids, you wipe at your cheek when a tear rolls down. You can’t be happier and, from what you see, every single one of the guests can’t seem to keep the tears at bay.When the ceremony is over and time for a party comes, Tony finds you and wraps an arm around your waist, looking at you warmly. There’s been a change in his behavior lately, a strangle shift in how he acted around you and towards you but you don’t mind. In fact, you want it to last for as long as possible. “How’s my date doing?”“Great, and I like the way you say it. ‘My date’, I mean.”“Would you like to be one for longer?”“How long, Tony?”“For how long as you want to have me, Y/N.”“Then you’re stuck with me, Stark.”“I’m counting on it.”
10954002	Unbreakable Heart	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape", "Fandom": "Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by dexstarr", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-20T00:00:00", "words": "198", "Additional Tags": "Drabble Sequence, Dumbledore is a Jerk, Unbreakable Vow (Harry Potter)", "Relationship": "Albus Dumbledore & Severus Snape", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Two thin, bright flames already surged between their clasped hands.Severus felt his heart beat even faster, winging like a trapped hummingbird, as Albus spoke once more. “And will you do anything necessary to protect Harry Potter from Lord Voldemort?” “I will.” A third jet of fire slid from McGonagall’s wand, binding their hands thrice. The magical chains burned bright red, the color of the phoenix perched behind them, then disappeared, glittering into nothingness. Dumbledore pulled his own wand from his midnight-blue robes, and pointed it at their Bonder. “I’m sorry, Minerva.” He cleared his throat, and said sadly, “Obliviate.” Severus knew what Dumbledore thought of him; had ever since that day he’d met him on that cold, lonely hilltop. He’d seen the naked disgust in the older man’s hard blue eyes – customary sparkle absent – as he’d begged for the life of his green-eyed witch. Lily.Dumbledore thought he was heartless – just because he hadn’t said a word about James or baby Harry. But he’d proved he had a heart. What else would keep a man devoted to a lifetime as an invisible guardian to a boy who reminded him of everything he had lost because of “Mudblood?”
10937238	Strawberry Skies	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Kim Namjoon \| Rap Monster, Kim Seokjin \| Jin, Min Yoongi \| Suga, Jung Hoseok \| J-Hope, Kim Taehyung \| V, Park Jimin (BTS), Jeon Jungkook", "Fandom": "방탄소년단 \| Bangtan Boys \| BTS", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "8/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-18T00:00:00", "words": "10,048", "Additional Tags": "Fluff, More tags will be added as the story progresses!, Whipped™ Namjoon, Alternate Universe, Whipped™ Taehyung, Oblivious Jimin, Slow Burn, Strangers to Friends, Mutual Pining, Slight Depressive Thoughts, Angst, Fluff and Angst", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Kim Namjoon \| Rap Monster/Kim Seokjin \| Jin, Kim Taehyung \| V/Park Jimin, Kim Seokjin \| Jin & Min Yoongi \| Suga, Kim Namjoon \| Rap Monster & Min Yoongi \| Suga, Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung \| V/Park Jimin", "Series": "Of Photographers, Pubs and A Dance Instructor", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "M/M, Multi", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Click, click, snap. Click and snap. Such was the life of photographer Kim Namjoon. Namjoon liked documenting his life in the form of photography, even on his days of. So it was no surprise when he made photography his profession.He and his boss, Yoongi, had finished taking tons of shots for a party the night before, so Yoongi let him take a break for their hard work. It was a good idea too, seeing as they had spent almost all of their time doing photoshoots and editing the pictures they had taken in their small studio for a whole month. While on his day off, Namjoon let himself relax and take his mind off work by finishing a book he was reading. It was a book on improving his skills in photography, just so he could get better shots. Reading was how Namjoon spent his free time, the way he did now on a Sunday morning. As expected from a man who loved his work as much as Namjoon did, the mauve-haired male gave in to his heart’s desire to go outside with his camera.‘Maybe I could try out the tips I got from the book while I’m out too.’ “Hobi-yah, I’m going out for a while!” Namjoon called to his flatmate, Hoseok, who peeked out of his door. “Stay safe, Joonie!” “I’ll be back later, so have dinner without me!” “Yeah yeah, I will, you should remember to get dinner yourself though.” “I know, don’t worry bout it!” When Namjoon walked down the stairs of his apartment, he looked up and admired the scenery above him. The sky was a pretty shade of blue, with a few clouds above. Namjoon grinned, camera in his hands as he took photos of whatever that caught his eye. Time passed and the sun was starting to set. A cocoa-haired man started to open up his bar, pausing to look above. A smile formed on his cherry lips as he admired the bubblegum sky, not knowing that someone had taken a picture of him from a distance away. Namjoon thought pink was his color. The man in the photo awed Namjoon, to say the least. Sharp edges with soft features, especially the gentle smile, caused Namjoon’s heart to skip a beat. Not that he was in love or anything. He was just, a little overwhelmed by beauty, that’s all. Yeah, love at first sight was just a fictional concept used by film directors and writers to fool people into believing it existed. Strawberry skies, a dimly-lit pub, and a beautiful man looking at the sky that complimented him well, Namjoon wondered if he was hallucinating as he stared at the photo while he walked. Honestly, the man was truly captivating. He wasn’t paying attention to where he was going, his legs walked on their own. Eventually, Namjoon looked up briefly to find himself standing in front of the person he had been admiring. The words flew out of his mouth before Namjoon could control himself. “Excuse me, would you like to work as a model?” ‘Fuck, why’d I say that out loud? God Namjoon, you’re a mess.’ The cocoa-haired man laughed softly before he answered, “I know I’m a handsome guy, but not to that extent.” His tone was a little teasing, causing Namjoon to blush out of embarrassment. “Do you say that to people you just meet on the streets?” Namjoon blinked, even more stunned by the other’s beauty now that he was up close. “Just you, honestly,” Namjoon blurted, and now it was the other’s turn to blush. ‘Yeah, pink is definitely his color.’ “I… I’m flattered, but I’ll have to think this through. Give me a few days. I’ll be able to decide by then.” Namjoon smiled, handing over his business card, to which the other kept in his pocket. “I’m Namjoon, by the way,” Namjoon said, holding his hand out for a handshake. “I’m Seokjin, but you can call me Jin. Nice to meet you, Namjoon,” the cocoa-haired man, now known as Seokjin, replied, shaking Namjoon’s hand firmly. “Would you like to come inside for a drink? You could tell me more about this model thing if you want.” “Gladly, hope you have some food too though, haven’t had anything since lunch.” Jin laughed, a sound as bright as the chimes that rang when a customer walked in. “Sure, I’ll fix something up for you.” As Seokjin flashed him a smile, Namjoon wasn’t sure, but it might as well have been love at first sight. He wouldn’t know until later, but that was the day he fell for the first time. On that day, he fell in love with those chocolate eyes that were as warm as the morning sun, under pretty strawberry skies. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Namjoon walked in the pub behind Seokjin, looking around in awe. Jin laughed softly, proud that Namjoon found his little pub interesting. Most people just sat down and ordered a drink before they listened to Jimin sing, but Namjoon was one of those few people who took the time to look around. “This your first time coming to my pub?” “Yeah. I haven’t really been anywhere other than the studio I work at and my home for an entire month.” The pub owner winced, shaking his head as he said, “Yikes, that sounds like a tough time.” Jin clapped his hands as he then offered, “Well, I suppose as a welcome to the Genie’s Lamp, your order is on the house!” Namjoon grinned, “Thanks for granting my wish.” “Ah, don’t tell me you expected to get free food and drinks just because you offered me that model deal!” The mauve-haired male rested his chin on his hand, looking innocently at Seokjin. “Who knows? Maybe I was.” “Ah, this kid!” Seokjin exclaimed, laughing softly. “I was just kidding, Jin.” The photographer smiled at Seokjin, and the pub owner found himself noticing his dimples. Seokjin shook his head, as though he was frustrated. The smile on his face afterwards gave away that he wasn’t really angry. Namjoon silently admired Seokjin, until the chimes rang as a young man walked in. “Jin hyung! Sorry I’m a bit late. Oh, we have a customer already?” A bright and energetic voice came from the newcomer. Namjoon looked at him, before looking back at Seokjin. “Ah, this is Taehyung. Taehyung, meet Namjoon.” The two boys exchanged greetings, and Taehyung’s smile made Namjoon smile back. Namjoon noticed that Taehyung had called Jin ‘hyung’, who Namjoon thought looked younger than Yoongi. “So Jin, how old are you exactly?” “I’m 26 this year,” Jin admitted. “Are you kidding me? You look younger!” “Well how old are you?” “24, hyung,” Namjoon replied, laughing at Seokjin’s shocked expression. “I’m 23!” Taehyung added, grinning warmly. “I don’t think you were asked, Tae,” Seokjin teased, chuckling at Taehyung’s pout as he served Namjoon his food. “Here’s your food, now eat up!” “Thanks, Seokjin hyung.” “Jin hyung you’re so mean!” Taehyung said, pout still on his face. The older male ruffled Taehyung’s hair as he said teasingly, “Only to you, Tae~” As Taehyung and Seokjin engaged in their usual banter, Namjoon finished his food. The bowl of ramyeon tasted delicious, and the mauve-haired male voiced out his thoughts. Seokjin grinned, seemingly delighted at the praise. “Now that you’re done with your food, tell me more about your job.” “Well I work with a friend of mine under YG Studios. Yoongi hyung’s a tough boss, but he knows how to make customers happy. There’s another kid too, he’s a tough cookie. Never backs down from a challenge, that one.” “Ah, that’s interesting,” Jin paused, before he asked, “Wait, you don’t mean Min Yoongi?” “Yeah, that’s him. You two know each other?” Seokjin looked almost offended as he said, “What, he never mentioned me? Some sort of friend he is.” Namjoon thought for a moment, thinking his words through carefully, as to not hurt the elder’s feelings. “I guess he did, but he never told me you were this good-looking.” Jin chuckled softly before he teased, “There you go again with that sweet talk.” Namjoon didn’t mind, he just liked how pink looked on Seokjin’s face. “So how long have you been working with Yoongi?” “This September would be the two year anniversary, so I might get Yoongi hyung a gift this time.” “My, you’re a thoughtful one aren’t you,” Jin commented, smiling gently. Namjoon shook his head, focusing the conversation back on Seokjin. “What gave you the idea to open up a pub here?” The mauve-haired male asked before taking a sip of his beer. “Taehyung wanted to practise his skills on flairtending, Jimin wanted to help out and I was going to make this lot a flower shop but those two suggested a pub instead.” Namjoon nodded his head at the answer, looking around the pub and marveling at the interior design. “Is it okay if I snap a few shots in here?” “Be my guest.” Namjoon picked up his camera from the counter, taking several photographs of the pub whilst he admired the artworks that hung on the walls. The photographer sat back down once he was done, turning to Taehyung this time. “So Jin hyung mentioned that you do flairtending, mind showing some skills that I can photograph?” “You’re not kidding right? Sure, but you’ll have to pay for the drink.” Namjoon grinned, preparing his camera already to take the shots that he had requested. Taehyung grabbed the bottles that he threw with ease, landing the drops of liquid in a cocktail shaker with amazing precision. Seokjin watched for a moment, praising the younger before going off to serve his other customers. “That was amazing, Taehyung! Your flairtending never fails to impress me.” A gentle voice complimented, and Namjoon turned to look at the newcomer with pink hair. “Jimin-ah, you say that every time!” Taehyung teased, a grin on his face. The pink-haired man, Jimin, shrugged his shoulders as he simply commented that it was a fact that Taehyung was good at what he did. The flairtender laughed, ushering Jimin to go up the stage to sing. “So that’s Jimin?” Namjoon asked, looking at the pink-haired man from his seat. “He’s off limits, but yes, that’s Jimin.” If the words ‘off limits’ didn’t show that Taehyung had feelings for Jimin, the way Taehyung looked at Jimin spoke enough for Namjoon to know. “Got it. Good luck on your mission,” the photographer said, before he laughed at how smitten the flairtender looked. “With Jimin, luck is what I need.” “Jeez Taehyung, you’re stuck in some deep waters.” “Speak for yourself! You should’ve seen how you were looking at Jin hyung.” Namjoon blinked, pausing before he asked, “Was I really that obvious?” “You aren’t the first person to find Jin hyung attractive, but the way you looked at him was a lot more different than others.” “Different?” “Yeah. Others have the look of ‘I want to get into his pants’ written all over.” “That didn’t surprise me, to be honest.” Taehyung raised an eyebrow as Namjoon continued eyeing Seokjin from afar, and the flairtender shook his head, serving the next customer with his signature rectangular smile. Jin finally managed to take a break from serving the customers, and Namjoon took the opportunity to talk to him. “Have you decided to work as a model?” questioned the mauve-haired man. “Not really, but I do have some motivation to at least.” “Hmm… How about we swap numbers so we can talk about this when you have some free time?” “Sure, just let me get a pen.” Seokjin and Namjoon exchanged their numbers, and the photographer wondered if the pub owner could hear his heartbeat when Seokjin took Namjoon’s hand to write his number on. Namjoon made a note of how soft Seokjin’s hand felt in his mind. “Shit, it’s already 11pm. I gotta go, I still have work to do.” “Already? Guess you have to put your job as your priority. Swing by again some time!” “I’ll be sure of it, Jin hyung.” “Bye Namjoon hyung!” “Goodbye Taehyung,” Namjoon replied, giving Taehyung a thumbs up for luck. Namjoon walked out of the pub and walked his way home, humming a soft tune as he did. His phone vibrated in his pocket, alerting him of a new text. “To: Namjoon, I’m free on Friday, and I should be able to tell you my decision by then. Let’s meet at the Coffeesmith café, it’s in Hongdae! 2pm, Friday, got it? From: Handsome Seokjin” The photographer laughed at how Seokjin addressed himself as “Handsome Seokjin”, remembering his first words to the elder. Namjoon grinned, quickly typing a reply to say that he was looking forward to that day. It wasn’t a date, but Namjoon felt happy nonetheless. The photographer recalled the events of the day in his bed, a smile on his face when he noticed how easily they clicked. 'Maybe we bumped into each other in our past life.’ When Namjoon fell asleep that night, he dreamt he was floating in a bubblegum sky on a cotton candy cloud with a familiar pair of cinnamon eyes. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Tuesday came and Namjoon visited the Genie’s Lamp again. This time, he needed some advice from a certain Kim Taehyung. Although, in hindsight, he should have made a better decision. “Hey, if it isn’t Namjoon hyung!” Taehyung greeted, grinning as always. “Yo, Taehyung. Got a minute to chat?” “Sure! What’s up?” “It’s about Jin hyung,” the photographer whispered, looking around to see where Jin was. “Jin hyung? He’s a little busy, so no need to look for him~ Unless…” Taehyung’s grin turned mischievous as he got an idea of what was going on. “What’s with that look? It’s not like I have a date with him or anything!” “Namjoon hyung’s going on a date?” Jimin asked, sliding onto the stool next to Namjoon. “Jimin, it’s not a date. I’m just gonna talk with Jin hyung about the model deal.” “Model deal? Now you got me curious.” Namjoon sighed, hands dragging down his face before he summarized everything as simply as he could to Jimin and Taehyung. Fortunately for Namjoon, Seokjin was out on an errand to restock on the alcohol bottles. “So, what’s wrong hyung?” Namjoon rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before he said, “Well, I have some trouble deciding what to wear.” Jimin and Taehyung looked at each other, faces breaking into smiles before laughing together. “And I thought it was something serious!” Taehyung said amidst his laughs. “Don’t worry Namjoon hyung, we’ll help.” After the singer got a hold of himself, Jimin gently patted the photographer’s back as he spoke, giving him a reassuring smile. Namjoon looked at Jimin before smiling slightly, trusting the singer. “How ‘bout we give you our numbers? I might be able to help with clothes, but I’m not sure about Taehyung. He wears Gucci all the time; he hardly has anything else in his closet.” Taehyung shrugged, grin on his face at his best friend’s teasing. After all, he did have mostly Gucci in his closet. “I might be the biggest Gucci slut, but I still have an eye for fashion.” Namjoon chuckled at Jimin and Taehyung’s conversation, getting up from his seat. “Well, best be on my way. I’m counting on you two for Friday, alright?’ “Whaaat? You’re leaving so soon? At least have a drink!” “I’ll pass. I have another shoot to do tonight; Yoongi hyung would kill me if I got drunk on the job. I’ll see if I can drop by afterwards though.” “Be sure to hear me sing, hyung!” “And take photos of my flairtending too!” Namjoon grinned at the younger males, waving at them before he walked out the door. He should have looked where he was going though, seeing as he nearly bumped into someone else. “Oh, Jin hyung!” Seokjin smiled up at Namjoon, greeting the younger politely. “It’s been a while, how are you?” “I’m fine, but I gotta go before I’m late for the shoot. I’ll drop by later, hyung!” The pub owner was about to say goodbye, but the photographer bolted before he could say anything. He walked in his pub with a puzzled look on his face, putting the alcohol bottles where they belonged. “Ah, hyung! Let me help you!” Taehyung immediately offered, helping the older male to arrange the bottles. “Thanks Taetae,” Jin smiled, patting the younger’s head. “No problem hyung!” Jin smiled as Taehyung’s rectangular smile reflected his. Easily they got into their usual work routine, charming their customers as always. “Hey Namjoon hyung,” A young man greeted softly, smiling at Namjoon. “Hey Jungkook, am I late?” Jungkook was a rookie who recently started working with Namjoon and Yoongi. With three photographers, work seemed to be a little easier, and Namjoon silently marveled at Jungkook’s work. The shots Jungkook took were always at the right moment, but Yoongi would comment that it’s missing something. Namjoon comforted Jungkook when their boss’s words got too harsh, but it only seemed to drive Jungkook to try harder. The older male grinned when he saw the spark in Jungkook’s eyes, as he was reminded of his younger self who received the same comments from Yoongi back when he first started. “No, you’re still early.” “That’s great, let’s get our things set up shall we?” “Yeah hyung!” “Oi, Namjoon-ah, you sure seem to be in a good mood.” “I’m always in a good mood, hyung.” Yoongi gave Namjoon a skeptical look, but Jungkook replied for Namjoon. “Well, maybe he rested up enough after the one month of hell we went through.” “…Fair enough.” And that was that, for they had to get to work. When they finally got a break, Namjoon suggested going to Jin’s pub for a celebratory drink to Yoongi and Jungkook. Yoongi shrugged, agreeing, and Jungkook rarely went to places like pubs so he agreed almost immediately. Just like that, a few hours passed, and Namjoon kept his promise to Taehyung and Jimin. Only difference was the two other males he brought with him. “Ah, Yoongi!” “Jin hyung? Is that really you?” The black-haired male looked at Jin, gummy smile showing when he recognized the other man. “Yoongi-yah, it’s been a while! Who’s this other boy then?” A quiet boy looked up at Jin, before softly introducing himself. “I’m Jungkook.” Taehyung waltzed over to greet Namjoon, before he set his eyes on Jungkook. “Wah, you’re a cute one! Nice to meet you, I’m Taehyung!” The flairtender flashed Jungkook a charming grin, obviously in a good mood. “I’m Jungkook. Nice to meet you,” the younger boy mumbled, loud enough for Taehyung to hear. Jungkook looked down to fiddle at his fingers, but Namjoon noticed the blush on his cheeks as well as his shy smile. The mauve-haired male ordered two rum and colas for himself and Jungkook, while Yoongi got himself a bottle of soju. The three photographers chatted with the baristas, Jimin joining the conversation shortly afterwards. “You have really pretty eyes, hyung,” Jungkook commented upon seeing Jimin, causing the singer to giggle softly. “So do you, cutie~” “Back off Jimin, he’s mine!” Taehyung joked, grinning at his best friend slash crush. “Nuh-uh, I saw him first~” “No way! You just got here!” Jimin flashed Taehyung a quick smile, a silent promise to explain things to him later. Taehyung nodded in understanding, before returning to talk to Jungkook. Namjoon looked at Taehyung and Jimin, shaking his head as he could see the trouble Jungkook would be getting into in the future. He just hoped that Jungkook had a good time, regardless. He did catch Seokjin occasionally glancing at him, and Namjoon smiled when his eyes met Seokjin’s. The elder only turned to serve the other customers, but Namjoon thought he caught a flash of pink under the dim lighting of the pub. The photographer rested his chin on his hand, watching the two baristas work while he listened to Jimin’s singing. Namjoon thought Jimin’s singing was heavenly, and apparently, so did Taehyung and Jungkook. Eventually it was 2a.m. and Yoongi was close to being shit-faced drunk. Namjoon and Jungkook, being the more sober ones, decided it was time they went home. Jungkook easily slung Yoongi over his shoulder, telling Namjoon that he would take Yoongi home, seeing as they shared an apartment together. When Namjoon got home, he got a text alert from his phone. Look who decided to text me again. “To: Namjoon, I had a fun time meeting your friends. Swing by again will you? From: Seokjinnie” “To: Handsome Seokjin, I’ll be sure to stop by again. Meet you on Friday. From: Namjoon” Namjoon winced at how professional he sounded, before he added a smiley face at the end. That sounded more casual. “To: Namjoon, Good night, Namjoon. From: Seokjinnie” Namjoon laughed, a warm feeling spreading across his face as he typed his reply. “To: Handsome Seokjin, Sweet dreams, Jin hyung. From: Namjoon” And sweet dreams did Namjoon have, of the same pink lemonade skies and cappuccino eyes. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Namjoon hyung, you look fine! Now go on your date already,” Jimin said, smiling brightly as always. “Are you sure? Is this a little bit extra?” “Trust us, it isn’t. It’s classy!” “If you say so…” The photographer looked at his reflection, smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt. Jimin and Taehyung picked out a peppermint button-up top with beige slacks and a simple belt. It was a little different from Namjoon’s regular style, but he liked how he looked. The two certainly knew their sense of fashion. “You better get going hyung, better be early than late!” “Alright alright, jeez, you two are a handful.” The three males had gathered at Namjoon’s apartment, and Namjoon watched them go on their way home before he walked towards his car and drove to the coffee shop where they said they’d meet. Namjoon immediately got a seat by the window when he arrived, ordering an Americano while waiting for Jin. Namjoon was about to send a text to Jin before the man himself walked in through the door. “Sorry to keep you waiting! I overslept, had a late night.” Namjoon only stared at Jin, admiring the way his black glasses framed his face and how attractive he looked in a simple white turtleneck and jeans. Jin sat down in the seat opposite from Namjoon, looking away from him bashfully. “Ah, I didn’t have enough time to put my contact lenses in, so I wore my glasses,” Seokjin said, pushing up his glasses. “It’s okay hyung, besides, I came early,” the photographer smiled as he added, “You look great, Jin hyung.” Jin laughed, a light rose dusting his cheeks. A waitress walked to their table, smiling gently as she asked if the older male wanted a drink. “A caramel macchiato, thank you,” Seokjin replied, smiling back at the waitress. “Anyway, I kinda want to try this model job out.” Namjoon’s eyes lit up with happiness, causing the older male to laugh. “Of course, I’m new to this whole thing. But I’ve actually agreed since the moment you stepped into my pub.” And into my life, Seokjin thought, taking a sip of his drink. “Then why tell me now?” Seokjin smiled, looking into Namjoon’s eyes. “I wanted to spend some time together with you. Get to know you a little better.” The photographer felt warmth rise to his cheeks, grinning at the elder. “In that case, how about we start right now?” Seokjin almost choked on his drink. Drinks aren’t the only thing you choke on. The pub owner started coughing as that thought crossed his mind. Admittedly, he wasn’t a pervert, except sometimes random sentences occur in his mind but now he was definitely choking. “Jin hyung, are you okay?” “Yeah, I’m okay,” Seokjin said, albeit a little strained. Now was not the time to be thinking about that, Seokjin. “But now? Really?” “Yeah, right here. I brought a camera with me.” “Were you expecting this outcome?” The older male mused, resting his chin on his hand. “A little, but I prefer being prepared in case something catches my eye. Anyway, here is fine.” Seokjin felt warmth in his chest at Namjoon’s enthusiasm, and so he agreed. The photographer took shots of Seokjin, advising the elder on how he should pose. Seokjin listened to Namjoon’s advice, asking to look at the photos after Namjoon was done. “Normally I’d edit the photos after I take them, but these look really good hyung!” “Of course, I’m handsome after all.” Namjoon laughed, nodding in agreement. “You wanna go and take more photos outside? The weather’s great today.” Seokjin agreed, and the two males got up from their seats. “Hmm, I think I know just the place.” “Do you want to take the car?” “Nah, it’s just a few blocks ahead. We could walk there.” “Alright, lead the way.” Namjoon smiled at Seokjin, his hand taking Jin’s in his as he led them to a park. Seokjin tried not to think of how warm Namjoon’s hand felt in his, but a giddy smile made its way on his cherry lips. The familiar feeling of falling in love was welcome to Seokjin, as long as it was the sweet photographer who he met under sunset skies. Once they finished taking their photos, Seokjin suggested having a quick bite at a nearby restaurant. This time, Seokjin was the one taking Namjoon’s hand, and Namjoon noted how soft Seokjin’s hand felt against his. The two males joked around, and truthfully? It was the best time they had, even taking a few selfies to post on Jin’s Instagram. “I had a great time today, let’s hang out again sometime!” Namjoon said as they parted ways, waving at Seokjin. “Sure! Text me whenever you want to hang out like this again,” Seokjin replied, waiting for Namjoon to disappear from his line of sight before he walked on his own way. Seokjin looked up at the gorgeous sky, sighing softly as his lips curled to a smile. He took out his phone, swiping at the screen to quickly message his friends. “To: Taetae, Chimchim I think I might have finally found love. From: Seokjinnie” “To: Seokjin Hyung !! I’m so happy for you hyung!! From: Chimchim” “To: Jin Hyung Oh! So you had a good date with Namjoon hyung? From: Taetae” The chocolate-haired male raised an eyebrow at Taehyung’s response, wondering how he knew. Deciding to ask later, Jin replied he was going home to the two boys, who wished him a safe return. As Seokjin walked down the streets to his car, he looked at the photo that he took with Namjoon, silently setting it as his wallpaper. The coffee brown eyes looked back at him, and Seokjin looked at the fading fuchsia skies. “I think I might be a little in love with Namjoon,” He whispered to himself, smiling all the way as he drove home, singing wholeheartedly to the love songs they played on the radio under the sunset. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “To: Namjoon, Are you free today? I’d like to hang out for a bit, if you don’t mind. From: Seokjinnie” Namjoon took his phone out to read the text message, a smile on his face when he noticed it was from Seokjin. The smile left his face when he finished reading the text, quickly replaced with worry. “To: Handsome Seokjin, I have some time. Are you okay? When and where? From: Namjoon” Jin laughed softly at the reply, a bittersweet feeling nestling in his chest. The older man sighed, tapping out his reply. It was one of those times Jin wanted some company, a friend to talk to, a shoulder to cry on, he’d take anything as long as he could just take his mind off of old memories that should be buried six feet under. Yoongi would probably drink with him about those, if only he wasn’t busy. “To: Namjoon, 9.30 pm? At the park we went that day. From: Seokjin” Sure, he could ask Jimin or Taehyung. Unfortunately for him, both of them were busy doing ‘stuff’. At least, that was what they told him. Seokjin hoped whatever ‘stuff’ meant, it didn’t mean ‘each other’. ‘Ding!’ The notification startled Jin, who almost dropped his phone. Luckily, he didn’t, and he silently thanked the gods above for his fortune, eyes reading the words on the screen. “To: Handsome Seokjin, …Hyung, it’s already 9.30 pm. From: Namjoon” “Oh,” Jin let out once he noticed the time on his phone’s display. The pub owner had been drowning in his thoughts to check what time it was. He was about to reply when another notification sounded again. “To: Handsome Seokjin, I’ll be there, just wait for me, okay hyung? From: Namjoon” The older male smiled down at his phone, getting up from where he was contemplating life on the sofa. Seokjin took some beer cans with him, out of habit, maybe. Shrugging on a hoodie, he took his keys and locked the door behind him. The man briefly considered taking the car, predicting he’d probably end up taking a taxi home due to being drunk off his mind, and decided to get a cab instead. Namjoon was already where they arranged to meet, pacing in front of a park bench. Seokjin smiled plaintively, setting down the pack of beer in his hands. “Hyung! Are you alright?” The photographer immediately asked when he saw the other, walking up towards him. “Could be better.” The frown on Namjoon’s face made Seokjin partially regret admitting and partially want to kiss the frown away. Seokjin laughed bitterly, shaking his head. “How about some drinks? Talk the night away.” “If you’re fine with this, hyung.” “I wouldn’t have suggested this if I wasn’t, Joon.” Namjoon smiled, shrugging his shoulders. Seokjin passed a beer can to the other, opening himself a can before sitting down. “I’ve been thinking a lot, I guess. About life. About what my decisions have done. About love, maybe. About my parents. Just, thinking.” The photographer listened, holding the beer can in his hands as the older continued his impromptu speech. Seokjin paused at times, drinking the beer when he felt close to tears, crushing a can once he finished it and opening a new one. “Have you ever had a first love?” Jin asked suddenly, taking a swig from his can. Namjoon looked up at Seokjin, caught off guard before he smiled, looking down at his hands. “Maybe. Depends on how you define love.” ‘Although you’re my first.’ “I had one before. She… left me because she said I was too boring. She said I was too… detached. I tried my best, I did. I guess long distance relationships are hard work.” Namjoon looked at Seokjin, surprise clear in his eyes. Seokjin was looking away, a forlorn look on his face. “Hyung, you’re not boring! You’re fun to talk to, heck, ask Jimin or Taehyung.” The older male let out a short laugh, shaking his head. “You know, I was never the perfect son my mother wished I was. I remember when I was younger, her friends would always brag about how great their sons were. My mother would just listen, never saying anything. I wanted to make her proud but, here I am now. Drinking beer and talking about my miseries to you. I’m a sad case of a person, I know.” “Hyung…” Seokjin hiccupped, downing the rest of his beer in one gulp before opening another can. That would make the fifth can he drank, including the one he just cracked open. Namjoon still hadn’t finished his first. “Well, guess I’m not a pretty sight now am I?” Seokjin mused, a doleful undertone masked by his mocking voice. Namjoon sighed, looking directly at the other. Without saying anything, he wrapped an arm around Seokjin’s wide shoulders, pulling him close to his chest. That was the breaking point for Seokjin, who started sobbing. “Fuck… I’m sorry you have to see me like this.” Namjoon kept quiet, patting the crying man’s back reassuringly. Actions speak louder than words, after all. Seokjin felt small in Namjoon’s arms, granted they were in a bit of an uncomfortable position, but he felt safe. Protected. Seokjin almost wanted to let his guard down in front of Namjoon, but he couldn’t. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t bear to lose someone he genuinely had feelings for yet again. Call him selfish, but he was drunk, and depressed. He also felt like crying for a goddamn while. So cry he did, into Namjoon’s sleeve. Seokjin savored the feeling of being held in Namjoon’s arms, closing his eyes as the tears fell. The older man tried to breathe normally, counting with the photographer’s heartbeat. Breathe in. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Breathe out. Repeat.Eventually he calmed down, as Namjoon rubbed comforting circles into his back. Seokjin faintly heard Namjoon telling him that everything will be okay and that he will be okay soon. Seokjin smiled, the alcohol settling in his system making him doze off. Namjoon realized Seokjin had fallen asleep when he had become limp in his arms. The first thing to come to Namjoon’s mind was to send Seokjin home. The second thing was that he had no idea where Seokjin lived. ‘Well fuck.’ Quick one-handed taps on his phone led him to message Jimin. Who else would he message to ask where Jin lived? He couldn’t bear to wake Seokjin either, he looked at peace with sleeping. “To: Jimin, Hey Jimin, do you know where Seokjin lives? From: Namjoon” “To: Namjoon hyung, Yeah. I’ll give you his address. He should have his keys on him so check his pockets too, hyung. From: Jimin” “To: Jimin, You’re a lifesaver, Jimin. From Namjoon” “To: Namjoon hyung, Take care of him, okay? From: Jimin” “To: Jimin, I will. From: Namjoon” Namjoon received another text from Jimin containing his address, noticing that it was quite far away. His apartment was a lot closer to the park, so Namjoon decided to bring Seokjin to his home instead. Slipping his phone back in his pocket, Namjoon carried Seokjin back to his apartment, taking extra care not to jostle him in case he wakes up. When Namjoon reached the familiar doors of his home, he unlocked the door while making sure not to wake Seokjin up. It was… quite a challenging task. The photographer carried the other into his apartment once he opened the doors, bringing the sleeping man into his bedroom. At some point of time, Namjoon would have liked to engage in certain activities with Seokjin in his bedroom, but now was not the appropriate moment to think those thoughts. Namjoon laid Seokjin on his bed, making sure he was comfortable, tucking him in with a blanket. The photographer smiled lightly at the sight of Seokjin reaching a hand out to try and stop Namjoon from leaving the bed. He easily escaped his hold, bending down to press a light kiss to the older male’s forehead. A light blush coated his cheeks as he did so, smiling lightly at the sleeping beauty. “Sweet dreams, Jin hyung,” Namjoon whispered, disappearing into the bathroom to change into a pair of pyjamas, grabbing a pillow and a blanket before he eventually slept on the couch. And sweet dreams did Seokjin have, of gingerbread brown eyes and watermelon pink skies. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Namjoon woke up to the smell of food in the kitchen. Yawning, he stretched his joints as he stood up, feeling the satisfying crack of his bones. At least sleeping on the couch wasn’t that bad. He definitely preferred his bed though. Speaking of his bed, Namjoon quickly grabbed a piece of paper and a pen to scrawl a note to Seokjin when he woke up, getting an aspirin and a cup of water for the man. He placed the items on the bedside table as quietly as he could, grinning in satisfaction when the sleeping beauty in his bed didn't get disturbed. Carefully, Namjoon shut the door behind him and listened for a moment. Based on the clinks in the kitchen accompanied with a girl group song playing, it seemed like his flatmate’s already awake. Oh boy. Namjoon could almost see the questions Hoseok was about to ask him. Bracing himself for the interrogation, Namjoon padded towards the kitchen groggily. “Namjoooon~ It’s breakfast time!” Hoseok chimed, serving plates of sausages and sunny side up eggs for the younger male. “Good morning Hobi,” Namjoon greeted, stomach growling at the food. Hoseok tsk'ed at the sound, shaking his head. “My, did you forget to eat dinner again last night? Jeez, I thought I raised you better than that.” “First off, I had some bread last night so don’t worry. Secondly, you never raised me. Thirdly, I’ll get myself cleaned first. I smell like beer.” “Yeah okay, tell me the details once you’re done!” Namjoon looked back to see Hoseok’s Cheshire grin, and Namjoon sighed, shutting the bathroom door. He’d have to deal with Hoseok’s teasing as soon as he’s done, although in hindsight, he should have expected it. He should have known his flatmate would start teasing him the moment he brought Seokjin back to his apartment. ‘Good job Namjoon.’ The mauve-haired male stared at his reflection, thinking back on the previous night. Truthfully, he felt honoured that Seokjin trusted him enough to talk to him when he wasn’t feeling well. On the other hand, it might have just been the beer. Namjoon winced, hoping the elder didn’t have too bad of a hangover. Once Namjoon sat down for breakfast, he was mildly reminded of the K-Dramas on TV where the mother-in-law started interrogating her son’s fiancée. Hoseok’s grin never left his face and Namjoon never felt like shoving food into the dancer’s mouth more. “Did you sleep with him?” was the first question, causing Namjoon to choke on his sausages. ‘Better train that gag reflex, Joon.’ Namjoon started coughing at that thought, taking a gulp of his drink. “Jesus, Hobi, what the fuck?” “To be fair, he was in your bed.” “Well I was sleeping out on the couch, do you think I slept with him?” Hoseok initially wanted to protest, thinking it through before he closed his mouth. The dance instructor sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “Fair point.” Namjoon continued eating and Hoseok tapped his forehead, as though trying to remember the questions he wanted to ask. “So he’s the guy you keep telling me about? The really pretty guy who owns the pub? What did you two do last night?” The photographer blushed lightly, keeping his head down and his voice as neutral as possible as he answered. “Yes Hobi, that’s him. And no, we honestly did not fuck. We just drank some beer, talked a little. I swear.” “Tell me if you ever do the bed boogie, I don’t need to scar my ears.” “You never told me whenever you had anyone over.” “Minor details, Namjoon.” “Anyway, I can’t believe I finally get a chance to know my flatmate’s future boyfriend. What a day,” Hoseok whistled, dodging Namjoon’s kick to the legs. “He’s not gonna be my boyfriend,” Namjoon said, chewing on a piece of eggs. “Yah, who taught you to talk with food in your mouth?” Namjoon swallowed his food, laughing lightly. “Anyway, stop putting yourself down Joon, who knows, he might like you back! You can never tell how the world works, red string of fate and all that.” “Oh sagacious and knowledgeable Jung Hoseok, please, continue imparting your wisdom.” “Hell, you’re gonna think of this in the future and you’ll go, ‘Damn Hobi, you were right.’” “I can’t wait for that day then,” Namjoon teased, finishing the rest of his food. “Aish, I’m still older than you y’know! Have some faith in me.” “Older by only a few months, Hobi.” “Still older!” Namjoon started laughing, putting his dishes in the sink before starting to get ready in his room. He was about to take off his boxers before remembering that there was someone else in his room. A rosy pink covered his cheeks at the thought as he quickly grabbed his work clothes and a towel to go change in the bathroom. He could hear Hoseok cackling as he hurriedly left for work. ‘Damn it Hoseok.’ On the other hand, Jin who woke up from the noise managed to sneak a peek at Namjoon’s bare back, as well as the curve of his ass. Seokjin silently thanked Hoseok for being loud enough to bless him with this sight. Although, he thought he was still dreaming, so back to sleep it was for the pub owner. This time, Seokjin dreamt of peachy pink skies and chestnut brown eyes. He might have seen a chili pepper in his dreams somewhere. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A dull thud hammered at his head, prompting the man to groan. Eyes scrunched shut to avoid the light, Seokjin clutched his aching head as he sat up. ‘Where am I… What happened last night? This isn’t… my apartment, is it?’ Seokjin carefully lifted his legs over the side of the bed, letting himself slowly open his eyes. He hissed at the light that seemed to worsen his hangover, looking around slowly to adjust. He noticed a glass of water on the bedside, with an aspirin that he took gratefully. The throbbing slowly subsided to a bearable knock, and Seokjin finally read the note on the table. “Hey Jin hyung, I left for work already, hope you’re doing well. Sorry for not bringing you back home last night, your place was a little far away. Feel free to talk to me whenever, alright? Also uh, sorry for leaving you to deal with Hobi. He’s a handful. From, Namjoon.” Seokjin smiled fondly at the note, before someone cleared their throat, alerting the pub owner of their presence. “Hi, I’m Hoseok, Namjoon’s flatmate,” The stranger offered, waving as he leaned against the doorframe. “Oh, so you’re the Hobi Namjoon mentioned, nice to meet you, I’m Seokjin,” Jin greets, smiling still. “Yeah, Joonie’s told me a lot about you.” “He has?” That definitely caught Seokjin’s interest, and Hoseok laughed at the older male’s expression. “Yeah, I’ll tell you about what he said if you want. Do have breakfast at least, you must be starving.” With that, Seokjin got up from the bed fully, the headache staggering him slightly. He closed his eyes, steadying himself before remembering that he just woke up. “So uh, you have any spare toothbrushes I could use?” “You could use Joon’s.” Hoseok cackled at Seokjin’s face that turned a sharp red. “I’m just messing with ya, I’m not that bad of a person. I’ll get a spare toothbrush for you.” “Thanks…?” A very confused and flustered Seokjin took the toothbrush offered by Hoseok to start brushing his teeth in the toilet, trying to recall last night. He must have made Namjoon feel awkward, no denying it. ‘That’s my life. I was born awkward, raised awkward.’ Before he let himself get lost in his thoughts again, he lightly slapped himself. ‘Kim Seokjin! Get a hold of yourself.’ With that, Seokjin walked out of the bathroom to where the smell of food led him. He did just wake up; after all, food was his first focus. “It isn’t much, but I hope it’s alright.” “Are you kidding? This is delicious,” Seokjin said once he finished his food. “Anyway, you told me that Namjoon talked a lot about me?” The older male questioned, resting his chin on his hand. “Yeah, bro code made me swear not to tell you the details but I could share some things.” Seokjin raised an eyebrow. “He wants to suck your dick.” Hoseok started laughing again when Seokjin had a coughing fit at the words. “I’m just kidding. Or am I? Anyway, he likes you a lot, that’s all I’m saying.” The dance instructor smiled when he noticed the other’s eyes light up. ‘They both like each other a lot it seems. That’s good. I honestly hope they get together...’ “Anyway, maybe you should message a friend to get home? I have to go to work in a while from now, but I’ll catch you around sometime!” “Ah, right! Sorry for being a burden.” “It’s alright, you weren’t being troublesome or anything, trust me.” Seokjin nodded lightly, looking down at his phone and swiping to unlock the screen. Looking at his wallpaper set a fond smile on Jin’s face, but it disappeared once he noticed that Jimin had messaged him earlier multiple times. Seokjin cursed under his breath at the thought of making Jimin worry. “To: ChimChim, Sorry for making you worry, Jiminnie. I’m okay now. You got some free time to hang out? From: Seokjinnie” “To: Seokjin hyung, Hyung!! I’m glad you’re okay. Sure, I’ll bring Tae too! Where do you want me to meet with you? From: ChimChim” Seokjin smiled at the singer’s reply, sharing his location to Jimin. The younger male answered that he would be there in 15 minutes. And without being a minute late, Jimin and Taehyung texted Seokjin they were waiting for him downstairs. “Well, I’ll be on my way now. Thanks Hoseok!” “No problem, swing by again sometime.” “I’ll see if I can make time.” Seokjin’s smile never left his face as he thought of the possibility that Namjoon may like him back. A part of him was in disbelief though, desperately trying to convince him it was a joke. The kiss he felt from last night must have been a hallucination. The worries left him when Jimin and Taehyung linked arms with Seokjin, dragging him to where they had decided to eat for the day. The older male easily complied, the dynamic duo’s bright energy contagious as always. “Hyung! Let’s go and get some ice cream together!” Taehyung suggested, grinning up at Jin. “Sure, this time it’s my treat.” “But hyung, you always treat us ice cream!” Seokjin laughed, ruffling Jimin’s hair lightly. “It’s fine Jimin, I feel better if I do.” “If you say so, hyung…” Jimin mumbled, a slight frown on his face. Seokjin sighed, hesitantly suggesting, “You could pay for your own if you want.” “Thanks Jin hyung!” “Anything that can make sweet Jiminnie smile is good enough.” Jimin’s cheeks pinked at Seokjin’s words, causing Taehyung to tease Seokjin. “That’s my line, hyung! Now Jimin’s all red like an apple.” “Better luck next time, Tae,” Seokjin replied, laughing fondly. “Boo, go flirt with Namjoon hyung or something, jeez,” Taehyung suggested, grin on his face. “Aish, when did I raise you to talk back like that?” The barista laughed, a warm feeling in his chest when he saw Jimin smiling at their antics. “C’mon hyung, let’s hurry up and get our ice cream already!” “Alright alright, lead the way.” Namjoon sneezed in the studio, prompting Yoongi to give him a look. “You better not be getting sick and not telling me, Joon.” “Don’t worry hyung, I think someone’s just talking about me.” Yoongi sighed, going back to his work of staring at Photoshop on his computer screen. Namjoon looked outside the windows of their studio, drinking in the clouds floating along the sky. He noticed the color of the sky, a pretty rosy pink that reminded him of the day he fell for Seokjin’s warm mocha eyes. The photographer silently made a note to visit the pub once he got off work. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- ‘Ding!’ The doorbell chimed, and Taehyung turned to look at the door. A smile graced his features when he recognized who it was. “Hey hyung! Whatcha wanna drink tonight?” “Hmm... Surprise me. How ‘bout something a little fruity?” Taehyung tapped his chin in thought, looking over at Seokjin. Seokjin looked back at Taehyung, shrugging his shoulders as he suggested, “How about our house special?” “But hyung that’s too boring!” The flairtender exclaimed, before letting out a bright, “Oh, I know!” A mischievous grin made its way on Taehyung’s face, and Namjoon wished he could forget Taehyung’s next words. “Hey hyung, have you ever had Sex in the Driveway?” Namjoon and Seokjin have never turned as red as they had in that moment. “What the ever loving fuck Taehyung,” Namjoon said, looking down at the marble counter top. “Taehyung, last I checked we didn’t have that on our menu,” Seokjin looked back at the alcohol bottles, coughing awkwardly. “I saw it on the Internet, it looks really pretty hyung!” “It sure has a nice name…” Namjoon muttered under his breath. “I’ll fix it up for ya real quick Joon hyung!” Taehyung grabbed a few bottles from the shelf, getting to work immediately. Namjoon looked at Taehyung juggle the bottles while landing droplets of it in the glass. The bartender added some ice and a slice of lemon to top it off, sliding the drink to Namjoon. “That’s Sex in the Driveway, real pretty isn’t it?” Namjoon looked up from his camera as he had taken some more snapshots of Taehyung flipping the bottles. The photographer eyed the blue liquid in the glass, taking a picture of it while admiring it. “Yeah, guess so. This wouldn’t be the time I lost my virginity though,” Namjoon joked, chuckling lightly. “Hyung that’s gross.” Namjoon laughed louder this time, and Seokjin smiled. The pub owner thought the other’s laugh was cute. ‘Oh no Seokjin, you’re falling hard. Oh no.’ Namjoon and Seokjin’s eyes met, their gazes lingering for just a moment that felt both too long and too short. Namjoon briefly wondered how Seokjin’s lips would feel on his, the softness of those full lips, the taste of his tongue, and how great it’d probably be to make out with Kim Seokjin. Namjoon took a swig of his drink before he continued thinking. The citrusy taste hit just nicely, and the photographer commented on how he liked it to Taehyung. “Does that mean you’ll order it again, hyung?” “Yeah, doesn’t beat soju, but I can handle it.” “I can’t believe you like Sex in the Driveway,” Seokjin teased, causing Namjoon to start spluttering. “Oh. Oh God no I did not mean it that way. I meant the drink, you idiot!” Taehyung started laughing, tears in his eyes as he joked, “I don’t need to hear you two talk about your sex life.” The pub owner lightly smacked Taehyung over the head; his cheeks flushed a dark pink as he put back the alcohol bottles. The photographer looked at the drink in his hand, swirling it around and taking a sip. ‘I wouldn’t mind having sex with Jin hyung, honestly. In bed or in the driveway.’ ‘Wait.’ ‘What the fuck Kim Namjoon.’ Namjoon slid out of his chair, keeping his voice as even as possible to excuse himself to the restroom. The mauve-haired male ignored the cheeky grin on Taehyung’s face. The bright white lights of the bathroom almost blinded him, and Namjoon squinted his eyes until he got adjusted. He gently splashed water on his face, trying to erase any erotic thoughts regarding the man he was currently definitely infatuated with. The photographer eyed his reflection, splashing more cold water on his face. “Stop being a fool, Namjoon,” He whispered, looking down at the pearl white sink. Namjoon let out a sigh, shaking his bangs out of his face as water drops flicked from his hair onto the mirror. He lightly ran a hand through his hair, before finally leaving the restroom. Seokjin glanced at Namjoon when he slid back into his seat, a carefree smile on his face as he softly asked if the photographer was okay. The mauve-haired male nodded while he looked up into comforting chocolate eyes, taking a quick sip of his drink as he felt butterflies in his stomach. Seokjin didn’t miss the way Namjoon’s tongue peeked out to lick at his bottom lip. A part of him ached at the sight. “So, how was work today?” “It was pretty okay, could’ve been better.” “Hm... What can I do to make your day a little bit more pleasant?” ‘Kiss me.’ “Ah, fuck me,” Namjoon cursed. “Unfortunately, I don’t provide that service in my bar. I’ll consider if you’re willing to pay extra,” Seokjin replied, a devilish smirk on his face. Namjoon felt the heat from his face retreat to a lower place, gulping lightly. The pub owner laughed, and the photographer fell harder. “Y’know hyung, you’re really, really good looking.” Namjoon kicked himself internally for lamely trying to change the subject. “Mhm, I know that. But what can I do to make your day better? I think you didn’t mean to say what you did.” “Oh. Right. Um, just talking to you is good enough,” Namjoon replied, smiling at Seokjin. Seokjin also thought Namjoon’s dimples were really adorable.They looked at each other for a while, as though trying to memorize each other’s faces. Their gazes broke off at the chime of the doorbell, and a customer slipped in a seat near the end of the counter, immediately asking for a shot of whiskey. Namjoon found himself staring at Seokjin’s shoulders when he went to take a bottle of whiskey, wondering if he ever noticed how broad they were. The photographer looked away when Seokjin started pouring the alcohol into a shot glass, serving it to the man politely. The man seemed to be a regular, based on the flash of recognition in Seokjin’s eyes. Namjoon quietly analyzed the new customer while chatting with Taehyung. The suit-wearing man looked to be clearly drunk already after a few drinks. Definitely had a low alcohol tolerance, he noted.Namjoon couldn’t deny the sense of danger emanating from the man, trying to ignore the thought nagging at the back of his mind. Anyhow, the way the man was eyeing Jin lasciviously unsettled Namjoon, who kept a watching eye on him. “Ahh Jinnie, you look beautiful as always~” The man slurred, smirking at the pub owner. “Thank you, Han-ssi, your patronage is greatly appreciated,” Seokjin replied with a gentle smile. “Seokjin-ah, when will you stop teasing me?” “I’m sorry?” “You should come to my place, and wrap those luscious lips around my cock. Hell, maybe I could fuck that nice hole of yours.” Namjoon winced at the words, but Seokjin managed to pull off a polite tone. “Han-ssi, I think you’ve had too much to drink tonight. Would you like me to get a cab?” “Yeah, I’d love to jerk you off in a cab, sweetie.” Seokjin coughed awkwardly, and Namjoon took another swig of his drink. “Han-ssi, maybe you should take a rest.” “How much for the night, Seokjin? I’ll pay you whatever, as much as you want.” “I’m not on the menu,” Seokjin laughed lightly, but Namjoon heard the discomfort in his voice. “Come on, don’t be like that.” “I don’t think this is a good idea, Han-ssi.” “Wanna go somewhere private, darling? How about the backseat of my car?” Namjoon just about had it.He wasn’t taking more of this.A feeling of dread and rage boiled in his guts at how Seokjin seemed to have dealt with these situations before. Seokjin didn’t deserve this treatment, hell, no one did.Namjoon finished the rest of his drink before walking over and addressing the customer, the buzz giving him a rush of courage and adrenaline. This was something he never thought he’d be doing, but it was necessary to intervene. “Sir, this isn’t a brothel where you can throw money and get a hooker. This place, is a respectable establishment. The owner of this pub is also, not someone who you can treat like a prostitute. Really, you’re bad for business.” “Namjoon, it’s fine, let me handle it.” Namjoon disliked the pleading tone masked underneath Seokjin’s tense voice, holding his ground as the man stood up from his seat. “Huh? Who the fuck are you? A bouncer? A cop?” Namjoon smiled lightly, “Someone who is a better customer than you are.” “You better shut that mouth up before I make you regret it!” The photographer’s smile widened, straightening his back. The height difference wasn’t that obvious as Namjoon was slightly leaning back, but now that he squared up to his full height, he looked intimidating. Namjoon tried his best to appear smug while looking down at Mr. Han. “Sir, would you kindly leave? People are looking now.” It was true. People were indeed shooting glances at the scene, some having their phones at the ready to record the possible fight. Knowing his reputation was most probably at stake, the man only cursed, giving Seokjin a dirty look. “Not like he’s worth more than being called a cheap slut, a filthy whore, probably calls men daddy in the sheets,” he spat, rooting Seokjin to his spot. Mr. Han literally threw his money at Seokjin, the dollar bills slapping his cheek before the man stalked off hurriedly. The rest of the customers stared blankly, not sure what to make of the scene. No one said a word or tried to stop Mr. Han from leaving. Namjoon grimaced, silently chiding the man for his behavior under his breath.Taehyung looked at Seokjin, who stood frozen as he rubbed his cheek idly. The dollar bills were scattered on the floor below him, and Seokjin robotically collected the pieces of money before placing them in the cash register. Wide-eyed and almost unresponsive to Taehyung’s gentle hand on his shoulder, Seokjin excused himself to the restroom, locking himself in a stall.Namjoon shared a look with Taehyung before he went after Seokjin, stopping in front of a closed bathroom door. The photographer’s heart fell apart like pieces of broken glass when he heard light sobs and sharp intakes of breath.Seokjin was in there, crying, and God, it felt like a knife stabbing through his abdomen. He gently tapped on the door, waiting for a response. The sobs stopped suddenly, and Namjoon could almost imagine the way Seokjin was wiping away at his tears.It hurt. “Leave me alone, Namjoon.” It hurt because Seokjin was trying to push him away. It hurt because he thought he could help make it a little better, be a shoulder for Seokjin to lean on. “Hyung, please. Talk to me.” “I don’t want to,” Jin protested, sniffling as tears streamed down his cheeks. “Seokjin hyung, listen. That man was just talking shit. You’re not a cheap slut or a filthy whore. You’re better than that. You’re perfect, hyung. That man? He just wanted to get in your pants. Once he didn’t get what he wanted, he’s obviously gonna bitch about having blue balls. Don’t take what he said to your heart, hyung.” Silence replied him from the other side of the door, except for a few sniffles. Seokjin was still wiping the tears on his face, quietly listening to the words. “Hyung, look, I don’t think of you as a slut or a whore or whatever. Nor do Taehyung and Jimin. Heck, even Yoongi-hyung and Jungkook. Please, open the door?” “Can I trust you?” Seokjin said, barely audible. The pub owner looked up at the door, imagining Namjoon’s expression. Slowly, hesitantly, he let himself stand up from his initial position of sitting down with his knees pulled close to his chest. “Trust me. I mean what I say.” Namjoon almost fell forwards when the stall door opened, miraculously gaining his balance. He enveloped the older male into a hug, the shaking of the other’s body crushing his heart even more. “You’re gonna be okay, hyung. I got you. It’ll be okay. Trust me.” Namjoon kept whispering comforting words in Seokjin’s ears, and Seokjin felt almost a little better. The shudders stopped, and the two males released each other. Seokjin pulled Namjoon in for a quick hug to thank him, the words sending Namjoon’s heart into a flutter. “Anything for you, hyung. As long as you’re smiling.” “You’re cheesy, Namjoon.” The smile on Seokjin’s face was worth it, regardless. Namjoon mirrored his smile, falling even more for the man with the gorgeous copper eyes he met under cherry pink skies. The duo walked back outside, yet Jimin kept quiet as he silently noticed the hidden sadness in Seokjin’s eyes.
10942656	Dont Play With Your Food	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Hannibal Lecter, Will Graham", "Fandom": "Hannibal (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by Hannibalsimago, purplesocrates", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-19T00:00:00", "words": "5,336", "Additional Tags": "Bottom Hannibal, Medical Procedures, Playful Sex, Anal Sex, Mention of Dogs, Minor Character Death, #ReleaseTheCrackin, Do not copy/repost this story to another website", "Relationship": "Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": "#ReleaseTheCrackin, Sub!Hannibal", "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	It was Hannibal’s idea but he was encouraged by the look of awestruck arousal that had come across Will’s face when he mentioned it. Hesitating only a moment, Will nodded frantically agreeing as if he was worried Hannibal would change his mind. Hannibal had given him specific instructions which Will had only heard through the haze of desire that had started to fog his brain the moment Hannibal had started talking about it. Will went the very next morning to buy the item and other things they would need. Will even bought a couple of different ones thinking Hannibal might like a choice. Later that afternoon, Will spent quite a bit of time creating a romantic scene even going so far as setting out the organic lavender-rosemary beeswax candles for mood lighting. They had decided on the dining room as it seemed an appropriate venue. Will had draped a few layers of blankets on the table and the covered it with the really expensive silk sheets the ones Hannibal liked to use for special occasions such as this. If he was honest, Will enjoyed the contrast of the blue against Hannibal’s skin and he knew Hannibal would appreciate the sensuousness of the fabric against his naked body.He also placed some pillows at one end of the table to ensure comfort. He made sure that the room temperature was warm and even thought to have a cd of Bach’s Goldberg Variations (for harpsichord only) playing in the background to relax Hannibal knowing how much he appreciated the instrument. Hannibal was waiting in the dining room wearing his fluffy, soft robe standing patiently enjoying the scene Will had set up for him. Will entered carrying one of Hannibal’s largest serving trays, the one with the covered lid. Hannibal’s raised eyebrows spoke volumes when he saw the tray. “Is that really necessary, Will?” “I thought it would add to the suspense and drama, you love a spectacle. Would you like to choose which one I use?” Will spoke with a glint in his eye. “No, I will leave that entirely up to you. I would like the experience to have an air of mystery to it.” “My choice it is then.” Will grinned and placed the tray down on the sideboard. Hannibal smiled slyly “how do you want me?” ‘If you would lie back on the table?” Will helped Hannibal out of his slippers placing them beneath the chair. Hannibal then climbed up onto the table and laid down. “Is the room warm enough? Are you comfortable?” Will asked and Hannibal nodded. “I’m going to blindfold you now. Please tell me at any time if you become cold or if there is any pain or discomfort. What is your safeword?” “Ratatouille” Will languidly kissed Hannibal, savoring the slight hitch in Hannibal’s breath as he pushed aside the robe to reveal Hannibal’s chest running his fingers over a nipple and pinching it slightly. The resulting arching of Hannibal’s back made Will moan. Breaking the kiss, Will pushed aside the robe from Hannibal’s legs softly brushing his fingertips on warm skin. Hannibal hummed under the touch. Eventually Will found his way to the tie of the robe and with one swift motion he undid the knot allowing the robe to be pushed aside completely, revealing Hannibal’s naked body. Hannibal’s senses were heightened by having his vision restricted. He could smell the beeswax candles and enjoyed focusing on Will’s voice in counterpoint to the music. Will was touching him as if he were gently and lovingly playing the harpsichord on Hannibal’s skin. Hannibal could not help but make contented relaxed noises as Will continued to stroke him. Will helped Hannibal out of the robe, then placed it on a chair. “You are so beautiful Hannibal. I could look at you for hours and never get tired of it,” Will said looking at Hannibal’s body laid out on the dining room table for him like a feast. Will continued to caress and stroke as much of Hannibal’s skin as he could reach. He watched as a steady rosy flush spread across Hannibal’s face, neck, ears and upper chest. Enjoying listening to the small, responsive noises Hannibal could not repress, as he continued to explore Hannibal’s body. Every sigh and moan heightened the sensuousness of the experience for the both of them. By this time, Hannibal was moaning languidly. “More. I can take more, Will”. “I know you can, Doctor Lecter.” Hannibal hummed at the use of the term Doctor and Will smiled. “You are doing so well. Are you cold? Thirsty?” Hannibal shook his head no. Will had reached Hannibal’s hips and spent quite a lot of time stroking and touching his upper thighs avoiding Hannibal’s increasingly insistent excitement. Will then focused a joyous amount of time preparing Hannibal who was now wide open and elegantly wriggling under Will’s expert fingers. “Are you ready?” Will asked rather unsure if he, himself was, but they had to bite the bullet at some point. All though part of Will thought he could do this all night. Hannibal breathed “yes, I am.” Will started to insert his selection, sliding the greased surface just at Hannibal’s puckered entrance. Hannibal couldn’t help wriggling a bit by this point. Will calmed him by placing a hand on his hip and holding him still. He eased the object in more and more. The burn was incredible. Hannibal winced slightly at the intrusion causing Will to stop moving the object all together and make a soothing noise, stroking Hannibal’s hip once more. “I can’t Will. I just can’t,” Hannibal panted. “If I kiss you, will it help?,” suggested Will. Hannibal hummed in agreement. Will started to deeply kiss Hannibal, his tongue darting everywhere in his mouth, stroking up against his upper palate, running his tongue over his deliciously pointed fangs and sucking ferociously on his tongue. Will then started to focus his attention on Hannibal’s tongue, easing the object further inside at the same time. The burn still there but not so intense. Suddenly, several things happened at once. Will was practically tongue-fucking Hannibal’s mouth. Hannibal’s sphincter spasmed inward and his internal muscles clenched and sucked the item from Will’s grasp, moving it far up inside Hannibal’s body. Hannibal jerked and writhed on the table giving an almighty shriek as the object abruptly shifted deep inside as his body continued to spasm. “Will! What are you doing? I don’t think it’s supposed to be like this! Ratatouille! AH, Ratatouille!” Hannibal’s ripped the blindfold off to see what exactly Will was doing. Will was shocked and immediately scared. The romantic evening had just taken a detour down a very dark lane. Hannibal was practically sobbing now. “Will! Didn’t you hear me? I gave my safeword! Please!” Will frantically tried to retrieve the item with his fingers, prodding and stretching but that only made it move farther inward due to shape and the oil and Hannibal’s superb musculature. “Hannibal I need you to bear down and push! I’m unable to reach it!” Groaning, swearing and crying, Hannibal uselessly complied. It was wedged fast. Shuddering, Hannibal’s voice turned glacial. “Will, did you-” he panted trying to regain some composure,”- hear any of my instructions last night?” “Of course! You said to choose something similar in shape, with some heft and firmness and to use lots and lots of lube.” Will rattled off the directions trying to sooth his lover. “Do you remember, oh shit-STOP” as something shifted inside in response to Will’s caressing Hannibal’s abdomen,”- that I told you that you would have to carve-” more frantic panting, “-the end of it so that it would prevent this from happening?” Will’s face went pale and his eyes got even larger as he processed the information. “FUCK, oh, fucking hell! I was so excited to be doing this. I missed that part.” Hannibal torturously groaned and huffed. “I KNEW I should have made you repeat the instructions back to me. Is there no way you can reach it?” “Can we use something to grab the end?” “NO” Hannibal nearly shrieked and Will’s eyes closed and he cringed. Their romantic evening was ruined and Hannibal was in pain, both of their erections long gone. The only focus now was Hannibal’s health and safety. Any remorse Will had must be set aside until Hannibal was safe. Will whispered “Hannibal, I’m so sorry! I have to take you to the ER. We have to go to John Hopkins right now.” “NO, not Hopkins!” “YES, it’s the closest. You don’t get to choose this!” Hannibal sobbed quietly as Will rolled him gently onto his side, any movement making the internal object shift and turn. “Oh Dievas, tai kankinimas.” Hannibal grunted in his native language, usually a sign of pleasure but in this case Will was painfully aware it was most certainly not. Will assisted his lover to move to the end of the table. This resulted in an even longer litany of swearing, panting and frantic cries of “STOP!” as Will maneuvered his lover’s legs over the edge of the table and swung Hannibal’s legs over the side. “Just sit there for a minute. I have to blow out the candles.” Will raced around the room extinguishing all the dancing lights and shutting off the Bach. Hannibal sat whimpering and panting on the edge of the table, hunched over. Will grabbed the robe and slippers Hannibal had on earlier. He put the slippers on Hannibal’s shivering feet, stroking and gentling his shins as he did so, kissing Hannibal’s ankles, trying to indicate his sorrow over this situation by the gesture. Hannibal managed to touch the top of Will’s head with his right hand, just grazing Will’s curls and yanked unconsciously as something shifted inside in response to a large exhale when Will kissed Hannibal’s knee. Will winced at the brief pain; it was nothing compared to Hannibal’s right now. “Can you stand upright?” Hannibal groaned at the prospect and said “No...impossible” as the thought made his insides clench, causing another flash of pain. Much cursing, shuddering and an oath of “I should shave Winston for this!” filled the dining room as Will managed to get Hannibal to stand from the table. His posture, once so straight and elegant as a dancer’s was now humiliating to see; bent over, awkward and contorted, his face grimacing in pain and indignation. “Can you straighten up anymore?” Will asked his voice as soft as he could make it. “Will, I am as upright as I can be! If I stand up any more, something will rupture and you will have a bigger problem to deal with!” Will knew that Hannibal’s yelling was just his anxiety briefly surfacing as he struggled to deal with the mounting discomfort seizing his body. His composure slipping a sign of how much pain he was in. Hunched over at a forty five degree angle, Hannibal tried to clench his insides and prevent any more internal shifting as he navigated his first few steps. He stopped, hissing and panting in agony as the pain intensified. Concerned over the length of time which had already passed to get them to this point and knowing how much further they had to navigate to even get his hurt partner outside and into the Bentley, Will was forced to say; “Hannibal, I need to get the wheelchair!” knowing Hannibal kept one for their extra curricular activities. “No no no no no!” Hannibal shouted, accent much stronger now as he began to realise the indignity was only just beginning. He did not want to be wheeled around in the same chair they used to transport their food. “YES, no arguments! Here, grab the table and just stand there. Don’t move! It’s just down the hall. I haven’t had a chance to put it downstairs yet. This won’t take long!” as Will darted out of the room, running down the hallway to retrieve the dreaded contraption. Hannibal knew it was a necessary evil at this point and the thought of the many future escalating humiliations he had in store for him this evening just made this one the first in a long line. He groaned, not just from the pain he was in, but at the knowledge of the fact that if he wanted to emerge from this episode without any significant internal trauma, he would have to submit to the litany of coming embarrassments. Hearing the sound of wheels, Hannibal glanced up as Will rolled it into the room, and positioned it behind Hannibal’s knees, locking it in place. Hissing in pain, Hannibal slowly lowered himself into the chair with Will guiding and coaxing every slow and measured movement. Once settled Hannibal moaned as Will lowered the footrests and placed his lover’s feet securely on them. “I’m going to get a flannel blanket to wrap you in. It’s chilly out there and you are already shaking..” “At this point,Will, the cold is the least of our worries!” Hannibal sniped and Will winced. Overriding any objections, Will went to the linen cupboard to retrieve the blanket. “Think of it like me giving you a hug,” Will said as he tucked it around Hannibal’s lower legs and abdomen. Even with his complaints, Hannibal was grateful for both the wheelchair and the added warmth of the blanket, he was starting to shiver with more intensity now. “Will, for the love of god please hurry!” “I am, Hannibal!” Will tried not to sound irritated as he pushed Hannibal down the hallway. Before they left the house, Hannibal gave Will two orders. “Grab the emergency cash and one of my aliases, the Josif Lonescu driver’s license please.” Will complied and knew better than to object at the moment although he was puzzled by the request. Will adjusted the passenger seat of the Bentley as far back as it would go to give Hannibal room and also to make it slightly easier to transfer Hannibal to the seat. Appreciating for once Hannibal’s expensive taste as it allowed Hannibal to be as comfortable as he was likely to be while being transported in his current predicament. Will just about managed to lift Hannibal across to the seat from the wheelchair with no incident, however it didn’t stop Hannibal from uttering more curses and vows of taking the clippers to more of Will’s dogs. Both of them were grateful that the ride to John Hopkins Emergency Room was uneventful. Pulling up to the ER entry, Will asked the orderly for a wheelchair and assistance as Will got out of the car, gave the keys to the valet and rushed to help Hannibal out of the car. The orderly reached Hannibal first. “Can you stand upright sir?” “NO! I BLOODY WELL CAN’T!” Hannibal roared. “No problem! Let’s get you in an examining roo-” said the orderly. It was a sign of how much pain Hannibal was that he interrupted the man, “Who is on call?” “What?” said the orderly as he maneuvered Hannibal into the wheelchair. “On call. Who is on call?” Hannibal hissed and then took a deep breath attempting to restore his calm. “This is quite unlike me. I do apologize for my earlier rudeness. I’m in agony.” “I understand. No need to apologize. Dr. Lydegate is on call tonight.” At this, Hannibal groaned almost as loud as he did when he was penetrated. At the sound, the orderly pushed the wheelchair much faster as the threesome headed into the ER. Hannibal was immediately rushed into an examining room which only confirmed how serious the situation was. A small cluster of nurses and aides rushed in to transfer Hannibal from the wheelchair to the examining table amid much cursing and groaning from Hannibal. One aide stepped aside and asked Will about insurance and registration information. “We have to do this now?” questioned Will. “Yes, sir. Hospital regulations. We have to know whom to bill,” was the reply. Will gave the requested information from the ID as he watched a nurse practitioner carefully exchange the flannel blanket for a hospital issued blanket. He handed the blanket to Will and proceeded to undo the ties on the robe. “We need to get you out of this and into an examining gown. Your friend can hold onto this for you. It will be fine.” Will watched as the nurse raised the angle of the examining table to forty five degrees to take pressure off of Hannibal’s back. Once Hannibal was changed into the examining gown and covered by the blanket, the nurse practitioner eased Hannibal against the raised back of the examining table. Hannibal started to shake. One of the nurses immediately ran to get the attending physician. Another brought a heavier blanket and laid it over the shivering man. The nurse practitioner started to speak. “My name is Kwasi Aman and I need to ask you some questions, Mr. Lonescu. I’m sorry if any of them seem intrusive or insensitive but be assured we need this information in order to treat you. Now, I need you to tell me exactly what the problem is?” Hannibal grimaced knowing it was probably painfully obvious to Kwasi what was wrong but knowing he would have to say it anyway. “I have an object stuck... inside of me, in my anus.” “I see, “ Kwasi said unfazed he had seen this before, a credit to his profession that not even a smirk passed his lips, “could you explain what was inserted and why.” “I think the ‘why’ is fairly self explanatory” muttered Will. The look Hannibal gave Kwasi would have sent chills down anyone’s back. Eventually he said “My partner and I were engaging in experimental sex play with an object.” “Can you be more specific?” Hannibal’s returning look was deadly as he whispered, “no, I cannot.” Kwasi asked, “why? I don’t understand-” Will spoke up and stepped forward. “Mr. Aman, He was blindfolded during this. Mr. Lonescu could not see what I was doing. We discussed the topic of activity before but I was actually the one who made the final decision.” “I see. But I still need to know exactly what was inserted.” “A vegetable.” “I’m sorry sir. I am not going to be playing twenty questions with you. I specifically need you to tell me what you inserted into your friend’s ass.” Will sighed. “Fine, a Japanese eggplant, about like so and so,” as he mimed the length and width of the object. Hannibal watched and listened to all of this with a kind of dumbstruck shock. When he heard Will’s answer, he moaned, leaning his head back, shuddering he said “I’m shaving the lot of them, the lot of them, do you hear me?” Kwasi looked confused but continued, Will attempted to ignore Hannibal’s rather obscure to anyone else threat. “How long has it been inside him?” The nurse practitioner asked remaining as professional as one could given the circumstances. Will looked at his watch, “about an hour.”“What attempts have you made to remove it?” “My fingers and asking Mr.Lonescu to, umm, push.” Kwasi turned to Hannibal who had closed his eyes. “Mr. Lonescu, do you have a fever, abdominal pain, any rectal bleeding?” At the last question, his gaze flickered over to Will who looked horrified. “At this you become a prude.” Hannibal said to Will. “This was your idea.” Will mumbled and Hannibal shot him a look that made him definitely fear for the welfare of Winston’s coat. Just at this moment, the attending physician strode into the room and observed the two men and the nurse practitioner. “Dr. Lydegate will take over now,” as Kwasi left the room, handing off the clipboard and the written information to the physician. “Mr Lonescu, don’t I know you from somewhere?.” Dr. Lydegate bared his teeth in what could charitably be described as a smile. “I recognize your face,” he said as Hannibal looked at his nemesis from his residency days who had most assuredly instantly recognised him. “I can assure you, you do not.” Hannibal responded attempting to be as intimidating as it was possible to be in his current condition. “Oh, this is going to be fun. Not for you, Mr Lonescu but definitely for me,” Dr. Lydegate muttered under his breath. “What was that?” Will asked sensing that this doctor and Hannibal had some kind of tension by the way Hannibal had become even more tense the moment the Doctor had walked in. “Nothing, shall we start by taking a look?” Dr Lydgate smirked and lowered the examination table to its original horizontal position grinning evilly as Hannibal moaned. “Please roll on your left side for me. I need to examine the anal region for evidence of tears, cuts, or bruising.” Will noted that Dr. Lydegate did nothing to assist Hannibal in moving nor do anything to alleviate his discomfort while the repositioning took place. Hannibal was concentrating on containing any exhalations of pain as he moved. However, he could not completely mask his facial expressions, which both Will and Dr. Lydegate watched urgently for evidence of Hannibal’s pain for entirely different reasons. “I will conduct the anal exam now. Do you wish for your...friend...to leave now?” Hannibal’s immediate “NO” brought a fresh new round of discomfort and Will walked to the head of the examining table and took Hannibal’s hands and cradled them carefully between his own as the examination began. Dr. Lydegate had in the meantime put on gloves for the exam but only used a minimal amount of lubrication. He wanted it to hurt. “ As I indicated, I need to assess for cuts, bruising and bleeding.” Dr. Lydegate’s fingers poked and prodded as Hannibal did his best to silence his sounds of distress at this painful exam and loss of dignity. The only comfort was clutching Will’s hands during the humiliating ordeal. Will wished he could cradle Hannibal’s head but did not want to give Dr. Lydegate any additional evidence of Hannibal’s pain and emotional distress. “I will need to insert a proctoscope in order to complete the exam.” Hannibal blanched as he heard this. “Is that really necessary in this case?” he said through gritted teeth, Will was thinking he did not like the sound of the word ‘proctoscope’ or Hannibal’s reaction to it. Dr Lydegate sighed, “Do you, Mr Lonescu, have any medical training or background? I can see from the personal history your friend gave that you do not. Therefore, you will not understand what is medically necessary and what is not.” “Actually my partner does have medical experience -” Will began but was cut off my Hannibal squeezing his hand too hard. “He does? What kind? You have not mentioned it on the form, is there something you would like to tell me?” Dr Lydegate looked serenely up at Hannibal who stared daggers back and Will sighed heavily. Hannibal knowing exactly what murderous thoughts Will was thinking squeezed his hand again and spoke with a venomous tone that made the Doctor smile even more smugly. “No, it’s fine please proceed, my partner here is mistaken.” “Well then I would advise to not argue with someone who knows better than you what is required in this case. I do not want to cause you unnecessary harm. Trust your physician, Mr Lonescu.” Will could taste the smugness in the air and it made his blood boil. “Right I will insert the tube and pump some air into you to see if I can visualize where the object is. It’s all very normal and straightforward.” “Yes I am sure.” Hannibal said attempting to maintain control of his dignity, Will shuffled and started to think of all the things he would like to stick up Dr Lydegate’s ass in a far less pleasurable manner than he had been planning with Hannibal. At the sight of the proctoscope Will blanched, “are you sure this is necessary?” Will asked once more and Hannibal squeezed his hand again. “I am the Doctor here, please trust that I know exactly what I am doing. If you would rather leave then please do so now.” Dr Lydgate responded with false compassion dripping from every word.Will was seething and Hannibal sensed it, “Will, please?! Just let him get on with it.” Hannibal said and looked pleadingly at his partner, knowing this humiliation would just have to be suffered if he was going to get through this without it being put on his medical history. Once again, using minimal amounts of lubrication Dr Lydegate started by inserting the hollow tube into Hannibal’s anus as he conducted the unnecessary exam. When the offending object was visualized by Dr. Lydegate, he said in an aside to Hannibal, “Hasn't anyone told you, you shouldn't play with your food?” Hannibal’s responding look could only be described as murderous. Hannibal shuddered and squeezed his eyes shut during a particularly rough portion. Will bent down and whispered words of comfort to Hannibal especially during this sequence. “Now please roll on your back for me. I also need to check your abdomen for any discomfort, swelling or bruising,” as his fingers none too gently checked all nine quadrants of Hannibal’s abdomen. Will’s sense of irritation increasing by the minute as each hiss, grunt and moan produced a wicked sense of satisfaction and a all-too-apparent sense of glee in Dr. Lydegate’s eyes. Who would have thought I can humiliate my former colleague and in such a spectacular manner? I almost wish I could film this and post it online., thought Dr. Lydegate. “We need to send you to Radiology to have x-rays done. I need to check for any perforations and internal bleeding.” A nurse entered the room along with an orderly to transfer Hannibal onto a gurney to wheel him down the hall to the Radiology department. Dr. Lydegate stood by and simply observed as the two lifted Hannibal off of the examining table, listening in joy to the painful choked-off grunts of his patient as the transfer took place. Will’s gaze kept flickering between the attending doctor and Hannibal’s suffering during this proceeding, cataloging everything and storing it away for the future. As the orderly wheeled Hannibal down the hall to the Radiology department, the nurse directed Will to the billing department. Will spoke to the billing receptionist and indicated that Mr. Lonescu did not have health insurance and therefore would be paying in cash for tonight’s services. There was no way to expunge the reason for the visit or Mr Lonescu’s name from the electronic medical record. But if anyone went researching Josif Lonescu, this emergency room visit would be all that someone would find with no way to link it to either of their true identities. Paperwork completed, Will went back to the examining room where he waited for Hannibal. He hoped that surgery would not be necessary. As he waited, a nurse steering a medical cart passed by. An overhead notice announced a code blue and the nurse left the medical cart by the side of the hallway and rushed to the patient’s room indicated on the announcement. Will got up to give the cart a cursory examination and found a used medical scalpel by the side of the tray along with a pair of medical scissors and some thread. Looks like someone’s been having some sutures done. This will come in handy as Will picked up and pocketed the scalpel and a clean pair of examination gloves. Will wandered over to the nursing station to ask about how long it was going to take Hannibal to finish getting x-rayed. The station nurse said there was a slight delay because someone had a gunshot wound which took priority over Hannibal’s x-ray but that Kwasi had given Hannibal some pain medication while he was waiting and made sure he was warm with an extra blanket. Will thanked her and started walking throughout the ER looking for Dr. Lydegate. He noticed that the ER was rapidly filling up with trauma victims which was not unusual on a Saturday night. Good. More cover for me. Will found Dr. Lydegate coming out of a trauma unit, his scrubs covered with blood and other bodily fluids. “Make sure you restrain him. He’s coming down off the PCP. I’m going to go change,” he said to the ER nurse inside the trauma room. “Oh, it’s you.” disdain evident in his voice and manner as he spied Will moving toward him. “Dr. Lydegate, I need to discuss something with you concerning Mr. Lonescu’s care. Would you please come with me? It’s rather a delicate question and I would like some privacy.” The shark grin appeared on Dr. Lydegate’s face and he followed Will with a rapacious hunger, eager to exploit this further development. Too engrossed in his thoughts, Dr. Lydegate did not notice Will making a furtive movement as the two of them entered an empty trauma room. Will spun around Dr. Lydegate to close the door to the trauma room, while quickly checking that the stolen gloves were in place. “So, what new thing do you have to tell me about Hannibal?” questioned Dr. Lydegate, expecting Will to react to the use of Hannibal’s real name. “I really need to get changed.” Now it was Will’s turn to grin “he sends his regards and wishes you to have this,” Will slid the scalpel in between Dr. Lydegate’s ribs and puncturing his chest wall in one fluid, brutal motion. Lydegate slid bonelessly to the floor, trying to hold his hand over the hole in his chest and struggling to breathe as the life slipped away from him, his eyes wide with horror the last thing he saw was Will’s smugly satisfied smile. Will slipped out of the room making his way back to the nurse’s station. On the way there, he had to pass by the examination room where the restrained PCP patient was located. Thanking his good fortune, he ducked inside noticing that the patient was comatose. He left the used scalpel on the gurney close by the patient’s restrained hand. On the way out of the room, Will stripped off the exam gloves and dropped them in the trash. He continued to walk up to the nurse’s station inquiring after Mr Lonescu’s status. He was told that they were just finishing up and would be bringing him back to the exam room. Will thanked her and returned to Hannibal’s room. Moments after he arrived, so did the gurney with Hannibal on it. Will thanked the attendants and moved toward the head of the bed and stroked Hannibal’s hair gently after they had left. Another announcement came over the loudspeaker indicating a code blue in one of the exam rooms and asking that all senior medical staff please respond. Will smiled and kissed Hannibal’s head. Kwasi stepped into the room and told Will and Mr. Lonescu that Dr. Lydegate had been called away but that he would be happy to take over Mr. Lonescu’s care for the rest of the evening. He explained that the x-ray indicated that the offending vegetable could probably be retrieved in the ER. Kwasi explained that he would have to pass a tube in between the vegetable and the wall of the rectum to equalize the pressure as the object was removed. But one of the big problems with trying to remove an object from the rectum, is that there is a strong suction between the object and the rectum walls. Of course, this was an uncomfortable procedure but not to worry, Mr. Lonescu would be sedated during the procedure. Several nurses stepped into the room, one to administer the pain medication and the other remaining to assist Kwasi. As the nurse gave Hannibal an injection for the pain, Will plainly heard Hannibal whisper that he was sure all of the dogs were going to come down with a temporary case of alopecia..
10904757	Afterdark	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": null, "Fandom": "iKON (Korea Band)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by ZombieCheeze", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-14T00:00:00", "words": "6,322", "Additional Tags": "Body Worship, Slow Build, Hand Jobs, Mentions of Rape Play/Resistance, Mentions of Consensual Noncon, Mutual Orgasm", "Relationship": "Kim Hanbin \| B.I/Song Yunhyeong", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Feel", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	“Hanbin, I know this is what you said you wanted, but…” Yunhyeong’s lying facedown on the bed in only his underwear, his voice muffled into his arms, which are folded petulantly beneath his head. Hanbin can hear perhaps not his words clearly, but certainly the undercurrent of brooding disquiet in his voice. However, Hanbin ignores him, swinging a leg over Yunhyeong’s hips and perching atop his ass as if he’s about to demand that Yunhyeong give him a pony ride. He hasn’t completely written the idea off, but it isn’t in his list of plans just yet. He pauses, waiting for Yunhyeong to elaborate, and when he doesn’t, Hanbin prompts: “Feels what?” Yunhyeong blinks, brought back to reality by the sound of Hanbin’s voice. “Feels really weird.” “Uh huh.” Hanbin says dryly. He runs his fingers thoughtfully along the edge of Yunhyeong’s waistband. “And?” “You’re not going to make me stay like this the whole time, right?” Yunhyeong grumbles. “You promised to let me do whatever I wanted in return for the last time, and this is what I want.” Hanbin says coolly, snapping the elastic of Yunhyeong’s underwear against his hip. Yunhyeong flinches at the sound as much as the surprise, and Hanbin can’t help but smile to himself. He’s already keyed up, already nervous, though he has no real reason to be. “I don’t like bottoming.” Yunhyeong mutters, turning his head to one side on his folded arms to give himself breathing room. What Hanbin can see of his expression looks petulant. “Yeah, well, that’s tough.” Hanbin says. “That’s what the safeword is for.” But Yunhyeong says nothing, sulking, and worries his lower lip between his teeth. It isn’t the physical aspect of bottoming Yunhyeong has issues with; in fact, he’d enjoyed it the few times he’d allowed himself to be talked into it. For him, it’s more a question of traditional values, things that had been honed and developed in him that can’t easily be deflected or reasoned with. Jinhwan calls it fragile masculinity. Junhwe calls it (ironically) being a little bitch, though admittedly never to Yunhyeong’s face. It’d been an honest effort, and perhaps a little bit of unacknowledged curiosity, but Yunhyeong wasn't able to enjoy it as the others did, consumed with the idea that it simply didn’t feel manly, that this wasn’t the natural way of things. It didn’t matter how much the others argued with him against that kind of mindset; Yunhyeong had found himself hating and fearing that intimate state of allowing another person inside him. He just isn’t able, nor willing, to open himself to anyone he doesn’t hold a position of power and Dominance over, no matter how slight. And perhaps he hadn’t really let go of the expectations he’d internalized as a child, either—grow up, marry a woman, have children—the real, natural way of things—even as he found himself plowing Hanbin on the regular. Nevertheless, their relationship is a funny one. Hanbin is unequivocally a leader, imperious and demanding, and his charisma is rooted in honesty and solid judgement that’s cemented their trust in him, no matter how hard he is on them. He may be deeply flawed as a person, as they all are, but he’s the best leader they could’ve asked for, and they’re all willing to follow his focus where they wouldn’t have followed the hyungs. Yunhyeong had been the one to discover the weak point in Hanbin, quite by accident. It hadn’t taken long at all for him to learn that the very same weak point had been the perfect size and shape for Yunhyeong’s own needs, though until that point neither of them had known outright what it was they needed. Initially, it had been Hanbin’s relationship with Bobby that everyone had expected them to settle into. They’re closer than brothers, closer even than lovers in some ways. Hanbin had grown dependent early on Bobby’s affection, and perhaps a little needy for Bobby’s help in the excessive demands of his daily life. Bobby had been all too happy to try, but unsure of how to best support Hanbin’s indistinct desires. As a result, Hanbin grew more and more dissatisfied with the vanilla sex, the mounting frustration, though worse than either of those things was his inability to understand his own vague needs. Finally, he’d come undone when Bobby had left Korea and headed back home to see his parents for the first time in two years. Desperately lonely, brittle, fracturing, he’d sought out the only person awake in the dorm at the time, the only person he felt he could rely on: Yunhyeong. It’d been a surprise to both of them when Hanbin approached him in the kitchen, heavy-eyed and twitchy with suppressed emotion, and latched onto his right arm without a word. The contact was like a spark in the night, zero hour—an immediate and easy closeness that hadn’t been there at all a few seconds before, and a quiet trust in the chemistry that had suddenly filled the room. And after that initial contact, it hadn’t taken long at all for those vague, dark needs to come to a head between Hanbin and Yunhyeong. Blood will always out. Yunhyeong, frustrated and tired of feeling powerless himself, had discovered beneath Hanbin’s hard exterior someone only too willing to yield to him. It was intoxicating—to overwhelm Hanbin, to siphon out his own aggression and frustration on someone with such a vast capacity to absorb it, to be handed without reservation all the control he desired—and more. The more turned out to be a strange compatibility between them, flowering slow and drowsy in the darkness, showing itself petal by petal in the way Hanbin kept coming back to him outside of the sex. A happy coincidence that had Hanbin curling up against Yunhyeong’s back in bed more and more frequently, or hooking his chin over Yunhyeong’s shoulder in front of the stove as Yunhyeong prepared dinner, or dozing in his lap in front of the television. None of this had seemed unusual to Yunhyeong, and he hadn’t noticed himself seeking it out in turn until it was too late for either of them. To be fair, none of this contact was unusual for any of them; a natural closeness within the group had been established early on in their lives, and their habits and gestures have ingrained themselves on one another as much by a factor of such close proximity as by the simple sheer enjoyment of touch. Junhwe and Bobby prefer a little more space, but even then, they’d learned to like the initiative and affection of those who craved the touch of warm skin, like Donghyuk and Hanbin. Hanbin still likes Bobby—loves him—of course, and Bobby had learned some things about himself that help bridge the gap that had once existed between them, a certain Dominant persona that Hanbin would’ve given anything to have encountered three years ago. Back then, Bobby had been the one Hanbin relied on, but for all his natural, unshakeable confidence, he hadn’t been sure enough of himself to be the one to take Hanbin’s control away. Instead, Yunhyeong had been the one Hanbin had opened to, while Yunhyeong put the roots of his sexuality down in Hanbin’s vulnerability; and for all their fluidity, with the seven of them swapping beds between one another like the tiles of a sliding puzzle, Yunhyeong had left his mark on Hanbin a long time ago. The depth and resilience of that mark shows, in the way Hanbin sometimes pushes Yunhyeong into bed aggressively, goading him into a reaction, every bit as forceful and dominant as Yunhyeong himself. Fingers twisted into hair, gripping tight, spitting, swearing, shoving, until Hanbin’s compelled to give in by Yunhyeong’s greater strength. Hanbin sometimes wears his armor a little too thickly, buckled in too tightly by his willpower. Yunhyeong’s greatest talent is to convince Hanbin that he’s allowed to be weak, that it’s safe to strip him of his resistance piece by piece. Sometimes it’s in the way Hanbin glances at Yunhyeong across the table, and Yunhyeong’s own responding smile. It’s Hanbin sliding his fingers into Yunhyeong’s fingers backstage, or Yunhyeong’s hand resting in the small of Hanbin’s back when they speak quietly together apart from the group, foreheads touching. And sometimes, it’s in the way Hanbin’s mouth slants over Yunhyeong’s when they think no one’s looking. Then there’s the rare occasion in which Hanbin agrees in advance to let Yunhyeong surprise him, to overwhelm and terrorize and consume him until Hanbin breaks under the weight of it. It doesn’t happen often, largely because it’s so hard on Hanbin, and partly because Yunhyeong rarely becomes so stressed these days, but the process and the outcome are always the same. Hanbin’s ended up worse for wear from some of them than others, and all things considered he hadn’t come off too badly from their last scene. Nonetheless, he’d remained angry and sullen with Yunhyeong for almost a full day afterward, for reasons neither of them were entirely sure about. Hanbin hadn’t even known he was angry until he’d exploded during dance practice. He’d shouted him himself hoarse at the other six before throwing his snapback on the ground, shoving his way past them and emerging onto the rooftop under a cloudy sky to have a hissy fit and a smoke. Yunhyeong was more than aware that it was his fault Hanbin was being like this, but he had the good sense not to bring it up among them. When Bobby tried to follow Hanbin, Yunhyeong caught him gently by the sleeve. “Leave it,” He said warningly, and Bobby hesitated uncertainly for a moment, his eyes darting between Jinhwan’s unhappy expression and Yunhyeong’s coolness. “It’s something to do with me. I’ll take care of it. You guys take a break.” But by the end of the day, Hanbin had come down off his high temper. Yunhyeong found it easy to forgive him, as did the others. That night Yunhyeong had held him in bed, soothing away whatever residual hurts his actions had left behind. “I’m sorry for upsetting you.” Yunhyeong murmured, and Hanbin, still sweating and breathless, had let Yunhyeong pull him close and stroke his hair like always. “Gonna make it up to me?” Hanbin teased. “What do you want?” Hanbin hadn’t replied right away, but the way his breathing changed told Yunhyeong he was thinking, and he wondered just a second too late what exactly he’d just set himself up for. “I want you to let me do whatever I want to you.” “Wait, what?” Hanbin shifted a little, pillowing his head against Yunhyeong’s sternum. “You heard me. Let me do what I want, without complaining.” He said, embarrassed. “That doesn’t sound like fun for me.” “It’s exactly what you do to me, hyung.” Hanbin retorted, voice heavy with irony. “You complain the whole time!” “Only because you want me to.” “Alright, alright! Fine. I’m all yours, Hanbin. Just please don’t make me do anything embarrassing.” In hindsight, just about anything Hanbin would’ve picked outside their normal pattern would’ve been embarrassing, and lying belly-down on the bed with Hanbin straddling him is as embarrassing as anything he could’ve imagined on his own. Any other time he might’ve sat up, pushed Hanbin down and taken over, but he’d promised. So he keeps his protests to himself and allows Hanbin to get on with it, impatient for it—whatever the hell it is. He’s still not entirely sure he understands what it is Hanbin wants. Hanbin stays quiet too, bracing his hands against Yunhyeong’s shoulders as he adjusts his weight; then, slowly, he strokes his palms down the broad expanse of Yunhyeong’s back, thumbs resting on either side of his spine. Down, all the way until the heels of his palms rest in the dimples above Yunhyeong’s narrow hips, and then slowly back up. Yunhyeong keeps still, frowning in concentration. Hanbin’s hands splay warm and flat across his shoulderblades, smoothing up and over the sides of his neck, pressing fingertips into the tension he finds there. If Hanbin had wanted to give him a massage, why hadn’t he just asked? It might be weird, but it feels…nice. Hanbin’s touch changes from a firm hold to just the fingertips of one hand. He sweeps this light touch slowly back down Yunhyeong’s spine again, and Yunhyeong tries hard to relax, though the tension in his shoulders is locked in, set firm. And nice as it is, Yunhyeong’s uncomfortable. Frustration and urgency punches him in the sternum nonetheless, safeword rolling around in his mouth impatiently, but he ignores it, swallows it back. It isn’t for him, and if Hanbin can tolerate Yunhyeong’s proclivities, then Yunhyeong would feel both humiliated and selfish for throwing in the sponge too early. He’d rather just fuck Hanbin into a stupor—he’d always rather do that—but he’d already agreed to endure this, whatever it is. Cautiously, gently, Hanbin reaches forward, tugging Yunhyeong’s folded arms out from under his head and positioning them flat by his sides, palms down. His fingertips run slowly back and forth over the back of Yunhyeong’s hands, and Yunhyeong realizes he’s clenching his fists into the bedcovers. He releases his grip after a moment, and feels the release of tension all the way up his arms and into his shoulders, eased by the softness of Hanbin’s touch as he turns Yunhyeong’s open hands over. Yunhyeong isn’t ticklish as a rule, but it’s strange how he shivers and flinches away from the curious gentleness of the rub of his thumb over the pulse point of Yunhyeong’s wrist, fingers sweeping up his forearm, into the crook of his elbow. Improbably, and against every instinct he has, Yunhyeong feels himself getting hard. Hanbin’s fingers coast lightly back down Yunhyeong’s forearms, fingertips running over the delicate bones of his wrist until his hands relax again, palms opening to Hanbin’s touch. The urge to get ahead of himself is almost overwhelming, but Hanbin manages to keep himself in check, manages to keep his head. He knows better than anyone else how cautious he must be, that this has to be done with the utmost subtlety. On some basic level, he’s aware that this is the way to reach past Yunhyeong’s barriers, if only for a moment. The only question he still holds is that of how long he can sustain it, or how long Yunhyeong will permit such reaching. If Yunhyeong catches on to what Hanbin’s doing, or if Hanbin gives the game away, he’ll withdraw at once behind his carefully built walls. Because for all his tenderness, his kind openness and friendly ways, there’s a flinty side to him that Hanbin’s always hated brushing up against. Yunhyeong is hard where Hanbin is softest, and rather than seeking out that space in which he can safely expose that weakness, he’s made it a space and a shell of its own. He’s protective, gentle, almost worshipful, but his gentleness never spills over into vulnerability, and he never allows himself the embarrassment and intimacy of being cherished and loved in the same way. He wants Yunhyeong to trust him, in the same way Hanbin trusts Yunhyeong with everything he has. Hanbin will make it easy, and he's ready to take the weight when Yunhyeong finally relaxes into his hands. “Is it okay?” Hanbin says quietly into the silence. “It’s fine.” Yunhyeong says, a little too quickly. Hanbin hasn’t even done anything yet, but Yunhyeong’s embarrassed to sound so breathless already, pleasure coiling warmly in the pit of his stomach. His cock is completely hard now, trapped between his hips and the mattress, and heat washes through him gently with every sweep of Hanbin’s hands. Hanbin, for his part, is calm, though he’s just as hard, jutting against the clingy fabric of his own boxers. He doesn’t pay it any mind, though; he’s far more focused on Yunhyeong, tongue poking out between his lips in concentration. He’s going to make Yunhyeong submit—even just a tiny bit, even if it fucking kills him—and that’s worth a hundred orgasms, a thousand. His own gratification is, as always, so much less important than his goal. It helps that Hanbin’s weight is still pinning him to the bed, because Yunhyeong’s torn between urges, caught between rutting himself against the mattress and throwing Hanbin onto the bed and fucking him raw, making him writhe and scream and beg like he does so prettily. But he does neither of those things, even when Hanbin’s weight lifts off of his hips. His impatience stirs again like a restless serpent, but all he does is raise his own hips automatically off the bed when Hanbin tugs at the waistband of his boxers, easing them down his legs and finally off to drop them on the floor in a heap with all Yunhyeong’s other clothes. He’s bewildered now, bemused by this gentle petting, and that’s what’s making him hesitate, compliant if not entirely willing. Hanbin starts from Yunhyeong’s feet this time, carefully running his hands over the bottoms of them, his touch firmer here to ease the ticklishness. Fingertips brush the ends of his toes, then drag up over the ball of his foot, thumbs tracing the arch. A lighter caress follows the curve of his heel, as if Hanbin is mapping him solely by touch in order to recreate him later an inch at a time, sensing all his varied textures: The jut of his ankle bone, the thicker skin along his achilles’ tendon, the coarseness of the hair on his legs, and the way he becomes softer, smoother as Hanbin’s hands make their way slowly up his calves. Whatever Hanbin is doing to him, though, it’s not at all what Yunhyeong had expected. It should be weird—or, rather, it should feel weirder than it does—but this suddenly doesn’t seem so bad to Yunhyeong. It’s not even entirely sexual; this is pure appreciation, and deliciously sensual in a way Yunhyeong has never really been able to grasp. But he’s impatient, too; indeed, that’s what got him in this mess in the first place. He can feel the restlessness shifting its weight again, indicating that he’s no longer impatient with Hanbin, but for him. He keeps telling himself he doesn’t prefer this, doesn’t even like it—much—but this… Hanbin paints swirls into the backs of Yunhyeong’s thighs, sending a renewed rush of blood south, making Yunhyeong squirm just a little; but he masters the urge, and after a moment Hanbin’s hands continue their path upward, little by little, thumbs finding the lower creases of his ass cheeks. Yunhyeong jerks when he feels the breeze of Hanbin’s breath on his lower back, and the weight and warmth of his body leaning over him, not touching but still heavy somehow. Yunhyeong’s surprised to realize just how much more he wants. Truth be told, he might’ve even been willing to bottom for Hanbin if he’d asked just now, because his nerves are already straining toward every gentle touch, pleasure and eager arousal filling him up like fumes, like a heat haze. He wants to feel, but he’d ultimately promised to feel only Hanbin for now. Hanbin is making him appreciate every single touch, the draft of Hanbin’s hot breaths against the small of his back, the way he holds Yunhyeong’s hips in his slow hands. The gentle stroke of Hanbin’s palms over Yunhyeong’s ass could’ve even made him come, if he were the sort of person who did that; but Yunhyeong isn’t, and Hanbin knows it. But it feels so good, so good, that he moans unconsciously into the bedsheets, arching into it slightly without knowing it. But Hanbin’s hands don’t linger, and they drag—pull—the delicious sensations all the way up Yunhyeong’s back, sending shivers of pleasure through him. Hanbin doesn’t kiss Yunhyeong like this, because he doesn’t want Yunhyeong to feel the smile on his lips. He makes a little sympathetic, encouraging sound in response, but says nothing; this is embarrassing and difficult enough for Yunhyeong without Hanbin praising him. In its own way, though far more subtly, it’s exactly like Yunhyeong likes to do to Hanbin: To ply and seduce and caress him, convincing him to submit through soft touches and a refusal to hear the word no. Neither of them are thinking about the semblance just now, distracted as they are, with Yunhyeong sinking deeper and deeper and pulling Hanbin right down with him. Hanbin lifts his weight from Yunhyeong’s thighs, sitting up slowly, dragging his hands back down over Yunhyeong’s back, his ass, his thighs. “Turn over.” He says, his voice barely above a whisper, and Yunhyeong does as he’s told, barely even considering arguing. He cautiously swings a leg back over Yunhyeong’s hips, being extra-careful not to touch or brush against Yunhyeong’s cock, which is flushed red and as hard as he’s ever seen it. The first touch of Hanbin’s hand against his belly makes Yunhyeong twitch involuntarily, overexcited, eager; Hanbin withdraws at once, startled by the sharp motion. “Easy.” He says softly. Yunhyeong frowns, realizing that Hanbin mistook his flinch of excitement for fear. “No,” He says, and again he’s embarrassed at how winded he sounds, as if Hanbin were sitting on his chest instead of his hips. “It’s alright, it’s—it’s fine.” He places his hands on Yunhyeong’s ribs instead, keeping a safe distance from his cock. “Still weird?” Hanbin can’t help himself asking the question, and for a tense moment he wonders if he just blew it, just fucked it all away. “A little.” Yunhyeong replies after a moment, eyes closed. His jaw is slack, his lips parted, and his breaths are coming faster now as Hanbin’s fingertips begin their slow exploration of his skin again. “Feels nice.” Hanbin hums, relieved by this response, his hands wandering slowly over the curves of Yunhyeong’s shoulders. He’d spent so long coaxing Yunhyeong down that it takes no more than a few passes of Hanbin’s hands for him to begin trembling with need, with excitement. Still Hanbin doesn’t give in, doesn’t touch him where he wants it most. Impatience surges up inside him once more, his mind fighting against this delicious slow torture even as his body would like nothing more than to give into it. Fingers walk gently across Yunhyeong’s wrists, thumbs brushing the thin skin at the crook of Yunhyeong’s elbow before leaping the gap to slide down Yunhyeong’s ribs. Like before, so again Hanbin leans over to brush his mouth across Yunhyeong’s nipples briefly. Only the tease of his breath leaves any kind of lingering sensation, because he moves on without pausing, mouth soft and dry and light across his collarbones, his sternum. Yunhyeong lets out a breath he’d been holding in a long sigh, and Hanbin smiles against his ribs. Those gentle hands move further down, back onto Yunhyeong’s belly, drawing lightly with his fingertips, and Yunhyeong’s abdomen contracts in response. He lets out a trembling breath that Hanbin realizes belatedly is a laugh. “Tickles.” “Sorry,” Hanbin murmurs, sliding his hands under Yunhyeong’s hips instead to lift him very slightly, feeling and experiencing the weight and warmth of his body in every sense. His belly is perfectly flat, his cock lying thick and heavy and hot along the line of his hip, leaving traces of clear precum drawn on the thin skin. Hanbin hesitates for only a moment before bending down lower to brush his lips along the line of tiny hairs arrowing down from Yunhyeong’s navel. Yunhyeong’s this close to snapping, maddened by the teasing. Each brush of Hanbin’s mouth and stroke of his hands has Yunhyeong’s nerves rising to the surface in eager protest, so that he arches, half-chasing Hanbin’s hands and the teasing tickle of his breath, the velvet texture of his lips. No, he wants Hanbin to kiss him for real, to grab him, squeeze and stroke, for those caresses to turn into licks and bites. Hanbin is overwhelming Yunhyeong, sip by sip rather than all in one bite. Hanbin senses Yunhyeong’s urgency, feels him shifting uneasily beneath him, and indulges him with a little bite to the hipbone, feeling and sharing the shudder of reaction that goes through him. But Hanbin’s still exceedingly careful not to touch Yunhyeong’s cock, even though he wants to; even though he can see how urgent and desperate he’s becoming, the wet head of his swollen cock now leaking almost continuously, almost painfully hard. Still, Yunhyeong isn’t giving in to him, not yet—though Hanbin is slowly prying his grip away finger by finger, touch by touch. Yunhyeong can’t, he can’t let go, can’t allow this to go on. “Hanbin—” He says breathlessly, trying to sit up, but his body is slow to react, lulled and gentled by Hanbin’s touches. “Mmm?” Hanbin pauses, looking up at Yunhyeong’s flushed face, his bright eyes, and then he slowly reaches forward to push him back down with a hand on his chest. Yunhyeong lets his head drop limply onto the bed, frustrated, irritated, so fucking turned on he can’t stand it.When it becomes evident that Yunhyeong doesn’t actually have anything to say, Hanbin resumes his gentle touches. Yunhyeong thinks he’s going to teach Hanbin a lesson later— —only now Hanbin’s breathing on the inside of his thighs, effectively distracting him from his plans for retribution, heat rolling through him just at the simple touch of Hanbin’s fingers gently urging his legs apart. He hates being at Hanbin’s mercy like this, hates that he’d agreed to put up with it; desperate to seize and regain the control that’d been stripped away from him, to leave this vulnerable place before Hanbin can get too deep. He groans, voice thick in his mouth. “Come on, Hanbin, just let me—ah, god, I just wanna fuck you so bad.” Yunhyeong’s eyes are closed, however, so he can’t see the narrow-eyed look Hanbin throws him, or the disdain and sly triumph in his gaze. “No.” The effect that single word has on Yunhyeong is immediate, not to mention complicated, and he only just manages not to fly apart, only just manages to hold onto himself; he stays where he is, but his body, which had been so relaxed a moment before, is tense now, shaken and tight with barely-suppressed orgasm. Hanbin’s nos have always set fire to Yunhyeong’s blood, sent him half-mad with aggression and lust, like the scent of blood in the water. That’s the first thing that happens, a lurch of pure reaction shooting through him, his belly quivering involuntarily with Hanbin’s touch. The urge to grab Hanbin and tear him limb from limb is almost overwhelming. And yet for the first time ever, at least since Yunhyeong can remember, Hanbin’s no is, for now, not coming from a place of weakness, or submission, or playacting. It’s real, and Yunhyeong isn’t used to Hanbin refusing him with such certainty, refusing to let Yunhyeong bowl him over or take control of the situation. It has him thrown so completely off balance that he can only lie there, too surprised to move, so aroused he can barely breathe, the tension ebbing from his body as quickly as it’d struck at him. But he doesn’t protest. He has no idea how to respond to this, and he wouldn’t know what to do even if he could muster the clarity of mind to support his argument. This is beyond words and well into desperation. He can’t even speak, because Hanbin’s sitting up between his spread legs, and Yunhyeong wraps his legs around Hanbin’s hips without thinking, inviting Hanbin in—silently begging to be touched where he’d never be able to ask outright. Hanbin’s already gotten to him, true, but Yunhyeong is letting him, wanting him. The idea sends a spiral of dizzy pleasure through Hanbin, and for a second he has to stop, taking deep breaths to cool the hot pounding of his blood. And then, finally, Hanbin takes Yunhyeong’s cock gently in one hand, and Yunhyeong arches at once, the muscles in his stomach tightening excitedly. Hanbin had spent so much time touching Yunhyeong, worshiping his body with those slow touches, that Yunhyeong’s been close to coming for what seems like hours. Every brush of Hanbin’s fingers along his hip, the hand sliding beneath the small of his back, the warmth of his palm stroking Yunhyeong’s cock, which is hot and hard in the grip of his hand—it all rises to a fever pitch, heat exploding through him without quite plunging him into orgasm. Any other person, any other time, Yunhyeong would’ve found himself unwilling, unable to come under such gentleness; even now, he doesn’t want to come like this. It’s too intimate, too close, too vulnerable to be helpless in Hanbin’s hands. He raises his head a little, and through slitted eyes sees the hot flush in Hanbin’s cheeks, the fierceness of his expression, the jut of his jaw, a look of such fixed intensity the likes of which Yunhyeong hasn’t seen since their trainee days. He’d like to tell Hanbin not to tease him, to hurry the fuck up, but it doesn’t feel right; it isn’t teasing in the sense that Yunhyeong had always thought of it. A tease might’ve bound his hands, restrained him, not trusting him to keep them to himself; and it’s true—even now, his hands close convulsively on the sheets to keep from grabbing at Hanbin. A tease would’ve lavished more attention on erogenous spots, fingers brushing his cock or probing at his entrance or cupping his balls, drawing out his desperation until he caved, pleading for release. A tease does it for himself, for the sheer pleasure of tormenting him, pushing all the buttons over and over again, taunting him until he can’t take it any more. But Hanbin hadn’t restrained him, nor had he given those sensitive places more than the briefest of bare touches; and yet here Yunhyeong is, desperate, wild, arching up against Hanbin with a singular screaming need tearing through his mind. Hanbin had had a purpose for this, but he’s forgotten it, lost sight of the horizon with how hot he feels just now, his body tensed and tight with his own pleasure. He’d never wanted anything more than to make Yunhyeong feel good in a new way. Still, he’s losing control of himself more rapidly than he’d like, his vision blurring and shifting as the sounds of Yunhyeong’s rapid breaths fill his ears. Yunhyeong’s legs tighten around Hanbin’s waist, drawing him in closer; Hanbin comes to him, hot and eager, his mouth open and panting against Yunhyeong’s heaving belly. He moves to mouth at Yunhyeong’s nipple, exhausted, overwhelmed—so close to coming himself he’s losing rhythm, his senses running together like melting wax as he tastes Yunhyeong’s pleasure on the air—and then a convulsion like an earthquake beneath Hanbin’s cheek as Yunhyeong twists up sharply into him with a long, low moan— Yunhyeong arches like a drawn bow into Hanbin’s hands, the black lightning of orgasm lancing through him; what’s surprising about it is that it doesn’t stop or fade, tightening and releasing over and over, deep wrenching pulses of pleasure like he’s never felt before. Some distant part of him is aware of Hanbin’s own moaning, of Hanbin’s tight grip on his waist, other hand tighter around his cock where he strokes Yunhyeong through the delicious rush of liquid heat. He has no idea how long it lasts, or when he finally comes back to himself; the intensity had gone on for so long, so overwhelming, that he finds his body leaden and his ears ringing once he’s aware of the room around him again, his vision slowly clearing to show Hanbin hunched over and panting above him. He looks much less stubborn and serious now, the flush of his face spreading all the way down his neck now, the front of his underwear marked with the evidence of his own orgasm where he’d come untouched in perfect tune with Yunhyeong. And to Yunhyeong’s great surprise, he finds himself as exhausted as if he’d been the one on top, as winded as if he’d just sprinted the last part of a race. His muscles are limp, wrung dry by his orgasm, and he trembles with weakness where he lies, Hanbin soft and warm against him. Hanbin laughs breathlessly, sitting up onto his hands and knees, and then he turns his face away from Yunhyeong as if shy as the passion collapses in on itself. He runs his fingers along the back of his ear as if tucking his hair behind it, though it’s not yet quite long enough to do that with. “Okay?” Hanbin says after a moment, smiling, still not quite making eye contact. His lips are swollen, his cheeks flushed with the heat of pleasure. Now that the moment has passed, Hanbin’s more than happy to fall back into his little self-conscious habits and allow Yunhyeong to cover for them; it had all been more draining than he’d expected. “Yeah…” Yunhyeong murmurs. Hanbin makes as if to sit up, but Yunhyeong reaches out, finds Hanbin’s wrist, pulls him back down without regard for the mess of cum spattered almost up to his collarbones. Hanbin doesn’t mind, though. Yunhyeong’s hand finds Hanbin’s cheek, holding him against his chest where Hanbin can hear the wild pounding of Yunhyeong’s heart against his breastbone. The warmth of Yunhyeong’s hard hand is exceedingly gentle, and Hanbin sighs almost without realizing it. It feels so good just to be held like this, as safe and calm as he’s ever been. He thinks that once he gets the feeling back in his legs, he might like a shower; Yunhyeong, however, would rather fall asleep right here, sticky and sweaty though they are. Yunhyeong doesn’t really have it in him to protest when Hanbin coaxes him to his feet and into the shower, though he does appreciate it a little more than usual when Hanbin insists on fussing over him, still solicitous, a little unsure of himself after shedding his adopted role over Yunhyeong. It hadn’t been easy to maintain the presence of mind needed to hold everything together, any more than it had been easy for Yunhyeong to relax when he’d been so uncomfortably aware of his own submission, his fiercely-held passiveness. So with only a minimum of fuss, he allows Hanbin to wash his hair, to scrub his skin and soap him all over with hands that tremble only a little, until Yunhyeong’s flushed with the heat of the water, suds pooling around their feet. Afterward, Yunhyeong washes Hanbin up too, though he spends more time kissing him than washing him. Finally, he discards the loofah entirely to pin Hanbin against the wall and run soapy hands all over Hanbin’s slick wet skin instead, until Hanbin’s whining and rutting against his thigh helplessly with Yunhyeong’s tongue in his mouth. Yunhyeong’s too spent to fuck Hanbin for all his trouble, but there are many ways of making good on such promises, and he makes use of all of them. Much later, when the shower spray finally begins to fluctuate between hot and cold, they finally extract themselves from the shower, Hanbin trembling and so weak and exhausted he can barely grip the towel Yunhyeong passes him. It’s cool and dark in the shared bedroom, the last yellowy light of sunset washed out of the curtains through which the open windows let the fresh air, the clear starlight and the last silvery sliver of a waning crescent moon. Hanbin collapses into the bed inelegantly, towel still around his waist and his skin still beaded with moisture. Yunhyeong smiles down at him, tugging the cool sheets back—still scented, he thinks, like their bodies—and sliding in next to Hanbin. Hanbin gravitates to his usual spot with his head in the pit of Yunhyeong’s shoulder, and Yunhyeong automatically wraps an arm around him, suddenly so sleepy he can barely keep his eyes open. Hanbin sighs deeply through his nose, his breath warm along the line of Yunhyeong’s collarbone, and Yunhyeong’s suddenly wide awake. Something crazy is going off inside him, his heartbeat doubling as if running away, startled by the pop and sputter of fireworks up and down along his nerves. It feels bizarrely like fear, though after a moment Yunhyeong has no idea what’s frightening about it; it’s only a startling sense of ticklishness with Hanbin tucking himself into Yunhyeong more closely, humming sleepily, his eyelashes flickering when he turns his face inward against Yunhyeong’s neck. His heartbeat begins to slow again, and drowsiness settles heavy once more on his eyelids as he good-naturedly envies Hanbin the ease with which he drops off to sleep these days. There’s a strange, warm glow inside him, something that retains the vestiges of the giddy pleasure left behind by Hanbin’s tickling breaths, though he doesn’t think too hard about it now. “Night, hyung.” Hanbin whispers. “Goodnight, Hanbin.” Yunhyeong murmurs in reply, his lips against Hanbin’s hairline. Yunhyeong’s last idle thought before he falls asleep doesn’t quite register, as if hearing someone shout to him across a vast gulf of silence. That he can’t quite hear it matters nothing, in the end. In the morning it will break free, pry him apart and strike at him like the rays of the full-risen sun, waking him in an instant from the deepest of sleep. Then he’ll know just what it means, just what it is Hanbin’s done. For now, though, it’s enough that Hanbin’s here with him, body meltingly soft against Yunhyeong’s, the rhythm of his deep peaceful breaths pulling Yunhyeong down into the depths of sleep alongside him. He’s already half-dreaming, already unable to tell the difference. All yours, Hanbin.
10950060	The One Rule	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": null, "Fandom": "Supernatural", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by bluefallenfandomwallflowers", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-20T00:00:00", "words": "601", "Additional Tags": "Season/Series 12, Episode: s12e21 There's Something About Mary, dream - Freeform, Short, thoughtful, hopefully, XD, A random thought I had initially if Ketch had loved Mary..., And I guess we will never know if he actually did!", "Relationship": null, "Character": "Arthur Ketch", "Relationships": "implied, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Arthur Ketch/Mary Winchester", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	“You’ve fallen too, haven’t you?” Ketch is suddenly sitting at the edge of his bed, eyes widening marginally at the sight of the intruder. He’s still in the hotel they had checked into a few hours earlier. Mary is still sound asleep in the other bed. She used to lie on her side and curl up, her lips parted just a bit as she breathed. Now she sleeps on her back, face grim and chest moving up and down steadily. A gun is tucked under her thigh, her fingers wrapped around it. Like a robot. Ketch looks away and studies the angel in front of him, swallowing, lifting his chin so his surprise melts away. It’s clear that the angel caught it of course, but Ketch figures that’s not of importance to him. They’re more similar than either of them would like to admit. “I’ve heard that you angels can appear in dreams,” Ketch says. “Is that what this is?” Castiel nods, dark blue eyes drifting towards Mary. “It wouldn’t have been safe in reality.” “It rarely is.” Ketch clears his throat and rolls up his sleeves. “Why are you here, Castiel? Last I heard, you had run away with the poor mother of Satan’s offspring.” The angel is leaning against the wall, his trench coat missing, tie askew. His hair is windswept, but he looks more alert than Ketch has ever seen him. He looks human. “You broke the one rule, Arthur,” Castiel says softly, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t understand.” Ketch shakes his head and tries to convey an expression of indifference. His statement is true, but if he thought long and hard about it, he would be able to guess. “You care for her, don’t you?” Castiel gestures towards Mary. Ketch immediately grits his teeth. “Of course not. You see what we have done to her. She is merely a weapon.” Chuckling, Castiel pushes off the wall. He makes no sound as he crosses the room to her bed, setting his hand upon her forehead. She doesn’t wake. “Mary is trapped in here,” Castiel whispers. “Confused, lost, hurting. She wants her boys.” A thin portion of guilt slips through the cracks, but Ketch forces himself to batter it back down. “She’s doing what she was born to do, Castiel.” “And yet, I can feel you longing for her.” “You’re wrong.” “I’m not.” Castiel pulls away from Mary and his eyes flash at Ketch. He seems different. “We’re similar, you and I.” “How in the world could we possibly similar?” “If there is one thing I have learned from my time here on earth it’s this.” Castiel steps forward, eyes sad now. “Never fall in love with a Winchester.” “I-I haven’t—” “Please don’t lie. It doesn’t benefit either of us.” Castiel shakes his head. “I care for them deeply, more than anything in the entire universe. But in their own way, they are dangerous. They are involved in scenarios and instances that cost you your life every day. Loving them… Being in love with them is a risk. And yet… We’ve both done it. And the thing is Mr. Ketch…” Castiel peers into Ketch’s eyes and it is as if his soul is being bared and every emotion he has locked away is rising to the surface. “We don’t even care.” Ketch sits upright as he comes to, gasping. The angel is nowhere to be found, but Mary is awake, packing her things. “Ready to go?” she asks. Ketch remembers the dream and abruptly commands himself to push it out of his mind, to forget. It never happened. “Yes.”
10959741	Take Me Back To The	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Wyatt Logan, Lucy Preston", "Fandom": "Timeless (TV 2016)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Jessalea3", "chapters": "2/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-21T00:00:00", "words": "1,185", "Additional Tags": "Lyatt, wucy", "Relationship": "Wyatt Logan & Lucy Preston", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Lucy was sitting in her living room reading when she heard her son's car pull into the driveway. They weren't expecting him to arrive for at least another day, but calling for Wyatt, she made her way to the door. As she waited she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Thin wisps of silvery white touched her temples mixing lightly with her still brown hair. At almost sixty, the creases and lines had settled permanently around her eyes and mouth, and if she squinted, she saw her mother's face looking back at her. Shaking off that thought and the ghosts that came with it, she threw her arms open to welcome Ethan as he walked through the door just as Wyatt came down the stairs, the wiggly bundle of their two-year-old granddaughter in his arms. "Daddy!" Eleanor tried to launch herself out of her grandfather's arms towards Ethan and if Wyatt's reflexes were any slower she would have nose-dived to the floor."Hang on there, Babydoll," Wyatt chuckled as he handed her over to her father for a hug. The smile faded from his mouth when he caught sight of the look on his son's face. "Did something happen on the mission? I thought it was a routine research trip," Wyatt asked. Ethan looked from his father to his mother, the frown deepening as he met Lucy's eyes. Lucy reached for Ethan's arm in comfort and was taken back when he pulled out of her reach. She looked at her husband in bewilderment."Ok, let me turn on Elli's movie and you two go in there so we can talk," said Wyatt nodding toward the kitchen. "Come on, El, want to watch some Yoda?"Ethan relinquished his daughter to his father and turned to the kitchen. Lucy was at a loss on his behavior, usually after his trips to the past he was full of interesting stories to share with her. He'd been with Mason Industries Time Services for more than two years on special assignment from the Army, much like Wyatt has been all those years ago. While their mission has been to prevent terrorists from changing history, his position was as security for a team that simply observed historical events and scientific occurrences. No danger. "Do you want some food? We fed Elli already but we haven't eaten dinner yet," Lucy spoke to her son's back where he braced himself against the counter.Ethan turned to her suddenly, grabbing her arm. He glanced to the TV room where they could hear Eleanor babbling about Star Wars. "Mom, what does the name Jessica mean to you?" ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- August 2017"No, absolutely not," Wyatt had his feet planted and arms crossed where he stood behind Lucy's chair, staring down Agent Christopher.Agent Christopher's mouth was set in a stubborn line and Rufus's head swung back and forth between the two. Lucy sat with her hands folded in her lap, weighing her words carefully."Wyatt," she tried, but he cut her off."No Lucy, it's not happening and that's final."She twisted in her seat to look at him, but he turned and left the conference room letting the door slam behind him. Lucy stared after him but felt Denise's eyes on her."Lucy, you know as well as I do this is our only option. We've been chasing Emma for six months with little to no success. We need an advantage and this is the way to do it.""I get that but is Flynn really our only option? The last time I saw him he was not happy with me in the least. And if we do this, Wyatt can't go. There's no room for him in the Lifeboat. I won't go without him.""Me either, Flynn had Capone shoot me, I'm not in a hurry for a repeat performance," added Rufus."Let's take it one step at a time, people. He asked for you, Lucy. He realizes you had no part in his apprehension. A trip to save his family was a carrot we dangled for the information Emma shared with him. Now, go try to talk some sense into your soldier."Lucy shared a skeptical look with Rufus before pushing to her feet. Leaving through the same door as Wyatt she headed towards the parking lot. She knew he was still there because they drove in together and he wouldn't have left her, no matter how annoyed he was. He was just worried, understandably, so was she. But they had a job to do which was to take down Rittenhouse.Denise had called him her soldier. Despite the current situation, that reference made her smile. Six months ago, the night her mother brought the last piece of normalcy crashing down around her, she'd run straight for him in grief. He'd wrapped her in his arms and hadn't let go.She'd been tucked under a blanket next to him on his couch when her mother arrived at the door three nights later to collect her, from his apartment. It was his quick thinking that had kept Carol at bay. With two words murmured in her ear, double agent, before she'd opened the front door, her life once again took a surreal turn. Lucy explained that she needed time away to adjust to this new information and accept that her mother wouldn't help her get her sister back. She would reach out when she was ready. Two days later she'd met her mother for lunch, an earpiece and tracker firmly in place while she gave her mother her terms. She would be living with Wyatt and continue her work at Mason Industries. However, she would report back to her mother any information she could about her travels. Her mother seemed to accept that was all she was going to get for the time being, but kept alluding to bigger plans in the future. So now she shared carefully edited versions of their trips with her mother over home cooked meals. Which she was currently late for because of the last minute team meeting.She found Wyatt leaning against his truck, arms still crossed. She walked straight up to him and placed her hands on his forearms, gently bringing his hands out to hold hers."Do you trust me?""This has nothing to do with trusting you and everything to do with not trusting Flynn.""You're right, of course, but I think we need to try. We can't keep doing the same thing over and over. As much as I love history, I'm tired of being a part of it. If there is even the possibility he can help us end this, which he tried to do six months ago, I might remind you, shouldn't we take that risk?""Not if it means you in danger," Wyatt pulled her to him, releasing her hands so he could wrap his arms around her waist. She rested her head against his chest for a moment before pulling back to look him in the eye."It will be through prison bars, what could be dangerous about that?"
10900992	Dear Sister	{ "Archive Warning": null, "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Kuro \| Sleepy Ash, Shirota Mahiru, Watanuki Sakuya, Sakuya's sister, Licht Jekylland Todoroki, Hyde \| Lawless", "Fandom": "Servamp (Anime & Manga)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Paint_It_Yellow", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-14T00:00:00", "words": "1,163", "Additional Tags": "no regrets, okay slight regrets, Crack, yes this is that one video", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": "Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply", "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	It was a pretty quiet day, there were no birds and Mahiru had mowed the lawn yesterday so there was no constant hum of the motor from the lawnmower either and as such, Sakuya took the time to sit down and write a letter as every teenager does despite the laptop sitting right across the room. It's common knowledge. While the sound of the pen scratching seemed to take up the whole room, the door creaked open, though it was slight, and Kuro entered, walking over to where Sakuya was sitting and leaning over the back of the couch, peeking over his shoulder."What's that you're writing?" He asked, his tone full of nothing but curiosity, so pure."Ah, just writing a letter to my sister," Came the answer.Kuro paused for a moment, looking at Sakuya blankly before finally responding again, "Cool.""Yeah, I... Haven't seen her in years... it's weird because-"A sound resounded through the air, akin to that of a gunshot, though it was overshadowed by the blaring sound of mm watcha say coming from nowhere in particular. Sakuya looked stunned for a moment, as if he couldn't believe that Kuro of all people had shot him. The person he thought had grown to love him and vice versa, how could he be betrayed like that? His face was nothing but pure shock as he lifted his from his stomach, where the bullet wound seemed to be, though the shock was not only from being shot by seemingly fake partner but also because he didn't understand how he could've been shot in the stomach by Kuro when he was still standing behind the couch. He glanced at Kuro who just had a deadpan expression, no emotions blossoming onto his face.'You cold fuck', Were Sakuya's seemingly last words before he fell to the side and law sprawled across the couch.Kuro suddenly dropped the gun, as if suddenly realising what he had just done. He had shot Sakuya. Shit, he was gonna get absolutely destroyed when Mahiru came home. The words 'shit' where repeated in his head like a mantra as he thought of any feasible way he could amend the situation."Maybe time tra-"Mm watcha say blared out again, a gunshot noise also accompanying it.Kuro glanced down at where Sakuya had laid dead just moments before. Instead he wasn't lying, dead. He was lying half-dead, propped up on his elbow as the gun Kuro had previously dropped was in his hand, still in movement as it recovered from the whiplash of firing the gun, though moments later he went back to lying on the ground, motionless. A grin on his face.Kuro staggered slightly, placing his hands over his abdomen before lifting them to look at them. He staggered back until his back hit the wall, proceeding to slide down against it. It didn't take too long until he was lying just as motionless as Sakuya also was. His eyes open and gazing at nothing. Soulless.Silence came around the room as the mm whatcha say finally faded out. For a moment, it all seemed over. The two lying just a metre and a half apart from each other. A metre and forty metres if you wanted to be precise. It was then that Mahiru entered the door, bags of shopping in his hands. "Hey guys, I'm back! Can you help me pu-" Mm watcha say Mahiru glanced at the two on the ground, first at Sakuya, blood pooling around him, and then at Kuro, who had used what had looked like the last of his strength to raise his gun and shoot Mahiru."So this is what we're doing now, huh?" Mahiru sighed before he seemed to suddenly remember he'd been shot and swayed his way to the ground like a graceful snake.It was at this moment that Sakuya's sister, who was nameless for whatever reason, entered the room. Her ethereal body phasing through the wall. She could only express confusion at the scene in front of her, though she couldn't say she hadn't expected some of it. The only unexpected thing was that Mahiru was also dead. Ah, for the comedy, she supposed. She floated her way over to the table where the letter lay, somehow finished and without blood, ready for her it seemed."Dear Sister," She read, though it seemed to come out in Sakuya's voice, "By the time you somehow read this-" Mm watcha say Mm watcha say Mm watcha say Sakuya's sister was stunned. There was no words for the stupidity going on here and the only things she could left to be said as her final thoughts were, "What the fuck is this shit," As she promptly also collapsed from the fatal gun shot wounds fired by all three of the inhabitants in the room, despite being a ghost. Mm watcha say M-Mm watcha say Mm watcha say Again. Mm watcha say Mm watcha say Mm watcha say Mm- Mm- Mm- "Just let me die already!" She groaned as she seemed to get her wish and finally she collapsed to the floor in peace.It wasn't too long until the police finally arrived, seeming to have gotten many phone calls from the neighbours and passers-by."Looks like we got a bloodbath," Hyde announced, his face deadly serious."Yeah no shit," Muttered Licht, standing further back. His face just screamed that he was done with this sort of crap."Stay in character Licht-tan~" The former scolded in a teasing lilt before going back to his façade."Hey, shit-rat, listen to this," Licht picked up the note from the table, "Dear sister, by the time you somehow read this, I'll be dead. Again that is. This is how I think it's gonna happen. Kuro will shoot me, then I'll shoot Kuro, then Mahiru will come back from shopping and get shot by Kuro, then you'll walk in and get shot by Mahiru, Kuro and I multiple times. Love, your brother Sakuya," Licht snorted, yeah this was the sorta shit that would happen in this stupid fic, "PS, then two cops will read this letter and shoot each other... Shit."Hyde had already pulled his gun out, Licht glaring and pulling his own out. They had decided to deviate from the meme material given because they're dicks and had a shoot out. Hyde had shot first, though it didn't take a genius to dodge and as such, Licht dodged to the left, the bullet grazing his uniform. He made the next shot which also missed in a similar way, though it was closer to Hyde's head that torso. Anyway, more bullets were exchanged until the recurring sound of mm watcha say rang out, twice no less, as both Licht and Hyde shot at one time. Licht just seemed Done With This Shit while Hyde had a face of mock betrayal and hurt as they both collapsed on the ground. Dead. Finally.
10975995	Melting under your touch	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Son Hyunwoo \| Shownu, Yoo Kihyun", "Fandom": "Monsta X (Band)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by CreateOwnHell", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-23T00:00:00", "words": "2,189", "Additional Tags": "Smut, Biting, A little, Established Relationship, first attempt at writing smut, Showki, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, idk take this with a grain of salt, others are also there later, First Time, i guess", "Relationship": "Son Hyunwoo \| Shownu/Yoo Kihyun", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Kihyun and Shownu had the whole dorm to themselves. Others having left early in the morning, Minhyuk had to host a show, Hyungwon was modelling, Changkyun and Jooheon were working on the next album and Wonho was visiting his mom.Kihyun and Shownu were the only ones, besides Wonho, who had nothing on their schedule for today.Kihyun woke up around the same time the rest of the members, excuse me, Kihyun woke up before others to make sure they are woken up and leave on time.After that he made a light breakfast for the busy kids, and off they went. Leaving a mess behind for him to clean.After about 10 minutes of them leaving and him cleaning, a messy haired sleepy leader finally made his appearance in the kitchen. Wearing nothing but white t-shirt and grey sweatpants that hung dangerously low on his hips. If Hyunwoo would raise his hands high, the shirt would lift and expose the toned stomach.Kihyun was too busy to notice, until Hyunwoo made his presence known by light chuckle, because of how cutely Kihyun fell on the floor.He was content on just watching his boyfriend clean without interrupting. The way his hands moved around and his whole presence when he was doing anything was so mesmerizing to watch. Honestly Hyunwoo could have stayed there and stare at Kihyun for the rest of his life.‘’You are mean, Son Hyunwoo’’ Kihyun grumbled, standing up and touching his butt to ease the pain and dust off dirt should there be any. Which would be ridiculous considering Kihyun does the cleaning in this house.‘’Did the rest of them leave already?’’ Hyunwoo asked, walking towards the small grumpy man.‘’mm yes,’’ Kihyun answered and went back to cleaning, giving one last finishing touch to the the table and threw the cleaning rag into the sink.‘’Good.’’ Hyunwoo said as he wrapped his arms around Kihyun’s waist and snuggling into his neck.Kihyun placed his hands on top of Hyunwoo’s, leaning back into his chest.They stood there, in bliss, before Hyunwoo started to hum a song swaying in its rhythm. Hyunwoo’s hands were trailing down Kihyun’s side, making the shorter one shiver, and landed one kiss on his neck. Kihyun turned around to face him, only to have him being lifted on the table.Kihyun’s wrapped his legs around Hyunwoo’s hips, needing to feel every inch of him.Close. Closer.Kihyun stared at those plump lips, his eyes burning with lust. Hyunwoo’s lips looked sinfully red and delicious. Kihyun licked his lips unconsciously and swallowed hard, his adam’s apple bobbed visibly.Hyunwoo was looking at Kihyun trying to figure out his next step.The time had stopped around them.Finally, Kihyun kissed Hyunwoo, slowly at first but as he grew hungrier it got more aggressive. His hands were roaming all over the other’s body craving for contact to feel the skin under his fingers, pulling at the shirt.Shownu seemed to know what his lover wanted, so he quickly tossed of his shirt on the kitchen floor, leaving his upper body exposed.‘’You are drooling.’’ Hyunwoo said softly, before attacking Kihyun’s lips again.They were kissing for a while, an erection growing in both of their pants.Occasionally, pulling away to catch their breath only to continue as if they couldn’t live without the other’s lips on his own.‘’Do you…’’ Hyunwoo was panting in between kissing, ‘’…want to…’’ taking Kihyun into his arms ‘’ …take this…’’ carrying him in his arms, not once breaking contact, ‘’…to the bedroom?’’Kihyun only smiled into the kiss, Hyunwoo understood, picking him up as if he weighed nothing, holding him firmly and walking out of the kitchen.They reached Hyunwoo’s room, and laid Kihyun down on his bed slowly pulling away, breaking the kiss. Leaving behind a confused Kihyun.He hovered above Kihyun, staring him up and down. He looked so delicious, with his half lidded eyes, messy hair and uneven breathing. He looked perfect.‘’Like what you see hyung?’’ Kihyun flirted, knowing exactly how it gets under Hyunwoo’s skin.Hyunwoo proceeded to undo Kihyun’s jeans, tugging them off in the speed of light, and then attacking his shirt. Kihyun was just wearing too much clothing and he wasn’t having any of that.Hyunwoo was standing in front of the bed, Kihyun got into the sitting position, eyeing him up and down. A little bit of sweat has formed on Hyunwoo’s skin, making Kihyun gulp loudly.He reached out to pull Hyunwoo closer to him by the strings on his sweatpants. He kissed Hyunwoo’s stomach, going lower and lower with every kiss, until he reached the edge of the boxers that were showing under the pants.He finally pulled the pants down, releasing a fully hard dick. Hyunwoo was biting his lip looking down on Kihyun, losing his mind, he can’t wait to have those pretty little lips on his aching dick that needed attention.Kihyun was licking his lips, admiring the view before taking Hyunwoo’s member into his mouth.He sucked on it starting slowly, and then picked up speed. The faster he moved, the more reaction he got from Hyunwoo. He was teasing the older one, going slow, fast and then slow again.There were saliva trails running down on either side of Kihyun’s mouth, mixed with Hyunwoo’s precum.Kihyun could tell Hyunwoo was close to a breaking point. All he had to do was give few more strokes and Hyunwoo was pushed over the edge. His mouth half open from the ecstasy.Kihyun swallowed every drip of his cum and wiped the edges of his mouth, smirking when he noticed that Hyunwoo was still hard.Hyunwoo reached over to the bedside cupboard to grabbed something from the drawer.Kihyun looked positively surprised to see that Hyunwoo was holding a pack of condoms and a bottle of lube.‘’Someone was prepared.’’ Kihyun chuckled and crawled into Hyunwoo’s lap. ‘’When did you even have the time?’’‘’I have my ways,’’ Hyunwoo answered, ‘’meaning I lied about running out of pain killers and I wanted to go out and buy them.’’‘’Hold it right there bad boy.’’ Kihyun smiled, a little proud.Hyunwoo pulled open one condom pack with his teeth, and Kihyun suddenly felt even more turned on than before because fuck if that wasn’t one of the hottest thing he has ever seen and it seems like Hyunwoo himself wasn’t even aware of how fucking seductive that just was.As Hyunwoo was reaching to put on the condom, Kihyun stopped him, a sly smile on his face.‘’I wanna try something.’’ He said and took condom from Hyunwoo and got off his lap.Hyunwoo sat there momentarily confused, that was until he saw Kihyun kneel in front of him. He put the condom on Hyunwoo with his mouth.‘’Where did you learn that?’’ Hyunwoo asked, can it be that Kihyun has done this with someone before? A sense of jealousy ran through him; it must have shown on his face.‘’I practiced on things…I imagined doing that to you…’’ Kihyun said, embarrassed a little about confessing this.‘’Nnn what else have you imagined doing with me?’’ Hyunwoo was riling Kihyun up.Kihyun stood up while Hyunwoo was squirting lube into his hands.‘’I imagined that, ‘’ Kihyun put hands on the other’s shoulders, ‘’that you’d prepare me with your beautiful fingers, inserting them one by one, before fucking me into oblivion.’’Hyunwoo bit his lip and grabbed Kihyun’s ass, pulling him back to his lap.‘’Did you fuck yourself with your fingers while thinking of me?’’ Hyunwoo pressed his finger against Kihyun’s hole, circling around it.‘’Yes.’’This earned Kihyun the first finger going in.‘’How many times have you been using me as your masturbation material?’’ He breathed against Kihyun’s neck.‘’I lost count.’’Second finger went in, Kihyun felt a little burn but soon that passed.‘’Think you can take in a third one?’’‘’Yes.’’Kihyun let out a gasp, he has never felt so full, if this is what it feels like with Hyunwoo’s fingers in him, what would it like to have his dick.Hyunwoo was carefully stretching Kihyun’s hole, looking for that sweet spot, moving his fingers around. When he felt Kihyun go stiff, he knew he had found it.He pulled his fingers out and put another load of lube on his fully erect dick, positioning Kihyun.Kihyun slowly pushed himself down on Hyunwoo, until it was all the way in. Tears prickling in his eyes, because Hyunwoo was so thick, three fingers weren’t enough.‘’Are you alright? Hyunwoo’s voice was full of concern. ‘’Shall we stop?’’‘’No, give me a moment.’’ Kihyun hissed through his teeth. And sure enough he was ready, itching for Hyunwoo to move. To feel the pleasure, he felt for a second when Hyunwoo was preparing him.Hyunwoo started to move slow at first, afraid of hurting the other.‘’I’m not going to break Hyunwoo.’’ Kihyun ordered, almost pissed off about not getting what he wants.This turned a switch in Hyunwoo, because he suddenly started thrusting faster and stronger.Kihyun san his teeth deep into Hyunwoo’s shoulder to not out any voices. It was getting harder to not make any sounds when with every thrust Hyunwoo hit the sweet spot.‘’C’mon let me hear your sweet voice sing into my ears.’’ Hyunwoo grunted, picking up speed. The grip on Kihyun’s hips got stronger, most likely leaving a bruise. Kihyun didn’t care, not when his body was being shaped by Hyunwoo. Not when Hyunwoo was marking him, claiming him, making Kihyun his, and his only.‘’…more…need you…’’ Kihyun moaned, he just needed more, it wasn’t enough.Kihyun bit into Hyunwoo’s arms, leaving marks everywhere he could, as Hyunwoo was drilling into him with such a force.‘’…nn Ki, how will I cover it up..,.’’‘’If it were up to me, I’d never let you show your arms to anyone but me.’’ Kihyun said before leaving another bitemark. This one was the strongest, making Hyunwoo flinch for a second because of the pain, but at the same time it made his cock twitch. Kihyun felt it. Hmm, interesting So Kihyun started biting over more furiously, and oh my god did it drive Hyunwoo insane.He picked him up and laid the shorter one on his back, not once breaking contact.‘’Lift your hips.’’ Kihyun did as ordered, and Hyunwoo put a pillow under his ass to make him feel more comfortable.As soon as he was convinced Kihyun was okay, he continued where he left off.‘’Hyun….woo… I’m…’’ Kihyun panted, his body covered with sweat from the intensity.‘’…me too…’’ Hyunwoo was in the same state. You could see droplets of sweat on his forehead.It took few more thrusts for both of them to cry out in pleasure. Kihyun spilled his cum over his and Hyunwoo’s stomach.Hyunwoo almost collapsed on Kihyun after cumming so hard, but he held himself up with shaky hands.Both were catching their breaths.When Hyunwoo finally pulled out, Kihyun felt empty, like something was missing, because suddenly they weren’t connected anymore, weren’t one.Hyunwoo had gotten up from bed to throw away the used condom.He came back to bed already wearing a pair of boxers, holding a napkin and underwear for Kihyun.‘’Let me clean this up.’’ Hyunwoo said casually, wiping off the cum from Kihyun’s stomach before it dries. He then handed the underwear to Kihyun who quickly pulled them on to join Hyunwoo.Kihyun was lying on bed, back towards Hyunwoo who pulled him close to his chest.‘’Tired?’’ Hyunwoo asked, running his hand through Kihyun’s soft hair.‘’Mmm..’’ Kihyun muttered, wiggling closer to him.After that nothing was said. Kihyun fell asleep from exhaustion. Hyunwoo kissed the top of Kihyun’s head and closed his eyes, falling asleep in no time. Hyunwoo and Kihyun must have slept for a few hoursThe other 5 had come back together. Their loud laughter could be heard by everyone in this block alone.Kihyun’s eyes opened in the speed of light, and he got up from the bed even faster, leaving behind a confused Hyunwoo, who was rubbing his eyes.He quickly put on a shirt and told Hyunwoo to get up as well. He walked fast to the living room door to welcome them back, act as if nothing happened. ‘’Man I am so glad I decided to leave. I would have died when I would have had to hear you two going at it.’’Kihyun was momentarily confused when he looked down on himself, he noticed he wasn’t wearing any pants and the shirt he was wearing was definitely Hyunwoo’s. His cheeks turned several shades redder as he stood at the door frame, frozen.‘’You look good in my clothes.’’ Hyunwoo whispered and blew lightly in to his ear. He walked away to greet the others, dressed decently, not like some.‘’He is going to pay.’’ Kihyun said under his breath before stomping over to the kitchen to join others, shame forgotten.
10991244	The Nerve	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Evil Queen \| Regina Mills, Severus Snape", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by KittyonCRACK", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-24T00:00:00", "words": "343", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": "Evil Queen \| Regina Mills/Severus Snape", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Once Upon a Time (TV)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Severus Snape stalked through the corridor, cloak billowing out behind him; he was late for supper due to the incessant whining of a Ravenclaw whom was not satisfied with his grade of an O. His temper the past few days had been even more precariously balanced than usual due to a new subject of the ironic name: Olde Magics. In fact, no- the subject didn’t have his anger boiling over- it was the professor that was getting on his last nerve. She had given a Gryffindor a detention for that night before Severus had to give that same student detention for not copying down his notes. The entire night thirty minutes after supper began until midnight, now Severus had to move the brat’s detention in with a damned Hufflepuff the next night and postponed the cleaning of rather archaic, cracking jars that always had more residue than others left due to the gaps.Regina Mills was a rather…different character from a dull town in America, Story Brooke in Maine he believed. She was quiet with harsh voicing of opinions that held people’s attention more so than say the oaf Hagrid’s great booming, rather offensive volume of voice and size of presence. A regular height with plain, dark brown hair and plain brown eyes with an overall plain physical appearance; however, she held an undeniable presence in any room she entered. The way she held herself made all eyes turn to her unconsciously, her posture impeccable and that of royalty.The grand doors opened without a sound and Snape prowled around the hall to his place at the head table. His chair slid back in recognition as a commotion occurred around where Professor Sprout and Hagrid sat. Apparently a rather unsavory animal had been placed on Spouts plate and Hagrid was doing the best he could to save it. When he took his seat, still glancing over in anticipation of the newly hatched runt of an acromantula running around when he caught Regina’s eye; that woman had the nerve to smirk at him.
10911120	Burn the Midnight Oil	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Hange Zoë, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)", "Fandom": "Shingeki no Kyojin \| Attack on Titan", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Onlyduck", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-15T00:00:00", "words": "2,188", "Additional Tags": "levihan - Freeform, Comfort/Angst, Angst, Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Universe", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Hange Zoë/Levi, Hange Zoë & Levi", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Hanji sat in the dining hall. Everybody had long finished eating, kicked back the benches, and retired to their rooms for the night. The dirty plates had been collected and piled into a tower shoved too close to the edge. An unsound structure by design - or lack thereof - that threatened to topple over to greet the dust covered floors at any moment. Not that Hanji noticed, completely consumed by her work. A candle burned on the table near her, the flame flickering and casting dancing light and shadows unevenly across the pages she was pouring over. Spread across the surface in front of her papers were laid in an incoherent order that nobody but Hanji would understand. A physical manifestation of her cogitation, it was a mind map of her thoughts, theories, and ideas scribbled into the creases of the weathered, yellowed papers.Man eating titans. Titan shifters. Titan powers and abilities. The history of mankind. Wallists. The Reiss family. Eren. The basement. The secret of the walls, the secret of the titans. Questions swirled, speculations formed, and conclusions glinted like stars in the sky that were little out of her reach. Hanji pushed her glasses onto her head and rubbed her palms over her face letting out a frustrated groan. She had mulled over these sheets for hours...Titans were humans caught in a nightmare. Had they really been killing humans all these years? But titans had been feasting on humanity, even if it was unwillingly or uncontrolled. For over a century. Humanity was pushed to the brink and oh. so. many. people. had. died. Irreplaceable soldiers. Precious friends. Lives snuffed out like they had no place in the world. Fragments of times long ago floated to the surface of her memory. The screams that pierced her ears of her comrades dying. Mangled body parts left on the ground past the point of recognition. The tear stained faces of family members receiving the awful news. The sensation of sticky warm blood plastered to her hands and face as she held her best friend in her arms as her eyes closed for the last time. Droplets of titan blood that trickled into her mouth tasted sickly sweet, only to quickly evaporate into steam. The cool handle of her blade against her palm as she stabbed the titan in the eyes and then launched into the air and swung around to the neck to cut out the nape. The anger that consumed her like a frosty fire that fueled her first battles with titans during a time when all she felt was hatred towards them. The hatred that slept inside her like a beast stirred and seeped into her mind feeding off her fatigue and aggravation. Over the years she had learned to channel it, mostly into the research of titans, it was all she could do when she was in front of others to keep from snapping and flying into a rage. Lull the beast into slumber. After the beast had been asleep so long, she almost felt like the person she supposed she would be if she didn’t live in this world, if she hadn't experienced what she had, if she hadn't lost.... The beast clawed at her rampant, raw emotions. She bumped her arm that was still in a sling against the table sending shockwaves of pain through her arm and stung her eyes. She cursed under her breath and kicked the table leg sending the leaning tower of plates to the ground. They crashed down but she didn't care, Hanji pushed away from the table and paced around the room absentmindedly rubbing her wounded arm. Her mind was writhing. Seeing a couple plates and cups still on the table she swiped them off the table, knocking the candle off the table with them and launching the sheets into the air. Her own stomping echoed too loud in her ears, her vision was blurring in her rage, and the beast was baring it's fangs. A minute later there was a slam and then someone calling her name. Hanji turned towards the presence at the now open door. Levi's eyes darted around the room and finally landed on her, and it wasn’t until then that she saw the fire that had started when she knocked the candles and papers off the table. Her body flaccid, Hanji watched as Levi placed the lantern he was carrying on the table and then stomped on the fire. He muttered a string of profanities that were probably directed at her. As he extinguished it, she turned her head away from him. Focusing his attention on her now, he stormed up to her. Levi shoved her against the wall with his arm, and standing on his tippy-toes grabbed Hanji by the back of her head with his other hand and forced her head to turn to face him. "Were you trying to burn the whole building down!?" He screeched at her, pressing his arm into her ribs a little harder as she averted his glare. "What were you thinking? Why didn’t you put it out? Do you have your head shoved so far up your ass that you couldn’t even do that?" ---Levi kew something was wrong when she didn’t have a lighthearted retort where she laughed off the situation. "I'm sick of this," she said, slumping against the wall. Something inside of her broke. He could see it in the slight quiver of her lip and feel it in the unsteady way she drew in her breathes. He stepped away from her alleviating the force that had been pinning her against the wall and she slid unceremoniously to the ground, her head bent forward. He clicked his tongue against his teeth as he crossed his arms. He had messed up, he shouldn't have gotten so angry at her. He lowered himself into a crouch beside her. "Four eyes," when she didn’t respond he tipped his head sideways in an attempt to see her face. She covered her face with her good hand. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and pulled it away from her face without much resistance and brushed away the bangs hanging in front of her face. Her face contorted, she was fighting back sobs with tears silently streaming down her face. "T-titans have...have killed," she fought down a snotty sob, "so many of friends." The last word was dragged out as she tried to keep her breathing under control. "I really," her fingers rubbed tears out of her eyes, "really hate them," she forced out, "but I can't...I can't do this." 'This'. It wasn’t that she couldn’t fight titans anymore, he knew that much. She had already proved that in the battlefield, he knew she wouldn’t stop fighting them. 'This' was that she couldn’t keep the face of steel anymore. In an abrupt motion, he cradled his hand around her shoulders and pulled her towards himself, burying her face in his chest. His other hand went to her head. His fingers laced their way through her messy, tangled, unkempt hair. He shifted from a crouching position to a kneeling one. "It's okay. I hate them too." You don’t have to be strong right now, not when I'm around, I've got you. Was what he intended to say, but the twisted journey from brain to mouth prevented that. She let out a cry much like a baby's "wah" and borrowed her face further into his shirt. Her fist balled up against his chest encasing the fabric of his clothes in her grasp, wrinkling it he was sure. They stayed like that until her tears stopped and her cheeks were dry again. She leaned back against the wall and Levi sat down."Never thought I'd see the day you'd sit on the floor willingly." She said, staring at the patterns left in the grime. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Can it. That's not important right now." His eyes fell on the glasses that were still perched on her head. "Besides, can you even see me Four Eyes?" "I'm not blind." Still, Levi removed the glasses and wiped them before he placed them back on the bridge of her nose. She pushed them into place. Before she was able to drop her hand back down towards her side he took it into his own and began to trace circles on the top of her hand. A soothing method his mom used when he was upset as a child. "I need you at your best tomorrow," he said to her. I don't like seeing you like this, is what he couldn’t say. "I know." They sat silently as the listened to the wind rattling the windowpanes. Then with the wind whistling outside Hanji began to talk, her words were a verbal stream of thought. She talked about her childhood, her time training in the military, and the first time she saw a titan. All these things that happened before Levi had even met her. It was easy to listen to her talk, to be enveloped by her life story, learning of her own painful experiences. The experiences that had made her into the person he was sitting beside now. ---Carefully, meticulously the beast was put to sleep again. Talking through her thoughts soothed her, allowed her to get a grip on everything. Placing everything into compartments in her brain. Thoughts about titans. Thoughts about morality. Thoughts about the past. Her gaze dropped to Levi still drawing spirals on her hand. "I'm sorry to ramble so long," she said scratching her head, "no one likes listening to me for more than a maximum of twenty seconds." She allowed herself a pity laugh. She finally felt she was back to being her usual self. "I don’t mind," he mumbled still looking down at her hand. "Thank you," she whispered without meaning to speak so quietly. Pulling her arm, Levi lurched Hanji forward making their foreheads knock together and causing her to grunt with pain, but held it there. "Thank me," he breathed into her face, "by putting out the fire next time, so I don't have to." She nodded, the movement messing up both their bangs. Hanji knew that he masked his words and that he really meant something along the lines of: I'm glad you're looking like yourself again. "If I ever need someone to talk to, I'll be sure you’re the first person on my list!" She said.Levi's eyes widened for a second before he clicked his tongue and stood up. ---He extended a hand and pulled her to her feet. Rubbing dust and dirt off her pants she said, "we're going to beat this." "What?" "The titans. Everything. I'll figure it out, we'll beat them. We don't wear the Wings of Freedom for nothing." The tension in his shoulders he didn’t know he had been feeling eased and exhaling he agreed. "Yeah." His attention was drawn to the broken plates on the floor. "I'll take care of that," he said. It was his way of apologizing for yelling at her before. He retrieved a broom from down the hall. When he came back to the room Hanji was sitting at the table, holding a couple pieces of paper salvaged from the fire. Sweeping the broken plates and ashes he made quick work of cleaning up the mess. Finished, Levi took a seat across from Hanji and leaned his head in his hand. He studied her, studying the pages. Even with their new information about the titans, it only led to more questions and morally compromising dilemmas. Her eyebrows stitched together and her mouth was slightly ajar in contemplation. He knew she was struggling. He also knew that she would push herself too hard trying to figure everything out. "Any brilliant ideas yet?" He asked. Making her speak aloud always helped her thought processing. There were times when she would be rambling about her research or the titan experiments to him and something would click. Then she would cut off mid-sentence and run out of the room. After that he wouldn’t see her for hours, sometimes even a couple days."No not yet." Nevertheless she still explained some of the theories she had. Yet again Levi listened to her talk. "I'm pooped. I think it's time to call it a night." She stood up, and turned to leave. "Don't let anybody wake me too early tomorrow morning, alright?" Levi rolled his eyes, he was too sleepy himself to come up with a snappy response. He made his way towards the door, a couple steps behind Hanji. "You know Levi, people misunderstand you, you're actually very sweet." Where did that come from? He felt his cheeks warm, it was a good thing she was ahead- Hanji pivoted. Laying a hand on his shoulder she kissed him on the forehead, "Thanks again, you big hearted thug." With that she left the room, leaving Levi standing in the room anchored to the spot he stood. He brought a hand to his forehead. Four Eyes. "We can beat them," he breathed.
10930065	Root of the Word	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Enjolras, Grantaire, Combeferre- Background", "Fandom": "Les Misérables - All Media Types", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by kowlsy", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-17T00:00:00", "words": "2,333", "Additional Tags": "Fighting, Pre-Relationship, Enjolras Was A Charming Young Man Who Was Capable Of Being Terrible", "Relationship": "Enjolras/Grantaire", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	“You know, I really don’t understand you sometimes.” Grantaire approaches Enjolras after the meeting, sitting down in the chair that normally housed Combeferre, something different smoldering in his eyes; vibrating across the line of his shoulders. Enjolras was used to seeing lust, or admiration-- this was different. Grantaire looked like he wanted a fight.“What did I do that confuses you?” Enjolras replies easily, looking back at his papers, organizing them into an orderly stack, not the pile they had become over the course of the meeting. In the last few months, Grantaire had begun to approach him after meetings, offering critique and conversation. Enjolras wouldn't say he minded, per say, it was better than having Grantaire interrupt the meeting. And it was nice to see that Grantaire was using all his intellect to actually provide constructive criticism, instead of hiding all his rebuttals under a veil of sarcasm and alcohol. It was also nice to be closer to Grantaire, normally they orbited each other, always on the other side of the room. Before Enjolras could count on one hand the number of times he was close enough to touch Grantaire, close enough to see the freckles and specks of paint dotting his hands. Not that Enjolras spend any amount of time looking at Grantaire’s hands. But rarely had Grantaire talked about Enjolras since he had begun this new routine, only ever Enjolras’ ideals. However, instead of a simple answer, Grantaire took this as permission to begin out of his famous, rambling, slightly nonsensical speeches.“For all you talk about humanity, Apollo, you seem to forget the root of the word. Humi- human. Person. Individual. You may talk all you want about the wealth of human sympathy, and our inherent goodness, our ability to care for, and support those in need, but you seem to forget that there are actually people that need to do that stuff. There are people who need to care, who need to give time. Who need to show up.” Grantaire stopped, looking at Enjolras pointedly. Enjolras stares back at him defiantly. He doesn’t know where Grantaire was going with this, but if he was implying that Enjolras didn’t care enough then, well, Grantaire was the last person on earth to lecture anyone about caring about anything. All he cared about was what liquor was in his glass. After staring at Enjolras for another moment, waiting for ...something, Grantaire resumes his impromptu lecture with even more anger lacing his words, practically laying on the table for how far across it he was leaning, close enough that Enjolras could clearly smell the wine on his breath. Grantaire was much drunker that he had been in a while.“These ideals of yours, the greatness of humankind, need people, and passion and love to actually happen. You may believe that grand speeches and rallies and petitions are important, but you can’t ignore that more work, most progress happens on a smaller, individual level. And for progress to happen like that requires work every single day, constant pressure and support. But it is clear that you can’t seem to step down from your pedestal to actually look around and do something that would contribute to your cause-”“What are you talking about?” Enjolras interrupted. He had never seen Grantaire this mad. He had never seen Grantaire express any emotion but melancholy and dumb admiration. And now he was leaning in, speaking passionately, expressing interest-- but only at some sort of failure of Enjolras’. And what, he was accusing Enjolras of not caring enough? Enjolras donated so much money to charity, gave out free legal aid, spent hours upon hours at local food banks, tutoring kids- he cared. There was nothing in the world he cared more about than the betterment of humanity, it was his sole purpose. He looked back across the table at Grantaire, who only showed up to the meetings to heckle, who came to rallies but didn’t do any work, didn’t do anything to help others- he was lecturing Enjolras on how to be a good person, how to help others?Grantaire stares at him blankly.“You don’t even know what you did wrong, do you?” He shook his head, messing his hair up more, and stood up, starting to walk away muttering, “Un-fucking-believable, and to think-”“Hey wait, what did I do?” Enjolras grabbed his hand to prevent him from moving farther away. He was dimly aware that this was the first time that he had ever touched Grantaire, but the thought was pushed away by the irritation at being insulted growing in the pit of his stomach. “In what way am I not aware of people and their needs? Don’t say I don’t give constant pressure and support, you stole that line from me. There is no of humanity that I don’t care about. Although maybe you are simply so unacquainted with the idea of caring about your community that you didn’t realize what it looked like-”“Holy shit I'm going to have to lay it out for you.” Grantaire shook his head and turned to slump back in the chair he had just jumped out of. He looked tired, all the fight gone out of him. Now the flame was gone from his eyes, Enjolras was able to focus on the bags that surrounded them. Grantaire looked like he hadn’t slept in a week or more. After a beat of him staring at the papers still scattered across the table, he looks up at Enjolras. “No interruptions. Let me lay this out for you okay?”Enjolras nods tersely.Grantaire takes a deep breath. “You are great at ‘The People’ Enjolras, but- ‘The People’, ‘The Oppressed’, ‘The Downtrodden’, all those things that you like to write on banners and declaim about, they are composed of ‘people’. Normal people, with jobs and pets and little problems and big problems and frankly, Apollo, you suck at understanding normal, lowercase ‘p’, people. Like-” He pauses, seeming to wait for the rest of the thought to come to him, then gestures around the room. “You know my opinion of all this. I think it's stupid, that writing petitions and calling your députés and whatever will accomplish nothing. But I know that showing up is important. You guys care about this, so I show up to meetings and protests and letter writing campaigns- or I try to. I try to support you guys because I care about you.” He paused again, almost fondly, looking at their friends scattered around the room, oblivious to the conversation happening in the front of the room, drinking and laughing with each other. Then Grantaire turns back to face Enjolras again, the fire in his eyes reappearing. When Grantaire begins to talk again it is tighter, like every word is painful to force out. “ I cannot believe that you, the leader, the one who is always talking about individual involvement, and ‘individual commitment’ are incapable of actually following through. I realize that there is no way you could follow through with every word out of your mouth, but when someone asks you to do that is not an interest of yours and you say ‘that's not important enough for me-”Forgetting his promise, Enjolras interrupts “Is this about your art? Did you have, like an… exhibit or something? I’m sorry if I missed it, but I don’t remember receiving an invitation, and you can’t expect me to remember every little detail if it isn’t written down.” Enjolras said, and it was true. He did so much, and if Grantaire couldn’t even send him a text so he could put it on his calendar, whatever he had been invited to was likely to get left behind. Sure Enjolras wished he could have gone, now that he thinks about it, Enjolras can’t remember the last time he saw Grantaire's serious art. He went to the senior art capstone in college, were Grantaire had presented a series of portraits of all of the Amis, they had been beautiful. But if Grantaire making this big a deal out of Enjolras not attending something he can’t even be bothered to write an invitation to then, Enjolras refused to feel sorry for it.“Oh no, Apollo. I don’t even try to invite you to my things anymore, I know you wouldn’t show up, but today, your best friend asked you to come to his thesis defense and you said, and I fucking quote, ‘I don’t think that’d be the best use of my time.’” He pauses again, waiting for Enjolras to acknowledge that it happened, before plowing ahead. “Did it even occur to you that maybe you should make time for your best friend to complete something he has been preparing for almost a decade? It’s a month away Apollo. You can make time. You can move your very important meetings or very important letter signing rally or very important to see Combeferre.”“Oh”Grantaire stared at him like he was waiting for something. “Is that all you’re going to say?”“I mean, yeah” Enjolras resumed fussing with his papers not able to look Grantaire in the eyes. He felt guilty, anxious now, like a child being scolded for not sharing his cookies. He remembered talking to Ferre about his defense, and the tremendous amount of work he had put into it, the days he and Enjolras had spent holed up in their library Enjolras working on a variety of different projects, Combeferre working tirelessly on his thesis. He wanted to go, he knew it was important, but so was everything else he did. He looked back up at Grantaire “When I said I couldn’t go, Ferre was fine with it, Grantaire, he said it’s okay. He understands that I have lots of things to do. And like I said. It’s not like I can hold his note cards for him. I’d couldn’t help him present. My presence wouldn’t do anything for him.”“Apollo do you listen to yourself when you talk? You don’t need to ‘hold his notecards’, Ferre is capable, but what about smiling at him, or cheering when he's done? This is incredibly hard for him - having to go up and have his research scrutinized, have something he has worked on for years attempted to be torn apart- and having friendly faces in the crowd would do him some good. And god, everyone we know is going, Floreal is going, and she’s hardly ever talked to Ferre and yet you, his best friend can’t take a night off to support him?” Grantaire argued, not getting the point. Enjolras wanted to go. He did. He knew this was important. He just couldn’t. People needed him at the shelter more than Ferre needed him.“Grantaire, I agree with you, it's important that Ferre has familiar faces in the crowd, but you are all going- and I'm taking time off early to go to the after party, but I'm working at the shelter that night. They need me. I’m making time for him, but I also need to make time for the people I help and yes, Ferre is my friend and I understand that he needs support but he doesn’t need my the way they need me.”Grantaire wouldn’t stop staring at him. Enjolras wasn’t sure he’d blinked in the last few minutes. His final comment hung in the air like something heavy, like something he’ll regret in the future. Finally, Grantaire broke eye contact, eyes darting around the almost cleared room.“ Enjolras. This isn’t a debate. I am right. I know that you don’t think that I have anything of merit to say. I know you think I am useless but listen. Yes, humanity needs you, but Enjolras what I'm trying to say is there are also humans who need you. Today, Combeferre, tomorrow, Joly, and Bahorel, or Eponine. And while all of us all agree that what you do is important; they are important too. So what, that you made sandwiches for the homeless shelter, if Ferre is too nervous to present well? Then he doesn’t get funding for a project that could help make vaccines cheaper for those same people. If when seeing you in the audience could have inspired confidence? As much as you like to think you are on a pedestal, you also are a pedestal, holding us all up, supporting us.” Grantaire, leaned farther across the table, the restraint he had shown slipping- his voice filling with anger. “And you know, it’s bad enough that you aren’t going to attend, that you’ve decided helping make sandwiches to end oppression or whatever is more important, not only are you undermining Combeferre, you're making everyone feel bad for supporting him. As if you doing something better with your time, if they should skip as well, like dear apollo- I head Joly wondering if it was the right thing to give up his shift at the children's hospital, what’s ‘more important’-”“I get it” Enjolras says loudly- too loudly people are looking over, but he needed to stop Grantaire right now, sentences ago, before he even sat down and began to accuse Enjolras of these things. But it was over now. Grantaire is staring at him and Enjolras could feel his eyes boring into his heart, into his soul, finding every little insecurity Enjolras had about his goodness, his friendships, his power.Grantaire must have seen something in his eyes, or perhaps he was just tired of pushing.“Whatever Apollo. Think on it. I doubt I can change your mind but think about Ferre will you?” He stands up, and walks out of the Musain, apparently unaware of the wreck of new insight he had left behind. Enjolras pulls out his phone, drafts an email to the homeless shelter and sends a text to FerreEnjolras: Hey, it turns out the shelter doesn’t need me. I’ll be able to come. Good luck with last minute prep. I believe in you.
10997979	In Tune	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Oh Hye Won, Lee Sun Jae, Park Da Mi", "Fandom": "밀회 \| Secret Love Affair", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by ladyinsaeng", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-25T00:00:00", "words": "4,029", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": "Oh Hye Won/Lee Sun Jae", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "New Beginnings", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	The sound was perfect.Sun Jae expected nothing else even from a rental piano. Still, he had barely taken the time to take off his shoes in the entrance before making his way into the living room and check the freshly tuned instrument."I love Paris, but I can't with the cab drivers. Why can we never find one who actually speaks English?" Da Mi whined as she brought her suitcase and his. "And thank you for your help."Sun Jae smiled and walked up to her. Her frown didn't resist to the soft kiss he placed on her cheek. "Thank you for the apartment, thank you for the piano and thank you for taking care of everything. As always."She playfully hit him. "I'm going to get settled in. Do you want to go out for dinner or...""Well..." Sun Jae glanced at the piano."Fine. Go on and play. I'll go out to get us something to eat.""I'll take care of mine," he said, reaching for his suitcase. She ignored him and disappeared in the hallway leading to the bedrooms.All Sun Jae had to do was to play and that's what he did, stress and exhaustion momentarily forgotten until Da Mi came back an hour later with dinner."Korean food!" Sun Jae said as she set the meals on the coffee table. "You didn't have to.""I know." She slapped his wrist before he could pick up a slice of danmuji. "Wash your hands.""Yes, mom."In more ways than one, Da Mi had been a mother to him in the past ten years. The deal had been for her to get her college diploma, so he could hire her as his overseas manager. People allegedly wanting his best interest kept telling him it was a crazy idea, especially when she repeated the first year. Still, Sun Jae knew that this part of his own scholarship he sent her every month was a good investment. Behind the now 30-year-old elegant business woman, the teenage girl who could drink up to three bottles of soju and beat him up in high school was still here. And she never missed an occasion to remind him where he came from. This was something priceless."You have a rehearsal tomorrow morning for the gala concert. Be ready at 9. You have three interviews in the afternoon. Then another rehearsal at 8...," Da Mi said, reading her tablet while nibbling at her plate. "Since the gala at the Korean Embassy is the day after tomorrow I can get you a fitting session for a new Armani suit in the morning, if you want.""You know how I feel about that.""All your suits are from last year's collection and we want you to look at your finest." She briefly looked up. "You can wear this one for many other occasions anyway. I'm getting you the fitting session, but we'll probably have to go in very early. Also, have you thought about the deal with the-""This will be my last concert before a year at least.""I know, but it would be a great opportunity for you. The New York Philharmonic wants you for five concerts. Do you realize what it means?""I told you. Moscow last week, Paris this week and this is it.""It's the New York Philharmonic.""I know, but I won't take their offer. I can't.""More like you don't want to."Da Mi sighed and looked away. Sun Jae only managed to force down three spoonful of rice before the unspoken reproach got to him again. Her ambition for him was what had given him his career, but he had made it clear that it wouldn't be always his priority."You know it's time," he said."You're not even sure she will come out," she replied, meeting his gaze."It's the end of her sentence. Why wouldn't she?""I don't know. It could happen.""Come on. She's in there for fraud, not for murder. And she didn't cause any trouble all this time. She will be released next month.""And so you're just going to stop your career because she's out of prison?""I'm not retiring, I'm just taking a break. I, we both need a break. We've spent the year in Europe and we've been traveling for the past five years. Don't you want to go home and rest for a while?"There was no answer but the slam of her bedroom door. Going after her would be useless since she didn't seem ready to listen. Besides, nothing she would say to convince him he was making the wrong decision would be new to him. People changed in ten years. Was any promise made when he was still a naïve 20-year-old student still valid today? Was he taking such a big risk to stray away from everything he had built?Sun Jae put the leftovers in the refrigerator and went to take a shower. Jet lag was started getting to him. Still, he knocked on Da Mi's door just in case she wanted to talk."Good night," he said to the closed door and went to bed, Da Mi's words still echoing in his mind. If he had managed to come this far was because he knew the tunnel would end one day. And Hye Won felt the same way. At least, she used to. There was no sign of her usual hopeful tone in the most recent letters of hers he kept in his suitcase. She hadn't even replied to his suggestions about what they would do once she'd be out of prison. So, Sun Jae asked again. It seemed as if writing about their near future made it more real.July 1st 2024.Only one month until the end of the countdown.*The next morning, Da Mi had accepted to post the letter without a word. In fact, she didn't talk to him more than what it was necessary for the next two days. Pacing up and down the room the Korean Embassy had turned into a dressing room for him, Sun Jae did some breathing exercises.Da Mi walked in. She seemed stressed, just like every time he had to go on stage. She gave him a light smile. "Are you sure you don't want to wear the jacket?" she asked.Sun Jae checked his reflection in the full-length mirror. While he had learned to follow some conventions his status of a concert pianist required, wearing a white shirt and black trousers was now his trademark. "I'll be fine. You?"She nodded. "I'll see you when it's over." She took a deep breath and raised her fist. "Fighting!"Sun Jae exhaled deeply as the door closed. She would always be here for him. He smiled at himself and took out the handkerchief Hye Won had given him years ago for his first concert. She was always with him too.The concert was a success. The applause still rang in Sun Jae's ears as Da Mi and he walked into his apartment at two in the morning. She hadn't said a word during the ride. That's why Sun Jae accepted a final glass of champagne before going to bed."What should we toast to?" he asked as he raised his glass."My resignation. I quit."Sun Jae's little laugh turned short when Da Mi didn't even crack a smile. "You're kidding, right? What do you mean you quit? You can't quit.""You won't need me anymore.""Well..." Sun Jae had to sit down on the sofa. "It's not because you're not actually working as my manager that... I told you I'm just taking a break. I still need you to make sure I have a career to return to.""Anyone can do what I do.""But I don't want anyone else.""You don't know how I wished you meant those words," she said, quickly wiping her tears. "I can't do this anymore. I just... I'm done waiting for you."And here they were again. If Sun Jae had to ignore the signals the first year they started working together, Da Mi seemed to have moved on from the crush she had on him since high school. He walked up to her. "I'm really sorry if I said or did something to lead you on.""You didn't. You never did. It's my fault," she said with a bitter smile. "Old habits die hard, I guess.""I'm sor-""Don't say you're sorry. Don't fucking say it." She stepped away from the hug Sun Jae tried to give her. "I'm fine. I'll be fine."She took off her earrings and untied her bun, letting her hair down. If it weren't for her gown and her light make up, this would have been the Da Mi from high school. So many things had happened since then and others didn't. They never would. Sun Jae sighed again, unable to figure out what to say. Da Mi finally smiled. "I wanted to thank you, though. I never did... So, thank you. Thank you for everything you did for me."He gently grabbed her arm before she could turn away. "So what now?""You go to her and I'll just... live my life.""But we're still friends, right?"He let her kiss his cheek but slightly stepped back when her mouth drifted close to his lips. "Yeah, you will always be my best friend," were Da Mi's last words to him.Her letter of resignation on the coffee table was the only thing left of her when Sun Jae woke up the next morning. He tried to call her cell phone and was sent to voicemail. It was time for her to start making her own choices in life.*Home."I'm back," Sun Jae whispered in the entrance of the small apartment.Since he had left to study abroad, he had stayed at a hotel the few times he had come back to Korea. Somehow, it didn't feel right to be here with the happy memories. Nothing had changed. Except maybe for the eggs boxes he had stuck on the mezzanine walls to soundproof the main room that wouldn't be very effective now. The one he touched fell on the floor at once."I had to park all the way down the street," Sang Ho complained as he stepped in. "What's up with everyone in this street getting their delivery today?"In his business suit, Sang Ho was now everything the sweet talker he used to be had to lie about to pick up girls. Helping out the ajumma who owned the restaurant downstairs he had put together a delivery service a couple of months after Sun Jae had left Korea the first time. With the right promotion, he had managed to launch three other restaurants in Seoul and was planning to open one in Busan next month."See? Told you I had someone to clean twice a week, but everything is just the same, right?" Sang Ho asked, looking around as if it was his biggest accomplishment."It's nice. Thank you." Sun Jae removed the white sheet covering the piano. The chords were still in good state and the exterior must have been cleaned once in a while too. All pianos around the world would never be as precious as his very first one. Brushing the keys, he got startled by Sang Ho who had joined him. "You said something?""I asked what you were planning to do with this place. I mean, you're not planning to move back in here, right?""Why not?""Then why did you make me buy you a house last year, then?""Just in case.""Just in case of..." Their eyes met. Sang Ho cleared his throat. "Look, I didn't want to bring this up because you came back just a week ago and I understand you need to rest, but... Well, are you really sure this is what you want?""You sound like Da Mi," Sun Jae sighed and put back the sheet on the piano. "Any news from her, by the way?""She's staying at the RH Hotel and still refuses to tell me what happened between the two of you. And yes I want to know, but don't change the subject.""What do you expect me to say?""It's been ten years. What if... things aren't just the same anymore? I mean, if she didn't want you to visit her..."Sun Jae sighed. "I don't think this is any of your business, but I don't have the answer. All I know is that Hye Won is coming out of prison next week and I will be there. And I really don't care if you or anyone else has a problem with that.""Hey, I'm on your side. All I was trying to say was... As a friend, I think you shouldn't get your hopes up.""Thank you, friend" Sun Jae replied, slightly bumping into him as he left the mezzanine.This was it.The moment he had been living for. Sun Jae checked his watch as if it would make time go faster. He made sure the collar of his polo shirt was straight, smoothed out his jeans and looked at his watch again. The summer sky was cloudless which Sun Jae decided was a good sign. The prison door opened.Time seemed to still as she stood there, holding a small duffle bag. Her now silver hair gave away her age, although her blouse and jeans showed off her unchanged thin figure. Her gaze was still piercing as ever, reading him like an open book.Sun Jae took the first step and Hye Won still didn't move. She let him come to her. Now that they were close, the gap between them seemed wider as she didn't return his smile."I brought you this," he said as a form of greeting and took a piece of tofu out of a plastic bag. "I didn't know if you'd like it, but I thought... It's okay if you don't want it," he quietly sighed.This wasn't the scenario where he'd look cool and Hye Won would at least be happy to see him."I'm going to throw it away," he added."Don't." It was just a whisper. Hye Won's face slightly lit up as she carefully chewed a small piece of tofu. "Thank you."This was the encouragement Sun Jae needed to grab her bag and smiled when she showed no resistance. "My car is parked over here." No words were exchanged until they were sitting, seat belt on. "Is there somewhere you want to go first?""Anywhere is fine." And she closed her eyes, sparing him another attempt of failing at a new discussion.Hye Won didn't say a word about the car. The tour of the house, not even the garden, didn't trigger a reaction from her. Her only comment was for the music room she only looked at from the threshold and called "nice"."I've got a room arranged for you," Sun Jae stuttered as they climb up the stairs to the first floor. Not that he hadn't hoped of another arrangement for the night. Their first night together. "The master's bedroom is down the hall. This is where... I sleep." He cleared his throat and opened her room's door. "I took the liberty to buy you new clothes. They're in the closet. And you have your own bathroom too."She slowly walked around the room and stopped by the glass door leading to the balcony overlooking the garden. She smiled at him as he placed her bag by the bed. "This is nice. Thank you.""So... Hm, can I get you something? Would you like something to drink or eat? Maybe?""I'd like to rest a little if that's okay with you...""Sure! Of course. Would you like me to put the AC on?""I just want to rest. Alone?" she carefully added."Sure. I understand. I'll just... Well, I'll be around. Just call me if you need anything."Sun Jae managed not to run out of the room. He had to lean on the closed the door to gather himself. No one said it would be easy.Playing the piano didn't keep Sun Jae at ease. Listening to music either. Wandering in the house, he tried to figure out how to break the ice. Dark clouds were rolling in as the sun was setting down when he found himself back at her door. After a light knock, he opened it wide enough to spot Hye Won sleeping, curled up on the bed. She looked fragile and nothing like the stern director of planning of the Seohan Arts Foundation he didn't even dare to look at back in the day. Who was this woman who had been out of his life for ten years and didn't seem to want to come back?Dinner was almost ready when Hye Won joined him in the kitchen."Thank you for the dress," she said. Her hair was still partially wet from the shower she had taken, but she seemed a little bit more like the sophisticated woman Sun Jae never stopped thinking of."I wasn't sure about the size.""It's fine. I guess it helps that my diet was pretty much the same for the past ten years." She smiled at what must have been a horrified look. "Did I say something wrong?""No," Sun Jae quietly replied, glancing down. "I made you spaghettis... But I can cook you something else if you want to."She sat at the island. "So you even know about foreign food now. My little Sun Jae is definitely a man."Her tone was amused but somehow condescending, pretty much like the one she used when she gave him piano lessons. And Sun Jae couldn't let it go when she smiled once again at his wine offer.He turned off the hob and left his apron on the island as he sat on the stool next to her, placing a glass of wine in front of her. "You don't have to make fun of me, you know?" he commented, raising his glass for a toast."I'm not..." The sound of their clinging glasses was deafening. "I'm just admiring what you've become.""And you don't like it?""I'm happy for you.""It's not what I asked."Hye Won ignored him and downed her glass. "What was the question?""How about going for a ride?"For the first time, she seemed unsettled. There was no question asked as she finished his glass of wine and stood up. "Let's go."**By the time they arrived at his apartment an hour later, a storm was raging. The first minutes back in the place that had allowed them to love each other were spent getting their hair dry with a towel and moving around boxes to create a space to sit down.When Sun Jae came back from the restaurant downstairs with beers and bibimbap take outs, she was nowhere in sight. "Hye Won?" he called out, wondering if she had actually left. Her shoes weren't here.He called again as he quickly made his way to the rooftop. She was there, standing at the open door. The storm was moving away from the city."Call me again," she finally said when he came to stand behind her. "My name. Say it again.""Hye Won..." He carefully embraced her from behind as he noticed her shivering under the night breeze. "We should go back down or you'll catch a cold."The tension in her body seemed to ease after a few seconds. And she even placed her hands over his. "What am I going to do?""We'll figure it out.""We? You have your life ahead of you. Do you really want to waste it with a 50-year-old ex-convict like me?"Sun Jae turned her around and caressed her face. He had noticed a couple of wrinkles earlier, but his hands still remembered her. He tilted her chin up. "You're Oh Hye Won, the strongest, smartest, the most courageous and sexiest woman I've ever known."Despite her tears, tears she seemed to have hold in way too long, she still managed to let out a little laugh as she held him tighter. He let her cry, soothing her with a caress on her back until she calmed down. When she stepped away, he held her hand and led her back to the apartment. The bibimbap was cold, but she ate as if it were the most delicious meal of her life."I don't know how to feel considering how you refused to eat the food I cooked," he said, smiling when Hye Won spilled her beer as she burst out laughing. "There you go making fun of me again.""I didn't make fun of you. And I just wasn't expecting to see you wearing an apron.""I hear women find it sexy, though." Her face turned serious at once. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I said that.""It's okay. I can't say it's not true. You did look sexy," she added with a teasing smile taking a sip of her beer. She cleared her throat. "Did you... Have you been with other women? I wouldn't blame you if you have," she quickly added, cutting off his answer. "You should have.""Do you really want to know?" He slid closer when Hye Won nodded and put her beer aside. "I'd be lying if I said there was no occasion... But they meant absolutely nothing.""I see.""And they were not that many.""I understand.""I real-""I get it. Really. I don't even know why I asked. It was stupid of me.""Are you disappointed?""I'm not judging you. I have no right to." Her eyes fluttered closed as Sun Jae's hand drifted from her hair to her neck."There's no one to tell you what you should do, say or feel. If you're mad at me, say it. If you're jealous, say it.""What will it change anyway? Besides, women never admit when they're jealous," she quietly said, brushing his cheek with the back of her hand. "I've missed you, but it's been so long...""The past is the past. I'm here now. And I want to be here for you, but you will have to let me to."There was nothing light about the kiss she gave him, a promise to give it a try. "I need time," she said, slightly out of breath.Sun Jae nodded, scooting away. They avoided looking at each other. "I'm just going to throw this away," he finally said, picking up the plastic bowls and empty cans. The fresh air of the night helped him to cool down. He stopped in the entrance at the sight of Hye Won at the piano.Her fingers were hesitant on the keys as she switched between melodies, skipping parts before she could make mistakes. It was a good thing he had replaced the eggs boxes. She played for about five minutes before she noticed his presence."I'm awful," she said with a smile."A little rusty." He sat by her side on the piano stool. "You just need some practice.""Oh, who's the teacher now?" she teased him, bumping shoulders with him. "So how much should I pay to hear the famous Lee Sun Jae play?""You can't afford me."She laughed, yet the melody she played was melancholic. Sun Jae listened for a few seconds and played along. Somehow, the tempo picked up. Their music connection seemed as strong as it used to be."What if it doesn't work?" she asked out of the blue as Sun Jae fixed a doodles-filled "pianist for beginners" repertory in front of them. He straightened his back like she had taught him and started playing. Hye Won took over from the second bar, letting Sun Jae improvise the accompaniment."Seems to me that it's still working," he commented, turning the first page. "One thing at a time?"Hye Won smiled but didn't stop playing. And neither did he.
10910073	Guidance	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Poe Dameron, Ben Solo", "Fandom": "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-15T00:00:00", "words": "387", "Additional Tags": "Masturbation, Merry Month of Masturbation Challenge 2017", "Relationship": "Poe Dameron/Ben Solo", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "The Broken Edge Deleted, Extended and Missing Scenes", "Collections": "Merry Month of Masturbation 2017", "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Normally, Poe's the one doing the guiding, but even here, with him sitting on the bed hard and ready for Ben's instruction, Ben can tell that he's very much in control. His shaft is curling up towards his belly in a way that makes Ben's mouth water, his eyes are playfully challenging. Go on, Ben, angel, those eyes say. Show me what you've learned.Ben has to admit he's nervous, because he has never actually been in charge like this before. In charge of Poe's pleasure, just for a moment -- except he's not really in charge. He's still very much pleasuring Poe, not being in charge -- and Ben doubts he wants to be."I want you," Ben says, "To touch yourself."Poe smiles. "You can just say 'touch yourself' and it would have the same effect." But he lets his hand stray towards his shaft nonetheless. Ben swallows; it's as if Poe's feelings of bliss have leaked over towards him. The feeling of touching himself is a sort of bliss on its own, but there's something about experiencing Poe's own pleasure that feels terribly intimate."Cup your...testicles," he says, and Poe does, caressing them as well on Ben's next command. Ben gauges Poe's pleasure just by what he feels in the Force, how it seeps over into Ben's mind, and from there he guides Poe. Faster, slower, harder, softer, stop and touch your nipples, back, touch your thighs, back, and so on and so forth. Poe's keening softly, his head's thrown back in frustration as Ben isn't letting him orgasm too quickly, and he's going, "Stang, Ben, please..."Ben has to admit he finds "aroused and desperate" a good look on Poe. Whether he's using his body to tease his lover, or anything else, Poe is awfully lovely when he's begging (then again, in general, he is so beautiful. Beautiful as an angel, enough to melt Ben). So he says, "Tell me what you want.""Let me come."Ben wets his lips. "Stroke for me," he says. "Stroke for me." All the while he guides Poe, who is so frustrated in his orgasm that it seems he'll burst.Poe comes, and it's beautiful to watch. When he's done, he looks up at Ben. "You did beautifully," he says. "Now...how about I do something for you?"
10983696	Weakened Mind Devils	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Dr. Flug, Black Hat", "Fandom": "Villainous (Cartoon)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by Author_Authenticated", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-23T00:00:00", "words": "1,796", "Additional Tags": "uh... boy is this a kinky one., get ready for the tag fest, why am i like this, S&M, BDSM, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Multiple Orgasms, Orgasm Torture, Collars, Bloodplay, Master/Pet, but not in a petplay way, Blow Jobs, Begging, dick stepping, please dont look at me, Anal Fingering, Pain Kink, Snowballing, Edgeplay, Cock Rings, Rough Sex, ...now that ive written these all out im ashamed, fics cancelled yall. everyone go home", "Relationship": "Dr. Flug/Black Hat", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Flug was certain that this was the best form of torture. Black Hat snarled on top of the doctor, yanking the silver chain around Flug’s neck. Flug fell forward, landing right on his face, much to the amusement of his master. His bound wrists behind his back felt like they were on fire, and he couldn't stop trying to pull them apart, forcing the warmed metal to bite into his skin again. With his cheek to the floor, Black Hat forced his black heeled boot right in between Flug’s shoulder blades, causing the doctor to meekly cry out. “You’re so pathetic, Pet. If you weren't so fun to play with, I’d throw you onto the street where I found you. Pleasuring me is all you’ll ever be good for, do you understand?” Black Hat murmured, ending in a light cackle. Flug was on his knees, tears leaking from his eyes and staining the brown paper bag he had always insisted on wearing. His thighs were trembling, and he was sure that the bruising would be worse than usual. His knees were against rough concrete, and he could feel his skin getting rubbed off in the ground. Flug desperately tried to rut against the floor. He wore sinfully tight briefs, covered in little white planes. They became stained as the doctor’s precome leaked from the head of his dick, causing friction between the cloth and the concrete. He thought he was trying to be discreet, as his master said he couldn't touch himself. Flug couldn't help but moan as he felt the tip of his dick just barely getting enough friction to cause a reaction. Flug thought he was in the clear, right before Black Hat grabbed him by the top of the bag, and forcing him back to eye level. “What the fuck is wrong with you? I only asked you to not touch yourself, hardly anything else. You’re being a terrible slave, Flug. You can't listen to directions for eight minutes, huh? Looks like I’m going to have to punish you so hard you’ll beg for mercy.” Black Hat snarled, pulling Flug up by the collar and shoving him onto his back, still on his knees in an uncomfortable position. Black Hat stripped Flug of his briefs, leaving them around his knees while Black Hat stood fully clothed, a menacing grin enveloping his face as saliva dripped from the side of his mouth. He was enjoying this way too much. Flug’s best lab coat was ripped at the arms, tied around the doctor’s wrists. The fabric was practically digging itself into his skin, and if Flug wasn't careful, he’d draw more blood than what was flowing steadily from his nose and staining his bag and pristine orange gloves. He couldn't help himself but from licking it away as it dripped down his chin, metallic taste sending rushes up his spine and twitches to his dick. The humid air was filled with Flug’s pathetic moans for more, more, more and the sound of Black Hat’s vicious laughter. The eldritch being of horror grinned his toothy grin as he pressed a heel to the doctor’s bare cock. The masked doctor cried out, the stimulation making him see stars; he was sure he would have cum if it were not for the godforsaken cock ring. “P-Please master, sir, I- ah, need to cum so badly. I can't hold back, please, I’m g-gonna lose my mind at this rate. Fuck, I’ll do anyth-” Black Hat leaned over Flug’s flushed body with his foot pressing down with increasing pressure and shoved three sharp claws into the doctor’s mouth. It shut him up immediately, and he gagged when they went too far. His tongue slid around the claws, one of which causes a clean cut to the inner side of his cheek. The blood mixed with the saliva and only then did Black Hat deem it fit to take his claws out of his mouth. “You know how much I enjoy going in dry, but this seems like it’d be more fun for you. Don't stop making your precious noises, or else we’ll be doing this my way.” Black Hat hissed, removing his shoe from the good doctor’s cock and spreading his legs. He coaxed one finger covered in blood and spit into Flug’s ass almost too slowly. Black Hat moved his fingers in calculated motions, trying to find the spot that would make Flug shriek and gasp and tense up. Flug was still whimpering incoherently, occasionally getting out a full sentence that sounded like “Please hurt me more, it feels so good.” And Black Hat was more than happy to oblige. The hand Black Hat wasn't using to fuck Flug with was brushing up Flug’s thigh gently, going up and down and slowly escalating to feathering just above the doctor’s cock. In the quick moment, Black Hat shoved his sharpened claws into Flug’s thighs. Flug screamed out in pain, writhing on the ground and causing Hat to find the spot that would cause Flug to become putty in the evil lord’s hands. Flug clawed against the floor, words bubbling up in his throat, voice rising loud enough to the point where Black Hat was certain his entire manor could hear Flug. “Fuck, fuck, fuck! Master, please this is too much, I need to cum please let me- please, please, I can’t handle it! I- my body belongs to you, I’m your plaything, I’m your pet, do anything you want to me, but please let me come.” Flug panted out. Black Hat loved it when Flug exclaimed about how worthless he was and how he belongs to him, his one true master. Now, Black Hat isn't a very nice man, but when someone is offering their body and mind to you, it's hard to not accept the offer. Black Hat made quick work of sliding the cock ring off of the poor masked fool and wrapping a single gloved hand around his cock, the other hand still fucking him. Black Hat slowly worked his hand up and down Flug’s cock, causing him to moan greedily. He kept it slow until he could see Flug’s legs tensing, and suddenly jerking extremely fast, pulling his thumb up and over the head of his cock, smearing precome with precise strokes. Flug’s back arched, Black Hat was quite surprised he had made it this long, and the doctor gasped and pulled at his restraints. His wrists were bloody as they finally released, and his hands flew to his thighs. Long fingers slowly dug into the bloody cuts on his thighs, borderline sobbing as Black Hat finger fucked him mercilessly. “F-Fuck, Black Hat- I’m gonna cum. J-Just like that, holy shit, I b-belong to you, I’m yours, fuck me, I’m your slave! Ah, please, please, oh shit, fuckfuckfuck, I’m coming! Master, please let me cum, please, I-” Flug’s voice went completely silent as he came, legs shivering and hips bucking as Black Hat laughed evilly. The doctor’s toes curled and he was drooling, but he found his voice again and found himself moaning. His dripping seed was all over his master’s hands, and a little covered his monocle and upper lip. “Fuck, Master, I’m so sorry- I- I didn't mean to, I swear, let me just, ah-” Flug began but was cut off short as Black Hat continued to jerk him off at a fast pace. He kept direct eye contact as he licked the cum off of his lip. Flug began to breathe heavily, quickly becoming overstimulated, the pressure on his cock making him bite his thumb, breaking the skin and leaving blood on his pristine white teeth. He began to squirm, attempting to wiggle away, but Black Hat had summoned phantom-restraints. Flug couldn't move his legs or arms, practically stuck to the table, screaming. “Stop! F-Fuck, I… Ah….! I already- I already came, please, stop…! M-Master, come on, fuck, it hurts it hurts it hurts! Make it stop, god, PLEASE!” “Oh, dear Flug… God can’t help you now. I am your god. Submit yourself to the torture, embrace it, no matter how much it hurts. You said your mind and body was mine, and I intend on using it to its full extent.” Black Hat cackled, laughing as Flug’s bag slid off a little, mouth and nose showing. His face looked beaten… mainly because it was. Flug continued to cry and whimper, bucking his hips in an unfruitful manor. He could hardly move his legs, but his back was still trying to arch. Anything to get it to stop. “Stop, stop, stop! Ah, fuck, just please stop- it's too much, it's too much, I can't- sir- Master!” Flug stopped as he felt his master’s long tongue and pointy teeth envelop his dick. Flug practically choked as the overstimulation took him under like a current, blacking out for a moment and coming back up with dark spots in his vision and a feeling that he was drowning in pleasure and pain. Black Hat slapped Flug’s injured thigh with his free hand and watched as Flug howled. Black Hat gave out a high hum and loved the delicious reaction he got. He watched as the doctor’s chest heaved with heavy breathing, tears streaming down his face. Flug could feel his head going to the clouds as the air entered and exited his lungs, becoming light-headed at an incredible rate. His ribs felt as if they could crack, and as his boss continued to suck him off he felt himself becoming undone. The doctor’s body slowly became languid, and his eyes practically rolled to the back of his head as he came into his boss’s mouth. His cheeks and shoulders felt they were on fire and the ability to move returned to him. He lifted his head, adjusted his bag and looked at his boss with his last bit of strength. Black Hat crawled his way up to eye level with Flug and dipped his head forward. Flug’s eyes were fluttering, and Black Hat pushed his bag up so that the doctor’s mouth was exposed. The evil being leaned inwards and met his lips to Flug’s, prying his mouth open with his long tongue. Flug’s breath hitched and he closed his eyes as his very own come dripped into his mouth. It was just as disgusting as it was pleasurable, and if Flug wasn’t on the brink of consciousness, he was sure he would have gotten hard again. With no strength left, he showed his last bit of submissiveness. Flug smiled to Black Hat’s face and swallowed. Yeah, this is the best form of torture. Flug thought, as the back of his head slammed against the concrete floor. His mind went blank, and he was safely unconscious.
10922691	Vazhnaia prosba	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": null, "Fandom": "Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling", "Language": "Русский", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by Doriana_Grey", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-16T00:00:00", "words": "2,961", "Additional Tags": "Don't copy to another site", "Relationship": "Lucius Malfoy/Severus Snape", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Никто ничего не знал, ни одна живая душа – Люциус об этом позаботился, но он страшно завидовал своим новым знакомым. Почти каждого из них Лорд Волдеморт пригласил лично, за некоторыми была установлена слежка – их соблазняли, запугивали, лучшие из лучших обещали им золотые горы.С Люциусом было не так. Его Лорду представил отец и настойчиво попросил «не дать усохнуть величию чистокровного рода». И добавил весомый мешочек золота. Думая об этом, Люциус каждый раз стыдливо опускал ресницы. Его просто подсунули как залежалый товар, и теперь он уже никогда не узнает, стали бы его запугивать или упрашивать. Или даже соблазнять.Про последнее он слышал немало.Например, достаточно было взглянуть на Беллу Блэк, которая то насмешливо улыбалась Рудольфу, то подмигивала Рабастану, чтобы понять, насколько успешен этот метод в рядах Упивающихся Смертью. Иногда, правда, дерзкая девчонка томно смотрела на Повелителя, прикусывая губы и вздыхая, всем своим видом показывая, что её ещё убеждать и убеждать, но на такие вещи Лорд не велся.Нечего было и говорить, что привести по приказу Лорда нового участника было страшно почетно, и Люциус мечтал, что его первое задание будет именно таким. Если уж быть честным с собой, – а с кем же, если не с собой?.. – то стоило признать, что среди Упивающихся он был самым красивым. Да новички после его работы должны были просто штабелями валиться в ноги, дабы прислуживать блистательному Лорду Волдеморту.По-видимому, Лорд Волдеморт думал так же, по крайней мере, так решил Люциус, когда его пригласили на аудиенцию к Повелителю.Он скрестил пальцы, чтобы Лорд отправил его к Блэкам. В конце концов, Белла хороша, но там были еще две премиленькие сестрицы, которых необходимо было соблазнить, то есть, конечно, завербовать в организацию, и Люциус поклялся себе, что не пощадит живота своего, но добьется блестящего результата.Какого же было его разочарование, когда Волдеморт назвал Снейпа.– Северус Снейп? – повторил Люциус на всякий случай.Мало ли. Может, Лорд ошибся.Волдеморт нахмурился.– Он мне нужен, – тоном, от которого у Люциуса мурашки побежали даже по коленкам, произнес он. – Конечно, Эйвери и Мальсибер с ним вели беседы, – Волдеморт кивнул на стоящих тут же старшекурсников. Люциус с трудом сдержался, чтобы не поморщиться.Рыхлый бледный Эйвери и прыщавый Мальсибер – а ведь их тоже кто-то вербовал! Он понял, что отвлекся в самый неподходящий момент, и уставился полным внимания и ужаса взглядом на Лорда, который, казалось, даже не заметил этого.– …Конечно, теперь, когда он поссорился с этой грязнокровкой, дело может пойти быстрее, но грязнокровки отличаются мягкосердечием, – говорил Лорд. – Сегодня она морщит нос, а через день вновь друзья навек, и мы потеряем весьма многообещающего юношу. Поэтому медлить нельзя. Он должен дать согласие на метку завтра же.Люциус с трудом сдержал возмущенный вопль. Со всеми деньгами, с той пунктуальностью, с которой он посещал каждое собрание, даже еженедельное стандартное собрание для новичков, он получил метку только через три месяца, а Снейпу её просто преподносили на блюдечке!– Ты понял, Люциус? – обманчиво ласково спросил Волдеморт, от которого не укрылись метания Малфоя. – Завтра он должен искренне умолять о метке. И мне всё равно, как ты этого достигнешь.Судя по тому, с какой жалостью на него посмотрели Мальсибер и Эйвери, Люциус догадался, что запугивать Снейпа бесполезно. Он плохо помнил этого неряшливого мальчишку. И он бы вовсе не заметил его среди других младшекурсников, если бы не надменное выражение лица, никак не вязавшееся с его одеждой, и известное всем на Слизерине противостояние его одного с четырьмя гриффиндорцами. Среди них был даже Блэк.Блэк… Может, если он успешно справится с этим заданием, ему позволят вербовать Андромеду или Нарциссу…– Он не должен успеть помириться с этой грязнокровкой, – снова вырвал его из мыслей Волдеморт. – Ты понял меня, Люциус?– Да, милорд, – Люциус склонил голову.Про грязнокровку он тоже был наслышан, и это всё усложняло. Или упрощало, как посмотреть.Люциус взбодрился. Может, самому ничего и не придется делать. Как любил говорить papa, таскать каштаны из огня лучше чужими руками, и в данном случае, по мнению Люциуса, это было применимо и к соблазнению.Решив полностью положиться на свою интуицию, Люциус успокоился и ранним утром следующего дня уже маячил невдалеке от ворот Хогвартса, рассчитывая перехватить Снейпа по дороге в Хогсмид.Когда мимо прошли уже все, включая шумную четверку гриффиндорцев, Люциус забеспокоился. Волновался он зря, Снейп всё-таки объявился. Он шел один, угрюмо уставившись на дорогу перед собой, и пребывал в глубокой задумчивости.Но дружеское похлопывание по плечу от неожиданно появившегося рядом Люциуса вывело его из этого состояния – он подпрыгнул и проворно вытащил палочку.– Отличная реакция, – сообщил ему Люциус, потирая подбородок, в который палочка довольно больно уткнулась. – Я тут случайно по делу оказался в Хогсмиде, дай, думаю, выпью с кем-нибудь в «Трех метлах». Ты как?– Случайно или по делу? – Снейп прищурился, затем взгляд его прояснился. – А, ну давай.Люциус мысленно умилился наивности мальчишки, но решил, что так даже лучше. Меньше будет вопросов, тем более идти в «Три метлы» у него планов не было.– Это не похоже на «Три метлы», – заметил Снейп, когда они поднялись на второй этаж неприметного домика в Хогсмиде.– Да, – односложно ответил Люциус, вынимая бутылку вина. Красное вино было для него важным пунктом соблазнения, но вечером он нечаянно взял бутылку коллекционного отцовского бордо и теперь испытывал смешанные чувства.– О чем ты хотел поговорить? – Северус огляделся, пытаясь найти место, где можно было сесть. Кроме стола и кровати в комнате была еще тумбочка и кресло, и вот к последнему он и направился, когда был остановлен Люциусом.– Я слышал, у тебя трудности с одноклассниками? – начал Люциус издалека.– Даже ты слышал, – Снейп передернул плечами. – А я думал, ты и имени моего не знаешь, Люциус.«До вчерашнего дня и не знал», – мог сказать Малфой, но прикусил язык, лишь невнятно промычав что-то, воспринятое Снейпом как отрицание такой возможности.– У меня к тебе есть важная просьба, – продолжил Люциус и запнулся. Малфои никогда и ничего не просили, даже во имя великой миссии.Снейп терпеливо ждал, но видя, что Люциус погрузился в свои мысли, не выдержал.– Какая? – осторожно спросил он.– Важная, – очнулся от мыслей Люциус и с тайной надеждой поинтересовался:– Может, познакомить тебя с симпатичной девицей?В конце концов, Снейп вполне мог согласиться, и тогда бы не пришлось самому участвовать в соблазнении.Однако носатый шестикурсник скорбно вздохнул и покачал головой.Люциус тоже вздохнул. Выбирать не приходилось, хотя соблазнять Снейпа не хотелось просто до ужаса. Пообещав себе в качестве награды соблазнить для организации и только ради неё кого-нибудь из младших сестриц Блэк, в крайнем случае, лично убедиться в абсолютной лояльности Беллы, он решительно приступил к делу.Подойдя к Снейпу вплотную, он снова на секунду замешкался. Люциус не хотел себе в этом признаваться, но он сомневался, что точно знает, с чего начать свою вербовку.Целовать Снейпа ему не хотелось. К тому же Малфой смутно понимал, что в поцелуе принимают участие двое, а уверенности в том, что Северус сразу согласится соблазняться, у него, несмотря на всю свою неотразимость, не было.Да и в целом Снейп такого желания не вызывал, и если бы не миссия Лорда, Люциус бы никогда в жизни до такого не додумался.– У меня к тебе важная просьба, – снова повторил он, словно ненароком касаясь щеки Снейпа.Тот заинтересованно поднял бровь, но тут Люциусу окончательно изменило его красноречие, зато решимость хлынула через край. По крайней мере, именно так он объяснял себе, почему вдруг обеими руками ухватился за мантию Северуса и, путаясь в пуговицах и завязках, принялся её расстегивать.Люциус и сам был порядком удивлен своей новой тактикой, но это не шло ни в какое сравнение с тем, как поразился Снейп. Он просто застыл словно статуя и не мог произнести ни слова, пока мантия не соскользнула с его плеч, оставляя его в сероватых подштанниках и рубашке, на которой, к радости Люциуса, было всего шесть пуговиц, и его решимости с лихвой хватило на все.– Хорошо, когда мало пуговиц, – пробормотал он, чтобы как-то занять неловкую паузу, заполненную только тяжелым дыханием.Казалось, его слова заставили Снейпа очнуться. Он ухватился за края рубашки, но было поздно – Люциус дернул её вниз, и она оказалась рядом с мантией.– Зачем?.. – сдавленно прошипел Снейп, отпрянув от Люциуса так резко, что не устоял на ногах, наткнувшись на кровать, отчего плюхнулся на неё спиной.«С красивыми девушками почему-то такие случайности не происходят», – мысленно посетовал Люциус, резво хватая Снейпа за ногу, чтобы он не смог подняться.Тут его снова настигла нерешительность. По закону жанра попавшуюся в плен рук ногу следовало страстно облизать, но брезгливый Люциус даже самых элитных девиц перед такими изысками гонял мыть ноги, а ноги Снейпа мало того что совсем не походили на ножки тех девиц, так еще были в носках. На такой подвиг Люциус готов не был, поэтому просто переместился вперед, усаживаясь на бедра Северуса и оставив смущающие его ноги в носках за спиной.Снейп жалобно заскулил, испуганно таращась на него, но связных слов у него не находилось, поэтому Люциус решил это пока игнорировать.Вместо попытки установить словесный контакт он полностью отдался соблазнению, принимаясь мягко, осторожно гладить Северуса по впалой груди, особое внимание уделяя сжавшимся соскам.Снейп прекратил скулить и удивленно дышал, раскрыв рот. Люциус приободрился и подумал, что самое время перейти к более решительным действиям.Он не учел только, что перед соблазнением не зафиксировал осчастливленного Снейпа, поэтому удар локтем по носу, когда Люциус склонился, чтобы облизать привлекший его сосок, застал его врасплох.– Совсем сдурел, что ли?! – Люциус быстро ощупал нос.К счастью, удар был несильным, и можно было не опасаться за прямоту носа. Если бы нос оказался разбит, Люциус определенно завалил бы свою миссию.Вспомнив о миссии, он с помощью заклинания привязал руки Снейпа к кровати и, мстительно прикусив сосок, принялся вылизывать кожу на груди Снейпа, спускаясь ниже. Вопреки его опасениям, кожа у Снейпа была чистая и пахла мылом. Похоже, мнение о его неряшливости проистекало от вечно неухоженных волос и застиранной одежды.Люциус даже подумал, что дополнительно к соблазнению в качестве усиления вербовки можно подарить Снейпу комплект хорошего белья, но потом решил, что в таких делах важно не перегнуть палку.– Что ты делаешь? Прекрати, – Снейп снова задергался у него под руками.Люциус Малфой за свою жизнь соблазнил множество женщин. Правда, большинство этих соблазнений были за деньги понарошку в любимом борделе его papa, но одно Люциус уяснил твердо: если женщина, или в его случае Снейп, говорит «Что ты делаешь? Прекрати!», то значит, действовать надо смелее и активнее.Конечно, немного смущало, что Снейп соблазняться никак не желал. Люциус подумал было также дать ему денег, но решил, что это будет удар по его малфоевскому самолюбию, и он еще не настолько отчаялся.Поэтому Люциус сполз по кровати еще ниже и быстро, чтобы не передумать, стянул с Северуса его подштанники. Самолюбие было наконец вознаграждено. Как бы Снейп ни упирался и ни скулил, член явно был другого мнения о происходящем и выглядел довольно возбужденным.Люциус прикинул, что орган таких внушительных размеров наверняка что-нибудь ему повредит, поэтому малодушно решил обойтись поверхностными ласками, после чего осторожно лизнул головку. Снейп сдавленно охнул и подался вперед. Люциус с облегчением отметил, что он не только перестал вертеться как змей на сковородке, но и соблюдал гигиену во всем, что делало его, Люциуса, подвиг не менее впечатляющим, но зато куда менее неприятным.Он так увлекся облизыванием члена, что сам не заметил, как пошел чуть дальше, накрыв его губами и принявшись посасывать головку, правда, не опускаясь ниже, чтобы не подавиться. И только стон Снейпа вернул его к реальности.Определенно стоило переходить к следующему пункту.Он сел на пятки и окончательно стащил со Снейпа подштанники, после чего наложил очищающее заклинание и остановился в нерешительности. Снейп определенно был девственником, а Люциус слышал, что без дополнительной подготовки даже со смазкой может быть больно.Причем если Снейп его волновал в этом вопросе не сильно – эти же источники уверяли, что после непродолжительной боли небо в алмазах было только ярче, – но повредить что-то себе он не собирался. Совать же туда пальцы даже после очищающего заклинания не хотелось. Опять же, papa всегда говорил: «Никому нет дела, куда ты суешь свой член, но руки, будь добр, храни в чистоте – ты в них держишь деньги». Правда, papa мучился каким-то недомоганием, которое имело некоторые внешние проявления драконьей оспы, но при этом не передавалось по воздуху, однако сказать с точностью, что это как-то связано с сованием куда-то члена, Люциус не мог.Судя по всему, Снейп и в самом деле был неглуп, потому что он по лицу Люциуса понял, в чем именно у него затруднения.– Развяжи руки, я сам… растяну, – пробормотал он, отводя взгляд.– И не сбежишь? – на всякий случай уточнил Люциус, прекрасно понимая, что сам бы в такой ситуации соврал не задумываясь.Снейп оскорбился.– Я не трус, – сухо ответил, после чего сел, потирая запястья.Люциус терпеливо ждал, следя за каждым его движением.К его удивлению и даже некоторому разочарованию, Снейп и в самом деле не пытался сбежать. Он деловито обмакнул пальцы в предусмотрительно вытащенную Люциусом из тумбочки баночку с резким фруктовым запахом и снова лег, приподнимая бедра, чтобы было удобнее дотянуться.Наблюдая за тем, как длинные изящные пальцы Снейпа, измазанные розовой смазкой, осторожно ощупывают вход, прежде чем проникнуть внутрь, затем выскальзывают наружу, чтобы снова нырнуть обратно, но уже глубже, Люциус неожиданно понял, что его это возбуждает.Когда же обстоятельно подошедший к этому Снейп добавил третий палец, и при выскальзывании их наружу блестящий и розовый от смазки анус перестала сразу стягиваться обратно, Люциус не выдержал.– Хватит, – хрипло произнес он и, испугавшись собственного голоса, добавил шепотом. – Уже достаточно.Он торопливо принялся стягивать собственную одежду, не отрывая взгляда от Снейпа, который послушно убрал руку от задницы и закрыл глаза. За время предыдущих действий его бледная кожа слегка порозовела, на щеках так вовсе полыхали алые пятна, что совершенно его не красило. Но Люциуса сейчас это волновало мало, как и то, для чего всё это делалось. Он не мог ни о чем думать, кроме как о том, чтобы войти в покорно ждущее его тело.Когда он приставил свой возбужденный член к скользкому отверстию, Снейп едва заметно вздрогнул и сильнее стиснул зубы, но не издал ни звука. Люциус глубоко вздохнул и медленно выдохнул, заставляя себя успокоиться. Войти сразу и кончить не хотелось просто ужасно, ведь papa объяснял ему разницу между тем, чтобы соблазнить и использовать. Использовать Снейпа в таком смысле было бессмысленно и обидно для него, Люциуса. Как будто он не может использовать кого-то получше.Когда Люциус наконец справился с собой и надавил, медленно проникая внутрь, Снейп зашипел сквозь плотно стиснутые зубы, и он сильно сжал руками простыню, но молчал, за что Люциус был ему безмерно благодарен.Еще Люциус был благодарен papa за то, что тот как-то рассказал ему о том, что у мужчин есть особая точка, прикосновения к которой должны были довести партнера до пресловутого неба в алмазах. За что Люциус не был благодарен papa, так это за то, что он не намекнул даже, как именно нужно раскорячиться, чтоб член достал эту проклятую точку.Он толкался внутрь и почти выскальзывал наружу, чтобы снова войти под другим углом, но Северус только сильнее сжимал зубы и с легким присвистом выдыхал, стойко не выдавая никаких страстных стонов.Вконец отчаявшись, Люциус решил подумать и о себе, малодушно собравшись дособлазнять деньгами или – если он правильно помнил о пристрастиях Снейпа – стащить у papa в библиотеке какую-нибудь редкую книгу по темным искусствам.Договорившись таким образом со своей совестью, он закинул ноги Снейпа себе на плечи и резко вошел на всю длину члена. От неожиданности Снейп широко распахнул глаза и со стоном выдохнул. Вдохновленный этим звуком, Люциус принялся сильнее вбиваться в его тело, и с каждым стоном Снейпа его собственное возбуждение росло, вырывая из его горла хриплые звуки, так не похожие на стоны Снейпа и в то же время вторящие им.К его восторгу, Снейп кончил первый, и Люциус тоже позволил себе, пожалуй, впервые за это непростое утро, просто получить удовольствие. Выскользнув из Снейпа и с трудом выпутавшись из его костлявых ног, Люциус ничком упал рядом. Двигаться сил не было, но миссия ждать не могла.– Тебе понравилось? – пробормотал он в подушку.– М-м-м… – неуверенно протянул лицемерный Снейп, словно не он только что стонал так, что если бы они были не в борделе, к их комнате уже сбежались бы зеваки.– Может, хочешь наоборот, побыть сверху? – неуверенно спросил Люциус, поворачиваясь к нему лицом.Снейп в ужасе замотал головой.– Ну как хочешь, – как можно небрежнее произнес Люциус. – Многое теряешь.Снейп закусил губу и уставился на него.– Зачем? – повторил он вопрос, с которого начал.Малфой тяжело вздохнул. Иногда такой вроде умный Снейп казался настоящим тугодумом.– Мне дали задание тебя завербовать для Лорда, – медленно, словно разговаривая со слабоумным или маглом, произнес он. – Ну я решил тебя соблазнить, чтобы ты точно согласился.Снейп всхлипнул, это было похоже и на смех и на икоту одновременно.– Да я уже три дня не знаю, как выйти на Лорда, чтобы передать, что я согласен! – он стукнул рукой по подушке. – Эйвери и Мальсибер постоянно куда-то пропадали, а мне теперь терять нечего, и я был сам готов.– И метку принять? – недоверчиво уточнил Люциус, торопливо стараясь убедить себя, что его мучения не напрасны. В конце концов, как всегда говорил papa, «опыт – это то, что нельзя украсть, но можно купить и продать куда дороже».– И метку, – словно всхлипнул, нет, нервно рассмеялся Снейп.– Ну… это хорошо, – неуверенно произнес Люциус, переворачиваясь на спину. – Будем в одной организации. Можем как-нибудь повторить, – с тайной надеждой, что Снейп откажется, добавил он.Первый раз за всё это время Снейп не разочаровал его, решительно покачав головой.– Я тогда пойду, – Люциус почувствовал себя неуютно. – Ты можешь тут остаться, комната оплачена до обеда, во время ланча приносят ланч, – скомкано добавил он.– Хорошо, – Снейп подтянул ноги к груди и прищурился. – Вино забери. Бордо этого урожая слишком дорогое удовольствие, Люциус. Не думаю, что стоит его тратить на меня.Мысленно согласный с ним Малфой почувствовал неожиданную симпатию к Снейпу и решил присмотреться к нему получше. Может, даже взять над ним шефство у Лорда. Ну, разумеется, после того, как он в качестве вознаграждения за свои муки завербует одну из Блэк, причем не для организации Лорда, а, так сказать, для личных нужд. И лучше Нарциссу, потому темноволосых на ближайшее время с него было довольно.Вместо эпилога– Северус, у меня к тебе важная просьба, – начала Нарцисса. Глаза её блестели от слез, стоящая рядом Белла брезгливо кривила губы.– Согласен, – торопливо ответил Снейп.– Глупец! – взвизгнула Белла. – Ты же не знаешь, о чем её просьба!– О чем бы ни была, это всё тлен, – отрезал Снейп. – Я знаю одно: если Малфои говорят, что у них важная просьба, главное – успеть согласиться!
10900557	By Any Means Necessary	{ "Archive Warning": "Rape/Non-Con", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Loki (Marvel), Karl Mordo", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by zenkitty555", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-14T00:00:00", "words": "2,886", "Additional Tags": "Dubious Consent, Dubious Morality, Post-Doctor Strange (2016), Post-Thor: Ragnarok, Angst, Rape/Non-con Elements, sorcery, Sorcerers, Asgard, Asgardian Magic, Imprisonment, Evil Sorcerer Bros, Villains, One-Sided Attraction, Shapeshifting, Implied Karl Mordo/Stephen Strange, Dark, Dark Agenda", "Relationship": "Loki/Karl Mordo", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel, Thor (Movies)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	It was disappointing to find the book missing from his grandfather’s library, probably destroyed along with many of the others, but it would be easy enough to recover, as he knew exactly where a copy was kept. Getting there would a bit more difficult, as the further one went, the more magical energy it took. Despite what some thought, there was always a delicate balance between the energy expended and the power produced. Even for someone like Karl, going to Asgard would take quite a lot out of him, so he had to plan the trip carefully, making sure to save his energy before the time came.When he did get there, navigating the terrain and the Asgardian systems would be difficult, but he remembered them fairly clearly from the one time he had gone with the Ancient One to discuss the disturbances in New York with the God Odin.He was confident that he could do it again. It would not be an easy task, and he would need to convince the Asgardians to allow him to view the book, but since he was not a total stranger it would be possible.As he prepared for his journey, he reflected on his mission, the true path he should have taken from the beginning. He had been so gullible and stupid for the last few decades, allowing himself to be manipulated by liars who did not wish to keep to the paths. Therein lay the downfall of their kind. Men like Strange and women like the Ancient One, twisting their roles of protectors and watchers by dabbling in magic to suit their own purposes, without regards to the overall consequences. He had turned a blind eye to the small infractions she had committed, letting her play on his emotions and his thirst for approval. She had manipulated him, just as his grandfather had, in order to use him for her own satisfaction. Karl would no longer be a part to any of it and knew he had to right their wrongs.He prepared the best he could, waiting for the right moment to begin his journey, and when that day came, he had made sure to set his affairs in order just in case he did not make it back. He was putting everything on the line with this.Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the spell for intergalactic travel. It was different from using the sling ring, with it being a much more complex process and one they did not teach to just anyone. It was as hard on the mind as it was on the body.When he came out on the other side, he found things very much changed from his last visit. It looked as if they had been through a war of sorts, many of the buildings destroyed and the streets in disarray.Karl looked around him, expecting to see the gatekeeper, but thankfully he did not come. He was quite nervous about meeting that particular Asgardian, knowing the man could derail his plans if he chose to look deeply into Karl’s motivations. It would have not been easy to fool a man who could see everything.It was almost eery how easy it was to access the areas he needed to go. His timing seemed to be nearly perfect, with the lax security and everyone seemingly distracted. No one even took notice of his locator spell, something that others would feel was not from their realm. Asgardian sorcery was very different from Midgardian sorcery.When his spell led him to the palace, he had not been surprised, as he knew they kept text from across the galaxy. Odin was the type of King to collect everything for reference. It was one reason he had awed Karl the only time they had met. He had been very familiar with their ways, and talked as though he knew the Ancient One, which was not surprising given her advanced age.It took a little time to go through their clearance procedure, but as he had been there before, he had raised no concerns, even garnering a regret that Odin himself could not meet him.After following the woman through the halls and into the library, he was brought to the keeper of the books. Putting his request in, the librarian went to go fetch the tome, but came back empty handed, a strained look upon his face.“I am sorry, but that volume is in a private collection. You will need written consent from its master, Loki Laufeyson, former Prince of Asgard.”Karl looked at the man. Of course there would be such a complication. Everything had been so easy until this point, but life was never easy. There was always a catch.He turned to the guide assigned to him.“How can I talk with this man?”The woman looked at him warily. She seemed to hesitate, before starting off down the halls, gesturing for Karl to follow her. Eventually they came to a door, obviously spelled to register the movements of those who entered and exited. It was a type of imprisonment spell, albeit a relatively relaxed one. Given the state he had seen the kingdom in, he wasn’t surprised. As the man was a former prince, some leeway was also to be expected as far as visitors were concerned.Karl hesitated for a moment as a bad feeling came over him. He knew Loki of Asgard by reputation; he was not a demi-god to be trifled with. Cautiously he entered, surprised he was able to pass without complication. Obviously the wards deemed him not a threat, perhaps judging him as the weaker sorcerer, a truth he would readily admit to.Loki sat up from the lounge chair he was reclining in, his bored expression quickly replaced by one of curiosity and then amusement. Karl stood up straight, keeping his expression neutral. Even if he were the weaker man, he could not let the other man feel that.They looked at each other for a few seconds before Karl spoke.“I would like to access a book of yours, and would be greatly indebted to you if you would give me the required permission.”Loki smirked, lazily rising from his place.“Well, isn’t that quite presumptuous,” Loki purred, his soft tones filling the chamber, “like your kind always are.”Karl remain silent knowing there was a time to strike and a time to hold back, and if he wanted what he came for, he would have to keep his cool.“What is the book you seek?”“The Book of Spirit, Volume 17.”Something changed after he requested that book. Gone was the amusement from his countenance, replaced by hostility.“What could someone like you want with such a title? Don’t you know what kind of magic lies within it’s pages? Could you even wield such power?”Karl glared at him.“There were only two copies left in existence when I was a boy, both of them my grandfather’s. I know exactly what is in those pages and what it takes to use the spells in them.”Loki’s expression changed once again, back to the amused look that he had before. It was unsettling how quickly his moods seemed to change. Karl knew his reputation as a trickster, and the reports he had once had to file on behalf of one of the former Master of the New York Sanctum said that he was very good at playing mind games. He disliked these types of exchanges, as they now reminded him of he. It was the type of questioning she would enjoy.“Grandson of Krowler. I remember you from when I went to fetch the books the first time. Collecting such trivial texts was a past-time of my mother's, and she had purchased quite a few from your grandfather. She was always amused by such rudimentary sorcery.”Karl’s expression softened. It was a surprise to hear, as he had not remembered the man who had come. At the time he often lurked in corners where he was expected to be seen and not heard, and so he learned to close both his eyes and his ears along with his mouth.“Have you come for sentimental reasons?” Loki teased.“I’m not here to retrieve the book, only a spell within it.”That seemed to heighten Loki’s interest.“And you assume that I will just allow you to look through my private collection free of charge?”Karl had nothing to give, so he said nothing. He had foolishly hoped that he would have easy access, as their books were rather rudimentary compared to the magic of Asgardians. Although he knew nothing in life was free, he had nothing to even trade.“It can be yours,” Loki began as he walked over to where Karl stood.He circled the man once, his eyes roaming at the same slow pace he made his turn at. Karl felt unnerved by it.“If you do as I say.”Loki came to stop in front of him, his eyes meeting Karl’s. Swallowing hard, Karl closed his eyes for a moment, as he knew exactly the kind of thing the man was thinking of. It was distasteful, but he had done much worse in his youth. He could endure this.“I know my brother has laid with Midgardians before, but really, I could never fathom why. You however, are a bit more interesting than most, even amongst your sorcerers ,” the man continued with a sneer.“What do you know of us?” Karl enquired, partly out of curiosity and partly out of disbelief.“I’ve recently had a proper introduction in New York, one of your ilk I’m guessing from your dress. A man named Strange. Referred to himself as a Doctor.”Karl felt his jaw tightened, “Strange. Of course.”Loki let out a laugh, a low quiet chuckle that was a perfect representation of tone of their conversation up until this point. Karl swallowed his pride as he said nothing more.“I see, you are of the same opinion,” Loki teased.Karl felt a quick flash of magical energy near him coming from the man. He expected to be bound, or some other type of attack, but instead he felt a shaky hand touch his neck, and felt breath upon his ear.“Maybe, we can make this a little more interesting? How would you like that?”It wasn’t Loki’s voice anymore, it was Stephen’s, and he felt his stomach give a little heave. He had never told anyone about how he felt about Strange before the sorcerer had utterly betrayed and disappointed him. Karl’s feelings were complicated, and for a minute he almost had a change of heart, suddenly wanting to flee from the room. At the same time he would do anything necessary, and he had to remind himself of this. Karl had to keep the path he was on.“Do as you wish,” Karl gritted out.“This one feels so familiar, yet so different. Brilliant, yet moronic all at the same time. Funny how attractive he is, isn’t he? The best part is he knows it, with his smiles and grins,” Loki mused in Stephen’s voice.Karl stood there not reacting, hoping Loki would become bored with this. Sure enough after a few more seconds Loki came around to his front and shifted his shape back into his own. He smiled as he started to undo Karl’s clothing.“As tempting as it would be, I think that I would much prefer for you know who will be fucking you. Perhaps I will be Strange the doctor another time. I have a feeling that we could become quite useful to one another, or at least I can become useful to you and you can become some fun for me.”Loki had by this point removed Karl’s belt and opened the top portion of his robes, his hands roaming over Karl’s flesh. Loki leaned in to kiss the side of his neck before coming up near his ear, capturing the lobe between his teeth and biting lightly at it before releasing it again. Grabbing at Karl’s waist, Loki pulled him as close as he could, pressing against him.“After today you will be one of the few to be able to brag about sleeping with a god, and it will not disappoint. Granted you will have a hard time after.”The man talked so much, something he was not fond of, and wished Loki would just get on with it. Karl's only thoughts at this moment pertained to his goal, the spell waiting for him downstairs.Loki pulled away, ridding himself of the light robe that Loki had been wearing.“Don’t think too much, enjoy,” Loki purred.He leaned in and kissed Karl, but pulled away after a few minutes.“I like my partners a little more active,” Loki remarked.Karl sighed and tried to will himself to not think about the situation or the personality of the man in front of him. If he pushed his distaste away, it would be easier to get through it. He closed his eyes enough so that everything was a blurry mess, and averted his gaze. He felt it would almost be better if Loki did take the form of Strange. At least then he could pretend that it was a lost moment, one of those early days when Strange listened to him well and had all the excitement of discovering magic for the first time. Stephen had looked so intoxicatingly lovely, and Karl had been so proud of him with each step.It was a very surreal situation, daydreaming of someone he now hated in order to retrieve the spell that would bring balance to the mystical world once again. Karl found it helped a little more, and when Loki leaned in for another kiss, he found himself groaning into the slightly taller, lanky man’s mouth. If he closed his eyes, it was easy to imagine it was Stephen, and he practically whimpered when Loki grasped his cock, imagining Stephen’s broken hands instead.Karl brought his hands up to cup the Asgardians face, but he wasn’t touching the Asgardian, but rather the American’s face. In his mind, it made things a little bit more bearable, and he knew that the demi-god was enjoying himself quite a bit.He let himself be backed up onto the lounge that Loki had been sitting on when he entered. Imagining himself in the New York Sanctum, Karl finished removing the rest of their clothes, positioning himself so Loki would have easier access to what he wanted. He watched the man retrieve something, breathing a sigh of relief that he wasn’t as sadistic as he could be. He had wondered earlier, but dared not to ask.At that point he started to get emotional, as he couldn’t continue the fantasy. The man in front of him, grinning ear to ear with a sharp smile was Loki, and not Strange or anyone else he had desired after in his life. The good news was that he didn’t have to look at the man’s face as he fucked Karl. Instead he just focused on the ornate room that surrounded him as he grasped at the man’s bare back, making sure to leave marks, and that seemed to please Loki. He did it out of spite, but in the end it just left him feeling empty.Karl wasn’t sure how long it actually lasted, but it was longer than he liked, with Loki coming after he had dragged the orgasm from Karl’s body. Loki looked pleased with himself as he kissed Karl one last time. Straightening himself out, Karl tried to calm his nerves and his stomach. Closing his eyes and bringing up all his courage, he spoke when he was sure that he would have a steady voice.“If you would give me permission to access that book now.”Loki stood there, still naked, and smirked.“Why would I want to do that?”Karl felt his heart stop for a nanosecond. He was a fool.“You Midgardians are so gullible,” Loki said, walking over the the desk pushed against the wall. After writing something down, he came back to Karl with a note of permission, or he assumed that’s what it was, given that the language it was written in was an unfamiliar one.“Remember, if you need anything else, I will be glad to help you again, for a price of course.”Karl exited the room, not looking back. Clutching the paper in his fist he returned to the library with his minder, and after he gave the paper to the librarian, he found himself with the book he had not seen in decades. Taking a small notepad from his pocket, he copied what he needed and left.Soon after he left for earth, ready for the next chapter. He knew exactly who his first target would be: someone who not only had rejected their ways, but would send a clear message to Doctor Stephen Strange. Grasping onto that thought, he dreamed of a new mystical world while putting the ugly events of the day behind him. In the end he had to believe it would be worth it.
10986231	one step at a time	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Dmitry (Anastasia - Flaherty/Ahrens/McNally), Dimitri (Anastasia 1997), Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanov Grand Duchess of Russia, Olga Romanov, Gleb Vaganov, Maria Romanov", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by illmatchtheminrenown", "chapters": "11/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-24T00:00:00", "words": "25,836", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Dimitri/Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova, Dmitry (Anastasia - Flaherty/Ahrens/McNally)/Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Anastasia (1997), Anastasia - Flaherty/Ahrens/McNally", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/M, Gen", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	In 1917, Russia revolted. They rose up against the quasi-feudal structures that had lasted for centuries and created a new Soviet Union. In the process, they killed many of the aristocracy and royalty, including Tsar Nicholas and every Romanov they could find. These are the facts every child for a century has learned in their history books. But perhaps, in another world, another time, things might have gone differently. If only… ***************** St. Petersburg - Winter Palace - April 1907 “And you are certain?” The tsar asked, brow furrowed as he looked around the half-circle of his advisors.“I’m afraid so, Your Imperial Majesty,” Pyotr Stolypin said, stepping forward slightly. “But you, Pyotr, you cannot be in favor of this. You have so long been our ally in strengthening the monarchy,” Nicholas said, a question in his statement. Stolypin took a deep breath; the tsar was not wrong, and it physically pained him to agree with the reformers, nearly revolutionaries, whose advice was being brought forward.“I believe, sir, that in order to have a monarchy to strengthen, it may be necessary to… not strengthen its powers. For now, at the very least, Your Imperial Majesty.”Nicholas paced across the floor. His advisors stood back uncomfortably, watching the future of Russia in his steps. After a few long moments, he stood in front of them, head held high and posture tall like the military man he was.“The tsarina’s grandmother, God rest her soul, ruled not as an absolute monarch, but with the constraints of law and parliament to share power. And she was, I think we can agree, one of the greatest monarchs to ever live. I should be unworthy to call her family if I could not at least attempt to do the same,” he pronounced with gravity. “Let it be done.”The men gathered released a breath all at once, a small wind carrying immense change.“There is one other matter, in that case, Your Imperial Majesty,” another advisor said, nervously stepping forward. “That of reparations. Many people have been harmed - inadvertently - by the policies of late. Bloody Sunday, for instance, and the war with Japan, among other instances. Not to call into question your Imperial Majesty’s judgment. But… It is my belief - and that of many others - that the government may wish to make some public gesture of reconciliation and reparation.”“We are not in the habit of apologizing for quashing unlawfulness, Count,” the tsar said severely. The count shook slightly, but stood his ground.“No, Your Imperial Majesty, but, forgive me, I would suggest that a… a token gesture, perhaps, would go a long ways towards public goodwill. There are, after all, many more of them than there are of us.” After a pause, Nicholas nodded. “Wise counsel, Count. What would you suggest? Anyone?” A third man stepped forward, a younger man with thoughtful eyes.“Ah, Count Ipolitov. What have you to say?” Nicholas gestured him forward. “It is the effect on innocents that your enemies will attempt to leverage the most. Therefore, it is to them that you must aim your goodwill.” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “Offer support to a select group of children who have been left alone by these actions. Sons of dissidents, daughters of rebels. Instead of allowing them to fester in bitterness and rise up against you or your son, you show them mercy and kindness, that they are valued by this new Russia.”Nicholas began to protest, but then stopped as thoughts of his own children filled his mind. Olga, already trying to be a grown-up at only twelve, eager to become an adult and the mother of her own dynasty. Tatiana, so much wiser than her ten years, with a regal bearing so like her mother’s. Marie, nearly eight, with her wide smile and way of winning everyone over. Anastasia, his own mother’s favorite, not yet six but full of strength and mischief and as bright as her red hair. And Alexei, so long awaited, so fragile but so full of hope for a future only Nicholas could ensure.“Let it be done as you say.” St. Petersburg - The streets - June 1909 The two years since the meeting in the Winter Palace had been years of intense change - not always comfortable, either. The institution of a constitutional monarchy was a slow, laborious, often painful process for all parties involved. But the promise of a better Russia was the thin thread that bound together rivals from all sides, and the imperial family enjoyed a resurgence in popularity as their reputation for magnanimity and wisdom grew. On this hot summer’s day, the family was out in the crowds as part of a parade celebrating the anniversary of the new government. Nicholas and Alexandra sat in one carriage, Olga and Tatiana in another, and Maria and Anastasia in a third, surrounded by other guards and participants. As the crowds cried out and cheered, Anastasia looked around restlessly. Although she was born and bred for serenity and dignity, she was still, at heart, an eight-year-old girl with mischief in her heart and fire in her veins. So when she saw a sudden movement along the side of the road, she turned her head automatically, leaning just enough to see the source.It was a boy, about her age, maybe a little older, untidy and thin in the manner of one who’s never quite had enough to eat, with brown hair flopping out from under a cap. Now that she could see him clearly, she could see that he was the source of the faint cry of her name that she had nearly ignored. Anastasia tried as hard as she could to keep her regal bearing, but she couldn’t help herself: she met the boy’s eyes and smiled. A moment later, he bowed, awkward and stiff as if unused to the gesture, the complete opposite of the smooth gestures of the court and yet somehow all the more moving for it. As he vanished back into the crowd, Anastasia turned her head to keep him in sight as long as she could before the sunlight and distance drowned him out. St. Petersburg - The streets beyond the palace - July 1910 Anastasia slipped down the street to the side of the palace. It had taken her months to plan her escape, and she had finally done it - made it out of the palace all by herself to see the streets of the city the way they were supposed to be seen, not the pretty version her family was shown on big occasions.What she hadn’t prepared for was the noise, and the people everywhere. She found herself being buffeted by the crowds until she found herself face-to-face with some not-particularly-nice looking children a little older than herself.“You lost, sweetheart?” one asked, approaching her with a wolfish grin and his hands in his pockets. “That dress don’t look like something you scrounged off the streets.” “What a pretty hair ribbon, girlie. Mind if I take a closer look?” A girl about Tatiana’s age approached her from behind as three or four of the children closed in around her. She turned and tried to run, but could hear their jeers and footsteps close behind. Frantically turning, she tried to open the doors that lined the alley but couldn’t manage it.Suddenly, one of the doors flew open and a hand yanked her inside. “Are you insane? Look, miss, I don’t know who you are but you don’t belong here! Where are your parents? Who are - oh!” Her rescuer stopped short as he ran his gaze over her face. His hand half reached out to a tendril of red hair escaping her braid before he fell to one knee.“Your Imperial Highness,” he stammered. She sighed, put out that her anonymity was so transparent.“Get up,” she ordered casually. As he did, she looked at his face fully for the first time. Brown eyes, a dusty, thin face, unruly brown hair, and a tentative smile that she recognized.“You,” she breathed. “Me?” he asked, confused. After all, there was no reason to believe that a princess would remember a street rat like him.“You’re the boy from the parade. The boy who bowed. Aren’t you?”“I’d prefer just Dmitry, if you don’t mind, Princess. Rolls off the tongue more easily,” he answered casually. “Dmitry. And who are you, Dmitry? Or to ask the same impertinent question you posed me, where are your parents?”“Me? I’m no one. My mother’s dead. So’s my father.” Dmitry relished the sudden panic that washed over Anastasia’s face at his words, proud that he had managed to throw royalty off their guard.“Oh. I’m sorry.” She paused, searching. “How did they die? If you’ll forgive the… impertinence.” He studied her face for a moment, debating whether or not to tell her his story - why should he? But, then again, they were stuck in here until Mikhail and his gang got bored of looking for her, and he might never be this close to her again. “My mother’s been gone a while. I don’t remember much about her. But my father… Andrey Petrov, was his name... he was taken away about… three years ago? I was seven. He was… he was an anarchist.” Dmitry pronounced the word carefully, then glanced at the princess sideways to gauge her reaction, but saw nothing but curiosity and compassion. “He believed no one was born better than anyone else, that we all should be able to make our own way. And… they killed him. In a labor camp. He died.” A soft hand patted his, the most surprising thing in his life up to this point.“I’m sorry, Dmitry. I am.” Then a thought occurred to her.“He was an anarchist? My fam… the government… it’s their fault you’re alone.” Before he could say a word, Anastasia had grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet towards the door. “Come on. There’s somewhere you need to go.”“Whoa, whoa, Your Highness, wait just a minute,” he cried, putting out a hand to stop her until he had peered around the door to make sure Mikhail’s gang had moved on.“Well? Can we go now, please?” she asked impatiently. He rolled his eyes.“Wherever you say... Your Highness.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- As they wove through the streets, Anastasia’s bravado began to wear off. She looked nervously at her companion, envying his ease as he navigated everything from carts on the street to pebbles in the pavement without so much as a blink.“Tell me a story,” she demanded suddenly. Dmitry looked at her in surprise.“What?” She played with the edges of her sleeves, not making eye contact.“While we walk. Tell me a story. It’s what Mama does when I’m…” She didn’t finish the sentence, but Dmitry could figure it out. Instead of disdain, though, he almost laughed, a bit of admiration for this feisty little girl creeping into his guarded heart even as he quashed the sentiment.“That boy back there that was giving you a hard time? That’s Mikhail. He’s been around longer than I have, see, he taught me a lot of things… things I shouldn’t admit to a princess like Your Highness. Might have me arrested. He taught me to pick pockets in a crowd, for one thing.”Dmitry laughed as the princess’s hands flick to her own pockets.“Don’t worry, princess, I won’t demonstrate,” he assured her. “Thing is, I got better at it than he thought I would. Better than him. He didn't like that much.” Dmitry shoved his hands into his pockets.“What did he do?” Anastasia asked, eyes wide.“He tried to teach me a lesson. Stole a scarf my mother gave me. I went crazy trying to find it again.” He stopped, smiled at her expression. “Don't you worry, I stole it right back eventually. Learned to take care of myself and not depend on anyone.”They walked the rest of the way in silence, but Anastasia walked with more confidence in her step.Rather than approaching the main gates, where well-wishers, tourists, and job-seekers mingled, Anastasia took them around the side to a smaller gate on the private side of the palace. She calmly approached the guard, a middle-aged man who did a double take as the simply-clothed but obviously royal girl walked up to him.“Let us in, if you please, Ilia” she commanded. The guard straightened up and inclined in a sharp military bow.“Finally made it out, Your Imperial Highness?” he asked lightly. She scowled with impatience - a common emotion, Dmitry was learning. “Perhaps you should spend more time learning your duty and less time daydreaming ways to get away from it. We all have our duties, Your Imperial Highness.”“Ilia Vaganov, if you do not let me in this instant, I will tell my father -”“That you snuck out of the palace? Anastasia Nikolaevna, you had better learn to make better threats if you want to continue,” the guard said severely. After a moment, his face broke into a grin and he stepped aside, opening the gate. As his gaze fell on Dmitry, he shook his head.“Be careful in there, boy. They may bring you in, but you’ll never be-”“That’s quite enough, Ilia. Thank you. Dmitry, this way, please.” With all the imperiousness a nine-year-old could muster, Anastasia seized Dmitry’s sleeve and yanked him after her. Dmitry tried his best not to be overwhelmed as they walked through the palace. Instead of focusing on the grand tapestries and carvings lining the walls, or the feel of the cool marble floors beneath his thin soles, he focused on how the girl beside him was transforming. She pulled nervously at her skirt to smooth out wrinkles, ran her hands through her hair, slowed her pace of walking. Instinctively, he reached up to pull off his own cap and tried to tuck the threadbare hems of his sleeves before realizing that it didn’t much matter.After a few minutes winding through the maze of hallways and doors, Anastasia stopped them in front of a large but otherwise unassuming wooden door. Down the hall, faint voices echoed as a man in spectacles stumbled out from a room, followed by a dark-haired, glamorous woman holding a hankie to her eyes. Dmitry stared at them as they began walking down the hall towards him and the princess, looking away only when the man made appraising eye contact with him, then offered up a small smile and wink to him and a bow to Anastasia, who hardly noticed.Unperturbed, Anastasia rapped on the door briskly, then entered, Dmitry trailing behind her. A man of average height, in well-made but unadorned clothes, stood at a broad desk with his back to them. “Papa!”At Anastasia’s greeting, the man turned around, and Dmitry found himself staring into the face of Nicholas Romanov, emperor of all Russia. He had no time to process the sight, because the most powerful man in the empire staggered back under the sudden weight of a nine-year-old grand duchess.“Nastya, sweetheart, to what do I owe this delightful interruption?” he asked in French as he set her down. Anastasia began to answer in French as well.“Papa, I found someone for you to send to school! He’s…” She trailed off, looking back at Dmitry, and gestured him forward as she switched back to Russian.“Papa, may I present Dmitry Andreyevich Petrov. His father died in a labor camp.” Nicholas understood his daughter’s meaning, but spared her a stern glare.“Later, Anastasia Nikolaevna, we will be having a discussion about how you came to know of this boy.” The tsar then approached Dmitry with an appraising gaze. Dmitry knew he should bow, but couldn't make his body obey, instead holding his head high.“Hm. No sense of etiquette, though that is not surprising. Dmitry Andreyevich… your father was Andrey Petrov, then?”Dmitry found his voice at last.“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. Andrey Kirillovich Petrov. Do you know that name?” he dared to ask. Nicholas shook his head.“No. And that is good news, for you at least, my boy. How old are you?”“Eleven, sir.”“Hm. And do you want to go to school?”“Yes, sir.”“Listen well, then. This is how we do such things. You will be admitted as a scholarship student to a boarding school here in St. Petersburg. There, you will be expected to apply yourself to your studies, comport yourself with dignity, and make every effort to make our investment in your future worthwhile. You will not be publicly recognized as a beneficiary of the imperial family - your patron will remain anonymous. To hold you accountable, and to teach you proper manners, you will be required to present yourself at the palace once a month, or any other time when your presence is requested, where you will spend a day or two as a guest and student of our household. Are these terms acceptable to you, Dmitry Andreyevich?”Dmitry could not speak for a moment. The hopeful part of him whispered that this was the opportunity his parents would have always wanted for him, to make something more of himself than the legacy they could leave him. But Dmitry was a Russian rat through and through, and that voice told him to be careful of owing a debt to anyone, especially someone with that kind of power. In the end, though, it was a pair of kind, innocent blue eyes that made the decision for him.“Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you,” he replied, simple but honest.“Good. Now, I don’t care to waste time, so we will begin immediately. I assume you do have some possessions beyond those on your person?” the tsar asked. When Dmitry nodded, he continued. “You will return to your home, collect your belongings, and return here. You will spend the next few days here while arrangements are made, and you will then attend St. Anthony’s for the foreseeable future.”He paused, considering.“Am I right in thinking that your current… living situation is not among those who would be glad of your good fortune?”“That’s the polite way to say it, yes, sir,” Dmitry answered, a grin creeping back onto his face.“Someone will accompany you. A guard, perhaps… no, that would be too conspicuous. Ah, I know.” He rang a bell, and a servant appeared within moments. “Fetch Ilia’s boy,” he ordered. The man bowed and backed out of the room. Dmitry hardly had noted Anastasia’s eyes rolling with exasperation when the door opened and the servant returned, a sullen young man in tow. The boy was in that awkward stage between man and boy, somewhere around fourteen or fifteen. He had the makings of a handsome man, with dark hair and eyes and a jaw that was hardening into a strong line, but his tidy quasi-uniform hung loosely on his frame, and his eyes betrayed a certain disdain for his present task.“Prompt as always. Wonderful. You will please accompany this young man to gather his belongings and return here. You will just ensure that no harm comes to him while he does so.” The boy nodded sharply, then beckoned Dmitry with a glare and quick gesture.As they walked, Dmitry relaxed a little bit - being around people who were uncomfortable put him oddly at ease.“What’s your name, then?” The dark boy surprised Dmitry by addressing him.“Dmitry. Dmitry Petrov. You?”“Gleb Vaganov. Good to meet you, young comrade,” he said, offering a hand to the younger boy. Away from the palace walls, Gleb seemed to lighten, looking around the city with obvious pleasure as they walked. “Vaganov… Wait, your father is that guard, right?” Dmitry asked, putting the names together at last. Gleb grimaced.“Indeed,” he said shortly.“Don’t sound so happy about it,” Dmitry remarked. Gleb glared at him - something his face seemed to do quite easily - but then relaxed.“I’m certain you can understand… wanting to be someone other than your father,” he began stiffly. “My father is a good man. But one who lives in the past. He is so concerned with…” Not wanting to betray his father to a scruffy little orphan, Gleb stopped his words. “Let me guess… with orders, and protocol, and all that?” Dmitry guessed. “He seems like that kind of fella.” Gleb did not answer directly, but spoke again.“He does not see that we have a duty to create a new world! We have been given the sort of opportunity that history rarely gives - a peaceful revolution! We must seize it, not just stand… stand still! It is people like you and I who are the future. The monarchy may stay, or fade into nothingness. They were given everything, and until recently, they gave back nothing.” His face shone, looking more like a fierce man than a boy in those moments.“But not anymore,” Dmitry felt compelled to add, though he could hardly believe he was defending royalty. “No. And we must take advantage of that! Before they change their minds,” Gleb chuckled. “The new world has no need of a family living in a fairytale. If they are joining the real world with the rest of us, if their children, perhaps, are better... perhaps there is a chance.”They came to a stop at the end of the street. Gleb gestured for Dmitry to go on ahead.“Go on, I’ll keep an eye out from here.” Dmitry grinned at his unexpected… not friend, by any means, but ally perhaps. Gleb did not grin back, but neither did he frown.*Dmitry tugged at his jacket sleeves before giving up. He was expected to show up at the family’s dinner that evening for his first “lesson” and presentation to the rest of his patrons, but there would be no making him into a presentable young man. He’d have to settle for just “clean” - which was also a novelty. He had sat a little too long in the bath, enjoying the steam rising from the hot water and marveling at the way the dirt just floated off his skin with the soap suds. This was something he could get used to.As he walked down the hall, still trying to smooth down his unruly hair, a door opened and the man from earlier walked out. “That won’t help, you know,” the man said, gesturing to Dmitry’s futile attempts at taming his hair. “You’ll need a bit of oil to make it stay. Come, come,” he gestured to his door. Dmitry hesitated, the day’s events not quite able to overcome the years of wariness learned on the streets. Seeming to sense this, the man laughed.“Don’t worry about me, my boy, I’m not going to harm you! Ah, but we are strangers still, that’s the problem! Count Vladimir Popov, at your service!” He smiled and offered a large hand to Dmitry, who hesitantly shook it and gave his own name.“Now, come, come, let’s see if we can’t polish you up a bit, hm?” The count bustled Dmitry into his apartment, where he produced a beautiful bottle of hair oil and briskly applied it to the boy’s head without so much as a “by your leave,” chatting away the whole while. Before he knew it, Dmitry was being sent back out into the hallway, a little tidier.“Must make a good impression, hm? A word of advice, my boy. There is always an advantage to be taken, if you look for it. Always a little bit of cream to skim off the top, without a soul noticing. Just my experience, eh? But… good luck! You’ll be splendid, I’m sure!” Beaming, Vladimir shut the door, leaving Dmitry slightly stunned and puzzled.The dinner itself, however, was even more puzzling. Anastasia whispered to him that they always invited the scholarship students to a family dinner first because, when the family dined alone, they ate simply. He found the family themselves to be the most puzzling, more so than the etiquette that the tsarina sternly but kindly imparted to him as they ate. The eldest Grand Duchess, Olga, was kind, but a little on the moody side, seeming to be absorbed in her own thoughts for much of the evening. And Maria was disinterested in him altogether (much more interested in the handsome footmen who served them), except for the brief moments in which he relayed his trek with Gleb to retrieve his belongings - she brightened up considerably at that, before turning her charms on her papa to wheedle for something or the other.Oddly enough, it was the second sister, Tatiana (“Tanya, please, you must call me Tanya here”) who was the kindest to him. The rumors on the street claimed that, though she was beautiful, she was refined to a fault, a snob, too much like her strong-willed mother. Elegant and refined she was, true, but gracious as well, careful to gently correct him and converse with him as kindly as possible.Upon reflection, he suspected a little of it might have to do with her clear fondness, like everyone else in the room, for Anastasia, who seemed to have made it her mission to teach Dmitry everything about everything in the span of a single night. By the time he departed the next morning for the school, not only was Dmitry’s stomach pleasantly full for the first time in years, but his head was full to bursting as he forced himself to commit every detail to memory.As he walked out, his single bag of possession in hand, he noticed a delicate handkerchief on the ground. He stooped to pick it up, feeling the delicate, expensive texture of the material. Unbidden, Vladimir’s words from the previous night rose into his head. If you look for it...Dmitry tucked the handkerchief in his pocket, then hurried away. He had to make one quick detour on his way to the school. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- St. Petersburg - 1911 Saturdays were Dmitry’s favorite day of the week, occupied by neither lessons nor church, and so the perfect opportunity for running a bit of business on the side.“Pleasure doing business with you, ma’am,” he said, tipping his cap and winking at the woman to whom he had just sold a forged passport. It hadn’t taken him long to master the art of taking a mental picture of every type of document on the tsar’s desk whenever he met with him, a skill that proved quite lucrative as the new regime struggled to keep up with demands for documents and used high prices as a solution to slow the tide. Between forgeries and the trinkets he smuggled from the palace (a lost pearl button here, a scrap of lace there), he found himself, at twelve, a budding baron of the St. Petersburg black markets. A baron, however - not a king. That title, he had learned, belonged to one Count Vladimir Popov, his benefactor from his first day at the palace. “I won’t tell if you won’t,” Popov had said on the first day they encountered each other selling “genuine Romanov” trinkets. The count proved a valuable ally, nudging Dmitry towards the best buyers and taking the younger man under his wing. In return, Dmitry used his best facade of youthful innocence to deflect suspicion away from them both.As Dmitry took in the view of his city this dusky afternoon, a small figure caught his eye. A girl in a brown coat and plaid skirt, her red-blonde hair held back by a simple band. He couldn’t help himself; as she passed by, not even noticing him, he said in a low voice, “Good afternoon, Princess.”He was rewarded by seeing her jump and look around before relaxing into a glare when she saw who had seen through her attempts at being incognito.“Dmitry,” she replied coldly, head held high. She attempted to walk away, but he casually fell into step beside her. She rolled her eyes, but allowed him to continue.“Sneaking out of the palace again, Princess? Shouldn’t you be getting back? It’s getting a little late,” he suggested, raising an eyebrow. Anastasia rounded on him coldly.“When a guard in training is less of a stick in the mud than you, that should tell you something,” she snapped. Barely abashed, Dmitry skipped a step as he continued by her side.“Corrupting the incorruptible Gleb, are we now?” he teased. “I didn’t think that was possible.” He could see her fighting her instinct for mockery and mischief, and it finally won out as she broke into a grin.“It isn’t, I don’t think. But Marie and I have decided to make it a project. I think her odds are better than mine, though. She’s nicer than me. But I’m smarter,” Anastasia confided with a certain amount of glee. She paused, frowned at him again.“You aren’t going to tell on me, are you?” she asked.“I should. Even princesses have to follow the rules,” he answered. A fierce glare stopped him in his tracks.“I should remind you that you are also out when you aren’t supposed to be. And who do you think will be in more trouble for it - me or you?” Anastasia demanded. Dmitry cursed inwardly. For all her good breeding, this little girl would make an excellent con.“All right, fine. I’ll make you a deal. You don’t tell on me, and I don’t tell on you. I guess I understand needing to get away,” he said grudgingly. Anastasia beamed and skipped along at his side, taking in the streets with eager eyes. As they walked, she started to turn down an alley he knew was far from safe. “Anastasia, no!” he hissed, grabbing her arm. A few people around them did a double take, their eyes flicking from him to Anastasia before moving on. Dmitry grimaced and pulled her aside.“I can’t call you that out here,” he said, glancing around. “Look, people see a redhead who kinda looks like the tsar’s daughter, they won’t think much of it. People hear the name Anastasia, they won’t think much of it. But put the two together, and you’ve got a recipe for the wrong kind of attention,” he explained quickly. “You mean I need a secret name? Like in stories!” she enthused, bouncing up and down. Dmitry almost laughed.“Sure, just like that. It has to be something you’ll remember to respond to.”“How about Anna?” she offered. Dmitry shook his head.“Too obvious.”“Elizaveta?”“Will you remember to answer to it?” Anastasia paused, then shook her head. Dmitry was silent for a moment, running through his head, until-“How about… Anya?” he suggested. “It’s close enough to your name that you’ll remember it, but it’s common enough to avoid notice. What do you think?”“Anya,” she said, testing the name out. “Anya. I think… I think I like it.”Distracted by the grand duchess, Dmitry didn’t pay attention to where they were walking, and instead of turning down a street he knew well, they took a wrong turn and found themselves face to face with a quartet of his schoolmates, the teenage boys sharing a bottle of stolen liquor on the back stoop of a building. Before Dmitry could decide whether to continue on or retreat, one of the boys spotted them.“Dmitry Andreyevich! Shouldn’t you be at your books like a good boy?” the boy slurred, getting up and sauntering over. “And you brought a new girlfriend, eh. What’s your name, sweetheart?” he leered at Anastasia.“She’s not my girlfriend. And we’re leaving. Come on.” Heedless of etiquette, Dmitry seized Anastasia’s hand, felt it close tightly around his fingers, and began to walk off. “Hey, what’s your hurry? Come on, Petrov, share a drink with us! Or do you think you’re too good for us?” another asked, closing in.“Leave us alone,” Dmitry snapped, trying to step in front of Anastasia. One of the boys snuck up behind her and yanked her hair, hard enough that she cried out.“Looks like your protector isn’t so tough, little girl,” the hair-tugging boy sneered. “Who are you, anyhow?”“Little sister, I bet. Bastard, just like him, am I right?” the first boy said, the insult rolling off his tongue as casually as commenting on the weather. “The only time St. Anthony’s allows itself to be… polluted with people like you is when a man of good breeding gets trapped by some little slut into paying for a child he doesn’t want and doesn’t even know is his.”“Don’t forget the tsar’s scholarships. Raise up the sons and daughters of trash and traitors to mix with loyal Russians,” another chimed in.“So which is it, eh, Petrov? Are you a bastard, or are you a traitor?” the first boy asked, calmly stepping up to Dmitry. Dmitry’s eyes flicked around, looking for a way out, but when he saw none, he grimly braced himself for what he knew was coming and prayed that Anastasia would have the smarts to run.Before he could speak or move, the boy hit him across the face.“You will answer when your betters ask you a question!” he snarled. Fire flared through Dmitry’s veins, and he lunged towards his attacker just as another boy grabbed Anastasia.“Anya!” he shouted, trying to reach her. Before he could, his assailant had grabbed at his arm again, and he was forced to defend himself. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the boy who had seized Anya lying on the ground, cradling a sensitive part of his anatomy, with the princess herself glaring down at him before turning with a wild cry to grab a hot poker from a nearby barrel and swing it at another. The fight was over almost as quickly as it had begun. Dmitry’s solid punches, combined with Anya’s shrieking ferocity, terrified the boys into a quick retreat. “Wanna see what else I can do?” Anastasia shrieked to their retreating backs. Dmitry had to grab her by the waist to stop her pursuing them all the way down the street.“Whoa, whoa, whoa, I think they got the message,” he laughed, letting her go. “How does a princess learn how to fight like that?”“I didn’t learn, I just… got mad… and… I'm the least important one. My sisters are older and my brother will be tsar some day. Even grand duchesses get picked on...” she trailed off, looking at him anxiously. “You won’t tell, will you?” Dmitry couldn’t help laughing again.“We have a deal, remember?” He hesitated, then threw caution out the window. “Come on, Anya,” he said, gesturing for her to follow him back to the streets.“Where are we going?” she asked, trotting to catch up.“Everywhere. This is my city.” Dmitry grinned, turning around to face her with his arms outstretched, as if he himself was the welcoming committee for the whole city.“It’s my city too,” Anya said indignantly. He only smiled back.“Not the same way. I figured I’d grow up in the gutters and the streets of St. Petersburg. I did, up until some girl and her father plucked me out of the mud,” he added slyly. “But I already learned everything there is to know about this city. ‘S the only way to get good at getting by.”“Get by?” Anastasia asked, nervous. Memories of the first story he had told her - Mikhail? Taught me to pick pockets in a crowd - rushed to mind. Dmitry shrugged.“The only way to survive is to know what everyone else needs. I learned to barter when I needed a blanket, steal bread when I was hungry. I’m not stupid, you know,” he added, not looking up. “I had to use my head every second, or I’d end up… well, you can imagine.” The pair walked by a small, rough-looking market, where an older woman haggled over some vegetables and a man held up a bit of cloth to judge its sturdiness. Anya’s eyes got wider and wider the more of the city she took in - the beggar on the corner, the coughing workers, the clean but tense middle class walking on the sidewalks. She jumped back at a passing car, only to bump into a street sweeper. She apologized profusely to the young woman, who looked down at her with tired eyes and a murmur of excuse.“I never knew it was like this,” she breathed. “Is it? Is this what it’s always like?”Dmitry shoved his hands in his pockets.“What it boils down to is this: some survive, some don’t, and that’s a fact. Some people just give up. But me? I won’t. Not ever.” An idea leapt to mind, and he tugged on Anya’s sleeve. “Hey, come this way.”Dmitry led Anya through the streets, weaving in and out of the crowds with expert ease until he reached an overlook and stopped so suddenly that she almost collided with him.“Where are we?” she asked, looking around.“I liked - like - to come here sometimes. Quite a view, eh? You can see everything, from the spires to the piers. Oh, see that quay, down there?” he asked, pointing below them. “That’s the best place to sell… trinkets and such,” he trailed off hastily. “There’s nowhere else in the whole city where you can feel it surrounding you. Palaces when you look up, alleyways when you look down.”“You really love this city, don’t you?” Anastasia asked. “But I don’t understand, how can you, when you’ve had so many troubles?” Dmitry shrugged noncommittally.“Dunno. It’s all I’ve know. It’s funny, I guess, you can hate it all you like, but there’s always going to be a small part of you that loves it,” he answered. “Look, people like you, you don’t have to worry about what’s coming next. But me? I have to see what’s ahead. My father taught me that. I have to grow up. The sooner the better,” he added. “You never talk about him,” Anya said quietly. “Do you remember him?”“Of course! He used to take me to places like this. Put me up on his shoulder so I could see farther than even the tallest men. ‘Bet you can see all the way to Finland from up there, Dima!’” Dmitry couldn’t help a grin as he remembered his father’s steady shoulders and jovial voice.“Dima?”“It’s what he would call me,” Dmitry shrugged, retreating back into himself. The pair stood for a minute, staring out at the late afternoon sun over the skyline.“It really is beautiful,” Anya offered. “Thank you for showing me your St. Petersburg…” She hesitated, then plunged on. “Thank you… Dima.” She didn’t meet his eyes, but out of the corner of her glance, she saw him rock back on his feet and shudder. After a long moment, he turned to her and smiled, that mischievous grin she was learning meant that everything was all right, at least for now.“Thank you… Anya.”And they stared at the sky until they could delay no longer. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- St. Petersburg - 1913 Gleb stared up at the gleaming facade of the Winter Palace as he trudged along the perimeter. Even having spent the better part of his life there, the sheer grandeur still overwhelmed him when seen all at once like this. He supposed that was the point - after all, his father had told him that was why the family had decided against moving to the Alexander Palace instead. With the monarchy already diminished, they needed all the symbols of power they could hold on to.But he was seventeen now, and not easily awed or distracted by displays of history and power. Gleb spent his days poring over philosophy texts, hidden under pillows or in the pockets of coats to avoid detection. He read Herzen, and Lavrov, and Marx of course. The more he read, the more he grew frustrated with the slow pace of change and the continued dominance of people like his employers: hereditary nobles who owned the means of production and much of the product as well.Such beliefs, of course, did not endear him further to his fellow guards or his father, but Gleb was well on his way to finding other friends who shared his ideals of encouraging participation across the population. More and more, he had begun to notice a chill settling over his heart with regards to the family he worked for, and a certain disdain for those who served so willingly.Caught up in his philosophical musing, Gleb barely noticed the sound of a car backfiring on the street beyond the walls. He was startled from his thoughts by a frightened yelp and a clattering noise. Across the plaza, a small figure with fair hair curled on the ground, with a hat, small purse, and coins scattered all around. As Gleb hurried over to help, he recognized the girl.“Good day, Your Imperial Highness. Here, allow me,” he said, mustering up as much politeness as he could. When he glanced at Maria again, she was still shaking, hands tight upon the pavement. For a moment, he couldn’t understand why she was so affected by an ordinary noise. But then he remembered.Only a few months earlier, Maria and her sister Olga had been chosen to accompany the tsar to the opera. Tatiana had been intended to go, but fell ill with a cold, leaving Maria to take her place. Unfortunately, that had been the night that an assassin had targeted Pyotr Stolypin. No one knew how much violence the girls had seen, but Gleb suddenly had a pretty good idea.“It’s just a truck backfiring,” he said, this time more gently. “It’s alright. Here, let me help you up.” He stood, brushed off his knees, and offered her a hand. After a moment, she placed a small hand in his and allowed him to help her right herself. He paused, and noticing her hands and chin still trembling, made a decision he hoped he wouldn’t regret.“You’re still shaking,” he noted calmly. “I was about to head back and make some tea, would you like a cup? Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” he added, seeing her eyes flicker to the palace.“Yes. Thank you,” she finally said, smiling tentatively. Gleb felt an unfamiliar, unexpected squirming sensation somewhere in his abdomen, but quickly pushed it aside as he led the princess across the grounds. He glanced back at her a few times, but pretended not to see her sniffle and pick a few stray leaves from her hair (even as he scolded himself for trying to preserve the dignity of royalty). Gleb led Maria around the side to the guards’ staff building, slipping in a side door and gesturing her to follow him to a small kitchen.“Staff is here sometimes, but we usually just serve ourselves,” he explained as he filled up the kettle and put it on heat. Maria’s eyes followed his every movement. Coughing, he awkwardly sat down across from her, but looked her straight in the eye, defying her to comment on his lack of asking permission. She glared at him, but her good manners won out, and she cast around for something to converse about. Noticing a bit of music sticking out of a bag, she latched on to that.“Is that music yours, Gleb?” she asked, pointing. As he got up to finish the tea, he followed her gaze and shrugged, cautious of revealing too much.“It is,” he said abruptly. “Surprised, Your Highness? Should music not be the purview of a lowly guard?” Gleb couldn’t help the bitterness that seeped into his voice, even as Maria threw her head back and laughed.“It should not be the purview of plenty of aristocrats, I assure you,” she commented wryly. “Thank you,” she added as he handed her a cup of tea. “And I think you had better call me Maria.”“If you wish. Maria.” They sipped their tea in silence for a moment.“What do you play?” she asked. “A little piano, a little violin. Balakirev, Tchaikovsky. I’ve become quite fond of Rimsky-Korsokov lately. Nearly wearing out this old paper, see?” He held up the paper, demonstrating its worn edges.“Scheherazade?” Maria asked. Gleb brightened.“Of course. The third movement in particular. I know it’s the simplest, but it’s beautiful. Even with those thirty-second-note runs, I just-” He broke off, self-conscious. Maria seemed to sense his discomfort and rose to leave.“Thank you for your hospitality, but I really ought to be going. But I’m very grateful for you coming to my rescue.”“I suppose we all need saving, sometimes.” The casual words slipped out, much to Gleb’s chagrin. Maria only smiled and continued.“And for your discretion in not… drawing attention to my embarrassment.”Gleb softened.“There is nothing to be embarrassed about, Maria. We all carry memories we wish we did not.”He walked her towards the door. She paused for a moment.“It was so lovely to speak Russian again!” she cried out, half-ecstatic. “We speak only French, most of the time. At least in public. And we are always in public these days,” she added, frowning slightly. “I have missed this. Thank you. Gleb.”*Gleb was still thinking of this as he tried to pay attention to the man speaking in front of the crowd. At his side were Nikita and Boris, both nineteen and filled with equal parts idealistic fervour and genuine working-class fury. “The tsar gives us reforms to keep us quiet! Will we be quiet any longer?” he shouted.“NO!” the men called back.“Will we put our faith in rich men, or will we take our fate into our own hands?”“OURS!” came the reply. Gleb joined in, calling out replies as the men grew agitated and the speaker laid out his vision of a more fair Russia, one in which the working class threw off centuries of oppression to take control of the country. The crowd began to press together. And that was when he saw them out of the corner of his eye: a tall boy with brown hair, and, gripping his arm, a red-haired girl whose face had drained of all color. Even as Gleb watched, a burly trio of men bumped up against the pair, sneering at them when Dmitry tried to shield Anya. They were getting moved further and further from the exit, even as the crowd became more and more agitated. One of the big men gave Anastasia a long look before muttering something to his friend.It was at that moment that Gleb made his decision - even though he didn’t like it one bit - and began pushing through the throng.Neither Dmitry nor Anya had intended things to get this out of hand. Anya had heard someone on the street talking about a meeting to discuss grievances, and she had decided on the spot to go, incognito, and hear what people were saying about her family. Dmitry could come or not, she had declared, but she was going. That decision, however, had not turned out the way she expected, and now Dmitry was trying to keep her physically safe while muttering in her ear to keep her from giving herself away.“It’s alright, Anya, we’re gonna get out of here. You have to stay calm. Anya, look at me. You can’t draw attention. I’ve got you. Come on,” he murmured, a constantly stream of reassurance as he looked frantically for a way through the crowd.A tall, dark figure materialized right in front of them. Dmitry instinctively raised his arm to pull Anya back, but was stayed by a familiar voice and scowl.“Are you insane? What are you two doing here? Are you trying to start a riot?” Gleb whispered, trying to suppress his anger enough to keep his voice down.“We didn’t know it was going to be… this…” Dmitry hissed. Gleb rolled his eyes, then glanced around. “This is no place for children. Least of all her. We’re going. Come on.” With another glare in their direction, Gleb began to make way for them through the crowd. Boris spotted them and called out.“Vaganov! Where are you going? Off to play with children instead of rallying like men?” he teased. Gleb groaned.“This is going to take me months to live down,” he grumbled to Anya. They emerged onto the street, hurrying down the block a safe distance away before Gleb whirled on the other two.“They were just starting to take me seriously! And now I’m back to square one, all because you two couldn’t mind your own business! You don’t belong in there!” he yelled.“Oh, but you do, don’t you, comrade?” Dmitry snarled back. “Tell me, did you like that picture they were painting? Taking Anya and her family and shaking them until the money fell out of them, or if not money, then blood?”“Anya,” Gleb scoffed. “She’s no more ‘Anya’ than you are a prince, Petrov. Children, playing at games while the rest of us try to do our duty and create a future for our country! You should be with us, Dmitry, not playing lapdog to-” Gleb cut off suddenly, catching sight of Anastasia’s face, drained of color as it had been in the crowd.“I’m sorry, Your Imp… er… Anastasia,” he said. “I didn’t mean to imply-”“Yes you did.” She paused. “Do you really believe all of that, Gleb? That we… that my family… deserves to…”“No! God, no.” Gleb felt sick at the thought. Anastasia’s pale, frightened face swam before him, blurring into her sister’s bright eyes and cheerful smile. “I swear, I would never let anything get that far. You have to believe me.”She looked at him for a long moment. She might only be twelve, he thought, but something in those eyes haunted him, like ghosts from another world. Gleb could not meet that gaze, but it softened (even as Dmitry’s glare did not).“I believe you. It’s alright, Dima, he’s telling the truth,” she added, putting her small hand on Dmitry’s arm. But he kept glaring at Gleb."Don't make me command you, Dmitry," she snapped."I'd like to see you try!" he answered, meeting her glare with his own, but he looked away from Gleb and down at her, glower fading into a sort of exasperated fondness that made Gleb look away. “Dmitry? Anya? What are you doing here? Don’t tell me you were anywhere near that… meeting, or whatever they are calling it.” Vlad’s booming voice startled all three young people. Gleb slunk off before he could be confronted by the count, only catching bits of their conversation as he left.“We’re fine, Vlad… It wasn’t his fault!... Him? No, it’s alright, we know him… Tea would be great, thanks…”**The next week, Gleb returned to his quarters after a shift on duty before another (smaller) meeting, only to find a small stack of paper on the small table by his bed. He picked them up and immediately recognized the first movement of Scheherazade. A small card, made of thicker paper than the rest, fluttered to the floor. He stooped and picked it up to read the delicate handwriting. Music is too beautiful to be so tattered. Play this a thousand and one times, and see if it saves you. -M ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- St. Petersburg - The outlook - March 1914 Spring had nearly arrived, and the people of St. Petersburg, young and old, were rejoicing in the thaw. A pair of young people sat on an overlook, gazing out at the city. The boy - nearly a young man - had a pencil and paper in hand, while the girl swung her feet to and fro, eyes closed.“I wish it was like this always,” Anya said dreamily. She kept her eyes closed as the faint breeze washed across her face, cool and damp from the water.“No, you don’t,” Dmitry answered without even looking up from his sketching. “You’d get bored and wish for the snow. Then you’d get cold and wish for the sun.”Anya smacked the pencil out of his hand without even opening her eyes.“Hey!” he groaned, leaning down to pick it back up. “Watch it!”“I don’t have to watch it. I’m a princess,” Anastasia taunted with a toss of her hair.“Not out here you’re not, Anya. And even when you are - doesn’t mean I can’t fight back!” Anya squealed as she found herself pulled backwards, tumbling back in a very undignified way onto the damp pavement. Dmitry loomed over her, grinning with that smug, sure smirk that she knew all too well - and that made her want to wipe it right off his face.“Sorry,” he said, still grinning.“No, you’re not,” she grumbled.“Eh, half-sorry,” he admitted cheerfully as he reached a hand down to help her up. Anya allowed him to, but instead of pulling herself up, she yanked hard. Even though Dmitry certainly outweighed her, she caught him in a rare off-his-guard moment and he stumbled over his lanky legs, joining her sprawled out on the cold stones. After a shout of outrage and an elbow in her ribs, he subsided into laughs alongside her. “So what were you sketching, anyway?” Anya leaned over and picked up his discarded sketchbook. Dmitry sat up, running a hand through his tousled hair, and tried to sound casual as she opened the sketches.“Just buildings. Ideas. Nothing important.” He reached over to try to take it back, but Anya held out what he called her “princess hand,” imperiously making him stop short. She flipped through the pages.“Dima. These are beautiful. Since when did you become an artist?” she breathed, paging through.“Architecture, not art, thank you very much,” he grumbled. “And… I dunno. A few months ago, I guess.”It had, in fact, been a few months ago, before Christmas, when one of the masters had pulled him aside after noticing the cracks that appeared in his carefully-maintained devil-may-care demeanor when they discussed the physics of buildings in the city. This teacher, as it turned out, had a particular expertise in architecture and had long been hoping for a student who shared that interest. And when the teacher showed up with a stack of books and materials for Dmitry, he confessed to his young student that his cousin, a wealthy count by the name of Ipolitov, had taken an interest in young architects and was placing his resources at their disposal.“Is that what you want to do, d’you think?” she asked softly. Dmitry shrugged.“Maybe. If they let a street rat charity case anywhere near any of the apprenticeships.”“I’m sure they would! You could always ask-”“No,” he said, more sharply than he meant to. Seeing her face, he amended, “No. Thank you, but… I’ve already taken enough. I gotta start earning it myself at some point.” He extracted the notebook from her hands and stood up.“Shouldn’t you be getting back, Your Highness?” he asked, teasing. “Getting ready for the Dowager Empress’s arrival?”“You got the title right,” Anastasia noted with pleasure. Dmitry allowed himself to crack a grin.“How long is she staying?” he asked“A few weeks, at least. We have Tanya’s ball here, and then we’ll all go to Belgrade for the wedding.” Tatiana had, to the surprise of many, beaten Olga to the altar, as the Serbian crown prince Alexander had proposed after a lengthy correspondence. The Romanovs were hosting a ball in their honor, but the wedding itself and its festivities were to be held in the groom’s country.Anya eyed Dmitry, debating whether or not to spill the other piece of news. “I think you’ll like Nana. She can seem scary, but don’t let her fool you, she’s so kind,” she said. Dmitry looked up sharply.“What? I’m… Anya, what did you mean by that?” he demanded. She turned to him with a grin.“Papa is going to present all of the students under his patronage to Nana when she arrives. Before the ball.”“Anya… I can’t… I’m not suitable,” he said, quoting with his fingers in the air as he repeated one of the least offensive insults that had been hurled at him over the past few years.“Yes. Yes you are.” Anya squeezed his shoulder, suddenly serious. “Besides, I’ll be right there the whole time.”Dmitry looked down at her upturned, earnest face, and sighed.“In that case… how could I worry?” St. Petersburg - Winter Palace “Stop fidgeting, would you?” Vlad scolded Dmitry as he adjusted the boy’s tie for the fourth time. “You’re going to make me nervous.”“I’m not nervous,” Dmitry answered defensively - but a little too quickly, and his voice cracked briefly, betraying him. Vlad looked at him carefully.“Be careful with your heart, my boy,” he warned.“My heart? What does my heart have to do with anything?” Vlad couldn’t tell if Dmitry was deflecting or genuinely oblivious, but he didn’t have time to find out because, at that moment, a tap sounded outside. The door swung open and a dark-haired countess in a brightly colored dress stuck her head around the door.“Vlad, aren’t you ready yet?” she demanded, though with a smile.“Of course, my darling. What do you think, Lily? Is he presentable?” Vlad gestured to Dmitry, who pulled himself taller to face the Countess Malevsky-Malevitch with a roguish grin. She bit back a smile, seeing how Vlad’s tutelage had crept into the boy’s bearing and smile.“Very nice, dear. You’ll do just fine. If you aren’t late - come on!”When they entered the ballroom, Dmitry had to suppress a gasp. As used to the palace as he was after these years, he had never been present to see it at its fullest splendour, full of light and music, with glittering jewels bedecking every aristocrat and delicate, gleaming glasses of champagne. Everything about it was other to him, and he couldn’t help wondering what his father would say if he could see his son, an orphan and street rat and occasional thief, permitted to be in the ballroom of the imperial palace.At the center of it all stood the Romanovs, picture-perfect in their formal attire. The tsar and tsarina, glittering in silver and white and gold. Olga, tall and elegant in lilac; Tatiana every bit the glowing bride-to-be on her fiance’s arm; Marie, golden-haired and bright in pink, scanning the room as if looking for something among the guards who inconspicuously lined the walls; and Anastasia, standing closest to the imposing older woman in maroon and diamonds. She caught his eye and grinned, and he migrated towards the royal party.The tsar noticed Dmitry approaching and smiled a reassuring welcome. Dmitry bowed stiffly to him and the tsarina, still not used to making his body bend before someone else. Anastasia could barely contain herself, radiating energy next to her grandmother as Nicholas led Dmitry up to them.“Mama, may I present another of our scholarship students? Dmitry Andreyevich Petrov.” Dmitry looked into her eyes for a brief moment, equal for a split second before he bowed.“Dmitry. I know that name. This is your young friend, isn’t it, Anastasia?” The Dowager turned to Anastasia at her side, who smiled and answered in the affirmative. Turning back to Dmitry, she studied him for a moment. He swallowed hard and kept his head high, refusing to be cowed by her inquisitive stare.“Hm. Yes. And you are hoping to study architecture now, is that so, Dmitry Andreyevich?” she asked, raising a single eyebrow. Dmitry would have glared at Anastasia if he could have, but instead answered as neutrally as possible.“Perhaps, Your Imperial Majesty. Who knows what the future holds?” He could tell at once that this was the wrong answer by the way her eyes narrowed slightly, so he hastily amended, even switching to his rough French. “But I found some books on the subject. They are very… eh… very interesting,” he stammered out. This seemed to please her, or confirm something. She spoke to him in French, slowly and clearly.“It is good to hear you have ambitions. I wish you luck with them.” She moved on, dignified and tall, but Anastasia stayed behind.“You did so good, Dima!” she half-whispered with a smile. He couldn’t help it - he grinned back, delighted with himself.“I did, didn’t I?” he said, smirking slightly. “Don’t get too full of yourself,” she warned, reaching up to smooth down where his hair had escaped its pomade and was sticking up. As she did so, the Dowager Empress’s voice suddenly echoed back to them, full of regal ice.“That man is an imposter. How dare you bring him in my presence?” Half the room went suddenly still. Marie shuffled quickly away from the quiet corner in which she and Gleb had been conversing, heads bent a little closer together than was proper for a guard and a grand duchess. Anastasia let out an involuntary gasp, and Dmitry’s face went pale, when they saw who the Dowager’s anger was directed at.Vlad stood before her, ashen-faced, as Lily clutched his arm.“No, that can’t be. Vlad, tell her!” she demanded. Vlad turned to her, resigned.“Forgive me, my darling. Your acquaintance has been the most wonderful time of my life.” He kissed her hand, then pushed his way through the parting crowds to exit. He stopped briefly in front of Anya and Dmitry, and smiled very slightly.“Don’t worry about me, dear children. I’ve survived worse.” With a wink, he was gone. Dmitry tried to rush after him but was caught only a few steps from the door by none other than the ball’s honoree herself.“You can’t. Dmitry, you can’t! You’ll be ruined!” Tatiana hissed at him, moving her face as little as possible to avoid drawing attention.“I don’t care. I’m a fake too. I don’t belong here any more than he does.” Dmitry tried to move past her, but she stopped him with a gloved hand.“Yes. You do. You have a chance at so many things. Do you really think he wants you to ruin your future just to have this momentary satisfaction?”“Why do you even care?” he bit back, suddenly understanding Gleb’s anger at these rich and powerful people who told others to abandon their friends like it was nothing because it was more beneficial. He regretted his outburst almost immediately, seeing a flash of pain in her calm eyes.“I’m sorry… Tanya, I know… you’ve always been so kind to me. I didn’t mean-” She waved him off.“I know you didn’t. It’s alright. But you asked, and I will answer. Why do I care? Two reasons. One is that I think you deserve a wonderful future. The second is that I love my sister very much.” She walked away before he could register her words. “And she was quite right, my boy,” Vlad told him when he next saw him, selling goods at the same place on the quay. “But I didn’t want you to think everyone was against you. You’re more… you’re worth more than any of them,” Dmitry fumed.“I’m touched, Dmitry. I am. But I’m afraid you’re wrong. Count Vladimir Popov was the greatest fake of them all, and nothing more. But you, dear boy, you can have a future. And when you’ve climbed to lofty heights, you’ll remember your old pal Vlad, eh?” he teased, finally earning a smile out of the surly teenager at his side. “But until then, I’m counting on you to keep certain of our… goods coming. It’ll be a bit more risky-”“Risky, but not more than usual,” Dmitry retorted with a confident grin. “I know my stuff. Just you watch.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- St. Petersburg - June 1914 The first time Dmitry kissed Anya, it was because she asked him to. “Dima,” she said one day as they walked along the Neva, “have you ever kissed anyone?”Dmitry almost choked at the question, turning red and glancing sidelong at his friend, who determinedly kept her eyes on the path ahead. The answer to her question, of course, was yes. He might have only been fifteen, but Dmitry was already gaining a reputation among the girls of St. Petersburg as a bit of a flirt, and one handsome and decent-hearted enough that none of them much minded (or minded at all). Though still a bit on the lanky side, and still struggling with the overlong hair that came from irregular chances at the luxuries of precise grooming, Dmitry had grown tall and tanned, with the softness of childhood leaving his face in exchange for more chiseled features. And he knew all of this. He definitely knew, through a combination of a long-developed sense to find his advantages and that annoying instinct handsome boys seemed to have regarding their own good looks. He had kissed his fair share of pretty girls, and even a little more than that (though not everything, he was only fifteen, after all). But looking at Anastasia’s face, he couldn’t bring himself to say more than a simple “oui,” hoping the switch to French would also help change the topic to one he could more easily discuss in a language not his own.“Oh.” Anastasia walked on for a few more moments, Dmitry following. His schoolbag hung at his side, heavy with the large books within, bumping against his hip at every moment. “All my sisters have too. Olga said she kissed a naval officer when she was fifteen, but Frederick doesn’t know that. And Tanya… Prince Alexander is so much older, Dmitry, but she says he’s wonderful. And Marie, well, our parents would kill her if they knew who she’s been kissing!” A giggle burst through Anastasia’s serious train of thought until Dmitry cleared his throat and brought her back to herself.“I always dreamed my first kiss would be on a bridge, in Paris, with a handsome prince. But I suppose two out of three would be alright.” She spoke thoughtfully at first, returning to Russian and levelling her imperial gaze on Dmitry until he realized what she meant.“Anastasia, you don’t mean…”“I mean precisely what I say,” she replied, refusing to let him off the hook without a proper reply. “Anya,” he groaned, turning to face her on the bank. He set down his bag, feeling its weight all of a sudden. “I’m not your prince. I’m not even close.”Anastasia took a step to close the distance between them.“In case you’ve forgotten, I am a Grand Duchess, daughter of the Tsar of all Russia, and as such, I would beg to disagree, Dima.” She grabbed his bag from where it was sitting, tossed it on the ground in front of him, and stood on it, still not bringing herself to his height but at least a little bit closer. Her face fell slightly, even as her hands on her hips meant business.“Please, Dima? Mama says I’ll be a woman before I know it, with suitors all around, and I know they press their suit sometimes, and I don’t want my first kiss to be… You’re my best friend. I trust you.”Dmitry looked at his friend, her earnest eyes, her familiar (and, he had to admit, beginning to be lovely) face, and something in him knew he wouldn’t say no. He glanced around behind them to be sure no one had followed them - they could never be too careful.“Close your eyes,” he ordered gently, and to his surprise, she obeyed without question. He briefly questioned where to place his hands, before settling one on her waist and the other lightly steadying her cheek. Before his mind could run away with thoughts about who he was kissing or observe the pretty flush in her cheeks, he hastily dipped his head, closing his own eyes and pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was chaste but warm. Anya felt a sudden warmth rise in her chest and, out of some instinct she couldn’t quite understand, gently placed one hand on his chest and lifted the other to his hair. But before she could explore any further, Dmitry pulled away, not meeting her eyes for a moment. When he lifted them to hers again, though, he wore his trademark smirk. “Happy now, Princess?” he teased, sliding into the casual demeanor he wore so very well. Anya refused to let him think he’d had any sort of effect on her, so she nodded briskly.“I am. Thank you.” And they continued on their walk, both too stubborn to ask the questions they wanted to ask.The kiss was still on Dmitry’s mind a few days later as he trekked down to the quay to join Vlad for a bit of black market dealing. He tried to push the memory to one side, but fragments kept popping up at the most irritating moments, reminding him of the look in her eyes or the precise color and texture of her hair or how it felt to have her gentle hands in his hair.This would simply not do.As he walked through a particularly rough part of the city, he heard sounds that were becoming more and more common these days: the shouts of radicals, attempting to stir up the poor into armed violence against the bourgeois and aristocrats. From what Dmitry knew, these "Bolsheviks," as they'd come to be called, were mostly young, angry workers who supported their party by robbery and any other means necessary. A few had tried to radicalize the army, but had only managed to convert a handful of foot soldiers and get themselves imprisoned or executed for their troubles. They worried him, but they didn’t frighten him (yet).With a sigh, Dmitry almost decided to walk away and not even bother investigating. But something made him turn around and follow the source of the sound, and when he arrived, horror seared through his veins.There was a crowd of about two dozen gathered, with a quartet of men holding their prisoner. And that prisoner was a man Dmitry recognized all too well - slightly thinner and less perfectly groomed, but unmistakably Vladimir Popov.“Vladimir Popov, you stand here accused and judged guilty -” began one of the fierce young men holding him by the shoulder.“This isn’t even a trial!” Vlad shouted, to no avail.“This is the only court that is free of of corruption. The court of the people,” the young man replied, jerking Vlad’s arm back with a vicious twist before continuing. “Comrade Popov, you are a fraud and a traitor. You thought yourself too good for us common folk, eh? Placed yourself above us, and the aristocrats spit you right back out, just as you deserved. If you think you belong with the aristocrats, well, we are not inclined to disagree. Comrades.” He nodded a cue, and the other three men let go of Vlad in order to draw their guns and line up in front of him. His face went white.“You may join your beloved dukes and counts and royals for a nice drink of vodka in hell, and die a traitor’s death on your way there. On my word, comrades.” He drew his own gun and stepped back. Vlad’s eyes darted around, but there was nowhere to run.“Father!” The cry startled the makeshift firing squad, and the crowd parted as Dmitry, hat half pulled over his face and dirt hastily smudged on his cheeks to make himself look younger, pushed his way to Vlad. He locked eyes with the older man, trying to warn him to go along with it, and whether out of confusion or understanding, Vlad did.“Son… you have to go, this is no place for you, go, go!” Vlad half-whispered, just loud enough to be overheard. Then, lower, for Dmitry alone: “Get out, my boy, just go.” Dmitry shook his head. “Who are you?” the leader asked Dmitry angrily. “He’s my father, sir, please, he hasn’t done nothing, please,” Dmitry begged, slipping on a rougher accent and forcing his voice to crack on a couple of words.“I didn’t know he had a son,” commented one of the other would-be executioners. “My mother, sir, she was an actress. French. Please, he’s all I’ve got in the world,” Dmitry pleaded. He pulled a protective arm around Vlad and looked up mournfully. “I saw her die, I saw her get sick and fade and die right in front of me. I can’t do that again. If you’re going to kill him… you’re going to have to kill me too!” he shouted, loud enough for the crowd to hear.The gathered people began murmuring. They’d come for the punishment of a traitor to the proleteriat, not the murder of a young boy trying to protect his father. The rebels seemed to sense this, and the leader bent down to speak to Dmitry.“Big words. How old are you, boy?” he demanded. Dmitry’s mind raced, trying to calculate how low he could go without being caught in an obvious lie. “Thirteen.” At this, the crowd got even more restless. Killing a man in front of his young son, not even a man yet, was more than they could stomach, and a few began to drift towards where Vlad and Dmitry huddled.The leader of the young Bolshevik gang realized his defeat. Even he wasn’t sure he could handle the blood of a child on his hands. He gestured sharply, and his comrades retreated.“Be grateful for your son, comrade, and hope he never realizes what sort of man you are,” he snapped at Vlad, spitting at him as he left. The crowd dispersed quickly. A few people sneered as they passed. One woman discreetly handed Dmitry a handkerchief, presumably for the cuts on Vlad’s face. Once they were alone, Vlad finally got to his feet, wincing and leaning heavily on Dmitry.“That was very brave of you, my boy,” he said gravely. Dmitry shrugged.“Eh. A rash act of kindness. Completely out of character. Don’t know what I was thinking,” he replied casually. Vlad looked long and hard at him, then pulled him into a tight hug.“I cannot express… I am so grateful… I…” Vlad trailed off, attempting to hide the tears that escaped his unwilling eyes. Dmitry handed him the handkerchief and looked away, attempting to keep both of their emotions under control.After a few moments, Vlad was ready to walk again, and the pair set out to his flat, thoughts of selling that day completely abandoned.“Those men… Bolsheviks?” Dmitry asked. Vlad nodded, grave again.“They’re angry about the slow pace of reforms. And the rumors that the tensions with Austria could lead to war any day. And they’re growing in daring. If they are willing to attempt violence in public, even in the worst parts of the city… we had all better beware.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The Winter Palace - St. Petersburg - 1915 War had come to Russia.Around the tsar’s table, conversation was more muted than usual. Worry about Tatiana, now the crown princess of Serbia, permeated every word. And Olga, though still only half-convinced to wed a prince four years younger than herself (even though it would mean being a queen one day), had been persuaded to depart to neutral Denmark to stay as a guest of her fiancè’s family, away from the fighting. Even the irrepressible joy of Maria and Anastasia was dulled, as the girls were certainly old enough to understand the possibilities of the future.Fewer scholarship students were coming to family dinners these days; many were beginning to age out and find jobs far from St. Petersburg, while others had never developed a very close relationship to the family, for one reason or another. Less than half a dozen remained as regular guests. And on this particular night, only two sat at the table: Sonya Tarasova, a girl of about fifteen, and Dmitry, who sat at his customary place just below Anastasia’s as the tsarina and Maria discussed plans to train as nurses, much to the tsar’s chagrin.“You are too young, Marie. War is not for your eyes,” he said severely. Maria scowled. “There are other girls my age who have seen worse. Besides, we all must make sacrifices, isn’t that what you said, Papa?” Nicholas set down his fork.“Indeed we must. We, for instance, will have to do without much of our staff. Many of the servants and guards are departing for the wars.” He spotted one of the guards in the far corner of the room and called out to him.“Ah, Vaganov, you’re leaving next week, aren’t you?” Gleb inclined his head. “Yes, sir.”Dmitry felt a kick to his foot beneath the table and looked up to find Anya catching his gaze before her eyes flicked to Maria. Her sister’s face had gone pale and still, not looking up from her plate, but frozen as if utterly unable to move. Under her breath, Anya whispered to him.“I’ll talk to her. You get him.” Dmitry suppressed a groan, not exactly relishing the thought of a heart-to-heart with St. Petersburg’s broodiest almost-revolutionary. But, true to his word, after the dinner, he slipped away into the shadows to follow Gleb down a corridor until the older boy, irritated, turned around to face him.“Out with it, Petrov. I have work to do,” he said shortly. Dmitry bristled, suddenly defensive.“So when were you planning to tell Marie that you're leaving?” Gleb couldn't help a short laugh that escaped him.“You get right to the point, don't you?” The smile slid off his face. “I don't know,” he admitted. “I'm surprised you're going at all. After all the things you've said, why would you put your life on the line in the tsar’s army?” Dmitry asked, genuinely curious. Gleb’s face darkened.“I do not fight for him. Not for any of them. But for Russia, what choice do I have but simple duty? We cannot change Russia if there is no Russia left,” he said slowly. “I couldn't tell her, because… I couldn't do that to her. I don't want her to worry about me… not that I think she would, but-”“She would, and you know it.” Dmitry interrupted. “We all will,” he added. “Or, at least until I join you, I guess.” Gleb scowled.“Don't say that, comrade. If the war is still going on when you are old enough to fight, then we will have failed. You don't strike me as a soldier, anyway,” he half-joked.Dmitry struggled to explain himself.“I'm not. But how ungrateful would I be, after all the tsar has done for me, to not serve?” He paused, debating whether to share his second thought before realizing Gleb was one person who might actually understand. “But then I think… what would my father say? He died believing no one should have the right to command anyone else… how can I dishonor him in that way?”The ferocity evaporated from Gleb, all at once. “Let's hope that we beat back those damn Germans before you have to choose, eh?” He slapped Dmitry on the shoulder. “Come on. I'd better go apologize to Marie, or her sister will never leave me alone, will she?” Vitebsky Station - St. Petersburg It was a warm summer morning when Anya and Marie slipped out of a servants’ entrance at dawn, scarves covering their hair in an attempt to remain incognito. As they rounded the corner, Dmitry unfolded his long limbs from where he had been leaning against a brick wall and fell into step beside them.They walked in silence until they reached the train station. Approaching the platform, they pushed their way through the crowds, soldiers in brown uniforms mixing with their loved ones. It only took a moment to locate one particular soldier, tall and dark and standing alone, his face half hidden by shadows. Anya and Dmitry hung back as Maria swiftly wove her way to him, watching as his handsome face transformed at the sight of her. He pulled his hat off and took the hand she proffered him. “When I return, I expect you'll be promised to a grand Duke or prince of some sort. Remember me kindly, won't you?” he asked gruffly, not meeting her eyes. Marie placed a hand on his cheek.“When you return, I will be waiting.” Gleb leaned into her hand before pulling away with a groan.”“Masha, you shouldn't have come, what point is there? And it's not safe for you to be out here. What if someone recognizes you?”“I am well protected.” She grinned, and he followed her gaze to see Anya and Dmitry, who approached upon meeting his gaze.“Goodbye, Gleb.” Anya offered her hand to him. After a moment, he took her hand, and instead of shaking it, he bowed over it and brushed his lips to it in a courtly respect.“Goodbye… Nastya. Be well.” She stepped back to put her arms around Marie as Dmitry faced Gleb.“You didn't have to come,” Gleb said quietly.“Of course I did. Anya wasn't going to leave Marie to do this alone, and -”“And you don't leave her side.” Gleb laughed, then offered his hand to shake. He held on for a second too long, pulling Dmitry close enough to whisper without the girls hearing.“Look out for her, won’t you? I know you keep an eye out for Anastasia-”“Not that she needs it,” Dmitry added with a small grin. “No. Not that either of them need it. But the future isn’t… I don’t know what’s going to happen, Dmitry. Nothing may happen. Or things may happen that no one can control. And if I’m not here, I just want to make sure that…”“She’ll be fine, Gleb. I promise. I’ll look out for her as well as you could.” Dmitry promised.“Look out for her as well as you do for Nastya, and I will be content.”Dmitry nodded, and Gleb released his hand.“Long life… comrade.” He grinned, a rare gesture of relationship friendship. Dmitry and Anya took a few steps away to allow Gleb and Marie one last farewell, his hands in her golden hair as she tipped her face up to his. No one recognized the princess kissing a soldier goodbye, and perhaps that was for the best. Gleb offered one last real smile to the princess who held more of his heart than he cared to admit. He made the smallest of bows before disappearing into the steam and crowd. Anya took Maria’s arm and held on tight, looking to all the world like just another set of young women wondering if this was the last time they'd see a loved one.They stood in silence, watching the train pull away, and with it, the last vestiges of a normal life. Dmitry felt a weight on his shoulder and looked down to see Anya’s head resting there, looking straight ahead as she held her sister’s hand. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- St. Petersburg - Late summer, 1917 The war continued, and with it came more strife within Russia itself than they ever could have dreamed. Few had imagined that the death of a single man could draw half the world into deadly conflict. And although the reformed Russia was more prepared than she might have been under other circumstances, there were still losses.Much to Maria’s relief, those losses did not yet include one Gleb Vaganov. Quite on the contrary, he had proven his bravery at the Masurian Lakes, resulting in a promotion that put him slightly more out of harm’s way, though not high enough to return to St. Petersburg just yet. Despite his protestations, he wrote faithfully to Maria as often as possible, with Dmitry as the go-between to avoid drawing attention.Even far from the front, tensions were higher than before. The tsarina had become inconsolable following the murder of her favorite holy man, taking the crime as a personal affront and banishing the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich permanently. The duke’s banishment was met with relief by Anastasia at the least, relieved that he was removed as a potential suitor. (Dmitry gloated about the duke's fall too, but told no one).One morning, Anya passed by a calm-faced young man in the corridors of the palace who barely bowed to her, a slight frown creasing his face.“Papa,” she asked at dinner, “who was that man in your office today? The one who looked so stern.” Nicholas sighed, a hint of strain in his voice.“That, Nastya, was Alexander Kerensky. He is the Minister of War.”“Kerensky? Isn't he one of those socialists?” Maria interjected. When the others turned to her in surprise, she flushed slightly. “So I've read, at least,” she added hastily, avoiding her sister’s knowing gaze.“Nicky, what are you doing, allowing one of them into your counsel?” Alexandra demanded. He shook his head.“It is the time we live in, my dearest. The soldiers adore him. He inspired that great offensive against Austria in May. He is not a man we can afford to alienate. Not with-” He stopped short, unwilling to share with his family his concerns over the growing radical voices. Their victories in the war were just enough to keep the majority believing that the government was, at least for the most part, going in the right direction, but a minority was growing. Tales from the countryside were starting to filter in of small but well-armed mobs attacking and looting the estates of counts and barons, furious over the continuing gap between promises of more equality and the slow-moving reality.Instead, he smiled tightly, patting his wife’s hand.“We have survived worse, Sunny,” he assured her, hoping that the use of her old nickname might bring a smile to her worried face. “The Germans will be beaten back, by the grace of God, and then we shall turn to improving matters. These… socialists will retreat, once they see the successes wrought by our modern empire.” For the Romanovs, business was anything but business as usual. But for Dmitry, business was booming. The war meant more and more scarcity, which meant an increased demand for forged documents and luxury items that could not be obtained by any other means. His apprenticeship, under the distant supervision of the great Leon Benois, barely paid enough for his poor lodgings and the barest minimum of food - to have a life beyond simple survival, apprentices had to look elsewhere, and luckily for Dmitry, he was long practiced in such work.“A ribbon from the palace, madame,” he called out to a pair of women lingering near his table. “Belonged to one of their Imperial Highnesses themselves!” He picked up the bit of fine material in question, holding out for them to see and turning on his most charming smile.“And how would a gutter rat come by such a treasure, hm?” one asked. She turned to her friend. “This is how all of them are. ‘A ruble for this painting - royal commission, I swear!’ ‘It could be worth a fortune - so what will someone pay?’ Always fake.” She clucked her tongue and began to move away, but Dmitry put a hand on her arm to stop her.“See the closeness of the weave, the sheen of the material, the brightness of the dye. Think about it, madame, who else would have access to such things in times like these?” he asked, smiling innocently up at them. The first woman reached back over and ran her finger along it, then pulled back, apparently satisfied.“Done.”She paid Dmitry and departed. Dmitry turned around to tuck the money in his little pouch, turning his back on the crowded market for just a moment. When he turned back around, his heart dropped into the pit of his stomach.A few feet away, lightly veiled but unmistakable to him, stood Anya, staring straight at him. For a split second, he grinned at her automatically, hoping against hope that she hadn’t heard his transaction, but the expression on his face told her that hope was long gone.She approached Dmitry as he shifted on his feet, suddenly uncomfortable in a place he’d always felt most comfortable of all.“Please tell me I didn’t hear that right,” she said without preamble. He said nothing. “Then tell me you were lying, pulling one of your little cons to make an extra few kopeks.”He still said nothing.“How long?”“How long what?” he asked, stalling. Anya glared at him.“How long have you been stealing, using my family to your advantage? How long, Dmitry?” she demanded, her voice getting louder and angrier with each word. “Months? Years?” Anya shook her head. “How could you? After everything?”That was too much for Dmitry, who felt his temper slipping away from him.“After everything? Honestly? Do you realize how you sound?” he snapped.“Like someone who has just discovered the depths of someone else’s ingratitude!” “Ingratitude? Ingratitude?” Dmitry sputtered. “Yes! My family gave you a chance - gave you every opportunity! And this is how you repay them? With thefts and cons just to benefit yourself? How selfish can you be?” Anya yelled back, heedless of who might overhear them.“Oh, that’s rich, coming from someone who’s had the luxury of selfishness all her life!” Dmitry had the brief satisfaction of seeing hurt flash across her face, and he drove his point forward. “You don’t get it, do you? You don’t understand what it’s like to rely on someone else’s goodwill, to always have to be perfect or risk losing everything.”“You’re changing the subject because you know what you’ve been doing is wrong!” she shouted back. This time, it was her turn to feel satisfied in the quick change of expression that told her she had landed a hit. “And so what if I do, hm? I am poor. I have always been poor. And I am not ashamed that I have done what I had to so that I could survive on more than the scraps thrown my way by aristocrats when they feel like it.”“You sound like Gleb,” she said softly.“Maybe he’s right. Tell me, if you hadn't found me today, would you ever have noticed things missing? I didn't think so. I have done nothing but take what I can to make my way. And I will not be made to be ashamed of that.” Dmitry’s voice lowered too, cold and uncompromising in its quiet fury.“Even if it wasn’t yours to take.”“And whose fault is that? Not mine, Anastasia. Not mine.” Anya looked at him for a moment, searching for a trace of her friend in the proud, angry man in front of her. Seeing nothing, she retreated.“You’re a thief and a liar and I’m sorry that we ever met!” she yelled.“Anya?” Vlad came around the corner just in time to see her storm off in a rush of red hair. He looked after her, then back at Dmitry, still scowling and gripping the table.“Dmitry! What on earth is going on here?” he exclaimed. “What has made our Anya so angry? Have you quarreled?”“Our Anya, ha!” Dmitry snapped. “I’ll tell you what’s happened. Anya doesn’t understand a thing and doesn’t care to. Just like royalty. And she comes in here and yells at me and just… She’s so… she makes me so…” He sputtered, losing his words in his anger. To his utter shock, Vlad laughed, reaching down to pet a stray cat that had wandered across the path.“Would you look at that? An unspoken attraction,” he said gleefully. “But, Dmitry, be careful, you mustn’t-”“Attraction?” Dmitry choked out, stumbling over the word in his fury. “Attraction? To that… entitled, skinny little brat? Have you lost your mind?”Vlad paled as he looked at something over Dmitry’s shoulder. Following his gaze, Dmitry turned around to see Anya standing there, looking very small. “I left my hat,” she said simply. She reached over and picked it up from the table. “Anya, I-” Dmitry began to speak, but she cut him off.“I would have just left it here, but I’m rather fond of it and wouldn’t want it auctioned off to the highest bidder,” she said coldly. She put the hat back on. “Good day.”As she stalked away, Dmitry scowled and turned his back, muttering under his breath. Vlad looked between the two and shook his head ruefully.“Oh, my dear boy, what a mess you have made.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The Winter Palace - St. Petersburg - May 1918 Dmitry sat at the table, eyes on his plate as the conversation flowed around him. It was a slightly larger party than usual, including Kerensky and his wife, as well as a couple of visiting aristocrats and government officials - a mixed bag if ever there was one. Although the wine and conversation were flowing, Dmitry sat quietly, half his mind on the sketches he had to complete and half his mind trying to decide whether he was still angry at the girl who sat two seats down from him. It had been nearly a year since the day Anya had stormed away from his market stall, and although she was cordial (and had never told another soul what she had seen), things hadn’t been the same since. Where there had once been casual banter and natural ease, there now was careful politeness - almost worse than if she’d stopped speaking to him altogether.Despite this, he still was a presence at the palace as much as ever, and the rest of the family treated him exactly as they always had. If anything, Alexei at least was growing closer than ever to him - at nearly fourteen, the frail boy was growing into a restless young man, and he looked up to Dmitry, drawn to the older boy’s independent spirit and sardonic attitude. It was Alexei now who was trying to draw Dmitry out of his brooding thoughts and into some sort of conversation.His efforts were stopped short, as were all conversations in the room, however, by the arrival of a messenger in military uniform who strode directly up to the tsar, bowed crisply, and handed him a piece of paper, leaning down as he did so to whisper in Nicholas’s ear.The conversations around the table trailed off as all eyes went to the tsar, whose face had changed as he read the brief message. After a moment, he looked up to meet Alexandra’s gaze, nodded slightly, then stood up.“I have just received a telegram confirming news I have been awaiting for some time now. I did not wish to get anyone’s hopes up until it was certain. At thirteen hundred hours tomorrow afternoon, there will be peace in Europe. Germany will withdraw. My dear friends… we have won.”Silence reigned for a moment. No one moved.Then Alexei let out a loud whoop, and the spell broke. The tsar reached down and pulled his wife up into his embrace. Along the walls, the guards broke protocol and shook hands gleefully with each other and with the dignitaries who approached to clap them on the shoulders, formalities forgotten in the rush of relief that filled the room. Maria managed to slip between two ministers to get to where Gleb lingered. Unable to embrace, he simply took her hands in his for a long moment. Alexei had launched himself into Anastasia’s arms, and the two had now begun to dance around the room in glee. As they whirled around, Alexei nearly spun his sister right into Dmitry. Automatically, Dmitry reached out to steady her, and as he did so, their eyes met. He paused for a moment before offering up a smile. And for the briefest of moments, she smiled back at him - a real smile, Anya’s smile - before it faded and she turned her attention back to her family. Dmitry stood back for a moment, watching the joy, before quietly slipping away. He would go and find Vlad, perhaps - this was the kind of news that should be celebrated with family, after all. As he made to exit, though, one of the aristocrats quietly addressed him passing by.“Are you leaving so soon, young Petrov? You should stay, celebrate this happy occasion.” Dmitry looked back, taken aback, to see Count Ipolitov’s serious, calm face. He reached for his still-rough (though slightly improved) French - the count had been kind to him over the years, and was in fact still putting a little patronage towards his architecture training - and he wanted to at least attempt to speak to him on the same level.“I’m not needed for their celebrations. I should go,” he said. Ipolitov studied him for a moment.“Not needed, perhaps, but I wager you would be wanted,” he replied at last. Dmitry smiled slightly even as he shook his head.“You’re always kind to me. Kinder than I deserve,” he added in a mutter. If Ipolitov heard his last sentence, he didn’t show it. Instead, he simply offered his hand.“I won’t insist, as I know it would do no good. But I will offer this advice, if you’ll allow it. Be happy, my dear boy. This is good news. We have lost so much. We have all lost…” He trailed off for a moment, and Dmitry felt a pang of guilt. Ipolitov’s only son and heir, Fyodor, had been killed in battle earlier in the year, and though he did not speak of the loss often, Dmitry could imagine it was never far from mind, especially tonight.“We have all lost so much, but now with something good… Well, in my experience, good tends to follow good.” The Winter Palace - July 1918 With the war over, the tsar's concern shifted to matters closer to home. Although he met with his ministers, however, his mind seemed to be elsewhere. And those ministers found out exactly what was on his mind: displaying Romanov glamour for a new age.“I’m not certain that would be wise, Your Majesty,” said the bravest of the officials, glancing nervously at his fellows for support. “The unrest among the workers continues to grow. An opulent display might… strike the wrong tone, at this moment.”“While I appreciate your concern, sir, that is utter nonsense!” The tsar beamed. “The war is over. The unrest will soon burn itself out. And a beautiful celebration is just what is needed to remind everyone why we are still here. Not just to lead, but to inspire, to provide an escape from everyday life when they see us.”There would be no convincing him otherwise. There was to be a grand ball to celebrate Anastasia’s seventeenth birthday and her coming-out into society - a masquerade, at her request. On the evening in question, the grandest ballroom in the palace was filled with the cream of St. Petersburg society in a whirling mass of masks and silks and glittering jewels. Some wore the most delicate of masks, barely obscuring their identities - Anya laughed at those people for being so boring, turning over her shoulder to crack a joke with Dmitry before remembering that he wasn’t there. Most, however, wore more opaque disguises, reveling in the chance for a little anonymity and a little lightness after the drab economy of war years.Despite her parents’ protests (and her Nana’s written words of mild disapproval), Anya delighted in the freedom that the masquerade provided. It was a relief to blend in for once, not worrying about everyone censoring themselves around her. And she was, after all, just a girl, reveling in the beauty of the night and the joy of being a grown-up at last.Which is why, when a tall man in an unadorned black mask approached her and asked, in the most exquisite French, for the next dance, she grinned widely, set down the glass of champagne she had just begun to sip, and gave him her hand without a thought. His hand hesitated a moment before settling on her waist, but a moment later, they were off, whirling across the floor.For a moment, Anya’s mind wandered as she caught sight of the windows lining the ballroom. Outside those walls, she knew, were thousands of people who were much less interested in what the Grand Duchesses were wearing to the ball than they were in ensuring there would be no more balls. A small voice in the back of her mind wondered what she had done to deserve all of this while, out on the streets, girls her age and younger were working in hospitals, washing dishes, and sweeping the pavement to survive. Suddenly, the grandeur settled in the pit of her stomach and became decidedly less pleasant. Something of her turn of mind must have shown even beneath her mask, because her partner spoke for the first time since they had begun dancing.“You seem lost in thought. Am I not a sufficiently interesting partner?” he asked, stumbling over his words midway through but finishing with a small smile. Anastasia shook her head, tried to brush off the melancholy.“I’m so sorry, I just-” Before she could finish, her partner leaned down closer to her ear to speak without being overheard, switching into Russian.“I’d have thought you’d be enjoying yourself more… Anya,” whispered a familiar voice. Anya couldn’t help letting out a tiny gasp as her partner drew back and her favorite smile in the world grinned back at her.“Dima! What are you doing here?”**Dmitry was not the dancing kind of man - something that had become more apparent than ever when Marie and Alexei had approached him with their plan. At first, he brushed it off.“Anya wouldn’t want me there, anyway.” Marie rolled her eyes.“The two of you, I swear. I’m going to start a running tally,” she muttered. Alexei, oblivious to his sister’s implications, shook his head eagerly.“No, you must come! It will be an awfully wonderful surprise for her. Please, Dmitry?” Dmitry could hardly refuse, and instead resorted to another excuse.“I can’t dance,” he admitted, shuffling his feet.“Well, that’s not a real problem! We can teach you, can’t we, Mashka?” Alexei twinkled up at Marie, who sighed and nodded.After a few attempts, she stood back.“Huh. You weren’t kidding. You really can’t dance,” she remarked after another attempt had ended with a stooped Dmitry and his stuttering legs tangled up over his own feet. Alexei shook his head.“He can’t learn from a girl, Marie. Here, Dmitry, stand next to me. Follow what I do exactly,” he commanded, steering Dmitry into position and narrating every movement. Marie hovered close, unable to break the years of protective habits, but she needn’t have worried - Dmitry kept enough of a distance to not bump Alexei with his clumsiness, and Alexei’s own grace had improved over the years until there was little fear of falling.The other logistics took a little more cooperation, and others were brought into the plan. When the night of the ball arrived, no less than four people were helping pull it off. But when he entered the ballroom, thoughts of anyone else evaporated from Dmitry’s mind because, in an instant, he spotted her.Masked she might be, but Dmitry could find her in any crowd. Her red hair, now threaded through with golden tones more than the vivid red of her childhood, was pulled back in an elegant chignon. Her mask was a dark blue, edged with sparkling trim. And she glittered from head to toe in a gown of dark blue that matched her mask, sparkling with a thousand details he knew would have taken hours upon hours to sew perfectly. She looked, to him, like a Petersburg night studded with stars - and for a moment, he thought about turning on his heel and leaving the ballroom. What use could the heavens have for a boy born in the mud? But then she looked his way - not at him, but he could imagine, couldn’t he? - and he knew he couldn’t leave.So he walked up to her, put on his best accent, pretended to be the sort of man who belonged at a celebration like this. But then he saw that flash of boredom - or was it sadness? - flash across her face, and he couldn’t stay anonymous.“Dima! What are you doing here?” she whispered, grinning in delight. Anya would have thrown her arms around him if she could have, but settled for squeezing their clasped hands tighter, and he instinctively tightened his hand on her waist to draw her a little closer. “Surprised?” he asked. He could feel a broad grin working its way across his face, and for once, he didn’t fight it, letting that joy that had been so long tamped down work its way to the surface.“You could say that! How did you manage it?” Anya asked, glancing around them as if expecting to see conspirators surrounding them. This only added to Dmitry’s good mood, and he laughed in delight.“I had some help. Marie and Alexei started it. Gleb snuck me in. Alexei worked on my French. And the suit is courtesy of Vlad… and the Countess, I presume,” he added. As he spun Anya around, he looked around the edges of the room to see if any of his friends were watching. Sure enough, in one corner, he spotted Gleb and a masked blonde smirking their direction. Off to the side, a bearded man in a green mask beamed openly before suddenly scratching at his eyebrow, brushing at his shoulder, and scurrying off somewhere. “And… the dancing?” Anya asked, her voice oddly strained. “Marie tried, but it was mostly Alexei. Did he do well, d’you think?” Dmitry questioned, his own voice lower. Anya looked up at him as the music came to an end.“Very well.” They parted hands reluctantly. Unwilling to let go just yet, Dmitry let his hand trail along her waist, tracing along the line of beading. Anya stifled a gasp at the touch of his broad, familiar yet unfamiliar hand; it took every ounce of her royal demeanor to remain nonchalant to those passing by.“I wanted to say-” she started, but stopped, seeing her next partner already approaching. Dmitry followed her gaze and quickly turned back to her.“The next waltz, then?” She nodded, understanding, and before the count or prince or whatever he was had even reached them, Dmitry had somehow vanished. She grinned at this, even as she began the gavotte with her new partner. You can take the boy off the streets, but you can’t take the street rat out of the man.Sure as he had promised, Dmitry appeared before her for the next waltz, bowing much more fluidly than he had all those years ago but with the same look in his eyes as he took her waist and hand. As they began to dance, he looked around nervously.“They're all staring,” he whispered. Anya smiled up at him.“No one knows who you are. They're all trying to figure out what handsome duke or foreign prince is this mysterious stranger,” she teased. But his face fell a little at that.“But I'm not, am I?” he said with a small laugh at the ridiculousness of the thought. “I wanted to say earlier… I'm sorry, Dmitry. I was cruel, before,” she whispered. “I didn't even think…And I was stubborn and I should have talked to you before now.”“Not as stubborn as me,” Dmitry admitted, a genuine, sheepish grin making its way onto his face. “You were right. I was stealing and it wasn't right. It was fair, but it wasn't right. And I shouldn't have said… that other thing.” “No, you shouldn't have. But I understand. So we are friends again?” Anya asked, only half joking. “Do I really need to answer?” He grinned down at her and was rewarded with her small hand squeezing his. He glanced over her shoulder to see the stares still surrounded them, and his face fell. Anya picked up on his mood immediately.“What's wrong?” He tried to smile reassuringly.“It's nothing. It just… I'm losing track of how many people I'm supposed to be. I'm the street orphan, I'm a black marketeer, I'm an apprentice, now apparently I'm suspected of being some foreign prince. It's hard to keep up.”Anya's heart went out to him, flipping over as she looked up up into his eyes. Heedless of the people around them, she briefly touched her gloved hand to his cheek and felt the warmth as he instinctively leaned in to it.“You're Dima, and I'm Anya. What else matters?”A lot, he wanted to say, but he couldn't form the words. So instead he smiled and let himself believe, until the dance ended and Gleb would have to sneak him back out, that she was right. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- August 1919 - The Winter Palace Anya collapsed onto her bed, weary with travel but home at last. Her eighteenth birthday had come and gone in a Parisian whirlwind at her nana’s side. Paris was everything she had ever dreamed, a city beyond all compare - yes, even grander than her beloved St. Petersburg. Some part of her secretly thought she might like to live there someday, but that wasn’t anything she could say just yet. Having only just arrived home, she was given the luxury of not having to appear for supper; instead, Katya brought a meal up to her mistress before being dismissed to eat her own supper, with the promise of completing unpacking the next day. Just as Anya began to balance the tray on her knees, there was a tap at her window. She hurried over to peer out on her little balcony, only to break out into a smile at who was down below. Grinning up at her, hands in his pockets, stood Dmitry. He waved, gestured towards her window, and as soon as she nodded, he clambered nimbly up her favorite tree and landed lightly on her balcony.“Hello, Your Highness,” he said with a good-natured smirk.“Good evening, Mr. Petrov,” she replied serenely. They stood still for a moment, then he scooped her up in a hug. “Look at you, Anya. Perfectly Parisienne,” he pronounced. Anya shrugged, but he could tell how much the adjective pleased her. “Paris suits you, I think.”“Oh, Dima, it does, it really does!” she agreed. “It’s so… so… cosmopolitan. Everything is avant-garde or chic. And Nana and I went to Grandfather’s bridge, and I felt like he was there with us. It’s the most beautiful city. You must -” she stopped short, sheepish, but he waved it off.“You’ve missed a lot here, too,” he said. Her face grew serious.“Are things really as bad as they say? Nana wouldn’t let me read the papers too much but I made Katya sneak them up to me.”Dmitry only nodded. In the countryside, a crop shortage was making its way across Russia, and Dmitry could only imagine the consequences ahead. But the Romanovs and their advisors were proving to be less concerned with managing a food emergency in the making than they were with finding ways to discredit a man who had - yet again - managed to escape Siberian exile and begin to build a base. The name “Lenin” was spoken in the kind of disgusted whispers reserved for those who were viewed with equal parts abhorrence and fear.Anya sat down heavily on the edge of her bed. After an awkward moment, Dmitry joined her, perching as carefully as he could. “What's going to happen, Dima? I feel like I ought to be doing something but there's nothing I can do, is there?” Dmitry looked at her, understanding her frustration but without any answers.“Stay safe. That is your job for now,” he said. “And speaking of being safe, I'd better go. I don't think your parents would take too kindly to finding a handsome scoundrel in their daughter's bedroom,” he added with a wink and a smirk. “I don't see - oh, you meant you,” Anya volleyed back. She grinned widely at the split second of surprise on his face - she had missed their banter so very much. With a mocking bow, Dmitry slipped back out her window, leaving her alone with her thoughts.As the evening went on, though, Anya began to wish he hadn't gone. She had studied enough history books to know what happened when people got hungry and rulers overlooked it. Unable to sleep, she got out of bed and padded down the hall to Maria’s room - perhaps her sister would have some words of comfort or knowledge. But as she approached her sister's door, she stopped short. Maria's laugh emerged from under the door, stifled at the end as if trying to keep quiet. A moment later, Anya clapped her hand over her mouth - a second voice, shushing Maria, floated out to her ears. She scuttled back to her room, closed the door, and hopped into her bed, mind racing and cheeks flushed.Anya was not naive, contrary to what her family might think. She supposed she shouldn't be quite so shocked that her sister had allowed Gleb into her room and her bed - lots of people secretly carried out outside the bounds of marriage these days. And, Anya conceded, Gleb had turned out to be awfully handsome: tall and strong and dark, with piercing eyes equally capable of intensity and kindness. He wasn't her type, to be sure, but she could see his appeal to Maria. That was not a good line of thought, though, as stray thoughts began to creep into her mind about what was going on in Maria's room and soon shifted to her own curiosity. Her hand drifted lower on her on body, towards something sinful yet inexorable. As her mind drifted too, a familiar pair of eyes came to mind. That snapped her to attention with a surprised gasp, and she quickly rolled over, willing sleep to come to erase her stubborn subconscious. November 1919 - Taurida Palace - St. Petersburg The Duma was falling apart. Gleb read about it every day in the papers (which he duly smuggled to the insistent Maria and Anastasia when he was finished). Dmitry heard about it daily on the streets and even, on occasion, at Benois’s studio among his fellow apprentices. Alexandra refused to hear it, or let Alexei hear it (his sisters filled him in anyway). And Nicholas… Nicholas was a little too delighted at the idea.Weary of the slow pace of reform, the Socialist Democrats and their fellow leftist parties had won over a third of the seats. But their progressive pushes were opposed by the aristocrats,who whispered to Nicholas that the Duma was trying to usurp his God-given rights. This, of course, was the one way to convince him of all his worst suspicions about socialists. Kerensky held together a rough coalition, led by his Trudovik faction, but it was losing support every day to the radicals who cared less about abolishing restrictions on Jews and supporting unions than they did about undermining the government to start from scratch. Some days, he couldn't say he blamed them. The tsar and tsarina, in the face of growing violence and financial crisis after crisis, retreated to their mysticism and dug in their heels,more convinced than ever that what Russia needed was less freedom, not more.But did they deserve to die horrible deaths for it? Fighting cruelty with cruelty was no way to govern, he believed. Unfortunately, that viewpoint was rapidly losing support, especially from the young firebrands who would be vital if rebellion ever did come.It was these thoughts on which he was wondering when he a soft cough caught his attention. He turned to see one of the young palace guards approach in his stiff, formal way. Kerensky recalled the young man as one who had stood silently in the back of many meeting rooms at the palaces over the years. “Vaganov, isn’t it?” he asked, hoping he’d gotten it right. Gleb nodded.“Yes, sir. Gleb Vaganov. It’s an honor.” He bowed stiffly.“Is it? I was under the impression you young men were flocking to the Bolsheviks and their promises,” Kerensky half-joked, unable to suppress the edge of bitterness.“Not all of us believe violent revolution is desirable,” Gleb replied. Kerensky studied him for a moment. He recalled the boy now, a young soldier with a good reputation and yet, strangely enough, a close associate of the younger Romanovs. Kerensky decided to test that.“I imagine it would be much harder for you, knowing the imperial family so well,” he casually remarked. Gleb was no fool - he understood the meaning perfectly.“It is much harder to believe someone is pure evil when you know them to be a human being,” was his measured reply. Kerensky smiled at the reply - the sort of answer he himself might have made.“Words like that and you might be a politician someday, son.” Gleb smiled quickly before Kerensky continued. “If there's still politics to be involved in.”“Are things really that bad, sir?” Gleb’s curiosity overwhelmed him. Kerensky hesitated, years of caution whispering that he couldn’t trust this young man, but a certain instinct whispering that he could. That voice won out.“No. They’re worse.” Kerensky sat heavily in a window and indicated that Gleb should join him. He lowered his voice.“We shall never achieve a Marxist vision. Not in my lifetime, and I doubt in yours either,” he began bluntly. “Idealism is a luxury we no longer have. I myself have been the target of three assassination conspiracies in the past six months. Two from the Bolsheviks, who would prefer I be out of the way, and one from a certain faction of royalists.”Gleb felt his breath catch in his throat.“You don’t think the tsar -”“I don’t believe so, no. But I don’t think he’d miss me much, either,” Kerensky added ruefully. “We cannot seem to convince the royalists that socialism will benefit us all, nor can we convince the radicals that Russia can be mended without being burned to the ground first. The Duma is a waste of time, in this state.”“If the Duma is infighting… then who’s governing?” Gleb asked, realizing as he did so that he already knew the answer.“No one.”The two men sat in silence for a moment. An idea occurred to Gleb, and he opened his mouth to voice it before pushing it back down - it was not his place, after all. But Kerensky had already noticed.“What is it? Come, come, you can speak freely,” he encouraged. Gleb frowned, then proceeded cautiously.“Would it make any difference to have royalty on your side?” he asked. Kerensky sat back, puzzled.“I… I don’t know. It could help… or it could hurt. The tsar is not precisely popular at the moment, so I can’t say for sure that-”“I wasn’t talking about the tsar,” Gleb stated evenly. It took the minister a moment to process what he had just said, but his eyes widened as he understood. Gleb pressed on.“The tsarevich and the grand duchesses, they’re not like their parents. They’re… compassionate. Forward-thinking. And they’re smart - they’ll want to preserve their future as much as we do, if not even more. They’re chafing under the tsar’s policies as much as we are - they want to help but can’t do more than wave and smile in parades.”“And they don’t like that, I take it?” Kerensky asked. Gleb let out a snort.“You could say that.” He paused, gauged the possibilities. “I think you should talk to them.”**February 1920 - The Winter PalaceAnd talk to them, he did.It was a bitterly cold afternoon when Kerensky slipped quietly into a less-used wing of the palace and let Gleb escort him into an unused room where a quartet of young people stood. He recognized Maria, with her fair hair and gentle features, and Anastasia’s shrewd glance and unmistakable auburn hair. He vaguely recognized the tall young man standing almost protectively behind the royal family, though he couldn’t put a name to the face. But it was the tsarevich Alexei whom he did not expect.The last time he had seen the heir to the throne, Alexei had been a thin, pale boy, perpetually attached to his mother’s side (by whose choice, Kerensky had never been certain). The boy in front of him now was still a little on the slim side, but healthier and tanner, with a strange wisdom in his eyes that Kerensky had only seen in those who had suffered greatly in the war. Even as he bowed deeply, his mind was racing, trying to assemble what a young prince could have encountered that had haunted his gaze at the age of fifteen.“Thank you for meeting me, Your Imperial Highnesses,” he began formally. Anastasia spoke up.“Thank you for wanting to listen to us, Minister. And I think we ought to dispense with formalities, don’t you agree? You may call us by our given names. This is, after all, not an official meeting.” A mischievous glint in her eye reminded Kerensky of the tales he had heard of the tsar’s “monkey” of a youngest daughter in her younger days. He suspected something of that merry spirit still resided in the calm woman before him.“I am glad to hear that at least some members of the imperial court wish to be of service to the Russian people… begging your pardon,” Kerensky added quickly, unsure how freely he could speak. “It is we who should be asking for pardon, not you. We are not children. We could have spoken up and acted sooner,” said Maria. Gleb looked as if he wanted to say something, but instead settled for gripping the back of Maria’s chair a little more tightly.“We give to charity, and we’ve been funnelling some of our own food and money to the outside, but it’s not enough,” Anastasia added.“How much do you know about the situation at hand?” Kerensky asked. He needed to know if he was dealing with educated young people, or with well-intentioned but sheltered royalty. The group exchanged looks.“We know… more than our parents think we know, but less than we should,” Anya admitted. “Gleb smuggles us literature. And Dmitry has taught me - taught us - other perspectives.”Dmitry, that was it. Kerensky’s gaze drifted to the young man who stood behind the grand duchess, his feet shuffling awkwardly and his hair a bit longer and messier than the men of court, but still that regular presence never far from Anastasia and her family.“We aren’t foolish enough to think we can do everything. But we must be able to do something,” Maria piped up earnestly. “As I said, no matter the timing, it is good to see that there is an alternative in the imperial household,” Kerensky said. At that, Alexei pulled himself up and spoke for the first time.“I am not sure what you mean by ‘alternative,’ Minister, so allow me to be frank. I am no Alexander. I am not an alternative to my father. I am his first and most devoted subject and his devoted son.” Kerensky was surprised at the poise and regality emanating from the boy who had seen so little of public life. A thought crossed his mind that this boy very well could be a very great tsar one day. He scrambled to clarify.“I didn’t mean to imply… I only meant alternative points of view, sir,” he hastily amended. “But, I cannot help wondering. I mean no disrespect, but if you are, as you say, utterly devoted to your father… why do you cross him as you are in this moment? How do we know that you are not acting as his instrument here, not to help my cause, but to injure it further?”There was a beat of silence as Alexei and the minister stared at one another. Alexei spoke first.“It may surprise you to know that even an heir to the throne needs allies. I find the monarchists distasteful and overbearing. They distrust me because they still see me as the little boy at my mother’s knee. And I find the Bolsheviks and their kind to be the worst sort of men - men who don’t know what they want, only that they don’t like what they have.” Kerensky was again struck by the prince’s philosophical depths. “But if your father returns power to the monarchy… you do not need so many allies,” he pointed out. “Even if your beliefs align closer to mine, isn’t it in your interest to be a monarchist?”Alexei sized him up, then made the first fully independent decision of his life.“If I were an ordinary man, a strong man, perhaps it would be.”“Alexei!” Maria cried out in horror, but he held up his hand and continued.“But I am ill, sir. I am a haemophiliac.” He pronounced the word with absolute precision and gravity. “It would not take ten strong men to defeat me. It would take very little, in fact. I have known, from my earliest memories, that I am a fragile thing who must bear the suffering.”Kerensky’s mind raced as all the strange rumors and observations of the boy added up. But one question overwhelmed him and spilled out before he could stop it.“Why are you trusting me with this?” This was knowledge men would quite literally kill for, and the boy had just told him. Unexpectedly, too, if the looks on his sisters’ faces were anything to go by.“Gleb trusts you enough to bring you here and arrange this. And I trust Gleb,” Alexei answered simply. As Kerensky looked at the group of young people, he realized he had had it all wrong. The guard and the scholarship boy were not reliant on the royals - quite the opposite, if anything. “I propose a council,” Anya began, getting back on track. “A private council consisting of we who are in this room. We can apply political pressure in small ways, we can throw our weight behind the charitable causes and relief efforts that need it most.”“And, if it can be done in secret, we can hear petitions,” Alexei added. “I will not be a tsar who does not know my people.”Kerensky sat back, then caught the gaze of Dmitry.“You’ve been very quiet, young man. And yet here you are. You come from the streets, do you not? I know the rumors about you and your origins.” Upon the boy’s startled look, he smiled slightly and added, “Count Ipolitov kindly permitted me to stay at his home when I was traveling. He spoke very highly of you.” Dmitry relaxed.“So, you know how things can be. You are not sheltered or under any illusions. Why are you here?” Dmitry looked surprised to be asked a direct question, but then replied.“I was eleven years old, and the most stubborn girl I ever met plucked me out of the gutter and offered me a ladder to get out of the mud. All because she saw that my suffering was because of her family’s actions. And the rest of them followed suit. I will stand by them anytime, anywhere. They know what’s right and they try to do it.”Kerensky looked between the young people gathered in front of him. Despite the sinking feeling in his gut that knew this wouldn’t be enough, he couldn’t say no.“Well then. We can try.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- July 1920 - St. Petersburg It wasn’t enough.It was, for a little while. Once the tsar’s fury over his children acting without his permission subsided, they were able to persuade him that it was a good compromise: they could act in his stead without him having to actively be responsible for all their opinions. It was much harder to paint a pair of pretty young women and a calm, serious teenage boy as evil threats, and their popularity soared, with hundreds of petitioners lining up under slight pretexts just to speak to the young royals.But as with all good things, they quickly came to an end. The novelty soon wore off, and it became apparent that the princesses and the tsarevich had limited power to enact real change. The tsar refused to take them any more seriously than he did other reformers - perhaps even less so. What they hadn’t anticipated was the backlash from the hereditary nobility. Fearing for their own futures and envious of the rising popularity of Maria, Anastasia, and Alexei, they whispered poison in the ears of the tsar and the most powerful aristocrats. Nothing about the children themselves - no one would take that risk - but rumors that factions were hoping to use them as pawns in power grabs. Paranoid and already feeling the loss of power, Nicholas acted drastically and quickly: he dissolved the Duma indefinitely.If he was hoping to assert his own power or popularity, he couldn’t have made a worse choice.Two weeks after the Duma dissolved and the riots were still lining the streets. The Bolsheviks, previously slipping in power, were recruiting left and right. The one thing keeping them from seizing even more power was their party’s internal struggles - the bitterly cold winter had led to pneumonia tearing through the countryside, carrying off Lenin as one of its victims and leaving his party with only his writings to guide them and too many would-be successors vying for power.That didn’t make the screaming crowds outside the palace walls any less terrifying, though. They screamed day and night for the tsar to appear, to resign, to appoint this minister or that advisor, to give up his power, to do a thousand things. The tsarina was constantly on edge, and the guards no longer smiled the way they used to. Only Maria and Anastasia knew that Alexei slept with a pistol under his bed and that Gleb had been teaching him evasive exercises to try to avoid physical contact should the worst happen. And only Anastasia knew that, every night, Gleb slept on Maria’s balcony (or in her bed, Anya didn’t ask for details), her rebel knight.It was hard for Anya to sleep through the night, between the fear and the noise. On this particular night, the angry shouts seeped their way into her dreams, transforming and twisting into images of horror. Her family beckoned her before morphing into horrifying demons that tore at her hair and clothing. The corpse of her mother’s favorite holy man gripped her with a bony hand and tried to drag her into a glowing abyss filled with eerie green light and insects. Mobs flooded the palace with torches and weapons, and they closed in on her and her family, until her family disappeared and she was left alone. One of the men had Gleb’s face, and then he raised his gun -Anya woke with a scream, bolting upright and on her feet before she was even full awake. She bent over, gripping her knees and breathing hard as she tried to force herself back into reality. “Anya!” She jumped in surprise as Dmitry burst in from her balcony window, a thin blanket half-hanging off one shoulder in his haste. Instinctively, she bolted into his arms, which closed tightly around her, warm and familiar and strong as his hand moved a soothing circle on her back.“The voices… and they keep coming back… I keep seeing faces, so many faces,” she sobbed into his chest. Dmitry’s answer was merely to tighten his hold on her and bend down so he could press his chin to her head. “It’s alright, it was just a dream. You’re okay, you’re okay now,” he murmured. After a moment, Anya drew back, suddenly curious.“How did you get in here?” she asked. Dmitry shuffled his feet and offered up a sheepish smile.“I may have… been taking a page out of Gleb’s book? To a degree, I mean,” he hastily added, realizing a second too late that there was definitely an element of Gleb’s nighttime activities that he was not imitating. When Anya still looked confused, he clarified again.“I’ve been sleeping on your balcony. Just in case, you know.” Anya stared at him for a moment, unable to reply. “You’re still shaking,” he noted. He grabbed her arms gently and led her back to her bed, where he awkwardly perched beside her.“Is that better?” Dmitry asked after a quiet moment. Anya nodded, but the tension in her face betrayed that this wasn’t quite the case. She sat for a moment, then spoke quietly.“Tell me a story, Dima.” Dmitry looked up and smiled slightly, remembering another day and another scared girl who asked him to tell her a story. And he knew exactly what story he was going to tell.“Okay. I’ve got one for you, one I think about sometimes still. It was a June day, and I was ten. And there was a parade, and a girl, and a crowd of thousands.” He grinned at her, knowing she would follow along. “This girl, no older than eight, sitting as straight and calm and proud as a damn queen. Everyone was cheering. I couldn’t stop staring.” He grew contemplative. “I don’t know why, but I started running after the carriage, calling out her name. I still don’t know how she heard me, but somehow she did. And she looked at me, and then she smiled. The parade kept going, of course, and she disappeared into the sun. But somehow I knew, if I ever had the chance, I’d find her again.” He realized he’d stood up at some point, and shifted, a little embarrassed. “And then one day… I did. Or, she found me. I’m still not quite sure.”Anya grinned up at him, her terror forgotten. “Alright, I suppose it’s only fair I tell a story now, don’t you think? There was a parade on a hot day, not even a cloud in the sky to get in the way of the hot sun. And a boy caught my eye somewhere in the middle of that crowd.” He elbowed her playfully as she continued.“He was thin, not too clean -” she went on, ignoring the insulted exclamation from Dmitry and his playful stalk away from the bed. “He managed to dodge between all the guards and looked right at me. I tried so hard not to smile, but I couldn’t help it. And then… he bowed.”At that, Dmitry turned and looked back at her. “I can’t believe you remember that,” he said, a soft wonder in his voice. “Everything that’s happened since, and you remember that?” Anya stood up and approached him uncertainly.“Of course I do. It changed my life,” she said with a slight, inexplicable tremble in her voice. Dmitry turned around, suddenly so close that she could see every fleck of gold in his eyes. “I think I knew, even back then, that if I ever had a chance, I’d find you again,” Dmitry said quietly, so low that Anya could barely hear it. “I knew it too. I never knew why, I just… felt it,” Anya admitted. Dmitry grinned slightly, his usual mischief creeping back in.“And then you went and did it,” he teased. Anya couldn’t suppress a smile at the memory.“I did, didn’t I?” she laughed. But her laugh died quickly on her lips as Dmitry’s gaze bore into her and she was suddenly very, very aware of how close they were standing and of the fact that she was in her nightgown and that his arms were bared by the thin white undershirt he was using to sleep in. That realization was quickly followed by a series of other, mildly embarrassing ones. How had she not noticed before? The scruffy, skinny boy had somehow, before her eyes and yet without her fully noticing, turned into a tall, handsome man. Her eyes roved over his defined jaw, his strong arms, the defined chest muscles visible beneath his shirt. The electricity between them - and the gaze he had noticed roving over his body - gave him hope. Dmitry leaned in towards her slowly, heart thundering and forcing himself to give her every opportunity to stop him or pull away.She didn't.Their lips met for the first time since that day on the riverbank, and yet her lips felt like home. For a moment, they embraced gently like they had as teenagers, him holding her carefully, all too aware that the woman in his arms was one of the most royal people in the world. Dmitry pulled back as that occurred to him. No matter their friendship, what place could he have in her life like this?Then his thoughts were forced down a new road as Anya grabbed his face and pulled him back to her, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. And this was nothing like a princess, nothing like the chaste peck of the past. This was his Anya, a woman, all fire and brilliance, and so he wrapped his arms all the way around her to press her closer and kiss her the way he wanted to.Anya ran one of her hands through his hair, noting as she did so how he seemed to intensify his kisses when she did that. Then his tongue slipped past her lips and she couldn't suppress a slight gasp. She could feel him smirking against her lips and broke free to smack his shoulder.“Are you laughing at me?” she demanded. Dmitry smirked back at her, lips swollen and hair mussed, and a shot of pleasure went through her as she realized she had done that to him.“At you? Never, Your Highness,” he replied with a mocking little bow. She gripped his arms, half to pull him back to her and half to satisfy her curiosity as to the feel of those strong, solid biceps. “Good. I think I prefer your mouth to be doing things other than laughing.” Anya was a bit taken aback by her own boldness, and by the looks of him, so was Dmitry. But he recovered quickly, and before she knew it, he had her pinned between him and the edge of her bed, one of his legs pressed between her own.“Is that so? Because I can think of a lot of things that would fit the bill,” Dmitry whispered, moving his way down her neck and relishing the tilt of her head to give him more access. She lost her footing and fell backwards onto the bed, where she could look up at him, still standing above her with a look in his eyes like nothing she'd seen.Anya paused for a moment, considering. She was no idiot, nor a naive child. She knew what could come next, if she wanted. And she knew it would only happen if Dmitry knew she was completely, absolutely sure. She looked at him, her favorite face in the world, running a hand through his hair in that gesture he always did when he was nervous, and made up her mind.“You talk too much, Dima. Haven't you heard that actions speak louder than words?” She knelt up on the bed so she could place a hand on his chest. “Speak as loudly as you can,” she said in a low voice.Dmitry didn’t need to be told twice. He surged forward to kiss her again, letting his hands run up and down her body to learn every curve and dip as hers did the same. He pressed forward until he was all but kneeling over her on the bed, at which point he stopped and stood back up again. Anya sat back on her feet, surveying him, all rumpled hair, flushed cheeks, and swollen lips, his sleep shirt rucked up on one side to expose a strip of smooth, tanned skin. “Anya,” he began, “you have to tell me you’re sure. I can’t… I won’t… if you’re not…” he stumbled, trying to find a way to say it without making her think he didn’t want her (because oh God he did) and terrified that she would hesitate and then quietly, softly tell him that no, this isn’t right, stop please. The moment seemed to stretch out forever before she rolled her eyes in a gesture that was pure Anya.“Oh Dima, you are such an idiot,” she groaned, half-laughing. Then, more seriously. “Come here,” with a tone so regal that Dmitry was overwhelmed with the urge to knock her off her feet and show her a thing or two about control. He compromised by playfully tackling her back on the bed and kissing her soundly, where they stayed for a few minutes, until Anya pushed him back from where he was methodically sucking marks into her lovely ivory neck.“Off,” she demanded, gesturing to him. Dmitry smirked as the decision to have a little fun with her lodged itself in what remained of his logical brain at the moment. “You’re going to have to be a little more specific,” he teased. Anya flushed, her nerves returning. A look at Dima’s gentle, mocking smile gave her the courage she needed to lean forward and slide her hands under the hem of his sleeveless shirt, grinning as he let out a hiss when her cool hands slid up his chest and danced up his muscles like fingers on piano keys. Getting the hint, he quickly stood up, yanked the garment over his head, and tossed it on the floor.She couldn’t help staring. His skin was lightly tanned, with a dusting of hair on his chest. The muscles that had been slightly visible beneath the thin fabric of his shirt were on full display now, and they twitched when she got to her feet and leaned in to run a curious hand over them. Dmitry pressed his lips together, struggling to keep his cool. “Your turn,” he whispered in her ear, and was rewarded with a flush creeping up her cheeks. He let his hand creep down to the hem of her nightgown and murmured in her ear, “May I?” Anya nodded yes, too self-conscious to speak, and he took his time, running his hands up her legs, slowly going higher and higher under the hem. The lightness of his touch surprised her - his hands were rough and broad, as she’d imagined (because oh yes, she had imagined plenty), but whisper-gentle against her skin. He looked to her for permission, but she was already a step ahead, pulling the ivory nightdress over her head, leaving her in only her light, plain underwear. She resisted the urge to cross her arms in front of herself as Dmitry’s eyes moved up and down her nearly bare body, instead hovering her hands awkwardly around her waist, then plopping herself on the edge of the bed in an attempt to make herself more comfortable. Just when the silence was becoming overwhelming, Dmitry leaned down and kissed her hard, until they toppled backwards onto her bed. He allowed himself a moment to just look at her and slowly map out her body with his lips slowly trailing lower and lower, one hand reaching for her ivory breasts, but apparently he was taking too long for Anya’s liking.“Is that all you can do? I thought you had quite the reputation, I was looking forward to a demonstration so I can judge for myself,” she goaded, a sly grin on her face. He braced himself above her, their bare chests pressing together and his legs, still in their brown trousers, slotted comfortably between hers. He began kissing his way down her body, pausing to lightly tug a nipple between his teeth and earn a surprised gasp from her, moving lower and lower until, even in her pleasant haze, she had an idea of where he was going - which was confirmed when he leaned back and lifted one of her legs over his shoulder. This didn’t seem very fair to her, even if it did send a jolt of heat right down to where a scrap of lace and cotton still covered her most intimate parts - or at least it did until Dmitry’s nimble fingers slid them off her.“Dima…” she began, reaching down to tug at his pants, but he shrugged away her attentions, instead lifting his head to meet her eyes. Anya had to stifle a gasp - Dmitry’s eyes were blown wide with arousal, dark and gleaming in a way that caught her breath in her throat.“Tell me if I do something you don’t like. Promise?” he asked. She nodded, and he leaned down to kiss her again before pulling back with a wide grin. “That goes double if you do like something,” he added wickedly, not even giving her the chance to reply before his lips descended again and his tongue licked into her. Anya had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep herself from releasing some sounds that would most definitely give them away - and she had zero interest in being interrupted, especially when he shifted slightly to suck gently on the little bundle of nerves that made her buck into his mouth. “Dima, oh my God, that’s…” Anya gasped, squirming under his ministrations. Dmitry pulled away for a second, ignoring her whine, to tease her a little.“I take it we can put that in the ‘like’ column, then?” he teased. In reply, she gave him a little shove back to where she wanted him, and he chuckled as he returned to his task, sending interesting vibrations through her. He slid a finger into her wet center, doing his best to ignore the increasing tightness in his trousers to focus on making this as good as possible for her. He added another and crooked his fingers just right, and Anya let out a yelp, the slightly uncomfortable stretch of first intrusion giving way to something much better. She reached down, almost on instinct, and knotted her hands in his hair as he continued. A shivering sort of heat started at her center, growing outward as Dmitry’s long, nimble fingers continued to thrust, angling to find that spot that made her vision blur. Between their careful work and the attentions of his tongue, Anya soon unraveled around his fingers, his name on her lips halfway between a cry and an exhale. As she caught her breath, Dmitry slid up the bed to her side again, pressing a light and tender kiss to her lips. “Alright, then?” he asked, suddenly awkward and shy. As ever, she read him like a book and grinned wickedly. “I’d say so.” Anya noticed him shifting unsubtly to seek friction where his pants were obviously tighter than they had been, and she found she rather liked knowing it was because of her. That being said - those pants needed to go. Now.“Are you going to do anything about that?” she asked, gesturing vaguely at his obvious erection and stumbling over her words in an attempt to sound confident and sultry. Dmitry quickly began wriggling out of his pants, then stopped short, his pants off but his underwear still on.“Wait. Anya, I don’t want to leave you with… you know. Consequences. Maybe we should…” To his surprise, Anya flushed even redder. “Dresser. Third drawer,” she muttered. A slightly confused Dmitry untangled himself and crossed the room to locate whatever it was she was directing him to. After a bit of rummaging, he found it, and a whole world of questions opened up.“Anya. How on earth did… why?” he asked. She fumbled for words, finding herself still fighting embarrassment and modesty even after what they had just done. “Maria… she, uh. She… procured some of those, and I found her in my room… putting that one in there. She wouldn’t take it back, said something about… about you…” Anya’s voice trailed off so that Dmitry had to strain to even hear the last two words, but when he did, he couldn’t suppress his laughter. And when Anya looked indignant, he only laughed harder.“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” he apologized, still giggling as he climbed back into her bed with the bit of rubber in his hand. “I just… your sister figured it out before we did,” he explained. He stopped laughing suddenly as a shudder-inducing thought crossed his mind. “I just realized how she knows how to get these. Which means he probably knows too. God, I’ll never hear the end of it,” Dmitry groaned, rolling onto his side dramatically. Anya propped herself up so she could look down at him.“I’d really rather not mention Gleb right now. Or my sister. I think we have some unfinished business,” she murmured. Dmitry wasn’t going to argue with that, reaching up to kiss her sweetly. He stood up again to rid himself of his boxers, turning his back to her briefly. A giggle emerged from the bed behind him and he looked over his shoulder to see Anya clapping a hand to her mouth.“Something funny, Your Highness?” he asked. She shook her head, tilting it to the side appraisingly.“Just deciding if reality lives up to the dream or not.” “Oh, so you’ve dreamed about this, have you?” He smirked at her and clambered back on top of her, pressing down just slightly. “Yes, Dima, I’ve dreamed about your ass.” Anya replied with such a dry, regal tone that he couldn’t help laughing again. Anya’s grin quickly turned to a gasp when the laughter sent interesting sensations through where their bodies were pressed together. Gently, Dmitry reached over and pushed a damp bit of hair off her face and pressed their foreheads together.“Alright?” he asked in a low whisper. She nodded her consent, her absolute consent, and he fumbled with the condom with unsteady fingers, suddenly more nervous than he expected. As always, she seemed to sense his feelings as if they were his own, and she gently placed her hand on the side of his face.“I just want you, Dima. I don’t care about anything else. Just you.” That was enough. He guided himself into her, slow and careful. Anya hissed at the unfamiliar stretch, but it was a good stretch, and she shifted her hips to meet him closer. For a second, Dmitry hovered above her, unmoving - half out of a desire to not hurt her, and half out of some secret belief that if he moved, he would wake up from this dream.But he didn’t. A strange pride welled up inside of him, that a princess could choose a street rat and con man, that they somehow chose each other. That soft tangent was quickly disrupted by a groan from beneath him.“Are you going to move or do I have to do all the work?” she demanded, with a remarkable amount of regal dignity for a woman laying naked on her back. “Men are such… oh!” Her quip was cut off by Dmitry pulling back and then slamming his hips back into her. As he quickened the pace, she quickly adapted, wrapping her legs around him to draw him closer to her and running her hands down his back, admiring the feel of the tense, strong muscles there. She could feel the tension coiling low in her belly again, a little slower and warmer than before but definitely leading in the same direction, especially when he slid a hand between them to touch her with a slowly increasing intensity.“Dmitry, I…” He leaned down to pull her into a messy kiss, tangling one hand in her hair as she responded in kind, running her hands through his hair until it poufed up to a ridiculous height. “It’s okay, it’s okay, let go, it’s okay,” he whispered in a refrain, snapping his hips at the angle that made her cry out. That was enough to push her over the edge, coming with a muffled cry of his name on her lips, feeling as if a galaxy was bursting within her. The sound of his name in her wrecked voice just about did Dmitry in too, and with a few more thrusts, he came with a stifled moan, trying his best to keep quiet.He rolled off of her and got up to subtly rid himself of the condom as she stood up to put her nightgown back on - the idea of sleeping in the nude had little appeal for her. When he returned to the bed, he hovered awkwardly, unsure if he should climb back in or return to his balcony. Anya rolled her eyes and threw back the covers, answering that question for him. As soon as he did, she curled up into his side almost automatically. Dmitry put an arm around her, lazily stroking her bare shoulder with his thumb and marveling at the gentle domesticity of the moment, until the silence became awkward for him.“Well… fuck,” he finally said. The moment the words were out of his mouth, he cringed internally. Anya looked up at him, solemn for a moment, before giggling.“I agree completely.”They lay there for a moment longer, then he burrowed down into the covers, suddenly tired. As soon as he did so, though, a small hand smacked his arm.“What? Kicking me out of your bed already? I see how it is,” he said, faux-annoyed. She punched him in the arm again.“Of course you can stay!”“Then what is it?” he demanded, genuinely confused as to what she wanted.“Put some pants on, you ridiculous man! What if someone comes in?” she cried. Dmitry cracked up at her indignation, but obeyed, pulling his underwear and pants back on as slowly as possible but leaving his shirt off. This seemed to meet with Anya’s approval, as she burrowed into his arms immediately and closed her eyes, looking much less like a princess and more like a perfectly ordinary woman in her lover’s arms. The last thought before he drifted off to sleep too was how odd it was that the anger of violent crowds could have led them to moments of such love.
10956552	VERNON	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Choi Hansol \| Vernon, Lee Jihoon \| Woozi", "Fandom": "SEVENTEEN (Band)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by hardboiledegg", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-20T00:00:00", "words": "393", "Additional Tags": "Theories, Teasers & Trailers, Comeback, Alternate Universe, Codes & Ciphers, numbers, Alone, al1, wind turbines, lol, everything is a cycle, fan assumptions, im so ready for this comeback y'all, inspired by youtube comments section, the comeback is in two days im shook, Character Study", "Relationship": "Choi Hansol \| Vernon & Lee Jihoon \| Woozi", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "2017 SEVENTEEN Project Chapter1 Alone Trailer Character Studies", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Even though you are being alone, remember we are on your side and don't be afraid of all the fears you have. The sun shone high in the noon sky, the rays beating down upon him. After a week of traveling, the black knapsack on his back didn’t feel any lighter, despite his materials slowly dwindling throughout his journey. No matter how far from his initial location he traveled, it was always the same. Wind turbines, stretching vastly across the distance, filling the plains in neat white rows. They went on for miles, spinning endlessly in order to turn kinetic energy into electrical power. One source of life into another. He walked with slow, deliberate steps. The quiet crunch of gravel under his boots could be heard over the wind. No matter where he looked, they were there. Clean, sharp blades rotating in never-ending cycles. If he watched them spin closely, he could tell that something was controlling their starts and stops at different speeds. Just as one turbine started a new cycle, another barely finished the last. It was driving him crazy. He scanned his surroundings for the infinite time, then bent his head yet again to stare at the compass clutched in his hand. The needle was still the same. The pointed green tip never did anything but hover over due north, swaying gently over the white inked N . It only ever reached 359 degrees, one less than a full circle . From sunrise to sunset, the ending never changed. In the distance, the proud white kings stood on green hills and stared ominously back. Vernon shut his eyes and let the breeze rustle his hair. --- He could see the mountains now, snow-capped in all their glory. Vernon was thankful for the change in scenery. When he opened his eyes, there was a boy in his path, approaching quickly. He came to a stop a few feet away from where Vernon stood and waited patiently while he checked his compass. Still the same, the needle mocked. In one fluid motion, he tossed the compass in the air, letting the wind carry it in a graceful arc towards the other boy, who reached up and caught it easily with one hand. The boy glanced at it briefly before looking back up. You’re finally here, his eyes seemed to say. “Took you long enough.”
10907538	Gonta and Iruma work in	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Gokuhara Gonta, Iruma Miu, hooters - Character, a moment of prayer and thought for the titty typhoon", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-14T00:00:00", "words": "597", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": "capitalism/the working woman", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	“Iruma…” Gonta crossed his arms together, trying to gather his thoughts before continuing. “Gonta is not calling you a liar, but Gonta thinks this isn’t a place where a gentleman would work…” “GAHAYAYHAYHA!” Iruma boomed, getting spittle everywhere. “Do ya think the incredible genius Iruma Miu would lead you wrong, you bussy bombshell?! This is the perfect place for a gent like yourself to work.” Gonta looked up, hoping somewhere, his mountain family for hear his pleas. He didn’t know how to deal with people, and he definitely didn’t know how to deal with Iruma. “Really…? These people seem..” Gonta paused in the middle of removing all of Iruma’s spit from his glasses in his Hooters (™) shirt as he looked for the right words. This true family would call this place a low end demimonde service . Gonta could only imagine their horror to see him fall even lower than being raised by wolves. He didn’t even want to think about what his mountain family would think of him. They would be so disappointed… “This people seem… very rowdy.” And cheap . But it wasn’t his place as a gentleman to say. Iruma wasn’t phased. “Hey! I’m doing you a favour. With tits like those, it would be a crime if you didn’t work here at Hooters (™) Gonta.” She waved all of his legitimate concerns away with a flip of her hand. “Trust me, with you by my side, I’ll turn you into a real woman’s weapon!” Gonta frowned, trying and failing to cover his chest up more. “Don’t call them tits please!!” He cried. “They are my pectorals!” Iruma shrugged, “Whatever tarzan tits.” She swung around, putting her hands on hips. “Whaddya think you’re doin?! You need to pull your shirt down lower.” She bossed, getting into Gonta’s space and attempting to do it herself. Gonta tried to struggle, but it wasn’t of a gentleman to get in a lady’s way. “Urgh, why are you being such a weirdo about this?” Iruma tittered, ”Weren’t you like, naked all the time when you lived in the forest? I don't understand why you’re upset about some little bit of cleavage showing. Is it the raised by wolves thing? Shouldn’t you be like, a freak in the sh-” Iruma had just hit one of Gonta’s sore spots. “Don’t make out Gonta’s mountain family to be so rude!!” He shouted. “That was completely different to this! Gonta would never get naked in front of anyone anymore!” Iruma quickly shrank back. “Waahhhhhhhhhh!!!! Why did you shout at me for!?!” Iruma cried, “You’re being so rude right now!” “Ah-!” Gonta felt awful. Gentleman weren’t supposed to make lady’s cry! If Gonta had some cop on, he would realise Iruma was a goddamn hot mess and tell her to get a grip. But this is Gonta. He nearly knocked Iruma out at the speed he bowed down to grovel at her. “Gonta is so so sorry!!! Let him make it up for you!” “Leavemealoneleavemealoneyou-” Iruma sputtered. “Uh!! I mean- Of course you would beg for goddesses Iruma’s forgiveness! It’s only to be expected by some big dicked neandertal like yourself! Ghahahaha!” She spun around, quickly snapping back into her good humor. She checked her Iruma-made and trademark watch. “Oh fuck, we’re almost up! You ready for your frist day at Hooters (™) Gonta?” “And for fucknut’s sake, lower your damn shorts!” Iruma fussed, “They got a dress code here Gonta!! You wanna get fired on your first day?!” Gonta rushed after her, “Wait-! Gonta forgot to ask!! ...What do you mean by a ‘real woman’s weapon’?!”
10911030	That One Moment from	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Cath Avery, Levi (Fangirl)", "Fandom": "Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by oopsilikegirls", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-15T00:00:00", "words": "396", "Additional Tags": "Drabble, POV switch, levi pov, Falling In Love", "Relationship": "Cath Avery/Levi", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Levi woke to the sound of the stairs creaking. Well, he hadn't really been woken by them, more like disturbed. He as a light sleeper as it was, and sleeping in his new girlfriend’s house with her dad not that far away wasn’t exactly relaxing, despite her reassurances that her dad didn’t really control what she did. Like they were going to do anything.Cath was different. She liked to go slow. Levi knew she had anxiety and trust issues. She had told him outright. But sometimes it was maddening. She didn’t give much, but it didn’t take much from her to get Levi’s attention. Just a kiss on the hand and Levi would be overwhelmed. Maybe slow would work best for Levi as well. She muddled his brain in the best way if she gave him any more Levi wasn’t sure if he could handle it. It already felt like the blood running through his veins were chanting “Carther, Carther, Carther” just when he stood near her.Levi let his eyes open slowly, taking in what little he could see from the light of the streetlamp filtering through the blinds. She was moving through the house, disappearing into the kitchen. Levi almost couldn’t tell if it was really her or if he was still half dreaming. She reappeared again, quickly checking the front door locks and then moving to peek out the blinds to the front yard. With the light hitting a sliver of her face, Levi could see that she was wide awake, but it was a different form of awake. Different from being awake in daylight, it was the kind of strange wide awake you could only experience in the early hours of the morning. He sat up as if to get a closer look.She turned and saw him. It was a strange moment or recognition. Her hair, long and loose on her back, formed a halo in the light. He could just make out her features.“Cath, what's wrong?”She just shook her head and continued to stare at him. It felt as if for a moment she was going to rush forward, come to him. He willed her to.Then the moment ended, and she walked back up the stairs. Levi felt back onto the couch and into a doze, feeling as if he just had contact with a ghost.
10915662	Vielikiie diela	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Lucius Malfoy, Severus Snape, Harry Potter", "Fandom": "Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling", "Language": "Русский", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Doriana_Grey", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-15T00:00:00", "words": "1,560", "Additional Tags": "Don't copy to another site", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	– Мерлин, наконец-то! – Люциус c облегчением выдохнул, ступив из камина на потертый ковер в хогвартской лаборатории Снейпа.– Что именно тебя так радует? – поинтересовался Снейп, на мгновение отвлекаясь от котла, в котором что-то булькало и шипело.– Тишина. Покой, – пояснил Люциус, садясь в продавленное кресло и с облегчением вытягивая ноги. – Ни Нарциссы с её бесконечным подбором штор, словно я эксперт по оттенкам этих тряпок, ни Драко, который только и нудит об Астории. Я даже накануне своей свадьбы таким нудным не был!– Уверен, что был, – откликнулся Снейп, доставая какой-то порошок и осторожно пересыпая его в котел.– А у тебя тут хорошо, – не слушая Снейпа, продолжил Люциус. – Можно просто посидеть, и нет никого.– Ну не совсем уж никого, – возразил Снейп. Он наконец затушил огонь под котлом и принялся нарезать скользкую и противную на вид кожицу. – Тут есть я и мистер Поттер.– Поттер? – Люциус завертел головой. – Где?– Я тут, – раздался голос откуда-то из-под стола.Люциус вытянул шею и обнаружил Поттера, стоящего на коленях рядом со столом. Перед ним располагалась доска для нарезки ингредиентов и несколько бугристых рогатых жаб, парочка из которых были уже выпотрошены и лежали в стеклянной миске.– А почему на полу? – ляпнул Люциус первое, что пришло в голову.– Потому что, когда мистер Поттер потрошит рогатых жаб, в их внутренностях оказывается не только доска, но и стол, все инструменты и сам мистер Поттер, я прав? – Снейп ухмыльнулся.– Совершенно верно, профессор, – Гарри усмехнулся в ответ. – А если учесть, что убирать после этого тоже мне, то становится понятным, почему я предпочитаю делать это на полу – пол отмыть быстрее и проще.– А с каких пор преподаватель полетов ходит на отработки к профессору зелий? – полюбопытствовал Люциус. – Или это что-то… Э-э-э… Может, я не вовремя?– Я тут прячусь, – чуть смущенно пояснил Поттер.– Как и ты, Люциус, – заметил Снейп. – Хотя, не скрою, от Поттера пользы больше. И он при этом не делает кошмарных предположений.– У меня тоже свадьба скоро, как и у Драко, – пояснил Гарри, возвращаясь к потрошению жаб. – Джинни с ума сводит. Хочет раньше, чем у Малфоев, веселее, чем у Малфоев, платье интереснее, чем у Астории… А МакГонагалл её поддерживает, и мне даже в Хогвартсе не скрыться. Они только тут меня и не ищут, даже в Тайной комнате искали.– Ну, веселее, чем у Малфоев, – это вам точно удастся, – ответил Люциус, чувствуя совершенно особое удовольствие, наблюдая, как Снейп и Поттер работают, пока он просто сидит в кресле. – У Нарциссы и Астории так всё разложено по полочкам, что часть гостей скончается от скуки еще до вынесения свадебного торта.– Точно, еще же торт, – приуныл Гарри.– Отменяйте свадьбу, Поттер, – посоветовал Люциус.– Точно, – подхватил Снейп, прежде чем Гарри успел ответить. – Утром, пока невеста еще не проснулась, заматываешь её в простыню и тащишь в Министерство, поженились – и бегом в свадебное путешествие. Астория все локти искусает от зависти, ей такая оригинальность и не снилась. И про торт можно не думать.– Это очень бесчеловечно с вашей стороны – издеваться над чужим горем, – скорбно ответил Гарри, но глаза его смеялись.– Самое интересное, что отмена свадьбы и простыня – идея Джиневры, – заметил Снейп, когда Гарри наконец закончил с жабами и вышел помыть руки. – Она тут иногда от матери прячется и жалуется, что её ожиданиям никак не может соответствовать.– Что-то раньше я у тебя такой любви к людям не замечал, – Люциус насупился. – А так посмотришь, тут у тебя пол-Хогвартса скрывается.– Вовсе не так, – оскорбился Снейп. – Только ты, Поттер, его невеста и Грейнджер. Причем последняя не скрывается, а роется в моих старых записях, все надеется на золотую жилу напасть.– И каковы её шансы? – сразу заинтересовался Люциус.– Нулевые, – хмыкнул Снейп. – Если только она от отчаяния сама что-то не допишет. Все стоящие бумаги у меня в Гринготтсе.– И всё равно много, – Люциус вернулся к предыдущей мысли.– Не ревнуй, – усмехнулся Северус. – Зато мы сейчас Поттера в его комнаты отправим, а сами выпьем вина, посидим, сколько ты захочешь.– Можно и с Поттером выпить, – расщедрился разом воспрянувший Люциус.– С Поттером нельзя, – категорично возразил Снейп. – От него жабами еще два дня вонять будет, он же весь в их желчи испачкался, её обычное мыло не берет.Дверь ванной хлопнула, и перед ними появился Гарри. Люциус был вынужден признать, что Снейп абсолютно прав – разило от Поттера неимоверно.– Идите к себе, мистер Поттер, – Снейп, ничуть не смущаясь тем, что Гарри еще не последовал его указанию, достал из серванта в углу лаборатории бутылку и два бокала. – Мисс Уизли давно в Норе и видит десятый сон, вам ничего больше не грозит в стенах нашей школы.– А… – начал Гарри, но потом поднес руки к носу и сморщился. Гримасу тут же сменила улыбка. – Понял вас, профессор. Завтра снова рогатые жабы, или что-то менее вонючее?– Поглядим на твое поведение, – Снейп махнул пустыми бокалами в сторону двери. – Убирайтесь, мистер Поттер.Люциус не поверил своим глазам: Поттер шутливо поклонился и исчез за дверью.– Ты, ты… – он вскочил и прошелся по комнате, снова падая в кресло под скептическим взглядом Снейпа, разливающего вино по бокалам. – Ты с ним…– Что я с ним? – уточнил Снейп, подавая бокал Люциусу.– Ты с ним дружишь! – обвиняющим тоном произнес Люциус и тут же затих, сделав глоток вина. Воспитание не давало ему просто проглотить напиток и продолжить разговор, вино необходимо было прокатить языком по рту, прочувствовать букет. Даже несмотря на то, что оно не постояло – варварское отношение к напиткам Снейпа ему было известно давно.– Старею, – усмехнулся Снейп, тоже пригубив вино. – Размягчение мозгов и сердца. Но хватит обо мне. Сомневаюсь, что ты рассказал всё, с чем пожаловал, наверняка постеснялся при Поттере.– Дело не в стеснении, – возмутился Люциус. – Просто зачем нагружать своими проблемами посторонних людей!– Тоже никогда этого не понимал, – согласился Снейп и сел, слегка наклонившись вперед, тем самым демонстрируя абсолютное внимание.Люциус иронии в его голосе не услышал и, ободренный интересом собеседника, продолжил:– Про платье ты уже слышал. И про торт. Торт должен быть с живыми птицами. Северус, ты знаешь, сколько заклинаний нужно наложить на этих паршивых птиц, чтобы они не засрали торт и не наклевались крема? А накладывать нужно на каждую! Конечно, заклинание Авис мои милые дамы использовать не хотят – это неэлегантно.– Уменьши своих павлинов, – пожал плечами Снейп. – Они у тебя прирученные, красиво будет, оригинально.Отчего-то Люциус идее не обрадовался, скорее наоборот.– То уменьши, то увеличь! У меня птицы передохнут от таких перегрузок! О них ведь никто не думает! – он успокоился, лишь когда бесстрастно наблюдающий за его муками Снейп подлил еще вина.– Увеличь? – уточнил Снейп, присаживаясь на край рабочего стола.– Ну да, – нехотя произнес Люциус. – Помнишь, может, papa откуда-то ту адскую тварь достал для нашей колесницы, Цисса тогда чуть насмерть не убилась! Я думал, всё, конец моему браку. А столько лет спустя она помнит только, как здорово было лететь в колеснице, запряженной огромной белой птицей.– Птица Рух, – кивнул Снейп. – Помню. Она еще тогда заместителя министра сожрала, верно?– Точно, – Люциус передернул плечами. – Я сказал Нарциссе, что они даже в своей этой Арабии…– Аравии, – поправил его Снейп.– В общем, что они вымерли все, и точка, – Люциус печально вздохнул. – Я надеюсь, что они и правда передохли все, кровожадные твари! Но теперь Цисса считает, что можно увеличить и запрячь дюжину павлинов.– И научить их летать, – хмыкнул Снейп. – Твои зажравшиеся птицы даже на нижние ветви деревьев не взлетают, спят на земле.– Будто я не знаю, – вздохнул Люциус. – А может, оставить так, и пусть ковыляют?..Снейп выплюнул вино в бокал.– Нет, так нельзя! – отдышавшись, произнес он. – Тогда Поттерам не останется ни единого шанса переплюнуть вашу свадьбу по веселью.– Тебе смешно, – Люциус встал и сам налил себе вина, – а у меня еще не решено, какими цветами украшать зал к свадьбе. А Нарцисса еще тут со своими шторами!..– Прекрасно, – проронил Снейп.– Что прекрасного? – возмутился Люциус. – Они мне все нервы истрепали!– Прекрасно, что сейчас они перед свадьбой волнуются о торте и наряде, а не о том, стоит ли приглашать МакНейра, и не прикончит ли кого-нибудь из гостей Темный Лорд, не сойдясь с ним в политических взглядах, – Снейп усмехнулся. – Насколько я помню, тебя больше волновали такие вопросы. Так неужели ты не рад за детей?Люциус закусил губу. Взгляд его прояснился.– У тебя определенно размягчение мозгов и сердца, – наконец произнес Люциус. – И это довольно неплохо.– Сам знаю, – невозмутимо ответил Снейп. – Домой пойдешь или заночуешь тут?– Тут, – Люциус махнул палочкой, превращая свое кресло в такой же затертый и продавленный диван. – Я не Поттер, меня моя Нарцисса и ночью в мэноре найдет и расскажет всё, что я даже не мечтал узнать.– Про шторы, – фыркнул Снейп.– Про них, проклятых, – вздохнул порядком захмелевший Люциус и вытянулся на диване.– Подожди, хоть подушку и плед дам, – Снейп призвал из спальни подушку и стащил со своего кресла покрывало. – И обувь сними хотя бы, потом опять будешь утром говорить, что в одежде как поспишь, так все ломит.– Не буду, – сонно пробурчал Люциус, обхватывая сунутую ему подушку. – У меня всё болит, когда меня заставляют костюм на свадьбу выбирать и сервиз.– Особенно сервиз, – Снейп затолкнул под диван сброшенные Люциусом туфли и расстегнул на его жилете и рубашке верхние пуговицы.Люциус сладко вздохнул и, не открывая глаз, плотнее закутался в короткий плед.Снейп уже собирался пойти в спальню, когда камин снова вспыхнул зеленым.– Северус, Люци у тебя? – в камине появилась голова Нарциссы.– Ну где ему еще быть? – Снейп кивнул в сторону дивана. – Разбудить?– Нет, не стоит, – торопливо остановила его Нарцисса. – Просто передай, пусть утром у мадам Малкин заберет нижнюю юбку из эксклюзивной индийской ткани, а потом зайдет в Гринготтс за прабабушкиной диадемой гоблинской работы. У нашей будущей невестки должно быть всё самое лучшее на свадьбе!– Разумеется, – Снейп выглядел совершенно серьезным. – Я передам.Когда голова Нарциссы исчезла в пламени, Снейп подошел к спящему Малфою и поправил плед на его плечах.– Спи, мой друг, – пробормотал он. – Завтра тебя ждут поистине великие дела.
10937727	There is a Time There is	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Cassian Andor, Jyn Erso, Leia Organa, Saw Gerrera, Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, Davits Draven, K-2SO (mentioned), Bodhi Rook (mentioned), Chirrut Îmwe (mentioned), Baze Malbus (mentioned), Galen Erso (mentioned), Lyra Erso (mentioned)", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by SuchStuffAsDreamsAreMadeOn", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-18T00:00:00", "words": "3,580", "Additional Tags": "kid!Jyn, Kid!Cassian, Kid!Leia, Angst, Mentions of Blood, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Cassian Andor Needs a Hug, Jyn Erso Needs A Hug, I need a hug, canon-typical mentions of violence", "Relationship": "Cassian Andor/Jyn Erso", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebellion Era - All Media Types", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	The two men stand across the room from each other, the tactical table between them. There are others in the room, but at the moment the furious energy sparking across the table makes the various commanders, generals, and extraneous personnel stationed around the perimeter all but invisible. Many of them certainly wish they were. While the men argue and accuse, two smaller figures watch each other from across the table. Both dark haired and fair skinned they listen to their adoptive fathers with sharp, curious eyes. They watch each other with that same curiosity. They have little enough in common. They come - literally and figuratively - from different worlds, their clothing and hairstyles proof enough of that. One is dressed in soft pants, combat boots, and a dark jacket, with two messy braids holding both hair and memories. The other wears a soft, white gown, her hair pulled up into two pristine buns just above her temples. Their temperaments are different too, manifested in the way the girls hold themselves. The elder leans forward on the balls of her feet, ready for action, a knife strapped to her side. The younger surveys the room with a poise rarely seen in those even twice her age. And yet the two young women are far more similar than either could comprehend in that moment. After all, they are both here. Saw Gerrera, ever passionate, flings words like grenades. Jyn Erso is used to this passion. She sees it in everything her adoptive father does, from the way he fights to the way he trains her to the way he tucks her in at night - stories of the horrors of the Empire replacing the tales her mother had once told her. Gerrera’s passion is equally matched by Senator Organa. He has seen too many he cared for die at the hands of the Empire to allow the Alliance to, as he puts, sink so low. If the fervor displayed by the Senator surprises Leia Organa it does not show on the nine-year-old’s face. This is not her first diplomatic meeting, nor will it be her last.One last figure stands at the edge of the tactical table, watching, ever-quiet. She speaks now, her calm voice ringing with enough authority to silence even these two impassioned men. “Tempers have run hot,” Mon Mothma says. “I believe it would be wise to take a break before we say what cannot be unsaid.”The matter is not finished. Everyone knows that. But heads are inclined and a breath is released and the room begins to clear. “Jyn.” Saw’s hand is heavy on her shoulder and his voice is quiet. “My child, go, speak to the young princess. See what you can learn of her father’s plans.”“You want me to spy on our friends?” the girl asks.“Those unwilling to do what it takes to defeat the Empire are no friends of ours. Remember that, Jyn.” It warms what is left of Saw’s heart to see the way, even at eleven, Jyn sets her shoulders and lifts her chin. She is strong, and he knows she will need that strength. Her father is speaking with Mon Mothma and Leia surveys the room quietly. She catalogs who speaks with whom, who laughs aloud and who keeps their voice low, and who has left the room completely. She watches the other girl speak with Gerrera, then approach her. The older girl is taller, but her clothes are ripped and muddied. Leia offers her a gentle smile. Her aunts would be proud. “Hello,” she offers.“Your father’s wrong, you know,” Jyn responds. Leia doubts this girl has aunts to teach her proper diplomatic decorum. “How so?”“The Empire will kill every one of us if they’re given the chance,” the girl defends. She is told these words before every battle. “They’d destroy entire planets to kill us if they could.” Leia nods. She does not doubt it. “Then let us then be thankful such technology does not exist.”Jyn bristles. She has seen the Empire destroy people. They don’t need that sort of technology. All they needed to kill her mother was a blaster. Given the chance, all Jyn would need to kill the man in white who took her mother and father from her would be her bare hands. “But don’t you see? They would kill us if they could. We must kill them before they are given the chance. Doesn’t your father understand?”Leia raises her chin but her eyes spark with a defiance and fight that even her aunts have not been able to douse. Her father saw the same spark when she had demanded to join him on the mission to the Rebel Base. “Of course we do. But my father and I also believe that the torturing of prisoners for information and the murder of innocent civilians makes us no better than those we fight against.”“You’re wrong,” Jyn bites, pushing away the thought that in some other time, in some other life, she and Leia might have been friends. “It doesn’t make us better. It makes us dead.”She turns on her heel and marches out of the room in search of Saw, having no way of knowing that as her angry back retreats the young princess is watching her, having the same thought that Jyn herself just had. Leia imagines that perhaps the day when she and Jyn can be friends remains ahead of them. Leia, as always, has hope. Jyn storms out of the War Room, a force of nature as always. Saw is nowhere to be seen so she picks a direction, turning away from the few huddled groups of ranking officers and heading instead down a quiet corridor that hugs the War Room’s outer wall. The first door she comes to is locked with a keypad, as is the second. The third has no keypad in sight and opens with a tug. The door reveals nothing but a supply closet. Only shelves and crates. Well, Jyn notes with surprise as the door clicks shut behind her. Only shelves and crates and a boy.He’s a young man, really. He sits on a box with one leg drawn up next to him, but even sitting Jyn can see that he would tower above her. His hair hangs into his eyes and the shadowy beginnings of a beard show on his cheeks. He regards her with a mixture of shock and confusion. “Who are you?” Jyn demands. The boy raises an eyebrow at her.“I’m Lieutenant Cassian Andor, who are you?”“Are you spying on us, Cassian?” Jyn has always preferred to skip right to the point of a conversation. It always used to make her papa laugh. “What? No.” The boy - Cassian - is a good liar, Jyn notes. He has been trained. His eyes stay focused on hers, his fingers don’t fidget. But Jyn has been trained, too, and she hears the way his words trip a bit too quickly from his tongue. “Why else would you be sitting in a supply closet next to the War Room?”“Look, little girl, I don’t -”“I’m not a little girl,” Jyn interrupts, voice indigent. It’s the not first time she’s been judged for her size and age. But usually, after a good beating or two in the training field, most of the Partisans stop making that mistake. She had been her papa’s ‘little girl’. She would be no one else's. “I could kill you with just my hands, you know.”Cassian - who has not yet had the misfortune of feeling Jyn’s stinging blows - simply laughs. “I’d like to see you try. I’ve been fighting people much bigger than you since I was six.” While Jyn may like the way Cassian’s accent colors his words she has to scoff. She’s already killed ‘troopers more than double his age.“You’re here with Saw Gerrera, aren’t you? For the meeting?” Cassian asks, changing the subject. “The one you’re spying on, yes.”Cassian’s eyes flash. Someday this little girl is going to get him into trouble. He’s sure of it. “I’m not spying. Draven said I couldn’t be in the room. He didn’t say I couldn’t listen. Besides, there are parts in here I need for a droid I’ve reprogrammed. He’s functional but he still has a few glitches.”“Droids annoy me. Who’s Draven?” Jyn asked, wandering over to a nearby crate and perching on it, looking curiously at Cassian. She can only assume this Draven was one of the many pairs of eyes watching Saw and Senator Organa’s argument. Perhaps he was Cassian’s mentor. Jyn didn’t get the feeling she would like him much. A distinct note of pride entered Cassian’s voice. “Commander Draven. He’s an intelligence officer. He recruited me.” “When?”“When I was younger than you.” This statement is accompanied by a raised eyebrow. It isn’t that Cassian is happy to have been a soldier at such a young age - although it does give him authority over the other kids on the base. He had much rather have spent the time growing up with his parents and his sister. But they were lost to him a long time ago and the Rebellion has given him a home and a cause to fight for and he is proud to do his part. And if he cannot close his eyes some nights for fear that he will be haunted by those whose lives have been sacrificed - either by his hands or another’s - for the sake of this war, well then that is a price he must pay. Besides, he reminds himself, he’s sure it will get easier as he grows up. Someday he’ll be strong, just like Draven, and the deaths - his family’s, his friend’s, and even his enemy’s - won’t bother him then. “You don’t know how old I am.” The girl’s chin is raised, her shoulders set. Cassian is sure this is a well-practiced look for her. Despite her strength he can still see the hurt in her young eyes. That too, he knows, will fade with time. “11, 12?”Jyn’s scowl deepens. She hadn’t thought he would guess. She feels as though she should be fifty for all she has seen and done in her young life. “I’m 11. But I could still kill you with just my hands. How old are you?”“16.”“If I’d been fighting since I was six I would have killed them all by now,” Jyn scoffs. “The empire, the man in white. Everyone who-” she stops herself, her young eyes going wide at the words that had almost tumbled their way out of her mouth.“Who what?”The light is dim in the supply room, but when Jyn meets Cassian’s eyes she can see sympathy there. She pushes away thoughts of blaster fire and her mother’s limp body held in her father’s arms. She pushes away memories of the dark, underground room and her lamp, threatening with every flicker to plunge her into eternal darkness. Most of all she pushes away the burning, all consuming hatred for the man in white who had taken her life from her. Saw fanned that hatred, nurtured it, loved it, but it scared Jyn in a way she did not want to admit, even to herself. But Saw’s words rang in her mind, ever present, a lifeline to which she clung when the darkness and pain threatened to swallow her whole. We must destroy them, Jyn. It is the only way to find peace - for the galaxy and for yourself. “Everyone who took my parents away.”It almost shocked Cassian, how much this little girl’s words hurt him. But why should it surprise him? War created orphans all the time. Hell, he created orphans with just a shot from his blaster. No, it should not surprise him that this child had lost her parents to the Empire. Nor should it surprise him that she wanted revenge. After all, when Dravin had approached him with an offer to join the Rebellion he had jumped at the chance to continue the fight the Empire had already started when they killed his family. Revenge had driven him for years, had honed his loyalty to Alliance, and had formed bonds he knew he could never walk away from. But despite the commitment he dedicated to every aspect of his training, the thrill that had coursed through him when issued his own blaster, and the pride he had felt when assigned his first solo mission, he had slowly begun to realize that it didn't matter. The eyes of the first person he killed still haunted his nightmares and not their death, nor any victory the Rebellion had scored since did anything to bring his family back to him. He is loyal to the Alliance, more loyal than most, he suspects, but it doesn’t take away the pain, and it tares at Cassian’s heart to hear this young girl, somehow both hardened and naive - as he is now sure he once was - speak of her dead parents and the hope that her suffering could be erased by vengeance. In all things but this Cassian knows the importance of hope - he has seen men live and die for nothing more - but this hope, he knows, will be lost to the girl, and it will destroy her. Maybe it will destroy them both. “That’s not how it works, little girl. You can’t ever get back at them. Not ever. And by the time you finish trying they’ve taken something new from you. And you can’t stop. And it doesn’t ever end.”He watches her, wishing his words could get through to her but knowing she will not - cannot - give in. She will hold on to hope for as long as she can, and his words will do nothing to stop her. And when that hope is finally lost it will break her. Instead of responding the girl’s eyes flick down to his arm where Cassian had managed to push the dull ache and wetness all but out of his mind. “You’re bleeding.” Jyn narrows her eyes and watches the boy glance down at his arm where a bloody bandage peeked through a blaster-shot shaped hole in his jacket. Cassian purses his lips. He had gone to medbay as instructed and the droid had cleaned and wrapped his wound. It isn’t that deep, so Cassian is surprised to see that he has bled through. Maybe he shouldn’t have turned down the bacta the droid had offered. “I just got back from a mission.” Neither child seems too worried about the blood, and nothing could say more about their childhoods than that.“A successful one?”Cassian glances at the girl. “I killed the target, if that’s what you consider a success.”Jyn’s confusion shows on her face. “Of course it is. One less of them, right?”“Four less of them, actually.” A husband, a wife, and their two children. They youngest had been his age. They never saw him, lying on the neighboring roof, sniper rifle in hand. He had contemplated for a full two minutes which to kill first. In the end he started with the youngest. He remembered what it was like to watch your parents die. “All the better,” Jyn answered.Cassian watches her for a moment. “Saw. He trains his Partisans from a young age, right?”Jyn nods. “He’s been training me since I was eight. I’m the youngest. And I’m going to be the best.”“And it doesn’t bother you? What you have to do? The people Saw has you kill? The prisoners Saw tortures?”“Not if it gets me closer to finding my father.” Jyn’s look is fierce, but there is a shadow of uncertainty in her eyes, as if a part of her soul is crying out to be saved. When she speaks again the words are not hers. “We have to do everything we can to fight against the Empire. They have to be destroyed.”Cassian gives her a tiny smile. “On that point we agree, little girl.”He was not the only orphan of war raised by the Alliance, of course, and a few adult soldiers have raised their own children in the corridors of the Dantooine base, but this girl is different, he decides. He could imagine, somehow, being willing to fight by her side for a cause they both believed in - after she grew a few more inches, of course. With a sudden bang the door to the supply closet busts open. The light from the hallway is obstructed by large figure and Saw leans heavily on his staff, his breathing labored and his face furious. Both children jump to their feet but Saw hardly spares a glance for Cassian before he turns to Jyn.“Child. Come. We are leaving this place. Forever.”“What happened?” Jyn asks.“They will not fight for the Rebellion. They will not do what it takes.” Rage emanates off Saw’s imposing figure and somehow both Jyn and Cassian know that the fate of the Rebellion will never be the same. “You will never see these people again.” With that Gerrera turns and storms out of the room. Quickly Jyn moves to follow, but at the door she turns back. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you were defying orders,” she tells Cassian, her small hand on the doorframe.Cassian stands tall - she was right, he does tower above her - and clasps his hands behind his back. Despite standing at attention, though, his deep brown eyes find Jyn’s. “I don’t defy orders, little girl. You defy orders and people get killed. You should learn that.”Jyn holds Cassian’s gaze for a moment, then drops her head. When she looks back up at him she is sad beyond her years. He sees that she is in pain, sees that she is lost, and sees that she needs a home. But it is not in his power to give her one.“People get killed even if you don’t defy orders, Cassian. You should learn that.” And with that Jyn Erso turns and walks out of Cassian Andor’s life. Thoughts of Saw Gerrera’s green eyed girl rarely cross Cassian’s mind. Like Gerrera said, they were never going to see each other again. Cassian believes that, right up until the day he is called to the War Room by General Dravin and finds himself staring at a woman - a criminal with a traitor for a father - whose beautiful green eyes seem impossibly familiar and who glances at him with well concealed questions. They try to place each other, try to figure each other out, but it isn’t until Jedha, when Cassian finds Jyn kneeling next to Gerrera, with tears in her beautiful eyes, that he remembers the little girl in the supply closet. He pulls her out of the collapsing temple - away from the man who, despite everything he did to her, had been her father for so many years - and can do nothing but acknowledge the commands that come through from Draven, ordering him to kill the only other father Jyn has ever known. He had been right; war created orphans all the time, and when he looks through the scope of his blaster, finding the man with Jyn’s green eyes, he thinks for a moment that he is no better than War itself.He is glad when he is able to prove them both wrong.He yells at her when they get on the ship. Water dripping into his eyes, he pushes away the thought that this is the second time he has pulled her away from her dead father. His pain and uncertainty manifest in shouted words thrown without a thought. He defied orders. He defied them for her. She tells him he is no better than a Stormtrooper and he thinks that perhaps today is the first day in a long time that he actually is.Jyn’s eyes flash with fire when she storms out of the War Room. Of course they hadn’t believed her. The risk is too great. But Cassian doesn’t care. Nor do Kay and the people he has gathered, his old friends. Nor do Chirrut, Bodhi, and Baze, his new friends. And when he welcomes her home all he can see are the eyes of a little girl who had been searching for a place to belong her whole life, who is thankful to have finally found one. He never tells her how he knows her. He doesn’t have time. The flight to Scarif is a blur of preparations and plans, and then they are kneeling together on a beach, holding each other as a blaze of white light races to swallow them whole. A promise ligers between them. I could have been happy with you. I could have loved you. Maybe I did. They die together with a peace neither thought could ever be found. Not in a war. Not after everything. Not for them. When Leia Organa reads the report of the Battle of Scarif she grieves for a friend she had known most of her life, a boy who had joined the Rebellion to find justice but who had given up the search long ago. And she grieves for a little girl she barely knew but who, she is now sure, she would have been friends with. She prays to the Force that they are at peace among the stars.
10959129	The Great Chat of 2017	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Alexander Hamilton, John Laurens, Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette, Hercules Mulligan, George Washington, Elizabeth \"Eliza\" Schuyler, Angelica Schuyler, Margaret \"Peggy\" Schuyler, Maria Reynolds, Natalya \"Natasha\" Ilyinichna Rostova, Sofia \"Sonya\" Alexandrovna Rostova, Fyodor Dolokhov, Anatole Kuragin, Elena \"Hélène\" Vasilyevna Kuragina, Pyotr \"Pierre\" Kirillovich Bezukhov, Charles Lee, Marya Dmitriyevna Akhrosimova, John Adams (mentioned), James Reynolds (mentioned), Aaron Burr, Theodosia Prevost Burr, Jacques Prevost (mentioned), Benjamin Tallmadge (mentioned), Caleb Brewster (mentioned), Thomas Jefferson, James Madison", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by smellslikecitrus", "chapters": "16/16", "completed": "2017-06-09", "published": "2017-05-21T00:00:00", "words": "6,518", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - High School, texting fic, first fic, idk I wanted this, Great Comet/Hamilton crossover, john is a tertle, Sonya Is Good, Dolokhov is iMPORTANT TO ME, i was bored, Underage Drinking (mentioned), Drunk Character(s), sorry for this, Light Angst, now with plot!, I love Peggy", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Alexander Hamilton/John Laurens, Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette/Hercules Mulligan, Margaret \"Peggy\" Schuyler/Sofia \"Sonya\" Alexandrovna Rostova, Natalya \"Natasha\" Ilyinichna Rostova/Pyotr \"Pierre\" Kirillovich Bezukhov, Maria Reynolds/Elizabeth \"Eliza\" Schuyler, Angelica Schuyler/Elena \"Hélène\" Vasilyevna Kuragina, James Reynolds/Maria Reynolds (past), Aaron Burr/Theodosia Prevost Burr, Fyodor Dolokhov/Anatole Kuragin (one-sided) (or is it?)", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Hamilton - Miranda, Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 - Malloy", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/F, F/M, M/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Baguette has created not big enough for the both of us Baguette has added mulliGONE, spam, tertle, Elizard, angle, red, and meme to not big enough for the both of us Baguette: my name is now Inigo Montoya. you may all bow.angle: what is thisElizard: haBaguette: dRAMA mulliGONE has added cold cold: nope cold has removed cold from not big enough for the both of us Baguette: ok so. theres some new people in town and one of them looks just like our very own cinnamon rollmeme: X Files Theme SongElizard: oml pegs stopElizard: yea i heard the tall blond one call her Nataliespam: IK WHO UR TALKING ABOUT!!! SHES FROM ~russia~meme: FRICKIN RUSSIANSangle: not now pegsspam: ur such a meme. her name was natasha, her friend called her that. i think her friends name is sonya or smthg? and theres so much drama in that group omlBaguette: dRAMAmeme: shut. also i heard her name in roll call and its natalya rostova.meme: the tol blond one who looks like a messed up ken doll is AnatoleElizard: OMG UR RIGHT HAHAHAangle: groTESQUE AND AMAZIngtertle: whoa i just got here whats going on,,,Baguette: dRAMAmulliGONE: Read the other texts. I know the whole story and I will explain in a moment.meme: you know everything ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)mulliGONE: ,,,YesmulliGONE: Ok so. Apparently, Natasha or whatever her name is, was dating this guy, Andrey. Andrey then went away to a private school for a year, and Natasha promised to wait for him. She and Sonya were staying with their aunt, Marya D, and while there, they met Anatole and his weird little sidekick that’s so in love with him it’s painful, Dolokhov. (Actually his name is Fedya [or Teddy, ha] but they call him by his last name).meme: TEDDYspam: TEDDYtertle: TEDDYElizard: question. why do you type like thatmeme: YOU BROKE THE CHAIN. PUNISHMENT.mulliGONE: Leave me alone.Baguette: “so in love with him it’s painful” remind you of someone petite lion?spam: stfu laf istgtertle: alex likes someone?spam: no its nothing theyre just being annoyingBaguette: dRAMAmeme: ANYway mulligan continuemulliGONE: Natasha meets Anatole and then he gets an idea that he will “steal her away” or some shit like that. Dolokhov, meanwhile, is trying to dissuade this from happening, so he teams up with Sonya and they stop all that from going down. Marya D threatens Anatole, and he leaves, but apparently now he’s back.red: hey y’all what’d i missspam: shut up don’t be TJeffs hes stupid and doesn’t need to be brought to this holy placememe: “holy place”mulliGONE: So, now there’s more drama in that friend group. Oh also I forgot to mention that Dolokhov and their other friend, Pierre, who’s dating Anatole’s sister, who is cheating on Pierre with an unknown person, got into a fight in the park while Anatole and Hélène (A’s sister) were watching and Pierre's also friends with Sonya and Natasha and Marya D plus other stuff that I'll explain to you guys in person.meme: wowBaguette: dRAMA!!!!!!!! ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Baguette has added pure and iamgood to not big enough for the both of us Baguette: hey everyone, i got natasha and sonyas numbers so here they arepure: hello, I'm Natashaiamgood: hi Natasha, I am goodmeme: i like herangle: hi new kids! im angelica and Elizard is my sister Eliza and meme is my sister Peggy ignore her she's such a meme, hence her namememe: i like girlsiamgood: o ym g od me too!!!!¡¡1!!spam: gayyytertle: yes thats me im gay gtgtgtgpure: who are you guys… spam and tertle?spam: im alex and tertle is john.mulliGONE: And I'm Hercules Mulligan but you guys can call me Herc or MulliganmulliGONE: Please don't sing any of the songs I've heard them all from the rest of these asshats I call “friends.”pure: songs?meme: you guys dont know Disney?iamgood: Disney, smisney. Russians are made of stronger stuff.meme: I HAVE TO SHOW YOU DISNEY. ESPECIALLY MULAN BC MAN-MAKING LESSGOangle: that's not what that meansmeme: LETS HAVE A GET TOGETHER AT THE SCHUYLER PLACE ILL SEE YOU GUYS AROUND AT SCHOOL K? Kpure: sorry but we don't know you guys very well. We’ll have to ask Maryaiamgood: says the girl who almost ran off with a guy she knew for 3 daysangle: 3 days? I'm impressed.pure: we don't speak of that,,,,,,,, I'll go ask Maryaiamgood: (Marya likes her better)Baguette: so I have been quiet for this time may I speakmeme: go aheadBaguette: I am very excited for this movie and I hope everyone can join usspam: well that was nice I was expecting something weirdBaguette: I'll go find John and Maria and Thomasspam: DONT YOU DAREBaguette: how you say,,, jkspam: you know how to say jk you overgrown french fryBaguette: gtgtgtgtgpure: Marya says yes! She thinks it's good for us to make new friends apparently so see you there!iamgood: yup see yared: movie night at Schuyler’s?! YASred: see u there Liza ;Elizard: stop I'm blushingspam: gayyyElizard: so this is why ur spam huhmeme: that was an Eliza Burn™ good job Elizaspam: I am wOUNDedtertle: oh poor baby need some water for that burn? See y'all @ schuylers’!spam: you just twist the knife, Laurens PM between spam and tertle spam: john are you mad at mespam: johnspam: jonhspam: jhnospam: jonntertle: no its fine okspam: is this about that Thing?tertle: no!tertle: …yesspam: look I'm sorry okay? Where can I find you I need to talk to youtertle: no don't be sorry, i,,, uh, kinda liked it. but i cant have my dad finding out. i hope you understandspam: where are youtertle: library not big enough for the both of us angle: ok see everyone at 6?iamgood: yep! See you then! ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- angle: so we're starting w Mulan, then Hercules, then Lion King, then Princess and the Frogspam: then Moana don't forget Moanaangle: okmeme: won't that be kinda late? Like ik we have extra rooms and people will prob stay over butangle: it's a weekend night. We’re all goodiamgood: me especiallymeme: wow. ur goooodiamgood: i knowpure: I almost forgot to ask, can you guys send us the address?Elizard: directions_here.pdfpure: k thxspam: AYEM BRINGING SUGARtertle: SUGARRRRRBaguette: SUgARmulliGONE: yesssiamgood: ok so I'm assuming u like sugarBaguette: OUI. OUI OUI OUIpure: I'll bake cookiesElizard: I'll bake browniespure: we are alikememe: X-Files Theme Songangle: tru thotertle: so alex and i need to tell y'all something importantspam: ~~~important~~~Baguette: I KNEW IT MES AMIS I KNEW ITBaguette: HERC SEE I TOLD YOUtertle: no no no umtertle: so we decided that umspam: pretty much we are creating a LGBTQ+ club at schoolBaguette: so you two didn't..tertle: no :/spam: how dare you Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayettetertle: whoa the full name ur in trouble now lafBaguette: …Baguette: still betting it'll happeniamgood: why did you guys just decide to make this? wasnt there something before?tertle: nope. the principal is really stupid, John Adams.spam: the bEST teacher EvEr is Mr. Washington and he just--- he actually somehow understand teens. Hes helping us create the club. Its gonna be so funangle: yea he's a really good teacherElizard: i second that. He once brought one of his dogs to class to teach the kids about equality. Idrk what the lesson was bc I was paying attention to the dog but he's greatmeme: pUPPYBaguette: omg i love GWash hes my dadspam: dont do thattertle: hes alex’s dad too even if he doesnt accept itspam: IM NOT HIS SONmulliGONE: Yes you are.angle: yes u rspam: shut uppure: WERE HEREiamgood: yes she brought cookiesElizard: the brownies are almost doneBaguette: SUGARspam: SUUUUUGGGGARRRRred: hold on! im almost there! dont let Alex eat all the cookiesspam: :Pred: im stuck in traffic. some asshole is holding up the linered: omigodElizard: what??!red: thats Jay behind me hes getting out of his carElizard: lock the doors! How did he know it was you?!!red: one secElizard: Maria?red: its ok i pulled away and did a U turn and got outta thereElizard: thank godiamgood: whos Jayspam: Jay Reynolds: resident assholespam: Maria used to date him and he.. it didn't go wellspam: shes with Eliza tho now sored: im here!Elizard: now we can eat the cookies and browniesspam: sssssangle: don't do itspam: ssSSSSUGARspam: OW SHE SMACKED ME ELIZAAAElizard: settle down childrenmeme: MULAN YEASmulliGONE: I'm silencing my phone don't try to interrupt this movie opportunity.Baguette: sh sh s ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Baguette has changed the chat name to the Great Chat of 2017spam: yBaguette: becuasemulliGONE: You spelled that wrong.Baguette: sO wAhTmulliGONE: I'm done.mulliGONE has changed their name to mulliDONEtertle: so pettypure: Hey guys so I was wondering if we could add a drunk Dolokhov because it's hilarious and I want all of you to experience thattertle: how did he get alcoholpure: he has his ways pure has added IMPORTANT pure: hi DIMPORTANT: y am herepure: what were you just telling me about Anatole?IMPORTANT: oo. Hes!o pretty and like hi s eggs and everything abut hinmeme: eggsiamgood: haha does he mean eyes? he means eyes right??IMPORTANT: wh why you gota drag melike thispure: i swear he’s just drunk and does not a represent Russia as a whole, long live the mother countryBaguette: omg hes a cute drunkIMPORTANT: IM IMPROFANT K’iamgood: he's self-consciousspam: are we just gonna ignore the casual nationalismIMPORTANT: nuHIMPORTANT: ANATOLE!s so cute i just want to hu ghim maybee kiss???? him. IM Not CRyingspam: so we're just gonna ignore the casual nationalismiamgood: :)spam: yes so everyone's just going to ignore the casual nationalismpure: we see it alex. now kindly shut upspam: ...spam: where did Herc and Laf gospam: i need someone to appreciate mespam: ooooooooooohspam: Angelica you owe me $20angle: welp. ‘Twas gonna happen eventuallymeme: “‘Twas”angle: shutmeme: im still laughing about eggsiamgood: D’s actually v v affectionate but he won't let any1 see itIMPORTANT: //////////////hello (:meme: good lordmeme: ive made up my mind i am now adopting Dolokhovmeme: his name shall now be SchuylerIMPORTANT: MAMAmeme: ………….im sobbingangle: better go take care of ur kid pegsmeme: where is he anywayiamgood: hes w me and Natiamgood: can I be his other mommeme: ofcmeme: send ur location im driving overiamgood: im_here_come_get_him.jpgmeme: nice google maps thankiamgood: np PM between meme and iamgood meme: hey… I kinda really like you.iamgood: :D I kinda really like you toomeme: thank god. Wanna go out sometime?iamgood: sure! where?meme: how about a movie?iamgood: sounds perfect! send me the details later thomeme: done the Great Chat of 2017 tertle: no one has said anything for 10 minutes where is everyonespam: hereBaguette: hereElizard: herered: heretertle: well ok then PM between spam and tertle spam: hey john…tertle: alex…spam: im really proud of all our work that were doing for this schooltertle: me too alexspam: where are you?tertle: at the park. Why?spam: I need to see youspam: I have to know… do you like me?tertle: look,,spam: bc I really like you and I know that maybe kissing you earlier may have crossed a line and I don't want that to change anything between us if it turns out you don't like me back. Ik you said you liked it but that doesn't mean it's ok for me to just spring it on you like thattertle: alex. its good. Really. Find me.tertle: and. i like u too silly ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- meme: Sonya and i have smthg to sayyiamgood: we've come such a long wayyangle: when ur sister and her gf are dedicated memers^meme: 1) thats not a meme,,meme: 2)meme: YOU KNOWW?!?!?!!!???angle: snape voice* obviouslymeme: welpiamgood: coolspam: wow. you know angelica is a boomer at heart when she quotes severus snape.spam: WAIT I HAVE ANNOUNCEMENT TOOspam: THIS IS AMAZING. THE TIMING. IMPECCABLE.spam: john and i >v< have feelings of some sort pertaining to the emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing of each othertertle: good job on announcing that i guesstertle: yes we're datingBaguette: !!!!!!!1!!!!! HERC MON AMOR YOU OWE ME $30mulliDONE: I'm just humoring you I knew they’d get together.tertle: laf just outed ur guys’ shipangle: called itangle: thricememe: “thrice”angle: sighIMPORTANT: wait so I'm adopted nowmeme: SONiamgood: SONIMPORTANT: I don't know half of my parentsmeme: getting to knooow you, getting to knoow whaaat to sayyangle: welcome back to the living DolokhovIMPORTANT: was I ranting last nightspam: yestertle: about anatole, yesIMPORTANT: uh sorry about thatmeme: NO ITS OK MY SON DO WHATEVER YOU NEED TOIMPORTANT: I'm older than youmeme: not mentallyIMPORTANT: ok #trured: so Liza and i just saw Jay but he looked scared to come up to me?Elizard: my gf is scary in her bright red lipstickred: :)Elizard: :)meme: (:iamgood: :)Baguette: :)mulliDONE: :)spam: :)tertle: :)IMPORTANT: :)pure: :)angle: oh for gods sakeangle: :)[1 day later]IMPORTANT: hahaha ok soBaguette: i neED TO KNOW THE dRAMAIMPORTANT: I'm w Sonya and PeggyBaguette: uh-huh.IMPORTANT: and Natasha has been texting us…spam: just spit it out jfcIMPORTANT: Anatole has found my parents stash of booze. And. He's been texting Nat. And. I really want to see itpure: I'm adding him pure has added Hawt Hawt: IM HOHawt: HELLLLOHawt: this is Pierre. I took his phone. He's off his face.pure: I'm adding you. Put A back on pure has added dead dead: heyBaguette: bonjour et bien venuedead: ew French.Baguette: frENCH IS cuLTURED and GOODiamgood: so am idead: old joke sorry. I hated Napoleon when I was littleBaguette: it's okay you are forgiven.Hawt: IM BACKIMPORTANT: heyy there, buddy! How are you?Hawt: P took my jUISEIMPORTANT: he took your juice?Hawt: !!ye!!!!meme: well give him his juice back!IMPORTANT: why was he at my house? Why were you at my house??Hawt: I was LOoking for you. but you disappearsedead: he called me. Drunk. So I came. Then he asked for 50 rubles? why tf does he need rubles?IMPORTANT: idk he's weirdiamgood: pegs and I are stealing D’s phone till later sorry. were bONDINGmeme: yEAhIMPORTANT: byedead: helpBaguette: where are the others?Elizard: ange maria and I are just watching this unfoldred: hahahaHawt: HIangle: hi kenHawt: HAHAHA AHhow weird. that is what fedya called medead: nope I'm not doing this. Nat can you come pick us up pleasepure: ask Hélènedead:dead: id rather notpure: are you guys OK? PM between dead and pure dead: no we’re not. I know she's cheating on medead: probably with more than 1 guydead: it sucks, you know? But at the same time I feel like I have a chance at.. real love or something like thatpure: I think I understand. That's terrible, what she's doing to you though.pure: Are you going to end it?dead: ..yeah. I think I am.pure: Okay, whatever feels right. Remember what you said to me after… the Incident?dead: that you can count on me even tho I'm Andrey’s friend? Yeah..pure: Well, same goes for you. You can count on me.dead: thank you. I really appreciate itpure: Anytime, P. I'll be there in 10. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Baguette: EVERYONE LISTEN UPspam: what is it its 5 in the mrningBaguette: what are you doing up..?Baguette: actually nEVER MINDBaguette: I need help mes amisBaguette: George’s dog is missing. He's been gone for the whole night. I didn't want to wake anyone but I really need all the help I can get to find this dogspam: dogs have no sense of self-preservationtertle: turtles are betterspam: biasedBaguette: nOT NOW TURTLE DOVESspam: love birds?tertle: bbg shhhhtertle: what's his name?Baguette: Gilberttertle: he named his dog after u?Baguette: noT RELEVANT RNspam: where was he last seenBaguette: I do not know I was at Herc’sBaguette: I came home and he was gone!Baguette: George has been searching all night and Martha has been waiting at the phone after driving aroundBaguette: he looks like this:Baguette: sweet_puppy_mon_cher.jpgtertle: awspam: shiiit its really hot outsidespam: he must be really dehydratedspam: hes prob at someones house or the animal shelter or smthgtertle: wouldn't the shelter callspam: its after hourstertle: they will call in the morning it's ok laf tell george the same thingBaguette: thank you I've been up all night I am afraid I'm quite exhaustedspam: go to sleep laftertle: go to sleep alexBaguette: go to sleep John[4 hours later]angle: wow that was intenseElizard: I'm just waiting to see if anyone has calledmeme: pUPPYred: i hope hes okred: also,,, laf lives w gwash???!meme: he probably is. hes a smart thing for a dumb dogangle: that sentence didn't make sensememe: shhh yes it didangle: •__•red: ????????Elizard: yeah he lives with WashingtonmulliDONE: I'm calling Laf right now.mulliDONE: He's not picking up, I'll let him sleep.Hawt: fuck, marry, kill: Chris Pratt, Chris Pine, Chris Evansmeme: nOt ThE cHrIsEsiamgood: YoU fOrGoT hEmSwOrThpure: worst timingHawt: :0 o no I did soz hemsworthHawt: well???? f, m, k?? pure has removed Hawt from the Great Chat of 2017 iamgood: damnmeme: hey babe where r uiamgood: Marya D’s y IMPORTANT has added Hawt to the Great Chat of 2017 meme: comingHawt: that's what she saidmeme: shut ur foul mouth boiiamgood: hoW LEWDpure: Dolokhov istgIMPORTANT: ;)Hawt: thanks mon chermeme: hEs NoT eVeN fReNcHiamgood: “lend me 50 rubles”dead: just about to say thatHawt: Pierre how dARE youHawt: you dUmPED HÉLÈNE Hawt has added Charmante dead: Anatole I hate youCharmante: oh hellllllooo everyoneElizard: uh ohpure: uh ohmeme: should i do itangle: dRAMAmeme: get out ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Charmante: hello pierredead: …Charmante: stop treating me like im deadCharmante: im not pierre IM RIGHT HEREpure: hey HélèneCharmante: hey prettypure: …Charmante: silent treatment huhmulliDONE: So Laf has found Gilbert!mulliDONE: He's safe at George’s.Elizard: Laf or the dogmeme: pUPPYmulliDONE: Both.Charmante: i need introductionspure: I'm youngiamgood: i am goodHawt: IM HAWTIMPORTANT: I like to think of myself as ~fierce~dead: dear bewildered and awkwarddead: deadangle: whispers* almost as if they rehearsed itmeme: X-Files Theme SongElizard: ...ok that warrants itCharmante: i know all the former russian idiots i need the restmulliDONE: 1, 2, 3: werk werkangle: AN JELLY CAHmulliDONE: Werk werkElizard: eLIZAAAAAHmeme: and peGGmulliDONE: Damnit Peggy you're too fast at typing.meme: ;) plusmulliDONE: hercULES MULLIGANmeme: the schuyler sisters!mulliDONE: Plus hercULES MULLIGANangel: yes and I'm the oldest AND the wittiest;) just so you knowCharmante: i can already picture u angle has changed their name to angel angel: ofc you can hair flip I'm fabulousmeme: ewwww flirtingangel: I had to put up with you and Sonya!meme: maybe but we were subtleiamgood: honey we were the least subtle people everiamgood: “i like girls” “omg me too”meme: so subtle[2 hours later]Hawt: ik this was a while ago but… what does bbg mean?angel: it's their type of kinky u wouldnt understandmeme: im kinkshamingBaguette: it's baby girl (¬‿¬)spam: cmon laf u ruin everythingtertle: (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞ ☜(ﾟヮﾟ☜)spam: did u just finger gun urselftertle: ☜(˚▽˚)☞spam: im breaking up w utertle: love you too ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Revolutionary Set mulliDONE: Look what I found in my camera roll:mulliDONE: laf_dancing_so_cute.gifBaguette: how did you get that... was that Ben Tallmadge who gave you that??mulliDONE: I have my ways. Tallboy may or may not have something to do with it. Or Brewster, ya never know..spam: OMG IS THATtertle: IT ISBaguette: look,,,tertle: looks good LafBaguette: ..thanksmulliDONE: What about the costume I made the costume???spam: Herc. so good. idk how u do it. its really historically accurate too so that makes me happy:))tertle: ¡¡¡es muy bien, estás talentoso!!!Baguette: oh look now he's blushing thanks guysBaguette: but pls this stays between us and.. maybe Peggy can know too. Just don't spread it around bc Charles bullied me a bit after I wore thatspam: charles… lee?Baguette: yes ,spam: when. was. this.Baguette: uh like a year agospam: ...uhuhBaguette: really doesn’t matter he's not my friend anymore[1 hour later]spam: just out of curiosity,, what lunch does lee have?tertle: C lunchtertle: … alex no u can't get into anymore fightsspam: watch me PM between tertle and spam tertle: ill do itspam: i cant let you do thattertle: and i cant have you suspendedspam: ill stand with you.tertle: i know Revolutionary Set spam: fine i wonttertle: thank you. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Charmante: NATASHA WHY DID YOUNIGNORE MEpure: WhatCharmante: i waVed and yElled at u but nooo u couldn't say hipure: Where was thisCharmante: lunchroomElizard: Yea……… that was meCharmante: h- howmeme: X-Files Theme SongElizard: I wondered who yelled charming at me but I ignored it bc I didn't know who it was. Sorry.Charmante: ...im still.. wow. you guys really look alikeiamgood: X-Files Theme Songmeme: sonya whymeme: go awaymeme: evry1 go awayangel: hey! don't pinch me I didn't do anything!Elizard: Yeah natasha and I are clonesiamgood: go ahead lovememe: !!!thank babe¡¡¡meme: X-Files Theme SongCharmante: so sonya found her match i cmeme: ;)Charmante: cuteiamgood: im not sharing leave this placememe: awtertle: u 2 are disgusting i love itspam: hey johntertle: what alexspam: u thinking what im thinkingtertle: competitionspam: i love how were always on the same page<3angel: I'm refereeiamgood: what is thismeme: they want a face off and we will winmeme: or text off i guessangel: begin!spam: ¡john, te adoro, te quiero!angel: solo inglés por favorspam: finetertle: i love him, i know him, he loves me only. he’ll come to me one day and take me away... i want nothing morespam: i want nothing more ;)iamgood: mhmm is that all u gotmeme: bring out the weapons babeiamgood: i gotchuiamgood: im quite fawned of u my deermeme: i think ur suffering from a lack of vitamin meiamgood: ur my butter halfmeme: if u were a fruit ud be a fineappleangel: groans those are valid, nut peas cut the puns.meme: thx angespam: i object, the referee is biasedangel: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯spam: oh god its getting worsememe: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯spam: i hate u ಠ_ಠtertle: alex nospam: alex yes (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ:･ﾟ✧ ✧ﾟ･meme: sonya weve Turned™ another one iamgood has changed their name to damnweregood meme: hell yeaangel: ew turn it back I can't bear seaing the name like thatmeme: weve created a monster damnweregood has changed their name to iamgod iamgod: close enough ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- [Monday afternoon] the Great Chat of 2017 Hawt: was that Alex I just saw running down the hallwayHawt: damn he's fastHawt: oh look there's JohnHawt: he wavedBaguette: alEX WHAT THE HELLBaguette: yOU sAiD YOU WOULDNTspam: yes exactly thats wyy im not figting himmeme: “figting”angel: Alex wtf how are u texting while runningspam: pegs i resent that, ange just trust me it's kot prettyHawt: it's really notiamgod: what fightBaguette: ALEX, JE VAIS VOUS TUERmeme: o shitz bring in out da frenchangel: face palmCharmante: did i see the word prettyiamgod: yea like 6 texts agoCharmante: dang i thought we were talking abt our very own angelangel: you flatter meiamgod: wHAT FIGHTBaguette: long story, but apparently John is fighting Charles Leememe: that guys a doucheBaguette: oui.tertle: were here and im readyspam: i gotchu bootertle: no spittingspam:spam: finetertle: ok hes here gtgangel: WHAT ABOUT SCHOOL RULESspam: shhh dont break his concentration[15 minutes later]spam: wow a new record. took the teachers a whole 15 minutes to arrive and treat leetertle: i got him goodangel: go to the nurse, Laurenstertle: …tertle: finememe: 2 peas in a podangel: MARGARITA SCHUYLER YOU GO BACK TO CLASSiamgod: MARGARITA????!?!!!??!??meme: byeiamgod: !!ok see u laters babespam: shit gwash is hereBaguette: you almost typed Daddy didn't youspam: nO iM NoT hiS sOnspam: gtg byeangel: he totally didBaguette: ik rightangel: i have a free period go pay attention, GilbertBaguette: noBaguette: fineangel: im the only adult around here aren't iIMPORTANT: yesangel: ..go to classIMPORTANT: yes auntyangel: and don't call me auntyIMPORTANT: ok auntieangel: (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻ go to class, D ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Baguette: hey i had a very good idea just nowspam: wat Baguette has added cold cold: why am I here… again?spam: laf thought it a good idea. hey burrcold: but why? Hey lex.meme: hey ay ay roniamgod: iS THAT FROMmeme: yep:)iamgod: that was so funny. really good. iamgod has changed their name to iamgood iamgood: and now so am icold: i’m guessing you’re sonya, peggy’s gf?iamgood: u guessed correctlycold: lafayette why did you add me?????Baguette: i thought you werea good addition. mais on dirait que non.cold: ik french you asshole. and even if i didn’t, google is right thereBaguette: peu importecold: i,, i don’t deserve thismeme: “i came out to have a good time and im honestly feeling so attacked right now.”cold: yes that’s how i feel D:meme: its a meme gdimeme: as am iiamgood: uVE LEaRnEdmeme: :3 :**cold: ok wellangel: well if it isnt MR BURR!!!!!!11!!spam: (sir)cold: watangel: my godangel: was that sASscold: no ma’amangel: ok welp. HAVE YOU SEEN HER? Actually ik you havecold:cold: whoever are you referring toangel: dont play games with me boyBaguette: whispers* dRAMAangel: shut it french fry this is an interrogationcold: idk who you’re talking about:::angel: Theodosia. Bartow.cold: oh yeah i’ve seen her,cold: you know she’s dating Jimmy Prevost rightspam: wHO cArEscold: you don’t get to talk lex.spam: Go GeT hErcold: i’d rather wait for itspam: did that help when you with Washingdadcold: whatspam: LAF YOU ASSHOLE WHY DID YOU DO THATBaguette: dRAMABaguette: also its vvv funny hahaspam: ಥ_ಥangel: what did he dospam: he did the stupid autocorrect shortcut thingy: ur cruel lafcold: what about Washingtonspam: when you asked for that position in student council did you wait for itcold: no butspam: and he gave it to you. so why is this any differentcold: sHE. HAS. A. BOYFRIEND.angel: she doesnt seem to like him very much.Baguette: i agree, she did not seem very… affectueux.cold: affectionate. And yeah, you do seem to be right. I’ve known Theo for a couple years now and she gets even more kind and beautiful with each passing day.spam: careful burr it might sound like you’re in love ;)cold: maybe i amBaguette: GASPspam: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ THEN GO OUT THERE AND GET YOUR GIRL MANangel: yea i did some quick digging and… Jimmy is an asshole.cold: thanks guys. Icold: I think I will.Baguette: this chat, bettering people’s lives since a month or so agospam: this chat did do a lot of good. lets keep it.Baguette: ofc we will.meme: BABE THAT WAS SO SWEET IM CRYINGmeme: WHERE ARE U SONYAiamgood: RIGHT NExT TO U ME TOOOOOBaguette: love you two toomeme: <3iamgood: <3Baguette: <3spam: <3angel: im rolling my eyes so hard rnmeme: just. dO ITTTTTangel: i hat e youangel: <3 ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- angel: okay I cant take it anymore angel has added The_Oh The_Oh: Hi guys! What is this?angel: hey girl what’s upThe_Oh: Nothing, I’m not doing anything rn, you?Hawt: HEllo, mysterious ladyThe_Oh: You are literally in my history class. You sang Russia’s national anthem acapella style (with.. beatboxing?) and then you threatened to throw your chair out the window when the teacher told you to sit down. You are literally insane.Hawt: you ruined the mysteryThe_Oh: ..Suuuuure.cold: oh hey Theo:)The_Oh: Hi Aaron! You’re in this group chat?cold: yep it was kind of an accident haha PM between angel and cold angel: why are you acting so weird just act normal:/:cold: wHY dId YoU aDD HER?????????? IM freAKing OuT!!angel: you used a smiley face. Omg Alex is gonna flipcold: YOU DID THIS ANGELICA ISTGangel: calm down just… text her normally. I’ll get Anatole to interact with her too.cold: pls help the Great Chat of 2017 The_Oh: Are you guys okay you went quiet:Hawt: aaron doesn’t know what to say to youTheo_Oh: why wouldn’t he knowHawt: can’t say sorry angelica just pinched me shes so meanThe_Oh: Angelica what is thiscold: hey Theo sorry i disappeared on you i was making somecold: hardboiled eggsmeme: “i..like my eggs… warm”cold: shut up Peggy that was one timeangel: pegs honey: get outangel: run along, adults at work herememe: hOW DAREE YOUUiamgod: i got her dont worrymeme: bi assholesHawt: hEY I DIDn’t Do AnYthing!meme: baimeme: hahahahahahhahahahhahahAmeme: wow. ok. le byeThe_Oh: OOOOOOOOOOkay... ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- PM between cold and The_Oh cold: hey Theo sorry about that. I was acting weird. Sorry.The_Oh: It’s okay Aaron. Your friends are funny haha.cold: right. Friends.The_Oh: So, why did Angelica add me?cold: are you still dating Jimmy?The_Oh: ? Yeah? But… I think I’m going to break up with him. I just can’t. Deal with him anymore, you know?cold: oh. Yeah.cold: are you open to dating anyone else in the meantime?The_Oh: Are you offering?cold: shit sorry i did’nt mean.The_Oh: No no! I’ve actually been meaning to ask you this for a while now.The_Oh: Aaron Burr, would you do me the honor of going on a date with me?The_Oh: Aaron?cold: YES Yes of course!The_Oh: Ok cool! Since I have a car, I’ll pick you up at… 7? We’ll go to this little place I know. I was actually going to break up with Jim today, so this is perfect timing.cold: ccold: coolcold: see you at 7 then PM between cold and angel cold: I DID ITcold: well, Theo did it butcold: thank you angelica.cold: you truly are an angel:)angel: thanks buttangel: that was alex sorry. But thanks burrcold: . Lex i hate you. Smangel: love ya 2 -hamangel: hEY BURR! -turdlecold: hey john. Take care of the little ham okay?angel: definitely, burr. -turdleangel: GTG bye Burr -angel ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- IMPORTANT: Anatole, you’re bi?Hawt: iHawt: yeIMPORTANT: Why didn’t you ever tell me??pure: translation: How did i not know i had a chance with youHawt: whagtIMPORTANT: Shut up Nat im not drunkIMPORTANT: But Anatole why didn’t you tell me? You already know I’m panpure: reallyIMPORTANT: i really don’t care if anyone in this group chat knows, let’s be honest 95% of it is not straightpure: ..ok true. but why over textHawt: what did she mean by you have a chance with meIMPORTANT: i don’t want to do this now, herepure: finally. get off your phones you suckers youIMPORTANT: meet me in our chem room during lunchIMPORTANT: and shut up, natpure:pure: iTS FINALLY HAPPENINGHawt: WHAT IS ITTTTIMPORTANT: wow you are really dense aren’t youHawt: yeIMPORTANT: anyway hey natpure:IMPORTANT: ?pure: you just told me to shut up!IMPORTANT: orz. when are you and you-know-who getting together??pure: i TOLD YOU THAT IN CONFIDENCEiamgood: what is this?? ohhhhh you-know-whooooopure: Sonya istg don’t say anythingpure: you too Dolokhovpure: or should i say Teddy’’’’’’’’IMPORTANT: i h a t e y o uHawt: why it’s a cute name!Charmante: yeah it is pretty cute :IMPORTANT: nuhhhhpure: when is lunch btwIMPORTANT: in an hourpure: do you need help coming up with a planIMPORTANT: maybepure: do you want me to add NikolaiIMPORTANT: isnt he still in Russiapure: yeha but he’s coming next weekIMPORTANT: HE IS?????!!!!! SAY HI TO HIMpure: Ofc I will! You two are still best friends right?IMPORTANT: yEAH OFCHawt: i thought i was your best friendIMPORTANT: no i just keep you around bc youre hotHawt: whatIMPORTANT: whatdead: Natasha likes someone?Charmante: oh hellllo pierredead: nvm byepure: yespure: hey pierre meet me after school in That One Placedead: i gotchu byepure: .bye.Hawt: Dolokhov what are you trying to tell meIMPORTANT: ThAtS wHy We ArE mEeTiNg Up!!!1!!! ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- IMPORTANT: guess who just got a date with the hottest guy in townspam: meIMPORTANT: … meHawt: aw tanksspam: but… but john!IMPORTANT: Anatole tell himHawt: ANATOLE IS HAWT– HE SPENDS HIS MONEY ON GIFTS FOR HIS BAEtertle: alex he looks like a ken doll but thanksspam: te quiero, mi amortertle: te quiero también mi corazónmeme: gET A ROOM JFCiamgood: bOOO COUPLESangel: you two are literally the worstmeme: no eliza and maria are the worstmeme: ange you were there. you should know..angel: pls don’t remind meElizard: THAT DIDNT NEED TO BE BROUGHT U Pred: it was gettin p hot and heavy and they just… walked into Eliza’s room w/o knocking. for people who dont know the horror they went throughmeme: gET A ROOMElizard: WE HAD A ROOMElizard: KNOCK NEXT TIMEred: next time ;) meme has removed Elizard and red angel: was that necessarymeme: ye pure has removed Charmante pure: I have good news!pure: Pierre and I are dating! pure has added Charmante dead: whoopBaguette: IM EATING PIE FOR BREAKFAST ALEX JOHN GET OVER HEREmulliDONE: It’s really good pie. George made it.meme: GWash bAKES??spam: doneBaguette: how did you get here so fastspam: john droveBaguette: ahmeme: sonya get over here we need to try thisiamgood: lessgomeme: have no fear, im drivingBaguette: I have fearspam: be carefulmeme: yes momangel: PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN WHILE DRIVING MARGARITA SCHUYLERiamgood: she wants me to tell you “yes mom”angel: good girltertle: mmmmmmmmmmmm piespam: sssSSSSSSSBaguette: SSSUGARRRRRspam: SUGGGGGAAAAAAAAARtertle: omilord he actually screechedmulliDONE: Man does he have a pair of lungs for such a small guyspam: update: herc is now covered in flourspam: update: washington is standing in the doorway looking perplexedspam: update: peggy and sonya just pulled up. its a PIE PARTAYBaguette: yEAY ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Baguette: I don’t think there is any more dRAMA to be had in this group chat so…pure: yeah literally everyone in this is datingCharmante: nOT ME hoW couL d you nat????!!!!angel: Im n ot e ithe rCharmante: welp; now is as good as everangel: for whatCharmante: heeeeyyyy angelllica,,, would you want to maybe, idk, go out w me sometime?angel: that could be arranged. Just lettin you know now Im a strong independent woman who dont need no manCharmante: im not a manangel: ;) ikmeme: sTAhP FliiRtingGiamgood: just let em be ,iamgood: they are into each otheriamgood: and they need to d a tememe: okeiangel: do i have ur approval pegsmeme: sigh fiiinEangel: and you elizaElizard: im sQUEALING YAS ANGEL GET I Tmeme: the Schuyler Sisters, everyonemulliDONE: Plus hERCULES MULLIGAN!spam: i read that as “plush ercules mulligan”tertle: ahaElizard: are you guys gonna go out nowCharmante: sure why notangel: lemme check my schedulememe: yOU DONT HAVE A SCHEDULE GO GET ERBaguette: Now I think that is all the dRAMAmeme: i think ur rightiamgood: i think ur leftBaguette: ...I am, how you say, ambidextrousspam: ,yes that’s how you sayBaguette: yasBaguette: to prevent any gangs from forming,,,meme: was that a direct threat on my personal lifetertle: pegs what - why would any gangs formmeme: shh dont worry about itBaguette: I will now delete this chatiamgood: bye bye chat :(angel: your memeing days are overmeme: not really butt okcold: someone calledspam: hahahaha good onecold: i learned from the best. i won’t miss this. Goodbye. cold has removed cold from the Great Chat of 2017 The_Oh: He’s totally gonna miss this.mulliDONE: babae you can remove us nowspam: herc whatBaguette has removed spam, tertle, mulliDONE, The_Oh, meme, iamgood, red, Elizard, angel, Charmante, Hawt, IMPORTANT, pure, and dead from the Great Chat of 2017.Baguette: alone again,Baguette: naturallyBaguette: I know what to do Baguette has added Thomas "Long Tom" Jefferson and imsick to the Great Chat of 2017 Thomas "Long Tom" Jefferson: wtf is thisBaguette: we knowimsick: What???? Who is this???? WHAT DO YOU KNOW Baguette has removed Baguette from the Great Chat of 2017
10979220	V svoi ruki	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Steve Rogers, James \"Bucky\" Barnes", "Fandom": null, "Language": "Русский", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by Taala", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-23T00:00:00", "words": "8,238", "Additional Tags": "Soulmates, Romance, Fluff, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Don't copy to another site", "Relationship": "James \"Bucky\" Barnes/Steve Rogers", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America (Movies)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	— Да ну, ерунда это, — отмахивается Баки. — Только девчонкам и нужно. Бекка вон уже все уши прожужжала, что когда она вырастет, то обязательно!.. Одна любовь на уме. Он шерудит палкой в углях, поворачивая картофелины на другой бок, машинально чешет нос. Руки грязные от сажи, и над губой остается черный, как кривоватый гангстерский ус, след. Стив ловит себя на желании стереть его пальцем, но только плотнее запахивает на груди старый пиджак и ежится. Солнце скоро скроется за крышей склада, но оно еще освещает пустырь и потемневшую стену, оно успело нагреть выщербленные кирпичи и заставило Баки снять растянутый свитер. Оно еще ласковое, это сентябрьское солнце, вот только Стиву не хватает тепла, его знобит, и приходится жаться спиной к стене и натягивать рукава на ладони. Он знает, что должен вернуться домой, но там мама тотчас уложит его в постель. Она и так нечасто улыбается, все больше хмурится озабоченно, а тут совсем расстроится, а вертикальная морщинка у нее на лбу станет глубже. Стив терпеть не может расстраивать маму. Наверное, ему кажется, на самом деле он просто долго сидит без движения — вот и продрог слегка. Но сейчас поспеет печеная картошка, от нее станет горячо рукам и губам, потеплеет в животе, и озноб уйдет. — Ну почему ерунда? Кэти Уильямс выглядит довольной. — Еще бы! На нашей улице только она выходит замуж за соулмейта, ей все завидуют. — И мама рассказывала, как была счастлива, когда оказалось, что они с папой — соулмейты. — Сравнил! Твои родители уже были знакомы, ты сам говорил. А если придется жениться на девчонке, которую и знать не знаешь? Вдруг она вредина или ябеда? Или боится мышей, как Бекка? — Ты же ее должен поцеловать. Вот и спроси сначала про мышей. Стив присаживается на корточки, тянет ладони к тлеющим углям, и Баки накидывает ему на плечи свой свитер. — А если соврет? Нет уж! Обойдусь. И метка опять же. А вдруг у нее имя дурацкое? Что мне, потом всю жизнь с ним ходить? — Рукавом закроешь. — А летом? Стив качает головой. Они уже говорили об этом. Мама Баки дружит с миссис Уильямс, так что надежды на будущий брак, ожидания невесты и история ее знакомства с женихом обсуждаются на кухне Барнсов во всех подробностях. Неудивительно, что Баки тоже невольно греет уши. В последнее время все соседи взбудоражены — соулмейты хоть и не редкость, но не каждый встречает своего, Кэти Уильямс крупно повезло. Баки выкатывает одну картофелину поближе, пытается проткнуть ее заостренной палочкой, чтобы оценить готовность. — И вообще. Чего все так с ума сходят? — Ну, здорово же, — Стив не знает, как объяснить то, что кажется ему совершенно ясным. — Когда человек тебя понимает, и когда ты его. Когда вы как две руки или два глаза. Вместе. До конца. — Глаз и выбить могут, — сообщает Баки. — А помнишь старика Рида? Ему-то руку оторвало на лесопилке! — Ты понял, не придуривайся. — Ну если как две руки, то моим соулмейтом должен быть ты. — С чего это? — Так мы с тобой сколько уже вместе? Два года? Это ого-го сколько! И в школу ходим, и уроки делаем, и гуляем. И ты даже со мной к старухе Пратт полез за яблоками, хотя и против был. А твоя мама разрешает мне ночевать у вас. — Глупости! Двое парней не могут… — А если не проверял никто? Смотри! Баки по крабьи делает шажок к Стиву и смачно чмокает в щеку. — Придурок! От неожиданности Стив теряет равновесие и шлепается на задницу, Баки отскакивает и хохочет. — Ну что, не появилось? Он с неподдельным интересом рассматривает грязное запястье, а потом протягивает руку Стиву.Тот сердито зыркает из-под растрепавшейся челки, но помощь все-таки принимает.Легкая обида тает, не успев оформиться — на Баки невозможно долго дуться. Вот он уже перебрасывает картофелину с ладони на ладонь, дует на нее, забавно вытягивая шею, а Стив отряхивает штаны и украдкой смотрит на собственное запястье. Конечно, ничего не изменилось, только сажи прибавилось. А еще почему-то стало жарко и немножко щекотно. * Баки крутится перед зеркалом. Зеркало маленькое и разглядеть себя в нем полностью невозможно. Обычно оно стоит на кухонном подоконнике — там светлее всего и удобнее бриться, но если повесить на стену отойти на пару шагов — видно голову и плечи.Баки нанес на волосы бриолин и вертит головой, придирчиво проверяя, чтобы ни одна прядка не выбилась. Он привстает на цыпочки, изгибается и расправляет плечи, пытаясь рассмотреть, как сидит на спине пиджак. Наклоняется ближе, поправляя галстук. Толку все равно никакого. Они оба не умеют красиво завязывать галстуки, только лишний раз мнут ткань, узлы получаются кривоватыми и неровными. Не критично, но до идеала далеко. Стив думает, что Баки галстук не нужен. В отличие от Стива, у него красивая шея, которая выигрышно смотрится с расстегнутым воротом или в обрамлении высокой горловины плотного свитера: в первом случае создается образ романтический, во втором — мужественный и чуточку хулиганский. А дешевая удавка вызывает воспоминания о скучных конторщиках в черных нарукавниках, замызганных жилетах и с красными от напряжения глазами. Но Баки считает галстук важным, тем более, когда речь идет о пятничных танцах. — Не передумал? — Неа. — Да ладно тебе, Стиви, идем! Потанцуешь, развлечешься. — Сам знаешь, танцор из меня паршивый. — Не преувеличивай, ты неплохо двигаешься. Если прекратишь стесняться, все вообще будет отлично. Девушки любят уверенных в себе парней. Давай-ка! Сверкнув улыбкой, он дергает Стива на себя, привлекает, поддерживая за талию, — и тут же получает ощутимый тычок в грудь. — Балбес! — Здорово же, ну? Только расслабься. — Пусти. — Все-все! — Вскинув руки в знак капитуляции, Баки отступает. — Все нормально? Стив фыркает и незаметно переводит дыхание. Он и правда не любит танцы, хотя потратил немало сил и времени, что бы научиться. Жаль, что результат не стоит затраченных усилий — можно заставить ноги затвердить дорожки шагов, но танцем это не станет. Стиву не хватает куража, не достает легкости, которой у Баки в избытке. Миссис Барнс иногда называет сына легкомысленным, но Стив считает, что она ошибается. Баки на самом деле легкий — во всем. Его губы в любой момент готова тронуть улыбка — умиротворенная, недобрая, предвкушающая, насмешливая, усталая, призывная. Он с одинаковым азартом вступает в драку и устремляется к дешевым аттракционам. Без видимых усилий поднимает мешки в доках и подбрасывает девушек на танцполе.Стив иногда ему завидует, но не может не любоваться. Вернувшись к зеркалу, Баки снова задирает подбородок, изучая шею на предмет пропущенных при бритье участков, а его ноги тем временем отстукивают по восемь счетов. Движения нечеткие, едва намеченные, но линди-хоп угадывается без труда, и Стив мысленно дорисовывает сбросы и выпады. Баки мычит под нос незатейливый мотив, ладонью расправляет складки рубашки, проталкивая ее глубже в брюки, поворачивается на одном каблуке и снова зовет:— Пойдем! А вдруг именно сегодня ты встретишь своего соулмейта? Что скажешь? Не упускай шанс! — Невозможно. — Знаешь, сидя дома вообще ничего не дождешься. Лично я собираюсь рискнуть. — Еще не всех перецеловал? — Обижаешь! У меня правило — не больше одной за вечер. И то только если девушка сама захочет. — Допроверяешься, — Стив качает головой, но усмехается. — Не боишься чересчур увлечься поцелуями? Вернешься под утро, через пару месяцев сыграешь свадьбу, через год появится маленький Барнс. И все это безо всякой метки. — Ну, мои родители не соулмейты, но живут вроде бы неплохо. Так что не боюсь. — Баки легко пожимает плечами и подтягивает манжеты рубашки, стараясь, чтобы они симметрично выглядывали из рукавов пиджака. — Кстати, почему именно левая рука? Всегда было интересно. — Ближе к сердцу? — предполагает Стив. — Тогда метка должна появляться на груди. — И кто ее там увидит? — В том-то и дело, — Баки подмигивает. — Платья были бы намного откровеннее. — Да у вас пошлые мысли, мистер Барнс! — Нет, я мыслю рационально. Стив смеется. — Иди уже, а то всех хорошеньких разберут. — А вот этого допускать никак нельзя! Баки наконец исчезает за дверью, помахав на прощанье, и Стив остается один. Его не тяготит одиночество и не посещает желание оказаться вместе с Баки среди кокетливых девушек и принарядившихся парней. Каждый должен быть на своем месте, и место Стива точно не там. И хотя он еще не знает, где именно, но зато уверен, что со своей судьбой он не разминулся — она сегодня не танцует. Если один из соулмейтов умирает, метка у второго бледнеет и исчезает. Говорят, чем прочнее отношения, тем медленнее процесс, но в итоге от надписи все равно не остается и следа. Стив знает — он видел мамино запястье и, как ни силился, не мог разобрать слов, хотя она уверяла, что все еще может их прочесть. Он смотрит на проступившие буквы — аккуратные, округлые, написанные знакомым, слишком знакомым почерком — и отчаянно надеется, что это ненадолго. И главное — что его имя ну чужой руке не переживет падения.Палец медленно обводит заглавную «М», и Стив испытывает легкое раздражение. Она никогда не была для него Маргарет. Что это Пегги, стало ясно сразу. Не с первого взгляда, наверное, не с первой фразы, но если бы Стива спросили, когда он понял, что Пегги его соулмейт, он бы не ответил. Он просто всегда это знал. Она не походила ни на кого. Смотрела на Стива, а не сквозь него, слышала его — действительно слышала, а не делала вид, даже тогда, когда он говорил ей «мэм» и без сил лежал на брюхе, едва не касаясь лбом форменных туфелек, потому что нетренированные руки подламывались уже после десятка отжиманий. Он знал, что рано или поздно со всем уважением коснется поцелуем ее губ — алых, в тон праздничного платья, бережно хранимого до торжественного случая. Что она будет именно в платье, а не в штабной форме — необычно нарядная и прекрасная, как всегда. Что ее ресницы опустятся, она склонит голову ему на плечо, прижмется, а когда отстранится, они оба увидят имена на запястьях. Но сначала она была его инструктором, а он курсантом, и между ними стояли Устав и субординация. Потом он получил игрушечное звание, она — новое задание, а преградой стал Атлантический океан. После их свел случай и линия фронта, но первоочередной задачей являлось уничтожение Гидры, а личная жизнь могла и подождать. Баки тогда посмеивался, дразнил Стива, заявляя, что он только кажется романтиком, а на самом деле просто трусит и дурит девушке голову. Баки вообще тогда много смеялся, почти как до войны, только чаще над собой, и смех порой звучал зло и хлестко. Незнакомо. Он изменился — неуловимо и бесповоротно. Стал жестче, отдалился, умудряясь постоянно держаться рядом. Упрямился, сохраняя подчеркнутую вежливость. Стив лишь хмурился, но не одергивал. Каждый справлялся с ежедневным напряжением как мог, и Баки выбрал способ не хуже прочих. Стив же спасался тем, что был здесь и сейчас. Не грезил о будущем, не вспоминал прошлое — делал то, что считал необходимым каждую минуту, жил от миссии до миссии, не загадывал дальше завтрашнего дня, боялся, что не успеет. И не успевал. Он подвел Баки и Пегги тоже подвел. Наверное, она устала ждать или боялась не успеть — вряд ли хотела его ободрить, в тот момент он не нуждался в дополнительном стимуле. Даже толком не осознал поцелуй в горячке погони. Сначала он пытался удержаться на ускользающих шасси, позже выбрасывал за борт бойцов Гидры и уворачивался от выстрелов Шмидта – ему было не до того. Стив не чувствовал ничего особенного — ни тепла, ни жжения, ни щекотки. Только обессилено упав в кресло пилота и поддернув набухший от крови рукав, чтобы не мешал, Стив увидел надпись. Земля несется навстречу, самое время помолиться и попросить прощения. Самое время ощутить хоть что-то — горечь разочарования, злость на судьбу, любовь наконец, — но Стив чувствует только вину, и вина эта так тяжела, что кажется дополнительным грузом на крыльях «Валькирии». Он сказал, что сделал выбор, но солгал — у него нет выбора, и это хорошо. — Пожалуйста, пусть она еще не заметила, — просит Стив и закрывает глаза. Он хочет увидеть Пегги в последний раз, представить ее красивой и уверенной, но видит лишь нестерпимую белизну снега и Баки, протягивающего ему руку. Стив тянется в ответ, а снег взрывается осколками стекла и льда, впивается в лицо, жалит холодом и болью.Следом приходит темнота. В будущем чересчур светло. Это первая мысль, которая его посещает, и он долго не может от нее отделаться.В городе от света не скрыться — горят фонари, сияют витрины, на гигантских мониторах сменяют друг друга рекламные ролики, повсюду подмигивают светящиеся стрелки указателей или мелькают пущенные бегущей строкой надписи.Даже за плотно зашторенными окнами и с выключенным светом не бывает полностью темно — светодиоды в панели телевизора, ноутбуке, телефоне, выключателях, стиральной машинке. Закипающий электрический чайник озаряет все вокруг себя люминесцентно-зеленым, и Стив, не выдержав, меняет его на самый обычный, который с облегчением греет на газовой плите.Город нуждается в свете, он никогда не засыпает, и Стив это знает совершенно точно — он тоже не может толком спать. Выспался, наверное, за семьдесят лет. Когда его спрашивают, привык ли он к новому времени, Стив вежливо улыбается, извиняясь, сетует на световое загрязнение и незнакомую музыку, а сам едва сдерживается, чтобы не взвыть. Здесь все не так. Совершенно все. Глаз не цепляет привычных картин, город иначе звучит и пахнет, еда имеет непривычный вкус, а люди, кажется, говорят на незнакомом языке. И они совершенно чужие — люди. Из его прежних знакомых осталась только Пегги. Он спешит к ней, как только узнает об этом. Садится на первый же самолет, нетерпеливо, на грани вежливости подгоняет таксиста, бежит от парковки до здания, взлетает по лестнице и застывает перед дверью, не в силах перешагнуть порог. Что, если она не помнит его? Что, если не простила? Если оплакала и отпустила, а его появление принесет ей ненужную тревогу и боль? Что, если там не Пегги, а он ошибся?Она сама окликает его. — Так и будешь стоять, Стивен? — он слышит ее голос — все тот же, почти не изменившийся за десятки лет. — Даже не поздороваешься? — И лишусь удовольствия видеть тебя? Ну уж нет. Он наконец входит, и все глупые страхи остаются за спиной. Это все еще она — его Пегги. Ее взгляд, ее улыбка, ее красота — уже не яркая, хрупкая и словно уставшая, но все еще живая. Сила духа и упрямство тоже ее, ими пропитана вся солнечная комната, вместо запаха лекарств и немощи, которого Стив подсознательно так опасался. Его обволакивают воспоминания. Недавние, по его меркам, совсем свежие, ранящие просто потому, что касаются давно ушедших людей и событий. Но, сорвавшись с губ Пегги, они теряют остроту, приглушаются, получают продолжение, которого он не застал, и Стив теперь тоже может их отпустить и испытать облегчение — чуть-чуть. Визит ее заметно выматывает. Как бы Стив ни старался сдерживаться, все равно эмоции выплескиваются, заставляют Пегги волноваться, сбивают ее сердце с ритма, затрудняют дыхание. Она откидывается на подушки — такая маленькая, почти прозрачная, но при этом невероятно сильная, — и протягивает руку, прощаясь. — Заходи ко мне, Стивен. Если будет время. Знаю, как обидно его терять. — Я обязательно приду, — клянется он. — Надоем еще. Она устало улыбается, а он целует ее сухие пальцы, бережно удерживая невесомую кисть. Кожа испещрена морщинами и пигментными пятнами, но на запястье ни следа метки — как и у Стива. Они это не обсуждают. Он не знает, как спросить и стоит ли спрашивать. Все-таки он умер во льдах — должно быть, дело именно в этом. * Иногда Стив сравнивает себя с пауком — исключительно мысленно, потому что Наташа запретила покушаться на ее лавры. Он лично объезжает два десятка бывших баз в Штатах — и Гидры и, на всякий случай, ЩИТа. Улов получается богатый — списки сотрудников, удачные и не очень разработки, замороженные проекты, направление финансовых потоков, оборудование и, разумеется, оружие. И ни следа Зимнего солдата. Наташа забрасывает несколько удочек, пользуясь старыми связями на территории бывшего Советского Союза. Фьюри обещает глянуть в Европе — одним глазком, разумеется, если выдастся свободная минута. Сэм заверяет, что пообщается кое с кем из ветеранов — у бывших вояк свои источники. Клинт, помявшись, намекает на контакты из прошлого. Тони просто дает команду Джарвису и хлопает Стива по плечу, велев ждать. Он и ждет. Не расстается с телефоном, педантично проверяет почту, регулярно просматривает новости. Лихорадочные поиски первых недель не приносят результатов — по горячим следам Баки не находят, но Стиву не привыкать быть терпеливым. Изредка паутинка вздрагивает, и Стив реагирует на сигнал. В основном попадаются пустышки. Замеченные на камерах наблюдения мужчины при ближайшем рассмотрении имеют весьма отдаленное сходство с Баки. Отставной полковник из Львова, якобы получивший сведения о проникновении Зимнего Солдата на законсервированный оборонный объект, просто хочет денег. Длинноволосый охранник колумбийского наркоторговца, появляющийся на людях исключительно в маске — обычный наемник с любовью к театральным эффектам. Инвалид, жонглирующий ножами в Париже — действительно жонглер, да еще и мошенник, потому что все конечности при нем. Когда к Стиву попадает видеозапись подпольного боя какого-то азиатского мастера мечей, его сердце пускается вскачь, а в голове шариком от пинг-понга мечется «Нашел!». Картинка мелкая и нечеткая, но поначалу сходство поразительное — черная униформа, блеск металла, полумаска, скрывающая нижнюю часть лица. Он ждет, стиснув кулаки и вглядываясь до рези в глазах, пускает изображение покадрово, приближает, воюя с настройками. Добившись результата, обессилено роняет руки на колени — не Баки, хотя отдаленное сходство есть. И Стив знать не желает, что творили с этим несчастным. * Услышав стук, Стив поднимает голову и осторожно ставит чашку на стол. Звук короткий, не особенно настойчивый. Его можно было бы не заметить или найти ему с десяток невинных объяснений, но стучали совершенно точно в окно, а близко расположенных деревьев рядом нет, и ветер точно ни при чем. Щит сам ложится в руку. Стив мягко поднимается, перетекает к окну, прижимаясь к стене и стараясь не высовываться. Свет он не погасил просто потому, что от стола до выключателя пришлось бы метнуться через всю комнату, так что теперь видит в стекле только свое отражение. Но снаружи точно кто-то есть.Под прикрытием щита Стив чуть-чуть смещается, нажимает на ручку и тянет на себя. Створка подается, приоткрывается — Стив снова вжимается в стену. — Заходите, — громко приглашает он. — Хотя через дверь было бы удобнее. — Ничего, я не гонюсь за удобством. Человек мягко спрыгивает внутрь и выпрямляется. Не узнать его невозможно. — Баки?! Стив едва удерживается от порыва шагнуть к нему, стиснуть в объятьях, пройтись ладонями по лицу, плечам, спине, рукам — просто чтобы убедиться, что ему не мерещится. Он не боится нападения, нет, но не уверен, что Баки готов к тесному контакту — слишком напряжена его поза и цепок взгляд. Так что он просто повторяет:— Бак. Я искал тебя. Так долго искал! — Как раз хотел поговорить об этом, — Баки отрывисто кивает. — Не мог бы ты прекратить? — Что? — Поиски. Вы все время дышите мне в затылок, постоянно приходится менять укрытие. Что бы вы себе не напридумывали, у меня не так много убежищ и скрываться становится все труднее. Последнюю нору вычислил твой друг с крыльями. Позавчера. — Он ничего не говорил мне, — растерянно замечает Стив. И он действительно растерян — разговор идет как-то не так. — Потому что меня там уже не было. Успел улизнуть. — Тебе не нужно скрываться. Я помогу, Бак. — Я не готов. Пока нет, — отрезает Баки и просит: — Отзови своих, Роджерс, пожалуйста. Если все еще называешь Барнса своим другом. Мне хватает желающих пообщаться. — Барнса? — Стив реагирует прежде всего на имя, но цепляет не столько оно, сколько интонация — так говорят не о себе, а о ком-то знакомом. Не особенно близко знакомом. — Конечно, ты мой друг. Всегда был и будешь. До конца, помнишь? Баки едва заметно морщится, словно мысль о дружбе со Стивом его не вполне устраивает или он ждал каких-то других слов. Так что Стив переспрашивает:— Ты ведь помнишь? — Смутно. — Но ты пришел… — Я помню тебя, Роджерс. И нас — отчасти. Но все путается. Как книга, в которой не хватает страниц — что-то ярко и отчетливо, что-то приходится додумывать. Я не знаю, что из того, что всплывает в памяти, действительно было, что я прочитал о тебе, а что приснилось. Такая каша. — Его взгляд становится растерянным, и Баки прячет его, отворачиваясь. — Проще думать, что это происходило с кем-то другим. Он слишком отличается от того, кем я стал для Гидры. Стив вновь заставляет себя остаться на месте. Он чувствует, как колет подушечки пальцев от желания прикоснуться, как кривятся губы, сдерживая слова утешения. — Ты всегда можешь спросить меня, — предлагает он. — Все, что захочешь. Баки коротко вдыхает, явно собираясь с духом, но ничего не произносит. — Бак? — Один вопрос. Об этом не говорили в музее и я ничего не нашел в Интернете, но… — он сбивается, переводит дыхание, и решается: — Мы были соулмейтами? Стив настолько не ожидал, что выпаливает, не задумываясь:— Нет, конечно! И не могли бы. И Баки едва заметно вздрагивает, будто его ударили.— У меня была чья-то метка? Он поворачивает запястье, нарочно заставляя шуршать металлические пластины. Звук неприятный, и Стив виновато хмурится. Говорить о Пегги сейчас точно не стоит. — Нет. Ты так и никого и не встретил. — Значит, я тебя поцеловал, и ничего не вышло? — Но ты не… — Не целовал? — беспомощно переспрашивает Баки и ловит взгляд Стива, словно одних слов ему мало и нужно убедиться еще как-то. — Так любил, и даже не попытался? Стиву становится плевать на личное пространство и необходимость удерживаться от резких движений. Плевать на то, как это выглядит и даже на то, что подумает Баки. Его сердце сжимается, под веками жжет, он просто не может ничего не делать. Его буквально швыряет вперед, руки сами ложатся на плечи, стискивают разом слои ткани, кожу и металл. — Бак, я… — Подожди, — останавливает его Баки, не делая, впрочем, попыток вырваться. — Дай мне минуту. Дай мне… Он закрывает глаза и слепо тянется к Стиву — медленно, давая возможность оттолкнуть. Ожидая этого. И, не дождавшись, касается губами губ. В жизни Стива поцелуи были. Не так мало, как однажды решила Наташа, не так много, как ему, возможно, хотелось бы. Чаще целовали его, он — значительно реже. Во время знаменитых рекламных туров не одна девушка пыталась испытать судьбу, а Стив не сразу научился оказывать.Поцелуи были разными — робкими и обещающими, кокетливыми и агрессивными, целомудренными и возбуждающими. Порой он почти ничего не успевал почувствовать, порой с трудом терпел чужую назойливость. Но шокирующими они не были никогда. Стив понятия не имеет, что он чувствует, когда поцелуй заканчивается. Не может даже сказать, сколько он длился и кто его разорвал. Он просто выпал из тела и времени, а потом вернулся. Баки выглядят как человек, долго время испытывавший мучительную жажду и так и не сумевший напиться. Он проводит языком по губам, словно не веря собственным ощущениям, прижимает ко рту металлические пальцы, а правой рукой тянет Стива за левое запястье. Оба задерживают дыхание и оба смотрят. Конечно, ничего не изменилось. — Точно. Этого бы я не забыл. Стив не знает, что ответить.Так же молча он трогает Баки за локоть, когда тот перекидывает ногу через подоконник, но почти сразу отпускает. — Я дам знать, — обещает Баки. Стив отступает, удерживая раму открытой, а после долго вглядывается в ночь за окном, но так и не может понять, в каком направлении исчез Баки.Спустя десять минут он звонит Сэму. * — И ты просто отпустил его? — спрашивает Наташа. С ней легче всего — Стив не слышит за вопросом ни осуждения, ни гнева. Фьюри, например, не забывает напомнить, что Зимний Солдат в розыске за федеральные преступления, и цитирует пункты обвинения до тех пор, пока Стив не прерывает вызов. Сэм смотрит как на умалишенного — сочувственно и обреченно. Он не произносит имени Райли, но оно прекрасно слышится его в молчании. И оправдаться нечем.Старк демонстрирует удивление, но никак не комментирует, ссылаясь на занятость. Стив бы обеспокоился его мнением — действительно, но сейчас есть заботы поважнее.А Наташа лишь уточняет, будто ничего кроме статуса текущей задачи ее не интересует. Ерунда, конечно, когда это Наташу не интересовала информация. — Отпустил. Он обещал выйти на связь. Она принимает к сведению. Ни черта это не просто, но Стив ждет. Смс с единственным «спасибо» приходит через три дня. Номер неизвестен, перезвонить не удается.«Абонент не зарегистрирован в сети» — вот и весь результат. Но на всякий случай он добавляет новый контакт в список. А потом снова ждет. *— Не думаю, что это хорошая идея. — Национальный символ должен являться народу, иначе его забудут, — наставительно говорит Старк. — Поулыбаешься, покажешь щит, сфотографируешься в толпе — и все будут счастливы. — В результате последнего явления Вашингтон едва уцелел. — Это потому что с вами не было меня. — Когда с нами был ты, пострадал Нью-Йорк. — О, так мне не стоило?.. — невинно уточняет Старк, и Стива передергивает от воспоминаний — они бы не справились без Тони, конечно, нет. — Ни в коем случае. Но, может быть, ты и сейчас составишь мне компанию? — Прости, конференция в Берлине, займет дня три, не меньше. Да и Пеппер считает, что меня нельзя пускать к детям — я могу плохо на них повлиять. — Она преувеличивает. — Не сказал бы. — Тони улыбается — не Стиву, скорее свои мыслям, — и распоряжается: — Два часа, Кэп. Приедешь, ответишь на вопросы, расскажешь пару баек — не очень скабрезных, пожалуйста. И свободен. Люди хотят лицезреть героя не только по телевизору и в Интернете, а воспитание подрастающего поколения — наша прямая обязанность. — Задолжал услугу мэру Мэрисвилла? — Ни в коем случае. Свои долги я оплачиваю сам, а это — твой. И прекрати капризничать — у тебя же есть опыт публичных выступлений. Стив подавляет вздох — всего его опыта явно недостаточно. Эта школа похожа на тысячи других — разворот для автобусов, большая парковка, заметно вытоптанный газон, свежеокрашенные скамейки перед главным входом. Позади трехэтажного здания — стадион, обнесенный крупноячеистой сеткой. Именно на нем и хотели провести встречу Капитана Америка с учениками, но с самого утра льет дождь, и приходится тесниться в спортзале. Стиву откровенно не по себе. Выкрикивать заученный текст со сцены, ощущая поддержку девушек, было намного легче. Сейчас шпаргалки у него нет, он умеет отдавать приказы или выполнять их в зависимости от ситуации, но развлекать и заинтересовывать — нет. Он не боится детей — он просто не умеет с ними общаться. И со сверстниками-то контакт не получался, а современные подростки кажутся совершенно чужими. Глядя на них, Стив особенно остро чувствует себя ископаемым и мечтает о поддержке Старка. Что бы тот ни говорил о своем дурном влиянии на детей, завоевать их внимание, в отличие от Стива, он умеет мастерски.Зал забит битком. Стива предупредили, что приглашены ученики двух соседних школ, так что среди старшеклассников мелькает ребятня помладше. Заняты не только три яруса трибун, но и все дополнительные скамьи и стулья, притащенные перед встречей. Мест не хватает, кто-то стоит у стен, сидит на полу. Со своего места Стив отчетливо видит отдельные группки и даже выделяет их лидеров, под которых подстраиваются остальные. Он не нуждается в представлении, но директор все-таки с гордостью объявляет:— Сегодня нам выпала честь приветствовать самого Капитана Америка! Улыбаясь, Стив поднимает щит и слышит свист и улюлюканье среди аплодисментов. Оно говорит себе, что это выражение восторга и настраивается на миссию. Поначалу школьники тушуются, и первые вопросы задают учителя — о сыворотке, о принятии решения, о войне. Это просто.Стив отвечает, особенно не задумываясь, повторяет то, о чем рассказывал не раз, то, что сам слышал на лекции Смитсоновского музея, непроизвольно копируя размеренную интонацию гида.Они все-таки слушают. Большинство с неподдельным интересом и восторгом, некоторые снисходительно, делая вид, что попали сюда случайно. И создается впечатление, что все целятся в него своими телефонами и планшетами, фотографируя и фотографируясь на фоне. Пацан лет одиннадцати уже несколько минут порывается что-то сказать. Ему очевидно скучно слушать о такой древности как Вторая мировая, он ерзает и, набравшись смелости, вклинивается в первую же паузу: — А вы летали с Железным Человеком? — Летал, — усмехается Стив. — Жутковатый опыт. — Круто! Я бы тоже хотел! — А читаури вблизи такие же страшные, как на видео? — А вы можете сейчас бросить щит? — Почему вы до сих пор не перебили всех террористов? — Если Россия нападет на нас, мы победим? — Теперь Гидра уничтожена полностью? — Наташа Романофф действительно так горяча, как кажется, Кэп? — А Тор давал вам подержать молот? Стив старается.Как может, описывает читаури, сжато обрисовывает свой взгляд на терроризм и борьбу с ним, заверяет, что лично позаботится о том, чтобы Гидра никого не побеспокоила. Симпатичного парня, спросившего о Наташе, он награждает осуждающим взглядом и тут же встречается глазами с рядом сидящей девушкой. — А у вас есть подруга, Стив? Он думает, что ей лет пятнадцать от силы, и хотя поначалу готов был принять ее за учительницу, но чересчур короткая юбка и хихикающие подружки его разубедили. Думает, что ее матери стоило бы посоветовать ей менее провокационную одежду для занятий. Думает, что движение, которым она закидывает ногу на ногу, вызывает не возбуждение, а желание прикрыть ей колени и отвернуться.Кажется, он реагирует как-то не так. Зал оживляется, по нему прокатывается волна смешков учеников и шиканье учителей. — У меня есть друзья, мисс. — Я об особенной подруге, — она не сдается, чувствуя поддержку. — Вы с кем-то встречаетесь? — Нет времени, — он разводит руками. Плохо, что он так и не научился избегать подобных вопросов. Хорошо, что есть на кого переключать внимание. — Вы что-то хотели спросить? — Да, если позволите. Стив не может сказать, чем именно, но этот парень ему не нравится.Короткий ежик светлых волос создает впечатление, что его обладатель обрит налысо. Черная футболка без рисунка и надписей, черные же джинсы, рюкзак на одном плече — ничего особенного. На вид не больше шестнадцати, довольно симпатичный, держится подчеркнуто вежливо, но Стив сам не замечает, как перехватывает щит и чуть шире расставляет ноги для устойчивости. — Слушаю… — Дэниел Кей. — Слушаю, Дэниел. — Как вам новый мир, Капитан? Что ж, вопрос не редкий. — О, здесь много непривычного, но я… — начинает Стив, однако его перебивают. — Я не про машины и Интернет. Как вам все это? — Дэниел раскидывает руки. Его голос взлетает, становится ломким — то ли парень боится, что его не услышат, потому что стоит у самой двери, то ли нервничает. — Как вам Америка, Капитан? Когда вы отправлялись на фронт, вы предполагали, к чему скатится наша страна? — Дэниел! — окликает кто—то из учителей, но тот продолжает. — Она гниет изнутри! Америку заполонили иммигранты! Это они везут наркотики и травят нас. Это на борьбу с ними идут наши налоги. Это для того, чтобы они жили на пособия, работают социальные программы. А черножопые? Они сбиваются в банды и держат в страхе улицы. Живут грабежами, проституцией и торговлей оружием, пока правительство играет в либерализм!.. — Мистер Кей! — Теперь они лезут во власть! Когда Линкольн отменил рабство, никто не ожидал, что нигер станет президентом! Разве это допустили бы в сороковые, Капитан? — Мир меняется, Дэниел… — успокаивающе начинает Стив, но договорить ему не дают. — Но мы не животные, чтобы позволят ему меняться, как вздумается. Мы должны управлять переменами! В этот момент Стив понимает, что должно произойти, но не успевает. Открытый рюкзак легко соскальзывает с плеча. Дэниел дергает на себя соседа — чернокожего парня, одновременно выхватывая пистолет. Парень задушено ахает, дуло упирается ему под челюсть. Стоящие рядом ученики отшатываются, но даже они еще не осознают, что случилось. — Мы должны навести порядок на нашей земле, Капитан! — звонкий выкрик заглушает общий гул. — Очистить ее от мусора! — Не делай этого, Дэниел. — А кто мне помешает? Вы? Стив обязан, но не может. Он шагает к краю трибуны, Дэниел предостерегающе качает головой, его заложник вздрагивает, сильнее задирая подбородок. Еще не все в курсе происходящего. Кто-то не увидел, кто-то не расслышал, но шум в зале нарастает, толпа смещается — между Стивом и Кеем несколько десятков человек, а единственный выход за спиной у вооруженного подростка. Стив безоружен, но даже если бы и нет — стрелять в такой ситуации немыслимо. И щит не бросить. — Нужно начать с малого, и люди услышат. Задумаются. Поддержат. — Дэниел, послушай… Что-то громко говорит директор, ухо улавливает увещевания учителей и возбужденные выкрики. Стив не отводит взгляд от пистолета. Это «Беретта» — удобная, легкая в обращении, скорострельная, но для пальцев Дэниела рукоять толстовата, хват начинает ослабевать. Если потянуть время, он просто устанет. А если удастся подобраться поближе, Стиву хватит трех шагов и одного прыжка — он справится. — Легче бороться с инопланетянами, чем оглянуться вокруг, да, Капитан? Еще один небольшой шажок — вниз. Дэниел переводит пистолет на Стива, раздается визг. Пятачок свободного пространства вокруг Дэниела увеличивается, но ученики невольно теснятся под защиту Капитана Америка, так что места для маневра нет. Стив готов к тому, чтобы получить пулю, но совсем не уверен, что парень попадет — слишком велико расстояние, и кто знает, как он стреляет. Еще шаг. Стив задвигает за спину оказавшуюся на пути девчушку, поднимает щит, видя, как сдвигается палец на курке.Хлопок выстрела намного тише звона разбитого стекла и лязга, с которым выбитый пистолет падает на пол. Дэниел мгновение удивленно смотрит на него, а затем молча складывается, прижимая к животу пострадавшую руку. Полиция появляется минут семь спустя, когда ученики уже выведены из зала, а Дэниел Кей баюкает руку в кабинете директора. Стива просят задержаться — как и всех остальных взрослых. Он не видит, как работают с детьми, надеется только, что их побыстрее отпустят после пережитого. — Никаких группировок, что вы, — убеждает директор. Он немолод, но если с утра производил впечатление человека уверенного и уравновешенного, то сейчас едва держится. — Конечно, в любой школе найдутся представители разных субкультур, но Кей не принадлежал ни к одной, я бы знал. Близких друзей тоже нет, правда? Директор поворачивается к одной из учительниц в поисках поддержки. — Он немного замкнут, да, но никаких конфликтов с другими школьниками, ничего подобного. И семья прекрасная. Его отец бывший военный, он регулярно звонит мне и справляется о Дэниеле. — Отец, не мать? — Да, я тоже обратила внимание. Но Кей-старший объяснил, что воспитание мальчика — дело отца. Знаете, такое не так часто встречается. — Прекрасный выстрел, мистер Роджерс, — отвлекает Стива полицейский. — Рискованный, но прекрасный. — Простите? Стрелял не я. Я думал, полиция. — Ну нет. Мы бы и не успели! Поступило одновременно несколько вызовов, машины выехали сразу же, но занять позицию и выстрелить — нет, не смогли бы. Я думал, это кто-то из ваших друзей. Отличный снайпер, попал точнехонько в ствол, даже пальцы не оцарапал — парень отделается только вывихом. Ну и судить его будут, конечно. И чего ему не хватало? Ну у него хоть спросить можно, а у тех поганцев из Литлтона уже и не спросишь. Вы ж слыхали, что приключилось в девяносто девятом-то? Стив смотрит в окно. Сейчас ему не видно, но он восстанавливает в памяти план школы, вспоминает коридор, из которого видны окна спортзала, пытается представить, как можно под таким углом разглядеть цель. Позже он звонит на сохраненный номер — абонент не зарегистрирован в сети. Несколько попыток спустя он отправляет на номер «Спасибо» — сообщение не проходит. Уведомление о доставке будит его среди ночи два дня спустя. Спросонья Стив даже не сразу соображает, из-за чего пискнул телефон, а сообразив, перезванивает. Его снова постигает неудача — видимо, абонент снова отключился. Стив долго не ложится, ждет, грея в ладонях пластиковый корпус, потом все-таки сдается.Утром приходит ответ: «Пожалуйста». Худший момент подобрать трудно — Наташа где-то в Индии с Брюсом, привыкают к тому, что оказались соулмейтами, Клинт — дома, взял отпуск, чтобы побыть с семьей, Сэм на семинаре в Чикаго, а где в данный момент Тор, ведают лишь боги. Счастье, что Старк никуда не отлучался из города, но их двоих со Стивом катастрофически не хватает. — Ладно, Кэп, справимся вдвоем, — оптимистично заявляет Старк. — Кто сверху, кто снизу? Стив фыркает, на бегу поправляя гарнитуру. — Ты даешь мне выбор? — Старость надо уважать! Так что — да. — А полиция? — Получен приказ оставаться на месте, штурм не начинать — в здании остались заложники. — Переговоры ведутся? — Я тебя умоляю! — голос кажется насмешливым, но Стив не обманывается. — Они смертники, Роджерс. Когда закончится занудная проповедь и иссякнет поток претензий, здесь все к чертям взорвется. А мне жаль — постройка новехонькая, я тоже в нее вкладывался. Стив на мгновение поднимает голову, окидывая взглядом Башню Свободы — первое из отстроенных зданий Всемирного торгового центра. Более сотни поднявшихся над землей этажей. Тонкий шпиль антенны, стремящийся к облакам. Небо, ломающееся в гранях стеклянных стен. Память и надежда, собранные из бетона и стали. — Беспокоишься о вложениях? — уточняет он. — Обожаю высотки, — парирует Старк. — У меня к ним слабость. — Тогда уступаю. Ты сверху. Наушник едва не разрывает от победного крика. Позер.Но Стив успел узнать Тони и научился слышать не только то, что произнесено вслух.А еще он умеет быть достаточно убедительным, так что полиция его не задерживает. Надо признать, что у них хватает забот — отвести подальше тех, кому удалось выбраться, и не подпускать ближе зевак. Под прикрытием брошенных машин Стив бежит к подземной парковке. — Я вошел, жду вводную, — запрашивает он Старка. Пятеро террористов нейтрализованы, причем двое еще живы, но в ближайшие часы не очнутся — Стив не собирается оставлять за спиной возможную угрозу. — На сто втором около тридцати бойцов, точнее сказать не могу. Отсюда идет трансляция обращения к правительству. Заложники на этажах с тридцатого по шестьдесят девятый. Лифты остановлены, лестницы перекрыты. Где-то внизу устанавливают взрывные устройства. Как только работы будут завершены, все взлетит на воздух. Здесь только смертники. — Сколько заложников? — Несколько сот, видимо, — ровно отвечает Старк, и Стив чувствует озноб. — Я их не вижу — Джарвис передает трансляцию и сбрасывает твитты. Пишут, что охранники пытались оказать сопротивление, но были убиты в первую очередь. Сколько террористов, никто точно не сообщает, а я не вижу — стекла тонированные. Зато меня видно прекрасно. Трещат приглушенные выстрелы — где-то наверху Старк вступает в бой, гарнитура заглушает звуки, но можно создать общее впечатление. Хорошо, чем больше террористов отвлечет Железный Человек, тем больше шансов у Стива. Он ускоряет бег. Путаница подземного торгового центра и гулкие переходы парковки остаются позади — бомб нет. Под ноги стелются метры коридоров и ступеней, подошвы щелкают по бетону и чуть-чуть оскальзываются на мраморе. Его замечают, но не успевают сообщить, и Стив, выдернув застрявший в стене щит и перешагнув через трупы, движется дальше. — Кэп, у нас меньше десяти минут до взрыва, — спокойно сообщает Старк, но кто знает, чего ему стоит это спокойствие. — Только что передали, что пошел обратный отсчет. И грозят ускорить процесс, если кто-то сунется. Ты нашел? — Нет, я… — отзывается Стив и тут же осекается и продолжает почти беззвучно: — Двенадцатый этаж, технический. Вижу троих. Взрывное устройство установлено, и вряд ли оно одно. Он слегка высовывается и примеривается достать террористов щитом, но тут же вновь отступает в тень за переплетение кабелей. — Устройств несколько в разных точках, но есть что-то вроде общего пульта управления. Если до него добраться, можно обезвредить сразу все. Наверное. Помощь не помешала бы. — Ну прости, я слегка занят, — дыхание у Старка срывается, он замолкает, и когда Стив уже готов рискнуть, вдруг заявляет: — О, тут твой бойфренд. Вот и поможет. — Кто? — переспрашивает Стив. — Бартон успел вернуться? Но как? — Не Бартон. Такой патлатый чувак в уродливых шмотках. Я бы сказал, что похож на хиппи, но для хиппи он выглядит мрачновато. Подбросить его? Стив не успевает ничего ответить. В наушнике слышится обращенное явно не к нему: «Роджерс на двенадцатом, хватайся», трудноразличимый шум и, несколько секунд спустя, грохот и топот.Баки вылетает из-за угла, видит Стива и мгновенно отворачивается. Он мастерски отвлекает внимание на себя, отстреливаясь и уводя почти всех террористов от пульта управления. С теми, что остались, Стив справляется сам. А вот с взрывчаткой приходится повозиться. Когда все заканчивается, Стив едва успевает ухватить Баки за рукав. — Стой, — произносит он, и если это и звучит слегка умоляюще, то можно списать на длительную беготню по лестницам. — Пожалуйста. Давай выйдем. Баки неохотно подчиняется. В здании полно полиции и медиков. Выводят освобожденных заложников, оказывают помощь пострадавшим, убирают из проходов тела. Мысли о неизбежности жертв горчат, и Стив старательно сглатывает такую же горькую слюну в попытке смочить горло. То, что все могло закончиться куда хуже, что потерь могло быть гораздо больше, не утешает. Никогда. — Спасибо, Бак. Тот неопределенно пожимает плечами. Не за что. — Ума не приложу, каким чудом ты здесь оказался. — Смотрел новости за завтраком. — О. — Стив осторожно улыбается и касается ладонью его руки. — Прости, что испортил тебе завтрак. Ты в порядке? Левый рукав толстовки изодран в клочья — Баки прикрывался рукой как щитом. На щеке ссадина, дыра на правом предплечье, но крови не видно. Зато штанины испачканы в крови — видимо, в чужой. — В полном. Баки демонстративно сгибает в локте левую руку — к его удивлению, в суставе что-то щелкает и неприятно скрежещет. Крайне неприятно. — Вот черт. — Пройдет, — отвечает Баки, но выглядит обеспокоенным. — Само? — фыркает Стив. — Может, нужна помощь? — Сам разберусь. Надо только подобрать инструменты. — Вот я и помогу. — Завалялся дома набор отверток? — Нет, но я знаю, у кого есть. Он призывно машет Старку, стоящему поодаль. Взгляд Баки при этом начисто лишен энтузиазма.Впрочем, он почему-то не спорит. Стив так устает, что неожиданно отрубается под дверью мастерской Старка — засыпает прямо на полу, и настолько крепко, что просыпается только тогда, когда Тони об него запинается. — Ты похож на молодого папашу, ждущего на пороге роддома, — сообщает Старк, оценив его состояние. — Цветов не хватает. И виски. Впрочем, виски тебе без надобности, лучше сразу отдать доктору. — Можно подумать, ты когда-нибудь был в роддоме. День появления на свет не считается. — Не был, но у меня живое воображение. — Как Баки? Вы закончили? — Еще рожает. — Что?! — Ну или стругает себе младенчика. Меня попросил удалиться. — Старк округляет глаза. — Я восхитился его наглостью и ушел. — Тони, — говорит Стив, и угрожающих ноток в его голосе не расслышал бы только глухой. — Пожалуйста. — Не переживай, починил я твоего робота. Как новенький стал. Там всего-то пара пластин погнулась, а потом уже я не удержался — покопался в проводке, кое-что заменил. Барнс был не против! — А почему же не вышел? Ему стало плохо? — А потом он попросил у меня пневмоштихель. Сам понимаешь, это не та просьба, в которой я могу отказать. По крайней мере тому, кто знает, как он работает. — Что это? — Типа стамески, только маленькой и по металлу. В принципе, вены вскрыть можно, но не особенно удобно. — И зачем же тогда он Баки? — Понятия не имею, — Старк тянется к бару. — Ободрать свою стремную звезду? Хотя как по мне, закрасить проще. Так что не удивляйся, если он выйдет и познакомит тебя с Пиноккио. Маленьким таким — у меня там как раз подходящие болванки валяются. Удивительно, но Баки даже уговаривать не приходится переехать к Стиву. После путаных объяснений, состоящих из «раз уж ты все равно за мной приглядываешь», «снимать квартиру на двоих все еще дешевле» и «хотя бы на пару дней, осмотреться», он соглашается сразу, только просит подождать, пока заскочит за вещами. На осторожное предупреждение, что если что-то не понравится, то они обязательно все поменяют, отвечает коротко:— Я там уже был — нормально все. Особенно выход через окно. И ты езжай, я сам доберусь. — А твой телефон? — Включу. Стив кивает и думает, не попросить ли у Старка маячок — на всякий случай. Но не просит, конечно. Баки оборачивается быстро.Входит на этот раз через дверь и моментально обустраивается.Стаскивает с дивана плед и кидает на пол, кладет в ванной новенькую, нераспакованную зубную щетку. На заботливо освобожденную полку в шкафу пристраивает пару футболок и трусов. Принесенный рюкзак прикрывает полотенцем и укладывает в изголовье лежбища.Стив не вмешивается, веря, что со временем вещей станет больше, а рюкзак уступит место подушке. Что вернется былая легкость общения или хотя бы не придется каждый раз дважды мысленно проговаривать вопрос. Что, даже не став прежними, они все равно останутся близкими людьми. Стив помнит про поцелуй, но раз Баки молчит, то он не заговаривает первым. Он счастлив. — Чай? — окликает Баки из кухни. — Неа, — бормочет Стив, заныривая по плечи под кровать. Собравшись на пробежку, он потянул из шкафа чистые штаны, и вместе с ними вывалился напульсник — оранжевый, как солнышко на детских рисунках. Напульсники с год назад подарил Сэм, но Стив, пробежавшись разок, больше их не носил. Непривычно, да и смысла в них не видел. А сейчас, выглянув в окно и оценив набухшие тучи и зябкую серость, вдруг захотел.Только второй напульсник куда-то затерялся. Стив по очереди приподнял стопки белья на полках, пошарил ладонью сверху по шкафу, заглянул снизу — нет. — Да где же? — Так ты будешь чай? Баки появляется за спиной бесшумно.Стив рывком выпрямляется, и первое, что приходит в голову: «хорошо, что я догадался подкрутить термостат». Потому что Баки, три дня не вылезавший из лонгслива, а по вечерам кутающийся в кофту Стива, щеголяет в футболке. А вторую мысль он озвучивает, не задумываясь:— Вот же он! А я обыскался. Секунду они оба смотрят на оранжевую эластичную ленту, обхватывающую левое запястье Баки, и заговаривают одновременно. — Я верну! — Что случилось? Баки отворачивается и теребит застежку-липучку. — Бак? — Стив не может скрыть беспокойство. — Что там? Ты?.. Он понятия не имеет, что. Поранился? Потянул запястье? Но рука-то бионическая. Однако Баки явно не по себе, и Стив тоже начинает нервничать. — Что-то повредил? Если так, то можем попросить Старка. Я сам, прямо сейчас. — Нет. — Он не откажет! — Не суетись, со мной все в порядке. — Баки наконец разматывает напульсник и, не глядя на Стива, показывает: — Видишь? На внутренней стороне запястья чуть кривовато, но старательно выгравировано: «Стив Роджерс».Стив безотчетно тянется к надписи, обводит подушечками пальцев пузатую «С» и слегка покосившуюся «Р». Гладит, чувствуя, как теплеет металл. — Она… — Ненастоящая? — угрюмо интересуется Баки. — Нет. — Стив коротко откашливается, прогоняя комок из горла. — Должна быть длиннее. По правилам — «Стивен». — Переделывать не буду. — И не надо. Стив чувствует себя безъязыким идиотом, привлекая Баки в неуклюжее объятье. Возможно, прикосновения преждевременны, возможно, Баки ждет чего-то большего, но его мышцы заметно расслабляются. Вечером Стив вручает Баки синие, под цвет глаз, напульсники. Баки их ни разу не надевает. В общем-то Стив сам виноват — увлекся, забыл об осторожности, и в результате пропустил удар. А потом, не оценив тяжесть повреждений, еще один. И все было бы ничего, если бы он тренировался с Сэмом или даже Наташей, но спарринг с Баки требует особой осторожности. Надо учесть на будущее. Осторожно приподнявшись и стараясь не морщиться, Стив тянется к бутылке с водой. — Позвать гордость мешает или язык отсох? Баки тут же оказывается на пороге, будто только и ждал, когда в нем возникнет нужда. Он выглядел бы достаточно сурово, если бы не виноватые глаза, и Стив торопится успокоить: — Да я справлюсь, ты чего? Не первый раз ведь. — Вот именно. Должен был научиться! — Не переживай, заживет как на собаке, даже быстрее. Ты же знаешь. — Прекрасно знаю. И знаю, что болит от этого не меньше, а обезболивающие не действуют. И это правда. Сыворотка не только не дает напиться, она и лекарства отторгает, заставляя организм исцеляться самостоятельно. — Я в норме, Бак, серьезно. К утру буду как новенький. — Да черта с два! Врач сказал, рентген сделать через два дня, а до тех пор никаких резких движений. — Ну и что ты предлагаешь? Сидеть со мной и кормить с ложечки, чтобы я не перетрудился? Почитать сказку, чтобы уснул побыстрее и проснулся здоровым, или поцеловать, и все пройдет? — еще не договорив, Стив понимает, что ляпает, и ему становится стыдно. — Прости. — Вообще-то да. — Ты о книжке? — Я о поцелуях, — с непроницаемым лицом заявляет Баки. — Ты же в курсе, что секс действует как обезболивающее? Мозг вырабатывает эндорфины, они влияют на эмоциональное состояние. Мне Старк показал… — Нет! — ужасается Стив. — Только не это. Не хочу знать про него ничего подобного! — Почему? Ревнуешь? — Ни в коем случае. — Тогда не понимаю, почему ты так бурно реагируешь, — Баки уносит опустевшую бутылку и повышает голос, чтобы было слышно из кухни. — Он показал мне, где у Джарвиса хранится порно. Дескать, если я буду лазать по сети, то рискую подцепить какую-нибудь заразу. — Сифилис через Интернет? — не сразу соображает Стив. — Понятия не имею. Но опыт у него богатый, так что я верю. Баки приносит полную бутылку и усаживается у кровати. Стив молчит, ужасаясь и восхищаясь достижениями современного мира. — Так принести ноутбук? Я сохранил кое-что, — прерывает его размышления Баки. — Разрядка пойдет тебе на пользу. — Предлагаешь дрочить? А как же максимальный покой и необходимость беречь ребра? — Ты аккуратно. Ну или, — Баки сосредоточенно смотрит в окно и обращается к нему же, — я мог бы поспособствовать. Протянуть тебе руку помощи? — Ну уж нет Лучше книжку. — Уверен? — Абсолютно. Не спрашивая, Баки берет с прикроватной тумбочки потертый томик О’Генри и открывает на закладке. Он читает рассказ с середины, Стив сперва не может вспомнить, о чем речь, а потом перестает и пытаться. Голос обтекает его, касается мимолетно и затихает. Не имеющие смысла слова сплетаются в уютный кокон, убаюкивают. Плечи Баки опираются на край кровати, левая рука придерживает на колене раскрытую книгу, правая время от времени переворачивает страницы. Он кажется сосредоточенным, полностью погруженным в чтение, и у Стива мелькает мысль: интересно, как он выглядит, когда касается себя. Ведь он же касается, да? Расстегивает ширинку, стягивая штаны. Обнимает ладонью член. Поглаживает себя по бедру или трогает сосок. Интересно, разводит ли он ноги или наоборот стискивает, зажимая мошонку? Напряженно хмурится или расслабленно улыбается? Думает о чем-то возбуждающем или полностью сосредоточен на ощущениях? Стив бы и рад не задавать подобных вопросов, но они возникают помимо его воли. И потом, Баки же сказал — сам. И предложил тоже сам. И поцеловал. Стиву отчаянно жаль, что он не согласился.С этой мыслью он и засыпает. К возвращению Стива завтрак почти готов.На одной из тарелок высится горка остывающих тостов, а две другие ждут скворчащий на сковороде бекон. В глубокой миске высыхают только что вымытые яблоки — все для Стива, Баки считает, что яблоками они даже не пахнут. В пузатом чайнике, прикрытом полотенцем, настаивается чай. В открытых банках сливовый джем и арахисовое масло с белым шоколадом — к свежим булочкам, на выбор. — Руки иди мой! — Уже. Налить чай? — Да, я сейчас. Баки оттягивает подол футболки, чтобы ухватить кастрюльку с яйцами, но до дальней конфорки не дотянуться. — Полотенце возьми, — советует Стив, наблюдая его безуспешные попытки. — Угу. Левая рука в защите не нуждается, так что Баки выпендривается, использует только один уголок полотенца, все остальное свисает. И когда кастрюля поднимается над плитой, свободный край ткани цепляется за чугунную решетку, кипящая вода плещет на сковороду, жир брызжет во все стороны, и Стив выслушивает короткое, но крайне экспрессивное мнение Баки о случившемся. И не надо знать русский язык, чтобы примерно понять, что имеется в виду. — Обжегся? Сильно? Вроде бы Стив только что сидел за столом, и вот уже сидит на корточках перед Баки, задирая его одежду и пытаясь оценить нанесенный ущерб. Черт его знает, когда он успел переместиться. — Пара капель всего, ты чего? Баки одергивает футболку, защищая живот от пристального внимания. — А то я не видел! — Ерунда. Заживет моментально. — Значит все-таки обжегся? — Стив ухитряется одновременно возмущаться и сочувствовать. — Покажи! — Ну а смысл? Ты что, ожогов никогда не видел? — подначивает Баки. — Тебе же больно, а я… — А что ты? — А я мог бы… Стив задирает голову и смотрит снизу вверх. Он не стоит на коленях, но руки машинально удерживают Баки за задницу — просто чтобы не сбежал, и поза даже не выглядит двусмысленной. Она однозначна. Разомкнув губы, Стив понимает, что выглядит провокационно, но он и не провоцирует — он предлагает. — Я мог бы помочь с обезболиванием. — На прошлой неделе ты отказался. — У меня были сломаны ребра, и ты запретил мне шевелиться. Не хотелось лежать бревном. — О, значит, я могу лежать бревном, а ты будешь меня… обезболивать? — уточняет Баки. — Согласен! — Нет, — Стив тушуется, но поясняет: — Я думал, мы оба поучаствуем. — То есть расслабиться и получить удовольствие не удастся? — Неа. — Ладно. — Точно? — Стив немного не ожидал столько стремительного поворота, но отступать не собирается. — Только я не знаю, как. Никогда не пробовал. — Это ничего, — спокойно утешает его Баки. — Мы со Старком… — С Тони?! Да вы виделись раза три от силы! Когда успели-то? — Мы со Старком… — Баки выдерживает паузу, гладя кончиком пальца переносицу Стива, и, улыбаясь, заканчивает: — практикуем разные подходы в подборе видео. Он предпочитает возбуждающие сюжеты, а я — обучающие. Так что опыт у меня есть. Теоретический. Стив облегченно выдыхает и за спиной Баи выключает конфорки. Черт с ним, с завтраком. *Солнце рисует на асфальте длинные тени, утреннюю тишину разбивает щелканье кроссовок и шелест редких проезжающих машин. Тело звенит от легкого, кипящего в крови напряжения, не растраченного за истекшую ночь. Стиву мало, он только вошел во вкус, но Баки так сладко спит, что будить его рука не поднимается. Чтобы не поднялось что-нибудь другое, Стив выскакивает за выпечкой. Кофе со свежими пирожными могут заменить секс — ненадолго. Душераздирающе скрипят жалюзи, открывая магазинчик на другой стороне улицы. Стив машинально читает:«Тату-студия у Джека». Хмыкнув, он быстрым шагом переходит через дорогу.
10935531	Somewhere Only We Know	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Peter Hale, Chris Argent, Talia Hale, Kate Argent, Gerard Argent, Derek Hale, The Pack (Teen Wolf)", "Fandom": "Teen Wolf (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by fandoms_overload", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-18T00:00:00", "words": "1,380", "Additional Tags": "Mates, Magic, Dysfunctional Argent Family, KATE IN GENERAL, Magic Chris Argent", "Relationship": "Chris Argent/Peter Hale", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Based on the Song...", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Chris was raised to be a hunter. The Argents had always been hunters. Hunting was in his blood, but not his heart. At ten years old, Gerard started training him and his twin sister Kate Kate had immediately excelled. She enjoyed it, and Gerard placed most of his focus on her, making it increasingly easy for Chris to disappear from combat practice and explore his magic. Knowing he wouldn’t be spared if anyone were to find out, he kept his ability a carefully guarded secret. Most afternoons, he’d steal away to the woods and allow his inner light to interact with the pure nature around him. That is how he met Peter Hale. Peter was only a few months younger than Chris, but he also enjoyed spending time away from his family. Talia was being groomed to take over as Alpha soon and she liked to practice her commands on Peter. On Peter’s 16th birthday, Chris made them a secret meadow that was guarded by his magic, so that they were the only two who could find it. All they had to do was concentrate on their love for each other, and it would reveal itself. By Peter’s 17th birthday, he knew for sure that Chris was his mate. It’s around that time that Peter’s mother passes and Talia becomes the Hale Alpha. When Talia found out that Peter was seeing Chris, she was outraged. As new Alpha, she felt an overwhelming urge to protect her pack. Her family. So she forbid Peter from seeing him again. Naturally, Peter ran straight to the meadow to see Chris, because Talia had forbidden him as his sister, not as his Alpha. Peter tells Chris everything and they plan to make their bond official on the next full moon that way Talia will have no choice but to let them be. On the night of the full moon, Talia catches Peter sneaking out to meet Chris, and upon finding out what they were planning, decides to take matters into her own hands. She pins Peter to the ground and forcefully removes all Peter’s memories of Chris Argent. Chris is left heartbroken, humiliated, and alone in the meadow the entire night of the full moon. Waiting for his wolf to return. The next time Peter runs into Chris, its at the grocery store. Chris tries to approach him and demand answers for why he was abandoned, but Peter just flashes his eyes and flees. After that day, Chris throws himself into training with his father and he stops practicing his magic. He surpassed even Kate, and became one of the best hunters the Argents have ever known.--It’s a few years later when Chris finds out that Kate has been seducing the Hale boy. Derek he thinks his name is. He remember Peter talking about a baby named Derek. Talia’s son. Chris decides that he needs to find out what Kate is up to. She hadn’t been the same since Chris started training and beating her. She will always be Gerards favorite, she's just not the best anymore. Tapping into a part of himself that Chris hasn't visited in years, Chris draws forward his magic and looks into Kate's plans. By the time he’s sorted out exactly what she’s doing it's almost too late. She’s already left for the day. Chris moves faster than he thought was possible anymore and races through the woods, using long overgrown shortcuts like he ran them just yesterday, not years ago. He smells the smoke before he hears the screaming start. Just out of view from Kate and her hunters, Chris closes his eyes and focuses his light outwards, towards the Hales. Trying to surround them in light to keep the burning flames from their skin. Chris doesn’t have the emotional connection to the rest of the Hales that he once did with Peter, so it shouldn’t be as shocking to him that Peter is the only one he was able to full from the flames. Before he’s able to do anything more than make sure Peter’s still breathing, Chris hears sirens in the distance. He runs to the meadow for the first time in years, and again sits there alone with tear-filled eyes and an aching heart. When Chris sneaks away to visit Peter in the hospital, the nurses always give him the same sympathetic look and say that there’s been no change. No is sure that Peter will ever wake up from the coma. On his last visit, Chris decides to leave Beacon Hills. He leaves a gentle kiss on Peter’s forehead, and a promise to never forget on his lips as he leaves one last time.-- When Chris and Peter meet again, they’ve both aged. Chris accepted his father's proposal of an arranged marriage to a young huntress if he was allowed to leave Beacon Hills. Now, he and his family have moved back to this hellhole of a town. Chris’ hair has all gone silver, from head to chest, while Peter still has his dark locks. They lock eyes across the stands at a high school lacrosse game of all places. Chris’ heart skips a beat while Peter gazes at him curiously. Peter feels an odd pull from his wolf every time he’s near Chris. It causes a wave of confusing Deja Vu that Peter is unable to place. It gets stronger every time he has to spend time with the man who was a hunter but now is somehow their aly. When Allison is killed Peter can hear Chris’ cry of utter despair from his position miles away. It breaks something loose in his heart, and he sees a flash of a much younger Chris Argent crying out in a similar way while a much younger Peter holds him in a meadow full of flowers. He somehow just knows that’s when Chris’ mother had died and the memory nearly knocks Peter to his knees. In the months that follow, Chris often disappears into the woods and Peter is unable to track him. He just disappears, and yet every time, Peter gets another flash. Another memory, of another life where he and Chris were far more than allies. More than friends. When the pack gathers for the full moon, Peter notices that Chris is absent once again. When he sets foot out the door with the unsure intent to find the grieving man, he collapses. The memories that once came in random flashes suddenly flood his mind. Tears stream down his face as he lays on the hard ground, looking up at the worried faces of his pack. He remembers everything. The very next morning Peter sets out bright and early to find the meadow. Their meadow. When the meadow reveals itself to him, Peter has to lay down. It’s too much and not enough all at once.-- Chris was in shock at the sight before him. Peter was lying peacefully in the middle of their meadow, in the soft, sweet-smelling grass, with his crystal eyes closed as though he was sleeping. “What are you doing here?” Chris asks hesitantly as approached the relaxed wolf. Peter didn’t open his eyes, but a delighted smile graced his lips as Chris sat next to him. “Waiting,” Peter replied, “Waiting for my mate.” Chris took a shaky breath as Peter sat up to look him straight in the eyes. “Your mate?” Chris questioned, trying (and failing) to hide the hope in his voice. “I remember,” Peter whispered as he leaned into Chris’ space slowly. “I remember everything,” he added as he closed the scant space between their lips. When Peter drew back, he rested his forehead against Chris’ and they both had tears in their eyes. “How,” Chris started, but he was unable to finish the question as he was completely overcome by emotion, and just buried is face in Peter’s neck like he used to do when they were kids. “We have forever now,” Peter replied as he ran a soothing hand though Chris’ hair, “We have time to explain everything.” And in time they did. They both told their sides of the story as the lay side-by-side in their meadow, unable to let go of one another, safe in the place that only they knew.
10949850	One And The Same	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Netherlands (Hetalia), Norway (Hetalia), Denmark (Hetalia), Romania (Hetalia), Iceland (Hetalia), Belgium (Hetalia), Luxembourg (Hetalia)", "Fandom": "Hetalia: Axis Powers", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by wallywesticle", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-20T00:00:00", "words": "9,159", "Additional Tags": "Rehabilitation, Alternate Universe, Past Drug Use, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst and Hurt/Comfort", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Netherlands (Hetalia)/Norway (Hetalia), Bulgaria/Romania (Hetalia), Denmark (Hetalia)/Sweden (Hetalia), Belgium/Denmark (Hetalia)", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/M, M/M, Multi", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Niklas doesn’t like the way his therapist make noncommittal noises and jots things down in a notepad. In fact, he hates it. Anything he says seems to fall on deaf ears, only his behaviour as he speaks is being noted. He’s stopped showing any sign of emotion now, cool façade in place as he tells her how his parents abandoned him and his brother when he was too young to know how to take care of himself, let alone a child. His change of tone makes her look up, lips pursed and eyes narrowed. It’s almost enough reaction to get him to smirk. Almost. “Niklas,” she says in her soft voice that makes him feel more anxious than calm, “why are you shutting down? You’ve become so disconnected with what you’re saying.” His jaw tightens, and he watches her start to scribble something in her note pad. “That,” he tells her, “that’s why.” She pauses, putting the pen down on the paper. “You don’t want me making notes while we’re in session?” “No,” he answers lamely. She’s quiet for a moment, but then she takes the book and sets it aside after closing it, lips curled in a kind smile that sets his teeth on edge. “Alright. I won’t write anymore. Would you care to keep going?” “No.” She frowns at this, standing slowly and adjusting her skirt. “Then we’ll continue Wednesday. I’ll remember to leave the book out of it then.” He nods at her before he leaves, moving quick enough to avoid shaking her hand. Lunch that day is soup and some rye bread. The cooks in the rehabilitation center are much better than he had anticipated, and sometimes he looked forward to the day’s meal plan. The soup smells delicious, and he takes a bowl onto his tray before heading to his usual table. His roommate, a Danish man who seems less normal the more he knew him, is already seated, excitedly talking to one of the only friends Niklas had made in this place. The two of them are perhaps the only people he could tolerate. “You didn’t tell Doctor O’Shea that,” Dmitri replies matter-of-factly. Niklas glances over at his roommate, Mikkel, eyebrow quirked. “Did so,” he retorts, catching Niklas’ eye and giving him a grin. Dmitri snorts. “You told her you were going to titty-fuck her one day and she didn’t beat the shit out of you or have you sedated?” Niklas looks at Mikkel again, bewildered. Mikkel deflates, stirring his own helping of soup with his spoon and sticking his lower lip out much like a pouting child who had gotten caught in a lie. “Okay, no...But I thought it. I think she’d be down one day. Right, Niklas?” The look his roommate gives him makes him roll his eyes, and he turns his attention to Dmitri who is giggling behind a napkin. “No, not right, Mikkel. I think Doctor O’Shea is married, and i’m pretty sure you have a boyfriend, right?” Just the mention of Mikkel’s boyfriend (he had one, didn’t he?) makes him wince, and he turns all his attention and energy to his food. Dmitri is the first one finished eating. He had only a bite of bread and perhaps half his soup. He takes the tray to the conveyor belt that brings them to the dishwashers before returning and taking a seat again, resting his cheek on his palm. “We have group therapy today after lunch,” he reminds them both. Mikkel smiles bright at them, telling them both how there will be a new person in therapy that day and how excited he is to meet them. Niklas doesn’t share his enthusiasm. When lunch is over, they go to their rooms for a short time. Mikkel changes into more comfortable attire and Niklas reads a few pages of his book. At precisely two twenty-two, a nurse comes by and takes them both down to the conference room where their group therapy would be held that day. The room hadn’t any walls but instead floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the garden only some were granted access to actually visit. Niklas takes a seat opposite the window that showed the most petunias and roses, deciding they’d be a beautiful distraction while the group talked about the reasons they were in rehab in the first place. Dmitri takes the seat next to him when he arrives, telling him hello and that he liked this room more than the others they had previously had sessions. Niklas nods his agreement but doesn’t say a word. Instead he watches a bumblebee land gently on a daisy. The room fills up quickly, and soon the therapist enters, a kind young man with blond hair and thick-rimmed glasses. He’s loud at times, but always gentle and patient. Though he’s often obnoxious, Niklas can’t help but like the guy and tries his best not to give him too hard of a time. After pleasantries are exchanged around the room, Niklas takes a moment to scan the participants for a new face, remembering what Mikkel said. He spots the man sitting next to Mikkel, eyes half-lidded and mouth in a stern line. He looks exhausted, perhaps still detoxing, and he seems to be listening to something Mikkel is exuberantly saying to him. Niklas was perhaps a little jealous of how easily his roommate made new friends. “If all of you have yet to notice,” Doctor Jones says cheerily, “Jack isn’t here with us today. He actually has been discharged and allowed to go home. I hope this inspires some of you to really take control over your lives and addictions so you too can go home.” Though Niklas is happy for Jack, he can’t help but feel annoyed at Jones’ praise. “Good on ‘im,” a voice from his left says, “he worked hard. Sure he’s ready to see his kid at ‘ome.” “I’m sure he was, Barry, wonderful of you to be so supportive.” Doctor Jones is smiling at Barry, the brother of Doctor O’Shea, Niklas is certain, and recently two months sober from his alcohol addiction. “Moving on,” the doctor says, “we have a new member today. Koenraad, would you like to start us off by telling us what brings you here?” Niklas’ eyes shift to the new patient, Koenraad, and waits for him to answer. The man seems unperturbed, arms crossed stiffly about his chest and eyes opening just a fraction more to meet Doctor Jones’ gaze. “Pass,” he says gruffly, voice deep and accent thick. Flemish? Dutch? Niklas can’t tell. He turns his gaze to Jones before Koenraad catches him staring. The doctor looks taken aback. “I- I’m sorry, what?” The new guy heaves a sigh, one that sounds like explaining himself is going to be such a chore, and it makes Niklas want to punch him right in the teeth. “Pass, as in, I don’t have anything to say. I’m sure they’ve all guessed by now i’m addicted to something, but that doesn’t mean everyone needs to know what and why. So, i’ll pass.” His voice is clipped, stern, and it makes Jones’ smile falter just a bit. He clears his throat, recomposes himself, and continues on with the session. “Alright then, Mikkel. Surely you have something to say.” Mikkel always had something to say, relevant or not. “Yeah, okay, doc. Well, today is officially three months sober, if that’s anything to anyone but me. I mean, yeah, i’m still here because I can’t control impulses, but three months without beer is a lot for me!” There’s an applause that follows after that, and even Koenraad joins in. Mikkel beams at the praise before he continues on. “My mom even visited yesterday and said she was really proud of me, so it’s been good on my end. I hope Doctor O’Shea helps me more with impulse control so I can go home.” “We’re all rooting for ya,” Barry says from Niklas’ left, “sis is too. She’s not allowed to say much because of doctor-patient confidentiality or whatever, but she says you’re makin’ the best progress.” Mikkel beams at that as well, making a comment about how he’ll kiss her the day he leaves. Barry bristles at that, but Doctor Jones puts a hand on his shoulder and forces him to relax back into his seat. Doctor Jones goes around the room, listening to them tell their tales of addiction, asking others to jump in if they have advice. Dmitri is a better participant than himself, telling Arthur, their friend who was hooked on hallucinogens, that perhaps he didn’t like the drugs but rather the hallucinations that visited him and made him feel less lonely. It must have struck a chord, because Arthur goes silent and thoughtful, and Doctor Jones smiles hopefully. When they get to Niklas, he’s staring passed Mikkel and Koenraad out at the petunias. Dmitri pinches his arm, getting his attention and nodding towards the therapist. Niklas grimaces, shifting uncomfortably in his seat when he’s asked to speak. “He’s real shy, Alfred,” Mikkel says for him, “he doesn’t like talking to the group.” Niklas looks at him gratefully, trying to turn his attention back to the flowers before he hears a snort. It’s Koenraad, and he’s mocking his shyness. Or so it would seem, anyway. He tries not to let it bother him, but he ultimately fails that task and turns to Doctor Jones before the man moves on. “Actually,” he says in a voice stronger and louder than he thought he could manage, “I do have something to say.” Everyone in the room looks surprised, all but the new guy that’s already managed to get under his skin. “Please, then,” Jones says with enthusiasm, “do tell us.” What Niklas is supposed to tell them, he has no clue. He blinks a few times, willing himself not to look at Dmitri for help, and clears his throat. “Well, I wanted to say,” his voice is soft now and unsteady and he can feel everyone’s eyes boring into him, “that I put myself in here for my brother. I kept...I’d get really drunk nearly every night and go out looking for fights anywhere I could. I stupidly took him to a bar one night, got in a bar fight, and the guy mistakenly hit him instead of me. So...I came here for him...to be a better brother.” The room is silent for a long while, and Niklas turns his attention back to the roses and petunias to escape the suffocating tension he’s feeling. He feels Dmitri pat his back in reassurance, but he can’t find the strength to glance over at him. He hears Doctor Jones clear his throat. “Well done, Niklas, for admitting to yourself and everyone here what alcohol did to you and your family. I can tell you want to make progress, and you’re definitely doing so.” The praise makes him feel numb, and he simply nods his head instead of thanking the man. It’s not much longer after he speaks that the session ends and they are all granted access to the “game room”. It’s hardly a fun place at all. There’s billiards and a few deck of cards and a TV and a huge bookcase filled with book, mostly self-help. Niklas has already read all the novels in the place in the short four months he’s been here and has gone through half the movies. He got one of the nurses, a short brunette woman with a kind smile, to bring in Dungeons and Dragons for he, Dmitri, and Arthur to play idly on nights where everything else was too boring. Today, however, they played a game of poker before they were all called for dinner. Niklas is a little surprised when he found Koenraad sitting on Mikkel’s left, no food in front of him and head resting against an open palm. He says nothing, only takes a seat next to Dmitri who greets him happily and starts up a conversation about his younger brother, Nico. He listens to his friend, nodding here and there and chuckling lightly at any shenanigans Dmitri told him they had gotten into. It reminds him of he and his own brother’s relationship when they were young, and there’s a fond tugging at his heart at the thought. “Did you put yourself in here, Koen?” Mikkel asks quietly, and suddenly Niklas is too interested in the new man’s answer to listen to his friend. “Kinda. Kinda not,” Koenraad replies vaguely, and it makes Mikkel laugh a little too loudly. “Come on, buddy, be specific.” Niklas spares a glance at Koenraad and turns his head immediately when he finds him looking back. When Koenraad speaks again, his voice is lower, softer. “The decision was mine to finalize, but I wouldn’t have put myself in here if it weren’t for…” “Lise?” Mikkel supplies helpfully, keeping his voice just above a whisper in the best way he can manage. Koenraad makes a noise that sounds like a ‘no’. “Believe it or not,” he says, “Lise didn’t bring my problem to attention. Antonio did.” Mikkel exclaims what too loudly, and people turn to look at their table. He quiets down after giving them assuring smiles and waits for his friend to elaborate. “I guess I got too fucked up and just...went to his house. Thought it was mine or something, I suppose. Apparently he had to take care of me or some shit since I shot up too much-” Niklas looks at his arms briefly and notices the track marks and wonders how he missed them during group that day- “When I came to the next morning, he was fucking crying and yelling at me in Spanish. He told me that even if we don’t get along all the time, he’d be crushed if I died on him. I didn’t really know what to do, but that was enough to know I had a problem. I told Lise and Luca what happened, they both were in fucking tears, and I figured ‘fuck, I can’t do this on my own. I guess i’ll go to rehab.’ Lovino brought me here a few days ago. I told him I didn’t want to see Luca or Lise or Antonio because they’d all cry.” “Lovino didn’t cry, then,” Mikkel states. Koenraad lets out a bitter chuckle, and Niklas feels his skin crawl. “Blubbered like a fucking baby the moment he saw me. I guess I looked really bad before I got here. Or maybe he was going to miss me. I don’t know. I told him they could start visiting after a week. I’m sure Lise will be happy to see you here too.” “Yeah,” Mikkel says cheerfully, “tell me when she’s here. I’d love to see her. Luca too. Did either of them tell you what they thought about you going to rehab?” “We’ll talk later,” Koenraad tells him roughly, eyes narrowed in Niklas’ direction. Niklas pales, turning his head quickly, completely unsure of when he had began to stare in the man’s direction. Once dinner is over, Dmitri immediately takes off for his bedroom, telling Niklas he wanted to get some sort of nap in before his late session with Doctor O’Shea. He simply nods, watching as he goes before turning to Mikkel. Mikkel isn’t there, however, and he nearly knocks right into Koenraad. Dumbly, he apologizes, trying to side-step around him. Koenraad refuses to let him. “Hey,” he says, voice a deep rumble, “you eavesdrop much?” Niklas frowns, taking a step back to better look at the man. “Hard not to when you tell your life story to a bunch of strangers at a table.” “Oh, so you’re mouthy. Alright, that’s fine. And no, I didn’t tell my life story to a bunch of strangers. I was talking to Mikkel about why i’m in here discreetly while you and Twilight talked about his brother. The whole time I was talking, so was he. Rude of you to ignore your friend to eavesdrop.” Niklas’ jaw tightens. “His name is Dmitri, and I have no clue why me hearing is such a big deal to you. You just told a stranger you met today all about it. Why am I different?” Koenraad barks out a laugh, shaking his head and calling him an idiot. “I’ve known Mikkel for the better part of twenty years. I drove him here. Berwald wouldn’t even look at him after the incident, so he asked me to bring him. We’re best buds. Excuse me for trusting my best friend with my personal information.” Niklas is angry, and he wants nothing more than to yell snarky words at the asshole, maybe even throw a few punches, but he knows it’d all be in vain, and he knows it’s his fault, really, for eavesdropping in the first place. Still, his hands tighten into fists, and he glares straight into Koenraad’s face. “If you want privacy, find an abandoned room. Don’t air out your dirty laundry around all of us.” He doesn’t allow Koenraad another word, he simply turns on his heel and walks out of the cafeteria to his room. When he arrives, Mikkel is flipping through a scrapbook someone had brought him. He looks up at him and offers an apologetic smile. “You look worse for wear, Niklas. I guess when Koen said he was going to talk to you it wasn’t ‘bout anything nice.” “I didn’t know he was your best friend,” Niklas opts to say, wanting to keep the conversation steered from the argument he just had. Mikkel softens at the comment. “Yeah. I know he seems like a tough guy, but he’s a real softy. He just doesn’t like people knowing his life, y’know? He’s kinda private. Kinda like you.” Niklas decides not to ask what he means by that and changes the topic swiftly. “He mentioned Berwald. Who’s that?” Mikkel winces at the name, and Niklas feels bad for bringing it up at all. “My boyfriend,” he replies gently, “or maybe ex now. I don’t know…” Niklas reaches over to touch his hand and falters halfway to him, letting his hand fall gently back into his lap. Mikkel gives him a weak smile at the gesture. “What happened?” His roommate frowns again at this, letting out a rigid sigh and looking at his lap. “He...he hated my alcohol problem. I mean, now that i’m sober, I hate it. When he and I were together, i’d go out for drinks almost every night. My buddy, Gil, and I were constantly getting into trouble. Berwald got really mad at me for it and told me not to go out as much anymore if I was just going to need a bail by the end of the night.” He pauses, eyes scanning Niklas’ face for disgust and body relaxing when he finds none. “I came home hammered one night, and he started in with the ‘Mikkel, i’m so sick of you coming home reeking of alcohol and being a drunk mess.’ I was pissed immediately. We got into a screaming match and I…” His voice trails off, and he looks so ashamed of himself, Niklas almost wants to pull him into a hug. He doesn’t, though, and decides to wait for him to continue. It takes a few minutes, but Mikkel finally wipes his damp eyes with the back of his hand and looks at him. “I hit him. Hard, in the jaw. His whole left side was black and blue. I couldn’t believe he didn’t kick me out right then. I couldn’t believe I fucking hit him. He didn’t even do anything wrong. I was just mad someone was calling me out on being- being a drunk!” There’s a sob that rips its way out of Mikkel’s throat, and he buries his face in his hands faster than Niklas can react. Niklas blinks at him, stunned, and reaches a shaking hand over to pat his shoulder. He has many questions he wishes to ask. Does Berwald visit him? Has he told Doctor O’Shea this? Does Koenraad know the extent of Mikkel’s behaviour? He asks none of them and instead chooses to murmur words of comfort to his crying roommate. It’s a full five minutes of sniffling and sobbing before Niklas realizes they’re not alone. He spots her, Doctor O’Shea, out of the corner of his eye, leaning against the doorway with a tentative smile on her face. He wonders if she had heard what Mikkel had said or if she simply just arrived. A quick glance at the clock tells him Mikkel is late for therapy, and that’s the reason she has visited them. Mikkel’s crying ceases. “Mr. Sørensen,” she says gently, and Mikkel immediately sobers, head snapping up to look in her direction. “Just Mikkel is fine.” He sounds absolutely miserable, “I’ve told you that…” “My apologies,” she responds, “Mikkel, I was worried you were skipping your session. I see you were chatting with Mr. Kallevik. Do you care to tell me what about?” Niklas wants to correct her pronunciation, but he stays silent and chooses to look at Mikkel in what he hopes is a reassuring manner. “It was…about Berwald…” “What about him?” Mikkel shifts uncomfortably on the bed and picks at a loose string on his blanket. “Can we go to your office instead? I don’t- I don’t want to talk here.” Niklas isn’t sure why since the guy had just cried to him about his boyfriend. Still, if he goes with O’Shea now, perhaps she could help him. Maybe she could even arrange a civil meeting between Berwald and him. He silently hopes so, and he removes his hand from Mikkel’s shoulder, standing and moving to his own bed. “Of course, Mikkel, whatever makes you the most comfortable. I have to admit, i’m happy to see you so open and vulnerable with your roommate. You really are making incredible progress.” Mikkel, despite the tears still on his cheeks, beams at her words and follows her to her office. Niklas, for the first time, figures Aislinn O’Shea isn’t that bad. Mikkel returns later that evening with Doctor O’Shea walking him in. He looks fine, better than he has in the months he’s been in this place, and O’Shea looks extremely pleased. Niklas allows himself a small smile, setting the book his brother had brought him in his lap and waiting for his roommate to settle onto his own bed. Doctor O’Shea doesn’t leave. She has a smile on her face, something, Niklas decides, that she doesn’t do often. She’s not bitchy or overly serious, but he supposes listening to people talk about their addictions and what led to them can be very somber. Perhaps she was struggling through something of her own. It wasn’t like they were there to hear her story, however, no matter how interested Niklas was. “Mikkel,” she begins, her voice sweeter than Niklas has ever heard, “you’ve done incredibly today. And I will definitely look into your request. You’ve earned that much.” Mikkel is beaming like a child, and Niklas chuckles at his enthusiasm. As infuriating as the Dane is, there was always something endearing that Niklas- or anyone for that matter- couldn’t stay angry at for long. “Niklas,” she’s looking at him now, smile still in place though now looking a tad forced, “may I have a word with you in my office?” “It’s not Wednesday,” he tells her pointedly. Her smile falters, the corners of her mouth wavering before becoming upturned again. He counts this as a small victory. “I know it isn’t, and you do not have to come if you do not wish. I just thought we could have a short chat before Dmitri comes to see me. Is that alright?” He feels his eyes harden in her direction, but she doesn’t seem fazed. He hears Mikkel clear his throat and looks over. Mikkel gives him a smile. “You should go with Aislinn- er, Doctor O’Shea. The more you let out, the easier it’ll be for you to get out of here. Besides, I feel great now that we’ve talked.” Niklas sighs, setting the book on the bed and getting to his feet. Doctor O’Shea looks very pleased at this. He follows her down the wide hallway, takes a left where it forks, and follows her to precisely the fourth door on the right. The office looks different at night, and he almost wishes he’d have sessions with her regularly at this hour. The ambience is different, calmer. The lighting is dim, yellow fairy lights being the main source. It’s cozy and comfortable, and Niklas feels at ease in her office for the first time. He takes a seat in the chair opposite hers and looks at her expectantly. She sits down, doesn’t grab her notebook like usual, and looks at him. “Why did you want to talk tonight?” He asks her. “Your brother visited me just before Mikkel’s session, Niklas.” Any comfort he had been feeling leaves his body immediately at the mention of his brother, and he sits rigidly in the chair. Doctor O’Shea continues. “He said...he said he doesn’t understand why you haven’t been released yet. Now, I can only allow him so much information without your permission, but I did tell him that despite the progress we’ve made in our sessions, you still refuse to- to feel. Doctor Jones told me you spoke in group today. What changed?” His throat feels tight. Dagfinnur was worried about him, worried that he’d never leave this place. And he was right to worry, and Doctor O’Shea was right about him refusing to feel. Why? He couldn’t figure the answer out. He has wracked his brain many nights trying to find what it is that made him so- so emotionless, so stoic. He must look panicked because she’s holding his hand comfortingly, pulling him back into reality. He lets out a breathy sigh. “I- I don’t know. I just...felt challenged to say something, I guess… I mean, my brother is-” He doesn’t even know what he’s trying to say, and O’Shea sees it. He knows she sees it with the sympathetic look she sports on her face. He almost feels patronized but reminds himself she wouldn’t do this job if she didn’t care. “I can tell your brother means everything to you, just as you mean everything to him. You told Doctor Jones you put yourself in here for him. Can you elaborate on that?” He catches her gaze, gingerly pulling his hand from hers as he tries to clear his thoughts. He had felt he explained the situation well enough in group, but perhaps there was something he had neglected to say. “I hit him when I got into a bar fight. It was...it was one of those moments where you just- completely sober up. He’s a tough kid, so it only made him stumble, but it gave him a black eye. And he looked so hurt, so betrayed. And I felt like I had betrayed him, in a way. He’s my little brother. I’ve always taken care of him. When our parents left us, I just...assumed the role of caretaker. He needed someone strong for him, and I would be damned if that wasn’t me.” He notices she still hasn’t touched the notebook and rather has all her attention focused on him. The detail nearly makes him smile. “Did the drinking come after your parents abandoned you?” He winces at the word abandoned. Yes, that is what they had done, but it hurts more to think about when said that way. “Yes...I was really angry with them, so I started drinking a few drinks every couple of nights to take the edge off. And then all the stress of raising a kid and going to school and work really got to me, and a few drinks turned into seven, and a few nights a week turned into every night. I even- I’d go to work or school drunk sometimes.” He pauses to meet her eye and notices how passive she looks, how sincere she is listening, and he relaxes slightly. “Dagfinnur knew I was- he knew I was drinking way too much. He’d bring it up sometimes, especially when he got older, but i’d just ignore him and tell him it wasn’t something he needed to worry about. I mean, the kid had gone through enough with our parents leaving. He became a social outcast. He did that to himself, but he needed friends, he needed more than just me.” He pauses again, this time to blink back tears furiously and clear his throat to keep from sounding too choked up. This is what Doctor O’Shea wanted, he supposes, when she had told him to stop becoming disconnected from his emotions. “Niklas,” her voice is gentle, too soft, and he hates it, “have you ever talked to Dagfinnur about your parents?” He pales. No, he hadn’t ever talked to his brother about them. Perhaps he should have, and perhaps he still should. “No,” he tells her honestly, hating the sob that escapes him, “I haven’t. I thought- If we don’t- it won’t be like they abandoned us if we don’t talk.” “But they did abandon you, and they abandoned him. He’s coping by shutting himself away, and you’re coping by drinking yourself into a stupor. Neither way is healthy. Since you two are all you seem to have in this world, you should speak to each other. Really let it sink in, let yourselves feel raw about it. Only then will you start to heal.” Niklas feels his hands shake, and he glares at her bitterly, angrily. “Yeah,” he spits at her, taking her by surprise, “and how do you cope, Doctor O’Shea? By moping around this place and giving us all fake smiles?” “I don’t know what you mean.” Her voice betrays her steady look. It falters and shakes, and Niklas almost feels bad for pinning her where he wants her. “Sure you do, doc,” he says with an angry chuckle, “you always look miserable! Do you think we can’t tell you don’t want to be here?” Her shoulders slump, and her eyes cast downwards, and Niklas knows for certain that his defense mechanism for being too open has become too much, too out of hand. “My husband is divorcing me,” she tells him in a quiet voice, “so please, bear with me as I try to get through this and help you. I don’t mean to come off as...fake.” He immediately knows he’s made a mistake. “Doctor O’Shea- Aislinn- i’m...i’m sorry. I shouldn’t have- I just- When I talk too much and feel vulnerable I-” “Attack people, yes… I figured. I figure that’s why you start bar fights, too…” She’s right, and he hates it. He takes in a deep breath, reminding himself that she’s here to help, not to pity him. “I’m sorry about your husband,” he opts to say. She presses her lips into a fine line. “Thank you. We aren’t here to talk about my failed marriage, though, and we only have a few more minutes before Dmitri comes.” He glances over at the clock and nods. He isn’t sure what he could still talk to her about, but then he figures that’s not what she is wanting. She’s wanting him to tell her a solution, a new way of coping. He thinks as the minutes tick by, and she watches him patiently. “I’ll talk to Dagfinnur,” he tells her suddenly, and she looks genuinely surprised. “I’ll talk to him the next time he visits me. He needs it as much as I do.” She gives him a true, warm smile, and for once, he returns it. The next morning at breakfast, Niklas finds that Koenraad is joining them once again. He’s talking to Dmitri this time, and the Romanian looks happy to be making another friend. He decides Koenraad isn’t quite as bad as he first thought. He takes a seat on the other side of his friend just as Mikkel comes to sit by Koenraad, eyes red-rimmed and shoulders slumped. “You look like shit,” Koenraad tells him simply, and Mikkel laughs at the comment, nodding his head. “Yeah...Didn’t sleep well last night. Surprised I didn’t wake Niklas up.” Niklas is also surprised he hadn’t been woken up. It looks as though his roommate has spent the better half of the night bawling his eyes out. He feels a little guilty having not been awake to comfort him. “What’s the matter?” It’s Dmitri who speaks this time, and Mikkel offers a shy smile, pushing food around on his plate with his fork. “Well...After I talked with O’Shea last night, I asked if I could call Berwald- my ex- boyfriend. We kinda ended things over the phone, ya know? I apologized, he forgave me, and we both decided that even with me getting sober, this isn’t going to work out. He acts more like my dad than my boyfriend most times, and I can’t calm myself down enough to be half the stick-in-the-mud as he. It just kinda...made sense.” Dmitri gives him a sympathetic look while Koenraad pats his back. Niklas sighs and wonders how he had missed all of that the night prior. “I’m sorry, Mikkel,” he tells his roommate, “you should have woken me.” “Nah,” Mikkel gives him a hint of a smile, “didn’t want the both of us to be miserable. Besides, i’m fine. I mean, it sucks. I really did care for him and everything, but I already kinda knew it wasn’t gonna work out. I think I just...didn’t wanna be alone.” Niklas knows then that he and Mikkel are more alike than he thought. They don’t have group therapy after breakfast today. Instead, those without appointments with Doctor O’Shea or Doctor Adnan are told to enjoy their free time how they wanted. Mikkel, Dmitri, and Niklas make their way to the activity room, deciding to watch a couple of movies, while Koenraad is granted access outside to smoke a couple of cigarettes. He tells Mikkel more than the rest of them that he’ll be in later. It’s halfway through the movie, Nosferatu, before Koenraad accompanies them. He takes a seat next to Mikkel, and though Niklas is on the opposite end of the sofa, he can still smell the tobacco wafting off the other man. “What took you so long?” Mikkel asks him in a hushed voice. Koenraad turns his head to look at him, right eyebrow quirked slightly upwards. “What? Did you miss me? I was having a smoke.” “Were you chain-smoking?” Koenraad leans back into the couch, making himself more comfortable. “I smoked three cigarettes and then got a phone call. It was Lise. She and Luca are visiting today after lunch. You should join me. I told Lise you were in here, and she’d be awfully upset if you didn’t come say hi.” Mikkel looks like a child that got told he could have a cookie before dinner, and he nods his head excitedly. “Of course I will!” Niklas wonders if he’ll catch a glimpse of them while meeting with his own brother. The rest of their free time goes on without any further interruptions. After Nosferatu is over, they switch the movie to a documentary of World War Two. It’s a little boring, and Dmitri ends up falling asleep against Niklas’ shoulder. By the end of it, they’re all groggily leaving the comfort of the sofa to shuffle towards the cafeteria for lunch. “I think my boyfriend is bringing my little brother today,” Dmitri tells them excitedly after a few bites of food, “Usually visiting hours are during his school time, but they have the week off. I’m really excited.” “Really?” Niklas asks, pushing food around his plate more than eating it, “when was the last time you got to see Nico?” “A month ago. I really hope Sarmis brings him. I miss him so much.” Niklas agrees, hoping as well that Dmitri gets the chance to see his little brother today. Mikkel is unusually quiet at the table today. Between he and Dmitri is where all the socializing really comes from. Koenraad seems to be just as quiet as Niklas, only answering questions directed at him or scolding someone for being an idiot. Now, it’s nearly silent at the table, and it is starting to get to Niklas. He takes in a breath, preparing himself to say something, and is startled when someone else does. “What’s wrong, Mikkel?” He glances over at Koenraad and then at Mikkel. Mikkel sighs and pushes his plate away from him. “Now i’m nervous.” Koenraad looks amused by this, and Niklas finds it rude. “Why? Because you’re about to see my little sister again? The same little sister who used to have a crush on you, and you had one back but thought i’d kick your ass if I found out you kissed her?” Never mind, Niklas sees why this would be amusing for the man. There’s a small, playful smile on Koenraad’s lips, and he thinks the man has never looked so handsome. “Y-You knew about that?” Mikkel chokes out frantically, eyes wide. His response is a laugh. “Yes, of course I knew. Luca spotted you both and came running to tell me. I figured shortly after you’d both come to me saying you were dating or some shit. I don’t control Lise’s life, you know. And I know you better than anyone else. You wouldn’t be a douchebag to her.” Mikkel relaxes then, turning his gaze to the table. “I told her I couldn’t date her because you’d beat the shit out of me, and then she laughed at me. I guess she knew you wouldn’t.” “No,” Koenraad says, “she just knew if I tried to kick your ass, she’d go and kick mine. I’d really rather not have my ass kicked by my little sister.” This causes the whole table to laugh, and Mikkel instantly looks to be in better spirits. The rest of lunch goes by without much other chatter. They’re all a little too preoccupied with the idea of getting to see their friends and family to hold down any sort of conversation. They clean up once they have finished their food and head back to their rooms for the remaining half hour before visiting starts. Dmitri is the first one to scurry towards the conference room, and Niklas can tell just how excited he is from the spring in his step. Dmitri’s little brother runs across the large room when they first enter and jumps into his arms. It’s a precious sight, Niklas thinks, and it makes him miss when Dagfinnur was a little boy who would do the same. Dmitri is giving him kisses and speaking rapidly to him in Romanian. He allows a small smile before going to the table his own brother is seated at and joins him. “Niklas,” Dagfinnur greets him. He has a tupperware container set on the table, and Niklas itches to open it up and see what’s inside. “Dagfinnur, i’m glad to see you. I’ve missed you much. How is university treating you?” His brother opens the container for him, offering him an assortment of pastries from a bakery nearby their home he had fallen in love with. He takes a lemon one, thanking his brother and taking a bite he savours in his mouth for a moment too long. Dagfinnur offers him a small smile. “Good, actually. I’ve, uh, i’ve met someone in my anthropology class. Leon. He’s from Hong Kong. You’d probably dislike him, but…” Niklas looks at him, brow quirked and pastry forgotten. “You’ve met someone as in a friend or-?” “He’s my boyfriend, Niklas, and before you ask, I haven’t allowed him to the house. I know you’d hate that.” “You’re an adult,” Niklas quips, taking another bite of his dessert, “you can do what you want. I shouldn’t be the one to stop you.” His brother says something about him being annoying, he supposes, but he’s far too distracted by the pretty blonde woman excitedly wringing her hands and the man next to her with a shiny smile and extravagant demeanor. The woman stops wringing her hands the moment Koenraad steps into the room, Mikkel behind him, and runs to him for a hug. The siblings he spoke about, Niklas confirms. He decides they all look much more alike than he had anticipated. “Niklas, are you listening?” He blinks, turning back to look at his brother. “No, i’m sorry.” “I asked how things are going in here...if you’re doing better…” His brother is worried about him. He feels himself plastering on a fake smile and then remembers his promise to Doctor O’Shea. He sighs, takes Dagfinnur’s hand in his, and squeezes it. “I started to a little bit last night. The doctor told me you spoke to her, so we spoke about you last night.” Dagfinnur frowns at this but doesn’t pull his hand away. “What do you mean about me?” “I’m glad you met someone,” Niklas says softly, “I’m glad you’re not isolating yourself anymore and becoming more sociable. I know- I know with me just...drinking and telling you nothing was wrong, you didn’t want to go out much. Meet more people who could just...leave.” He feels his brother’s hand quake in his, and he gives it another squeeze to reassure him “Why are you bringing that up, Niklas?” “Because that’s my problem,” he admits. “They left us both, their kids , and didn’t think twice about it. And I didn’t know what I was doing, Dag, I just knew I didn’t want to fuck you up any worse than our parents abandoning us would. Than it did, I guess. I drank to-” “Drown anxiety and blame and grief? Like I did by holing myself up in my room and playing video games nonstop?” Niklas gives him a sad smile. “We both have our vices. You’re just stronger than I am, Dagfinn.” Dagfinnur looks quizzical for a moment, thoughtful, and Niklas tries to read what’s going on in his mind. “Then can I be your rock this time, Niklas? Instead of you always being mine, I can be what helps you get through this. So you can come home.” Niklas blinks back tears harder than he’s ever had to before and nods. “Yes, Dag, that would actually be best for me. Thank you.” He turns his eyes back to where Koenraad and his siblings had been, watching as the girl (Lise, Mikkel had exclaimed) threw her arms around Mikkel’s neck in a tight hug. His roommate looks happier than he has in the past couple of months, and it makes the corners of his lips curl into a small smile that doesn’t go unnoticed by his brother. “Niklas,” Dagfinnur says, picking up a pastry of his own, “why did our parents leaving affect you so much?” Niklas looks at him again, brain puzzled by his question. He doesn’t know why it affected him so much. It shouldn’t have, honestly. They weren’t the most doting of people, and they had made him grow up quicker than what he could prepare for. He frowns. “I don’t know...I guess I just didn’t want to believe they were that bad.” Dagfinnur purses his lips at the answer. “You know they don’t regret it. If they did, they would have called.” “I know,” Niklas tells him, grabbing his brother’s hand once again, “I know they would have. And it shouldn’t matter so much. They missed out on watching you grow up the way you did, and they didn’t get to see me off to college and watch me graduate. So it shouldn’t matter. They shouldn’t matter to us because we didn’t matter to them.” There’s a pained look on Dagfinnur’s face, and Niklas knows it’s because he’s started crying. “Bror,” Dagfinnur says in a soft voice that surprises him, “you matter to me. You matter more to me than anyone else on the planet. You’re starting to act like yourself again, and i’m so glad I haven’t lost you too.” For the first time in four years, Dagfinnur initiates a hug, getting up from his chair and pulling Niklas tight to his body. Niklas can’t suppress the sob that quakes through him as he clings to his little brother, face buried in his shoulder. “I love you, Dagfinn, and i’m going to get out of here and be the best brother I can be.” “You already are,” Dagfinnur croaks out, and Niklas feels his tears on the shoulder of his shirt, “you already are the best big brother.” Dagfinnur didn’t stay much longer after that. He had classes starting soon, and Niklas insisted that he leave and not be late. Their parting was bittersweet, but Niklas feels strangely rejuvenated after their talk. He knows it’s time to really focus on healing old wounds and putting himself back together. If not for himself, then for his strong little brother who looked at him like he was the entire world. He stays inside the conference room even after his brother leaves, sitting there in his own silence and watching the rest of his friends. Dmitri is smiling widely, pressing kisses to both his boyfriend’s and brother’s cheeks and squeezing their hands. He’s much happier today than he’s been, and Niklas finds a certain comfort in his friend’s happiness. His eyes move over to where Mikkel and Koenraad sit. The girl, Koenraad’s sister, is talking exuberantly to Mikkel, and the latter seems just as happy as she to listen. Koenraad seems to be making small talk with the other male, his brother, and Niklas strains to read their lips. It’s none of his business, no, but he’s curious as to what the younger could be saying to make Koenraad’s lips curl into a smile. “...-ut it’s not that bad. I feel like i’ve gotten a lot of experience.” “That’s good, Luca,” Koenraad replies, and Niklas tries to decipher if this about a job or about school, “as long as you’re enjoying yourself and doing what you want.” “And making money,” the younger teases. “No,” Koenraad replies seriously, and Niklas is surprised. Mikkel had mentioned once that having money was very important to the man. “You do what you enjoy doing and what makes you happy. Don’t worry about whether or not you’re going to make the most money from your career.” His brother, Luca, frowns at that. “You’re usually the first to say money makes the world go ‘round. What’s with the change of heart?” Koenraad looks up, and for a moment Niklas swears he’s looking straight at him. He can’t tug his eyes away, and he feels his face start to heat up. “Doing things just for a buck won’t do you any good. You’ll end up like me. Do things you won’t regret in life.” Niklas’ eyes widen, and he can finally turn his head away. By the time the conference room is cleared of patients and guests, it’s almost time for dinner. Mikkel is energized, enthusiastically telling Niklas about his conversation with Lise. Niklas nods, offers noncommittal noises to show he’s listening. But he’s not truly listening. His thoughts are lingering back to what Koenraad had said. He had told his brother to do things he wouldn’t regret and not to worry about earning a buck. And Koenraad had looked directly at him when he had said it, hadn’t he? He stands suddenly, and Mikkel startles, asking him if he’s okay. He doesn’t give a response but leaves instead, down the hallway. Niklas doesn’t have much of an inkling as to where he’s going. In fact, he doesn’t have any clue where he’s going. He aimlessly marches down the hallway, looking at names written on dry erase boards hanging on the door. He’s not sure why he’s doing this, what the true purpose behind his actions are, but his body is on auto-pilot. He comes across the door he’s been searching for, the one that says Koenraad B. on the outside in blue marker. A deep breath in, and he raises his hand to knock. He doesn’t get the chance. Koenraad opens the door and looks nearly as surprised to see him as Niklas does. “What are you doing here?” Koenraad asks in his low, gruff voice. Niklas stares at him stupidly, mouth slightly agape. He doesn’t have an answer, he realizes lamely, and Koenraad looks thoroughly annoyed. His body stiffens, and he wills himself to relax so his throat will open once again and he can find his voice. “I’m here to see you,” he replies in a firm voice. Koenraad arches a brow, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. “Okay. You see me. You got something to say? Wanna tell me why you were listening to my conversation with my little brother?” Yes, Niklas wants to talk about the conversation, but he can’t give Koenraad a reason as to why he felt the need to listen in. “You told him not to do what will make him a buck if it won’t make him happy. Aren’t you all about money, though? Mikkel had said you were.” He makes an effort to make his voice sound pointed, sharp, and Koenraad’s reaction makes it worth it. His brows furrow and his frown deepens. “I’m all about money so that my siblings never have to worry about having money or not. Because if I have money to spare, they can do what makes them happiest in life.” Niklas hates the realization that they are far too alike than he has hoped. “Why? Why don’t you want to do what makes you happy in life?” Koenraad cocks his head, his expression going completely neutral, unreadable, undetectable. It makes Niklas feel uneasy, insecure. He can’t tell what he’s thinking, what he’s feeling, and it’s a state of vulnerability he’s never felt before in his life. “Making sure my siblings are happy and healthy and able to have the life they want, they deserve, is what makes me happy in life. I don’t care if I have to work some shitty desk job, pushing papers. If it makes me money, if it keeps me wealthy enough to care for the two of them and their endeavors, then I truly am the richest man on the planet.” Niklas finds Koenraad’s words to be strangely beautiful and poetic. Cliche, yes, but said so in a way that shows his passion, his true desire to do everything for his family. And that was what Niklas had been about in life, hadn’t it? To get himself a better career making more money so his little brother could have the life he deserved. They are one and the same, he and Koenraad, and it is chilling, titillating. He feels uneasy, nervous, and he wonders what it is about this man that makes him feel so big and so small. He feels Koenraad’s eyes boring into the top of his head, searing into his brain and pulling him abruptly from his thoughts. He looks up at him, unsure of what he’s supposed to respond with, unsure why he felt the burning desire to come find him and ask him why he would say one thing and then do another, why he would openly contradict himself to prove a point to his brother, why it was so important to him. His mouth feels dry. “Niklas,” he’s certain this is the first time Koenraad’s said his name. “Why does it matter so much to you? Why do you need to know if i’m either money hungry or a decent person? What about it is so important to you?” “Because we’re the same,” he replies. And he laughs. He laughs deeply and loudly, and he knows he looks insane, but he can’t stop, he doesn’t want to stop. It feels good to laugh, to feel some inane sense of happiness, something so allusive to him. “We’re the same?” Niklas smiles at him. “I’ve been trying to figure you out, Koenraad, trying to figure out if I hate you. Why I felt I needed to hate you. It’s because we’re the same. Trying to help our siblings, give them the life they deserve, make them happy. Because we think- we hope- it will bring us the same kind of happiness. It won’t. I know it won’t. I know it now, looking at you. You said it yourself.” Koenraad doesn’t look at him like he’s insane but instead as though he finds this exchange to be amusing and educational. Niklas continues. “You said ‘you’ll end up like me. Do things you won’t regret in life’. That’s what you meant, wasn’t it? That you know regardless of how much pleasure their happiness brings you that you’re already fucked. You’re already miserable, passed the idea of happiness. You aren’t doing what you want in fear that you won’t be able to take care of them and they’ll struggle. You don’t want them to struggle like you. Just like I don’t want Dagfinn- my brother- to struggle like I have.” “Do you truly believe it goes that deep?” Koenraad isn’t mocking him. It’s less of a direct question and more open ended, but Niklas nods anyhow. He receives a sigh in retort. “I know it goes that deep,” Niklas tells him, “I know because we’re-” “-one and the same, yeah, I got it. You caught me, Niklas.” “Caught you?” Niklas doesn’t feel that should be the correct phrasing of what has happened, but then again he has yet to hear the man speak directly. “Yes, caught me. I said it to you, what I told my brother, because I knew why you were truly here. You’re as miserable as me, wanting to lessen the burden of being the stability of the family. Always being the stability. And you’re severely unstable. Sensitive and scared and so fucking overwhelmed.” Koenraad’s words pierce through his very core, and he decides he hates having someone understand him this deeply, this severely. He’s never felt so vulnerable, so insignificant, and he knows Koenraad feels the exact same way in this very moment. “And then you stop being the stability,” Niklas tells him with a whisper, “you stop being the stability. You take a step back and let them be yours.” Koenraad looks at him and he has to bite his lip to keep from gasping at just how utterly helpless and exhausted he looks. “It’s hard to let them be the stability when you know they’re cracking.” Niklas gives him a sad smile and puts a hand on his shoulders. “They’ll still do it, still be our rock, because we’ve already broke.”
10973433	Spotter	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Magnus Bane, Alec Lightwood, Jace Wayland, Simon Lewis, Isabelle Lewis, Clary Fray, Ragnor Fell, Catarina Loss, Raphael Santiago, meliorn, Elias (Shadowhunters TV), Hodge Starkweather, Raj (Shadowhunter Chronicles), Victor Aldertree, Alaric Rodriguez", "Fandom": "Shadowhunters (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by theMagnusBane", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-22T00:00:00", "words": "18,731", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Human, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Blow Job, Eventual Smut, Balcony Sex", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane & Alec Lightwood", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Alexander Gideon Lightwood was not a morning person.Just to clarify though, he was perfectly fine with any time that came after nine am, after he had a cup of coffee in one hand and could see the sun shining clearly when he glanced out of his window.Hell, he was even okay with eight am, and could sometimes deal with seven am.But what he could not stand was the wee hours of the morning. Especially mornings such as this one where a perky Jace—who by the way, Alec was fairly certain had been taken over by an alien life form masquerading as his brother. Why? Because the idiot had showed up in his room at five, five in the fucking morning, all smiling, with his hair all done up—again who the fuck looked that good in the morning?—and had insisted on Alec going with him to the gym.To make matters, Jace had decided that that morning was going to be one in which he would be completely deaf and utterly unreasonable."Seriously Alec, pleaseeeeeee" Jace whined as he bounced on Alec's bed.Without even thinking or bothering to move his face from its face planted position on his soft and oh so cushiony pillows, Alec reached backward and smacked the side of Jace's head. Hard."Ouch," he heard Jace yelp and felt some satisfaction, as he waited to hear those fading footsteps that would signal that Jace had finally gotten the message and was leaving him to continue sleeping in peace.Unfortunately, the universe hated him because rather than walking away like any sensible person would do, Jace instead placed his hands on Alec’s shoulders and started to shake him. “Come on Alec. Pleaseeeeee.”He was really starting to hate that word as much as he hated five in the fucking morning. That and the shaking and the fact that knowing Jace, the idiot wasn't going to stop any time soon. Nope. Even if Jace ended up not going to the gym today, he would make sure Alec wouldn't be able to get any sleep, which just sucked balls. Urgh! "Fine," Alec grumbled as he pushed off from the bed. In the process, he accidentally jabbed Jace's side with his elbow and when Jace yelped, he felt some deep satisfaction in having caused him pain.He was petty. Sue him."I still don't know why we have to go though. I mean, what do you see at the gym anyway," he asked turning to look at Jace who was done rubbing at his side and was staring back at him."What is there to see," Jace asked looking confused. "You pump weights. Do some cardio. Shower and you're off." He leaned over with a smile and lightly punched Alec on his arm. "Seriously, you're talking like you've never been to the gym before, when we used to go there a lot a couple of years back."Alec shrugged. "Because you kept pulling me along, saying we need to get our muscle game on." Alec wrinkled his nose. Speaking of muscles. "And the gyms are always filled with those big muscled, steroid taking, strange looking meatheads, carrying weights that were three times their size. They looked so ridiculous and unbalanced, you just waited for one of them to topple over." He looked with interest at Jace and then scooted over till they were sitting knee to knee. "So tell me, has it ever happened?"Jace looked even more confused—seriously, it was like his default mode this morning. Not like Alec was surprised. Anyone who woke up at five in the bloody morning to go the gym was probably confused a lot in the mornings. How else did anyone explain having to wake up before five? "Has what ever happened?""Has anyone ever toppled over from carrying too heavy weights," Alec replied and rubbed his hands together in glee. "Tell me. Did they break a knee? Their back? Were they laid up for months?"He chuckled and then stopped at Jace's horrified expression."What is wrong with you," Jace said as he jumped off from the bed.Alec shrugged. He blamed Jace and the fact that the idiot had him up at five in the morning. Of course his naturally occurring dark thoughts would be at their height that early in the morning. Sometimes, he wondered if Jace even really knew him."I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear anything you just said," he heard Jace mutter.Alec rolled his eyes and waggled his fingers. "I stand by everything I said. Besides, it's your fault for waking me up at five to go to the bloody gym anyway. Like I'm sure if it was Izzy…" At that, he trailed off and narrowed his eyes at Jace. "Speaking of which, why not go drag Izzy with you to the gym?"Jace shuddered and crossed himself. He leaned forward and whispered to Alec, eyes darting around the room like him talking about Izzy, would somehow cause her to magically appear in the room to make his life a living hell—sisters. Gotta love them. "She almost shaved them Alec. She almost shaved them," Jace whispered"She almost shaved what?""My balls," Jace screeched, and then leaned forward to cover said balls. "Like what the fuck. She got that look in her eyes man. With rollers in her hair and some sort of white goop on her face, she looked scary. Izzy's scary."Alec nodded.Yup. Izzy was scary. She'd always been the terrifying one. Especially because she could go from looking angelic and innocent to wanting to bathe in your blood, in two seconds flat. He loved her, but she was scary. And her ability at terrifying Jace had succeeded in getting her out of having to follow him to the gym.He could do scary too."I could shave your balls too you know," Alec muttered and then wanted to bang his head against the wall.Fuck. He sucked at sounding scary.Jace confirmed it when he merely swung his arm around Alec's neck and whined. "Seriously Alec. Come with me. Who knows, you might just have fun." Alec narrowed his eyes and Jace gave a short bark of laughter. "Okay fine. Just do it for me. I need a spotter and you could help me." He waggled his eyebrows. "You might not have done it in years, but it doesn't mean that you don't remember the correct form."He followed the words with such a blinding smile that Alec's suspicions went into overdrive. He knew his brother well, and every time Jace got that too bright, too shiny smile, it meant he wasn't telling the truth. It was his go-to means of being distracting to get people to agree to what he wanted.But Alec was his brother and he knew Jace better than that and he wasn't fooled by that blond hair and those mismatched eyes. Nuh-uh. "You're hiding something," Alec murmured as he squinted at Jace.Jace's eyes darted around. "I don't know what you're talking about."Alec crossed his arms. "Yeah. You don't."He might not be as scary as Izzy, but one thing he was better at, was waiting out Jace's bullshit. So he stayed there and said nothing, eyes going around the room, looking at everything but Jace, even though from the corner of his eyes, he could see Jace drumming his fingers against his thighs.Moments later, Jace finally sighed and Alec barely kept himself from crowing."Fine," Jace muttered and then said his words in a rush. "The gym's doing a giveaway for regulars who are able to spread the word and invite new members to join."Alec who had been nodding all along stopped. "Wait what?! This isn't a one-time thing? You actually think I will be okay with going to your stupid gym, every day for a year?"Jace gave a nervous laugh. "Not every day. Just a couple of times so your account is active.""No. Not happening,” Alec protested as he shook his head. Fuck this shit. The thought of having to wake up before five, even if it was for one more morning terrified him. No way was he going to agree to become a regular at the gym. “Hell, I’ll gladly hand over whatever the prize money will be if you drop this right now.” He looked expectantly at Jace whose eyes scanned the room before finally mumbling something underneath his breath. “What,” Alec snapped. Five in the morning wasn’t the time for him to try and puzzle out exactly what it was that Jace was hiding."There are other perks to it. It's not just the money," Jace finally muttered."What other perks," Alec barked. Something in the way Jace shifted on his feet had him narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "I swear to God if you're doing this because you have like a crush on the gym owner or something I'm going to punch you."Jace made a face. "No! That's Clary's dad.""Wait what? Clary, Clary? Isabelle's Clary?""Yup. Her dad owns the gym""Please God tell me I won't have to see her at that gym. I will pay you two years membership to another gym. Hell I'll make it three," Alec said.Jace chuckled. "Chill. She doesn't go to our gym." With that said he walked out of the house and Alec breathed a sigh of relief as he followed him out.It was only after he was settled in the car that he realized Jace had used the word 'our' gym.Like hell he would make Jace's gym his gym as well.Alec Lightwood hated going to the gym. Big muscly men that prided themselves on lifting heavy weight like it was some sort of contest. Give him running and martial arts any day. Not those stupid, barbell, dumbbell curls and chest flies. They all looked the same as well. Big muscled idiots.Just like Jace, a big muscled idiot who brought him to the gym against his will.Alec Lightwood couldn't stand gyms or the nutcases that frequented them.Until he stepped into this one and caught sight of Magnus Bane.After getting to the gym, he and Jace had split ways. He would have been pissed that his brother had brought him to the gym only to abandon him immediately after. But the minute they'd stepped into the gym, the gym's nutritionist who had been masquerading as their receptionist—which in itself seemed very suspect, after all, only broke ass gyms didn't have clearly defined positions and staffs to fill said positions—had noticed them, sent Jace a big smile and had then spent the next ten minutes talking a mile a minute about the benefits of avocado on toast. He seemed so in love with the fruit, Alec had been tempted to tell him to marry it. Jace though had noticed that he'd been about to say something damning and had sent him on his way. Which was why he was here at the gym, alone in an empty doorway, staring at the stairs that led up to the cardio unit straight ahead, whilst to his left was the door that led to the weight room.He looked behind him. Jace was still listening to Simon prattle on, an amused expression on his face that had Alec's suspicions rising. Honestly, if Jace had dragged him to this damn gym so he could spend more time with the annoying nutritionist, Alec was going to scalp him.He turned back around and headed for the cardio room. With Jace busy at the moment, he was certain he won't be needing a spotter anytime soon. And seeing that he hadn't seen any couches or beds around where an unwilling guest at the gym could catch up on his sleep, he figured he could put the time here to good use.And so he ran, setting the incline at a six and slowly raising his speed until he had sweat pouring off of him and breathing was just the right side of difficult. His thighs burned, his lungs ached, his heart raced, but the endorphins were popping and as he slowed the treadmill speed to a jog, and then a walk, until he finally stopped the machine altogether. He felt as high as a kite.He might hate lifting weights, but cardio made him feel like a god.He rode that godlike feeling down the stairs and made his way to the weight room with the hope that he would see Jace, do his thing and be out of the gym almost immediately after.He glanced down at his watch. Ten more minutes and then they had to hit the showers, otherwise Alec would be late for work. Jace might have more flexible hours but law firms weren't as lax.He pushed open the doors and was assaulted by the sweat, the heat pouring off the bodies that were pushing weights bigger than the human body should be allowed to and the grunts of the humans doing it, followed by the thunk of said weights.Alec's eyes scanned the crowd searching for Jace and bypassing the score of meatheads all pushing themselves hard at the gym. He sneered when he saw a man with a Johnny Bravo physique—all big and muscular on the top with a twiggy bottom. Seriously, didn't these idiots know that it's always better to be balanced? What happened to having a leg day for Chrissakes?—using a row machine. The weights were set at least a hundred and twenty pounds and Alec shook his head. What an idiot.Even Jace wasn't as bad, and Jace was as much a lifting junkie as Alec was a cardio junkie. But then, he and Jace sometimes did some MMA sparring and Jace knew better than to step on the mat with his body imbalanced. It would just make it easier for Alec to wipe the feet out from underneath him.He however couldn't see Jace anywhere and Alec wasn't about to head any further into the weight room. He just about turned away when he caught movement from the corner of his eyes: a man, separate from the rest of the meatheads, doing bicep curls.Alec flicked out his tongue to wet his suddenly dry lips as his eyes tracked the man's movements, movements that came into sharper focus in increments that were his clue to the fact that Alec was slowly walking to the man’s corner of the room.The man was sitting, thick thighs straddling the bench, loose shorts that dipped slightly with every movement, making Alec's mouth dry out with every inch they dip. He had one had braced on one thigh, the other curved around a dumbbell he pulled sharply and then lowered slowly, causing the muscles in his hands to flex, then slowly release.Watching him was… hypnotic. The way his eyes never left the ground, the strong glide of his hand, and the bunch and release of his muscles.Alec kept walking further in, tuning out every one else in the room, hoping to catch a better look of the man's face, of his eyes, see what his lips looked like.As if Alec himself had willed it, the man looked up, the force of those eyes hit him like a ton of bricks.Fuck.Hooded eyes lined with black glittering eyeshadow, cheekbones so sharp they looked unreal, a mouth made even more sinful by the goatee that surrounded it and the way his lips pressed together with the effort it took to raise the dumbbells and slowly lower them. Sweat glistened off of him, the heat of his workout bringing warmth to the otherwise cool undertone of his fair olive skin. He was clearly South East Asian and he was the most gorgeous man Alec had ever seen.And then those lips curved into a smile. The man winked and Alec lost all ability to breathe.He heard someone calling his name from a distance but ignored them, his attention focused on the man whose eyes raked across Alec’s body, that knowing look in his eyes, and the smug smile on his lips. It drew him in like a moth to a flame and Alec’s tongue flicked out to wet his lips. The man’s eyes followed the movement and something flared in them,But then he felt a hand clasp down on his shoulder and the spell was broken. Alec turned to look at Jace who was jerking his head towards the door. He could see the words slowly form on Jace’s lips, “We’re going to be late,” but all he heard was ringing in his head.He gave a slow nod and Jace walked away.Alec turned back to look at the man and caught those eyes looking back at him—he was too far away to tell the colour but he would bet they were a deep brown, that went perfectly with his gelled up hair and the electric blue shorts that shifted and then settled when the man stood and started doing standing curls.He considered walking up to him but then his eyes caught the clock on the wall. Even if he rushed through his shower, he would only have about ten minutes to make it to work just in time. That in itself would take a higher power making sure that there wasn’t any traffic and that there were no morons clogging up the highway. But things like that never worked out for him and he sighed as he headed towards the door.Just as he reached the doors, he chanced a backwards glance and the mysterious man was still staring straight back at him.The next day, Alec found himself back at the gym. Jace had woken him up at the expected five am, and although Alec had grumbled and complained, he’d been awake for over thirty minutes before Jace had showed up in the room, thoughts of the mysterious man at the gym keeping him from oversleeping. He needed something. A number, a date, a name; anything that would be more than him just thinking of a wink, a smile, bulging biceps and thighs that easily straddled a workout bench in a way that many would deem illegal in several states.He turned around at the sound of someone clearing their throat and stared at Jace who was looking at him with a half confused, half amused expression on his face. "Seriously? You're not going to say anything? No complaints about me waking you up at five in the bloody morning?"Alec rolled his eyes, stretched over to snag the baseball cap Jace had slipped on his head—what kind of idiot wore a cap in the early hours of the morning?—adjusted the seats until he was lying on his back and covered his face with the cap. "Shut up and drive."Jace snickered."And if you even think about cracking some Rihannaesque joke I swear to God I will kick you out of this car and make you walk to the gym.""It's my car," Jace grumbled in a lowered tone."Still won't stop me from kicking your ass out of it," Alec tossed right back. He nodded when Jace held his tongue and closed his eyes with a vague hope that he would get a nap.Ten minutes later and they pulled into the parking lot. Alec climbed out of the car, even more grumpy at the fact that sleep had eluded him, and that his dreams hadn’t brought him the comfort of imaging a night with the mysterious man.That was what he got for attempting ten minute naps. They never really did do anything to help his situation.Jace disappeared shortly after they passed through the doors. Alec though didn't notice. He'd bypassed heading to the cardio unit and had instead gone straight to the weight room. Unlike when he'd been there previously, the room was less crowded. Everyone else was probably upstairs getting their cardio on before they came down the stairs.His eyes scanned the room, wondering if Bicep God had decided to make the same move and had gone up to Cardio first. Slap. Slap. Slap. The sound had him taking the turn, and then he saw him, Bicep God with a jump rope in hand, headphones on, sweat pouring off of him, although his hair still maintained its swept up position, the purple streaks blending perfectly well with the lilac shorts he had on today. Slap. Slap. Slap. Alec watched entranced. Bicep God twirled the rope around, his feet barely lifting an inch from the ground as he bounced from feet to feet, his legs moving to the rhythm of his hand twisting and turning the jump rope. He didn't miss a beat."Are you going to just stand there?"The words snapped Alec back to the present, pulling his attention from the bounce-a-long Bicep God's ass was doing in tandem with his jumps.His eyes met Bicep God's reflection in the mirror and something about the knowing smile on the man's face had him suddenly realizing that Bicep God had probably caught him staring at his ass.He blushed.Bicep God chuckled and then slowed to a stop. He folded the jump rope, then reached behind his ears and unclipped his headphones.Those went into a pouch along with his jump rope and his phone.His eyes met Alec's and then he jerked his chin at a nearby bench. The barbell had already been set. The weight looked like they were easily a hundred pounds at the very least and he watched impressed as Bicep God leaned back on the bench, spread his thighs so Alec was right in the middle of his spread thighs, and then reached for the barbell.His biceps bulged, strained, and he huffed as he lifted the barbell from its resting position and pushed it high in the air, lowered it, and then repeated the motion.Alec's eyes tracked the movement. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered if Bicep God had properly warmed his muscles before he'd started lifting.Even as he had the thought, he saw the barbell wobble and moved without thought , reaching for the barbell to steady it.It wasn't until he had the barbell in his grip that he looked down and realized that he was standing over Bicep God, legs caging in the man's body, his thighs slightly bent to bear the weight which put his ass over the man's chest and his crotch in the direct line of sight of the man.A man whose eyes travelled over said crotched, whose lips pulled up in a smirk, and then whose eyes made their way up till they met his eyes.Bicep God licked his lips.Alec swallowed.He heard a ringing in his ears and the weight he carried wobbled.That was the wake up he needed and he returned the barbell to its resting position and was faced with another dilemma: how best to remove himself from the bench without further putting his crotch in the other man's face.But Bicep God made the decision for him.The other man braced both hands on the bench and pushed himself forward.His face came dangerously close to Alec's crotch and Alec forgot how to breathe for a moment.But then Bicep God was on the other end of the bench and he was smiling at Alec as he walked over to meet him."Thank you for that," Bicep God said and nodded at the barbell. "That was close."Alec nodded. He knew somewhere in the back of his mind that he should be talking right now. But words failed him right now, his mind a mess of a clusterfuck at the fact that the other man was talking to him and he had no idea what to say.Bicep God gave a curious smile, lazy and unhurried and then stretched out his hand. "I'm Magnus. Magnus Bane."Alec shook his head and opened his mouth. "Lightwood. My name's Lightwood."Sure his voice came out slightly hoarse, but Alec was proud that he was even able to speak."Well then Lightwood," Magnus said as his hands closed around Alec's, thumb brushing lightly over the back of Alec's palm, causing Alec to shiver lightly. Magnus smiled and released Alec's hand. "Do you have a first name or are you a one name kind of guy.""Alec. Alec Lightwood.""Alexander," Magnus drawled, mouth lingering over each syllable, caressing it as he would a lover, and Alec couldn't find it in him to say that he hated having his name called in full. Too many unpleasant memories.None of those memories showed up right now though. Right now his focus was on Magnus' smile as he said Alec's name."So what do you say?"Alec blinked.Magnus had his head cocked to the side, fingers drumming against his thighs as he waited for an answer to a question Alec hadn't even heard."I'm sorry, what did you say?""I asked if you would be my spotter," Magnus repeated. He gestured at the bench. "Kind of like how you saved my neck back then. Excellent response time by the way. Thank you."Alec nodded. And then he realized that Magnus might take his nodding as an agreement to be his spotter and hurried to explain. "I'm kinda new at…"Magnus cut in with a quick gesture of his fingers. "It's not hard really. Don't let your lack of workout experience stop you. Besides…" He leaned forward, fingers stretched and then stopped. "Do you mind?"Alec slowly shook his head, mind still fuzzy as he tried to make sense of what was happening and why Magnus would think he was new to working out and not merely new to the gym with no actual subscription and no reason for him to walk through the doors again.And then the thoughts vanished as he felt slender, slightly callused fingers ran across the length of his upper arm, pressing in to feel out his biceps and triceps. "I'll return the favour. You definitely need to start lifting."Alec was just about to tell him that he wasn't really a fan of lifting and he was quite alright with just his cardio when a voice intruded."Alec."Alec turned around and there was Jace giving a pointed glance at the clock.Alec followed his eyes and was surprised to see that they had ten more minutes to shower and be out of the gym. Wow. Where did the time go? He looked at Magnus who winked."You should get to work Alexander. See you tomorrow."Alec walked away with a nod. It was only when they were speeding on their way to work that it occurred to him that he and Jace wouldn't be coming to the gym the next day. It was Jace’s rest day and his brother never played with those days.Damn rest days.Two days after he finally put a name to the face of Bicep God, Alec was up at thirty minutes to five. He had his gym bag packed, had slipped on his workout clothes and sat in the living room waiting for Jace to finally wake up so they could get going.The door to Jace's room opened at exactly five minutes past five and his brother stepped out with sleep muddied eyes and tousled hair, and yelped when he caught Alec's face in the dark. "Jesus, Mary and Joseph! What the fuck Alec?!"Alec rolled his eyes and pushed off from the seat. "You're going to wake up Iz." He pointed to Izzy's door and Jace blanched at the reminder.Furtive eyes darted to her door and he released a visible sigh of relief at the confirmation that he'd not accidentally woken the kraken. "Seriously though Alec," Jace muttered as he spun around. "Why the hell are you awake already?"Alec shrugged and reached for his gym bag as he slung it over his shoulders. "I figured I'd already paid for the year. Better get my money's worth."The confused crease on Jace's forehead cleared and he beamed. "You won't regret it Alec," he said as they stepped out the door, locked it behind them and walked towards his Honda. "Did you put my name down as your referrer though?"Alec snorted, pulled opened the passenger door and slid into the car. He waited until Jace had started the car and they were on their way before he spoke. "Of course I did. We wouldn't want you to miss your chance to get into the nutritionist's pants now would we,” he said, referring to the add-on perk the winners of the giveaway would receive, one of which was a year’s consultation with the gym’s nutritionist.The car lunged to a stop and Alec glared at Jace who was looking back at him with a stunned expression on his face. "How… What… Did you… When?" Jace spluttered.Alec leaned across and flicked his forehead, relishing in the pained "ow" that Jace released, and satisfied when that gave Jace the prompt he needed to get the car back to moving. "You're not very good at hiding it you know," Alec finally spoke. He gestured at his face. "You have it written so vividly, the only reason the nutritionist hasn't noticed is because he won't stop talking long enough to actually read it." He shook his head. "Doesn’t he tire you out?"Jace briefly glanced away from the road to give Alec a brilliant smile. "No."Alec rolled his eyes."Also, he has a name. Simon Lewis. Stop calling him 'the nutritionist'."Alec arched a brow in response and Jace slid a sideways glance, caught the look on his face and nodded as he turned his attention back to the road. "Or you can call him whatever you want to call him."Alec snorted and closed his eyes.He woke up some time later to Jace shaking him lightly.His eyes immediately went to the clock on the dashboard. Five-fifteen am. They were five minutes late because Jace had to get his snooze in, and Alec glared at him.Jace merely laughed and handed over his bag to him. "This is the first time I've ever seen you eager to go to the gym." He waggled his brows. "See something in the weight room that you liked?"Alec flipped him off and stormed off to the sounds of Jace chuckling.He was so focused on putting as much distance between himself and his brother that he didn't watch where he was going and ran into someone.He reached out at just the right moment and caught the person, surprised to stare down into brown eyes covered by square framed rims. He was even more surprised to feel quite impressive muscles through the nutritionist's shirt.Who would have thought that the nutritionist was buff?He heard a sharp intake of breath and felt a curl of satisfaction at Jace worrying that Alec was going to blurt out something about his crush on the nutritionist.He released Simon and jerked a thumb behind him. "Hold your horses. He's right behind me."Simon blushed and bit his lower lip in a way that had Alec shaking his head as he walked away. Of course Simon also liked Jace. The two of them were just idiots dancing around their attraction for each other.Alec didn't have time for that nonsense. He had more important things on his mind. Like keeping his fingers crossed that Magnus would be at the gym that morning.Heavens knew it would just be his luck if today was Magnus' rest day.The weight room was even emptier than usual and Alec scanned the room, looking for the signature gelled updo, vibrant coloured workout shorts and arms and thighs straining with the effort of his workout, but Magnus was nowhere to be seen.He was just about to turn around and leave when it occurred to him that Magnus might be in the corner in the room that was a bit separate from the rest with the columns that had been built into the space.Sure he couldn't hear the sounds of someone jumping rope, but who knew Magnus might just be catching his breath.He walked to the wall, walking around a black man who was doing a barbell squat whilst maintaining perfect posture as he slowly went down. The man caught his eyes in the mirror and his dark eyes danced as he winked at Alec, and then rose back to standing position. He walked over to the stand, bent, ass jutting out just so as he returned the barbell to the stand.He turned around, mouth open to say something when he was joined shortly by a man whose South Asian skin was a shade lighter than the man’s own dark skin. The new man pressed a quick kiss to his lips, fingers sinking into the man's curls before he pulled back, tweaked the man's hair slightly and walked away.The man's eyes met Alec's again and he gave a small laugh as he followed the other man out of the room."Don't mind them. Victor likes to tease and Raj likes marking his territory," Magnus said in a dry voice, pulling Alec's eyes away from Victor and Raj and to the corner of the room where Magnus laid on the ground, hands solidly planted on the mat as he pushed forward in a upwards facing dog. He smiled. "I didn't see you yesterday."Alec licked his lips. "Yeah. Um, it was Jace's rest day. Jace is my brother," he added as an afterthought when he realized Magnus might not know who Jace was and might think Jace was his boyfriend or something. But then in the next moment he considered how awkward the words must have sounded and wanted to hit himself on the head.Thankfully Magnus didn't seem to mind. Instead he chuckled and then pushed up into a downward facing dog with his ass straight up in Alec's face. He tightened his ass, a slight clench that his fire engine red lycra pants showed off to perfection and Alec swallowed.Magnus hummed. "Hmmmmm. I figured as much. Today's my rest day, hence the yoga." He slid back down into a upwards facing dog, his arms straining for a long moment and then he pushed up into a standing position. He motioned at Alec to hand him his water bottle and Alec did just that then watched entranced as Magnus' Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped down the water. Magnus capped the bottle once he was done and placed it back on the bench. "I only came in because I hoped you would come today." He grinned. "I do have to return the favour after all.""The favour," Alec asked and watched confused as Magnus strode over to him, still grinning widely.Magnus' fingers brushed against his arm and then wrapped around him as Magnus leaned forward to whisper against his ears. "You were my spotter. It's about time I'm yours." He pulled back and nudged Alec towards the low pulley row machine. He set the weights, changed the bar and then gestured at Alec to take his stance at the machine.Alec did just that and was about to start pulling when Magnus held up a hand and walked around till he was behind him. He felt Magnus' hands press against his back, pushing in and correcting Alec's posture in one move.Even as Alec tried to catch his breath at the touch, Magnus reached both hands forward running them across Alec's arms, straightening them out with light touches. He hummed when he finished and stepped away.Alec suddenly felt cold."There, now you can pull."That went on all through his workout. Magnus would touch him, light fleeting casual touches that drove him crazy. He wished Izzy was there. Or even Jace. Someone from the outside who would be able to tell him if Magnus Bane was flirting with him or if all the touches he kept sending Alec's way was part of him just being Alec's spotter. The little brush across his thighs to get him to shift when he was doing his tricep extensions. Was that really necessary? Was the soft touch at the small of his back when he was doing dips, Magnus flirting?But then he felt something lightly graze across his neck when he was doing the barbell squat and Alec jerked at the contact and as he rose back to standing then returned the barbell to its resting position, he met Magnus' eyes.Magnus licked his lips. "Sorry about that." He gestured at Alec's neck and Alec's hand rose self-consciously to rub it. "You were putting too much strain on it and it showed.""My neck," Alec asked, surprised. Sure he hadn't done barbell squats in forever, but he could have sworn he still remembered the proper posture.Magnus nodded. "Yeah. It's quite easy to get injured. Especially because you really can't see what you're doing. I didn't mean to startle you though." He looked apologetic. The expression in his eyes markedly different from the focused looks Magnus had kept tossing his way as he'd corrected his posture and for a moment Alec wondered if maybe he'd been reading meaning into it and Magnus hadn't been flirting with him like he'd assumed after all."No need to apologize," Alec murmured. His hand went back to his neck and he rubbed at it. Now that he'd dropped the barbell and Magnus had pointed it out, he could feel a bit of a strain."Does it hurt," Magnus said, his voice sounding softer than Alec had ever heard it.Alec dropped his hand. "A bit.""Want me to massage it? Magnus smiled and heat unfurled in Alec's gut at the way Magnus ran his eyes over the length of him and then came back up to meet Alec's eyes. Magnus grinned. "I promise. I'm quite good with my hands."Alec's tongue flicked out and he wet his lips. He could hear a roaring in his ears and was just about to accept the offer when as if he'd been sent by the devil himself he heard Jace's voice. "Alec!"He turned around and glared at Jace who took several steps back like he'd been knocked back by the force of Alec's glare.Alec hissed and turned around, and found himself smiling when he met Magnus' amused stare."Work?" Magnus asked.Alec nodded.Magnus smiled and held out a finger in a 'hold it motion' as he spun around to pick up his workout pouch. He unzipped it, pulled out his phone and stretched it out to Alec. "Your number if you don't mind."Alec typed in his digits, mentally thanking his stars that his hands didn't shake. After typing them in, he hit the dial button and smiled when seconds later he heard his phone ring. "And I have yours," he murmured as he handed Magnus' phone back to him."I'll call you," Magnus promised."I'll be waiting," Alec replied and returned Magnus' smile.Ten minutes later, he was showered and in Jace's Honda, listening to his brother mutter about them being late."Please, like anyone would raise an eyebrow to you coming in late," Alec cut in with a shake of his head."That's it! No one would care if I come in late. But you Mr. 'I can't be a second late' going to work late? I just don't want to hear you complaining about how late you got when you come back home tonight. I'm already driving as fast as I can at this rate," Jace grumbled."I see that," Alec said and held onto the passenger's side door when Jace braked hard after he tried and failed to beat the red light. "But I would rather make it to the firm in one piece. If you're in such a hurry to die, please be on your way. There's no need to drag me into your death."Jace rolled his eyes, put the car into gear and they were back on their way the minute the light turned green. "Of course you'll be in such a good mood. Spent all morning chatting with Magnus Bane." He chuckled and shook his head. "Of course he would choose you."Alec turned to look at him. "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"Jace shrugged. "Nothing. It's just that I've been going to that gym for two years now. Magnus doesn't really chat with anyone at the gym. He comes in, does his workout, usually to headphones and music blasting so loud it’s like a big neon sign of 'don't talk to me or fuck with me, I'm not here for your bullshit'. And then in you come and he's what? Offering to be your spotter?"Alec nodded. "He also suggested I be his as well."Jace slid him a glance and chuckled as he shook his head. "Well I'll be damn. You got to be that close to Magnus Bane when there are legit thousands of people who would kill to be in your position.""Wait what? Thousands? Why would there be thousands of people who would want the chance to be his spotter? Is he special or something?"They pulled up to another red light and Jace turned to look at him incredulously? "Seriously Alec? You don't know who Magnus Bane is?"Alec stared back calmly. "Should I?""Yes. He's like one of the top five parkour athletes in the world. He's like David Belle meets Sebastien Foucan with the rabid fan base of Beyonce." Jace shook his head. "I can't believe you don't know who Magnus Bane is."The light turned green and Jace returned his attention to the road, giving Alec the break he needed not to respond to that statement because with how butthurt and surprised Jace was about him not knowing who Magnus Bane was, Alec didn't want to know what his reaction to him would be at Alec not knowing who the hell David Belle and Sebastien Foucan were either.The day sped by. Alec blamed it on the fact that he'd gotten in about thirty minutes late. But he was such a stickler for always being in on time that his boss had let it go. His boss probably would have said something anyway, but one of the partners had pointed out that Alec had a thing for coming to work at the dot of eight, even on the mornings when he'd fallen ill and could barely move.The diversion had worked and Alec had been sent on his way.He'd gotten the partner the man's favourite coffee order: double shot of espresso with enough sugar to destroy a man's arteries, and no milk. It was just like Hodge liked it and Alec had gotten a nod of approval when he'd dropped the coffee on Hodge's desk.Hodge Starkweather had motioned that Alec leave his office and get back to work, and Alec had done just that, so wrapped up in work he hadn't even grabbed lunch. As he cleared his desk, shutting down his computer and sorting out the files he had to go home to read through for his appearance in court in the next week, he noticed the clock on his desk and the glaring six-thirty PM of the time.He hadn't had the time to Google Magnus or check out the recommended parkour videos Jace had suggested he watch.Hell, he hadn't even taken his phone off the silent mode he'd put it on the minute he'd walked in through the Institute's glass doors and stepped straight into a briefing meeting between the senior and junior partners of the firm.He pulled out his phone from where he'd slipped it inside his desk and saw the parkour link Jace had sent him—trust his bother to have figured out that Alec would be too busy to look up or even remember the videos he was meant to look up—and a missed call from Magnus.Seeing the name had the breath catching in his throat and he quick dialed his voicemail, hoping against hope that Magnus had left a message.He hadn't run out of luck just yet because Magnus had. "Alexander." Alec shivered, closing his eyes as his feet buckled and he fell back in his chair. His mind supplied him with images upon images of Magnus, his body, his touches, the way his goateed mouth had brushed against the shell of Alec's ear whilst he'd been telling him about the merits of keeping a straight form whilst doing dips and chin ups. Fuck he had it bad. "I'm guessing you're at work right now." A low rumbling chuckle that Alec felt in the pit of his stomach. "Serves me right for not waiting until you got home before trying to hear your voice again. Anyway, I had a ton of fun today. Yes I remember I still owe you a massage…" Alec bit down on his lower lip at the way Magnus' voice trailed off. And then Magnus released a harsh breath and continued speaking. "Anyway, hope to see you soon. I won't be in the gym for the rest of the week. I have a comp to prepare for. I'll be back by Sunday though so you'll most likely see me first thing on Monday morning. Till then, stay pretty, Alexander."The electronic voice asking him if he wanted to delete, save or listen one again to the message came on but Alec didn't hear it. All he could hear was Magnus Bane calling him pretty and he found a big happy grin stretched out across his face.He was still grinning when he pushed open the door and walked into the house. Izzy was standing on one of the end tables, the remote in one hand as she beat her chest and declared so loudly Alec was sure their neighbours could hear her. "Yo Soy La Numero Uno!""Si. Si," Alec muttered and took up his spot beside Jace who was staring at Izzy and shaking his head at the theatrics. "What's she going on about?"Jace shrugged. "Something to do with work I guess?""It is more than just work," Izzy cut in and stepped down and put her feet back on solid ground. "I just made the biggest launch of my career. They shall write my name down in gold." She threw her hand out. "Can you see it? Isabelle Lightwood, publicist extraordinaire. They will come and pay homage to my name.""I'm sure they will," Alec muttered dryly and held up the bag he'd brought in. "Can we be eating Chinese whilst you wait to receive the thousands of your fans coming to pay you homage."Izzy pulled back her fingers, leaving the middle finger to standout glaringly in the room.Alec chuckled."Yes I will eat. I'm only as good a god If I still live anyway," Izzy said and dropped her hands to her waist. "What's the occasion though, Mr. Chinese is only good on an active leg day? Did you go to the gym?" She separated her chopsticks and then paused, her eyes going from Alec to Jace. "Wait, did the two of you actually go to the gym again today?"Jace nodded."Seriously Alec? What happened to only sadists get up before five in the morning?" Izzy asked as she dug into her noodles."He ran into uber hot Magnus Bane and spent the entire workout touching and being touched," Jace replied around a mouthful of noodles."He what," Izzy spluttered, and out spewed the remnants of her noodles."Gross Iz! The fuck!" Alec yowled as he jumped out of the way, relieved that none of the food got on him. And then he got a good look at Jace who was using wipes to get rid of the food that had fallen on him and Alec grinned. Served him right. "Sorry," Izzy muttered and waved her chopsticks at Jace. Jace waved away the apology."It's all good. Besides, I would have done the same if you'd been the one telling me," Jace replied.And there went his relief that they would let the matter rest.Both his siblings turned in their seats to look at him. He dug into his food with relish even though he could feel the pinpricks of their eyes on him. When he couldn't deal with it anymore he lifted up his eyes and barked. "What? Y'all are more nosy than Max. And he's a junior in high school.""Well you should be lucky that that junior in high school isn't here right now otherwise he would be the one sniffing out all the information and we would just be here, listening in and gleaning everything we need without having to say a word," Jace replied."Did you just use the word 'gleaning'?" Alec said with a laugh. "Oooh. The little nutritionist is teaching you some new words. How cute.""Fuck you," Jace grit out and then promptly bit into his chicken. He flipped Alec off and Alec chuckled and went back to his noodles, hoping that Izzy would let the matter lie.Izzy though didn't seem interested in doing anything of the sort. She opened her mouth, probably to direct the question back to matters best forgotten when the doorbell buzzed.Alec had never been as relieved as to hear that sound in his whole life. He moved his food to one of the many tables in the room and then walked to the door where he found Clary Fray, her red hair whipping around her face as she stared owlishly at him."Clary," Alec called and yanked her into the house. "Iz. Your girl's here." He called out. "How were classes today," he tossed at Clary.She narrowed her eyes and lifted her hand to feel his forehead. "Alec are you okay. You're being… nice. To me." She beamed. "Does that mean we can finally be frien…""Not a chance in hell," Alec cut in and walked back into the room to take up his previously occupied spot.Clary chuckled as she followed him into the room and took up her own spot beside Izzy. She leaned in, lips brushing against Izzy's in a soft kiss. They both released the tiniest of moans and then separated.Clary rested her head on Izzy's shoulders and threaded her free fingers through Izzy's hair. "Your brother's acting weird."Izzy snorted. "That's because he's hung up on Magnus."Clary chuckled. "Well welcome to the club of everyone wanting to talk to Magnus but he doesn't have time for such frivolities. Take a number please.""You mean he didn't have time. He's agreed to spot Alec and asked Alec to return the favour. Plus, he gave him his number," Jace said and pointed his fork—Jace wasn’t one for chopsticks—at Alec.Alec rolled his eyes, and just as he saw that Clary was about to open her mouth to probably say something that would have him wishing he could kick out her ass he raised up his hand. "Yes. I talk to Magnus and he talks to me to. Yes we exchanged numbers. No it's none of you guys business and I am other no obligation to answer your questions, so I most likely won't. Now, Iz you said you rented the Return of Xander Cage didn't you? Play it."Izzy looked like she wanted to protest anyway, but a subtle nod from Clary had her subsiding and she gave a loud sigh but reached for the remote and hit play. Soon they were all lost in the scene, laughing at Gibbons attempting to recruit Neymar and howling at the explosion that put a nail on that particular negotiation.Later that night, whilst his siblings were asleep, Alec listened to the voicemail once again, smiling at the sound of Magnus calling his name. As he listened to the recording for yet another time, he clicked on the link Jace had sent him and saw about a dozen videos, all designated as being team "Bane" with millions of views per video.Alec settled back in his chair, slipped his headphones on and hit play. His head started bopping to the sound of Rise Against's "Paper Wings" and he found himself smiling at Magnus making a silly goofy face at the camera before he spun around, arms spread wide as if he wanted to embrace the city. And then he vaulted over the railing, moving so fast, Alec almost forgot to breathe.But then the camera followed him, watching as he reached out, grabbed the ledge of the next building, vaulted over till he was on that building's rooftop, and then he did multiple backflips, landed just inches away from the widow that looked into the next building building and then swung through it, to race down the stairs, bursting out into the sunlight and to the sight of the rest of his team all doing their thing. There was one black haired man who climbed the wall, movements fast and easy till he got to the top, and then he leaped, landing lightly on the railing and reaching across to swing through another set of stairs. A young woman joined them, her black fro in a miniature bun. Shetook a running leap as she dived for one of the railings, swung her body around to climb a wall, did a backwards somersault, landed on her feet and then did a quick low spin on the ground. Their movements were fast, agile, quick and powerful, and Alec watched entranced, his eyes drifting back and again to the sight of Magnus Bane climbing the wall like he were a cat, and then doing a backward flip that ended with him landing on his feet and breaking into a little dance, upper body twining and flexing as he did a little break dance to music only he could hear. When he wrapped he laughed, a merry little laugh that bounced along the walls in whatever space he and his crew were at the moment. His crew joined him in laughing and Alec found himself smiling at the pure unbridled joy in the laughter.When that video finished, he played another, and another, and another.Monday morning had Alec at the gym. He headed straight to Magnus' corner and didn't realized he'd been holding his breath for fear that Magnus hadn't come back yet, until he saw Magnus doing his warm up exercises.Alec released his breath in a silent whoosh and watched Magnus warm up for a while, looking his fill of the grey shirt and the burnt orange shorts that Magnus filled out quite well.Magnus sun around, saw him and smiled. "Alexander.""Magnus," Alec replied and cleared his throat when the name came out sounding like a growl. "Hey," he tried again, relieved that his voice now sounded normal.Magnus chuckled, and then held out his jump rope. "Wanna warm up?"Alec was done with his warm up in fifteen minutes and they moved to a bench where Magnus started adding more weight to Alec’s bar, passing the seventy-five pounds they'd stopped at the previous week and adding an extra ten pounds to each side. Alec raised a brow and Magnus chuckled. "Progressive resistance." He reached out a hand and felt up Alec's muscles. "How else are you going to build these babies?"Alec sucked in a harsh breath, the touch sending a zing down his body. He opened his mouth and then closed it right back as he stared at Magnus who was staring back at him with an unreadable expression in his eyes. "I'm sorry if I overstepped," Magnus said and gestured at Alec's arm."No!" The word came out louder than he'd planned and Alec cringed and his eyes darted around, relieved when it didn't seem like he'd startled someone into accidentally dropping a weight on themselves. "No," he said his voice lower as his eyes swung back to meet Magnus'. "I don't mind."Magnus' face cleared and he grinned as he gestured at Alec to lie back and begin lifting. "Good. I was worried for a moment."They fell into silence after that, Alec raising the barbell, and feeling relief when his hands trembled for a moment but Magnus was there to steady him. And then he returned the favour, watching Magnus lifting his weights with a keen eye. He slowly found his confidence and now it was his turn to correct Magnus' posture in some places, a little touch here, a slight tilt there.Magnus felt warm to touch, all that heat from his workout pouring off of him in waves and Alec found himself gravitating towards the heat. He took in deep breaths and reveled in the scent of man and cologne, a spicy hot smell that had him shifting slightly in his seat as he leaned back on the floor and slowly went through his stretches.His body ached but it was a delicious ache. The endorphins pumped through his body giving him that blissful high and he rode it even higher to the sounds of Magnus panting beside him."So tell me," Magnus finally said after he'd been able to catch his breath. "You said Jace is your brother?"Alec nodded."Is he your only sibling?"Alec shook his head. "Nah. I have two other siblings. There's Isabelle. Izzy for short. She's a publicist."He turned on his side so he could look at Magnus and saw that Magnus was also lying on his side and staring right back at him. "Publicist huh? Sounds fun."Alec chuckled, mind filled with images of Izzy jumping on the chair as she declared herself number one. "It is. And she loves it.""And Jace? What does Jace do," Magnus asked.Somewhere at the back of his mind, a voice whispered to Alec that they shouldn't be lying down as it would zap out the rest of Alec's energy and he wouldn't be able to get any cardio in. Alec however didn't listen to the voice and stayed right where he was. Knowing his luck, Jace would show up any moment now and if this was his chance to get some conversation in with Magnus, he would take it."Jace is a physiotherapist," Alec replied.Magnus nodded. "And I'm guessing he loves it too?"Alec chuckled. "He's wanted to be a physiotherapist ever since he sprained his ankle and our parents took him to one. Other kids wanted to be astronauts and doctors, but my baby brother wanted to be a physiotherapist."Magnus laughed, his shoulders shaking with the force of the laughter and his eyes danced. It reminded him so much of Magnus laughing in the video and Alec found himself laughing along with him. "And what about your last sibling," Magnus asked.Alec grinned. "Max? He's the baby of the family." Alec chuckled at what Max’s reaction would be if he could hear Alec call him a 'baby'. "He's a junior in a boarding school right now, so we don't see him as often. He should be back in a month though for the holidays."Magnus nodded. "And your parents?"He must have given his thoughts on that matter away because gone was the mirth in Magnus' expression. In its place was concern as Magnus reached for Alec's hand. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."Alec shook his head and managed a smile. "Don't sweat it. Things just aren't so great at that end.""They're separated," Magnus guessed.Alec nodded. "Yeah. When I was a freshman in college. They both live on separate continents. Dad is somewhere in Europe, and mum is somewhere in South America, exploring the continent." He shrugged. "They send postcards and money so we know they're alive and well."Magnus made a sound of agreement but he didn't release Alec's hand, and Alec found his hand curving around Magnus'. "So you raised your siblings on your own," Magnus asked."That's one way to look at it," Alec replied. "I like to think of it as us being around for each other and helping each other grow.""And you? What do you do for a living?"Alec smiled. "Guess."Magnus scrunched up his forehead in thought and Alec's eyes were drawn to the beauty mark above his right eyebrow. "Banker?"Alec let out a loud bark of laughter and stared incredulously at Magnus. "Seriously?" He gestured at his body. "Do I look like a banker to you?"Magnus' eyes followed the movement of Alec's hand, dipping into the curves and corners, lingering in different places before they wandered back to meet Alec's eyes. "You never can tell what a man's hiding underneath his suit."Alec chuckled and shook his head. "No. I am not a banker. Try again."Magnus smirked and that was the only warning Alec had before Magnus spoke. "Doctor?""And you think I would have the time to have a regular schedule at the gym?" He narrowed his eyes at Magnus. "You don't know that many doctors do you?"Magnus chortled and shook his head. "No. Not really."Alec chuckled. "I'm a lawyer," he finally said."Impressive," Magnus said, and he definitely looked impressed. "You helped raised your siblings and still had the strength to put yourself through law school? That's very impressive."Alec waved away the praise. "You're the one who's impressive," he blurted. And then his eyes skirted away as he admitted, "I watched some of your videos. Parkour? Very nice."He felt a slight nudge and his eyes met Magnus'. Magnus was smiling. "You liked them?"Alec nodded. "You were amazing," he breathed and then wanted to smack himself at how much like a fangirl he'd sounded in that moment.Magnus didn't seem to mind though. Instead he grinned. "I don't know about that though. There are a ton of other talented athletes and my team is really good. They make me look good."Alec raised a brow. "Modesty doesn't suit you."Magnus' laugh rang out in the room, bouncing off the walls as it sank into the very essence of Alec's soul. Alec grinned. "You're right. I suck at being modest," Magnus said, and then waggled his brows in the way of one who knew he was good at what he did. "I'm happy you liked it. Which one of them was your…""Alec!"Alec groaned, and smiled when that made Magnus chuckle. He pushed off from the mat and met Magnus' eyes. "I have to run."Magnus nodded. "Sure thing Alexander."Alec was just about to leave the corner when Magnus spoke. "What about a drink? A good friend of mine mans a bar not too far away from here," Magnus said and gestured out the window.Alec almost blurted out a 'yes' before it hit him. He sighed. "Sorry, I don't drink during the week."He chanced a glance up and Magnus had a smirk on his face. "When I said let's grab a drink I don't mean immediately Alexander," Magnus said, laughter ringing through the words. He pushed off from the mat, walked over to Alec and fixed the sleeves of his shirt, the back of his hand brushing against the edge of Alec's neck. "How does Friday sound?"Alec's mouth had gone dry. He swallowed. "Friday sounds good." And if his voice had sounded very hoarse and barely audible, Magnus didn't comment on it.Alec pushed open the doors to the Hunter's Moon and walked into the bar, his eyes adjusting to the twinkling of the fairy lights and the plethora of lamps that hung from the ceiling. It was a lot going from the pitch dark of the night outside to the flooding of the lights in the bar.But soon his eyes had adjusted and he found himself relaxing. A jukebox in the corner was crooning Madonna's Take a Bow, a group of friends surrounded a pool table, ribbing each other as one of their party took a shot at one of the balls on the table. Another group of friends, slightly more rowdy than the first group took up a corner seat and were laughing and cheering at one of the boys who was chugging down beer without stopping—probably college students. There was just something about that time in people's lives that had them doing all sort of stupid shit. And sure enough, the master chugger starter choking. But he kept on drinking the beer and when he finished it, he slammed the glass on the table and his friends roared in approval.Alec chuckled as he turned around, and the laughter died on his lips when he caught sight of Magnus. He'd snagged a corner seat—why didn't that surprise him?—and he rose when he caught sight of Alec.Alec tried to keep from making his staring obvious, but he knew he failed, if the smirk on Magnus' face was anything to go by. Magnus had poured himself into a pair of black skintight jeans, the chains that were clipped from the front of his belt to the back jangled and swayed with every movement. He had on a skin tight shirt that stretched across his torso, the material straining so hard Alec was surprised it hadn’t torn already. It caught in the light, one minute a deep blue black and the next black. What took his attention the most though was the myriad of chains and necklaces Magnus had piled on. From the skull choker tight around his throat, to the star pendant that rested on his collarbone, and the key that hung lariat style, brushed against his abdomen with every movement. He'd gelled up his hair, his eyes sparkled with the glittering blue eye-shadow he'd put on and his lips looked even more kissable thanks to whatever glossy balm he'd rubbed on before he'd left the house.He looked good. More than good. And with the way he was smirking, Alec could bet it that Magnus Bane knew exactly how irresistible he looked right at that moment."Alexander," Magnus crooned when he came close enough and he leaned forward to brush his lips against the shell of Alec's ear, the rasp of the goatee sending more shivers down Alec's spine.Alec gasped as Magnus pulled back. "I'm glad you came," Magnus said as he settled back on his stool.Alec settled on the stool right beside him. He debated between telling him "thank you," and "I wouldn't miss it". The latter sounded too impersonal and the second one sounded like he was eager for Magnus' dick.Although heavens knew he was more than ready to ride the man, but somethings just had to wait."Thank you for inviting me over," Alec said, feeling very proud of himself that he was able to happen on just the right words.Magnus smirked in a way that had Alec wondering if maybe Magnus had been privy to his thoughts. But Magnus didn't say anything. Instead, he gestured at Alec to take his seat.Alec did."So what are you having," Magnus asked, as he ran his fingers over the rim of his glass. The plethora of rings he wore glinted in the dark, and his red polish shone. He'd clearly already gotten quite the head start on things."G&T," Alec replied and asked when Magnus made a face. "What? Is there anything wrong with a Gin and Tonic?""It's boring," Magnus said bluntly and Alec raised a brow. Magnus chuckled. "I'm not saying you're boring, Alexander.""Could have fooled me," Alec muttered, still cross that Magnus had found his choice boring. And so what if it was? You could never go wrong with a G&T. It was a safe choice. An easy choice. But as he stared at his… date? Was that what this was? A date? They never did have that conversation did they? Anyway, as he stared at Magnus, he realized that no, the man sitting beside him was no easy choice.And for the first time in the six years since Alec had been old enough to drink Alec thought that it would be a good thing to stray away from the safe, 'boring' choice. "Okay, what would you recommend," he asked Magnus and laughed at the practically giddy look that spread across Magnus' face.Magnus snapped his fingers and their bartender walked over to them.Alec was surprised to see that it was the woman from the video, except her hair wasn't confined in a tight bun. Now the kinks and coils spilled around her face, brushing against her face. "Maia," Magnus called. He waved his almost empty glass at her. "Another Old Fashioned for me and Alexander over here will have a Bees Knees."Maia nodded and walked away and Alec asked. "Bees Knees?""A prohibition era cocktail that gave birth to the term. It's delicious and as a Gin man, I'm sure you would like it. Also, something tells me you like your cocktails just the right side of sweet."Before Alec could wrap his head around the innuendos in that statement, Maia arrived with their drinks: another glass of Old Fashion for Magnus, and a sweet looking yellow concoction that Alec could only assume was the highly regarded Bees Knees.He nodded in thanks to Maia who grunted in reply. But her closed off expression dissolved into a brilliant smile when Magnus pushed a twenty-dollar bill her way."I thought I told you it's on the house Magnus," Maia said as she tsked and shook her head.Magnus shrugged and pushed the money at her. "Humour me."Maia chuckled as she accepted the money, spun around and walked away.Alec watched her walk away and turned back to meet Magnus' eyes. "She's an old friend," Magnus said.Alec nodded. "Yeah. I noticed her in the "São Paulo video," he admitted.Magnus chuckled. "Gods I've forgotten about that video. We made it like, six, seven years ago.""You all still looked good though," Alec admitted and was rewarded with a brilliant smile."Thank you Alexander."Alec took a sip of his drink, then took a bigger gulp. He cocked his head as he rolled the mouthful around and swallowed. He could taste the gin, very distinctively. But it blended excellently well with the lemon and the honey. Liquid high. He went back for another mouthful and caught Magnus' proud expression.Seeing that self-satisfied nod had Alec bursting into laughter and he shook his head. "Yeah you're right. I like it.""Of course you do," Magnus said, just the right side of cocky as he sipped his drink."So tell me, how did you get into parkour," Alec asked, still riding the high of the cocktail. The barely concealed flinch that Magnus released at the question though brought him back to earth pretty quickly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… You don't need to… I mean you have every right to…"The torrent of words halted as Magnus covered his hand with his. "Hey. It's nothing. You just surprised me is all," Magnus said softly.Alec finally looked up to meet his eyes. The pain was still there, flickering just beneath the surface, but Magnus was smiling at him: a soft sad smile, that Alec tentatively returned."I just didn't… I couldn't think to… I'm sorry I…." Alec stumbled to a halt, the mismatch of words coming to an end as a lean finger brushed against his lips. He met Magnus' eyes again and this time around the smile was more full, more filled with laughter than the last smile had been.Just as he noticed the little strokes Magnus' fingers were doing on his lips, Magnus seemed to notice the movement as well and he pulled his fingers back and curved them around his glass.Alec's tongue flickered out and he licked it.The movement caught Magnus' attention and his eyes followed the movement before they moved up to meet Alec's eyes.Then it was Magnus' turn to clear his throat. "I grew up in Indonesia. Jakarta to be precise. Back then my friends and I ran down the streets of Glodok, leaping across fences and jumping from building to building." Magnus' face looked soft, lost in the memories of his childhood. "Of course we didn't call it parkour then. Hell we didn't even consider it Free Running either. It was just us goofing around and having a blast." He laughed, took several sips of his drink and then continued, his voice dropping low at the remembered pain. "But then my mother died, and my step-father…" his voice broke and Alec instinctively reached for his hand, his hand curling around Magnus' hand as he squeezed, silently offering comfort. Magnus squeezed back and continued the tale. "I got a scholarship to come here for school so I packed my bags and didn't look back. God it had been hard. So fucking hard." He swallowed. "But I found myself getting more involved in Parkour." He chuckled. "By then, I knew what it was called. And that was how I kissed my dreams of becoming a doctor goodbye.""Wait what," Alec asked, eyes opening wide. "You got a scholarship to study medicine?"Magnus nodded. "Yup.""So how does a person go from wanting to become a doctor to becoming a world famous parkour athlete?"Magnus shrugged. "You go visit a hospital and see the amount of blood and guts you have to see on the daily should you decide to become a doctor. Plus you get the chance to consider the more than ten years of study required to become qualified for such bloody work." He said the words drily and Alec found himself laughing at the imagery and Magnus laughed along with him.And that was how the spent the night, telling stories about their past whilst sipping their drinks to the low sound of the Hunter Moon's jukebox playing in the corner.They spent their week in almost the same way. Them talking about how their day was going and how work was progressing as well. Magnus sent him silly pictures of himself throughout the day, although most of them involved shots of himself pulling off impromptu pushups in the park, and Alec returned the pictures, although his were about more mundane things: the smoothie he'd made to take to work that morning, a picture he'd been able to take of the pigeon he'd fed on his way to work. The pigeon had taken off seconds after Alec had gotten his shot and he'd felt quite pleased and accomplished that he'd been able to pull it off.Seeing the plethora of emoticons that Magnus had sent praising him for his skills with a mobile phone made his head swell just right.Magnus had also sent him pictures of what he had to wear that day—apparently his team had a very important sponsorship meeting and Magnus wanted to dress the part. Alec felt very pleased at being offered the choice to help Magnus choose, and when Magnus sent him a full-length photograph of himself wearing the maroon suit Alec had chosen for him, complete with the red and white polka dot tie and the red and black pocket square, he felt very proud of himself.He'd sent Magnus several hearts eye emojis and Magnus had replied by blowing him kisses and with an attached video of a little girl crying hysterically about the monster that kept following her around. Except the monster was her own shadow and Alec found himself shaking with laughter after he watched it.Seeing the caption Magnus had given the video: hope it makes you laugh that glorious laugh of yours, Alexander, filled him with a warm glow.Several weeks flew by. Almost every weekend, they went to a bar, had drinks and talked. Sometimes, they grabbed dinner together, talking about their day over candlelight. Some Saturday mornings, Alec would call Magnus out and they would meet for a run at the park. He rarely got the chance to get his cardio in whilst he was at the gym, but on the weekends? Nothing gave him as much joy as his feet pounding the pavement hard as he took flight.The first time they'd ran together, Alec had beaten Magnus to their finish line. The second time they'd done it, Magnus had taken the lead. Now he had no idea who was in the lead and who wasn't. All he knew was that Saturdays were for running carefree in the park, with his adrenaline pumping at its height as the entire scenery sped by and Magnus ran beside him.Saturdays were for running.Except for this Saturday it would seem.Alec stared at the message as he stepped out of the car: Wanna see me and my crew train?Magnus had attached a smiley face to it, and although Alec had felt just a slight bit wary, he'd sent another smiley back and agreed to the meet.He closed the car behind him, mentally thanking Jace for lending him the car, and then walked, feet crunching on gravel as he drew closer to the basketball court that Magnus had told him Alec would find him at.As he drew closer to the court, Alec finally figured out why he was so scared of the meeting. This was the first time they were stepping out of their bubble and that Magnus was introducing him to his friends.Alec wiped suddenly damp hands against his jeans and continued to trudge forward. He could feel the worry licking at the base of his spine: that incessant voice that declared that Magnus' friends weren't going to like him. He ignored the voice as best as he could and continued walking until he turned around the corner and saw them: Magnus holding court amongst his friends.Even if Magnus hadn't told him that they were his friends, Alec would have recognized more than half of them from the videos he'd watched. There was Maia, her hair now in twin buns. She had on a rocker t-shirt and grey washed jeans. A frown of concentration was on her face as she listened to what Magnus was saying and nodded in agreement to something he said.The black haired man who'd climbed walls like he'd been born to do so said something and everyone turned to look at him, nodding at whatever it was that he was saying.They looked so engrossed that Alec debated silently retracing his steps so he could give them some privacy and they could keep on doing their thing.The decision was taken out of his hands however when Magnus looked up like he'd sensed him and their eyes met.Magnus' lips curved into a slow smile and Alec found himself smiling right back. And then his smile dropped when he found himself the cynosure of just about nine pair of eyes.Most of them looked vaguely amused, except for the black haired man who looked bored, like he would rather be elsewhere, and Maia with her straight face on.Alec absently wondered exactly when he would be able to get her to thaw."Alexander. You came," Magnus said when Alec drew closer to all of them.Alec raised a brow and snorted when that got him a grin. "You invited me remember? Of course I would come."Magnus chuckled and then waved his hand to take in the entire group. "Well, Maia you've already met."Alec smiled and nodded at Maia. She nodded back at him but didn't smile.Well, he would take what he could get."The dark haired one glaring at you like he hopes he sets you on fire is Raphael," Magnus said dryly and everyone laughed. Except for Raphael who just scowled harder. "Don't take it personal. That's his resting bitch face. We keep trying to get him to smile, but like I said, that face isn't going anywhere.""Fuck you Bane," Raphael growled.Magnus tsked. "Now who's being rude Raphael? I tried once remember? You don't bark down that tree, sex isn't really your thing, etcetera."Raphael flipped off Magnus and Magnus chuckled, then moved on to the rest of his team. "The one with the headphones on is Elias. Seriously Elias, would it kill you to be in the movement and lose the music for the five seconds it takes for me to introduce you to my… Alexander."The pause was short, over and done in a couple of seconds but Alec's heart stuttered to a halt, eyes widening as he looked at Magnus was decidedly not looking at him.Alec wondered if maybe he shouldn't read meaning into it. But with the way the rest of the crew were all smirking at Magnus, he figured he was not the only one who had caught the almost slip.Magnus cleared his throat and pointed at the man. Elias. "Well, there's Elias."Elias jerked his chin at Alec and Alec gave a little wave. Elias shrugged and slipped his headphones back on to resume bobbing his head to whatever music he had been listening to before Magnus had interrupted him."The man over there," Magnus said as he pointed, "is Alaric," Magnus said. He then pointed to his right where Alec saw a man on a rolled out yoga mat, pulling off stretches as he nodded. His long hair fell over his eyes when he tilted forward and he stared up at Alec through his falling hair.Magnus leaned forward and smacked the man behind his head.The other man yelped and then spun around to glare at Magnus. "What the hell Magnus?""Stop trying to flirt with him. He's mine," Magnus barked, and then realized what he'd just said.Alec's mouth fell open but Magnus continued like he'd not just blurted out to his friends that Alec was his. "Anyway, this one over here is Meliorn."He then swung both arms out and pulled two people into a hug: a man and a woman. And this two over here aren't part of the team but they're my cheerleaders and best friends. "Alexander, meet Ragnor Fell and Catarina Loss."Alec waved and the two of them waved back, their happy grins setting Alec at ease.Magnus jumped down the stairs, feet barely touching the ground as he took off.That seemed to be a signal for the rest of his crew as they all jumped and somersaulted, spinning in the air as they made their way to the very open space of the court that they were using.Alec noticed Ragnor and Catarina patting a spot beside them on the bench and took up Magnus' spot in the middle of the two friends."So you're the elusive Alexander," Ragnor said and stared intently at Alec's face as he ran fingers across said face."Stop creeping him out Ragnor," Catarina butt in and swatted Ragnor's fingers away from Alec's face. "Magnus won't forgive you if you send him running." She gave Alec an apologetic look. "Please excuse Ragnor. He doesn't understand the concept of personal space."Ragnor stuck out his tongue at her in response and Catarina chuckled. Alec found himself liking them both immensely and he leaned back as his eyes tracked Magnus' twists and tumbles in the air; appreciating the way the black pants paired well with Magnus' army green shirt. The combat boots raised the look up to several notches of hot and Alec watched intently as Magnus strode by the court giving instructions and directions to his team as they all practiced their moves. He was a born teacher, but Alec was pleased to note that Magnus wasn't touching them as he fixed their stance. He spoke, demonstrated, but did none of the touching.He smiled at the realization and turned when he heard Ragnor chuckling. "What?"Ragnor shook his head, but kept smiling. "Nothing really. You've just got it bad is all."Alec blushed and his attention went back to Magnus training, appreciating the fast movements, the grace in every movement. And then Magnus was running to meet them, drenched in so much sweat his green t-shirt had turned a dark green. He gratefully accepted the bottle of water Catarina extended to him, gulped down the water quickly and returned his bottle. And then he reached around himself and pulled off the shirt, his muscles twitching and flexing with the movement and Alec's mouth dried up.He swallowed and blinked up to meet Magnus' amused stare. He could hear Ragnor and Catarina saying something but their words seemed like it was coming from far away as Alec's eyes travelled, following the trail of sweat that started from Magnus' collarbone, made its way down his pecs, stopped to dip into the hollowed out hole that was Magnus' navel and then disappeared beneath the band of his shorts.Alec's eyes swept back up to meet Magnus', and now there was the heat barely disguised as Magnus stared back at him. The hunger was a perfect reflection of what he was feeling and Alec licked his lips.Magnus' eyes dropped to Alec's mouth at the movement and then came back up to meet his eyes. And then he grinned, a slow and sultry smile and Alec just barely bit back a groan."Dancing. You and me. Tonight. Interested?"Alec slowly nodded and Magnus grinned, spun around and went back to join his crew, leaving Alec to stare at the round curve of that ass as Magnus walked away. Fuck his life. They’d agreed to meet at the doors of Pandemonium later that night, so Magnus would have enough time to head back home, shower and change for their night on the town.Alec drew closer to the club, the pounding bass of the club reverberated in the air. He wiped his damp palms on his jeans and looked down at his outfit, chosen of course by Izzy who had screamed when Alec had told her of Magnus’ invite. She’d said something about him being dressed right for their date, and no matter how many times Alec had pointed out that it wasn’t a date, Izzy hadn’t been willing to listen. Considering that Clary had been there, smirking as she and Jace had insisted that Magnus wasn’t the type to invite random people to meet his friends and then suggest they go out for drinks in that same night, Alec could guess exactly why Izzy was so insistent on it being a date.Thankfully she hadn’t suggested they go shopping. They’d instead agreed on a pair of black jeans he’d worn only once and a black tee, a size too small. Jace had lent him his leather ankle boots in a deep brown, with soles that were a shade lighter than the rest of the boots. Paired with a black leather jacket, Alec knew he looked good, if he did say so himself. Not too far away from his usual outfits but anyone who’d been with him long enough would know he’d put in some effort into his outfit.He raised his hand to run his fingers through his hair and remembered at the last moment the artful tousle his siblings had created on his hair.He dropped his hands and continued his stroll, absently wondering if Magnus was already there and if he weren’t, how long he would have to wait. Pandemonium was very picky about who it let through its doors and the line to enter stretched on for another block or so.He got to the door, nodded at the bouncers who stared back at him without moving or blinking and stared around, hoping to catch a glimpse of dark hair and bight eyes, even as he avoided looking at the rest of the people on the line who stared at him suspiciously as if they were ready to gut him should he even think about jumping the queue.“Looking for me?” The words came out from the shadows and Alec squinted. “Magnus,” he asked.Magnus chuckled and stepped out into the light and suddenly Alec felt both under and overdressed at the same time as he flushed hot and cold. Fuck. He must have made some sort of sound because Magnus chuckled and strutted over to where he stood, the sway of his hips drawing Alec’s eyes with each movement.Magnus had slipped into black leather pants that rested low on his hips, the fabric stretched across his strong thighs rippling with every movement he made. His jacket was a Venetian red with a high collar and long sleeves that fit him snuggly. But it was the rows of chains that had been sewn into the jacket that caught his attention. They started from around his throat, several strings of chains that repeated themselves all the way down to the final chain that brushed against his navel with each movement. And Magnus wore nothing underneath the jacket. All Alec could see was several inches of skin, cut and defined that ripped in tandem with the chains every time Magnus walked.And right now Magnus stalked like a man on a mission. He grinned when he got to Alec, leaned forward so Alec caught a whiff of whatever cologne he had sprayed on. Alec’s head swam, his vision blurred and his breath caught when Magnus brushed his lips across the shell of Alec’s ear. “You’re late.”Alec nodded numbly and Magnus grinned. He winked at the bouncers who waved them in, intertwined his fingers with Alec’s and then pulled him into the club. Alec followed willingly, not even looking back at the people who were waiting outside the club for their chance to get in. Nobody raised a word of protest so Alec assumed that it was probably because they were all like him, dazed at seeing Magnus when he was all dressed and ready to party.But then as they moved further into the club and several people caught Magnus’ eyes and greeted him, whilst the rest cleared a path for him till they got to the middle of the dance floor, Alec wondered. “You seem quite popular.”Magnus chuckled as a song kicked in. “I should hope so. I own the place.”Before Alec could process the statement, Magnus spun him around to the beat of the song, then pulled him back, molding his body to Alec’s back but unlike in the gym when Magnus had maintained the air of doing it to show Alec some moves now his hands were on Alec’s hips, gripping him tight as he ground against his back.Alec followed his lead, swaying from side to side, and then he sucked in a harsh breath when Magnus’ fingers wandered under and up his shirt, tweaking one nipple then another, and then they pulled away and Magnus withdrew his hand completely, and stepped out from behind him.Alec turned around searching him out and his eyes met Magnus’, the purple glittering eye-shadow enhanced his eyes, made them dance as Magnus smiled, moved his hands in front of him and then proceeded to do a moonwalk, gliding backwards with easy steps, not even aware that the people around them cleared a path for him to move unhindered, and then the moves turned into a break dance, arms moving with quick jerky movements, as Magnus spun around, went down low and started working his ass, swaying from side to side before pushing back up till he was on the balls of his feet.He winked and swayed his way back to Alec, spinning Alec around again till this time around, they were pressed front to front with Magnus’ eyes meeting his and his lips inches away from him.Alec licked his lips and Magnus grinned, then dipped down low, hands gripping Alec’s hips as he bounced his ass, and then he slowly stood, hands running agonizingly slow over the back of Alec’s legs till they found their way to Alec’s ass.His fingers dug in. Alec groaned. And in the next moment warm lips covered his, a hot tongue sliding into his mouth.He moaned, his fingers sinking into Magnus’ hair as he held him tight, his tongue sliding against Magnus’, drinking down the other man’s moans, losing himself in the taste of Magnus Bane.Magnus broke the kiss and Alec’s mouth chased his, and then he moaned when Magnus’ lips found the corner of his neck, just behind his ear. A tongue flicked out and ran over the sensitive skin.And then it was his turn to grip Magnus’ arms tightly, fingers digging in as he closed his eyes and his head lolled to the side losing himself in the sensation of Magnus nuzzling and kissing him, as the rest of the club faded away.They left Pandemonium with a couple of minutes still left before the clock struck twelve. Alec followed Magnus’ lead, giving a quick nod when Magnus asked if Alec would rather come to his place instead of heading home.They got to Magnus’ loft at a couple of minutes past midnight and Magnus took Alec’s jacket and put it up on the coat stand. He kept his own jacket on though as he walked through the apartment, fingers moving elegantly through the air, the green nail polish standing out as he switched on the light switches and bathed the loft in a warm golden glow. Magnus headed straight for his bar.“You live quite close to Pandemonium,” Alec said conversationally as he glanced around the loft. Wide, spacious, a couple of antiques and paintings, some of which looked quite expensive, and furniture that made him want to stay and sit awhile.It was grand and comforting all at once and fit its owner well.Magnus hummed, “Yeah well, after I bought out the old warehouse and turned it into Pandemonium, I knew I had to have this loft when the realtor showed it to me. Walking distance is a very huge perk.” He walked around the bar, twin wine glasses in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. He waved the bottle at Alec. “Sauternes?”His knowledge of wine was pretty limited to the fiver they sometimes bought on the day they wanted to celebrate.Magnus must have read the hesitation on his face because he smiled as he walked up to Alec. “You’ll like it. Trust me.”He uncorked the bottle, poured a glass for Alec and one for himself as he waited for Alec to taste the wine.Alec took a sip and hummed, nodding at the sweet notes.Magnus chuckled and gestured at Alec to follow him. He led him through the open doors at the corner of the room that surprisingly led to a balcony with a beautiful view of the city. The lights twinkled around and underneath them and Alec leaned his arms on the balcony’s ledge and took in a deep breath.Desire still thrummed underneath his skin like an itch he hadn’t quite managed to scratch out. But it was bearable for the moment and he turned to look at Magnus who was watching him with a contemplative expression on his face.“What,” Alec asked and smiled when the question got him a wry chuckle.“Nothing. I’m just wondering. Did you always want to study law?”The about face from their earlier activities made Alec blink hard at the sudden question. But then he relaxed and leaned back against the ledge, one foot pushed back behind him to rest on the jutting edge of the ledge. He nodded. “Yeah. Jace always knew he wanted to be a physiotherapist. Izzy knew she would rather do something, anything that broke the monotony of doing the same thing time and again. But I’ve always know I wanted to become a lawyer.”Magnus nodded. “And that’s what you want to always do? Be a lawyer?”Alec shrugged. “It would be nice to own a law firm.” He stared off into the distance, eyes hazy with dreams and desires that were always a constant at the back of his mind. He caught Magnus looking at him intently from the corner of his eyes and blushed. “It sounds strange doesn’t it? Like most people want to make senior partner, and here I am wanting to own my own firm.”Magnus shook his head. “Nah. It doesn’t sound strange at all. What would you like to do if you owned your own law firm, Alexander,” Magnus asked.“Take on more pro bono cases.” He didn’t even need to think about the reply. It had been his dream ever since he was in his teens. “I want to work more with people who can’t afford it. I also want to work with people in the LGBTQA+ communities. Offer my services in whatsoever way I can, whether it’s helping someone fight for the rights and entitlements due them for unjust firing, or helping someone win the right to choose what bathroom they want to use.” He paused to take a breath, caught Magnus’ small smile and smiled back. “What about you? What would you like to do with your parkour. Nothing says here for real like giving up medicine to practice parkour.”Magnus laughed and scooted closer till his and Alec’s thighs brushed every time he shifted. He leaned both arms backwards and stared up at the sky. “I guess I’ve always wanted to take things to an even bigger stage. Start a center where kids, kids like me can come and claim their lives back with the sport. I want to show them that they can be strong, and daring and fearless, that no one can break their spirit, that they can be as free as a bird, that their body can offer them that out from whatever circumstance tries to bring them down. Abuse tends to do that you know. Make you feel small, powerless, weak. Parkour is an antithesis and I want to reach as many of those kids as I can and show them how it can be their way out, their escape.”Now it was Magnus’ turn to catch his breath. “But that’s my future hope. What I want at the moment is a bit… different.” He took a big gulp of his drink and swallowed.Alec watched his Adam’s apple bob and his eyes swept back up to meet Magnus. Gone was the introspection of the night. Back was the hunger that had been simmering since they’d first met and that had come out in full force at Pandemonium.Alec swallowed. “So what do you want,” he asked, voice low and husky.Magnus smiled slow and sure. He downed the rest of his drink in one shot and extended his hand at the glass Alec still held.Alec handed over the glass and Magnus carefully placed both glasses on the ground, several steps away from them.He then stepped closer to Alec, movements unhurried as he reached forward to run his fingers through Alec’s hair.Alec sighed at the contact and Magnus paused in the motion, questions present in his eyes. Alec nodded and Magnus closed the distance between them, inch by slow inch, giving Alec as much time as he needed to pull away.Alec met him halfway, sinking into the kiss, head moving from side to side as they angled it just so and took the kiss even deeper.The goatee brushed against his mouth and he moaned. Magnus took the opportunity and slid his tongue in deeper, his fingers digging deep into Alec’s side. He wedged one thick thigh between Alec’s legs, his knees brushing against the head of Alec’s cock and Alec jumped, and pulled back.“I think… Maybe we should… This might not…” Alec panted as he broke their kiss. Magnus stared back at him, dark eyes hungry, lips so swollen Alec wanted to dive right back into the kiss. But then he remembered why he’d stopped the kiss and tried putting his thoughts into a cohesive whole. “Maybe we should take this inside?”He’d expected Magnus to agree and lead them into his bedroom. What he hadn’t been prepared for was for Magnus to chuckle darkly. And then nimble fingers were flying over his belt, loosening the buckle. Seconds later his belt went flying and clattered loudly when it hit the floor.“Why Alexander,” Magnus breathed as he moved his leg slowly, his knee brushing the head of Alec’s cock lightly with every movement.Alec grunted.“Are you worried?” The question came out as a whisper, a ghost of a breath that brushed along Alec’s collarbone. Alec shivered, and then wondered when and how his shirt had gotten unbuttoned.Magnus leaned forward, trailed a wet tongue along Alec’s collarbone, placed a soft kiss on the base of his throat. “Scared that they might see you. That they might see my fingers do this?” His fingers slid in beneath the waistband of Alec’s boxers, wrapped around Alec’s cock and stroked it from root to tipAlec’s back arched and he groaned.“Or are you worried that they might hear you? Hear the sound you make when I do this?” His ran his little pinkie over the tip, the finger slid easy, helped by the precum that had accumulated at the tip of his cock.Alec whimpered.“You can’t tell me you don’t like this Alexander,” Magnus crooned and dipped low, fingers slowly pushing down Alec’s jeans and boxer shorts till they pooled at his feet. “You can’t tell me you don’t like the feel of the wind on your skin,” he said as he slowly rose back up, fingers slowly sliding up, running against the little hairs on Alec’s legs, sliding into dips, dancing close to his cock, and then travelling up his torso. They made a little detour and stopped at his nipples and twirled the nub in between two fingers, over and over again, until Alec was shaking.Magnus leaned closer to him and brushed his ears with his lips. “Admit it. The thought that someone might just look up or across a building from us turns you on.” His lips trailed down Alec’s throat, kissing and nipping and soothing with his tongue when he bit too hard. “Admit it. The thought that someone might be there, jerking off to the sight of us fucking makes you want to come so hard you can’t think.” He nuzzled Alec’s throat, teeth scraping against the hollow of his throat. “Open your eyes Alexander.”Alec opened them. Until Magnus said so he hadn’t even known that he’d closed them. He stared into those brown eyes now, saw his desire reflected in their depths.“Admit it. You like it.” Magnus’ lips curved into a smug smile as he said it and Alec reacted without thinking, surging forward to cover Magnus’ lips with his, swallowing the giddy laugh that Magnus released at the move, feeling the low hum of satisfaction when Magnus moaned. He planted little kisses along Magnus’ jaw, and kissed his way down his neck, taking the time to suckle hard on the Adam’s apple, reveling in the moan Magnus released at the contact.And then it was his turn for his fingers to fly as he unzipped Magnus’ pants. Getting the leather pants down took longer than he would have liked. But then it was down and Magnus Bane stood almost stark naked against the night, cock jutting out proudly, the only stich of clothing he had on, his jacket with the many chains attached to it.Alec went down, mouth his way from Magnus’ chest, down to his navel, down to the happy trail that framed the crown of his cock. He coaxed Magnus’ legs to open wider, knelt fully on the ground and then breathed lightly on the tip of Magnus’ cock. Once. Twice.Magnus’ cock jerked and his thighs flexed.Alec dug his fingers into Magnus’ thighs, held on, and leaned forward, taking in Magnus’ cock in his mouth, reveling in the warmth of it, the slightly tangy taste of leaking precum and its girth.He fingers wandered to the bottom of Magnus’ cock, gripped it and then he started bobbing his head. Starting slow and moving faster. The bobbing in tandem with the strokes of his hand.Magnus’ hands clung to his hair, yanking hard as Magnus groaned.Alec didn’t stop. His other hand wandered to Magnus’ ball sack, tweaking the skin lightly and then rolling his balls in his fingers, playing with them even as he didn’t reduce the speed of his bobbing and the strokes of his fingers.He felt Magnus’ thighs clench and unclench, heard the moans and groans and prayers spilling from his mouth, but didn’t stop.“God please stop. Fuck. Fuck. Please fucking God stop. Not yet. Alexander please not yet.”He pulled away from Magnus’ cock, releasing it with a loud pop that was loud in a night that was silent save for the sound of Magnus panting over him.He rose, feeling immensely satisfied with how wrecked Magnus looked. His hair was askew. His lips swollen, his eyes were wild and dark and he wouldn’t stop swallowing.Magnus yanked him closer the minute he rose to his full height and crushed his lips against his, tongue battling with his, sliding and gliding, curling against his. And then Magnus caught Alec’s bottom lip in his and bit down. Hard.Alec groaned as they separated. And then reached out to stop Magnus when the latter wanted to yank off the his jacket.“Leave the jacket on,” Alec breathed as he ran his fingers over Magnus’ body, tracing the tips and curves and leaning forward to take Magnus’ nipple in his mouth, using sucking and licking first one, then the other, enjoying the mixed taste of skin and cool metal from the chains. When he finally pulled away, he asked hoarsely. “Please tell you have supplies nearby?” Magnus chuckled. Or at least he tried. The chuckled turned into a strangled moan when Alec grazed his nipple with his teeth. He pushed against Alec and Alec reluctantly pulled away, then watched impressed as Magnus pulled out a slim small bottle of lube from an inner pocket of his jacket and a gold foil.“You came that prepared?” Magnus shrugged. “I hoped.” He licked his lips. “Want to top or bottom?”“Bottom,” Alec replied almost immediately. “We’ll switch tomorrow.”“Tomorrow,” Magnus said with a chuckle and pushed Alec forward till Alec leaned against the ledge with his ass pushed out towards him. “I like the sound of that.”Alec opened his mouth to respond, and then groaned when he felt a slick finger breach him. It worked in gentle at first, moving in inch by slow inch, sliding in and out, every pull grazing against highly sensitive nerves in its wake. And then a second finger joined in, working him, pushing and flexing, opening and closing as Magnus scissored them, sliding in and out, every movement still so mindnumbingly slow Alec wanted to scream.“Ready when you…” his head slumped forward as a third finger joined in, this one a bit longer than the others. It sank in deep and Alec’s eyes rolled to the back of his head. “Fuck!”“Soon enough,” Magnus chuckled, sounding so pleased with himself that Alec wanted to scream at him to get on with it.Just as he made to do just that, he felt the fat head of Magnus’ cock breach him. Fuck he was big. His fingers scrambled for purchase on the concrete ledge, holding on tight as Magnus pushed in, slow and steady, every inch leaving Alec just a tad fuller than the last, till Magnus was fully seated, his body pressed to Alec’s back, his fingers roaming freely over Alec’s body as he placed little kisses across the back of Alec’s neck.“You good?” Magnus asked.“I would be much better if you put that ass into it and moved,” Alec snapped. “With how well you were dancing, I would think you would know how to use your d…” His words dissolved into a moan as Magnus started to move. Slow, deep thrusts as he sank into Alec pulled out, and pushed in again.“My aren’t you a bossy, controlling one. Tell me, is it just me or is it the sex that has your tongue so loose?” He pushed in deep as he asked and blew warm air against Alec’s ear.“Fuck!”Magnus chuckled and moved faster, hips pistoning in and out of Alec.Alec’s fingers clung to the ledge, hanging onto it so hard that he felt liquid warmth underneath his fingers, but he didn’t care.He threw his head back, his pants loud in the night, turning into grunts as Magnus wrapped one arm around his middle, pushed them a bit lower so his cock could sink in deeper.The pace was harder now. Harder, deeper and faster. Both of them groaned, the slap slap of their skin slamming against skin loud in the dark.Magnus’ fingers wandered down to wrap around his cock and Alec started whimpering. His leaking precum was the perfect lubricant as Magnus’ fingers glided easily over his cock, rough and fast in tandem to his thrusts.Alec felt the tingle start from the base of his feet.“Oh God. Oh God. Oh God,” he panted, his orgasm building fast, hurtling towards him with all the power and strength of a freight train out of control. Magnus’ thrusts grew faster, his strokes even faster still. His moans had turned to silent pants as his speed increased even more.Alec’s orgasm hit him straight out of left field. One minute he could feel it building and then the next, he saw white light, heard roaring in his ears and spilled all over Magnus’ hands, his mouth wide open as keening cries poured out of him. Magnus continued to milk him, strokes unrelenting and fast, until Alec’s cock twitched from over sensitivity and Magnus finally stopped stroking long enough to place an open mouthed scream against Alec’s shoulder.He jerked, once, twice, and then stopped.Their loud pants filled the air, and Alec struggled to finally get air into his lungs.When he’d finally caught his breath, he took in a deep breath, and then shivered when a cold wind blew by him.Magnus slowly pulled out, fingers holding the condom in place as he rose to his full height.He caught Alec’s quick shiver and grinned. “Maybe we should head in?”Alec arched a brow. “That’s what I said,” he commented drily.Magnus laughed as they picked up their clothes—left the wine glasses behind—and headed back into the loft.They stayed cuddled in bed after, covers drawn up to their chin, lights low in the dark. He could still see the city lights thanks to the floor to ceiling windows Magnus had had installed in his room, and he could also catch Magnus’ face reflected in the glass.The other man had a pleased expression on his face as Alec burrowed closer to him, all tangled legs and arms as he twinned himself around Magnus. Magnus didn’t mind though. Merely turned his head to place a soft kiss on Alec’s shoulder.Alec smiled, and closed his eyes, drifting off into the realm of sleep when a thought brought him back to the present. “You know I never really needed a spotter right?” Alec asked. “Sure I hadn’t been to the gym in a while, but I still remembered enough to know what I was doing.Magnus chuckled, his voice sounding warm and hazy with sleep as he replied. “I knew that. I just needed an excuse to touch you.” The End
10989537	The Full Monty Cover	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": null, "Fandom": "Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Cherie_Cherish", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-24T00:00:00", "words": "0", "Additional Tags": "Cover Art", "Relationship": "Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Book Covers (magpie_fngrl)", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }
10937847	Love Is in the Gesture	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Scorpius Malfoy, Albus Severus Potter", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by xbluemist", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-18T00:00:00", "words": "875", "Additional Tags": "Scorbus, Fluff, Hogwarts, Birthday Fluff, Established Relationship, Bisexual Albus Severus Potter, Gay Scorpius Malfoy", "Relationship": "Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	"Scorpius. Scorpius! Scor!"That was what wake Scorpius Malfoy that day, along with a weight of a body bouncing slightly on top of him."Mhmmm... Al, what are you doing?" the blond murmured, rubbing his eyes to wipe off the remains of sleep. "It's..." he looked at the clock on his nightstand, "only seven in the morning."When he finally looked at Albus, he saw the boy sitting astride him, looking down at him with possibly the widest grin Scorpius had ever seen."Not that I'm complaining, cause the sight is lovely," the blond added with a grin matching Albus'. "But what did you..." he trailed off, his gaze focused on the brunet's hair: his fringe was dyed steel blue."Oh, yeah, I've just done it. I wanted it to be the colour of your eyes," Al shrugged. "Do you like it?" he asked, excitement distinct in his voice.Scorpius chuckled."Actually, I love it. You do look great." He hand-combed the boy's hair, enjoying the soft feel and the way the new colour looked next to his pale skin. Al bent down to lay comfortably on top of the blond, letting him play with his hair; the soft smile playing on both boys' faces."Do you know what day it is today?" he asked, his gaze boring into Scorpius' silver eyes.Scorpius furrowed his brows."Uhhh... Saturday?""Yes, that is correct. But more precisely.""Uh, wait... It's... November the... Oh." He suddenly realised."Exactly," Al beamed at him. "Happy birthday, love." He closed the gap between them, letting his lips meet Scorpius'. The blond smiled into the kiss, revelling in the soft feel of Al's lips against his."So you got up this early- which is an extreme for you- just to dye your hair... and you did it for me?" The blond studied his boyfriend's face with a slightly bemused expression."Well, yeah, I know it's not much... And I'm rather pants at, you know, beauty charms, but I thought it would make a nice introduction to your actual birthday present," he smiled sheepishly at the blond."Oh Al, you..." he chuckled softly, combing the brunet's hair again, "you're so sweet, but you really don't have to give me any presents. I mean, I honestly appreciate the gesture, but all I need is you. However cliche that sounds," he grinned."I know. You're incredibly humble." He pressed a tender kiss to the boy's lips. "But I like showing you how much you mean to me and that is just one of my favourite ways. Besides, that's not the end."Scorpius laughed fondly."So what else do you have for me?" he asked with mirth."Hmm, just a little something..." Albus replied with a dismissive tone. "I'm not sure whether to show you now or wait for a better occasion..." he smirked."Al, if you're not going to show me this 'little something' right now, I won't be able to focus properly on anything else for the rest of the day," he pouted, feigning offence. Al immediately kissed his pout away."You're so adorable when you're sulky, I'm honestly considering the latter," he whispered between the soft kisses.Scorpius let himself melt into the pillow; Albus Potter was simply irresistible."Good thing it's weekend, so you won't have to be focusing on anything else whatsoever," Al pointed out as they finally parted. He looked at his boyfriend. The boy was just gorgeous, no matter the time of day. His head was now rested on the pillow, his blond hair were framing his handsome face, his eyes were closed and the content smile was playing on his heartshaped lips. It wasn't the first time Al thought Scorpius looked like an angel."That's not really truth, we do have homework, remember?" He opened his eyes, gazing at the ceiling blankly. "So you're gonna let me die from curiosity on my birthday? What kind of boyfriend are you, Albus Severus?" He peered up at the boy.Al groaned."You know I don't like my name..." He frowned."But I like it." Scorpius yawned, stretching lazily. "Alright, so are you gonna finally show me this 'little something' or not?"Al chewed on his lip, gazing at the blond with playful sparkles in his green eyes."Fine, I couldn't resist you anyway." And with that he sit up and pulled his shirt off in one swift movement.Scorpius gasped, a smile blooming on his face."Al, you... Is this...""Yeah. I asked Lily for help, she's good at stuff like this. I did it yesterday and..." He sighed, searching for words. "See, cause you are always in my heart and you will always be. I love you, Scor." He entwined their fingers and brought the blond's hand to his chest where he let it rest right above his heart. Scorpius traced his shaky fingers over the stars tattooed smoothly on the brunet's skin; his vision blurred with tears."I know it's cheesy, but-""No. It's not. It's..." Scorpius sighed, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with the warmth swirling in his chest; his boyfriend's heartbeat thrummed under his touch. "It's such a beautiful gesture, Albus, thank you." He pulled the boy down to him to let the actions express what words couldn't.
10909158	My one and only	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/F", "Characters": "Suzui Shiho, Takamaki Ann, Kurusu Akira", "Fandom": "Persona 5", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by Goryuck", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-15T00:00:00", "words": "899", "Additional Tags": "First Time, First Kiss, Injury Recovery, Support", "Relationship": "Suzui Shiho/Takamaki Ann", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	“Shiho…” Ann whispers in the darkness of the room, light moans escape her lips. Her light blue eyes meet Shiho’s brown as the girl unzips Ann’s jacket and presses her lips against Ann’s neck. Ann is quick to let out a light moan, vividly recalling how she got to this moment from the start. ~Flashback, 2 months after Shiho attempted suicide~ Shiho had started another of her rehab sessions, and had asked to come. Ann came, almost rushing like a hedgehog to her aid. With Ann’s support, Shiho managed to walk, if only a little before she fell to her knees, whimpering in pain. “I-I can’t…!” Shiho mumbled, teary-eyed. Ann is quick to help Shiho “Ann…”“I’m here Shiho…” Ann speaks softly to Shiho, a reassuring smile etched on her lips “Do you want to stop…?”Staring at Ann’s light blue eyes, feeling her confidence, Shiho shook her head “No…I-I can…do this…”“Shiho…” Ann’s concern is evident in her tone, but doesn’t interfere as Shiho gets up by herself, and attempts to walk again.“I’ll be as strong as you Ann…” Shiho spoke through gritted teeth, doing the best to ignore her pain “I won’t be useless…!”“Shiho, you’re not…” Ann bit her lip, stopping herself from saying anything as she watches Shiho struggle to even take a step forward. “I’m not as strong as you.”“Yes, you are…!” Shiho began to tear away as she stops, panting heavily as sweat drips down her forehead “My legs feel like they are filled with sand Ann” Shiho grasps her hands tighter against the rail bars “But I can’t let that stop me…I need to overcome this…!” despite her blood-swollen legs, Shiho pushed forward. “I want to give up so badly…!” Shiho began to cry there and then, with Ann looking both horrified and shocked as Shiho at this point practically drags her legs, whimpering in pain.“Shiho please stop!” Ann blurts out, dropping her purse and runs after Shiho’s aid. Shiho shook her head however, and managed to reach the end, where she lets go of the bars and almost falls forward, if Ann did not catch her in time and embraces tightly “Shiho why…?!” Ann asks, her eyes blurry due to the tears coming out of her eyes.“I did it Ann, I…I did it…” Shiho mumbled, breathing heavily as she lets Ann embrace her, resting her head-on Ann’s chest “I hate this…Ann…!” Shiho spoke through her clenched teeth, embracing Ann tightly and crying on her chest “I hate feeling this way, what did I do to deserve this…?!” she spoke louder, sounding angrier “I just wanted to play volleyball, I just wanted to be good at something…!”“Shiho…” Ann gritted her teeth, resting her head-on top of Shiho’s head “I-I don’t know, I really don’t…”“…I’m tired…and hungry…” Shiho mumbled. A silly smile etched onto Ann’s lips, despite her crying“The nurse will bring you food ok?” Ann spoke softly, not moving from her spot “Need help getting to bed…?”Shiho nods “Hey Ann…?” She looks up to see Ann’s face“Yeah…?” Ann stares back at Shiho“Thank you…for not leaving me. For giving me strength…” Ann could tell Shiho means that.“Shiho…” Ann had to smile at the girl “You gave me strength too you know…you’ll get through this. I know you will.”Shiho nods, smiling back at Ann “I know…don’t leave…please.”“I won’t.” Ann reassured Shiho. ~End Flashback~ Shiho carries Ann to the bed and plops her nicely, as she crawls on top of Ann and meets her eyes, a gaze of desire, understanding and need courses through their eyes, the pale moonlight shining upon the duo’s bed from the window as the two share a silent connection through their bond.Smiling at Shiho, Ann pulls Shiho down and meets her lips for a long kiss and moans as Ann pulls Shiho’s shirt up from her skirt… ~Flashback, 3 months after the other flashback~ With Akira’s help, Ann took Shiho to the school rooftop, where Shiho had tried to commit suicide months prior, as Shiho requested it.Ann and Akira listened to Shiho speak about Shiho wanting to settle things. Seeing Ann and Shiho talk about supporting the other through hard times, with the hug and the love confession, Akira felt he didn’t need to be here at the moment, so he quietly left the rooftop (Morgana snickering inside the bag), and wished Ann and Shiho the best.Neither girl noticed Akira leaving. Upon the confession from Shiho, their first kiss is shared in that rooftop, and then Ann had the idea to bring Shiho to her home… ~Flashback End~ Wrapped in bed sheets, Ann with ruffled and partially exposed clothes softly caresses Shiho’s exposed back as the girl quietly slumbers next to her, head resting on her chest. A warm smile on Ann’s lips as she stares at Shiho; her strength, her pillar, no longer cracked, but renewed.“Good night my Shiho…” Ann whispered, leaving a soft kiss on Shiho’s forehead as she lies down and plops her head onto the pillow. Shiho must have felt the kiss, because she nuzzled closer to Ann, embracing her tighter.Ann didn’t mind, and wished days like this would come more often.A pity that Shiho has to move, but Ann won’t forget Shiho. Her first, and only.
10983978	Guy Baes	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Prussia (Hetalia), Canada (Hetalia)", "Fandom": "Hetalia: Axis Powers", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Tortellini", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-25T00:00:00", "words": "134", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - Human, Humor, Attempt at Humor, Inappropriate Humor, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Romantic Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Romance, Teen Romance, Slow Romance, Awkward Romance, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Male Friendship, Romantic Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Best Friends, Childhood Friends, Vines, Memes, Tumblr Memes, Wordcount: 100-500", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Canada/Prussia (Hetalia), Prussia & Canada (hetalia)", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	"Hey Birdie," Gilbert said very casually one day. "We should date. It would totally be awesome." Not as awesome as me though, he added silently to himself. Heh, of course not."But that would be gay." Matthew deadpanned."What? No it wouldn't! Just think about it." Gil leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyebrows furrowed at his best friend."Okay, okay, fine." Matthew sighed. "We're like, each other's guy baes then.""...we're gays." Gilbert finished. Matthew stared at him. He could see him struggling not to smile. In the end, the smile won. Damn, he was adorable."Whatever, Gil, sure." He said finally, shaking his head in amusement. "I'll be your guy bae."Then he grabbed his hand and started to walk again, like nothing had happened. In his head, Gil fistpumped. Mission accomplished.
10968834	Courtroom Palace	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro, Persona 5 Protagonist, Sakamoto Ryuji, Niijima Makoto, Takamaki Ann, Kitagawa Yusuke, Okumura Haru, Morgana (Persona 5), Sakura Futaba", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by MikaKagehjra", "chapters": "2/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-22T00:00:00", "words": "6,025", "Additional Tags": "Akechi has a palace AU, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, May add content warnings later depending on how this plays out", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Persona 5, Persona Series", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	The group was gathered at Leblanc, discussing a certain persistent thorn in their sides--Akechi Goro. They had a plan laid out, and they were slowly making their way through Sae's Palace, but all of them were uneasy. The plan was risky, and there were a lot of delicate moving parts. They couldn't speak much of it--most of the team didn't even know what it was, to minimize the chances of their adversaries finding out. Still, they were teenagers. Teenagers needed to let off a little steam sometimes.“Man, I hate this! We’re supposed to up and disband just because Detective fucking Akechi Goro says so?”“We can’t--“ “Candidate found.” All activity in the room screeched to a halt.“Was that..?” Haru’s voice was even softer than usual.Morgana hopped onto the table, staring intently at Futaba’s phone. “According to the MetaNav, Akechi actually has a palace.”“But how?” Ann spoke up first this time. “He said he could use a persona. You can’t have a persona and a palace.”“Perhaps he was simply lying,” Yusuke.“I doubt Akechi is reckless or stupid enough to lie about that. We’d find out right away anyway,” Futaba said, picking up the phone.“Maybe Morgana just doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and we just don’t have palaces ‘cause we’re awesome!” Ryuji, of course, sparked renewed conversation among the Thieves.“Hey Morgana,” Akira spoke up, cutting through the murmurs. “Is it possible for someone to have a distorted persona?” That quieted the room again. Morgana’s tail flicked back and forth as he considered, ears pressed back against his head.“I actually don’t know. A persona… By its nature, you wouldn’t think so, but now that you mention it, maybe a… twisted enough person really could. I mean, you can use a whole bunch--”“Yeah man, and we know Akechi is twisted already, so it’s gotta be that!”‘He’s not twisted like that,’ Akira wanted to argue, but he knew no one would believe him. He must have shifted or something though, because he could feel Morgana’s gaze on him.“Whatever the reason, we can use this to our advantage.” Akira could almost kiss Makoto for moving the conversation along, away from reason to focus on criticizing Akechi. “If we steal his heart, maybe he’ll be willing to work with us for real instead of blackmailing us.” There were murmurs throughout the group, but Akira couldn’t catch any singular thread.“Do we like… know if that’ll even work?” Ann asked, twirling her hair around her hand.“We don’t know that it won’t,” Makoto said decisively. “And with the information we have… I think it’s our best shot.”“What do you think, Leader?”Akira considered his options. So Akechi had a palace… He wasn’t actually surprised to hear that. Nor was he surprised at his team’s reaction. Still, something didn’t quite feel right. Whatever his friends thought, this didn’t feel like a palace the way Kamoshida’s or Kaneshiro’s did. It felt more like…Futaba’s palace.Maybe it was his bias speaking, since he rather liked the detective despite everything (or was it because of everything?). But Akira felt like they had to save Akechi, not defeat him. Or rather, those felt like the same thing. Maybe the other Phantom Thieves were the ones who were biased, since they had only ever seen him as an enemy. With those thoughts, it felt like not stealing his heart would be ignoring the suffering that he had always suspected was there but could never quite reach. But the risks involved… Well…“Let’s do it.” Let’s save Akechi. Even if they didn’t know their leader’s thoughts, the other Phantom Thieves all nodded.“So it’s decided, then.”“We need to figure out his keywords,” Morgana added, directing their attention back to the phone.“Man, and we can’t even ask him anything. Bastard would catch on as soon as we did and turn us in for sure.”“We’ll just have to figure it out ourselves,” Ann declared. “It’s not like we haven’t done it before.”Silence reigned following Ann’s statement for a few minutes while they all considered, but it was Haru who spoke up next. “We… don’t really know anything about Akechi-kun, do we?” And no one disagreed. Of course they didn’t; Akira sometimes suspected he was the only one in the world who knew Akechi Goro… and they were supposed to be enemies. How cruel. They threw out dozens of keywords for the palace’s location while Akira stewed silently. Police station, jail, Tokyo, jail cell, court, even Leblanc. Nothing worked, and everyone was starting to become discouraged and tired. So Makoto suggested they regroup the next day instead of running themselves ragged. Akira waved at everyone as they left, until it was only Morgana and him in one of the booths.“Makoto’s right,” Morgana said. He must have noticed Akira staring now at his own phone, since Futaba had taken hers. “We can’t burn ourselves out.”“I just have one word I want to try.”Morgana sat directly in front of him, the phone between them. “You couldn’t try it in front of the others?”Akira didn’t answer, didn’t even look up. No, he couldn’t try this one in front of the others, but he wasn’t sure if he was afraid of being wrong or afraid of being right. His throat felt dry and closed up; he wasn’t sure if the word would find its way through. For a few long minutes, he only stared at the phone.“Home.” “Candidate found.” Akira could only bury his head in his arms, feeling Morgana put his paw on his head in some attempt at comfort. The next day, the other Thieves were understandably confused. They’d split up because they agreed they needed a break, and then Akira came to their meeting the next day with the location already found and with dark circles underneath his eyes as though he hadn’t slept at all. He tried to wave off their concerns, but Makoto in particular was adamant that although he was their leader, he should hold himself to the same standards he did the rest of them, or they would have stayed with him and continued to help. Akira just looked at her tiredly and took it, letting her say whatever she needed to say; she didn’t need to know that he was looking through her more than at her, as much as he always made an effort to listen to his friends.Finally, Morgana had had enough. “Actually, he came up with the word right after you guys left.” Akira shot him a look, but he continued. “He only wanted to try one. It’s not like he stayed up all night trying to figure it out.”Two people, Ann and Ryuji, spoke at once. “You got it on the first try?” and “What was it that you couldn’t say in front of us, man?”Akira looked down at the table, tugging the cup of coffee he’d poured for himself earlier between his hands. “It’s just his apartment. It’s not that important.” But he’d still lost sleep over it, whether or not it would be important to his friends.“Aw man, I bet it’s gonna be like Madarame’s, like how he thought that shack was hot shit just because it was his!” But Akira felt differently. He remembered Futaba’s palace again, as he had been all night, how her own room, what would normally be someone’s sanctuary, had been a place for her to die. He knew Akechi’s smile was made of plastic, so he wouldn’t be like that in his own home. Was it not freeing, to be able to take off the mask? Did he hate what he saw behind it every night? If only he’d been able to speak to him just a little more before he made his move to deceive them…“Do you know where his apartment is, Akira?” All eyes turned to him, and he pretended he hadn’t just been lost in thought, shaking his head. “What about you, Makoto? Would your sister know for work?”Makoto shook hers as well. “Sis has talked about him a few times, but always stuff like wondering why a kid his age is supposed to be her coworker, or how much of a know-it-all he is. I think she mentioned once that he was easygoing, but deceptively secretive…”Ann pouted into her coffee. “I mean, it’s not like I don’t get why, but I wish this wasn’t so hard… How are we gonna find out where it is? Should we follow him?”Thankfully, Makoto intervened. “That would be unwise. He’s a detective; if someone tries to follow him, they’ll probably be caught. And what would they say?”“What about Morgana, then?” Yusuke suggested, but Makoto was already shaking her head.“He’s seen Morgana here, and even if he’s less likely to notice and recognize a cat, he knows Morgana is no regular cat. That’d be even more suspicious, since Morgana is always here with Akira.”“Well then, why doesn’t Akira just go?” Akira stared at Ann as she made the suggestion, and he wasn’t the only one. “Well, you’ve talked to him a lot, haven’t you? You just have to get invited over!”Makoto looked pained as she took a sip of her coffee, but she nodded slowly. “It will be difficult, since he has plenty to hide from us, but I think that’s a reasonable plan. What do you think?” She was looking at Akira, and it took everything he had not to spit out an immediate refusal.It felt like a… what did those Western movies call it? A honey trap. Even if it was distorted, Akechi’s home was supposed to belong to him. To enter it with ulterior motives felt disgusting, moreso than entering his palace from outside it, even if his palace was technically even more private. And yet… He had just decided yesterday that not stealing his heart would be ignoring his suffering, and they weren’t likely to figure out another way to find his apartment. It probably wouldn’t even be as difficult as the rest of the team expected; Akira was closer with Akechi than they thought, even if he was still being held at arm’s length. And it wasn’t like Akechi was going to have one of those giant boards from detective movies with pictures of the Phantom Thieves on it in his apartment to incriminate himself… probably.“I’ll do it.” And he’d hate himself for it, most likely. But if it was to save Akechi, it was the right choice, even if it was a difficult one. The room itself seemed to sigh in relief, the other Thieves relaxing. Perhaps they had sensed his discomfort, even if none of them realized why this palace was so difficult for him.“Okay, so we let Akira handle that part.” Makoto moved on quickly. “What about the other keyword? The distortion?” She turned to Akira again, and he regretted even silently being thankful that she saved him. “Rather than waiting for us to leave this time, do you have any ideas you’d like to share? You do know him best.”’Of course I do,’ he thought, ’and he’s going to be humiliated that we’re doing this.’ But he’d already chosen to do it anyway, so he couldn’t hesitate now. He had the decency to look scolded, rubbing the back of his neck as he opened the MetaNav on his phone with his other hand. He’d tried so hard not to think of it as he laid awake, but there was nothing to do about that. He had run dozens of scenarios through his head, each making less sense than the last, but there was one…Someone had said it yesterday, he was pretty sure, as one of the locations they thought might be distorted. But he thought it might be the distortion itself instead. For awhile, he stared down at the phone; it wasn’t like yesterday, when the thought had just occurred to him and the fear of being right or wrong (it was right, he’d been afraid of being right and he was) had wrapped its fist around his throat. He’d been considering this for awhile now. Saying it was still hard, especially with everyone looking at him, but not like that.“Courthouse.” “Candidate found.” “Wow, impressive! That’s our Leader, right on the first try again… Hey uh, are you okay?”Akira nodded up at Ryuji numbly. He was fine; he had been considering that this was a possibility for hours, so it shouldn’t matter that he was right. Akechi thought of his apartment as a courthouse… and there was no one there for him to sentence but himself. He doubted the rest of the team saw that though, and sure enough, with his reassurance, however weak, Ryuji was talking again.“Man, I can’t believe he thinks of his place as a courthouse! He’s gotta be some rotten judge, looking down on everyone from there.” ’You have no idea how wrong you are.’ But the words to correct Ryuji’s assumption wouldn’t come. They’d see it soon, after all.“I don’t know, Ryuji…” Haru spoke up, though. “It seems like his workplace would be what’s distorted if that were the case, since he’s a detective. This is all very strange.”Ryuji was not deterred though, and he rolled his shoulder as he talked again. “Yeah yeah, it’s strange, but so’s that guy! I just can’t wait to meet his Shadow and beat the crap outta it.”Morgana must have seen something on Akira’s face that indicated how suddenly nauseous he’d just become, because he stood up from where he was sitting on the table and flicked his tail at everyone. “There’s nothing else we can do today, though; we’re gonna have to keep up appearances with Akechi, so let’s all head home. We’ll leave it to Akira to finish his part before we talk about this again. We’re gonna have a lot to do as it is.”No one questioned Morgana’s excuses - they might be sound reasoning, but they were excuses - and they all filed out. Akira found it a little bit more difficult to wave to each of them as they left today, worry turning over in his stomach at how this all would turn out. Morgana gave him a knowing look as he stood, but the cat didn’t say anything as Akira stumbled right back into bed, exhausted after the restless night he’d had.He shouldn’t care this much about someone who was plotting to kill him in a few weeks, that was for sure. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Akira waited for Akechi to come to him to start in on the team’s plan. It would be suspicious if he went looking for him now of all times, so it wouldn’t make any sense for him to go that route. But he already knew how he was going to approach him, and the knowing made him jittery in the days he waited. Every time the bell above Leblanc’s door jingled, he looked to the door, hoping it would be him. He’d earned himself a bandaged left hand for that habit when he’d spilled hot coffee to get an immediate look at a new arrival who hadn’t been Akechi after all, but still the habit persisted. Morgana complained about getting twitchy just looking at him, and he could tell the rest of the team was anxious for him to get started, too. But even if they didn’t know just how guarded Akechi was, they understood his decision to wait.Ryuji in particular had been furious about his hand. He didn’t seem to want to accept that it was Akira’s carelessness that had caused it, mumbling angrily about “that damn Akechi.” It wasn’t anything Akira didn’t expect, though. He tried to remember Ryuji was just being overprotective, not knowingly putting down someone Akira was... fond of.God, he had to get it together. Akechi was trying to kill him.It took almost a week before Akechi appeared in Leblanc. His plastic smile was just a little cracked under his eyes, where dark circles peeked out from beneath a layer of makeup. Akira refrained from mentioning it; he was sure the other would only become flustered and hurry home to make himself more presentable, but even if he didn’t have a mission, Akira liked seeing him like this. It made him more real, reminded him of the boy behind the black mask he surely wore when he wasn’t fooling them in the Metaverse.Akira just put his usual cup of coffee in front of him without needing to ask his order and poured himself another on the other side of the counter. Usually he wouldn’t, but today was a special case. Akechi seemed to notice too, even though he was more worn down than usual. He pillowed his chin on his hand, tilting his head and smiling at Akira. Akira tried to ignore the way his heart pounded when he realized that smile was looser than the plastic one, messier but more genuine.This boy was plotting to stage his suicide. Where his heart had just begun to swell, it instead clenched painfully. He knew these smiles weren’t fake. He knew Akechi genuinely enjoyed his company. What kind of life was he leading, that he would kill him anyway?“Is there something you needed, Kurusu-kun?” Akechi didn’t let him just watch him and drink his coffee; of course he wouldn’t. Still, Akira took a sip before he answered, buying himself some time to find the words he needed. He’d spent hours wondering what to say, but he still hadn’t come up with anything that sounded right. Even when he put down his cup and opened his mouth, he wasn’t sure what he was going to say.“I was thinking about something, but I haven’t figured out how to ask you yet.” Fuck. He should’ve just asked outright; even that would sound less suspicious. Sure enough, Akechi was frowning and leaning back slightly, his eyebrows furrowed. Akira doubted he even knew he was doing it. “I mean--there’s something I wanted to ask you about, but I wanted to do it in private. And I could just ask you to stay late, but… I don’t want Morgana to hear, either. And he’d know something was up if I asked him to stay with Futaba, and… I’m rambling, aren’t I.”That was pathetic. Worse than pathetic, he sounded completely out of character, and there was no way Akechi was going to buy any of it. Even if it wasn’t a lie. There was something he wanted to say, something that not even Morgana could overhear, but he wasn’t sure he could handle Akechi hearing it, either. He couldn’t stand to hear it himself, even. Akechi was staring at him, back to leaning on his hand, but still frowning slightly. He looked a little less afraid, and it was only in that observation that Akira realized Akechi had looked afraid when he first spoke. Interesting. Akechi was trying to figure him out, and even though it would ruin everything, part of Akira wanted to let him“We could go to my apartment when you’re done working.” What. At first, Akira was certain he’d heard that wrong, but when he looked at Akechi again, he was looking down into his cup, both hands wrapped around it and the slightest hint of color in his cheeks. “I’m afraid I’m not used to having visitors, but it seems like whatever you want to talk about is important. Are… you in trouble somehow?”Akechi sounded so small when he asked his question that for a moment Akira could almost forget that he was planning his murder. He tried to be casual anyway, hiding his shaking hands by rubbing the back of his neck with one and planting the other on his hip.“No, not at all! It’s nothing like that. As long as I won’t be intruding, your apartment is more than fine. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that sooner. Guess you really learn how to solve problems once you’re a detective, huh?”Akechi smiled at him again, a hint of a smirk curled along the line of his lips. This was much more comfortable, much more familiar. “There’s no need to say things you don’t mean. Don’t think I’ve forgotten what you said when we first met even now.”Akechi remembered what he’d said when they first met? Akira pushed down on the part of himself welling up that wanted to be flattered; he didn’t remember what he’d said at all. He tried to think… ah.“They do more than the cops,” he said out loud, picking up his cup of coffee and taking another sip. When he pulled it away from his mouth, he was smirking, too. “Forgive me for being so arrogant, Detective, but I think I’ve proven our proficiency since then.”Akechi laughed into his own coffee and Akira wanted to kiss him. He wished he could slap himself for the thought. “You’ve done far more than that. I almost wish I could allow you to continue.” Oh. Oh, that was new. “I truly believe you’re trying to do what’s right, and that you have the public’s best interest at heart. However…” His face hardened. “Though our system is imperfect--no, heavily flawed--it is in place for a reason. I cannot abandon it so easily.”It was so easy to smile at Akechi, even when he was determined to dissolve the Phantom Thieves Akira believed so much in. Because truly, even though he believed that what they were doing could be called justice, he understood. If anyone besides him and his friends held the power to use the Metaverse, he would be frightened.There was someone else with the power to use the Metaverse. He was sitting right before him. And Akira was terrified of him.“I understand. The only reason I’m okay with what we do is because I know it’s us, I think, so it’s not like I don’t get where you’re coming from.” At that, Akechi’s face went blank with surprise he almost certainly was trying not to show. “And what happened with Okumura… I wonder, if we were operating within some sort of system, if he wouldn’t have been saved somehow.” Akira pretended not to see the darkness that passed before Akechi’s eyes when he said that.“Yes… I wonder, too.” Akechi’s voice was faint, and he hid his face in his cup of coffee when he finished talking. Half of Akira wanted to believe that was a sign of remorse, while the other scolded that he was only afraid of his crimes being revealed. Gloved hands trembled minutely around the coffee he held, and Akira longed for the more innocent version of him in his mind to be real.Akira opened his mouth to speak up, but instead of words he heard the jingle of the door’s bell again, and one of Sojiro’s regulars walked in. He offered Akechi a smile instead, downing the rest of his coffee in one go. It burned his throat as he swallowed it. “If you have to leave, come back in…” He checked the clock. “Two hours. I’ll close up then and we can leave.” Unfortunately, he had to take care of every customer’s needs, not just his favorite one. Well, it wasn’t that he minded working at Leblanc, as long as it wasn’t keeping him from this one other thing he’d rather be doing. At least while he was working, he didn’t have time to worry about going to Akechi’s apartment that night.That was a lie. He did worry. But there was nothing to do about it, just keep his hands as busy as he could, watching Akechi out of the corner of his eye as he pulled out what looked like schoolwork, but could just as easily be detective work. Akira thought himself a busy person, but even he couldn’t quite wrap his head around Akechi’s schedule.But still, Akechi had time even to invite Akira to his apartment. When the other customers left, Akechi was already putting away his work, so Akira only tossed his apron under the counter and thanked his lucky stars that Morgana was already at Futaba’s place, despite his excuses earlier.“I’m ready. Are you sure this isn’t a bother to you?” Akira was asking before he realized, even though he usually wouldn’t. Akechi had already offered, so it should be fine, and it was what he wanted, even, but… Well, he was uncharacteristically nervous.Akechi waved him off, though. “It’s fine. You seem worried about it, so I’m sure it’s important.” It was important, but not in the way Akechi expected. “Shall we go? It’s not far, but we’ll want to get on the next train.”Akira nodded, following him out the door and flipping the sign with a grin. “I can’t help but be honored, being invited to Detective Akechi Goro’s own home. I wish I had some way to commemorate the occasion.” And though his pretense may be a lie, those words were not.He was glad he said them when Akechi’s cheeks turned pink, though he waved the words away. “Don’t tease; it’s only an apartment. It’s hardly anything special, and I haven’t even had a chance to tidy up with how busy I’ve been lately and the short notice.”“Aw, but I thought I was special. Do you make a habit of inviting devilishly handsome young men to your apartment, then?”“No, just you,” Akechi said easily, and Akira wondered if that was his honest opinion or part of his deception. His own words, honey, I’m home, echoed in his ears, and he hoped this wasn’t an extension of their game. He remembered after a beat that he should have a clever retort ready, but his foolish heart was too busy thinking about how, lying or not, Akechi just called him devilishly handsome, and he forcibly reminded himself the boy in front of him was plotting his death.“I’ll have to be careful I don’t steal your heart, then.” The teasing words were in the air before Akira could think better of them, and sure enough Akechi stiffened almost imperceptibly in response. Not only was it in poor taste considering Akechi’s already-stated views, but he really was planning on stealing his heart now. Akechi crossed his arms, no longer looking at Akira directly, and he realized he had to say something more. “I’m sorry; I thought that would be funny.” No, he hadn’t. He hadn’t thought at all. “But that reminds me that we didn’t finish our conversation earlier.”Since it was past rush hour, they could both get seats on the train. Akira almost forgot to watch where they were going so he can bring the thieves back later. He was too focused on Akechi uncrossing his arms in a gesture that looked more calculated than like him actually relaxing and the way his hand framed his face when he raised it to touch his chin instead. He wondered if that was calculated, too.“Didn’t we?” Oh, Akechi was talking. “I don’t remember precisely what we were talking about, admittedly.” Akira could practically hear the gears grinding in his brain; Akechi always makes him think. Was he being honest, was he lying? Why might he be lying? What did it mean if he was being honest, knowing what he does? He was almost certain Akechi hadn’t forgotten their conversation, and he wasn’t being arrogant in assuming he could command the other’s attention.“How you feel about the Phantom Thieves, of course.”Akechi smiled, and it was plastic. Akira pretended it didn’t make him sick. “Now, I know I’d remember if that was the topic.”“We were getting there.” For some reason, Akira didn’t want to give this up. He felt like he almost uncovered something monumental earlier, before they were interrupted by that other customer. Like he was about to find something concrete about why he wanted to trust Akechi so much, even though he knew he couldn’t now.I almost wish I could allow you to continue. That was important. Akira knew it.“It’s not like I’ll be offended, I knew you didn’t approve even before we became friends. I don’t think it’s a black and white issue, and I think you have good judgement. I’m curious to know how we came to disagree.”Akechi recoiled. The look in his eyes was as though Akira had slapped him. “Friends..?” Oh. That made Akira’s heart ache. But before he could react, Akechi was shaking himself and moving on. “Anyway… it’s not as complicated as you make it sound. I simply cannot call the act of forcibly changing someone’s heart ‘justice.’ Stealing someone’s heart is dangerous, as you’ve told me, and it can be argued that rather than rehabilitate someone, it fundamentally changes who they are. You have good intentions, and so far you’ve chosen valuable targets and changed their hearts flawlessly. But you are not infallible, so I cannot say for certain that that trend will continue.”“The police aren’t infallible either.”Akechi chuckled, looking down at his lap. “Ah, you’re referring to your own case? A shame… Of course, I cannot call anything done by imperfect humans absolute justice. There will always be ways in which some despicable person could take advantage. But there is a greater amount of accountability in a collaborative system, versus in the MetaVerse where the only ones who can use it, as far as we know, are us.”“And the person causing the mental shutdowns and rampage incidents.” Akira regretted it as soon as he said it, and sure enough, Akechi stiffened up again.“If you only want to make jokes about my views, then this conversation is unnecessary.” His eyes were narrowed, his annoyance openly displayed in a way Akira had never seen. So this is what happened when the great detective got defensive… And any small hope Akira might have, however irrational, that Akechi wasn’t really the person behind all of that, was dashed in an instant.“I wasn’t. I think you’re right... About accountability, I mean. But there are too many cases where people are allowed to look the other way and let people suffer. Parents, teachers, law enforcement… I can’t stand letting rotten adults get away with mistreating people just because they have power.” Akira kicked at the ground, not looking at Akechi as he spoke. “I don’t like it, as a concept. Changing people’s hearts. But I can’t think it’s wrong when it keeps those people from claiming more victims.”Akechi snorted. “You really are perfect, aren’t you.”“What?”Wide eyes. “Nothing! It’s admirable, I suppose. Dirtying your own hands to protect the weak. It suits you.” At first, Akira thought he was lying. He’d just heard Akechi scoff at him, after all. But their eyes met, and he could see the same cracks in that mask that were there when Akechi genuinely smiled at him. He wasn’t smiling now, but his expression wasn’t plastic, either. For a moment he was too overwhelmed to do anything, whether to speak or breathe or look away, but Akechi moved his gaze first. “This is my stop. Let’s go.”Akira wasn’t ready for their conversation to be over, but he followed him off the train. When they got to the half-empty platform, he reached out to grab Akechi’s wrist, not missing the way the other flinched from his grasp even though he was sure to keep his grip gentle. He let him take his hand back, but Akechi didn’t go far anyway, walking more slowly to allow conversation.“What is it?”“Just… if you think of what the Phantom Thieves do as dirtying their own hands to protect the weak… Why do you hate what they do so much? You’ve acknowledged flaws with both law enforcement and their methods, after all.”Something in Akechi’s eyes darkened even as he took up his thoughtful pose of a hand on his chin. His plastic persona was loosely draped over him even as Akira could see the darker parts of him beneath it. “I feel rather strongly about the reasons we’ve already discussed.” A lie? Akira was pretty sure it wasn’t the whole truth, at the very least. “But I can recognize the usefulness of stealing hearts enough to go along with it just this once, to end it all.” Those words sounded heavier than Akira thought they should, but he couldn’t guess why.A spark of anger welled up in him, and he smothered it before it could grow. Why couldn’t Akechi let them help him, instead of destroying them? But he wasn’t really angry so much as he was frustrated that they were helpless to do much more than keep themselves safe, especially when they knew--well, he knew--that Akechi was this cold because he was suffering.“Still, there’s little point for debate on the subject when everything has already been decided.” Okay, so maybe he was a little frustrated at Akechi himself. He could sock him in the jaw and cancel it out with a few cups of coffee, right? He followed Akechi up the stairs of an apartment building, careful to memorize the address above the mailboxes, and tried not to think about how saying everything was already decided was an especially loaded statement coming from Akechi in particular.He followed Akechi to a door at the end of the hallway on the third floor and let the other hold the door open for him, walking into an apartment that looked more like a model home than somewhere a teenager lived alone. The only sign that anyone lived here was a mug drying in the dishrack--plain white, nothing like the funny mugs Akira occasionally snuck onto Leblanc’s shelves. The floor was covered in pristine white carpet. Akira concluded that even here, Akechi’s mask did not come off. Not in the rooms he could see, at least.“Can I get anything for you? Something to drink? I can’t make coffee as well as you can, but my skills are passable.”“I’m fine, thank you.” The polite response for a polite question, but it was also truthful in Akira’s case. His mouth was dry as they both leaned down to take their shoes off next to the door, but he feared he would only ruin his semi-graceful image by spilling a drink down the front of his shirt. Any minute now, it was going to be time…“Please, come sit.” Akechi had made his way to a couch without Akira noticing, and he was gesturing to the space next to him. Akira’s legs were numb as he joined the detective. The couch creaked beneath him; it wasn’t plastic, but it was part of the theatre for Akechi’s own plastic performance. “Now,” Akechi’s eyes were painfully intent on his. “What was it that you wanted to ask me?”Or now. It was time now. And Akira gathered up every bit of his dauntless guts to look Akechi in the eye as he confessed the sentiments swirling in his heart.“I know it’s unconventional to make you take me to your apartment to have a conversation like this… But I don’t really have a private space with Morgana around at Leblanc and the possibility of Sojiro stopping by at any time.” He reminded himself that the rambling was unnecessary. “I had a hunch this might be more than just the answer to a question, so don’t get mad and kick me out right away, okay?”Akechi was the one to break eye contact, laughing uncomfortably and looking to the side with his hand beneath his chin. “Is it such a complicated question, then?”And looking at him that way, no mask on even as he was seated on the perfect stage, the words escaped Akira’s mouth before he thought better of them. “I love you.”Fuck… that wasn’t a question.
10980168	The Importance of a Well	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Barry Allen, Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Arthur Curry (Mentioned)", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-23T00:00:00", "words": "1,924", "Additional Tags": "sick day, hal gets sick, barry looks out for him, obligatory sick fic, Flu, Established Relationship", "Relationship": "Barry Allen/Hal Jordan", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "DCU (Comics), Green Lantern (Comics), The Flash (Comics), Justice League - All Media Types", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Barry Allen hadn’t been sick in a long time. He couldn’t get sick anymore, not with his metabolism and healing. Although his medicine cabinet had initially retained its stock in the years following his tangle with lightning, he’d steadily given most of his medicine away to friends and coworkers and the rest had expired. He didn’t think much of it. He spent most of his time with metahumans or people like Bruce, who was stoic enough to hide his illnesses and taken care of by Alfred and covered by his plethora of children in the event of illness. Thus, he was wholly unprepared when he woke up to find Hal shivering against him, despite the burning heat emanating from Hal’s skin. Barry frowned and tried to pull away so that he could catch a better look, but Hal only burrowed closer.“Cold. Stay put,” Hal muttered, which only deepened Barry’s frown.“You’re burning up, Hal,” Barry said, lowering his voice in what he hoped was soothing rather than patronizing. “I need to take you temperature.” Barry wasn’t sure he even owned a thermometer. He wondered how long it would take to get to the nearest pharmacy and back—he wasn’t about to rob a CVS, but he didn’t want to leave Hal alone for long. Maybe if he planned ahead by checking prices online he could leave the exact amount of money on the counter before anyone could blink—and run the risk of throwing off their inventory. Barry didn’t want to ruin an employee’s day just because he, a grown man, didn’t think to keep something in the cabinet in the very likely event that his space-cop-but-still-human boyfriend got sick. While he mulled, Hal began stirring with more gusto. Which, in his state, wasn’t a whole lot of gusto.“’M fine, Barr,” Hal muttered. “Turn the heater on, though?”Barry wracked his brain, trying to remember how to treat chills. “No, can’t do that,” he murmured, more to himself than Hal. “Heater’s not good for your fever.” Barry had no doubt Hal had a fever, his skin was far too hot for him to not have one. But he needed a thermometer or something to figure out if he needed to take Hal to the doctor or not. Did Hal have health insurance? Hal definitely didn’t have health insurance.Hal tried to sit up, probably to protest, but his eyes glassed over and he fell back onto the bed with a little ooph. It would have been cute if Barry was kicking himself for not having a thermometer.“Feel like I went a round with Kilowog,” Hal groaned, curling up on himself. Barry rubbed his back.“I need to add you to my health insurance,” Barry said.“What?” Hal groaned.“Nothing. You said you feel like you fought Kilowog? Are you sore? How’s your head? Did you get this season’s flu shot?” Barry knew he was talking too fast, but he was worried and why the hell didn’t he at least keep a thermometer around, Hal was still human no matter how many aliens, monsters, and supervillains he could fight.Hal just groaned pitifully at Barry’s barrage of questions. That did it. Barry crawled out of bed and stripped the comforter away, tucking Hal under only the sheet.“Stay put. I’m going to go get you a glass of water. You’re going to drink all of the water, okay?” Barry said, leaving. He returned within the span of a blink, glass of water in hand. A second later some of the water that had sloshed out of the glass while he ran hit the ground.“Who died and made you Aquaman,” Hal rasped belligerently. Hal being able to quip was good, Hal’s fever couldn’t be that high if he could quip… right? Barry shook his head to clear it before bringing the water to Hal.“Drink. No one died, Arthur is alive and well and he lives in the ocean, which you shouldn’t drink since 3.5% of the ocean’s weight is salt.”Hal blinks. “That’s why Arthur’s so salty,” he murmured into his glass. Barry grinned. The grin slid off his face when Hal began coughing into his water.“Easy,” Barry murmured. “Cough and then drink.”Hal shot him a glare but did as he was told, pulling the glass away to cough into his elbow like a gentleman. Barry worried his lower lip. A cough and chills and a fever and muscle aches meant flu, right? He tried to remember what it felt like to have the flu as a kid, but it had been so long and he had lived in a house with a fully stocked medicine cabinet. He needed to at least pick up some Tylenol. Maybe Nyquil. He would like to see Hal on Nyquil.“I need to get you some medicine. Are you going to be okay on your own, or should I call someone?”Hal pulled away from glass (which was mostly drained, to Hal’s credit) to say, “I don’t think I’m physically capable of dying.”Barry called John.“He’s only been kind of belligerent, which is part of the reason why I’m worried,” Barry explained as he grabbed his keys and searched for his cardigan. John chuckled, arms crossed as he watched Barry fret about the apartment. “He’s not allowed to have the heater on or the comforter, and he keeps insulting Arthur when he has to drink water, I’ve hid all of the communicators so that he doesn’t call Arthur or Bruce or anyone while fever drunk. Thank you for watching him while I’m out, I swear I’ll be back in a—”“Flash, I’ve got this,” John said, uncrossing his arms. “Go ahead and get to the store. Consider Jordan handled.”Barry shot him one more grateful glance before tapping into the speedforce and disappearing in a crackle of electricity.John didn’t have to turn around to register Hal standing in a nearby doorway. Hal’s eyes were unfocused and he was standing in nothing but his boxers, with his and Barry’s comforter draped over his shoulders. His hair stuck out every which way, with what appeared to be leftover product from the day before keeping it spiky. His complexion was pale with red dusting his cheekbones and nose and he was hugging an empty glass close to his chest.“Get back to bed, Hal,” John said over his shoulder.“Have you seen my comm?” Hal rasped. “I need to see a man about a fish.”John rubbed the bridge of his nose. ***Barry stood in the aisle of CVS, one hand clutching a paper with recommended medicines and the other a basket already filled with Gatorade, throat lozenges, Nyquil, Tylenol, vapor rub, canned soup, and herbal tea. He was comparing three different thermometers when an employee poked his head around the corner.“We have neti pots on Aisle 7,” the employee recommended, glancing at Barry’s basket. Barry shook his head.“I think he would literally kill me before he let me irrigate his nasal passages,” Barry said, settling on a thermometer, and tossing it in his basket. “Or at least punch me.” Barry didn’t think Hal would actually punch him on purpose. But the idea of wrestling Hal down long enough to use a neti pot left Barry feeling preemptively sore, fast healing aside.“I don’t know how old ‘he’ is, but we have children’s sore throat lollipops on sale,” the employee offered instead. Barry beamed.“That’ll do.”Barry returned to the apartment with several bags in tow, satisfied that his medicine cabinet wouldn’t be so bare now. He opened the front door, and immediately had to dodge a light construct. Barry scrambled to get himself and the bags in the apartment, closing the door behind him.“What are you two doing?” Barry dodged another beam of green light even as Hal shuffled towards Barry, wrapped in a sheet instead of the comforter from before.Hal buried his face in the crook of Barry’s shoulder and mumbled in a voice so scratchy that it hurt to hear, “’M gonna fight the Justice League.”Barry worked around Hal to fish out a lollipop. He unwrapped it and prodded Hal’s mouth with it until Hal parted his lips and accepted the offering. Placated for the time being, Hal leaned heavier against Barry and Barry raised an eyebrow at John, who materialized from around a corner.“He wanted to fight Aquaman, so we sparred instead. I was trying to wear him out. I don’t think he can be worn out,” John admitted, shrugging. Hal made a pleased noise. “He did drink several glasses of water and he traded out the comforter he was wearing for the sheet when I prompted him to,” John offered.“Thank you, John,” Barry murmured. “Do you want babysitting money now or later?” Hal punched Barry in the ribs, but there was no force behind it and Barry doubted Hal was physically capable of hitting harder than a tap for the time being. He stroked Hal’s hair and Hal relaxed again.John snorted. “Don’t mention it. Feel better soon, Hal.”Barry waved John out before gently rubbing Hal’s back. “Let’s get you back to bed, okay? I got you some stuff. I almost got you a neti pot.”Hal crinkled his nose. “I don’t know what that is, but it sounds like grounds for divorce.”“We’re not married,” Barry pointed out.“I would have married you, just to divorce you then. And when asked for the cause, I would have looked the judge in the eyes and said neti pot. And then the judge would have sided with me and I would get all of your stuff.”“What if I made you sign a prenup first?” Barry asked, guiding Hal back to the bed and tucking him in once they arrived there. “Ever think about that?”Hal shook his head and then winced at his headache. Barry began assembling the lineup of medication. “I’d make that face I make at you when I want Ollie to stay the night to play video games,” he noted. “You always cave for the face. There wouldn’t be a prenup.”Barry sighed dramatically. “You got me. Take these pills and then I definitely won’t make you sign a prenup. Although if you ever do plan to run a marriage scheme, I’d recommend you run it on Oliver. He has more assets to win in a divorce settlement.”Hal gasped. “You are so smart,” he marveled. Barry rolled his eyes and helped Hal take the medicine.“I know I am,” Barry said, popped the thermometer under Hal’s tongue before he could respond. Hal made faces at him and Barry laughed.“Keep still!”“Cab’t,” Hal murmured around the thermometer. “’Ur cu’e wheb you lath.”The thermometer beeped. 102.1. Not ideal, but not dangerously high either. Barry would check it again in a few hours, after the fever reducers and cold medicine had time to kick in, and decide from there whether Hal’s probable-flu warranted a trip to the doctor. Hal was already yawning, and Barry used his superspeed to turn off the lights in the apartment and lock the front door before returning to Hal’s side.“Sleep, and when you wake up we can plot the financial demise of Oliver Queen,” Barry promised. Hal smiled and let his head loll. Before crawling in next to him, Barry messaged the Justice League as well as Wally:The Flash and Green Lantern were out of commission for the weekend.
10984815	Break the Walls Between	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Castiel, Dean Winchester", "Fandom": "Supernatural", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by remmyme", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-24T00:00:00", "words": "2,003", "Additional Tags": "PWP, First Time, Blow Jobs, dirty dirty blow jobs, Assertive Dean, (sure we'll call it that), jad made me do it shut up jad", "Relationship": "Castiel/Dean Winchester", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": "SPN Best Works, The Destiel Fan Survey Favs Collection", "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Dean rapidly blinks away his confusion. “You want me to…what?”Cas pulls both arms slightly away from his sides, palms out and shoulders stiff; a gesture Dean knows to be Cas’s own special, socially retarded version of a shrug. “As an angel, I’m…incapable of sexual desire.” Cas casually tugs off his trench as he speaks, ignoring Dean’s weak Wha—Cas, wait— to continue, “But sex doesn’t repulse me in any way, and I certainly enjoy being close to you.” He turns from Dean to lay his coat across the foot of Dean’s bed, fingers moving to his throat to deftly undo and discard his tie as well. He steps away from the bed, again standing directly before Dean.Cas catches and holds Dean’s gaze as he slowly, deliberately flicks open the top two buttons of his white dress shirt. The cuffs receive the same treatment and Cas rolls up his sleeves. Dean’s suddenly having no little amount of trouble remembering how to breathe.“I love you.” Cas holds out his arms again, this time in obvious invitation. “And you want me.” Like it really is just that fucking simple.“Are…” Dean cuts off, honestly having no idea what the fuck he’s supposed to say, here. “What?”Cas allows himself a split-second huff of breath and barely-repressed eye roll then he moves, two steps forward and he’s very suddenly right in Dean’s space, closer than he’s been in years; intense and gorgeous and unfair, goddamn it, that’s fucking cheating and Cas knows it.Cas’s chin ticks up, bringing him that much closer. “Use me, Dean,” he says, quiet and low. “However you’d like.” He smoothly drops to his knees, heedless of the hard, unforgiving concrete and dust putting grey streaks on his dark slacks. “I’m yours.” For a long moment the room is deathly still, Dean’s uneven breaths the only thing to fill the silence between them until, all at once, something in Dean abruptly snaps into place. This is Cas, Cas who is nothing if not frank and honest and true – at least where it matters, at least where his own thoughts and feelings are concerned, because he never learned any different, never learned that people know shame and hide certain parts of themselves for fear of being burned – and the next thing Dean knows his hands are at his belt, frantic in his need to grasp at what’s being freely and knowingly offered by the literal angel at his feet.Cas’s eyes burn into Dean's as he pulls out his half-hard cock, daring and undeniably pleased. Dean strokes himself with one hand, the other moving to rake through Cas’s hair, soft and thick and exactly as he imagined it. His fingertips brush lightly across Cas’s forehead, tentative and unsure. Cas merely presses into the touch, rocking forward enough that Dean’s forced to pull back lest Cas get a dick to the eye, and no one needs that, fuck’s sake. Dean huffs a laugh and reverently runs a thumb over Cas’s eyebrow, fingers tucked in and around the bolt of his jaw, and once Dean’s started he can’t stop; mapping out the beloved lines and angles of Castiel’s face with fleeting touches over his stubbled cheek, the bridge of his nose, the sinful curve of his dry and plush upper lip.“Are you sure?”Cas’s gaze goes sharp in warning. “Dean,” he says, a gritty growl that causes Dean’s dick to jerk in his hand.“Fuck, Cas,” Dean breathes, and takes the base of his cock in a stabilizing grip. He pushes forward to smear the head of his length across Cas’s mouth, painting his lips wet with slick. Dean repeats the motion, circling Cas’s mouth again and again; mesmerized by the way Cas’s lower lip pulls under the weight of his cock. Cas lets him, open and trusting and more than Dean deserves, but when he nudges the barest bit in Cas’s lips part only enough to let Dean feel a teasing hint of heat before he’s met with the barrier of teeth; mouth pliant but not yet open and Dean immediately pulls away, is for one heart-stopping moment sure Cas has changed his mind, isn’t as okay with this whole clusterfuck of a situation as he let on.Cas’s hand immediately comes up, curved around the back of Dean's thigh and fingers tight to halt any burgeoning thoughts of retreat.The angel’s eyes spark in sly amusement, a surer tell than any tilt of lips. He pointedly leans into Dean’s hand, three fingers digging into the sharpness of Cas’s high cheekbone and little finger pushed to the corner of his mouth, catching on a drag to reveal the tempting wet of lip.Dean stares, stupid and so turned on he just might die, what the actual fuck.“Son of a bitch,” Dean curses, the hand at Cas’s cheek falling to curl under the angel’s jaw, and at the first hint of pressure now Cas falls open, easy as you please. “Jesus,” Dean says, tone colored with disbelief even as he slips his cockhead into Cas’s mouth.It’s good, impossibly good for less than an inch of wet heat but Dean’s knees very nearly give at the first sight of Cas’s thick lips bowed around Dean’s length. Dean’s releases the grip on his dick to instead brush through the hair at Cas’s forehead, combing up to grip at the thick of it, keeping Cas still as he begins to shallowly fuck into Cas’s mouth. Cas takes it without complaint, completely pliant under Dean’s hold and he can’t help the broken, desperate moan that tears from his throat.Dean continues to rock into Cas’s mouth, deeper and deeper with each pass until he can very definitely feel himself hitting the back of Cas’s throat, fluttering and tight and so fucking good. He knows he’s pushing past what most people would be able to give, knows it’s too much too soon but Cas takes it all the same.The hand high on his thigh clenches harder into the heavy fabric of Dean’s jeans, fingers tucked into the curve where ass meets leg and really fucking distracting. But Cas makes no move to probe or explore (and Jesus, fuck, just the thought has Dean’s thrusts going rough and uneven), simply keeps a solid and encouraging hold that follows every shove of hips.He both loves and hates the way Cas’s eyes never once leave Dean’s face, intense and knowing and allowing him nowhere to hide. More than once Dean rolls his head back to pant his pleasure to the ceiling only to be inevitably drawn back, green eyes to blue and no more secrets, no more unanswered prayers or uncertainties or years and years of Dean’s own bullshit denials left between them.Cas shifts, then; dropping lower to almost-but-not-quite sit on his feet, and Dean would assume he’s looking for a more comfortable position, but then the change of angle has Dean’s dick sliding in, and in, and in until he’s buried to the hilt and Cas’s nose is pressed to his groin, throat tight around him and tongue a delicious pressure on the underside of his cock.In a dizzying wave of arousal it hits Dean all at once. That Cas is other, Cas is an angel and the last thing he needs to worry about is a non-existent gag reflex or, fuck, even air. And Dean didn’t really get it, before, but suddenly feels like the General Idea here just up and brained him with a two-by-four. (“Use me.”) Dean groans, loud and long and greedy. He holds Cas’s face flush to his hips, doesn’t allow him an inch, and Cas simply swallows around him, humming slow, dark little noises with every constriction of his throat and yeah, no way is Dean coming out of this alive. Dean lasts for less than a minute before he jerks back, too quick and he slips out completely but it was that or come right the fuck now and Dean’s not done, not yet.Dean rocks back forward but misses Cas’s mouth to instead smear across Cas’s cheek; a slippery trail of saliva left in his wake and Cas’s scratchy stubble sinfully good on his oversensitive cock. Dean’s hand leaves Cas’s jaw to guide himself back between Cas’s lips but, somehow, in his fumbling rush ends up practically smacking his dick to the side of Cas’s face, instead.For a long, endless moment Dean is completely, totally still; heart and breath itself frozen in his chest. Cas has his eyes on Dean, calm and patient and very, very blue.Dean slaps him again.“Cas,” Dean groans, breath coming back all at once, fast and shallow and he’s definitely still not getting enough air but oh, god, the sound alone: the filthy, wet and sharp pop of Dean’s cock hitting Cas’s cheek, oh holy shit. Cas must see it, must sense just how close Dean is to absolutely fucking losing it because he doesn’t let Dean hit him again, instead turns his face into Dean to lavish his cock with hot and dirty open-mouthed kisses. Cas moves up and down the length of him, tip to Dean’s fingers at the base and back, teasing and slow.Dean lets him, watches those perfect pink lips work him over, but it does nothing to help him calm down, he is officially past the point of no return. He’s desperate, he’s gone, he’s stick-a-fork-in-it done and please, please, please, Cas, please, is literally the only thought left in his fried-to-shit brain.“Yes,” Cas says, half into the blood-warm skin of Dean’s dick and half into his own fingers. “Yes,” and Dean has no idea if he’d actually said the words aloud or not but Cas is answering him all the same.Cas pulls away, and Dean’s cracked whimper of urgent protest turns into a belly-deep moan as Cas sinks down on him, once again taking Dean into the perfect damp heat of his mouth. Cas’s free hand goes to Dean’s hip at the same moment Dean’s drops to brace to his shoulder and then Dean’s thrusting recklessly into him, chasing down every ounce of pleasure Cas’s mouth can give.Soon, way too fucking soon he’s teetering on the edge, can feel it sparking at the base of his cock and then, fuck, sly goddamn bastard, right at the moment Dean knows he’s gonna tip over Cas suddenly has both hands planted firmly on his ass and he pulls, forcing Dean deep and he comes so hard he almost falls; settles for curling over Cas’s head, hand digging into Cas’s shoulder hard enough to bruise, gasping out Cas’s name at every intensely pleasurable pulse of release shot straight down his angel’s throat.“Fuck,” Dean croaks, ten seconds or ten years later, floating high and dumb in the wake of the best orgasm he’s had in…ever. “Fuck,” he repeats on the tail end of a laugh because really, fuck. “You alright?”Cas lets Dean’s cock slip from his mouth and briefly presses his face to the soft and smooth skin where hip meets groin. He pecks a kiss to the cut of hipbone he finds there, looks up to pin Dean with exasperated eyes which belie the pleased smile playing at his lips. “Yes, Dean. I’m very alright.” His gaze goes questioning. “Are you?”“God, Cas,” Dean huffs, rakes a hand through Cas’s hair in soothing, easy strokes. Cas’s smile grows and he leans into the touch. “I’m good.”Cas’s hands come up to tuck Dean away and straighten his pants; Dean’s hold on Cas’s shoulder shifts to help pull the angel to his feet. They stand together, both grinning like idiots and suddenly it’s the easiest thing in the world for Dean to sway forward and catch Cas’s swollen lips with his own. It’s soft and sweet and stupidly awkward because they’re still fucking smiling but it’s good, it’s right, it’s theirs and yeah, Dean’s really, really good.
10943619	ive spent this year as a	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Kim Seokjin \| Jin, Min Yoongi \| Suga, Jung Hoseok \| J-Hope, Kim Taehyung \| V", "Fandom": "방탄소년단 \| Bangtan Boys \| BTS", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-19T00:00:00", "words": "4,260", "Additional Tags": "Angst with a Happy Ending, thats basically all, 3k of hoseoks depression, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Romantic Soulmates, 1k of yoonseok bein gay, vmin are supportive friends", "Relationship": "Jung Hoseok \| J-Hope/Min Yoongi \| Suga", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "bts soulmate au", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	To be honest, it was a pretty nice day for Hoseok, as were most. He loved to bathe in the sunshine and dance in the rain and all of those other cliché weather metaphors, except take them literally. All weather was nice, but for the past 3 months, he couldn’t bring himself to wear anything other than loose long sleeved shirts and hoodies. It was summer in Seoul, which meant 80 degrees, plus whatever added heat all the extra bodies occupying the street provided. It wasn’t that he was hurting himself, or trying to hide an embarrassing self tattoo, nothing even moderately self-inflicted. No, he was hiding that god damn countdown clock on his wrist from no one but himself, the one that said whoever he was destined to be with had 4 months to live. He knew this would happen. He knew when he was 14 and realized the clock was going to run out when he was 21, had a mini crisis, and didn’t come out of his room for half of summer vacation, before realizing he better get to fucking looking if he wants to find whoever this may be. He checked the serial number on everyone he met, seeing if it matched his own. But now…. he felt more hopeless than ever before. It was one more month now, and god, it just wasn’t fair. Most of his friends hadn’t met their soulmates besides… Well, Seokjin’s whole situation had to count for something. But at least they weren’t literally watching their soulmate’s life tick away one second at a time. And here it was, coming Winter and if he didn’t have s.a.d. to begin with, it’d definitely been brought on by this. He was going to spend the holidays alone, knowing that he would forever be alone and- Well, there it is again. The thought that always hits him when the sun goes down and he’s in him and Jimin’s apartment in his room in his king size bed, and laying in the middle so it seemed just a bit like there was less empty space. Honestly, what was the point? Once this clock ran out, no one is going to want him. Everyone else is going to be looking for their own soulmate, who clearly isn’t Hoseok’s, because by then his will be 6 feet under in some unknown place. Even on his good days, the thought came back to haunt him. And he knows that he still has time, a whole 3.5 weeks to get out there and find the person and love them like no one’s ever loved before but…. What are the chances? What are the chances that in this world, with billions of people, he would be able to find his soulmate in less than a month. He’d more likely get struck by lightning, or get attacked by a shark, or die in a plane crash, or win the lottery. There was one person made for him in this entire world, and they were dying. Another question, just out of the blue one day, punched him right in the face and broke his jaw; Did they know? Did they know they were dying? Were they laying in a hospital somewhere, a doctor running tests and telling them they don’t have long? Were they planning to be doing something with friends 3.5 weeks from now, like going to the beach or going on a hiking trip, and they’re so excited and they can’t wait, because they don’t know? He bet they looked at their timer too. How could they not? It was right there on their wrist. Hoseok couldn’t even bare to think about what it might say. Maybe it read 70 years from now, maybe 70 seconds, god, he couldn’t even fathom.  2.5 weeks later He hadn’t left his room for 12 hours. What had he been doing? Nothing. Maybe he could’ve been crying, but instead he just wrapped his green comforter around himself tighter, and blinked at the window. Maybe he’d fallen asleep, he wasn’t sure. It was 9 am, the sun just rising and almost blinding him. Good. Maybe if he went blind, he wouldn’t be able to keep looking at the clock, or maybe he could stop staring at the blank wall, or the window or maybe he could stop keeping track of time all together. He thought maybe it’d be better if he could just stop seeing. There was a faint knocking on the door, and when he didn’t respond, it cracked open, revealing two sets of eyes, one taller than the other. He silently glanced down at the two without moving, as both walked into the room. “Hobi-hyung,” Jimin said in a soft, sing-song voice, Taehyung standing behind him. Hoseok looked them both over. They must be going somewhere. He doesn’t remember Taehyung coming into the apartment at all at any time, he must have just done so when Jimin came in and stayed quiet. Or maybe he really had fallen asleep. “Taehyung-ah was wondering if you wanted to go shopping with us. It’d be fun.” The smaller quietly prompted, the younger nodding in confirmation behind him. Hoseok didn’t respond, just looking back to the window. He was in no mood to go anywhere, and he probably looked like a giant trash pile. He could feel his eyes burning from staring and lack of sleep, his mouth as dry and he hadn’t showered in at least 2 days. Not to mention his hair was basically caked to his forehead from sweat and laying in the same position for a long time. The dancer appreciated the kids trying to help, he really did, especially since they never offered anyone else to go shopping, ever. But… They should have known he’d say no or not answer at all. Jimin walked over after a few moments, kissing Hoseok’s temple before Taehyung ruffled his hair. “If you need anything, call hyung. We love you.” He wasn’t going to call. The whole apartment complex could catch on fire, and he’d simply stay there and let it burn. It’d probably still be less painful than watching the last few seconds slip off the clock. He felt like he was drowning. He was drowning but he just wouldn’t die, and he just kept inhaling water with every passing day, but it was never quite enough to get it all done and over with.  one week later Fuck, he was so fucking fucked because there was 30 seconds left on the clock, and the ticking sounded 90% louder, and he knew the alarm was going to go off soon, and he just. He couldn’t. Couldn’t cover his ears, couldn’t lay down, couldn’t bring himself let Jimin in, even when he heard the soft knocking and the quiet, “hobi-hyung.” Jimin knew. Because each time he would come check on Hoseok, he would glance at the clock on his wrist if he could. He’d seen it at 3 weeks, then at two days, and earlier at 3 hours. Hoseok appreciated the younger’s efforts, he did. But it would also be amazing if he could just leave him the fuck alone. It made him feel bad about pushing the other away, and he so badly wanted to give in and let Jimin comfort him. But he couldn’t find the words. He heard a quiet thud, and assumed by the shuffling that Jimin had sat down in front of the door. He started to open his mouth when the alarm went off, and the glowing blue numbers hit 00:00:00:00. Hoseok heard a loud breath being let out from outside the door, and he felt hot tears running down his cheeks before he saw them in the mirror. Without thinking, he slammed his fist into the glass, feeling it shatter around his hand and prick into his skin. He almost felt a little better. He went over to the door and rested his forehead against it. Hoseok was only able to contain himself and bite down on his lips for a few moments before the sobs started to tear through his throat. He doesn’t know how long he cried, or how long Jimin stood by the door silently, listening to him…. But he must’ve fallen asleep, because when he opens his eyes, his head is pounding and his face is sweaty and he’s in his bed. But there’s a box of tissues and a cup of ramen that’s still a little warm, and a thermos of coffee with little hearts on it. God damn Park Jimin and his kind heart. Hoseok glances at it. And then closes his eyes. And opens them again. He almost feels bad, because Jimin was caring enough to make him food and coffee (with his favourite creamer), and even bring him tissues, because god knows he’ll need them. And he can’t even bring himself to stir the ramen around a bit. He just wants to lie down and stay down and cry for ages. So he does. He stays in bed, sniffling and wiping at his puffy eyes long after the ramen’s turned ice cold and the coffee has more than cooled down in its metal insulation, but he can’t stop. It turns out he does the next day, and he doesn’t cry for a very long time after that. Hoseok stays in bed and doesn’t go to work. Doesn’t eat besides when Jimin gets tired of wasted food and shovels mouthfuls of ramen into his mouth, because he wants Hoseok to eat but not to upset his stomach since it’s not all that used to food anymore. Sometimes the younger comes over, has Seokjin whip up some special drinks and food that will help Hoseok gain a little weight, and they have to feed him that too. The weather grows colder and colder, and it seems the part of Hoseok’s heart, or brain, or whatever controls his happiness does the same. Jimin drags him out to a Christmas party, where he drinks until he passes out on Jonghyun’s table, because they play spin the bottle and Jimin finds out Taehyung is his soulmate. He listens to them guess what colour certain things are and listen to Seokjin tell them if they’re right or wrong. If he didn’t already constantly have headaches from dehydration or lack of sleep or too much sleep, that alone would have given him one. And he was so so tired of seventeen members sending him sympathetic looks. He just wanted to go home, and apparently that was obvious to everyone. He woke up in his bed again, with a pounding headache, and couldn’t stop himself from leaning over, and deadass puking all over the floor. His nose burned and his throat burned, and his head hurt, and he thought that maybe this was what it felt like to die. Maybe he had alcohol poisoning and this was the end. Not that he could care. He really didn’t care about most things now, including himself. How could he? According to the stupid ass watch, and the stupid soulmate systems, there was nothing for him anyways. True love was the end goal right ? And the one person truly made for him, likely the only person who could love him forever…Was dead. Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead. Gone, probably waiting to be found by some unsuspecting family member and …. Hopefully not a lover. The thought sickens him. The thought that maybe… He was set to die soon too, and they gave up the way he did and decided to fall in love with someone else….Like he didn’t. Or maybe they died with family in the hospital, maybe they’d been sick for weeks or months or years and finally their mom or dad or someone decided it was time to just pull the fucking plug. Pull the fucking plug on his chance of love or happiness. Pull the fucking plug of his hope and let it all wash down the dirty ass drain in a little water whirlwind of doubt and hatred and whatever other shitty emotions. God, if he could feel anything, he would be angry. But for the last 6 months, Jung Hoseok has been numb. His emotions feel all fuzzy, like he slept on them a little too long, or maybe sat in a funny position for a little too long. It was another 9 months before anything started to feel okay again or …. Just ... Feel in general. Jimin had insisted he join a therapy group, or go party every night away, or kill someone or anything that would make him happy again. It was just …. Hard. It was hard to breathe everyday, hard to think and especially hard to get out of bed. After ¾ of the way around the sun, he’d started to find a routine. Hoseok would open his window at night and let the cool air flood the room. He’d wrap himself in the blankets, listen to Jimin and Taehyung’s movies that they watched every night in the living room. He felt secure. He felt safe. Safer than he had in months. He wrapped himself up and told himself like a child that as long as he would stay under the blanket, he would get a full nights rest. He drank a cup of water, and went to sleep. He would get up in the morning, about 10 o’clock, when the sun was barely up because of the time change, he would look our the open window. He’d hear the birds singing, see the sunshine and assure himself that it was going to be a good day. Hoseok was a strong believer in a positive mindset and one night … Taehyung had insisted he should practice what he preached all these years … So he tried it out. Sometimes … It didn’t turn out to be a good day. He’d remember why he was sad, crawl back into bed, and sulk until he fell asleep. When he woke up, he’d take the shower he took everyday, and told himself that the hot water was washing all the negativity down the drain. Sometimes he didn’t believe it but- He had to be making some progress if a month ago, he couldn’t get out of bed at all and this week he’d been out of his room for 4/7 days. Jimin and Taehyung were proud of him, they told him everyday that he was doing good, and asked him if he needed anything, and he would say yes a few times and no a few times. Sometimes he would ask them to go to the store for him, because he didn’t quite feel confident enough to go out in public. Seokjin was proud too. He would come over twice a week, Tuesday and Thursday, and cook a full meal. Hoseok was really trying his best. He’d been eating as much as he could without making himself sick, and he took a shower everyday instead of smelling like he’d slept with a dead opossum. Somedays, he really couldn’t get out of bed at all. If he’d had a nightmare or if he’d suddenly had the ridiculous notion that no one would ever love him or date him. It was a rollercoaster and…He was hoping that soon, it would only go up. One night, he thought about this metaphor. Wasn’t going down the point of rollercoasters? It’d be a bit boring to be on a rollercoaster that only goes up. Going down was fast and a little bit scary when you ride one for the first time, but it was fun after that. You looked forward to the wind in your hair and the adrenaline rush from the freefall, and when you got to the bottom you just wanted to go up again so you could go back down. Maybe going down was up in life, and going up was down in life. Maybe you got sad, just so you could be happy to be happy again. Hoseok was afraid of rollercoasters, but after a long talk about this with himself, he decided everything was going to be okay, and maybe metaphorical rides were okay. He got straight out of bed, shook Taehyung awake, (Jimin was asleep in his own bed, Taehyung basically lived with them now and had fallen asleep watching anime on the couch) and told him that he wanted to go out, he wanted to dress up and look good with other people who look good, and above all, he wanted to have fun. Taehyung sleepily smiled at him with a, “I guess we better get ready then.” Really, he assured himself, what was there to worry about? He was just going out with Taehyung, hopefully meeting some people, and having a little fun. There was nothing wrong with that. And Taehyung doesn’t drink unless he’s alone at the apartment, because Jimin doesn’t drink and he doesn’t want Jimin to be the only sober one, and when he’s out without Jimin he doesn’t drink so he’s sure not to do something stupid. It would be okay. He honestly didn’t feel much like getting drunk either. Call them lame, but they both had excuses. He pulled on a pair of ripped black skinnies for the first time in ages, and a thin Stussy t-shirt. He then pulled a thin black jacket over it because he was going to the club, but it was still Fall going into Winter and he didn’t want to be caught freezing his ass off. When he stepped outside, he took a deep breath in, and let it back out. The night was cool, but not too cold. It also wasn’t very late, maybe 10 or 11, so he figured it would get colder. Taehyung lead him out to his ’82 pickup and smiled as they got in the car. Tae….. Didn’t have a radio. All he had were CD’s of 2000’s girl groups and 90’s American alternative bands. Hoseok picked out one that he wasn’t really sure of. He could understand the letters said “superunknown,” which he guessed was the album name, but fuck if he knew what that meant or how to say it. It was nice, had almost a soft edge to it, and he could hear Taehyung mumbling in extremely slurred English, but he probably couldn’t do much better himself. It took about 30 minutes to get there, and when he hopped out of the truck, he felt like the temperature had dropped 50 degrees. He quickly checked to make sure he had his wallet with his ID, and his phone on him. The line was short, as the club wasn’t popular to begin with and people usually got there earlier than they currently were. Hoseok showed the bouncer his ID, 10 dollars admission, and went in behind Taehyung. There was only 1 person sitting at the bar, the rest were packed onto the dance floor, and to say the least Hoseok wasn’t exactly ready for that. It ran through his mind to sit as far away as possible, but then remembered that he was here to meet people, so he took a seat right next to the person. Taehyung sat a little further down. The younger really didn’t mind not doing much, he was mostly just glad Hoseok wanted to leave the house for once. Hoseok ordered a strawberry daquiri, because he didn’t want to get wasted but he wanted something good. He looked at the person on his right to see it was a young man, maybe even a little younger than himself. Or maybe his makeup was a little too distracting to judge his real age. He had dark hair and a dark black and he’d probably look like a fluffy kitten on a barstool if it weren’t for his sharp eyes outlined in sharp jet black eyeliner that he could probably kill himself on if he still had the urge. He’d given the man a smile when they made eye contact, which was returned with a dull look before the other seemed to change his mind. He held his hand out for Hoseok to shake, and they shook hands. “Min Yoongi.” “Yoongi. I’m Hoseok, Jung Hoseok.” “You don’t look much like a Hoseok.” “I do too!” Hoseok huffed, but the guy just laughed, turning back to what was probably a coke and rum if the smell and look had any correlation. He felt the need to apologize because he hadn’t been out of the house in almost consistently a year and had kind of forgotten how to interact with people that weren’t his friend and said friend’s boyfriend. So he started, “You know, I’m sorry I don’t really go out and-“ “You wanna go home?” “….Yeah, well – Not really – Kinda – Well – “ “Go home then.” Yoongi …. Had a point. “Would you come with me?” Risky. Extremely risky. But oh well, if worst comes to worst he’d probably just never come here and never see the guy again. It wasn’t like he lived with him. “….Maybe if you buy me some mozzarella sticks and tell me how old you are. And why you decided to destroy your hair by dyeing it…Whatever colour that used to be.” Hoseok just nodded with a smile, politely asking the bartender for a plate of cheese sticks and a refill for them both before turning back to the other. “I’m 21- And…It was peach but I was a bit … M.I.A. for …. a little while. This weird side part is saving my eyesight. It really..It did look good. I think I’ll do it again more that I think about it.” Yoongi nodded in response, taking a drink. “Well. I’m 22 – “ “What – I was sure you were younger than me though….” “Makeup is a strong tool, Jung Hoseok.” “I think you should wear less.” “Its kind of too late at the moment. And it seemed to work on you, didn’t it?” Silence from the younger. “That’s what I thought.” After a while, Yoongi had decided it was okay. Really, the younger didn’t want anything more than to get to know Yoongi better, and maybe discuss starting a relationship because he seemed a bit cold now and then, but really he was just blunt and Hoseok was okay with that if it meant he would always get the truth. Taehyung wasn’t opposed to giving an extra person a ride, although he was a bit wary. Hoseok was too, but all the time people have one night stands and wake up with strangers and covered in dry bodily fluids and … It wasn’t like that anyways. They laid on the bed for a while, and he was confused why the older would want to date him. Maybe..he was one of those people that didn’t accept the soulmate system, wanted their own fate. Nonetheless, he let Yoongi sleep on his bed and took the couch after 15 minutes of, “The couch will hurt your back… You’re my guest.” and “I am /not/ kicking you out of your own bed.” In the morning, Yoongi had to leave for work and they exchanged numbers, promising that /maybe/ they’ll see each other again. Hoseok texted the older a few hours after he left, and after that it was basically history. They talked for a couple weeks before Hoseok invited him over again, and they got along nicely. One night, out of pure curiosity, Hoseok asked him about his soulmate. Quickly, the atmosphere changed and you probably couldn’t cut the tension with the world’s sharpest blade. Yikes. Hoseok was sure it was over, Yoongi was going to pick up his bag and leave and it was all Hoseok’s fault. But… He didn’t. He simply sighed after a moment, and hiked up the sleeve of his sweater, where dull red letters read, “00:00:00:00:” and Hoseok was silent for a moment. Before he did the same, pulling up the sleeve on his hoodie. Really, this had to be some crazy dream. This didn’t usually happen to people …. Did it? Yoongi stared at the clock for a moment before grabbing his bag and standing up. He looked at Hoseok and quietly replied, “Maybe it was a mess up,” before kissing his cheek and leaving. Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. Honestly, he was crying again. From happiness or sadness or fear or anything in between he didn’t know. So he just….. Went to bed, decided he’d deal with it later, and went to sleep. When he called Yoongi the next day, they spoke in hushed voices, and Hoseok was invited to Yoongi’s place this time. It really was getting colder, so he pulled on a thick jacket with a beanie on top of his sweater and jeans. He gets to the address, knocks on the door, and it’s so long before Yoongi answers that he starts to turn and walk away. Yoongi grabs his wrist, and Hoseok flashes the other a smile and a greeting. The shorter tugs him into the house, and gives him a cup of coffee. Really, he’s not much of a coffee drinker, but he felt like his fingers were about to fall off, so he just wrapped his hands around the mug and sighed at the warmth. Later on, they curled up in Yoongi’s bed and let the dark sheets and blankets swallow them as Winter rumbled on outside. This was nice. Hoseok could get used to this. “I love you.” “I love you too.”
10988874	almost too much	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Castiel, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester", "Fandom": "Supernatural", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by awed_frog", "chapters": "2/2", "completed": "2017-06-03", "published": "2017-05-24T00:00:00", "words": "3,320", "Additional Tags": "Season Finale, Emotionally Hurt Dean, (because there's not tag for 'dead inside Dean'), Supportive Sam, Feels, Angst, Grief/Mourning, Temporary Character Death, Happy Ending, Coda, Episode: s12e23 All Along the Watchtower, Post-Episode: s12e23 All Along the Watchtower, Fixing the Unfixable, (also there's no tag for 'author is dead inside'), Edit, NOW THE PROLOGUE OF A LONG STORY, ANGSTY FEELY BUT HAPPY ENDING GUYS, WE DESERVE THAT MUCH", "Relationship": "Castiel/Dean Winchester", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "(don't look back)", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Dean is only vaguely aware of the light and the noise; of Sam’s muttered curse, and his retreating footsteps. He doesn’t realize he’s dropped to his knees until he feels the fabric of his jeans getting damper and damper with dew. It’s summer, but Dean thinks he may never be warm again. He looks up, hoping to see - a falling star, maybe. Or some sign Chuck actually cares. Hell, he’s already prayed to every angel he knows, to Chuck, to Amara; he’s promised stuff he doesn’t have in wordless, broken sentences, but the sky is empty.No one is coming.It’s over.Dean can’t bear to look at Cas, but he can’t move away, either. He remembers that weekend he spent at his desk, rewinding that stupid tape over and over again so the songs would start at the exact right moment, without silence and scratching between them. He thinks about the look in Cas’ eyes when he’d first turned the thing over in his hands.“Dean, I don’t,” he’d said, slowly. “I never listen to music. Every song humanity has ever written - I know them. I don’t need tapes to hear them.”“Yeah, these are not just songs. They’re the best, okay?”Cas had looked up.“Led Zeppelin - your favorite band. I know, but I still -”“Just take it, sunshine.”Dean had almost spit the word out, dragging the vowels long and poisonous so he could play it off as a joke, because, whatever, Sam wasn’t there and when Sam wasn’t there everything that came out of Dean’s mouth was always two seconds away from being embarrassing and girly and the truth, and he couldn’t help it - because he couldn’t stop himself, he’d known the tape was a stupid idea and he’d done it anyway, and it’s pathetic, really, this need he has - how he simply had to, even in that moment, reach over and touch Cas, pat him on the shoulder, make sure he was -“Dean.”Dean doesn’t look up. There’s something in Sam’s voice - more bad news, for sure, and also sadness and worry, and maybe a touch of impatience, like this isn’t the first time Sam’s said his name. And Dean wants to stand up, he really does, but his fingers are closed on the sleeve of Cas’ trench coat and somehow they’re frozen solid and Dean can’t -Sam sort of hunkers down by his side, much too close - Dean can suddenly feel the entire weight of his brother’s freakish body pressing against his own, a neat, solid line of warmth going all the way from his shoulder to his hip, and this is the moment he’d usually move away because one thing he’s not, okay, he’s not in the mood for talking and sharing and whatever fucked-up thing Sam will go on and on about and -“We’ll get him back,” Sam says, but there’s no conviction there, and Dean shakes his head.Again, he sees Cas turn the tape in his hands, sees him thumb Dean’s name on the label. The serious frown on his face, the slight smile tugging at his mouth.“Where,” Dean says, and then he has to stop and press his free hand on his face because goddammit, he won’t fucking cry.“Gone,” Sam says. “And he wasn’t a kid, either. He looked around seventeen. Maybe older. White skin, brown hair, golden eyes. Five sevenish.”Dean should care, but he really doesn’t. If that thing is gone, it means they have no way to bring Cas back, so if he wants to go the fuck ahead and burn the world down - yeah. Let him.(They don’t even know where angels go after they - Funny how they never bothered to ask.)“His wings are whole,” Sam says, after a very long pause, in a tone that’s awe and sadness and something else, and Dean almost flinches, his knuckles very white against Cas’ sleeve.He breathes. Clears his throat.“Must be the extra juice.”“Yeah.” It’s a long time before either of them speaks again. Dean is staring straight ahead, is trying to keep still so he won’t cry and won’t yell and won’t throw up, but it’s so damn hard - Cas’ pale face swims in and out of focus - it’s right there, out of the corner of his eye, even if Dean won’t look at it, and when Dean’s fingers twitch, his hand brushes against Cas’ wrist and it feels - it feels like a body.(Solid and cold and fucking hopeless.Hell, Dean should not be surprised. He’s buried enough people to know what death feels like.)“We could - stay here for a few days. Wait for,” Sam says in the end, but doesn’t finish his sentence.Wait for what? The only people who knew about this place are Mom and Crowley, and both of them are -Yeah.Dean tries to keep his voice steady (to get it to come out at all).“No. We need to keep moving. Hunt Lucifer’s kid before he does - before - whatever.”Sam opens his mouth, closes it.“Okay.”He reaches out, then, touches Dean for the first time - clasps his shoulder as he stands up.“I’ll go check on the car. And, Dean - it’s not over, okay? It’s not.”Dean barely hears him. Part of him wants to build the pyre right here, and he hates himself for even thinking about that yet, but Cas fucking deserves it, okay, he’s been hunting with them for years now - and another voice in his head, probably Sam’s, because it sounds grown-up and rational and good and everything else Dean is not - is telling him it would make more sense to bring Cas back to the Bunker with them and find some spell to - revive him, or preserve Jimmy’s body, in case - and it doesn’t even matter, in a way, because everything is drowned out by that wave of nausea in the back of his throat - the growing panic, shock turning to realization and then to a violent, almost physical blow, because this is it - because Cas is gone and he’s never coming back.Because Cas is dead.Without thinking, Dean pries his fingers loose from the cold fabric of Cas’ sleeve and slides his silver ring off his own finger; then he finds Cas’ hand, almost blindly, recoiling at how heavy and stiff it already is, and forces the small metal band on Cas’ ring finger. It’s a crappy thing - something Dean picked up somewhere and uses to open beer bottles - but it’s better than nothing.“I will - listen to it,” Cas had said, with a touch of uncertainty, as if he still didn’t get the need of going through that useless human process - pushing a tape in the slot, turning the buttons on - when he could just - tune in his own mind, or whatever, and listen to everything he wanted directly from there. “If it matters to you.”“Jesus, it doesn’t - don’t make it into a thing, okay?”They were still standing way too close, and Dean had always hated that space between them - too wide to be crossed, and too narrow to be disregarded - Cas had been itching to be back on the road, that much was clear, because just look at him, the stupid asshole, thinking everything was on him and he had to fix every single goddamn thing himself and never mind -Yeah, never mind.“Did I say something wrong?”And Dean, Dean had gone out there with some vague notion - he’d never made a mixtape for anyone before, but now everything else was sort of squared away, he’d thought - I love you, Cas had said, and Dean had played and replayed those words in his mind for weeks, because it wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair, because they are no one and nothing and Cas shouldn’t feel they deserve anything, but all the same - he’d desperately wanted to say something back - to tell Cas the fucking truth - that he doesn’t remember a life without him in it, or, yeah, that’s a lie, because he does remember it and it sucked, okay, it sucks, and you’re an idiot if you think I don’t want you here and you’re an idiot if you think you need to do stuff for us, or fix anything, because we love you no matter what and Cas, I -But Cas is not human, and he doesn’t get it, and that’s not what he wants - not with Dean, not with anyone.So Dean should back off.“Nah, it’s okay. Just - long drives, you know? I thought you’d get -”And the word, lonely, is right there on his tongue, because that was the whole point of that goddamn tape, yeah - Dean just wanted Cas to think about him, and to fucking come back to him; he wanted Cas to know that he’s got a roof and a family, that he’s fucking missed.It suddenly sounded too much, though.“- you know.”It'd been awkward. Dean had made some kind of gesture, had started to walk away.“Thank you.”“‘s fine. No big deal,” Dean had said, and he hadn’t looked back, either, because he’d thought - Jesus - he’d assumed there would always be time to look at Cas. That he would simply be brave enough the next time, or the time after that, because Cas would always be there.(Because Cas had fucking promised him that, and now -)Sam suddenly says something not far behind him - God, how can he be so goddamn quiet - and Dean shuffles so he’s crouching down, pats Cas’ pockets just for something to do.“Baby okay? We got enough gas to make it to Dexter?”“Yeah. But Dean, we don’t have to -”Dean tunes him out. There’s a rectangular shape in Cas’ chest pocket; he opens the coat, fishes it out. It’s not the tape, though. It’s a business cards holder - a small, sorry thing, slightly battered, the metal glittering in the almost light that comes before the dawn.Dean never knew Cas had one of these. He hesitates only for a second before opening it and leafing through the cards. They’re all from local businesses in Illinois - Jimmy’s stuff, not Cas’.The need to throw up is almost overwhelming now. He keeps busy, hoping that if he looks normal, his brother will just leave him the fuck alone so Dean can -“Anything useful?”Sam is still trying to sound like this is all okay, a temporary setback they’ll laugh about later - something Cas will try to explain in terms they can understand, and of course, when can they ever? Dean never got a word of those conversations between him and Sam - theology, physics, quantum fuckery - nah, he was always just happy to drink them in, his brother and his - his brother and Cas, okay, safe and happy, their eyes shining with beer, glittering with focused curiosity and the need to understand and force the world to make sense.Dean had hoped Mom would find her place around that table as well, that their evenings would become -“Wait, are those Jimmy’s?”Sam bends down, puts a hand on Dean’s shoulder, and Dean sort of wakes up, gets to the last card in the holder.Pike Street Pool, the thin writing reads. The membership, of course, has expired.He frowns.“Cas was a runner. Jimmy, I mean.”“What?”“I remember him talking about that,” Dean says, and all of a sudden he wants to crush the damn card, because he never gets anything right and he never knows anything about anyone and why do people lie to him, why do they fucking leave all the goddamn -“Dean -”“Yeah, we’re leaving. Come on - bring the car around.”Sam doesn’t move, and Dean looks up at him, only just, only long enough to let his brother know that he’s not breaking, not yet, that he can fucking do this and they don’t need to talk about it, and whatever Sam sees on his face, it’s enough to make him walk away a second time, his bulky silhouette now firmly delineated by the breaking light of day.Dean watches him for a second, because this is his kid brother, okay, this is Sammy and he’s fine and the rest doesn’t even matter, they’ll walk it off.He passes a hand on his face, clasps the cardholder shut, pushes it back into Cas’ pocket. His fingers brush against a wallet, and Dean, not really knowing what he’s looking for, takes it out.It’s not like Cas would mind. He never understood boundaries, personal space, privacy, no matter how many times Dean tried to explain. He remembers how it was like - to wake up and find the goddamn angel staring down at him, his head tilted to one side, his forehead all scrunched up as if Dean was fascinating as fuck and a problem to be puzzled out and not -(As if Dean was worth watching over.)Dean flips the wallet open. There’s money (not much) and two credit cards, both Jimmy’s. Which is weird, okay, because Dean had given the bastard a new one only last month - he doesn’t remember the name, but it sure as fuck wasn’t James Novak.Somewhere behind him, Baby purrs closer, and Dean relaxes, just a fraction, letting himself drown in the familiar sound.The day is getting brighter and brighter around him, and it’s almost unfair how beautiful everything is - the lake a quiet, a shimmering mass of blues and whites, and those hills beyond it all green and sleepy. Dean wonders why Cas picked this place, what he even saw in it, and then, inevitably, his eyes finally move to Cas’ face, so achingly familiar - the sharp line of his nose, the chapped lips, that stupid five o’clock shadow always this side of needing a shave.(He’d thought about that, back when Cas was human, but Sam had beaten him to it - Dean had woken up one morning to find them in the bathroom, Cas all serious, Dean’s AC/DC t-shirt all wrong on him (and yet), and Sam gesturing behind him, a razor in his right hand, and Dean had been distracted, because this was so clearly Sam, and not that fucker walking around in his body - Sam who’d seen how lonely and sad Cas was, Sam who’d found a simple way to cheer him up, make him feel loved and welcome, and he’d done it just like that, because he’s a good person, because he wasn’t thinking, like Dean, that goddammit, now Cas was human, now that he could want things and feel things, now maybe - no, Sam wasn’t thinking that, because his kid brother’s good and decent and a much better person than Dean ever was. And that’s why Dean had hesitated on the door only long enough for Cas to catch his eye through the mirror and smile at him before walking away and starting on breakfast. Because what if Cas didn’t feel the same way?And what if he did - what if Dean fucked it up, what if -)Cas is pale and peaceful and the most beautiful thing Dean’s ever had in his fucking and miserable life. Sam said they’ll get him back. Dean tries to focus on that, finds he can’t. (He’s tried, for years, not to think about this, to push it back and back and pretend it wasn’t a thing at all, because in the back of his mind, he’d always sort of assumed angels just - they’re not human, right? No soul. Dean’s never heard of a dead angel turning up again.)A car door opens behind him, and Dean tries to look normal, busy. He clears his throat, resumes his investigation of Cas’ wallet, looking for - anything, really - but the only other thing in there turns out to be a faded photograph. Dean recognizes Amelia Novak, and that kid with her - a few months old, hair so blond as to look white - can only be Claire. He turns the picture over.Amy and Patrick, Jimmy’s written, and, next to it, a date - September 1997.“I think we should call 911 at some point,” Sam says, as Dean stares at the thing, his heart beating too fast and too loud. “Let them know about Kelly, so they can -”“Patrick.”“What?”It can’t be - no way.And yet.“Claire - when was she born?”“Claire?”Sam takes a step closer. Dean finally stands up, looks at him, then back at the photograph. He makes half a movement, as if to give it to Sam, but can’t quite bring himself to, because if this is - if this -“Uhm, her birthday’s in April? Remember we got her that -”“I don’t fucking - what year, Sam?”“I - ‘97, I think. Why?”The sense of relief is deafening and blinding, a thing of storms and rushing blood that makes the entire planet tilt as Dean tries to stay upright and breathe and wrap his mind around it all. He looks up at the sky, almost in thanks, and then, out of habit, he sends out a prayer. Cas, can you - can you hear me? Castiel? “Because in the other timeline, the Novaks had a boy.”“The other - Dean, what -”For the first time, Sam’s voice shifts - it’s no longer sadness, or not just that - there’s a different noise to his worry now, like he thinks Dean’s losing it, and Dean tries to make sense of it, to explain, to -“This is not Cas. Our Cas, I mean. Look at this - the pool card - Patrick -”Dean is both forcing the photograph in Sam’s hands and refusing to let it go, and yeah, his brother’s looking at him like he’s lost it, but Dean doesn’t care, because it doesn’t matter - all they need to do is find a way back to that place, and they can fix it, they can - Cas - Cas, I’m coming, okay? We’re getting you out of there. Just - - and his head does that stupid thing it does during fights - the world slows down around him as he plans and thinks and wonders if they’ve got a way to find Kelly’s kid, and at the same time something inside him explodes and roars and grits its teeth, because grief and love - man, he’s so bad at those - but give him fights and hunts and wars and he’ll fucking tear his way out, and he’s feeling it now - how he won’t stop, how it’s not even a decision he needs to make, because everything he is is aching for Cas, and not having Cas here is a wound and a wrong that hurts and hurts and Dean will fucking - Cas - buddy, I - I’m sorry I never said it back, but - ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Hi guys - I don't know if this allowed or not, but I'm adding a temporary chapter to let you know that yes, this coda will become a story. It's probably not a wise idea, or anything, but this what if has taken hold of my soul, and I got so many lovely comments from people who want to know what happens next that I decided to give it a try. I'm currently on page 9 of a story that will be called Blues Run the Game and I hope to publish something very soon. If you know me, you know my style is angst with a happy ending, and this will be no different - a Dean/Cas, Sam/Eileen adventure with a lot of pining, some crying, and the return of characters I've missed, because, whatever, you don't look a gift AU World of Doom in the mouth.If you have been hurt, or disappointed, or downright destroyed by the season finale - you're not alone. I see you, and I hope this story will be of some comfort.UPDATE - The first chapter of Blues Run the Game is now up! I hope you'll like it. :) Follow the link above or click here to read it.
10978407	Day 22 Secrets	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Chat Noir (Miraculous Ladybug), Marinette Dupain-Cheng", "Fandom": "Miraculous Ladybug", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Fan_Kitty_Life (orphan_account)", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-23T00:00:00", "words": "362", "Additional Tags": "AHH", "Relationship": "Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Marichat May", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Secrets are hard to keep. The stress of someone finding out the truth, the guilt of not telling them originally. Marinette knew this more than anyone. Especially when it comes to her certain cat eared friend. “So Princess” Chat’s voice chuckled through the room “Let's play a game” “What game?” Marinette questioned. “It goes like this” He explained “I tell you something about me, then you tell me something about you” “And what exactly is the point to this?” The girl asked with a raised eyebrow. “I guess we get to know each other better” Chat answered with a shrug “But mostly just for fun” “Okay” Marinette agreed “You go first” “Hmm” Chat pondered “I hate cheese” “That's unfortunate” Marinette responded “I am actually quite fond of it. And I guess, um, I have a diary that I write almost everything in” “First of all” Chat began “How in the world do you like cheese? And second, that's actually really cool. I guess for my turn, I have a ridiculous amount of Ladybug merchandise” “What?” Marinette laughed “Why?” “I will have you know that Ladybug is a fabulous human being” He replied, quite defensively “And it is your turn” “Oh um” Marinette went to answer “I guess, when I was kid, I had a crush on Robin Hood. Like the fox version” Chat giggled at her confession, then gave his confession. This game continued for about eight minutes before Chat decided to edit the rules. “Okay” He gasped, trying to stop laughing “I made a new rule. For this round you have to tell your biggest secret. I will go first” Chat took a deep breath, as if he was about to unleash to answer to life. “I” He began “I am Chat Noir” He smirked and relaxed back into the chaise “Your turn” I am Ladybug “Oh” Marinette started. I am Ladybug “I guess I uh” I am Ladybug. “I don’t really have one” Marinette answered with a smile “I am pretty much an open book” Lies. Chat simply laughed at the girl “It appears so Princess” You’re liar. “Yeah” Marinette weakly chuckled “No secrets at all” All lies and secrets.
10987368	Lego Under the Red Hood	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Batman, Bruce Wayne, Joker (DCU), Jason Todd, Red Hood, Harleen Quinzel, Batgirl, Alfred Pennyworth, Bat Family - Character, Batman Rogue Gallery - Freeform, Nightwing, Barbara Gordon", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by Furrina", "chapters": "2/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-24T00:00:00", "words": "2,074", "Additional Tags": "Hurt/Comfort, Canonical Character Ressuraction, Lego Universe but proceed with caution, Will Add More as the story progress coz I'm not sure where I go next, Angst", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Batman & Red Hood, Batman/Joker (DCU), Joker (DCU) & Harleen Quinzel, Joker & Red Hood", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "The LEGO Batman Movie (2017), Under the Red Hood", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "Gen, M/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	It was an accident. Honestly. It’s not like Joker really meant to kill the kid.It’s just that… like all relationships, his and Batman’s relationship had also hit the Seven Year Itch. Batman had been spending all his time with the Justice League fighting other villains… better villains... villains not even from this world... and he didn’t have any time for the local villains. Not even Joker. His greatest enemy. Instead he sent the BatLady (GirlBat?) and Robin - not even the real Robin, who was now all grown up and attending Harvard for Police in Bludhaven, but some imposter child - to fight him.So what was Joker to do to get the attention of his One True Hate?He had gone for the Ultimate Grand Gesture the first time - breaking out all the Super Villains of the Phantom Zone and blowing up the pillar-plates of Gotham city. This time, he decided to K.I.S.S - Keep It Short and Simple.He waited until the BatLady was busy with Poison Ivy to kidnap Not-Robin. All he had planned to do was to beat up Not-Robin a little and leave him in a bomb-rigged warehouse, while Harley hacked into the Justice League computer and left a small personal message for The Dark Knight.Of course, no one could have foreseen Batman not getting the message until much later. No one could have foreseen Batman being too late to save Robin. No one could have even imagined Batman failing the one time it mattered the most. Especially, not Joker.If he had stuck around, he would have seen the new Robin dragging himself to door of Warehouse, trailing blood in his wake. He would have seen him trying to pick the lock, but repeatedly failing because the blood in his eyes made it impossible to see. He would have heard the angry curses turn to begging pleas for help. Seen the fear and horror give way to firm resolve as young Jason prepared himself for the inevitable.He would have seen the way Batman ran towards the building like his life depended on it. The stunned shock as it blew up not fifty paces from him. Or the desperation on his face as he hunted through the bricks and rabble to find his young partner. Or heard his gut-wrenching cries as Batman cradled the broken body of his second son.But Joker didn’t see any of that. He wasn’t even there when the bomb went off; already far far away, chugging happily in his boat, eagerly anticipating his next fight with Batman, not really caring what happened to the little usurper.But Batman didn’t come. Not the next day, or the day after that. By the time the week rolled around, Joker was beginning to suspect his plan had failed, but he couldn’t even begin to imagine the magnitude of his failure until Killer Croc showed up at their Warehouse-Manor with some fish wrapped a week old newspaper.Joker had stared in horror at the picture accompanying the glaring Headlines “Billionaire Playboy Bruce Wayne Buries Adopted Son”. He saw Commisioner Gordon standing stoically in front of the uncomfortably small coffin. The man he had now come to recognise as Bruce Wayne’s elusive butler beside her - head high, eyes dry, staring straight in the camera. A small byline claimed that Wayne’s older son, Richard, hadn’t made it to the funeral, leading to all kinds of speculations amongst the Gothamites.And then there was Bruce Wayne. Not Batman. Bruce Wayne.Now, Joker had come a long way from thinking Batman lived in Bruce Wayne’s basement to knowing the Bruce Wayne and Batman were the same person. But the man in the picture - shoulders drooped, suit rumpled, sporting more than a hint of beard, down to the haunted look in his eyes - was NOT Batman. He was Bruce Wayne. Completely and utterly broken Bruce Wayne.Bane had once claimed that his greatest achievement was that he had broken the Bat. He had held Batman above his head and cracked his spine. Joker had cursed out Bane because without Batman crime was no fun, but someone - Joker can’t really remember who, but that’s not really important - had said it didn’t matter what happened to the man underneath the mask. Batman’s greatest power was his spirit, and as long as his spirit remained unbroken, Batman would always come back.And Joker… Joker had managed to do just that. By killing Bruce Wayne’s son, he had completely and utterly destroyed his spirit. He hadn’t just managed to kill Robin, Joker had killed Batman.“It wasn’t your fault, Boo-boo”, Harley said, because Harley was his best girlbuddy, and they had known each other since she was still Dr. Quinzel, a psychiatrist with a crush on her patient.Joker shrugged unhappily, refusing to acknowledge the truth of her statement. If Batman hadn’t ignored him, Joker wouldn’t have resorted to such extreme measures. But what was done was done. Now was not the time for blame games. Joker’s miscalculation had cost the life of someone Batman cared about, so the least he could do was apologize. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “It wasn’t your fault, Boo-boo”, Harley said, because Harley was his best girlbuddy, and they had known each other since she was still Dr. Quinzel, a psychiatrist with a crush on her patient. Joker shrugged unhappily, refusing to acknowledge the truth of her statement. If Batman hadn’t ignored him, Joker wouldn’t have resorted to such extreme measures. But what was done was done. Now was not the time for blame games. Joker’s miscalculation had cost the life of someone Batman cared about, so the least he could do was apologize -- “What are you doing here?” Original Robin - or Nightwing, as he now preferred to be called - glared unimpressedly at Joker. “Where’s Batman?” “That’s none of your damn business,” he snapped. “Why are you here?” Joker barely refrained from rolling his eyes. For the past few weeks, he had tried many plots to get the Bat’s attention, including kidnapping the Mayor, and blowing up an orphanage full of children. But, every time, Commissioner Gordon had showed up with her police force to thwart his plans. She had managed to rescue the Mayor and save the children, and Joker was grudgingly forced to admit that she was not as incompetent as her father, the older Commissioner Gordon. He even had his minions break into the Wayne Manor, but it was empty. Not literally; all the furniture was still there, even in the Batcave, but there was an air of emptiness that is usually associated with long abandoned places. Even Butler was gone. So he had done what he should have done in the beginning. He had hunted down Nightwing. It hadn’t been easy. By an unspoken code, no Villain fought with another Villain’s Hero without explicit invitation. But Joker wasn’t interested in fighting anyone, he just wanted information. A well-placed source in Bludhaven PD had informed him that Tiger Shark was expecting a shipment of weapons at Tail’s End Bay and said that Nightwing had been personally invited - something about a trap - and Joker had wanted to see what Junior was capable of with his own two eyes. And if he was a bit concerned about the kid taking on the villains by himself and wanted to ensure his well-being, well, he convinced himself it was because he was trying to find Batman, and right now, Nightwing was his only hope. He needn’t have worried, however, because the protege of Bat was more than capable of handling himself. The original Robin had shown up looking every inch a performer, in his bare-chested blue -black costume with shiny gold sequins and a large standing collar as he jumped and leaped and flipped over his enemies. He hadn’t fought, as much as danced around and over them while they tried and failed to the hit air he moved in. He hadn’t used guns, hadn’t even carried them, just a pair of Escrima sticks - which Joker thought was rather foolish. If he had his way, the kid would be loaded with weapons - but he still managed to bring down the entire squad. The kid was very good - Joker had to give him that. He would make some villain very happy one day. Joker waited until the goons were taken away - knowing BPD, they would be out within hours - before making his presence felt. He had h ad to take a moment to appreciate how the time had changed the bubbly little boy in barely there shorts he once knew, into this confident young man, but then Nightwing had crossed his arms across his bare chest and demanded to know what he wanted. “I want… to talk…to Batman ,” he repeated, with emphasis on ‘Batman’. “He’s wants nothing to do with you,” Nightwing replied curtly. “Anything you have to say, you say it to me.” Joker pursed his lips and glared at him. “Fine!” he snapped, “then stop wasting my time.” He took a few steps back and turned around to jump... Joker sighed. It was a loud audible sigh designed to convey emotions better than words. Not surprisingly it worked. “What?” Nightwing turned around. “It’s about the boy.” “What boy?” Nightwing asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. “THE boy,” Joker replied. “The imposter. Fake Robin.” “How dare you,” Nightwing hissed. “How DARE you take his name with filthy mouth, you murderer.” “I... I didn’t...” Joker, for once in his life, was at a loss for words. “I didn’t want to...” But Nightwing wasn’t done. “You KILL my brother and you come here, to MY city, to gloat?” He took a few threatening steps towards Joker, “I will fucking kill...”, but stopped mid-step, and yelled into the night, “Fuck you, Batman. Fuck you and fuck your moral code. Fuck! YOU!” He took a few steps back, needing to get away from this place... from this conversation . He had left his home, lost his family because of this... monster... in front of him, and there nothing he could do about it. Because of Batman... and his fucking moral code. “And you,” he addressed Joker. “The only reason you’re still breathing is because Batman made me promise that I wouldn’t kill you. But don’t for moment think I won’t find ways around it. Now get the fuck out of my city.” “But... why?” Joker spoke up before Nightwing could leave. Nightwing clenched his fists and took a step towards him. Maybe Nightwing would beat him up. It was no less than what he deserved. “Why would he… I thought he hated me.” “H e doesn’t hate you,” Nightwing said carelessly. “He doesn’t even blame you for Jason’s death.” J oker felt something strange creep into his heart, but Nightwing destroyed it before he could identify what it was . “He blames himself. ” “What?” “‘I should’ve been there, Dick,’ he said, ‘I shouldn’t have let Jason face Joker alone. I ignored my responsibilities. I failed my partner. I failed Gotham. I don’t deserve to wear this cowl.’” “But it wasn’t his fault,” Joker protested, not even sure why. What Batman had said was exactly what Joker had been thinking all this time. But to hear Batman blaming himself… He didn’t know why it affected him this way. It wasn’t right. Batman was supposed to blame him. Batman was supposed to HATE him. “I took the boy,” he said. “Me. I beat him up. I killed him.” “But HE was supposed to save him,” Nightwing cried. “Why should we blame you. You are a criminal. You’ve killed lots of people. You blow up orphanages as distraction. Jason might as well have been another orphan in Gotham… a street rat for you mow down… but he was MY BROTHER. He was his SON! HE was Jason’s father, and you… you are a NOBODY.” Joker gaped at the boy in front of him. His head felt heavy and his body felt light. The last time he had felt this way was when Batman had told him there nothing between them. But it was so long ago, it was practically in another lifetime. “How can I make this right?” The words left Joker’s mouth before he could stop them. “Unless you can find a way to bring Jason back to life, you’re shit out of luck, pal,” Nightwing replied sarcastically, and before Joker could stop him, took a flying leap into the night.
10965579	Fluent 1Shots - Touch	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde", "Fandom": "Zootopia (2016)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by KiltedGuy", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-23T00:00:00", "words": "2,909", "Additional Tags": "NSFW!, Fluent AU, 18+ ONLY, First Time, learning", "Relationship": "Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Fluent Oneshots", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Nicholas Wilde. Confident trickster. Suave business mammal. Flirtatious comments and witty one liners came to him as naturally as breathing.And right now, he was a nervous wreck sitting on the edge of his bed, gripping the material of his pants tightly.Standing between him and the door, rubbing her arm awkwardly, was the city's first rabbit officer. Her eyes were firmly looking down at the floor, a soft sigh passing between her lips."If... if you don't want to...""No!"Nick blurted the single word with terrified eyes, waving his paws at her defensively. The stammering fox finally met Judy's and with that he was snared."Believe me, I very much want to... um... do... that. Like, a lot. With you. Here. But i'm..."He gave an exasperated puff of air and started to rub at his neck, maintaining eye contact. Thoughts blazed through his mind as he took her in. Her deceptively petite yet strong frame. Her gorgeous deep amethyst pools. Even things he never thought would do it for him, like her twitching tail and silky smooth ears were definitely having an effect, his thighs firmly pressed together."I'm a fox Carrots... You might have a small idea what it's like, but it's much worse living it. And if you take that step, you won't be able to go back..."Wincing loudly as she rapidly drummed her foot into the floor, arms folded, he wrenched his eyes away and focused them on a knot in the floorboards, determination running through his veins as he mustered the courage to continue."You would be 'damaged goods' if it ever got out... your chance for a buck, a family would be in tatters, you'll find no friends within the rich and powerful, your own family..."He trailed off as small fingers pushed into the fur around his muzzle, rubbing at spots she knew he liked. Gripping one of her hands carefully, his nose was pressed against the firm pulse beating through her wrist, inhaling deeply."I could hurt you... we have no idea if we're... compatible... and even then, there are a few things about fox instincts that..."He barely realised when she climbed onto his lap, hugging his head against her chest, his paws going to their obvious goals to keep her steady. Faint noises came from his throat as she stroked reassuringly, talking to the top of his head."Am I scared? Sweet cheeses yes. Of fucking this up. Of driving you into the arms of some vixen. Of being unable to, well... satisfy you... but scared of you? My Buck? Never."He smelt the sudden burst of scent moments before she started to firmly rub her chin onto his head, gripping him just a little bit tighter as she scent marked him, her heart drumming faster as she pulled back to gauge his reaction.Confusion and elation warred with each other on his face and in his eyes before, with a blink, the old slick nick was back, cautiously reaching up towards her neck. Without pause, she tilted her head back to give him access, and felt his nimble fingers carefully run through her fur, moving up to her chin, then pulling back to give a discrete sniff, mildly shuddering. Clearing his throat, he glanced up and gave a weak chuckle, gesturing to his own throat."The chin?"She nodded, the insides of her ears reddening slightly."We call it chinning."Nodding, he tried to commit the newest word to memory, before inhaling deeply."Would you let me...?"A short nod, and she found herself up close and personal with Nick's snout, grinning enough for a flash of sharp teeth to show through causing a shiver through her. Making a mental note to examine why his teeth of all things seemed to make her excited, she felt him push the side of his muzzle against her, grinding the corner of his mouth in, releasing his own scent onto his Rabbit, before bringing his forehead against her own."Afraid we don't have a special word for it... Do you want to take a break?"She shook her head against him, gripping his head and shirt tighter, quietly mumbling."You know I'm not the type to leave things half done... Do you?""Well, Little Nick is kinda calling the shots right now fluff. Just don't think you hav-""I want to. Please."With a nod, Nick's paws started to move, tracing over her body while holding back the urge to just stuff his snout against any available patch of fur and just drink her in. Drowning in the scent of Bunny was definitely in his top three ways of shuffling off this mortal coil. Looking up to meet Judy's eyes, watching for any signs of hesitation as he tugged, the rabbit was slowly stripped bare, with a little shuffling of her hips when it came to the pants that, to Nick's mind, should have been deliciously illegal. A few sharp inhales, but the constantly growing cloud of scent and hormones dispelled any thoughts of stopping or asking if she was okay.Soon, he had a naked partner sitting on his lap, and despite himself he let out a low growl, leaning in to grind his scent glands anywhere he could reach, noticing the sudden spike of scent with interest.Judy panted as Nick began to cover everywhere he could reach, her own fingers grasping and tugging at his pawaian shirt with the urge to return the favour. Then his tongue rasped along her collarbone and her brain did a total shut down."Well... That worked."A fist thrust out in reflex and the fox laughed as it struck home, rubbing his arm discretely. Grasping her firmly, he twisted round into his knees and laid her down, disentangling himself from her grabby paws."Easy Carrots... now, can't say I've ever done this before, so you gotta keep me right here."Dulled claws pressed into the fur of her chest and slowly pulled down, following the curve of her body until he came to a thigh. He chuckled as Judy gave an impatient noise as he took his time to lift her leg to the side, taking a moment to collect his thoughts as he took his first look between her legs.Instantly, thoughts about how this could all go terribly wrong sprung up, making him hesitate. She was small and, thanks to a shy confession, virgin and he had absolutely zero experience when it came to the "fairer sex" as it were. A foot rubbed against his side, and in reflex he gripped it and lifted, kissing each toe in turn while mumbling."If I hurt you...""You won't.""But if I do...""... I promise."A nod, a faint squeeze of her foot, and he ducked down...------------------The first thing she noticed was warmth. His breath was blowing against her, causing her fingers to grip the sheets tightly in anticipation.The second was his grip, gentle but firm, stroking her thigh and hip as he got closer...The third..."Sorry sorry sorry! I'm sorry! Carrots? Judy!?"Her yelp had been enough to send Nick backwards, landing hard on his tail while shuffling backwards, sheer terror on his face as she sat up, trying to get a word in between his apologies and self criticism, eventually resorting to climbing off and grab his face in her paws, pulling him up to stare eye to eye."Nick. Your nose. Is cold."His eyes crossed, attempting to look at the tip of his snout before glancing up, huffing a little."My nose.""Mmm hmm.""Is cold.""Yep." The silence could only last so long before Nick snorted, and instantly the pair lost what little composure they had left, bursting out laughing with Nick rubbing a tear out of his eye."Oh Ancestors, we're hopeless...""Nooooooo..."Judy could barely get past her giggles as she leaned against him, lightly slapping her hands against him. Nick, for his part, was hamming it up as best he could, the back of his hand against his brow."What would dear great, great, great, great grandpappy say if i couldn't even-""Noooo! Don't say it!""Even eat one little bunny..."The slaps came in harder as Judy fell into a giggling fit, Nick's hands cupping her rear as he stood, grinding his cheek against her while he could. Setting her down onto the bed, he sat cross legged on the floor with a faint smile as Judy struggled to overcome her laughing fit."You are terrible!"The pair chuckled together, Nick stroking Judy's feet until silence filled the room. Leaning back on her hands, she wondered about just how much she trusted, loved, this fox if she was comfortable being nude with him, straightening up and glaring."Hey... why am I the only one nude here?"His ears folded back and he rubbed at his neck before sighing, stroking up her leg."Its a fox thing... you're my partner. Lover. Vixen. Like how I'm your Buck. I'd be a poor excuse for a man if I didn't help my lady get off first."He knew without doubt that he'd be seeing that icy stare in his nightmares for months to come. Grabbing his shirt with a surprising amount of strength, she pulled him close and almost gave a fox worthy growl."Clothes off and in the bed."And the shivers her voice gave him when she started establishing her dominance would last him years."Of course Fluff..."He noted with some pride that she leaned back to watch as he slowly pulled his shirt and pants off, fingers slipping between her legs and grinding, mentally mapping the pattern she used for future reference as he shook his tail after shirking his pants. Teasingly, glancing over his shoulder at his enraptured audience, he bent low and swayed his tail high, proudly grinning as he learnt that trick worked on female bunnies just as well as male wolves, boxers slid down his legs and leaving him exposed. Underwear tossed aside, he turned with a hand over his groin and an arm over his chest to protect his "modesty", ears folded and biting his bottom lip shyly."I may not have been a single mother..."The arm across his chest slid back and down his hand coming to rest on his hip."... Or put myself through college..."Twisting, tail slinking, he artfully swapped hand for tail, hiding his goods as his hand joined the other on his hips, then rear, the stretching them up above then behind his head, swaying to some inner beat."But a fox has to eat... so ogle away little bunny... enjoy the show..."He grinned, his confidence boosted as Judy drank in every inch of him, nose twitching and fingers clutching the sheets in tight fists. Much too slowly for her liking, he slid his tail away to finally reveal the main attraction, his ears tinted pink as she regarded his red rocket with a calculating, smirking gaze."Wow... that's... wow..."Strutting forward, he reached out and stroked from throat to chin, trying to cover the upcoming embarrassment with bravado."You... researched foxes at all?"She shook her head and Nick had to ask himself if he had really believed any different. I mean, who just Zoogle's another race's junk after all."It's bigger than I imagined, but I think it'll fit..."Oh Ancestors, this bunny will be the death of him."It... it gets bigger... so we won't be doing that today..."Trailing off as her look of confusion, annoyance and a little hurt, he sighed and sat on the bed next to her. Gathering what little he could remember of his mother's "Talk" when he was younger, he slowly, with many an interruption, explained about knots and their uses, slowly wilting as Judy's face went from curious to incredulous to outright shocked, glancing down at his retreating pride in wonder."Um... Wow. Okay. Definitely something to work towards."She laughed at his expression and leaned in to his side, one arm wrapped around his own and the other hovering around his groin."You think I'd just say no because you're more... generous than I thought? You really don't know me that well you Dumb Fox..."Oh that was it. Next Loxley day he was going to buy a whole bakery of blueberry pies as an offering."What did I do to deserve you?" He mumbled, nuzzling the top of her head."Tax evasion."A burst of laughter escaped before he could help it, shaking as he pulled her in tighter, feeling her return the embrace as they both fell backwards onto the mattress, nick's tail draping itself across her rear."Look... maybe we were moving too fast here... we've got all the time in the world after all."He nodded while resting a chin on her shoulder, letting out an inquisitive hum."Consider tonight a learning opportunity... See if we can learn how to..."He gasped loudly as nimble fingers started to gently fondle his plump sheath, the deep red tip peeking out already.Sly Bunny."adjust to each other's bodies... what do you say?"Wordlessly, he wrapped his arms round her torso and buried his snout against her neck, letting out low rumbles while pulling her back against his chest, moving into an upright position. His bunny sat on his lap, his sheath protruding between her legs while she fondled, his arms unwrapping and hands began exploring.------------An hour passed. Then two. Then three.Every patch of fur examined. Every joint caressed. Ears stroked. Snouts kissed.The pair of them mapped the body of the other completely. Every gasp memorised, every moan, every groan, every purr and every grinding of teeth reverently explored in detail and recorded for the rest of their lives.The only spots left were each other's groins, Judy once more sitting on his lap with her smooth, padless fingers gliding over his full, slick length, pausing only for mere moments when his unformed knot appeared out of curiosity. Her dainty, in comparison, claws, dulled as per ZPD regulation, was able to scrape and tease him better than he ever could alone, hips raising up in a desperate arch, moaning and purring out her name.Nick's fingers meanwhile were busy between her legs, a thicker, clawed finger carefully probing her depth as his other paw carefully tweaked, circled and stroked her small hood. Her juices had trickled down her thighs and onto the fox and sheet below, the fox hardly complaining. She bit her lip as Nick's fingers helped drive her towards her forth climax, legs squirming as she writhed."Niiiiiiiiiick..."He wanted to call out to her, sharing the pleasure with her, his brain shutting down everything bar Vulpine as he babbled, arching up towards her grip."Close, so close, Ancestors Judy you're amazing, please please keep going oh my gods..." Slick, wet noises filled the air as their paws sped up, Judy teasing the rapidly swelling knot with each stroke, Nick pushing his finger in faster while his other hand rubbed at her clit clumsily, the bed tapping the wall in a staccato beat as his hips rose up and down, pressing his chest tighter against her back."Faster... harder... Green Earth, I need you in me so badly, need to feel you..."Low, deep growling came from behind her head, causing her eyes to widen and muscles to tense, throwing her head back in a silent cry as Nick's paws skilfully drew out another climax from her, slowing and stopping as her juices started to flow."Mmmph.... Juuuuudy... M-my knot... grab... below..."Twitching, clumsy fingers clutched beneath the fleshy bulb, squeezing tighter than intended, Nick snarling loudly as his heartbeat pulsed beneath her fingers. Before she knew what happened, she felt hot breath on her neck and fox fangs gripping some of the loose skin, tugging but not breaking the skin, arching up...Later, she would give him points for reach at least. His rumbling growl shuddered through her body as he finally fell into climax, several thin ropes jetting into the air to land over the panting pair, until he was left dry twitching and whimpering, carefully opening his jaw and licking the spot he bit as they fell back.Both chests rose and fell rapidly as they caught their breath, glancing over at each other before sharing a grin, laughing breathlessly."Sh-shower?""Mmph... yeah... gimmie five minutes... legs still shaky..."Clean up consisted of lazy sessions of rubbing out the grime in each other's fur, tugging the stained sheet off and bundled into a corner for tomorrow, the pair climbing into bed damp and tired."Hey... Nick?"Giving a short grunt to let her know he was listening, he rolled onto his side, arm pushing under the pillow."I love you Buck."It took a few seconds for him to translate, but eventually he smiled and leaned in, tail draping over his bunny's form."Love you too Vix-... Matron."He really wished he could take a photo of her face right now, she always looked so cute when confused."What did you just call me?""In the morning Fluff...""Mmph... I'll hold you to that Dumb Fox."His eyes glittered with amusement as she fell asleep on his arm, pausing only to plant a kiss on the top of her head before following suit.
10999584	Pliechom k pliechu	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Sawamura Daichi, Sugawara Koushi", "Fandom": "Haikyuu!!", "Language": "Русский", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by MsFlaffy", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-25T00:00:00", "words": "3,412", "Additional Tags": "Pre-Slash, Romance", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Угадывать фигуры в облаках куда интереснее математики. Вон плывет толстый кот, наевшийся сметаны, а за ним катится арбузик… Ну да, круглое облако может быть чем угодно, но сегодня Суга съел бы арбуз. Да. Вот бы купить, ну хоть маленький… Жаль, что не сезон. Кто-то кашляет; Суга выныривает из розово-хрустких мечтаний и натыкается на неодобрительный взгляд мальчика за соседней партой. Ну как тут устоять? Он показывает язык, а потом чуть не зарабатывает предупреждение учителя. Выражение крайнего изумления, сменившее осуждение на лице соседа, бесценно, вот только если Суга начал хихикать, это надолго. Он прячется за учебником, стараясь подавить оставшиеся смешинки, лопающиеся на языке, как последние пузыри выдохшейся газировки. Потом выглядывает осторожно — а мальчик все еще косится на него, как на диковинного зверька, с растерянностью и любопытством.Следующие несколько дней Суга частенько замечает на себе внимательный взгляд, то украдкой, то в открытую. Взгляд дружелюбный — стряхнуть не хочется, но все равно немного нервирует. В конце концов Суга решает, что с него хватит: разворачивается, уперев руки в бока, и уже открывает рот… Но мальчик вдруг высовывает кончик языка, а потом расплывается в немного неуклюжей, немного хулиганской улыбке. Оказывается, они оба записались в волейбольный клуб. Оба поступили в Карасуно, чтобы играть. Суга знает, что он не самый талантливый связующий; неплохой, да, но не более. Он с удовольствием смотрит матчи, читает книги, в которых разноцветными стрелками разрисованы комбинации. Ему нравится, как мяч ощущается в руках: чуть шершавый, упругий, будто готовый выскочить из ладоней. Суга рад быть на площадке, но о большем не задумывается. Пока не появляется Савамура, с его упрямством и мечтами. Савамура, готовый начать командовать семпаями вот прямо сейчас. Савамура, которому мало просто перебрасываться через сетку, который заражает своей жаждой учиться, бороться и побеждать.Суга целится в дальний угол площадки, но мяч прилетает прямо на руки Савамуре — вечно он появляется как чертик из табакерки! — и успешно улетает от них в аут. Капитан садится на уши с критикой позы и «определения центра тяжести», Суга идет за следующим мячом, Савамура смотрит, будто готов прожечь дыру в стене. Этот его взгляд, будь то на доску, в учебник или на руки нападающих, немного пугает.Вообще в клубе атмосфера не сказать чтобы заряженная. Ни на победу, ни на что другое. Суга, наверное, понимает семпаев — тяжело пытаться соответствовать, тяжело раз за разом натыкаться на непреодолимое препятствие. Постоянные разочарования кого угодно сломают. Но Савамура сжимает кулаки, просит подать мяч еще раз — и Суга понимает и его тоже. Суга получает результаты первого теста по английскому и не может не вскинуть кулак в победном жесте. Минами-чан, его соседка справа, тоже радуется, но тихо; несколько макушек поникают, кто-то уже громко перешептывается, обсуждая правильные ответы. Савамура ерзает, вертится, вздыхает, оглядывается — как он считает — незаметно. Суга отвечает всем, кто спрашивает; потом учитель стучит по доске, призывая класс к спокойствию, и урок продолжается.После звонка Суга кидает учебники в сумку и несется в столовую, надеясь купить моментально заканчивающиеся дынные булочки. Устроившись в тени на крыльце, он съедает свою добычу (сегодня ему повезло), а потом просто сидит, наблюдая за группками учеников. Когда он возвращается в класс, Савамура копается в сумке; Суга проходит мимо, к своей парте, и тот хочет что-то сказать, но так и не собирается. Еще один урок Суга имеет честь наблюдать глубокие вздохи, почесывание затылка и какую-то неуверенность, прячущуюся в напряженной линии плеч.После тренировки они, как обычно, задерживаются втроем: Суга, Савамура и Асахи, тихий и застенчивый первогодка, которого Савамура тоже заразил своим упрямством. Суга уже собирается уходить, но Савамура откашливается и тянет его за рукав. Честно говоря, любопытство подгрызало Сугу весь день, так что он останавливается и смотрит, приподняв брови.— Ты так хорошо знаешь английский, — говорит Савамура, но смотрит куда-то мимо Суги и вроде с трудом подбирает слова. — Я подумал, может… ну… Если тебя не затруднит…Брови Суги ползут еще выше и почти прячутся под челкой.— Помочь мне? Иногда! Немного!— Ладно, — неуверенно говорит Суга. — Конечно.Такое лицо у Савамуры бывает, когда он забивает мяч. Обратно в класс возвращаться лень, так что они сидят на сваленных в углу зала матах — там мягко и можно занять все пространство вокруг словарными карточками, тетрадками и карандашами. Которые, правда, постоянно куда-то укатываются. Хуже всего у Савамуры со словами. Или нет, с грамматикой. Ой нет, забудьте — с произношением. Но эту проблему можно оставить до лучших времен, в письменных тестах она роли не играет, а устные их учитель не любит. Наверное, ему тоже больно слушать попытки сделать из привычного «пасокон» загадочный «песонал компьютаааа».— Батафу… фурай…— Баттафрай… флай…Ну ладно, может, Суге тоже есть к чему стремиться. Он чешет карандашом в затылке; перед глазами маячит вечно встопорщенный хохолок на макушке Савамуры. Савамуры, который выводит в тетрадке Butterflies have colorful wings, чуть высунув кончик языка.— Так?..— Ага. Следующее задание. Why did you go out?Савамура смотрит на потолок, на корзину с мячами, которую они так и не докатили до кладовки.To play volleyball, пишет он. Потом в порыве вдохновения добавляет: in the yard.Суга кивает одобрительно.— Дальше. Расставь знаки препинания в предложении I am a student.Савамура, не раздумывая, записывает, потом тупо смотрит в тетрадку. Суга закусывает губу. Савамура переводит взгляд на Сугу. Снова в тетрадку. Суга очень, очень сдерживается.— Ну… Тут… Точка в конце?..Суга падает на маты и сминает собственный конспект, катаясь туда-сюда от хохота. Они глотают горечь очередного поражения. Семпаям все равно — они привыкли, они ничего другого и не ждали. Асахи тихо шмыгает носом, а Савамура… Суга еще никогда не видел его таким.— Я не хочу быть как они, — шепчет Савамура, упрямо вытирая нос рукавом. — Не хочу привыкать к проигрышам.Асахи вздрагивает и сжимается в комочек под яростным взглядом.— Я не для этого сюда поступал. Суга отодвигает тяжелую дверь, и тут же вместе с порывом ветра в зал влетает пригоршня лепестков. В этом году они старшие. Они втроем — Суга, Савамура и Асахи — будут определять настрой клуба. В их руках сделать то, чего ожидал Савамура, когда поступал в Карасуно. У Суги руки чешутся снова коснуться мяча. Отрабатывать связки. Учиться подавать. Он не помнит, чтобы в прошлом году испытывал такое же нетерпение, щекотное и настойчивое.Савамура уже стоит перед шеренгой первогодок и, без сомнений, толкает пламенную речь. Суга улыбается, потому что к щекотке добавляется тепло, расходящееся от сердца. Асахи мнется рядом с Савамурой, стараясь спрятаться за своего нового капитана. Получается плохо, примерно как у кота, скрывающегося за тапочком.Первогодки разные: парочка очень шумных, от голосов которых Асахи каждый раз вздрагивает и оглядывается, будто собираясь сбежать; один тихий, но очень внимательный, следит за каждым пасом, за каждым движением. Еще двое — обычные ребята, как и сам Суга, но и они приободряются, когда Савамура прохаживается туда-сюда и в его голосе, в его глазах горит все та же упрямая жажда. Достичь мечты.Суга так хочет ему помочь. — Мне сегодня надо бежать домой сразу после тренировки, — извиняется Суга.— О.Кажется, он только что разбил мечту Савамуры. И когда в том проснулась такая страсть к английскому?..— Но я освобожусь потом, так что, может, ты зайдешь? Позанимаемся у меня.— О.Савамура всегда был так изыскан в своих речах или Суга и здесь что-то пропустил?..— Простите за вторжение, — бормочет Савамура, разуваясь в генкане. Мама выглядывает из кухни, вытирая руки полотенцем.— Мам, это Савамура Дайчи.Савамура тут же кланяется, оставшись в наполовину стащенном ботинке.— Савамура-кун! Наконец-то ты к нам зашел. Ты ужинал?— Да, спасибо.— Ну тогда идите к Коуши в комнату, а я принесу вам чай.В комнате у Суги Савамура садится на пол у низкого стола, на котором уже разложены учебники, и пытается оглядеться украдкой. Это у него никогда особо не получалось. Суга, подперев щеку ладонью и крутя в пальцах ручку, наблюдает за упражнениями в скрытности.— У тебя уютно, — говорит наконец Савамура и откашливается. С этим Суга не может не согласиться. Хорошо, что Суга хоть и обгорел, но в самом начале каникул, и к тому времени, как занятия возобновляются, уже не напоминает спелый помидор. Зато волосы выгорели прилично и теперь кажутся почти белыми. Он вздыхает, еще раз пытается уложить упрямую прядку, вечно встающую дыбом, машет рукой и спешит на кухню, где только что призывно звякнул тостер. В школьных коридорах, как всегда, кипит жизнь. Суга здоровается с ребятами, сгрудившимися у окна, останавливается рядом, чтобы перекинуться парой слов о том, как прошли каникулы; заходит в класс, улыбается девочкам, которые тут же начинают смущенно хихикать, поворачивается к партам… и зависает. Буквально зависает, как старый компьютер.— Привет, Суга! Как отдохнул?— Суга-сан, — Асахи, зашедший поздороваться, машет приветственно, но Суга видит только Дайчи, с которым тот болтает. Дайчи.Вроде ничего особо не изменилось, только плечи стали чуть шире, осанка — чуть увереннее… А в карих глазах все еще хранится тепло летних дней, отблески солнечных зайчиков.— Хорошо! — говорит Суга и включает свою мегаваттную улыбку.— Небось забыл, как пасы делать?— Эй! — Дайчи получает тычок в плечо и морщится. — Я теперь эксперт по пляжному волейболу!Асахи и Дайчи переглядываются, стукаются кулаками.— Спорим, ты не сделаешь десять точных передач Танаке!— Спорим, я не получу от тебя и пяти толковых доводок! — Эй, Суга! — слышит он знакомый глубокий — теперь уже глубокий — голос из-за спины и оборачивается. Дайчи машет и ускоряется, бежит почти вприпрыжку, чтобы скорее поравняться. — Я хотел спросить, та комбинация, которую вы сегодня с Асахи отрабатывали… Можно я тоже попробую… с тобой?Суга долго смотрит, потом поворачивается и делает шаг.— Нет.— П-почему?.. — Дайчи так обалдел, что опять отстает — даже не думает идти следом.— А почему ты спрашиваешь?Суга перехватывает сумку поудобнее и идет быстрее. Дайчи все-таки нагоняет его у поворота.— Ну вдруг ты не захочешь…Суга опять останавливается, опять смотрит. Потом бьет кулаком под ребра, несильно, но достаточно, чтобы Дайчи схватился за бок.— Суга! За что?!— Ты мой капитан, Дайчи, — говорит Суга, отворачиваясь. — А я — твой связующий. И перестань задавать глупые вопросы. Суге на тетрадку прилетает скомканная записка.«Ты в порядке?»Он корчит рожицу в ответ на озабоченный взгляд, сопровождающий записку, и надеется, что до перемены Дайчи отвлечется и забудет.Как бы не так.— Ну, что случилось?— Я проспорил, — признается Суга и борется с желанием спрятаться под партой. Выслушав, что Суге придется сделать, Дайчи сходит с лица. Суга утыкается в учебник; они долго молчат, потом Дайчи говорит:— Я тебе помогу.Суга вскидывает взгляд: точно, вот оно, упертое капитанское выражение и решимость в глазах.— Дайчи, нет…— Дайчи да, — Дайчи встает и марширует из класса.Красться по пустым темным коридорам ужасно страшно. Попасться — ужасно страшно. Суга осторожно выглядывает из-за угла и, удостоверившись, что никого нет, почти бесшумно двигается к ближайшему кабинету. Чем быстрее они с этим разберутся, тем лучше, так что Дайчи, топая и дыша чуть громче, проходит дальше. Суга открывает дверь, бросает связку ключей Дайчи и проскальзывает внутрь.Когда он снова появляется в коридоре, Дайчи как раз запирает соседний класс, они перебрасываются ключами и идут к следующей паре комнат. Пройдя весь этаж, спускаются вниз, в учительскую, оставляют ключи там, где взяли в начале своей операции. Суга недолго возится с замком, и дверь защелкивается по-настоящему, не как вечером, когда ее закрывал последний уходящий домой учитель. Суга чувствует на себе взгляд Дайчи; тот стоит рядом, но больше не дергается, губы сжаты в сосредоточенную линию, сильные руки спокойно — обманчиво спокойно? — опущены.Выбравшись из пустого здания, они несутся наперегонки в ближайший парк, где сейчас тоже никого, даже воробьи не скачут по дорожкам. Задыхаясь, валятся в чуть влажную от росы траву и какое-то время молчат.— Не могу поверить, — шепчет Дайчи.Суга сворачивается в клубок и выдыхает с тихим стоном. На плечо ложится рука, поглаживает робко, и Суге становится очень тепло, почти жарко, несмотря на сырость земли и свежий ветер. Вчера они целый вечер перекомпоновывали периодическую таблицу, меняя группы и атомную массу элементов, потом печатали разноцветные листы на крупноформатном принтере, которым папа Суги пользовался, когда работал над своими проектами дома. Аккуратно свернутый рулон правильных таблиц спрятан в одной из кладовок — его, скорее всего, найдут, но точно не с утра.Прикосновения Дайчи успокаивают, и скоро Суга переворачивается на спину и смотрит в небо, где за тусклым светом фонарей видны первые осенние звезды. Вся земля, все дорожки и лестницы укрыты ярким алым ковром, который дышит и меняется с каждым шагом. Разговоры вокруг — просто тихое журчание голосов, не складывающееся ни в однообразный шум, ни в мелодию. Притихшие Ноя и Танака тщательно выписывают что-то на молитвенных табличках, бросают монетки; звонкое эхо их дружных хлопков разносится по святилищу. Выпросив у богов побед вплоть до Олимпиады, они приободряются и предлагают разведать дорожки, ведущие вверх по горе, в сторону от храма.Суга склонен считать, что он как тот ежик из народного фольклора: сильный, но легкий. Поэтому, когда Дайчи опрокидывает его в кучу листьев, он не расстраивается, но платит той же монетой, и через мгновение они оба барахтаются и тонут в рассыпчатом шорохе. От осеннего воздуха, полного ароматов мокрого дерева и мха, кружится голова.— Эй, Дайчи-сан, без нас! Нечестно!Суга только успевает сказать «уфф!», а потом на него падает — рушится — Ноя, а следом и Танака ныряет рыбкой в то, что осталось от некогда огромной горы листьев, теперь разлетевшейся во все стороны, подальше от ненормальных подростков. Остается только молиться, чтобы Асахи не присоединился к веселью, иначе Суга этот день не переживет.Они катаются и мутузят друг друга, пока дыхания совсем не остается. Суга садится, смотрит на Дайчи — из коротких волос, как из ежиных колючек, торчат листья — и снова падает, теперь уже от хохота. У Нои в шевелюре целое гнездо из палочек и веточек, про то, что творится у него самого на голове, Суга предпочитает не думать, и все дружно завидуют Танаке, который красуется под их взглядами и гладит себя по бритой макушке. Потом неугомонная парочка уносится вперед, таща за собой Асахи: «скорей, скорей, Асахи-сан, мы почти на вершине!», и Сугу с Дайчи окутывает густая тишина.— Эй, — негромко зовет Дайчи и, когда Суга поворачивается к нему, осторожно вытаскивает последний запутавшийся листик, пропуская прядки сквозь пальцы — но не выбрасывает его, а прячет в карман. Хозяин «Саканошиты» снова выгнал их из магазина с воплем «А ну пошли нормально жрать быстро!!!», и теперь маленькая, но очень шумная компания сеет хаос на узких улочках. Не помогает даже грозный окрик Дайчи; Суга видит, что тот готов взять Танаку и Ною за шиворот и хорошенько потрясти, поэтому кладет руку на предплечье и слегка сжимает. Его самого каждый раз удивляет скорость, с которой Дайчи сдувается от этого простого жеста; невооруженным глазом видно, как уходят напряжение и злость.— Почему у них нет регулятора громкости, — сокрушенно вздыхает Дайчи и качает головой.Когда говоруны наконец сворачивают в сторону своих домов, от тишины звенит в ушах. Асахи облегченно выдыхает, дожевывает булочку и стряхивает с формы крошки.— Ну, до завтра, — в свою очередь прощается он, и Суга с Дайчи остаются вдвоем.Они часто ходят домой вместе. Иногда Суга болтает без умолку: про котов, про прочитанную вчера в новостях статью об очередной открытой планете в какой-то далекой-далекой галактике, про глупые, глупые примеры по математике… Иногда Дайчи в лицах изображает какой-нибудь эпизод из игры, которую проходит, со всеми боевыми приемчиками и хитрыми жестами магов, кидая воображаемые огненные стрелы в соседские окна. Иногда, как сегодня, они просто молчат. И Суга не знает, заметил ли Дайчи, но для него самого в последнее время это молчание становится каким-то… другим. Не то чтобы ему неуютно, нет — как может быть неуютно рядом с Дайчи? Просто воздух вокруг них начинает напоминать плотный пузырь, в котором трудно дышать, трудно видеть что-то помимо мальчика, идущего рядом, с его задумчиво нахмуренными бровями — наверняка опять думает о новом приеме, который сегодня показал тренер — и четкой, сильной линии челюсти, и отросшим хохолком, смешно топорщащимся на макушке. — А мне, пожалуйста, вот этот, супер-острый, — говорит Суга и после недолгого раздумья добавляет: — Двойной.— Суга, — Дайчи настороженно следит за хозяином, который как ни в чем не бывало бухает в чашку, кажется, целую перечницу. — Там ведь уже было сказано «супер-острый»…— Мммммм, — только и отвечает Суга, подпирая щеки кулаками и расплываясь в довольной улыбке предвкушения. Наконец перед ними ставят чашки, полные дымящегося бульона.— Итадакимас! — говорят они хором и накидываются на еду. Суга с энтузиазмом втягивает длинную лапшу и тут же чувствует, как из ушей начинает валить пар. Восхитительное ощущение!Продышавшись, он поднимает глаза и видит, что Дайчи забыл про свой рамен и смотрит, открыв рот.— Хочешь попробовать? — Суга подцепляет кусочек тофу палочками и протягивает Дайчи с самыми искренними намерениями, но тот почему-то краснеет, бледнеет и пытается спрятаться под столом.— Н-нет, спасибо. У меня даже отсюда глаза слезятся.Суга пожимает плечами и радостно вдыхает еще порцию лапши. Специи, кажется, прячутся на донышке; он помешивает бульон, и — да, от следующей ложки можно взлететь. Суга даже постукивает по столу, зажмурившись, пока жар на языке не рассасывается. Когда он наконец расправляется со всей порцией, оказывается, что Дайчи так и не притронулся к своей, так что приходится просить хозяина ее разогреть. Забирая чашку, тот хлопает Сугу по плечу и говорит, что в следующий раз постарается еще лучше — чили немного не хватило.Дайчи все-таки ненадолго скрывается под столом. В какой-то момент все начинает катиться вниз, и вниз, и вниз. Команда старается изо всех сил, но им чего-то не хватает: сыгранности, может быть, или техничности, или просто везения. Такая уж игра волейбол, можно из кожи вон лезть, и все равно проиграть. Волейбола без ошибок не бывает, но если честно, кому от этого легче. Так что второй год заканчивается куда хуже, чем начинался. — Не всегда старания вознаграждаются успехом, — изрекает Энношита с видом мудреца, в сотый раз повторяющего каким-то дебилам прописные истины.Проблема Суги в том, что он умеет ставить себя на место других, поэтому понимает и Асахи, который и в лучшие времена старался слиться с обстановкой, а сейчас вовсе мечтает стать невидимкой, и Дайчи, который ходит злющий, и если улыбается, то одними губами. Чего ожидать от третьего года и ненормальных, совершенно бешеных новичков, Суга даже думать не хочет.Он сидит на скамейке и жмурится на солнце, играющее в прятки в ветвях клена. Дайчи рядом детально описывает свои планы на новый состав команды в целом и первогодок в частности. Суга слушает вполуха; планы — это прекрасно, но сперва надо постараться не лопнуть от злости из-за их выходок.— Слушай, Дайчи, — говорит он вдруг, прерывая буквально на середине слова. — Если Данте сделает съем и пробьет блок, что ты будешь делать?Суга так и видит, как в голове у Дайчи переключаются передачи, как поспешно выкручивается руль.— Делать на тебя доводку, что еще, — отвечает он наконец тоном «почему я должен объяснять прописные истины». Тренировка идет как обычно. Они разминаются под привычный, отрывистый и в то же время странно напевный счет Дайчи. Укай-сан разгоняет всех по углам и дает задания: Асахи тренирует подачу в прыжке, Танака отрабатывает связку с Сугой, Киношита держит «блок» — щит, в который бьют Цукишима и Ямагучи. Дайчи орет на Кагеяму с Хинатой — больше для проформы; те не особо слушают и тут же принимаются с остервенением вколачивать мячи в пол. Обычные окрики, скрип кроссовок и гулкие удары мячей заглушают звуки с улицы: шорох ветра, пение птиц, гудки автомобилей где-то вдалеке. Их маленький, личный мир.Суга распрямляется, выталкивает себя вверх, к мячу, и попадает прямо в сноп солнечного света, льющегося в окна. Он машинально отворачивается, следует взглядом за лучом — и видит Дайчи, сидящего в теплом освещенном квадрате у противоположной стены. Дайчи смеется чему-то, пожимает плечом в ответ на вопрос Энношиты, а у Суги мяч соскальзывает с пальцев, и он неловко приземляется почти под сеткой.— Суга-сан! — разве что не хнычет Танака, так и не дождавшийся паса.— Простите, — извиняется Суга. — Еще раз.Иногда время замирает в самые странные, неожиданные моменты. Как будто кто-то невидимый делает фотографии и развешивает их по комнатам памяти. И если бы Суга взялся эти снимки пересматривать, то вряд ли удивился бы тому, что почти на каждом из них, за все три года старшей школы, есть Дайчи. Мяч мягко касается самых кончиков пальцев, по плавной дуге перелетает взвившегося в воздух Хинату и ложится прямо на ладонь Асахи. Суга уже готов услышать любимый, желанный звук удара о площадку, но…— Двое!О нет. Ну почему, ведь Хината закрыл нападающего от соперников… Совсем другой звук — звук жесткого блока — вклинивается в царящую в зале какофонию. Хлесткий, безапелляционный.Суга зажмуривается, встряхивается в ответ на доносящиеся со всех концов площадки «ничего, ничего» и через сетку смотрит на довольного собой Куроо. Следовало ожидать, что паршивец прочитает его атаку… опять.Дайчи хлопает Сугу по спине, прежде чем отойти на свою позицию. Суга косится через плечо: как Дайчи выдыхает, как готовится к приему, будто врастая в площадку; от сосредоточенного, упрямого взгляда каждый раз продирает ознобом. Он едва заметно кивает сам себе и показывает комбинацию, которую хотел бы разыграть.Суга всегда понимал: если появится кто-то более талантливый, его заменят. И не врал, когда сказал Укай-сану, как важно для него выходить на площадку снова и снова. Только умолчал, что еще важнее увидеть воплощение мечты: его, да, но все же в первую очередь — Дайчи. И если он сможет быть рядом, пусть даже в зоне запасных, чтобы увидеть выражение лица Дайчи, когда это произойдет… Он будет поддерживать команду, частью которой стал; будет стоять с ними плечом к плечу, бороться за каждое очко, за каждый мяч, зная, что может идти вперед, потому что за спиной будет Дайчи, которого он чувствует, как самого себя. Зная, что его капитан борется вместе с ним.
10950462	FUNdamentals 25	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Banjo (Banjo-Kazooie Series), Kazooie (Banjo-Kazooie Series), Joel Varg Johansson, Alex \| GeePM, DJ Khaled, Barack Obama, Shrek (Shrek), Jimmy Neutron, Kid from Mario FUNdamentals (Alecks), Shadow the Hedgehog, Evalion, Leafyishere, Rockman \| Mega Man, Rockman CX \| Mega Man CX, Dr. Light (Rockman), Dr. Wily (Rockman), Paper Mario - Character, Yooka (Yooka-Laylee), Laylee (Yooka-Laylee), Wario, Jon Arbuckle, Tito Dick, PaRappa, Foxy (Five Nights at Freddy's)", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "4/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-20T00:00:00", "words": "5,819", "Additional Tags": "Action/Adventure, Chaos Emeralds, The second most best fanfics from Americas", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Banjo-Kazooie Series, Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types, Rockman \| Mega Man - All Media Types, Vinesauce (Video Blogging RPF), Shrek (Movies), The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Multi-Fandom, Yooka-Laylee, Who Killed Captain Alex? (2010), Garfield - All Media Types, The Nutshack (Cartoon), Five Nights at Freddy's, PaRappa the Rapper", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Chapter one - Infinite ShitshowI wish things were simple again, like the times when Kazooie was still young. But as my life went on, things got more complicated. Kazooie and I kinda grew apart. She went to bars and got more friends, which I’m perfectly fine with, but her choice of friends are questionable. I don’t hate them, after all, Joel is fun to party with. It’s just the problems they’ve brung. For example, Joel brought GeePM. GeePM seemed cool at first, but I guess it’s way different now. At least he isn’t as bad as Shadow. I feel tired, I wish I could sleep, but I know I shouldn’t now.In Jimmy Nuetrons yard, there I was with Joel, tied with phantom chains, watching as DJ Khaled stood over my best friend, Kazooie. My energy was drained and I couldn't speak, same as Joel. I could barely peice together what was happening, but I think Mega Man died, or vanished somewhere. “WHERE DID YOU PLACE HIM!?” Kazooie screeched. “Mega Man is somewhere you couldn't even think of! And you thought you were the chaos control master, you couldn't even pull off half the shit I do!” Khaled said. GeePM, our ex friend, ran away like the traitor he is. “Where are you going, you know you'll join us eventually!” Dj said then looked back at Kazooie. The chains applied by GPM vanished, though my stamina was still low. I managed to be on my knees with my hands keeping me up, but Joel passed out. This is worst than the time I tried weed.I looked at Kazooie, who looked a lot less confident. “What do you mean?…” Kazooie said. “Don't worry. So, ey bird, I heard you have some pretty strong bones! Mind if I take one?” Dj asked. He wouldn't, that's dumb! “Hehehe… what?” Kazooie laughed, even Kazooie herself thinks that's stupid. Dj Khaled gripped Kazooie's wing! “Huh? Let go of me!” Kazooie said. “Bitch, Im serious!!” Dj said. I stood and ran towards Dj! Dj kicked my face back onto the ground. “Fuck you people!” Dj khaled said. Kazooie tried to stab Dj with her other wing, obviously, since DJ was a skeleton, he has no flesh to be pierced. “ReAah!” Kazooie screamed. “Leave her alone! Take me, instead!” I yelled. “Hey, Khalid! Go Fish!” I heard a voice near by. Twenty cards flew in and cut Dj a shit ton of times! The guy landed on the ground! He had blonde hair and a brown jacket that sorta made him look like Mega Man. The man prepared a large Go Fish card from thin air to completely cut Dj in half! “Where did you come from!?” Dj said in shock. Dj let Kazooie go and chaos controlled into thin air. The guy's powered up card vanished as well. “Fuck shit, he got away, man.” He said. Thank god he's gone.Shadow then teleported in! “Huh!!? Why is- are you here? Shadow? Who did you bring with you??” Kazooie said still a little in shock. “I’m fucking Alecks!! The ultimate anime master!” Alecks said… Obama came from no where and came up behind Shadow and held his gun to his head. Finally, I thought he'd never come. “Okay, someone better explain.” Obama said. “Huh?! How come I couldn’t sense you?” Shadow said. “Don’t shoot him!!” Both Alecks and Kazooie yelled. Kazooie looked at Alecks then back at Obama. “Kazooie? You still care about me, don’t you?” Shadow said. “Hnnng… I know I stole from you… and I know you just want revenge on me… but let’s get past this, please?” Kazooie said. “Or better yet, just leave before I jack you up!” I said. “Hey… calm down.” Kazooie said to me. “What the fuck, Kazooie!? I remember you tellin me a story about how he FUCKING killed you, and MatPat had to revive you!! I doubt he’ll just suddenly have a change of heart! Stop being so friendly, sis, because one day, it will be the cause of your death!” I said. “Hey, you got a point! Now, take this!” Obama said before shooting at Shadow, but the shots hit the ground instead. “Where did he go?? Does he know chaos control?” Obama said. Shadow teleported back in front of Obama. Obama tried shooting again, but his gun didn't shoot. “You jammed my weapon!” Obama yelled. “I just took your ammo.” Shadow said.“Ehaaha, you can never touch Shadow!” Alecks said. “Why the fuck is this kid here?” Obama asked. “I’m 18.” Alecks said. “That doesn’t explain anything.” Obama said. “I found him walking around, he asked me to help him find his friends, and I agreed. I’m not sure how he traveled all the way from America to Asia.” Shadow explained. “Ye, were on a mission, so dont kill him.” Alecks said. “You’ll be the first to die in the robot apocalypse.” Obama said. “Don’t underestimate him.” Shadow said. “Why, does he have Naruto cloning powers? Chaotic bone fuckery? Alchemy? No, he doesn’t. I bet he doesn’t even know what a chaos emerald is.” Obama said. “Hmph, he may not be as agile as you and I, but he can still defeat us both.” Shadow said. I kinda find that funny, I bet this little brat has nothing on me and Kazooie’s team work. What can he possible do offensively? Throw go-fish cards? “Okay, then. Welcome, ‘Alecks’!” Kazooie said then shook hands with Alecks. “What? I’m not gonna let them on our team.” Obama said. “Kazooie, I really thought you’d hold a grudge after what I’ve done. I’ve changed, Obama, let me join.” Shadow said. Shadow took out his chaos emerald and gave it to me. “Here, take this. If you don’t trust me still, then I’ll leave.” Shadow continued. Wait, really? “Shadow, you’re like poison to Kazooie, but she still likes you. I don’t even know what to say, it’s strange. I'm a little jealous actually.” I said and examined the emerald.“That doesn’t matter, get out Shadow and Alecks kid. You can even take Kazooie with you, I don’t give a shit, just go before things get more fucked.” Obama said. “Let’s get out of-.” Alecks said before being interupted. A huge flash in the distance caused the floor to rumble! Everyone ducked their head. “This is it, isn’t it.” I said. Obama reloaded both his shot gun machine guns. Shrek ran out the front door of Jimmy’s house. “I’m ready for the invas- Is that the ultimate life form!?” Shrek said. “And you’re the prototype of me.” Shadow said. “Never mind, we don’t have time for this! Where’s Mega Man?” Shrek asked. “I think he… died. No, he got teleported out of here to somewhere.” Kazooie said. “What a shit show of a training session.” Shrek said. “Training!? All of us got fucked up!” Kazooie yelled in anger. I walked up to Joel’s body, I almost forgot about him. I checked his breathing and pulse. Obviously alive, probably just tired, like me.Shrek stepped up to Joel and I back away. “Yep, a shit show.” Shrek said. He then picked up Joel’s body. Another explosion went off in the distance! Shadow skated off into the direction of the blast with his fancy shoes, and Alecks followed him. “How will this end?” Kazooie said. In the distance, robot jet planes dropped bombs. I put my arm around Kazooie and looked at her. “Hey, Kazooie, I think we’re fucked.” I said. “It’s just robots, Banjo. We’ve dealt with worse.” Kazooie said. “We got to take out the jets first. Where’s JImmy? He’s not staying behind is he? He’s like Tails, that useless fucker.” Obama said. Shrek shook Joel. “Wake up!” he yelled. “WAKE UP!!” Shrek yelled again. “Gasp HEE!” Joel yeeped. He shook around then Shrek let him go. Joel landed on his feet and wobbled around a little disoriented. “WHat’s happening!? Where’s Rock?” Joel asked. “1: The robot invasion. 2: I don’t know. Does that answer you?” Shrek said. “Fuck, no it doesn’t-” Joel said. “Yes it does! We have no more time to waste!” Shrek said. The sky is dark orange with thick clouds around the city. I sighed, here we go again. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Chapter two - SmoggyI completely regained my energy and ran off into the burning city. Kazooie was not far behind me. I ran down streets and past exploded cars and ash. A bullet flew past me and hit the street! "Mother of shit!" I yelled. The bullet was shot by some soldier. "I found two of them." The guy whispered into his communicator and kneeling. I ran up to him and drop kicked his face, he passed out. Kazooie sighed. She grabbed the soldiers gun. "Just... take this." Kazooie handed me the pistol. Fucking sweet.The fog made it hard to see beyond that far. A few robotic joe's fell from the sky. I aimed my gun at one of them. Kazooie pushed my arm down. "Don't waste ammo!" She said. Kazooie lunged forwards and sliced all three joes in half. I nodded. "Okay." I said. The two of us ran until we met up with Shadow, who was looking down the street. "What are you doing?! Help us!" I said. Shadow shook his head. "Sorry, I was just thinking." He said. God damn you. Next to us, a building collapsed. I ran away to not be crushed, but Shadow ran up the falling building! I looked at him, wondering what in the fuck could be a benefit from doing that.The building landed, creating a rumble. "Fuck, my eyes!" I said. I wiped my eyes and saw Shadow on the ruble. Kazooie pushed me aside in defense. "Huh?" I said. Behind me was a girl in a grey jacket and brown hair, with some companion, a guy with two weed sticks in his nose. "Okay, what the fuck is even happening!" I yelled. "Look at this faggot. Are you a fucking furry trying to fight off the apocalypse?" The weed dude said. "I'm not a furry, I was born like this!" Kazooie said. "That's besides the point. WHo the fuck are you?" I asked. Kazooie tried to look even more threatening. "I'm Evalion. Do you despise the Jews as much as I do?" She asked. "Yes." I said. "You're joking. I can tell." Evalion said. "Was it necassary to give your name?" Weed dude said.I looked at Shadow, but I noticed he left. "I'm the master here, I don't give a fUck if I give my own name!" Evalion said. The weed dude looked down. "Well?" He said. I backed away slowly. "Nope, you're not going anywhere." Evalion said. A color inverting aura covered reality then back into Evalion. Time froze! I started to panic. Evalion pulled out many knives and threw the at me! They froze in mid air. She pulled out more knives and threw them at Kazooie! They also froze mid air. "This will be fun. Thanks for finding these two, Leafy." Evalion said. "Don't thank me." Leafy said. Oh shit, what do I do?? I have a chaos emerald in my hand, and I think Kazooie does as well!"I'll be taking these." Evalion said then grabbed both our emeralds. "NO! Don't kill us!" I yelled. Holy shit, I can move my mouth! "Chill autismos, you're not gonna die, at least not now." Leafy said. "In fact, we don't even care about whats happening around. We just wanna bank these emeralds for a shit ton of money." Leafy continued. "Please don't kill us, these knives look pointy..." Kazooie said. "Hey, what's your names?" Evalion asked. "Fucking seriously?" Leafy said. "Ignore Leafy over here." Evalion said. "Uhhh... I... am Yooka!" I said. "And I'm Laylee!" Kazooie said. I hope they believe us."Really? I thought you two were back at the Peach's castle." Leafy said. Wait, what? "I guess you learned to transform others and yourself, Yooka?" Evalion said. Fuck me, I'll have to roll with it. Kazooie looked at me, she was still defending me. "Yeah, and if you don't give me that emerald back, I'll never be able to transform back." I said. "Really? I thought you turned back after losing chaotic power." Evalion said. "Maybe chaotic power is unpredictable, I don't care, can we kill them now?" Leafy said.Evalion and Leafy walked away and time began flowing again. "EEEE!" Kazooie screeched. The air born knifes darted at the Kazooie's wing, the one she used to defend me with. Kazooie moved away from me. "HHHHHGNN!!" She said. "Stay low!!" I whispered loudly. My rage was built up and dashed like a cannon ball at Evalion! "YOU FUCK!!" I yelled. I missed and my head butt went towards Leafy instead. I fell on my chest. I went THROUGH him?? I stood on my feet again. "You didn't die from the knives?? You rapest looking mother fucker." Leafy said. I threw a punch at Leafy, he flinched even though my punch phased through him. "Fuck off, dirty nigger." Evalion said.Evalion pulled out a knife and sliced diagonally into my chest. "Cough! Shhhit..." I said. I held my chest in pain. "You know it's super obvious you're not Yooka. The real Yooka wouldn't kill a random person for their gun. I bet you don't even know how to use that." Evalion said. Shit, I should've shot her instead of using shitty melee attacks. "We've been here way too long, let's get out." Leafy suggested. "What? We can't waste more time to cut up these two and eat them later?" Evalion said. "That's fucking sick." Leafy said. "Sigh. Chaos Control!!" Evalion said and chaos controlled herself out. Leafy teleported away himself.I was bleeding out, I'll pass out any minute now, and probably suffocate in this fog, too. I walked over to Kazooie, who was laying flat. I noticed a cut to the side of her neck, one knife must've almost hit her jugular... I took the rest of the knives out of her right wing. She was still breathing, thank god. Kazooie looked at me but did not speak. I picked her up and headed out of the city. I really hate seeing dead bodies everywhere.As I left the city entrance, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around slowly. There I saw Mega Man, who looked a lot grayer than usual. "Hey Banjo, you look like a zombie." He said. I stared at him. "Can't talk? Uhh... I'll give you one of my sub tanks." He said. He sensed my pain. He pulled out a tank. "This is a little experimental, but it should work just like Chaos Heal." Mega Man said. He dumped the tank on me and Kazooie. It cured my pain. Kazooie peeked her head up. "Ahh.. That feels nice. What happened?" Kazooie said.Kazooie became shocked. "Mega Man?! Where were you?" She said. "Uh... Hi." Mega Man said. Kazooie rubbed her eyes and took another look at Mega Man. "...Hey, Banjo!" She whispered to me. I looked at her. "Uh... That's- That's not Mega Man!" Kazooie whispered. Huh? Kazooie jumped out of my arms. I saw Alecks in the background running towards us. "Hey it's Alecks!" I said. "Let's go." Kazooie said at me. "No, we're talking to Alecks and Mega Man." I said. "Jack ass! That's not really Mega Man!" Kazooie said. I'm pretty sure Mega Man heard her, but he didn't say anything."Hey guis, either Shadowe is dead, or somewhere else... And also the city is completely destroyed" Alecks said. Dr. Light flew over here with his red dog thing. "Jimmy's house has been demonlished by the robots! This is just like back at home! We'll have to be nomads for now." Dr. Light said. "That's were your wrong. The Mushroom Kingdom is realy close." Alecks said. "Oh right! Aren't you a Mario bro?" Mega Man asked. "You should know Im not, but thats fine. I'm not but a friend of Mario. Let's all travel over to the kingdom." Alecks said. "AAUUUGH!!" Kazooie said. "You don't like adventuring anymore?" I asked her. "And YOU do, you lazy fuck?!" Kazooie yelled. "Stop now! Don't turn on each other." Light said. "Are we leaving now? I'll go ahead!" Mega Man said before dashing away. "Just follow me and Rush, okay, Banjo, Kazooie and Alecks?" Light said. I put my gun away in my backpack. We agreed and followed Dr. Light.Dr. Light layed down like he wanted me to paint him like one of his French girls while his flying dog drifted him along, and the rest of us had to walk. The Sun was still rising. "So, what happened to Mega Man?" Light asked. "I don't know what you mean, I don't think anything happened to him." I said. I didn't wanna mention how DJ Khaled attacked him. "Eh, maybe he's just lost his appeal." Light said. Kazooie sighed. "Hey Kazooie, you look realy cool." Alecks said. Kazooie looked at Alecks in confusion but then forced a smile. "Thanks, I guess." Kazooie said. "I'm just trying to brighten your mood." Alecks said. Kazooie stopped her forced smile."Well, you'll have to try harder than that." Kazooie said, then looked back forward. "Uh... uh... Who do you think would win in a fight between us?" Alecks said. Kazooie looked back. "What?" She said. I looked at Alecks. There was a moment of silence before Kazooie gave an actual response. "Well, if Shadow was correct when he said you could defeat both him and Obama at the same time, then you would probably win in a fight against me." Kazooie said. "I'm pretty sure Shadow only said that to convince Obama to let me join your team." Alecks said. "Team... I forgot this was a team. Half the original Team Vinesauce members either died or left." Kazooie said. "So... would you win the fight between us??" Alecks said. Kazooie shrugged and looked back forward. We continued on in silence. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Chapter three - DankWe arrived at the gate of the Mushroom Kingdom, it was quite shady and full of trees. Dr. Light's dog teleported away while Light was still riding him. He fell, but got up. "Are we here?" Dr. Light asked. "Yeap." Alecks said. "Hello gentlemen! I don't care if one of you isn't a gentlemen, I'll call you that anyway." This tiny old mushroom monster said. "Are you people wishing to enter the Mushroom Kingdom?" He said. "Yeah, We don't have any passports or badges, but that doesn't matter, right?" I asked."It shouldn't. Hey Goomba Sir, it's me, Alecks, a friend of Mario. Let us pass!" Alecks said. "Maybe, I think Mario told me about you... You can go ahead, it's not like a group like you can cause harm to our kingdom." Goomba Sir said then opened the gate ahead. We walked up to the town. "I wonder how long it'll take before Wily gets to this town, too." Light said. "Is Mario anywhere around, he should be." Alecks said. Some Chameleon walked up to us. "Aren't you refugees from Newer York?" He asked. "Um, Yeah." Kazooie said. "Well, take this map, it should help guide you around." The Chameleon said. "But this town is so small, why would we need this?" Dr. Light said. "Fine." The Chameleon said before he started walking away. Kazooie tapped Light and pointed to the Chameleon. "Interesting. Good eye!" Dr. Light said.Light walked up to the Chameleon. The Chameleon turned around. "Hey?" Chameleon said. Dr. Light grabbed the lizard up by the neck and held him up in the air! "AAHH!" The Chameleon screamed out. "Say, friend. What's at the bottom of that stack of maps you're holding?" Dr. Light asked. Nearby citizens ran away screaming annoyingly. With his other hand, Light grabbed a chaos emerald from the bottom of the map stack, then let go of the Chemeleon. A random, goofy looking bat flew in. "What are you bozos doing!!" He said. "Yeah that's ours!" The Chameleon said. "Where did you find this?" Light asked. "I don't have to answer that" The Chameleon said then pulled out a knife from his phanny pack. It was one of Evalion's!"Are you also evil??" Kazooie said. "I'm not evil! I just want that jewel back!" The Chameleon yelled. Dr. Light pulled out his small phone looking camera and quickly took a picture. The phone spoke. "Yooka; The chameleon grass type pokemon, with his long tail, he can reach extreme heights. Laylee; The bat shadow type pokemon, not as nimble as his friend." The red phone said, very informative. Yooka snatched the emerald from Light. "Idiots!" He said. Yooka wall jumped onto a roof while Laylee held onto him. They left! "Of course!" Dr. Light said. "No more sweating available for you... I got it the power!" Alecks said. Alecks jumped high into the air then air dashed onto the roof after the duo.Kazooie back flipped up to follow. "Wait! What about me??" I yelled. "You can probably board rush jet with me." Dr. Light said. "That's fine with me!" I said. I saw Leafy and Evalion coming up to us. I looked in disbelief. "You!?" I yelled. "Don't shit yourself." Leafy said. "Who are you?" Dr. Light asked. "Evalion (me) and Leafy, and we aren't gonna kill you." Evalion said. "Not at all." Obama jumped out from no where onto the ground, Jimmy Nuetron also walked in. "All of us are in a team to get the emeralds for profit." Obama explained. "We are team Dank Meams." Jimmy said. "This team was made to take and sell the emeralds?" I said. "Yeah, all team members split the cash prize that Tails will give us." Jimmy said. "So you'll split the money with us, too?" Dr. Light asked. "Yeah, I guess so." Obama answered."Oh shit, our random exposition made me forget why I came to you." Obama said. Yooka came from the air with Laylee floating him down. "Uhh, hahaheh... Hey bear... dude. You and your other friends are the new team members, aren't they?" Yooka said. Alecks came from behind. "Here's my chance!" He yelled then threw a go-fish card at Yooka that boomeranged back into his face. "Shit!" Alecks said. "Lay off us! We're apparently 'friends'" Laylee said. Kazooie came back looking exhausted like she wasn't fit enough. "We aren't attacking each other... So I'll assume before was a... misunderstanding." Kazooie said, giving a dirty look at Obama. "Yes, and Obama has been an ass about it." Leafy said. "I wouldn't blame him. Half his team tried to attack the other half. Also Leafy, you're retarded. Get those blunts out of your nose." I said. "Lol; no." Leafy said.Shadow teleported in, he didn't need a chaos emerald since he was the ultimate lifeform. "Great, even more furrys on this team." Shadow said. "Where's Mega Man? He sure is taking a long time getting here, and he got a head start." I said. "He's at Peach's castle waiting for everyone else. I was too, but I had a feeling you retards were doing something else, and I was right." Shadow said. "Fuck You Shadow, I was going to leed them!" Alecks said. "No, Fuck you Alecks, I could defeat Dr. Wily alone if I gave a shit. I'm only doing this to be nice!" Shadow said then teleported away. "Okay?" I said.We all traveled to Peach's castle in the back of the town. The door to her castle wasn't even locked, so we walked in. "So we can just walk in like that?" Kazooie asked. "You're starting to sound like Paper Mario." I said. Kazooie looked at me. "I wonder what happened to Paper Mario. And Joel. And Matpat..." She said. Oh shit, they kinda just disappeared after the Egg Carrier blew up everything. "Joel's fine, and in this castle. I don't know about Mat or Paper Mario." Shadow said as he leaned against the wall. The castle's lobby was huge with weird paintings on the wall, I wouldn't want to trip balls in here.I decided to rest against the wall like Shadow, I noticed Leafy was next to me also sitting. He was probably just trying to sleep. "Hey." I said. Leafy opened his eyes and looked at me. Evalion wasn't around this time for some reason. "Do you just stick those weed sticks into your nose for medical reasons?" I asked. "No, just aesthetics. Sometimes." Leafy said. Kazooie came by. "Oh hey, bird girl, are you and Banjo semi-related? Probably seems like a stupid question." Leafy asked. "Huh? Yes... My name's Kazooie by the way." Kazooie said. "Come on, there's a seat right here!" I said. I patted the ground next to me. Kazooie chuckled. "I see..." She said and sat."You ever heard of Link?" Leafy asked. "Who hasn't? His popularity rivaled Mario and Mega Man!" I said. "I wonder what the fuck happened to him. Everyone just assumed that someone killed him." Leafy said. "Do ya think he's alive?" Kazooie asked. "Yeah. It's the reason I'm not in my Mom's house anymore, I wanna be the one to rescue him. But some people just have to be bitches and get in my way... Probably shouldn'tve said that so loudly." Leafy said. "Interesting, uh..." I said. "Leafy... Is Evalion keeping you captive?? Why does she keep calling you 'master'?" Kazooie asked. "Kazooie!" I whispered. I thought she knew not to ask about people's weird fetishes! "We're kind of binded together." Leafy said. Oh, what??Yooka and Laylee stood in front of us. Laylee was on top of Yooka's head, which was a little weird. "What's happening?" Yooka said. He quickly sat next to Leafy. "Hey look, people I know more." Leafy said. A little rude, but whatever. Yooka looked at me and stopped smiling. Was I hard to look at? "I'm gonna go talk to that Shadow guy hedgehog thing. He seems really nice... I'll leave you all alone." Laylee said. "Go ahead." Yooka said. There was silence as Laylee flew away."Psst." I heard around a door near by. Me and Kazooie looked over. It was Paper Mario! "Holy shit, where were you?" I asked. "I was lucky and escaped the burning hotel! Peaches castle was the only thing I could think of to go to." Paper Mario said. "Who is this flat ass?" Leafy asked. "It's- it's Paper Mario!" Kazooie said. "Come in this room, I'm sure the dead senior toad that lived here wouldnt've minded." Paper Mario said. We got up and went into said room.The room was dark-ish with an old HD TV and Couch setup in the middle of the room. "Fucking dank." Leafy said. I sat on the arm of the couch and made sure Kazooie could sit on the couch with me. Leafy sat next to Kazooie and Yooka sat flat on the carpet floor. "Come on, we should play something together." Paper Mario said. "What?" Yooka said. "This one's my favorite. It's called LSD Dream Emulator!" Paper Mario said, holding a disc for a Playstation. "Oh god, I know all about that one." Kazooie said. Kazooie proceeded to take the disc from Paper Mario's hand and put it into the Playstation below the TV. Kazooie picked up a plugged in controller and sat back on the couch."This one's quite soothing! I used to play this all the time back in my day, and Banjo would sit next to me and point out all the weird phycadelic things happening on screen!" Kazooie said. "Oh heheh, right, this is the game with the funny title." I said. "Wow cool. How about you two just fuck already?" Leafy said. "We're siblings." I said. "Yeah, asshat." Kazooie said. "That's not what I mean, I mean you two are way too close." Leafy said. Kazooie sighed. "You do not have a way with words." ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Chapter four - Time Shortage"Well, well..." Yooka said. He grabbed a blunt from his phanny pack. "Yooka, what the fuck?" I said. Kazooie hadn't noticed Yooka's weed yet. After lighting it, Yooka sat up against the couch and smoked. "I knew someone had weed." Kazooie said. Yooka tapped my leg and handed me the joint. "Well, aren't you generous." I said. I accepted it. Kazooie paused the game and chuckled at me. "No, Banjo. No." She remembered what happened last time.I smirked. "Well, it's been really long since I had one of these." I said. Kazooie swiped the blunt from my hands. "Umm, well keep it." I said. "Let's see what's so good about this." Kazooie said then put the blunt in her beak. I felt a sensation of guilt. "Sorry Yooka, I don't think you'll get tha blunt back." I said. "Well, you always need someone healthy and normal to subdue psychos under the influence of weed. Don't they teach that in school??" Yooka said grinning. "They should teach more in school, like how to drown yourself." I said. Yooka nodded "Of course."Kazooie began coughing, but still tried to operate the game controller and keep the weed in her mouth. I looked at her. "What, Banjo? Why are you looking at me like that?" Kazooie said. I groaned. "Let it go, Banjo." Leafy said, trying to sleep again. "Take away the weed, or something." Yooka suggested. I took his advice and moved my hands towards her weed. Kazooie dropped her controller to smack my hand away then smiled at me. She held the blunt with her other wing. "Cheeky dick." Kazooie said.I looked back at Yooka, who was casually eating a Wumpa Fruit. He looked at me and shrugged. "Damn you, Kazooie." I said. I jumped up and tackled Kazooie. "AHh!" She screamed. Yooka was having a good chuckle, almost choking on his fruit. Kazooie protected the blunt as I tried to reach for it. In the background, I heard the door open. I looked back. "What in the fuck is happening??" Shadow yelled. "Kazooie took Banjo's weed." Yooka said still giggling. Laylee flew into the room.I backed off of Kazooie. "Yeah." I said. "Why do you care so much?" Kazooie asked. "Drugs are the last thing I want for you to get addicted to." I said. "What about yourself, you lazy asshole! If I never formed Team Vinesauce, you'd still be on our home floor being high!" Kazooie screamed. "Kazooie's... right." Shadow said. "Bite me, Shadow! What has Kazooie told you about me?" I said. Laylee flew from behind Shadow over to Yooka."So, how was Shadow?" Yooka asked Laylee. "He's so god damn insufferable and also has no problem calling people 'fucktards'." Laylee answered. "Strange, Shadow was acting like such a prince to Kazooie before." I said. "Eat my god foresaken penis, Banjo. Also a general message to everyone in this room, I don't see any sign of Paper Mario here, so you better leave before I chaos control everyone into the sun." Shadow said. Leafy wasn't here anymore, he must've phased through the wall mid-conversation."Sure thing." I said. I walked out the room and saw Joel on the stairs in the center. I sat with him. Joel was looking down. "Heya Joel." I said. "Banjo. Half my friends are dead, Banjo." Joel said. "Oookay." I said, gritting my teeth. Shadow, Yooka, Laylee, Kazooie, Paper Mario, Dr. Light, Alecks, and Evalion with Leafy behind her accumalated below the staircase. "We're here, bitcheees!" Evalion said. I stood up. "Is the leader here yet?" Light asked. "Right there." Evalion said and pointed above me. I turned around and looked up the stairs and saw Obama next to Jimmy and Shrek. "Well? Fucking get up here. Jimmy has something to show us." Shrek said.As a group we walked up the stairs. Jimmy had his laptop opened up. "I thought Mega Man was here. Nevermind. See this?" Jimmy asked. His laptop displayed multi-colored dots. "It's an emerald tracker. It uses the Mushroom Kingdom's personal sattelites, but I'm sure no one will notice. This is gonna be easy." Jimmy said. "Jimmy, I'm positive we only had two emeralds." Obama said. "Yeah, so? Maybe we have more?" Jimmy looked again at the laptop screen.I sudden blunt force struck the back of my head! "HEHEHEH. You really could have done some damage to me." I said as I turned around and threw my fist at Paper Mario?? Paper Mario jumped back, dodging my punch. His colors were inverted and his eyes were souless. Obama got his shotguns out. Most of us stood in confusion. Shadow dashed to Paper Mario and high kicked him across the room. "To the asshole that possessed Paper Mario, show yourself. I don't know what you look like, but it's really fucking obvious you're there." Shadow said."Ha ha!! Am I a let down?" It was Dj Khaled! DJ appeared on the roof near the entrance. Next to the door, a perfectly circular hole was punch out to reveal Leanord! "The Tigah Mafia is back!" He said. How was he alive!? "And if you think me being alive was spectacular, I saved my entire gang, too!" Leanord yelled. His gang jumped through the hole. "It's-a me, WARIO!" "PaRappa reporting!" "Foxy reporting." "Dickman here, baby!" "Really, Tito? Also, Arbuckle reporting.""So many asses to destroy!" Yooka yelled. Great phrasing. "Leanord, half of the Tiger Mafia is suppose to be dead." Alecks pointed out. He was right. Foxy, PaRappa, and I think Jon Arbuckle are suppose to be dead. Khaled dropped from the roof next to Leanord. "What a good afternoon." It was Dr. Wily, or at least a hologram of him. He was projected by Mega Man from his eyes. "CX reporting, also, I guess!" Mega Man said. "Silence please. I'll let Mushroom Kingdom alone if you give me the two emeralds you have." Dr. Wily said."No." Jimmy said. "Okay. I thought you were the one with amazing foresight." Dr. Wily said. The hologram turned off. "Head out and demolish this kingdom! I have these people." Leanord said to his allies. "'Course" DJ said teleporting away. All of the Tiger Mafia ran out except their leader. "I'll take care of Leanord." I said. Kazooie looked pissed at me. "I'm still with you, Banjo." She said. "Whatever." Shadow said then teleported everyone else outside.Leanord laughed histerically. "I was expecting to face the entire team." He said. Kazooie went inbetween my legs and sprung off the 2nd floor, finishing off the landing infront of Leanord. "Great duo!" He said before punching. Kazooie's side stepped us away. Leanord's punch crushed the stairs infront of him, it was like he threw a massive air cannon ball! The dust coming from the destruction lingered. "Shit." I said. "Split now!" Kazooie yelled. I jumped off her. I don't think Leanord can die, we have to subdue him somehow.
10917318	Shut Up and Drive	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Robert Sugden, Aaron Dingle, Andy Sugden, Lawrence White, Chrissie White, Various other people will be around, Mentions of Gordon - Character, Be aware - Character", "Fandom": "Emmerdale", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by imgoingcrazy", "chapters": "9/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-16T00:00:00", "words": "29,179", "Additional Tags": "F1 AU, i'll update tags as needed", "Relationship": "Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	A season was won by a team not just a driver, it was a simple fact of racing. Only the most arrogant - and ultimately misinformed - drivers believed they won things on their own. You could be the best driver in the world but without the team behind you, without open communication and a good rapport not even the best could make a miracle happen.Every driver Aaron had ever worked with had known this, had gone out of their way to get along with the mechanics.When Andy had first joined Home Farm he'd made it a point pre-season to spend full days in the garage with the rest of them wanting to understand the ins and outs of the cars he would be driving. Learning terminology he might not have otherwise bothered to know because it would make relaying what was wrong during a race that much easier. Andy had understood that the better they all clicked the smoother things would run, the faster an adjustment could be made and the easier a race could be won.Aaron liked Andy, respected him even. Ten seconds after officially meeting his brother Robert, the newest Home Farm driver, Aaron wanted to bash the smug prats head in with a wrench. It was almost impressive considering Robert had only been in the garage for all of maybe five minutes. Short time or not ten seconds was all it had taken Robert to cast his gaze around the garage and sneer from beside Lawrence's side - his disdain practically radiating off him - as Lawrence introduced them.Ten seconds it seemed was all the time Robert required to find Aaron beneath even the most common of courtesy before he'd swung his attention back to Lawrence, his dismissal of Aaron blatant, and while the team owner at least had the decency to look flustered by Robert's blatant actions towards his lead mechanic he didn't actually say anything about it. Aaron simply blinked at the team owner expecting him to eventually try and smooth this disaster of a meeting over.Unbelievably it was Robert who had broken the tense silence "Are you sure this lots the best around?"The rest of garage had gone quiet behind them at Robert's statement, the insufferable ass not even bothering to lower his voice. While Aaron felt anger roll through him he could hear Ross swearing in the background while Adam tried to shush him. Aaron's fingers flexed at his side but he kept silent his gaze snapping between Robert and Lawrence as he waited for the owner to admonish his newest driver. Arrogance was expected in any sport, especially in a sport loved worldwide, and the crew had worked with massive egos before.But this?Robert was barely on the team had yet to learn anyone's name beyond Aarons and he was effectively spitting in their faces.In the end it was the brunette draped on his arm, who Aaron recognized as Lawrence's daughter Chrissie, who reacted first. Her delicate hand coming up to smack Robert lightly in the chest and her lips pulled down in a frown, but her tone was more patronizing than lecture."Robert, honestly."It was pathetic, the entire display from all three of them was absolutely pathetic, they were pathetic, and the sneer that curved up one side of Aaron's lip made his feelings crystal clear. There was the smallest of chances that if this introduction had taken place privately Aaron would have bottled it but the slight hadn't been against just him. It had been open and intentional and if Lawrence wasn't going to stand up for the rest of the engineering team then he would. "You wanna try that again, mate? Maybe even look at me this time when you say it?" It might have been phrased as a question but it clearly wasn't. Robert's face retained the same passively bored look it had maintained almost the entire time he'd been in the garage as he turned to face Aaron but at least this time Aaron had his full attention. Robert Sugden might have been one of the most pretentious people Aaron had ever had the misfortune of meeting but with those eyes staring straight at him it was impossible to ignore just how striking he was. His blond hair trimmed short at the side but kicking up slightly in the front, freckles dusted across his cheeks and a mouth Aaron was suddenly entirely too interested in.Thankfully Robert did Aaron the biggest of favors by speaking again and the the spike of want that had surged inside him with Robert's full attention was snuffed out violently by Aaron's own temper. "I want to make sure I have the best, I'm not convinced." "Considering you've not said more than ten words to any of us I can't imagine how you'd even know." snapped back. "I'd know." He replied on a sigh.Two words, that's all it was, but the arrogance behind them had Aaron seeing red. The meaning behind them clear and he'd been ready to surge forward without considering what the repercussions of his actions could mean when Chrissie's nervous laughter had brought him up short, a reminder of his surroundings.Aaron's hand flexed at his side again as he tried to calm himself down again but his frustration was impossible to miss, his tone cold when he did finally speak again. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, mate, but you're lucky to have us. We're not the ones needing to prove ourselves that would be you .” "Meaning what exactly?" For the first time Robert's indifference seemed to slip and Aaron watched an emotion he couldn't identify flicker across his features. "Only the whole racing world's been talkin’ about it yeh? The how and why you got your spot." To drive the point home Aaron's gaze flicked briefly from Robert to Chrissie and then back to Robert again and Aaron knew he'd hit a sore spot by the way Robert's entire frame had stiffened. "Not really a question Andy's ever had to face I don't think." Without waiting for Robert to answer Aaron had turned to face the trio behind him, all three of them trying to smother their own amused looks not quite as bold as Aaron in the face of their employer and his daughter. "Ross, you ever heard anyone question how Andy got his spot?" "Can't say I have." "What about you Ad-" "Enough" It wasn't Robert though putting an end to things as Aaron had expected but instead Lawrence who it seemed had finally found his backbone. Aaron would wager it was more to do with Chrissie who now stood at her father's elbow whispering quietly than any good intentions.Aaron felt a small pang of guilt as his intention was to insult Robert but he could understand how in a roundabout way it was of course insulting to her as well, he wouldn't be apologizing to her for it though no matter how petty that made him not after the way the trio had behaved in the garage. His team was the best and they absolutely deserved the respect of not only the drivers but the owner. This wasn't something that would be quickly forgotten or forgiven by any of them. "This is hardly a way for a team to behave." "Reign that one in then, yeh?" The word was still clipped a small hint that Aaron was still furious. "I'm sure Robert didn't mean to be so abrasive, did you Robert?" Lawrence asked. Clearly pleading with the other man to play nice. Aaron was willing to bent a year's salary that Robert had intended and meant everything he'd said and done from the moment he'd stepped into the garage. It was a shame such a pretty face had such a terrible personality. "Of course not." he replied after a moment of silence before without another word Robert turned on his heel, snagged Chrissie's hand, and practically dragged her from the garage behind him.His lack of apology wasn't missed by anyone. "What a fucking prat." Aaron mumbled under his breath as he watched him leave and Aaron would never in a million years admit that his eyes followed Robert's ass, hugged tightly by well fitting jeans, the entire trek across the garage before it disappeared out the door. "I really am sorry about him Aaron, I don't understand what got into him." "I hope you don't think you're off the hook either Lawrence." Aaron had worked for Lawrence's racing team for almost six years now. He'd worked his way up from just another hand on deck at twenty all the way to the lead mechanic with his twenty sixth birthday looming in the distance. They'd had rude drivers before. Some they'd worked around, some they hadn't Lawrence had always had their backs, had always been a fair boss. That was probably part of why Aaron was still so mad, he hadn't expected this from his boss. Andy had been the perfect fit when he'd shown up. Friendly and outgoing he'd made friends with them all and Aaron had high hopes that his brother would work out just as well.But from the moment Robert's name had been announced by Home Farm the stories had started rolling in: every other day was a tale about his ego, why was he being given a spot and if he had deserved it. Aaron had chosen to ignore all of it because he’d assumed Lawrence knew what he was doing. The older man had a good mind for business and wasn't about to do something that could jeopardize such a young team that had steadily been making a real name for itself. Today however had been eye opening, so Aaron didn't bother to hold back. “You passively sit back and let that man have a go at us again and you'll be finding a new team to go along with your new driver." For Aaron it was the end of the discussion and he left a reprimanded Lawrence behind in his wake as he turned and stomped from the garage himself knowing he needed to calm down before he said something he might actually regret later. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- It had been nearly a month since their initial unpleasant meeting and despite all of Lawrence's promises of things getting better each subsequent meeting with the egotistical driver had simply gotten worse and worse. Aaron and Robert had snipped at each other every time the tall blond descended on them and by the third week it was edging into exhausting for Aaron. He liked his job, he enjoyed whom he worked with, and Home Farm had in a way been a type of home for him. However with a brother for a teammate and a fiancee in the boss's daughter it wasn't going to be Robert that got chucked out in the rain and Aaron prefered to be proactive with his life rather than passive. So he'd gone to see Lawrence and he'd given his notice. Lawrence had refused it, repeatedly, even as Aaron explained that wasn't how things like this worked. In the end he'd told Lawrence he'd give Robert one more chance, either the driver learned how not to be a disrespectful twit or Aaron was gone. To be fair Aaron wasn't egotistical enough himself to think him leaving would do any real damage to Home Farm but both Lawrence and himself knew that if Aaron walked, he wouldn't be the only one and Lawrence would be left scrambling for half a crew weeks before the first race. That threat, Aaron imagined, was why his lunch had been interrupted by a scowling Robert towering over him as he sat at a table behind the garage. In the back of his mind Aaron had always known the drivers were in top shape. The effect that driving at the speed could have, it was hard on the body, and the better shape you were in the less likely you were to fatigue later in a race. But with Robert standing in front of him now, shorts hanging low on his hips, hair flat against his forehead from sweat, and no t-shirt Aaron got a first had look at what "in shape" actually meant and he wasn't able to stop himself from tracking a bead of sweat as it trekked it's way down Robert's chest and across his stomach. Slowly he pulled his gaze up from the sweat as it streaked towards the edge of Robert’s shorts and up to Robert's face sending up a silent thank you to whatever was up there that Robert had been too distracted by his own bad mood to notice Aaron's open appreciation of his body. Robert Sugden it seemed was determined to be a problem whether the other man knew it or not.. Schooling his features quickly he arched an eyebrow at Robert when he remained silent. "Can I help you?" "Lawrence said we needed to speak." Aaron made a dismissive sound and returned his attention back to his sandwich before leaning forward to take a bite not bothering to look back up at Robert. "Then speak." “I’m supposed to apologize.” “You’re doing a bang up job so far.” Aaron could sense him moving out of the corner of his eye and finally turned his head to look at the blond and regretted it almost instantly. Robert's hands had moved to his hips his thumb snagging in the waistband so that it tugged the fabric down slightly and Aaron felt a stab of desire so strong he bit down on the side of his cheek at the reveal of Robert’s hip dent. Robert's attitude was everything he disliked in a person but with the evidence inches from his face he couldn't deny that the other man was gorgeous. He let out a breath and quickly flicked his gaze upward to Roberts face again but this time his wandering eyes hadn't been missed and Aaron watched the scowl that had been fixed firmly in place slowly morph into a smug smile. The wave of desire hit Aaron again and he forced himself to ignore it, to keep his gaze on Robert's face, even as the other man very purposely pushed the waist of his shorts down even lower. He didn’t understand the game, wasn’t even sure he wanted to. Robert was first and foremost an absolute twat and secondly he had a fiancee, a very female fiancee. “Still waiting, mate.” “He said you found my attitude problematic, that I’d been making the workplace uncomfortable.” Robert sounded petulant as if apologies were beneath him. Robert took another bite of his lunch before setting the sandwich down and wiped his hands on the legs of his overalls. “Actually, I said you were an unparalleled condescending ass and I’d rather have no job than deal with you for a moment longer.” “Are you always this sensitive, I thought lads loved a good banter?” If Aaron actually knew Robert decently well he might have thought he sounded jealous. “Is all the attitude a general middle child syndrome thing or just some sort of inferiority complex towards Andy you’re still working through?” “Shut your mouth.” The playful glint in Robert’s eyes was gone and Aaron watched in amusement as the older man braced his hands on the table and leaned down until they were face to face, noses practically touching. “Watch it Dingle, Lawrence might put up with your attitude but I know a grease monkeys place. ” A corner of Aaron’s mouth kicked up, amusement lighting up his whole face. So it seemed Andy was a weak spot. He’d had his suspicions from how the two men interacted and the way Robert had stormed from the garage that first day but this blatant power play confirmed it. “Must be rough, everyone actually liking Andy and all I mean.” Aaron had expected words because everything about Robert screamed that he fought with his words, that he preferred quick sharp jabs to physical violence. Pretty face like his? Aaron didn’t blame him. So when Robert surged forward and snatched Aaron by the t-shirt and dragged him up from the bench he wasn’t ready for it. It was the only reason Robert managed to get him pinned against the side of the picnic table looming over him fury etched across his entire face. Aaron should have felt annoyance or irritation, instead he only felt want. Intended or not the two men were pressed together from the waist down to their knees and Robert’s body radiated heat. “Shut up.” “I gotta be honest Robert, you’re a lot less witty one on one.” Robert’s hands were still tangled in the fabric of Aaron’s t-shirt and Aaron lifted his own to grab at Robert’s wrists, attempting to pry his fingers lose. Robert’s breath was hot on Aaron’s face, hot like every other fucking part of him touching Aaron and the younger man tried to stay focused on the argument. Tried his best to not think about how good it felt to be pressed against Robert’s lean frame. But then Robert shifted and Aaron’s leg slipped between his. Aaron at least had his jeans and then the layer of his overalls to cover up his body's reaction to Robert but Robert’s gym shorts didn’t give anything near that and there was no mistaking the heavy weight riding against Aaron’s thigh suddenly. “Jesus.” It seemed to shake Robert out of whatever temper and Aaron watched something flicker across the other man's face before Robert managed to school his features, it only added to Aaron’s confusion about Robert and it soured his mood. “Let go of me.” Robert opened his mouth but before he could say anything Chrissie’s voice rang out in the distance. “Robert are you out here?” Aaron expected him to shove away quickly, to put distance between them, but for the second time that day Robert caught him off guard as instead Robert let his hands uncurl from Aaron’s t-shirt only scrape slowly down Aaron’s stomach, to tease his fingers under the edge so they could skirt lightly across his skin. Aaron blinked in confusion as his breath stuttered out and Robert finally started to pull away only to purposely let his weight sag against Aaron’s thigh as he did. The drag of his dick impossible to ignore. It was so fucking blatant, so obviously sexual that when Robert was finally several steps away from him with a pleasant smile fixed to his face as Chrissie rounded the corner of the building Aaron could do nothing but stare dumbly as she approached. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” “I was apologizing to Aaron, but I think we're good now.” There was no way to misinterpret what Robert had just done but it had all happened so suddenly and then ended just as abruptly that Aaron had no idea how to process this new information, not that he even understood what exactly this new information was. It was a moment before he realized the pair were looking at him. “I-yeah, we're good.” Chrissie flashed him a bright smile. “Perfect, Dad will be so happy to hear that. If you'll excuse us Aaron we have reservations for lunch and this one needs to change.” She waved her fingers at him in parting before taking hold of Roberts hand and pulled him after her chattering happily as the walked. Robert didn't so much as glance back at him and Aaron sagged against the edge of the table scrubbing a hand over his face in confusion. “What the fuck.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “You wouldn't be avoiding me by chance would you?” The confident voice came out of nowhere startling Aaron as he rummaged around the bottom shelf of his work bench and he yelped in pain as he clipped his head on the underside the the bench. “Fuck..” Hed stumbled slightly as he stood up and felt nimble fingers curve around his elbow steadying him - fingers that burned through the material of his overalls like it was nothing and making him suck in a breath - before being steered towards the nearby stool. “Are you usually such a klutz?” Robert asked. Aaron’s snappy reply died on his lips when Robert suddenly tilted Aaron’s head forward to let his long fingers comb gently through Aaron’s dark hair inspecting the damage. The truth was he had been avoiding the driver and Robert damn well knew it. It had been a week since Robert had interrupted his lunch, it had also been a week of the insufferable driver showing up at the garage more than ever before. Aaron would slip out as soon as he realized Robert was there, sometimes with a bit of subtly and sometimes as Robert was mid-sentence in greeting. So the older man's question was teasing rather than genuine. Aaron didn't feel like being teased. Swatting Robert's hand away Aaron lifted his head and went to stand up only to have Robert invade his space, leaving Aaron to glare up at the other man with a frustrated sigh. "What do you want Robert?” “Just to talk, are you always this moody?” “And you need to be this close to talk do you?” “Not at all, but we both know if I move you'll bolt like a frightened cat.” Aaron should have focused on pushing Robert away from him on telling him to piss off, instead this close to him all Aaron could do was openly stare at the other man's face as he talked. Aaron has spent those first few weeks aggressively ignoring how attractive Robert was. Forced himself not to notice the way freckles dusted his face, the way jeans clung to him like a second skin, how everyday words sounded downright filthy out of his mouth sometimes. How his arms fit into t-shirt or how firm his ass looked when he bent over to look at an engine. Instead he tried to focus on the absolutely horrendous personality the other man had. He'd clearly not done a very good job. “Are you done eye-fucking me so I can repeat my question finally or?” Aaron hadn't even realized his gaze had wandered from Robert's face down to his chest and yet more embarrassing, even lower, but it snapped back up at Robert's words, his cheeks heating. “I-whatever.” “You weren't at lunch with the rest of the crew.” “And? That's not a question” his voice was gruff, his embarrassment not quite subsided. “Everyone was there.” “Still not a question.” Frustration flickered across Robert’s face before he could stop it. “ Why weren't you there.” “Bit obvious I think.” He shrugged, didn't bother to elaborate further. “Will you move already?” “No.” a brief pause and then “You didn't skip the days Andy tagged along.” There it was again, the sore spot and Aaron felt petty enough to push at it. “Yeah, well, I actually like Andy so bit different innit?” Aaron couldn't keep up with the torrent of emotions that tore across Robert's face at his words but in the end he buried all of them and fell back on smug condescension. “You more than like me.” “No, I tolerate you. No real choice otherwise. Just because you’re fit doesn't mean I want anything to do with you.” He was getting real tired of Robert's attitude, of Robert pushing and poking at him, frankly of Robert treating him like some sort of toy. So he didn't bother to bite his tongue as he planted his hand in the middle of Robert’s chest and gave him a hard shove back. “I don't want you near me, let alone in any other way, or was my sprinting away from you at every turn not a big enough hint?” He leveled a finger in Robert's face, the older man frowning back at him. “ But if I wanna eyefuck a straight bloke named Sugden think I'll keep to Andy, least his personality enhances his loo-.” Robert had surged forward without warning, hands gripping Aarons overalls again and shoved his back against the workbench with force. Pressed their bodies firmly together and let one of his legs shuffle between Aaron’s with a smirk. “For the record, stop mentioning Andy when we flirt it's a buzzkill” “We're not flirting. I don't flirt.” “Probably for the best, you're rubbish at it.” Aaron was struggling to keep up, still not entirely sure what was happening. “You do my head in, christ.” “Makes us even.” he replied with a shrug, hands still clutching onto Aaron’s overalls. As if that sentence made any sense. “I'm not interested in this game, you've had your fun the past few weeks winding me up and then whatever the hell this week has been but enough is enough.” Robert blinked confusion etching itself across into his features.“I'm not playing a game.” “Of course you fucking are. You're engaged, Robert, to a woman.” Aaron snapped. Then he watched as Robert's mouth tugged down into a frown, his eyes darting around as he searched Aaron’s face for something. Whatever he’d been looking for though he must not have found it because his shoulders slumped and he seemed to fold in on himself. The confidence he wore like a second skin had deserted him. One of his hands lifted to rub at the back of his neck and this close to each other Aaron couldn't miss the nervous panic in his eyes. When he spoke finally he sounded unsure of himself and it twisted something inside Aaron, the mechanic already regretting his harsh tone. “I must have misread things.” Except Aaron was starting to think he'd been the one to misread things. Even before this week Robert had started showing up to the garage more and more. Poked and prodded at Aaron. He'd seemed to get a kick out of winding Aaron up and Aaron had assumed it was malicious. Assumed Robert was just a twat and so he'd reacted in turn but now… had Robert thought they were flirting this entire time? Robert abruptly moved away, a bit faster even than when he'd surged forward, his hands falling to his side's as nervous energy practically radiated from him. Robert was loud and egotistical drawing attention from everyone when he entered a room whether good or bad but now he looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him up whole. Like he'd do anything to have no attention on him at all. Aaron had made made an absolute mess of things. “Robert-” “It's fine. You're right, it was just a game. No harm no foul.” But it hadn't been a game. Robert had been interested, had thought they were bantering and now he was understanding all of Aaron's comments in a different light. Now Robert wouldn't even look at Aaron as he spoke, instead his gaze fixed on the wall behind Aaron’s left shoulder. Hesitantly Aaron took a step forward and Robert quickly took two steps back. “Robert, I didn't realize ju-” “I won't-I’ll keep out of your way from now on.” “Would you just wait a second.” “If it's all the same to you, I'd really rather not. You've made your feelings quite clear.” He was edging away again and Aaron could see the walls going back up. Could see him shutting down. He'd opened his mouth to say something - anything really - to try and fix what was happening. But Adams laughter cut into the growing silence and in the time it took Aaron to look from the door opening and back Robert had fled leaving Aaron with their words echoing in his head. You've made your feelings quite clear. Yeah, well, I actually like Andy so bit different innit? I don't want you near me, let alone in any other way. Least his personality enhances his looks. “Fuck." Nine days. He hasn't seen Robert since their last conversation nine days ago. He’d expected Robert to bounce back, to flounce back into the garage and needle away again. Every time the garage door had opened Aaron’s gaze had flew over to it hoping for even a glimpse of blond hair but it was only ever one of the boys and on a few occasions Andy. No, Robert hadn't simply brushed their argument off and steamrolled on like expected instead he'd fallen off the face of the earth and Aaron hadn't been the only one to notice. “Oi, Andy, what happened to that pompous brother of yours? Too good for us suddenly is he?” Ross questioned. Aaron feigned indifference and kept his head buried in the motor of Andy's car but his focus stayed with the conversation. “He's on a vacation.” if Andy's tone was anything to go by he wasn't best pleased about it either. “You lot have a race in less than a month.” “I am aware.” “So he's alright then?” Aaron hadn't meant to actually ask but he'd been worried, much to his own annoyance. Pulling up out of the engine block he rested his hands on the car and fixed his attention on Andy. Andy gave a half shrug of the shoulder and Aaron forced himself not to frown while simultaneously chastising himself for feeling bad for Robert. The other man was outrageously rude but even still something about the way Andy dismissed Robert's feelings didn't sit right with him. “Seems fine, bit mopey I guess. Probably why Chrissie asked Lawrence if they could go.” At least he knew why Robert hadn't been around then or so he thought “It's only for an extended weekend though, they'll be back tomorrow.” Aaron gave a shrug of his own before getting back to work only to feel Adam come along side him and elbow him gently in the side as he leaned into car as well a grin on his face. “You got a thing for Robert eh?” “You what now?” “Don't even try denying it, mate. I've seen you two making eyes at one another.” “I don't make eyes at Robert.” Jesus Christ was he really that dense when it came to someone hitting on him? “Besides he has someone.” “Just not like you to ask about the drivers and I know you too well bro, you didn't like Andy's comments.” Aaron's head snapped to the side eyes wide with worry that he'd been that transparent but Adam shook his lightly with a shit eating grin. “Nah, Andy didn't notice. I just know all your ticks now don't I?” “You're reading into things.” “I've got my own eyes too ya know, haven't seen so much as a hair from him since I interrupted your lover's spat last week.” “Piss off Adam.” His friends face was still lit up by a grin before dimmed slightly and he knocked shoulders with Aaron. “Just be careful yeah? You know I'm not one to judge but that's got messy written all over it.” “Well I'll remember that sage advice should anything ever actually be happening won't I?” “Anyone ever tell you're grumpy when you're not getting laid?” Adam snarked back. “Go away Adam. “Sure sure, but uh before I do, does this mean you don't want his phone number?” There was silence following his question, Aaron opening and closing his mouth about four times before finally deciding on a response. “Pass.” So Adam sends him the number anyways because Adam might actually know him better than himself. Neither of them are big advocates for cheating but they do believe in a ‘if you think it's worth it try it’ kind of existence. Life comes at you fast and not everything can be perfect. Not everything goes smooth. The problem is however Aaron's not entirely sure what he feels towards Robert. Lust? Definitely. But beyond that? Well, he's got no idea. The older man frustrates him, gets under his skin, and god knows whenever they're pressed up against each other Aaron's body practically yearns for more. The thing is though, is that enough to warrant the potential trouble? He could get sacked, they both could if caught. It would most certainly be a spectacle for the media if the why got leaked. Honestly, he was getting ahead of himself because Robert might not even be interested anymore. Nine days has got to be a write off yeah? Sure Aaron had avoided him for nearly a week but they'd still seen each other. Robert had ghosted him. He should just delete the number. He will delete it. He doesn't delete it. Though to be fair he doesn't message Robert either. He waits instead. Waits to see if Robert will show up at the garage post vacation. Waits to see if he can gauge if Robert’s still interested. Except Robert doesn't show up the next day or the day after that and Aaron's starting to think his poorly thought out words did way more damage than he’d ever believed possible. Eleven days. He hasn't even seen Robert is eleven fucking days. It shouldn't even matter. He shouldn't even care. Three weeks ago he'd have considered this a blessing. Probably thrown a damn party in celebration but this isn't three weeks ago, it's eleven days later, and he can't get that sad confused look Robert had on his face towards the end out of his head. So he's finally gonna bite the bullet and do it and he does a whole three hours later at two in the morning when he's fairly certain Robert will be asleep. Aaron: Hey, you awake? He already regrets this and he knows he'll regret it more in five hours when Robert wakes and replies. Robert: Who is this? Robert: Try not texting the wrong number at nearly half past 2. Aaron : So I see you're prat at over text as well as in person then. There's a pause between messages, a long pause, and Aaron's starting to wonder if he's already being ignored this way too. Robert: Aaron? Aaron: Last I checked yeah, but always possible it's changed. Robert: Goodnight Aaron. Aaron : Robert wait.. Aaron: I'm sorry. Apologies weren't easy and it felt to open, so he followed it up with what he hoped came across as playful. Aaron : This is where you apologize now. Aaron rubbed at the back of his neck now nervous Robert would have already tossed his phone aside. His hand left his neck only to move towards his mouth as Aaron worried away at the skin around his thumbnail. A relieved sigh escaping him when his phone vibrates. Robert: Where /I/ apologize? He could practically feel Robert's annoyance through his phone and it made him smile. Aaron: Well yeah Aaron: only seems fair Aaron: you did bruise my back on the workbench Aaron: So…. Robert: I'm sorry that you never learned you could write more than ten words per text before hitting send. Aaron: Blow me. He doesn't even think it through, just types it and hits send before he's even fully processed. Then he just stares at it because jesus christ Aaron. Robert: I'd fucking planned on it and you ruined it. Aaron blinks, then blinks some more, shifts around slightly in his bed and tries to focus. Aaron: When? Robert: … is that even a real question? You're a virgin aren't you, that's why you're so bad at this because otherwise and I mean this genuinely, how are you this oblivious? Robert: What did you think my intent was in the garage Aaron, Jesus Christ. Aaron: Yeah, again blow me, i don't know, and I think it's pretty clear I thought you were just being an asshole. Aaron isn't bad at flirting really, not when he knows that's what was happening. Robert though hadn't given any hints to his intent instead acting like a schoolboy with a crush and tugging on pigtails to show it. Pushing up in bed so that he rested against his headboard Aaron blew out a breath before quickly typing another message before Robert could reply.. Aaron: You've been avoiding me. Robert: Obviously. He was such a twat Aaron: for fucks sake, Robert, I'm trying here. Robert : Now who's playing games? You weren't interested, you made that very clear. Goodnight. Aaron: ..night. Frustrated Aaron tossed his phone aside and flopped down into his bed, dragging the sheets over his head. He'd try again tomorrow. For now he’d sleep and try and figure out when exactly the tables had turned. As it turned out he didn't need to try again, Robert beat him too it. Aaron had woken midday grateful for a day off but an itch in his fingers to pester at Robert again, but trying again the second he woke up bordered on needy so instead he’d tossed his phone to the far side of his bed before climbing out and padding towards his bedroom door, snatching gym shorts from his floor as he walked. Reaching the kitchen he pulled open his refrigerator and scratched absently at his chest only to frown when he realizes he had nothing to eat. Wandering back to his room briefly he snagged his shoes and a possibly clean t-shirt before letting himself out of his flat and jogging towards the shop down the street. Running usually cleared his head, his mind lulled into relaxing by the rhythmic sound of his feet slapping against pavement as life went on around him. Not today though, Robert seemed impossible to just ignore. At the very least he wanted to apologize properly, explain the confusion and a part of him was frustrated - honestly even angry - that Robert had refused him the chance. In fact the more he thought about it the more annoyed he was by it. By the time he returned home eating was the last thing on his mind. He haphazardly shoved his grocery away and stormed off towards his room snatching his phone up as he dragged a hand through his sweaty hair ready to let Robert have it only to see a message from twenty minutes earlier. Robert: Have you always been so poor at signals or is it a recent development? He wanted to throttle him and mount him all at the same time. His attraction to Robert had been part of the problem. Robert was gorgeous, and he knew it. Knew how to play up his assets to which there were many. But the attraction had only made Aaron angry because he hadn't understood. It was an entirely different story now. Aaron: Consider instead you're shit at flirting. Robert: I'm unbelievably charming in all ways all the time, Dingle. Aaron: Do people actually find your arrogance attractive? Robert: You do. Aaron rolled his eyes but only had himself to blame, hed walked right into that one. Aaron: I might. This was going a lot better than the previous night or he thought It was until the quick responses had stopped. Maybe Robert thought he was playing games again. His finger tapping anxiously against his thigh he mumbled ‘fuck it’ before sending another quick text. Aaron: I do. The reply came almost instantly. Robert: it's cute how eager you are for this conversation to continue, but don't worry I'm not ignoring you. I'm on a conference call with sponsors. Boring as hell, but occasionally I do have to focus on it. Aaron: At least you're doing something, I'm still in bed. Robert: Naked? And just like that the tone of their conversation changed because yeah Robert had flirted a bit but now it seemed he'd taken Aaron’s propensity for being dense seriously and was handling things more directly. For the first time since they'd met a month ago Aaron actually approved of his conversational tactics. Aaron: Not at the moment, no. Robert : How disappointing. Robert: What are you wearing then? Aaron bit down on his lip, suddenly shy. He knew where this was going and knew himself enough to know he did want it to go there but it didn't mean he did this sort of thing often. Aaron: Just shorts, went for a run when I got up. Robert: Is your dick as noticeable in them as mine was the other week? He hadn't checked obviously but there was one thing Aaron did know for sure though, he wanted to hear Robert say these things not read them. Aaron: Is your call over? I'd rather not type. His phone was ringing two seconds later. He didn't even get a hello out before Robert was talking.“Get them off.” “Hello, Robert. I'm well yeah, how are you? Alone by chance?” He was about eighty percent sure he heard Robert smother a laugh. “Dingle, get your fucking shorts off.” “So much for charming” he grumbled. This time Robert really did laugh and it wasn't the condescending one he was used to hearing around the garage or the laugh he used with Chrissie that had always sounded fake and strained not that anyone seemed to notice. This laugh was light and deep all at once, like it came from somewhere he didn't usually share and Aaron felt something warm unfurl in his chest. “Do you need to be charmed?” “Bit more wooing little less ego yea’? Be a bit nice s’all.” He sounded petulant. The silence that followed tipping towards uncomfortable when Robert's voice finally sounded down the line again. “I want you naked for me, Aaron. I want you against your headboard legs spread wide.” His tone wasn't harsh but it carried authority and every word curved it's way around Aaron. Stroked down his spine and made his breath hitch. His tongue darting out to wet suddenly dry lips as Robert continued. “I want your free hand on your thigh, understood? Don't touch yourself yet.” “ Fuck. I-okay. .” He kicked out of his shorts flinging them halfway across the room and shuffled his way up the bed to rest against the headboard his fingers digging into his thigh his gaze locked between his legs. “Done.” “Are you hard?” “Kind of, and you?” Instead of answering he ignored Aaron's question all together. “I had every intention of getting on my knees for you, you know? Planned to stare up at you while you held me in place by my hair and take every fucking inch of you.” It wrenched a groan from Aaron, his breathing heavy and his fingers flexing against his skin. “Rob..” “That first day, when you had a go at me for my attitude. I wanted you so much it was an ache. I thought about how you'd feel under me. How you'd feel in me.” Aaron’s eyes had fluttered shut, his breathing shallow, and his blunt nails dug into his thigh muscles and he wrestles for control “Do you fuck hard? I bet you do.” He sounded wistful and it left Aaron on edge. “You like to grab a firm grip and slam in deep don't you, Aaron? Barely any finesse but you fill up every inch of someone. Make a person feel stretched and full like they were losing their fucking mind.” “.... please. ” “Go ahead, you can touch.” He whimpered, honest to god whimpered, when his fingers closed around his length. A tentative squeeze before a lazy stroke up the length that ripped another equally embarrassing sound from him. And that's when he finally heard it, Robert's own harsh breathing. Knowing Robert was just as keyed up as he was. Fisting himself in his office to the idea of Aaron fucking him. It made Aaron feel bold. “I want...fuck I want you on your back the first time, I wanna use that grip on your hair to-to make you watch every time I push into you. Watch your eyes roll back when I-uh when I bottom out” He stuttered through it, stumbling a bit as his body came alive. His head bounced lightly off the headboard, he tried to use the sharp jab to ground himself, to hold off his release but couldn't unsee the visual of Robert spread open willingly for him. He tightened his grip, slid his thumb over the tip and closed his eyes. Pictured Robert staring up at him and felt his dick twitch at the idea. Aaron was hunched over, hair damp from sweat and plastered to his forehead, his hand finding and keeping the perfect rhythm. He was egged on by Roberts heavy breathing, the muttered curses. His grip tightened, his wrist twisting as he stroked up and he sucked in s breath. His hips jerked as he groaned softly “You sound so fucking good.” Robert whispered out. It was the only thing said by either of them for a while. The only noise the sounds of their harsh breath as they both got closer and closer. Aaron felt the heat in his belly, felt his body tighten, and knew he wouldn't last much longer. “Rob. “W-What.” “I want you to cum for me. I want to hear you cum.” Robert made a strangled noise before he did exactly that. It was sudden and powerful and Robert cursed twice before just quietly repeating Aaron’s name again and again as he stroked himself through it and tried to pull himself back together. He sounded so wrecked so surprised by it that it dragged Aaron with two seconds later and he came over his own fist with a shout of Robert’s name. There was silence following, only broken up here or there by the sounds of their cleaning before Aaron let out a laugh. “Jesus.” “Only a man, Aaron, despite what you may have heard.” “You're an idiot.” “I have my moments” and then abruptly. “Shit, I need to go. We'll talk soon.” “What? Rob-” Robert blew out an irritated breath and Aaron frowned. After a moment he could hear paperwork being shuffled around and when he realized what it would be or more likely who would cause Robert to shut down so suddenly instantly felt stupid. Didn't bother to finish his sentence. Robert caught on immediately. “It's not her, its Lawrence I can hear him down the hall.” His voice lowered, tone soft, as he tries to coax Aaron back around “'I’m sorry, don't be mad at me alright? I'll make it up to you later.” Which meant Robert believed they were going to do this again and it went a long way in soothing him “So you'll be at the garage tomorrow?” “Keen to see me are ya’?” He was thankful Robert couldn't see his blush “Forget it.” "I'm only teasin’ don't be like that.” He was still embarrassed though, his voice gruff in reply. “You're supposed to be leaving now.” “Bye, Aaron.” It was flirty, two words and Aaron could still feel the other man's affection in them. It made him feel good, made him forget all about Chrissie and Lawrence and the reason he shouldn't. It made him smile. For the first time in a long time something made him feel happy . “Bye, Robert.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- He'd woken with a smile, feeling better than he had in months, and it was a mood that had stayed with him through his shower the smile never slipping. Once dressed he made his way downstairs and into the kitchen where Adam clocked the good mood immediately. His friend watched him with a bemused smile of his own as Aaron hummed quietly to himself while pouring coffee into a mug and then topped it off with milk and a sugar.“I take it the Great Sugden Silence of twenty seventeen is over then?”Aaron’s had froze for a second before he finished snagging a bowl from the cupboard and glanced over his shoulder, his cheeks tinged red. “That obvious?”“You're buzzing, mate.”“Had a good night.Adam leaned forward wiggling his eyebrows his own grin growing bigger. “Get lucky did ya’?”“No. Yes. Kind of.” He flung a crumpled napkin at a snickering Adam before turning his back to his friend to pick a cereal. “Shut up, Adam.”“Don't hold out on me, I practically set you up.” He’d leaned back in his seat arms folded across his broad chest delight all over his face at being able to pick on his friend.Aaron rolled his eyes as he slid into his seat and pointed his spoon towards a smug looking Adam. “Cheers, can always count on you to send me the number of attractive engaged men can’t I?”Adam put his hands over his heart feigning hurt before he suddenly sobered, the teasing tone gone from his voice when he spoke again.“You're gonna be careful aren't ya’? Him being engaged and all, to the boss's daughter no less.”Aaron fought against a frown and glanced over at his best friend “You encouraged this, now you're warning me off him?”“I'm asking if you're gonna be careful. Maybe it makes me a bad bloke to encourage it but you're smiling and I haven't seen you smile like that in months. Not since before your..” His voice trailed off but they both knew who he meant. Gordon . He hadn't smiled properly since Gordon had popped back up and everything had gone to hell. Sensing Aaron wasn't going to speak up Adam quickly hurried on trying to smother the air of unease. “My point is, I'm not gonna warn you off him, I just don't want you to look for more than what he's actually offering.”Aaron frowned down at his breakfast his good mood slowly souring and stabbed at the Frosties with his spoon. “Seein’ as you know him so well and all what exactly is it you think he's offering?”“A fun shag.”Abruptly Aaron pushed away from the table his chair scraping unpleasantly against the floor as he went to deposit his bowl into the sink. “For the record, we had a wank over the phone. I'm not writing in my diary about forevers, thanks.”“Aaro-”“But good to know your opinion.” He left Adam calling after him and stomped back up to his room. He wasn't entirely sure why he was so angry. It had only been phone sex and Aaron wasn't looking for more but still…The idea that a shag was all Robert was after, was all Adam thought Robert would want from him, well it didn't speak highly of Aaron in his own opinion. Mostly it stung.Grabbing his wallet and jacket he clambered back down the stairs and shot through the kitchen towards the front door giving Adam the silent treatment, ignoring the frown on his friend's face as he slammed the door shut behind him.Adam would corner him eventually and Aaron would forgive him but for now he had every intention of keeping his bad mood on. Twenty minutes later he found himself nursing said bad mood over a coffee from a cafe near the garage. It was barely past nine and he wouldn't be expected at the garage until nearly noon, the rest following in around one. It was a Saturday which was normally an off day but Robert’s car still wasn't running to his lofty standards and with races not too far off a couple of them had agreed to the extra hours, albeit a late start.Aaron always liked to get their before everyone else, check over part orders and make sure things were alright. There was a reason he had the lead spot at only twenty-five.Now though he wished he had anything at all to do. The idea of killing three hours in the cafe wasn't appealing and the dark haired lad in glasses not so subtly staring at him from across the room wasn't helping.Fishing his phone out of his pocket he chewed at the corner of his lip before shrugging and unlocked his screen. Pulling open his messages he staunchly ignores Adam’s three text messages and instead clicked into his conversation with Robert, his fingers moving quickly across the screen. You busy? He figured he'd have to wait a moment for the text but the response comes almost instantly, the lack of a delay making him smile brightly, warmth flickering through his chest. Bored out of fucking mind. It twitches a smile onto Aaron’s face, the first since his conversation with Adam. I'm at the cafe near the garage. Bob's something or other. Join me? This time Robert's reply takes a couple minutes but it pulls a laugh out of him, loud enough for people to turn and look at him and he smothers his smile as he rereads the message. The way you text is physically painful to witness. If you start using emojis I'm blocking your number. He doesn't say yes or no to Aaron’s invite and with Adam’s words still banging around in his head he doesn't ask again not wanting to seem clingy. Instead he turns his screen off and sets his phone aside and waits, his finger tapping against the screen as he does.He also notices that Glasses has inched his way closer.It's not that the kid is hideous or anything, he's cute in bookish way actually seems vaguely familiar, Aaron just isn't interested. Too late he realizes he should have kept his phone open and attention on it because he's got no way to avoid the looming conversation without making an embarrassing scene in a very public place. So Glasses is named Finn, and he's been rambling on about something called Death Note coming to Netflix and how he wishes it wouldn't and he's been rambling about it for nearly fifteen minutes. He also keeps finding excuses to touch Aaron, it started with a touch to his arm and then his hand and most recently his knee as he leaned forward laughing and Aaron’s got the same polite smile fixed on his face he did when Finn first sat beside him.As the smile finally starts to dim at the corners and his eyes begin to glaze over Aaron is seriously starting to consider if throwing himself under an espresso machine and letting scolding hot water end it all is worth it - It has to be less painful than this. - when the front door opens and Robert’s slender frame appears.He'd actually shown up.He watches Robert’s gaze wander around the cafe before it spots him in the corner and before Aaron can do anything he feels Finn’s hand squeeze at his knee again and knows the second Robert’s clocked the movement himself. His right eyebrow arches up in a way Aaron’s never been able to master and when Finn glances down at his drink Aaron seizes the moment to send Robert a pleading look. Silently begging for help.Robert fucking smirks back at him.And then he steps into the queue, doesn't spare Aaron another look, and Aaron’s never wanted to throttle him more.He doesn't have time to dwell on it though because Finn’s taken his lapse in silence as approval and this time when his hand touches Aaron it's bolder, resting brazenly on his thigh. High on his thigh.If Aaron was interested he’d have been impressed by the move but he’s barely spoken since Finn sat down and he’s not sure how the lad could think this was ok. “Uh, Finn..”Unfortunately he doesn't know what to say. He's not thrilled by their close proximity but he's not aiming to embarrass the other man either and he can’t figure out a way to say ‘Please don’t fondle me’ without upsetting the man and Finn's clearly not creepy, just intense, and Aaron would guess inexperienced at flirting.“Yes?” He sounds so hopeful and his fingers contract against Aaron’s thigh again gently.But in the end it isn't Aaron that responds to him.“If you want to grope your boyfriend, mate, maybe do it somewhere less public. Some of us want to keep the coffee we drink down, not retch it back up.”Finn’s shoulders sag and he snatches his hand back at the exact same moment Aaron turns with a sneer at whoever spoke only to find himself staring at a bored looking Robert. The older man's long frame folded into one of the chairs near them, coffee resting on his kneeAaron’s sneer fades as quickly as it came and truthfully he almost buys Robert's bored indifference himself but the agitated way Robert’s finger taps against his coffee cup gives him away. He’s still not thrilled Robert took a swipe at Finn like that but he lets it pass or would have had Robert not kept going.Robert for his part hadn’t spared Aaron a single glance, all his focus settled on Finn, and Aaron had argued with him enough to know that calculating expression. “He is your boyfriend, correct?”“No, he’s- I I mean to say I hope. Actually um, I was about to ask him out. But it’s not..why is it your business?”Aaron just manages not to wince at that, there's no need to add to the other embarrassment. He does however openly scowl at Robert only growing more annoyed as his attention properly settles on the older man because fuck does Robert look good.Even in spite of his arrogance being turned up to eleven, maybe even because of it. He had on dark blue jeans that fit way better than should ever be allowed, the denim snug across his thighs and he’d paired it with a maroon jumper black leather jacket combo that had Aaron's mouth going dry. His reaction was bordering on pathetic and he shifted around in his seat his own jeans suddenly uncomfortable. Watched the corner of Robert's mouth twitch as he took notice of Aaron’s movement.But Robert’s real focus remained on Finn and his eyebrow arched up towards his hairline in a sign of overly dramatic and clearly fake shock. “Often grope strangers then do you?”“I-I wasn't” Finn stuttered.“Don't be a prat.” Aaron snapped.They'd spoken at the same time and Finn sent him a small smile in thanks before darting a look towards the door and then back to Aaron, his silent question obvious and Aaron watched Robert tense out of the corner of his eye obviously understanding as well. The smug bastard could do with getting kicked down a peg or two. “Yeah alright.”For one brief moment fury flickered unchecked across Robert's face and Aaron almost reconsidered. Pushing up from his chair Aaron trailed Finn out of the cafe and didn't dare look back at Robert.But he felt the older man's gaze drilling into the back of his head with every step He expected Robert to come after him, frowning when he doesn't. He'd been so sure the other man would understand the game, would be interested, and he feels unease flare up in his stomach, wonders if maybe he took it too far. He had been the one to invite Robert to the cafe after all.He ends up being too preoccupied by thoughts of Robert and he ends up exchanging numbers with Finn automatically, doesn't even realize what he's done until Finn's already off in a taxi and he's blinking down at a new contact in his phone. “Shit.”“Pathetic.”He spins around and finds Robert behind him his face blank but Aaron can hear it in his tone, Aaron can feel it, because jealousy is radiating off of the other man. It should make Aaron feel better but after Robert’s display inside it just annoys him and it’s ironic since Robert is engaged ..“This your big plan then?” and Aaron’s realizing Robert thinks he's been set up. Considering their phone call the day before that's idiotic because this is purely reactionary to Robert’s piss poor attitude and condescending nature. The same thing they’ve always argued about. Aaron had wanted saving from Finn true enough but there wasn't a need to embarrass him and talk down to him. To go out of his way to make Finn feel as bad as possible.“Don't be daft, I don't even know him.”“Took his number though.” His voice drops, irritation evident, but it's the tone he has like he's disgusted that gets to Aaron most. Like he's judging Aaron.In response to it Aaron’s chin juts out defiantly. “Seems I did, me being single and all. Unlike some.”Roberts suddenly in his space, crowding him up against a car and Aaron’s trapped, can only blink up at him with wide eyes. “Get in the car, Aaron."And then he's gone, storming across the parking lot and leaving Aaron to follow in his wake, not bothering to even question that Aaron would follow behind and honestly Aaron’s not exactly pleased with himself when he barely even hesitates before doing as ordered. The cars nice, nicer than anything Aaron’s ever been inside let alone owned, and exactly what Aaron expected of someone like Robert. It's a beautiful blue and Aaron knows enough about cars that he doesn't need Robert to tell him the make and model.But Robert's superficial and his vain nature overrides his temper and so he does it anyway, god forbid he not take a chance to gloat. “Audi R8 Spyder, obviously new.”“Obviously” Aaron’s not sure if it's his tone or the eyeroll he didn't bother to hide but suddenly Robert’s pissy again and he climbs into his car with a scowl, slamming his door with force.Sighing Aaron opens the passenger door and slides into the car making it a point to close the door gently and watches Robert’s long fingers flex around the steering wheel. Without a word between them the car rumbles to life and Robert stabs at a preset station, tugs his sunglasses from his hair to settle them on his face, and Aaron barely manages to get his seatbelt on before they’re flying out of the parking lot and weaving through traffic in a way that makes Aaron’s stomach roll and his fingers dig into the handle of his door.“Robert”He gets nothing but silence.“ Robert. ”Those long limbs of his shift gears but still he ignores Aaron.Aaron can feel the panic coming and hides from it with anger. “Would you fucking slow down, this isn’t a race.”Robert still ignores him but to Aaron’s relief they have to stop for a red light and he twists in his seat and gets ready to have it out with Robert but instead of looking at him the other man simply lifts a hand to press a button and Aaron watches the roof retract back into it’s storage space. A second later they’re flying down the street again.He’d have to shout to get Robert’s attention now but he doesn’t have the focus for it and as Robert cuts someone off before accelerating Aaron slides down in his seat his eyes clenched shut and his trembling fingers digging painfully into his own leg. Robert takes the turn for Home Farm at a speed that can only be described as stupid and Aaron’s body jostles against the door.He’s not sure if it’s the sound of his shoulder connecting with the door or the sound of distress he makes but the cars slowing until it’s well below the limit for the road they’re on. Aaron’s eyes remained tightly closed, his fingers still clutching at his jeans, and his body held tense. The second the car finally comes to a stop Aaron’s scrambling from it, stumbling across the parking lot and ignoring Robert as he calls after him.His hands are shaking so badly he can’t get the door open and he feels Robert near him, jerks when the older man settles a hand over his and carefully takes the key from him. A moment later he opens the door and steps back to let Aaron in first.Robert doesn’t speak until Aaron’s dealt with the security system, until he’s put distance between them and has his hands braced against a work bench while he breathes in and out trying to calm himself down.“I’m sorry.”It’s not what Aaron expects and it startles him, he’d expected cocky and unapologetic, but when Aaron turns slowly he finds Robert still near the door fidgeting with his sunglasses before he slots them back into place on top of his head, it reminds him of the other day when Robert’s facade had finally dropped.“I didn’t realize… I was mad at you.”“So I fucking gathered.”Suddenly Robert’s long legs have him across the garage and in front of Aaron in a few steps and he glares, clearly remembering why he was mad to begin with. “You left with him.”“I walked outside with him you git.” he doesn’t bother to tack on ‘you were meant to follow’ because he thinks it’s obvious.“You knew what he wanted.” Robert goes to respond but Aaron silences him with a light shove. “Trying to get us killed is a bit of an overreaction.”Robert rolled his eyes so hard Aaron was amazed he didn’t pull something. “You were never in danger.”“I forgot you’re all seeing, don’t know how with that fucking god complex.” Aaron snaps.“I drive , for a living Aaron, I can handle a ten minute drive to work just fine.”“Go home, Robert.”The blond is silent for a moment and Aaron watches the anger drain from him before he shakes his head softly. “You took his phone number.”A part of Aaron still wants to tell him to get lost again but that vulnerable side has slipped past Robert’s defenses again and he can’t bring himself to do it. Instead he leans back against the table, his arms folding across his chest as he watches Robert. “Not on purpose.”Robert perks up a bit at that but stays quiet as he waits for Aaron to elaborate.“I was too busy wondering why you hadn’t followed and agreed without thinking.” He gave a half hearted shrug. “He was already gone by the time I’d realized what had happened. Then you popped up running your mouth again. Speaking of, there wasn’t a need to be so rude in the cafe.”“He was all over you.”“And?”Robert’s lips flattened but he refused to answer and Aaron rolled his eyes before letting his gaze wander around the garage, a sigh passing his lips. Today hadn’t gone remotely as he’d planned. It was hard to believe that they’d gotten each other off over the phone less than twelve hours ago. He frowned before letting his gaze settle on his feet refusing to look up at Robert again.“Maybe we shouldn’t do this.”A beat of silence and then confusion.“ What ?” Aaron lifts his gaze to find Robert frowning - no absolutely scowling - at him. “Because of one argument? or is this because your car phobia thing?”“I don’t have a ‘car phobia thing’ you prat.” He’d used air quotes in mockery so Robert knew exactly how stupid he was for that question. “We barely even get along.”“You do, and it’s how we flirt.”“I have a car you know, just because I don’t want to die in one doesnt mean I have a phobia.” Aaron replied.“You practically had a panic attack, you were begging me to slow down.”“Not a fucking chance, I don’t beg.” Aaron pushed away from the table and was poking at Robert’s chest. Something hot flashed in Robert’s gaze and Aaron felt a return heat climb up his spine. Robert hadn’t been wrong, this was how they flirted at least when alone. It was clear the addition of Finn had thrown their dynamic off. “Not for anything, not for any one .”It was a challenge and they both knew it and the smile that lit up Robert’s face did wonders for Aaron’s own mood and suddenly none of it mattered anymore and he was back to the good mood he’d woken up with. “Your jealousy was almost cute” he teased and in response Robert crowded Aaron up against the table, his hands on either side of him bracketing him in.“You’re gonna pay for it you know? Waltzing out of there with him, taking his number? I don’t share well.”Just like it had outside Aaron’s chin jutted out in defiance but his hands found their way to Robert’s waist pulling him closer “I’m terrified, mate.”“You should, you’ll be in certain agony.” He leaned his head down his mouth brushing over Aaron’s jaw and over to his ear his voice lowering at the same time his fingers brushed lightly against Aaron’s crotch smirking as the younger man jerked in response. “You’ll definitely be begging.”Aaron ignored that and instead twisted his head to the side so he could pull Robert into a kiss, moaned softly into the other man’s mouth as Robert started to work on the snap of Aaron’s jeans. Robert wasted no time in shoving his hand into the space created and seconds later his fingers were curving around Aaron’s length, the young mechanics breath hitching at the sensation.“Did you imagine it was my hand last night?” his hand slowly stroked the length of Aaron’s growing erection and Aaron nodded his head quickly, his hands fluttering around before coming to rest on Robert’s shoulders, fingers gripping in tight as his hips lifted into Robert’s stroke. “You sounded so good, so needy. Don’t hide that from me now.”“‘’m not.”“But you’re so quiet?” His hand’s pace picked up slightly and he watched Aaron bite down on his lip as his head fell back. “Aaron?”“Thinking's too hard.”Robert’s laugh was soft, sweet even, and he pressed a kiss to Aaron’s temple before twisting his wrist on the down stroke. “That’s not the only thing.” a brief pause and then. “Do you want my mouth?”“ Christ yes .”Aaron’s eyes had gone wide and he nodded quickly his hands moving up over Robert’s neck and into his blond hair to grip at it tightly, giving a reflexive tug that had Robert biting back his own groan. Another laugh rumbling free as Aaron pushed him towards his knees and went without argument. Reluctantly - and clearly to Aaron’s unhappiness - he released his grip and pulled his hand from Aaron’s jeans watching the man pout down at him.“It’ll be worth it, don’t worry.”Hooking his fingers in Aaron’s jeans he started to pull them down until they pooled around Aaron’s ankles and then leaned forward to mouth at Aaron through his boxers. Breathed in the scent that was uniquely Aaron and lowered a hand to palm at his own arousal. “Rob..”“Say please.”“ Fuck off. ”Robert leaned forward again and mouthed around the shape of Aaron’s dick, let his tongue press into the fabric, licked at the length, and then pulled back to smirk at the wet spot it left behind. “Keep being rude and I’ll st-”Both of them froze at the sound of a car door slamming shut and Robert scrambled up to his feet before bolting around the table, putting distance between Aaron and himself, as his hands fussed with his hair. He flashed Aaron a sympathetic smile as he watched the other man struggle to get his pants back up, Aaron wincing when the denim dragged over his hard-on.No sooner had Aaron gotten his jeans snapped did the garage door clatter open with Ross and Pete bounding in. Luckily they were too busy snipping at one another - unheated and clearly a brotherly thing - and so Aaron was able to go snag a pair of overalls and step into them before anyone noticed the very obvious problem he had.Eventually though the brothers took notice of the pair, Pete the first to speak. “Didn’t expect you to be early Sugden.”“More like show at all.”Robert’s face clouded over and Aaron sighed before snagging Robert by the elbow and moving him away from the brothers and towards his car, squeezing at his elbow. “Don’t kick off, they’re doing you a favor.”“They interrupted you mean.”“Yeah well, this place is clearly cursed.”It took Robert a second to catch on - this being the third time they were interrupted in some capacity at Home Farm - but quickly enough he was laughing lightly and then flickering a quick look at the Barton’s to make sure they were far enough away before speaking. “I’ll make it up to you after, your place.”“If you behave, maybe.” Robert didn’t have time to verbally reply before Pete and Ross made their way over, Adam stumbling into the garage late as usual, but the grin on his face told Aaron everything he needed to know. “Rob, fuck, come on.” He'd bottomed out, deep inside Aaron, and then gone completely still. Waited until Aaron had gotten used to the stretch and then had simply just waited even longer. Only smirked as Aaron's hips had started to roll under him on their own, desperate for Robert to do something, anything at all. “ Move .”But he didn't, he just watched Aaron buck under him, watched the frustration grow. Felt Aarons nails start to dig into his forearms and quickly grabbed the other man’s wrists in response before he pinned them above his head. Robert let his full weight settle against Aaron next, managed to sink in impossibly deeper somehow. “Robert, I swear-if you don't. If you don't fucking move …”“Say it.”“ Robert .” He sounded desperate. So fucking needy to his own ears. The other man's name practically a sob.But the older man still didn't move and Aaron felt like he was going to come apart at the seams. Felt tears of frustration well up in the corners of his eyes. Robert either didn’t notice or ignored it because the only thing he did was lean forward so that he could drag his mouth across Aaron’s jaw and over to his ear, breath hot against Aaron’s skin.Robert’s fingers lifted away from one of his wrists to slide through Aaron’s hair, pushing the curls off his sweaty forehead, lips twitching in a smirk against Aaron’s ear. Voice heavy with his own need when he spoke. “Aaron, just say it. One little word and you can have everything you want, one word and I'll give it to you.”Why, why did he make that stupid comment about never begging in the garage earlier? He should have taken Robert’s threats seriously.They stumbled through Aaron’s front door, refusing to break the kiss they’d started once both of them were out of the car, and slammed into a wall. Aaron had laughed and then abruptly moaned when Robert had rocked their hips together, denim clad crotches rubbing together in a way that made Aaron’s eyes cross. The stairs had been a challenge but they’d managed kiss and all before shoving Aaron’s bedroom door open. He’d stripped his shirt quickly and then Aaron had been shoved up against his bedroom door again, watched Robert drop to his knees and sucked in a breath. Anticipation making his legs shake as Robert dragged his jeans down and then his boxers. Breathed out an uneven breath as his fingers slid through Robert’s hair again, used that grip to push Robert’s face forward and was left reeling when instead of taking him into his mouth Robert pressed a kiss to his stomach and then stood back up.He’d been in a special kind of hell ever since.Because Robert absolutely one hundred and ten percent intended to deny Aaron ever last inch of real satisfaction until he did as requested. As told honestly.His hips rolled under Robert again but it was useless, more tease than relief, and his voice cracked as the words burst from him. Because he couldn’t fucking take it anymore.“Please. Please Robert , please just fucking move. I need you..I need.. fuck. ”Robert's hips suddenly snapped forward, hard enough that Aaron’s body inched up the bed at the same time a shudder wracked through him. Robert braced himself above Aaron watching his face as he drove in again and again at a relentless pace.Watched as Aaron’s eyes rolled back and his self controlled shattered into nothing as Robert caught his prostate. One of his hands slipped away from Aaron’s hair to track it's way across the younger man's face, his thumb resting on Aaron’s bottom lip tugging at it softly.“Look at you.”Aaron's lips parted on a whine, eyes wide, and his hips bucked when suddenly Robert took a harsh grip on his hair forcing Aaron to look down between them. “What was it you said on that call Aaron? You wanted me to watch as you fucked me? Wanted me to see myself take every last inch of you?”He pulled back only to abandon his harsh pace and slowly, tortuously, pushed back in. “What’s that like then?”Aaron's mouth floundered open and closed but his gaze never wavered. He'd whine softly when Rob almost pulled completely out only to moan loudly when the other man would start to push back in. His eyes unfocused when Rob finally tipped his head back so they could look at each other, fingers feathered across his jaw, a smug grin curving his lips up when Aaron tried to look back down between them.“Do you want to watch Aaron?”“Y-yes..”“Then say it.” His fingers flexed lightly against the smooth skin of Aaron’s neck and he watched as Aaron struggled to understand. Eyes still unfocused and hips lifting eagerly, if not automatically, to meet Roberts slow pace.“Aaron?”“I don't..” He interrupted himself with a groan, eyes rolling back, and his mouth going slack as Rob shifted his weight. As Robert moved him slightly so that he caught his prostate dead on with every stroke. Words slurred when he finally managed to speak. “I dunno”It punched a soft laugh out of Robert who leaned down, hovering his lips over Aaron’s before his tongue darted out to slide over the seam of Aaron’s. Licked his way into Aaron’s mouth and coaxed the young man's tongue into his own mouth, not that it took much convincing.The kiss was sloppy, Aaron too far gone to focus properly on it and Robert swallowed each whimper and whine from the other man with glee.He abandoned his slow pace for hard, let go of Aaron's hair so he could freely look down between them and then let that hand slid between them, wrapped his fingers around Aaron, and mumbled a curse when Aaron clenched around him. “Come on, come for me. Just like last time.”“ Fuck Robert ”His hips bucked hard and then he was falling, coming over Robert’s hand. His fingers tugging painfully at Robert’s hair as his back arched his body going tight. It was the best thing Robert had ever seen. He was still driving into Aaron when the young man finally started to pull himself together his gaze settling on Robert’s face as shaky fingers lifted to stroke across his freckled cheek “You gotta…”“I will.” He would too, wrapped tightly in Aaron’s body.But then Aaron was shoving at his shoulder, pushing Robert away, and he frowned confused and unhappy when Aaron kept pushing. “Aaron what the hell.”“Come on, get off.”“I didn’t.. Aaron?” But he was moving anyways, because Aaron had asked him too. Frowning at both the loss of how it felt to be deep in Aaron and because he didn’t understand why he was being denied when he was right there. When Aaron had known he hadn’t cum yet.He sat back on his heels unsure what to do next when suddenly he was on his back blinking up at the ceiling stupidly halfway down Aaron’s throat. “ Oh .”He felt Aaron’s nose bump against skin, felt Aaron’s tongue press flat against him and his hips bucked. It was messy and loud, Aaron bobbing up and down his length stopping to first lick at and then suck the tip only to gleefully swallow down every inch of Robert again.Robert’s eyes rolled back, his hands clawed at Aaron’s shoulders, and he came loudly when Aaron started to hum happily the vibrations making Robert actually shout out his release.Aaron didn’t stop though, sucked Robert through his orgasm, and then licked him clean after until Robert was whimpering and pushing him away. Until Robert had him by his elbows and hauled him up to lay against his chest.They laid there quietly, breathing heavy, until Robert broke the silence. “I didn’t know you could do that.”“You never asked.”“Yeah, yeah of course, my mistake normally the flirt thing I ask a fit bloke.”Aaron laughed quietly into Robert’s neck, nuzzling closer. “You think I’m fit?”“Find you hideous actually.” It was a joke but Aaron stiffened and Robert vaguely remembered what he thought was scars scattered across Aaron’s stomach, too busy with Aaron’s lower half to pay them much attention. Robert tightened his grip on Aaron to keep him from leaving and pressed his lips to the younger man's temple. “You’re gorgeous and you know it.”Aaron seemed to relax at that and Robert felt his lips brush against his neck, he’d guess for understanding right away. After a few seconds Aaron lifted his head to look up at Robert “You need to leave?”“Not anytime soon“Yeah?”“She’s out of town.” The smile that had appeared on Aaron’s face dimmed slightly at her mention but he recovered quickly, didn’t make a big deal out of it, and instead pressed his face into Robert’s neck again much preferring that.“Maybe we could get tea?”“Maybe I’ll even cook it.”“You’ll have Adam crashing the meal, mate. We’re confirmed bachelors, nether of us can do anything beyond order something or make a bowl of cereal. He’d kill for home cooked.”Robert sighed dramatically “The youth of today, always such a disappointment.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- He woke slowly, his body protesting, and his eyes staying closed. He wasn’t ready to let go of such a perfect dream and tried to will himself back to sleep even as his hips rocked up and he gripped tight to the visual of Robert on his knees, head bouncing off his race car, and gagging on Aaron’s length. That sarcastic mouth stretched around him, expressive eyes wide, as he took everything Aaron gave him. Letting his eyes flutter open he rubbed at his face, before his hips jerked again, and he became abruptly aware of what exactly had inspired that dream. He glanced down, mouth suddenly dry, and watched Robert’s head dip down, watched Robert take as much of Aaron into his mouth as he could and hollow his cheeks. “ Jesus Chris t” his hand reached out to stroke a thumb across Robert’s cheek, shuddered at the feel of himself in Robert’s mouth and it just seemed to spur Robert on. The older man shifting between Aaron’s legs as he tried to take more of him down never once breaking eye contact before finally pulling free with a filthy sound. “Rob..” He grinned, leaned forward slightly, and pressed a kiss to the tip of Aaron’s dick. “Morning.” By the time they’d finally managed to leave his room last night it had been nearly midnight, Adam long since off to bed, and they’d scraped together a quick meal before the need to touch had overridden everything and for the second time that day they kissed and stumbled their way into Aaron’s bedroom. He’d refrained from asking Robert to spend the night and Robert hadn’t bothered to say he should leave. Aaron wasn’t entirely certain what that meant but he wasn’t going to question it, not when it meant he’d fallen asleep with Robert and his long limbs wrapped around him. But that had been then and this was now and he really should have known this would be how Robert woke him up. “How long?” “Not long, you woke me with your mumbling, groaning and pleading. Demanding really, I wanted to help.” This time when Robert leaned forward to suck at the tip of Aaron’s dick again he felt Aaron’s finger catch in his hair,and he tried to smother a smug smirk as he glanced up through his lashes as if he could ever be shy. “You kept ordering me to take it actually, is this you telling me you want to be in charge for a bi-?” Aaron was moving before Robert had even finished speaking, upending a laughing Robert and hauling himself up the length of the other man's body to push back into his mouth. Smirked as Robert”s laugh ended on a gag. He was straddling Robert’s chest and sat back slightly to give Robert a couple seconds to get used to him and then he was pushing forward again. He didn't last long. Though in his defense Robert had started before he’d woken up. On his third thrust forward he came down Robert’s throat with no warning. He ended up pinning Roberts head into the mattress forcing him to swallow everything not that the older man seemed to have an complaints about it and he didn't actually move away until he felt Robert slap him not so gently on the ass. Pulling his hips back he dropped onto his back breathing hard and turned his head to watch Robert rub at his mouth with the back of his hand, it was a sight that was way more attractive than it had any right to be. “Sorry.” “For what?” The older man looked over at him, confusion evident. “Didn't warn you.” It punched a laugh from Robert, and the sound curved its way around Aaron’s heart even though he knew he shouldn't let it. “Do you hear me complaining?” “Guess not.” Robert moved then, ended up hovering over Aaron before kissing him softly and Aaron melted into the other man without a moment's hesitation. He was in so much trouble. "You guess, huh?” Aaron hummed in agreement before his arms slid around Robert’s waist to pull him closer. They'd need breakfast soon, Robert would need to leave soon, and eventually Aaron would need to consider what all of this meant but for now he was content to do nothing but exchange lazy kisses with Robert. Eventually the kisses had turned into comfortable silence as they laid on their sides facing each other across Aaron’s bed. It was almost noon and Robert was still there and it was feeling less and less like a one off and more and more like something that would most likely change Aaron’s life one way or another. The little bit of light that slipped through his blinds cast a glow over Robert’s face and Aaron couldn’t help but admire just how beautiful the older man was again. He’d done that a long since the first day they’d met if he was being honest. In the silence between them he studied the slope of Robert’s nose and the dust of freckles across his cheeks. The Robert he’d seen over the past couple of days was different and sure it was only by degrees but it was there. He seemed to soften when it was just the two of them as if he didn’t feel the need to project what he considered the “best” version of Robert Sugden. It made something warm unfurl in his chest. But Aaron still wasn’t ready to ask about what any of this meant so instead he picked a different topic and in hindsight probably something that wasn’t any safer. “Did you always want to race or is it just about Andy?” “I don’t do anything for Andy.” Robert snapped. Aaron didn’t believe that, he’d watched the brothers interact enough times in the garage to know better. Had seen the reactions Robert had when jabs were made. Andy dictated a large portion of Robert’s actions whether the other man felt like admitting it or not. Instead of responding Aaron kept quiet, tucked his hands under his head as they lay their facing each other and just watched Robert quietly again. The older man had a crease between his eyes Aaron felt the urge to kiss away but wasn't sure it would be appreciated, eventually Robert took it upon himself to break the silence. “We’re not really brothers you know. He’s not actually a Sugden.” “Not sure that’s how adoption works, Mate.” Robert scowled at him, clearly displeased Aaron wasn’t taking his side. “Besides, weren’t you adopted by your mum too?” It had been the wrong thing to say because Robert had gone rigid across from him and Aaron moved quickly to try and smooth things over, regretting his words instantly. “I’ve just seen articles on ya’. Andy mentions your family sometimes when we’re all out. I didn’t mean anything by it.” “ She’s my mum .” his voice cracked, fractured apart really, and Aaron felt his heart do the same at the wealth of feelings delivered in such a small sentence. “I wasn’t…,Robert, that’s not what I meant.” “Then what did you mean.” But instead of responding Aaron frowned as Robert pushed himself out of the bed, body tense as he snatched his briefs from the floor and jerked them on. “Are you leaving?” Aaron questioned. Robert wouldn't look at him and Aaron bit back his own irritation, tried to be understanding of the situation. Robert thought it seemed just couldn't help being himself and maybe Aaron had been wrong, maybe this was the real Robert. “This was a mistake,” he turned then frowning at Aaron. “You were a mistake.”. Aaron had clambered over to Robert’s side of the bed, arm reaching out to touch the older man in an attempt to calm him down but at Robert's words he’d frozen. That hurt, after the weeks of dancing around each other that had hurt. Which was exactly what Robert had intended. Aaron had hurt him, albeit unintentionally, and Robert had lashed out with intent. Just as swiftly as it had hurt him it turned again, it made him angry. “Get the fuck out of my house, Robert.” It has already been Robert’s intention, that much was obvious, his jeans already on and shirt in hand but as Aaron had learned weeks ago Robert was nothing if not frustrating and Aaron’s demand seemed to have the opposite effect on him. He’d paushed, his t-shirt hanging lip at his side, and let his gaze flicker over Aaron. “Why are you angry? You don't get to be angry, you insulted me. ” “I should have listened to Adam, proper pathetic innit?” He'd climbed from the bed finally and gave Robert a hard shove back, sending the taller man stumbling slightly, his shirt slipping to the floor forgotten as he squared back up to Aaron his own temper rising in tandem with Aaron’s. “Got what you wanted didn't ‘ya? Now you can run back to Chrissie pretend to be straight again or whatever you are but if you think you can go back to treating me like shit, you'd be dead wrong.” “Wait a second, you're the one who mentioned my mum. You said she wasn't-you didn't have any right, Aaron.” Robert dug his heels in then and scowled suddenly as Aaron's words penetrated his confusion. “What does Adam have to do with anything?” “Why does it matter, I'm just a mistake yeah?” He'd gone to shove at Robert's chest again but Robert had been ready for it. He caught Aaron by the wrists and tugged him forward so that they were practically nose to nose. Robert's gaze flickering across Aaron’s face. The tight set if his jaw, the flash or anger, and something else in his eyes and Robert finally caught on. “Aaron…” He frowned, everything had spiraled so quickly, and his tone softened. “I shouldn't have said that to you, you're not a mistake.” When Aaron didn't soften in return he kept going, rambled a bit honestly. “My mum, even Andy probably, I don't talk about them often. I don't...I don't react well to it, but I was out of line. I shouldn't have said that to you.” Aaron sneered up at him. Still angry. Still not willing to forgive. So Robert did something he almost never did. “I'm sorry.” Two simple words, said quietly without any qualifiers, Robert Sugden accepting blame. It took the fight right out of Aaron. He looked tired suddenly, felt tired really, and gave a half-hearted shrug of his shoulders. “Maybe you're right, maybe it is a mistake.” And Aaron was faced with the hard fact that in all reality it was a mistake he was making. Robert had someone waiting for him, maybe not today, but she was there. She’d always be there. Whatever last night had been it shouldn’t have happened. He shouldn't, couldn't, let it happen again even if the thought of pulling away from Robert long term made every last inch of him ache. “I wasn’t.” “No, I think you were.” Gently he pulled at his wrists and after a moment of hesitation Robert let him go. Ducking down he picked up Robert’s t-shirt and pushed it against his chest. “You should go.” “Aaron come on, I say stupid things all the time you know this.” He’s frowning now too though, glances down at Aaron’s hand as it pushed insistently but gently at Robert’s chest waiting for him to take his shirt. “That’s all this was.” Aaron’s not looking at him anymore though. He’s staring at a stain on the carpet next his feet. He’s worrying the skin around the thumb of his free hand and still waiting for Robert to take his shirt when he suddenly shakes his head. Finally asks the one thing he’d been avoiding since last night. “What is this, Robert?” The sudden change clearly catches Robert off guard and the confusion is written all over his face, his eyes pulled down in concentration as he tries to figure out where this conversation is now going. “Why didn’t you go home last night or even this morning? Why are you still here at all? Why come to the coffee shop?” He’s finally looked back up at Robert, the corners of his mouth turned down in a frown and watches as a flurry of emotions flicker across Robert’s face before he simply looks blank and Aaron let out a sigh, resigned to this being over before it’s started. Whatever this had even been. “You need to go Rob.” This time Robert doesn’t argue. Quietly he shrugs back into his t-shirt, finds his jumper near the door and pulls that on as well. He slips his shoes back on and reaches for the door handle. His fingers close around the door handle and he pauses then. Aaron watched his shoulders tense, watches what seems like hesitation but in the end Robert can’t bring himself to turn around. Can’t bring himself to address the questions Aaron had. Can’t face what any of the answers, if he could give them honestly, would mean for him. Pulling the door open Robert slips out of it and it’s as Aaron sinks down onto the edge of his bed, his head in his hands, trying to get a reign on the emotional rollercoaster this afternoon turned into he hears it. “You weren’t a mistake.” It’s spoken softly, barely above a whisper, like Robert couldn't have stopped it and the quiet tone is meant to protect him. The click of the door closing into place halts any response Aaron might have had. The silence Aaron’s left sitting in feels suffocating. Things went back to normal after that, the normal of a few months ago at least. Robert returned to being a condescending prick anytime he was at the garage and Aaron avoided dealing with him, leaving Adam and Ross to deal with the older man’s attitude. Adam had tried to question him about things in the days proceeding their argument but Aaron wouldn’t have it and after avoiding his flatmate and friend for a couple days Adam had taken the hint and dropped the topic though Aaron still felt Adam’s gaze on him whenever Robert was around the garage. Aaron knew he’d shut down a bit, closed himself off from his friends, but he hadn’t been able to help it and rather than deal with it he’d thrown himself into work. He was in the garage long before anyone else and the last to head home. For the first week Adam had let it go as races were just around the corner so it was understandable he’d be in overdrive but by the middle of week two he’d cornered Aaron in the kitchen after he’d come home one night. “You ever gonna talk to me about it?” Aaron glanced over to find Adam leaning against the counter, a sandwich in hand, and an eyebrow raised in question. “Nothing to talk about.” He tossed his keys onto the kitchen table and shrugged out of his jacket and forced himself not to react to Adam’s dismissive snort. “You’re runnin’ yourself ragged, bro.” “I’m making sure we’re ready.” “Seems like you’re avoiding Sugden and all things related to him personally.” Adam quipped. Aaron’s shoulders tensed but he said nothing as he moved to the fridge and started to dig through it in search of something to eat. “What happened with him?” “Nothing,” he closed the fridge door with more force than needed suddenly not hungry anymore and glanced over at Adam. “If there was something to talk about I’d have told you already.” “Would you have?” “Focus on Australia.” Adam sighed at the avoidance before pushing away from the counter and leveled his gaze on his best friend. “If you’re done with him, be done. Don’t let it hang over you like this. I thought maybe it was just bad sex but it’s been weeks and you two won’t even look at each other.” “Adam-” “ Listen to me, no one else has noticed anything different but if you two don’t knock it off someone like Ross will catch on and he won’t keep quiet like I do. So figure out a way to handle this once and for all. Shag his brains out again or-or I don’t know, but figure it out” Aaron’s jaw ticked but he said nothing in response. “He left you know, the whole lot flew out today, so take the few days to get it together before we depart for Australia as you so helpfully mentioned.” That caught Aaron by surprise. “That’s different, normally fly out first” “Yeah, Pete was talking about it. Lawrence wanted to take them all in way early. Some sort of family bonding experience. Think he’s throwing some sort of party at the hotel too. Pete said Andy and Robert looked like they’d swallowed a lemon over the prospect of being together but Katie and Chrissie will be there so I’m sure they’ll manage.” Aaron knew he’d flinched at both family bonding experience and Chrissie’s name but he remained quiet before nodding his head indiscriminately, a frown tilting his lips down, and when he finally looked up Adam was watching him carefully. “Good for them.” He said after a moment. Adam let out a sigh, clearly disappointed in Aaron, before walking towards the living room only pausing to squeeze gently at Aaron’s shoulder for a moment and then he was gone leaving Aaron alone in the kitchen with his thoughts. Aaron stood on the bus, leaning back against the driver's seat, with a clipboard in hand and ticked away the names as his mechanic team filed in. They’d bus from the White Compound to the airport where they’d next board their flight and finally head off to Melbourne like most other teams. He’d finally relaxed in the days leading to their flight, the knowledge that he wouldn’t run into Robert or hell Chrissie had done wonders for his headspace and following their conversation in the kitchen Adam had backed off again, though Aaron could tell the other man still wasn’t happy with him. It was a bit of an unwritten rule amongst racing teams that something would always go wrong on a travel day. Usually it was something small like someone realizing they’d left a part behind and you’d have to scramble to have someone not traveling prep and send it with the hope it would make it to the destination in time. It was an unwritten rule that something always went wrong and Aaron really should have expected something. Aaron should have known his luck was bound to run out eventually when they’d not only made it to the airport without a hitch, but they’d all checked in without a problem, and eventually everyone had boarded onto the flight hours later without a single hiccup. No delayed flight times. No one losing anything. It had gone perfectly. He should have felt the trouble looming. He hadn’t though. So when he’d watched a shadow cast over his clipboard and raised his head he’d expected to see an airline employee asking him to board as well. Instead he found himself staring up into the face of the absolute last person in the world he’d expected to see. “I-Robert?” It had been almost a week since he’d last seen the other man, nearly three weeks since they’d actually spoken to each other and he’d somehow forgotten how attractive Robert was and it knocked the breath from him. Robert’s hair was styled in that way that made it seem like he’d just rolled out of bed, dressed in a white dress shirt that had the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and an old pair of jeans. Aaron felt the tug of desire and tried his best to appear unaffected. “You’re supposed to- Adam said you left already.” “Supposed to, yes.” “You...didn’t?” he questioned, stupidly probably. “No, nothing could make me spend that kind of time with Katie and Andy for anything.” His gaze flickered over Aaron for a second and a smile twitched one corner of his mouth up. “Almost anything.” Aaron blinked up at him in confusion before he remembered he wasn’t supposed to be friendly with Robert. Folding his arms across his chest he hugged the clipboard tightly like it was some sort of protective barrier. “Doesn’t explain why you’re here.” “Lawrence and Chrissie are a bit uh, annoyed you might say, with me.” Yeah, Aaron understood that emotion where Robert came perfectly well, but that still didn’t explain while Robert was in front of him with a carry on hanging from his hand and the older man seemed to realize that so he continued on in the wake of Aaron’s silence. “He refused to let me charter his private plane, so it’s fly with you lot or not at all.” It was an unwritten rule that something always went wrong and Aaron really should have expected this. “Right, fucking perfect.” He’d been seated somewhere in the middle of the plane but after exchanging a word with Dan he’d managed to swap seats so that he now he sat as far back in the plane as humanly possible. They’d been in the air for roughly twenty minutes and for every last one of those he’d ignored the worried looks Adam kept casting back at him as he glared furiously at the curtain that separated the rest of the plane from first class. Realistically sitting this far back didn’t actually do much considering Robert couldn’t even see him but it felt good. It made him feel like he had some semblance of control over things. He tried to will himself to not be angry but it wasn’t working and he was left bouncing his pen on the fold out table in front of him in irritation. The longer he stewed over it the madder it made him and the more he felt like this was just some big joke to Robert. They hadn’t talked for ages but Robert had been playful, flirty even, as if he’d expected Aaron to fall back into it. Like the idea of being trapped on a twenty two hour flight with Robert didn’t make Aaron want to punch something. The part that agitated him the most was this felt deliberate, a very calculated choice on Robert’s part. He just didn’t understand why. They’d kept out of each other's ways, there hadn’t been any looks between them, nor a single text message. There wasn’t a single reason for Robert to think this would go over well. Aaron stabbed at the paperwork in front of him in frustration, could he really be that arrogant? Of course he fucking could, it was Robert. Aaron tensed when he felt someone come to stand beside his elbow but a quick glanced up revealed that it was only Adam and he looked away again quickly not in the mood to be nagged yet again when suddenly he froze, the pen dropping from his hand, and his gaze jerked back up to his best friend’s face taking in that look for a second time. Adam looked guilty . “Adam, tell me you fucking didn’t” He was already folding the tray back up into a locked position and pushing himself from his seat and his voice dropped to a harsh whisper. “Tell me you did not lie to me about him leaving early? Tell me you did not help him set this up?” “I wasn't lying, they did all leave. Just...without him. You weren’t dealing with things, I’m trying to help you.” “No, you’re meddling and doing my head in.” He pushed past Adam but didn’t even make it a step away from him when he felt Adam snag him by the elbow and pull him back towards him. “Where are you going?” he questioned. Wrenching his arm free of Adam’s he scowled at his best friend and Adam sighed before dropping his arms to his sides and shaking his head. “Try not to hit him.” “You’re lucky I haven’t hit you yet.” “Aaron…,” He lifted a hand to rub at the back of his neck, and Aaron knew Adam regretted his choice at least somewhat. “You weren’t dealing with things.” “It wasn’t your choice to make.” Adam frowned then before nodding after a moment. “Maybe, but I couldn’t just watch you close down could I? You’d finally made progress and I didn’t want to watch you slip back to where you’d been.” “I wasn’t-” He cut himself off and his fists clenched tightly at his sides before bit down on his lip for a moment trying to calm himself down. “I’m not talking about this on a plane full of people. Go away Adam.” Without waiting for Adam to respond he turned on his heel and made his way down the narrow path of the plane. It was late and most of the crew was asleep scattered among the seats of the plane and he knew he’d need to remember that once he set eyes on Robert again. Reaching the curtain that separated the two sides of the plane he gripped it only to hesitate. The last thing he needed to do was shout the plane down and cause even more trouble for himself. But his good intentions, few they were, fizzled into nothing when heard the giggle of one of the flight attendants and instead felt a irritation course through him. Aaron had been the last person to board the flight and he knew perfectly well Robert was the only person up there. Snapping the curtain open he watched both Robert and the flight attendant glance over in surprise. She was seated in the chair across from Robert, leaning into the aisle so that her top gaped open slightly, and Aaron noticed her hand resting on Robert's knee a second before Robert realized he would and Aaron couldn’t stop himself from sneering when Robert jerked his knee out from under her hold. After a beat of silence they all three spoke at the same time. “Aaron, it’s not...” “Excuse me, Sir, this is for first class only.” “ You arrogant prick .” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Exactly how stupid are you?” Aaron seethed at him from the doorway. The flight attendant was watching them with wide eyes not quite understanding and Robert seemed more concerned with that then Aaron’s temper. “You'll have to forgive my uh,” he floundered for a moment before finding his footing again “my mechanic, he's not known for his manners. If you could just excuse us for a moment so I ca-” “So you can what?” Aaron interrupted. Robert seemed to hesitate but in the end he pushed on like Aaron hadn’t cut him off. “As you can tell he's due a bit of a reprimand for his behavior. I'd prefer it be done privately, I'm sure you understand.” The furious sound that slipped out of Aaron must have alerted Robert to the danger he was close to because without waiting for her reply he practically vaulted from his seat, snagged Aaron by the elbow, and after looking around in a panic hauled him towards the bathroom in the corner and bodied both of them into it. The second the door latched closed behind them Aaron snatched his arm away practically snarling at Robert. “You stalk me on this god awful flight and the second I don't pay you attention you try it on with the fucking flight attendant?” “Jealous are ya’?” It was clearly a reflex, because Robert’s eyes go wide with worry, and he's rushing to fix his blunder. “I wasn't trying it on, we we're chatting, I was letting you calm down. I was gonna come after you, Aaron.” “Sure ya’ were.” “Of course I was, I didn't get myself in trouble with Chrissie and Lawrence to fuck some random midflight you idiot .” he sounded exasperated, like Aaron was actually the thick one between them. “Well you're not fucking the help either.” Aaron’s emphasizing if the the word help was impossible to miss, mostly to swipe at Robert, but also as a reminder to himself. “You're not- for fucks sake, Aaron, I'm trying to fix things.” He'd snipped back before his face softened and his voice gentled. “I miss you.” He tried to ignore how that felt, refused to let it thaw him towards Robert and forced himself to stay distant. “There's nothing to miss, we weren't anything.” “Stop lying.” He'd pushed into Aaron's personal space and it forced Aaron to tilt his head back in order to look at him. Aaron's body swaying towards Robert's before he could stop it and the truth was he didn't really want too. “Stop talking, Robert.” So the older man did. By surging forward and claiming Aaron's mouth in a kiss that made his toes curl. In retrospect getting his insides rearranged by the bosses future son in law against the first class bathroom sink on a plane full of his coworkers was a very terrible idea. In reality Robert's buried so fucking deep inside of him along with three of his fingers down Aaron’s throat to muffle him he can't find it in him to care how they ended up like this. Every snap of Robert's hips drives Aaron harder against the sink and knows he's going to have a bruise later but right now all he cares about is squeezing his legs tighter around Robert's waist while he sucks at Robert's fingers. It's got Robert groaning into Aaron’s neck muttering Aaron’s name again and again incoherently while he pushes in and Aaron’s close to seeing stars. He lets his tongue curl around Robert's fingers, flicking his tongue over the tip of the middle one and chokes out a grunt when Robert's response is a hip jerk that catches Aaron’s prostate dead on. All he can do is hold on tight and take it. So he does. His fingers scratch at Roberts back before clasping at biceps, trying to hold himself upright. He shifts on the sink and it opens his wider, it lets Robert settle impossibly deeper and Aaron takes all of it happily, eagerly. Every few thrusts Robert angles his hips and catches his prostate again, gets him close to the edge, and then pulls back, denies him, and it makes Aaron spasm in his grip. Makes him suck harder at Robert’s fingers. Robert is clearly just as affected his voice shaky when he speaks “You're so fucking tight, you're so good Aaron” He can't reply, but he doesn't think he's supposed too. Robert looks blissed out and Aaron grazes his teeth across Robert's knuckle as he loosens the ironclad grip he had on Robert's ass to let his index finger slip between Robert's cheeks, lets that finger drag over Robert’s hole and it punches a muffled whimper out of Aaron when Robert's body slams forward and he's suddenly desperate to get his mouth on him properly, wants to taste Robert as he falls apart completely. But before he can try and voice that they're interrupted by whatever her name is. “Um, excuse me, Mr. Sugden? Are you alright in there?” Aaron’s scowling at the door as Robert goes still between his legs, his fingers slowly slipping from between Aaron’s lips as well. “Get rid of her, Ro.” “ Obviously .” he snaps, no more pleased to be interrupted than Aaron it seems. Reluctantly, and only when she knocks again, he pulls out off Aaron. But he's not able to keep the smirk off his face at the whimper that slips from Aaron’s parted mouth. He tugs up his trousers and shuffles around and after quickly fixing his hair, peeks his head out of the door careful to not show anything behind him. “Yes, sweetheart?” He feels Aaron bristle behind him and just manages not to roll his eyes. “I really have to ask you and your friend to return to your seats.” Aaron can't see it but he's guessing from her breathy laugh Robert's flashing his most charming smile at the woman. “It's a private conversation, lecturing an employe remember? I'm sure a few more minutes isn't a problem? I'd appreciate your understanding.” She giggles actually fucking giggles in return and Aaron's sliding from the sink and snatching up his own pants suddenly - and maybe irrationally - angry. When Robert turns triumphantly after locking the door again his smile quickly falters when he realizes Aaron’s preparing to leave. “Aaron, come on, you really need to get a handle on this jealousy thing.” He's bracketed Aaron against the sink again but Aaron's refusing to look at him, chin jutting out in defiance as he glares hatefully at the wall. “Come on, don't be like this.” It's said in a tone so patronizing it sets Aaron’s teeth on edge. Instantly he's in Robert's face and the older man stumbles back against the door in surprise. “Get fucked Sugden.” “Aaron...” He’d reaching out for him but Aaron’s already shouldering Robert out of his way and as a last ditch effort Robert slaps a hand on the door to keep it closed. “Aaron, I'm sorry .” “No, what you are is horny.” He knocks Robert's arm away from the door with a scowl before tugging it open. “If you feel like making anymore mistakes this flight Robert, ask the attendant yeah?” He doesn't bother waiting for Robert's response before slamming the door shut behind him. He doesn't spare the woman a glance either as he storms towards the back of the plane and he very purposely ignores the worried glances Adam keeps sending his way once he's back in his seat until his best friend finally gets the hint. He only has an impossibly long flight left until he can get some decent space between them. He's been through worse than Robert Sugden and come out the other side. This is nothing. This is less than nothing. So why can't he stop looking at that stupid curtain separating first class from the rest of the plane? “Fuck.” His impulse is to go after Aaron immediately, to try and sweet talk his way back into the other man's good graces but the fear of an argument kicking off in the main cabin keeps him in his seat. He spends the first hour reading and the second hour playing candy crush while very purposely ignoring the flight attendant whose name he can't remember. She's mad, he can tell, but Aaron could stomp back in again at any moment and he can't chance it. He shouldn't have done so the first time but his ego had needed soothing and he’d figured it would prove harmless. He'd been very wrong. Fidgeting in his seat he checks his watch before he glances back at the curtain for the fiftieth time, wonders how many people are still awake. He's out of his seat before he can reconsider and snagging two bottles from the first class drink cart as he passes it. He tries to move as quietly down the aisle as he can, eyes flickering across the cabin as he tries to find Aaron. Eventually he does at the far back of the plane, the younger man turned towards the window, eyes closed, blanket over his lap, and a frown tilting his mouth down as he sleeps. For a moment Robert's unsure what to do before he's quietly shuffling himself into the seat beside Aaron. He's grateful that not only is no one near them, the nearest coworker of Aaron's at least six rows up, but also that Aaron is tucked against the window seat which means with Robert seated in the middle rather than the aisle that anyone giving a quick glance backward cant see them. It feels private and it makes Robert feel like he can enjoy the view beside him without being caught. He hates the frown Aaron wears though, hates even more that he put it there. Turning in his seat so he's facing Aaron he gives one more quick glance over his shoulder to make sure they're not being watched before reaching out to let his fingers slip into Aaron's hair. The younger man's curls are soft against his skin and it makes Robert smile when Aaron's head tilts towards him, his body subconsciously leaning into the touch. “Aaron.” Its barely more than a whisper and Aaron doesn't react to it so Robert scratches his nails lightly against Aaron's scalp and tries again. “Come on Aaron, wake up.” “‘Fuck off, Ads.” That earns Aaron a sharp tug on his hair and he blinks awake slowly confusion quickly giving way to irritation when he realizes who it is. His hand snakes out quickly to bat Robert's hand away and he shifts his entire body up and away practically pushing into the window in an attempt to put distance between them. “Don-” “ I’m sorry. ” “Get away from me.” He wants to tell Aaron to keep his voice down but he knows it won't go over well and while he can smother that impulse he can't stop himself from glancing nervously around the cabin. Aaron picks up on it because of course he does. He's observant and bright but he's also kind so when he speaks again his voice is quieter so only Rob can hear him. “Go back to first class Robert.” “I don't want to.” “I'm not asking ya’ “ he snaps back, frustration evident. “I'm trying to apologize. I don't understand what happened.” But that wasn't true he did know and he frowned at his own words before going on.”okay that's not - I mean to say I know I was a prat at your place. I do okay? Let me fix it.” “You shouldn't be trying to fix it Robert that's my point. You're getting married soon. This wasn't ever going to go anywhere. You had some fun now stop being a twat and move on. Focus on what you want, your wife and the fa-” “I want you !” It’s said so forcefully it silences Aaron mid sentence and Robert feels himself flush under Aaron's confused gaze. “I don't understand.” “That makes two of us.” There's a brief moment where neither says anything, where Robert stares intently at his hands and Aaron watches his profile carefully. “You want to leave Chrissie? to come out?” That's got Robert jerking around to face him, eyes wide, and his face screwed up. “What? No, no I never said that,” He let's out an irritated sound before going on “I don't need to come out, I'm not gay.” Its got Aaron frowning at him again, the younger man clearly trying to maintain control of his temper. Without thinking Robert reaches out and smoothes the pad of his thumb over the corner of Aaron's mouth trying to erase the frown almost. “I hate when I make you do that.” “Do what?” “Get upset with me, frown I guess, I like when you smile. When you seem open and soft.” “You can't have both Robert, you can't have everything.” “Why not?” he sounds petulant, he probably is in the moment. “What changed? You were fine till I opened my mouth. Till I overreacted.” His thumb is still pressed to the corner of Aaron’s mouth and slowly it slides up his cheek until Robert's cupping his face and after a moment Aaron's leaning into it. “I know this is new still. I know it makes me seem like a massive cunt to ask for mor- “ “That's an understatement.” Aaron cuts in. But it's said with a small smile to soften the blow and earns an eye roll from Robert as he goes on “It's not the same, she's not enough. I cant talk to her like I do you, I dont feel normal like I do around you. I want you , Aaron, and I know you want me too. You were okay with it before, you can be again.” Aarons quiet for a long time, so long that it has Robert shifting nervously in his seat as Aaron's eyes roam his face, searching for what Robert doesnt know, is too scared to ask, but he hopes he finds it. Aaron's reading him again like only he can and isn't until Robert looks ready to crack that Aaron speaks again.“I won't be treated like that again, Robert. Like I'm disposable.” “I'm s-” “Yeah you're sorry, I know. You've said enough times. But sorry doesn't cut it moving forward do you understand? You do it again and I'm gone for good. There won't even be a chance to apologize.” Roberts nodding along, so excited Aaron's relented that he doesn't even check to see if anyone's watching before he leans in for a kiss. Only to have Aaron turn his head and deny him at the last second and it leaves him retreating back, suddenly self conscious. His hand settle nervously in his lap and his gaze goes anywhere but Aaron's face. He feels open, displayed in a way he hasn't been in for years and he doesn't like it “I - You said.” “We're not done talking.” It gets his back up because it feels like he's being punished. “Now who's playing games?” “You probably,” Aaron softens that comment too though by reaching out and snagging one of Robert's hands and giving it a gentle squeeze. “You said you'd explain and if whatever this is is gonna have a chance. If I'm going to forgive you? Then you're gonna need to do that." Robert tenses, fingers clutching at Aaron's tightly, because saying he would do it and actually doing it are two very different things. His instinct is to run away but he feels Aaron’s fingers laced through his and can see the soft look being directed at him and he knows he has to do it. He has to talk about something he's never even talked to Chrissie about in detail. If he was more self aware he'd probably consider what that means. “Alright, I'll tell you.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “What do you know? About my family, what’s Andy actually told you?” Robert asked softly.They’d been sitting in silence for the past twenty minutes, Robert falling quiet after agreeing to explain things, and so Aaron had given him space to work through his feelings and knowing Robert had to start this on his own without being pushed into it. He’d been texting with Adam, his best friend as nosy as ever, when Robert had finally spoken again.“Not much, he talks about Victoria a lot. You used to get a mention in passing. I know that he’s adopted.” Aaron had turned so that he was facing towards Robert, pocketing his phone as he did, giving the older man had his full attention. Robert had looked nervous at first but at the mention of Andy talking about him his features clouded over.“I’m sure he was full of compliments.” Robert grumped.It almost made Aaron smile but he didn’t want Robert to take it the wrong way so he smothered it down before answering. “Sometimes he was, but he was open about you two not getting along.”Robert was tense, holding himself stiffly, and his uneasiness was etched across his face. This was obviously something he wasn’t used to discussing or comfortable with and that was almost enough for Aaron to let him off the hook, the realization that Robert was at the very least trying no matter how uncomfortable it made him feel, but Aaron knew himself and without something solid to explain the way he’d turned hateful without a second thought he wouldn’t be able to get past it. That there wouldn't be a chance for them to be whatever it was they were to each other going forward.“We used to, he was my best friend at one point, we’d met in boarding school. He was probably the first real friend I made there.” a soft smile lit up Robert's face for a moment as the older man seemed to get lost lost in a memory. “I was mouthy back then too, didn't ever consider who I was running it at. I'd made some older boys mad, they'd every intention of thrashing me, and this lumbering idiot just sort of materialized at my side. Wasn't any bigger than me back then you know? Not at all anything like he is now.”“Saved ya’ did he?”Roberts laugh was carefree and full of genuine affection as he shook his head. “ hardly, they thrashed ‘im right along with me. But we were joined at the hip after that. Surveriors or summat.”Aaron had grinned at that, the quick friendship reminding him of the instant bond he'd had when meeting Adam. Had even opened his mouth to tell Robert but it was like a light switch being flipped and as quick as the happiness had appeared in was gone. The only trace of it left behind the quiet sadness that seemed to emanate from Robert and Aaron watched with a pang of sadness as Robert carried on.“He stayed with us over breaks, probably spent more time with us then at his actual home and when his grandma passed it just seemed natural to make him part of the family I guess. Mum took him right in, loved him like her own but that's who she was. But dad he… he was hard to please. Always annoyed with me. Thought I wasted time and didn't take anything serious. I couldn't please that man, I couldn't do one fucking thing right in his eyes. Not Andy though, Andy was the son he’d always wanted. He'd finally gotten a kid worth a damn. Even when - even after it.” Robert was staring intently at the folding tray in front of him, lips tugged down in a frown, and Aaron found himself leaning closer to lay a hand on Robert’s arm, his thumb rubbing gentle circles against the fabric that covered his arms in an attempt to relax him. “What happened, Rob?” “He killed my mum.”“He what?”Robert laughed but it was brittle and full of bitterness. His voice harsh to his own ears. “Yeah, I didn’t imagine he’d shared that with you lot. Shared plenty of stories about what a prat I was though I bet.”“Rob-” But it was like the floodgates had been opened and so Aaron did the only thing he could, he listened.“The great Andy Sugden yeah? Racer of the people, isn’t that what they consider him? What’s not to love. Born into nothing, climbed his way to the top, and all without taking a single hand out. A fucking inspiration that one.” Rage now emanated from Robert but his face remained blank like he was somehow detached from what he was saying “Not like his arrogant brother, that one’s a gold digging social climber who hasn’t worked a day in his life. Always a disappointment that Robert. Everyone picks him. Everyone adores him. My dad, Victoria, the fucking fans. But n-not..” He finally faltered, losing steam almost instantly as his voice wobbled, and just like that his mask of indifference crumpled around him leaving his heartbreak splayed open for Aaron to see and the younger man fought agaibst the impulse to pull him close. Didn't want Robert to clam up when he was finally opening up. “Not my mum, she loved me. She believed in me and he - he fucking took her from me. She was a-all I had and he took her away.”He lifted an arm to wipe it harshly across his face. Seemingly refusing to cry, whether that was because he was in public or some greater need for control Aaron didn’t know. Without thinking it through though Aaron reached out and cupped Robert’s face. Gently forced the older man to look in his direction while his thumb rubbed gently as his cheek trying to soothe him. “Robert, take a deep breath for me.”“I hate him.”Aaron didn’t think that was entirely true but now wasn’t the time to argue the point. Sitting up in his seat Aaron glanced around the airplane to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation. Thankful Robert’s voice hadn’t raised too much and that the majority of the crew were still asleep and the few awake far enough away from them it didn’t matter. He didn't think Robert would have handled it well if others got involved.“How did she die?” he questioned. In response he watched Robert try and ultimately fail to pull himself back together.“Take your time, Robert.” he leaned over so that he could brush his lips across Robert’s cheek. It barely counted as a kiss but the small sign of affection had its desired effect as Robert seemed to settle back into himself slowly. His fingers reaching for and clutching at Aaron’s free hand.“Racing isn’t cheap, especially when you’re getting started, but it’s what Andy wanted to do so my dad supported it, didn’t even hesitate. But between school and racing it was taking a toll on the family. Our parents had been fighting a lot so Andy got it in his head that he was going to fix everything.” “Hero complex that one?” A surprised laugh burst out of Robert and Aaron felt warmth unfurl in his chest that he could make Robert laugh even in a situation like this.“A real prat honestly,” His lips twitched into a brief smile before sadness hung heavy on his shoulders again “But he was going to save the family and still get to race.” His eyes closed and he took a deep breath, leaning into Aaron’s touch as he went on. “He torched the barn for insurance money. Wasn't a half bad idea really except he didn’t bother to make sure it was empty before doing so.”“Christ, how old were ya’?”“Sixteen. He didn’t- he ran off after setting it. She’d been meeting someone there. An affair I found out later, not that I cared. But I’d been looking for her and I noticed - I saw the fire you know? So I’d gone to check and that’s when I heard her. I couldn’t help her..”“You were just a kid Rob.” “She needed me” He wiped at his face again before pulling away from Aaron’s touch finally and Aaron let him go even as his heart ached for him. “To cut a long story short I eventually found out Andy did it. Dad had already known and decided to keep it quiet. The damage was done he’d said. Andy getting banged up wouldn’t solve anything. I don’t know why I was surprised, of course he’d side with Andy. But She was my mum. She was the only person who believed in me. The only person to ever pick me. So when you said... I just- I reacted poorly. I didn't think.”“I get it, you don’t have to explain.” And he did understand. I hadn't been about Aaron at all but Robert's demons. That wasn't to say it was perfectly fine but Aaron understood better than most what that was like. He reached out to grab Robert’s hand and laced their fingers together giving the other man's hand a gentle squeeze. “You don’t have to talk about it anymore if you don’t want to but if you ever do? I’ll listen.”Robert’s gaze had focused on their hands intertwined but at Aaron’s words he lifted his gaze to the younger mans face, eyes wide. “We’re okay?”“We’re better than okay.”“Even with the flight attendant thing?”Aaron did laugh then and it lit his entire face up and a soft smile settled across Robert’s own face in response to it. Shaking his head Aaron shifted so that his head rested on his seat back and a leg was folded under him and Robert shuffled around to mirror him so that the two of them were smiling softly like idiots at each other. “Maybe don’t remind me of that.” “Beverage?” Robert glanced to his side and breathed out a relieved sigh when it was a different attendant than from first class. Aaron had dozed off a while ago after struggling to keep awake during their conversation about the upcoming race and so Robert had slipped back to first class to gather his stuff and then hunkered down to watch race footage of the track not having the heart to wake him back up.“Coffee if you have it, thanks.”She'd fluttered her eyes at him before settling the black coffee down on his tray. “Anything else handsome? For you or your friend?”“I think he'll be asleep a while lon-”“A brew is fine.”She turned with a bright smile to fix his order and then handed it across to him, eyelashes fluttering again but when neither man responded to her flirting she made her way back up the aisle seemingly unphased. Back in his seat though Robert nervously took a sip from his coffee before pausing the video playing on his laptop. “I wasn't you know,” he made a vague gesture with his hand “flirting or whatever.”“Breathe Robert, I'm not gonna do my nut every time a woman notices how attractive ya’ are.” Aaron watched him preen a bit under the compliment and rolled his eyes in good humor“Yeah well...earlier and all.”“Thought we agreed to let that go?”“We did, I know, I'm just saying.”Aaron sat up and settled his own drink onto Robert's tray beside his laptop and flickered his gaze up to the older man. “You're good lookin’ Robert people are gonna notice and you're like famous or summat to some. I was mad about her because you were supposedly here for me.”“I am.” Robert quickly replied. Aaron raised an eyebrow at him “And yet she was all over you?”“I’m sorry about that, Aaron, I wasn't thinking.”“Kinda your brand that.” There was no bite behind his words though and Robert made a face at him. “Prat.”“Slag.”There was a moment of silence while Robert smiled at that and then he leaned back in his seat letting his head roll to the side to watch Aaron.“So we're really okay?”“You already asked me that.”“I'm just making sure you didn't change your mind after your nap.”“Robert.” his serious tone was undermined by how childish it was when he flicked Robert in the nose. “Stop fretting like an old hen, you'd know fairly quickly if I'd changed my mind.”“Alright.” a brief pause and then. “Okay, yeah good, that's good.” They'd fallen into a comfortable silence after that. Aaron rifling through paperwork that had to do with the car parts in transit while Robert had gone back to his videos with only one headphone. Periodically one would peek at the other and a smile would twitched the corners of both their lips whenever they caught each other. Aaron had lost track of how long they'd been doing this or even how many times they'd caught each other but whatever number this was when Aaron caught him with a knowing grin Robert didn't look away from him. The older man’s face held a soft look that had Aaron shifting in his seat, his cheeks pink with embarrassment. “What?”“Nothing.”“Doesn't look like nothing.” Aaron teased quietly.Robert hesitated but only for a brief moment “You just look nice.”“I look like I've been on a plane for six hours, I doubt I look that great.”“You do.” he said it quickly and forcefully and it had Aaron grinning back at him. Aaron tapped his pencil against his thigh a couple times while seemingly contemplating something before he started to put away his work and then reached over and closed the lid to Robert's laptop as well and before Robert could question it shoved everything into Robert's carry on and then directed him to put it in the overheard.“Alright bossy.”“Stop complaining, oh and snag me a blanket while you're at it.”Aaron was pretty sure Robert mumbled ‘Sir, yes Sir’ but he didn't call the older man on it instead waiting until Robert tossed him the blanket and dropped back down into his seat to kick his legs up into Robert's lap and then unfurled the blanket to cover both Robert's lap and his own legs.“Uh..”"Relax, everyone's asleep. Besides no one's gonna look back here anyways.”“I know, it's just..” He gestured around with his hand and Aaron rolled his eyes in response.“I'm not tryin’ to out ya’ Robert.” But he started to pull his feet away only to feel Robert curl his fingers around an ankle holding him in place.“I know that, I trust you.”“Do you?” He hadn't meant anything by it, just genuinely curious, but Robert's lips had titled down in a frown, his brows pulled together in unhappiness. His tone leaving no doubt he found the question offensive. “Of course I do, I wouldn't have told you about my mum, about Andy, if not.”“Yeah, but I mean, it's not like I'm the only one who knows.”The look on Robert's face though said otherwise and Aaron sat up straighter, scrutinizing Robert's face closely. “You've at least told Chrissie?”“She knows how Mum died.”“And the Andy stuff?”Robert suddenly looked uncomfortable. Like he'd given something away that he'd never intended and didn't know what to do in the face of it. Finally after what felt like ages he shrugged. “She thinks it's about Katie.”“So why tell me? You're gonna marry her, you barely know me in comparison.”“I just can't,” he gave a shrug of his shoulder, the fingers of his free hand picking at the blanket. “That's not who I am to her.”“Who are you to her then?” “Chrissie comes from money, from a different world. She's not interested in the dramas of my family. You just ignore things in her world, look at her monster or a son, so I'm not about to tell her my idiot brother killed our mum.”“There's no need to snap at me.”“I don't want to talk about this anymore.”“Then we won't.” his tone was gentle, trying to soothe Roberts agitation. “So what do you wanna talk about then?”“Maybe I don't feel like talking anymore.” his mouth had curved up into a sly smile and just like that his bad mood seemed to disappear. Grinning himself Aaron pulled his feet from Robert's lap and reached for Robert's arm tugging him back into the middle seat so that they were closer. “Yeah?”“Yeah.” One of Robert's hands found its way under the blanket and settled on Aaron’s thigh before giving it a gentle squeeze. “That alright with you?”“I'm not the one twitchy about public places.”“Don't be rude.”Aaron rolled his eyes only to bite down on his lip, laugh abruptly stifled into a low groan, when Robert's hand moved higher, his fingers grazing over Aaron's crotch. Breathing was suddenly a bit more difficult. “Rob..”“I want you.”And if that didn't inflate an ego nothing would, it also had the effect of making Aaron soft and open in a way he wasn't usually. “You have me, Rob.”Robert hesitated, if only for only a few seconds, before he started to lean forward but it was long enough for Aaron to watch a variety of emotions flicker across the older man's face as he struggled with both his desire for Aaron and his nervousness at their location. Quietly Aaron lifted a hand to brush his fingers across Roberts cheek, his palm coming to settle along his jaw, and his thumb rubbing at Robert's bottom lip. “We can wait.”“No.” Robert darted in quickly. Lips pressing gently against Aaron’s for a chaste kiss, before just barely pulling back and leaving the two of them staring at each other, their breath mingling together. “I don't want to wait for you anymore.”This time when Robert pressed forward there was no hesitancy, only desire, and Aaron's body arches up into Robert's touch as he goes pliable under the force of Robert's want. It was like the kiss in the garage; all consuming and something that pulled at Aaron so strongly he felt he could drown under it if he let himself.And god did he ever want to.He moaned softly, low in his throat, when Robert runs his tongue across the seam of his lips and opens them eagerly for the other man. Unlike the first time Aaron doesn't fight against any of it it, he doesn't question what they are to each other or what anything means. He just accepts it. This time he willingly let's Robert sink into every nook and cranny he has and he takes everything Robert has to give in return.He wants to mark him, to claim him, but he knows he can't so he encourages Robert to do it instead. He tangles his left hand in Robert's blond locks and twists, preens at the whimper Robert breathes into his mouth as they kiss, before he tugs hard enough to pull Robert back. Both of them are panting and it takes Robert a second to get his wits again but before he can voice his confusion Aaron’s pushing his mouth towards his throat. Aaron shudders when Robert understands instantly, his teeth scraping over the skin over his adam's apple before soothing the sting of his bite with the flat of his tongue.“Rob-Robert.” Aaron breathes out. It's barely more than whisper as Robert's hand slipped its way into Aaron's jeans.“Hm?”If them fucking in the first class bathroom had been risky this is downright stupid.“Your hand..”He feels Robert's grin against his throat and he fights against the urge to close his eyes, knowing at least one of them needs to be aware of their surroundings, knowing that they need to not get caught. Robert sucked at the same expanse of skin again, low on Aaron's throat, before peeking up at Aaron through his lashes, his fingers wrapping firmly around Aaron's dick and his lips slick with spit when he speaks. “What about it?”The first stroke is slow, fucking torturously so, and it has Aaron's hips snapping up, has his mouth falling open, and Robert must see it coming because his free hand clamps across Aaron's mouth in time to smother the sound of the moan it drags out of the younger man.“That was close, guess I'll just keep this here to be safe.” Aaron can only glare at him because he's so fucking smug about it “Should have remembered how loud you are.”Aaron's mumbled ‘get fucked’ sounds a lot like ‘gef mucked’ from behind Robert's palm and Robert's retaliation to quicken the stroke of his hand, is simple but effective, as he watches Aaron's body tremble in response with a smirk.Aaron still has ahold of his hair though and he tugs hard at it forcing Robert to bite down on his own lip to keep quiet himself before mock glaring up at Aaron. “Cheater.”“Pra-fuck.” Robert had twisted his hand on the downstroke and Aaron fell quiet after that as Robert continued to jerk him off, save for the quiet whimpers that slipped past kiss swollen lips and after a while Robert can't help himself. “If you could see how fucking good you look, Aaron.”Aaron had been staring off blindly trying to keep quiet but with effort he lets his gaze settle on Robert again.“If I could, I get my mouth in you right now. I bet you'd like that wouldn't you? Me on my knees? Is that what you want Aaron?”Aaron makes a strangled sound, louder than he should, but no one reacts and he's fucking grateful cuz he wouldn't have been able to do anything if they had. His hips are rocking up to meet Robert’s rhythm and he knows he's close. “Rob..” Roberts finger nail drags along the vein along the bottom of his dick and Aaron feels his eyes cross.“Would you come on my face or down my throat Aaron? Which one?” Aaron’s mouth falls open but there's no sound and then his biting down hard on Robert's hand as his hips stutter a couple times and he comes all over the underside of his blanket. He twitches when Rob glides a finger over his head with another smug smirk and he bats the older man’s hand away. “Hair trigger.”“Fuck off, I didn’t get to come earlier in the bathroom.” his words are a little slurred but he manages a decent enough glare in Robert's direction.“That's your own fault though isn't it, drama queen?”“Whatever.” It's petulant and moody and yet it puts the biggest stupidest smile on Robert's face and has him leaning over to press a soft kiss to the corner of Aaron's mouth. “You can repay me later at the hotel.”Pushing himself back up into a sitting position Aaron stuffs the soiled blanket down on the floor beside his feet before he glances over at Robert. “Won't you be roomed with Chrissie?”“Aaron..”“I'm not having a go, promise.” to prove it he leans over and plants a kiss on Robert. Its messy, all tongue and spit abs it has Robert leaning after him when Aaron finally pulls back. “I'm just asking.”“Uh..” It takes Robert a moment to shake the dazed look from his face but eventually he does and nods stupidly. “Yeah, yeah I will be, but you'll have your own room right?”“I can, usually room with Adam though.”His response is quick “Room alone this time.”The request is simple but laced with a desire that's impossible to miss abd it fluffs Aaron's ego a bit. “You askin’ or ordering?”There's silence and then Robert's voice, low and teasing.“Depends on what you like.” It really shouldn't make Aaron smile as wide as it does. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Aaron hates race day, the irony of this is not lost on him.He'd told Adam once that there are some memories that you can still feel, ones that crawl inside you and refuse to let you be. He can manage though, has done for ages now, but it leaves him jittery and uncomfortable in his own skin. This is your fault you know. He doesn't like watching the qualifies either, practice sessions are bad enough, so he leaves that to Adam. He's the head mechanic and he should but he trusts Adam and it’s how they've always done things. Instead he checks and rechecks the tires, making sure that no one's mixed them up between the cars, colour coded or not. It's absolutely pointless but watching cars fly by like that tends to make him feel ill. She's crying because you won't listen. Andy ends up taking the pole position for Sunday's race just barely edging out Robert and Robert? Well, he has a bit if a meltdown, in public, when he realizes it.It's caught on camera because of course it is.Aaron can hear Lawrence lighting into Robert behind the garage as they're packing things away inside it for the day. Being angry you lost out to a competing team is one thing but throwing a tantrum because your brother and teammate won? Not going over so well with the boss, especially when Robert's still in trouble for bailing on the family plans. Why do you make me do this Aaron? Why can't you just be good? He doesn't actually see Robert in person again though until Pete, Ross, and Adam drag him downstairs to the hotel bar and they spot Robert in the corner having a sulk on his own.“Should we invite him over?” Adam questions.“I'd rather drink bleach, mate.”It earns Ross a slap to the head by Pete before the brothers are off to find them a decent booth while Adam and Aaron get drinks in at the bar. Aaron doesn't realize he's staring at the back of Roberts head until Adam nudges him in the side.“You can invite him over you know? Who cares what Ross said.”“No, not today.”And Adam gets it instantly because Adam knows everything there is to know about Aaron's joke of an upbringing. So he just nods and snags the pints before heading to the table leaving Aaron to follow in his wake. He hesitates for a moment, gaze lingering on the back of Robert, before he follows after.It's not because Robert can't know about his baggage and mountain of issues but because he doesn't want the way Robert looks at him to change. You know how to fix this, Aaron. And it would.So he sits and he watches his friends have fun, it's a race weekend so they can't get too wild, but they can relax for at least a couple hours before packing it in. It's mostly just jokes and complaints about their job. A way to let off their own stresses as they gear up for the big day.Aarons heart isn't really in it though and all he wants to do is hide away in his hotel room and block out the world. He's so focused on picking away at his beermat that he doesn't realize Robert's already left the bar until he hears Andy say his name. Hell, he's not even sure when Andy joined the table.“Robert, still pouting is he?”“The pretty waitress will probably improve his mood.”Aaron's first urge is to tell Andy to get fucked but Pete’s follow up comment takes the fight right out of him. He feels winded, like he's run a mile. Who could ever want you? His shoulders sag as he curls into himself. He could shove away from the table, leave without a word, and Adam would smooth it over. They all know the first race is always the worst for him even if they don't all know every detail as to why.“Chrissie will wise up and realize he's not worth the hassle eventually.” Andy supplies.Andy doesn't even hesitate to knock his brother and Aaron understands a bit more why Robert's so touchy about him. Why being upstaged by Andy on the first race of the first season as teammates might grate at him especially when Robert's signing had been scrutinized from day one.“Maybe don't take the piss out of your brother to his mechanic team. Least Robert has the decency to do it to your face.”The table goes quiet at his outburst; Pete and Adam wide eyed, the latter with worry titling his mouth down. Ross smirking but quiet and Andy just blinks dumbly at him a few times before his eyes narrow. “I didn't know you two were friends now.”“We're not, just didn't take you for a twat with a big gob.” he snaps back.It's harsher than it has any need to be but he's rapidly losing control of his own mouth.Thankfully Adam interferes before it can get much worse “Hey now, all friends here yeah? It's been a long day for everyone, no one means any harm, right mate?”He addressed the table but his gaze is on Aaron so he shrugs but doesn't verbally respond. This time when the feeling hits he follows through and shoves his chair back and bails without a goodbye to anyone. He can feel Adam's gaze on his back but he doesn't follow and Aaron trusts Adam can handle any questions. It's our special secret. He lets out a ragged breath and jabs at the elevator button. He just needs to make it to his hotel room and he can fall apart in peace. He's grateful for the empty elevator as the doors start to close but that small piece of relief is shattered to bits when a hand shoots out and halts the doors closing. Aaron doesn't even look at who it is, lacks the energy for the effort, so he just tilts his head back and keeps his eyes closed and prays they don't attempt to talk.“It took you long enough to leave.”His eyes snap open in time to watch the doors close behind Robert, leaving him alone with the older man, as the tentative grasp he has on his emotions starts to slip away. Robert talks a lot.Robert talks a lot and quite often without considering what he's really saying, enthralled by the sound of his own voice no doubt. Aaron had noticed that the first day they met and sure it had been annoying but you get used to it quick enough and just realize and accept that it's part of who Robert is.What Aaron has started to learn since the plane flight - and what most people don't know - is that Robert is also a nervous talker. He'd ranted the entire elevator ride up to Aaron’s floor about Andy seemingly unbothered by the lack of input from Aaron. His emotions all over because of his older brother and on any other day Aaron would have been supportive. He'd have chimed in, maybe even tried to settle Robert down some but this wasn't any other day and he wasn't in the mood to do any of that.Aaron guessed they were about three doors away from his room when Robert finally seemed to become aware of Aaron's mood. He'd dropped the topic of Andy abruptly and gone silent for a moment before asking how the mechanics were doing - a topic they both knew he didn't care about - but a topic that was about Aaron and not himself none the less. It was Robert's gentle attempt at gauging the problem, most likely assuming Aaron's mood was work related.Aaron didn't reply he also didn't invite Robert into the hotel room so much as he didn't just slam the door in the other man’s face.“I'm taking a shower.”“Alright…” Robert answered, and then when Aaron continued to ignore him. “Is everything okay?”“Yep.”He'd just snagged clean clothes and grabbed the door handle the the bathroom, so close to the privacy he needed only for Robert to speak again.“It doesn't seem okay.”That's when he felt Robert's hand on his elbow and without thinking he jerked away so violently he almost slammed into the bathroom door.“Aaron I'm-"He felt like he was watching a train wreck but couldn't look away. Like someone else had taken over his mouth, Aaron their silly little puppet, as he turned to stare blankly at Robert. Couldn't figure out how to stop the awful words from leaving his mouth. “I dont give a shit about your drama today Robert, go cry about Andy to your wife yeah? Maybe she'll actually care if she's even talking to you yet but I doubt it.”Robert’s hand, which had still been reaching out for Aaron dropped back to his side limply, hurt flickering across his face."Just leave me alone, Robert, I dont give a shit.”Without waiting for Robert's response he bolted into the bathroom slamming the door closed behind himself and quickly locking it. He turned the shower on immediately after that to full blast hoping to drown everything out. Wishing he could forget the confused hurt on Robert's face. Wishing he could erase this entire day away.As he slides down the wall on the far side of the bathroom - tucked between the shower and the toilet - his fingers tangled in his hair, forehead on his knees, and his quiet sobs shaking his body Aaron could only focus on one thing. You've ruined everything, just like you always do. He expects Robert to be long gone when he finally comes out of the bathroom. If the harsh words hadn't run him off the two hours he’d spent scrubbing at his skin trying in vain to erase the words in his head should have done the trick. Instead of the empty hotel room he deserves though he finds Robert’s long body on the bed, curled around a domed tray - food from room service if Aaron were to guess - and an arm tucked under his head. He looks at ease despite the jeans and jacket he's still wearing. It stops Aaron in his tracks, makes his heart crack open in his chest. He'd been so sure, so positive things would be a mess between them after his lashing out. After all it had only been a few days since the flight, since they'd agreed to be better.Aaron moved over to side of the bed. Gaze lingering on Robert, and gnawed on his lip nervously. Maybe It was an accident? Maybe he hadn't actually meant to stay? But why would he order food then. Why would he stay at all? Then came the concern he’d get in trouble or well more trouble with Chrissie. Robert was already up to his elbows in it for ditching them to fix things between them he didn't need to get an earful on top of Aaron’s shitty attitude. Why can't you ever do anything right? He closed his eyes against the voice, counted to ten, and then reached out to gently shake Robert's arm. “Rob - Robert, wake up.”“Hm?” Robert blinked awake slowly. Shuffling around so he could turn sleepy eyes on Aaron and a soft smile turned up the corners of his mouth. “Hi.”Aaron feels it like a punch.There wasn't an ounce of anger or hurt in that look, just a sweet smile. He didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve anything.“You fell asleep, I'm sure Chrissie is wondering where you are.” He reached out with a shaky hand to run his fingers through Robert's hair and tried to return the smile. “I don’t want ya’ in anymore trouble.”“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” he hesitated a moment and Aaron watched uncertainty flicker across his features. “Are you okay?”“Yeah, yeah I'm fine. But come on, you need to get up.”Aaron stepped back as Robert pushed himself up into a sitting position. Let his hands fall to his sides as Robert scrubbed at his face trying to fully wake up.“I already called her, it’s the night before a ra-"“Even more reason for you to get back. You don't need the aggro before the big event.”“Aaron would you just-"“Come on, it’s getting late.”“Aaron.” Robert nearly shouts it. His name startling Aaron out of his own thoughts. When he finally looks, actually properly looks, at Robert again all he sees is worry on the older man’s face.“What?” his voice is quiet to his own ears and it's only after the fact that he realizes he whispered it.Robert, fully alert now, nudges the tray towards the other side of the bed and reaches out to grab and tug Aaron to sit beside him. Neither one says anything for a while though the room quiet besides their breathing. Robert still has Aaron’s hand in his lap and he's rubbing his thumb across the back of it. Slow circles with no real purpose but Aaron feels it absolutely everywhere.It's Robert who breaks the silence.“I called her when I realized you were gonna take a while in the bathroom. It's pretty normal for me to want to be on my own before a race, so she's not expecting me and won't think anything of it.” His thumb finally stops moving and Aaron can feel Robert's eyes on him but can't bring himself to look at him. “You going tell me what's wrong?”Aaron doesn't respond right away, turns his face to stare at nothing on one of the walls, but eventually he does. Because it's Robert and a response is the least he deserves.“No.”It just isn't much of a response.“Is it something I did?” Aaron's gaze finally snapped back to Robert’s face and the idea that Robert would think he's at fault is suffocating. “I promise I wasn't interested in the waitress. I just figured it was a good way to get out of the bar without them paying too much attention.”“No.”“I'm sorry.”They'd spoken at the same time.“Robert, no.” Aaron closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath trying to calm himself. He'd hoped falling apart in the bathroom would have helped but clearly it hadn't. He feels Robert's fingers glide across his skin before his palm cupped his cheek and felt rather than heard the sob that racked his body.“Aaron what's wrong?” Robert's voice is full of worry and it just serves to unravel Aaron more.“I-I can't talk about it.”“Why not?”He felt Robert's thumb start to make the same gentle circle against his cheek as it had his hand, the softness, the gentleness too much for him when his head keeps telling him he doesn't deserve it and he splinters apart i front if the older man.“Because I can’t. You wouldn’t understand. I won't be able to explain it. I didn't want… I never wanted you to see me like this.”He'd started crying again he thinks, the voice inside his head drowning out everything good. It isn't until much later that he realizes the older man's arms are wrapped tightly around him, rocking him lightly, as he mumbles calming words into Aaron’s ear even as the voice in Aaron’s head grows louder. You're an embarrassment “Shh, it's okay, you don't have to tell me.” Worthless “I won't ask again okay?” Pathetic “You're alright. I'm here, Aaron, I've got you.”Aaron clutches at him even as he's embarrassed for Robert to see this. He hadn't had an episode like this in a long time and a part of him more than anything else is ashamed.Slowly Aaron pulled away from him, rubbing at his face, and refusing to look at Robert. This time Robert keeps silent and simply waits for Aaron to break the silence.And eventually he does, if quietly.“It's just..” there was a long pause and for a moment Robert didn't think he’d finish the thought. “Everyone has baggage, it’s just a bad day for me that's all. I'll be fine for tomorrow.”“I'm not worried about tomorrow, Aaron.”“You should be.”“Maybe, but at the moment I really just want to make sure you're okay. You've seen my baggage fall open a few times now. You don't have to be embarrassed.”“It’s not the same thing.”“I'm just saying..”Wiping the tear tracks from his face with a rough swipe of his hand Aaron barely spared Robert a look before pushing off the bed and heading towards his luggage. When he comes back it's to toss a t-shirt and shorts at Robert and nod his head towards the bathroom door. “Go take a shower, Robert.”It's practically a neon sign shouting ‘subject closed‘ and after a slight hesitation Robert does what he said he would as he held Aaron.“Alright, you'll probably want to reorder room service.” He’s only just started to close the bathroom door when his blond head pops back out and Aaron braces himself incase Robert's changed his mind.“Or you can join me if you want.” The older man's smile is flirty even if his eyes still hold worry.“Just had a shower.”“I've smelled you, mate. You could do with another.”It's the wink that accompanies the playful words that seals the deal and has Aaron drifting closer. It's Robert doing what he said he would and not prying that slowly starts to mend Aaron’s frayed nerves.“Think you're funny do ya’?”And it’s as Robert snatches him by the t-shirt to pull him forward for a soft kiss, barely a touch of lips really, tha the fingers of his free hand attack Aaron’s side and the young mechanic laughs for the first time that day. “I know I am.” He startled awake with a jerk, breathing heavy, and panic making him tremble. So it takes him longer than it should to realize it's Robert's arm tightening around his waist to pull him closer, not his, and he slowly calms as he feels Robert's lips brush across his neck. His fingers scramble for Robert's before his walls can go up and he clutches at the older mans hand, taking a deep breath in an effort to settle his mind. To try and ignore the nightmares of his past for just a small while longer. Only I could lo- "You okay?"It's so unexpected it renders him mute. One second Gordon's voice is slamming around his head, loud enough to drown out the world, and the next its peace, its happiness, it's Robert."Aaron?""Y-yeah, I'm okay, just a bad dream."He feels Robert shift and when he settles Aaron doesn't think there's an inch of space left between them. He doesn't have a single complaint about it. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- He felt the bed shift under him, groaned in complaint when he was jostled around a second time a few minutes later. He could feel the heat of the morning sun on his face, slipping through the crack in the curtains, but kept his eyes shut not wanting to get up just yet. Morning meant dealing with last night in the fresh light of day and the regret that came with it. He’d fallen apart last night, nearly shattered into bits in Robet’s arms and while the other man had handled it well enough that didn’t erase the embarrassment Aaron felt now.The truth was, they barely knew each other, and what time had been spent together had been a chaotic jumbled mess of emotions that ricocheted between the good and the bad depending on either of their moods. If Robert was smart he’d see yesterday for what it was, regardless of what he’d said in the moment, and run.Not that anyone Aaron knew would call Robert smart.Something that was reenforced when he felt Robert’s weight settle on the mattress beside him, long fingers slipping to bury themselves into Aaron’s hair before twisting around the soft curls to give a light tug.“I can tell you’re awake.” When he didn’t get a response Robert tugged a little bit harder and Aaron’s eyes snapped open so that he could glare up at him. “See? There you are. I’ve got to go, it’s nearly seven, and I’m expected at a breakfast thing. I probably won't see you until closer to the race.”“I figured.”“Don’t sound too disappointed about it.”He was smiling as he said it though so Aaron knew his early morning grump hadn’t rubbed Robert wrong. “I’m trying to sleep if you hadn’t noticed, some of us have to do actual work today.”“Cheeky.”“Honest.” He felt the fingers in his hair tighten in reponse, Robert using the grip he still had there to angle Aaron’s head back so thry were looking at eachother. Aaron had intended to keep his bored expression in place, to make Robert absolutely earn it, but as Robert moved closer Aaron’s lips parted in expectation, his body as tratiours as always.Robert’s grin was impossible to miss before he pressed their mouths together. He kept is soft, and still Aaron felt it light him up from the inside out, and as Robert pulled back again a few seconds later he rubbed the pad of his thumb gently across Aaron’s cheek. Seemingly unaware of how easily he always managed to upend Aaron’s world. “This is where you wish me luck.”“You don’t need it.” Aaron hoped he didn't sound as winded as he suddenly felt.“Still want it.”“That’s a shame then, ain't it?.”Robert’s laugh was infectious and Aaron couldn’t help but return the smile before burrowing his face into his pillow, embarrassed that Robert had so easily pulled him out of his early morning mood. He kept his face there when he felt Robert’s weight leave the mattress, kept it there still when he heard Robert grab the last of his things, and only finally peeked again when he heard the door start to open.“Robert.”He watched the other man pause, Robert turning to look back at him questioningly. The harsh lights of the hotel hallway almost giving him a halo. He was tall, freckled from head to toe, and more beautiful that Aaron had ever seen anyone be before. He made Aaron laugh. He made Aaron feel seen. And he’d made Aaron feel safe when he’d felt like he was coming apart at the seams. No one had made him feel like that in years, and Aaron had absolutely no right to have him.But he still wanted him.“Good luck.”Robert’s smile was blinding in response. Aaron wrapped it around himself as the door closed between them, would use it to settle himself and hold back old ghosts as he faced the first racing day head on. He was late.If he'd been smart he'd have been there on time, early even. The problem was he absolutely didn't want to be there.So he was late.Breakfast with Lawrence was dead last on the list of things Robert would ever willingly choose to do, breakfast with Lawrence and Andy was pushing towards masochistic, and breakfast with Lawrence, Andy, and Katie was his personal definition of hell. Unfortunately it wasn’t something he could ignore. Between flying in with the crew, and his blow up during qualifying yesterday, Robert was on a short leash where Lawrence was concerned and the hassle was never worth it. He’d have to grin and bare it and simply hope time went quickly.Not that he could ever get that lucky.By the time he’d made it to the restaurant all four of them were already there, Chrissie frowning at him as he settled into the seat next to her. “I tried calling you.”“Forgot to charge my phone, didn’t see them until I woke late and showered. I’ve made it though so crisis averted.” He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before turning his attention towards the rest of the table. “We can order if the rest of you are ready.”“We’ve been ready.” Katie flashed him an overly sympathetic smile. “Nervous to face the cameras today, Robert? Yesterday was a bit embarrassing.”“I don’t imagine it’s any worse than what they post about you on a normal day. What was the headline the other week? Sugden Sibling’s Share-"The sound of Lawrence's hand smacking suddenly against the table interrupted him. “Don’t be crass, Robert.”He barely managed to not roll his eyes.Instead he did what he always did in these situations, he shut down. Let his mind wander as he turned his head and stared somewhere into the distance, gaze unfocused. But it seemed he wouldn't be allowed any peace before this race."Robert, are you listening to me"Lawrence again."Not really." As he turned his attention back to the table he found the four of them frowning at him and let out an annoyed sigh. He didn't want to deal with this. "What?""He was saying if you lose today try not to have a repeat performance" Kate said.Her voice was sickeningly sweet and it made Roberts skin crawl, reminded him of all the things he hated about her these days. "I'm not going to lose."Lawrence's laugh was loud, but it wasn't friendly. "Someone's full of himself.""I'm good at my job" He leaned back as a plate was set in front of him. Evidently they'd ordered for him and without him. "It's why you hired me.""I thought he hired you because of Chrissie." Katie said. All false innocence again."Will you fucking leash your dog already."The table is silent for exactly three seconds and then it's absolute chaos. Andy finally finds his tongue, Katie actually heaves her glass at his head and Lawrence is pleased off to the side enjoying what had clearly been his intent from the beginning. Chrissie for her part just seems horrified that Robert could be so spiteful. It's as if she doesn't know him at all.Because she doesn't.He's been to meals like this countless times. Lawrence isn't very creative or witty in his attempt to upset Robert but usually Robert doesn't rise to the bait. Usually he can fake it till he makes it. Make a couple jokes, eat free food, and then make his retreat before having to engage too much. Quite simply didn't have the effort to bother today. The honest truth of it was that if he couldn't spend his free time before the race with Aaron wrapped around him then he wasn't interested in socializing. He doesn't bother to say goodbye as he stands up from the table and walks off, he'd deal with them after race.
10967754	From Moscow to Almaty	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Otabek Altin, Yuri Plisetsky", "Fandom": "Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by lesbianartemis (orphan_account)", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-29T00:00:00", "words": "4,511", "Additional Tags": "Fluff, cuteness", "Relationship": "Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": "Otayuri Reverse Bang 2017", "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	“It’s not hard; with you I have an alibi You don’t care the reason why I misapply.” Fuck, was there anything worse in the world than jet lag? Yuri was pretty sure he could answer that question with a resounding no, followed by a fuck you, world, why the fuck would you even make time zones? With a sigh of irritated relief equal in magnitude only to the number of hours since he’d last been able to get proper sleep, Yuri dropped his suitcase in front of the crisp-looking apartment door with a satisfying thunk. He raised a fist, rapping on the door in quick succession three times before stepping back and crossing his arms impatiently.After a pause long enough for Yuri to feel the briefest tinge of worry and oh shit, maybe I should’ve called ahead, the door swung open. “Could you have kept me waiting any longer? Move, I have to pee,” Yuri snapped at the shocked-looking figure in the doorway, pushing past him before he could respond.“…’lo, Yuri,” Yuri heard Otabek’s amused-sounding voice from behind him as he walked away, not bothering to offer up a response as he strode through the apartment purposefully – which turned out to be rather pointless as it was difficult to stride purposefully when one didn’t know where he was going. “Down the hall, to the left,” Otabek called from behind him, sounding all the more amused. Yuri scowled before following his directions. Damn Otabek and his brand fucking new apartment. Not that Yuri wasn’t happy for his friend to finally have his own place and jealous that Otabek didn’t have to deal with stupid annoying roommates or adults breathing down his neck (hint hint, Yakov) – but it was so damn inconvenient to not know where anything was. He was used to being so intimately familiar with Otabek’s place that he was able to waltz through it like it was his own. Yuri wasn’t too concerned; he was sure he’d become just as familiar with this apartment as the last one Otabek had lived in with a couple of roommates. It was just fucking annoying for the moment.When he stepped out of the restroom, Otabek was already pulling his (admittedly heavy) suitcase inside, shutting the door and straightening. Yuri blinked; he’d been in such a rush when he’d burst in that he hadn’t really registered anything past Otabek being present. Now, in the right frame of mind, he was able to devote proper attention to the complete fucking unfairness that was Otabek in a pair of faded dark-wash jeans and a v-neck, hair perfectly mussed in a way that was just incredibly infuriating to Yuri.Everything about his appearance was just really fucking annoying, actually, and it had been for a few months now – the kind of annoying that made Yuri’s heart race and his face feel hot for no damn reason. They’d been friends for four years, ever since Otabek had heroically rescued him yanked him away from his fans like an asshole, and Yuri hadn’t felt like this for the first three, so whatever bullshit was going on now was obviously Otabek’s fault. Stupid prick.But whatever the asshole was doing to him to make him feel so weird when they were together, Yuri had been careful not to let it affect their relationship. They still had conversations that lasted hours and extended late into the night (or early into the morning, if one of them was in a weird time zone). Yuri still texted him to bitch about Victor and Piggy being particularly annoyingly in-his-face with their disgusting cutesy bullshit, or to bitch about Yakov or Baranovskaya being especially harsh during a practice, or to bitch about – well, anything really. They still visited each other randomly when either of them had time off.Yuri didn’t know what was going on with himself, but he’d be damned if he let it keep him from keeping up one of the most important friendships he had – not that he’d ever tell Otabek such mushy garbage.“Yakov give you some time off?” Otabek was asking over his shoulder, and Yuri snapped out of the dumbass daze that Otabek’s stupid appearance had put him in to notice Otabek dragging the suitcase off into the spare room that Yuri’d – jokingly – demanded he get when he picked a new apartment so Yuri didn’t have to sleep on the couch when he came over anymore. Yuri felt a quick ping of guilt for leaving his shit for Otabek to take care of, and he decided to busy himself with looking around the room to cover for his lapse.“That old man never gives me any time off,” Yuri called, eyes running over the crisp interior of the living room. He suppressed a shiver – Otabek always kept every place he lived as cold as a fucking icebox, as well as meticulously clean, a fact that never failed to bemuse Yuri. His own room always looked like a disaster area, clothes in piles that made sense to him (kinda clean clothes in one pile, clothes he could probably get away with wearing with only mild nose-wrinkling from Baranovskaya in another pile, and a pile that he’d probably only get away with wearing in the comfort of his own room until he decided to do a load of laundry in another pile), food and books and other random shit he owned to amuse himself with in his scant amounts of down time flung in random corners when he was too lazy to get out of his very comfortable bed to put them away. “Mila told him she thought my win at Skate America deserved a couple of days of break, though, and he actually listened to someone for fucking once,” Yuri continued with a roll of his eyes. Someday people would listen to him.He glanced back at the door Otabek had disappeared through in time to see Otabek come strolling back into the room, a weird glint in his eye. “And you decided to come here for those couple of days?” he asked, and Yuri’s brow furrowed.“Yeah, wanted to see your new apartment – “ and you – “Is that a problem?”Otabek was shaking his head before Yuri could even finish the question. “No, not at all.”But the weird look on Otabek’s face was still there, and Yuri looked away quickly, searching for anything to change the subject with. The apartment was similar to the last in that it held Otabek’s same couch and decorations and vibe, but better because there was no clutter from other roommates. It was purely Otabek. His eyes fell on Otabek’s record collection, pristinely arranged on the dark wooden shelves in one corner of the room next to an aged record player – probably the only item in the room that didn’t look like it was brand fucking new.Avoiding Otabek’s eyes, Yuri said shortly, “Good,” and strode over to the shelves. He’d always loved looking through Otabek’s vinyls, and now seemed as good a time as any to flip through them again – even if they did play into that stupid “effortlessly untouchable cool guy” vibe that asshole seemed to just fucking love giving off.“Have you gotten some new ones already?” Yuri asked, noting some covers he was fairly certain he hadn’t seen the last time he’d been flipping through Otabek’s collection. He heard Otabek shift behind him.“Yeah, a couple since the last time you were here, I think,” he responded, his voice sounding closer than it had been previously. Yuri nodded absently, searching out any of the new ones. His eyes landed on a black vinyl with what looked like a weird hybrid of human and bunny or cat or something in various shades of pinkish-purple. The name “Autoheart” was scrawled in loopy cursive across the weird hybrid’s chest, and Yuri’s eyes lit up, even as he was a bit confused. Autoheart wasn’t Otabek’s typical style; Otabek usually went for the grunge bands, but Autoheart was more contemporary and (much as Yuri despised the term) hipster. It was a band he recalled having mentioned to Otabek that he liked listening to sometimes, but that he didn’t recall ever hearing Otabek profess a particular interest in. Yuri wondered absently why Otabek had it, then shrugged.“I want to listen to this one,” Yuri demanded, snatching the record and whirling around to hand it to Otabek, who was standing much closer than Yuri had anticipated. Yuri’s elbow shoulder knocked into him, and Yuri was thrown off-balance (stupid Otabek and his stupid fucking broad chest). Before Yuri could do more than momentarily panic about falling into the record shelf and smashing Otabek’s collection, Otabek had reached out, hands grasping Yuri’s forearms and steadying him. Otabek offered him an easy smile.“Okay,” he said easily, sliding the record out of Yuri’s hands without further comment and slipping across the room. Yuri stared after him, heart beating weirdly in his chest and doing his utmost to convince himself that such a physiological response was entirely normal after one had nearly fallen over into a shelf full of what he considered to be priceless commodities. Realizing he’d probably been standing there a minute too long, Yuri turned away sharply, kicking off his shoes and flopping down on the squishy couch, burrowing into the cushions to at least try to make himself a little warmer and more comfortable while Otabek put the record on. “We both know what we’ve got to do Head back to where the magic grew Come on, let’s go Back to Moscow Irresolution doesn’t suit you” Yuri busied himself with checking his phone when the first strains of music started to play, and he heard Otabek turn. He was very firmly Not Noticing when Otabek joined him on the couch, eyes fixed on his phone screen as he scrolled through Instagram. Phichit had caught yet another cringe-worthy photo of Victor and That-Imposter-With-His-Name making gooey eyes at one another; this one featured the lovelorn idiots at a competition Victor was skating in, based on their attire – though Yuri wouldn’t put it past Victor to wear a fucking skintight bedazzled leotard outside of the rink just for fun, either. But Victor had definitely been skating in this photo – he was leaning over the rail at a rink with a metric fuck-ton of people in the stadium seats behind him staring at The Imposter like he was the only thing that mattered in the world. And the stupid Imposter was staring at him like that right back – ugh, those two were disgusting. And why the fuck did Phichit feel the need to document their nastiness for the whole world to see?? It was annoying, and the weird pangs he got when he saw photos of the two looking so happy together were definitely not envy, they were irritation at how gross those two were, and in public, no less.Yuri looked up to complain to Otabek about the couple’s obnoxious displays of affection, but the words got weirdly stuck. Reclining on the other end of the couch, Otabek was flipping through his phone too, dark strands of hair curling falling messily across his forehead, fading light streaming in through the window to frame his face, which was an odd mixture of concentration and relaxation as he did – well, whatever it was Otabek did when he got onto his phone. Otabek had never seemed inordinately interested in social media, and he’d said before the only person he really texted was Yuri, so Yuri wasn’t really sure what the other man got up to when he was on his phone.As though he could feel Yuri’s eyes on him, Otabek looked up, the concentration he’d had while he’d been on his phone transferring to Yuri, and Yuri felt strangely trapped by his gaze. Soft strains of music trickled behind them, seeming to grow louder in the moment, building until the moment had a strange crystalline essence to it.“Yes?” Otabek prompted, apparently unaffected, and the moment shattered. Yuri scrambled to pick up the pieces.“O-oh, uh, I was – “ a confused pause as the memory of why he’d looked up at Otabek in the first place took a second to return, and then he sucked in a deep breath, returning to surer footing. He thrust his phone at Otabek, Phichit’s picture still displayed obnoxiously on the screen. “Look at this,” he commanded, and Otabek leaned forward, squinting a bit at the photo before his eyes registered his recognition.“They look happy,” was all he said in response, and Yuri’s mouth dropped open indignantly.“Yes, but – they shouldn’t be looking like that in public!”Otabek raised an eyebrow, mouth twitching in what Yuri huffily registered as amusement. “Shouldn’t be looking happy?” he asked offhandedly.“You know that’s not what I mean!” Yuri exclaimed, snatching his phone away, then holding it up and pointing heatedly at the couple’s eyes. “I mean this! They look like they’re, I dunno – “ he floundered, waving his arms in a manner meant to convey what exactly Victor and The Imposter were conveying but that mostly just conveyed his own annoyance.“In love?” Otabek supplied unhelpfully, still looking only mildly amused at Yuri’s distress. Yuri glared at him, arms dropping.“No,” he growled. “A couple of fucking morons, that’s what they look like they are.”“Well, I think they look happy,” Otabek responded, unruffled, eyes returning to his phone, and Yuri wanted to scream.“Why are you being so impossible right now?” he grumped, huffing as he settled back into the couch, arms crossed angrily across his chest.“I don’t see anything wrong with them being in love. They look like they’re really enjoying being together, and I’m happy for them,” Otabek replied without looking up from his phone. “To have someone who you care about like that and who cares about you like that in return is special and is something that some people only get to dream about.”Yuri stared at him because a) that had to be the longest sentence he’d ever heard Otabek utter in the years he’d known him, and b) “I didn’t know you were such a romantic,” Yuri snickered. But Otabek’s lips turned down ever-so-slightly, a line appearing between his brows that Yuri had a perfect view of from where Otabek was still pouring over his phone; somehow, Yuri didn’t think he was reading anything on it anymore. Otabek was displaying the telltale signs of being genuinely put-out with Yuri’s comment – the signs might be small, but Yuri would recognize them anywhere.“Not that it’s a bad thing or anything,” Yuri hastily added, though he was certain he’d never be a romantic. All that affection and bullshit? Blech, not for him, thank you very fucking much. He was the Ice Tiger of Russia for fuck’s sake, and he had a reputation to live up to. Although he wouldn’t have thought Otabek would be one to put much stock in romanticism, either – Otabek wore leather jackets, rode a motorcycle, and listened to 90s grunge, was Yuri really at fault for just assuming Otabek wouldn’t be a romance guy?Although Otabek did have this perfect annoying soft side to him, now that Yuri was thinking about it; he’d flown in to take care of Yuri once when Yuri’d mentioned that he had a cold a couple of years ago even though Otabek’d had a big competition a few days later, and he always kept hot chocolate in his apartment even though Yuri knew Otabek hated hot chocolate and only drank it when Yuri was around because Yuri was addicted to the stuff but pretended not to be, and he uncomplainingly listened to Yuri vent about every minor inconvenience in his life and unfailingly appeared entirely attentive… Really, Otabek had always been the sort to just quietly take care of him (and everyone else, Yuri was sure) without the expectation of recognition or praise for any good deed; he was loads more than his tough immediate appearance, and okay, maybe it was a bit stupid for Yuri to have assumed Otabek wouldn’t be a romance sort of guy, especially since they’d known each other for so long.“I just didn’t know,” Yuri followed up weakly. Thankfully, though, Otabek finally glanced back up from his phone to offer Yuri a small smile.“No worries,” he said easily, and Yuri knew he was forgiven.Yuri shifted, trying to return his attention to his phone but finding that Instagram wasn’t really holding his interest anymore. He tried to flip through his phone anyway, hoping maybe if he could find something worth his attention that maybe his mind would stop buzzing so much.“So why are you so against romance, then?” Otabek’s voice was so unexpected after their weirdly tense talk that Yuri nearly jumped at the sound. He glanced back up to find Otabek regarding him with that annoyingly penetrative gaze, even as the other man somehow simultaneously continued to look only casually curious.“W-what?” Yuri asked, the question he’d been asked having flown out of his mind entirely.“Why do you always respond to romance so negatively?” Otabek repeated patiently, and Yuri blinked.“I don’t,” he blurted defensively, a reflex reaction. He scrambled for a better response. “I mean, it’s not the romance part, it’s just – why do people have to do it in public? Like they’re rubbing people’s faces in it? Not everyone wants to see someone so blatantly gaga over someone else all the time, it’s annoying,” Yuri continued, petulance infiltrating his voice no matter how he tried to keep it out. Otabek nodded sagely, like Yuri had just told him something extremely important.“So it’s not the romance part that bothers you, but just that it’s in public?” Otabek asked, his voice still affecting the same somehow indifferent-but-still-genuinely-curious tone that Yuri envied. Yuri shrugged.“Uh, I guess. I just don’t want to have to watch two people be stupid over each other all the time,” he responded, trying to affect the same cool interest in the conversation Otabek displayed but coming off as more irritated than aloof. Otabek smirked the slightest bit, looking amused again.“So you’re okay with romance as long as it’s in private, then?” he clarified.“Yeah, I just don’t want to see people acting like idiots all the time. As long as I don’t have to see it, I don’t give a fuck how people waste their time,” Yuri sniffed. Otabek chuckled – an honest-to-goodness chuckle. Yuri felt preemptively insulted before Otabek even opened his mouth.“You’re such a grouch, Yuri,” Otabek said, fondness emanating from his voice in a way that had Yuri feeling really weird, just like earlier. Why on earth did he feel fucking weird around Otabek when Otabek treated him like, like – like Yuri was more than just an annoying, grumpy child, like his grumpiness was an endearing aspect of his personality rather than a “cute” side-effect of his age? It was so damn annoying, and Yuri wanted to blame Victor and Mila; they’d given him the Obnoxious Little Brother Complex, so they were the ones responsible for his weird reaction to people who didn’t treat him that way.“I am not a grouch,” Yuri growled anyway, glaring at Otabek. “I’m just…tired from the trip. I just came in from America, and I’m jet lagged, you asshole. Way to make fun of me for being fucking human,” Yuri invented wildly, affecting as much indignation and outrage at the accusation as possible.It appeared to work, the mirthful smile on Otabek’s face shifting into an expression of slight concern. “You should probably get some rest, Yuri,” Otabek said, and Yuri rolled his eyes.“I’m fine,” he said stubbornly, resolutely ignoring that he’d just been using that exact need for rest as his reasoning for being grouchy in the first place.“No, you’re right, you have to be exhausted from the travel, and the time difference from here to America isn’t fun to adjust to,” Otabek said more insistently – which just made Yuri dig his heels in all the harder.“I’m comfortable right here,” Yuri said resolutely, crossing his arms and wiggling further into the seat to prove his point. Otabek sighed.“Well, will you at least lay down on the couch?” he asked exasperatedly, though Yuri knew Otabek knew him too well to have expected anything different. But it was a reasonable enough request that required minimal effort on Yuri’s part, so Yuri just shrugged, flopping over sideways on the couch so his legs rested across Otabek’s lap. He picked one of the brown checkered pillows off the couch, punching it into shape and shoving it under his head.“Happy?” Yuri challenged, poking his head up just enough to lock eyes with Otabek. Another small smile flashed across Otabek’s face before the other man nodded once, returning his attention at last to his phone. Yuri flopped back down onto the pillow, squeezing his eyes shut. He really was pretty tired; time zone differences weren’t fun for most people, but Yuri always felt especially wiped after particularly bad time zone changes, and Otabek was right that America to Kazakhstan wasn’t exactly an easy adjustment. Already, he felt the heaviness of the toll the flight had taken on him sweeping through his muscles, tugging him down into the couch. “When in Moscow I just want to fold you up And keep you warm, keep you warm.” The minutes ticked by, the strains of the Autoheart record twirling through the apartment. Yuri felt heavier and heavier – but something was keeping him from sinking entirely into sleep, his brain chattering away, running through his and Otabek’s conversation with an annoyingly fine-toothed comb. He huffed in annoyance, rolling onto his back and feeling Otabek shift in response on the other end of the couch. He kept his eyes closed in the hopes that maybe, just maybe he could trick his body into thinking it was asleep and just relaxing into it already, for fuck’s sake.A few more minutes slipped by, and it didn’t seem to be working all that well for him. His mind wouldn’t stop spinning, ever aware of Otabek’s presence on the other end of the couch. Yuri let out another annoyed sigh, eyes snapping open and brow wrinkled in annoyance as he stared at the entirely uninteresting ceiling. It was just too fucking cold, that’s what it was. It was just Otabek’s stupid warm-natured-ness keeping him from sleep, that was all.“You okay, Yuri?” Otabek’s voice was low, warm, a little concerned.“Can’t sleep, too cold,” Yuri responded shortly. Otabek was silent, and Yuri worried briefly that maybe he’d been just a bit too brusque (then wondered when the fuck he’d started caring about whether he’d been too short with someone). But then he felt Otabek shift on the couch, and Yuri felt his feet being lifted off of Otabek’s lap. Before much more than momentary disappointment could sweep through him, Yuri let out a startled yelp as a large mass passed over him and dipped onto the couch between him and the back cushions. Two arms wrapped around his waist, shifting him around like a fucking child until Otabek was able to lay beside him, Yuri tucked comfortably against his side.Yuri smacked Otabek’s arm indignantly until it dropped away, turning to glare at the other man and – oh fuck, he was really close now. But no, no distractions, Yuri was determined to get across that he was pissed. “Don’t fucking manhandle me,” he snapped, but Otabek just raised an eyebrow amusedly.“Sorry, thought this might be warmer for you.”“You couldn’t have just grabbed a fucking blanket?”Otabek shrugged. “I packed all my blankets away for the summer. Could’ve grabbed one off the bed, but I thought this would be easier. Just wanted you to be warm,” he responded, and shit, now Yuri felt kind of like a prick for even making a big deal about it in the first place.“Yeah, well…thanks,” he mumbled, feeling his face redden. He turned away quickly, hiding his face and back pressed to Otabek’s chest with the excuse of snuggling back into the couch (and Otabek, his mind whispered traitorously). “You have to be really still,” Yuri commanded, trying to slip back into more familiar territory. He felt Otabek’s chest rumble with a chuckle.“Okay,” the other man agreed easily, and Yuri let himself slide down further into the couch, closing his eyes and letting the music wash over him. Otabek had been annoyingly right, it seemed; Yuri already felt warmer, more comfortable with Otabek’s body heat comfortably close. The heaviness returned more quickly, this time, and Yuri yawned tiredly, the exhaustion of the day washing over him in a way that felt different than earlier. He was still tired, sure, but this time it was the warm, worn sort of tired; this time, he felt secure and content.It was just because he was fucking warm now, okay.As he started to drift, a familiar tune caught his ear. “Hey, I know this song,” he slurred, eyes still closed. The corner of his mind that was still awake railed at him for sounding so surprised; of course he knew one of the songs, he’d picked this record because he knew some of the group’s music.“That so?” Otabek’s voice was warm and entertained from behind him, and Yuri sleepily leaned into it, turning over and tossing one arm over Otabek’s stomach, the other one curled into his own chest.“Mmhm,” he responded contentedly, eyes still closed. The soothing notes trickled around them, and Yuri hummed tunelessly for a moment in response before making the effort to match pitch, humming along with the song.”I said come here baby, come a little closer You’ll write words and I can be composer Let’s get a dog, an Irish red setter It’s all we need to get better It feels good to not be with a wannabe I am free whenever you’re in front of me All I need’s a fraction of your happy heart All I need is you.”The lyrics were so mushy, Yuri thought as his last moments of consciousness swept over him, but somehow that didn’t seem like so much of a problem right now. Tucked in warm and comfortable with the person he trusted most in the world, mushy didn’t seem like such a dire insult.He’d slipped too far towards sleep to notice when Otabek joined him, baritone hum quietly joining with Yuri as Yuri finally fell into a deeply relaxed slumber. A small smile slipped over Otabek’s face as Yuri’s hum trailed off and Yuri’s breathing evened out. Perhaps it was for the best that Yuri wasn’t awake to see Otabek looking at him like he was the only thing that mattered in the world as the song came to a close, hum shifting into quiet singing.“You’ve got my heart, I’ve got your hand, so we are safe and sorted.”
10922847	Its an Art	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Armitage Hux, Kylo Ren", "Fandom": "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by halocentury", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-16T00:00:00", "words": "1,676", "Additional Tags": "Prompt Fic, Tea, Innuendo, Pre-Slash, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting", "Relationship": "Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "kylux cantina prompts", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "Gen, M/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	It had been far too long a day. A meeting done over conference call held him up past his normal standard of working late. The later hour left him hopeful that most people would’ve already arrived home, leaving the train ride less packed. Yet, judging by the number of jerseys that crowded every station, there had to be at least two sports games happening.The only godsend was that it wasn’t post-game rush. He wasn’t soaked with beer and sweat by the time he stumbled out of the car, shuffling from underground to stairs to dusk with the rest of the herd.Legs felt like noodles once he finished the last set of stairs to his floor. He could feel the sharp pangs of hunger, needles in his stomach, but it was more the lethargy of low blood sugar that concerned him. Important as food was he was more interested in settling down on the couch, letting the stress of the day evaporate into the steam of a cup of tea.Pushing the unlocked door open a smell permeated the air. He could hear the rumble of the microwave, the machine having passed its golden years by half a decade, but the cloy that wafted towards him struck him as worrisome.Worse yet was what greeted him once he opened the microwave. The turntable was coated with creamy water, bubbling while the mug threatened to spill more over. When he spotted the teabag he couldn’t stop himself.He shrieked.“What? Is it done?” Kylo sprinted into the kitchen, shirtless. Water dripped over his shoulders, wet hair sopping. Peering around the fridge, following around to stand in front of the microwave, he pulled the mug out. “I lost half my tea!”Ignoring the sight that he would normally admire he stared wild-eyed into Kylo’s despondent face. “That’s not tea, that’s sewage!” Kylo’s frown wasn’t deterred, deepening when he poured the remains down the sink. “Rey gave me that tea, she won’t be happy to hear you said that.”“She won’t be happy to know you butchered it by boiling it in the microwave!”Dropping the teabag into the garbage Kylo turned back to him, arms crossed. “She at least lets me have tea. You tell me you have tea and yet when I look for your stash… it looks like an entirely different stash.” Now the eyebrow arched. “Are you sure you aren’t dealing?”So much for a relaxing night. His nails dug into the heel of his palm, impressive as he still held his briefcase. “I’ve told you, it’s loose leaf tea.”“Haven’t you heard of a teabag?” An amused huff and Kylo angled his head haughtily. “I’m not going to drink a mouthful of weed.”“Tea,” he insisted, shaking his head. “And it tastes better loose.”That arrogant tilt took on an edge that he was all too familiar with, lips wetted before pursing. “How would you know? I’ve always heard your friends loving how tight-”“Alright!” Feigning apology, shrugging his shoulders, Hux started to twist away. “I was going to offer to make you a proper cup of tea but if you’re not interested I’ll just make myself some dinner.”He made it two steps before Kylo squeezed by him, warm hands at his shoulders to stop him. “Keep your contraband out of my mug and you’ve got a deal.”“It’s not-” Realising that Kylo accepting that he knew how to make tea was a significant step he held back his protest. “I’m putting my briefcase away and hanging up my coat. Then I’ll make you your tea.”Physically lighter, even if the burden of the lesson he was attempting to teach loomed heavier, he returned to the kitchen, gesturing for Kylo to step out of the way. The kettle and its plug-in base was a bit too bulky to keep out on the counter all the time. “Alright, first things first.” Once he set it in position he turned back to Kylo. “What kind of tea did Rey give you?”Kylo looked down at the teabag in hand. “… Bagged?”“There are different kind of teas, and depending on the type the method of making it differs.” Taking the bag without permission he peered at the fine paper, seeing a vague outline of long leaves. A sniff confirmed what he suspected. “Green tea. It does smell nice.”Confusion made way to alarm. “If my piss is going to turn green-““Go- no!” Huffing and eyes widening Hux set the bag on the counter then took the kettle to fill it to the minimum line. “Your ‘piss’ will be just fine. Now, the kettle. You plug it in and, if you are just looking to make a cup of tea, you fill it to the minimum line. You’ll have more water than you need but you can always pour the rest down the sink. Always pour it out, do not leave any unused water in the kettle after you’ve boiled it. And always fill the kettle with cold water.”“But I don’t want iced tea, I want hot tea,” Kylo argued, placing one hand on the counter to survey the action. He turned off the tap, barely letting his eyes flick towards the still bare torso. Even if he could make tea blindfolded he didn’t want to give Kylo the pleasure of knowing he was hard to ignore. “Iced tea is a different beast in itself, but you start with cold water regardless. It’s… I believe it’s something about quality of water. Cold water in coffee machines or kettles makes for better coffee or tea. But-” Motioning Kylo closer he set the kettle onto the base. The digital screen lit up with 100. “If you boil the water as is, at default temperature, you would be able to drink a black tea. That is your standard tea – orange pekoe, earl grey, chai – black teas. There are other teas that can be made at one hundred degrees but because you have a green tea you need less hot water. Some tea boxes will specifically give you a temperature setting but you can estimate it for 80 or 85. I tend to go lower-”“That’s what he said.”“Focus.” Biting at the inside of his cheek he pressed the down button until 80 appeared on the screen. “Then you press the on button, this one between the up and down buttons.” A little pictogram appeared above the screen, a stovetop kettle, that started flashing. “Now, as personal preference, and far be it that I tell you what you ought to do, but green teas rarely need any milk unless you’re making a latte. The same goes for sugar.”Kylo had been paying attention to the kettle, nodding when it started making noises to indicate that the water was heating. “What about cream?”Flinching in mental pain he made a point of looking away. “Cream is for scones.” Sighing, unable to resist putting on a dramatic tone, he mumbled loudly. “No wonder you Americans dumped all your tea into the harbour. Can’t make a decent cup of-”“But tea tastes nasty without anything in it!” Kylo argued.Casting his gaze askance to Kylo, unable to resist a small smirk, he cocked his head. “Mark my words, this is the only time I’m going to say them. Some things taste best straight.”Kylo bit his lip, not laughing but grinning. “At least you said it and not me.”A click sounded from the kettle, the just under-boiling water hitting the required temperature. “Now bring your mug over here, put the tea bag in the mug. Pour the water in – slowly!” Watching Kylo’s progress he steadied his arm and the kettle with his hand, assisting. “You don’t want the tea bag to break. Now green tea doesn’t take long to steep. Three minutes tops if you want it strong.”“Like me?”“What you ever say muscle-brain.” Kylo set the kettle back down but it took Hux a few more seconds to remove his hand from his arm. “And after your three minutes are up, take the teabag out. You don’t want to over-steep green tea, that’s when it does take a turn for the nasty.”Looking to the stove for the time then back Kylo nodded. “Duly noted.”“Good.” Opening the drawer in which his teas were kept he decided on pulling out a white tea. He needed a little more caffeine to keep him going, through making dinner and following up on a phone call with a client in California. He poured out what remained of the water and refilled the kettle again. “I highly encourage you to use the kettle if you make another tea. I have the manual in my room-”“Why would I need that when you’re around to make me tea?” Kylo asked, circling around the dinner table to get to the couch.“You should learn to use it for when I’m not here. Because I don’t want to come home to another microwave disaster – which you still need to clean up,” Hux reminded, adjusting the temperature on the kettle before starting it.“I’ll get to it in a min – ooh.” It was as though he reminded himself, for the next thing he knew, looking towards the small living room, Kylo was dunking the tea bag several times before pulling it out. Scooping out his tea, and setting it in the strainer of his mug, Hux smiled down to the counter at Kylo’s murmur. “Rey’s got good tea, it does taste good without the cream.”Debating turning Kylo’s phrase against him, he declined and stayed waiting by the counter. In a couple of minutes he joined him on the couch, sitting on the far cushion. “Oh, so it’s just Rey’s tea, and not mine?” he asked, unable to hold back entirely.Kylo took another sip, a lesser but no less insinuating look in his eyes. “You tell me.” He arched an eyebrow, setting the coaster and strainer onto the side table before taking a sip.
10969371	In With the Times	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Fiore (Preacher), DeBlanc (Preacher)", "Fandom": "Preacher (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by VoxInculta", "chapters": "1/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-22T00:00:00", "words": "1,742", "Additional Tags": "Pre-Canon", "Relationship": "DeBlanc/Fiore", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	The issue that arose with fitting in with Humans was that in the current era, money was needed to live life, and as such Fiore was required to work. Seeing as how his early years as an Angel were spent as an architect, naturally he would gravitate towards something in that field. However, things became difficult when faced with a simple question: "Where are you from?"Angels could lie, some of them very well. Fiore, could not. His answer-- that he was from Heaven-- was obviously met with distaste. The job of an architect was not suited for "crazy people" apparently, which Fiore was quickly labeled.Fiore resorted to working in the back of a bar on the outskirts of town, washing dishes and tending to the occasional table if things got too busy. It wasn't a job he minded; Mundane, surely, but hardly difficult. He worked long hours, and due to the fact that he was indeed an immortal angel, those long hours did little to tire him, despite how late or how early he was needed. A place like this was good for him, he could slowly ease himself into becoming more and more Human, learning their mannerisms, experiencing a broad range of types of people. He quickly learned that some people were easy to please, and others were not.A band of dressed up misfits came into the bar, twenty of them at once, and the bar owner came back to ask for Fiore to help get the food out. Even before he left the back room, he could smell something awful...The whole twenty of them were Demons, all dressed in sparkling, fanciful outfits. Fiore's eyes wandered along the crowd that had settled in their seats, the folk talking and making merry like any Human would. No one would notice their identity aside from Fiore. In a part he hoped that maybe they'd be too occupied to catch on to the fact that he was an Angel, but he knew that was ultimately futile. They stared, pointed, some laughed... And yet, they were almost more decent than most of the Humans that came here. Really, they were all rather pleasant aside from their noisy conversation, and left Fiore with a fine tip when they left, three hours past kitchen's close. Fiore would be washing dishes until dawn, not that he minded all that much.A few days later, a trio of the demons returned, again dressed in fanciful costumes. The day had been slow, Fiore was done with his duties and had been sitting at the bar having a drink when they came in. One of the demons wore a red gown with a corset and a feather boa, another donned a golden regalia with sparkling jewels, and the last-- which appeared to be a male-- was dressed in a purple velvet suit with a sharp collar. Fiore was drawn to the vibrant colors, their stylized makeup... It was all so different from what he saw on the daily. Leave it to Demons to stick out from the crowd.The three demons sat at the bar this time, on the opposite side of Fiore. Like normal, they ordered their drinks and began talking. This time they were much more reserved, perhaps due to the lack of a crowd.Fiore wasn't as accustomed to Human mannerisms, and as such found himself staring rather intently at the three. Occasionally the one in gold would glance over at him, her face always coy, lips upturned into a smile. Though the intention was lost on Fiore, it was obvious she was trying to get his attention. Finally she stood, walking right over to Fiore, shooting him a wink just as she passed by to get to the old-fashioned jukebox that sat behind him. He didn't turn, but heard the clinking of coins as they were deposited, the clicking of the machine as it loaded a new record. And then it played a song he'd never heard before, in his year of working there. The song was upbeat and funky, and the other two demons got up to dance to it, shaking their hips and jumping around in the empty space of the bar. If Fiore knew how to smile, he would have-- especially when the golden one tugged on his arm to come join them.Certainly, the last way he expected to spend the remainder of his shift was dancing with a bunch of Demons.The song came to an end, and the Demons resumed their places at the bar, the gold one still urging Fiore to follow them. Seeing as how they'd meant him no harm thus far, he complied with their request."I see you're not really fitting in well, huh?" The gold girl laughed, patting Fiore's shoulder as he sat down. "You Angels always have a real hard time with that, I've noticed."Fiore glanced around to make sure that no one had heard him referred to as such, but the bartender had moved down the line to deal with something else, so the words went unnoticed."What's your name, darlin'?" The one in red had a thick southern accent, a round face with thick, dark curls draped over her shoulders."Fiore." He answered simply, settling himself against the bar."My name's Delilah, this one here's Ophelia, and the other fella is Malcolm." The red lady, Delilah, paused to take a sip of her drink. "We're in town 'till Sunday.""Do you like our outfits?" Ophelia, the flirty gold one mused. "Saw you staring at us.""I was staring because you all are... You know.""Gorgeous? Damn right we are!" Delilah cackled. Ophelia rolled her eyes with a smile."Yes, well... your outfits are very pretty." Fiore added, nodding his head."Thank ya, mister. We're performers, came right from one a' our shows just now.""What sorts of things do you perform?" He figured he'd oblige them on some friendly conversation. What was the worst that could come of it?"Well, mostly just songs and dance sorta thing, sometimes drama, plays and all that."Fiore nodded, "I've yet to experience that kind of thing here.""Right, yer new to this realm, right." Delilah pondered for a moment, sipping on her drink some more. "You ain't got no one to show you the ropes, huh?"Fiore shook his head. "Afraid not." It was then Ophelia moved closer to Delilah, and whispered something to her. Delilah shrugged her shoulders, glanced back at Fiore, and cocked an eyebrow. "Ya think?" To which Ophelia grinned and nodded.Delilah pursed her lips, "Well, mister, now this might seem pretty dang weird comin' from a bunch'a demons, but if you'd like to, you could come and work for us.""And why would I do that? I already have a job."Delilah scoffed, "Honey, this ain't a job. You don't wanna be here any longer than you gotta. This place ain't payin' you what you're worth, not even close."Fiore couldn't argue with that, really. He knew he was pretty much getting screwed over. Places like this didn't pay much, especially when one was getting paid under the table. That much he'd learned by now.A hand was placed on Fiore's shoulder, and he glanced back up at Delilah. "Now look, I know you're probably thinkin' that we're here to screw you over or somethin', but we really need someone. See, one of our main gals just went off to do her own thing, all up outta nowhere, and we've got a show next week up in Denver. I know you saw us all in here the other night, now we didn't cause no trouble, did we?" To this, Fiore shook his head. "Right, see, we're not really about that kinda thing. I sure ain't gonna tell you that everythin' we do is perfect and pure and all that, 'cuz you damn well know I'd be lyin', but I'm bein' honest when I say that we're just tryin' to have fun up here. And we ain't havin' no fun without no show, and there ain't gonna be no show if we ain't got our crew ready. We need a replacement as soon as possible.""Replacement for what?" This was all a bit for him to comprehend."Well, the gal that left was one of our makeup artists, now we've only got one other.""I don' think I could...""Well, here, what did you do up there? You don't look like no warrior, so I'm assumin' it was somethin' else.""I was an architect.""Hm, well, wasn't exactly what I was thinkin', but point is, we know you Angels can be real intricate with what you set your mind to. Doin' makeup, there's nothin' to it, just gotta have a steady hand."Fiore pondered for a moment, "Don't you... I don't know... want a Demon instead? I didn't see any other Angels in your 'crew' last night.""They ain't exactly high in demand. We've round up a buncha them over the years, some of 'em come and go... But this gal kinda left us dry, up and leavin' like that. We just ain't got time to go 'round and find us another demon. And if you think we're gonna settle for some lazy Human, you're dead wrong." Delilah laughed.Fiore nodded, his gaze lowering. "I'm... still not convinced that I'd be the right replacement.""I'm tellin' you Fiore, there's nothin' to it. Since we don't have to worry about sleepin' or gettin' tired, we can just go all night and practice. You'll pick it up in no-time.""Let him think about it, we've got until Sunday night." Ophelia said, nudging Delilah's side with her elbow. "We'll leave a phone number or something. You know how to use a phone, right?""Yes." Fiore said."Great, see? Now hurry up and finish up your drink so we can get back, remember we've still gotta run and see about our friend." Ophelia had already finished her drink and laid her money on the table, tucking the bills under the glass. She turned to speak with Malcolm. Delilah produced a pen from god-knows-where in her intricate outfit and began to scribble a number onto one of the unused napkins, handing it off to Fiore as soon as she'd given it a look-over. "Give us a call by Sunday if you're interested and we'll come pick you up. The earlier, the better."
10952655	The Whitelighter	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Damon Salvatore, Lorenzo \"Enzo\" St. John, Bonnie Bennett, Elena Gilbert, Leo Wyatt, Phoebe Halliwell, Piper Halliwell, Piper Wyatt, Paige Matthews", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by Snazzy_9", "chapters": "1/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-20T00:00:00", "words": "2,803", "Additional Tags": "Charmed and vampire diaries crossover", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Bonnie Bennett/Lorenzo \"Enzo\" St. John, Bonnie Bennett & Damon Salvatore & Lorenzo \"Enzo\" St. John, Piper Halliwell/Leo Wyatt", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Bonenzo - Fandom, Bamon - Fandom, Vampire Diaries, Charmed", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Hi all!!! I know most of us didn't get much closure through the ending of TVD for bonenzo but this is my way of dealing with the loss of Enzo. So enjoy and please leave a review. Mwah.Bonnie knocked on the door but her knocks went unanswered. She felt uncomfortable in the eerily night. She was once again lead to a dodgy area waiting for a witch of some sort to help her bring Enzo back. She had traveled across Africa from the valleys of Nairobi, Kenya to the villages of South Africa finding various witches and wizards. The door finally opened up to an old man who took one look at her before saying "Come in child" and opened it wider.She walked in and was immediately hit with the smell of smoke. The room contained minimal furniture with various candles and what could be vases and containers covering the tables that were there. Her eyes paused at the sight of a cow's head 'maybe this was a bad idea' she thought. "There are no such thing as bad ideas child. Just adventurous ones" he smiled "take a seat" he gestured to the mat on the floor by the fire. A little startled she took a seat, surely he didn't read my mind, he most likely read her face. She was always so transparent. Once he too had taken a seat he spoke."So what can I do for you".She fidgeted nervously, "Someone I love recently past away...""Ah! You wish to speak to a long lost parent? Sibling? lover?" I blushed, giving me a knowing look he said "A lover it is then, okay let us begin""No no no, actually. I want to bring him back." His smile dropped from his face and he began to stare her down."you see he's not on the other side or hell or heaven. He's in a prison world I created when he died.""The one where malakai is in?" he asked."How do you know about Kai?""Word gets out in the witch world" he said with a stern face.She refrained from telling him about his death and ultimate death. That was a story for another time."No, it's a different one. I created it." He rose an eyebrow."That would have required a lot of power. You expect a scrawny witch to be able to do so""Yes" He lifted an eyebrow and studied her."So he is a supernatural being?""Yes, a vampire" he scoffed."And you want me to bring back such a beast?" He regarded her. Her eyes met the floor. "Yes, please""Okay!" His smile returned."What? Just like that?""Yup, no problem. If there is one thing I cannot do, it is to come between true love and he is in this prison world this means he is not all that dead. Just living in another dimension so to speak. We can bring him back no problem. I just need your blood, his blood and something special to him.""Have all three" she pulled out a necklace and detached the vile of blood. He pulled out a knife and cut the palm of her hand. The shaman stirred the blood together with feathers of an unnamed bird. Bonnie sat cringing but enduring the process. The shaman slowly poured the concoction over her head, laid his hands on her and began to chant. The liquid was lukewarm, sticky and smelt awful. However this wasn't as bad as the other ceremonies she's been through. All of them yielding no results.There weren't exactly a lot of people lining up to do this. Much less for free. He continued to chant louder and then he stopped. "It is done" he said. "What do you mean it's done" "Bonnie" she knew that voice all too well. She turned and saw her love right before her. "Enzo!!!" She got up and ran into his arms they shared a kiss and he placed a hand his cheek and the broke apart just to look into each other's eyes. "You're really here""In the flesh luv" they shared a long kiss before she said "I told you I wouldn't leave you""And right you were Bonnie Benette" he picked her up and spun them around. He took one look at the hut and said "Now what do you say we get out of here?""Of course" turning to the shaman she said "thank you, thank you so much" he smiled at her and said "Just live, live a long life with your love. That is all the repayment I ask of you now". Enzo held onto her hand and lead her out of the hut.Once they reached the hotel they practically ran to their suite. Bonnie struggled to open the door as she was being distracted by Enzo's kisses."Enzo you've got to give me a moment to open this stupid door" she giggled."Three months is more than a moment luv" he said as he dragged his lips down her neck "so I'll take you in this hallway if I have to. It's been too long". She shivered at the thought. Finally getting the key card to work he shoved open the door, pushed her inside and closed the door behind him.///Once they reached the hotel They practically ran to their suite. Bonnie struggled to open the door as she was being distracted by Enzo's kisses. "Enzo you've got to give me a moment to open this stupid door" she giggled. "Three months is more than a moment my luv" he said as he dragged his lips down her neck "so I'll take you in this hallway if I have to". She shivered at the thought. Finally getting the key card to work, he shoved open the door, pushed her into the room and shutting the door behind him.Bonnie, unceremoniously, began undressing. He followed suit, kicking off his shoes and lifting the shirt over his head. She laughingly threw her bra at him. He fell over trying to catch it while pulling his leg out of his pants at the same time. She tackled him while he was down, her breasts smashing into his chest. He stopped undressing as their lips merged and passion took over.Enzo rolled Bonnie on her back and smothered her neck with kisses as he inched his way down to her breasts. He moved quickly, since she seemed to be in a hurry. His lips found the top of her left breast and he tickled his way down her flesh with his tongue. Her nipples were taut and her happy moans encouraged him. Enzo circled the left nipple with his tongue, then encircled it with his lips. He got a giggle from Bonnie so he sucked it in a bit more and attacked it with his tongue. She laughed and tried to push his head away. Someone was ticklish.He lifted his head with a proud smile. Bonnie, laughing, was pushing her skirt down her legs. Enzo lifted to his knees, his pants still half on, and helped her. He separated her skirt from her legs and tossed it aside. She had her panties half way off and he helped with them also. She lay naked before me, smiling in the candlelight."Absolutely gorgeous," he complimented as he drank in Bonnie. He ran his hands slowly up her thighs and bent down to kiss her belly. She spread her legs around him and gently pushed his head lower. Her hands weren't hesitant, her need evident. He lay down between her legs and let her guide his head to their apex. His nose was met with a wonderful musky scent as his lips brushed against her moistness. He kissed her there, at the top of her nether lips, where her bud protruded beyond its hood."Yes," Bonnie moaned. Her hands left his head and she spread her legs farther apart. Her movements slowed for the first time since we had left the car. He dropped lower and ran his tongue along her opening, barely parting her lips. He felt her shudder and heard a deep intake of breath. He repeated, exploring deeper, tasting her oily sweetness. She was wetter than he had expected, her desire had driven her haste. He brought his tongue to her clit and lightly teased it. He was rewarded with more moans and an arching back.He brought his hand between Bonnie's legs and gently coaxed a finger, then two, inside. He used slow motions, guided by the moans and shudders they caused. There was no resistance to the invasion so he went deeper, caressing the inside of her channel. Enzo returned his attention to her bud, licking teasingly as he slowly moved his fingers in and out. He continued until he felt her open more and her pelvis push back. Her breathing was becoming erratic and he knew more pressure was desired.Enzo's tongue dragged hard and quickly across Bonnie's fully-exposed button as his fingers massaged the inside of her opening. Her legs lifted her pelvis and her hands returned to his head. He continued the attention on her clit and his fingers tried to meet it from inside.Bonnie's thighs tightened and she emitted a deep, low moan as she pushed my head harder against her pussy. He felt a shiver run through her and then her pelvis lifted even higher as her whole body shook. Tremors racked her body in time with his tongue and Bonnie yelled out. He continued his assault until she gently guided his head away and her hips relaxed with a loud gasp."Ooh," Bonnie sighed. He looked up to see her smiling in the light, all her intensity sated away. She guided him along her body and kissed him deeply, ignoring where his face had just been. He was rolled to his side and Bonnie sat up to finish removing his pants and boxers. She lay down, softly massaging his erection."I love you so much," Bonnie said without warning, her smile trying to make light of the statement. Her hand was caressing, but not urging. He was responding with small tremors anyway. "I love you more than anything, being on that side of the world, being able to watch you live your life without me. It was almost unbearable" she must have seen the trauma in his face.Her smile disappeared and she kissed him deeply as she rolled him on his back. "It's okay," she said softly as she mounted him. His momentary sadness melted away as he disappeared inside her. Her warmth filled him and his eyes watered as I realized just how much he loved her. She leaned down, moving her hips slowly, "It's okay," she whispered again. He pulled her close so she couldn't see his tears and he trembled beneath her. The rocked harder and faster as time went by. He climaxed in a slow mixture of pain and passion. Bonnie held him inside her as he spent himself.///"Wow" Bonnie said breathlessly. "That was better than I had imagined""It's good to know that I rocked your world love" he gave her a peck and she smiled against his lips. "I hope you enjoyed your welcome back party" "more than anything" he starred into her eyes. She started back at him with a worried look on her face. "What is it" he asked. Bonnie sat up straight and said "What about the blood lust, the last time we brought someone back from the dead they couldn't stop chomping on anything that moved."Enzo got up out of bed saying "I don't feel any blood lust yet so I don't think it's something we should worry about now. All that should be on your mind, is us having another go."Bonnie blushed "this'll be the 5th time today" "we have a lot of time to make up for luv" he wrestled her back into the bed kissing her exposed skin. She moaned at his movements and threw her head back. Her eyes stilled on the alarm clock on the night stand. She focused her eyes on it and realised the time. 9:45. "Enzo stop""hmm?""Stop, we have to go. Breakfast is ending.""We'll order room service then" he groaned."I'm not paying extra, I'm still traveling on a budget" she pushed him off her and began to get dressed. He rolled his eyes and did the same she opened the curtains to let some light in after the were ready and left the room hand in hand.///"A fruit bowl""Yup""You gave up sex with me for a fruit bowl""Shh! Don't be so loud. We can have sex whenever we want. A fruit bowl is both seasonal and restricted to breakfast time.""You know I could have just compelled the staff to bring a fruit bowl""I know" she said while eating a grape "but I'd rather not."He frowned at the bowl and raised an eyebrow. "Make sure you eat enough pineapple for what I have planned for later""Enzo!""Just saying luv" he gave her a naughty smiled at her blushing face."Enzo, where is your ring?""Huh?""Your daylight ring" she took ahold of his hand and surely enough it wasn't there."Do you think the Shaman took it?""I don't know""How are you outside in the sun without it?""I don't know. Unless... I'm not a vampire anymore...""No bloodlust and no daylight ring needed... oh my gosh Enzo"They jumped into each other's arms. Bonnie was squealing and Enzo was laughing uncontrollably while whirling them around. Other customers just watched their celebration awkwardly but they didn't care. He was human."I love you so much" he said"I love you too, we can finally have everything we ever wanted" she was crying now, happy tears of course. Enzo whipped her tears away and starred into her eyes saying"We now get the chance to grow old together, have children and get normal sub-par jobs" she laughed at the thought. "Marry me""What?""Bonnie Benette, marry me. Be my wife and have me be your husband. I want to spend the rest of my forever with you and only you"She stood still "Are you sure?" She asked incredulously.It was his turn to chuckle."Do you not know me, Bonnie Benette, when I say something I mean it. So tell me, do you want to marry me" he smiled."Yes! Yes of course I do!" She leaped into his arms and they heard their audience clapping which just put the icing on the cake." I have an idea fiancé" she said"And what might that be fiancé"She giggled and gave him a peck on the lips. "Let's get the next plan back to Mystic falls and make this official""Wow, that was quick""I'm efficient""I'm on board."They went back to their room and he watched as she packed her bags. "Where would we go for our honeymoon, we've already been to Paris and you've been all over Africa""Yes and I can't wait to get on the first plane out of South Africa""Why? South Africa is the nicest African country you've been to so far."I know but it's not home" she zipped up her bag and Enzo grabbed it and lead her to the reception desk."Hi, we're here to checkout""Okay Ma'am, just give us a moment" said the receptionist. They waited a while before them coming back and saying "I'm sorry ma'am we're busy with another client can I ask that you wait a little longer.""Actually we don't have the time to do that because we have a flight we need to catch" Bonnie said."I'm sorry ma'am but we're busy right now""I'll handle this luv""Enzo wait..." it was too late."You will attend to my fiancé and check us out of here as well as organise a carpool for us on the house. Will you do that?""I will do that""Good girl" he smiled. He looked back at Bonnie who was staring at him. "What? She was being rude""Never mind that, how did you compel her if you aren't a vampire." It then struck him,"I don't know" he dragged his hands through his hair "Shit this is getting more complicated by the minute""Enzo we need to go back to the Shaman now and find out what's going on""Let's go" he held her hand and as the left the building they... disappeared. Into thin air.What's happening to Enzo? Is it too soon to call their happily ever after? Stay tuned and please review because I need more ideas
10942200	Better	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Kim Taehyung \| V, Jeon Jungkook", "Fandom": "방탄소년단 \| Bangtan Boys \| BTS", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by mochiJimin", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-19T00:00:00", "words": "4,028", "Additional Tags": "Self-Harm, butterfly project but not really, Depression, One-Sided Attraction, mention of yoongi, taehyung and jungkook are bestfriends, Angst, mention of jimin, mention of hoseok, Mention of Namjoon, sorry Jin", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	"Mom it hurts." He remembered how as a child he would cry. He would complain how their house appliances hurts him. All of them purposely being in his way that he bumps into them and being so sharp on the edges that he cuts himself. Even now that he's in his twenty's he will still blame it to those appliances whenever there was a new bruise on his skin. Even if it's just a small tear or a deep cut, he will whine to his mother that it hurts a lot. "Does it really hurt a lot Taehyung-ah?" His mother will baby him as always and even blow air to his wound. “Hurts…a lot.” He will not cry now but he will fake a sob just for the sake of over exagerating the pain. Even though Taehyung was older, he still likes this, being taken cared of, by his mom whenever he visited on weekends. She will place a band aid on his wound and that's only when Taehyung will finally smile and envelope his mother in a hug as a thanks. "Miss you mom."He will tell her as they remain cuddled like that at their sofa with the television playing either the recent morning drama. He always does miss his mom, especially lately that he never has a chance to always visit on weekends the way he never failed to before. He seemed to be a lot carefree back then but now he became more serious studying as their finals is coming soon. "Miss you too baby.”Her mother will say and Taehyung will close his eyes, loving how comforting those simple words sounded.”Is it better now?" Her mother will ask and Taehyung will open his eyes just look up at her once again. The older woman was looking at his arm that has a bandaid on and Taehyung will wonder how she looks really worried over that small wound. When she looks back at him, he gives her his usual boxy smile and nods. “Better.”Taehyung will mumble As a child and until now, her mom was the only one who really did make him feel better. Even if deep inside he knows he was really not. Just like that time when he was beaten up by a group of guys and his mother was there to clean him up and make his wound feel better, and maybe him too. Her mom really did try to. But that time what hurts Taehyung more than the wounds on his skin was seeing his mom’s sad expression upon seeing him like that. He felt worse for being the reason of his mom's sadness. "Hyung. You're seriously staying here again?" His roommate 's constant question whenever the younger would go out at night to hang out with their closest friends. Taehyung used to go with them before, most of the time. But these days he wouldn't. "If what Yoongi Hyung says bother you--" "Kook its fine."He tried hard to make the tone of his voice sound nonchalant "I'm fine. It's true. What Yoongi hyung said." Taehyung was on their shared study table and studying again like he always does even on a Friday night like this. His eyes glued to his book as he talks to the younger guy. "You know Yoongi hyung is just like that." He heard Jungkook sighs."He just don't like almost everyone and everyone is weird anyway. Who isn’t?" Jungkook was on the door already but seemed to be hesitating on opening it when Taehyung decided to cast a glance at him. "And you're not dumb hyung. It's just that Yoongi hyung doesn't have a control filter on his mouth that--" "I'm failing."Taehyung shrugged and then forced a smile on his face."He’s right.One day I will really fail and not graduate if I don’t focus." But I am focusing. Taehyung wanted to yell. He really does. It’s just that his love of pranks and fooling around most of the time might be the reason people get the wrong impression of him. "But--" "But isn’t he dumber than me Kook?"Taehyung says and he saw as Jungkook nods his head instantly maybe just to make him feel better but then it was followed by a look of confusion so Taehyung continued"I don't know how can someone be that oblivious to know that someone likes them." Taehyung saw how Jungkook's face instantly reddens and it makes Taehyung heart tugs a bit but he forced a smile on his face as he nodded at the younger. "Yeah you’re that obvious that everyone knows except him. Now tell me who's the real dumb one"Taehyung even manages a laugh before he made a shooing gesture with his hand towards Jungkook”Just go Kook. Have fun. All of you." "I-I'll be back early." Taehyung just hummed. He knows it's a lie. Who comes back early when it's a no school day the next morning? Jungkook was just trying to console him and honestly it was not that effective. He doesn't want it either. He just wants to be alone right now. "Bye hyung" When the door finally shut closed, Taehyung glanced back to his book. The words seemed a bit blurry so he rubbed his eyes. Then he started to read again…and understand…what was written. But who was he really kidding? When something wet drops on the page, Taehyung curses inwardly. Was he really that dumb that he doesn't understand anything right now? Earlier, when his mother has called asking what he wants to eat tomorrow when he returns home, Taehyung told her he was not coming...again. That he was studying and he won’t really be able to focus at their home because he would just want to spend every minute there with his mom, or be bothered by his dad and his little cousins that were staying over everytime Taehyung was there. Taehyung just told his mom that he needed to study because he wants to be a good student for once but he hasn't told her mom how badly he needed to study right now. Yet deep inside Taehyung knows his mom does understand even without him really showing him his grades like how their friend Jimin did as the guy likes to brag to his own mom about his decent ones. Taehyung has nothing to brag about, not a single subject. Taehyung barely passes every sem on everything and if he fails now it won't be a shock to him really but he doesn't want it to happen. Yet all he can do right now is hope for him to really not fail. Taehyung closed his eyes tightly only to quickly open it again before picking up another book. He hopes it would be easier to understand than the last one. But as he read on the first page he realized that yes, all he can do is hope. It hurts Taehyung was afraid of blood. Just like their friend Hoseok, Taehyung can't look at the gory parts of the horror movies their other friends would force them to watch. He's scared and disgusted at the sight of blood. He shakes just at the thought of how the characters hurt until he realized it's just a movie. Those actors never really experience those pains at all. Taehyung was not that good with pain too .But he still drags the cold blade a little longer on the skin on his shoulder, looking at the mirror of the bathroom just to see if it was deep enough. He doesn't like blood but Taehyung realized that he likes the color red. He frowns as his shaky and hesitant fingers doesn't do enough and only a simple break of skin is what he sees. He's been doing it for years but still he was just as afraid as ever. The marks on his wrist and legs that he has stupidly made were already fading but he remembered how some people noticed it and with his shaky answer he saw the slight confusion on their eyes, wary gazes that made Taehyung realize that he really doesn't want anyone to know that he made those wound himself. He was so ashamed of it and not even a promise of caring from his mother would make him show them to her willingly. But how can Taehyung forget that time when his mother really did see one of them, those three horizontal lines on his arm that she has asked if some animal clawed on him. Right then Taehyung realized how stupid he really was. He did laugh it off that day, saying that it’s a scratch from their wooden chair. Her mother looks uncomfortable and Taehyung was really scared but luckily she didn’t say anything again. But she looks sad and he just wanted to hug him and tell him it was not her fault. Until now Taehyung dreaded that day. By then he learned to only cut skin on places where people can't usually see. Tonight it was on his very shoulder. Taehyung hated how limited he is to put marks on his body now and how he really can't see it easily unless he looks at it on the mirror. Taehyung doesn’t like the marks that were left by him being careless but he likes seeing the marks he made. He really can't understand why but he was proud that he did it himself and not because of an accident. He made it and it made the pain felt better. He likes how it calms his fast beating heart and worried mind. There was one mark on his skin that he carved in a shape of a butterfly. One which consist of a straight line, two triangles for the wings and two diagonal lines for the antenna. He thinks it’s the prettiest he has ever made but the stupidiest one in that. Because how was he to explain something that was looked like it was really carved to a certain image. He can’t blame it on an accident so that time that he used to hide it with a watch. He was sad but relieved at the same time because the scar it left on his skin was now completely gone. Taehyung looked at the horizontal cut that he made on his shoulder and smiled as it finally breaks into a shade of red. No blood needed, he just wants to see red. But sometimes he likes it too. Lately seeing red blood seeping out of the broken skin, just a little and not too much to stain his clothes…He was starting to like it and it frightened him even more that he did. But he really can’t stop. It’s hard to stop now. Just a little bit more Taehyung hissed as he dragged the blade a little longer and his face scrunches in pain but really he wanted more that he dragged the blade over the newly opened skin just to deepen the cut. He wondered if he should make another butterfly. Right that butterfly. He remembered where he gets that idea from and he finds it ironic knowing what the real purpose of that butterfly is. "Hyung?" When Jungkook comes back he was on his desk again. There was the throbbing pain on his shoulder but he tried not to be bothered by it especially now that Jungkook is here. Taehyung just hummed as he continued to write on his notebook. "Hyung it's already 3 am." The younger's guy tone sounded like he was scolding him and he can't help but chuckle a bit. "Yeah you really did go home early."Taehyung muttered. His eyes still trained on the notebook. "S-sorry hyung."Was Jungkook's quick reply. Taehyung shakes his head in disapproval. "I was just joking Kookie. I knew this will happen.You don't really have to come home early." "But I should be with you, since you're having a hard time." Taehyung finally turned to look at Jungkook and seeing the guy looked really guilty, Taehyung can't help but smile. "You worry about me too much." he muttered "Because you're my friend hyung. Don't tell Jimin hyung but I always thought of you as my bestfriend and..."Jungkook walks to sit on Taehyung's bed that was nearer on the study table."...you somehow changed." At those words of the youngest, Taehyung blinked confused. He just looks at the guy and waited for him to explain what he meant by it. "But you were livelier and always joking around before. And now you're..."Jungkook shrugged"...i don't know...you're just too calm and you're nicer. You never get angry anymore. It's not like you always get angry before because you rarely does because you were always smiling but…you shouldn't just accept and shrug it off when someone says badly about you." "But that's the --" "It's not true."Jungkook's voice rose a bit."Some of it is like the weird one. I mean we all are and you and we like you because of that. But the other things they said about you is not true. Even if it's Yoongi hyung it was okay for me if you kick him sometimes." This is one of those rare times in which Jungkook really did talk a lot. Jungkook's eyes remained on him so Taehyung does his best to keep his expression normal and nods. "Will you help me beat him up then?" Jungkook to his surprise nodded quickly. "I like him but I like you more hyung. I'd rather hurt him than you." Taehyung gulped on how true it sounded coming from the younger’s mouth. Maybe it really is. But that doesn't change the fact that he will always be the bestfriend. But honestly right now he doesn't expect anything more than that. Just as long as Jungkook is happy he will be fine. "Just..."Jungkook speaked again taking Taehyung out of his thoughts."...don't stress too much hyung. Just be yourself because that's how we all love you." When Jungkook finally say goodnight after a lot of pushing from Taehyung saying he was being way too sappy because he is drunk and with the younger denying it as he insisted he’s just a bit tipsy, Taehyung turned the lights off and crawled to bed too. He will just try again tomorrow. To study… And maybe tomorrow he will try to be himself again just like what Jungkook has asked him to. Taehyung wondered if he really did change. Maybe. Right, just like what Jungkook has said. If it's for the fact that he was so immune of people telling him that he doesn't really have a good head, that these days he will just accept more than reject and get mad at what ever rude but in a way really honest remarks they threw at him. He doesn't bother to fight anymore. Just okay, it's the truth anyway. It’s not that Yoongi is the sole reason why he skipped their night outs just to study. It's not only because the older guy lashed him out when they pulled a prank at him. He’s also not the reason why he started to cut himself. He’s been doing this even before he entered this university. It’s just that when Yoongi, that one hyung Jungkook was really fond of told him to fuck off after another prank on him which was of course Taehyung’s idea again, the older guy even told him that he was really weird and annoying and would be better if he just use all his energy to study so that he will at least get a good mark on a subject, Taehyung just smiled that night even with his friends and Jungkook barking at Yoongi for being so mean. Taehyung really did just fucking smile and then walk away saying he’s going off to study then. Ever since he was little, he was branded as that by his peers, his bullies, his teachers and even their own relatives who always compared him to their own daughters and son in front of Taehyung's mother who were still too nice at them and would just tell Taehyung to play upstairs while they continue their dinner. He will hear her defend him afterwards and Taehyung would feel more and more of a failure because he can’t even make his mother, his parents proud. Yet he acted like it didn't affect him at all because he knows his mom hates seeing him sad. So he continued being the happy and friendly Taehyung everyone knows he is. Maybe he really did changed. Back then he was happy finding new friends and having fun with them but now he felt happiness looking at the marks he made on his own skin. Right now, happiness is when he drags the blade on his skin and feels pain all over again from it rather than pain from all the thoughts that's going inside his head. The Taehyung who was happy on making friends and being with them for a long time was now happy on making marks that will stay long on his skin and will be a constant reminder that he made it himself. But Jungkook is not happy that he changed. So maybe he can try and fake being his normal self, the way he was before when he's not this worse. When he was contented on just crying alone and keeping thoughts to himself. He doesn't want Jungkook to worry because just like his mom he does cares about him a lot. Yes, Taehyung thought he can at least fake it. Even though his heart will beat with fear and nervousness all the time just thinking about the distant future and where he’ll end up. On how his heart will constrict just at the sight of Jungkook being with another man and the said man being better than he can ever be. Yes he will try to fake it. At least people around him will be happy. Jungkook and his mom will be happy. He can do it for them knowing that at the end of the day or once he is in the confinement of their bathroom dragging the cold blade onto his skin over and over again he will too be really happy. He’ll feel better once again. "Ow!" Taehyung yelps as he cuts himself on the paper folder's sharp edge. Jungkook has run to him instantly and asked him if he was okay. "It hurts."He whined and held out his bleeding finger to Jungkook. "Do you want a bandaid hyung? I think--" "Its fine Kook." He mumbled but still pouted while looking at his finger. Taehyung watched the blood flows out for a second before finally taking a tissue and dabs on it. "It's not that deep and I think it'll heal faster if it's open." he added Jungkook didn't say anything to that and Taehyung didn't expect when the younger tapped on his bleeding finger causing him to wince and shot the younger guy a look. "Yah Jungkook!" he glared at the younger but Jungkook just smiled sheepishly and let out a laugh as he return back to his bed and focus back on his phone. "It's just a small wound hyung."he mumbled still chuckling Of course. Just a small wound. Yet there was blood. Taehyung lifts up the tissue to look at his bleeding finger again. When Jungkook tapped it earlier, it hurts a bit and Taehyung would never tell anyone but he likes it. "By the way hyung"Jungkook's voice turned softer but since they were only the two in the room, Taehyung can still hear it."Yoongi hyung asked me out on a date." "Oh"Taehyung just mumbled still fascinated by his blood. But then as his mind finally processed what Jungkook has said he quickly looked up at him again"Yoongi hyung? Asked you on a...date?" Jungkook just smiles shyly and blushed as his gaze remains focused on his phone, not really doing anything but just staring at it. As if he was waiting for it to light up and ring. "So this next Friday I won't...I mean we won't join you." Suddenly there was a sick feeling settling on Taehyung's stomach. But when Jungkook finally looked at him with the bright smile on his face, Taehyung tried to smile back. "Finally Kookie" Taehyung muttered as he presses the tissue again and now harder on his wound. It stings but Taehyung was saddened by the fact that it didn't hurt a lot. "You will go with Namjoon hyung and the others even if I'm not there right?" "Of course.”Taehyung scoffed”Let me remind you that they became friends with me first." Jungkook chuckled and says 'cool'. Taehyung just grinned at him. That night with Jungkook starts the change in Taehyung again. It was after a basketball game and Taehyung was limping as Jungkook helped him walk upstairs to their dorm room. “That hyung really needs to stop using his body when playing a game.” "You know that Namjoon Hyung is just really clumsy." The younger guy hissed but Taehyung just smiled at him. They were playing basketball earlier when Namjoon accidentally bumped into Taehyung causing him to trip and fall really bad on his knees. It was now bandaged but Taehyung can still remember how that small wound creates a lot of blood. “Does it still hurt Hyung?” Once they were in front of their dorm room Taehyung started fishing for the keys at his bag because Jungkook said he has forgotten his keys inside. The younger was still holding onto his other arm supporting him even though Taehyung thought there is really no need. “There was a lot of blood”the younger paused and even without looking, Taehyung knows he was grimacing”It must hurt like hell hyung. I’m surprised you don’t look like in a lot of pain earlier.” “It did hurt.” Taehyung just mumbled Once the key was inserted Taehyung finally opened the door. “A lot” Taehyung hummed but when he heard Jungkook let out a breath, he looked at him. “But hyung why are you still smiling? It looks like you’re really happy that you’re hurt.” “It’s not like I can’t take the pain so...” Jungkook huffed. “But still you should just not let that hyung get away with this okay.” Jungkook was really aggriviated and Taehyung really finds it cute that he was more mad than him. Honestly Taehyung doesn’t even know if he’s really mad at all. Taehyung just ruffled the guys hair with a smile but Jungkook slaps his shoulder in return causing Taehyung to hiss. The younger seemed to be really confused about it. “Hyung it's just a light hit and you seemed to be in a pain because of that than earlier.” Taehyung tried to contain his expression but honestly this one did hurt a lot. He remembered this morning where he creates new marks on there. Taehyung just laughed it off making Jungkook roll his eyes and walk inside first accidentally bumping into his shoulder in the process. Taehyung tried not to hiss again as Jungkook throw him a worried look. Honestly his knees hurts more than his shoulder earlier before it was properly treated and bandaged but he was too happy to focus much on the pain. Actually he did focused on the pain maybe that's why he was happy? These days he was starting to like how accidents leave marks on his skin. “Hyung are you okay? Do you need help.”Jungkook’s worried voice calls out to him as Taehyung realized he was still standing in the doorway. “No." Taehyung smiles. "I'm fine.” Taehyung looks at his knees and smiles as he realized that if he gets marks because of an accident he wouldn’t have to lie about it. But of course there is a longing feeling that he wasn't the one who purposely did it himself. Even though this one wasn't better, he thought that maybe getting into an accident wasn't that bad after all.
10973529	but i fall when im	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Laura Hollis, Carmilla Karnstein, Danny Lawrence, LaFontaine (Carmilla Web Series), Lola Perry, Matska Belmonde", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by lover_of_many_things", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-22T00:00:00", "words": "10,229", "Additional Tags": "Guardian Angel AU, carmilla is having a rough go of things", "Relationship": "Laura Hollis/Carmilla Karnstein", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Guardian Angel AU", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla - All Media Types", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/F, Gen", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Carmilla groaned as she regained consciousness, her back aching horribly. A feeling of panic surged through her, and for a moment she was back in the room Maman had left her chained in for seventy years, reliving her death over and over again. Her panic only calmed when she realized she could move her leg and that the surface underneath her stomach was bedding and not stone. The memory of what she had done returned to her and she reached around herself to touch the space in which her wings used to be. The wings that she had given up by choice. Her fingertips grazed the bottom of the gauze that was wrapped around most of her torso.Taking a deep breath she pushed herself up from laying down on her stomach into a sitting position. Looking around the room, she recognized it as Laura's dorm room. Right. She was Laura's roommate now. Her gaze finally landed on Laura's bed to find the girl up and watching her carefully. A somewhat heavy silence stretched between them as Carmilla tried to wrap her mind around the thought that she really was free and Laura began to fidget.“So!” Laura finally blurted out, not being able to take the awkward air in the room anymore, “is that how you introduce yourself to all your roommates?” She grimaces as soon as the words are out of her mouth. Carmilla simply raises an eyebrow, not quite used to being on the receiving end of Laura’s rambling instead of just being a spectator.“No.”“Well that’s…that’s probably good then! Because you really scared me when you collapsed and I didn’t know what to do, so I immediately ran to go get Perry—I’ll introduce you guys later—and then as soon as she saw whatever was wrong with you she kicked me out, so I don’t even know what was wrong with you. You look like you’re better though now, are you better?” Carmilla blinked as her brain processed the word vomit that had just been thrown at it in a single go.“I’m fine, cupcake.” She went to run a hand through her hair, but lifting her arm pulled at the wound on her back. She winced slightly and lowered her arm back down again.“Laura—my name’s Laura.” Carmilla, for the first time since waking up, looked Laura in the eyes.“I know…” Her voice came out much softer than she had intended it to, and she quickly looked away from Laura to the yellow pillow on her bed, not missing the quiet gasp that exited the girl. Suddenly, Laura jumped up from the bed.“I’m going to go get Perry and tell her you’re awake.” She sounded flustered and Carmilla watched her retreating form with a small amused smile on her face.Barely a minute had passed before Laura raced back into the room with Perry, and therefore LaF, straight on her heels. Carmilla didn’t realize the amount of relief that would run through her at the sight at LaF. She hadn’t known what would happen to them after she lost her wings, and she was glad to see that they were alright. Suddenly there were too many voices talking to her at once—people talking directly to her instead of just around her was an entirely different experience. It was almost entirely overwhelming.Perry, ever the perceptive mother hen, took notice of Carmilla’s discomfort and quickly shushed Laura and LaF who fell silent almost immediately, not really wanting to face Perry’s wrath. Perry approached Carmilla slowly like one would a wounded animal, which really, Carmilla supposed, was fairly accurate. “Hello Carmilla, it’s nice to finally meet you when you’re actually here with us. My name’s Perry, I’m the Floor Don and I’m also the one who stitched you up. No need to worry though! I’m certified to do that.” Carmilla kept herself from rolling her eyes and telling Perry that she knew all that already, that she had been there beside LaF as Perry and they celebrated her certification. “Do you mind if I take a look at your back again to see how it’s healing?”Carmilla looked over Perry’s shoulder at Laura and LaF for a moment before nodding slowly. Perry smiled before turning toward the other two. “Both of you, face the wall or get out. We should respect Carmilla’s privacy.” LaF and Laura shared a glance before turning and facing the scattered pictures decorating the wall above Laura’s bed. “If I catch either of you peeking I’m not making brownies for six weeks.” This threat for some reason made both Laura and LaF stand up straighter. LaF even saluted.“I’m Lafontaine, by the way. LaF for short. I’m a Bio major.”Carmilla grunted as she moved to face the wall, showing her back to Perry as she gently lifted her shirt and started unwrapping the gauze and mumbled “They/them,” completing the introduction she’d heard from the person so many times before almost instinctually. Perry paused in her process of unwrapping as she heard what Carmilla said.“How’d you know? Have we had classes together before?” LaF asked, still facing Laura’s wall, slightly impressed.“I’m uh—I’m psychic.” Carmilla really needed to work on her lying ability; it was severely lacking. She winced and let out a hiss of pain when Perry unwrapped a particularly tender spot.“Sorry,” the curly haired ginger spoke as she finished revealing the wound.“That’s awesome! Do you think maybe some time I could run some minimally invasive tests to see how that works?” Carmilla couldn’t see them at the moment, but she was pretty sure LaF was clenching their fist in excitement as they often did at the chance of a new experiment. Before Carmilla could answer Perry started to gently prod around the two wounds in order to see how they were healing and Carmilla snapped her mouth shut in order to keep from crying out in pain. Apparently, the tensing in her shoulders was enough to alert Perry and the prodding immediately stopped.“Sorry again.” Perry paused and Carmilla presumed she was simply looking at the wounds. “Good news is that the inflammation has gone down, as has the redness. The pain won’t be gone entirely for quite some time, but in a couple more weeks you should be good to go.” Carmilla didn’t have the heart to tell Perry that she was wrong, that this pain would never go away. “I’m going to rewrap it now with some clean gauze.” Carmilla gave a curt nod which must’ve been enough for Perry as she started wrapping Carmilla’s back up once again.Carmilla cleared her throat slightly before she spoke, “how long have I been out for?”“Three days.” This question Laura answered and Carmilla hummed in understanding. The rest of the wrapping passed in silence until Perry finished, fastening the end of the gauze just under Carmilla’s ribs. Perry carefully helped Carmilla back into her shirt even after a grumble of dislike from the dark haired woman. Carmilla turned to face the room slowly as Perry stepped back and tapped both Laura and LaF on the shoulder. They both turned and immediately started talking again, this time to each other. Carmilla could handle that; that had been her entire existence up until three days ago.“Carmilla?” Perry’s voice brought her back to the present and she looked up at the Floor Don, eyebrow raised in question. “Just…get some rest, Laura, could you loan her another pillow for comfort’s sake? I’ll check in on you tomorrow. I’ve told all the professors you have on the schedule that you’re ill and they said that they’ll email you any work that you’ll be missing.” Laura and Carmilla both nodded and Perry moved toward the door of the room, dragging LaF along with her. Classes. She couldn’t believe it. She could actually attend classes on her own now instead of just facing the corner at all of LaF’s bio labs.“Think about what I said about those tests, yeah?” LaF called over their shoulder before they were practically dragged out of Laura’s—and her’s, now, too—room. Silence filled the spaces that Perry and LaF left.“They’re both a little bit eccentric, but they grow on you.” Laura smiled and Carmilla chuckled, not able to tell Laura just how right she was. A wave of exhaustion washed over Carmilla and she yawned. It was weird, having the urge to sleep. She’d never once had the urge during her time as a guardian angel. Laura noticed the yawn and extended Carmilla her yellow pillow, who happily took it and placed it on top of her own pillow.“’Night, cupcake.” Carmilla maneuvered herself back onto her stomach on the bed and closed her eyes.“It’s the middle of the day, and it’s Laura.” Laura grumbled under her breath and Carmilla gave a small smile into the pillow, head facing away from Laura.The rest of the week passed fairly quickly since Carmilla was asleep for most of it. She wondered if it was the ‘never really sleeping before she tore off her wings’ thing and she was just catching up on hundreds of years of sleepless nights, or if it was just her body adjusting. Either way, she wasn’t really complaining. She basically just passed out from exhaustion everyday only hours after she would wake and wouldn’t even remember falling asleep in the first place. Perry, and by proxy, LaF stopped by almost every day—Perry to check up on the wounds, which she said were healing amazingly fast but would scar terribly, and LaF to see if they could get Carmilla to predict or sense anything else with her ‘psychic’ powers. Laura would come and go in the intervals that Carmilla was actually awake for, her focus on her journalism class and other school work.Finally, by the beginning of the following week, Carmilla had the Perry stamp of approval to not only be able to sleep on her side, but to change the coverings on her wounds to two medical pads. She argued by saying that she could sleep however she damn well pleased and didn’t need anyone’s approval about it, but on the inside she was pretty grateful—she hated sleeping on her stomach. She still kept Laura’s yellow pillow—or rather, stole it back when she wasn’t looking. Her wounds finally healed enough for her to be considered an active member of society and she immediately took full advantage. As soon as she could walk around with minimal pain, she was up and exploring the campus and the world; marveling at how fast it had all changed yet again. Sure, she had seen things through LaF’s life, but they grew up in a pretty small town and using the internet first hand was an entirely different experience than watching LaF look up facts on the Illuminati.Carmilla went out and she experienced whatever caught her eye. She would spend hours in the bookstores at nearby towns, reading up on everything she had lived through, and everything that she had missed. She used the I.D. that Mattie had given her to get into any clubs that she wanted to, just to see what all the fuss was about, but she quickly found that beyond the dancing girls they really weren’t her scene. She found that she enjoyed bars more. They just seemed more…intimate. And after centuries of being invisible, she craved intimacy.She often ended up sneaking—not so quietly—back into the dorm room at ungodly hours in the morning, trying her best not to wake Laura up. She still didn’t really understand what it meant to live like a human. Yes, obviously, she’d observed over the years, but everyone was different. Laura, however, seemed to thrive off of chocolate and grape soda, so Carmilla tried it out, taking a cupcake here or a can there. When in Rome, she figured. That diet alone wasn’t very sufficient though, so she started adventuring with different foods—still saving room for a cupcake or brownie every now and again.By far, Carmilla’s favorite place that she encountered was a hill on the campus that she stumbled upon, and almost down, one night as she was making her way back to the dorm. From that hill the sky would completely open up, the stars were breathtaking. Carmilla would spend hours upon hours just sitting on that hill, looking at the sky, and remembering. Whenever she looked up at the vast expanse of natural light blanketing the sky, her mind became filled with memories. Memories of the times she was just a bystander as Ell sat outside at night and talked to the sky, thinking no one was listening. Carmilla could remember those seemingly one-sided conversations very well, so the night after she found her perfect vantage point on the hill; she started saying all the responses that she had planned out so long ago. She felt like it gave closure.And apparently, staying out very late partying and stealing food had not been the correct way to spend her first mobile week as a human being because Laura seemed to hate her. It started with passive-aggressiveness and since then had escalated to direct snippy comments, but Carmilla acted as disaffected as she could—though that only seemed to spurn Laura on even more. Carmilla tried not to dwell on it too much—she was starting her classes the next day—and maybe it was better for Laura to stay distanced for a bit while she figured out how the hell to actually live life as a human again.Carmilla’s first class was Philosophy of Tyranny, and she found out from Perry’s insistence of explaining to Carmilla her entire schedule, that it was located on the other side of campus. She left giving herself just enough time to get to class at her leisurely stroll and started her walk across campus. She could never deny that the campus was beautiful, but it honestly hadn’t changed much since she’d first been here; it had more buildings. That was about it.Carmilla made her way through Silas, not really paying mind of her route to get across campus until she entered a courtyard. There weren’t many courtyards at Silas, so she glanced to see what the courtyard opened up to and immediately became stuck in place as her eyes roamed across the letters on the front of the building. Armitage Library. It’s like the past she so wanted to leave behind (she knew she never could) had dug its claws into her, reminding her of its existence. The two wounds on her back felt gaping yet again and pulsed with the feeling of phantom wings.She was brought back to the present before she even had the chance to fully leave it, by someone knocking into her. She almost fell backward but managed to catch herself; her legs finally seeming to work again as familiar rambling fills her ears. “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going and I’m carrying too many books. That’s really not an excuse—not that I’m trying to excuse my actions, but I just—Carmilla?” Carmilla’s eyes finally shift from the library to the ground where the person who ran into her—Laura, apparently—had finally looked up from picking up her books.Her face must show the residual emotions from the moment before because Laura quickly stands up, her brow furrowing in concern. “Carmilla, are you okay?” She takes one last glance at the library, Laura inquisitively following her gaze, before building her walls up yet again.“Fine, Cupcake, just running a bit late to class.” Her words fell flat, like the type of emotionless that only arises when too many emotions are being felt at once. The last thing she wants to do, however, is answer questions, so she quickly moves around Laura and heads off to her class, leaving Laura slightly dumbfounded and scrambling to pick up all her book and papers before they fly away.She had to admit that the class was extremely interesting and she would’ve definitely enjoyed herself had her day been any different, had she not come face to face with her past yet again. Thankfully that was her only class of the day, so once the three-hour seminar finished she gathered her belongings, barely scribbled notes, and left the Robespierre Building—she found great humor that the class was held in that building after she caught up with the history behind it. The memory of J.P. still weighed heavily on her mind and she did not feel like dealing with any questions that might come from Laura with her return to the room so she just decided to walk around campus. Lost in thoughts of regret, Carmilla’s feet carry her to the biology building of their own volition. She still knew Laf’s schedule by heart and they were due to walk out of the building any second. She didn’t know why her feet brought her here, but before she could bail out of the situation a familiar red head came strolling out of the building and spotted her. They stopped in surprise for a moment and quirked their eyebrow before hurrying down the steps to greet Carmilla.“Hey Carmilla, what brings you to this area?” Their hands tighten around the straps of their backpack and Carmilla knows that’s them restraining themselves from asking more inquisitive questions. Carmilla shrugs.“My feet just brought me here I guess.” Carmilla starts walking again, trying to physically exit the conversation. Laf blinks, looks after Carmilla, and practically leaps to catch up with her.“So I was wondering,” they started and Carmilla just sighed, knowing something strange and partially invasive was about to be asked, “since you’re feeling better now from your injury, if you were at all interested in those tests involving your,” they leaned in conspiratorially, “abilities.”“If I say yes will you stop pestering me about it?”“Absolutely.”“Then sure, whatever.”“Yes!” They fist pumped and Carmilla rolled her eyes—she chose to ignore the fondness that she felt in her heart at the action. By the time silence had curtained over the two of them, they had reached the dorm and Laf walked right to the door. “We’ll have to come up with a good time for the tests, so we should exchange schedules and possibly numbers, but I could always just continue to barge in if that works better for y—“ They stopped when they realized Carmilla was simply looking at the building instead of following them. “You coming?”Carmilla looked at the building for a bit longer and shook her head. “I’m going on a walk.” With that she continued on her aimless walk, Laf simply shrugging before making their way inside the building.The sun was setting before Carmilla made her way to her favorite hill, placing her bag on the ground, and sitting down. She watched the sky as it faded from oranges, purples, and reds, to the black night littered with the twinkling of millions of stars. She sat and she mourned everything that she didn’t do, as per usual. She lifted her arm around to her back and down her shirt, fingers skirting along the tip of the medical pads where her wings used to be. Her back was mostly healed, just horribly scabbed and a bit sensitive. She hadn’t been able to see the damage—hadn’t wanted to see the damage, but she knew how ugly the scars would look. A stark contrast to how beautiful her wings were all those years ago. Sometimes she could still feel them, the sensation of them ruffling against her shirt, but she knew that’s just in her head. She didn’t deserve her wings anymore—she never deserved them, not with everything she let happen.Carmilla wasn’t sure what time she made her way back to the dorm room, but she’s sure it’s very early in the morning; she tended to lose track of time when she was self-loathing. She made sure to open the creaky door as silently as she could, so that she didn’t disturb Laura. Sure, sometimes it’s fun to rile her up, but sleep was never something she wanted to interrupt. Apparently that wasn’t something she needed to worry about that night since Laura was still up and typing on her laptop at her desk. She gently closed the door behind her and dropped her bag to the floor, taking off her shoes while she’s bent over.“You’re up later than usual…” Carmilla commented but Laura said nothing, just continued to tap away at her laptop. “Alright,” Carmilla sighed at the lack of response and moved to change her shirt, facing the closet. She hissed in pain when her arms lifted her shirt over her head and off. She took off the pasties that Perry had given her since she still couldn’t wear a bra and grabbed a large, ill-fitting shirt that she may have stolen from Laura. She gently pulled the shirt on, managing only to tense at the discomfort and slight pain at the stretching of skin and scab.“Perry said you were supposed to get your bandages changed earlier, but you never showed up so she gave them to me.” Carmilla startled a bit and turned to see Laura watching her, an unreadable look in her eye.“Yeah, I…I had somewhere to be.” Carmilla didn’t meet Laura’s look as she made her way to her bed, laying down on her side facing away from Laura. Carmilla closed her eyes—not to fall asleep, but in hopes that Laura would lose interest and turn back to whatever she was typing.“Perry said that you should really change the bandages or whatever they are.” Carmilla sighed, so much for that wish.“Cupcake, it’s late, Curly Sue is definitely asleep and I don’t want to deal with having to wake her up. It’s fine.”Carmilla heard Laura take a deep, steadying breath, probably so that she didn’t lash out at Carmilla for the nicknames. “Did you miss the part earlier where I said that Perry gave me all the things you’d need to change them?”“Must’ve been too busy wishing I was anywhere but here.” Carmilla was mad at herself the second the words left her mouth. She didn’t mean them at all and now Laura was going to be angry with her. She heard the sound of disbelief come from Laura, some insult thrown under her breath, and then the typing start up yet again. Carmilla didn’t mean to be snippy, she just really didn’t want Laura to see her wounds and get curious. “Sorry.” Carmilla said with her back still turned to Laura. The typing stopped for a moment but Laura did nothing else to acknowledge that she heard the apology before typing again.The next morning, Carmilla went to Perry as soon as she woke up who chastised her for not changing the bandages last night as she changed them. Carmilla rolled her eyes, but was secretly touched at the concern before she left for her classes that day making sure to stay clear of the Armitage Library. At the end of the day, as soon as Carmilla sat down on her bed in a surprisingly Laura-less room, Laf burst into the dorm room, grinning. Carmilla nearly groaned.“Yeah, you really should lock your door more often.” Laf closed the door behind them. “Now, let’s talk availability.”“…Fine.”“Obviously now, when else?” Carmilla massaged her temples gently.“I don’t have classes tomorrow or Friday, but don’t you dare wake me up before noon.”“Gotcha. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Can we start now?” Carmilla sighed.“If we must, Frankenstein.”And so Laf tested a begrudging Carmilla on her “psychic” abilities three times a week. Carmilla could say nothing when asked about the future or really any question that didn’t involve the past, Laf, Perry or Laura to some extent. No matter what Carmilla said, Laf would just hum out an interesting before writing down whatever they did. This routine continued for weeks, over which Carmilla eventually got the all clear from Perry to stop wearing the bandage on her back. Her interactions with Laura over those weeks were few and far between, but they weren’t purely antagonistic, so Carmilla couldn’t complain.That is until she walks into their room after class and is treated to the sight of Laura sitting knee to knee with Danny Lawrence, or as Carmilla referred to her in her head most of the time, Xena. She opened her mouth to say something before she realized that she hadn’t seen Danny since that last semester when they had all stopped the kidnappers, ergo Carmilla had never officially met Danny. Somehow the two hadn’t heard her enter the room, caught up in their own world, Carmilla cleared her throat gaining their attention. “Seriously, are you a ginger magnet are something, Cupcake?”Danny’s eyes narrowed at the nickname but Laura simply rolled hers, used to it by now. Carmilla dropped her bag, paying them no more attention as she lounged on her bed, grabbing a book to read. “Carmilla, this is Danny. Danny, Carmilla.” Carmilla simply grunted at the greeting and continued to read. She hadn’t seen much of Danny when she was Laf’s guardian—they never really stuck around whenever she showed up. Carmilla didn’t think they liked Danny very much. But from what Carmilla gathered from the minimal interactions she had seen, Danny was a very headstrong person and stuck to her beliefs. She wasn’t a bad person, she just pushed too hard sometimes and was a tad bit overprotective. Carmilla wished she was a bad person, it would make it easier to resent her for Laura’s crushing on her before the gang of idiots went to battle. Danny had protected Laura and the others where Carmilla couldn’t…so maybe she did resent her, just a little bit.Danny scoffed at her attitude and spoke to Laura in a hushed tone, “Should we continue this conversation another time? Or somewhere else?”“Don’t get your panties in a bunch on my account. I couldn’t care less what you are talking about.” That was a lie but she committed to it, turning the page of the book she wasn’t really reading. She could almost feel Laura roll her eyes and scrunch her nose up in irritation.“Listen Danny…I really want us to be friends again. I miss our literature discussions and our movie nights and our pie outings…but friends is as far as I think we should go.” Carmilla flipped another page, no longer even thinking about readings. She wondered what had changed since last semester, Laura had seemed completely enamored. Danny took a deep breath and Carmilla glanced to the side to see her nodding to herself.“Alright Hollis, if that’s what you want… I guess—I guess I’ll see you around.”“Definitely.” Carmilla heard the smile in Laura’s voice before they both got up and went to the door. They exchanged a few more words and a hug before Danny left with promises to get pie sometime next week. Laura flopped back onto her bed, letting out a deep breath. Carmilla glanced at her form a couple of times before snapping her book shut.“So what was all that about with the giant?” Laura lifted her head to look at Carmilla with a smug look on her face.“I thought you ‘couldn’t care less’ what we were talking about?” Laura questioned, throwing in a bad Carmilla impression.“Just because I don’t care doesn’t mean it doesn’t interest me. You’ve been scarce for weeks and then here you are breaking up with someone; that’s unexpected of you, Cupcake. I’m intrigued.” Laura’s mouth dropped open in offense.“Excuse me? First of all, you’re the one who’s scarce. You’re never here until you stumble in at an four am, if you even come back from wherever you skulk off to. Second of all, I wasn’t breaking up with Danny because we were never together. I realized last semester that we just weren’t compatible like that and it’s been awkward between us ever since so I wanted to fix that. Not that you need to know any of that. And third of all, you don’t know enough about me for anything to be expected.” Laura took a deep breath when she finished her small rant. Carmilla’s eyebrows had risen in surprise and a small smile quirked at her lips.“Wow. Tell me how you really feel, Cupcake.”“We’d be here awhile. I don’t think you should open up that can of worms Carmilla.” With that Laura got up to her desk, opened her laptop, and started typing away. It was her way of dismissing Carmilla without kicking her out of their shared room. Carmilla took the hint and actually started reading the book she had picked up until she went to class. She made sure to accidentally not have time to finish the hot chocolate she had just made, passing it off to Laura instead on her way out. And so Carmilla started to do nice, small things for Laura every now and then to make up for the biting quips they sometimes made at each other. Carmilla knew she’d eventually have to face the library—it was inevitable at University. She just didn’t think it’d be so soon. She needed to get a book for a research paper, but instead of doing that she was standing in the courtyard outside of the library, looking at the name. After way too long to be considered normal, she took a deep, steeling breath, and walked up the stairs into the library. Her plan was to get in and out as quickly as possible, but that plan fell apart as soon as she saw what aisle she had to walk past. She really tried to just walk past it, but her feet stayed glued at that aisle until they turned in and started walking down it. Her fingers ran along the stacks until she reached the bookcase. Her body tensed and tears welled in her eyes until she heard the librarian coming down the aisles with her book cart. Carmilla quickly left, grabbing her book from a few aisles down, checking it out, and leaving as fast as her feet could carry her. Unfortunately, her feet carried her directly into another person. Luckily she didn’t lose her balance but unfortunately the person she ran into’s things fell everywhere. The person who was—Laura. Of course it was. And now that Laura had realized it was her, she was now complaining.“Seriously Carmilla? Again? Can you not watch where you’re going ever? It really not that hard…” Laura continued to rant, but Carmilla just simply dropped down to her knees and started to organize fallen papers and other items. She wanted to end this confrontation as soon as possible so that she could go and wallow. Laura’s words seemed to die in her throat as soon as Carmilla started to pick up her things and she watched dumb-founded until Carmilla stood and hurriedly pushed Laura’s things back into her arms.She gave her a mumbled, “Here you go. Sorry,” before turning on her heel and attempting to walk away. She didn’t notice the hand on her arm until Laura turned Carmilla back around to face her.“Hey…are you alright?”“I’m fine, Cupcake, it takes more than bumping into you to throw me off.”“I didn’t mean that. You look upset. Like you’ve been crying.” Carmilla clutched the library book to her chest slightly tighter and Laura glanced down at it, brows furrowed in confusion.“I’m just peachy. You should go to whatever class you have, wouldn’t want you to be late.” Carmilla shrugged off Laura’s hand and walked in the other direction of where Laura was headed before she could even ask her to wait. Carmilla didn’t go back to the room that night. In fact, Carmilla and Laura didn’t see each other at all for four days, even when Laf came over to conduct some “psychic” tests.Finally on the fourth day, Carmilla came in at two in the morning, not expecting to find Laura sitting up on her laptop, possibly waiting for her. “You’ve been avoiding me.” Okay, definitely waiting for her. Carmilla just sighed and put her bag down, grabbing her (Laura’s) oversized shirt to wear for jammies. “Why have you been avoiding me?” She heard Laura get off the bed.“I haven’t been avoiding you, Cupcake.” She said as she kicked her shoes off and unbuttoned her jeans.“Bullshit!” Carmilla almost smiled at the outburst, but her expression quickly soured. “Is this because of what happened the other day? What is it with you and the library?”Carmilla turned to face Laura, “Nothing that concerns you, Shortstack, now can a girl get a little privacy?” She ground out and pulled down her jeans. Laura eyed Carmilla’s legs and her cheeks became several shades darker before she turned to give Carmilla privacy. Carmilla quickly switched out shirts, still not wanting Laura to see her back before grabbing the duffel bag Mattie had given her all those weeks ago and sitting with it on her bed.Laura takes that as a sign that she can look at Carmilla again and sits on her own bed, opposite of her. “I was just concerned about you, for some reason, but that was stupid of me because you obviously don’t know how to accept or show any human emotion.”Carmilla gave an empty chuckle and shook her head as she reached into the duffel bag, “when you’re right you’re right, Cupcake.” That obviously wasn’t the reaction Laura was expecting because her next words died in her throat as she started them, looking over at Carmilla incredulously. Carmilla ignored the look and brought out a long, pitch black feather from the bag, one of her own that she grabbed after everything that had happened. She twirled the long feather between her thumb and pointer finger looking at it with a deep sadness that even Laura could notice.“What’s that?”“What does it look like, Cupcake? It’s a feather.”“Well no, duh. But it obviously means something to you and it’s just so—““Hideous?” Carmilla interrupts, not taking her eye off the feather.“Well…I was actually gonna say beautiful.” Carmilla stopped twirling the feather.“Beautiful?”“Yeah,” Laura nodded, “I mean, at first it just looks like a black feather, but when the light hits it, there’s this gorgeous dark blue tint.”“Wouldn’t it be prettier if it was white though?” Laura hummed in thought.“I don’t think so. I think white feathers are a bit boring, don’t you?” Carmilla looked up at Laura with a mixture of shock and fondness in her eyes.“Yeah…you’re right,” Carmilla took a moment, looking back at the feather, before extending it to Laura, “here.” Laura blinked in surprise, stumbling over her response.“What? Why? It’s yours and it obviously means a lot to you so- so you should obviously keep it if it means that much to you.”“Cupcake, relax. I have more of them. Besides, it deserves to be appreciated by someone who can see the beauty in it.” Carmilla stood from her bed and outstretched the feather to Laura. Laura switched her gaze from the feather to Carmilla and back again a few times before gently taking the feather from between Carmilla’s fingers. “Consider it a sorry for avoiding you.” Carmilla sat back on her bed, getting under the covers, watching Laura twirl the feather between her fingers before snapping her head up to look at Carmilla.“So you were avoiding me! Why? What were you upset about? And where did you even get these feathers? What are they from?” Carmilla just groaned at the bombardment of questions, turning on her other side.“Other stories for other times, Buttercup, it’s late and I’m tired.” Laura grumbled, unsatisfied, but turned off her lamp, darkness falling over the dorm room. Carmilla thought about everything Laura had said about her feathers and felt a familiar warmth in her chest. She adjusted her covers a bit before quietly saying, “Goodnight, Laura.”She wasn’t expecting the returned, “Night, Carmilla.”Carmilla noticed a change in her and Laura’s dynamic after that night. They didn’t talk about what happened, but there was a mutual understanding that they were going to be nice to each other. They both did little things for one another, Laura gave Carmilla the last of her cookies and Carmilla listened to Laura rant about her various things. To Carmilla’s surprise Laura kept the feather on her desk and had taken to twirling it between her fingers when she was deep in thought. All-in-all things were going pretty good; three times a week Carmilla lied to Laf about being a psychic, Perry checked in with her at least once a week to see how she was doing, and she and Laura were getting along, even when Danny was over. Carmilla chose to ignore the warmth she felt whenever she and Laura talked or the way her heart beat sped up when Laura touched her arm to get her attention.But of course, all good things had to end, they always did for Carmilla and she should’ve known not to get too comfortable. It had been a been a fine day, Laf had just left for the night, happy with the data that they had gathered from Carmilla’s “powers”, and Laura wasn’t due back to the room for another half-hour. Carmilla decided to change into her pajamas then, making it easier to fall asleep whenever she wanted later. She had just taken off her shirt when she heard the door open.“Hey Carmil—“ She cut herself off with a gasp. Carmilla threw on the oversized shirt that had just become hers as quickly as she could, but she knew Laura had already seen her back. Her shoulders tensed and she clutched the bottom of the shirt, not wanting to do anything other than curl up under the covers. Suddenly there was a gentle touch over her shirt right between where the two scars were, and she flinched involuntarily. “Carm…” That was new, Carmilla thought. She liked it. Laura kept her hand there, but didn’t add any pressure. Carmilla relaxed a little bit but didn’t turn to look at Laura.“Carm, c’mon. Look at me.” She did—what could she say, she was weak—but kept her hand fisted at the bottom of the shirt. She slowly turned to face Laura, Laura’s hand dragging gently along her back as she turned until it rested on her arm. Carmilla shivered when it skimmed over where her wing used to be. “I’m not gonna ask what happened, cause I doubt I’d get an answer, but if you did want to tell me about it I’m here, and I promise no judgement.” Carmilla took a deep breath.“It’s a long story…and I highly doubt you’d believe it.”“I’ve probably believed crazier things than whatever you’re about to tell me.”“I doubt it.” Laura opened her mouth to argue the point before remembering the sore subject and nods her head. Carmilla was positive that had it been anything else, Laura wouldn’t have let it slide.“Well, the offer still stands.” Laura gave Carmilla’s arm a gentle squeeze before setting her stuff down and sitting on her bed. Carmilla stood completely still for a minute or two, going over everything in her head before, sitting on her own bed. It wasn’t until she looked over to Laura that she noticed her twirling her feather between her two fingers as she scrolled through her laptop—Carmilla hadn’t even seen her grab either object. It was while she watched Laura twirl that feather that she made her decision.Carmilla took a deep breath before admitting, “I turned human two and a half months ago.” The scrolling and the feather twirling stopped simultaneously. There was complete silence for what felt like hours and Carmilla was brought back to the timelessness of Maman’s punishment. Thankfully this agony didn’t last nearly as long.“So you are a vampire! Damn it. I owe Laf twenty bucks.” Laura started grumbling about different vampire related things before Carmilla could even process what she even said.“No. I’m not a vampire. Don’t be ridiculous.” Laura tilted her head.“Well then what are you?”“I’m,” Carmilla paused, “I was…well I guess you’d call it a guardian angel.” Laura’s mouth gaped at the information and she twirled the feather between her fingers, drawing Carmilla’s gaze to it. Laura looked down at the feather and then rapidly between it and Carmilla.“This is yours.”“There’s that journalism degree.”“And the wounds on your back when we met, they were from your wings weren’t they?”“Ding ding ding. We have a winner.”“…how?” Carmilla watched as Laura ran her finger gently along the feather, a look of amazement on her face.“That’s a long and…not so happy story.”“I’ve got all night.” Laura adjusted her position, resting the feather in her lap as she looked determinedly at Carmilla. Carmilla was conflicted; Laura had believed her this far, but would she still after being told everything? Would she look at Carmilla differently after hearing that had happened? Carmilla looked at the steeled yet expectant look on Laura’s face and sighed, before starting at the beginning. She told Laura everything; from her initial being, her first assignment with Mattie, J.P. and Sarah Jane, Ell, her punishment, her other failures, Laf, to her becoming a human. By the time she finished recounting her life it was early morning and Laura had made her way next to Carmilla on her bed.“…and now I’m here sitting with you.” Carmilla finished and Laura let out a deep breath.“Wow.” Carmilla just nodded because it was a lot, she could admit that. She opened her mouth to tell Laura that she’d understand if she didn’t believe her when the words got stuck in her throat. Laura had pulled Carmilla into a hug, making sure not to hold her too hard around the back. Carmilla hesitated for only a moment before lifting her arms to return the hug. “I’m so sorry.” Laura mumbled into her shoulder and for the first time the entire night, Carmilla let tears fall down her cheeks. Laura let Carmilla hold onto her for however long she needed and didn’t comment on the wet spots on her shoulder when they finally pulled apart.“So you actually had to follow Laf around for pretty much their entire life so far?” Carmilla lips quirked up into a smile.“Yes, and by extension, Perry.”“We have to tell them both.” Carmilla’s chest felt lighter at Laura’s use of ‘we’/“Not tonight, Laura…I can’t go through that again tonight.” Laura looked like she wanted to argue but relented.“Alright. But soon, they deserve to know.”“Fine,” Carmilla relented, “now I’m exhausted and wanna go to bed.”“Oh, of course,” Laura scrambled off of Carmilla’s bed and onto her own, turning off the light as she did. Carmilla settled under the covers of her bed, as Laura did the same on her side of the room. Carmilla was nearly asleep due solely to exhaustion, physical and emotional, before she heard Laura speak up from the other side of the room. “You deserved better than how your family or Maman treated you. You just—you deserve more. Goodnight Carm.” The goodnight was added hastily onto the end of the statement with a slight squeak, followed by the sound of Laura flopping onto her side under the covers.For a few moments Carmilla was sure that she had actually fallen asleep and was dreaming. No one had ever told her that she deserved better than her situation…that she deserved more than life and death had handed her. Her heart beat skyrocketed at the thought and she turned to face Laura’s side of the room. “Goodnight Laura.” This time she acknowledged the fondness in her tone and maybe leaned into it a bit. She fell asleep that night feeling lighter than she had in centuries.Carmilla could’ve easily predicted Laf and Perry’s reaction, and she basically did. The next day, with much prompting by Laura, Carmilla gave them the more cliff notes version of her entire life and death…and life again. As Carmilla thought, Laf was immediately intrigued and filled with questions as Perry was trying to reign them in while at the same time trying to normalize everything Carmilla had told them. “Carmilla, I don’t want to invalidate you at all, but this all sounds delusional.”“Yeah, it does seem a bit of a stretch Karnstein.”Carmilla scoffed, “So you’ll believe I’m psychic, but not this? Believe me or not, it’s the truth.”Laf crossed their arms. “Give me proof. Something that only a guardian angel would know.”Carmilla groaned and lounged back onto her bed, “Really? An interrogation now?” Laf made an affirmative noise. “Fine. Your parents always called you Laffy Taffy. You met Perry when you were 5 years old the day you moved in next door. Perry started going by Perry in the 5th grade when there was another Lola. You both told each other you loved each other your senior year of high school in a disgustingly sweet way. If I remember correctly the exact admission went something like ‘I wanna hold your hand and kiss you and make you feel safe and stuff.’ That enough proof?”Both Perry and Laf went beet red throughout Carmilla giving her proof. Laf was quick to compose themselves and nodded. “For now.” Laura grinned and outstretched Carmilla’s feather to show Laf and Perry.“Look, this is one of Carm’s feathers.” Laf raised their eyebrow at the nickname before looking at the feather.“Woah…that’s sort of incredible. I would love to look it over and do some experiments on it.” They grabbed for the feather, but Laura quickly snatched it back to herself.“No!” Carmilla looked at Laura strangely. She didn’t understand why Laura was so attached to the feather; she had a handful more in her bag and they all looked exactly the same.“Here,” Carmilla said as she reached into the duffel bag on the floor, bringing out the three feathers that she grabbed and handing them to Laf, “go crazy, Mad Scientist.” Laf just took the feathers and grinned before practically bolting out of the room with a “C’mon Perr!”, Perry, for once, the draggee instead of the dragger, followed after them with a skeptical look. With the gentle close of the door, thanks to Perry, Laura and Carmilla were left alone to their own devices. Carmilla reached to get a book to read as Laura opened her mouth to say something before thinking better of it and getting her laptop, keeping the feather between her fingers. Carmilla opened her book to read, but spent the entire time looking with wonder at Laura twirling the feather between her fingers.For the second time in a long time, Carmilla slept soundly and peacefully that night. She didn’t dream of drowning, fallen bookcases, balconies, or Maman. She didn’t even dream of Ell. She dreamt of warm embraces, long, nervous ramblings, outbursts of irritation, and chocolate cupcakes. She had known that she was interested in Laura, but it seemed that her subconscious had finally accepted the fact with open arms. She was tired of denying it, especially since Laura made her feel…well, many things, but Laura made her feel whole again. She made Carmilla feel like the pieces of herself that she thought she lost along the way were just hidden and Laura had found them. Carmilla had felt a gaping hole in herself since she had lost her wings, but sometimes when she talked to Laura that hole dissolved and she could almost feel her wings brush against her back. After that night, Laura became a solidified presence in her dreams. Not that she still didn’t have nightmares—she did—but Laura was always somehow there to fight them alongside her.She was hesitant to outright tell Laura about her feelings, but she didn’t dance around them either. She instead chose to show them to Laura through her actions; she would bring Laura a cupcake from the campus coffee shop when she went there after class, make her hot chocolate while she was studying, offer to watch one of Laura’s favorite shows with her even when she had no idea what was going on. This approach was going great, she and Laura were getting along and Carmilla had chances to gauge Laura’s reactions to try and decide whether or not she felt the same. The only thing was, with Carmilla and plans, they never seemed to work out the way she wanted them to.Carmilla was reminded of this fact when the door of the room was suddenly thrown open and three gingers infiltrated the room. Before Carmilla could make a quip about how privacy was dead, she looked up and felt her heart drop out of her chest. There, in the middle of the ginger trifecta, was Laura with her arm in a sling, a bruise on the side of her face, and a stitched up cut on her forehead. Carmilla was off of her bed in an instant, rushing toward the group.“What happened!?” She directed the question to the entire group, and although she was aware her tone was a little harsh, she couldn’t bring herself to change it. The entire group exchanged glances before Danny cleared her throat.“Well, Laura and I were out eating pie and after, as we were walking back to campus there was this guy driving down the road like a maniac—swerving, speeding, the whole deal—and he was heading right toward us. Lucky for us, Laura tripped backwards and brought us both out of the path of the car, but that unfortunately brought us right into the path of a very, very angry cyclist who plowed right into us. Poor Laura took most of the damage. We called Laf and Perry and they met us at the hospital.”Carmilla stood and took in the entire story, looking over Danny and noticing her injuries—the ones she had been too preoccupied with worrying about Laura to notice at first. When Danny finished her recounting, Carmilla felt physically sick and was apparently visibly upset since everyone sort of shuffled uncomfortably.“Why didn’t you call me?” Carmilla had meant the question to be accusatory, but it just came out desperate.“None of us had your phone number,” Laf was the one who answered, “and Laura’s got smashed in the accident.”“Oh.”“Yeah.”Carmilla looked at Laura who had been surprisingly quiet during the entire exchange and was just watching Carmilla with a strange look on her face.“Well, I’m sure it’s been an exhausting day for Laura and she needs all the rest she can get, so we should get going. Carmilla, I trust you can help Laura with anything she might need?” Perry looked at Carmilla as she shooed Laf and Danny out of the room, much to the latter’s protest by the look on her face. Carmilla nodded at Perry and clenched her fist, silently thanking Perry’s innate understanding of when privacy was needed. At the nod, Perry bid Laura and Carmilla goodnight, dragging Danny and Laf out the door with her. Carmilla quickly turned around, clenching and unclenching her fist in rapid succession, trying to push past her nausea. She didn’t hear Laura close the door behind Perry, she didn’t hear her call her name, she didn’t hear her approach, she couldn’t hear anything over the loud noise of her thoughts telling her that Laura could have died. Laura could have died and she would’ve had no idea, not until Perry or Laf or maybe even Danny would have told her. She was stuck on this thought until Laura purposefully but gently placed her hand directly between where Carmilla’s wings used to be.“Why are you so upset? I’m the one who took a bike to the side.” Laura tried to jokingly alleviate the atmosphere, but it backfired and upset Carmilla even further to hear her nonchalance.“Laura, you could have died!” Carmilla shrugged away Laura’s hand, turned and tried to storm past her. Laura grabbed Carmilla’s arm before she could get far, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and anger.“You don’t think I know that? Of course I do! But I didn’t, so why are you so upset about this!?” Carmilla’s arm tensed under Laura’s hand.“Laura, you could have died and I wouldn’t have known about it—I wouldn’t have been able to do anything to prevent it. There would’ve been no foreboding feeling this morning when I woke up. No spike of anxiety right before it happened. You could just die and I would have no warning! Just like that…gone. It’s no better than when I was Laf’s guardian and had to standby during the kidnapper fiasco.” Carmilla spoke through clenched teeth; for the first time since she had lost her wings, Carmilla was cruelly and negatively reminded of her humanity—of her powerlessness. She hadn’t realized that she started crying, until the hand that had previously been gripping her arm started to gently wipe them away. Laura turned Carmilla to face her—as best she could with one working arm—and then brushed away the tears on the other side. Carmilla kept her gaze to the floor and her jaw set.“I get that it’s different than it was before, and that’s probably a lot to get used to, but that kind of thinking is stupid.” At this, Carmilla looked up, slightly offended, at Laura. “It is! It’s stupid and self-destructive. No human knows when they’re gonna die, and sure, it could be at any moment—so what! You can’t live in fear of the inevitable, and you shouldn’t think about it so much. All you can do is live your life the best you can.”“But it’s not inevitable, Laura, not always. Sometimes it’s preventable, if only someone was there—if someone did something instead of just watching. I hate feeling so powerless!” Carmilla shook her head.“That’s just something you’ll have to get used to then, Carm. You can’t control everything, and you’re going to waste away by yourself if you keep trying to. Now I’m exhausted. I’m going to bed.” Carmilla noticed Laura’s demeanor had changed; she was upset by what she had said. Laura made her way to the bathroom throwing an, “And contrary to what the injuries might say, I can take care of myself.”Carmilla was a bit taken aback from the bitter tone of Laura’s words. She sat on her bed and thought about what she had said to Laura. She wondered why Laura had reacted to them the way she had and—it dawned on Carmilla and she nearly hit herself. Laura thought that Carmilla thought she couldn’t take care of herself, and Laura hated being belittled. Shit, Carmilla mentally cursed. She had messed up and probably ruined all of their progress. They would go back to snide comments and thinly veiled distaste—Carmilla didn’t think she could handle that regression, no matter what front she put up.Minutes later—a bit longer than it would normally take—Laura exited the bathroom, ready for bed and stopped, surprised at the sight of Carmilla still in the room. “You’re still here?...I thought you would’ve left already. That’s what you usually do when you’re angry or upset—leave. I honestly might’ve prefer--”“I’m sorry,” Carmilla interrupted before Laura could get in any more scathing words.“—red it if you…wait what?”“I know you can take care of yourself, cupcake. I didn’t mean to step on that. I was just scared and I panicked.”“Why?”“Why what?”“Why were you scared?”“Why was I—you’re serious?” Laura nodded.“Why would you be scared for me when you have just recently started to like me as a person?” Carmilla was sure her mouth nearly dropped open.“What on earth made you think that?”“Oh gee, I don’t know—for the first two months of our roommate-ship you actively avoided me, riled me up, and glared at me.” Carmilla scratched her head in an almost sheepish way as Laura listed, her one working hand propped on her hip.“I understand what it might’ve looked like, but most of the avoidance wasn’t avoidance as much as me adjusting to all the aspects of being human. As for the other two things…let’s say I overcompensated. I never hated you, especially not as a person.” Laura looked like she didn’t entirely believe her.“Okay, sure, but that still doesn’t answer my first question.”“Why was I scared?” Laura nodded and Carmilla contemplated. After a silence that was just a bit too long to be considered comfortable, it was long enough for Laura to sit on her bed, mirroring Carmilla, she answered. “Because I really like you—have for a while—and it terrifies me to be that vulnerable again.” Laura looked like a second cyclist had ridden into their room and ran into her again.“You…”Laura tried to form words, unsuccessfully, before trying again, “you like me?” Carmilla nodded. “As in…romantically?” Carmilla blushed a little bit and ran a hand through her hair before nodding again. Laura bit her lip at the action, trying to keep in a smile. Carmilla’s eyes locked onto the action, though, her face becoming even more flushed. Carmilla had never liked anyone to the extent that she found herself liking Laura. “Oh.” Laura sounded a little breathless and looked a little dumbfounded.Carmilla got up from her bed, almost gliding across the room to tentatively join Laura on hers. “Yeah.” She said simply, somewhat embarrassed by her earlier outbursts. Laura looked between her bed, Carmilla, and the feather delicately placed on her desk, a small smile forming on her face as she did. Then the smile dropped suddenly and Laura turned serious.“I can take care of myself, I don’t need you or Danny or anyone else there to save the day.”“I know, cupcake.” Carmilla said earnestly and Laura wondered when she stopped finding the nicknames annoying, “I was there when you and the ginger gang stormed the kidnappers to save those girls, remember? I’ve seen the Krav Maga in action.” Carmilla placed her hand gently on top of Laura’s thigh.“Right,” Laura mumbled, “so how long does ‘a while’ entail? It’s not an exact measurement of time, so are we talking pre or post- dewinging. Sorry, is that term insensitive? Either way does a while mean longer than I’ve liked you?” Laura’s eyes widened at the admission and her rambling worsened, “By that I mean, before you started making me hot chocolate and told me about everything and—“Carmilla smiled, cupped Laura’s cheek, and carefully connected their lips, making sure not to hurt Laura’s arm. Laura’s working arm found its place in Carmilla’s hair, gently running through it. Carmilla pulled away first, but Laura’s hand in her hair kept her right against Laura’s forehead. After a moment, Laura pulled Carmilla back in for another kiss and tried to talk at the same time. “Y’know…for someone who…hasn’t kissed someone…in centuries…you’re really good at it.” She managed to get out in between kisses. Outwardly, Carmilla chuckled, but inwardly she was relieved because she had absolutely no idea what she was doing.After losing track of time for…some amount of time, Carmilla finally pulled away from Laura and moved to get up despite Laura’s protests. “You need to rest, Laura. We can talk more later.” Carmilla winked and slid into her own bed, Laura’s groans following her all the way there. “Goodnight.” Laura reached up and turned off the light.“Goodnight, Carm.” Her words coming out in a grumble. Carmilla couldn’t help the smirk that appeared on her face, but she buried it in her covers. Maybe things wouldn’t go haywire this time, Carmilla thought as she drifted off into sleep.She wasn’t sure how long she had been asleep for before she started to wake up by an incessant nudging of her arm. She groaned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.“Come on, little fledgling, time to wake up.” At the sound of that voice, Carmilla shot up and came face to face with Mattie, sitting on her dorm room bed.“Mattie!?” Carmilla shout-whispered, aware of Laura’s sleeping form across the room.“The one and only, sis.”“What are you doing here?” Carmilla felt so many different emotions in the moment and she wasn’t sure which one should take precedence.“I wish it was on a visitation but something’s happening, fledgling. Something big.”Carmilla knew she had spoken too soon about everything being okay when dread filled the pit of her stomach.
10957251	Daisies	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s), Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson", "Fandom": "One Direction (Band)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by llwrites", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-20T00:00:00", "words": "2,489", "Additional Tags": "Fluff and Angst, Secret Relationship, Extended Metaphors, What-If, Dialogue Heavy, Interviews, Headcanon, Song Lyrics, Behind the Scenes, Alternate Canon", "Relationship": "Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/M, M/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Overcoming the Past and Facing a Bold New Future: Susan Baker’s Untold Story This Woman interview with Susan Baker: on the heels of surprise news of her long-term engagement to her former bandmate, David Arlo, following the upheaval at Cray-Z Records that led to massive backlash across much of the music industry, the acclaimed singer, songwriter, and actress sits down with us in an exclusive tell-all about life, love, and lyrics. This Woman: Thank you for agreeing to speak with us and tell us your story in your own words. We now understand that that’s something that has been limited in the past, correct?Susan Baker: Hi and thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. To answer your question, yes, yes it has. I did my best with the limits we had over the years, and especially with my first solo venture. Had to get pretty creative sometimes, but I know some fans picked up on some things.TW: Ah yes, the Daisies. How did that name come about, anyways?SB: Well everyone called me Susie even though my name is Susan, and of course he's David, so we became Dasie and our fans called themselves Daisies like the flower. David made an offhand comment once about how he was buzzing, and somehow that snowballed into the army of bees thing with our fans spreading information back and forth like worker bees spreading pollen. David can explain it better, but it was all so nice having a mascot like that. It even became inspiration for one of my later tattoos. We decided it would be too obvious for me to get a Daisy tattoo, but I got my queen bee instead. (Smirks)TW: And then David got a crown, right?SB: Yes. We weren’t all that subtle about our tattoos, were we? (Laughs)TW: Hindsight’s 20/20, I suppose.SB: Very true.TW: Can you tell us more about your first solo album?SB: The album was my chance to tell my story my way. I knew I still had to be rather covert about it, so on the surface I had to play management’s game. I drew from what I loved growing up...drew on that sound...and some of the lyrics...but I tried to make it my own. I tried to tell two stories at once...it really wasn't easy, but I had a lot of good people helping me, and that really meant the world to me. I have trouble getting to the place where I can be truly honest and raw with people, but I think I managed, and I'm really happy about it. I know not everyone will get the second layer there, but I hope they like it and I wouldn't want to ruin anyone's idea of what the song means to them. For me, it was very therapeutic, so even if people don't like it, I'm glad to have had that experience.TW: You did always say it was therapeutic for you. Can you delve into that more now that some things have come out about that time?SB: Ummm sure.TW: Like now we know that you were actually in a relationship with your band member, David, since the beginning.SB: Yes, we were. Still are. Going strong. (Smiles) We met and just clicked. I think we both just knew. I tried to play hard to get but it didn't last. (Giggles). We just made sense. Always. So many things happened to pull us apart, and it nearly worked a few times, but at the end of the day, we wanted to be together. I just couldn't imagine not being with him, and it hurt us so much to be apart.TW: But management didn't like your relationship.SB: No, no they did not. We were all supposed to be young and hot and available. It wasn't good PR to have us happily coupled up. Couldn't have us be completely off the market like that.TW: But you had other PR relationships, right?SB: Yes, we found out our contracts included stunts like that. My first one was some man nearly twice my age when I was technically underage. Apparently making me into some Lolita-esque wet dream was preferential to allowing me to have a boyfriend in the band.TW: You hint at that in the album, the Lolita aspect.SB: Yeah...that one didn't go exactly as planned… somehow a story came out that I had a one-night stand with this 17-yr-old boy and that was my inspiration for some lyrics. Of course everyone was congratulating him and calling me a cougar like it was something great. Not that there was any great outrage when it was me, a 17-yr-old girl linked with a 32-yr-old man...I had hoped the world had woken up a little since then, but yeah… and then of course that song had to be the next single. Any press is good press, right?TW: There were several others PR relationships after that, right, for you and for David?SB: Yes, I've lost count, truly. David had fewer, but they stuck him with horrible women who were nasty and disrespectful to both of us - telling us life wasn't some romantic comedy- like we didn't know. They were just looking for their 15 minutes of fame or hoping to boost their sad careers, generally.TW: You got back at them though in the album, did you not?SB: Umm well yes they may have popped in there a bit. (Winks)TW: Arguably your most famous PR boyfriend seemed to have been an inspiration too, is that right?SB: Well, yes and no. That relationship was a great source of pain for us, which comes up a bit in the songs. It was very frustrating because he was so famous and used me and us so well...we had no idea the legs that story would have, and it was supposed to be simple quick mutual PR with this really nice guy...or at least that's how it was advertised...I don't really want to get into it further, but it was very difficult and eye-opening and I'll leave it there.TW: You wrote frequently about David and your relationship, both while you were in the band together, and then solo.SB: Yes, we were inspiration for each other a lot. (Laughs) The Daisies may not want to hear this, but we did sometimes use each other as inspiration for the angsty “break-up” type songs as well as the love songs. Sometimes it was easier to fight and get the anger out through songwriting than to try to confront each other. Plus we had plenty of inspiration besides ourselves with all the other relationships we witnessed. We even said it once in a song we wrote together, but most people didn't think it was about us. (Shrugs)TW: Isn't that one of the only songs you wrote together, but that rumor said you wrote in separate rooms because you couldn't stand to be together?SB: Ha, yeah, it is. We actually wrote most of it in bed together after we had to dodge security and fans yet again. We got pretty good at that. (Laughs)TW: So you had to evade your own security in order to be together because no one could see you together?SB: Sometimes, yeah. We had some people on staff who helped us out, and I think everyone knew, really, but everyone had NDA’s and salaries to worry about. We had to be so careful to not be seen by the wrong people, and we were too considerate and aware of each other that they wouldn't even let us touch or look at each other in public.TW: That had to have been hard.SB: Yes, it was honestly the most difficult thing I've had to do. It felt like someone ripped away half of me and I was expected to pretend like everything was fine and like I wasn't bleeding everywhere. I couldn't be natural, be me, without him. I acted out a bit, and just plain learned to act, but it was so hard. I just wanted to be able to smile at my boyfriend or even stand near him. It went against all of my instincts to try to ignore him and made me miserable. I slipped into my stage persona as much as I could. I think I thought that if I was a good girl and did what they wanted, maybe I could get some leverage to get a bit of what I wanted too. It didn't work. It backfired a bit, truly, because I proved that they could get me to act how they wanted, and of course they used that against us.TW: Some people say that situation inspired some of the album. Is that true?SB: Yes. One song everyone thought was about this bad boy type that I wanted but couldn't “bring home to mother”....really, it was about me and my relationships. Kind of a play on my innocent side who was in a committed loving relationship vs the drama queen badass girl who everyone wanted. And kinda a play on the idea that just because I was in a committed relationship that we were some boring old married couple. We, uh, weren't as innocent as everyone wanted to think. Actually anyone who was around us for very long can probably attest to that. (Laughs) But everyone wanted me to be this stereotypical rocker chick with the cool tattoos and perfect hair. It was fun to be her sometimes, and easy to hide behind her sometimes when I just wanted to run away screaming, but it wasn't really me.TW: You've talked a few times about how being on stage was the greatest feeling in the world.SB: Yeah. It really is better than any drug. The rush of having all that energy directed at you… it's addictive.TW: Some people thought you wrote about other addictions in your songs.SB: Yeah, that was mostly just metaphor. When the break happened, we suddenly went from go go go to no major plans, and it was uh…quite the adjustment. The album opens and closes with my experience with that. I missed the stage, and got to see how people suddenly dropped out of your life when you were no longer so much in the spotlight...it was a wake up call of sorts for a lot of things, being sort-of out of the industry for a bit. But it was good, ultimately. We got a chance to step back and clear our heads and see who was still there when the dust settled.TW: One of the now revealed stunts started during that time, during the hiatus before the solo projects began. Would you be willing to talk about the stunt that involved the child that turned out not to be David's?SB: Umm...I don't really want to but I want people to know the full story, so, I guess. (Clears throat) That was our worst nightmare. The most personal attack on us...on me. Management knew we wanted children. Knew I couldn't have any. They threatened me once with a fake pregnancy and backed off when I broke down. Then they turned around and created this one night stand nightmare pregnancy. It just got worse and worse. We thought it was going be resolved before there ever could have been a child. We didn't think they'd go so far as to involve an actual child. Who could be that monstrous? And then the child was born and forced to become a prop in the whole debacle. And there was nothing we could do to fight it. I can't reveal all the details, but our hands were tied. All we could do was try to get the message out that it wasn't real. David never cheated on me. He would have never had a child that wasn't ours. (Voice breaks) Sorry, I just need a moment…(walks off for several minutes) I'm sorry. I...it's still really hard…our first parenting experience wasn't supposed to be like that. It wasn't real, but it was because that's how the public saw it? I just never wanted that for David. He was forced into acting in a way that he would never just to not succumb to their will. He was so strong. I couldn't do it. I refused to talk about any of it by threatening to give it all away if I did. (Swallows) But now we are looking into adopting now that we can, so I try to keep all that ugliness in the past.TW: Adopting?SB: Yes, we want kids right away. We always have, even when we were younger. We’ve been lucky enough to meet so many very special children over the years. We are so excited to finally be able to grow our family.TW: Yes, I can imagine with David as their father, they're going to be very loved and very spoiled.SB: (Laughs) Thank you. That is very true. We can’t wait.TW: OK, so I have to ask. Now that everything is out there and you’re free of old contracts, do you see the band getting back together?SB: Well, first of all, even as separate acts, we’ve always been together. Always. And, I think I’ll leave you in suspense except to say that we’re really excited about the future. (Smiles) Alright, I see where you got the names, you sap. But Daisies??? You do talk some shit, even on paper.Well I had to be creative, didn't I? Plus it's like a little homage to my favorite girl.Don't let the others hear you say that.She's your favorite, too.Shhhh!Oh should I say it louder?Don't you dare! You do and I'm never kissing you again!Please. You say that like you've ever been able to resist these red lips.Don't give me that look.(Pouting and trying not to laugh)Really though, babe- you sure about this?Yeah... I don't think they can do anything about it even if someone makes the connection. No one is going to believe some teenage girl posting stories on the internet, right?Yeah. Just habit, I guess.I almost wish someone would figure it all out and blow it wide open.Well, you never know. This could help. You never know who might read it and have their eyes opened. Partners in crime?Always. Dream team?Always. I love you.I love you more.Not possible.Call it even?Ok. Ok...hitting publish...Good. Now get over here baby cakes.If you insist, sweetcheeks.Oii! I thought I was sweet creature now.You're just sweet. My sweet.There you go back to talking shite.Guess you'd better shut me up then…
10931895	As long as Im with you	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Luke Skywalker, Callista Ming", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Sweven", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-17T00:00:00", "words": "2,321", "Additional Tags": "Seduction to the Dark Side, Mentions of KotOR II, Not Canon Compliant, roguerobin018, phase three", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Callista Ming/Luke Skywalker, The Force/Callista Ming", "Series": null, "Collections": "Rogue Robin 2017", "Fandoms": "Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/M, Gen", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Callista followed Luke to Yavin 4. Where else would she go? The Jedi Order as she’d known them were gone, her friends were either long dead or scattered across the Galaxy with lives of their own. What remained for her now was this golden man and his new Order. She carried her losses with her, the battles she’d fought would never be forgotten, but she relished this new opportunity. She considered telling Luke that she couldn’t touch the Force. That where her heart should be, there was instead a gaping chasm, that the universe was too silent, too empty without an anchor. Callista wanted to tell him about how the vastness of space was too enormous without the Force to guide her, the silence was frightening beyond belief, that she was so happy that he was there with her so that she didn’t have to face it alone, but she didn’t.Instead she told him how strange this flesh and blood body felt, how strange it was to not exist only in currents of energy flowing through circuit-boards. She tried, once, twice, three times, but her words wouldn’t flow fast enough for her body to follow. Her thoughts felt alien and what came out was a jumble of nonsense, of half-spoken truths and inaccuracies as she stumbled over words. She silenced herself when she noticed the strange looks he was giving her. Later, maybe. When her words would cooperate, she would tell him everything, she promised herself. From the beginning, moving in this body was strange. It wasn’t hers, wasn’t her body as she remembered it from oh-so-many years ago. This wasn’t the body she’d fought with during the Clone Wars, nor was it the body she’d violently shoved her mind into, a body of metal and wires and bright light and inhuman sensations. She felt detached from the chipped, lacquered nails at the end of a stranger’s hands, hands which moved when she willed them to. She felt estranged from her body and from this new reality, but she refused to give up. All that she had been through… She would endure this as well. The Force had given her another chance and she wouldn’t dare to waste it. On Yavin 4 she witnessed what Luke had built, and she smiled softly to herself. The Masters of the old Jedi Council on Coruscant would have spoken of heresy, of forbidden attachments and how the Dark Side would find its way into the cracks in the foundation of this Order. They would have been outraged at the assumptions of this young upstart who had never even held the title of Padawan, who’d been trained when he was already an adult, who’d been defiant and prone to anger.Callista was reminded painfully of Geith and his disdain for the Jedi Order and their multitude of rules. Her lover would have enjoyed this New Order immensely, Luke with his new ideas and willingness to question nonsensical rules holding the title of Grand Master would be unorthodox enough for Geith to feel comfortable with.Her own Master Altis would have liked it as well. He'd never cared for the prim and proper ways of the Council. Callista agreed. Luke was doing a good thing here.When she told Luke of how the Masters of old would have reacted, his face fell and Callista could feel his disappointment. Callista hadn't meant to cause him pain, she thought her tone of voice had been joking and light. Even joking was different in this body, she thought, frustrated with the situation. They fell for a reason, she said to him. Follow your instinct, don’t try to remake what they wrought. Callista spoke to Luke about Anakin, after she finally dared ask about their connection. The revelation of his Fall made pieces of a larger puzzle fall into place. She’d known of Darth Vader of course, of the half-man who had appeared as suddenly as the Empire, who had scourged countless planets in the name of the Emperor, and murdered and enslaved millions. He had been feared like few others and Callista had always made sure to avoid him.Callista told Luke of the fiery Togruta Padawan she’d met, and how the Padawan had looked at the brash Jedi General as if he’d hung the stars. She hadn't known them well and it had been ages ago but Luke hung onto her every word.A smile ghosted her lips as she remembered their discussions of attachment. Callista wondered how Ahsoka had reacted if Anakin had ever told her of Padmé, if the Padawan had ever been tempted herself. Ahsoka had been very young when they’d met and she hadn’t grown up in a kind world. Callista hoped that the young Jedi had been able to find solace despite it all.Callista talked of the Clone Wars. To Luke they were ancient history, for Callista it felt like the Clone Wars was both a lifetime ago and happened just yesterday. The atrocities she’d seen were still seared onto the inside of her eyelids, but spending thirty years in a memory core had allowed her time to grieve and distance herself.Thinking back was strange. How linear the years in her first human body had been, how devoid of blinding, pulsating energy, thrumming through the hull. How inaccurate memories were, how fragmented her human life had been, she thought, compared to the unlimited data she’d been able to store in the gunnery ship. Still, Luke listened to her words as she described the Jedi and their arguments in bits and pieces, the quips flying back and forth between Master and Padawan during battle, and Callista assured him that Anakin had been kind and just once. Luke didn’t seem surprised, and Callista longed to have that much faith in someone again.The conversation reminded her of how she had been once. Strong and willful and kindhearted. She’d used her grasp on the Force for good, always always striving to make a difference in the darkness that had spread over the Galaxy. Remembering was good, she thought. She needed to hold on to this. The conversation left Callista feeling lighter than she’d been in a long time, an emptiness, a peace of sorts, had spread through her chest and she ached with it. She had never felt more devoid of the Force but she needed to embrace the loss, she thought to herself, she needed to embrace her future as it was given to her instead of longing for something that was no longer hers. She still struggled with this earthly body sometimes. When her mind failed to produce the solution to a complex problem, or when the limitations of only having two eyes were proven again and again, when she tried drawing on the information in databanks she no longer had access to, whenever she failed at something she’d previously done without a thought, Callista felt inadequate and despaired quietly in her chambers. Meditation was no help, it only served to remind her that she'd lost two vastly different infinities, two ways of being connected to a larger whole. The bile rose in her throat at the thought of all that had been taken from her, of the injustices of the universe. The Force was asking too much this time. The Great Jedi Library had been demolished by Palpatine himself. Callista felt her blood boil when she thought of the Sith Lord who had cheated them all. She’d seen him on the HoloNet back in the days of the Old Republic, when he’d been the bright light of hope they all thought they needed. She'd been a part of the Eye of Palpatine, a ship built to meet the Emperor’s needs as nothing else, a vessel of death and destruction that encapsulated the essence of the Emperor completely. She’d never met the man, but she despised him with every fibre of her being though she tried not to. Hatred wasn’t the Jedi way.But… In her weak moments, in the few moments where she indulged her emotions, when she allowed herself to despise Palpatine without restraint, Callista could feel the Force again, she could see the immensity of the Galaxy unfolding around her, could sense the plants growing and the animals in the jungle, and - for a brief moment - she felt whole again.Callista always turned away from the temptation that promised more, more, more if she’d only give in, but every time she severed her connection to the Force again, she felt like she’d been blinded.The Library had been destroyed, but Palpatine had kept a few pieces of their sacred history to himself, and in the ruins of this once-great databank of all Jedi knowledge, Callista found a sister. A Jedi who had been exiled eons ago, someone who had known the pain of not being able to feel the Force, someone who had experienced the bright togetherness of space through the Force and had had it ripped from her.The holocrons only held fragments of her story, a few clips of a blonde human woman speaking with great sadness and a spark of anger in her eyes. She spoke of world-shattering events, of judgemental Jedi, and the emptiness that followed. Callista ached with sympathy and grief for the loneliness the woman had endured. The rest of the transmissions were corrupted and Callista’s sympathy turned to surging anger at the injustices she and the Exile had both suffered. Envy. When she first realised what the emotion in the pit of her stomach was, she was overseeing a group of younglings lifting rocks with the Force. They called her Jedi Ming and the words tasted like a lie. Some of the children struggled but a few completed the task as easily as taking a breath of air.The young Twi’lek standing closest to her was effortlessly controlling the three stones hovering in front of her. The child looked at Callista with pure joy and happiness painted on her face, her small blue lekku’s twitching softly with joy, and Calista felt her heart breaking. She remembered that feeling, remembered feeling the Force around her, flowing like water, silky smooth waves and playful eddies forming around her, and she suddenly hated the young girl for feeling the currents of the Force when Callista couldn't.Envy turned her eyes cold and curled her lips into a sneer, and the young Twi’lek turned away, confusion and hurt written on her face as the three rocks fell lifelessly to the ground. Callista was shocked by herself. She'd never thought of herself as cruel or unjust, but now… She knew, logically, that the child was not to blame, that her emotions had nothing to do with the class of Force Sensitives and their abilities, but the more she tried to extinguish the burning envy in her gut, the brighter it burned. She felt the Force around her, shining as as brightly as a flame in dark caverns by the shores on Chad. Callista felt the Force flowing as the envy rolled around in her stomach and wrapped itself around her spinal chord and lodged itself there. She felt it and she revelled in it. It was then she realised that there was no going back. In the end she couldn’t lie to Luke about her connection to the Force. Callista tried for days, months, years, constantly struggling to keep her feelings hidden from the Jedi Grand Master, but in the end his earnest blue eyes and his hunger for all things good and just made her break. She saw his disappointment when he realised the truth of her words and his horror when he realised what it entailed. He wanted to fix her, to keep the Dark Side at bay. He offered solution after solution, desperate for her salvation but Callista shook her head and kissed his brow. She loved him, this beautiful man with wisps of golden hair framing his face like a halo. She loved him, and she knew that she had to leave him. Luke would never understand the path she would choose, the path she'd already chosen. He would never condone it. In another life she would have denied the darkness as completely as he did, she’d swear it off, forever and always, but in this one… the lines between dark and light were too blurred for her, the pain of her loss was too much, and the constant reminders of what she’d lost caused too much grief. The Dark Side was crawling under her skin, constantly beckoning her, constantly, ceaselessly itching, and she didn't know how to stop it. More than that, she didn't truly want to. In the end she left this jungle planet that she'd called home for a short second in her long life. Callista didn't feel that she'd ever truly been here, not wholly. She had been broken apart too many times to feel at home anywhere. She left to put herself back together, she told Luke, maybe she could find an alternative to the stark black and white she knew. She needed to find a new balance. It was only a half lie.It didn't matter in the end if she didn't succeed in finding her way back to the light side of the Force, Callista thought as she faced the darkness of empty space. As long as she could feel the Force, she would do whatever it took. It had ripped her apart so many times before, but it always always allowed her to stitch herself back together. The Force would guide her, and she would revel in every moment it allowed her, no matter which path she were to follow. She would build her future using her own blood and bones as brick and mortar if she needed to, and as long as the Force was with her, she would smile into the void.
11030184	Careless Whisker	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": null, "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by psyraah", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-30T00:00:00", "words": "992", "Additional Tags": "Fluff, Established Relationship, Pouty Roy", "Relationship": "Edward Elric/Roy Mustang", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga, Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	When Roy comes home, there’s no excited yelling, or babble, or stream of curses that usually greets him. In fact, the house is unusually quiet as he toes his shoes off and hangs his coat up.“Ed?”Nothing.Nothing…except for the quiet, occasional murmur coming from down the hallway. They didn’t plan for any guests to be over, and if it were Al on a surprise visit, there’d be far more screaming and general ruckus.Roy squints his eyes suspiciously. He thinks he might know who’s got Ed’s attention.He pads quietly to their living room, poking his head around the door. Ed’s sitting cross-legged on the couch, and sure enough, their new kitten is with him. The cat is lying on his back, front paws tucked against itself and bottom leg sticking upwards. Roy watches, slightly amused, as Ed presses down on the protruding limb, only to watch it spring back up to point at their weathered ceiling again. Ed laughs, and the sounds gentles Roy’s annoyance a little.But only a little.“Ed?” His tone is a little more insistent as he enters the room, but Ed is still fascinated with the cat.“Not now, Roy,” Ed says, in the same way you’d talk to an insistent five-year-old. Actually, it’s even worse because Roy has never heard Ed talk to a five-year-old—or any other child—in that tone of voice. It is reserved for Roy, and Roy alone.He doesn’t know whether to be fond or offended. Probably a bit of both.“Look at Deathskull.”Ed prods the cat’s leg again, and it bounces back resolutely. Deathskull, despite the name, has little reaction except to glance at Ed and blink.Roy puts his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall. “I’m looking. You seem to be awfully amused.”“It’s funny,” Ed says with a grin, and he prods the cat’s leg again, cackling when it just rises once more. “He’s been sitting here for like, ten minutes.”“Mmm. So surely you’ve had your fun then? I wouldn’t mind a hug.”Ed makes an absent little grunt. “Yeah, in a bit.”Roy frowns. Is he being ignored for a cat? There’s only one way to test this hypothesis.Roy strides over, and tucks his finger under Ed’s chin, leaning down and—Ed bats his arm away. “I said in a bit.”Roy blinks, hand still raised, too shocked to lower it. “Am I being ignored,” he asks, tone very unimpressed, “in favour of the cat?”“Yes,” Ed says immediately, and pokes Deathskull’s leg again.When another minute passes, and all Ed does is poke the damn cat’s leg another two times without further acknowledging Roy, then lift it to bounce up and down while snickering like a child, Roy gives up.“Well,” he says, with as much dignity as is left him. Not that it’s very much; he sacrificed pretty much all of it when he decided to start cohabiting with Edward. “I’m going to change into something more comfortable. You’re welcome to join me when you see fit,” he sniffs.All Ed does is grunt.So Roy marches off, partially amused, a little annoyed, and all together just very baffled. He should’ve refused the damn cat, he thinks, tugging off his uniform jacket with a little more force than necessary. But Ed had been so insistent; Alphonse’s soft spot for strays must be contagious, somehow, or else it’s hereditary. There aren’t enough Elrics for Roy to test that hypothesis, so Roy will just put the blame on Ed’s solitary brother rather than the entire bloodline.Not that he can exactly berate Al for it, he thinks mournfully, changing his shirt. Al would probably just laugh, and join Ed in paying undue attention to the cat.No, the best course of action was what any self-respecting adult in a happy, fulfilling relationship would do: hide from their partner for as long as possible, until said partner came to provide comfort to the injured party.That’s how Ed finds him a few minutes later: sulking as he peels off his socks and throws them into the laundry hamper. He must make a pathetic sight, because there’s no other explanation for the way Ed laughs when he walks over, wrapping his arms around Roy’s waist.“Hi.” Ed’s grinning. He knows exactly what he’s done.Roy pouts when Ed hugs him, but he kisses Ed’s forehead gently anyway. There’s no force in the universe that can stop him from kissing Edward Elric, even his own ego.“Not five minutes ago, you refused you greet me.”Ed shrugs, but he just keeps grinning, and Roy’s own frown starts to soften despite himself. That’s probably exactly what Ed wants, but damn him if it isn’t working. “I was doing important shit.”“Prodding our new pet?”“It’s important. Bonding or some shit, but he ran off. Think I annoyed him.”“Can’t imagine why,” Roy says drily. “Anyone would want their limbs to be needlessly poked by a creature five times their size.”Ed butts his head against Roy’s chin. “Hey, you love it when I poke you.”“You’re not five times my size.” Roy smirks. “Nowhere near.”But instead of a snarl and a frown, Ed grins, to Roy’s great confusion. “Knew you had that smile in you somewhere.”Damn. Baited.Roy resolutely plasters on a pout once more, resting his chin on top of Ed’s head with a sigh. “Not smiling. I am utterly heartbroken. Sometimes I think you love that cat more than you love me.”Ed laughs. “I definitely love that cat more than you.”But then he draws back and pushes up on his toes to brush his lips against Roy’s. And with Ed like this? All gentle and soft and sweet against Roy, firelight and all their home and heart wrapped up in a tiny, blond bundle in Roy’s arms, Roy doesn’t need Ed’s words to feel his love.
11056731	Fireworks	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Laura Roslin, Minor appearance by:, William Adama", "Fandom": "Battlestar Galactica (2003)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Simply8Steps", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-31T00:00:00", "words": "794", "Additional Tags": "character introspection, (again), Canon-Typical Angst, Character Study, Happiness is Sometimes what we make of it?, Parallels, Implied/Referenced Drug Use", "Relationship": "Laura Roslin/William Adama", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/M, Gen", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Laura had a perfect view out of the small port window on the Colonial heavy. It was late afternoon, and already, she could see the initial tinges of twilight falling over calm waters as the first of two stars dipped closer to the horizon. Helos - visible as the cloud cover shredded like so many pieces of fabric and industry in Caprica City began to quiet – followed closely on the tail of its smaller brother.‘They will set the fireworks soon…’It was Armistice Day, and tonight, the people would celebrate the hard-earned peace that so many had fought for those decades ago. Strange how these things worked. Half a century ago, the Cylons that humans had created brought on a war that solidified the shaky unification among twelve formerly warring colonies. War begetting peace begetting war.Today’s peace did not touch her. She was already fighting her own personal wars, having long given up the tranquility of the still fountains for the current in her mind. The flash-flood of memories remained dammed for now, but only for so long. She wondered how these people’s peace would work out. The families that would doubtlessly be enjoying the grill and picnics in the parks as the celebrations began at true nightfall.Later, she would regret thinking any of this at all – tempting the Fates to start the cycle again.Tremors travelled slowly through the deck, crawling in her heels, inching up her spine, and arcing through her fingers until her entire being felt awake with a jolt of electricity. She wonders if these are the culmination of the trembling of every individual aboard Colonial One – of fear, of excitement even.It wasn’t hard to imagine what sensations they were experiencing – there is no sound in vacuum, but the lights of explosions and artillery fire in battle, the perceived spirit of war outside penetrated even this civilian ship’s thick plating. Rather, Laura wonders how diverse their thoughts are at this very moment when the last of humanity is stuck together like so many sheep in a flock.A flock. A fleet.She knows what she is thinking. She thinks of laughter and screams. Of lives expiring in bursts of lights brighter and more dangerous than any firework ever sent into the atmosphere. (Of last breaths expired with the quiet whispers of loved ones and warmth and comfort.) She thinks of the joyous momentum of being part of the speeding rocket that zooms toward its wonted height – to expire through life like a mayfly – a single moment, a single full breath before the purest moment of life – death. And in that moment, one is beautiful. Breath-taking.When she wished for a holiday while dealing with surviving and that frakwit Baltar, this wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. However, she couldn’t complain. It was actually warm today, the alcohol was plentiful (if not particularly good), and the people were positively giddy. Founder’s Day had brought an enthusiasm that she hadn’t seen on New Caprica since the people first moved on land, the initial optimism quickly overwhelmed by the bleak reality.That, and the weed did wonders for morale. Everything was that much funnier, brighter, and happier (she ignored the fuzziness) when one was buzzed. What had the young ones said? Take a trip on the high road and come back mellow? (Their code didn’t fool her, and she considered it her duty to confiscate the ones being passed around her classroom. If duty offered its own moments of pleasure later, well… that was a bonus.) Certainly, the Admiral seemed to enjoy its merits as well – old man or not.Later that night, after dancing and falling and dancing and falling, they stumble off to a row a tents that (she’s pretty sure) is near her own. They are on sandbags and talking (and maybe singing) but mostly, they are dreaming. They dream of their hopes for the future (because dreaming for the future isn’t always enough), and maybe in the quiet moments when there is silence, those dreams that they don’t share (out loud) ties them together that much more closely.And if, the moment before their lips meet (just once softly and certain), her eyes close (because this is most certainly not a dream but reality is a bit hazy with her eyes open) then it is not romantically clichéd to say (since the boundaries between Old Caprica and New Caprica, home and ship, person and person have become so hazy, she may very well still be on the former celebrating Armistice Day on her porch with her eyes to the sky) that she loves the fireworks that lit up on contact.It was/is/will be an amazing show.Her smile is free, her breath… gone.
11016747	Close to Home	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Maito Gai \| Might Guy, Hyuuga Neji, Rock Lee, Tenten (Naruto), Hatake Kakashi", "Fandom": "Naruto", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by slash4femme", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-27T00:00:00", "words": "5,765", "Additional Tags": "Team as Family, Fluff, Team Bonding, Team Fluff, Angst, Character Study, Gai-centric, Neji-centric, Team Gai - Freeform", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Something Like Family", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	I.Neji doesn't feel the pain but when he looks down both of his hands are a mess of bruises, scrapes and cuts and the practice post is leaning to the side at a dangerous angle, as if it's about the fall over.He takes several deep breaths, steps back to the first stance of the Gentle Fist and goes through the forms.All his rage, frustration and grief seems to leech out of his with every strike, every hit.It feels good, it feels like success to make the practice post tip further and further over, until chips of wood spray out in every direction when his palm connects. There's sweat sticking his hair to the back of his neck and running down his face by the times he's done, getting into his eyes.His chest burns with every breath, the pain in his legs has moved from a burning ache to a stabbing pain in his thighs.His arms feel like they're made of lead and are shaking so badly that when he slips and falls he almost doesn't catch himself in time and comes close to face planting into the dirt of the practice grounds.He stays on his hands and knees shaking and gasping for air. Truly unsure if he's going to be able to stand up and walk back to the Hyuga clan compound in the condition he's in.Not that he has a choice.There's the rustle of leave and then a heavy step behind him.Neji stays where he is staring down at where his own knuckles have split, blood running between his fingers. He doesn't need to see who it is in any case, he already knows.Strong arms wrap around him and haul him up."You know my students dedication to training never ceases to amazing me." Gai says. "Truly I have the hardest working team in the entire village."Neji doesn't reply because he doesn't have the energy. He just lets Gai support him with an arm around his shoulders and guide him back down the path towards Konoha.Gai will take him back the Hyuga clan compound, then Neji can take a shower, bandage his hands and to bed. It takes him longer than it should to realize that they are not going back to the Hyuga compound.Instead, they wind up on the top floor of an apartment building Neji knows houses mostly jounin and chunin ninja. By the time Gai unlocks the front door it's too late for Neji to think of a good way to get out of it so he lets Gai haul him into the apartment.It's ... not what Neji is expecting inside.Homey is the first word that jumps to mind. Everything in the apartment is old, battered and well used. The couch sags, the tables are scarred, there's an ancient looking tv Neji isn't even sure could still work sitting in the corner across from the couch. Everything is also a lot tidier than Neji was expecting. Meticulously clean and orderly even if there's too much stuff for it to truly look anything but cluttered.Nothing like the traditional austereness of the spaces Neji is used to. The couch has mismatching throw pillows and there's a set of dumbbells in one corner and a bookcase with books on taijutsu, military history and battered romance novels, of all things. He squints at the bookcase trying to decide if Gai's actually read His Hidden Desires or The Samurai Daughter's Passion . Obviously, someone has, none of the books are new and all of them are dog-eared, the spines creased where they've been opened and reopened.Gai sits him on the couch and bustles out of the room, coming back a minute later with a first aid kit and a few rolls of bandages.He sets his supplies on the coffee table and kneels in front of the couch taking Neji's hands in his own.His movements are practiced and soothing, almost professional as he cleans the cuts and scrapes across Neji's knuckles and palms.When he's done he picks up a small pot of obviously homemade salve and rubs a generous amount between his hands before gripping Neji's arm firmly.It is not a gentle massage. Gai's thumbs dig into sore muscles and press across bruised skin hard enough to make Neji hiss between his teeth before he can swallow the noise down."Better blood circulation will help you heal faster." Gai gives him a small sympathetic smile that says he knows how much it hurts but he's going to do it anyway. He works his way from Neji's hand to his wrist and up his arm to the short sleeve of his shirt and then back down before starting on the other arm."You know, you should wrap both your hands when you train." He says voice conversational and a lot lower in volume than Neji's used to. "It will protect them better from this level of insignificant damage."He picks up a roll of bandage and studies Neji's hands and arms."A little above the elbow I think." Gai presses the bandages firmly to Neji's biceps and start wrapping in a smooth practiced motion that's probably pure muscle memory at this point."That's how I used to wear them too, when I was just about your age." Gai says tone absent and a little fond.He wraps Neji''s arms down to the fingers as Neji watches, then sits back on his heels. "How does that feel?" He asks "Good? Flex your fingers for me, bend your wrists, and your elbows. Tell me if they're too tight."Neji flexes on command and his eyes widen. Then he really moves his hands, fingers and arms experimentally. He can feel the wrappings but they don't restrict his movements as all if anything they feeling grounding, as if he's now hyper aware of every tiny motion in the muscles and ligaments in his arms and hands.He clears his throat. "They aren't too tight.""Good." Gai beams at him and pushes himself to his feet. "Stay there a moment."Neji still isn't sure he can move so he does as Gai says and sits on the couch, listening to Gai go into the next room. There's the clatter of dishes so it must be the kitchen and Neji wonders if he should get up and stop whatever is going on in there.But it's only a moment before Gai's back, pushing a large mug into Neji's hands. The mug has smiling cartoon bear faces painted on it and a large chip out of the rim on one side. Neji takes a sip of scalding hot ginger tea and tries not to gag it back up."Drink it." Gai says encouragingly. "It will help."Help with what? Neji wants to ask but instead he takes another sip. It's sweeter than he enjoys drinking is tea too. For a moment he debates trying to get rid of it somehow but Gai has no convenient placed potted plants to tip it into.He sets his jaw and reminds himself that he is a shinobi, which sometimes means doing unpleasant things and that Gai is also his sensei. He drinks the rest of the tea as Gai watches, hands on hips and making encouraging noises whenever Neji resolve wavers.When he's finished he does feel, strangely, better. Warm and a bit more relaxed, his muscles starting to loosen and unwind, the spicy taste of ginger still lingering on his tongue.Gai takes the cup back into the kitchen and Neji lets his head tip back against the couch, eyes falling shut."Neji?" Gai calls from the other room. "Are you hungry, do you want dinner?"That makes Neji jerk upright, body tensing again. He blinks and realizes to his horror he'd been falling asleep.Bracing his hands on the coffee table he forces himself to stand."No thank you Gai-sensei I was just leaving." He says in his strongest, firmest voice.Gai comes to stand in the doorway between the living room and kitchen, drying off the mug on a bright green dishcloth, eyebrows pulled together in puzzlement."Neji it's fine, there's plenty of food for the both of us."Neji shakes his head. "I need to get back."He walks to the door before Gai can stop him, pulls it open and steps out into the hall.Gai says something but Neji doesn't stop to hear what it is, just keeps walking, gaze straight ahead all the way down the stairs and out onto the street.He doesn't stop until he gets to the Hyuga clan compound. II.Neji hates it. He hates all of it. The anger and the grief that smothers and chokes him until he can't breath. He hates the Hyuga clan compound. Hates Hiashi and how his gaze always skips over Neji like he's not even there, not even important enough to see let alone acknowledge or speak to. He hates the way the family whispers and gossips about him the way Hinata gives him sad, pitying looks from down cast eyes when she thinks he can't see her do it. Hates all of it, the entire Hyuga clan, until it feels like he's nothing but hate and pain jumbled together and ready to burst out from under his skin. He goes to the practice field and beats the posts until there is nothing but splintered wood and he's bleeding freely from his hands and arms.He falls to his knees finally, arms wrapped around himself, smearing blood across his shirt. He doesn't cry or scream, he can't. All of it seems to be lodged inside him without any chance of release until all he can do is pant in big ragged gasps each one feeling like a knife twisting inside his chest.He gets up finally and starts walking.He walks around Konoha until the sun goes down and the stars come out. Walks until shops start closing and even residents who enjoy staying out late start going home.He knows he needs to find somewhere to go. The shinobi on night watch will come collect him if he stays out much later.As much as he doesn't want to go back to the Hyuga clan compound he wants to be forcibly dragged there by some chunin night guard even less. He doesn't let himself think about where he's going, he just goes until he's standing in front of Gai's apartment, knocking on the door.Gai opens the door after only a few knocks."Neji?" He squints down through the dark.Neji suddenly can't think of anything to say, just huddles down into himself more."Right." Gai says sounding firm and determined. The next thing Neji knows he's being tugged into Gai's living room.He sits on the couch while Gai hovers over him."It looks like your hands need attention again." Gai leaves and comes back with the first aid kit. "Are you alright?" He asks as he picks pieces of Neji's old hand wrappings out of his training inflicted wounds. His voice softer than Neji thought Gai was capable of. Neji stares at him, at a loss for what to say, a way to expression how very not alright it is."No."Gai opens his mouth to say something, interrupted by a door opening further down the hall and the sound of footsteps.Neji tenses, ready to bolt back out of the apartment and into the night. Gai's grip on his wrist tightens for a fraction of a second."Gai-sensei?"Lee stands in the living room doorway, hair a tousled mess, wearing only green pajama bottoms. His eyes go wide when he sees Neji sitting on the couch with Gai kneeling in front of him, first aid kit open on the floor, bloody bandages scattered everywhere."Neji?""Neji just stopped by for a little chat Lee." Gai says without turning, gaze still locked on Neji. "Go back to bed now."For a moment Neji thinks Lee will argue. His gaze goes from Neji to Gai and then back. Then he nods and turns going back down the hall and Neji listens to the sound of a bedroom door closing.Neji relaxes a fraction.Gai stays on his knees looking at Neji expression concerned. Then he stands and starts gathering up the first aid supplies and dirty bandages."It's late and the Hyuga clan has a curfew for the people who live in the compound, don't' they?""Yes." Neji stairs down at the new clean bandages around his fingers."Nothing for it then." Gai says like he's come to some decision.He leaves and comes back a few moments later arms full of bedding."No." Neji says when he sees him."Yes." Gai says in a tone that means there will be no arguing with this decision. "Besides this couch might be old but it's comfortable and has been the resting place of many a weary shinobi. He thumps the back of it affectionately making the entire thing shake and groan underneath Neji.He drops the blanket and pillow onto the couch next to Neji.The blanket is worn but still looks plenty thick. The pillow case for the pillow has tiny turtles on it.Neji stares at them like they might be boobytrapped but it's not like he has anywhere else to go.He reaches out slowly, picks up the blanket, feeling how soft it is against his hands."I also brought you this." Gai holds out a folded dark green t-shirt.Neji hesitates but then takes that too.Gai yawns hugely, "Get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning if you want."He turns and heads back down the hall. Neji listens until he hears Gai's bedroom door close then takes off his bloody shirt, his sandals, and headband.The t-shirt is large enough on him that it must be Gai's even though Neji has never seen him wear one before. It smells like Gai too and is soft with age. Neji pulls it on then crawls under the blanket and lets the exhaustion take him. ~~~He wakes to clattering coming from the kitchen and Gai humming enthusiastically but completely off key.Neji opens his eyes and rolls over to find Lee standing watching him a steaming mug in his hand.He smiles when he sees Neji is awake."Goodmorning Neji."Lee puts the mug down on the coffee table as Neji sits up."Breakfast should be done soon and the bathroom is at the end of the hall if you want to take a shower. There should also be clean towels and washcloths for you to use and -- "He hesitated eyeing Neji's odd and now thoroughly slept in t-shirt and pants and, ridiculously, blushes. "You can borrow some of my clothes if you want." "No thank you, Lee." Neji picks up the mug and takes a sip. Green tea this time, and blessedly unsweetened. He takes another much larger sip and then sets the cup aside and goes to take a shower.By the time he comes out, trying to finger-comb his hair as best he can Lee is already at the table and Tenten is there too, dressed for training but also covering a yawn behind her hand. Neji eyes her as he takes his own place at the kitchen table, wondering if she spent the night here as well or just comes over for breakfast for some strange reason.Gai is fully dressed in green jumpsuit and legs warmers but is also wearing a ridiculously frilly, floral apron as he spoons rice and eggs into bowls for the three of them, topping each with slices of grilled ham.Much like with the mugs none of the bowls match. They all seem to be brightly colored, many of them are painted with cute little designs and most of them also look like they've been dropped at least once.Gai has some of the best reflexes of any shinobi in Konoha. Neji doesn't understand why all the dishes he owns look like they've been through a war.The bowl, piled high with rice and eggs Gai puts in front of him has little ducks on it and also a small chip on one side."Eat." Gai instructs them all, his voice booming off the walls of the tiny crowded kitchen. "We have much youthful training to do today. I have decided that you will all learn the art of fighting with nunchaku. Yes even you Neji." Gai waggles the rice spoon at him even though Neji hadn't said anything yet. "It will be excellent training for all of you.""Yes, Gai-sensei. I cannot wait to learn to fight with nunchaku." Lee begins inhaling his food at a speed that is frankly terrifying to watch. Tenten's eyes are also shining as she tucks into her breakfast.Neji looks down at his own bowl for a moment and then picks up his chopsticks. Gai-sensei is probably right, learning to fight with weapons is a vital part of taijutsu and would only make Neji a stronger shinobi. Still, he has a feel that in this lesson at least both of his teammates will, for once, have an advantage over him. III.It isn't an intentional thing, he's pretty sure no one planned it but the number of nights he spends on Gai-sensei's couch increase as time goes by.Gai doesn't mention it, doesn't act like it's out of the ordinarily or in anyway unexpected that Neji should spend more nights camped out in Gai's living room than he spends at the Hyuga clan compound. His room there feels increasingly bare and uninviting. Not like the cramped, barely tamed chaos of Gai's apartment.Neji learns that Lee lives there with Gai although he doesn't think Tenten officially does. Like him though she's there more times than not, showing up for breakfast or to spend an evening on the couch talking weapon techniques with Lee or Gai.Gai drags the coffee table into the kitchen and shows them all how to do leg stretching exercises the night after Lee pulls all the muscles in his right leg while perfecting his kick.Tenten tries to teach Lee to dance to some awful catchy pop music Gai has a recording of for some reason Neji doesn't want to think about. It turns out, unsurprisingly, that while Lee has no natural talent he almost makes up for it in pure enthusiasm. Neji finds he has to look away halfway through because both Tenten and Lee is incandescent with happiness, hair tousled, cheeks flushed laughing so hard they have to lean on each other just to stand up."Neji dance with us." Tenten says wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "Come on."Neji shakes his head. "I don't dance.""Well obviously neither do me or Lee." She makes a beckoning gesture at him. "It's not like you're going to look bad compared to the two of us and there's no one else to see.""Yes, Neji come join us." Lee is bouncing in place a little beside Tenten. "Let the spirit of youth run free!"Neji glares at him and yet somehow he finds himself being dragged up off the couch by the two of them.The music is playing and Lee is bouncing up and down, brushing too close to him. There's not enough space for this in Gai's tiny living room. Yet here they are, the three of them pressed in close together with some horrible, loud over synthesized music playing in the background, none of them exhibiting any of the skill, coordination or grace they would if they'd been fighting.It's good, even Neji will admit that.It's not anything he expected when he was assigned to Gai's team right out of the academy. It's not anything he wanted even, but it's still good.IV."Neji." Gai says when it starts to get dark out one evening.Neji is sitting on the couch reading one of Gai's military history books, a bag with an extra change of clothes at his feet. He looks up questioningly as Gai stops in front of him."I think you should spend tonight in the guest bedroom." Neji blinks at him. "Guest bedroom?"Gai nods and leads the way down the hall pushing open a door to show a neat if somewhat empty bedroom."This can be your room from now on." Gai says.The words make a knot form in Neji's chest. Make him want to run and not stop or look back.If this room had always existed why hadn't Gai offered it to him the first night? Why now after weeks of Neji sleeping on the couch?He suspects this room had been used for something else and Gai, probably with Lee's help, had emptied it out and set it up specifically for Neji to live in.Everything about that is something he doesn't want."I can sleep on the couch." He says turning away."No, you'll sleep in here tonight." Gai says his tone stern and unmovable as rock.Neji considers walking out and not spending the night at Gai's at all, but it's late so he nods and goes to get his bag from out of the living room.The room isn't that bad, he decides, laying on the futon, staring up at the ceiling. Most of the things in it have that old mismatched look that goes with the rest of the apartment. The pillows and blankets have a certain scent he's begun associating with Gai's apartment too. He turns his head into the pillow and inhales while trying to pretend he's not doing it.There's the sound of movement from out in the living room. Not a lot of noise, barely any at all in fact but enough for Neji to come to full alter, body tensing for a fight.It's nothing, he tells himself, who would be stupid enough to break into Gai-sensei's apartment? He eases off the futon anyway and moves silently to the door, pushing it open without making a sound.From where he's standing he can angle his body to see down the hall into the living room where there is now a light on.Kakashi Hatake is sitting on the couch. Gai is kneeling on the floor as he had the two times he'd bandaged Neji's hands."All right." Gai says voice a low rumble. "Let's see what the damage is this time Rival."Kakashi pushes his flak jacket off and pulls his shirt over his head. Gai stands to get a better look at the wound on his shoulder blade.From this angle, Neji can't really see it but it must be bad because Gai frowns deeply and says. "You should have gone to the hospital, not come here.""It's not that bad." Kakashi's one uncovered eye is slitted half shut. "Because at the hospital they'd fuss. I figured I'd just come here and have you stitch it closed for me. I'd do it myself but, well, it's hard to reach your own back.""Stitches are good enough for out in the field when there is no medical nin available. But there are plenty of people here in Konoha who could actually heal this.""Gai I'm tired." Kakashi says, something dark, edgy and desperate bleeding through the words. For a moment Neji thinks that Kakashi is a man on a cliff and Gai is the only thing standing between him and the jump."Sew me up or I'll just stick some gauze on it and go home to bed."Gai stares down at him. "That is unfair Rival" He finally says in a tone of voice that would make Neji seriously reevaluate his past decisions but seems to slide right off Kakashi without impact.Gai leaves the living room and comes back with the first aid kit and a bowl of water hot enough to steam.Kakashi doesn't flinch or make a sound as Gai cleans wound on his back and sews it shut."It will scar for sure." Gai says disapproving.Kakashi shrugs and gestures to the rest of the scars large and small decorating his torso.Gai stands back up taking the first aid kit and dirty swabs away with him, comes back in a few minutes carrying two mugs of tea.Gai hands Kakashi one of the cups, bending down closer than necessary as he does and tipping his face towards Kakashi's. Even though Kakashi is still wearing his mask it's obviously the set up for a kiss and Neji feels his cheeks heat.Kakashi's hand comes up before Gai can actually kiss him."One of the kids is awake." He says and Neji's face goes instantly red and his heart starts hammering in his chest although whether at being called a kid or being caught spying he's not sure.Gai says something too low for Neji to hear, a deep rumble without words and then Kakashi raises his voice."Neji? You want to come out and join us or go back to bed?"Neji immediately shuts the door and leans against it, trying to make his insides settle down. He marches resolutely back to his bed and lays down staring at the ceiling through the dark. He can hear Gai and Kakashi moving around the living room almost silently but still perceptively there. It's soothing somehow. Neji is used to have many people around him at all hours to constantly be able to hear people breathing, moving, talking even in the dead of night. He doesn't mean to but eventually he drifts off to sleep.~~~Neji doesn't know what he's expecting the next morning. If he's honest with himself he's expecting that Gai and Kakashi spent the night in Gai's bedroom. If Kakashi had bothered to stay at all that is.Instead, he comes down the hall and into the living room on his way to the kitchen to find Kakashi stretched out on the couch. His flak jacket, shirt, gloves, and headband are folded neatly on the floor next to his sandals. He is tucked under the same blanket Neji's been using for weeks now, still masked face mashed into Gai's pillow with the turtle pillowcase.There's a book, His Hidden Desires, open to the halfway point and laying face down on the coffee table by Kakashi's head. Neji turns away from Kakashi and heads through to the kitchen where Gai is up, dressed and starting breakfast in his frilly apron.He smiles at Neji and gives him a cup of unsweetened tea.Lee comes into the kitchen, covering a yawn with one hand. "Kakashi-sensei is here." Lee says as Gai hands him his own cup of tea."Indeed, he will be joining us for a hearty and nutritious breakfast!" Gai says. "Lee there's a protein shake in the refrigerator if you want it."Lee nods eagerly and goes to pour himself a glass.Kakashi comes into the kitchen, fully dressed but blinking sleepily with his one uncovered eye."Rival! What would you like for breakfast?" Gai booms at him."Uh ... coffee and toast?" Kakashi runs his fingers through his gray hair as if he has any chance at all of taming it."We have neither of those things." Gai tells him like he's passing on the best information Kakashi will hear all day. "There is green tea, eggs, rice and ham and protein shake if Lee won't mind splitting it with you.""I do not mind sharing my protein shake with you Kakashi-sensei." Lee says all big eyes and earnestness and Kakashi holds up one hand."Thanks Lee but it's all right, tea will be fine."Gai puts a mug of tea in front of Kakashi as Kakashi sits at the kitchen table.Tenten comes in washed and dressed, looking ready to start the day."There's a protein shake in the refrigerator for you Tenten." Gai says."Thank you Gai-sensei but I think I'd prefer tea." Tenten sits in her usual spot at the table and Gai fixes her with a stern look."I've been noticing during train Tenten that while your form is excellent your strikes could be harder and more devastating." Gai says. "So I have devised a training routine that will help you improve your upper body strength and the effectiveness of your strikes. But in order to do this you must learn to eat more like Lee does." Gai puts a glass of protein shake in front of her."You can do it Tenten, I believe in you." Lee gives her an encouraging thumbs up from the other side of the table where he's downing his own shake.Tenten takes a cautious sip, eyebrows going up in pleased surprise at the taste. She takes a much large gulp of protein shake as Gai puts bowls of food in front of all of them.A chorus of "thank you for the food" goes around the table and Gai just smiles picking up his own bowl, which has turtles blowing heart kisses on it and sits next to Kakashi."I heard that you will be getting a new team of your own soon Kakashi." Gai says, between mouthfuls of rice.Neji looks over at Kakashi curiously.Kakashi-sensei has had teams before. All the genin know that, just like they all know that Kakashi-sensei is career suicide for any young aspiring ninja.As much as he'd wished he'd been assigned to anyone but Gai when the teams had been first announced he'd also known it could have been worse.Kakashi would have been worse.No one can decide if Kakashi has too high standards after years of working with only the most elite shinobi, if he's just too odd and fickle to stick with a team for more than a few days, or if he just really hates genin.Neji wonders morbidly who this new batch of young ninja are."I'll have to have the four of you over to dinner." Gai is saying enthusiastically. He gives Kakashi a friendly slap on the back that almost knocks Kakashi's mug of tea out of his hands. "That's probably not going to be necessary Gai." Kakashi says echoing Neji's own thoughts."Nonsense, this team will be different, Rival." Gai says with conviction. "I know it."Kakashi stares down at the cup of tea in his hand. "Maybe."When they were done eating and have piled their dishes in the sink Gai waves the three of them out of the kitchen leaving him and Kakashi to clean up. "Lee, Neji go get dressed. We have a long day of training ahead of us."Neji nods and heads off to his room to get dressed and put his hair back.Lee is sitting on the couch in the living room when Neji comes out of his bedroom. He's wrapping his hands using a combination of quick one handed movements and his teeth."Do you want help with that?" Neji doesn't know why he asks, the words just come out his mouth. Lee stops and looks up at him."Thank you, Neji I would appreciate it." He holds out his hands and Neji takes them in his wrapping and folding the bandages downs Lee's arms and wrists, and over his hands. He puts his full concentration into doing it the way Gai had done it for him that first evening, not wanting to do it wrong now.Lee smiles in thanks when Neji is done and flexes his fingers experimentally. "Let me do yours."Neji doesn't want to but he can't think of a way to refuse that won't crush Lee and he won't do that. So he holds out his arms to Lee.Lee wraps the bandages around Neji's arms, his touch strong and sure. Neji endures it while it's happening but as soon as Lee releases his hands he feels strangely bereft. "Let's work hard today." Lee gives him a smile and thumbs up.Neji doesn't know how to respond so he nods and starts to turn away."Neji." Lee says voice gone serious enough to make Neji turn back to face him."I am glad you are staying here."Of all the people Neji has expected to actually address his continued presence in Gai's apartment with words Lee had never been his top choice. He also notices the way Lee carefully says staying and not living here."When we were first assigned to Gai-sensei's team he told me I could live here with him if I wanted to. But it always seemed not quite right. He is my sensei and my junin team leader after all and junin do not have their subordinate genin living with them in their apartment. But I ..." Lee looks away, mouth pulling down in a frown of unhappiness, so out of place on his face.Neji realizes he has no idea what Lee's living situation had been like before coming to live here. Lee might have lived with relatives who might have looked down on a young orphan without talent or any hope of being a shinobi. He might have lived on his own like Naruto in some tiny one bedroom apartment eating instant ramen alone every night. Neji is all too aware of the things have driven him to Gai-sensei's apartment night after night but nothing of what could drive Lee there as well. It makes his chest constrict a little bit with pain to think they've been on the same team for months, both all but living together in this apartment for weeks and he's never thought to ask."Anyway." Lee says. "With you here too it does not feel so strange. In fact when all of us are here like this it feels like home."Neji can't help the way his entire body tenses at the word home, too close to that other word that makes the pain and rage rise up inside him like it might strangle him to death from the inside out.And yet, it is so very much like Lee to say something like that, to feel it.Lee's eyes are shining with how much he means it, hands clasped together looking up at Neji from the couch.Neji looks back at him and realizes for the first time that Lee's words hadn't made him want to run.They made him want to stay."Yes." He says giving Lee a small nod. "It does."
11031882	Peaceful Rest	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Zevran Arainai, Male Mahariel", "Fandom": "Dragon Age: Origins", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by GaHoolianGirl", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-29T00:00:00", "words": "609", "Additional Tags": "Fluff and Angst, Nightmares, Late Night Conversations, Deep Roads", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Zevran Arainai/Male Warden, Zevran Arainai/Male Mahariel", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	“Mmmhn. Mmn. Mmmh !”The whimpers beside Zevran grew louder and louder until he could no longer pass them off as innocuous noises in Cyriel’s sleep; those were the signs of a nightmare, an experience he knew all too well. If he had been anyone besides an assassin, trained to sleep so lightly that wakefulness was always within arms reach, he most likely wouldn’t have even heard the small moans coming from his Dalish companion.He turned in their shared bedroll, careful as always to keep his movement to a minimum, and tried to shake the young man awake.“Warden?” No response, save for another noise, “Cyriel?”Slowly, one eyelid lifted, and when followed by the other, revealed a set of bright blue eyes filled with tears.“Z-Zevran...”“I am here.”Cyriel sniffed, and wiped his eyes, burying the side of his face into his bedroll, “I’m s-sorry I woke you...” his whisper muted was by the pillow.“Do not apologize. Nightmares plague the very best of us,” he ran the back on his hand down Cyriel’s cheek, “and I assume Grey Wardens have plenty of subjects to be tortured over.”He turned back to Zevran, a weak smile upon his face. His eyes still betrayed him, still shaking and shining with yet unshed tears.“Care to share?” Zevran said, trying to keep his tone between light-hearted and concerned for his bedmate.“It is not Grey Warden m-matters that are making me s-suffer,” Cyriel sniffled, looking up at the tent’s ceiling, the tears finally released from their confinement, “It’s the ceiling.”“The ceiling?” He looked up at the rock above them, “You have slept in places with ceilings before. What is causing your problem now?”Cyriel released a shaky sigh, “It’s not exactly that there is a c-ceiling. It’s that the Deep Roads ceiling g-g-goes on...and on...it encompasses everything and it feel like you can never l-leave,” he paused for breath, turning his face away from Zevran’s, “It makes me long for the open skies of the forest...”Zevran reached a hand out to brush the hairs that had matted to Cyriel’s forehead with sweat. After this movement, he rested a hand on his cheek, taking a moment to feel the slightly raised skin of the vasselin marks against his palm. These gestures seemed to calm Cyriel, whose breathing slowly returned to normal.“I k-know you must want to sleep too, b-but could you maybe just talk for awhile? The sound of someone else’s v-voice helps me sleep.”Reasoning to himself that it was wise for their leader to get plenty of sleep and that helping him made logical sense rather than he cared for the person besides him, Zevran began recounting a story he’d already told Cyriel, hoping his purposefully monotonous tone and the familiarity of the tale would help usher his bedmate to sleep.His plan was met with success, and soon the only noise coming from Cyriel were the even breaths associated with slumber. Zevran ran a cautious hand through red hair, careful not to wake him again. This was a man who was barely twenty and yet expected to carry the weight of a nation on his shoulders. Though he prided himself on his detachment from the job, Zevran could not help but feel sympathy for this boy, who was plagued by nightmares few could dream of but still soldiered on. “Sleep well,” he said quietly, holding the man tighter against him. His every instinct said it was wrong to hold someone so dangerous so close, but he could quell those thoughts for just a single night to give them both some peaceful rest.•
11041092	Vinny finds a stray	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Anton Petrov, Thomas Vincent", "Fandom": "You Could Make a Life Series - Taylor Fitzpatrick", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by doorjamb", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-31T00:00:00", "words": "3,161", "Additional Tags": "Animal Transformation, Alternate Universe", "Relationship": "Anton Petrov/Thomas Vincent", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": "YCMAL Mini Bang", "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	BOVARD Vinny is late, which is unusual. Petrov's missing too, and the clock reads twenty after. Serge shoots a questioning look at Joseph, who shrugs and shakes his head. Gagnon isn't generally the type to bench a player for oversleeping, but any later and there will be consequences—and this late in the season, fighting for home ice, they can't afford to sit Petrov.His phone buzzes, and Serge feels a flash of relief when he sees Thomas' name on the screen."Vinny," he starts, "You two better have a damn good excuse–""Um," Vinny says, and Serge stops because there's a note of genuine panic in Thomas' voice. "Anton's, um, Anton's sick?""What happened?" Serge can see Deps looking over, frowning at the alarm in his voice, and forces himself to calm down. Vinny's responsible enough to call a hospital for a serious emergency, so this has to be team-related."It's... a little hard to explain. Could you– could you maybe come over to Anton's place?" Vinny's voice goes muffled, as if he's turned away from the phone, "Stop it, stop, I'm not telling him over the phone– um, Serge?"If it had been anyone else, Serge might have rolled his eyes and told them to get their asses to practice, but he's fairly certain Vinny would come in with a broken leg to avoid inconveniencing the team. "Yeah, yeah okay. I'll be right over."He's not sure what to expect when he pulls into the driveway of Petrov's house, but he thinks he has prepared himself for the worst. Unfortunately, it turns out that he is not, in fact, prepared to see Vinny answer the door while sheepishly clutching a sleek grey cat."Um," says Vinny. ANTON Anton wakes up and stretches—or tries to stretch, but his arms and legs are trapped in a tangle of cloth. He flails for a moment, clawing (clawing?) at the blanket over his face, and lashing his tail (tail?), but before he has time to fully process, Vinny rolls over and mumbles, "Tony?"Vinny pats the bed and grabs a corner of the blanket. "Tony?" he says again, this time sounding a little alarmed. The blanket comes free suddenly, sending Anton sprawling onto the floor of his bedroom. Everything is enormous, including Vinny's concerned face looming over the side of the bed. Anton flinches backwards, paws (paws) skittering over the wood. What the fuck, he tries to say, and what comes out is a frantic meow.Anton bolts.He's wedged himself into a corner underneath the couch and is repeating this isn't happening this isn't happening in desperate little mews when Vinny finds him."T– Tony? Is that… you?" Vinny sounds a little panicked himself, but he presses his face to the crack between the couch and the floor so he can look at Anton. "C'mon, come out, we'll figure this out. You can't stay under there forever."Anton can, actually, he thinks, because he's turned into a cat so clearly anything is possible. Vinny reaches under the couch and when his fingers brush against Anton's side, Anton instinctively whacks the hand away with a paw."Ow!" Vinny says, jerking his hand back. Anton is filled with immediate, overwhelming horror. Two seconds later, though, Vinny's put his arm back under the couch like an idiot."Tony, come on. You have to like, eat and stuff." Anton doesn't want to come out from under the couch. Anton doesn't want to be a cat. He looks at the fine red scratches on Vinny's hand and, in a rush of guilt, sticks his head out to lick them. "Ow!" Vinny says again, when the rough sandpaper of his tongue scrapes over the skin, and Anton immediately whips his head away, slumping into a puddle of shame. Vinny ruthlessly takes advantage of this to wrap his hands gently around Anton's midsection and pull him out.After they are situated properly on top of the couch instead of underneath it, with Anton curled up in Vinny's lap, they assess the situation. Or rather, Vinny assesses the situation and Anton thinks what the fuck I'm a cat why am I a cat what the FUCK."Okay," says Vinny, in what Anton thinks of as his Take-Charge Voice. Usually it's employed to get Anton to help with the chores. "You can't play like this."Anton huffs. Obviously."I'm just listing the facts, Tony," Vinny says reproachfully. "You can't play. So we have to tell someone." Anton doesn't love the thought, but it's true. They have the first half of a back-to-back tomorrow, and if whatever this is can't be fixed by then, the team needs to know. "We could call your parents?"No fucking way. Anton says, except it comes out as a loud, hissing meow. He tries to stand up so that he can drive home to Vinny exactly how bad this idea is."Okay, okay!" Vinny says, pushing on Anton's back so he'll lay down again. "It's gotta be Bovard then, right?" Anton sighs, but he can't think of anyone else either, so he slumps back down in resigned agreement. Vinny pulls out his phone to make what is going to be, Anton bets, the weirdest phone call ever.When Bovard arrives, he stares at Vinny in baffled disbelief, then at Anton in a deeply accusatory betrayal. Anton hisses and puffs up. He didn't ask for this. Bovard isn't the one with fur."Well, that's definitely him." Bovard says, despairingly. Anton huffs again and goes to sulk on the couch while Vinny and Bovard discuss what to do."I'll tell management he's got, uh-" they both turn to look at where Anton is pointedly ignoring them."An upper-body injury?" Vinny volunteers hesitantly. "Whole… body?""… illness." Bovard says finally.Anton rolls his eyes and curls up tighter onto the couch. Except when he thinks to look up again to find Vinny, he realizes that Vinny has packed up and is getting ready to head out the door. Of course, because Vinny can still go to practice. Which leaves Anton alone in the house all day, as a cat. Anton abruptly can't think of anything less appealing. Before he can really think about it, he's leapt off the couch and raced around to plant himself between Vinny and the door."Tony," Vinny says, "I have to go to practice." He goes to step forward and Anton meows loudly, winding himself around Vinny's leg. Vinny stops, torn, then glances at Bovard who is very poorly pretending not to smile. He straightens when Vinny looks at him."No. Absolutely not.""He could sit behind the glass! Kids come watch practice all the time." Vinny picks Anton up, which Anton permits, but just for the purposes of this particular sell. He refuses to look at Bovard, who is definitely laughing now."Fine, all right. Bring him to practice. You figure out what you're going to tell the team, though." CARMEN Sandro's warming up with the rest of the team, but his eyes keep drifting over towards the tunnel. Vinny had been late, then later, then missing entirely, and Bovard had dashed off shortly after, so Sandro's—mildly concerned. It was weird, that's all."Hey, watch it, Carms." Grayson says mildly as Sandro nearly skates into him."Oh shit, sorry, man." Sandro winces, and shakes his head. It's probably nothing. He should focus on practice. C'mon Vinny, he thinks, and, as if summoned, Vinny comes dashing through the tunnel, apologies spilling from him before he even hits the ice."I'm psychic," Sandro breathes, then, "Vinster!" swooping over to loop an arm around Vinny's shoulders. He peers curiously into the tunnel, but only sees Bovard walking out. "Where's Petrov? He's not dead, is he?""No!" Vinny says, appalled. But his eyes dart away from Sandro and he ducks his head a little the way he always does when he's lying, what the fuck.Sandro's about to press further when a flash of motion by the benches catches his eye and he glances over to see, "Cat!"He catches the tail end of Vinny's "Carms, wait–" but Sandro's already streaked over to the bench, followed by the rest of the team as they crowd around the visitor.It's a bluish-grey cat, with thick, short fur. Sandro would call it pretty if it weren't also the single most pissed-off looking animal he's ever seen."Vinny, did you buy a cat?" Deps is saying, "And then bring that cat to practice?""I'm, um, emergency cat-sitting." Vinny mumbles, then, helplessly, "I couldn't leave him alone at home!"Sandro's already taking off his glove. The cat looks angry, sure, but if it's a Vinny cat it's gotta be a secret marshmallow, he thinks."Tony, no!" Vinny yells, half a beat too late. There's a long silence where the cat hunches down under the force of Vinny's glare, Sandro clutches his wounded hand, and everyone stares at Vinny."You named the cat after Petrov?" Sandro says, finally."He's not my cat." Vinny says reflexively.Sandro frowns and folds his arms. Not-Vinny's-cat is letting Deps pet him, albeit reluctantly. He's great with animals, it shouldn't matter that Vinny's borrowed cat doesn't like him.Vinny bumps Sandro's shoulder apologetically. "He's not really a people pers—um, cat.""Just like the real Petrov, then," Sandro huffs. ANTON By the time they get home from practice, Anton is starving. It's been a long morning, and panic burns a lot of energy. He streaks over the fridge as soon as Vinny opens the door and paces restlessly in front of it.When Vinny has finally made his way over and pulled open the fridge, there's a pause as he and Anton look at each other. "Tony, what… do cats eat?" he says slowly. Anton tries to shrug, unsuccessfully, but he thinks Vinny gets the point. Anton knows next to nothing about cats and it's just his luck the curse hasn't magically changed that. "Milk? Milk should be okay, right?"He pours some of their milk into a bowl with one hand, pulling out his phone with the other. Vinny's muttering "What human foods can cats eat?" as he types, and Anton meows loudly to remind Vinny that he can't reach his own fucking counters any more. "Whoops, sorry Tony." Vinny plops the bowl down in front of Anton, who eagerly ducks his head to drink, only to find himself suddenly four feet in the air as Vinny grabs him with both hands, phone clattering to the ground."Wait, no!" Vinny looks deeply panicked and guilty. Anton hisses. He's hungry. "You might be lactose intolerant, Tony." Vinny frowns down at the bowl of milk like it's personally betrayed him.Anton finishes his WebMD-endorsed steak lunch before Vinny's cleared his plate of pasta. He circles the living room briefly, then, bored, returns to the kitchen to bump his head against Vinny's legs until Vinny levers Anton up into his lap. Anton nestles up against Vinny, pleasantly full, until Vinny says, "Naptime?" and, without prompting, carries Anton up to the bedroom.He curls up on the pillow next to Vinny and tucks his face into the crook of Vinny's shoulder."Tony," Vinny mumbles, already half-asleep, "you're purring." And Anton would be embarrassed, but he's too warm and comfortable and Vinny's mostly gone anyway, so he lets himself drift off in the soothing rumble.But there's a game the next day and when morning rolls around, Anton is still a cat.Anton is relegated to the locker room to watch the game on the screen in the locker room, something he only agrees to after Vinny very explicitly tells him to stay put. They're playing the Isles, who are mediocre this season, but Anton can't help tensing up each time the puck gets near Vinny and he's not there to help. The defense is solid, though, and Vinny pulls out a spectacular windmill save in the last two minutes to preserve the lead. As soon as he hears the final whistle, Anton is streaking down the tunnel and out into the bench. He hops up onto the boards as Vinny comes skating over."I told you to stay inside," Vinny says, but he's grinning from ear to ear. Anton bumps his head against Vinny's mask and he sees flashbulbs going off all over for photos that are probably going to haunt him for the rest of his life, but Vinny's glowing and exuberant as he carries Anton back into the locker room.The relief is short-lived, though—their next game against the Penguins is a brutal loss despite Connors standing on his head all game, the only goal all game coming on a defensive breakdown. Connors breaks his stick before storming off the ice, and Anton is torn between being spitefully proud that Vinny won his game and pissed off that they lost because he's still got four legs and a tail."It's not your fault that you're a cat." Vinny says when they finally get home, and "We have two days off now, we'll figure it out!" But Anton skulks off to hide in the closet where he spends an hour gritting his teeth and tensing his muscles, trying to will himself back. If we miss playoffs it'll be my fucking fault, he thinks. It doesn't make a difference. ZOE Laurier Park in February, albeit late February, is pretty brutal on Zoe's delicate South Carolina constitution. She takes Tango out for a lunchtime walk anyway, because Anika's gone all day at some conference for hotshot engineering students at the university. Tango's delighted that she gets to sprint around the fenced-off dog run, and Zoe parks herself on a nearby bench to try and slog through a few more pages of her LING 350 reading before the weather defeats her.She's read the same paragraph three times when she hears some guy say, "I don't think this was a great idea." She glances up curiously, and discovers that the guy is, apparently, talking to the cat casually riding on his shoulder. "Are cats even allowed at a dog park?" he wonders out loud. "Look, why don't we try the water thing again?" The cat hisses furiously.Zoe wants to hear the rest of this conversation, but she also doesn't think she can feel her fingers, so she reluctantly goes to retrieve Tango. She manages to get the leash clipped on before Tango veers off, bumping straight into the legs of the dude with the cat."Shit, sorry," she says to the guy—who is also, Zoe realizes belatedly, Thomas Vincent of the Montreal Canadiens."Puppy!" Thomas says, setting the cat down on the ground as he drops to his knees. He glances up at Zoe with a delighted smile, "Can I pet your puppy?""Go ahead, she loves the attention." Zoe laughs.He's murmuring "You're such a good dog," when, out of nowhere, the silver-grey cat comes streaking between Tango and Thomas. The cat is puffed up to twice its size and hissing angrily. Tango, for all her enthusiasm, is a giant baby and immediately skitters backwards, taking refuge between Zoe's legs."Tony," Thomas says to the cat in exasperation, then "Sorry," directed at Zoe, abashed, as the cat scales him and winds itself possessively around his neck again. "We should go. But it was so nice to meet you! And you!" he adds, to Tango."Wait!" Zoe says, before she can stop herself. "Um, this is awkward I guess, but my girlfriend is a huge Habs nerd, would you mind signing, uh," she hurriedly fishes a sheet of paper out of her backpack, "this?""Yeah!" Thomas says, and Zoe's relieved that he seems genuinely happy to do it. He scribbles a signature on the paper and hands it back to her saying, "You have good taste in girls."Zoe grins back. "Oh, I know."Anika is going to lose her shit. ANTON They end up at the practice rink because neither of them has any better ideas. "Maybe if you skate?" Vinny says, but he doesn't sound too convinced. Anton gets on the ice anyway and slides around for a bit. It's actually a little bit fun, being able to sprint across the ice with no concern for form or conditioning. He knows Vinny's taking fifty million photos. Vinny's been taking photos all day; his current wallpaper is a selfie of Anton riding on his shoulders. Anton is going to make him change it as soon as he has fingers again.He bumps up against the far wall and looks over to see Vinny looking at him with an odd expression on his face, but as soon as Vinny catches him looking it's replaced with a smile. Anton's not sure what's wrong, but he skids over and lets Vinny pick him up."Oh Tony," Vinny says, and buries his face in Anton's fur.Still a fucking cat, Anton thinks as they head home for dinner, and he's getting really sick of this song.Vinny puts on Brave after dinner. "For inspiration!" he says, and Anton curls up on his chest. He's not really following the movie, and he lets the lights and low mumble of voices lull him into a fuzzy half-sleep. Vinny's hand is buried in his fur, thumb stroking gently over Anton's side as the music washes over them."Miss you, Tony." Vinny says softly, and he sounds utterly miserable.Anton goes from half asleep to fully awake in a split second, something twisted-up and furious bubbling in his chest. He hates that he's a cat and that Vinny is sad and that there's nothing he can even do about it right now, when Vinny needs him. The tangled mess inside him feels like it's on fire and, distantly, he hears Vinny saying "Tony?" in concerned tones, but it feels very far away and in a dizzying rush he's suddenly four feet taller than he was a second ago, completely naked and sprawled across the ground."Tony?" Vinny says again, then, leaping off the couch to crush Anton into the floor, "Tony!"After Anton gets his clothes on, they curl up in bed, Vinny still delightedly patting Anton every now and then to make sure he's still human. "You were so cute." Vinny says, then. "Wait, what fixed it?""Nothing, I guess it just wore off or whatever," Anton mutters."There must be a reason," Vinny says thoughtfully. "We were watching Brave, right, and I thought you were asleep, and–" Anton watches the realization come into his eyes, and he knows that he's blushing furiously because this is almost sappier than true love's kiss and should never be spoken of, ever. He waits for Vinny to say something but Vinny just leans in and kisses him, smiling into it.Eventually, Vinny starts drifting off. Anton watches his eyes flutter shut, then inches forward to bump his forehead against Vinny's and mutter, "I missed you too, loser."
11026185	all of me is all for you	{ "Archive Warning": null, "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Jeon Jungkook, Kim Taehyung \| V", "Fandom": "방탄소년단 \| Bangtan Boys \| BTS", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by veridiae", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-30T00:00:00", "words": "6,219", "Additional Tags": "Shameless Smut, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Barebacking, Dom/sub, Sub Kim Taehyung \| V, Nipple Piercings, Muscle/Strength Kink, jeon is a noob that loves his bf wearing jewelry, just like me, Dirty Talk, Sexting", "Relationship": "Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung \| V", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "fuel to fire", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": "No Archive Warnings Apply, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	In hindsight, Jeongguk should’ve known Taehyung was up to something as soon as Taehyung hadn't really protested against Jeongguk leaving as much as he’d expected him to. Which was a lot, Taehyung always grumbling when Jeongguk went away for longer than a week, which hadn’t been the case this time. What made him suspicious this time around was that Taehyung had even encouraged Jeongguk to go. He’d been away from their apartment for little under two months now, going overseas for a project of his professor, for whom he had been TA-ing for while taehyung continued attending uni from their flat back home (Jeongguk's heart still flutters at that.)He had been hesitant about going, leaving his boyfriend alone for over a week was already hard on them and most evenings were spent falling asleep on the phone and exchanging kisses through pixelated webcams, though luckily enough they both had no problems with skype sex and neither so with sexting. Taehyung called it 'the pro's of being nasty' and that only like this a relationship over distance could flourish.But while it had been interesting, he was glad to be back soon, already packing his stuff into the suitcase when he feels his phone vibrate against his thigh. Taehyung (11:34) ahhhh cant wait to see you!!!! i have a gift for you :-))) ;-) Jeongguk sighs, a smile playing around his lips faced with his cute boyfriend, rose up from where his stuff was spread out on the floor and laid down on the comforter before replying. Jeongguk (11:34) me too baby, cant wait to feel u again Jeongguk (11:35) also i want ramen as soon as i get back baby cant evn see a kfc without becoming sick rn Taehyung (11:37) listen i was alrdy getting my pants down bc i thought u wanted to initiate some last minute sexting sexy times but now u made this abt chicken??? #hurt Jeongguk (11:38) tbh just u sayin u let ur pants down made me immediately interested again Taehyung (11:39) u sure it wasnt the chicen part?? Jeongguk (11:40) 100% baby, just made me think of ur chikcen legs and my head n dick were back in the game again also what u wearin >:-) a Taehyung (11:41) i have never been more turned off than i am rn ur so bad at this :-/ Jeongguk chuckles, imagining Taehyung's lying on his bed (god, he misses him), before seeing the bubble appearing again, Taehyung giving in to his antics. Taehyung (11:43) … Im wearing the shirt u left me… also socks i havnt changed for 4 days aha Jeongguk (11:44) …. remember when u said i was bad at sexting Jeongguk (11:44) but thats it? the shirt? Jeongguk swallows drily, he knows the shirt, and he knows that he is practically putty in Taehyung’s hands when he wears it. He can’t even be mad that it probably looks better on Taehyung than on him because, to be honest, he loves seeing Taehyung in his clothes. He likes his shirts baggy, so when it already lays loose on him, Taehyung can basically swim in them, looking ten percent tinier than he usually does. Jeongguk loves seeing the hem fall over his boyfriend's thighs though, especially in the mornings, when Taehyung is soft and sleepy and gives beneath Jeongguk's hands like he wants to; the only thing he wears are his socks, the shirt and the necklace Jeongguk had given him for their anniversary.Jeongguk loves watching Taehyung drowsily shuffle through the kitchen, in search for something to eat, the hem of the shirt teasingly riding up to expose his cute ass whenever he reaches for one of the cupboards, most often causing Jeongguk to sidle up behind him and press him into the counter, fingers settling on his slender hips. Seeing him like that always makes Jeongguk want to pull him back to bed, wrap him in his arms and kiss him silly or maybe, just maybe, have a quick fuck on their sofa and shower him with praises, eyes on the pendant swinging back and forth with every thrust. Taehyung (11:45) yea… im in bed and it still smells like you Taehyung (11:45) god i miss u so much Jeongguk (11:46) me too baby, so much wanna feel you under me againwanna feel you around me Jeongguk sighs, a slow arousal spreading from his stomach. He feels warm, knowing he’d see Taehyung tomorrow. For now though, they were gonna use the last evening with Jeongguk away from home for what they had, to make the most out of it.Because Jeongguk didn't intend to leave again (for the next, like, 9 years). Jeongguk (11:47) almost forgot how you look when i make you come Jeongguk (11:48) always take me so well baby,always so pretty when i fuck you so good you cry He bit his lip, head filled with images of Taehyung bare. Suddenly, Jeongguk’s phone vibrates in his hands, showing an incoming call from Taehyung. “Hey pretty,” he breathes in the phone, already hearing Taehyung’s hitching breath at his voice. “Gukkie, skip that,” Taehyung whines into the receiver, sheets rustling in the background, “I’m so hard I think I’m close to dying, been wanting you forever.” “Yeah? Tell me how you feel baby, tell me what you want,” Jeongguk muttered, sliding his hand over the twitching muscles of his stomach. He could imagine his boyfriend spread out on their bed, pretty noises spilling from his lips, hips quivering. He was always so easy to unwind when Jeongguk breathed filthy words down his ear, face pressed into the pillow and lips bitten raw, his next words spilling out without thought. “God, I miss you so much, Tae.” Taehyung inhales shakily, almost like a sob. “Me too, Gukkie. I’m so fucking wet, god please, do something about it, please Gukkie,” he sounded desperate, words coming out rushed. “I just want you here, inside."Jeongguk groaned aloud at the filthy words Taehyung sent his way, cock twitching in his pants as he pulled them down. “Yeah,” he breathed, hand shaking. He only remembers the gift Taehyung had mentioned later, seconds before dozing off on the plane. •⏀• Jeongguk opens the door as quietly as he can, scuffing his shoes on the doormat lightly. His flight had been delayed and his way home had taken way longer than expected due to traffic. Since he had expected his arrival to come close to or after midnight he had texted Taehyung to go to bed, not wanting him to deprive himself of sleep for Jeongguk. It’s dark so he doesn’t turn the lights on, blindly fumbling along the walls to the kitchen, space almost unfamiliar after the time gone. Arriving in the kitchen he flips on the light switch, sure that the light won’t reach the bedroom and wake up Taehyung. It’s when he’s filling up a glass with tap water that something gently barrels into him, arms suddenly encircle his waist, strawberry scent filling his nose. It’s not like Taehyung naturally smells like those berries, Jeongguk had bought him a body spray once, after finding out about his infatuation and Taehyung had been using it religiously ever since. He smiles, ducking his head, his hand settling onto the thinner ones on his abdomen. Taehyung tightens his arms, head buried between Jeongguk’s shoulder blades, his hair tickling Jeongguk’s neck. He snuffles sleepily when Jeongguk detaches his hands from around his waist and turns around, pulling his hands up around his neck. Taehyung’s eyes are a bit swollen, lips plump and face a bit creased from sleeping. Even with his hair all over the place Jeongguk thinks he’s the most beautiful person he’s ever seen. He takes Taehyung’s face in his hands, softly sweeping his bangs to the side, pressing a smiling kiss onto Taehyung’s forehead. Taehyung smiles, humming quietly and head lolling slightly in Jeongguk’s hold. Jeongguk breaths a small laugh, terribly infatuated. “Hey you sleepy little kitten.” “Gukkie,” Taehyung breathes, lips pursing and hands pawing at the back of Jeongguk’s head. They scratch a bit, Jeongguk registers, thinking that Taehyung’s nails must’ve been getting too long again. Taehyung blinks slowly and Jeongguk swoops down, lips pressing onto Taehyung’s thicker ones softly. Taehyung goes slightly limp in his arms, opening his mouth to Jeongguk’s tongue. He hums, deepening the kiss, grip tightening the tiniest bit on Taehyung’s jaw before separating. Taehyung chases after his lips slightly but gives up when Jeongguk laughs lightly, pressing their foreheads together. “I missed you,” Taehyung whispers, still a bit sleepy but mostly filled with the need to be close to Jeongguk right now. “You know, I was wondering what present you might have for me, but I think I just got the best one I could wish for.” Jeongguk whispers and watches the red on Taehyung’s cheeks bloom like poppies on a spring day. They stare into each other's eyes for a moment before Jeongguk crosses the tiny distance between their lips, inhaling Taehyung’s hitching breath. After their lips push and pull, fingers clenching in fabric, Taehyung pulls away, his eyes suddenly carrying a playful glint. He regards him with a flirtatious look and just leans up to seemingly press his lips against Jeongguk’s just to halt millimetres before him and whisper a promising ‘you’ll get it later’ in the air before letting their lips meet again. •⏀• The sun has always been kind to Taehyung, had made his skin a warm gold, like riches under Jeongguk’s hands when he touches him. Somehow that with the contrast, or the complimenting, of silver and gold on his body is lovely beyond reason to Jeongguk. He had always loved Taehyung wearing jewelry. Whether it was the rings Taehyung loved to slip on his slender fingers lately that adorned his slender hands, wrapped around his elegant fingers, or the necklaces that pooled in the dip of his throat and over his collarbones, it all catches Jeongguk’s gaze. It’s just so pretty . He knows that Taehyung likes himself with those valuable metals on his skin, too, twisting the rings around his fingers in absent thought, twirling a necklace between fingertips, tugging it between his lips, fully knowing how affected Jeongguk is by the action. •⏀• The next morning has Taehyung pulling Jeongguk away from where he’s chopping up mangoes for a romantic breakfast in bed and into the bedroom, giggling as if he had something planned.“Honey-” Jeongguk starts, tugging Taehyung in from where he’s pulling his hand and into his arms. Taehyung winds himself from Jeongguk’s embrace, pressing a chaste kiss against Jeongguk’s lips with a smile and presses a warm palm against Jeongguk’s chest, urging him to sit down on the comforter. “I still have the surprise for you,” he says with a mischievous smile, terribly awake for this time of day, sliding his hands up to the hem of his white shirt and slowly, oh so slowly, pulling it up. With each inch of honey skin revealed Jeongguk feels his sanity slip. His throat suddenly becomes dry and his hands are almost tingling, itching to touch the beautiful boy in front of him he’d been missing for more than a month. Taehyung’s eyes never leave Jeongguk’s face while pulling the fabric up, taking in every single emotion that passes on his boyfriend’s face. He’s almost drunk on the tension, excitement making him feel jittery, unsure what Jeongguk will think of his new adornment. He feels hesitant, but he can see how Jeongguk’s eyes darken with every twist of his hips, that plus his arousal somehow make him confident. He’s sure Jeongguk will like the metal bars he put through his nipples. He had noticed how jewelry– necklaces and rings and diamonds have drawn Jeongguk’s eyes in the past and how often they’ve become presents from Jeongguk. Taehyung has a whole drawer to show the arrangement of gemstone adorned chokers and necklaces he has had gifted to him. Even though Jeongguk thinks he’s so sly about how long he sometimes stares at Taehyung’s jewellery Taehyung had noticed, especially during sex when Jeongguk seems transfixed on the chains laying around his throat. Taehyung had been dreaming of this for a while now, about getting pierced, Jeongguk's obvious enamourment with the sight of jewelry on his boyfriend and his own opinion of nipple piercings just being hot as fuck being the catalyst for his decision to do so, and since it was supposed to be a present, he had obviously taken Jeongguk leaving as a chance. Deciding to tease Jeongguk a little more, he slides one hand under the shirt. Letting the previously raised hem fall, with a hiss from Jeongguk he covers exposed skin again.That one hand though, he trails it upwards. And even though he’s played with his piercings before, he’s not prepared for the fire immediately pooling at the bottom of his spine when his fingers graze the bar, Jeongguk’s heavy gaze amplifying every sensation tenfold. As soon as his fingers brush the metal pierced through his nipple a gasp spills out of his mouth and a little shudder rips through his body, tiny gasp leaving his mouth. “Fuck, baby,” Jeongguk breathes, settling his hands, finally, on Taehyung’s hips. Taehyung’s eyes are a little bit hazy, settled on his. Jeongguk knows these signs, knows when Taehyung wants him to take over. So he moves one hands to the flat of Taehyung’s stomach and the older boy sighs, the skin smooth and golden, hinting the muscles he can feel when he puts pressure on his hand. Taehyung’s is squirming under his hand the tiniest bit, letting out another small gasp at the unwavering weight. Jeongguk waits, enjoying Taehyung's little gasps and knowing it'll leave him even more pent up. “Want me to do it for you, baby?” Jeongguk asks finally, eyes secure on Taehyung’s. His lower lip is pulled between his teeth, and there's a blush high on his cheeks when he nods. With every inch that Jeongguk lifts the shirt, Taehyung’s heart beats faster. He’s sure he's going to pass out any moment now. When Jeongguk’s eyes catch the first glint of the nipple piercings, he blanks. His mouth slips open the tiniest bit, “Tae-” he starts, eyes locking with Taehyung’s, switching between staring at the piercings and his face. “You, you got your nipples pierced–” Jeongguk starts, mouth opening and closing, stuttering. “Yeah,” Taehyung says, face burning. “Do you like them?” he asks. “I do.” Jeongguk says, voice rough, gaze caught on Taehyung’s ribcage expanding with the little nervous breaths he takes. He looks at Taehyung, wide eyed, “can I touch them?” Taehyung, as an answer, pulls the shirt off over his arms. Jeongguk’s hands settle on his waist, warm and strong “so pretty,” he says, sounding in awe and Taehyung preens. Jeongguk’s hands rest there for a bit, just taking in everything that is Taehyung. He’s addicted to how good the piercings look on him, golden skin, dusty nipple and silver metal making his brain turn to mush. His hand sit perfectly on the olders tiny but sturdy waist, sloping into his thin but broad shoulders. Hesitantly, he reaches a hand up to touch one of the metal bars, Taehyung breathing in shakily; both of them caught in a moment of suspense. His thumb puts pressure on Taehyung’s left nipple, pressing down. Taehyung’s mouth opens in a wet sound, a little “ah,” escaping him and hands jumping up in a reflex. Cursing, Jeongguk pulls him down, a tightening of his fingers. He buries his head in Taehyung’s neck, inhaling and trying to collect himself. Taehyung tangles a hand in his hair, “say something,” he whispers. Jeongguk whines, pulling away to kiss on his shoulder. “You look so good,” he admits, causing Taehyung to giggle and pull him into a kiss. Jeongguk growls playfully, biting down on Taehyung’s full sugary lips, swiping fingers over both nipples and thriving on the exquisite reactions coming from Taehyung. He gasps, trembles, bites back into the kiss just as enthusiastic as Jeongguk and tugs on the little hairs on the back of Jeongguk’s head. Humor quickly fades and molten arousal taking it’s place deep down his spine when Jeongguk growls again and shifts their position to Taehyung laying under him, taking place above him and between his thighs, he groans. Jeongguk feels delirious, with every shift, with every twitch Taehyung feeds his whimpers into his mouth. He’s hooked on the delicate slope of where neck meets shoulder, the sweet arch of Taehyung’s throat when he only brushes against one of his sensitive spots, when he bites down on Taehyung’s sweet skin, the impossible way of how Taehyung’s mouth fits against his own. He glides his hand down Taehyung’s ribcage, feeling the dips and valleys of Taehyung’s side until he rests his hand in the shallow of his waist. He wants to worship the boy below him, wants to devote all his attention to him and make him feel like no one has ever done before. Most of all Jeongguk wants the marks he leaves on Taehyung to be permanent, wants to know that Taehyung belongs to him just as much as he does to Taehyung, who’s made his home inside Jeongguk’s body, warms up his lungs by just breathing him in, even after being apart for so long. Because Taehyung is perfect, and Jeongguk hopes he’s allowed to mark him, bruise him and call him mine , because Jeongguk has an inkling that Taehyung likes that too. Taehyung shakes in his hold when he sucks particularly hard on his neck, leaving a wake of hues in red after him that'll bruise to shades of blue in the morning. Jeongguk licks over them, he can't wait already. He pulls back, looking obviously pleased with how Taehyung lifts his chest after him, trying to follow his hot mouth and pushes him down with a hand on his chest, back hitting the mattress with a soft thump and a gasp leaving his slack lips. Hungrily, Jeongguk trails that hand up to the golden and tight column of the blonde's throat, taking in every minimal reaction his touch leaves on Taehyung. Just how desperate he looks when Jeongguk presses down on the soft skin, putting pressure on the pretty marks he left. "God,... I just wanna leave marks all over you, baby, see how pretty you are with bruises littering your thighs," He murmurs, gaze fixated on the mess he made out of Taehyung’s neck. Taehyung arches against Jeongguk's form curled over his when Jeongguk digs a finger in his thigh, whines for more when the younger boys’ grip gets tight on his thigh and Jeongguk’s eyes snap up to Taehyung’s face at the reaction. “Yeah? Want me to mark you up?” Jeongguk asks, his fingers closing around one of Taehyung’s shivering thighs, gaze darkening at Taehyung’s flushed face, body trembling. Taehyung shudders, holding Jeongguk’s dark, dark gaze. He feels hot all over, Jeongguk’s gaze never lifting, the hold on his thigh never loosening, making him squirm. He’s paralysed, shivering all over, but he can’t seem to say anything.He knows what he wants, wants Jeongguk to let himself go, to leave some bruises behind, make him feel claimed , but he doesn't know how to say it, finds it hard to form words in the white bliss his mind has become. This is new to him, this urge for people to know that he belonged with and to Jeongguk. He had only experienced this after being away from the raven haired boy for this long of a time. He's knows he’s always been a bit clingy, always one to relish in physical contact and Jeongguk's attention, enjoyed wearing Jeongguk's sweaters on campus and letting people know of their relationship. But now just wearing his clothes doesn't seem to suffice anymore, he wants Jeongguk's hands to leave marks on him, wants to flaunt those marks in public just to shyly pull down his sleeves when somebody comments on the bruises. He wants Jeongguk under his skin the same way Jeongguk found his place deep in Taehyung’s chest. He wants a mark left, wants Jeongguk to see the fingerprints he leaves on Taehyung for days and love it just as much as Taehyung. He wants Jeongguk to know how long he had stared at the hickey the younger boy had left on his collarbone before he left, wants him to know how he’d had pressed on it to feel hot, needy and owned.But something about this makes him shy and embarrassed, unable to commit to his urges and tell Jeongguk about it. It's embarrassing how much he enjoys him just pressing down a tad harder on his thighs than usual, so he hopes for Jeongguk just to catch what he wants per observation, to spare him the humiliation of admitting to his boyfriend that he sometimes likes being treated roughly and called out on how needy he is. He wants a mark that lasts longer than a hickey. And he knows that as soon as he nods his head as an affirmation, things are going to change between them, at least in this moment. But he gathers his courage and tightens his jaw when he speaks up. “Yes,” he whispers, barely audible and face buried in his arms. His face burns at the admission. “Speak up, baby, I couldn’t hear you,” Jeongguk hums, humour tinting his voice. Taehyung shivers. “I want you to mark me up, be-” his voice trembles, “be rough with me, please.” They hold each others gaze for a moment, humor faded, something important passing between them. Then Jeongguk lowers himself to catch Taehyung’s lips in a kiss- it feels urgent, bruising, but his gaze is tender when he pulls away. “Yeah,” he says, “I will.” And now Jeongguk is unwavering in touching Taehyung's body, doesn't let up the touches down his legs, twinkling fingertips on his shins and hard, digging hands on his inner thighs. Taehyung squirms needily underneath him, shyly tries to press his thighs together under the onslaught of sensations with a pitiful whimper. It's all so hot and his thighs are shaking, causing Jeongguk to dig his hands in further, relishing in all the pretty noises spilling from Taehyung's mouth. "J-Jeongukkie-", Taehyung breathes, unable to get air in his lungs, his chest- his entire body filled with unspeakable warmth. Every touch of the male above is searing, every press sure to leave a mark and Taehyung is in heaven, because this, is all he ever wanted. Jeongguk isn't hesitant about his touches now, doesn't hide the heat in his eyes that rake over Taehyung's body. They're both shameless and in this moment it's everything. Jeongguk is transfixed on the shuddering breaths Taehyung draws in, shallow intakes of air because he's, too, overwhelmed by every contact of their skin. So Jeongguk doesn't hold back, meeting Taehyung's eyes after the other breathes out his name in a question, a shaky, trembling exhale that makes his fingertips tingle. "Yeah?", he asks, eyes locked with Taehyung, who's shuddering, lips bitten raw and looking so, so mesmerising and breathtaking. Taehyung's hand scrabbles on his shoulder, trembling like aspen leaves under Jeongguk's form, trying to tug him up from where he's crouched over his tummy, face pressed into where he’s leaving lovebites on the soft skin of Taehyung’s inner thighs. Jeongguk lets himself be pulled up and buries his face in Taehyung's neck, breathing in deep the lovely scent of Taehyung and strawberries he's missed so desperately in the last weeks. Taehyung's neck arches, Jeongguk's teeth catching on his skin. "K-kiss me..", Taehyung murmurs, a blush spreading over his already darkened cheeks. Jeongguk’s ministrations on his neck stop and Taehyung exhales shakily, desperately wanting to be good. Licking his lips, he continues. “Please.” Their chests brush and Taehyung inhales sharply, quietly, but Jeongguk hears it anyway and grins devilishly into Taehyung’s neck. He moves open mouthed kisses from the skin he was biting on to Taehyung's trembling bottom lip, catches it between his teeth and tugs. Taehyung buries his hands in Jeongguk's hair, meeting his lips with a muffled moan. He's so lost in the kiss that he doesn't notice Jeongguk's hand sneaking from his waist to his chest, doesn't notice until there's a hand suddenly pinching his sensitive nipple, and arches desperately against Jeongguk, mouth opening in a breathless gasp, back pulled into a perfect bow. Jeongguk groans deeply and pulls back to take the thinner male underneath him in."Fuck, baby," he breathes, mesmerised. Taehyung is left open mouthed, drawing in air punched between gasps of pleasure and surprise while Jeongguk still has his hand on his nipple. Hesitantly, Jeongguk closes his fingers around the nub again and, with a quick look at Taehyung's face, twists it slightly. The pleasure that floods Taehyung again is expected, but not like this. Taehyung lets out the rawest moan, mouth falling open in a desperate arch, eyes fluttering shut. "Oh, -ohmygod– do that again," he rushes out, nails digging into the thick corded muscle of Jeongguk’s shoulders. Jeongguk does and this time, he's prepared but the pleasure is still so overwhelming it leaves his toes tingling, mind ringing in a hot red cloud, his hand clenching and unclenching on Jeongguk's bicep. "I-, god, baby ," Jeongguk swears under his breath, waiting until Taehyung meets his eyes again. Taehyung looks sinful, eyes fogged over and out of breath, hips jumping against Jeongguk’s. "These made you sensitive, huh?" Jeongguk asks, voice rough and choked up, just as overwhelmed as Taehyung. His eyes are almost pools of black, and it's only moments in which Taehyung's so caught up in Jeongguk and the fog clouding his mind that he can't answer, and instead of words leaving his lips it's Jeongguk's meeting them again. He's got one hand on Taehyung's jaw, pulling it open so he can push his tongue inside, Taehyung's mouth falling open pliantly under his. Every time their chests brush Taehyung jerks under Jeongguk, little whines leaving his swollen lips, and Jeongguk is obsessed, memorising every sound that leaves his lover's lips, drinking in the shudders like a starved man. He's also thoroughly enjoying Taehyung's sensitivity, hands always straying back to Taehyung's pink nubs, twisting and pulling, taking in how it makes the blonde's hips twitch, thighs pressing together, fingers twisting in bedsheets and bitten lips being tugged between teeth. Every brush against his pierced nipples sends a rush of heat down Taehyung's back, melting his spine in deep hues of red and yellow. He'd always been particularly sensitive, easily overwhelmed by every touch, so easy to unravel, but this is something else. Taehyung seems to feel every touch amplified by a tenfold, so undone when Jeongguk has barely done anything yet. He's so, so receptive especially with his new piercings and Jeongguk loves it, voices the thought. "God, I love that you're so sensitive, baby. So easy to get you wet, so cute," Jeongguk breathes, giving Taehyung's nipple a pinch and grinding his thigh into Taehyung’s groin.Taehyung colors prettily at that, and bites back a muffled sound, unable to meet Jeongguk's eyes. But he still gets pushy, urging him to continue and to just get on with it. “Have a little patience, kitten,” Jeongguk mutters, chuckling and fueling Taehyung’s humiliation even further. Taehyung's embarrassed, whining loudly in protest. He's crazed with every touch from Jeongguk, and he knows how easy he is, feeling almost ashamed at how simple it is for Jeongguk to unravel him, burning his body with flames of arousal and embarrassment. He curses when Jeongguk’s pressure on his groin shifts, he grips Taehyung’s hips with one strong hand, guiding him and grinding his thigh into Taehyung’s boner. His fingers dig in the skin of Taehyung’s ass, Jeongguk groaning when he gets a good grip on his buttcheeks. Taehyung had been gaining weight lately, grew from the thin beanstalk into beautiful proportions, and his ass too. Even though Jeongguk had loved it before he especially loves it now, how Taehyung’s tiny waist tapers into his plush ass and meaty thighs. His hand shifts, middle finger inching close to Taehyung’s crack. He pulls him into a searing kiss when he pulls his three fingers together and glides them into between the globes of flesh, using his other hand to pull his cheeks apart. Taehyung jerks into him, a surprised sound escaping his mouth that Jeongguk immediately swallows down. He uses those three fingers to put pressure on Taehyung’s hole, the other hand groping Taehyung’s full asscheek. He curses when he slips one finger tip into his wet hole, lifting Taehyung’s hips to grind them into his own. Taehyung separates from the kiss with a gasp, a loud “ah” leaving him. “Lube,” he gasps, hips canting back on the pressure Jeongguk puts on his hole. Jeongguk grunts, not wanting to get up but does so anyway, rummaging in their bedside table. Taehyung giggles dopily when Jeongguk triumphantly throws it on the bed before pouncing back on Taehyung. Jeongguk rights himself, digging hands into Taehyung’s thighs and promptly pulling Taehyung to him. Taehyung whimpers, eyes snapping closed at the blatant display of strength. His thighs twitch, wanting to slip closed but Jeongguk tuts, forcibly keeping them apart. He pours lube on his fingers, warming it up as good as it gets before looking at Taehyung. “You good, kitten?” he asks and receives a nod. Then he slips one finger into Taehyung, against his expectations he’s not as tight as expected, his eyes narrow, finger slipping in to his knuckle. “Baby, did you play with yourself?” He asks, suspicious. Taehyung whimpers, pulling in one of the close pillows to hide his face in it. Jeongguk’s palm cracks against the flesh of Taehyung’s inner thighs, causing his whole body to jerk. The motions of his fingers don’t let up, now two inside Taehyung. “Answer me, baby.” “Yes!” Taehyung sobs, “when-, when you were in the kitchen I fingered myself,” his fingers clench in his pillow, pressed against his soft belly, jostled by the third finger Jeongguk slips in. “Don’t be mad,” he adds, softly. “I’m not,” Jeongguk assures, dark, “but tell me what you thought about because right now I’m considering not to let you come.” Taehyung’s eyes widen, protest already on his tongue but silenced by one sharp look and a curl upwards from Jeongguk’s fingers. Taehyung’s eyes roll back, even though they hadn’t seen each other in over a month, Jeongguk seems to have forgotten nothing about his body. Before he can decide on anything to say Jeongguk removes his fingers and the blunt pressure from Jeongguk’s cockhead breaches his hole. He sobs, having missed this feeling terribly, dick twitching and leaking against his stomach. Jeongguk pushes in fully, hands strong on Taehyung’s hips until his hips lay against the meat of Taehyung’s thighs. He curses lowly, “come on, baby, tell me,” he grunts before starting thrusting in long sharp thrusts.Taehyung moans, “about you,” he starts, seeing Jeongguk’s lips quirk up in a pleased smile. “Always about you, thought- thought about how, how good you’d fuck me, just like this-” His hips jump, trying to work back on Jeongguk’s, throat bobbing. “-Missed your cock inside me, tho-thought about your handprints on my hips.” At that Jeongguk moans, thrusts speeding up and gaining depth. Taehyung moans loudly, “thought about you coming so deep inside me I can feel it for a week-” “Fuck,” Jeongguk curses, sucking a deep red bruise above his nipples, “I can definitely do that, jesus who would’ve thought you were so dirty, kitten.” Jeongguk makes use of his strength again, pulling Taehyung’s hips over his thick thighs where he’s sat on, pulling his to rest fully on his cock. Like this, Taehyung’s hips are elevated while his upper body remains on the sheets, making leverage for Jeongguk’s thrusts easier and deeper. Taehyung squeaks, Jeongguk suddenly brushing against his prostate with every thrust. He moans shamelessly, “so- oh my god, you’re so deep,” he rushes out, almost coming from the added pleasure of the linen covering the pillow on his nipples. Jeongguk leans down, meets him in a kiss while his hands force Taehyung to take him the deepest with every thrust, grunting Taehyung’s name. He takes both of Taehyung’s wrists and pins them above his head, pleasure and embarrassment flooding Taehyung in this immobilized position. The strain on his arms forces his back into a bow, chest arching towards Jeongguk and pillow slipping from his body. “God, look at you-” Jeongguk grunts, hips pushing against Taehyung’s soft ass, “lookin’ like you were made for this.” His hand travel over the sweaty planes of skin belonging to the gorgeous boy below him, thinking this must feel like holding the world’s most beautiful jewels in one’s hand. Taehyung is loud, Jeongguk’s forceful thrusts jostling his slender body on the bed, rocking him up and down. Jeongguk exhales harshly, tweaks a nipple and Taehyung gasps, blushing even further. “Fucking made to take cock, just like this.” Jeongguk fucks into him furiously while Taehyung jostles like a rag doll, until Jeongguk takes use of the position and laves his tongue over the Taehyung’s nipples. Taehyung whimpers, tapering into a sinful moan, shaking in Jeongguk’s hold. His dick is leaking constantly and his mind is a screaming white, Jeongguk unforgivingly biting down on his nipples until they’re red from irritation and dick going deep inside him. An orgasms teases it’s way down his spine, pre-cum making his tummy wet and he’s close to it, really, moans loud. Jeongguk looks up from where he turned Taehyung’s chest a flaming red, thrusts a particularly hard thrust, “you think you can come untouched?” he asks and Taehyung nods, mouth open, gasping, “come inside,” he barely gasps out and feels Jeongguk’s cock twitch inside him. He’s so close to an orgasm just by his nipples played and Jeongguk roughing him up a bit, it’s embarrassing but the shame burns down his neck just like the arousal. His mind whites out completely when Jeongguk’s thrusts speed up, skin slapping loudly, biting down on one of Taehyung’s sensitive nipples, abdomen pressing down on his cock and arms straining in the position he’s held in. His legs kick out from his orgasm, his back drawing up in a clean arch for multiple seconds and hips jumping wildly in Jeongguk’s grasp, who continues fucking him through it. Jeongguk keeps up the thrusting, let’s Taehyung’s body fall loose when he buries his face in Taehyung’s sweaty neck, grunting. Seconds away from coming he bares his teeth and sinks them into Taehyung’s neck, jaw locking down as his cum completely floods Taehyung’s insides. Taehyung moans loudly, squirming helplessly at how much he loves the amount of cum inside him, the bite he knows Jeongguk’s action left and feels his eyes spill over with tears at the overstimulation. He twitches weakly when Jeongguk loosens his jaw, the skin carrying indents from his teeth before he kisses over it apologetically. They both breathe heavily for multiple moments, Taehyung squirming when Jeongguk pulls out. “Shush, baby,” Jeongguk soothes a trembling Taehyung, hands gentle over his skin. He places a quick kiss on Taehyung’s nose before getting up and coming back only moments later, at least how it seems to Taehyung. “You did amazing, pretty,” Jeongguk praises while starting to wipe him down softly. He swipes a finger through the mess taehyung made of his stomach and smiles, holding it up to Taehyung’s face and eyes crinkling up when Taehyung obediently starts lapping it up. “So cute,” he says, booping his now wet fingers on Taehyung’s nose. Taehyung smiles, exhausted, lifting his legs when Jeongguk makes his way down between his asscheeks and marked thighs, quietly watching his boyfriend while slowly coming back to full conscience. Jeongguk slows down his on his thighs, looking at the bruises already blooming on tan skin. “I wasn’t too rough, was I?” he asks, voice suddenly small. Taehyung shakes his head, making grabby hands at Jeongguk now that he’s finished his job. Jeongguk smiles softly, pressing a kiss to the inner side of Taehyung’s knee before throwing the towel down next to the bed and wrapping his baby up in a big cocoon of blankets and love. A whole lot of love. “You back with me yet?” Jeongguk murmurs and Taehyung snuffles into his neck as an answer. He’s still trembling a bit, cheeks flushed and Jeongguk’s endeared. He brushes away the sweaty hair on Taehyung’s forehead, pressing a kiss to it. And then his temple, and his eye, until Taehyung is a happy little giggling boyfriend, quieting into a sigh.“So these were the present?” Jeongguk inquires, a low murmur in the private little space they’re in, fingers straying to the still red nipples, stroking the skin around them tenderly. “Yeah, for the both of us.” Taehyung whispers, “I really like them and I hoped you would, too.” Jeongguk looks at Taehyung terribly soft for a second, “I love them, I really do. You look so good with them.” Taehyung smiles goofily, slinging a leg over Jeongguk’s hips and biting playfully into Jeongguk’s pectoral, Jeongguk acting out fake hurt.
11054409	Hei Ri Bai Ye	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": null, "Fandom": "全职高手", "Language": "中文-普通话國語", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by MashedOat", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-31T00:00:00", "words": "17,649", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": "喻黄 - Relationship", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	隔壁住了一个非常强大的哨兵。每天晚上喻文州在睡觉前闭上眼睛，周围陷入一种奇异而绵稠的黑色，整栋公寓楼上上下下变成一些浮动的光斑，微暗不明，只有隔着两间屋子的尽头有一团极端金黄明亮的色块。喻文州从未见过这样的光芒，但是准确来说，喻文州并不是“看见”它，那个色块散发着视觉之外的巨大能量，带着热度在喻文州的神经线上游走。它就在那里，不论喻文州以何种方式知道。这种情况已经持续了大约三个月，喻文州从最开始的对那位哨兵一无所知，到现在慢慢总结出一些规律。“他”应该是个年轻人，精力充沛，情绪恣意而张扬，偶尔会密集快速地出现波动（喻文州猜测他在和别人讲电话）；作息时间不太规律，每周五的晚上都会半夜才回来，而周日清晨会很早出门。上个月他曾经离开了四天，再回来的时候似乎状态有些低迷，维持了超过十二小时的平缓。就在喻文州几乎以为他要睡死过去的时候，他的精神重新活了过来，甚至像是为了填补之前的空缺变得非常……吵，喻文州揉揉额头，在厨房、浴室、客厅反复换过几次地方，放弃地倒回床上。那天晚上是个节日，整个小区的每家每户都很热闹，喻文州早就做好准备，没想到几百人的欢声笑语都比不过那位哨兵的影响。无数信息从四面八方涌进喻文州的卧室，每一根神经都在被人胡乱当成琴弦拨来弄去，而哨兵的情绪堪比重鼓，直接穿透他的屏障左右震荡。终于夜深人静之后，喻文州疲倦地酝酿着睡意。他辗转反侧了好一会才睡着，几乎在梦里还无法休息，不停在一条繁华大街上行走——直到他看见一只小花豹蹲在面前的长椅上。它的眼睛是浅黄色的非常明亮，眼巴巴看着喻文州，喻文州只好在长椅上坐了下来，花豹随后跳进他怀里打了两个滚，开始抓咬喻文州的袖口，弄得满是牙印。喻文州揉了揉它毛茸茸的圆耳朵，小豹子就满足地露出尖尖牙齿打了个哈欠，尾巴缠上喻文州的手腕。有些粗糙的毛弄得喻文州很是刺痒，他试着抽回手，花豹却突然跳开，似乎微微焦虑地原地转了一圈，后腿垫着喻文州的大腿站立起来，爪子顺着他衬衫衣襟一边挠一边往上爬。再这么下去就要抓到脖子上，喻文州笑着将它抱下来：“好吧，原谅你了。” 小豹子终于安分，如果按照人类的表情理解勉强可以算作笑嘻嘻的，咬了下喻文州的手指，一甩尾巴跳下长椅，瞬间便消失了。喻文州无奈地叹了口气，慢慢睁开眼睛。那是“他”的精神体，喻文州看着黑暗的天花板，感觉到一种前所未有的热度顺着头皮流动，虽然舒服，却让他警惕起来。他们还没有见过面，但是以哨兵可怕的敏锐五感，对方也一定知道他的存在。他知道自己给喻文州带来了负担，主动表示抱歉，似乎是个不错的人。然而喻文州还没有成为“某人的向导”的打算，对方又是过于强大的哨兵，在了解背景之前并不应该跟他有过多的精神接触。叶修前几天刚刚提醒过他，最近的搜索力度加强了，他应该再低调一点。喻文州再次闭上眼睛，决定短时间内尽量不开启精神探索。 “塔”的内战已经进入到白热化阶段，两股势力互相僵持，一触即发。三年前叶修作为塔中最强的哨兵，被觊觎已久的反党层层暗算，失去了向导，一身重伤地逃了出来。自那之后塔就被白色恐怖占领，而另一部分的人们在巨大压力下锲而不舍，一直筹备着反击。 “我会回去，”叶修曾经掐灭了烟，平静地说，“一定会。” 他是喻文州见过最强大的哨兵，很少有哨兵能在失去向导的痛苦中坚持下来，但是喻文州在他的信息流中感受不到丝毫漏洞，甚至不需要自己的帮助。他已经做好再次战斗的准备了。喻文州的觉醒比较晚，大部分人都在13到16岁这个阶段，而他成年之后才遇到第一个脸色苍白眼眶充血的高烧早晨。这是极为少见的，连政府都已经将他登记为非觉醒者，他自己也措手不及，匆匆离开学校躲进附近的公园，一边用手机在网上搜寻初觉醒的应对方法。但是很快他头晕眼花得连字都看不清，周围司空见惯的景象全部变了一个样，各种信息流像洪水般汹涌而至，在扭曲的空间中绕着他形成漩涡。喻文州努力地摸索着，试图将它们疏导整理。或许被压抑这么久是因为某种格格不入的天赋，他竟然成功了，凌乱的涌动渐渐按照一定规律四处散开，身边拉扯的力量也缓缓消褪。然而不知道是幸运还是不幸，突然有一群初中生走进公园，吵吵闹闹的没说几句就推攘起来。少年本就还未学会控制自己，负面情绪又比一般的信息更为尖锐。喻文州的共感力过强，隔着一段距离就能感觉到那些剧烈的色块互相撞击着频频爆炸，那些力量远远胜过谩骂的语言，是钢筋水泥或者树木湖波都无法阻隔的东西，挤进喻文州的脑袋高声叫嚷。他控制不住地晃了一下，整个地面都在倾斜，眼前的世界慢慢暗下来，泥泞的黑色一滴滴滑落。就在这个时候，他“看见”天空中蓦地漫开一片鲜艳红色，硬是将浑浊层层推开，然后红光逐渐淡去。喻文州捂住嘴剧烈地咳嗽了两声，喘着站直身体。周围的一切又恢复原本的样子，但喻文州知道这只是表象，脑中和耳边风平浪静，所有噪音都被隔绝在外。他冷静了一会，回过身，有个陌生的男人夹着烟坐在花坛边。即使喻文州刚刚觉醒，也能意识到对方是个多么强大的哨兵，他甚至从向导身上学习了精神屏障。他走过去，礼貌地说：“谢谢。” 男人不在意地摆摆手：“你这样太危险了，没人教过你向导觉醒的时候很容易受到精神污染吗？” 喻文州摇头，正想说他一直以为自己是普通人，对方却弹了下烟灰，自行说下去：“不过刚才的情况一般人也不会遇到，是你共感范围太广，我在塔里也没见过几个。” 塔？喻文州当然知道那是什么地方。他惊讶地看着眼前这个看上去毫不起眼、甚至有些懒洋洋的人。 “我叫叶修。”对方笑了笑。那天下午叶修告诉了他很多事情，包括不久前那场残忍的内战，被高度封锁的消息，在暗处蛰伏的种种危险。 “他们现在正派人到处找像你这样没有被政府登记，或者没有进入塔里接受训练的觉醒者。”叶修淡淡地说，“如果愿意服从塔的控制，他们就会把人带回去，如果不愿意，很有可能被直接除掉，他们对潜在敌人可是警觉多了。” 喻文州没有说话，哨兵、向导、塔、战争，在过去十几年里都与他毫无关联，却一夜之间竖立在他的面前，不得不谨慎面对。 “要是不想被搅和进来就小心一点，你这样的共感能力，要是被他们发现肯定不惜一切代价绑回去。”叶修说着这么吓人的话，脸上过于散漫的表情实在很没有说服力。但喻文州知道他是对的。 “你还打算回去？”喻文州看着他。叶修笑了一下，漫不经心看着远处，不知道在想什么。后来他和叶修偶尔还有联系，不过叶修总是悄无声息地出现又消失。两年过去，喻文州已经能熟练地控制信息素，他一直扮演着普通人的角色，只在晚上张开精神网络，感受这个世界的另一种样貌。然而最近却不太妙，正如叶修所警告的，塔的搜索压力又加强了，可能是因为塔外势力正在崛起，让那些统治者感到惶惶不安。喻文州白天走在街上，隐约感觉有人在注视自己，但是这种视线并不在身上停留，说明他还没有被发现。至于隔壁那位强大的哨兵先生，喻文州把玩着桌上的笔筒，冷静地想，对方究竟是什么身份，站在哪个阵营，出于目的或者只是巧合地住在这里，一切都不得而知。这种情况下每一步都要走得格外小心，不能相信任何人，如同一场孤立无援的消耗战。然而变故总是突如其来。喻文州刚刚走出便利店，眼前车水马龙的马路上突然跑进一个小孩子。有辆轿车眼看着就要撞上他，大人的尖叫和呼喊猛地炸开。轿车在最后一秒打转方向盘，堪堪擦过小孩，但是旁边车道紧随而至的一辆货车无法刹住，剧烈地撞在轿车车尾，一瞬间就将轿车撞了出去，贴着路面转了半圈，“嘭”的一声砸在路边一棵粗壮榕树上。事情发生得太快了，玻璃破碎、行人的叫嚷还有前后的喇叭声混成一堆此起彼伏。喻文州看见灰黑的烟从已经变形的车前盖袅袅升起，一并从车里蜿蜒流出的还有鲜红色血液。有个男人从驾驶座里挣扎出来，不顾脸上身上的血污扑向副驾驶座的门，旁边的行人连忙拉他，两三个人都拉不住。那种崩溃的痛哭声魇住喻文州，让他一时间无法动弹。他是个哨兵——喻文州意识到——而且失去向导的痛苦让他就要进入狂化了。他挣开了阻挡的人，冲到车边，用手将破碎的车窗一块块扯开，血迹很快沾满他的双手，但他像是毫不知情，依然掰扯着玻璃和车身的碎片。喻文州站在原地，专注地看着他，信息素平滑地向前蔓延开，环绕在狂化哨兵的周围。他试图进入哨兵的精神世界，潮水般的痛苦和绝望却与此同时挤进喻文州的脑海里，逼得他退了半步。太难了，被困在副驾驶座里的也许是他的太太，经过肉体结合的哨兵很难再被其他向导安抚梳理。不知道那位向导究竟伤重到什么程度，要是已经停止呼吸，她的哨兵也随时可能在精神崩溃下死去…… 喻文州又试了两次，却还是被浓重的墨绿色雾墙粗鲁挡在外面。他自己的额头上也微微出了汗，由远及近的救护车笛将他的意识猛然拽出来。医护人员里会有专业的向导，喻文州收回精神网，定了定神，绕过聚集的人群往家的方向走去。慢慢走着，他再度绷紧神经，那种被盯着感觉又出现了，这次比以往集中得多，甚至能明显感觉到有信息素在试探他的精神。喻文州微微皱眉，他知道此刻自己的状态不好，刚才试图引导狂化的哨兵已经消耗不少体力，四周惊恐慌乱的情绪也给了他不少负担。喻文州努力平复自己的呼吸，却依然无法阻挡对方越来越强的精神攻击。如果撤去伪装，跟他们硬碰硬地对抗或许要好受得多，但是喻文州还不想这么快就暴露自己的精神力程度。就在他手心发热、快要坚持不下去的时候，空气中无形多出一阵锋利而明亮的热度。原本围绕着喻文州的信息素立即被吸引过去，徒然轻松起来，然而喻文州还是不动声色的像是什么都不知道，继续不急不慢地走着。他知道是谁在身后保护他，他已经太过熟悉对方的存在了。就这样一直走进公寓，直到电梯门关上，喻文州才靠着冰冷的箱壁喘了口气。那天晚上喻文州躺在床上，安静地看了一会暗影中窗帘的形状。他翻了个身，一只白色的雪貂温顺地卧在枕头上。喻文州伸出手，挠挠它的侧脸。 “去打个招呼吧。” 他还是这么说了。第二天中午，喻文州亲自上门拜访了那位哨兵。昨天晚上雪貂悄无声息地穿过墙壁，直到午夜过后才被放回来，似乎受到哨兵先生的热情欢迎，抓着它聊了两个小时。真不知道讲什么能讲这么久，精神体虽然能听懂却不会说话，说到底只是哨兵在单方面叙述而已。雪貂回来的时候颇为轻松，只不过多挠了几次工作量加倍的耳朵，那只是象征性的动作，它并不仅仅“听见”了哨兵精力旺盛的表达。喻文州是一个柔和而安静的人，而哨兵和他正好相反，雪貂不得不习惯上一会。到目前为止，看上去它习惯得不错。 “你觉得他怎么样？”喻文州抓起一把咖啡豆放进豆箱里，随着机器的搅动声，微微苦涩的香味弥漫在清晨的空气中。雪貂优雅地将自己盘在流理台上，注视着喻文州的动作，在和煦的朝阳下，它蓝色的眼睛依然像海水一样深。喻文州将煮好的咖啡端到餐桌上，袅袅水烟在面前缭绕：“是吗？那我等会去见见他。” 雪貂悄无声息地跃进阴影中，下一秒便凭空消失了。喻文州不是冒昧的人，但是情形已经不允许他再拖下去，选择迫在眉睫。昨天那场短促的交锋，虽然哨兵保护了喻文州，却暴露出自己，再过不久就会被塔的人找上门。就算现在立即搬家，在这样高强度的压力下也躲不了多久，既然如此，不如先和身边的战斗力统一阵营。这样做虽然有些冒险，可是雪貂对那位哨兵的评价很高，喻文州认为值得一试。他礼貌地敲了敲对方的门，坦然地任由门里面的人透过猫眼打量他。很快门被打开了，露出一张年轻英气的脸。 “你好你好。”哨兵先生笑嘻嘻地说，就像见到一个熟人，显然也对这次来访心照不宣。 “你好，”喻文州微笑着看他，“我是喻文州。”“今天天气真不错，天气预报还说要下雨一点儿都不准，要不是最近不方便出门……你要喝什么？水…啤酒…哎哟这怎么还藏了瓶苹果汁，生产日期是什么时候让我来看看……” “水就行了。”喻文州笑着打断他，终于明白了雪貂所指的热情欢迎是什么意思。他坐在沙发上稍微打量了一下这个房间，干净却不整齐，处处充满生活气息。当然最吸引喻文州注意力的是放在角落的白噪音装置，只是客厅就放了两台，说明这个哨兵还没有向导，或者超常的敏感使他非常需要一个向导。 “哦那个东西，”黄少天——哨兵在进门之后就做了自我介绍——将水杯放到喻文州面前的茶几上，“我实在受不了，去年就加了第二台。” 喻文州听人说话的神情总是有种专注，黄少天在他耐心的目光中轻描淡写地解释，“我夏天就要二十岁了。” 喻文州有些吃惊，很少有哨兵能在没有向导的环境下活过二十岁，这也是塔的存在原因之一。哨兵的五感越强越容易信息过载，甚至狂化，放在人群中就像一个没有安全栓的炸弹。以黄少天的素质，很难想象他这几年的独居生活是怎么过的。喻文州正要开口，隔壁突然响起一阵尖锐的谩骂，接着是玻璃和重物摔落在地板上的声音。那对中年夫妇的矛盾几乎每三天就要爆发一次，喻文州也很奇怪他们为什么还不分开。 “唉，又来了。”黄少天烦恼地叹了口气，转身想将白噪音装置调高一个档。他的手还没碰到转钮，那些噪音蓦地模糊起来，仿佛四周无中生有出一片柔软的巨大羽毛，将一切不舒服的灰尘拂扫干净。那种安抚跟白噪音产生的风声水流完全不同，连心脏和胃都变得轻飘飘的，自由又惬意。黄少天愣了一下，回过头看着喻文州，“你……” 喻文州不确定他是不是喜欢这种帮助，停顿了一下：“对不起，如果你介意……” “不不不，谢谢！我是说、”黄少天连忙摇头，随手抓过一个抱枕直接坐在地上，微微仰视着喻文州，“你知道，我花了很长时间想找个向导，也遇见过几个不错的，但是他们都不能像你这样……” 像喻文州这样，让黄少天感受不到一丝突兀，屏障的厚度却刚刚好，顷刻间就知道了他需要什么似的。黄少天独自生活了很长时间，又过于敏感，从没遇过同步率这么高的向导。他看起来眼睛明亮，好像很高兴，喻文州温柔地笑了：“这没什么，我应该谢谢你昨天的帮忙。” “没有的事，”黄少天毫不在意地挥挥手，“本来也是我连累你。” “连累我？” “是啊，我今年已经搬第三次家了，那些人找得还挺快。” 不，并非如此，喻文州立即明白过来。如果是长期以黄少天为目标的人，一定知道他的强大，派出的抓捕者也必然十分能干。但是昨天试探喻文州的人并没有那么厉害，要不是喻文州不想暴露，凭他自己全部解决掉也不成问题。他对黄少天简单解释了一下，问：“想要找你的，也是塔的人？” 是啊，黄少天皱起眉，“这么说他们已经开始无差别搜索了？坏了坏了，可能最近就要开战，可是我还没找到魏老大，叶秋那家伙又不知道是死是活……” “你刚才说叶修……？”喻文州有点没听清。 “不是，叶秋，就是以前塔里面、” 黄少天突然停住话音，他看着喻文州，喻文州也看着他，两个人突然同时有了种奇异的默契。 “……以前塔的第一哨兵。”喻文州将他剩下一半的话补充完。 “怎么回事，他现在改名叫叶修了？你见过他？？”黄少天简直要跳起来。喻文州对叶修的过去毫不知情，他将自己的经历说了一遍，然后看着黄少天在客厅里乱转，喃喃地念叨：“怪不得……怪不得……我就说他不会挂掉，王杰希肯定也知道但他竟然一点都没告诉我，我要找他好好算下账……” 喻文州耐心的等了一会：“那个……” “哦哦不好意思！”黄少天回过神，跳上沙发的另一端开始解释，“是这样，我是正常觉醒，本来是要进入塔的，还差两个月的时候突然内战爆发，后来的事情你就知道了，魏老大让我留在外面等着，他自己说要联系以前的朋友一下就不见了不过这不重要……王杰希是现在塔内的首席，叶秋不不叶修离开之后他一直坚持到现在。所以看现在的状况，我们要……” “可能要先离开这里。”喻文州平静地说。既然黄少天已经被列为塔的重点关注对象，经过昨天的短暂交手，那些人很快就会再找上门，而且将是比较棘手的角色，到时候喻文州也不能幸免。黄少天无意识地咬了咬手指，想了下说：“好，那我们先收拾一下东西。”喻文州回到自己的家，关上门后倚着墙叹了口气，虽然自从觉醒就做好了心理准备，真的近在眼前却还没有实感。他大致整理了一下房间，衣服、书籍、生活用品，这些都可以留在公寓里等以后有时间再搬，电脑里的重要资料则需要删减和备份。这么忙了一圈，很快三个小时就过去了，喻文州打开邮件，想着要不要跟叶修说一声，才打了两个字，外面的光线似乎暗了一瞬。喻文州漫不经心地看看右下角的时间，才五点，之前阳光明媚，阴云倒是说来就来…… 喻文州一下子站起来，将电脑放进旁边的储物柜深处，几步跑到门边，透过猫眼看了下外面，小心将门拉开。他刚探出身体，就听见走廊尽头的门忽然打开，黄少天冲了出来，跑到面前一把拉住他，低声说：“快走！” 两台电梯同时显示正在上升的数字，黄少天无声推开紧急通道的门，脚步声从几层之下传来。黄少天抬起握着枪的手，喻文州拦了他一下。那是个哨兵，喻文州微微眯起眼睛，棕色的精神轨道千丝万缕，按顺时针层层盘旋，然而下一秒那些精神丝像是被什么裹住了似的凝固不前，颜色中慢慢出现混浊，甚至随着愈发扩大的斑块变得越来越细，很快被腐蚀得最严重的地方一个接一个地断开。黄少天听见楼下的脚步声跌跌撞撞，“咚”的一声似乎砸向墙壁。他反应很快，几乎在同一时间撑着扶手从楼梯上一跃而下，动作灵活得像只猫，一次便跃下一层。还没等那个哨兵从疼痛和晕眩中清醒，黄少天已经出现在身后，抬手之间一道重影，手里的短剑就割破了他的喉咙。趁这个功夫，喻文州将沿途几层楼的电梯等待灯全部按上，才匆匆跑下楼梯。黄少天将哨兵身上的枪拔出来，扔给喻文州：“不知道你练没练过，反正对准别人……” 他突然用力拉下喻文州的胳膊半压着他蹲低身体，旁边的扶手处炸开一连串密密麻麻的枪声，和之前一样，整个楼梯间的光线莫名暗了一瞬，一阵低温感突如其来。喻文州感觉到黄少天僵硬了一下，低声骂着：“妈的，又是他！” 来不及问黄少天对方的底细，显然不是第一次交手，对方的精神攻击又是让黄少天很不舒服的类型。喻文州反手握紧黄少天的手臂，那些围绕在黄少天精神附近的透明冰块撞上一层屏障，竟然随即向上方反弹回去。对方愣了一下，似乎根本没想到这里怎么多出一个向导，黄少天趁机摸出一个微型爆破扔上去，巨响中尘埃四溅，等上面的人再探出头，楼下的脚步声已经在射程之外了。两个人一路跑到地下停车场，喻文州微微喘着气，指了指自己车的方向。黄少天点头，轻声说：“小心点，还有一个。” 喻文州感觉到的是对方坚硬的精神张力，而黄少天从五感中接收到的是杀气。事实证明哨兵天生的敏锐本能还是略胜一筹，喻文州正要回头抓他的精神轨迹，黄少天已经挡住了近在眼前的刀刃。事情只发生在一瞬之间，那个哨兵的动作也很快，腿扫向黄少天的小腹。黄少天揪住他的胳膊，顺势踩着旁边的车跳起在半空，膝盖撞向他的太阳穴。哨兵将刀扔到另一只手里，反手去划黄少天的腿。喻文州觉得自己才回过神看了一眼，他们已经过了四五招。他看着缠斗在一起的两个人，当机立断，转身向自己的车跑去。他拉开车门将钥匙推进去，顾不得系安全带，打转方向盘开向黄少天停留的方向。他担心的没错，要解决单独的哨兵对黄少天来说轻而易举，那个人已经捂着腹部倒在一旁，地上一大滩血。但是短短十几秒，先前楼梯间中的两个向导已经追过来，双重精神攻击使黄少天不得不暂时躲在车后忍着难受，而他们也忌惮黄少天的攻击力，不敢冒然上前。一般的攻击都是以哨兵为主，但是他们派两个向导来，想必也很清楚黄少天没有结合、精神不稳定的弱点。喻文州加重油门，引擎轰鸣打破了阴暗停车场中压抑的寂静。那两个向导和黄少天几乎同时做出反应，杂乱的枪声如同惊雷，持续不停在回绕。喻文州猛打了一下方向盘，左边的后视镜被子弹毫不留情地打碎，车身也传来两次震动。喻文州单手抓紧方向盘弯下身，一边躲一边张开精神屏障，蓝色的风刃硬生生撞上两块精神攻击连接的地方。短短两秒的空隙对黄少天来说已经足够了，他突然绕过轮胎出现，手里的薄剑以一种诡异的角度自下而上扎进其中一个向导的颈椎。另外一个人听见声音转过身，只看见迎面倒来的尸体和漫天鲜血，他仅仅停了一下，另一颗子弹就准确嵌进他的额头。黄少天拉开副驾驶座的门跳上车。 “走走走，我们出城！”他快速地说。离开高速路收费站，挡风玻璃上开始出现细微水迹，隐隐约约的雨声将车内衬托得更加安静。黄少天说他在隔壁城市有个隐蔽的落脚点，可以先去躲躲看。说完这件事他便安静地靠进椅背中没有再说话，这当然不正常，喻文州不用试探他的情绪也能知道。虽然只是两个向导，不至于使他信息过载，但是那种重叠在一起的精神攻击显然让他不太好受。所以说越强大的哨兵对向导需求越迫切，他们实在太敏感了，五感过强相当于一把双刃剑，攻击的同时也消耗着哨兵的精力。喻文州平静地开着车，现在直接接触黄少天的意识不是个好选择，他的状态不稳，很容易建立起联结，但是他们才刚刚认识半天的时间，他不确定黄少天是不是接受别人在他的信息素上做记号。黄少天看着车窗玻璃上向后流淌的水丝，突然“唔？”了一声，低头看见一只白色的雪貂出现在自己怀里。雪貂温柔地舔了舔他的手指，尾巴柔软缠住他的手腕。过了一会，黄少天像是松了一口气似的，倚进座椅里动动身体。 “谢谢你啊。”那种笑嘻嘻的语气重新在他的声音里，不知道这句话到底是对雪貂还是对喻文州说的。当然这其实是一回事，喻文州笑了笑：“你要是饿的话，我们可以在下个休息站停一下。” “没关系，哎不过……”不知道黄少天想到什么，改口说，“算了还是停一下吧。”他们买了几个面包和零食就又上路了，可惜没有酒精和药膏卖，黄少天胳膊上的擦伤只是用水抹了抹。到隔壁市的路程不远，只要两个小时就能开到，然而临近入口的时候，雨势骤然变大，天色也很快变成夜幕般的深蓝。 “你开慢点吧，”黄少天嘟囔，“要是有人在等我们就让他们被浇一会。” 暴雨或许可以影响信息素的踪迹，但是在经过训练的哨兵向导面前不值一提。接下来的敌人只会越来越强，喻文州无奈地看了眼自己的手。两个小时前刚离开收费站的时候他的手还有些颤抖，这是他第一次面对血肉模糊的战斗。当然他毕竟心理素质过人，没过多久便冷静下来，现在已经没有任何异常、甚至做好下一次的准备了。说不定很快他的手上也会沾满别人的血，然后很快习惯这种残忍，从一个成年之后才觉醒的普通人，成为一名真正的向导。雨水渐渐停歇，他们开进城市。四周依然华灯初上，霓虹旖旎，看不出丝毫危险。按照黄少天指的路，喻文州离开主干道，拐到一条双车道的小路。旁边似乎是一座公园，在雨后的夜色中格外宁静。喻文州多看了两眼，突然响起一阵刺耳的油门轰鸣，对面竟然有辆车开进他们的车道，不顾一切向这边冲来。黄少天一把扯下他的方向盘：“往右边！” 喻文州用力打转方向盘，车晃了一下，最后一秒险险擦过，近距离的生死关头让喻文州也出了一身冷汗。但是这才刚刚开始，后面不知何时多出一辆越野车，对着他们猛晃大灯，并且越来越近，眼看着也要追尾。 “这里太危险了！”黄少天盯着狭隘的路和对面的住宅区。喻文州扫了眼镜子：“我要开进公园里，你准备好。” 他踩下油门，直接从还未关闭的铁门中闯过去，一边按喇叭提醒一边沿着弯弯曲曲的人行道向前飞驰。直到遇到台阶，喻文州将车开进旁边的草坪上，迅速熄火，握着枪下了车，学着黄少天的样子躲在光线模糊的暗处。那两辆车也很快追过来，一共下来七个人。喻文州和黄少天都微微变了脸色，不仅仅是因为那其中有两对真正结合关系的哨兵向导，他们之间坚固的连接和同调几乎肉眼可见，更重要的是——暗沉中看不清谁开了第一枪，黄少天借助敏锐的五感，很快就打中了一个人，但是随后他突然晃了一下。对方身上自杀性的精神干扰辐射装置，喻文州之前只在资料中看过，此刻第一次亲眼见到，那种几乎盖过雨声的嗡鸣，让他的手指冷了下来。细雨依然连绵不绝，像一层春夜的浓雾笼罩在整座公园。远处的路灯遥遥而立，起不到任何效果，仿佛他们站在一块被黑暗牢牢魇住的地方，任何光亮都无法接近。但是这些都只是表象，作为一个向导，喻文州所“看见”的，是拖长曲线的重重精神轨迹，和某些失去控制暴雨般的情绪，空气中的色块不停碰撞和炸裂，如同撕开夜幕的霹雳闪电。对面还剩下一对结合关系的搭档，以及一个刚刚进入狂化的哨兵。他的素质远不如黄少天，坚持到现在才被辐射的干扰逼疯，可以看出他一定经过长年的训练。这样经验老道的哨兵在狂化面前依然不堪一击，已经结合的向导不能再辅助别的哨兵，喻文州更不可能帮他，就算什么都不做，他也会很快力竭而死。然而他现在变成了场上最危险的人，信息过载的负面疼痛让他开始进行毁灭式的攻击，甚至不分敌我——他的意识已经非常泥泞了。狂化的哨兵因为痛苦而嘶哑的咆哮，用手里的枪疯狂扫射，让其他人不得不暂时躲避在车旁树后，趁机缓了口气。喻文州倚着轮胎，用力呼吸着湿冷的空气，短暂的冷静使肩膀和脚踝处的伤口恢复了刺痛，像被火苗不断燎着。草地上传来阵阵潮湿腥气，喻文州已经分不清那种强烈的血味究竟是在自己身上还是来自被血水浸透的泥土。狂化哨兵因为骨折，右手以一种恐怖的角度扭曲着挂在身侧，喻文州无动于衷地看着他，平静得近乎冷漠。他在短短二十分钟里表现出了过去从未有过的狠心，却又不同于现学现卖，简直就像原本藏在深处的凛意被突然逼了出来。喻文州一边计算着那个哨兵还能撑多久，回头看了看不远处的黄少天。这才是他最担心的事，黄少天刚才用惊人的攻击力同时对抗四个哨兵，并且让其中两个断了气，一个狂化，剩下那个差点被黄少天引入陷阱，是他的向导用身体替他挡下了子弹。但是黄少天也为此付出了巨大代价，他穿着黑色衬衫，喻文州看不出他流了多少血，却可以看出他的意识在激烈战斗和干扰辐射的双重影响下摇摇欲坠。一旦他进入狂化，先不说喻文州的能力够不够把他捞出来，对方根本不会给喻文州这个机会，他们必死无疑。喻文州做了个深呼吸，专注地感受着对方的精神力，那个狂化哨兵已经浑身是血，很快就会倒下去，那个瞬间就是对方发动攻击的时候。那对搭档经过结合的精神连接实在太过牢固，就算向导受了重伤也难以动摇，单凭喻文州一个人很难破坏；但他只要过度分心，辐射的干扰又会穿透精神屏障伤害黄少天。失血加速了喻文州的疲倦，枪响的声音让他一时间怔住，那对搭档为了抢占时机，竟然主动开枪击杀了他们已经狂化的战友。对方向导最后的精神攻击在同一时间轰然而起，似乎认准了要将黄少天彻底毁掉。沉重的压迫力铺天盖地，连喻文州都觉得地面晃了一下。他立即集中注意力，透明的缓冲墙膨胀加厚，抵御着连续滚落的巨石。 “少天！”他转过头，焦灼地喊了一声。然而黄少天依旧半跪在阴影中，垂着脸看不清表情，如同什么都没听见。糟糕！喻文州的心脏剧烈地收缩着，他已经没有时间了。即使对方不再攻击，黄少天失控的情绪也随时可能爆发。但是尖锐的子弹如影随形，喻文州刚从车后探出身体，一排子弹就打在后座，玻璃也应声碎裂。喻文州抬起手护住头，再抬起脸对方哨兵已经出现在几步之遥。虽然受了伤，侧腰一道深深的伤口，哨兵的体质到底还是异于常人。他的脚也流着血，一瘸一拐地步步逼近，似乎势在必得。喻文州反手在身后的草地上摸索着握住枪，突然在他之前抬起手。昏暗中视线模糊，子弹从哨兵的肩膀擦出一道血迹，但他竟然毫无知觉地立即向喻文州冲过来。喻文州只来得及退了一步，便被使劲捏住手腕后背撞上车框，枪掉在脚边，而他的颈侧也被冰凉的匕首抵住了。两个人的距离很近，喻文州第一次不是用意识、而是用视觉看见这个哨兵，他的脸沾满血污和雨水，眼神中却充满濒死之人才有的歇斯底里。仅仅几秒，喻文州的手已经疼得失去感觉，他第一次离死亡这么近，脖子上传来液体淌落的触感，却让他前所未有地镇定下来。这个人明明占据上风，为什么意识反而处于陷入绝境的躁戾，精神轨迹也微微晃动。喻文州看进他的眼睛里……你是怕你的向导会死吗？对方的瞳孔蓦地缩了一下。喻文州突然向另一侧猛地弯下身，哨兵反应过来，手里的匕首紧追过去，贴着车厢皮划出一排刺眼火星，没想到一把短剑从他身后同时而至，正好扎进喻文州原来的位置，却挡住了匕首的刀刃。哨兵连忙转身，黄少天比他更快，手里已经打完子弹的枪托狠狠撞开他的鼻梁。哨兵“砰”地摔倒在地，撑了下身体又跌下去，因为腿上的伤一时无法起身。然而黄少天也是极限了，死死握紧剑柄的手依然无法阻止他的摇晃，肩膀贴着车厢向下滑落。生死只在一念之间，喻文州不顾挣扎爬起的哨兵、和对面竭尽力气举起枪的向导，他冲到黄少天身边，膝骨撞在草地上脱臼般的疼，他只是用力握住黄少天沾满血迹的手。黄少天的精神世界在战斗状态下矛盾非常，一边是明黄炽热的血性，一边是冷酷幽深的杀意，这两种意识保持着难以捉摸的平衡，使他善于潜伏，出手却锋芒毕露。现在那条分割线已经相当浑浊了，喻文州见过不少信息过载的哨兵，大多陷入杂乱无章的灰暗状态，但是黄少天过载时反而是一种曝光过度的白茫，几乎看不清任何精神轨迹，像是有很多电流在刺啦啦地闪烁和炸裂。如同触摸到太阳，喻文州觉得自己要被烫伤了，可他依然没有松手，将自己所有的精神网络向那块热度探送过去。 ——少天，和我一起。没有任何词语可以形容精神连接建立的刹那，喻文州几乎失去了视觉，却看见一道巨大的门。门栓无声拉开，金色的光芒铺天盖地，那些光随即化为一道道金线，前赴后继灌进喻文州的身体里。陌生而温热的能量在体内回荡，喻文州收起了所有的屏障，然后在下一秒全部转化为精神攻击推涌出去。仿佛有一圈透明而强韧的风力，以他为中心像潮水似的轰然四散，狠狠碾过草丛，碾过树木和碎片，直到无声消失在夜空中。整个世界安静了好一会，只剩下他们两个还能动弹。连接之后的疏导轻而易举，渐渐地黄少天的精神世界也恢复常态，他慢慢睁开不再充血的眼睛，在月光下黑白分明。 “还站得起来吗？”喻文州听见自己沙哑的声音苦笑了一下。嗯，黄少天点点头，抹了下脸颊的血，揽住他的后背将他扶起来。喻文州是被疼醒的，翻身的时候扯到侧颈的伤口，连呼吸都停滞了几秒。他逐渐醒过神，窗外昏昏沉沉的看不出时间，只好又去枕头旁摸手表。指针的位置有些不上不下，喻文州等了一会，外面传来别人家里聊天、炒菜和看电视的声音，他这才意识到现在不是凌晨，已经是傍晚了。这是老城区里的居民楼，低矮陈旧，楼与楼之间离得很近，对面的大人正在用方言训斥小孩，浓厚的生活气息反而显得很不真实。喻文州打量了一下房间，天花板泛黄，墙皮微微浮胀着显出裂缝，连窗框都布满铁锈。这可真是电影里标准的藏身之处，他笑了一下，试了试脚踝的疼痛程度，慢慢站起身。昨天晚上黄少天带着他走过七扭八弯的暗巷来到这里，两个人都一身狼狈。劫后余生让他们筋疲力尽，简单地洗过澡处理完伤口，喻文州倒在床上立刻就睡着了。竟然睡了十几个小时，饥饿感在胃里横冲直撞，喻文州打开门，看见黄少天正趴在沙发上，歪着脖子看电视。 “你醒了？”他听见声音转过头，“吃的在微波炉里。” 喻文州去洗了把脸，至少镜子里的人已经比昨晚正常不少。微波炉里放着两个饭盒，喻文州端出来，黄少天已经坐起来给他让出位置。他只穿着牛仔裤，上身光裸着，喻文州知道他后背擦破了一大块皮。 “先给你上药？”喻文州指指他的后背。黄少天无所谓地摆摆手：“你先吃饭吧。”吃完饭，喻文州剥出两片止痛药咽下去，终于觉得好受一点。黄少天在上药的时候倒是非常冷静，似乎已经习惯了受伤。他去厨房洗了个苹果，咔嚓咔嚓地咬了一会，电视里开始播放广告，喻文州忽然看似随意地转头问他：“你想跟我说什么？” 黄少天噎了一下：“……好吧好吧我忘了我已经标记你。” 喻文州似笑非笑地看着他，黄少天只好改口，“——你标记我、有什么区别反正都是一回事！” 严格来说确实是一回事，连接的建立是双向的，信息素的记号也是双向，只不过当时是喻文州主动。当然这些无关紧要，另一个人的意识不需要试探就能察觉，并非视觉听觉，而是从空气中溶入皮肤的每个细胞，这是种奇妙的感受，喻文州相信黄少天也在饶有兴趣地适应。此刻黄少天的情绪就像是有什么东西在窸窸窣窣地挠他，喻文州自然能感觉到。他微笑着对黄少天比了个“请”的手势，黄少天撇撇嘴，放下苹果，神情变得认真起来：“我没有多少时间了，可能明后天就要去找他们。我不知道你的打算是什么，你要是……要是还没想好，可以留在这养伤，这里暂时还很安全。” 喻文州看了他一会，抬起手将电视调成静音，房间里瞬间安静下来。不知不觉窗外已经失去最后一抹黄昏，黄少天打开了暗淡的灯，客厅被染上一层老旧的颜色。他想表达的意思，喻文州非常明白。战争近在眼前，黄少天和叶修、王杰希他们一样，对这场战役准备已久，他们孤注一掷，为此付出很多代价。喻文州却不同，他自始至终过着普通人的生活，从未进入过塔，对塔也没有任何义务和信念。昨天的一切如同他们之间的精神标记，在逃亡路上别无选择地变成共犯，短暂而临时，不久便会随着新陈代谢消失。但是再往前走就要来真的，若喻文州没打算为了未曾谋面的塔把命搭进去，他和黄少天也就到此为止了。这一次在战斗中标记，谁知道下一次生死关头会不会结合，一旦结合再不可能分开，到时候喻文州想走都走不掉。这些他自己又怎么会想不到，然而黄少天这样坦然说出来，喻文州竟然陷入空白，难得意拙了一次。以黄少天的状态，没有向导随时会死，战亡或者狂化。喻文州仔细看他：“少天，你一点都不担心？” 黄少天三两口吃掉剩下的苹果，站起身将果核扔进垃圾桶，大方地歪了歪头：“担心又怎么样，不就是那么回事儿吗。我跟你说，我还没觉醒就遇到魏老大了，他那个人特别不正经，但是有时候也死心眼，非说我是个哨兵，我妈都没那么着急。后来他就开始训练我，我真正觉醒那天他别提多高兴了，面子上还装呢……” 这一整间屋子，墙壁地板，家具摆设，低沉浑浊的灯光，一切的一切都透露着腐朽，但是黄少天站在中央，硬是散发出蓬勃的生命力。喻文州甚至不能分辨那些明亮的热度究竟来自他清晰利落的语速、光裸紧致的脊背，又或者他强大的精神世界本身。 “有些事该我做的，就这么简单。你不用想得太复杂，我之前一个人的时候也差点死过两次，不是也挺过来了？你愿意帮忙当然好，不帮也没关系，我们的同伴可不少，不差你一条命、”忽然一个突兀的画面打断了黄少天十分潇洒英俊的演讲，两个人同时低头，一只小花豹出现在喻文州的腿上，正揪着喻文州的袖口一边咬一边舔，简直像刚换牙的奶猫，要不是它没有口水，喻文州怀疑自己的袖子早就湿透了。咬了一会，小花豹抬起头，见喻文州没反应，又贴在他怀里打了个滚，兴奋地用头撞了撞他。喻文州回过神，正要抬手，黄少天一个箭步冲过来，迅速捏住花豹的后颈，反手背在身后，看也不看地往外一扔——喻文州似乎隐约听见他低声骂了句“没出息！”——小豹子就这么飞了出去，在空中转了两圈，最后轻飘飘落在角落的书柜顶上。 “那个、”黄少天干笑了一下，飞快地说，“它第一次碰上精神标记有点失控，什么时候跑出来的我也没注意，不用管它不用管它……你别看我，我也不明白他为什么这么喜欢你，以前魏老大那只大黑鸟成天跟它打架，它嫌人家尾巴秃……” 黄少天说得越来越快，声音却越来越低，几乎听不清楚，喻文州反而慢慢笑了。他的眼睛是深深的黑色，不知怎么黄少天被他看得说不下去，摸摸鼻子尴尬地转过头，咳了一声看向窗外。喻文州抬头看了看还蹲在左上角的花豹，它甩了下尾巴，又露出他们第一次见面时那种笑嘻嘻的神采奕奕。精神体是最能直接反应主人意识的，任何方式都无法掩藏，喻文州看着它，长久寻找的东西好像终于浮出水面。他转过头：“少天、” “……什么？”黄少天似乎有点紧张。喻文州站起来向他走去，还没靠近，黄少天好像已经知道他要干什么，下意识退了半步，嘴上还在垂死挣扎：“你你你冷静一下，我刚才已经说了！不用强迫自己，我更没打算强迫你，我们还有很多同伴，不差、” “不差我一条命。”喻文州替他说完。他已经站在黄少天面前，握住他的胳膊不让他躲，皮肤相触的一瞬间，细小电流让两个人都怔了一下。 “所以我不会死的，”喻文州认真地看着他，“也不会让你。” 两个人离得近极了，几乎能感到对方的呼吸。黄少天垂下眼睛，低声叫了他名字：“喻文州，这件事不能反悔的。” “不会。”喻文州温柔地说，然后扶住他的耳侧，将自己的额头贴上他的。第一次建立连接时候的冲击已经很惊人，但是在精神结合面前那些都变得不值一提。喻文州觉得自己在时间的长河中迷失了几秒，他不知道自己站在那里，不记得待会要做什么，画面、声音、气味、温度，统统感觉不到，黄少天明明在他面前，他却有一瞬间，站在了黄少天的精神世界里。天空是水一般的湛蓝，金色太阳镶嵌其中，散发着明亮而温暖的光缕。地平线无限延长望不见尽头，枝叶繁茂的树林排列在桐木油地的另一侧，簇簇起伏，像一汪碧绿的湖泊。风声吹过耳边沙沙作响，空气中弥漫着紫阳花的味道。 ——那是一个彻头彻尾的盛夏。喻文州站着没动，热意却从骨子里层出不穷地冒出来。不知道过了多久，他突然回过神，从那迷迭香般的诱惑中挣脱而出。黄少天还闭着眼睛，恋恋不舍地唔了一声。喻文州笑起来，他不确定自己的精神世界能不能让黄少天满意。 “你看见的是什么？” “……海。” 深蓝而浩瀚，像是世上最后一个可以沉眠其中的地方。黄少天低低喘了口气，用力拉近喻文州的肩膀，抬起脸贴上他的嘴唇。喻文州以为自己已经从黄少天的精神里出来了，但是好像根本没有，炎夏如影随形，燥热反而愈演愈烈。黄少天索吻的样子也有些急切，狠狠吸吮他的舌尖，甜蜜的痛感使人上瘾，喻文州搂紧他的腰，柔韧光滑的皮肤在手心下阵阵发烫。黄少天被他摸得忍不下去，突然扯开黏在一起的唇舌，粗暴地推了他一下，喻文州向后退了两步跌落进沙发里，黄少天瘦削的身体压下来，两个人又纠缠在一起。现在他连呼吸都像高烧一样焦灼了，喻文州慢慢抚摸他的侧腰，轻笑着问：“是不是生病了？” “……你装个屁！”黄少天毫不留情扯开他的衬衫衣领，在他锁骨上发泄似的咬了一口。他们都对结合热的症状心知肚明，但也都暗自在心底为自己的失控感到惊诧，那股无名火从小腹直窜而上，烧得骨头都要酥了。他们都是擅于自制的人，却从未体会过这样难受的情欲，好像得不到满足就会死过去。黄少天的信息素一如夏日午后，炎热将喻文州重重围绕，无处可逃。哨兵天性中对向导的渴求没有任何其它方法能抑制，他突然舔上喻文州侧颈那道伤口，若有似无的血味几乎让他立即硬了。但他很快意识到自己不正常的兴奋并不因为身体触摸，而是通过已经高度共感的精神链，将喻文州对他的欲望直接传了过来。 ——你想要我？喻文州当然不仅仅是“想”，如果黄少天刚才看见他的眼睛，伤口被舔舐的瞬间喻文州黑色的瞳孔里就像有什么东西倾塌了一样。他皱了下眉忍耐痛痒交错的刺激，放在黄少天腰后的手指却直接挤进牛仔裤里，打着圈揉按黄少天的尾椎，低声在他耳边问：“这里有没有润滑的东西？” 黄少天僵直了一下，被揪了毛似的绷紧身体，脸上又恼又涩：“你也不、怎么、你以为这是什么地方！” 没有就没有，慌张什么。喻文州好笑地看他，伸进他裤子里的手贴着腰线转了半圈，握住他已经完全勃起的东西摸了两下。黄少天很快不行了，整个人陷下去压着喻文州，鼻尖贴在他另一边温暖的颈窝里胡乱磨蹭：“唔嗯……再……再快点……” 喻文州被他撩得火起，后背出了一层汗，身下的沙发也被捂得滚烫。他撑起身去翻地上的药箱，瓶瓶罐罐拨得直响，终于拣出一个比较水性的药膏，再伸手把黄少天拉过来。他耐心亲吻黄少天的脖子和肩膀，另一只手在他胸口抚弄。黄少天对这种软化攻击的抵抗力极差，被弄得迷迷糊糊，润滑做到一半才反应过来：“……等一下，不是应该我…让我来吗？” 喻文州用膝盖顶开他的腿让他跨跪在自己腰间，按着他汗津津的胯往下坐，笑了笑：“来啊，腿再打开点，你放松……” 放松个……黄少天又想骂人，这个姿势不好使力，他一时挣脱不开，竟然就这么将那根湿硬的东西吞了进去。他倒不是怕疼的人，此刻却有点受不了，大腿内侧微微发抖，他难堪地将嘴唇咬成深红，还是忍不住伸手推了推喻文州：“你别……太深了……” 喻文州握住他的手，一边亲他，唇舌相抵间喘得也有些哑：“深点才好……少天，你不想要我吗？” 黄少天根本说不出话，他热得浑身都要烧起来，肠道里夹着的那个器官却更加焦灼，顶得他又疼又爽。而精神上的快感比之生理几乎再翻一倍，他闭着眼睛，那些蔚蓝海水一波波涌进他身体里，揉压冲荡，生生不息。老旧的沙发在两个人动作下摇摇晃晃地响，残灯暗光愈发看得人口干舌燥。在情潮中黄少天不自觉摆动起腰，肆无忌惮地喘息呻吟，等他浑身战栗地恢复意识，才发现自己已经射了出来。高潮的感染性太过激烈，喻文州自然也和他一起沉浸在晕眩中。他安抚地亲了下黄少天，黄少天睁开眼睛，凑过来咬了一口他湿漉漉的耳朵，直白地嘟囔：“真要命……哎，你觉得怎么样，等会再来一次？” 好，喻文州笑着搂住他。第二次还是在沙发上，喻文州按着黄少天的腰，从背后进入他。这个体位一进去就擦过前列腺，黄少天重重喘了一声，额头抵着手腕，自己把刘海攥得乱七八糟。他出了很多汗，背上那块纱布早就掉了，又露出绮红的伤口，正好在肩胛骨下方，一次次耸动着乍看之下有种蝴蝶振翅的错觉。喻文州看了好一会，俯下身，用自己的影子将那块伤痕笼罩起来，好像这样就能将那暗色的蝴蝶据为己有。他顺着黄少天的脊椎亲下去，小心避开伤口，舌尖沾着皮肤描出一道弯曲的水迹。黄少天剧烈地抖了一下，喻文州停下来：“疼吗？” 黄少天只是喘，没有答应也没有否认，喻文州便不再碰，捞起他的腰，紧贴着他渐渐加快了抽动。黄少天从来没听过自己这么快的心跳声，他不得不咬住手指，才能抵抗在耳鸣中越来越松散的意识。但是涌动的海水无穷无尽，黄少天放弃了最后一丝坚持，那些深蓝的水流一涌而进，溢满了他的整个精神世界。喻文州关上水龙头，水管有些生锈，总是滴滴答答蜿蜒着一小道水流。他拿过毛巾擦干净脸，重新看看镜子。脖子上的伤口已经开始结疤，不碰很痒，一碰又疼。再深的伤口也总有愈合那天，喻文州关上灯，走出浴室。今天依旧不晴不雨，因为楼与楼之间距离太近，客厅的光线不怎么充足。但是黄少天转过头来的时候，好像整个空间都亮了一下。 “准备好了？” 他还是穿着黑色衬衫，自然又轻松地倚着墙。喻文州点头，笑着迎上去：“走吧。” END 【精神体也要相亲相爱】——番外原来天底下的掌权者们都喜欢开会，就连赫赫有名的“塔”也不例外。喻文州听了两个小时的老年人讲座，也有些控制不住地出神。叶修懒得管事情，一股脑都丢给现在的首席哨兵王杰希，自从内战胜利，他回到塔里就开始过着神出鬼没的散漫生活，大家对他头疼不已也没有办法，只能从底下打的小报告知道叶修又干了什么坏事。他最近好像开始对新人训练很感兴趣，没事就去晃两圈，美其名曰培育桃李，事实上小朋友们被闹得鸡飞狗跳的。于是今天的会议主题就是讨论年轻战士们的教育问题，当然，大家心照不宣，应该是如何在叶修的插手下，规范教育年轻战士——别让他们也学坏了。不知道为什么，喻文州一个刚来塔里没多久的人，莫名其妙就被安上了首席向导的头衔。那玩意就是个虚名，听上去很威风，每天都要管一大堆琐事。上面对此的解释是，之前的首席向导在内战开始时就牺牲了，后来迟迟没有合适的人选，大家也专注在与白色恐怖的抗争中拖延了这件事。虽然喻文州没有在塔里的生活经验，但是他很聪明资质又好，正巧可以试一试云云。总之说了一大堆官话，喻文州性格温和，便答应下来。至于变成首席向导后的实际麻烦，都是后来慢慢浮现的，幸好王杰希也是个能干而稳重的正经人，那些麻烦只是让喻文州忙碌了点，并没出什么别的问题。喻文州曾经问过，为什么不能让王杰希的向导来坐这个位置，如果首席哨兵和向导是配对的，显然在默契和合作上更有效率，然而王杰希说…… “他，嗯，最近出去了。” 很少见到王杰希有点尴尬的样子，喻文州一时好奇起来，他对那位向导还是有点印象的，冷静从容，擅长治疗，是个非常出色的向导，毕竟王杰希的精神轨迹错乱缤纷，非常难抓，一般的向导根本碰都碰不到。 “他出去是有事要办？” 不是，王杰希停顿了一下，“他说想去周游世界。” ……好，好的，喻文州望望窗外，若无其事结束了这段对话。现在王杰希就坐在他的左手边，一整个会议圆桌坐了十几个人，开了这么久会也没讨论出什么东西来，叶修那个人，大家又不是第一天认识了，要是能有办法还能等到今天。于是和过去的几次会议一样，那几个老头子又看着王杰希，王杰希严谨地说，会多加注意，多去新人区看看，喻文州也同样表示了一下，然后毫无新意地就这么散会了。回到宿舍，喻文州推开门，意外地发现黄少天正坐在沙发上看电视。 “你回来了？今天不是要去给新人做指导？” “有叶修在还做什么啊，妈的还拿我做反面教材，又不敢跟我打一场！” 黄少天一脸忿忿，喻文州笑着揉了揉他的头发，去厨房烧水：“你别理他，他是闲的呢，明天我和王杰希也要去看看。” 黄少天好像嘟囔了句什么，没有再说话。等喻文州泡了一杯芳香四溢的花茶出来，才意识到黄少天有点不对劲。虽然电视在他对面开着，他却心不在焉似的，随手将手里的小木块扔出去，蹲在旁边的花豹窜过去咬住它，兴致勃勃送回黄少天手里，然而过了一会，黄少天又将木块丢出去，小花豹又把它捡回来，如此反复。喻文州哭笑不得，放下杯子：“你把它当狗吗。” 黄少天怏怏地哼了一声，阴沉地缩在沙发里没有说话，但是手上的动作也没停。喻文州明白过来，其实根本不是什么指导新人的事。黄少天最近在学习精神意识，一般强大的哨兵都会在精神结合后开始学习精神攻击和精神屏障，这是一个需要独立练习的过程，喻文州也帮不了他多少。而因为黄少天五感的敏感度在哨兵中都是顶级，在经受干扰器训练时是非常难受的。他们住在一起，房间里是没有任何白噪音装置的，如果喻文州不出手帮忙，黄少天要么承受痛苦，要么早日学会精神屏障。当然，这需要一段时间，再有天赋的哨兵也不可能在一夜之间学会。黄少天对自己的要求很严格，虽然喻文州不能帮他，但他还是觉得黄少天不需要那么自我逼迫，这样会使他情绪非常低落。终于在小花豹再一次将木块捡回面前的时候，喻文州看不下去了，伸出手将它捏过来。这只花豹从第一次见到喻文州的时候起就对他（的信息素）一往情深，每次触碰到喻文州都很开心，啃了一会他的手指又在他怀里打了个滚。喻文州笑着挠了挠它圆圆的耳朵，作为黄少天的精神体，它和主人还是非常相像的，总是精力饱满，神采奕奕。但是因为现在黄少天的状态非常不好，花豹的身体已经有些透明了——在结合之后两个人的精神链接异常坚固，精神体大多以实体出现，甚至不需要跟着他们出门，可以留在房间自己玩闹。喻文州放在膝盖上的手指轻轻敲了敲，一只雪貂突然出现在他肩膀上，蹭了蹭他的耳朵。 “陪它玩一会。”喻文州轻声说。雪貂跳下来，一口叼住小花豹的后颈，花豹竟然也没有挣扎，任由雪貂叼着自己灵活地跳到地上，一直跑到窗帘旁边的软垫子里才放下它，然后低下身和它趴在一起，柔软而长的身体将它半围起来。小花豹摆动了一下尾巴，和雪貂的缠在一起，张开短短四肢抱住它，打了个哈欠。喻文州转回头，看见黄少天耿耿于怀地盯着黏糊在一起的两只精神体，眼神里写满“老子这么苦逼兮兮的训练凭什么你在那天真烂漫”，喻文州笑了，站起身拉住他的手：“你也跟我来。” 趴在软垫上的雪貂安静地睁开眼睛，看见自己的主人拉着他的哨兵走进卧室，门“啪”地一声关起来。雪貂看不见他们在做什么，但是某种意义上来说，因为它是喻文州的精神体，所以不需要“看”也能知道他们在做什么，当然它只是知道，不等于理解。过了一会，显而易见地，身边花豹的身体重新变得颜色鲜艳起来，那种暖洋洋的感觉让它从睡梦中醒过来，迷迷糊糊地动了动身体。雪貂凑过去，伸出舌头舔了舔小花豹湿漉漉的鼻尖，小花豹笑嘻嘻地睁开眼睛，猛然翻身而起，将雪貂压在身下，趾高气扬又一脸得意地看着它。雪貂却没有在意，反而伸出前肢，挠了挠面前毛茸茸的肚皮。花豹胸腹部的斑纹已经不是太清晰了，是一种温暖而连贯的浅黄色。好像被摸得有些痒，它甩了下圆条形的尾巴，突然扑下去抱住雪貂，和它胡闹地滚作一团。这样又玩了半天，终于那扇关着的卧室门再次被打开，喻文州走出来，一边扯了扯歪掉的衣领，倒了一杯已经变得半温的花茶，又走进卧室，似乎模模糊糊地说了句：“要不要去洗澡？” 不知道里面又说了什么，过了一会，两个人一起走出来了，黄少天只套了条裤子，露出光裸而柔韧的上身，他却毫不在意，直接坐在沙发上，捞过一个抱枕，再次打开电视。小花豹睁着圆眼睛看了会他，跑过去咬了咬他挽起来的裤脚。 “行了不欺负你了。”黄少天懒洋洋地说，心情好像变好不少，脚背被花豹的爪子来回抓挠也无所谓，任由他玩，过了一会突然仰起头冲厨房的方向说，“我觉得明天可以拿新兵团试试，他们不是正好需要练练怎么抵抗精神攻击吗。” “也行啊，”喻文州应了一声，回到客厅在他身边坐下，“就是刚才那种感觉，你不是说你记住了？” ……靠，提起刚才，黄少天莫名其妙有些恼羞成怒，耳朵又红了，恶狠狠瞪了喻文州一眼。喻文州不以为然地笑了笑，靠进沙发里。因为一直的攻击也没回应，小花豹对黄少天腻味了，转身抓着喻文州的裤脚跳到他膝盖上，然后又想抓着他的衣襟跳到肩膀上，那里是它最喜欢的位置，有它最喜欢的喻文州的腺体。然而等它终于跳上去，用爪子拨开喻文州的衣领，却看到那里似乎有谁抢在它前面留下了一个新鲜出炉的痕迹。小花豹有些茫然地转了转眼睛，突然身子一轻，雪貂的尾巴缠过来，再次将它卷走了。 END
11048706	ihavenoidea	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": null, "Fandom": "noneisaidnone", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by YoshizillaRhedosaurus", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2016-05-30T00:00:00", "words": "35", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	"This story is doomed," said Fox sadly. He was right.“Oh No!” Knuckles The Echidna exclaimed as he was having a date with Ken Penders, both of them eating enchiladas at a nearby Taco Bell.
11092029	Its called a hustle	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Jeon Jungkook, Kim Taehyung \| V, Jung Hoseok \| J-Hope", "Fandom": "방탄소년단 \| Bangtan Boys \| BTS", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-05T00:00:00", "words": "1,354", "Additional Tags": "Zootopia!AU, Hybrids, Hybrid Kim Taehyung \| V, Hybrid Jeon Jungkook, Bunny Hybrid Jeon Jungkook, Crack", "Relationship": "Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung \| V", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Jungkook sighs, his grip on the case file he’s holding pulling tight. He can’t understand why the chief insists on treating him like he’s useless. Just because he’s a bunny doesn’t mean that he isn’t a good police officer. He’s gone through the same amount of training as everybody else here, passed the same tests and come out top of his class too. That should be enough proof for the chief to realize that Jungkook’s a good asset to the force. Apparently not though. Jungkook opens the file and scans the information inside, frowning at what he sees. A missing person report, one that has gone ignored for too long. Jungkook has three days to solve this if he doesn’t want to be kicked out of the police force, do alone what an entire police squad hadn’t managed to do in weeks. Jungkook shuts the file, determined.He isn’t going to let something as stupid as prejudice get in the way of his lifetime goal. He’s going to solve this case and bring this person back in one piece. He just needs to start looking for leads.Fortunately, he knows exactly where to begin too.*Jungkook hurries down the street, nose twitching in frustration when the fox he’s chasing after throws him a smirk over his shoulder and then turns a corner, completely ignoring him. “Hey, you,” he shouts. “Stop right there!”The fox stops, making Jungkook falter, not expecting the other man to actually do as told. He forces himself to snap out it and walks closer to him, arms crossed and chest puffed out so the other can see the shiny police badge attached proudly to his chest.“Yes, officer?” The fox smiles at him, easy and sharp enough to set Jungkook on edge. Jungkook swallows, trying not to stare at the way the man’s fluffy orange tail is swishing back and forth, almost mocking. “Is there a problem?” the fox asks, looking up at Jungkook through his lashes, face a mask of innocence. A facade, Jungkook knows, one he doesn’t buy it for a second.“I need to ask you some questions about a case,” he says, drawing himself up and willing his ears to stop twitching. He can do this. He’s trained for this, waited all his life for a chance like this one. Jungkook’s got this.“What, someone stole your carrots?” the man asks, tone teasing. Jungkook scowls at him, trying to fight off an embarrassed flush. The fox laughs at his expression, lips curling over pointed canines. Jungkook’s left foot starts tapping rapidly against the pavement; a nervous habit of his that he could never get completely rid off. The police academy certainly hadn’t trained him for this, he thinks dejectedly. Jungkook doesn’t know how to deal with cocky foxes who make a living out of scamming unsuspecting citizens, doesn’t even know where to begin. Still, there’s a life on the line here and Jungkook refuses to give in so easily.He opens his mouth to start asking the questions he needs answered, but the fox goes on talking before he can.“Whatever it is you think I did,” he says. “I assure I didn’t.” He smiles. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work.” The fox reaches out a hand and ruffles Jungkook’s hair, right between his ears. Jungkook fumes, swatting the offending hand away with his notebook.“It’s rude to touch a bunny’s ears,” he grunts out, patting his hair back in order and glaring at the fox. The other holds up his hand, palms out in a placating gesture. “Besides, I think your ten dollars worth of popsicles can wait.”The fox huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. “I make two hundred bucks a day,” he says, grinning down at Jungkook like the way he ripped people off was something to be proud of. “Pretty good deal, don’t you think?”Jungkook sighs. “Just look at the picture,” he asks, handing the fox the photo of the otter who had gone missing a few days ago, the case Jungkook is now responsible for. “You sold Mr. Jung one of your popsicles the other day, do you know him?”“I know everybody,” the fox answers, not even glancing at the picture. “I know that time is money too and you're wasting mine, so.” He shoots Jungkook a grin, kind of rectangular in shape. “I’ll see you around, officer.”Jungkook scowls. This fox is his only lead right now, the only chance he has of figuring out what happened to Jung Hoseok and proving himself a worthy asset to the police force. His only shot at stepping up from working the park meter. Jungkook is not going to let him slip away so easily.“I guess we’re going to have to do this the hard way,” he mutters, pocketing his notebook and cracking his knuckles. He stalks closer to the orange-haired man and clamps a hand down on his arm, forcing the fox to stop. “Kim Taehyung,” he says, snapping a pair of cuffs over the fox’s hand, who looks up at him in absolute surprise. “You’re under arrest.”“What?” he hisses, tugging at the cuffs. “Why?”“Tax evasion,” Jungkook answers and doesn’t bother to stop the smirk that shows on his face when he sees realization dawn on the fox. “200 hundred dollar a day for 356 days, that’s a lot of taxes and according to this-” Jungkook waves the tax declaration in the man’s face, pointing right a the big red zero stamped at the corner of the page “- you haven’t paid a single cent of it.”“I- I don’t, wait,” the fox flails around. “It’s still your word against mine.”“Actually,” Jungkook says and presses play on the recording machine that’s strapped to his uniform. The fox’s voice makes it way of the device, a recording of when he told Jungkook what he earned in a day, neatly and clearly giving himself away. The man’s expression falls even further. “It’s your word against yours.”“Now, if you want this recording back,” Jungkook goes on, feeling satisfaction crawl up his spine when he sees the fox’s ears twitch to attention. “You’re going to help me find this otter or I’m going to send you straight to jail, got it?”“Is this even legal?” Taehyung mutters dejectedly, orange ears hanging limply against his head, the tip of his tail almost touching the floor.“No,” Jungkook answers. “This is a hustle.”Taehyung lets out a surprised bark of laughter, though it looks like it pains him. He looks at Jungkook, head tilted to the side curiously. There’s something new in his gaze this time, interest maybe. Maybe something else.“You’re tougher than you look, officer,” he says and his eyes travel from the bottom of Jungkook’s feet to the top of his curly brown hair and then to his bunny ears. Jungkook’s nose twitches.“Yes, well, I have to be,” he mutters, uncuffing Taehyung’s hands and making sure to keep close to him so that the fox won’t get any ideas and try to sneak away.Taehyung hums, skipping in front of him and starting to walk backwards so he can keep looking at him. “Does this mean we’re partners now?” he asks.“In your dreams, maybe.” Jungkook snorts and reaches out to grab Taehyung by the arm and haul him away before the fox can go crashing into a light pole. “I just need a bit of help.”“Course,” Taehyung says, grinning at him brightly. “You’ll see, officer. I’ll be the most helpful assistant you’ll ever have to pleasure of working with.”Jungkook seriously doubts it. Taehyung doesn't seem like the most helpful anything. But he’s all Jungkook has right now, the only help he’s gonna get to solve this case and finally become a part of the police department, bunny or not. And maybe it won’t be so bad, he thinks as Taehyung shoots him another smile, brighter than the orange of his tail, and calls for Jungkook to hurry up. It’s certainly going to be a hell of an adventure.
11072343	Unexpected Futures	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Severus Snape, George Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Teddy Lupin, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Ginny Weasley, Pansy Parkinson", "Fandom": "Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by Mostly_Harmony", "chapters": "11/12", "completed": "", "published": "2019-04-18T00:00:00", "words": "31,477", "Additional Tags": "Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Muggle/Wizard Relations, Draco Malfoy in the Muggle World, Severus Snape Lives, Past Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, POV Alternating, Slow Burn, Slow Build", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Minor or Background Relationship(s)", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/F, F/M, M/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	For a moment Harry returned the kiss, riding on the surprise and elation of being alive. Her familiar lips felt comforting and soft... and all wrong. He pulled away as gently as he could and she laughed flushing. "Well done, Harry!" She beamed up at him, but Harry's distracted gaze was searching for Malfoy's pale face in the crowd. Their eyes had met only moments before. Malfoy's eyes - stormy grey and piercing - were turned away now. He was still standing with his parents but he had his back to Harry. Harry’s heart sank. That slim back looked suddenly like an impassable wall between them. He wanted to run after Malfoy, to check that he hadn't been hurt - that he hadn't seen Ginny kiss Harry so possessively. But he also wanted to fulfill the expectations of this roomful of people who had fought so bravely, and most of all he wanted some peace and quiet, to return for a moment to the Time Turner Room with Draco Malfoy. Taking a deep breath Harry slowly made his way through the crowds of people between him and the tall blonde he needed to speak to. Shaking hands, saying a word here or there. His progress was slow. By the time he made it to the side of the Great Hall where Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were seated... Draco was gone. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The days that followed the Battle of Hogwarts were a blur of constant activity. The repairs on the castle began right away; anyone who could be spared from other duties was conscripted. The damaged or dangerous sections of the castle were closed off until repairs could be attempted at a later date. The castle, which was usually shifting and moving its staircases, had gone still. This gave it an eerie feel. Professor McGonagall said she believed it would be in a state of hibernation until it was made whole again, but she admonished them all to be exceedingly cautious nevertheless. They moved about in pairs completing tasks from a large, ever changing list of tasks that hovered in the Great Hall. Hermione and George carefully made a map that marked out all the restricted sections and labelled the newly assigned dorms and staff residences. It was modelled on the Marauder’s Map but contained none of the spellwork. The map was distributed to everyone. There was no longer any secrecy between houses. The remaining students were housed in Hufflepuff because it had sustained no damage. Volunteers were staying in Gryffindor and the staff had all moved down into Slytherin House because their rooms had been in the section of Hogwarts that was completely destroyed. The Ministry of Magic ran on a skeleton staff. The WWN and the Prophet shut down entirely pending an internal review, and Luna Lovegood took over the task of printing current events in a short paper entitled Nargle News. Luna was the only member of Dumbledore's Army to return home the day after the Battle. Xenophilius had come out of Azkaban a broken man. He sat in a rocking chair in the circular kitchen painted with flowers, bugs, and birds in bright blue, yellow and red. His eyes gazed vacantly, and the only words he seemed able to say were Yes, No, and Luna. When anyone suggested that maybe he should go to St Mungos Luna would stare at them with unearthly blue eyes. "Healing is found in kitchens, not hospitals." She would say. Then shake out her long white blonde hair, causing the tiny golden bells strung through it to tinkle, and walk calmly away. Luna had managed to repair the wrought-iron spiral staircase, the first floor of their home, and the old printing press. She sectioned off the top half of their house and matter of factly settled in to the task of caring for her father, and printing unbiased news stories. To everyone's surprise, she invested heavily in fact-based articles. Other than one small section demarcated by a plain black box, headed "Interesting but UnVerified", in which would inevitably be a picture of an other-worldy creature and some speculations on its habits and hiding places. For every other story, Luna expected anyone who wanted to send an article in, to back up their claims with either Pensieve memories or Veritaserum, that she had aquired from (former) Headmaster Snape. When questioned about this policy she responded in an airy voice. "Oh, it's just that Nargles do love to confuse people, it's best to have events corroborated by unbiased witnesses if we're going to call them news..." Her voice would drift off slowly, but she would often include a pat on the hand and the assurance that if an article was succinct enough she would be more than happy to print it in the Interesting but UnVerified section, without testing the story's veracity. For the first time, others were reading the insightful and carefully reasoned analysis Luna produced, that only her professors had ever been privy to in the past. "Oh yes," Professor Flitwick answered proudly, when Ernie MacMillan questioned him about whether Luna had always written this way. "Her assignments were always unusual, but very precise and well thought out." Luna seemed oblivious to the significance that her little newspaper had to the Wizarding community. Her first issue, including an interview Harry, Ron, and Hermione, had been sold out within an hour. Many had framed the article with the photo she'd included, of them looking exhausted but self assured and relaxed, as they walked out of the Great Hall one sunny afternoon. --- “There is no traced-out path to lead man to his salvation; he must constantly invent his own path. But, to invent it, he is free, responsible, without excuse, and every hope lies within him.” - Sartre --- Draco wasn't sure how long he slept, after arriving at the London townhouse. It could have been five hours or twenty five, but when he woke he found Mathilde sitting by his bed, in her hospital scrubs, reading quietly. He sat slowly as she looked him over, at the bruises and bloody cuts he had forgotten to heal. "Ngeerk came to get me. I take it your family found you?" Draco nodded, this was as succinct a story as any, and legitimately true besides, even if it was misleading. Mathilde's calm eyes blurred slightly as she blinked tears away. "Well. That's that then. I'm glad you made it back here. I'll look into an online course for you to start. Maybe a university entrance preparatory course... they are usually for mature age students, but Eilis and I are both alumni of prestigious colleges... we know who to speak to..." Her voice became choked. "I'll go and let Eilis and Marcie know that we're having a special Welcome Home dinner for you tonight..." She hugged Draco close gently, and all the emotions pent up within him exploded into another shaking storm of tears.--- His days quickly fell into a routine. The three women left for work and school early in the morning and he was free to do as he pleased until their return when he was wrapped in their music, friendship, and enthusiasm for life. On the day he was due to meet with his family he woke up to notice that the two owls who had been hanging around the power lines in their street had been joined by six others. It was getting ridiculous. He Apparated into Magical London and set out for the Mail Redirection Service.A plump witch, in fuscia robes that clashed awfully with the redness of her cheeks, purred a greeting when she saw him. "Why, young Mister Malfoy! What a pleasure! What can I do for you today?" By this he surmised that the story of his Dark-Lord-Avoiding, Muggle-and-Elf-loving Hufflepuffian sojourn had spread far and wide."I'd like to redirect my mail to a safe box here thanks. You can write a standard reply that can be sent back to any correspondents. Something along the lines of --- I'm receiving a lot of mail and will contact you if I wish to speak you."The witch tittered. "Oooh I'm sure we can phrase it a touch more politely, dear." As she handed him the necessary forms. When he returned them promptly she looked at him in surprise. "But you haven’t filled out the list of exceptions young sir.""I'm aware of that. There are no exceptions. I'm living with Muggles..." She looked delighted at this tidbit "...and I will come here to collect any mail that could be important."--- The hours he spent at the solicitors were exhausting but satisfying. He had made plans to have lunch with his parents at the Leaky Cauldron every Thursday. He assured them that he had no need of the Manor, or the summer home in Brighton where they were currently based. Their disappointment was plain but soon forgotten in the midst of their shock at his suggestions of the actions they should take. After much negotiation, he had their agreement on most particulars and they had drafted letters to a number of people. Andromeda Tonks Nee Black was made an offer of one quarter of the Malfoy fortune in order to create a Foundation aiding victims and orphans of war. Rita Skeeter was sent a proposal outlining the opportunity for someone ambitious to establish a Wizarding Library and Museum in the former Malfoy Manor. The Office of Retail, Business and Production was sent an application for the establishment of a Clothing and Music brand that would highlight the way that Muggle and Wizarding style could coexist. Three Gryffindor students, the Patil twins and Lavender Brown, were sent letters expressing an interest in their contributions to a new line of Wizarding fashion once they finished their NEWTs. The elves at the Manor would be offered three choices: to become Free Elves of the Manor, to serve the Malfoys in Brighton, or to be Free Elves of the Fashion Industry. This proposal was very carefully worded to appeal to the Elvish value system according to all that Draco had learned of House Elf culture in the Hogwarts kitchens. He felt moderately confident that a good number would choose to continue their work at the Manor, an adventurous few would want to work in Fashion and those who were particularly attached to the Senior Malfoys would go to Brighton. Draco’s final task before returning home was to go to Gringotts and finalise the banking arrangements for these various ventures. Seeing an ad for Nargle News with unusual stipulations, he drew out the memory of the solicitors office and the bank, and stopped at the Mail Redirection Service on his way home with a letter for Luna Lovegood.--- Unbeknownst to him, Draco’s fame rocketed several weeks later, when the fifth issue of the Nargle News printed a story on the Malfoy's new direction following the war. By the time the first new edition of the Prophet went to the press a few days later, they had found enough information for him to feature alongside the Chosen One in an article on the front page. When he found out, on his way to lunch with his parents, about his new status as the Slytherin Prince who Saw the Light, he snorted and dropped the paper into a bin without a second glance. Thus action elicited plenty of gossip in itself. The following Witch Weekly cover was a surprisingly beautiful photo of Draco Malfoy, his Muggle clothes accentuating his long slim body, his jacket open, his short hair artfully mussed in a slight breeze. He was stepping under the sign for the Leaky Cauldron looking down at the Prophet with a haughty look of derision, and a curl of his elegant lips, before dropping it into the nearby rubbish barrel. As he stepped through the door his startling grey eyes caught on the photographer and he gave a sardonic smile. When he was next at the Mail Redirection Office, he signed her WW copy with a bored flourish and rifled through a large box of mail. He tore open a few letters and dropped them back in the box, barely read. "Could you add to the standard reply that business related mail can be directed to my Solicitors? Feel free to dispose of these." He waved a hand over the box and turned away but the witch jumped up in consternation. "But Sir!" She called after him, snatching three letters out of a special compartment. "You didn't see these?" Draco nodded a little impatiently, "Yes. You sent the standard response am I right?" "Well, yes, but..." "Excellent." Her hands fluttered anxiously, "...but they're from Harry Potter sir!" Draco slid out the glass doorway. "Don't forget to add the note about my Solicitors in future!" He called back, and disappeared down the street.However, when he noticed a discarded copy of an earlier Witch Weekly at the Apparition point, he snatched it up and took it with him. At home in his room he sat down and pulled the magazine out of his pocket. The front cover was a photo of Potter that someone enterprising had managed to take of him while he hovered in the air, his broom clasped between his legs. He had a look of intense concentration on his face as he cast a spell at a crumbling third story window. As it began to reknit itself he looked down at someone in the distance and a breathtaking smile broke over his face. Every time Draco watched the loop he felt that smile like a punch in the stomach; like being simultaneously frozen and warmed down to his toes. After a few moments he slid the magazine into his disillusioned top drawer with shaking hands.--- On Draco’s visit to Diagon Alley the following week he was pleased to see Ollivander's shop had reopened and he rushed in to procure a new wand. The relief and joy he felt with a working wand in his hand reminded him why he could not fully leave the Wizarding world. Olivander was seated as he watched his assistant prepare the bill for Draco. The wand that chose him was an unusual one, made from Eucalyptus Papuana wood, with a core of braided Manticore mane. Draco smiled softly as Olivander explained that the Eucalyptus Papuana was more commonly known as a Ghost Gum, an evergreen tree native to Central Australia "I made that wand many years ago when an Australian wandmaker visited me here with a gift of that pale wood. I think of it as my Ghost Wand. I hope it does well for you young man."Before he left, Draco bent down by the old man's chair and spoke in a low voice. "I know that an apology is of very little use. But I want you to know that it pains me deeply to think that you suffered incarceration in my childhood home." ---"And certainly we should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality. It cannot lead, it can only serve; and it is not fastidious in its choice of a leader." - Albert Einstein ---Severus Snape shifted painfully so that his legs hung over the side of the bed, and pulled himself to standing. His body shook with the effort of the action and his hands clenched in frustration."Good, good! Perfect!" Cooed the little woman wearing green healer robes. "It is far from. Perfect. Robson." He growled savagely, but she just tutted at him and threw him a blinding smile. He swore under his breath; this woman smiled more in a one hour session than he could imagine smiling in a lifetime. She had faint lines at the corners of her eyes and mouth that remained even if her face was still. Taking four monumentously difficult steps, he collapsed into the chair by the window with the exhaustion of a man in his hundreds, rather than his early forties. Healer Robson commented, with her perpetual grin. "It's a good thing using magic doesn't wear you out this much, or I'd have to be here 24/7!" Severus grimaced at the thought, he was startled to feel his chair levitate gently into the air. "Now, how about you have some time in the sitting room? A change of scene is always welcome." She grasped the back of the armchair and pushed it easily out of the room. The Slytherin common room had undergone something of a transformation since becoming the Staff Lounge. It was still a long, low underground room but the rough stone walls were whitewashed in a cheerful ivory and warm yellow lights dotted the ceiling. A fire blazed under the original elaborately carved mantelpiece, but the green high backed chairs were gone and instead there were soft couches in earthy colours clustered around low polished tables where red and purple tea pots and cups were scattered. Potted plants lent vibrant splashes of colour to the room but the biggest change was in the central window. Instead of being a view deep murky green of the lake like the other two windows, it had been charmed to look out over the grounds of Hogwarts, as though one was sitting on the front steps.It was here that Healer Robson left him, seated by the window admonishing as she left, "don't try to levitate yourself back into your room, that's a sure way to get an injury. I'll ask someone to help you in about an hour."Severus heaved a sigh, and summoned himself a hot cup of tea, splashing a some on his robes as he did so, which did little to improve his mood. He honestly had not expected to survive this war, and being on this side of it was unsettling. His whole self had been crafted to maintain an image that made espionage possible. He wasn't sure he knew himself without it.He was watching out the window when Healer Robson emerged from the castle on her way to the Apparition point. Another lanky figure with startling red hair was ascending the stairs and she stopped him with a hand on his arm. Her pretty face was lit from the afternoon sun as she made a request of George Weasley and then scurried down the steps. Severus felt himself tense.George looked equally grim for a moment before disappearing out of sight.In the post-war climate Severus had found himself disconcerted so many people treating him with a respect that bordered on reverence, considering the many distasteful things that he had done in Voldemort’s service. One of the few who still treated him without a shred of respect or interest was George Weasley, and Severus found this fact to be pleasantly stabilising. George's room was next door to his in the staff lodgings, as Minerva had suggested they offer him a temporary position as the DADA professor once the school resumed classes.Severus had been surprised at George's acceptance of the offer, but perhaps it was the prospect of returning to his work at the joke shop without his twin that underpinned his decision more than any desire to teach. The families of the dead had chosen to bury their loved ones on school grounds, creating a Graveyard of the Fallen, around Dumbledore's tomb. It was rumoured that George spent most of his free moments there, sitting by his brother's grave. Not that Severus paid attention to gossip in general, but this seemed accurate.He was therefore surprised to see the tall auburn-haired man enter the Staff Lounge and flop onto a couch with his eye on Severus. "So. You had enough sunshine yet Prof?" he asked wearily. If Severus had been a dog, his hackles would have risen, "I have no need. Of your assistance Weasley. Please continue about. Your own business. Leave me to mine," he did his best to snap, though the effect was somewhat lessened by his still healing vocal chords.George merely shrugged, tugging a Herbologist Monthly magazine off the coffee table, "I'm under strict orders, we can't have the Stalwart Snape injuring himself by attempting to move from room to room." Severus' glare bounced off him, "Do not. Refer to me. By such --- ridiculous epithets."George flashed an intense look at him, turning so that the hole where his ear had been was facing Severus. "Would you prefer Severus the Venturesome? Or the Stout-hearted Slytherin?" He was grinning now at the display of displeasure that Severus didn't hold back. "Oh I've got more... how about Superhuman? No? Stupendous? Valiant Sev? Dauntless? ...though I can't think of an alliteration for that one.""Surprised. The word 'think'. Is in. Your vocabulary.""True, I am more about action than contemplation.." he stopped suddenly, looking to the side as though he had expected Fred to be there to complete his sentences. The grief that slid over his face in that moment, punched into that softening area in Severus' psyche where he was attempting to leave space for 'feelings'."Very well. Act then!" He said crossly to distract himself, "Robson levitates. The chair."George shook off his melancholy and threw him a mischievous look. "Oh no! That doesn't seem at all the thing. An elegant damsel in distress such as yourself." Without warning he felt a lightening charm shiver over his body and George darted over, lifting him with one muscular arm under his knees and the other at his back. "There now Darling the Dauntless, rest your head against my chest so I may carry you over the threshold of your boudoir."Severus was tense with mortification, his body motionless at the first human embrace he had received in... in... many, many years. Even the healers used their wands to assess him, there was no need for touch. His nerves were on end and tingling with the contact. George grinned at him savagely as he placed him on the bed. "If it wasn't that you have got this already," he feathered a touch over the gruesome scar that had formed on his neck over the site of the snakebite, "I'd take off one of your ears too." He left without a backward glance.Severus sat frozen, then began to tremble slightly. He could still feel the firm pressure of George's chest and arms, the puffs of another's breath on his cheeks, the searing sensation of fingers on his scar.---Draco had been very surprised to find that his flippant and spontaneous application to become a WWN radio host had been accepted. He was offered a number of timeslots but he settled on weekdays at 3pm so he wouldn't have to explain his absence to everyone at home.He had realised that Muggle phonographic records would play on Wizarding record players, regardless of the magical wards over a building; so before his first shift, he took a stack of Muggle money to a store he found on the Maps App on his phone. The retail assistants stared at him in shock as he proceeded to purchase one copy of every vinyl they had in stock. He ended up with several large unweidly boxes full, and had to make a few trips to an out of the way back alley to shrink them enough to fit in his pockets, but it was one of the most satisfying purchases of his life. By then he was running out of time and had to Apparate directly to the Studio and play a selection of songs at random. The show passed quickly. He found a rythym, flicking a new record onto two waiting players while the first one finished. Chatting into the microphone like he was talking to Marcie over the phone... with a lot more references to wizards and witches. The studio was a pleasant room with warm globes of light hovering in the air and several sky lights interspersed between.His producer had urged him to listen to the recording of his first few shows to get an idea of how he came across On Air.As he spun himself in the chair listening... he realized with a dawning horror that his apparently random decisions about what to play... had turned into some kind of subconscious love song to Harry Fucking Potter.Admittedly they had listened to a lot of music in their twenty four hours in the Time Turner Room, but all of these songs had played at significant moments; Draco sank back in despair as he realised the last song he played had been the one they were listening to during their first kiss."Fuck" he said to the empty room, "I need to plan tomorrow's show." It was unlikely that Potter was listening this time, and if he was careful, this subconscious letter-writing wouldn't happen again. He suddenly felt very tired. The only way he had managed to bury all his thoughts about Potter, was under a mountain of study and activity. Trying to learn all he needed to be a viable Muggle University entrant was challenging enough, but added to his attempts to make a place for himself in the Wizarding world, it was enough frenzied busyness to occupy his mind day and night.And yet, somehow Harry Potter's face, or body, or voice, seemed to creep into the corners of his mind, tinged with longing. To have thoughts and memories about Potter was disconcerting enough, let alone having... feelings. That was unconscionable.He simply couldn't allow it.---Working at WWN every day meant a solid dose of Wizarding media as there was always a fresh copy of the Daily Prophet, the Nargle News and Witch Weekly. Of the monthly magazines that were available, Draco prefered the Potions and Quidditch ones. Not that he foresaw a future for himself in either field, but it was interesting and held his attention easily.It was therefore impossible to miss the anouncement that all Seventh Year Hogwarts students were invited back to sit their NEWT examinations at the end of the school year regardless of whether they returned to Hogwarts for the Special Term. If they wished to complete their study by distance they would be sent owls regarding the content that was required learning, but could be studied individually, or with private tutors.Draco was musing on this when he arrived home from Diagon Alley. No-one else was home yet, so he went to the kitchen to begin preparing dinner. For some reason, cooking the Muggle way hadn't really clicked for him. Which was strange because he really enjoyed Potions which was much the same thing in his opinion. He was determined to master a few dishes at least so tonight he was cutting onions and crushing garlic for a spaghetti bolognese when Marcie arrived. "My dance teacher is a sadist!" She moaned dropping her bag on the floor and tumbling onto one of the barstools at the island bench. Draco continued chopping methodically as she continued her familiar Wednesday evening rant about the Devil who Didn't Wear Prada...Her voice became lost in a flurry of activity as the other two ladies arrived home and began helping to finish off dinner, and settle at the table. Ngeerk squawked angrily when Draco insisted he leave the power points alone and he had to cast a discreet repelling charm on the cords to keep the cockatoo away. Thankfully minimal levels of magic didn't seem to affect appliances. As the conversation washed over him Draco was struck again by how much the Statute of Secrecy kept him from truly being able to share life with these women, who he trusted more than anyone in the world. For a moment he was tempted by a pressing urge to brandish his wand, levitate everything in the room, and pour out the whole truth to then. Something had to be done."I've met with my parents," he blurted out, and three faces went pale with shock. He held up a hand, "it's okay. We met at the solicitors office. They've given me my inheritance... and they won't try to force me to go home.""Oh, Dre!" Marcie squealed, "Does that mean you don't have to hide anymore??""Draco! Why didn't you ask one of us to go with you? Eilis or I could have taken a day off work." Mathilde said at the same time.Eilis just darted over and squeezed him so tightly that his breath constricted, her short dark hair brushing his face. "I'm so pleased for you Draco, that's wonderful!"Draco smiled at the three of them, "It's quite a big inheritance actually... do you think you could help me look for a flat to buy?" ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- You’re dripping like a saturated sunrise You’re spilling like an overflowing sink You’re ripped at every edge but you’re a masterpiece And now i’m tearing through the pages and the ink ~ HALSEY--- Harry was working with George on the stairs to the former Gryffindor common room. There were several areas where spell damage was causing the marble to soften and ooze like rotting meat. It had taken the better part of the morning to figure out an effective counter curse, but after lunch it was a slow but straightforward job make their way up the stairs now fixing it as they went. George had managed to hover a Radio behind them that had blared out WWN for the past hour. It was fairly standard Weird Sisters songs and the few other wizarding bands, but Lee Jordan had been given a job as one of the new presenters and it was nice to hear his voice on the air. As Lee signed off from his shift there was the briefest pause, and then a song in a competely different style began to play.As he listened Harry felt his hand tightening on his wand. The song took him back to the sunset in the Time Turner Room. George had stopped and stared at the Wireless with a puzzled and curious look on his face.You were a vision in the morning when the light came through I know I’ve only felt religion when i’ve lied with you You said you’ll never be forgiven till your boys are too And I’m still waking every morning but it’s not with you As the song ended, a familar posh voice began to speak, and had he not been gripping his wand so tightly it would have crashed to the floor."Well, that was a song by a Muggle artist called Halsey.... entitled...well... she would say the title is 'colors'." Malfoy's voice was disparaging for a moment, "However, she does not know the Wizarding world's love for titles of five words or more. So we shall forgive her for that, shan't we? As will be obvious to any of you who were listening, the title of that track is Dripping Like a Saturated Sunrise. And you're listening to WWN --- the 3 O'Clock show with Draco Malfoy. The next song I have for you may appeal to those who prefer the Wizarding band Strange Magic... though of course, like most things musical, the Muggle band Bring Me the Horizon is far superior. This is the song they call Don't Go, but obviously the true title is Took a Boy to the Forest... In fact, I'm not going to tell you the Muggle titles anymore, only the more accurate ones. If you truly feel the need to know feel free to write in to WWN... and for Merlin’s sake do not write to me. I don't read letters."And abruptly the next song began. Harry stood completely still. Knowing that George was looking at him strangely but as he strained to hear every word in the new song he couldn't help but feel that this was all directed at him.I was raised in the valley, there was shadows and death Got out alive but with scars I can't forget This kid back in school, subdued and shy An orphan and a brother and unseen by most eyes I don't know what it was that made a piece of him die Took a boy to the forest, slaughtered him with a scythe Stamped on his face, an impression in the dirt Do you think the silence makes a good man convert? We all have our horrors and our demons to fight But how can I win when I'm paralyzed? They crawl up on my bed, wrap their fingers round my throat Is this what I get for the choices that I made? If I let you in, you'd just want out If I tell you the truth, you'd vie for a lie If I spilt my guts, it would make a mess we can't clean up If you follow me, you will only get lost If you try to get closer, we'll only lose touch Draco continued to chatter briefly between songs in a completely casual and unrehearsed way, and yet somehow managed to fit in double the music that other shows would include. George was still sending Harry sideways glances but he didn't speak until the hour ended and Celestina Warbuck began warbling. George cast a silencing charm at the Wireless."Seems like Malfoy is a bit of a natural on the radio? I wouldn't be surprised if they have an increase in listeners during his time slot."Harry only grunted, he was still processing what he had heard. Certain phrases stood out in his mind as though Malfoy had whispered in them in his ear... "Yeah, it was pretty interesting how quickly they donated the Manor for that library/museum thing. I can't imagine what it would have taken to get Lucius Malfoy to agree to something like that...""...nearly losing his son I think... I mean, probably losing the war played a part. But at the end there all he cared about was Dra--..Malfoy."George had stopped pretending to work and came to stand beside him, swinging a kind arm around his shoulders. "Harry. You can call him Draco when you talk to me." Harry frowned at him and tried to mutter something nonsensical like "dunno what you mean"."I'm not a moron Harry. If you don't want other people to know how you feel about Malfoy... well here's a piece of advice, go jerk off in your room between 3 and 4 every day. It would be less obvious."Harry burst out laughing but nodded, "point taken... I ah, it's complicated..."George emitted an amused noise, "I can imagine," he said kindly, "I love a good joke, Harry, so be sure to let me know when this is public knowledge because I'm going to have a field day..."Harry sighed heavily, "to be honest... I'm not sure if that will ever... but yeah... I will... tell you that is..."George laughed heartily, "Merlin! You've got it bad, mate! I hope I'm never taken in by a pointy face and an acidic personality; sounds like hell on earth... Okay, I can see Ginny coming... try to string a sentence together, mate, alright? You've been clear with her about being broken up still, but if you keep going tongue tied around her all the time, I reckon she'll think she still has a chance, and it's just some kind of martyr thing keeping you apart, okay?" He murmured the last few sentences into Harry's ear, and then ran forward to tackle his sister, scrubbing at her hair while she punched him...--- After the "touching" incident Severus was determined not to be at risk of someone carrying him, ever again. He stayed in his room for the next few days alternating between short walks across the room and intervals of rest. His body was screaming with the effort but it seemed to be working. Pressed into service, his muscles regained their strength. He refused to leave his rooms again until he could walk to the lounge on his own. It was uncomfortable using elimination spells rather than going to the bathroom, but it was certainly effective, and conserved time and energy needed for walking practice.After two days of seclusion he had just finished a lap of the room and was sitting on his bed breathing heavily when the door to his room slammed open, despite the locking spell, and George Weasley stood outlined by the light of the hallway."Now, now, Brave Sev... it won't do for you to hide away in here. No-one has seen you in days apparently."Severus just glared at him whilst mulling over the various privacy spells he could use to make his door impassable."See here," George said conversationally, entering the room in one long stride and seating himself on the desk, "I happened to run into Peeves this morning and when I asked him why he wasn't down here terrorizing Professor Snape, he said... Now prepare yourself, this is quite shocking. He said you were a War Hero," George's face twisted in distaste, "and he couldn't annoy you! If you can believe it!! I'll pretty sure the only other person who was exempt from being annoyed by that airborne menace, was Dumbledore."Severus sighed, "And what. Mr Weasley. Is the point?""Well," said George brightly, "if even Peeves refuses to create havoc and distress in your life, I guess it will be my job for now, until all this War Hero business settles down I mean.""Mr. Weasley---""No need to thank me Sev, your disgruntled and sour face is quite enough of a reward." He jumped up and headed for the door, "I think Fred would be very pleased with this arrangement, don't you?"---From then on, George made sure to pop into Severus' routine at odd moments throughout the day to do random irritating things, like spelling his ink pink, or sticking his books to the ceiling, or simply bumping and knocking into things around him.Severus was surprised to find that the more irritated he was, the more relaxed George's expression would become. As though there was a small transfer to Severus of the general angst hovering over George Weasley. Lying in bed one night, hearing some sonorous knocks and taps through the wall to George's room, Severus wondered if all this mischievous and ridiculous behaviour actually bothered him. He was surprised to find that the irritating tapping sound was somehow soothing. It meant that he was not alone. That someone knew him and disliked him and wasn't attempting to disguise their dislike out of deference for his true allegiances during the war.So when George approached him as he drank coffee by a window in the Staff Lounge he found himself almost looking forward to whatever interaction was about to occur. Whatever his inner feelings on the subject, he maintained a scowl as George threw himself into the arm chair directly opposite him, jostling his knees with his long legs until Severus moved his own feet out of the way on a bit of an awkward angle. George slumped down in the seat and summoned the coffee out of Severus' hands. Warming it in his own hands and ignoring Severus' annoyed huff, he took a sip and nodded contemplatively... "mmm, straight and black... two things that quite describe you wouldn't you say, Brave Sev... Do you mind if I just call you B.S. for short?"He summoned himself milk and sugar to add to the cup and then continued to drink it nonchalantly while Severus stood to pour himself a new coffee. "I take it you figured out... some Muggle slang. Mr. Weasley."George grinned briefly, "It's quite an elegant, non-threatening way of saying bullshit, isn't it? Though you are quite threatening and not very elegant, so I suppose it is a little inadequate.""You find me threatening?" Severus' speech was coming much easier and more smoothly these days, but his voice still had a tendency to catch in the middle of longer sentences. George smirked, "not me of course, but in general, you know," he waved a slim freckled hand, "with all the lurking, and scowling, and bat-like costumery.""These are robes. Not a costume." snapped Severus. "Coulda fooled me. Next week the special term starts huh, you'll be able to sit back up at the staff table terrifying first years to your heart's content... Can't believe you've resigned as Headmaster though. Such an opportunity! Your reign of terror could have continued you know, the Board of Governers seem to feel quite indebted to you? Or did you decide that it wouldn't be as fun now that unforgivables aren't allowed again?"Severus had pointedly kept his gaze towards the window during this monologue. Even if it was refreshing to be treated normally by someone, the allusions to things he'd had to do during the war still smarted. "You realize that when the students return. And you are an honorary professor," he made sure to say this with as much dripping disdain as he could manage in his husky new voice, "you may have to stop. Acting the recalcitrant teen.""Oh I see no need for that. What we do in our private time is surely our own business..."George's eyelashes were such a pale red that they were nearly blonde, his hair was nearly at his shoulders and long strands had been bleached by his time in the sun, repairing the outer walls of the castle. Severus wasn't sure why these details seemed important. "Well. There is little time for privacy. Or your own time. In the teaching semester. I wish you luck." Rising from his chair Severus managed to smile at the thought of George managing the hormonal rabble in the DADA classroom. He felt a surge of satisfaction at the brief look of uncertainty on young Weasley's face.He rarely had the upperhand in these encounters, but it seemed that a pleasant smile might be an appropriate weapon.---"I know the pieces fit 'cause I watched them fall away. Mildewed and smoldering. Fundamental differing. Pure intention juxtaposed Will set two lovers souls in motion Disintegrating as it goes testing our communication" - TOOL 'Schism' ---Teddy Lupin had only been a few days old when his parents were killed. Whenever Harry held his fragile little body he was reminded that at least he had his parents for that first year. Even if he didn't remember it, it seemed important, formative. Harry had not seen him much in those first few months while Hogwarts was being rebuilt. Now that school had started back, he had moved back to Grimmauld Place and was able to see Teddy every day. Andromeda was increasingly busy with the Foundation For the Victims of War, or FFVW. She was having to leave Teddy with Kreacher more and more as she attended meetings and organised various functions. Admittedly Kreacher made sure that Teddy was safe, clean and fed. But watching him wave a bottle of milk into the crib, Harry felt somewhere instinctively that this wasn't how his parents had cared for him. And he doubted that Lupin or Tonks would have been so distant and practical either.It was clear that Andromeda loved Teddy deeply but she seemed unable to fully enjoy him. Whereas, for Harry, holding the chubby warm body was like a balm for all the fear and exhaustion that he had lived with his whole life. In his first week back at Grimmauld Place he was rocking Teddy gently in the sitting room that Lupin and Tonks had favoured, when Molly Weasley bustled through the floo. She tugged a large basket with her and sat down on a couch with a murmured sigh, "Hello, Harry, you've got Teddy today have you?" "Hey Mrs. Weasley, Andromeda is at the opening of the children's Mental Health wing at St Mungos." Molly looked at him seriously, "Harry... I want you to know... I think she is considering having Teddy adopted out. She doesn't feel up to raising another child, I don't think she particularly enjoyed being a stay at home mum when Dora was little... some personalities just aren't suited to the, well, dullness mixed with busyness I guess..."Harry was staring from her with his heart pounding, "...but, who? Are they family? Will they really be the best...""The only family I know of who are likely to take him, being a werewolf's son and all, are the Pearsons. Jenny Pearson is quite happy at home and they've already got 5 kids so they say one more won't make much of a difference." She sighed again, heavily this time. "It's not ideal, I admit, but it's probabaly better than being raised by a house-elf and a distant Grandma.." "I'll take him." "Harry..." "Seriously! I want to! He needs... he needs a Dad at least!" Molly eyes were compassionate, "you are very young Harry. There is so much you could do..." "My parents weren't that much older when they had me, you weren't very old when you had Bill right?" She was watching him consideringly, "it's true. I was only nineteen. But I've been particularly suited to home-making. I've had many friends who found it so frustrating and tiring that the rewards were hard for them to see..." "I can do it" Harry said fiercely, and then more softly, entreating, "you'd support me wouldn't you? You'd be like, his other grandparents?"Molly's eyes filled with tears, "Of-course Harry, if that's what you really wanted. We will always support you as a son. I just want you not to be reckless. This isn't something that you can give up when it's too hard..." "And when have I ever done that? I knew I was going to DIE and I still did what I needed to. I can do this Molly."Wiping her eyes she nodded briskly, "well, to be honest, I thought you were going to say these things. You can talk to Andromeda about the legal guardianship issues, I will help with everything else. And she reached into her bag and drew out three thick books entitled, "Baby and Child Rearing", "The First Year" and "Witchlings and Wizardlets". Then she pulled out a stack of colourful toys and picture books, followed by a small mountain of baby clothes, a pram, a hammock and a box of carefully labelled Potions. Finally she lifted up a long piece of fabric, "Now, when my babies were little, I found that they always wanted to be close. So I carried them in this," she twisted and turned the fabric to create a little baby size pouch against her chest. At Harry's mystified look, she smiled, "I'll show you how my dear. But I'll say one last thing. If you decide to do this your life will be totally changed; totally ruled by this little man's needs and routines for the next five years at least, and even then when he starts school, that's only 8 hours a day that you have to yourself. So take tonight to really consider it... Now, he looks like he's ready to be burped, why don't you give him to me and you can practice tying the sling..."---So many people knew about the house at Grimmauld Place now, that it was hardly the secret that it used to be. But only those who had been previously welcomed could come and go, so at least it kept the knot of Prophet, Witch Weekly and WWN reporters clustered on the footpath from seeing the house. As well as the few rogue Death Eaters that had gone into hiding. The months that Grimmauld Place had been a safe house for Half-bloods and Muggleborns, had transformed it from top to bottom. In particular the garden had been expanded whilst staying under the Fidelious charm, and someone inventive had placed spells on it that maintained a tropical climate. So when the London drizzle was sprinkling on the protective bubble of magic around the garden, it transformed into a torrential rainstorm and watered the many flourishing plants. Now that they were heading into a less rainy season many of the plants had begun to bloom with flowers of vibrant red or yellow. One particularly sweet smelling tree had grown so fast it must have received magical enhancement. He sat under it with Hermione one afternoon as the sun drifted through the leaves, and sweet white flowers fluttered down on them periodically."It's a Frangipani tree, Harry" said Hermione as she threaded the flowers onto a string that she had conjured, forming a fragrant wreath. "They're very common in other parts of the world."Teddy was lying on a colourful mat, pushing on his chubby arms as he looked from side to side with wide eyes that flickered from green to blue to pure white. He had just started gigging at a game of peekaboo and the sounds of his breathy little laughs made Harry's chest constrict with happiness.The first few months of fatherhood were as exhausting as any he'd ever known. Having a child was so consuming that it left little space for anything else. Harry could still feel the dull weight of loss that had hung over him during the last few years, but every day there were so many perfect moments that made life worthwhile, it was impossible to sink into the total depression that tugged at him. The first time Teddy had smiled at him, and then every time after that. Harry had been so thrilled when Teddy learned to roll over that they'd flooed over to the Burrow to tell Molly; she'd smiled indulgently and baked cupcakes to celebrate, even though Teddy was too little for solid food.Every Tuesday Hermione came to spend time with them during her lunch hour in her Ministry apprenticeship. Today she was full of excitement and apprehension about the upcoming NEWTs examinations. "Do you really think that the study manuals they sent is were enough to prepare us for NEWTs?" It was a conversation that they had gone over many times before, "I reckon you'll do fine 'Mione." "But we missed MONTHS of lessons. I'm really not sure if I should have taken this apprenticeship in the meantime..." she continued to fret until it was time for her to leave, and Harry felt a spike of gladness that in only a few days this topic of conversation could be put to rest. Other than the cessation of Hermione’s constant worrying he wasn't looking forward to the NEWTs weekend. He knew he would miss Teddy even though it was only two nights away. Teddy would be happy with Molly, Andromeda and Kreacher taking turns to look after him. But they hadn't been separated since Harry's return from Hogwarts, despite Molly encouraging him to let her babysit while he went out. He felt like they had needed this intense period of closeness to settle into something of a parent-child bond, it felt instinctive and natural now for Harry to respond to Teddy's small needs and wants. He'd been able to do most of his study during the many hours that Teddy spent sleeping, so it wasn't the content of the exams worrying him as much as the prospect of perhaps seeing Draco Malfoy again. He had consistently written to Malfoy every week since the Battle. Just a short note saying: Hi Draco, Can we talk? - Harry --- And he continued to receive the generic mail redirection service letter in return. One week there had been a small handwritten note a the bottom, that had made his heart jump for a moment until he read "I apologize profoundly Mr Potter, I keep trying to get Mr Malfoy to read your letters. And I have not disposed of them, I hope he will do you the courtesy of responding soon, in the manner you deserve, Immelda Simpkin MRS" So at least he knew that Malfoy was seeing his owls, and simply choosing not to open them. This sparked Harry’s anger and frustration. He was sure that Malfoy could not have missed the news in the Prophet that he and Ginny weren't an item anymore, or about Teddy's adoption. Or even where Harry went for coffee every morning! The Daily Potter Watch could have been a more accurate name for the Prophet in current times. Yet the only indication that Malfoy had given, that he even remembered Harry, were the oblique references he had made in his first Radio Show. The further away that became, the more Harry wondered if he had been reading way too much into Malfoy’s song choices and cryptic commentary. So Harry looked forward to the Hogwarts weekend with equal measures of longing, anxiety, and anger; all centred on a slim blonde man who may or may not even show his face... --- ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- "The light that fueled our fire then Has burned a hole between us so We cannot seem to reach an end Crippling our communication." -TOOL 'Schism' --- The day before he was due to return to Hogwarts for the exams Draco's parents requested that he come and have lunch with them in Brighton, so at the Apparition Point he donned a robe over his Muggle clothes and hurried up the stairs of their modest (in comparison to the Manor at least) three story, heritage listed 'Beach House'. He was ushered into the Drawing Room where he found a gathering of a number of Pureblood families who had also managed to avoid Azkaban in the trials that followed the war. He stifled a sigh at having this event sprung on him, and pasted on a practiced smile. "Mother, Father! How delightful to see you... and so many friends..." he greeted each person in turn but finally sank down beside Pansy who was sitting primly on a richly embroidered loveseat that had originally been at the Manor. "So how long has this event been in the works?" He asked in a low voice. "Oh, I'm pretty sure our invitation arrived two months ago... they didn't prepare you did they?" Pansy's hard face had settled into even more bitter lines since he last saw her. She raised a delicately shaped eyebrow at his perusal. "Looking me over Draco?" He shrugged nonchalantly. "I was thinking that some of the new fashions I'm about to launch would really do so much more for you than robes do.. " She laughed harshly. "Muggle fashion, Draco? My parents can hardly believe the things you are doing! But I'll admit that it's a clever strategy in ths current political climate." She stretched out a hand and examined her carefully manicured nails. "You'll notice that very few of us are wearing Slytherin green at the moment, but then... I guess it's your JOB to notice now, I hear you've bought a SHOP of all things..." She clicked her tongue reprovingly. "Our family has been disdained for years for having such a plebeian occupation in our ancestry, are you sure you're ready for that?" Draco couldn't help but smile, he quite liked Pansy. She always spoke her mind. A bit like a more brittle, less affectionate, version of Marcie. "Yes, I know it's quite shocking, my parents are appalled with me of course, but it is better than the ignominy of prison I suppose." Pansy scowled at him but he continued unperturbed. "The shop is on Diagon Alley, not far from Ollivander's. I'm not planning to work there of course. Just manage it from a distance, but if you owl me when you're planning to shop there, I'll be sure to come and be your personal retail assistant." "That would be a fine promise, where it not for the fact that you do not answer owls...I've also heard that you receive the most fan mail at WWN and yet won't take on more hours, or share your music with other presenters." Draco shrugged, "I don't have a monopoly on Muggle music, for Salazar's sake! Everyone else would be perfectly able to go into Muggle London and aquire the records that I play... I think Lee Jordan will figure that out soon. He's probably the brightest of them." As they chatted he watched the way that she projected such toughened callous views, yet when a House Elf clapped their hands and announced that luncheon was served in the dining room. She jumped at the unexpected sound, the skin around her eyes tightening in fear. Draco felt guilty all of a sudden. He hadn't spared any thought for how hard post-war society would be on Pansy Parkinson. "Now, Pansy..." He drew her arm through his. "You must have heard more interesting gossip than that, come and tell me..." --- Harry had been filled with a nervous energy all morning. He had coped with the overwhelming crush of greetings from his former teachers and classmates by constantly scanning the mass of human bodies for a distinctive blonde head. But it wasn't until they were all being seated in the Great Hall for the Care of Magical Creatures Exam that the doors flew open and Malfoy strode in arm in arm with a familiar dark haired girl. A surprisingly hostile whisper of noise went around the room and Harry was surprised at first because he couldn't tear his eyes away from Malfoy long enough to take in the fact that everyone else was glaring at Pansy Parkinson. She was tense and pale, Harry could see her hands shaking slightly as Malfoy drew out an empty chair for her before stalking over to another and seating himself in one fluid movement. Professor Grubbly Plank called for order and Harry had to swivel in his seat to face the front and accept the exam papers that were levitated onto his desk. Sealing it with his magical signature, he forced himself to breathe deeply and concentrate. The two hours came to a close and the papers were snatched into the air by a Summoning spell that sent them to settle on the desk on the dais. As murmured conversations began all around him Harry stood slowly and turned to seek out Malfoy's eyes. He was unsurprised to find that Malfoy was not looking at him, but it still crushed that little spark of hope that maybe, just maybe he would be looking for Harry. Instead, he was leaning over Parkinson whispering in her ear. Harry felt a surge of jealousy flare over the top of his disappointment. Would it really have been that hard for Malfoy to write him a short note letting him know if he was in a relationship with Parkinson? The blood was surging in his ears when suddenly the two of them stood and approached him. He could vaguely hear the massive hall go quiet and knew that everyone was watching to see what was about to take place. Draco’s chilly grey eyes finally met Harry's and then flickered away. Harry looked back and forth between them as they stopped directly in front of him. This was so unexpected that all of the carefully rehearsed conversations he had been preparing for this moment flew out of his mind. He shoved his hands into his pockets and gave a short nod. "Uh Parkinson, Malfoy, congratulations." Pansy looked taken aback, but Malfoy beamed suddenly in amusement, looking down into Parkinson's baffled face with a grin. "He thinks we're dating Pans..." "What?" "You know, courting, snogging, shagging maybe...-- dating..." and he burst out into an easy laughter that echoed in the silence of the room. Pansy straightened and glowered at him, elbowing sharply. "Stop laughing as if it were such an impossible thing you prat! I'm quite the catch you know! You should be so lucky!" She turned to Harry, "I apologize for Draco's indelicacy. But there is no need to congratulate us. I actually..." She drew in a deep breath and Draco sobered up quickly, steadying her gently with a hand on her back. "...would like to make a formal apology for my behaviour the last time we were in this room." A swarm of whispers and gasps buzzed through the room but it hushed again as she continued. "I was foolish, and frightened, but that is no excuse for my actions and for suggesting that we hand you over to the... to... V-v-voldemort." She finished in a rush, "I h-h-humbly ask for your forgiveness and offer you the opportunity to show mercy or punishment as you see fit." Harry could feel the weight of hundreds of eyes glued to him, but when he looked towards Draco, his were steady and calm and slightly amused. "Of-course Parkinson... ah... Pansy... I'm sorry for jumping, you know, to conclusions before... it's none of my business of course, the ah, nature of your relationship..." Pansy was looking at him incredulously again and Draco coughed quietly. "The punishment? or mercy? Potter, did you hear anything that she said?" he prodded. "Oh, yeah, I mean, of course it was quite natural to want to hand me over to Voldemort. I mean, I handed myself over in the end, so I could hardly, uh, hold it, you know, against you for suggest--, suggesting it." He finished awkwardly. Malfoy sighed. "As articulate as ever Potter! And by that, we should presume that you mean to gracefully forgive every slight that Pansy has made against your person and grant her mercy rather than the punishment she may deserve?" Harry flushed angrily, "That's basically what I said right? Yes! I forgive her! And of course she should have mercy instead of punishment!" The room exploded with sound, then, and Pansy seemed to sag with relief before straightening her posture again and turning away with a quick nod of thanks. Malfoy made to turn away too, but Harry's hand snatched at the sleeve of his dress shirt, as he said the first thing that came into his head: "Wanna play a Seeker game? It's been ages hey?" Malfoy gave him an unreadable look, and Harry was mentally kicking himself for not remembering any of the speeches he had planned for Malfoy, when he nodded abruptly. "Before lunch. After the charms exam. I'll see you on the Pitch." Then he smirked, "Let the best man win."--- Luna Lovegood drifted towards the front of the room for the practical aspect of the Charms NEWT. Even though she was a year younger than all the others undergoing examination, she had no interest in returning to Hogwarts so she'd convinced Professor McGonagall to allow her to sit the exams this year. She didn't much mind if she didn't pass, because her little publication provided enough income every week for her (and her father) to live on. In fact she had doubled the amount of copies from what her father used to print, and they still managed to sell out. The retailers had requested that she print more but she felt that it was quite enough and would not do so. She may have received a somewhat more unusual education than other girls her age but she knew herself to be a knowledgeable and competent witch. She was confident in most subject areas, and charms was the easiest of all. She smiled gently at Professor Flitwick who seemed a little out of sorts and flustered from the stress of the examination schedule. "I'll bring you some Binglebrangle stems before your next round of students Professor shall I? They are extremely calming at times like these!" She reached up and felt through the various items she'd braided through her hair in the morning before leaving home. Withdrawing a long green stem with a fragrant blood-red flower on top she focused her attention on the Professor's harried face. "Oh! Here's one! How fortuitous, I picked it this morning." Conjuring a long stemmed vase out of a pink ribbon she charmed it full of water and held it out to him. He thanked her absentmindedly and she was pleased to see that the Binglebrangle was having an immediate effect on him as his tense shoulders sagged a little and he attempted a smile. His eyes focused on the stripy and spotty green tree frogs that she had charmed to jump about on her bright blue robes. "That's a delicate piece of charm work, Miss Lovegood, could you demonstrate how you did that?" "I'd be happy to. A handsome red frog would look lovely on your robes..." She cast a number of spells his way and soon there was a little red frog with a sweet face sitting on his collar. It leapt from there to his shoulder and back in joyful little hops. Professor Flitwick looked down at a list in his hands. "Could you make it croak?" Luna tilted her head to the side and concentrated in charming just the right voice for the exuberant little creature. When she had done that the little Professor consulted his list again, making a number of marks before saying. "Well, Ms. Lovegood, you've demonstrated more than half of the possible charms I could have asked for already, would you like to make it a complete list by demonstrating the rest?" Luna did so happily, and as she had already finished the written component, she skipped out of the Hall and went to lie down in the centre of the Quidditch pitch on the lush grass so her frogs could hop off her robes and have a play. The air was cool and fresh. She closed her eyes and felt the stillness overtake her. Busyness had crept up on her unawares, she wasn't used to having this weary ache in her muscles and in her mind. Perhaps she needed this time away regularly? Looking after her father wasn't a burden, but if the frogs on her robes needed this time to play, why had she forgotten that she might need the same? She opened her eyes at the sound of people approaching, there seemed to be a crowd of students arriving to watch some kind of game, but the only people carrying broomsticks were Harry and Draco. Luna felt the familiar tingle of Wrackspurts, but they didn't seem to be urging her to do anything malicious, so she conjured one of the frogs to hop towards them. “Look!” said Draco, darting forward and snatching it out of the grass. “It’s one of Luna’s frogs.” The green frog's golden stripes glittered in the sun as he held it up. Harry was watching him intently, a faraway look in his eye, “Give me the frog, Malfoy." Everyone settled into the stands to watch. Draco smirked, “I think it might need an adventure--” He leapt onto his broomstick, the frog clasped gently in his left hand, and took off. Hovering level with the uppermost stands he called, “Come and get it, Potter!” Harry grinned fiercely, kicked hard against the ground and soared upwards; his robes whipping out behind him — and there was a ferocious joy on his face as he climbed higher, turning sharply to face Draco in midair. “Give me the frog Malfoy,” Harry called, “or I’ll knock you off that broom!” “Oh, really?” Draco's smile was edged with something like malice, but a little softer... Then they were racing, diving, dipping, dodging one another with a practiced smoothness. Harry had his wand out and he flew level with Draco long enough to transfigure the frog into a snitch, that fluttered out of his hand and darted away. Draco's long pale neck was stretched out as he laughed. "Ah, it's a no holds barred competition is it?" He leaned forward and pointed his broom handle down — as Harry followed him he flicked a spell back towards him that bounced harmlessly off Harry's Protego shield. The next second he was gathering speed in a steep dive, they were dueling — wind whistling around them as they rose and fell. The screams and cheers of the people watching were increasing in volume as more and more students came to see the spectacle — Draco stretched out his hand — he caught the snitch, but didn't have time to shield himself from the stinging hex Harry had sent his way. His fingers sprang open and the snitch disappeared in a flash of gold. Draco pulled his broom up and transferred his wand to the other hand, whispering a spell that encased his hand in a golden glove that shimmered as brightly as the snitch. "HEY! You haven't taught me that spell!" Harry shouted up at him. "No-one said we'd be evenly matched Potter!" Draco's response was breathless. Lying on her back watching them Luna was reminded of the time that her father had taken her on an international wilderness camping adventure. One evening they had witnessed two Eagles in a Death Spiral. The memory floated in her mind as the two of them soared up to a higher altitude than they had reached previously, she almost expected them to sprout talons, and begin tumbling and cartwheeling towards the ground locked together. She blinked in surprise as they remained completely human, because the spiraling dance they were tangled in was definitely some kind of amorous courtship ritual. The spells flew between them thick and fast and the snitch wove in and out. They spiralled closer and closer to the ground at breakneck speeds... “POTTER! MALFOY!" The strident voice cut across the cheering of the crowd and Professor McGonagall was running toward them, "GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!" --- ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The poetry that comes from The squaring off between, And the circling is worth it. Finding beauty in the dissonance. - TOOL 'Schism' --- Harry's body was still pumping with adrenaline from flying and dueling with Malfoy. There really was nothing in the world like it... at least nothing that he had ever experienced--- He made a concerted effort not to think about the Time Turner Room and a different sort of exhilaration. Even being shouted at all the way back to lunch, about reckless endangerment, had not dampened his enjoyment. He was sandwhiched between Neville and Ron who were recounting particularly intense moments of the duel to the others, like Hermione, who didn't watch it. The meals were being served on picnic mats out in the sunshine so that the Hall could stay set up for examinations. Hermione had a textbook open in her lap and frowned at them for wasting time between the exams on playing around. As Hermione began a diatribe on the benefits of study and reflection, Luna was whispering in McGonagall's ear. After a moment Luna stood and used a Sonorous charm to project her voice across the picnic. "My Darlings, it is well known that anxiously cramming our minds full of more facts whilst waiting for exams is counterproductive. It is much more effective to be able to feel free, dreamlike, relaxed..." "Get to the point, Miss Lovegood." Luna blinked her protuberant eyes in McGonagall's direction and continued in the same manner. "For our minds to function at their sharpest we need to feel fluid and unwound... to this end, I have gained the Headmistresses permission to have an after dinner music and dance event..." "For one hour only!" "Yes, unfortunately for only one hour... but, even so, much good can be done in an hour..." said Luna serenely. "And who better to host this event than Draco Malfoy..." A group of girls on the mat nearest Harry squealed in delight, while Hermione muttered about "...all the useless, time wasting ideas..." The History of Magic exam was one that Harry had not been looking forward to. Sitting there staring at the possible essay questions his heart sank down to his toes. He was fairly certain that he only knew one or two things about each event, so barely enough to fill an inch of parchment. As he laboured through his second paragraph, wracking his brain for relevant information he saw that Luna and Malfoy --- who had been writing rapidly since the moment they sat down --- were already returning their parchments to the dais where Professor Binns was floating. Harry nearly growled in frustration. He eked out one more painful paragraph and then threw down his quill. He had never been able to write eloquently, even when he had a solid grasp of a subject, perhaps it was better to give this up as a lost cause and make sure any job he went for in the future did not require a NEWT in History... He had just started to shift out of his seat when he saw Hermione glare over at him and he knew he would never live it down if he gave up now. With a sigh he mustered up some information about another topic with tenuous relevance to the question and continued to write. --- Dinner was just finishing when two corporeal Patronuses appeared, calling out: "If you want to dance --- follow the lights..." and dozens of colourful lights sprang into being in their trail. Crowds of students surged to their feet in a clamour of conversation and swept through the corridors, to an unusual door that was held open by an enormous potted plant strung with fairy lights. Music was already pouring into the hallway and carrying them into the cavernous room. No-one had seen a room like this at Hogwarts at any point in the past. The sound projected in the space like a concert theatre from a raised stage where two luminescent figures were moving in time to the music playing from one of the many record players around the stage. The female dancer was wearing a short, sleeveless top, and form hugging skirt of flourescent colours, that left her long midriff on display. She had colourful bands of fabric woven around her forearms and multiple anklets on her slim legs. Her hair was white in the lights, and threaded with baubles that bounced as she moved. The music changed and she raised a Muggle style microphone to her mouth: "Stand up like a soldier baby Yeah, I know you're built like that Gun it like a holster babe Shouldn't see you weaken like that Whenever the war is raging Chasing our crazy dreams Hoping that the bridge won't cave in Tonight we'll let it all go free Gimme the thing and make me rock, another dance..." As she began the chorus, the tide of youths that had surrounded the stage began to scream in excitement and start moving their limbs wildly in time to the beat. The young male dancer was laughing at the spectacle and spoke for a second, "You sound like girls at a Bieber concert!" At the sound of his smooth, posh voice the screams took on a decidedly high pitched squeal, but he just shook his blonde head, raised his mike and affected a slightly ridiculous accent to join hers.. " They wanna tame your desire But you light it up Your aims getting higher I dey wait for messiah But until that day i'ma rise up high I put my light in the air..." He reached up a hand and the darkness overhead burst into sparks of colour that hung in the darkened ceiling flashing over the room in hypnotic time. The louder the crowd got, the more the music pumped over their noise. It was at this moment that Harry realised the true genius of the way Draco Malfoy was presenting himself to the world; by embracing the ridiculous, the ironic, the strange -- he was exposed to less ridicule than those who took themselves too seriously. He watched from further back, close to the walls of the room. There were low couches surrounded with tables overloaded with Muggle magazines full of gossip, fashion and speculations about Muggle celebrities. These circles were hosting the shy, uncertain, or exasperated; who had been drawn along by the crowd, but were watching the undulating mass of people skeptically. Hermione Granger had flung herself onto a couch and thrown up a silencing charm around it. She was immersed in a textbook on Arithmancy but would look up at the darkened parts of the room with disapproval now and again. Just outside her circle of silence Harry and Ron leaned up against the back of a couch. Seamus approached them from the dance floor, breathless. "Can you believe that is Luna Lovegood?? Merlin! Who knew she could be hot?" Ron coughed, and threw a surreptitious glance at Hermione, who thankfully wasn't listening. "They look like they have danced together before don't they? But how, is that..." Parvati Patil was standing nearby looking disgruntled, "I heard that she started showing up at the WWN to see him and he just let her in to the studio with him! No other fan was allowed near him... not that I'd know if many tried of course..." Harry hid a smile. He was grateful that no-one seemed to be watching him at all because he couldn't tear his eyes away from Malfoy. They were moving quickly through different songs and styles, not letting anything play out til the very end. Malfoy had just put down the microphone and flicked his wand at another record player when Luna disappeared down the steps. Harry saw her moments later near the door speaking to McGonagall who seemed to be offering her some school robes. Luna's smile was dreamy as she shook her head and mouthed something before walking away. Harry was surprised to find her small cool hands tugging at him a moment later and he let her guide him onto the dancefloor. "I've heard it mentioned that you're a good dancer, Harry!" Luna spoke directly into his ear as she wove through the crowd. When he realized suddenly where she was leading him, he tried to back away, but he felt himself propelled abruptly onto the stage. Draco was looking just as surprised as he felt as Luna was lifting a mike and saying airily. "We can't have Harry standing by..." The crowd shouted their approval. "Let's find him something to dance to shall we?" She flicked her wand at a new record and Harry watched Draco’s cheeks flush with colour as he glared at her. The thought that Draco might have talked about him, that he must have mentioned teaching Harry to dance to this song, made Harry so happy that he felt a rueful grin spreading across his lips; with a slight laugh, and a roll of his eyes at Luna, he started to dance. It was just as he remembered. Dancing with Draco was charged with a static electricity that sparked through the air and tingled the senses. Luna wove her way through them. Her skirt swishing as she swayed and bounced. But Harry was alive to all of Draco’s motions and glances. His heart thrummed to the beat; it was like flying again,like dueling, this instinctive pull and push. Time passed too quickly as the songs moved them ever forward. Harry had nearly forgotten where they were, and the hundreds of eyes on them when the darkness suddenly lifted, the flashing lights went out and the warm yellow glow of lanterns took over. The absence of sound felt startlingly loud. "The hour is up! Thank-you for that interesting ---display." McGonagall's nose was crinkled in distaste. "Everyone may return to their rooms and finish their studies now." The chorus of groans and pleas for more music rolled through the room but the Professor stood firm, and slowly people began to trickle from the room. Harry’s heart began to pound with a different kind of nervousness as he turned to Malfoy. "Ah... so... are you staying tonight?" "Yes Potter, I think you'll find that all the seventh years will stay until the end of exams." Malfoy drawled. "Um... do you want to..." Malfoy looked at him consideringly, then moved closer... "If you are trying to find a way to come crawl into my bed, Potter." His whisper tingled in Harry's ear. "You'll have to use your map..." He didn't wait to see Harry's reaction, just turned and stalked down the stairs into a waiting crowd of witches grasping magazines for him to sign... --- ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Before I make the offering Remember all the faces that I've seen Now all the marks have settled on my skin From all the different places that I've been That I've been... And I feel the light for the very first time Not anybody knows that I am lucky to be alive War inside my mind Behind my eyes, is coming down And for the thousandth time I feel too numb to even mind ~ AURORA --- A tall, good looking boy had corned Luna by the statue of the one eyed witch. His eyes were roving over her body as he spoke at length on a topic that she couldn't quite grasp the value of "...So whaddya reckon? I'd be happy to show you..." He finished. She regarded him curiously. "You'd be happy to show me this 'special edition'? Hmmm... to be honest I'm not sure that my readership would be all that interested in your broom... perhaps you could approach one of the Quidditch magazines if it is so very distinctive..." An amused cough came from behind the statue and the boy fled as Luna approached a figure seated in a deep window embrasure. "Hello Blaise, are you reading something funny?" "No actually, forgive my crudeness, but you do realize that young gentleman was offering to show you his genitals, don't you?" Her large eyes widened past their perpetual expression of surprise; into one of wonder, "Really? How fascinating... I guess all the other boys who stopped me on my way, were also trying to..." Her soft voice trailed off before coming back stronger. "Well! It has taken me an hour to reach this spot! Surely SOME of them had genuine business to discuss with me?" Blaise laughed wholeheartedly now, standing up. "So, you don't think it had to do with your little transformation?" He waved his hand at her outfit. Luna looked at him blankly. "I don't look much different... I often wear these colours... Maybe they recognised the pattern? I modelled it after Shakira's outfit when she sang at the world cup a few years ago..." "And I take it that is some kind of Muggle reference?" "Oh, have you not heard of Shakira? Do you not listen to Draco's radio show?" Blaise's dark eyes were steady and serious. "The recent fascination of the Wizarding community with Muggle artefacts is not shared by any in my household..." "So, did you not come to the dance?" He shrugged, "As to that, I don't think there was a student in the school who didn't attend. My mother would be impressed, a Lovegood pulling together the 'Event of the Season'..." Luna was thinking. "You still think that Muggles and Muggleborns are not as good as other people then?" She didn't ask in an accusing way, rather it seemed a question of rationale. Blaise frowned but spread his hands placatingly, "I realise that the war was fought very much on those grounds, and I was careful to stay out of it, as far as I was able... I have no particular interest in Muggles either way." Swishing her skirt gently she smiled. "But you like pretty things don't you? I know that's why you never usually speak to me. I will never be beautiful like Ginny Weasley... or Shakira even, but it doesn't stop me from liking pretty things... and maybe, you will start to like Muggles when you see what pretty things they make..." "Well, your logic is... confusing..." "Confusion is the first step." Luna’s steps bounced as she waved goodbye... --- Draco sat on his bed, fresh from his shower, sipping a cup of tea as he leafed through the Arithmancy text they would be tested on the next day. His mind was only half attentive, the other half was alternating between panic that he had totally misinterpreted Potter's overtures, and terrified nerves that he had guessed right. He didn't have to wait long to find out. Through the one way Silencing Charm he could hear the door open and shut, and the pad of bare feet. Potter slipped through the curtain and settled cross legged on the bed. Aurora played quietly into the heavy air between them... Potter opened his mouth to speak but Draco held up a preemptive hand. "If this is about the owls... I don't answer them. Just like you don't sign autographs, or pose for pictures..." "---but you must use owls sometimes!" "No Potter. I do not. My solicitor handles all correspondence. I sign letters, I sign autographs. I do not write letters." "But that's, just... it makes no sense!" Draco crossed his arms, "When did I ever promise to be comprehendable? There was never any undertaking between us. You could easily have come to find me, if you required my assistance, or company..." "Why are you making me feel like I'm to blame Malfoy! I reached out at least? You haven't tried to see me!" Draco studied his nails as nonchalantly as possible, "Unlike you, I am perfectly aware of the fact that there can be no ---friendship --- between myself and the Chosen One." Potter was gaping at him, "That's ridiculous! I dont even know... but... then why did you practically invite me to..." He flailed to a stop as Draco reached out and grasped his knee, allowing a little of the intensity of feelings buzzing through him to show on his face. "You came under your cloak didn't you? And I'll bet you haven't told anyone about our ---interactions--- during the war... so somewhere in that thick skull is an awareness that this cannot happen!" Potter's moss green eyes blinked at him through the lenses of his ridiculous glasses. Draco looked away for a moment and ran his fingertips across the blanket in front of him. "That said... it doesn't mean that we... well..." He paused and their eyes met and held. "What was it you said before the Time Turner Room?... Just have one moment of peace?" Green eyes were holding him, pinning him down. Totally silent but drawing the words out of him. "Sometimes I want that too, --- Harry... so just for tonight?" The puff of air from Harry's lips brushed against his own. He looked conflicted, torn up by some internal quandry. Draco's fingers moved slowly to brush against the brown skin of the tantalising collarbone peeking out of Harry’s t-shirt. "Always so dismally presented, Potter..." he said. Shakily running his hand through Harry's ridiculous hair. The dark haired teen was breathing fast, his body quivering slightly, strung tight. The short breaths were cut even shorter as Draco leaned in and brushed his lips over the space where the air was escaping. Harry made an incoherent sound and smashed himself forward, all tongue and teeth and grasping hands. There was a desperation in their movements, like there had been in those stolen hours of Time. But this was a desperation that wasn't borne of a desire for one last experience before death. This was the gasping of the drowning man for air, the hoarse cries of extreme thirst, the taste of food after months of starvation... The night was a blur of open mouths, entangled bodies, pressure and release. They didn't speak until the early hours of the morning when Draco said gruffly. "Make sure you know, Potter, these teenage fumblings are not the start of some grand love affair..." --- Having finally shepherded all of the students out of the Room of Requirement, George reflected that the hour of music had been one of the most pleasurable that he'd experienced in the past months of life without Fred. People said that time healed pain, but George was finding the opposite to be true. Every day he felt like he was sinking deeper into the sluggish emptiness of his inner self. He did his best outwardly to present his usual demeanor to the world. But there had never been untruths between him and Fred, so in the hours that he spent at the graveside he didn't speak. He just let down his guard. He stopped pretending that he was okay; sometimes he curled up in the foetal position under a disillusionment spell and sobbed. Other times he stared vacantly into the distance feeling numb. Still other times he would whisper to Fred all the things that were hovering in his mind. "I should have died instead of you. You were the better half of me. You were the one who made pranks playful instead of cruel, the one who paused to think about the wellbeing of the people we tested new potions on. The one who knew how to back off when something went too far..." The darkest moments were when he lay there envisaging the ways he could join Fred. Avada Kedavra was painless, but you had to mean it completely, there could be no small part of you fighting for life. Heavy rocks --- the lake. Flying from the astronomy tower --- broomless. A potion... this was the one that teased him and coaxed him. The idea brewing of a fatal version of Dreamless Sleep... When his mind began to walk those circles he forced himself to get up. He would find Snape and do something to irritate him. It wasn't like pranking really... It was finding the person who had the least to live for, who had no loved ones, no mentor, no cause, no prospects; and seeing his eyes flash with life, anger or frustration. When he saw that spark in Snape's eyes, somehow it lent him a tiny ember to hold back the darkness. Returning to his room after supervising the dance, George felt the familiar lethargy swoop over him. As though he were being punished for the moment of pleasure by a double dose of his usual sadness. By the time he reached the door of his room he was struggling to breathe. His eyes were heavy; on fire with holding back tears, his fingers shook, and a great feeling of exhaustion overwhelmed him. He just wanted the pain to stop. He couldn't do this, this half life. He wasn't strong enough. The gaping hole at his side, in every conversation, in every experience, in every hope for the future. He knew, in that moment, that if he walked through the door he would do it. He would find the vial he had hidden, he would drink it slowly, and lie down to sleep. His breath left him in a rush and he reached for the door handle. He paused as he heard the familiar swish of robes behind him, with the absence of footsteps, that indicated Snape was heading for his room. His heart began to clang in his chest as if demanding one last effort, like an alarm ringing loudly when the whole body is aching and sinking into the bed. With a huge amount of effort he raised his head and met Snape's unreadable gaze. He couldn't speak. Nothing came to mind that he could do or say to bring anger to the impassive face. Yet somehow Snape seemed to know. He advanced on him, a black draped figure of menance. "Mr. Weasley" he sneered, "your efforts as a poltergeist are sadly underwhelming if you can't come up with a greeting or a hex. Peeves would be ashamed of you." "I know" George whispered hoarsely. "He'd be so ashamed..." They both knew that it wasn't Peeves they were speaking of. Snape stayed silent. George leaned his forehead against his closed bedroom door, letting his fingers drop from thehandle. "Sometimes I hate you, you know? --- What do you have to live for? You couldn't have planned to survive the war. You must have worse memories than me... more sorrows, less joys... and yet you keep going? Surrounded by false admirers, or people who fear you... How can I feel this... when you cope..." Snape’s face was whiter than ever, but he spoke matter of factly. "I can see why I would be easy to hate." He turned the handle to George's room and pushed past him inside. He began stalking around the room peering into cupboards and drawers. Uncorking vials he sniffed them and continued his purposeful pacing. "What are you doing?" George asked listlessly. His long lanky limbs were weighty as he descended onto the bed, as though through stagnant water. "I think you know. You would make it easier if you tell me." Snape looked at him directly and spoke. "George Weasley, are you talking about suicide?" The word smashed into the air between them. Confronting. Hideous. And true. No-one had ever spoken to him like this. Not directly, without shame. People had tiptoed around it, but it wasn't something you talked about out loud. Hearing the question, was like a freeing weight of acceptance. Snape wasn't surprised. He wasn't disgusted. He was there. George let out a rush of air and turned his head. The flash of midnight black eyes that met his ignited the small ember of hope again... One part of him, screamed, not to tell, but the glimmering ember sparked on the side of life. "There's a hidden compartment in the wardrobe. Tap twice..." Snape went directly to the wardrobe and soon removed the hidden vial. He sniffed it delicately. "Hmmm... This is well made... it would have taken some time." "Yeah, three months... but the process helps too I think... the feeling that the end could be only months away... makes the days easier." The black gaze didn't waver at this confession, he twirled the vial between his long pale fingers, examining it in the yellow light from the lamps. "You've always been quite talented at potions... It's probably why I found you both so insufferable." A humourless laugh escaped George's lips. "We didn't do half of the things we planned either, there was a whole list at Hogwarts. It changed when we left... but it was still there, just unwritten." Snape hovered, almost uncertainly, and then lowered himself on to the desk chair. "Tell me about them. One of the ones you planned but were unable to execute..." His voice had changed since the snake bite, it was still low and dark, but where it used to be smooth as silk, now it was husky and rough. It sent a shiver up George's spine, but he understood what Snape was trying to do so he closed his eyes, lay back on the bed and made himself speak. "Well, B.S., you understand that telling a Professor of our dastardly plans was the height of treachery... but lets see... There was one that we attempted a number of times but could never succeed in..." He cracked an eye open and made a halfhearted attempt at leering. "Seducing a professor... we tried with McGonagall of course, took it in turns to woo her... but you can imagine how that went." There was an unusual expression on Snape's face, his lips were tilted upwards and his eyes crinkled ever so slightly. It took George a moment to realise it was a smile. He rolled onto his side so he could see it better. "We made one last effort though. We managed to sneak into her rooms, and fill her bed with rose petals. Then Fred stripped down to his pants and I painted him in McGonagall's favourite chocolate..." The memory made him choke with longing, and relief at the same time. "She wasn't impressed, I can't remember how many detentions we got that time. We tried again with Sprout, Vector, Burbage, with just as little success. Fred was always the most effective, I think he could make people believe him. B-because he wasn't always laughing at them, he was just mucking about, but in a, a --sincere sort of way. I was always mocking, even when I tried to make it come out kind. The Professor we got the furthest with was Trelawny actually. Fred even kissed her! But he fell for Angelina the next day and couldn't go back..." Snape was regarding him with a hint of amusement, his stance relaxed, unassuming. Watching him George felt the lethargy lift slightly and a whiff of mischievousness waft over him. He sat up slowly, watching Snape’s eyes narrow to slits the longer his gaze held. "Hmmm... maybe we were barking up the wrong tree though..." His heavy body seemed to lighten with the prospect of playfulness. Cruelty perhaps... "You have a thing for redheads don't you?" The eyes that were squinting at him widened in horror, and a real laugh bubbled up in George's chest. He moved towards Snape in a fluid, hip rolling step. "Come now Sev, we're all adults here, there's no need to deny our natural urges." "Mr Weasley..." his voice was a warning. But it only sparked George's curiosity and daring. Seeing the best way to keep him there George leapt onto his lap and swung his arms around Snape’s neck. "Huh, your hair isn't greasy after all... How is that? Is it charmed to look like it's dripping in oil? ... I mean... you're so charming Sev. I'd love you to rub me in oil..." --- With a lapful of a gingerhaired man half his age, Severus found himself in a position he had never been in before. If having George carry him, and touch his scar had played on his mind for months, what would this do to him? Feeling him pressed into his lap, strong arms locked around his neck, fingers entwined in his hair. Severus was finding it hard to breathe, hard to think, just --- quite hard in general... Which he hoped would not make itself too obvious. "Is that the sort of thing you like Sev? Oil? Massage? Or do you prefer a quickie on a stone wall? Or a steamy room full of cauldrons?" George's face was very close; he was looking delighted and truly animated for the first time that Severus had seen since the first of May. That was frankly, terrifying. Severus stood up abruptly, dumping George onto the floor made his way directly to the door. The sound of George laughing followed him out. His room was cold and empty, but he resisted the urge to cast a warming charm. There was no use in going soft. It was softness that had prompted him to follow George Weasley into his room. And look where that had taken him. He looked down at the forgotten vial clutched in his hand. It was a dangerous but beautiful substance. It felt wrong to destroy something that took such precision to create, but to keep it was to dance the line of death. So he smashed the vial into the fireplace and vanished its remains. Something happened to George after that night. Whether it was having a new goal in his plan to wreak havoc in Severus' life, or whether it was having hit rock bottom and lived through it... It was enough to pull him out of bed earlier than he had been managing these last months, and the object of his intentions could not have been more ungrateful for the attention. The wards on Severus' bedroom door were stronger now, but not excessive or noticeable... So it took two days before George was able to shove it open and breeze into the room whistling. "Wow! Sev! If I had realised you did your rigorous routine in only your pants --- I woulda woken up early months ago." Severus grimaced but managed not to pause. Thankfully, these push-ups were the last of his workout, so he was able to finish quickly, cast an uncomfortable cleaning charm and throw on his robes. Seated on his bed, looking him up and down, George smiled, "You've been holding out on us Brave Sev, if your fans knew the physique you're hiding under those robes, you might get better titles than Valiant!" "You're up early." It wasn't his best response, but he hoped it might sidetrack the other man for a moment or two. Severus' skin was prickling all over from George's perusal and he stalked to the door, "You may make it to breakfast for once." "So sweet to have noticed my eating habits, BS. I normally have to make do with an apple during First Period, but today I'll have even more energy than usual." As they kept pace in the hallway, Severus was intensely aware of the way their shoulders brushed, but he managed a sneer. "I hate to think what you might manage to do with that..." George moved closer for a moment and cooed into his ear. "I can think of a few things, how 'bout you?" ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- I found no cure for the loneliness I found no cure for the sickness Nothing here feels like home Crowded streets, but I'm all alone Now I'm so far that it feels like it's all gone to pieces Tell me why the world never fights fair I'm trying to find Home A place where I can go To take this off my shoulders Someone take me home Someone take me ~ Machine Gun Kelly, X Ambassadors & Bebe Rexha ~ --- The quiet breathing of the fat ginger cat curled up in her lap, was just the calming soundtrack that Hermione needed for her morning, at her office desk in the Ministry of Magic. Her night had been marred by dreams, nightmares and memories. Not all of them were unpleasant, but certainly unbidden. A stack of books and parchments were towering on the table beside her, a cold tea in a china teacup sat neglected at her elbow. Ministry Apprenticeships were quite bizarre things, and Hermione found herself in the secretorial staff of Ms Paula Zabini in her new role as Secretary to the Minister for Arts and Entertainment. Ms Zabini's role was an extremely ambiguous thing, and she could probably do what she liked. Hermione, herself, couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into a more challenging apprenticeship than this secretarial one, it was thoroughly boring her... when it wasn’t driving her mad. Ever since the war had ended, and Hermione had collected Crookshanks from the Burrow, the cat had refused to leave her side. If she sat down, he would leap immediately onto her lap, if she lay down, he would curl up at her feet, purring like a motor boat. He followed her to the Ministry every day, sat at her office desk, and joined in on her sessions with her Mentor (who was thankfully more competent than the Secretary or the Minister in their office!). Even when she had taken an International Portkey to see her family in Australia, Crookshanks had somehow attached himself to her and come too. She had found herself grateful for his company when she had finally been reunited with her parents, and the reunion hadn’t been quite how she expected. The Grangers seemed happier than they had ever been. They had been warmly embraced by the large Sudanese refugee community in their town, and her mother was reconnecting with the culture of her childhood in a way that she never had before. When her maternal grandparents had fled to England, Hermione’s mother - Nadia Abrar Dengdit - had done her best to immerse herself in her new British identity, assimilating in every way possible, so that by the time Nadia Granger gave birth to her daughter, very little of her African heritage was reflected in their lifestyle. As the Grangers introduced Hermione to the life they had built for themselves in Australia, she was overwhelmed by a bittersweet awe that Theo had some how managed to find them a place to hide that so completely suited them. As much as they had fitted into their new community, Hermione and Crookshanks were like fish out of water, and the conversations she had with her parents turned in awkward circles of misunderstanding. In trying to explain her own role in their abduction and relocation, she could see that they would never fully understand how she could have taken away their choice, in that way. There was a new wall between them, that she had never expected or envisaged. Despite her parents’ pleas for her to stay, she had returned to the house in Hampstead Heath, and her Apprenticeship at the Ministry. She had begun her apprenticeship, as newly graduated students always did, on the lowest rungs of the secretarial system; her time, her work and her office - none of them felt like her own. The home of her childhood no longer felt like her own, either. It felt cavernous and empty without her parents. Although she knew that Harry would give her a room at Grimmauld Place, and Ron would be keen to find a flat together (even though he hadn’t come right out an asked her out yet), Hermione had felt such a strong need to be alone for a while. Books had been her only friends for many years, and they were a comfort to her now in the tumult of her emotions after the war. So she floated around the empty house, bustled through meaningless paperwork, drank endless cups of tea, and used every spare second to study for her apprenticeship interviews in Arithmancy and Politics. She wasn’t sure yet if she would have to continue the generic secretarial duties she was doing at the Ministry, or whether they would allow her to go straight into the more challenging areas after her interviews. When her NEWT results had been delivered, she was pleasantly surprised to see how well she had done in all of her classes. Hearing her relief Ron had burst out laughing, “It’s always the same with you ‘Mione! You’re the only one who is ever surprised to find out you’ve got top grades in everything!" The main subject she hadn’t been certain of was Arithmancy, and thinking about it would always bring back to her mind the night before the Arithmancy NEWT examination. She had dreamed about it so vividly, that as she drifted back into her memory, it was almost like stepping into a Pensieve...--- The bubble of silence surrounding Hermione had taken on a physical presence. She could feel that she was being petty, perhaps even childish, but she could not believe that there was a Dance Party! Of all things! The night before her Arithmancy exam! Not to mention all the other remaining NEWT examinations that they hadn't yet completed that weekend. But Arithmancy was worrying her the most. It was a subject that didn't have easy applicability to her apprenticeship at the Ministry and she hadn't been able to devote much time to it over the past months. She did her best to concentrate on the text in her lap, but after half an hour she gave up and shoved everything back into her bag. She contemplated keeping the Silencing Charm up but decided she had been churlish long enough and quickly ended it. The barrage of sound that hit her ears made her physically cringe and she struggled to relax her shoulders and walk over to where Ron was standing with Neville and Parvati. They were watching and laughing hysterically as Harry was dragged onto the stage by a determined Luna. Hermione stood nearby awkwardly, watching the three teens on stage begin dancing to a new song. She felt so antsy and uncertain in her own skin that she spun on her heel and left, without informing anyone. She would be surprised if anyone noticed. If the past months since the Battle of Hogwarts had taught her anything, it was that life had been easier to interpret when she was living under the Disguise Charm and only recognisable to a handful of people. Then, at least, it made total sense when people ignored her, rebuffed her, or lost interest in the things she had to say, but now, there was no apparent reason for the way she continued to find herself on the sidelines in every social situation. She just didn't understand the social norms that everyone else seemed to find so easy. She marched through the empty hallways with an appearance of purposefulness that was entirely fabricated. She had just passed an empty window when she heard a voice calling her name. Wand drawn she spun on her heel, but lowered it at the sight of Theodore Nott standing directly behind her, leaning on the window frame. "Theo? How did you get here so quick? I didn't even hear footsteps?" His impassive face seemed to flicker slightly, only the tiniest show of expression that could mean anything; concern, deliberation, anxiety, ---or the moment of trying to formulate an untruth. When he spoke, his voice was so quiet that she had to take a step closer to hear him. "You seem unsettled... Upset... I wasn't going to show you I was here but... Are you okay?" To Hermione's surprise the slight concern in his carefully blank voice was her undoing and she burst into tears. Unladylike, shoulder-shaking, chest-heaving tears that made her sob and gasp. Theo didn't speak, or even react, but his warm hands closed over hers and he drew her sideways towards the empty window seat, pressing his hand to the wall. ---And suddenly she found herself entering a private sanctuary of warmth, colour, and the scent of ink and parchment. Through the tears blurring her eyes she saw towering bookshelves carved into the stone, packed with books of all shapes and sizes; worn wooden handled drawers were scattered between shelves, and several were crammed so full that small corners of parchment or feather poked through. A transparent Arithmancy diagram hovered in the air nearby, slowly rotating and drawing Hermione's attention immediately. Theo had released her hands and calmly seated himself a few feet away from her on the long blue cushion that ran along the window and under a narrow desk of polished wood that gleamed darkly from beneath several stacks from beneath several stacks of parchment and other stationary. Theo didn't attempt to question her about her outburst, or repeat what he had said in the hallway about being concerned about her. He simply returned his gaze to the hovering diagram and withdrew his wand to tweak one small section while her tears slowed and eventually abated. Then he turned his steady dark gaze on her, pupils barely visible in the blackness of his eyes. "That was the first time you've cried since the Battle." It wasn't a question but she nodded anyway, her voice breathy and hoarse. "Yes. I have no idea why I erupted just then! I didn't even feel like I needed to cry like that, I mean, I've been making room in my life for grief, being careful to talk about my feelings, noting and writing down the times that I feel overburdened..." "Very efficient and logical of you." "Well exactly! So why on earth would I throw a ---a fit in the Hogwarts hallway like an overgrown toddler!" Theo was silent for a moment, then he looked down. Only the gentle tapping of his wand on his knee gave away a hint of possible discomfort. "Would you like to talk about what triggered it tonight?" "Arithmancy." Hermione answered without missing a beat. "Everyone wanted to go to that --that---ridiculous Dance, and I, I felt out of place again, that I just wanted to do this." She waved a hand towards his diagram. The slightest hint of a smile hovered around his eyes, but his voice was unchanged, quiet and serious. "Being 'in place', or a part of things, ---that is important to you?" "Well yes, I think everyone wants to belong somewhere, to have other people understand them, notice them, and... -well, make sense!" Theo nodded but his eyes were far away. "That, I can't help you with. But we could do some revision if you'd like?" Hermione took in a shuddery breath and turned her attention back to the diagram, letting the soothing flow of curiosity flood through her mind and gently supress the emotions and questions that churned through her. After an hour, when the diagrams were blurring before her eyes she put down the books and had to acknowledge that she was as prepared as she would ever be for the exam. Her eyes turned to Theo then, noticing the weariness around his eyes. Of the fifteen nights she had promised to spend in his bed, she had only managed eight. Just over half way. The last few nights together had been during their trip to Australia. They hadn't spoken about it again since Theo had left to begin his Auror training. "How am I going to fulfill the rest of the Unbreakable Vow, Theo."--- Hermione's attention was suddenly returned to the present, by a flurry of activity in the hallway... She flung open the nearest book, and did her best to drive the thought of Theo's unreadable eyes and implacable face from her mind. Paula Zabini never arrived at the Ministry until after nine, when everyone else had been at work for at least an hour. Her appearance on the scene was advertised, even to those in remote offices, by the unusual amount of commotion heard throughout the building. Paula's entrances always commanded attention. It was not that she deliberately staged them: merely, her personality was rather overpowering, her movements as impetuous as her vivid, elegant, face. She was stunningly pretty, in the style made popular by Beyoncé, with thick, springy hair, full lips, a curvaceous body, and dark eyes set widely under discontented brows. There was an air of urgency about her; you could see it in her restless movements, in the sudden glow in her changeable eyes, and in the hungry line of her mouth. She had a beautiful voice, like a stringed instrument. It was mellow, and flexible, and made all the voices around her sound clipped, metallic and common. Hermione tidied up the paperwork on her desk as she awaited Paula's entrance. Crookshanks shifted in her lap and gave out a tiny growl of disapproval as the door opened. “Miss Granger! Darling!” “Ms Zabini!” Hermione exclaimed, pasting on a smile. Paula chuckled, deep in her throat. “Don’t pretend to be glad to see me! I promise I won’t be here long! I’m after the paperwork for entrepreneurship, and private funding.” She blinked her thick lashes, and laughed, and said conspiratorially: “ I've brought Will.” “Who is Will?” asked Hermione succinctly. There was a disconcerting flash of emotion, and the beautiful dark eyes blazed. “One day no one will ask that question!” “Pending that day,” said Hermione, calmly looking through a stack of parchments, “who is Will?” “Will Roydon. He has written a play…” It was strange how much that throbbing voice and those fluttering hands could express. Crookshanks yawned, stretched and jumped off Hermione’s lap as she said: “Oh? An unknown genius?” “So far! But this play – ! Producers are such fools! We must have backing. Once he has the right paperwork, I plan to present him to the Minister, surely when he reads it, it will win his heart.” Paula said, impatiently pushing back the hair from her brow. “It's art, Miss Granger! Oh! When you have read it – !” “Art plus a part for you?” murmured Hermione. Paula’s expression didn’t change. “Yes. A part. Such a part! It was written for me. He says I inspired it. Of course I hardly would have time to perform it, with my new role, but it quite fits in with the Arts and Entertainment Department, doesn’t it?” Hermione reflected that this was true. She handed over a stack of papers, “Here you go Secretary Zabini.” Paula looked down at the stack with a slight pout in her face... “Hmmm... I don’t suppose you could fill these out for me? And come with me to present the idea to Nathaniel Herriard on Friday?” Hermione forced herself to nod agreeably, and spent the rest of her day rushing through the pointless paperwork so that she could delve back into her actual study.--- Harry arrived home from Hogwarts to the sound of Teddy wailing in the kitchen, Andromeda was holding him awkardly, trying unsuccessfully to calm him. When Teddy saw Harry he cried harder than ever, until he was in Harry's arms, when his sobs faded and were replaced by hiccups. "Molly just left," said Andromeda stiffly. "He's been fine most of the weekend. I'm off in five minutes, but I'll be back in time for dinner." She leaned in to kiss Teddy's soft dark hair, and the baby latched on to Harry's neck more tightly with his chubby arms. Harry felt his heart constrict almost painfully with affection as he carried Teddy into the garden and settled down to coax him into a good mood. Whispering love and nonsense to him, blowing raspberries on his round belly, watching his hair change from soft red curls to black ones and back. The last two nights with Draco felt like a dream, or a memory from long ago. He couldn’t picture Draco here in the garden with him, shirt damp from baby spittle, knees grass stained. He thought of the photo the Prophet had printed of Draco following the dance; his face glowing with smears of glitter along his cheekbones, pale hair streaked with light, his movements seductive and yet mocking. His clothes outrageously tight and almost translucent. He was choosing to be scandalous rather than infamous. Preferring to craft his own image rather than accepting the opinions of others. In comparison Harry was staid and prematurely aged; his life was described in the media as "dedicated to his continued studies, in the long evening hours when his adopted child rests in peace and safety; never knowing the greatness of the man he will call Father. Content to use his prodigious magical skills as a single father for the time being, Harry Potter has confided his friends that the possibility of this simple life of domestic happiness is the reason he fought so heroically in the war..." Even the photo of Harry that they had procured from the dance showed him in his shapeless school robes being unwillingly propelled onto the stage, but graciously beginning a dance with Luna with a self deprecating smile. It wouldn't matter what was said of him, if it weren't for the fact that seeing his awkwardness showcased alongside Draco's charming vivacity, halted all the tentative plans he had made --- of finding a way to insinuate himself into Draco’s life the way Luna had done. Malfoy's comments about teenage fumbling suddenly took on new meaning in his mind and he felt his cheeks burn at the thought that perhaps Draco saw him more truely than anyone else. When it came to Draco, he was uncertain and bumbling. He wondered if their encounters had been amusing for Draco, how he had shyly tensed whenever their hands had wandered under clothing, or how he had come so quickly from the sheer delight of Draco’s body rubbing into him. The more he reflected on it the more true it seemed, and he forgot the small details like Malfoy's own reactions to him. He stopped writing letters, but he couldn't stop the longing. The longing only seemed to deepen. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Look, I been through so much pain And it's hard to maintain, any smile on my face 'Cause there's madness on my brain So I gotta make it back, But my home ain't on the map Gotta follow what I'm feeling to discover where it's at I need the (memory) In case this fate is forever, just to be sure these last days are better And if I have any (enemies) To give me the strength to look the devil in the face and make it home safe ~ Machine Gun Kelly, X Ambassadors & Bebe Rexha ~ --- The patchwork quilt in an upstairs bedroom at the Burrow was faded diagonally across from the sun slanting through the high windows to the right. Seated in the warm patch of light from the waning evening sun was a newly seventeen year old girl, her silky red hair running through pale fingers as she dropped her head into her hands. The image from the Daily Prophet of Draco Malfoy and Luna Lovegood dancing on stage with Harry had been looping through her mind over and over, like a memory circling through a faulty Pensieve. She knew she had no right to feel the irrational envy, jealousy and dislike that had been coursing through her. Harry had made it very clear that they would not be getting back together, and he'd been trying to reestablish a kind of brotherly camraderie that made her feel both nausea and longing. She would be returning to Hogwarts without him for seventh year, ---it felt surreal; even before first year it was as though he was the sun that they orbitted around. No matter who she tried to date or befriend, he was always more heroic, made her heart beat speed faster, more attractive and more interesting than any other boy she had ever met. She had settled for other boyfriends because she wanted to be desired, and loved. But she had matured enough to see that this wasn't fair to the boys who had true feelings for her. So she was determined not to fling herself into someone else's arms at Hogwarts, in order to try and forget Harry. She'd have to wait, and hope that the passion she still felt for him faded. In the meantime... she had one more night to do what she wanted, before returning to the confines of school. Harry’s birthday gift to her this year had the Patil twins' input stamped all over it; she drew the box out from under her bed and ran her fingertips over the fanciest clothes she had ever owned. They were specially designed Muggle clothes with several hidden-extension charmed pockets. One for a wand and another for Wizarding money or other items. The other gift that she would put to good use tonight was her present from George. He had astonished the entire family by disappearing on some sort of new fashioned Grand Tour of Muggle London instead of coming home during the nine week summer holidays. Ginny had a bit of an idea of the kind of things he'd been "Tour-ing", because the birthday present he gave her was a small rectangular Muggle cellphone, a plastic ID card that declared her Madeliene Clavel ---an eighteen year old Muggle girl, a children's book called Madeliene in London, a piece of cardboard with the address of a club where Muggles go to dance, and a small stack of Muggle money. She had cried for nearly an hour after opening his gift in the privacy of her room. She would never understand why George saw himself as the lesser twin. He didn't speak about it often, but when he did rarely open up, he would tell her that Fred was the one that kept them as close to "good" as they were able to be. When Fred died it was like all the goodness George had seen in himself was taken away. No-one else seemed to understand George's new fascination with Snape, but Ginny thought she did in a way. It seemed like he had chosen a new twin, a companion who seemed as dark as he felt. Ginny shook off her thoughts and stood up with a decisive flourish. This was her last night before she would have to do the impossible and settle into Hogwarts life without Harry. She was determined to live it to the full. She had a mission to accomplish. Long after dark, when all the household were sleeping, she slipped out of the house under a silencing charm and made her way to the address George had left for her. A pounding beat was vibrating in the air as she approached the venue and the two hulking men dressed in black at the roped off entry way. Throwing off the Silencing and Disillusionment Charms she shook back her hair, straightened her back and stepped forward with a confidence that was entirely fabricated. "Evening, Miss." One of the men motioned to her with a thick, beefy hand and she held out the plastic ID card, copying the manner of the stream of people she'd watched entering ahead of her. The fabric of her slinky clothes clung to her body exposing a surprising amount of white skin to the cool night air. She tapped her hidden wand pocket subconsciously as she extended her left hand for the stamp that would allow her to ascend the stairs. The atmosphere as she entered was electric and she was drawn into another world of light, sound, and movement. Circling the room she observed the way that people danced and interacted with one another; the ones who were obviously together, the ones who were hopeful of taking someone home for the night...friends, lovers, even a handful of people who looked to be her parents' age. After a little while she followed someone to the bar and copied their order, ending up with a tall plastic glass filled with a chocolatey liquid that bit her throat when she swallowed. She could feel the smooth effects of the alcohol almost immediately and decided to enter the fray, dancing between sips. She moved through the evening on a cloud of adrenaline that even her slight self-consciousness about being there alone could not lower. She mimicked the dancing around her, flirted with her eyes and her body, but only enough to draw someone's eyes and not their grasping hands. An older woman danced up against her provocatively and she joined in until the lady slid an arm around her and kissed her soundly. Ginny blinked as one of the woman's friends dragged her away, and shrugged to herself, kissing a woman had been pleasant, but there was no spark for her. It was then that she spotted her... Pansy Parkinson. Her gaze intense and derisive as she laughed at Ginny. She had the same confident swagger that Charlie had when he had just calmed a dragon. The haunted intensity in her eyes that Bill got when werewolves were mentioned. But there any resemblance to her brothers ended. Her hair was cropped short and sleek, pitch black. Tall, firmly muscled, with a hint of curves under a tiny red dress. She was drawing the attention of many of the men that she passed and she would dance with each one in a laughing way before weaving her way on through the crowd. Seeing a witch in this context just made her think of Harry. Suddenly all the other people in the club looked either plain or grotesque in comparison. Ginny's heart sank a little. She had already decided that she wanted to go home with someone; to have a passionate, completely physical experience with a Muggle man. But all the guys that she had been eyeing off as possibilities were suddenly not attractive enough to consider sleeping with. The French guy with the glasses was too short. The guy with the dreadlocks too pretentious and full of himself. The man dancing at her back was unappealing in every way. Why was it that she always did this?? Was it that she couldn't be satisfied with anything but the best, in any context? A song that she recognized from Draco's radio show began to play and a group of girls nearby squealed. She watched the way they swayed and squatted and rotated their hips to the beat. After a bit she began to copy them with a little laugh at herself. If her plan to have sex for the first time was likely to be thwarted, she was determined to at least learn as many dance moves as she could. All self-consciousness had fallen away by the time she danced her way close to the Pansy Parkinson. The moment their eyes met she felt a tingling and buzzing in her body that rivaled the way she had felt when Harry had won the Triwizard Tournament. In this case the emotion was a combination of fury and fascination. Everyone had heard about Parkinson's formal apology to Harry at the Seventh Year NEWT Exams. Despite this Parkinson continued to act the arrogant bitch in all other contexts. The way her eyes were skimming over Ginny now made her pause for a second. Taking the opportunity, she dropped seductively downwards and flicked her hair back as she rose. The move was almost successful but she was a little unstable on her spiky heels, and she laughed at herself when she tottered to the left, releasing Pansy's gaze and flushing a little at how ridiculous she must look. But the next time she glanced her way, Pansy's eyes were on her as she sipped her drink, a friend shouting some kind of anecdote in her ear. The darting glances continued and when Ginny made her way off the congested dance floor to the bar, she wasn't surprised to feel a warm body slide into place beside her a few moments later. "Ginny Weasley? What the fuck are you doing in this den of evil?" Pansy's voice was low and surprisingly mellow, slightly accented and drawling, brushing over her like a warm breeze, as she tipped her head to the side. Ginny felt a sudden panic and grabbed for a plastic covered menu, she was certainly out of her depths in this context. She had definitely been dancing in a flirtatious way, but she wasn't sure why. "Hmmmm, den of evil, hey... I guess I shouldn't be surprised at finding a Slytherin here, then." She returned quickly. She glanced up to find the eyes were warm, much more friendly than Ginny could ever remember them being in school. "I've graduated, hadn't you heard? So technically not bound by house loyalties... as you as a student still are?" One smooth eyebrow, a shade lighter than her hair, quirked up with the question. Ginny ducked her head to avoid the gaze again and quickly shouted out her drink order to the barmaid. "Well, Ginevra, I have to say... I'm not sure you're quite old enough to be buying drinks, if I'm honest, but I hope I'm wrong... because I would really like to have drink with you." Ginny's eyes flashed with irritation and indignation. "I'm of age! Who are you to question?" She could feel her temper flaring even as her arm tingled where their limbs brushed together. "That's hardly the way to start a conversation with someone you and to drink with!" Parkinson laughed lightly, "If you are 'of age' I'd say it would be a very recent thing..." Ginny reached into her pocket and withdrew the ID, throwing it on the bar, still fuming. Parkinson snatched it up and perused it with interest. "Madeliene... Clavel?" "Oh!" Ginny had forgotten about the name. "The birthdate is real though." Pansy's smile then was so close and blinding that Ginny's breath caught in her chest. Her expression was still sparkling even when the smile faded it. "I wasn't far off was I? It's birthday week I see, but I still think the year is one off at least... Happy birthday." Then she leaned in and kissed Ginny on the mouth. This kiss was nothing like the random lady she'd danced with. It was sweet and urgent; close-lipped but insistent. All thought of pushing away flew out of Ginny's head, because oh, there were sparks. She was almost surprised that her hair wasn't on end from some kind of static electrical shockwave. Ginny slid off her chair and pressed their bodies together as they kissed. This was not at all how she'd planned it... but perhaps she would lose her virginity tonight after all.--- The next time Harry saw Draco was at the Christmas Gala at the Ministry. He was dressed in a Muggle suit and tie that flattered his lithe frame. Pansy Parkinson clung to his arm in a ball gown so risqué that older witches gave huffs of disapproval and made sure their husband averted their eyes. Quite a few others were dressed in clothing that bore a subtle logo embroidered into the hem, showing it had been bought at Draco's trendy Diagon Alley store. They were dresses and suits that could pass for Muggle but had magical features such as invisible extension spells on the pockets, or inbuilt cooling and warming charms.Harry tugged on the collar of his dress robes and did his best to concentrate on the conversation of yet another older ministry official. He had brought Hannah Abbott as his plus one, but she had given up on trying to stay interested in the officious conversations Harry kept being drawn into. She was seated not far away, with Ginny and Neville giggling a little into her champagne.The Prophet would of course be speculating about wedding bells even if they didn't speak to one another for the rest of the evening. He stifled a sigh and nodded solomnly, "I agree, the negotiations with the Centaurs about that piece of territory should be handled with... care..." To his relief, Hermione was approaching them and he was able to excuse himself to dance with her. His ballroom dancing style had not improved at all over the years and he gritted his teeth when Draco and Parvati drifted past them in an elegant blur. At the refreshments table near the end of the evening he heard an amused drawl in his ear, "I think you're losing your date Potter..." Harry looked up just in time to see Hannah wave him a cheerful goodbye as she left the Ball. "Ah, yeah, I think she's going home to Scotland for Christmas..."Draco scooped himself some punch and raised his cut crystal glass. "And you?""Um, well... I usually go to the Burrow, but Teddy's just started crawling and there's not that much space there... plus he doesn't really like crowds that much so we might.. uh" he cringed inwardly and cursed himself that he couldn't find a way of talking without nattering about Teddy. Thankfully Malfoy rescued him, even it the topic wasn't his favourite. "So I take it your otherworldly romance with the part-Veela Ballerina hasn't continued?" Harry glowered, "It was one date. I thought I was going to the Quidditch... why my friends keep setting me up with these... these..." "Atractive women?" "Strangers! I don't understand." "I have to say, my favourite had to be the Egyptian girl with the high cheekbones... the picture of her attempts to get a kiss.." "Uh, how's Ngeerk?" Harry interrupted hastily. If his friends weren't careful he would start refusing to show up on planned outings.Draco was watching him with a tiny smile, his eyes glinting silver. "He's well. He keeps tearing open any presents that I try to wrap and pulling baubles off the tree, so he's getting into the spirit of things..." Harry relaxed a little, "Sounds like Teddy, our tree is now bare to about here---" he indicated somewhere on his hip. He sipped his drink and cast about for another topic of conversation. "I haven't been to your shop yet, but I hear it's very popular already..." Draco seemed about to reply when long ruby red nails gripped his arm and Pansy broke in, her voice a bored drawl. "Draco, I think everyone we needed to schmooze to have left already, shall we get going?" There was an infinitesimal pause before Malfoy nodded. "Yes, you're right. Good evening Potter..." And then they were gone.Harry sank into bed that night feeling lonely and dejected. There were no shortage of witches who would have come home with him tonight, and a few wizards had propositioned him too. He had no reason to hold back from having a girlfriend or a boyfriend, except that he didn't actually WANT any of them. He hated to think of having a partner who idolized him as the Chosen One, and when he thought about what he DID want, all he could see was a pair of cold grey eyes and a mocking smile...---Light from the cold morning shone through the floor to ceiling windows of the shop as Draco wandered amongst the mannequins with a critical eye. "Do you think this purple is bright enough Mitsy?" The House Elf hurrying along beside him bobbed her head energetically, "It's beetroot with aubergine Master Draco. No brighter blend worked with the waterproofing spell." She started to twist her ears anxiously. "Is Master Draco displeased?" Draco shook his head quickly, before her fingers could twitch towards the sharp wheel of pins in her pocket. "It's perfectly acceptable. Now, Mitsy. Can you package up this green one, the dark trousers, two of these shirts, turqoiuse and chocolate I think, and a pair of those trainers please. Then post them to Harry Potter with this note." He grabbed the shop memo paper emblazoned with the clothing label and scribbled on it with a ballpoint pen, "Potter, Consider this not a gift for you, but for the Wizarding world in general, who are daily subjected to a pictorial journey of your poor taste in clothing. Largely thanks to the incompetence of all the publications that consider your every action newsworthy. If your New Year's resolution were to lead to a better dressed version of yourself: we would all be exceedingly grateful, I'm sure. Here is a head start in that direction. Wear them. - Malfoy"Lavender Brown was crooning at him from the office cubicle at the back of the shop, and he rolled his eyes at her continued attempts to catch and hold his attention. "Go home for Christmas, Miss Brown. Aren't there employees who can manage the Christmas Eve rush without you? You're a designer, not a shop girl. I'm off." He stepped out into the brisk air, pausing to send a practiced smile at one of the lurking Prophet reporters.Soon he was entering a warm room filled with Christmas music, and hugging three women with equal enthusiasm. Ngeerk squawked noisily and dug his claws into Draco’s shoulder."I see you're as social as ever, Ngeerrk." Murmured Mathilde, but after a moment the large white bird allowed her to coax him into her arm. She carried him to the kitchen in search of green apples. Marcie was waving her expressive hands as she recounted the story of Micah's recent betrayal. "So, I said, I don't want a boyfriend who laughs at me with other girls and HE said that Josie didn't count as 'other girls' and that I was being too dramatic 'as usual'. Can you believe that?" Draco let her lyrical voice wash over him and expressed his sympathy as best he could, even though Marcie and Micah were forever breaking up with the same enthusiasm they showed when getting back together.He liked the warm familiarity of the scene, the quiet conversation of Eilis and Mathilde as they pottered in the other room. He sank onto the leather couch with Marcie and made himself comfy as she stretched out and threw her feet in her lap. "...so that was that. I'm single and glad of it! But what about you Draco? Don't give me the usual lines, there must be someone you fancy? Now that you're not hidden away every moment of the day?"Draco fiddled with the cuffs on his jumper. He normally avoided this question, but having just sent a Christmas present to Potter he was feeling a bit on edge, "there kinda is someone..." "Oh my fucking god!" Marcie pounced on him. "Tell me EVERYTHING!""Calm down Marcie! It's just a crush, it's not going anywhere!" He laughed."Moooooree detaiiiiils! Draaaaco!""Okay, okay! So... I met him when I went to that school in Scotland... he's shorter than me... he looks a bit like a badly dressed Oliver Sykes... you know? With the short hair in that 'Drown' film clip?" "Fuck, Dre that's hot!" "If you want details you'd better shut up Marcie," she stuck her tongue out at him but quieted instantly. "He's clever, and really brave. Like, there was this horrible guy, who was... kind of picking on heaps of people.. and he was really tough but Harry, well, he beat him up and stopped him from ever doing it again! He risked a lot to do it to. He's super popular, but its like he doesn't realise it, or it annoys him because he feels like people want to be friends with him for the wrong reasons..." He paused in the story when Eilis came to give them each a hot chocolate. But Marcie beamed up at her mums, "Dre's telling me about this dreamy boy ---Harry" she ignored Draco’s annoyed flick at her feet. "Come on Dre more!"Draco rolled his eyes at Eilis eager grin, and Mathilde's understanding sigh. "They're unstoppable Draco, you may as well give them what they want.""Yes! And what do we know so far? We needed something to distract is from Marcie's tragic love life for a while!" Eilis gave her daughter's hair a fond ruffle.Before Draco could answer, Marcie jumped in "Dre's surprisingly inarticulate, Mum! That's how I know it's loooove. Anyway so far we know --he's short --gorgeous --fights off bullies --very popular but not arrogant about it. So far I've heard no obstacles to stand in the way of their love!"They all looked at him expectantly. "There's some pretty massive obstacles actually... Let's see what else I can tell you to satisfy your thirst for gossip. "He's a great dancer, prefers hiphop to rock music. He's not a good public speaker even though he's often asked to give motivational sort of talks.. he's kinda hopeless at it..." Seeing them exchange glances he realised he was smiling affectionately so he tried to frown. "He's terrible at ballroom dancing though, no idea why. Two left feet. Good sportsman, but very competitive. We fight quite a bit actually. We're a terrible match and it isn't going to happen... but I like him." He shrugged. "...Also he's got a 7month old son..." They all spoke at once: "What??" "Oh Draco, he's not straight is he?" "How old is this boy?""Like I said. Obstacles. He's my age, he's only ever had two girlfriends... but... he... he knows he's bisexual I think, but he's not 'out'." They all winced. "That does make things more complicated." Mathilde intoned calmly. "But there's no rush, if you're good for each other then there's plenty of time."Marcie rolled her eyes, "Ugh. Muuum, do you have to be so parental? The real question is ---have you you kissed him yet?" Draco flushed and she sighed dreamily. "Was it good?" He just covered his face in his hands... ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- I'm tired of feeling terrible Tired of tiptoeing over sugar coated eggshells I'm tired of holding this grudge like a family heirloom I'm tired of feeling unloved and I just want to rest nowWhy can't it be more simple? We never learned the wayI've never talked about you much before Cause I avoid it, it always feels uncomfortable That's why I try to keep you as a passing thought Cause if I hold on I get dragged into the past with all The memories ~ SETH SENTRY --- The Burrow had felt claustrophobic and yet empty without Fred; and as much as people did their best to treat George the way they always had, there was a new gentleness and awkward pity in every conversation that screamed at him. Everything had changed. The biggest change however was in George himself. Far away from Fred’s grave, and from Snape; the only person who still treated him without gentleness or empathy... he found himself unable to hold in his darkness. Without the outlet of speaking to Fred or provoking Snape, all his bottled up emotion seemed to show on his face. He couldn't maintain even the facade of his former self. The more gently he was treated, the more surly he would become, prompting even more compassionate treatment ---it was a vicious cycle. His favourite part of the day was listening to Malfoy's hour of music. It was the one thing that was totally and completely disconnected from his former life, yet the emotion expressed in so many of the songs resonated with him. He had never felt this level of connection with Wizarding music, perhaps because most of the bands he knew of didn't seem to sing about despair. After only a few days into the Summer holidays, he couldn't stand it anymore. He brusquely told his mother he had made plans to do a Muggle tour of London, and wouldn't be back for a while. She had watched him go with understanding eyes; shiny with tears. George managed several weeks of losing himself in alcohol, clubbing, and exploring non-magical parts of London. But nothing made the gaping ache inside him stop screaming. Giving in. He returned to Hogwarts and made his way straight to Fred’s grave where he stayed until the sun began to go down. Wearily returning to the staff lounge he was unsurprised to see Snape sitting alone, with a steaming cup of tea balanced in his long fingers. George dropped his bag with a thud, but Snape didn't even look up from the magazines he was perusing. "Accio, magazine!" George attempted to Summon the shiny leaflet from Snape's hands unsuccessfully. "I think you'll find, Weasley, that these are brochures... accuracy is the key to spellwork, ---but I wouldn't expect you to remember that, I dare say you're usually much too busy making explosions and such, to pay attention to more subtle nuances." His husky voice was just the right level of derisive and disinterested, and George felt his shoulders relax with relief. He stretched himself out on the couch facing him and reached out one long arm to snatch the brochure from Snape's grasp. "I'll have to do this the old fashioned way then!" Snape only sighed and picked up a different brochure from the stack on the coffee table. But George was looking at the content of his leaflet, "A year long magical adventure through Asia?! What are you thinking B.S.! Surely you're not going to desert your adoring fans!!" Black eyes met his. "I imagine that you understand, better than most, how much has changed since the war." "Yes," George spluttered. "But it doesn't mean we're all going to --to abandon our posts and gad about the continent!" Snape's eyes crinkled slightly. "Mmmm, gadding about isn't something I've been known for, that's true. You may as well know though, Weasley, since you are obviously so very interested in my activities..." His silky voice rasped slightly in places as he continued, "I applied for, and was granted, long service leave beginning after the first school term. This, combined with the fact that I have rarely had need to spend the bulk of my earnings from my Professorship, has left me comfortably situated to treat myself to a year of whatever pleasures or luxuries I desire... and what I desire, is to see the world." Gobsmacked by this honest and heartfelt admission, George stared at him and spoke without thinking. "Yes. That's it, then! That's exactly what we should do." If Snape was capable of stuttering or spluttering, this would have been the moment. Instead he just opened and closed his mouth soundlessly twice, before saying threateningly. "We? Weasley?" Certainty was creeping over George. He realised that this was exactly what he wanted to do, as bizarre as it would seem to all his friends and relations. His position at Hogwarts was only tenporary after all. There was no obligation for him to commit to more than a term at a time. The tension and grief he'd been battered by receded slightly as he made up his mine. "Yes. We. I'm sure travelling together would be much more entertaining than doing it on your own. I was pretty much hating being a teacher anyway ---McGonagall won't be surprised if I tell her I'm only going to do one more term. And a year of pleasure is just what I need." He allowed a grin to spread across his face at Snape's expression of mingled disgust and confusion. Settling himself back on the cushions George looked at the brochure more intently. "Oooh did you see this? Elephant rides? That would be fun. We should definitely go to Thailand." "Mr Weasley. You can't be serious." "Utterly and completely serious," George said cheerfully, the angst of his 'holidays' so far, slipping away like rain drops sliding down glass. "Oh, and if you're worried that I don't have the funds, I'm happy to inform you that the Wheezes business is running perfectly well without me, and continues to bring in an income. Plus I have managed to amass some savings too..." He could feel his expression darkening again as he said a little grimly. "Two people's worth if we want to be accurate." He lightened his tone with an effort. "It's probably easiest if you buy two tickets for everything and I just pay you back hey? I'm sure you have already been developing some kind of anally retentive schedule for the journey, whereas I am happy to pretty much anywhere!" The other man continued to study him with his normal disconcerting intensity, "...Are you trying to find a way to punish yourself Weasley? Attaching yourself to the most unpleasant person you can find?" "Merlin, no! If I wanted to torture myself I would spend the year at the Burrow, or back at our flat, or the shop! There's nothing more unpleasant than constantly hearing condolences. I'm determined to come with you, you'd be better off to just resign yourself to it, rather than trying to wriggle your way out of our arrangement." "Where do you come up with these ludicrous ideas? It will hardly be an arrangement." Snape drew out the last word as though inhaling noxious fumes, but there was enough resignation in his voice that George was sure he would capitulate... --- As soon as Blaise had Apparated into the country lane outside her house, Luna Lovegood appeared in his field of vision coming in from the garden. It would have been hard for anyone, casually encountering Luna, to have made an accurate guess at her age. Her skin was as clear as a child's but her face could often give the impression of an age similar to that of her father. Her untidy locks were streaked with a white blonde so light it sometimes made her halo of hair appear completely white. She was a skinny, angular creature, her limbs had the elasticity of a young child, and, rather unexpectedly, looked her best when dancing. She had slightly protuberant eyes that looked a little too large for her face, generally characterised by a dreamy, far away stare. Since she was an enthusiastic gardener, and rarely took the trouble to protect her hands with gloves or spells, her nails were jagged and chipped. Her palms and fingers calloused. Yet Blaise couldn't figure out why he had ever been able to find her plain, or even ugly. Perhaps because she didn't have the natural beauty his mother possessed. Her beauty wasn't obvious to him until now. It had been watching her dancing that he suddenly realised how striking she was. And now, her appearance continued to be arresting to him. It was bizarre. She was always wearing clothing in colours and combinations that made others wonder in whispers if she was color blind. She had been known to watch, over a period of months, a particular window pane or spreading bush, triumphantly declaring at last that she had glimpsed an unusual or fantastical creature in that space. She kept a sketchbook of all the memories of these glimpses, beautifully drawn in strong colors. Luna was dressed this morning in a voluminous and shiny blue skirt imperfectly confining at the waist a striped flannel shirt-blouse; a woollen cardigan, shapeless and tufty, made from an intdeterminate substance, and faded to an uncertain hue; bare feet visible when she lifted her skirts; and a collection of gold chains, cairngorm brooches, and old-fashioned rings. Two strands of hair had already escaped from the complicated erection on the top of her head; and a hairpin was dropping out of a loop of hair over one ear. As she approached he opened his mouth to anounce the reason for his visit. His mother's request that he provide a pensieve memory for a story she wanted Luna to publish. But Luna spoke first. "Hallo, Blaise. We're about to have tea in the garden." Luna blinked up a him vaguely, and began walking away towards the back of the house. As if drawn by a magnet, he followed. There on a long carpet of moss green grass was something like a lounge room. There was a covering of flowering vines forming the ceiling but the walls were open. There were a few valuable pieces of furniture scattered about, amongst a much larger number of commonplace chairs and tables; a small outdoor fireplace burned at one end, so hedged about with sofas and chairs as to give the other end of the room the appearance of a desert. Tea, which was set out on a massive silver tray, in front of Xenophilious Lovegood's accustomed chair; was spread over two other tables, on porcelain Worcester plates, and several silver cake-baskets, which were embellished with crochet mats. “Come in,” Xenophilious called out suddenly, as though answering a knock on the door. Blaise hesitated, Luna looked up from the tea she was pouring, her eyes bright. “He means take a seat. He knows you're here." "I see. Does he understand what we're saying?” “Yes. And no.” “Go on.” Although she appeared relaxed, there was a faint note of unease in her voice. For a moment, the enormity of what she was doing in caring for her father hit Blaise. He couldn't imagine doing the same for his own mother were she to lose her mind. Luna passed her father a cup of tea. He promptly spilled half of it down his front. Patiently she held his hand and helped him sip it. “The story has two parts.” She set the cup down on a side table and helped her father to grasp a cookie and bring it to his mouth. She then levitated tea and cookies across to Blaide and gave him her full attention. “Ever since his incarceration my father's mind has been trapped in place I can't reach. I've tried many things.” Blaise waited patiently, as she stretched out a delicate hand and poured herself some tea. “My friend Harry paid a visit one day. He came upon me, and my father, in the garden. I decided to have a tea party.” "I'm confused." Luna cocked her head to the side and eyed him with a direct blue gaze. "I think I heard you say once that my mind ran on paths no other could comprehend?" Blaise was surprised into laughter. "Well, I probably did say that. And it may not have been a compliment at the time..." Luna didn't react to that, only observed him with a tranquil calm that made a rare feeling of self consciousness bubble up in Blaise, like tar in the hot sun. He rushed to speak again. "You were saying the story has two parts? Is the tea party the first part?" "Yes. The other part is self-concept, which is one’s belief about who one is. People also have a self-ideal, which is a belief about how one should be. If an individual experiences dissonance between these two, then it can cause great stress in the mind. My father's ideal self is one who always welcomes guests with hospitality. But when he betrayed Harry to try and save me he came to believe himself evil and a failure." The words she was using were logical and sensical but their meaning was still lost on Blaise. She spread out her hands at the afternoon tea that could easily have served fifty. "The only time my father is responsive is if he thinks I'm throwing a party. Some of this is just charm work, you can't really eat all of this food. It's pretty and it makes him feel better... so it's what I do." Blaise found himself smiling. "When I asked you if he understands what we're saying... you said Yes and No..." Luna was looking at him strangely. That is to say - there was an expression on her face that he couldn't interpret - in a different way from usual. She seemed lost for words for a moment and flustered. Her hands fluttered and she started refilling the tea cup that she hadn't yet drunk from. The tea spilled over the saucer and on to the grass but Luna didn't seem to notice. "Well, he seems to understand some things... but I couldn't tell you what. Or when it might happen." Her bright blue eyes flickered up, looking at him from under thick translucent lashes. She was unsettled, but he couldn't tell why. He cleared his throat and launched into the explanation for his visit. Although she recovered to her usual unflappable state for the rest of their conversation Blaise found himself intrigued by that moment of confusion. Even days after his visit he found himself wondering what it was that had triggered her loss of the calm disconnected manner she always carried. It was then that he knew he would be going back. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A few days into the new year Draco was sincerely regretting revealing his secret to Marcie. When she wanted something, she was impossible to resist, and she wanted to meet Harry very, very much. Although he was sure this couldn't end well, Draco found himself walking in Hyde Park waiting for a glimpse of Harry Potter. Harry’s schedule was fairly well known to the public, but when he went out with Teddy he used a number of protective spells that kept people from coming within ten feet of him, or even speaking to him. Draco wasn't sure what he would do if Harry saw him, because he had been careful to never be in the same place at the same time until now. Just as he was about to change his mind, he heard a familar voice calling his name. "Hi! Where are you off to?" Bright green eyes shone up at him with delight Draco swallowed, "Hello Potter, I see you have taken my advice?" He waved his hand at the warm green jacket and casual trousers. Harry smiled, "well, when something is for the Greater Good I can hardly resist can I?" "Mmmm..." Draco looked down curiously at the little boy in the pram. He was very round, with such chubby arms and hands that it almost looked as if he had rubber bands where his wrists should be. Draco frowned. "Are you sure infants are supposed to be that fat, Potter? You're not over---feeding him are you? It won't help if you do the extreme opposite of everything your relatives did to you, you know. Overfeeding is surely as bad as underfeeding I should think." Harry was laughing, "Molly assures me that most babies are like this, and he'll start slimming down when he learns to walk." He leaned over and spoke to the small boy, "Teddy, this is Draco"... "DA DA!" The infant burbled excitedly. Draco looked at him in astonishment, "Surely he is too young to start talking?" Harry nodded, "He just makes a few sounds at the moment, and says Dada, but it won't be long till he knows more words." "Is there a reason, why he has red hair and freckles? Neither Lupin nor Nymphadora had that colouring did they?" "No, they didn't ---he can change his appearance a bit already. He can't control it, but I've got a spell that kind of, pauses it, for when we're out in public. We dropped in at the Weasleys on our way here so ---" he waved a hand at the red curls and the bright smile revealing a few tiny teeth. "I guess that makes it hard to be friends with Muggles then?" Harry looked surprised at the question, then thoughtful "I don't really have any Muggle friends... I didn't have them even when I lived with Muggles... but if I did, I'd just make sure to pause Teddy's changes at the same place each time." Draco glanced at his watch, "I'm actually meeting a Muggle friend in about half an hour." Harry's shining eyes dimmed a little and his body language shifted to prepare to leave. Draco took a deep breath, but said as casually as he could; "it's not far from here, just that coffee shop on the corner" he pointed squinting a little. "You could come if you want?" He looked at the baby, "Babies can't drink coffee. Can they? I really don't know much about them." Harry was smiling again. "Yeah no coffee for Teddy, but he'd probably love a muffin, if you don't mind us tagging along." Draco waited while he rotated the pram and they set off slowly across the park. "I thought you use repelling charms when you two go out?" "Not for friends! I just use them to keep away, you know, well-wishers, and reporters... the occasional psycho..." Draco looked at him sharply, "you haven't been attacked have you?"--- Harry was surprised to see something like concern on Malfoy's face. He felt warm all of a sudden. "Nothing major, I have a bunch of detection spells woven into the shield, and a few times someone has tried to use an unforgiveable on me... it didn't make it through the shield. Harry was feeling very light hearted despite the topic; he had expected another four months or so to pass before he saw Draco again after the Christmas Gala. Draco had managed to be very elusive, spending only a very small amount of time in Wizarding areas, amd presumably usinf notice-me-not spells when in Muggle areas. He seemed to know more and more about Muggle culture as time passed, dropping so many references to pop culture in his Radio Show that the Prophet had begun including a Muggle Media Explained section that often focused on movies, music or world events that Draco had mentioned the day before. As they walked towards the café, conversation came easily and Harry's heart was pounding in hopeful beats, the way it did when they were making out. Seeing Draco in real life, falling alongside Harry's daily routine, made him hope in a way he hadn't dared to hope before. The tall windows of the cafe let the winter light pour into the bright building with a welcoming glow. "She's early," Draco said, sounding vaguely disgruntled, but he leant closer to Harry and pointed out a stunningly beautiful girl seated in one of the cozy corners with the best view. Harry felt a flash of recognition; when they'd been sharing a dorm room he had chanced to see this girl dancing with Draco in a home video. Even though he was pretty sure that, unlike him, Draco was not bisexual... it still sent a twist of jealousy through him that Draco obviously spent so much time with such a poised and attractive person. He did his best to paste on a friendly smile because she had looked up and was waving them over. His heart softened a little towards her when the first thing she did was to bend her head to Teddy's level and give him a friendly grin, "Hi little man, what's your name?" She glanced up at Harry, obviously aware that he was too small to answer her himself. "That's Teddy," Draco said, submitting to tight hug. "Apparently he is supposed to be that round. And isn't overconsuming baby protein shakes or anything." She laughed airly. "Oh he looks like a lovely healthy baby. I love it when they still have these precious rolls." She held a hand out, "Hi! I'm Marcie!" Harry tried to equal her enthusiasm but knew he was falling short. "Uh, Hi! Harry. Um, I'm Harry." "Can I give this cutie a cuddle?" "Oh, he's not very good with strangers usually..." but he trailed off as he watched her chatting cheerfully to Ted, unstrapping his tricky belt, waiting until Teddy was reaching for her. He was playing happily with her beaded necklace before she looked up again, "Don't worry, these beads are much too small to choke him if the string breaks." Draco had been ordering, but he smiled at her affectionately, "Marcie's an only child like me, but her Mums have always done temporary foster care and they often look after babies, so she's good with kids. They're the ones I stayed with after... you know..." Marcie's face had turned stormy and Draco hurried to change the subject. Harry wondered what the Muggle cover story could have been for Dumbledore's death and the war with Voldemort. "I got you another Latte Cee-cee, and an iced donut..." She was easily distracted. "Oooh I was trying to resist those. What did you buy Harry?" Draco glared at her and a slight spot of pink appeared on each cheekbone. "Uh, English Breakfast tea and a pumpkin pie... you can order something else if you'd like though Potter..." Harry felt a warm buzz that Draco had noticed some of his favourite things. Suddenly he felt quite magnanimous towards Marcie. "So what do you do Marcie? You're our age, hey? Are you going to College?" "Oh no! I'm in the bad books at home about this... my Mums are both very smart see, so they were horrified when I decided to go to LAMDA..." "Actually they're quite proud of her, LAMDA is London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Very prestigious." Draco interjected. "Well, like I've told my Mums, I at least have to GO to my college every day! Draco might be doing a more academically challenging degree but doing it online means he can figure out all the loopholes and breeze his way through! I actually have to deal with the arrogance of lecturers and the humiliation of peer reviews with real people and not a computer screen." "It's a fair point. I'm not denying it. I think what you're doing would be fucking hard Cee-cee." The waitress bustled over with a tray of food that she set out in front of them, according to Draco's directions. He suddenly was staring at one of the items uncertainly "---can babies eat blueberries? I think I should have ordered him the banana one." Harry gently placed a hand on Draco’s forearm before he could snatch the muffin away, "he loves blueberries, Malfoy, you're not about to break him, relax..." Draco's arm felt anything but relaxed under his hand, his muscles were coiled and firm. Harry could feel the warmth of his skin through his clothes. He found himself pressing the length of his thigh along Malfoy's under the table and was pleased to see his quick intake of breath. He didn't move away but pressed back very slightly. It wasn't long before Marcie was kissing them all on the cheeks, with effervescent happiness at having met Teddy and Harry. She was so fervent and earnest that it was easy to see why Draco liked her so much. When she sashayed away to her next class Harry felt Draco stiffen again beside him. Teddy was clambering over Harry's lap reaching sticky fingers into his hair and smushing small particles of muffin into his jacket. "I'm not really sure how Muggles would do this? I normally vanish the crumbs..." Harry muttered. "Do you want to come to my place for another coffee? It's not far." Draco looked at him consideringly and Harry's heart sank. The clothes that he'd been given were probably very expensive, and here he was, wearing them with all the style of a flobberworm, while a squirming baby deposited food in every seam. The answer to his question was so obvious it could have been written in the air between them in bold dark letters... In order to cover up the disappointment that was reverberating through him at Malfoy's tacit rejection, Harry jumped up quickly and began busying himself tucking Teddy into the pram and strapping him securely. He tried to redirect his thoughts to other things, like how big Teddy was getting, too big to be carried in the sling around the park, ---but his traitorous body was still vibrating with the awareness of Malfoy's proximity and his silence. Opening his mouth to say his goodbyes, Harry was startled by the soft sound of Malfoy's voice, "Potter. You are the fucking Saviour. You should NOT be disappointed when someone like me doesn't jump at an invitation to your place." Defensive and a little angry, Harry knew his face gave everything away as he bit out the words, "does NO-ONE understand that I never wanted to be a Saviour?" Malfoy was unperturbed. "Yes, so you have always said. Perhaps you prefer the other ways that people describe you? Hmmm... lets see, Fearless Leader? Symbol of Hope? Guide in the Darkness?" Glaring at him Harry refused to respond and released the brakes of the pram, turning it quickly towards the entrance. He couldn't resist a quick look backwards at Draco, who was in profile, staring out the window while he calmly sipped his drink. Harry pushed through the door and let his anger carry him in exactly the opposite direction. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- It wasn't until Harry had made it all the way across the park that he really started to process the words that Draco had been saying. Perhaps 'process' was the wrong word... 'Overanalyze' might be more accurate. Thankfully he didn't make it out of the park before Malfoy fell into step beside him, interrupting his ruminations. Speaking carelessly as though they were discussing the weather, he said, "Potter,my fame is always on the border of infamy. Whatever I do people will question my motives. If it's something good, they wonder if I'm doing it for selfish reasons. If it is something selfish, they wonder if it is the evidence that I have always, and always will be a Dark Wizard. A wolf in sheep's clothing, so to speak. You on the other hand, you could start a job dancing on tabletops in the Leaky Cauldron, and the Wizarding world would applaud you for being down-to-earth, and understanding the common man." Harry continued to walk briskly in the direction of home, staring ahead in a stony silence. "You must surely understand why it would be insane for you to become... ---involved --- with someone like me. Potter, you must see that?" "You say what you want, Malfoy, whatever makes you feel better about... about... acting all superior and, ---and uh, 'uninvolved'. You're right! I'm not anything impressive, and the sooner other people realise that, then... well... the better! I'm not e-e-even asking you to get i-i-involved! I'd just be happy if you wouldn't ignore me! If you'd get down off your high horse and come over for a cup of---" But his rant was cut short suddenly when Malfoy grabbed his chin roughly, rolling his eyes, and kissed him. They stood there, lost in the pleasure of meeting mouths, letting the world around them fall away for a moment. Harry clung to the pram with one hand and used the other to draw Malfoy closer and deepen the kiss. His body was singing in shock, he felt untethered and loose, as though he had been tied down by some kind of great weight that had melted away. He could feel the joy of flying, the intensity of dueling, the intimacy of dancing. It was everything that he wanted. They were brought back to their surroundings by the flash of cameras from under the nearby trees of the park. Teddy began to squeal for his bottle and Harry couldn't help but laugh in relief and confusion. "Draco. I've got to get Teddy home for his sleep... he usually goes down for a few hours... do you want to come have a cuppa with me?" With mingled delight and uncertainty on his face, Malfoy reached out a finger and ran it down Harry's cheek, making the skin warm and tingle. "If you're sure you want me to, Harry. I don't think I can stay away."--- One tall red heel clicked rythmically against the desk as Pansy Parkinson swung her crossed leg and listened to Paula Zabini's long winded soliloquy complaining of the enormous duties she had to bear, and of the weight of responsibility that had been left on anyone with a Slytherin background in this post-war era. Though Pansy could sympathise with this she felt herself to be quite unqualified to advise. Why Paula was choosing to unburden himself to Pansy, she wasn't sure, but she assumed it had something to do with the amount of leg and breast that her dress managed to put on display. It was well known that Paula swung both ways, and that neither age nor gender seemed to play a part in whom she chose as a potential conquest. Pansy preferred to make the most of every opportunity, so rather than telling Paula that she wasn't interested, she encouraged her to open up with sympathetic comments. Pansy was not naturally a sympathetic person, nor was she very pretty, but a combination of cleverness and taking advantage of her excellent figure, had always worked well for her. She might be too tall - but she preferred ‘statuesque’. Rather than be noticed for her snub-nose, she drew attention to her shiny hair and perky bust. She owed her apprenticeship at the Ministry to Draco's skilful handling of his social contacts, because all other Slytherins had become somewhat unemployable after the war, when they were generally branded as Voldemort supporters. Pansy in particular, was well known as the person who had wanted to hand the Chosen-One, Harry-Potter-Himself, over to the Dark Lord. Even with her very public apology and Potter's adamant absolution, she still experienced plenty of nasty glares. Her situation wasn't helped by the fact that she had an acid tongue, and a blunt manner that often leaned towards offensive. She had had very few friends, occasional lovers, and a multitude of acquaintances. Working on the next level down, she made sure to stop by and visit Paula regularly. Paula continued chatting happily, and Pansy could feel her eyes glazing over as the inanities increased. "I think Will's new play is simply marvellous!" Paula said. Pansy gazed glassily at her for a moment. "In what way?" she asked. But before Paula could respond an owl flew into the office bearing a letter for her, and she became distracted. Pansy took a sip from her quickly cooling coffee and prepared to make her excuses and escape to her own office. Paula was unrolling the parchment she'd received. "Hopefully this is the approval to fund Will's---" she broke off abruptly. "Merlin's beard!" she shrieked, jumping out of her seat with a start, overturning her own coffee cup in the process. "Oh! I feel as though I were going to be sick, or faint, or something.” Paula began rocking herself slightly, giving little dry sobs and said chokingly: "Who could be so awful? What do they want with me?" “What is it, Paula? Do you need me to get someone?" Pansy asked. As though drawn by her words, the door opened abruptly, and two very different young women entered the office. One was dressed severely in black robes with her hair pulled back in a no nonsense bun, and the other was drifting dreamily along wearing multiple gauzy layers of some kind of glitter-rainbow-sparkle fabric that looked straight out of a two year old girl's dream. This small bird-like woman, with bright eyes and a flow of unusual small talk, was recognisable at once as the journalist Luna Lovegood. She had enjoyed a certain measure of success recently through the establishment of a Wizarding newspaper that was unbiased and factual. She had a natural ingenuousness which was entertaining, but slightly tedious; a vivacious way of talking, pleasant manners, and a good heart, but her habit of telling interminable and incoherent stories about creatures that may or may not exist, made her a wearisome person for anyone to spend more more than a minute or two with. Fortunately no-one could truly become bored by Luna's conversation, so any strangeness was more than compensated for by her entertainment value. The other young woman, Hermione Granger, took only moments to assess the situation and she quickly took it in hand. Perusing the distressing message she sent off a flurry of memos to other departments. Paula still rocked herself dramatically, while Pansy stood by, on edge but uncertain what she could do. It seemed like an extreme reaction to a single death threat. There must be more to the letter than met the eye. There was no trace of discomfort in Luna. She seemed ever oblivious to any kind of social tension. She moved gracefully towards Paula and took her hand. Paula stopped rocking herself to and fro, and achieved a wan smile. Pansy backed away now, this had nothing to do with her after all and the last thing she needed was to be entangled in it. As she moved towards the door she was checked by the sight two aurors emerging from the Floo with a rustle of their crimson robes. The Senior Auror, Andrew Williamson, with his long ponytail, severe features and receding hairline was a dramatic contrast to Junior Auror Theodore Nott: reputedly the brightest recruit in the past hundred years. Paula gave an uncontrollable start; her long, pointed fingernails dug into Luna's hand; they heard the quick intake of her breath, and Luna gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Releasing Luna, Paula Zabini's hands fluttered helplessly, but her eyes were on the attractive young man, as he automatically vanished the mess of coffee at her feet. She tottered towards Pansy without taking her eyes off Nott Junior, and leaned heavily on her. Pansy turned to look him over. She had never noticed him in school, though he certainly had a formidable physique, along with a clinical, confident and emotionless expression that was immediately intimidating. If gossip was to be believed, none of his classmates, or even Professors, had more than vague memories of him at Hogwarts. If pressed they would have said he was a plain quiet person who never seemed much out of the ordinary -- until he suddenly took on the highest number of NEWTs and achieved Exceeds Expectations in every one, surpassing even the up and coming academic Hermione Granger. The seventeen year old had so excelled in the three months of Basic Training, that he had been allowed to undergo F.A.E. (Final Auror Examinations) without the three years auroral education that was the usual prerequisite. The Auror Department had been shocked when he had passed all the rigorous forms of testing with flying colours. Auror Williamson didn't seem to resent his young charge's rapid ascension in the ranks. He had quickly seen that he would be able to give the majority of their assignments into Theo's hands. It was only in the one week per month that Theo devoted to an equally challenging Potions Apprenticeship with a Master from Scotland, that he really had to do any kind of stake-outs or hands on investigation. So the partnership was working well for both of them. Drawing Paula to a small couch in the waiting area, Pansy whispered in her flattest tone: “It seems I chose a bad time to visit, Paula.” She looked blankly at Pansy. “Why? You are the only one who can comfort me! How could anyone want to send me a death threat?” “I get them all the time,” said Pansy testily. Paula's eyes were large and frightened, fixed painfully on the parchment that the aurors were unrolling. She faltered: “When?” “Once a week – at first, not so often since my exams at Hogwarts,” replied Pansy. She looked up over her shoulder and caught a look pass between Nott and Granger that hinted they were not strangers to one another. “There were certainly no aurors to investigate the letters sent to me...” “Yes. Well. You don't work for the Minister of the Arts and Entertainment! How could something like this come through the Ministry mailing system! I don’t seem able to grasp it, quite. My mind feels numb. It’s the oddest sensation. As though –“ Pansy interrupted with her usual ruthlessness: “There’s no need to tell me what you feel like. I’ve never been interested in your sensations yet, and I never will be.” “It’s too terrible, too ghastly!” Paula said. "I'm sure these guys have it covered.” Pansy motioned towards the aurors who were moving purposefully around the room, setting up various spells and magical barriers. Theodore Nott turned. “Just a moment, if you please Ms. Zabini. We just want to ask you one or two questions.” Paula looked as though she were going to faint. Pansy gave a short laugh under her breath, and rolled her eyes. “I don’t know anything!” Paula said rather too loudly. “I feel utterly dazed. I can’t think! For Merlin’s sake, don’t leave me, Pansy!” “It’s all right; I won’t go,” Pansy said, the unconcern in her voice that made the offer instantly void of its soothing possibilities. Paula sank deeper into the chair, shivering. “Oh, I feel most frightfully sick!” she said, pressing her hands to her temples. “What do you want to see me for? I don’t know anything.” Her voice rose on a note of panic. As her responses to Nott's innocuous questions became more and more elaborate and involved, Pansy set her teeth and fixed her gaze on a painting hanging on the far wall, wishing she had managed to leave the room before the aurors arrived. By the time the interview was over she had thought of dozens of painful ways there might be of killing Paula Zabini and ending her tendency to dramatics. At last the aurors went away, and Pansy was able to favour Paula with a pithy résumé of her own character as seen through the eyes of the rest of the world. Her remarks, however, glanced off the armour of Paula's superb egotism. She launched into an explanation of herself as one of those excessively highly strung people whose nerves were simply unequal to the task of bearing her up in the face of disaster. Pansy gave up listening midstream into the monologue, and threw up her hands in disgust, stomping away on her stilletos and leaving Luna to comfort the ridiculous witch. “I’ll take you home, Ms. Zabini," she said, with long suffering compassion. “It’s a dreadful shock for you.”--- The past few weeks had been rough. After so many years of living in Harry Potter's shadow, Ron had finally been given the opportunity to shine on his own merit when Harry had chosen fatherhood over Auror training; only to find that in their year at Hogwarts there was a young man who had apparently spent his school years in some kind of self-led Auror training program. Once again, any achievement of Ron's was overshadowed by the Junior Auror who was first in a hundred years to pass auror examinations without undergoing the training. While Ron was still three years away from completing his training, his former classmate was already out tracking dark wizards. Hermione had seen very little of Ron during basic training, and it had been quite jarring to be thrown back into an intense situation with him on the weekend before the official auroral training began. She had been hanging out at the Burrow for the weekend as though she were one of them... and yet she was acutely aware of the fact that she was not a Weasley. To be completely accurate, she wasn’t even totally sure that she was Ron’s girlfriend. He had never officially asked her to be. They had kissed a bit, and she often felt his interest and admiration, but nothing had been explicitly discussed. She could feel that he must love her, but she needed him to say it. Then on their first weekend together in months, Hermione was surprised to find Ron preoccupied with the news of Theodore Nott's offer of employment. At first she hadn't noticed he was seething, and had unfortunately made a positive comment along the lines that it was good to see the Ministry of Magic being flexible based on skill and experience rather than ticking boxes. This made him furious. "How can you say that! How can anyone be allowed to just skip three years of training!" She reached a hand out to him. "I didn't mean that! It's just that they are usually so overly officious... like these totally pointless secretarial apprenticeships they get witches to do - I was pleasantly surprised that they would consider judging people on merit rather than years in the system." “You mean that the Brilliant Theodore Nott Who Can Never Fail deserves to be promoted ahead of the rest of us!" Hermione withdrew her hand, annoyed. “Why you are letting this bother you so much, I have no comprehension!" “So it doesn't matter to you that people can do that? Skip their way to the top of a profession without all the years of training the rest of us have to go through? How would you feel if Pansy Parkinson was suddenly the Minister for Magical Creatures? “Well!” She clasped her hands together and twisted them nervously. “It's not about personality! If she was talented, hardworking and capable of doing a good job --it can’t matter to me! Don't you think I could do it? At least more than just 'secretarial' work?” He looked down at her, smiling in a bitter sort of way. “I thought you would want to be qualified before you made your move for the Minister of Magic's job?” “Don’t be silly. I’m serious, Ron.” Hermione snapped. “Oh I'm silly now am I? I don't know why you bother to ask me anything! I should just let you have it as you want! You’d do anything to be a successful woman, even if it killed you" Hermione was gobsmacked. “Is it the thought of my d-death or my success that upsets you the most?" she responded hotly. “You can’t possibly think that's a question?!" Ron's face was reddening as the volume of his voice rose. Noticing the curious eyes turning their way Hermione tugged Ron close and whispered rapidly. “Oh I have plenty of questions! When was the last time you were proud of me Ron? When you appreciated something I'd achieved?" "What about you 'Mione? When was the last time you even NOTICED something that I've done??" As the argument continued to escalate and their commentary became more and more pointed and hurtful, Hermione had the sinking sensation that they couldn't come back from this one. They had always bickered, but now she couldn't seem to hold back the words and opinions that usually stayed buried. After a particularly vicious diatribe Ron fell silent and just looked at her, his eyes rimmed with red and his face drained of colour. "We can't go on can we 'Mione?" He said in a whisper, with that startling depth of insight that always came as a shock. "We'll destroy each other. I love you too much to let that happen." He stood up and walked past her without looking back. Hermione didn't protest, her eyes blurred with tears as she watched him walk away, but she blinked them away and resisted the urge to put her head on her arms and sob. The news of Ron and Hermione’s very vocal break up had travelled quickly around those gathered at the Burrow and the general tension this caused was palpable. The most notable critic was their Great-Aunt Muriel who was nearly one hundred and ten. She couldn't understand why the Granger child was still there when clearly there was no reason for her to be. Hermione had been so grateful to get back to work on the Monday, and who should come into her office - but the Junior Auror himself.
11070918	shared experiences	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Blurr (Transformers), Swindle (Transformers)", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by Zekkass", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-02T00:00:00", "words": "2,086", "Additional Tags": "PWP, Smut, Body Worship, Overstimulation, Blow Jobs, Sticky Sexual Interfacing, Character Study, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Coping", "Relationship": "Blurr/Swindle", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Animated (2007)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	"Really, if you think about it, arresting me would be a great disservice towards yourself! Think of all the great deals you would be missing out on - "Swindle's flow of words comes to a halt as Blurr darts up to him and stops inches away from his energy shield, optics narrowed; Swindle can practically see him figuring out the precise calibrations needed to disrupt the shield. Despite himself, his cool wavers and he starts talking again, vocalizer turned up a pitch.The key, after all, is to figure out what the customer wants, so that he can give it to them with an appropriate price-tag."But what am I saying? You're not about to purchase anything from a Decepticon, especially after you've so recently been betrayed by one, and just between you and me - "Blurr stops studying the field, head tilted up. There are knives out, and Swindle chuckles nervously, hands shifting together."Shockwave wasn't my favorite customer. Always called me last, always had unreasonable demands, and he never let me haggle!"Blurr hardly moves, but Swindle has won seconds out of him as he begins to speak: "That was his way he liked to be certain he had everything in order before he did anything that included me that included everyone on Cybertron of course he wouldn't let you haggle he'd always make sure you'd agree to what he wanted that's how I wound up on Sol-3 that's how I wound up in my altmode for months that's how I - really Swindle you're a free Decepticon I'm going to arrest you and take you back to Cybertron do you really think I'll let myself get fooled by another Decepticon no never again.""I'm not trying to fool you!" Swindle says, raising his hands, palms out. "I just want to have a calm discussion, see if we can't work something out. I don't want to go to the Stockades, ah ha ha, and you don't want me to go to the Stockades.""Well really why not?""It's the company," Swindle says with an easy shrug, tipping his hands upside down, still showing Blurr his palms. "But enough about me. Let's talk about you. While I see that your recovery has gone marvelously well, surely there must be something I can offer to make you more comfortable. A sympathetic ear, perhaps?""Ear meaning audial," Blurr translates. "What makes you think you'd be qualified why do you think I'd want to talk to you?" He's begun to pace, but his optics don't leave Swindle."Shared experiences!" Swindle says. "I've been trapped in my altmode for far too long to count." Not an experience he brings up lightly. "Without the option of transforming back at any time, of course."Silence between them both as Blurr slows his pacing, optics drilling into Swindle's.Is it anger? Is it sympathy, empathy? Swindle can't tell, so he keeps his frame language nice and open, ready to surrender to anything. He keeps his shield primed too, not a fool."Were you betrayed did someone you care about turn their back on you did someone lie to you for centuries? Don't compare what we went through they're nothing alike - ""Ah, ah ah," Swindle says, holding up a finger. "I thought I was dead.""I actually was dead my spark was guttering.""The organics attempted to dissect me.""Sometimes I still feel that pressure all over my frame I was trapped nothing worked - ""I was aware of everything they did to me," Swindle says. "It was so undignifying, the things they tried - fortunately my plating is made of sterner stuff, but then they gave me to the Autobots - "Blurr's mouth moves, and nothing comes out. He begins to pace again, faster and faster before he comes through the shield again putting his hands on Swindle's shoulders."If you're offering comfort in exchange for freedom I'll take it our situations aren't comparable but it's terrifying right knowing what's going to happen to you but there's nothing you can do to stop it and there's no guarantee you won't be put into another frame or tortured or worse and then the humans the number of times they touched me I was just another car - ""They sat inside of me," Swindle says, as soft as he dares."One of them scrambled my circuits I'm never going back there even though the roads were pleasant it wasn't a pleasant place and really enough of this I want to do something physical or else I'll talk for hours and we'll both be unhappy let's have a distraction take me to your quarters Swindle I know you have some here we just need a private room that's all."Swindle nods, shield shutting off as he carefully puts an arm around Blurr's waist and leads him away.The room isn't far, and no one's watching as they slip inside. It's a pleasant two-berth affair with all the amenities Swindle wants, primarily upgrades to the washracks, but Blurr doesn't seem to do more than look at them before he guides them to the berth and sits on one, crossing legs daintily and looking up at Swindle."Touch me and be gentle I want you to enjoy this and I want to feel what you do that's simple isn't it?""Oh, I can do far more than that," Swindle offers with a purr - "Don't," Blurr says, and Swindle nods, taking the rebuke. This has to be on Blurr's terms, or else. A fair deal, in Swindle's estimate - particularly when it involves gently pressing his sensor-laden fingertips to the tips of Blurr's shoulders and slowly working his way down, savoring the chill of the metal, the faint buzz of sensors and mechanics working under the plating, and the way Blurr hisses out a long gust of air."May I use my glossae? I assure you it will as pleasurable for you as it would be for me.""Yes but go slowly," Blurr demands, and Swindle assents, hands finding their painstaking way around Blurr's wheels as he begins to taste Blurr's plating. This isn't the most exciting portion of Blurr's frame but it's a suitable prelude as he feels Blurr out in as much detail as he can stand. If he's allowed enough of this he may be able to recreate a model of Blurr, potentially for sale - but he's letting his greed run away with him, as usual.Blurr's wheel begins to spin under the gentle touch of his glossae, not too fast, and Swindle chuckles as he explores Blurr's neck with his hands."Is it excruciating?""Yes very please keep going," Blurr says, optics bright when Swindle looks. "Dragging it out like this helps my processor recognize that it's real and really you're going too slowly but no no don't speed up I just want to feel you and nothing else please my frame is intact and whole and my sensors won't stop oh oh oh - "Swindle chuckles as he nibbles at the wheel. Found a weak spot, and the sounds Blurr makes vibrate into his fingers, which are going to be over-sensitized messes at the end of this, but that's just fine, that's what he wants.Blurr gradually lies back on the berth, quivering with charge the more Swindle moves over his frame, gasping little comments and compliments as Swindle finds every gap in his armor and plays with his exposed protoform and nibbles at sensitive, sensitive metal. At one point there's the click of panels opening and Swindle pauses to look down at Blurr's spike, thin and glowing with blue biolights and he laughs, reaching down.He touches the tip of Blurr's spike with a finger and nearly loses control, but holds on enough to smirk at Blurr as he slowly pushes it back into him."I'm not there yet," he says, and Blurr shudders all over with an overload that leaves fluids running down his thighs.Swindle can feel the heat pouring off of Blurr's frame in steady gusts from his vents, and his vision goes hazy at one point, the heat too much before he cranks his fans up manually. He's made it down to Blurr's waist, the delicate seams barely noticeable. He knows he has to go all the way down Blurr's legs before he can even think of stopping to taste that spike, but oh - it's difficult to lick over his waist and hips and settle on a thigh, particularly when the taste of transfluid and lubricants is so sweet.Blurr's voice is a steady stream of pleas and moans and gasps, his panels opening and closing even as his spike manages to stay where it belongs, waiting for Swindle to come back - and his wheels keep spinning, making it difficult for Swindle to properly explore his wheel-wells."Ah! ah ah ah you may need to skip those they're sensitive sometimes I can overload just by playing with them Swindle please I oh oh oh - !"Another overload. Swindle laughs as he doesn't stop the slow exploration of Blurr's rims, forced to hold his wheel still with his fingers as he licks."I'm going to do both legs," he says, and Blurr wails.Swindle gives in by the time he's back above Blurr's thigh, reaching between his own legs to palm his panels, play with his valve as he nips little easily-repaired dents into Blurr's plating, glossae flicking out and over delicate metal. Blurr's overloaded more by now, all words gone as he squirms, but he doesn't push Swindle away at any point, so Swindle purrs as he lets himself reach his own overload. It's a rush of heat, a zing that helps him think as he finally comes to Blurr's panels."Let's see that spike," Swindle murmurs, using both hands now to draw it out and hold it. It's a pale blue color, the same shade as his paintjob, with vibrant biolights running over it, and it's nearly soaked with fluids. Swindle licks a stripe up its underside, listening to Blurr's yowls as he gently begins to suck on it.His glossae light up all at once, giving him pleasurable feedback as he takes more of his spike into his intakes, his vocalizer settling on purring with his engine as that zing of an overload continues circulating through him.Blurr thankfully keeps his hands to himself, not that Swindle doesn't keep the visual of his head tossing, optics glowing with overcharge, every one of his numerous biolights on at maximum, making him glow. He hadn't even realized that some of those biolights had been there, so Swindle slowly draws off of his spike to get a better angle to save the visual -Blurr meets his optics and laughs, the sound perfectly content."Yes yes," he says, the sound static, "I know I'm beautiful keep going keep going please I want to overload more before we're done here and don't worry I'll take care of you too just don't stop please Swindle I won't ask again!"Blurr's hand catches the side of his helm and pulls him back down, and Swindle chuckles as he gets back to work, inwardly awed at what he's managed to get for himself, all for himself - he knows it's temporary, that they won't be together after this, but oh - !Blurr shrieks through his final overloads, coherency completely gone as Swindle pulls off, having had enough transfluid, and he climbs up, taking Blurr's face in his hands and begins to taste his lips, kissing - what he's allowed to kiss - Blurr allows it, and more.There are fingers in his valve and coaxing his spike out before he's done, and somehow despite the countless overloads and Blurr's surely overtaxed state he pushes his way into Swindle's valve, finding nodes and rubbing them and making sure - making more than sure - that Swindle overloads, that Swindle cries out against his mouth and that he becomes a quivering wreck that clings to Blurr as they both share charge."You're beautiful too," Blurr tells him later, after they've recharged, and somehow he's still there. "Really that was marvelous thank you.""You're welcome," Swindle says, not yet ready to sit up."...Would you like another round?"That gets Swindle to sit up."Oh excellent," Blurr says, already up. "I'll meet you here in four days I have business and so do you but I'm sure you'll find time for me alright?""Deal," Swindle says before he can open his calendar.Blurr smiles at him, leaving with a jaunt in his step.
11099802	Careful with the axe	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Saber, Atlas", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by Cummytomato", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-05T00:00:00", "words": "1,218", "Additional Tags": "Shameless Smut, short but full of smutty goodness, its 2 am leave me alone, Anal Sex, cum, m - Freeform, sexy lumberjack", "Relationship": "Saber/atlas", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Fire emblem echoes, Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou \| Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Saber-It shouldn't come as much surprise to anyone that the best place to find a sell-sword is at a tavern. As the best sell sword Zofia has ever seen: yours truly I basically lived in taverns. The only time i didn't live at a tavern was when I was on a job, or they kicked me out for getting too drunk and rowdy. Tonight was one of those nights. Instead of heading to an inn I started wandering around the village my last job had brought me to. It was quiet, peaceful even, boring. I stumbled off into the woods not knowing what i was doing in my drunken state. When I woke up it was well into the night, there was a bright full moon above me and I was laying on a nice soft patch of grass. I sat up, feeling mostly sober and gave a stretch. I looked down at my crotch. Damn not even morning yet and I got wood. I thought about just laying back down and giving myself some well earned attention but I'm saber for mila's sake I don't get off alone. Especially when I heard a moan from somewhere near by. I got to my feet and followed the source of the moan, I crossed a small stream and it wasn't a minute later I found the source. I brick wall of a man was sitting on a tree stump and axe buried in the wood at his side. He had dark bronze skin, silver hair that caught the moonlight, a taught muscular chest and stomach cross crossed with scars which was showed off by the vest he was wearing. To top it off his pants were undone, one hand was pinching his nipple the other was massaging a massive thick cock positively dropping with pre-cum. It was quite the sight. I thought it would be a waste not to enjoy it since he hadn't noticed me, I leaned back against a tree in full view of him, and pulled my cock out of my own trousers. I started slowly matching his pace, damn felt good to get some relief. He started panting and I guess he heard me when I spat in my hand to slick up my cock. He looked startled for a second before I saw a dark lusty look and blush settle over him and he started jacking off harder. He had a head start on me but I was very turned on. We matched each other stroke for stroke fucking each other with our eyes. I would moan and then he would moan. Fuck I was getting turned on by this. We didn't break eye contact for more than a second, and that second was spent enjoying the rest of the package. He was really tugging at his dark nipples and shit the guy seemed to have an endless source of pre-cum. The forest was filled with regular sounds of the night, in addition to the vulgar sounds of our moans and hands on our cocks. He nodded to me and I knew he was close, I nodded in agreement and we both shot our loads. He plastered his chest with a dozen shots of hot thick cum. I squeezed my cockhead as I came, pumping my fist with my load. We both panted enjoying our release and I walked right up to him my hand still dripping with my cum. I offered it to him and he smirked before licking my hand clean. "Hot""The names Atlas actually." "Saber." I returned as he pulled me into his lap. "Pleasure to meet ya." He said before kissing me like a wild damn animal. Next thing I know I'm bent over the stump, he's using the cum he scooped off his chest to finger me open and I'm thinking he's damn lucky liquor makes me like it up the ass. "Do I look like a princess to you lumberjack?" "You moan like one." He chuckled behind me and I was about to stand up and punch him across the jaw when he sunk his cock into me."Ohhh fuck yes!" I barked as he sunk all the way into me and I pushed back until I was pressed up farm against him. "Fuuuck you're tight.""Enjoy it bub, that's the tight ass of the best Mercenary in all of Zofia." "Feels like a million bucks." He sighed as he gave a slow roll of his hips. "Mmm. I can tell you're a lumberjack alright you certainly know how to handle your wood." "Well for someone named saber you make an awfully good sheath." He shot back at me and have a rough thrust. I lurched forward half in pain half seeing stars. But I was way to damn close to his axe. "Move the axe jackass!" "Sorry bout that. I was caught in the middle of something." He laughed as he thrust hard into me again, yanked the axe from the stump and tossed it so it stuck in a nearby tree as easy as he would swat a fly. "Get to work." I told him and He started a good rhythm of thrusting his thick cock into me. I pushed back against him the the whore my tipsy self was and he gripped my hips tight to drive his cock deeper. "That's it, just like that." I moaned and if the way he sped up a little was any indication he was having a good time too. "Fuck you're tight, when's the last time a man fucked you?" "You're the first in a while bub, but keep fucking me like this and you damn well might knock me up." I grinned turning my head back. He leaned down and grabbed my chin to turn my head for a kiss. He moaned into my mouth and fucked me harder. "Damn you're hot.""I know I am, get back to work I'm getting close." That only encouraged him. I was seeing stars as he rammed my hole for everything he was worth. My prostate felt like it was in heaven, getting mauled by the downward curve of his thick cock. The village could probably thought they heard wild animals in a death match up here in the mountains, not two horny men fucking like their lives depending on it. All that pre-cum he had been dripping before his first load certainly hadn't stopped, as he pounded me I was damn sure I could feel him pumping me full. "FUCK can't stop!""Breed me you son of a bitch!" My hand flew down My cock and I didn't have to stroke it twice before i came so hard dark spots danced before my eyes. He gave a roar as he came inside me and I looked down at the tree stump soaked in my load. After a minute of the two of us panting we pulled apart and collapsed catching our breath."Next time a job brings me round these parts you damn well better be ready." "Sounds like a deal"...I hadn't expected to see the handsome bastard again so soon, especially hadn't expected him to sign on with our little rag tag team the priestess was putting together, damn this job might actually be fun.
11003304	Cuddling Is Better	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Dave Strider, Karkat Vantas", "Fandom": "Homestuck", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by tiredTimaeus", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-26T00:00:00", "words": "1,327", "Additional Tags": "Naked Cuddling, Fluff, cheesy and gay", "Relationship": "Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "30 Day NSFW OTP Challenge (Davekat)", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Dave is rambling again. He does this pretty much every movie night for some reason. You swear he only watches movies to complain about them, but you have learned some methods of surviving his verbal vomits, like listening to the way his voice cracks occasionally, or watching the way his shirt moves as he breaths.You're lying in your respiteblock on a pile of comfy cushions that the two of you have plundered. The movie has been over long enough that the computer has gone to sleep, and you're starting to envy it.With your head propped up on your arm you lay next to him and watch him rant, thinking that maybe it's time to interrupt him. He could go on like this for hours if you didn't break his flow.“All I'm saying is that maybe is Mufasa had just like addressed the social grievances of the hyenas or some shit he wouldn't be dead at the bottom of a canyon by the end of scene seven. You know?”“Hmm,” you mumble and then, “Hey, Dave?”“Yeah, dude? What…” His voice trails off when he looks over at you his gaze catches yours. Transfixed by red eyes looking back at you, you feel the initiative to tell him to go to bed fade. You feel like something is trying to rip its way out of your chest, wanting so badly to reach out and just touch him.“Hey,” he says.“Hey,” is the only thing you can respond with. God why is it always so awkward? Why can't you just be cool and suave, like the trolls in all those movies. Just kiss him and ask if you could tear off his clothes a little, but it never works that way with Dave.It's not like you and Dave hadn't done some stuff before but somehow it was always weird, and Dave never wanted to talk about it. It doesn't help that he turns you into a stammering idiot who can't form a proper sentence.Dave turns onto his side so that he's facing you. There's just a few inches separating you now, and you catch your breath, steeling yourself to make your move. With a tremble you move your hand to his chest. It's as awkward as ever, but you can't help smiling when you feel his heart beat.You feel him shudder, and with a start he looks away from you.“Are you alright?” you ask, letting your hand slip to the floor.There's silence as Dave stares down at your feet. Ten seconds, fifteen, twenty.“Yeah, I'm good,” he says, looking back at you and smiling.“Are you,” you begin to ask as he moves closer till his face is just an inch from yours. “Sure?' you gasp.“Yeah.” He kisses you. A light kiss on the lips first, but when it's done you kiss him back and this one's deeper. You run your hand through his hand, the kiss breaks. You slip your hand under his shirt, touching the soft skin of his stomach and chest. You tug on the shirt, and he gets the idea. He sits up and lets you pull the shirt off himHe laughs when you it gets caught around his head, but you give it another tug and it comes off, revealing his ruffled hair and grinning face. You should be admiring his bare torso but there's something so much more distracting about his crooked grin.You're both sitting on your knees in front of each other now. You take your own shirt off, and once you throw it to the floor next to his Dave kisses you again. After just a second he pulls away his lips. Fucking tease.You fumble unbuttoning your pants and fall onto your back. Lifting your ass up you slide your pants down as far as can and kick them the rest of the way off.When you look back at Dave, you see him fallowing your lead. His pants are around his knees, and you watch as he pulls them off by the hems.He rolls over to look at you.You reach over and slide your hand down his side and onto his hips. You rest your hand for a moment at the waistband of his underwear, then gently push him onto his back. He lets out a gasp and you move between his legs. You grab his underwear and pull them off. It was your turn to lick your lips, looking down at the him.But before you make another move you notice that, although Dave is still smiling up at you like everything is fine, his hands are shaking, he is breathing too quickly, and his eyes look blank.“Karkat?” he says as you hesitate. His smile fades, and it's like a switch is flipped and he's an entirely different Dave, one that is vulnerable and that you need to protect.You sigh and move over and lay down next to him.“Did I,” He breaths heavily like he's holding back tears. “Did I fuck this up or something.”“What? No. Dave you didn't…” you try to collect your thoughts, which isn't easy with him right next to you, naked and on the verge of tears. Life's never as easy as a rom-com, is it? You reach up and run your fingers through his hair. “Dave, I just want to know what you want to do.”He keeps his eyes on you while you brush his hair away from his forehead, and it falls right back.“What do you mean?” he asks.“We don't need to do anything else if you don't feel up to it, Dave. Like if you want to just go to bed or something it's fine.”“I think maybe,” he says tentatively. “I just want to stay I like this, with you.”“Yeah we can just. You know…”“Cuddle.”“Yeah.”He rubs a hand over your chest and you watch him with a kind of wonder. He really is beautiful, every weird human part of him.“Hey, Karkat,”“Yeah, Dave?”“I know you're enjoying the view and everything, but it's a little unfair that I have to sit here with my dick out while you're all snug as a bug in your troll Underoos.”“What?”He sits up then starts pumping his fist in the air, chanting, “Take them off. Take them off. Take them off.”It's his usual annoying antics, but it makes you smile because it is his usual annoying antics. So you shrug and say “Fine, whatever.” You squirm out of your underwear without sitting up.He whistles and applauds once they're off, making you want to pull them back on out of spite, but also kiss him because he's an idiot. Before you can do either he falls beside you and buries his face into your chest. He wraps his arm around you and hugs you closer.You feel him kissing your collarbone, then kissing your neck, and you hug him back.Slowly you explore each others bodies, trying just to make more contact. You're pressed as close as possible, and some how it's still not enough.You yelp when he squeezes your ass, and he looks up to face you. He lets out a nervous chuckle.“You've got a cute ass, Vantas,”“You're an ass.”“Yeah I'm pretty cute too.”“Yes you are. You're a complete douche, but you're a cute one.”He laughs again, wraps his leg over yours and kisses you. You sigh as you feel him nuzzle your neck and run your hand through his hair again.You can feel his heart beat again, but this time it's beating next to yours, and it feels like you could stay like this forever.Dave Strider is all around you. Dave Strider's skin is soft and warm against you, and You kiss the top of his head. You thank paradox space for Dave fucking Strider.
11033427	First impressions matter	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Sawamura Daichi, Sugawara Koushi", "Fandom": "Haikyuu!!", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by misacherry", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-29T00:00:00", "words": "468", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - College/University, Suga and Daichi are dorks, Suga is a devil in disguise like for real, Daichi is too in love with Suga, someone help me, Fluff, I Don't Even Know", "Relationship": "Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	"Wait up!" First impressions matter, Daichi thought, so he dust the imaginary dirt off his shirt before approaching the silver-coloured hair boy. "Yes?" Oh god he is beautiful, Daichi thought, again. "Y-you," Daichi cleared his throat, "you dropped your student ID." "Oh! Thank you! I couldn't have gotten in the lab without it." "No problem, I wouldn't want a pretty Biomedical student like you to be locked out." "Did you ju-" Oh shit, so much for first impressions. Why do I always mess up, Daichi internally screamed. "I meant petty." "Excuse me?" Fuck. Kill me right here. "No no no, that wasn't what I me-" "Okay calm down, I don't want to pick a fight with someone from the Policing and Investigation department." Daichi swore he heard the boy swallow his laugh. "Look, I'm not picking a fight, I was just returning your ID, and I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Daichi sighed. "You sure are an idiot." Daichi was too deep in his thoughts to hear the boy mumble. "I'm not but," the boy looked nervous, "take me out for dinner and I'll consider this misunderstanding as nothing." "I really di- Wait what?" "You heard me." "Take you out for dinner?" "If that made you uncomfortable then let me take you out." "Oh my fucking god." "What?" "You," Daichi felt his heart thumping and his cheeks going red, "Sugawara Koushi, are you flirting with me?" "Am I, Sawamura Daichi?" "Holy hell you're a devil in disguise." "I get that a lot." "Do you know how long it took me to build up the courage to talk to you?" "I don't." Daichi swore again that he heard the other party chuckle. "I'm going back to the cafeteria." Daichi was ready to turn around until a pair of hands grabbed his right arm. "I'm sorry, I was being rude." Sugawara was facing down. As they stood like that in silence, Daichi could see Sugawara's ears turning a shade of red. "Give me your number. I'll text you the time and place later. Make sure to check your phone." Sugawara jerked his head up and smiled. Daichi felt something in his stomach churn, like a warm feeling. "I'll be waiting for it." Sugawara made his contact on Daichi's phone. "I'll be off then, see you." Daichi said his goodbyes and made his way to the cafeteria. "See you!" Sugawara was beaming so bright that it put the sun to shame. But if Sugawara was smart enough to squint, he could've seen the blush creeping up Daichi's face in the distance.They were both in their respective classes when a question came into their mind. How did he know which department I'm in? Also, how did he know my name? They both had so many things to ask over dinner.
11072274	Intaglios	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Cha Hakyeon \| N, Jung Taekwoon \| Leo, Han Sanghyuk \| Hyuk, Kim Wonshik \| Ravi, Lee Hongbin", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by blacklacedgloves", "chapters": "12/12", "completed": "2019-10-20", "published": "2017-06-02T00:00:00", "words": "33,197", "Additional Tags": "Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Vampires, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Vampire Sex, Were-Creatures, Werecats, Werewolves, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Warlocks, Healers, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Romance, Drama & Romance, Minor Character Death", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Cha Hakyeon \| N/Jung Taekwoon \| Leo, Han Sanghyuk \| Hyuk/Lee Jaehwan \| Ken, Kim Wonshik \| Ravi/Lee Hongbin", "Series": "Retinue", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "VIXX, K-pop", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "M/M, Multi", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	The trees lining the streets look somewhat familiar, the long branches filled with yellowing leaves providing some shade with a little bit of sunlight flickering though as the bus made its way into the city centre where the terminal was. It was as if the years had remained in stasis and nothing has changed. And yet, everything has changed since he left this town more than a decade ago. Just not the looks of it. He would not have came back if he had a choice. If he could, he would rather be back at the academy honing his skills, skills that were too great for this small town. The small down that singled him out and made a fool out of him for as long as he could remember. Hakyeon was never normal. His parents knew it, his extended family knew it, which meant that the town knew it as well. But they would never call him special. Instead, they used the words “Freak” or “Monster” or sometimes the young unlearned ones would call him “Queer”. Oh, if only they knew. If only they knew then what he knows now, that he could poison them and make them feel pain as though their skin was burning hotter than the pits of hell with just a few choice ingredients. If only they knew that with a simple trinket, he could make anyone fall flat on their faces with every ten paces he took. If only they knew that he could create draughts that take away pain or a drop of his special potions he could make people simply forget. Would he still be the outcast then? He sighed softly at all these thoughts in his head. No, if there was something the academy taught him, was that he would not use his skills for personal gain. His teachers said something about karma and how it really was a bitch when it comes back to bite you in the ass three times as hard. There was no way Hakyeon was going to risk it, not when he had a chance to start afresh. Or as fresh as it could be with both his parents six feet under. Which brought him back to his earlier train of thought. He would not have been here if he had a choice, but as the Fates have decided, he was left with no other option. His parents needed a proper burial, it was the least he could do for them after they squandered their savings on his magical education. Everything about this was just so unexpected. His parents had been healthy, coming to visit him in the capital whenever they could scrape up enough money to travel just to see their precious son. So the news of their sudden passing didn’t register in his head when he first got it. Heck, it hasn’t even registered now that he’s in his hometown, where everyone is giving him pitying looks and whispering to one another about what a tragedy all this is. It’s funny how everything remained the same, how nothing has changed after all these years. -To say that the week had been a trying one was an understatement. Moving back into his parent’s apartment proved to be difficult, with the memories of his childhood flooding back to him. Nights of him crying himself to sleep because he could not understand why people will call him names or make fun of how dark he was. It was not his fault that he could sometimes set something on fire or that his skin colour was different from his peers, he just didn’t understand it back then. And now reliving all these memories, he could still feel the slight sting of the words that were hurled at him, it was like a wound that had almost healed and if you pick hard at the scabs, you start bleeding again. Finding burial ground was next on his long to-do list and it was by far the most difficult thing he had to do. Running his fingers along the smooth and lacquered wood of their casket made his eyes burn with unshed tears and he forced himself to choke back a sob. It was too late for him to do anything now, their hearts had stopped for days and there was nothing he could do to bring them back to life. And so, on a bright and sunny day he laid them to the ground side by side like he thought they would have wanted. This was it, the last speck of dirt had fallen and they were sealed into the ground. Waving his hands over their grave in a practiced patterned he mouthed the words of a ward, protecting them so that even in death they would always be able to find one another. The rest of the week had passed by a little easier, turning the noodle shop that his parents had owned just below the apartment into an apothecary of sorts. There was no way he was going to let his education in the magical arts go to waste, especially his efforts going in to become a healer. What an irony, healing the people who had scorned him to begin with. The people who was still avoiding him like a plague because he was different. It was a Friday night when he realized that he had ran out of food in the house. With a soft sigh, Hakyeon grabbed the tote bag that he used for his groceries and headed out. He hated going out and wold avoid it if he could. It wasn’t the hateful looks that bothered him, it was the ones that were filled with fear or pity, sometimes with was both that got to him. He just couldn’t understand why they would pity him. Sure, he had lost his parents very recently, but he didn’t think it was worth a week of such looks thrown his way. The looks of fear was also something that kept him up at night. Were they fearful of him, or scared for him? Fear was a look he recognized often in the city when people were out in the middle of the night, because monsters lurk in the shadow and once they had their claws in you, you’re as good as gone. Did they think of him as one of them, as one of the monsters? The thought of him brought a frown to his face, making him almost miss the store. Sighing for the nth time that day, he squared his shoulders and relaxed his face into indifference before reaching out to push the door in. Minutes later and with his arms full of bags, he slowly made his way home in the dark. The sun had set while he was busy buying everything he could get his hands on so that he wouldn’t have to visit the store anytime soon and interact with the people there. It was bad enough that people stared at him every time they passed by his shop, but it was much worse when you’re in an enclosed space and everyone had their eyes trained on you like you were some sort of exotic animal on display. Hakyeon stopped mid-step, feeling the hairs at the back of his neck standing to attention. Something, or someone one was following him. He could not be sure who or what it was, it was hard to tell now that shapeshifters and the undead roamed the night like it belonged to them. Taking in a deep breath to steel himself, he took bigger and quicker steps until he finally reached the door of his dark shop, closed for the day hours ago. He dug through his pockets in haste trying to look for the keys when he heard the familiar sound of metal meeting concrete. “Fuck.” Hakyeon muttered softly under his breath, gathering every inch of courage and bravery he could muster and set his bags down on the ground. He needed to be fast to be in the confines of his newly reacquainted home, he had wards and spells set up to protect him instead of being out in the open like this, like a mouse on an open field just waiting for a bird of prey to come swoop him up in their sharp talons. He willing his hands not to shake as he crouched down to reach out for the keys, but before his fingers could brush against the cool metal, a pale hand came into view and snatched it up, forcing Hakyeon to look up into the eyes of someone who had been haunting his dreams for the past decade. “Taekwoon…” His voice trailed off, not exactly sure of what to say. The man known as Taekwoon gave him a small smile that didn’t reflect in his dark soulless eyes. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?” Right, to say this week had been a trying week was definitely an understatement. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- He knew this feeling well, like how there is a sudden chill at the back of his neck making the tiny hairs there stand on attention. They call it fear. And he was getting so well acquainted with the feeling that he was going to name it his best friend soon, probably in the next few days. The root to his fear was always the same thing, down to the same recurring problem. He did something that he shouldn’t have done. It was not as if he wanted to do it by choice. The kids in school were making fun of him, saying that he was weird, that he was a monster and that he belonged in the pits of hell for having unnatural talents. When they had first started calling him names, he was sad. He had often wondered why no one wanted to be his friend when he was clearly talented. He had talents that no one else had, an advantage in life, make things happen that no one else in school could. Days of ridicule turned to months and his sadness turned to anger as time went on, which was how he got into this current predicament. School had ended late that day and he was trying his best to make it home before the sun set and became dangerous, the dark streets was no place for a twelve year old no matter how special he was. Hakyeon was too busy looking over his shoulder, power walking his way home, making sure no one or nothing was following him home that he seemed to forgot to see where he was going and he bumped into some seniors in school. The next thing he knew, he was surrounded by boys that were twice his size, testosterone running high in their veins looking for someone to relieve their stress and who better to be on the receiving end than the kid that nobody liked. And one by one they started closing in on him and backing him up against the wall, Hakyeon could feel his throat closing up. He couldn’t breathe no matter how hard he was trying, like his fear was the monster here and it was wrapping its long wispy fingers around his throat and crushing his windpipe. Soon the long fingers felt too real, it was then he realized that it wasn’t fear choking him. It was Youngguk. Adrenaline had kicked in even before his mind could register it, telling him that he had to fight since there was no way he could run, not when someone that strong was making an effort to crush him, his will to survive was stronger than his rationality at the moment. Hakyeon’s fingers were shorter and stubbier compared to his assailant, but it didn’t matter. He gripped tightly onto Youngguk’s forearm and held on tight, and soon the smell of burning flesh and the sound of a piercing scream assaulted his senses. As if his body could take anymore abuse. The fingers on his neck loosened but Hakyeon only tightened his hold on his bully, anger had taken over his fear, his eyes darkening to an endless pool of black as he watched the rest of Youngguk’s friends backing off in fear. Who’s the scared one now? One by one they bolted from their so called friend while he writhed in pain on the ground, after Hakyeon managed to take a deep breath with some difficulty, he managed to regain some of his senses and rationality, and let the burnt arm go, leaving Youngguk all alone with the darker boy. Yongguk begged and begged with a broken voice, asking Hakyeon to spare him, that he wouldn’t tell a soul about this. That his secret was safe and none of his friends would even breathe a word about this to anyone. Just as well.“Forget everything.” Hakyeon muttered softly under his breath and he felt a pull from deep inside him. A heartbeat, then another one and another one as he saw the blankness seeping into Youngguk’s eyes. It was then that he panicked. Hakyeon never meant for any of this to happen, never intended to hurt Youngguk to the point that he would probably lose the use of his arm. And now he would probably not remember his own name, let alone what happened to him. Feeling bile slowly creeping up his throat he ran. He had no idea where he was going nor did he care, all he knew was that he had to get away from the scene of the crime. -Everything burned. From the lingering heat on his trembling hands to the tears that threatened to spill out as he sat in a dark alley, the lamppost overhead casting a long shadow that weaved seamlessly into the dark. He wasn’t afraid of the monsters anymore, in a span of minutes he had become one himself. He completely forgot about all the things his parents told him about not hurting anyone else and here he was, with black blood and burnt skin sticking to his palms. The smell of it was making him want to gag but he had already done so, three times. There was nothing left for him to hurl out of his stomach. The adrenaline was wearing off and fear was kicking in once more, a feeling that he knew well. He should have known better, better than to fight back. He should have just let them beat him up, at least he would be in a lot less trouble than what was going to happen when everyone else found out. The sound of gravel getting crushed under a heavy weight cause Hakyeon to snap his head up so hard that it almost gave him a whiplash. He was in so much trouble, there was no moon tonight and everything just seemed a little darker than it should. He was not supposed to be out here, alone and in the dark. His parents would have his hide for this. But all thoughts left his mind when his gaze fell on a pair of cat-like eyes. “It’s dangerous for a little boy to be out here alone, smelling like you do.” The stranger purred and Hakyeon could feel the magic weighing down on him, trying to calm him down but he refused it, he needed all his wits around him. “I’m not little, I’m twelve.” He could see the man trying his best to keep from laughing and Hakyeon decided that he liked the look of amusement on the older man’s face. “I can’t go home like this.” He showed the stranger his hands, even though he had no idea what possessed him to do something like that, especially when he had no idea what this beautiful creature before him was. But one thing was for sure, he was not human. He tutted softly under his breath, an epitome of timelessness and grace and he took Hakyeon’s hands in his own, swiping his thumbs across his small wrists. It was then that Hakyeon realized that this man’s hands were cold. He wanted to pull his hands back but the grip on his wrists had tightened, not painful but firm, like he was expected to run. “I have no intention of hurting you tonight.” His voice was surprisingly soft and it was soothing to Hakyeon’s ears. Was it the magic that laced that soft melodic words or was it that he was too tired to fight right now? “Let’s get you cleaned up and get you home.” “I can’t go home.” Hakyeon’s soft and vulnerable voiced surprised himself. “Not when I did something bad. Everyone would hate me.” “Child,” The stranger started and Hakyeon shot him a dirty look. He was not most definitely a child and he didn’t need anyone to sweet talk him like this, no matter how good and comforting it sounded to his ears. “Your magic made sure that no one would know about this.” Just when Hakyeon thought that he could not be any more surprised by the turn of events that happened today, he was once again proven wrong. “You.. You know?”“I can smell the magic rolling off you.” The stranger sniffed as if to prove a point and he gave Hakyeon a small smile, eyes disappearing and never once showing his teeth. “I hope you know how special you are.” “I’m not special.” Hakyeon pulled his gaze away from that perfect face and looked down at his bloodied hands. “People think I’m a freak of nature, that I shouldn’t be born. They don’t even hide how much they hate me.” “You’ll find out soon enough, child.” His tone left no room for discussion as he pulled the younger boy up to his feet and led him down the alley where Hakyeon assumed he came from. Hakyeon’s hand was encased in the stranger’s colder and bigger hand as they walked, not knowing where he was being led to, the street lights overhead flickering like a scene from a B grade horror film, but somehow Hakyeon felt safe with him, whoever this man is. Whatever this man is. It didn’t seem long before the taller man stopped at what seemed to be a brick wall and Hakyeon tightened his chubby fingers around ivory skinned hand even before he could help himself. He could feel the cat-like gaze of the ethereal man standing in front of him, blocking his vision of the wall. Out of nowhere, a door swings open and his human-sized obstacle stepped aside for Hakyeon. “Go on.” He should know better than to go into the lion’s den. He knew nothing of this man, and now here is was, standing at a darkened entrance which leads to God knows where. Yet somehow he felt totally at ease with the whole situation. Was it the magic that this man seemed to possess as well? Was he caught in a trap the moment he looked into his dark eyes? In his deep thought he didn’t realize that he had passed the threshold until the door closed behind them, enclosing them in complete darkness. Hakyeon started a little, feeling the coldness of long fingers around his wrist that was soon becoming familiar. There was supposed to be something wrong with this picture but he couldn’t seem to find it, he simply followed as he was guided in the darkness. Completely blind, he had no idea he was supposed to stop until his face met with the cool fabric of the other man’s shirt, earning him an amused chuckle that seemed to be music to Hakyeon’s ears. He saw the fire even before he heard the match being struck, emitting a warm glow around the area that seemed to grow once the fire was steady on a candle, revealing a modest living space with just the bare necessities which either meant that he wasn’t a man who would decorate or he had not been here long enough to do so. The coldness around his wrist disappeared and he almost whined at the loss of it, almost. But Hakyeon had better control than that. Looking up he saw the tall figure by the sink, gesturing him to the sink where he could wash his bloodied hands. Making his way there with tentative steps, as if one wrong move and he would end up dead on the ground. Reaching the white sink he stuck his hand under the tap of running water that was turned on for him just moments before, watching as the mess of black and red fall off his hands and staining the whiteness of the porcelain. Hakyeon could not seem to do anything else but to watch, trying his best not to think about what happened earlier with Yongguk. With every ribbon of crimson and ebony going down the drain he could feel himself getting lighter, it was as if the weight of his crime was lifted off him, there was no evidence to pin it to him, nothing to remind him of what he did. For now. It took a moment, or maybe five before Hakyeon felt well enough to look up at the man looming over him with his tall height, giving him a small but wobbly smile. “I think I’m clean enough now.” The stranger said nothing, instead he grabbed a towel to help Hakyeon dry his hands off, tossing the towel aside once he was done he took Hakyeon’s hand once more, this time holding it like how a parent would hold a child’s and led him out of his modest quarters. It didn’t take them long for them to reach the alley that Hakyeon was found, refusing to even spare a glance at where everything went downhill, taking the lead now that he know where he was going. Home, safe from all these bullies and tall strangers that make him feel weird things in his tummy, doesn’t matter if the said stranger’s hand was in his and was following quietly behind the tanned skin boy. Reaching the doorstep of his house that was nestled quietly next to his parent’s noodle shop that had closed for the day, he tilted his head up to look at the elder. “Will I see you again?” “You will. Tomorrow night if you like.” And suddenly Hakyeon’s heart started thumping in his chest in anticipation for tomorrow. Ever since he found out of his special gifts, he had never looked forward to the next day as much as he was now, wanting the night and tomorrow to be over so that he could see that perfect face once more. He could not find it himself to give an answer without an answer so he only replied with a nod. The elder gave him one of his perfect smiles and knocked on the door, informing the residents of the house that someone was there before turning on his heels to walk into the night, Hakyeon’s gaze never once leaving his broad shoulders Hakyeon had told his parents that he was unwell, not wanting to go to school the next day, afraid of what he might face if he went to school and he knows that he wasn’t ready. His parent believed him, seeing how pale and fidgety he was when he appeared at their doorstep the night before. They were worried out of their minds, having a child out in the night where monsters roamed freely. The both of them agreed that it was best that they kept their son home for a day or two just to reassure themselves more than anything else. And so, Hakyeon stayed in his room, going through books about magic that his parents would get for him when he did well in school, reading through the theory behind potions. Soon before long, the sun had set over the horizon, excitement thrumming through his veins at the thought of seeing the stranger once more. He was all Hakyeon could think about throughout the day. And now that night had finally arrived, he found himself glancing at his window every few seconds, which made sense to him because he can’t simply waltz into his house unannounced. He didn’t even have a name. A small sound by the window broke his train of thought, looking up at the glass he couldn’t help but smile. There was his perfect stranger holding onto something to support himself and gesturing for Hakyeon to open the window, which he did without a hint of hesitation. “Hi.” Hakyeon’s words came out soft and breathless, earning him a small smile from the stranger. “I didn’t… I didn’t get your name.” Hakyeon was faced with a blank mask. A heartbeat, two, three had passed before he heard the voiced he had waited all day to hear. “Taekwoon.” -Knowing that he had no need to go to school the next day, he stayed up as late as his body would allow, with Taekwoon sitting on the edge of his window silently watching him while he continued his reading. There was no need for conversation between the both of them and it didn’t feel awkward to Hakyeon one bit. Somehow it felt like this was the most peaceful he had ever been in a long time. He had no idea when he had fallen asleep, but when he was woken up rudely by his parents shaking his shoulder, Taekwoon was nowhere to be found. Hakyeon tried to rub the sleep from his eyes when he noticed the commotion around the room, his parents rushing to and fro trying to grab as many things as they could and stuffing it in a suitcase. “Mum? Dad? What’s going on?” Hakyeon felt tense, like the fear that he was so well acquainted with was slowly seeping back into his tiny body. It had taken a while before his father paused for a moment, as if he was trying to find the right words to tell a twelve year old. “We’re sending you to the city. To keep you safe.” “You mean to keep everyone else safe didn’t you?” Hakyeon didn’t know where that came from. No one was supposed to know what happened that night. No one but him and Taekwoon. It was supposed to be their dirty little secret, didn’t Taekwoon say that his magic made sure of that? His mother stopped with the packing for a moment and walked over to her son, crouching down so that she was meeting his eyes easily. “Baker Bang’s son was horribly injured and somehow no one knows why this has happened. But they’re putting the blame on you.” He watched as his mother tried to fight back her tears, breaking his young heart in the process. “We’re sending you to the city so that you can stay with my sister, and send you a school where you will be loved rather than hated and feared, okay baby?” How was he to say no when his mother was hurting like this? So Hakyeon nodded numbly, trying not to let the tears spill down his cheeks but he was failing miserably, distracting himself instead by helping with the packing, grabbing all the books he thought he would need and puts them in the suitcase with whatever little belongings he had. Sitting on the bus to the city hours away, all alone, the events of the past two day kept running though his mind. How quickly things change without you even knowing. One minute he was dreaming about Taekwoon’s shy smile, the next he was on a bus leaving his past behind. With one last glance at the diminishing town, he felt his heart break at the thought of never seeing Taekwoon again. He may have been twelve, but Hakyeon knew that Taekwoon was the one. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- He had no idea how long he had been standing there, simply staring at Taekwoons face. It could have been a minute or even a century, but somehow it didn't feel enough for him, not when every fibre of his being had missed the man standing in front of him, pining for him. After a decade of only dreaming of Taekwoons face, now that he was here, he needed to drink it all in, like a man finding an oasis in the middle of the desert and finally knowing that this is real, it wasn’t a mirage nor a dream to trick him into quenching his thirst. This was real. Every lash, every pore, every line, it was all real. Even if he had not changed the past ten years, it didn't matter. Everything felt new again. As if he was seeing Taekwoon for the first time once more. All the memories came crashing back to him. The fear he felt that night, followed by the awe that overcame him when he met the elder, and then the longing that resounded deep within him when he waited for the night to fall again. It was as if that fateful night happened only yesterday, with everything still fresh in his mind. “Hakyeon?” There it was, that sweet voice that haunted his nights on his bad days, the lullaby that lulls him to sleep on good days. Hakyeon had to blink a couple of times to focus back on Taekwoon, as if his train of thought brought him to a faraway destination and never to return. “Ah yes. I’ve invited you in before?” “The house has changed ownership.” Realization dawned on him. He didn’t even question how Taekwoon knew about the change, must have been the gossip that float around in a small town like this, especially when someone of interest like Hakyeon was involved. “And you have new wards in place.” Right, how could he have been so stupid as to forget that? Hakyeon had been so used to having his normal wards in place that he had set them up here for his peace of mind. It was not as if he could not take care of himself but he felt better with the extra protection, not knowing how safe this place was or if Taekwoon was going to be here to visit him. “Come on in then.” Taekwoon wordlessly helped Hakyeon pick up his bags of groceries and followed him through the door like it was expected of him to behave like a gentleman, maybe it was the era that he was born in that had the habit etched onto him. Passing easily through the wards he was pleased that he didn’t resist him or cast him out, Hakyeon must have changed it somehow in between the time from when he pointed it to when he crossed over the threshold. It had been the first time he had entered the house through the front door like an actual person rather than someone lurking in the shadows. He had remembered the moment many nights ago when he tapped on the window pane and a ball of sunshine came bumbling forward with a bright smile on his face, bright enough to not miss the sunshine at that moment in time. That was the last time he saw the boy until he heard from the grapevine that he had come back. He could not believe his eyes when he saw a young man, who radiated warmth and light stopping at the door that he had grown acquainted with over the years. “You came back.” Hakyeon stilled at Taekwoon’s voice. He sounded much closer than he thought the elder was, it was almost as if Taekwoon was right behind him. He could not really tell if it was the powers of the undead that was messing with his head or that he was just hyper sensitive and aware about everything Taekwoon did. “Yeah I did.” He was afraid to turn around and find out exactly how close Taekwoon was, and what might possibly came after that. “The whole dead parents thing means I had no choice.” “But you chose to stay. Why?” Yeah, that was the question wasn’t it? Why did he choose to stay when he could simply come, settle his parents’ affairs and head back to the city? He would not admit it even if you threaten to peel his skin right off his flesh or when death upon him but the biggest reason why was standing silently behind him. He had hoped that Taekwoon would let it go when he entered the living room, and thankfully he did. The sable haired man was observing the place with his cat-like eyes, neither expression nor word escaped his stoic face. As seconds slowly ticked to minutes, Hakyeon felt more and more fidgety, like he needed something to break the silence between them but he could not find a word, let alone a topic to start the conversation with. He felt more like an awkward teenager seeing the love of his life rather than a grown man of twenty-two who graduated the top of his class. “Do you need something to drink?” Wow Hakyeon, way to be an idiot, offering a vampire a drink. Feeling his face heat up into a dark embarrassed flush he could see Taekwoon fighting to keep the twitching of his lips to a minimum, amusement clear as day in his onyx eyes. “Are you offering?” Hakyeon’s head snapped up at the words, he could feel the warmth spreading from his cheek to the rest of his body. Was this embarrassment or was this something else entirely, something like arousal. Giving blood to a vampire could go either way, very clinical or very sexual. And right now, he wasn’t sure if he was ready for it to go forward with either possible experience. As if he able to read minds, Taekwoon let out a small chuckle, shaking his head to clear his thoughts or to shake the image of Hakyeon plaint in his arms, he wasn’t exactly sure. Choosing instead to sit on the small couch in the living room like he owned it, patting the empty space next to him inviting the human to sit down next to him. “I’ve already fed.” Hakyeon let out a breath that he had no idea he was holding until he was on the verge of hyperventilating. Willing himself to calm his heart down and breathing even, he nodded quietly and put his bag of groceries in the kitchen before taking the seat next to Taekwoon. The space between them was too far for Hakyeon’s tastes. But there was nothing he could do about it without looking weird in front of the other. Even though their thighs were mere inches away from each other, to Hakyeon it felt like it was a galaxy away. But after being away for so long, hundreds of miles away, a few inches away from him should be no issue, right? Oh how wrong he was. In that few silent moments where they looked around the house awkwardly, both focused on keeping their gaze from each other was the most painful moments he had to endure in the recent years. His hands were literally twitching, aching to reach out to touch those cold hands once more, just to see if it felt the same now that his hands weren’t as tiny as it used to be. Did it fit better now? Did the cold temperature still feel jarring to him? His speeding train of thought was interrupted when Taekwoon’s voice sounded across the otherwise quiet house. “You went to the city.” It was a statement more than a question but there was something in Taekwoon’s voice that made him want to tell the vampire his whole life story from the point where they last met. Because when Hakyeon wanted to do something, he did it and dealt with the consequences after. Hopefully after this, Taekwoon didn’t actually want to remain dead instead being part of the undead. “Yeah well, my parents thought that it was safer for me to have some proper training rather than to cause trouble around here.” And when Taekwoon nodded for Hakyeon to continue, he did it without a second thought. “The Academy wasn’t a bad place you know? I was the only special one here but there were a ton of them in the city, y’know? And for the first time I finally fit in. I was good at what I was taught, top of the class every year.” He could almost hear Taekwoon mutter “Overachiever” under his breath but he chose to ignore it and pretend that he was simply imagining things. He talked about his roommate, Eunkwang. And how his roommate was an elemental, with the ability to control water. The both of them teaming up to play pranks on the rest of their students in their year. He told Taekwoon about his reasons for being a healer instead of a sorcerer, that he wanted to atone for what he did that night many years ago. Taekwoon nodded as Hakyeong rambled, like he understood what the younger one meant by atoning. Magic works in ways that no one can phantom no matter how hard they tried. Most call this phenomenon Karma. Sometimes Karma can be forgiving, forgetting about you when you do something by mistake. Other times it comes back to bite you in the ass even when you’re trying to do something good. Maybe that’s how the term “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” came about. He remembered the night where Hakyeon had his hands all bloody and his small body was quaking with fear. He remember the night where he felt the magic rolling off Hakyeon’s body in waves. And even though he didn’t mean for anything back to happen, he had done some really intense magic that day and someone was hurt in the process, while there were other kids who lost some parts of their memory. It was no wonder that Hakyeon wanted to do what he could to appease the bad Karma that he had he had raked up. “And besides, potion making is like cooking? A mixture of cooking and chemistry. I like both so naturally, I excel in it.” Somewhere through Hakyeon’s rambling Taekwoon seemed to have drifted off. But no matter, he was giving the darker skinned man his full attention now, watching him as his eyes twinkled in excitement as he talks about the healing properties of mint leaves and how the different kinds of mint leaves had different effects when mixed with an ingredient which he couldn’t recall for the life of him. “Is this town still as scared of magic as it used to be?” With that question, Taekwoon turned to Hakyeon, trying to think of a way to answer him. “It’s gotten a little better.” Hakyeon stared at Taekwoon, waiting for him to elaborate. “It was a big issue after you left of course. Everyone thought that it was you who hurt the Bang kid.” “They weren’t technically wrong.” Hakyeon mumbled in shame, looking down at his hands. “But after you left, more of the supernatural came and put down their roots. The shapeshifters came to town and the people here and no choice but to put up with them. There was a healer once, but she was so overwhelmed by the people here that she left.” With that, an ungraceful snort came from Hakyeon. “I bet they asked her all kinds of stupid questions.” “She also wasn’t very good at what she did.” Taekwoon replied with a shrug rolling off his elegant shoulders. “She messed up often.” Maybe that was why everyone in town gave him weird looks when he first came back. The looks of fear was probably from the incident from when he was twelve, but the other looks probably came from undermining him, thinking that he was not good enough for the town, that he couldn’t do what they asked of him and fail them. Hakyeon has never failed in life and he was not going to start now. -They spent hours talking about Hakyeon’s life in the city. Or rather, Hakyeon did all the talking and Taekwoon just nodded at the right times and made small sounds to make it seem like he was listening. “Anyway, what do you do here? Don’t vampires get bored in the night where there is nothing to do?” At Hakyeon’s question, Taekwoon slowly turned to face him, wondering how much he should reveal. “You’re aware of the Conclave?” Hakyeon nodded. “I’m part of it, and I was assigned to this town.” “As a reward or a punishment?” Taekwoon was surprised at Hakyeon’s question. Hakyeon was right when he said he was smart, not many would ask such an intelligent question. Sometimes he would wonder himself if he was sent here as a reward for years of service and keeping the peace or as a punishment for his close relationships with the shapeshifters. Shapeshifters and the undead have a long history. Everyone from the moment they were born to the day they die knew about the long standing grudge they have since the beginning of time. It had been decades ago when Taekwoon decided to reach out to the shapeshifting community and strike an alliance with them. His group of vampires started hiring shapeshifters as their daywalkers. After all, they were stronger and harder to hurt than humans, which comes in handy whenever things needed to be done. Delicate things. Once the Conclave had heard about his alliance, he was sent to this tiny town to watch over for the next hundred years. Punishment because there was nothing to do and he would be bored out of his mind for the next hundred years? Or a reward because he could stay away from vampire politics for the next century, living his life the way he saw fit in this small town until he was reassigned. “I’m not exactly sure. But right now, it seems more of a reward than punishment.” At the way Taekwoon was looking at him, Hakyeon was sure that he would never leave this town for as long as he lived. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Time passed like clockwork since that night Taekwoon appeared at his doorstop. Seconds turned to minutes, which turned to hours. Hours that Hakyeon counted down every time Taekwoon left his house dangerously close to sunrise to where Taekwoon rested for the day until he could lay his eyes on that perfect face once more. It had been more than a week since Hakyeon got reacquainted with Taekwoon, and like clockwork, the vampire would turn up at his house the moment he closed his shop for the day, sitting on his couch like he never left in the morning. Today, was no different. Hakyeon opened his apothecary as usual. Business had been picking up a little since the first day he set up shop. He still received curious stares from neighbours or people who just happened to walk past and wonder what his shop was about. Every day he would receive a customer or two, usually a housewife would come in asking for a burn salve or a high school would stumble in asking for a hangover cure. Why would today be any different? Except today he had a group of giggling girls asking for love potions. Hakyeon thinks of himself as someone patient. He was a healer, patience was a prerequisite. Sick people tend to have shorter tempers after all. He had all the training he could receive about people in pain, even family members who were anxious. But all the training he went through did not prepare him for a gaggle of girls whispering behind their hands asking him about home-made love potions that they had read on the internet. Despite him telling them that there were no such thing as love potions, they had insisted that he sold them the ingredients that they had on the list. Scanning through the list he fought the urge to roll his eyes. “You could get these ingredients from the market.” Hakyeon tried to keep his tone light, but he was sure he was failing miserably when one of the girls were frowning at him. “But you should have special ones. They work better if we buy from you won’t we?” The girl who he assumed to be the leader by the way she crossed her arms over her chest and standing like she owned the place. Hakyeon really should not complain, he should be thankful for any business that come his way. But common household items like jasmine and vanilla beans? They could have gotten them from a random shop and the owner would be none the wiser. With a soft martyred sigh, he made the executive decision to give in to the girls. Since they thought that the ingredients were special, he was sure that he could charge a premium price for it. Since there was no love potion that has been documented to work, he was pretty certain that The Powers That Be wouldn’t fault him for him and add this to his karma. The moment the girls were out of his shop he was ready to declare himself a saint. The girls had the audacity to haggle prices when they were the ones who sought him out, and despite him telling them that there were no such things as a love potion, they proceeded to call him a fraud and who knew that kids these days have such colourful language? He was on the verge of closing the shop when the bell on the counter rang, breaking the silence that surrounded him. It was in that moment he knew that today would be different. “Sorry to bother you, but do you have a cure for a hangover?” The voice got Hakyeon turning to face the counter. He had sounded young, but Hakyeon was taken aback by how wise those eyes looked. He was just a little bit taller than Hakyeon with hair of midnight blue. And if the man who spoke was midnight, his companion was twilight with different shake of pink and purple in his hair. “We heard that you’re the guy to look for.” Turning his gaze back to the dark haired male, Hakyeon could only manage a small nod. The magic that he could feel from the both of them was subtle, as if they were trying to hide it but it was still there. But still on the high his temper gave him, Hakyeon threw all caution to the wind. “Usually sleep and water would help with a hangover.” This was it. Hakyeon was sure that they would murder him right there and then. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised when the young man laughed sheepishly. “We usually would. But my friend here,” He pointed to the purple haired man who was next to him, swaying lightly on his feet and with bags under his eyes. “Took some kind of weird alcohol meant for shapeshifters and he really needs to be sober.” Shapeshifter. Hakyeon could feel his heart trying to pound out of his chest at the word. Even though he had dealt with them back when he was in school, their personalities usually differ from the different forms they change into, some were more vicious and more unpredictable than the others. And right now, he was not sure if he was ready to deal with one attacking him if he were to make one wrong move. He knew his temper would be the death of him one day, he just didn’t think he would die so young. As if sensing his fear, the dark haired male gave Hakyeon a small timid smile. “You don’t have to worry about Wonshik. He’s house trained.” At his words, Hakyeon let out a small nervous chuckle, feeling some of the tension ease out of him. “I will need to know what he is so that I won’t give him something that could kill him.” He tried to inject some of his earlier sass into his words but he could feel that it was not working as well as he would have liked it too, and from the expression of the man across him, he knew that it was not as effective as he had hoped that it would be. “Wonshik is a wolf. Who looks like a Doberman in real life.” Hakyeon could only nod at the words and headed out back to his workroom to get the necessary ingredients, checking and double checking the items that he took to make sure none of them would interact with each other and end up killing someone who just wanted a hangover cure. Hakyeon could hear the hushed whispers between his two patrons, though one voice was notably much lower than the other, he couldn’t make out what they were saying even if he tried. And it wasn’t trying very hard, instead he was concentrating on concocting a proper and potent potion for the hungover wolf. Coming back to the front after he was done, Hakyeon said nothing then the two strangers fell silent almost immediately and looked up at him. Handing the pastel haired man a small glass of clear blue liquid he told the wolf to drink up, placing a bottle of water on the table soon after. “It’ll taste like crap so finish the bottle of water too. The man known as Wonshik eyed the glass sceptically and sniffed at it, surprised that it was not offending to the senses like he was expecting it to be. Under his friend’s urging he took the glass and brought it to his lips and drank it all in one go, his chest heaving with violent coughs at how vile the liquid tasted and he scrambled to open the bottle of water that was offered to him and he quickly took big gulps of it to wash it all down. “That was disgusting.” The wolf’s deep voice reverberates across the shop, making Hakyeon take a step back how the power that the voice carried travelled across the shop. It took him a few heartbeats before he could put a proper sentence together. “Yeah, I kind of did tell you so.” Hakyeon didn’t know what he was expecting, probably having the shapeshifter change forms and pouncing over the counter to tear his throat out. But what he didn’t expect was a deep laughter resounding across the small shop. “I like this one.” Hakyeon’s eyebrows quirked up in surprise. He clearly wasn’t expecting for a shapeshifter to be so friendly after being talked down to, especially one nursing a hangover, that tends to put anyone in an awful mood, let alone someone with more of an animal instinct than a human one. “Yeah? Me too.” Midnight quipped. Yes, that was what Hakyeon had named him in his head. No need to ask for names when they were just one time customers, hopefully never to be seen again. “How much is it? We really like to stay and chat but we have some place to be at the moment.” After informing them of the price he waved them goodbye, silently hoping that he would never have to see them again. It was never good business when shapeshifters patronize a shop like his, it makes normal humans more wary of coming in and business would suffer more than it already is. Although those with enhanced abilities could generally pay better, be it money or ingredients that only they could acquire or provide, was it worth sacrificing his karma for? With these thoughts weighing heavy on his mind he went about doing his usual routine of closing up the shop, making sure that everything was where they should be and well accounted for, he headed over to the door to flip the “Open” sign over to tell everyone that he was closed for the day before he locked the door with a soft but resounding click. Even though he had only two customers for the day it was more than enough to make him feel exhausted. Mustering whatever energy he had left he trudged up to his tiny apartment to get dinner going. Like clockwork, the sun would set while hid meal was getting ready and Taekwoon would somehow appear in his living room, presumably though the windows that Hakyeon conveniently left open for him. And like clockwork he would pretend that he was surprised that Taekwoon was there in his living room as though he had not been doing the exact same thing for the past week. Hakyeon knew it was silly to pretend that he was pleasantly surprised by the visits, especially when he knew that Taekwoon knew. But the amused expression that Taekwoon had on his face every time that happened sends a kaleidoscope of butterflies fluttering around his insides, and that was a feeling that Hakyeon wanted to hold on to for a long as he possibly could. With his bowl of instant noodles with steam rising from it secure in his arms, he walked over to the coffee table only to see Taekwoon standing there instead of lounging on his sofa like he usually does, which means something was wrong. “I will not be able to stay tonight.” Oh. So that was why he was standing instead of sitting. Hakyeon tried his best to keep his disappointment from his face as he set his bowl of food down on the table and he turned his attention on the vampire, who was currently looking at him to intensely for his comfort level. “You could have just sent a text. Do vampires not know the use of technology?” Hakyeon was almost proud of himself for sounding as nonchalant as he could, as though the thought of him spending the night alone made him feel somewhat empty inside and he was already missing the other person in the room even before he left. “I know. I just wanted to give you something to remember me by when I’m gone. Even for a night.” Hakyeon glanced up at the taller male, his heart was picking up speed with every step that was taken closer to him until their noses were almost touching. If Taekwoon could breathe, Hakyeon was sure that he would be inhaling the air that the other exhaled. A few heartbeats later, or a few hundred at the rate Hakyeon’s heart was going, he felt something cold against his lips. And before he could register what was going on, Taekwoon pulled away and left the apartment without another word or sound, leaving Hakyeon rooted to the ground with a dumbfounded look on his face. It was their first kiss together and Hakyeon didn’t even know it happened until it was too late. Taekwoon may have died once, but for that stunt, he was going to experience death all over again. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Maybe to say that Taekwoon would be the dead one was a mistake on Hakyeon’s part. Especially when he was the one opening his shop, running on nothing but pure adrenaline and no sleep. He had spent the better part of the night taking apart the kiss and putting it back together like a thousand pieced puzzle, trying to figure out what it was. Was it a friendly goodbye kiss that was customary during the time when Taekwoon was alive? Not that he knew when that was and there was nothing more to it. Or was it a kiss that promised more or something else? Hakyeon was so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he didn’t hear the ding of the bell when the door of his shop opened, signalling a potential customer. It was only when the fresh smell of flowers drifting to his nose that he realized that he was not alone. Turning around so quickly that it almost made him dizzy, almost. He was greeted with the familiar sight of one of the customers from yesterday, the seemingly normal human with blue hair so dark that it seemed almost black. “Oh. I didn’t hear you come in.” It seemed to be the only logical thing for Hakyeon to say at that moment. “Yeah, not like the bell didn’t ring when I opened the door or anything.” A teasing tone lit up Midnight’s voice. Hakyeon still didn’t manage to get his name after their encounter the day before. “Ah yes, sorry about that. I was kind of in my own world.” Hakyeon rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, making his way over to the counter so that he could better greet his guest. Upon getting closer, it was when he saw the bouquet of flowers nestled in the bend of Midnight’s arms. A surprising mixture of moonflowers and dahlias wrapped in crepe paper. “You have a date tonight? Need a love potion?” Midnight blinked in confusion at Hakyeon for a couple of moments before it finally clicked in his head and he bursts out laughing. “Oh no. No, no, no. This isn’t for me or a date.” “It’s actually for the owner of this shop.” It was Hakyeon’s turn to be confused. He wasn’t back in town long enough to have someone sending him flowers. And yet, here he was. Staring at an odd mix of flowers that a normal suitor would normally send, he would have expected roses or something. Instead, he got flowers that could be potentially poisonous and the colours don’t even match. “That would be me?” Hakyeon muttered after a few moments in thought. His hands reaching out to relieve the other of the bouquet, bringing it close to his nose to inhale the mixture of scents. “Thank you.” “Oh don’t thank me. I was just running an errand.” Now that just confused Hakyeon even more. Just when he thought that it was a gift for helping Midnight and his friend the day before, he was wrong. “My boyfriend’s boss asked me to do this as a favour since he couldn’t deliver it himself.” The wheels in Hakyeon’s head started going into overdrive. Boss? Boyfriend? What on earth is happening right now? As if sensing Hakyeon’s distress and confusion, Midnight cleared his throat trying to get the other to snap out of it and pay him some attention. “Taekwoon asked me to send you these.” Oh. Now that explained everything. “So you work for Taekwoon?” Hakyeon tried to fight the flush that was creeping up his face, quickly turning around to look for an empty vase so that Midnight would not see it. “My boyfriend does. I just help to run errands if they need to be done during the day. Like sending flowers.” Midnight supplied easily, resting his chin on his propped up arm while he looked at Hakyeon with an amused glint in his eyes. “Ah. Well thank you…” “Hyuk. My name is Hyuk.” Hakyeon’s smile grew a little wider now that Midnight had a name. “Thank you, Hyuk. These flowers are lovely.” Hyuk simply shrugged in reply while Hakyeon arranged the flowers in a simple vase. “Don’t worry about it.” Hyuk assured the other, giving him a warm smile to let him know that it was no big deal. “I have to go now. But I’ll see you around?” Hakyeon gave him a firm nod and a bright smile in return. “Please do come back if you need a remedy or two!” With a small wave Hakyeon was left alone to his flowers and thoughts. Maybe Taekwoon wouldn’t be so dead after all. -“Are you sure?” Taekwoon asked the dark haired man before him, holding his gaze for a moment before his eyes flickered down to the papers in his hand. Pictures. Pictures of dead vampires around town with their blood completely drained out. Taekwoon fought the urge to curse out loud. Not that it mattered anyway, it was only him and his most trusted people in the room. With Jaehwan, his right hand man looking over his shoulder trying to get a better view of the pictures, and Hongbin who provided the images, there was no one else around that he had to hold his tongue back for. But it was years and years of training and politics that had him keep his poker face on. Not even the slight tremble of his voice which he imagined was there betrayed how he truly felt about the matter at hand. Vampires were dying. And they were dying in his town. “It was the third one this week.” Hongbin muttered under his breath, too soft for human ears, but no one in the room had been one for a few centuries at least. “The rest of them are scared. Even the Weres are scared too. Afraid that they would be next.” “But their blood aren’t as precious, or as powerful.” Jaehwan spoke up, moving to straighten up his back, face scrunching up into a grimace as his bones cracked softly from being in a certain position for too long. ”What is the use of their blood to be honest?” “To infect other people and turn them into shapeshifters too I would assume.” Hongbin muttered as he took a seat across Taekwoon’s desk, looking up to see that the man across him still had a frown on the otherwise stoic face. “It makes no sense for another vampire to take their blood. Nor would a shapeshifter take their blood because it makes them sick.”“Which leaves us with the humans.” Taekwoon finally ended his silence, setting the disturbing images back down on his hardwood desk. “The question is, which human is willing to go through all that to hunt a vampire down and kill them?” “We’ve been here ten years, how is it that this is suddenly happening?” Jaehwan paced around the barely lit room, not that any of them needed the light anyway. “What’s changed recently in this town?” “The witch.” Hongbin quipped, inspecting his nails like none of this was of importance to him. But the other two vampires know that this was bothering him as much as it was bothering them. Or else he would have gone and dealt with this on his own as Taekwoon’s enforcer. “It’s not him.” Taekwoon was quick to shoot that down. There was no way Hakyeon was behind this. “Oh? And how would you know?” Hongbin challenged in that deep voice of his, an eyebrow arched in question on his chiselled face. “A little bird told me that the witch is where our dear Taekwoon has been disappearing to lately.” There was no mistaking that Hyuk had already told Jaehwan all that after Taekwoon had ask the daywalker to do that particular favour for him. “And that little witch was the one who cured Wonshik of that terrible hangover that no one knows how he got himself into.” Hongbin bristled in his seat, not liking the fact that Jaehwan knew more about Wonshik than he did. “I see.” “But it’s also suspicious that all this started happening after the witch came back. Don’t you think?” Taekwoon could only nod. He hated it when Jaehwan was right. And he was pretty sure Hongbin had the exact same sentiments as him. Jaehwan had his moments, but neither one of them liked to acknowledge them because it gave him an even bigger ego than he already has. “We should keep this between us, and investigate this further.” Taekwoon suggested. To which, the other two readily agreed. There was no need to create alarm when there was barely any information for them to go on. “Now that we’re done here. I have other business to attend to.”Taekwoon got up from his seat with a practiced ease, ignoring the way Jaehwan tried to hide a snicker behind his hand or how Hongbin narrowed his eyes just a little when he made his way out of his office.-With a flick of his wrist, Hakyeon finally ended the day by locking up and pulling down the shutters to cover the windows, effectively shutting him away from the rest of the outside world. It was times like this that he feels safe. Like he was slowly building up a home here. Where he didn’t have to deal with weird customers who wanted ingredients that he was pretty sure that were made up. Where he did not have to deal with the judgement of people who think that this town was too pure for magic, or maybe it was him that the town was too pure for. The thought made Hakyeon scoff. The town had shapeshifters roaming around freely and vampires stalking the night but he was the one that they were throwing dirty looks at? With an annoyed huff he walked over to where his flowers were sitting pretty in the vase. He had spent the better part of the afternoon pouring over his books after Hyuk had left. Trying his best to determine the particular species of moonflower, wanting to know if it was the poisonous kind and if any research had been done on it. He had almost got to his answer when he noticed how hard it had gotten outside. Time sure flies when you’re having fun. Deciding that it would be best to continue his research upstairs where it was more comfortable, he also belatedly realize that he had barely anything to eat Grabbing his thick books on magical properties of flowers, he slowly trudged up the stairs. The lack of sleep he had was starting to get to him too, the tiredness slowly seeping into his bones. Hugging his books to his chest, he walked into his apartment and straight into soft cashmere. Be still his beating heart. Taekwoon was here. “You should look at where you’re going.” “Why do I need to when you’re here to catch me?” Hakyeon wanted to die. His whole being wanted to shrivel up in embarrassment for saying something like that. The want for sweet, sweet death quickly became a need when he heard Taekwoon chuckling, and with a soft whine he buried his face even more into the softness of Taekwoon’s sweater. “Did you like the flowers I sent you?” Taekwoon muttered into Hakyeon’s hair, gently rubbing his back while he moved to lead the human to the couch so that the both of them could settle in it. “I did.” Hakyeon pulled away so that he could sit comfortable next to Taekwoon. “They were beautiful. And they smelled nice too, thank you.” “Good. I heard that they’re good for potions. And they grow well in the dark.” Wrapping an arm around the human, Taekwoon pulled him a little closer so that Hakyeon could rest against him. “I didn’t know you had a hobby like gardening. I thought you would have no time for that.” Hakyeon teased softly as he moved his head to rest comfortably on Taekwoon’s shoulder. “That would be Jaehwan’s hobby. I just got Hyuk to steal the flowers” The gentleness of Taekwoons voice made Hakyeon smile. It seemed that Jaehwan and Hyuk were people dear to him, but not in a way that made Hakyeon jealous. Somehow, deep inside him he knew that Taekwoon didn’t think of them the way that he thought of Hakyeon. “So was that kiss a platonic kind of kiss or did you mean it?” Now Hakyeon was ready to murder himself and his lack of a filter. And his horrible sense of timing. “Hm? What kiss were you talking about?” Hakyeon could see the way Taekwoon’s dark eyes lighted up with amusement, silently teasing him. “The one you suddenly dropped on me when you popped by yesterday?” Hakyeon was starting to doubt himself a little. Did he really experience it yesterday or was it something that he imagined? Was that why Taekwoon was so amused by him? “I don’t really remember it. Maybe you should remind me.” Narrowing his eyes at Taekwoon, Hakyeon reached out to smack the vampire’s shoulder with one of his research books. “Forget it. You can sit here and wreck your brain to see what you remember while I make dinner” Hakyeon was eager to escape this conversation, already embarrassed at how he seemed to be the only one thinking about the kiss. Setting his books down on the coffee table the tanned human got up from his couch and headed over to the kitchen to quickly heat up some leftovers. Despite being embarrassed and annoyed, he didn’t want to be away from Taekwoon longer than necessary. Not when they have so little time to spend with each other as it is. So taking out the soup from his fridge, he places it on his gas stove and heated it up while he threw his packet of instant rice into the microwave. Dinner settled in minutes. Grabbing his mittens from above the kitchen sink to take the hot pot of soup, bringing it to the dining table only to see Taekwoon seated at the head of the table like he belonged there. “I didn’t know vampires ate dinner.” Hakyeon said as he turned around to grab his rice. “We don’t. But I thought that I might watch you eat.” Taekwoon blinked up at him, as if the words that the vampire just uttered didn’t sound creepy at all. “But you’ve fed?” To which, Taekwoon nodded in response. Taking his seat next to the vampire, Hakyeon picked up his spoon to scoop himself a mouthful of rice and got started on his dinner. “What do you know about vampire blood?” Hakyeon looked up at Taekwoon when the vampire broke the silence, wondering where this sudden question came from. Setting his spoon back down on the table, Hakyeon slowly organized his thoughts before he started speaking. “Vampire blood… There’s not much known about it. In the academy, they told us that it was very volatile. Depending on how you obtained your sample. It has to be given willingly or else there’s consequences. “It is said that the blood has healing qualities. That it makes humans stronger, heal faster, more indestructible? Like they can prolong life? Because of the magic that powers the undead has a similar effect on the living? If it was given to a human willingly then probably the human would stop aging and become a little stronger. Like an unofficial Fountain of Youth.” Taekwoon nodded lightly at Hakyeon’s words, the younger one being right so far. “And if it was taken unwillingly?” “Then the balance is off.” Hakyeon replied easily. “Instead of a long life, they get the power. But then they die faster. Like their bodies fail? So they need another hit of the blood to get them the power to heal but it doesn’t last long.” “They become animals.” Taekwoon mumbles softly, as though it was something that he had personally witnessed. “So far gone that even some of the shapeshifters get offended if you call them animals.” Pushing his bowl of rice away from him, Hakyeon suddenly lost his appetite. “Was this why you had to leave yesterday?” Taekwoon only nodded, so Hakyeon took it as his cue to continue. “Someone out there is killing vampires?”Another nod. “Did you think I was the one behind this? Was that why you came over to ask me all these questions?” Taekwoon could only shake his head. “No. I didn’t think you did it. I guess I was curious as to what you knew when it comes to this. And if anyone has approached you to make potions with blood as an ingredient.” Oh. Hakyeon didn’t know if he should be flattered or offended. To deal with vampire blood, especially in potions was something very highly dangerous, and very highly illegal. It takes someone with great skill to even think of attempting something like that. He had heard back in school, whisperings from other students that if you know what you’re doing, the ultimate healing potion could be made using vampire blood. Despite being a healer, Hakyeon had no interest to attempt something like that. Not when karma works in mysterious ways. He already had a strike against him from a decade ago. There was no way he was going to add on to that. Having lost his appetite after that conversation he got up from his seat, pushing his chair back as he cleared the dining table, ignoring the looks he was getting from Taekwoon. Somewhere in the corner of his mind, Hakyeon registers the feeling that he was experiencing as hurt. From the thought that Taekwoon would even doubt him and think that he would be dealing in vampire blood. Granted, it was overthinking in his part. But somehow, despite their short time together, he wanted the vampire to trust him completely. Like how he had trusted Taekwoon all those years ago, following him into the dark. As if sensing Hakyeon’s emotions, Taekwoon got up from his seat as silently as possible, making his way to the human who was busying himself with washing the dishes, probably as a way to keep his hands busy. Stepping behind Hakyeon, Taekwoon snaked his arms around the younger’s waist, burying his nose against the beating pulse in Hakyeon’s next and inhaled the sweet scent of blood coursing through his veins. Taekwoon could feel Hakyeon stiffen lightly against him. He could smell the sudden spike of fear off the human before Hakyeon realized that Taekwoon of no intention of hurting him and relaxed into the embrace. Making Taekwoon smile at how his warmth radiated to his own cold body. “Stay the night. To make up for yesterday’s lost time.” Hakyeon turned in the embrace to face Taekwoon, his eyes roaming over the porcelain complexion in search of any kind of emotion, trying to gauge if the other wanted to stay or not. A few nervous heartbeats had passed before Taekwoon finally nodded, agreeing to spend the night. “I hope I won’t burn when the sun comes up. “I promise you I won’t let anything happen to you during the day. I don’t intend to open the shop tomorrow anyway.” Hakyeon beamed up at him. And in the moment, Taekwoon felt that he didn’t need to miss the warmth of the sun on his skin. The brightness of Hakyeon’s smile was more than enough to warm his cold, unbeating heart. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Hakyeon took his time to get ready for bed. There was no rush after all, no need to wake up early to get the shop open, no need to go through the morning rush with housewives to get last minute ingredients for his potions. His sleep debt could be paid by sleeping in a little longer in the morning. And so he decided to pamper himself a little, putting in just a little more effort to his skincare routine by putting on a face mask. After all, he wouldn’t want Taekwoon to wake up to a face full of wrinkles in the evening. And if Taekwoon was wondering what was taking him so long, the vampire didn’t say a word, opting to remain as silent and still as the day his heart stopped beating, his eyes following Hakyeon as the healer walked back and forth the tiny apartment looking ridiculous with a white sheet clinging onto his face.It felt like a couple of hours later when Hakyeon finally proclaimed that he was ready for bed, pulling the covers off the bed in his matching pajamas, he climbed in and patted the empty space next to him.“Come on, the sun is rising soon. You wouldn’t want to wake up with a sore neck.”“Vampires don’t get sore necks.” Taekwoon muttered under his breath. The thought of vampires having any form of bodily discomfort from sleep sounded preposterous to him. Stopping at the edge of the bed he looks down at Hakyeon. “Maybe you have something for me to sleep in?”Hakyeon widens his eyes in realization, mentally smacking himself in for forehead for being a bad host and forgetting about getting Taekwoon something to sleep in. Of course the vampire wouldn’t sleep in his pristine shirt and neatly pressed pants. Pushing himself out of bed, even though his body was already starting to relax into the softness, he walked over to his modest closet and pulled out a simple t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, holding it up for the vampire to give his approval.“This will do.” And if it didn’t suit his tastes, Hakyeon didn’t see any of it on Taekwoon’s face, who simply took the clothes and headed to the bathroom to change.Hakyeon must have been more tired than he thought as he was dozing off by the time Taekwoon joined him in bed, pulling the covers over the both of them. He knew that it wasn’t warmth that drew him into Taekwoon’s embrace, since the vampire’s body was anything but that. But when his long arms were wrapped around Hakyeon’s body, he couldn’t help but to let out a soft sigh of content.Ever since he came back from the capital, never once had he thought that he had come back home. This was a place for him to set up shop. A place filled with memories. Memories of his parents, memories of people scorning him and shunning him. But most importantly, memories of Taekwoon who made him feel safe when everything was falling apart. And maybe, just maybe. He could now call this home. As long as Taekwoon was here with him he was more than willing to build his home here.-Something was wrong. Something felt wrong. The though came up to him as he slowly blinked awake, looking at the man next to him.Dead. He was simply dead. The slight flush on his cheeks were gone and now it was just a ghostly shade of pale. He didn’t move, nor did he stir when Hakyeon tried shaking him awake. Even when Hakyeon tried to lift Taekwoon’s arm up it simply dropped back down to bed like dead weight.Something was starting to bubble deep within Hakyeon. Something cold and unpleasant, like fear creeping up his neck and slowly suffocating him with it. Was this supposed to happen? Did Hakyeon accidentally kill his almost lover in his sleep?His hands were trembling but that was the last thing on his mind now. Hakyeon ran his shaking fingers through his hair as he tried to rake his brain for answers, trying to sift through information that was stored in the recesses of his brain which was filed under “I didn’t think it was important while I was in school”.He was sure that it was one of the lessons that was covered in magical theory. Why did he not pay attention during the class back when he was in The Academy? Forcing himself to get out of bed he stumbled over to his bookshelf, his fingertips trailing down the spines of the books that were stacked haphazardly on the barely put together furniture until he found one of his old textbooks and he skilfully pulls it out from under the stacks of other books, hoping that none of it would topple over before the pages fan out to the section he was looking for. With furrowed eyebrows his eyes flicker back and forth the blur of words that he was trying to read and digest. “… The magic that brings the undead to come to life originates from the sun, but the power of the sun is too great for any single vampire to harness in current records, which is why vampires burn in the sun as there is too much magic for the vessel to handle. Vampires come rise with the power of the moon that reflects the sunlight, making the magic more acceptable for them to animate their bodies and making them one of the undead.” Oh. He should have known information such if he actually paid attention during classes and not give himself a mini heart attack when he woke up in the morning with a dead Taekwoon by his side. Turning his head back to the bed to look at the lifeless body in his bed, he sighs softly. Getting up from the ground from when he was too scared and his legs seemed to have failed to work when he was looking for his book, he headed over to the windows to make sure the no sunlight would seep through the curtains. He didn’t need another heart attack if he was not careful and he came back to Taekwoon being burn to a crisp.Getting ready for his day ahead, Hakyeon shuffles about his small apartment to clean it up, so that Taekwoon didn’t have to wake up to an even bigger mess that he had been witnessing the past week, stealing occasional glances at Taekwoon, Hakyeon wondered if the loud sounds that he made while cleaning were enough to wake the dead. Apparently not. By the time he was one with his chores, it was well past lunch time. Hakyeon figured that he could spend the rest of his day getting his next shipment of potions ready for the week ahead. Business had not been stellar since he came back to this small town, but thankfully he still had a long list of loyal customers back in the city that he had to cater to and that helped greatly with his day to day expenses. Grabbing a scrap piece of paper, Hakyeon scribbled down a note for Taekwoon in case the latter woke up while he was busy over his cauldron and suffered a panic attack like he did that morning.Hakyeon snorted at himself, somewhat amused at the dramatics that he had put himself through in the morning before he left his apartment and headed down to the shop to go about the rest of his day.-A soft whine sounded across the small room. Hakyeon didn’t know if he should curse himself or to laugh at himself. After so many years, he should have known better than to rub his eyes after dealing with ginger root. But no, he was behaving like a total amateur, which was why he was dealing with the burning sensation in his eyes with tears threatening to flow down his tanned cheeks. He was so close to throwing a tantrum and stomping his feet childishly in the comfort of his own shop when he heard a knock on the door of his shop, making Hakyeon frown a little at the small intrusion of his private time.Grabbing a damp towel he wiped his hands the best he could so that it wouldn’t smell like the ginger root that he was dealing with earlier and headed over to the door to open it, only to reveal the smiling face of Hyuk waving back at him.“Hello! I thought I would drop by for a visit since I had nothing to do. I didn’t realize you were closed though.” Hyuk explained as his hands dropped back down to his side, his smile faded a little to show the slight uncertainty on his seemingly young face, as if he felt like he was intruding something.Hakyeon was quick to change that. “Oh no! I was just preparing some potions for the week. You’re uh… You’re welcome to join me if you like. A helping hand would be great.”The uncertainty that Hyuk had on his face earlier had melted away easily, making him smile like a child who has seen snow for the first time and he makes his way into the shop with Hakyeon leading him into the back room.“I’m sorry it’s a mess. I wasn’t expecting company.” Hakyeon muttered as he tried to make the place a little more presentable for the unexpected guest, putting aside things that he did not need any longer to make more space for the other.“Oh. No need to clean up because of me. Trust me, Wonshik is a walking tornado and nothing you can do would make you messier than he is.” Hyuk joked softly while he moved to help Hakyeon clean up the place. “If you need help, let me know. Being jobless and aimless leaves me a lot of time on my hands.”“Well. If you put it that way, maybe you can help me prepare the ingredients for my potions?” Hakyeon gave Hyuk a hopeful look. He had no idea he had so much that needed to be done until he saw his order list earlier. Since the weather was getting colder many people were falling sick everywhere and they needed to stock up on potions to keep their bodies strong for the harsh winter ahead and Hakyeon was having trouble getting all the potions ready to ship out in a couple of days. So he was thankful for any help he could get.“Sure, just let me know what you need me to do?” Hyuk agreed with an easy smile, heading over to the sink towards the back of the room to wash his hands so that he could get ready to help the healer.With simple instructions for Hyuk, the both of them got around to working in a comfortable silence. Hakyeon was amazed at how easily both of them got to working together in such a short amount of time. With Hyuk chopping up and preparing the necessary ingredients and Hakyeon overseeing the brewing in the different cauldrons that he had set up in his work space, the potions were done in almost half the time if he were to do everything by himself. Hakyeon was sure that if his finances had allowed it, he would have hired the other without any qualms. But business has been a little slow, there was no way he could afford hiring someone else even on a part-time basis.“So…” Hyuk broke the silence, as well as Hakyeon’s train of thought shamelessly, with a playful grin on his face, which made Hakyeon slightly suspicious as to where this was going. ”Taekwoon didn’t head home before sunrise.”Hakyeon’s hands stilled. So this was why he joined the healer on this Sunday afternoon. “He’s… Sleeping? I don’t know what you call it, upstairs.”“You mean he died?” Hakyeon flinched visibly at the word, to which Hyuk lets out a soft laugh. “If it’s any consolation, the sex makes up for him dying every morning in your bed.”The healer sputtered loudly, fed red as he tries to dispel Hyuk of any misunderstanding, his hands waving wildly about. “No! I mean, no. We didn’t… We uh. We just slept.”Hyuk was laughing hysterically at this point, with this arms around his stomach to try to ease the ache from laughing too much at the way the healer reacted to his words.“Yah! We seriously just slept!” The healer was on the verge of whining, but his pride kept him at bay. Watching the other close to actually rolling onto the floor with laughter, his lower lip stuck out in a petulant pout as he waited the situation to calm down.“You should have seen your face though.” Hyuk barely managed to wheeze his words out. “As much as I believe you, this is more fun.”Crossing his arms across his chest, Hakyeon stared down at the other person in the room in what he had hoped to be a menacing manner. But he know that he had failed when Hyuk continued to chuckle under his breath when he picked up his knife once more to start prepping the ingredients.“You just learn to deal with it though.” Hyuk muttered softly. “It gets easier day by day. And soon you realize that you don’t seek warmth in your bed anymore, not when the cold is more comforting. Knowing that they live and die every single day next to you.”The healer kept quiet, taking in the words that the dark haired male had just said. Will he ever get used to it? Will he look forward to have Taekwoon’s cold arms around him as slept? When his eyes opened when magic breathed life into him and the first person he looked at was Hakyeon? Was that what he wanted for himself for the rest of his life?“How… how long have you been with your partner?” Hakyeon had hoped that he did not intrude on the other’s private life. But after Hyuk talked about how he dealt with it made Hakyeon curious to know if he had a vampire lover as well.“Oh? It’s been a while since someone asked me that.” Hyuk set his knife down, taking a moment to think before his gaze flickered up to the healer, warm and fond when he thought about his lover. “Close to four hundred years now I think? I was born in the Joseon era. And that was where he found me. The rest they say, is history.”Four hundred years? Hakyeon’s eyes widened at the new information. That was a really long time to be with someone. Was their love stronger or were they simply together out of familiarity at this point? But the way Hyuk’s eyes softened when he talked about his lover, it was clear that the feelings were still going strong.“How..” Hakyeon started, but Hyuk held a hand up to stop him.“How do we last that long?” Hakyeon could only nod at Hyuk’s words. “I honestly have no idea though. We, the both of us, take it day by day. And days turn into years and years turn into centuries. And that’s how we ended up here.“And I know your next question is if I regret any of this. Truth be told, there are times where I do. I had to send my family and friends into the afterlife over and over again. But if I had a choice, I would still choose Jaehwan again. As much as he chooses to live and die next to me, I choose to be with him every day as well. That’s how it works. It’s not easy, but it works.”Hakyeon bites down on his lower lip, carefully listening to what Hyuk had told him, trying to decide for himself if this was what he wanted for himself as well.“Hey.” Hyuk reached out for the healer’s hands and held them in his warm ones. “You don’t have to think too much about it. Taekwoon would never do anything that you’re not comfortable with. Or else he would have taken you to bed a long time ago.”Hakyeon blushed darkly at the other’s teasing, taking back his own hand with a small pout. “Don’t you have somewhere to be? The sun is setting soon.”With a smile, Hyuk took it as his cue to leave. Giving Hakyeon a grin accompanied with a dramatic bow he bid farewell, but not before promising a visit the next day to help him out. And before Hakyeon could protest, Hyuk was already gone.With a soft sigh he looks down at his work space, with ingredients all bottled up and his potions cooled down and ready to be stored in bottles, he got back to work with a silent reminder to invite Hyuk over the next time he had to brew a large batch of potions. Somehow after the chat with Hyuk he felt might lighter and his mind clearer, work had finished faster than he expected to.The sun was close to dipping over the horizon into darkness when Hakyeon was finally done with his potions, all labelled and ready for shipment. Wiping his hands on the table cloth, he made his way back up to his cosy apartment only to find Taekwoon sitting on his bed, the covers polled around his waist and Hakyeon couldn’t help but feel the warmth spread across his chest. Maybe this was what Hyuk meant, to have someone choose you every day. Maybe this was how Hyuk had managed to live as long as he did.Walking over to the bed, Hakyeon’s lips curved up into a small smile when Taekwoon wordlessly held his hand out for the healer to take. Lacing their fingers together, Hakyeon sat on the edge while the vampire wrapped his arms around the human, pressing his cold lips to the warm skin of Hakyeon’s cheek.“I was thinking I could order food and we could stay in? Turn on the TV and watch some sappy romance drama?” Hakyeon suggested with a soft giggle, pulling back to see what his almost lover would have to say about the suggestion.Rolling his eyes at the suggestion he lets out a soft groan and he tries to go back under the covers, but Hakyeon kept his arms wound tightly around him to keep him from going under.“Fine. But know that this is not by choice.” Chuckling softly, Hakyeon scoffed playfully at Taekwoon’s words.“We both know that’s not true.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Hyuk’s presence around the shop had been a norm about a week ago. Since the first time he showed up to help Hakyeon with potion brewing, he had shown up steadily everyday just after Hakyeon opens the shop to help around with whatever Hakyeon needed, no questions asked. Something that Hakyeon was secretly grateful for. Ever since the news of Hakyeon leaving the city had spread, more and more orders had been pouring in, people wanting to stock up on healing brews and salves just in case. Especially with the festive season around the corner, housewives tend to get burns on their hands easily and teenagers get a little vainer and they want scars and blemishes to vanish, while business owners needed that extra burst of energy during the rush. The kind of burst Hakyeon wished he had right about now. Thankfully, he had Hyuk to help him with whatever he needed. Even the locals in the town were getting wind of Hakyeon’s popularity that every now and then a new customer would come into the shop to ask for a potion or a salve that Hakyeon had to take constant breaks from his brewing to entertain the new customers, which results the over brewing of some of his potions, causing Hakyeon to start everything over again, leaving him with more late nights than usual. Lucky for him, Hyuk was a fast learner as well. After a day or two, the midnight blue haired boy had picked up on the important details to deal with customers and give them what they needed, and if they didn’t have it in stock at the moment, he took down their details so that what they needed would be available for collection the next day or the day after. It didn’t take Hakyeon long to realize that Hyuk that maybe it was time to hire the guy.“Should we order in lunch today as well?” Hyuk said as he entered the back room where Hakyeon had been holed up for the better part of the day, back bent over his many cauldrons.With a soft sigh, Hakyeon straightened up with a pained groan. At this rate he needs to brow a pain relief potion for himself as well, a hand resting at where it hurt the most. “That sounds good. Just order whatever and take some from the till?”Nodding lightly in response Hyuk rested against the frame of the entry way that lead into Hakyeon’s work room, a phone in his hands while he scrolled through the different places that happened to offer delivery. “Are you feeling something with soup or something greasy and sinful?”“If I look at anything else that resembles a potion I might throw up.” The only response that Hakyeon got was a dramatic roll of Hyuk’s eyes. Drama, meet drama. It was no wonder the both of them got along so well.It was the bell that rang at the front of the shop that broke their silence, leaving Hakyeon to stare at his bubbling pots. Ever since business started booming, he had neglected Taekwoon in a way. It was not as if Taekwoon had stopped visiting him. No, his almost boyfriend had religiously appeared in his bed every night by the time Hakyeon had closed for the night. But the past few days had been so hectic that Hakyeon barely had enough energy to wash up and change for bed before he collapsed in Taekwoon’s arms, falling asleep even before his head hits the cold hard chest that he’s so used to lately.Maybe it was time for Hakyeon to take a break and to have a good night with Taekwoon. Right after he finishes with this week’s batch of orders. Which was on the verge of getting ruined with the way Hakyeon was spacing out. Noticing that one of the pot as close to bubbling over, Hakyeon quickly snaps out of his daze to kill the fire with a wave of his hand, one of the small mercies of being magical. Which was why he couldn’t let Taekwoon anywhere near his work. As much as he wanted the vampire near him when he spent late nights in his shop, there was little that he could do to keep Taekwoon from interfering with the magical properties of his ingredients. Simply because vampires possesses a different branch magic, there was a chance that even a touch could screw everything up. And Hakyeon was not willing to risk any of that. Maybe when he was more established, and when he had more people helping him he could start researching. But now was not the time for him to do anything rash, not when his very livelihood depends on this business.With a small sigh, Hakyeon decided that it was time for him to take a break, especially with the way his stomach growled when the delivery had arrived. Heading over to the sink he makes quick work of washing his hands and headed out to the storefront where Hyuk had begun setting up for lunch.Taking one of the available stools that were available behind the main display that was currently covered up by newspapers, because it seems that Hyuk was a messy eater, leaving food all over the counter top the first few times he had his meals there until Hakyeon had enough of cleaning up after him, Hakyeon picked up his chopsticks and got started on his meal.There was a moment of comfortable silence before Hyuk broke it. “Before I forget, I was told to invite you over for dinner tonight. To meet the rest of the gang.”Hakyeon’s hand stilled, with his food halfway into his mouth as he turned his attention to the other male in the room. “What? Tonight? Dinner?” Panic was starting to set in. He wasn’t ready to meet the rest of Taekwoon’s circle. What if they didn’t like him? What if they decided that he wasn’t good enough for Taekwoon?As if sensing the oncoming panic attack that about to descend on Hakyeon, Hyuk took mercy on him and reassured the healer. “It’s more of a friendly thing. Everyone just wants to say hi to the person Taekwoon has been running off every night to meet. Jaehwan especially, he can’t seem to stop making conspiracy theories about you. I’m losing sleep because of you.”Hakyeon had the decency to blush at that comment, silently nodding and agreeing to the dinner just to make Hyuk better. He owed the other that much after all. Since Hyuk had been helping him with no complains, and with such diligence too. The least Hakyeon could do was to ease the curiosity of Hyuk’s partner. “Fine, I’ll see you tonight as well. And to think that I would be sick of seeing you every day at this point, now I have to see you at night as well.”Tilting his head to the side, Hakyeon avoided the chopsticks that Hyuk threw his way.-Both Hyuk and Hakyeon decided that it was best that the both of them closed early for the weekend, after having such a busy weekend, it was best for the both of them. Since Hyuk had to help with dinner while Hakyeon needed all the rest he could get before he had to go back into the work room once the weekend was over.Taking the last few moments of sunlight he had left for the day, he took the opportunity to find the right outfit for the dinner that very night. It had been to last minute for him to do any shopping. Truth be told, it has been a while since he got himself anything new or trendy. Was trendy even the right word to use in this time and age? It was the down side of living in a small town he supposed, not knowing the latest fads like he used to when he was in the city. He had to donate most of his clothes away when he made the decision to move back here after his parents had passed away. By donating meant his roommate taking everything that he didn’t wanted and claiming it. Maybe one of these days he should make the short trip back to do some shopping for some clothes and see if there were any new books that he could get for research as well. But now he needed to push all those distracting thought to the back of his head and concentrate on getting himself presentable for dinner.The sun was dipping over the horizon by the time Hakyeon finally picked out a suitable outfit, setting it on the bed neatly before he headed for his bath, sniffing his shirt with a small grimace, the smell of herbs and animal blood clinging onto his clothes he quickly peels it off his body and tosses it into the laundry basket. The cold draft in the room had Hakyeon shivering a little as he turned the tap for the water to fill up the small tub, pampering himself as a reward for a good work week.A soft sigh escaped his lips when he sank into the scented hot water, feeling the tension melt away like wax under a flame, his head resting on the edge of the tub, eyes closed as he shut himself away from reality for a short moment.The skin at the back of his neck prickled lightly, a sensation that he had gotten familiar with the past few weeks. Taekwoon had arrived, and judging from the sound of the footsteps, he was quickly approaching the bathroom where Hakyeon was still a boneless heap in the water, not wanting to leave the warm embrace that the water offered.“I see that you got the invitation to dinner.” Hakyeon forced himself to open his eyes to look at the vampire when he spoke, giving his undead guest a small nod, pulling a little at the shower curtain so that he could keep himself somewhat decent.“I’ll be just a minute? I just need to get dressed after this and we can go.” Hakyeon yelled out from where he was when Taekwoon left the bathroom, knowing that he was not exactly wanted there at that moment and chose to wait in the living room.Hakyeon allowed himself a few more moments before he tugged at the plug of the tub with his toes, letting the water to slowly drain out before he was willing to get out. With a towel wrapped around his hips to cover up most of his modesty, he quickly went over to his bed where his clothes were laid out and got dressed into them. Although he knew that vampires were immortal, he didn’t want Taekwoon to wait any longer than he already had, having taken liberty to soak even longer than usual.With his hair still wet, Hakyeon walked over to where Taekwoon was seated, a small smile curling up at the corner of his lips as he opened his arms for Hakyeon. Sitting on Taekwoon’s lap with Hakyeon’s head on his shoulder felt like home after being away for a week. Even though it had only been a few hour since he was in Taekwoon’s embrace, but in reality it felt much longer than that.With a contented sigh, Hakyeon relaxed against Taekwoon’s hard chest. This felt like an added bonus after the warm and relaxing bath he had earlier. But in the back of his mind it also felt like the calm before the storm.“We should head out soon. It’ll take some time for the both of us to reach at a respectable hour.” Taekwoon muttered softly, it was as if he didn’t want to startle Hakyeon or to give him any more reason to panic if he were to rush Hakyeon.Nodding lightly against Taekwoon’s chest, Hakyeon reluctantly sits back to look at the vampire, his gaze flickering down to Taekwoon’s lips for a moment before he lean in to brush their lips together for a soft kiss. It was as though Hakyeon had gathered strength from that small peck, he got up from Taekwoon’s lap with a warm smile. “We wouldn’t want to keep them waiting would we?”With a small nod, Taekwoon got up from the couch and took Hakyeon’s hand in his own, lacing their fingers together as they made their way out of the apartment. It was almost with a child-like fascination when Taekwoon watched as Hakyeon locked and warded his house with just a soft mumble of words that he didn’t understand and a small wave of his hand before Hakyeon was finally ready to depart. Watching Hakyeon in his element never failed to amaze Taekwoon. It was like the first time he laid eyes on Hakyeon a decade ago and his chest swelled with pride at how far his little healer has gone.In a comfortable silence, Taekwoon slowly led Hakyeon to his day time resting place by foot. The town was small enough for them to go to most places by foot and his home was no exception. After all, Hakyeon was trying to make his way home all those years ago when he was cornered near where Taekwoon lived. So distance was not an issue for them, not anymore.It was an easy stroll by any standard and they had arrived at the corner of Taekwoon’s house within minutes. It was only then that Taekwoon had sensed the distress in Hakyeon, who had stopped in his tracks, staring at the spot where the victim of his magic had laid on the ground in agony.“Hakyeon?” Taekwoon’s voice was soft as he tried to get Hakyeon’s attention.It had taken Taekwoon a few tries before he finally got through to the healer, who turned to him with his gaze glazed over with emotion.“It’s over now. He isn’t here anymore.” Bringing his hands up, Taekwoon cups Hakyeon’s face tenderly, turning the healer’s face away from the cursed spot. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”Hakyeon’s eyes searched the onyx eyes of the vampire’s, looking for any trace of doubt. It was all he had right now to hold on to. That the past would not come back to haunt him and bite him in the ass.“He can’t hurt me anymore.” Hakyeon’s was a soft whisper but Taekwoon could hear the determination behind it. “Even if he is here now, he won’t be able to hurt me anymore. I’m stronger now. And I’ll be more powerful than he will ever be.”If Taekwoon wasn’t sure if he was in love, he was now.-Everything felt a little familiar to him. From the little door that opened up to a dark room that seemed like someone had lived there, all the memories came rushing back to Hakyeon. Except this time, he braced himself for it. And somehow, it didn’t hit him as hard as he thought it would.He remembered Taekwoon cleaning him up while he was in a daze. He remembered how this place smelled old and musty, like it had not seen sunlight for decades. It probably still hasn’t. Most of all, he remembered feeling safe and warm despite the fear he felt that day. He remembered how Taekwoon was so soft and gentle to him that all his anxiety melted away even though he’s the dangerous supernatural being, not the kid who just set fire to another human being.But that was where the familiarity ended.Taking Hakyeon’s hand, Taekwoon led him further into the area and down a narrow flight of stairs that was barely lit with a swinging light that flickered from time to time to time. It seems that neither vampires nor human partners of vampires did not need that much light to navigate around the place, considering how dim everything seemed to be.“We wanted to make this place as uninviting as possible. So that no one would come in and claim this place for their own.” As if sensing Hakyeon’s train of thought, Taekwoon spoke up loud enough for him to hear.“I could ward this place up for you so that people won’t think twice about coming here?” Hakyeon offered softly. “I mean I’ve done it for my house so that bad spirits don’t come to me or no harm would come to me. I could do the same here?”“I didn’t want to inconvenience you. You seemed busy lately at the shop. And it hasn’t been a problem for the past decade or so.”“I know.” Hakyeon gave Taekwoon’s hand a soft squeeze, as if to reassure him that this was not a big deal. “Hyuk stays here too. And he’s my friend, so I want him to live somewhere safe too.”There was a few moment of silence, as if Taekwoon was debating in his mind if this was something that he could ask of Hakyeon. By the time they reached the foot of the stairs, Taekwoon turned to face the healer, looking down at him. “If it gets too taxing on you, let me know and we can stop.”Hakyeon frowned a little. What did Taekwoon mean by taxing? Warding a small space like what he had seen would be a piece of cake. From what he saw the place was about as big as his own apartment. It was not until Taekwoon opened the door that he understood what the vampire meant.Hakyeon stood there, awestruck at just how big the underground area was. It was basically a mansion built in a basement, except where stairs headed up, these stairs ventured down to even more rooms and living spaces. No wonder Taekwoon had seemed so worried about the warding being hard on him.Staring out at the big living area that greeted him, with simple furniture that seemed to decorate the area tastefully, Hakyeon’s reverie was broken by the sound of a high pitch squeal, much like an animal dying and trying to catch its last breath. And it was almost in slow motion that Hakyeon turned his head to see where the sound was coming from before he was attacked by a head of blonde, engulfing him in a tight hug that made it difficult for Hakyeon to breathe.“You came! When Hyogie told me that you were coming, I couldn’t believe it!” The pitch of his excited voice was even more jarring when it was so close to his ear. “He tried to cook but he failed so bad that he had to… Ow!”Hakyeon could finally breathe. Patting his chest lightly, Hakyeon looked up only to see Hyuk holding onto the ear of the blonde male in their midst who was grinning brightly at him. Not exactly sure who that person might be he turned to Taekwoon to clarify, but the vampire simply gave out a heavy, long suffering sigh.“This is Jaehwan.” Taekwoon introduced the blonde with a careless gesture in the blonde’s direction. “Hyuk’s vampire pet.”“Hyungie! That is so mean!” The blonde known as Jaehwan pouted, trying to squirm out of Hyuk’s firm hold only to have the human tighten his grip. “Ow! You should be nicer to me!”Pulling the ear of his vampire boyfriend closer to his mouth, Hyuk kept the deceiving smile on his face when he all but growled into Jaehwan’s ear. “That’s what you get for exposing me like that.”Hakyeon had tried his best to keep his amusement to himself. When Hyuk had mentioned that he had vampire partner, never in a hundred years would he imagine the person to be someone like Jaehwan. Especially when Hyuk seemed so nice and kind every time he was at the shop. But seeing a different side to him made Hyuk seemed more approachable than he had the past couple of weeks.“I’m okay with takeout, really.” Hakyeon quickly supplied, trying to make the current situation not so awkward, but he found it hard to do so when laughter was threatening to bubble forth from his lips.“Of course you should be okay with takeout! This kid put sugar in his fried eggs!” Jaehwan all but yelled, finally managing to break free from Hyuk and rushed over to Hakyeon’s side, wrapping his arms around the healer as if that could protect him from Hyuk. “We didn’t want you to die. Or else Hyungie would be very sad.”Taekwoon who was silent up until now simply sighed again, making Hakyeon giggle softly under his breath.“Uh… dinner is kind of ready. We’re just waiting for Hongbin and Wonshik to be done getting ready.” Hyuk said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “And I only put sugar on my eggs that one time!”Giving Hyuk a reassuring smile he allowed Jaehwan to lead him to the dining room with the other still hugging onto his arm with Taekwoon and Hyuk trailing behind them in comfortable silence.Upon reaching the dining table Taekwoon took his seat at the head as if he belonged there and Jaehwan quickly took to the chair on his right with Hyuk next to his partner, which left Hakyeon the chair on Taekwoon’s left. It seems that this was the usual seating arrangement between them, so who was Hakyeon to argue with what works? As long as he was not standing there awkwardly trying to figure out where he should be seated.Hakyeon didn’t have to wait long before the remaining two came shuffling in to the dining room. Wonshik who Hakyeon recognised as the hungover Were that had visited his shop a couple of weeks back gave him a sheepish wave, while someone whom he didn’t recognise offered him a smile that was more teeth than anything else.“Sorry. Wonshik shifted and it was a mess.” The sheepish look quickly turned into an embarrassed one. “I’m Hongbin by the way.”Nodding lightly, Hakyeon wasn’t sure if he was supposed to stand up to shake the vampire’s hand or if he should just remain seated. Thankfully Hongbin saved him by giving Hakyeon a small wave before sitting down, getting comfortable next to Wonshik.An awkward silence suddenly settled down at the dining table, neither one of them making a move or saying anything. It was then that Hakyeon’s stomach decided to protest and growl in the eerily silent room.Hakyeon wanted to die.From the corner of his eye he could see Hyuk’s shoulders starting to shake, with Jaehwan in from of him, Hakyeon could tell that the vampire was trying his very best to keep his expression as neutral as possible. But he was failing miserably at with how the corner of his lips twitched uncontrollably with suppressed laughter.With a long suffering sigh, as if something like this occurs every day, Taekwoon picks up his chopsticks and picks up some food and places it on Hakyeon’s plate.“You’re going to have an aneurysm, if you keep that up Jaehwan.” Hakyeon couldn’t help but let a soft giggle escape his lips at Taekwoon’s scolding, picking up his own pair of chopsticks and thanked Hyuk for the meal before he got started. Taking the first bite he noticed that the vampires simply sat in their seats, engaging in small talk between the three of them with voices so low that Hakyeon could barely hear them. Glancing over at Hyuk and Wonshik, he sees that the other two were enjoying their meals, not once bothering about their partners.Taking a cue from their actions he too started eating with gusto, having not eaten much in the day. Despite it being food delivery, it still tasted great to him. It could be the hunger talking, but now that the silence between them were more comfortable, Hakyeon decided not to question it.“Slow down.” Hakyeon recognised the voice as Hongbin’s, glancing over at what could be the issue and all he saw was Wonshik with his cheeks stuffed full with food. “You’re going to cough up a furball at this rate.”Hakyeon bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling. But neither Jaehwan nor Hyuk shared the same reservations and burst out laughing. Hakyeon could have sworn he saw food flying out of Hyuk’s mouth.“I’m a wolf, not a house cat.” Wonshik grumbled under his breath after he had managed to swallow some of his food.Smiling into his food, Hakyeon figured that he could get used to this, especially with Taekwoon’s hand resting on his thigh.Yeah, he could get used to this. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Dinner ended almost as soon as it had started, with both Hyuk and Wonshik eating like they have been starved for days made Hakyeon hurry with his own food. Not really bother to taste the food since they had admitted that it was delivery in the first place, he didn’t want to seem like he was holding them back from whatever plans that they might have after the meal.“You can slow down.” Taekwoon’s voice made Hakyeon pause with a spoon midway to his mouth, turning a little to look at the vampire in question. “Those two eat like this because one is an animal and the other has been experiencing puberty for the past few centuries.”If Hakyeon had any food in his mouth he would have choked. His eyes were wide as he stared at the vampire in disbelief.Did Taekwoon just crack a joke?Apparently it seemed to be normal with the way Jaehwan was snickering under his breath, trying to ignore the death glares from his lover. At least Wonshik had the decency to look a little bit embarrassed at the way he seemed so ill mannered in front of their guest. Hakyeon couldn’t help but to give the shapeshifter a reassuring smile, as if to tell him that he was alright with the amount of food that the wolf seemed to have downed in such a short period of time, pushing another plate closer to the purpled haired wolf who took it gratefully.Dinner went on without much of a hitch. If normal was Jaehwan and Hyuk and making weird jokes in between bites, causing the younger to laugh and choke on his food on a regular basis.Hakyeon could feel the food coma slowly creeping up on him as soon as he ate the last spoon of his dessert, relaxing into his chair. Hakyeon offered to help clean up the dining table but he was stopped by Hongbin, who simply told him that he was a guest and there was no way he would allow a guest to lift a finger.So Hakyeon stayed back at the dining table, his hand reaching down to take Taekwoon’s hand in his own, his thumb gently caressing the back of the vampire’s hand.“I was wondering.” Taekwoon muttered, but his words rang loud and clear in Hakyeon’s ear. “If you would like to stay the night.”Oh.Hakyeon could feel his face heating up and he was sure that the vampire next to him could heart the sudden increase in his heartbeat as well. “I uh… I didn’t bring any clothes to sleep in.”“I have them.” Taekwoon’s voice was always so calm and soothing, even when Hakyeon was about to combust on the inside. “Even the weird silk pyjamas that you seem to like so much.”“You had me at silk pyjamas.” Hakyeon mumbled shyly under his breath. And for the second time for the night he wanted to crawl under the table and hide there for the rest of his short life.Hakyeon and Taekwoon got up from their seats and bid the rest a good evening as they made their way out of the dining room, with Hakyeon keeping his gaze on anything that wasn’t the occupants of the room who sent the witch knowing looks. It was not as if anything was set in stone, but the way Jaehwan was wriggling his eyebrows at his friend, Hakyeon couldn’t help but feel his ears burn from the embarrassment.“Are you going to give him a tour of the house?” Hakyeon recognized the voice as Hyuk’s, which seemed to be lit in amusement and the witch made a mental note to put some laxatives in his food the next time. Hyuk and Jaehwan together is a dangerous combination. A lesser person would have died from the humiliation at this point.“No, Hakyeon has to head to the shop tomorrow. I have no intention in keeping him up.” Hakyeon’s head snapped up to look at Taekwoon for a second before he forced himself to look away again when he heard a snigger in the background. He was a hair’s breadth to setting the dining room and its occupants on fire if he didn’t like them as much as he did.“I… Uh… Yeah, I have a few orders to rush out to some of my clients tomorrow.” Hakyeon added lamely. It was not as if anyone would have believed that excuse. But these were nocturnal beings and Hakyeon held onto a tiny silver of hope that they would accept his excuse of needing sleep at normal human times instead of staying up doing whatever their imagination had concocted in their convoluted minds.“Sure.” Hongbin seemed to be the only sane one amongst all of them, agreeing easily to what Hakyeon had said. “But just in case, I’m sure you know what wards to use to silence the room.”Alright, maybe Hakyeon was wrong about him. Hakyeon heard the door click close behind him in the darkness, using the opportunity to ward the room like Hongbin suggested. As much as Taekwoon said that he had no intention, Hakyeon couldn’t help but to hope for something more to happen between the both of them.The light was turned on suddenly and the witch was suddenly blinded by the brightness, eyes squinting into small slits to let as little light in as possible until he slowly got used to it.Once his eyes were more comfortable, Hakyeon took his time to take in his surroundings that was Taekwoon’s room. It was everything that Hakyeon expected it to be. Simple and clean cut, like the owner of the room. With a bed in the middle of the room and a simple nightstand by the side, void of anything on the surface and a closet at the corner of the room, nothing seemed out of the ordinary except the plush couch that was facing the bed, back against the wall. Why was there a need for a couch when there was no television or any other forms of entertainment for the vampire to enjoy?As if he was able to read the human’s mind, Taekwoon spoke out. “Sometimes I prefer to read on the couch instead of the bed.”Hakyeon could only nod at that reasoning, turning his head to look at the vampire, head tilted lightly to the side. “You mentioned something about pyjamas?”Taekwoon’s eyes seemed to light up in understanding and he nodded in response, heading over to his modest closet he opened it to take out a set of neatly folded pyjamas and handed it over to Hakyeon.“The bathroom is right over there.” Gesturing to the door at the side of the room, Hakyeon took the outfit and headed over in that direction. One had to be clean to begin the art of seduction after all.No intention of keeping him up? Not if his firm, delectable ass had a say in this.-There was something wrong with the outfit. Something very wrong with the way his pyjama bottoms ended mid-thigh. Apparently this isn’t the full length pants that he was used to. Stepping back a little to take a look at himself, Hakyeon wasn’t sure if he even looked decent enough to step out of the bathroom. Did Taekwoon even know that this was what he had given to his lover? Was this what he meant by no intention of keeping Hakyeon up?A soft knock on the door broke Hakyeon’s train of thought, making him turn his head to the piece of wood separating him and the vampire who could probably hear his thoughts all the way from the bedroom.“Hakyeon? Is everything alright? Your heartbeat sounds a little erratic.” Taekwoon’s soft voice made Hakyeon shiver a little, and the silk was not helping one bit.“Uh… yeah. I’ll be out soon” Hakyeon’s voice sounded unsure, even to himself. Giving himself one last glance in the mirror he heads out to meet his lover.Hearing the door open, Taekwoon lifts his head up to offer the witch a reassuring smile since it was the first time the other had stayed over and he was sure that Hakyeon was bound to feel uncomfortable in this unknown space. But the smile died on his face when his gaze raked down Hakyeon’s outfit.Hyuk was going to get it tomorrow.Under Taekwoon’s gaze Hakyeon couldn’t help but fidget. He couldn’t decide if Taekwoon’s dark look was making him uncomfortable or making his cheeks heat up with something else. “Do you not like it?”Hakyeon waited for Taekwoon to come up with a response, the struggle was evident on the vampire’s face. And that brought a smile to Hakyeon’s face, making him want to do a little jig of victory. All the times that Taekwoon had stayed over in his modest apartment, the vampire always looked so composed and collected, wrapping his arms around Hakyeon every time he slipped into bed. And now his lover was losing some of his calm, making Hakyeon write a mental note to thank whoever got this from him because from the look on Taekwoon’s face, he had no idea about this either.“Do you not like it?” Hakyeon muttered softly, getting a little unsure now that Taekwoon’s gaze had yet to move an inch. “I can go change if you like?”Taking a step to head back to the bathroom, Hakyeon was stopped by the cold touch on his wrist, pulling him closer to the vampire. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t meant to make you uncomfortable.”Giving Taekwoon a small nod, Hakyeon allowed himself to be led to the bed. The vampire letting go of Hakyeon to climb into bed while he joins the witch, wrapping his harms around the warm body and embracing Hakyeon tightly in his arms, relishing in the soft breaths that the human took trying to ease the pounding of his heart.“You do know that I don’t really have to work tomorrow until late, don’t you?” Hakyeon turned a little in Taekwoon’s arms to face the vampire, a playful smile on his lips. “Was this an excuse to get me all alone and have me in this pair of skimpy shorts?”“Hyuk got you these when I asked him to shop for your impending visit.” Taekwoon’s voice was steady and it made Hakyeon frown a little. Was this not enough to make Taekwoon lose control?Tilting his head a little Hakyeon wriggled a little closer to the cold body, pressing his own body flush against the vampire’s, trying to get some sort of a reaction out of Taekwoon. “Don’t you like it though? It feels nicer than most of the ones I have, and the cut is… interesting to say the least.”“Are you trying to seduce me, Hakyeon?” Taekwoon mumbled softly under his breath, his gaze growing darker by the second.“Maybe? Is it working though? You haven’t kissed me since I got here.” Hakyeon’s smile only grew a little wider when the vampire looked away bashfully, moving only to bury his face in the curve of Hakyeon’s neck.“Don’t tease me.”“Who, me? I’m doing no such thing.” Hakyeon’s smile turned into a full grin as he presses his lips softly against Taekwoon’s in a small kiss. “I had no idea you were so shy with all the moves you made on me the past few months.”Hakyeon was about to move and tease his lover a little more when he suddenly found himself on his back, his breath knocked out of his lungs as he looked up at Taekwoon who was pinning his arms down, the vampire’s already dark pupils blown wide with lust. “Would you rather I be forward instead?”“Yes, definitely a yes.” Hakyeon barely breathes out, feeling the weight of Taekwoon pressing down on him in the most delicious way possible.Taekwoon’s stoic face broke into a smile, his big hands resting on the sides of Hakyeon’s bare thighs, slowly sliding up the smooth tanned skin. “You’re so beautiful.”From the way his breath hitched from the praise, Hakyeon was sure he was going to die soon from the lack of breathing. It was as if all his nerve endings were on fire, blazing a trail on his skin where Taekwoon’s touch lingered and Hakyeon couldn’t help himself as he wrapped his legs around the vampire’s waist, pulling him closer so that their bodies were pressed flush against each other. With a small tilt of his head, Hakyeon slots his lips against Taekwoon’s in a soft and loving kiss.A shiver runs up Hakyeon’s spine when he felt Taekwoon’s cold touch running up his sides, under his shirt and slowly pushing the cool and smooth material up his heated skin, leaving a trail of gooseflesh on his tanned skin. Once Taekwoon managed to push the silken top over Hakyeon’s head, he tossed the offending article of clothing to some random corner of the room. Instead of moving in to Kiss Hakyeon, to which the human had whined in protest, Taekwoon latched his lips against the edge of Hakyeon’s jaw, kissing a path down to his neck, slowly kissing down to the bumping pulse. Sucking on that particular spot draws a soft moan from Hakyeon, who tilted his head to give the vampire better access who scrapped his blunt teeth against the damp skin, leaving a faint red mark in its wake before he continued his way down the wide expanse of Hakyeon’s bare body.Hakyeon tried, he really tried to be patient with Taekwoon. He understood what the vampire was trying to do, taking his time to get to know Hakyeon’s body. But the thing is, Hakyeon doesn’t have the practiced patience that Taekwoon had honed for years. He wanted Taekwoon and he wanted him yesterday.“Taekwoon…” Hakyeon’s voice was a hushed whisper, laced with a slight tinge of urgency. He didn’t want Taekwoon to think that he was a spoiled brat in bed after all. “Maybe you could hurry up a little?”Taekwoon only hums in reply, nosing at the waistband of Hakyeon’s silk boxers before he tugs them down, inch by inch. Making Hakyeon suck in a sharp breath when the cool air hit his bare skin.“You’re wearing nothing under this.” If Hakyeon was paying attention he could hear how Taekwoon’s voice dropped an octave lower, a rare show of the vampire losing his usual control. “You minx.”Taking matters into his own hands, Hakyeon moves to kick the shorts off, giggling softly when it lands a fair distance away from the bed and he reaches down to tug at Taekwoon’s shirt, using his sheer determination to pull it over the vampire’s head.“You should be wearing nothing at all at this point!” Hakyeon complained childishly, feeling a rush of victory when he manages to wrestle the shirt away from the vampire.Taekwoon pulls away from his lover, trying to ignore the pout that were on the kiss swollen lips to work on his pants, slipping them past his hips and letting them fall to fall as he stepped out of them and he climbs back into bed, resting some of his weight on Hakyeon. Pressing himself flush against the warm skin, Taekwoon’s eyes flutter close at the feel of the heated blood rushing under Hakyeon’s skin as he took his lover’s lips for a heated kiss, groaning softly as he wrapped the tanned legs around his waist once more, grinding his hardening length up against where Hakyeon wanted him the most.Moaning shamelessly, Hakyeon arched his back to press himself up even more against Taekwoon, silently begging for more. Hoping that the vampire got the note that he needed more. Hakyeon bit hard on his lower lip when Taekwoon pull back from the kiss, giving the vampire a questioning look as his chest heaves trying to catch his breath. His eyes followed Taekwoon’s hand that reached out for the bedside drawer and he pulls out an emptying bottle of lube, causing Hakyeon’s eyebrows to shoot up.“Have you been busy?” Hakyeon teases his lover softly, biting his lip for different reason now, trying to keep himself from giggling now. “Or has this been there for so long that it evaporated? I think I should check if it’s expired.”A loud smack echoed into the room and Hakyeon chokes out a moan.“Who knew you had such a mouth on you.” Taekwoon’s voice broke through Hakyeon’s lust induced haze, his hand gently caressing the blooming red mark on the tanned skin that he had smacked earlier.“If you keep taking your time you’ll see what kind of mouth I have.” Hakyeon bites out without malice, leaning forward to press his lips against Taekwoon’s, wrapping his arms around the vampire to pull him closer.A soft click of the bottle being opened could be heard nearby, making Hakyeon thrum with anticipation as he brings his legs just a little higher, giving Taekwoon easier access to where he needed his lover the most.With his slick fingers, Taekwoon rubbed them together to warm it up before he circles the tight rim of muscle with his fingertips, eliciting a soft moan from Hakyeon’s lips. Licking his lips, Taekwoon slowly pushed into the tight ring of muscles slowly, giving the other some time to get used to the intrusion.Hakyeon took a couple of deep breaths, it had been a while since he had done this. Forcing himself to relax, he playfully rolled his hips against Taekwoon’s finger to tell the vampire that he was ready, allowing the digit to push further into him, intimately caressing his walls.Taekwoon took a while before he added another finger and he slowly worked Hakyeon open, pressing his lips against the soft and warm ones of the other to swallow the delicious sounds that fell from Hakyeon’s lips until the other whined patiently for more.Reluctantly, Taekwoon pulls away from Hakyeon only to coat his neglected length with even more lube, with the intention of making this as comfortable for Hakyeon as possible. The sheets could be changed in the morning, not like he would mind it when he died for the day.Positioning the slick head of his length at Hakyeon’s entrance, his gaze met his lover’s as he slowly pushed in, bit by bit only to feel Hakyeon take him in hungrily with a loud mewl.Taekwoon keeps his eyes on Hakyeon’s face, trying to take note of any discomfort from when he pushes in but all he sees is a soft smile on his lover’s lips as Hakyeon’s eyes flutter close in please, relishing in the way Taekwoon’s length slowly stretched him open.It burns, but it burns in a good way. In a way that Hakyeon dreams about when Taekwoon visits him in his slumber. But the only difference in his dream and reality is that in his dream, Taekwoon didn’t treat him like he was fragile.“Move.” He pleads softly, pulling Taekwoon closer to him so that their chests were pressed flush together and he wraps his arms around the pale column that is Taekwoon’s neck where he buries his face to inhale the scent of his boyfriend. “Please..”Taekwoon nods and rests his weight on his elbows on either side of Hakyeon’s body and he watches the way pleasure plays across Hakyeon’s flushed face as he slides into him, his length brushing against Hakyeon’s smooth walls, his lips parting as he rocked his hips back and forth to meet Taekwoon’s thrusts, quickening the pace between them until all that could be heard is Hakyeon’s harsh pants and the sounds of wet skin against skin when Taekwoon starts fucking into him with renewed fervour.With a well angled thrust of his hips, Taekwoon grunts when Hakyeon lets out a high pitched moan and the latter tightens around him.“Bite me.” If it wasn’t for his sensitive hearing, Taekwoon thought that he might be mistaken. But when he pulled his body back to get a good look at Hakyeon, he could see the big bright eyes looking back at him with a rare show of clarity despite what was going on. “You have to feed, Taekwoon. Do it now.”Glancing down to Hakyeon’s slim neck, his gaze flickered up to his lover’s face to make sure that it was alright. Giving Taekwoon a reassuring nod he curls his fingers around the back of Taekwoon’s neck and pulls him down, a shiver running down his spine when he feels Taekwoon’s nose brushing up against his sensitive skin. Inhaling sharply, Taekwoon breathed in the scent that was distinctly Hakyeon before he parts his lips, allowing his fangs to drop down and scrapped the sharp points against the smooth skin, causing Hakyeon’s breath to hitch a little. Snapping his hips forward he thrusts hard into his lover, using the moment of distraction to pierce Hakyeon’s skin with his fangs, allowing the warm blood to fill his mouth while his hips picked up its speed to set a hard and fast pace.“There! Taekwoon, please. More. I need more.” Hakyeon was babbling at this point. With each movement of Taekwoon’s hips he could feel the tip of his lover’s length brush against his sweet spot over and over again. Hakyeon’s thighs are trembling around Taekwoon and he knows that his lover is close, so close. Taekwoon reaches down to wrap his long fingers around Hakyeon’s leaking length and he strokes it in time with his well-aimed thrusts.Without warning, Hakyeon releases with a soft cry, muffled with the way he bit hard on his lower lip, his walls tightening around Taekwoon’s sensitive length that pushes him over the edge after a few more thrusts, emptying his load with a soft groan inside his lover, rolling his hips a few more times just to ride out his orgasm while his hands continued with lazy strokes to milk Hakyeon of every last drop until the latter whined from oversensitivity.His legs fell to the bed the moment Hakyeon unravelled them from Taekwoon’s waist and he gives the vampire a dopey smile, who returned it with a small, bloody one of his own despite him trying to wipe off as much as he could before he leans into give Hakyeon a soft kiss who accepted it without complaint.“Maybe I should thank Hyuk for those pyjamas.” He mumbles softly against Hakyeon’s lips, who replied with a soft giggle.“Shouldn’t you thank me for wearing nothing under?”-When Hakyeon wakes up to what he assumes is the next day, he was pleasantly surprised to find himself relatively clean despite what happened the night before. The thought of which brought a blush to his cheeks and he turns around to see Taekwoon dead to the world with a contented look on his pale face.Gingerly, he starts moving about in bed, testing his body to see if he was overly sore if anywhere had hurt. And he was once again pleasantly surprised when he discovered that he only had a slight ache between his legs as he sat up and there seemed to be a kink in his neck from where Taekwoon bit him the night before. Nothing a simple homemade salve couldn’t fix.Deciding that he should probably head back home and get started on preparing for the week ahead, Hakyeon kicked off the covers and padded over to the bathroom for a quick shower before he headed out to the dining room in the clothes he had on the night before to see if there was anything to eat, or if anyone was awake in the house.A tall figure hunched over the kitchen counter who Hakyeon assumes to be Hyuk whom he called out for and it turns out that he was right. Giving Hakyeon a blinding smile he pulls out a chair for Hakyeon to sit on.“We only have cereal since Wonshik sleeps like a vampire with the exception of snoring and I’m the only one who eats breakfast.” Holding up a half empty box he offered it to Hakyeon who took it with a small smile while Hyuk went over to grab a bowl and some milk for his guest.“I assumed you slept well. Jaehwan said that he couldn’t hear a thing last night.” He said, a small flush appearing on his cheeks when he had realized what he has said. “Not that any one of us was eavesdropping anyway!”A soft laugh escaped Hakyeon as he waved the other off, grabbing the box and pouring himself some food. “I took Hongbin's advice and warded the room.”“Oh?” Hyuk’s eyes widened in interest. “So something did happen last night?”It was Hakyeon’s turn to blush, especially with the way Hyuk’s eyes was roaming about, looking for any evidence that might support his case.“I’m just going to finish my breakfast and head back to the shop if you want to join me. I have a lot to do for the next week.” Hakyeon tried to change to subject, which seemed to work with the way Hyuk’s light up with the thought of helping Hakyeon out.“Yeah sure! Not like I have anything to do anyway.”With a few more mouthfuls of cereal, Hakyeon quickly finished his meal and he washed his dishes despite Hyuk’s protest and they both headed out the door, bumping into each other’s shoulders in a cheerful banter that they had gotten accustomed to the past couple of weeks.It wasn’t until they were close to Hakyeon’s home and shop that the witch had realized that something was not right.“The wards have been disturbed.” Hakyeon mutters softly under his breath, to which Hyuk’s eyes grew wide, looking around frantically to see if the threat was still present, calming down only when Hakyeon rests his hand on his arm.“It’s okay. It’s safe in the day.” Pulling at Hyuk’s arm they slowly made their way to the door of his shop, with the barriers welcoming them like a warm embrace as he opened it to head into the safe confines of his home where the protection was the strongest for the both of them. “We’re safe now.”Turning to Hyuk with a soft reassuring smile, it died when he sees the look on the other’s face.“No we’re not.” Hyuk whispers softly, eyeing on the piece of paper that was on the floor, pristine white except with the ink on the floor that seemed almost black. “It’s blood.”Reading the words on the note, Hakyeon paled. I’ve missed you, witch. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- He didn’t feel like be belonged in his body. Not at that moment with the note in his hand. It was as if he was watching the whole scene play out through someone else’s eyes, like a view finder. It was as if his mind and his body were two separate entities that can’t seem to reconcile.Hakyeon had no idea that he stood at the front of the shop, unmoving until Sanghyuk reached out to give him a light shake, breaking him out of his self-induced trance with a small jerk.“Sorry, I must have spaced out. We should open shop soon.” Hakyeon didn’t look at the other to know that Sanghyuk was giving him concerned looks, he could feel it radiating off his friend in strong suffocating waves and he needed to get away from it. Even if it means distracting himself in the shop.There was never a doubt that Taekwoon would have already knew what had happened, with Sanghyuk by his side. And for once Hakyeon was thankful for the daylight to give him some time to think. Or to freak out silently.Putting his body on autopilot, he told Sanghyuk to help set up the shop front like he had done many times before while Hakyeon went off to the workroom in the back, trying to get all the ingredients he needed for the day with trembling hands. Trying to keep it all together. But that was proving a challenge when his mind was racing a mile a minute, thinking about who would send that note. Someone from the city? The Academy? Someone he had tried to help but failed? Someone from his past? Hakyeon tried. He tried to best he could to think of someone but everything just came out blank. The note could have been sent by anyone who he had come across and knew that he was a witch. But why? Why did this note send a chill down his spine? Like a sense of foreboding that is creeping up on him like vines on a fence?Hakyeon has no idea that he was having a panic attack until he felt warm arms embracing him and a familiar voice in his ear telling him to breathe. Hakyeon tried, he really did try. Closing his eyes to concentrate on Sanghyuk’s voice he tried to follow the instructions, breathing in and out in slow and even breaths until he could feel the fog slowly clearing from his mind.“Are you with me?” Hakyeon opened his eyes to Sanghyuk’s young face and gave him a small, tired nod.“Yeah. Thank you for that.” Rubbing Hakyeon’s arm, Sanghyuk hums softly in reply, as if to tell the witch that it was no problem.“As long as you’re alright.” Sanghyuk mumbles softly, afraid that any loud noises would send Hakyeon back into a state of anxiety. “We’ll take it slow today, alright? I’ll handle the counter and I’ll only look for you if I really don’t know where something is so that you can have some time to yourself. How does that sound?”Hakyeon lets out a sigh of relief and nods. “That sounds like heaven right now, thank you.”Leaving Hakyeon to his own devices, Sanghyuk went back out to the front to get everything ready before he flipped the sign to show that they were open for business. Setting his ingredients on the table top, Hakyeon checks to see that he had everything he needed to get started on the work he promised himself to do today before letting muscle memory take over him. Too conflicted in his mind to be present.It was not until lunch time that Sanghyuk finally came to the back to tell Hakyeon that he was going to order lunch, to which Hakyeon only nodded absentmindedly, not really caring what he would put in his body to keep it going.The day passed by in a blur and Hakyeon didn’t even realized that sunlight eventually became dimmer and dimmer until it was replaced by the lightbulb above him. Day had turned to dusk while he was still stuck in the moment of that morning. His body, his hands was washing up the cauldron despite where his mind was at. And soon he was staring at an empty countertop.“Hakyeon?” The voice sounded familiar, drawing Hakyeon away from the cesspool of thought in his head and he looks up, meeting a pair of dark concerned eyes. “Are you alright?”“I…” Hakyeon cleared his throat, a little scratchy from the lack of use. “I think so. Is it night already?”With Hakyeon’s words, Taekwoon sent Sanghyuk a look of barely concealed alarm. “Have you eaten at all today?”“Yeah. Hyuk made me eat something for lunch earlier.” Hakyeon muttered softly under his breath, looking around his shop as the fog slowly started to clear up, now that Taekwoon was here he found it slightly easier to keep himself grounded. “There was a note, Taekwoon.”The vampire reached out to take the warm but clammy hand in his, a small attempt to comfort the witch.“I know. Hongbin and Wonshik are outside now trying to figure out what is happening as we speak.” His thumb brushing back and forth across Hakyeon’s knuckles to comfort him. “Maybe you might want to pack a bag and stay over at ours? Just to be safe.”That pulled Hakyeon back into reality.“What do you mean? Like move in with you?” The witch’s eyes widened. Was he really hearing this?“It’s safer with us looking out for you. Even during the day there’s always Hyuk and Wonshik there.” Taekwoon reasoned softly, it was as if he was afraid to startle Hakyeon.“It was just a note, Taekwoon. It’s not as if someone is out trying to murder me.” Hakyeon tried to reason. Somehow he didn’t want to admit that Taekwoon was right. If he did that means he was in danger and that he needed help. And there was a small part of him that still wanted to be independent. Like he did all those years ago when he boarded the bus to the city.“You don’t know that though. What if this person is out there trying to hurt you?” Taekwoon’s voice was soft but Hakyeon could hear him as clear as day.“Then I have wards! I can protect myself! I’m not some damsel in distress that needs a tall, handsome vampire swooping in to rescue me!” Hakyeon was getting angry and he couldn’t help it, even if he had no idea why in the first place. He knew that Taekwoon was trying to look out for him. “I’m not ten anymore, Taekwoon. I’m not going to run away this time.”Taekwoon looked like a kicked puppy and Hakyeon felt bad almost immediately.Hakyeon was about to open his mouth to try to control the damage done when another voice sounded off in the room, slightly deeper this time. He had no realized that Hongbin had come into the shop. “It’s not about you being helpless and needing someone to save you, Hakyeon.” Looking away from Taekwoon he was surprised to see that Hongbin was the one speaking. “It’s about being smart and away from the place that clearly isn’t safe for you, even though it is your own home. What if this person has more power than the wards that you’ve put up and none of us are around to help you and you end up being killed? It’s not about being helpless. It’s about not being stupid.”“And Taekwoon already spends most nights with you, so I don’t really see the difference.” Sanghyuk mentioned to an already embarrassed Hakyeon.His eyes flickered to Jaehwan and the witch could see how the vampire was fighting not to burst out laughing despite the situation. There really was no winning that logic. It was simple, Hakyeon simply wanted to have some sort of control over what happens next. He might even feel better if he was the one who suggested this but the others were right. There was safety in numbers.So with a soft defeated sigh, Hakyeon turned on his heels to head up to the stairs to pack his belongings so that he could stay over for the next few nights at least. He didn’t think that he would be back here so soon. Even though the night that he has spent in Taekwoon’s room brought back a certain warmth in his body, Hakyeon thought that they would spend many more nights at his place instead.Hearing the soft click of the door behind him, Hakyeon finally allowed himself to succumb to his exhaustion and his shoulders sagged down, feeling the weight of the world on them. It was then that he felt Taekwoon’s familiar arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace. It might not have the human warmth that his parents used to give him but it was comforting in its own way, knowing that his lover was with him despite his stubbornness earlier.“I’m sorry about earlier.” Hakyeon admitted softly, knowing that Taekwoon could hear him just find. “I got scared earlier, thinking about what happened the last time and I just, I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to leave like the last time.”“You won’t. You didn’t have a choice the last time and now you do.” Taekwoon mumbles, pressing a soft kiss to the soft skin of Hakyeon’s neck. “And I won’t let you go this time either.”-The next few days went by relatively normal. With his nights spent in Taekwoon’s arms, sometimes falling asleep in the arms of his lover because he has such a long day in the shop, the other times he manages to spend a few quality hours with the vampire before sleep overtook him. And his days were spent in the shop with Sanghyuk manning the front counter because everyone seemed to love the baby faced boy who was in fact, a few centuries old. On some days, Wonshik would join them when he had nothing else to do and the shop will see a few more blushing school girls hanging outside just to catch a glimpse of the wolf in human skin.Today was no different from the other days he had since the note, and Hakyeon was feeling pretty confident that he could move back into his own apartment soon enough. It could have been just a prank after all, by people who think that the witch didn’t belong here and tried to scare him out of town. That was the theory for now anyway. There was no threat that Hongbin and Wonshik would find after investigating and everyone was hitting a dead end. Which made Hakyeon feel somewhat relieved that there was nothing out there that was after him. That he was safe in this town.It was almost the end of the week and Hakyeon was expecting a delivery of fresh produce that included herbs and some flowers to get him started on a new batch of potions, a rather large order that he has recently received and was excited to get started on.He was getting his equipment ready when he hears the familiar ping of the door sound across the shop, and with no greeting from Sanghyuk, Hakyeon assumed that it was Wonshik dropping by, probably with some food since it was nearing lunch as well. Better to start work on a full belly rather than an empty one, Hakyeon cleans his hands off on a kitchen counter and headed out to the front to greet the wolf, who grinned back at him.That was when the door opened once more and the delivery man came in, but Hakyeon didn’t miss the way Wonshik stiffened in his seat by the counter and sniffing at the air as if something was wrong. But Hakyeon brushed it off and turned to greet the man with his usual cheerful disposition while Sanghyuk paid for the items with the money from the cash drawer.Humming as he checked off the items he needed off the big box, he slowly brings the containers back to his workroom one by one so that he could sort them out properly, saying goodbye to the delivery man once the payment had been sorted. It had taken him a while but soon he was reaching the bottom of the box when he noticed the grimace on Wonshik’s face.“What’s wrong?” Hakyeon looked up at the wold with a curious expression.“Something smells bad in here. Something’s not right.”Frowning at Wonshik’s answer he checks on the items that he has already placed on his shelf to make sure nothing has gone bad. “There’s nothing spoiled here. Maybe it’s something in the box?”And before Wonshik could pinpoint where the scent was coming from, Hakyeon took the last container out of the box and there it was. Another note. Soon. As if smelling the spike of fear in the air, Wonshik bolted out of his seat to where Hakyeon stood frozen to the ground.“What is it?” Wonshik looked over the witch’s shoulder and the smell of blood hit him like train. It was the scent that he and Hongbin was chasing after a few nights ago. Looking at the note, the Were frowned and slowly pulled the note away from Hakyeon’s trembling hands and sniffed at it so that he could better identify it.Sanghyuk carefully approached the pair after flipping the sign to tell customers that they were closed for the day, pulling the human in his arms for a comforting hug. He would tell that Hakyeon was trying his best not to succumb to the panic that was hanging in the air.“I have to go back and get Hongbin.” There was a sense of urgency in Wonshik’s voice that had the other two looking up. “I’ll inform Taekwoon in the meantime and see where he would want to go from here. I would assume that he might want you to stay over at ours for a longer period now that we know that this isn’t a prank”Hakyeon could only nod in agreement, it was all he could do with his strength slowly bleeding out of him and Sanghyuk was now supporting his weight.With a reassuring hand on Hakyeon’s shoulder, which did not feel comforting in the least, Wonshik left the shop. Leaving Hakyeon with Sanghyuk who was now rubbing slow circles on his back.“Maybe we should take a seat somewhere. I’ll call for something to eat so that we do not have to leave if it that does not make you feel safe, alright?” Sanghyuk said as he slowly sat Hakyeon on one of the seats in the waiting area that was usually reserved for customers waiting for a potion waiting to be bottled up.Hakyeon sank bonelessly into the seat as he stared into space, not really hearing what the other had to say. Thoughts were going through his head a mile a minute. Everything seemed to be going fine the last few days but it seems that he was wrong. There was someone, something out there and he was not safe. None of them were if vampires were dying from what he could gathered from the hushed discussions that he had heard over at the house. They were trying to shield the poor human when the said human was the target. He had to do something about it.Hakyeon had no idea how long had passed until a hand rested on his shoulder, making him jump a little in his seat and Sanghyuk gave him an apologetic look.“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Sanghyuk gave Hakyeon a soft and reassuring smile. “But food is here and you should have something to eat.”Allowing the other to help him out of his seat and to the work room away from prying eyes, Hakyeon sat down and stared at the simple spread of food before him. As if on autopilot, he picked up his chopsticks and he mindlessly started eating, not seeing the worried looks that Sanghyuk was giving him.Before he was even done with his meal he could feel the wards around the shop tingling and he looks up only to see Taekwoon striding over to him and pulled the witch into a comforting embrace.And with that embrace he felt all the anxiety in his body leave him, sagging his full weight against the vampire who took it with no issue. Hakyeon didn’t care about what the others would think of him as he wrapped his limbs around his lover, with those strong arms holding him up.“I’ll bring him home while you guys do what you can.” Taekwoon’s voice was soft but authoritative, sending a small shiver down Hakyeon’s spine, feeling a certain heat pooling in his belly and he buries his face in the smooth curve of Taekwoon’s neck so that no one could see his embarrassment, so much for being a strong independent person who was not a damsel in distress. He was so ready to eat his words right up for dessert right now. Nothing was safer than Taekwoon’s arms right in this moment. Hakyeon didn’t care how they got back to Taekwoon’s place, nor did he care. All that mattered in that moment was that Taekwoon was not letting go of him. It was as if the vampire was shielding him from all the dangers lurking in the dark. Like the way he took Hakyeon’s hand all those years ago. If he had not fallen in love then he would have fallen now, deeper and deeper.“Hakyeon.” Taekwoon tried to pull away, drawing a soft whine out of Hakyeon. The soft chuckle from the vampire made Hakyeon tighten his arms around the other so that he could not see his flushed face.“You have to let go for me to change you and tuck you into bed.”Hakyeon shook his head against the vampire, who let out a soft resigned sigh and Hakyeon heard the soft ruffle of the sheets being moved. Moving along with Taekwoon, he found himself lying on top of his lover. “I’m scared.” Hakyeon’s voice was muffled but Taekwoon could hear him clearly, humming softly in response. “What if it’s really after me and I’m not strong enough? Not strong enough to keep you or myself safe?”“Then we’ll make you stronger.” That made Hakyeon pull back to look at Taekwoon, eyes wide with surprise.“How?” His voice a bare whisper, afraid of tipping the balance if he did something wrong to increase his power.“We do what Jaehwan does with Hyuk.” Taekwoon stated in a matter-of-fact manner. As if drinking a vampire’s blood was a normal everyday occurrence.“But what if there are consequences?” Hakyeon could feel the familiar coldness of fear creeping up his neck once more. “What if it doesn’t work for a witch like it does doe a human like Hyuk?”“We’ll deal with it when it comes. At least we would have tried. Right now, my only consequence of not trying is potentially losing you. And I don’t want to risk it right now.”With a soft shuddering breath, Hakyeon closes his eyes giving Taekwoon a soft nod. He knew that he was giving in too easily. He didn’t have the strength in him to fight it anymore. It was safer than blood magic that he was close to contemplating earlier and that would most definitely have consequences that he was sure he could not afford. Especially now that Taekwoon was offering, means that this blood was given willingly and he prayed to whatever god that presides over him that it was enough to not tip the balance, to fuck with karma.Slowly blinking his eyes open he sees Taekwoon looking up at him, searching at his face to make sure that Hakyeon was certain. Giving Taekwoon another small nod he could almost sense the relief from the vampire.His eyes were trained on the thin lips of his lover as he watches the canines slowly extend into fangs, his breath hitching in his throat and he wasn’t sure if he was scared or excited. Watching Taekwoon bring his own hand to his lips and he bites down, breaking the skin and watching the red taint his lips a delicious red and Hakyeon found himself licking his own lips, parting as he lifts his gaze to meet Taekwoon’s. Once Taekwoon was satisfied that the wound was big enough he pulled his hand back to offer his hand to Hakyeon who took it with surprisingly steady hands.With an encouraging nod from the vampire, Hakyeon slowly brings the bleeding wrist to his lips, taking a small lick to keep the blood from dripping off the pale wrist, eliciting a soft moan from Taekwoon. A soft moan that sent his own blood down between his lips and that egged him on to latch onto the wrist, sucking lightly on it and he swallowed, ignoring the taste of the blood lingering on his tongue and focusing on the way Taekwoon’s breath becomes a little more unsteady.A few more swallows before Hakyeon thinks that it is enough and he releases his hold, licking his lips clean and unknowingly smearing more blood across his face that has Taekwoon’s eyes blown wide with something darker and hotter. Offering the vampire a small smile to show that he was fine, he found Taekwoon’s lips on his with a hungry kiss. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Waking up the next day, Hakyeon was mildly surprised at the lack of aches between his leg or on any other part of his body for the matter. He could feel Taekwoon’s cold body next to him, giving him a small sense of comfort that he is safe. Even though the arm around his waist is lifeless, he knows that nothing would happen to him. Not with his friends down the hallway ready to protect him.With a soft sigh escaping his lips he slowly climbs out of the bed, tucking the covers around Taekwoon even though the vampire would not be able to tell the difference in the temperature in his current state. Once Hakyeon was satisfied at how comfortable his boyfriend looked, he padded to the bathroom to get himself ready for the day.Turning on the knob for the shower he hums softly while he waited for the heater to kick in, looking at himself in the mirror. Hakyeon thought he would look worse than he currently does, inspecting himself to look for any flaw that might make him look weak of tired. But surprisingly there were no dark eye circles or eyebags marring his looks. Once the mirror starts to fog up he steps under the hot stream of water, allowing his muscles to relax under it, hoping that his worries and troubles would melt away with the water. Sadly, by the time his shower was done and he had used up all the hot water, his troubles were still present and very real. Now with the added complication that he now had Taekwoon’s blood in his body, which might end up having a negative effect on his magic.It was something he had to see for himself once he went back to the shop. There was nothing he could do in the house when all this equipment and supplies were all back there. Stepping out of the room he sees Sanghyuk already dressed and eating breakfast, as if he knew that Hakyeon would not stand back while all this was happening.“You look better than you did yesterday.” Sanghyuk mumbled with his mouth full. “Did something happen?”“Hm?” Hakyeon’s head snapped up and he schooled his face into an imitation of innocence. “What do you mean?”“Oh my god! You did it!” Sanghyuk’s eyes grew wide and milk was flying out of his mouth. “You drank his blood! And I bet you had amazing sex after too!”Hakyeon’s face grew redder with each word that spills out of Sanghyuk’s lips, unable to find it in him to deny and of that. Instead, he turned away from his friend and quickly fixes himself a simple breakfast of some toast and quickly leaving the room, telling Sanghyuk that he would be leaving for the shop in a few minutes, causing the other to finish up his huge bowl of cereal as fast as he could before he sprinted out to the front door to meet with the witch so that they could head off to the shop together.Hakyeon was a little overwhelmed. Looking around the shop he had no idea what to get started on first. He couldn’t find it in himself to be manning the shop and so he it to Sanghyuk. And now he’s just standing in the middle of the workroom, looking at all his half-finished potions that could no longer be used. So, with another laboured sigh he rolled his sleeves up and he got to washing up his cauldrons.Once he was all done and every single one of them were dried out, Hakyeon decided that he should test his magic on something simple. Just to see if whatever happened the night before have any negative effects on his work. Grabbing the ingredients off his shelf, a healing potion is one of the easiest to make and it was also one of the products that he sold that seemed to be in great demand all the time.Humming softly to himself, Hakyeon tried his best to keep the bad thoughts of the night before to the back of his head so that he could concentrate on what was before him. After a few moments, the potion was finished and he allowed it to cool down before bottling up and labelling it, bringing the new batch over to the counter where he could display them.Looking down at the new bottles, Sanghyuk frowned a little. “Do you think it’s okay to sell this after last night?”Hakyeon bit down on his lower lip, unsure of what the outcome may be but he gave the other a small nod. “Healing potions are mostly harmless. Unless it is used for an illness. These are for minor injuries so there are the simplest and the least harmful. It’s either they work or they don’t. and if they don’t we’ll just exchange them for the salves that we have.”It was a good plan, a harmless one to see anything would go wrong.Allowing Sanghyuk to display the small vials, Hakyeon went back to his safe space and waited for their customers to flow in for the day. It was towards the end of the day when he realized the effects of the vampire blood in him. Customers that had about the healing potions have noticed that it was much more potent than before and that made Hakyeon’s heart skip a beat. Which means he could make stronger potions and give them in smaller batches. He could even try things that he never dared to try before because he was afraid that he was not powerful enough for it and maybe finally make use of the plant that Taekwoon had gifted him not long ago.With that thought in mind he tells Sanghyuk to keep a look out while he went up to collect some of his research books so that he could make full use of this newfound abilities of his.As he approaches his room door he hears Wonshik coming into the shop and looking for him, barely registering the wolf calling out for his name and the urgency it contained, he opens the door to complete darkness. Which confuses him to no end. He remembered pulling back the curtains to air out the room before he left to stay over with Taekwoon.Reaching out he flicked the light switch on, and it was only then that a scream bubble out of his lips. Hakyeon’s body was jerked away from the sight of a bloody body in the middle of bed to Wonshik’s worried face.“Hakyeon. Can you hear me?” Cupping the witch’s face Wonshik tried to get the attention back on him so that Hakyeon would not concentrate on the mangled body that was on his bed.“Th..there..” Hakyeon’s eyes was blown wide with fear. “A body..”Wonshik nodded to affirm Hakyeon’s words, trying to ease some of the witch’s fear that he could smell in waves coming off the trembling body in his arms.“You need to go down to be with Hyuk okay? The rest will come as soon as they can.” Wonshik tore his eyes away from Hakyeon and looked out at the scene before him and flinches a little.Letting go of Hakyeon, Wonshik slowly made his way over to the bed and he sniffed a little and it confirmed his suspicions. The blood that was on the note was from this vampire. And from the way this body was torn up, he knew that there is a monster out there hunting Hakyeon.Walking over to the windows where the curtains were drawn, Wonshik tugs a little at it to let some of the sunlight in, not wanting to have Taekwoon see any of this and make him more worried than he already is over Hakyeon.It was not as if he did not understand what Taekwoon was going through. To be honest, he would have done the same if this had happened to Hongbin. Taekwoon just didn’t have the luck of falling for someone who was as strong as Hongbin or as low profile as Sanghyuk.Hongbin and him had originally thought that Hakyeon was one the behind the murders, but clearly he could not be more wrong.Turning back to the bed, the body had turned into ash.Not much time had passed when the sun had finally set and he could hear the rest of them quickly approaching the apartment. Reaching out, Wonshik opened the window so that the vampires could enter the apartment.“What happened here?” Taekwoon asks as he scans the room for any foul play while Hongbin looked around for any clues that Wonshik might have missed.“Hongbin and I were investigating the note when I noticed that something was not right with the way it smelled and somehow I smelled muted scents of it up here but I could not open the door the last time because Hakyeon had warded off the apartment. He came up before I could warn him and he saw all that.” Wonshik gestured to the bed where there was still some blood smeared on the sheets.“And where is Hakyeon?” Taekwoon’s voice cuts through the silence.“I sent him downstairs to be with Hyuk.” Wonshik mumbled.“Um guys? Hakyeon isn’t downstairs with Hyukkie.” Jaehwan’s voice called out from downstairs.With his eyes wide with shock Taekwoon rushed down to the shop only to see Sanghyuk’s eyes were wide with panic with not knowing where Hakyeon had gone off to.“He must have disguised himself and ran away.” Hongbin went over to the door to inspect the wards to make sure that none of it was disturbed and that Hakyeon was not taken away against his own will. “I guess the blood you gave him made him stronger.”Taekwoon cursed under his breath and left the house to look for Hakyeon.-It had been months since he was here.And there was a small part of him that felt guilty for not visiting his parents even though they were all now in the same town, as he sat down before their tombstone he dusted them off with his fingertips.Looking at the grey stone he lets out a soft sigh he allows himself to let his guard down even though he knows that he should not and rests he head against the cold concrete.“I’m sorry I have not visited earlier. There was just a lot happening.” Hakyeon mumbled under his breath, tugging at the weeds that had started to overtake the space. “I’ve fallen in love. I don’t know if you’ve met him while I was away, but he was the one who saved me years ago, when I did something bad. And I think what’s happening now is karma coming back to pay the consequences of my actions.”Hakyeon sniffled a little. He knew that there was no running away from karma. The further you run the bigger your debt to the balance becomes and the results were never pretty. There were a million horror stories he heard from the people in the city.Tired of leaning against the hard surface he moves to lie down, snug in between the two stones that indicated that his parents were there and looked up at the night sky, looking up at the stars shining down on him. Maybe if he looked hard enough he would be able to see his parents floating in the cosmos, watching over him and keeping him safe despite everything.Hearing the rustling of some leaves, Hakyeon brushed it off to the breeze that he felt against his warm skin. It was only when he heard the rustling coming closer to him that he sits up, only to see Yongguk before him, face pale and sunken in, staggering towards the witch.Hakyeon quickly scrambles to sit up, moving back until his back hits the stones and he winces a little at the impact.“Y..yongguk…” Hakyeon was ten again, thrown back in time where fear had a firm grip on him. Even more so now that Yongguk was barely recognizable, the skin of his face practically melting off his face.“I need you to help me.” Yongguk’s voice was deeper and rougher than he remembered. “You need to help me, Hakyeon. Help me and your debt will be repaid.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “I’m not angry and I’m not here to kill you. I really need your help” Yongguk breathed out before he fell onto the ground, his own body unable to support itself. “What happened to you?” Hakyeon finally asks when he had his fear in check and the fact that Yongguk was too weak to even keep himself upright and collapsed onto the ground before him had helped a little bit.It had taken Yongguk a couple of moments to make himself comfortable on the cold hard ground before he took in a deep breath to answer.“Honestly, I didn’t remember what happened the night you almost burnt my arm off” The blunt words made Hakyeon flinch a little. “I was home and I woke up the next morning as if nothing had happened but I had this ugly scar on my arm. Everyone in town thought that I was cursed or that I did something bad, but at that time I didn’t remember any of it. People started staying away from me since then, all the friends that I had before were all gone, acting like I didn’t exist. And maybe that was my payment for being mean to you, I see it now.”“I studied and I left the town to work where no one knew me and that’s where I met her, Jieun” Yongguk took in a deep breath, and it seemed to Hakyeon that it was taking him all his being to even muster up the strength. “I was doing odd jobs here and there since I was not that good with my head in the books, you’d know that.Hakyeon let out a sheepish laugh at that, remembering the days when Yongguk had small outbursts in class for not understanding what was going on in class.“But Jieun was nice and kind. She never looked down on me for my stupidity or my scars. I was never someone she was disgusted with. And she gave me more jobs at her place, paid me well and fed me even better. It never occurred to me as to why I could only come over to her house to do work only when the sun came down until I found the blood bags.”“None of this makes sense though. I’ve never had any encounters with the supernatural you know? We were just told to be home at a certain time and when you’re young you don’t think that much. And the fact that I don’t remember you burning me, much less you as a person, I just didn’t think people who drink blood in the dead of the night exists. But there she was, standing at the kitchen with a look of horror on her face when she had seen that I’ve found her stash.”Seeing the way that Yongguk was struggling a littke, Hakyeon could not help but to take pity on him, shrugging off his jacket to bear the chill of the night and rests it over Yongguk’s shaking form.A soft word of thanks escapes Yongguk’s lips as he took a moment for himself.“It took a while, but I slowly began to understand what she was and who she was despite all that. And it was so easy to fall in love with her. So, it was only natural that the next step was that she gave me her blood, according to her. That we shared this bond together. Who knew that it would make me normal again? The scars were gone, and I felt stronger than ever. And of course, all the memories that you erased came crashing back.”Hakyeon whimpers softly. “It wasn’t on purpose. I was so scared that night and it just happened. I really didn’t mean for it to happen”“I realized that after being angry for a while. Jieun helped me understand that. I wasn’t the best person to you when we were young.”“What happened then? You seemed to have everything on track with her.” With a leap of faith Hakyeon reached out to brush the hair out of Yongguk’s eyes, but it all fell off to the ground in clumps, making the witch’s eyes widen in disbelief. “Yongguk..”“She died. Caught in a trap set out by people who were hunting for vampires’ blood. She was just unlucky and she was gone. You’d think that being a vampire you would be harder to kill but she was always so delicate, made me feel like I could protect her. Until I couldn’t.”“Why did you kill those vampires then?” Hakyeon tilted his head down at the other, trying to understand what was happening.“I was angry. And also, there were withdrawal symptoms. So I needed more blood while I looked for you to help me.” Yongguk bursts out in a fit of coughs, his frail body curling into himself trying to reduce the impact from all the jerking.“I can’t bring her back to life, nor can I make you the way you were before. It’s just way out of league.” Hakyeon mumbles softly, weighing the possibilities of it.“I’m not asking you of that. I just want to join her.” Yongguk allows his eyes to close, taking a short reprieve from the conversation.“I can’t kill you either, Yongguk. Karma won’t let me.”The human’s eyes snap open, desperation bright in his eyes. “You can’t say no, Hakyeon! You owe me this much!”“You’re in pain, aren’t you?” The words finally come out of his mouth. Being the healer that he is Hakyeon hated for anyone to be suffering. Watching Yongguk quietly he reaches out to try to comfort his old classmate when he feels a sudden gust of wind and he is wrenched away from the ground where he was sitting with the other.“He’s not safe, Hakyeon” The witch looks up at the familiar voice and he sighs softly. Of course, it would not take Taekwoon long to find him. But when he finally looked away from Taekwoon’s firm chest, he saw Hongbin baring his teeth down at Yongguk who looked up at the vampire with resignation in his eyes and the rest of the gang surrounding the poor human.“He’s harmless now. Look at him, Taekwoon. He doesn’t even have the will to live anymore.” Being in Taekwoon’s arms gave the witch a sense of comfort but seeing his old classmate on the floor did not sit well with the witch and he turns to Sanghyuk, who seemed to be the most benign one present. “Hyuk, could you help to carry him back to my place? I promise I’ll explain everything when we’re home.”With a small nod the baby-faced man carefully picked up Yongguk from the floor, who groaned softly in pain while being jostled.“I assumed you drove here or else this would be very painful and awkward for all of us.” Pulling away from his lover, Hakyeon looked around the cemetery to look for a car when he realized that what he said was a reality. “You guys seriously couldn’t drive like normal people?”-In the end, Hongbin was the one who brought Yongguk back to Hakyeon’s apartment, even though he was ready to tear the human apart just moments ago. But under Hakyeon’s pleading and the lack of a vehicle in their midst, and Jaehwan refusing to let anyone else but him carry Hyuk safely back to the house, Hongbin didn’t have a choice.Once Yongguk was tucked safely into Hakyeon’s now clean bed, devoid of all bloody sheets and pieces of dead vampire, Hakyeon brought them all down to the shop and relegated the whole conversation to them.Once Hakyeon was finally all done there was silence all around.“What are you going to do then?” Sanghyuk spoke up after a few moments of quietness. “Since you said you’re not going to kill him.”“Despite him killing vampires from the city and leaving a trail of ash all the way here.” Muttered Hongbin angrily under his breath, but it did not go unheard.“I can’t kill him. I can’t have that on my conscience nor on my report card if I die and my deeds are tabulated against me.” A soft sigh escapes Hakyeon as he looks down at his hands, unable to stand the gazes on him. He felt a little suffocated when everyone looked to him. “It might take time, but I have to find a way.”“He seems to be in a lot of pain.” Hakyeon looked up at Jaehwan’s voice, surprised at the sadness behind it. As if this reminded him of something that happened long ago. Even when Sanghyuk took his, it did not seem to make the vampire feel better.“Maybe we can take away his pain? He’s suffering before he took the blood without consent.” Hyuk’s hand tightened around his lover’s. “It’s why he’s in pain and his body is literally falling apart. And Hakyeon seems to feel sorry for him for some reason. Maybe we can make the journey as painless as possible?”Hakyeon hums softly in thought, trying to think through his collection of potions to see if there was anything that could help the dying man in his bed, making a mental note to pour through his books when he had some sleep in him on which potion could help Yongguk when his gaze landed on the moonflowers by the window, soaking in the cool light of the moon.“I guess we have to start working on it.” Hakyeon exhaled a deep sigh before he turned to his guests. “The sun is going to rise soon. You should all head home.”“You’re going home with us.” It sounded like an order when it came from Taekwoon.“No. You’re going home and I’m staying here.” Hakyeon retorted with a firm shake of his head, getting off his seat to tug his lover to the front door. “Or else I will take back my invitation to all of you and ward this place to the high heavens.”“But it’s not safe here.” Despite how strong Hakyeon had become after the witch had his blood, he was still no match for Taekwoon who stayed rooted to the ground.“Have you seen Yongguk? He does not even have the strength to breathe. How is he going to hurt me now?”It was with utmost reluctance and Hakyeon agreeing to let either Sanghyuk or Wonshik accompany during the day for the rest of them to finally leave. Leaving the werewolf behind to guard the place. With Wonshik taking the floor in a threadbare sleeping back and Hakyeon taking the couch that still smelled of Taekwoon from when the vampire had stayed over, the witch finally succumbed to slumber.-The sun was high in the sky when Sanghyuk came into the shop to take over guarding duties from Wonshik, who looked like he was dead on his feet despite Hakyeon feeding him to the best of his abilities.“Don’t mind Wonshik, he needs more meat and sleep in his diet. He’s been running on fumes these past few days.” Hyuk said as he closed the door behind him after letting the Were out.Hakyeon only hummed in reply, his head in one of the many books open before him, the vase of moonflowers within reach.“You’re thinking of using the flowers?” Hyuk joined the witch in the work room, his gaze scanning though the texts to see if there was anything he could pick up that could help Hakyeon.“I am, but I need your help bottling up the rest of the potions and keep the shop open. I don’t want any of our efforts to go to waste while I struggle here.” Closing one of the heave tomes he opened another one that seemed almost identical. “We’ll close once we have nothing left to sell and see how it goes.”Hyuk knew he was being dismissed. As much as he wanted to help the witch, he also knew that there was nothing much he could do. He was not well versed in whatever the witch specialized in. So with a small nod he leaves the work room quietly and helped to open the shop and soon people started coming in after hearing how good Hakyeon’s potions were.It was well into the evening when Taekwoon walked in and the moment the vampire stepped into the door, Hakyeon yelled out. Whether it was in frustration of triumph, Sanghyuk couldn’t tell. But it made him rush to the back to see what was going on, only for him to see the witch wiping his eyes and telling Taekwoon to stay the hell away from the back.Most of the times it was a fascination watching Hakyeon work, and today was one of those times. Even though the witch’s hair was a mess and his eyes looked tired, there was an air of accomplishment around him as he bottled up the clear liquid in a glass bottle.“I need Taekwoon away from this in case the magic interacts and messes this up.” Hakyeon says to no one in particular but Sanghyuk knew what he meant and he heads back out to the front to keep the vampire entertained.With a deep breath to steady himself, Hakyeon closed the bottle and headed up to his apartment knowing that Sanghyuk will keep Taekwoon busy while he administered the potion to Yongguk.Opening the door to the room, he was careful not to wake the other up. But it seems that Yongguk was already away with the soft, painful groans that filled the air. With every step towards the bed, Hakyeon could feel his heart aching just a little. Is this a glimpse of himself if Taekwoon ever left him? Or Sanghyuk if anything happened to Jaehwan? Is this the result of an unnatural bond between ha human and a vampire or was this simply the consequence of Yongguk’s actions?With another sigh he sat on the edge of the bed, the movement bringing the attention of Yongguk.“Are you here to kill me?” His voice raspy and weak, pulling at Hakyeon’s heartstrings. “It hurts, Hakyeon. Make it stop, please.”“I can’t kill you, you know that. It goes against everything I am as a healer.” Grabbing a pillow, he helps Yongguk to sit up just enough for him to ingest some of the potion. “But I can make it hurt less, and let you sleep until it is time for you to meet Jieun again.”Bringing the bottle to the chapped lips he tilts it just a little so that the clear liquid flows down Yongguk’s throat, pulling away once the bottle was empty.Waiting for the potion to take effect he tried his best to make the other as comfortable as possible until Yongguk slowly fell asleep. But not before a small word of thanks that slips past the lips that were about to crack.It was when Yongguk fell asleep when Hakyeon allowed his emotions to take over him and cry. Cry for a life gone too soon and for a love that should have lasted forever. Cry for that second chances that were ripped away from someone so young.With Taekwoon’s arms around him he cried for his friend. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- It was hard and it was easy at the same time.The way Hakyeon concentrated on his craft and poured his efforts into his potions day and night was easy to him. It was what he knew, what he was trained to do. It was easy the way his magic flowed through his veins each time he stirred the potion he made for Yongguk. Easy in the way his dying friend now parted his lips each time Hakyeon fed him a spoonful of medicine to help ease the pain.But it was hard for Hakyeon.Watching the way Yongguk wasted away on his bed, his skin getting duller and more pallid as the days go by. The only comfort that Hakyeon had was that he was not in any pain. Even though there were times when he left Yongguk to rest after feeding, crying into Taekwoon’s arms. The vampire staying still while the witch cried at the injustice of it all. Yongguk had loved and he had lost, and now it was all coming to an end way too soon.There were days when Hakyeon laid awake while Taekwoon was dead to the world, wondering if this would be his outcome as well. Or will he grow old one day and his lover would have to be the one to mourn him and waste away.There were days where he thought about Sanghyuk and Jaehwan. And how they still loved each other even after centuries had passed and he wondered if he could be so lucky to be with Taekwoon like this. That maybe Yongguk was just unfortunate and fate just decided to be cruel.-Yongguk passed away in his sleep just a few days later.Hakyeon found out when he went up to where Yongguk was sleeping to give him his daily dose of medicine when the witch felt that something wasn’t right. That the air in the room was too still. Hakyeon set the bowl by the bedside table before he headed over to the window to open it up just a little to let the cool night air in, his hands trembling just a little.The night air was cold and frigid, and it gave Hakyeon just that little bit of courage he needed to sit by the bed and taking Yongguk’s limp and in his, trying to look for a pulse.“Hakyeon…?” The witch heard his lover by the door, probably as still as Yongguk. Which was ironic, one was dead and standing by the door and the other was never going to come back, probably having crossed over to the other side hours ago.“He’s gone for real, isn’t he?” Hakyeon mutters under his breath, moving so that he could arrange Yongguk’s arm to make it seem like he was just resting for the night. “I guess I have to get the funeral arrangements done now.”A hand rested on Hakyeon’s shoulder and the witched jumped a little, too into his own head that he didn’t realize that Taekwoon had moved.“Sanghyuk and Jaehwan had it all arranged. They got him a suit and a casket.” Taekwoon explained softly to Hakyeon who simply nodded in response.“Are you alright?” Taekwoon got down on his knees next to Hakyeon who was still silent, reaching out to cup the witch’s face in his hand, only to see pain behind his eyes, wet with unshed tears.“I never meant to cause him pain. All those years ago. It must have hurt for him to be burnt like that and to live his life with those scars. And all I did was run away to the city and made a life for myself.” Hakyeon’s voice shook a little from all the raw emotion that was threatening to bubble out of him. “he had a chance to be happy but that was also ripped away from him. He didn’t deserve to live such a life!”Taekwoon pulled Hakyeon into his arms.Within moments, sobs echoed in the quiet room.-The funeral was a quiet affair, happening in the dead of the night.Hakyeon was once again in the cemetery after just a few short months of returning to his hometown, with his parent’s tombstone staring back at him. Except this time, there was a fresh unmarked grave next to it.The empty spot next to his parents was not occupied by Yongguk. Hakyeon had hoped that he would not be too lonely in the afterlife. And there was a silly part of him that thought that his parents will take care of him until Yongguk reunites with his own parents in the future.“He’s finally at peace and at least he’s with Jieun now.” Taekwoon mutters softly, an arm around Hakyeon’s shoulder to give him some solace. “That was all he wanted in the end and you made it as painless for him as possible. And that was what mattered in the end.”Hakyeon nodded, wrapping his arms around the vampire, appreciating the way his lover was trying to make him feel better.“How do we go on from this?” Hakyeon’s voice was soft and subdued.“A day at a time, love.” Taekwoon presses a kiss to the top of Hakyeon’s head. “We go on a day at a time and eventually it will hurt less and love more.”“And I’ll love you more tomorrow than I did today.”And somehow Hakyeon believed him.
11091315	Lou Cheng Ge Chai Li Wu	{ "Archive Warning": "Underage Sex", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "明楼, 明诚", "Fandom": "伪装者 \| The Disguiser (TV)", "Language": "中文-普通话國語", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by cookiessweet", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-04T00:00:00", "words": "2,274", "Additional Tags": "PWP", "Relationship": "明楼&明诚", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	——————————明楼从浴室里出来回到卧室时，明诚已经把所有的灯关了，只剩下蜡烛们昏暗的光，那双小鹿眸子在昏暗的房间里好像两颗璀璨的星。明楼倒也不在意明诚送什么圣诞礼物，看到明诚把灯关了，整个人都窝在被窝里，一副要睡觉的模样，却不把蜡烛给熄了很是不解，于是走到桌子旁，要吹灭蜡烛：“睡觉关灯怎么不把蜡烛也灭了？”“哥，你的圣诞礼物都还没拆呢，睡什么啊？”明诚轻笑。“哦？阿诚要送我什么圣诞礼物？”明楼顺着明诚的话问道，没吹灭蜡烛，只转身走去窗边打开了一点间隙通风，“点这么多蜡烛还不开一点窗通风。”虽是责备的话语，却是满满的宠溺意味。明楼转身要回到床上睡觉，原本已经躺在床上的那人不知道什么时候已经站在他身后，身上什么都没穿，颈上系了一个粉色的领结。“哥，圣诞快乐。”明诚张开双手，“你的——圣诞礼物，喜欢么？”明楼没有用语言回答，而是用行动来回答明诚——明楼一边吻上明诚的唇，一边把明诚抱到抱到桌上。明诚眼角的余光扫到了桌上摇曳的烛光，声音抖了：“哥，不要玩滴蜡……”明楼挑眉，“哦？我家的小阿诚，想玩滴蜡？”明楼在情事上虽待他温柔不会伤他，但不代表明楼不会玩些乱七八糟的情趣，每次都要把他欺负得彻底才肯放过他。明诚把头摇得跟拨浪鼓似的，“不要，”又凑到明楼耳边吻了吻，他知道明楼的耳根最敏感了，故意把气息喷在明楼的耳根上：“哥，我们回床上好不好？”明楼知道怀里的人是被自己欺负怕了，他总是不自觉地想要欺负欺负怀里的人。明诚在外面精明得很，就是一只看似温顺的狮子，不知道什么时候会拍别人一爪或是咬他人一口，唯有回了家，关上房门，明诚才露出依赖自己的大猫模样，但把人欺负过了，就不好了。明楼柔声哄道，“是哥不好，我们回床上。”回到床上的明诚掌握了主动权。明诚的唇舌极具侵略性地撬开明楼的齿关，手扒开明楼的睡袍，在明楼身上四处点火。明楼由着明诚柔软灵活的舌入侵自己的口腔，明诚的舌舔过明楼的齿，过了好一会儿，明诚感觉到明楼揽着自己的手随着自己的脊骨一节一节地抚上来，直至按住了自己的后颈。明诚知道明楼要开始反击，更是抓紧时间入侵明楼的口腔，舌头甚至要深入到明楼的喉口。明诚只觉得后颈一紧，明楼把彼此的距离拉开了一点随即狠狠反击，又快又狠地掠夺自己口腔的阵地。明诚不甘示弱地用自己的舌头去与明楼的纠缠，明诚似乎听到了明楼从胸膛里发出的一声低笑，接着自己的下身就被明楼握住。明楼微凉的手指触上明诚的器官，极有技巧地抚弄明诚的器官，在明诚口中纠缠的舌推开，沿着明诚的下巴，一点一点地舔吻，在明诚的喉结上轻轻咬了一口，明诚昂过头，发出一声喘息。明诚的手覆上明楼的肩，让自己更贴近明楼。明楼一手抚弄着明诚逐渐抬头的器官，之前按着明诚后颈的手，绕到明诚胸前，解开粉领结，唇也随之向下游移，在明诚的锁骨上噬咬，留下一个个红色的印记。明楼重重地揉捏明诚的器官，明诚皱起眉头，“疼！”明楼低笑了声，把手上的粉领结系在明诚精神的器官上，用力地缠紧。明诚倒吸了一口凉气，原本精神的器官也萎靡下去，半硬不硬的样子。明楼安抚地吻了一下明诚的唇，“这样的圣诞礼物，我会更喜欢。”明诚低低地喘息，想要伸手去把领结扯掉，却被明楼按住了手，“不要怕，嗯？”明诚还想说点什么，明楼把两指探入明诚的嘴，拨弄明诚的舌，明诚知道明楼不会伤害到自己，顶多到时候受不住了向明楼撒个娇就是了。于是乖乖地舔弄明楼的指。明楼半跪在明诚身侧，用膝盖把明诚的腿架高，明诚会意，自觉地去用两手掰开自己的双腿，压在自己的肩上。明楼暗暗感叹明诚的柔韧度好得不可思议，年轻就是好，一手在明诚的嘴里逗弄，一手逗弄明诚半硬不硬的器官。舔弄了好一会儿，明诚嘴角也流出一些口水时，明楼把自己的手指从明诚的嘴里抽出来，插入到明诚的后穴。明诚的后穴虽然紧致，但是很湿润，显然是之前有做过润滑，明楼容易就把手指探入到明诚身体的深处，明诚忍不住低哼了一声。明楼吻了吻明诚的嘴角。明诚睁开水润的眼，“要做就快点！……唔……啊……”明楼毫不客气地加多了一指进入明诚的后穴。尽管有做过事前的润滑，但明楼毫无预警地插入的第三只手指，让明诚的肠道产生了微微的痉挛，明诚低头看了一眼——自己艳红的后穴含着明楼的三指在抽搐着，粉色的领结绑在自己的器官上，明楼握住自己已经涨成紫红色的器官快速地套弄，自己的器官顶上吐露的黏液打湿了自己腿间的毛发和领结。明诚发出了轻声的呜咽，“哥……不要了……啊……”明诚说话的间隙，明楼抽出自己的三指，再将自己的器官撑开明诚还没完全放松的后穴，深深地撞入明诚的体内。明诚整个人都镶在明楼怀中，承受着明楼深深浅浅地抽插。渐渐地，明诚的手渐渐脱力，双腿不断地抖动，直至无力地缠在明楼腰间。明诚的器官濒临在高潮的边缘，却被领结束缚着，进退维谷。“哥，放……开……”明楼侧过头去吻了吻明诚，“放开什么？”“领结……啊……”明楼刚伸手把领结摘下来，明诚就射了一大堆体液在明楼的手上，两个人的身上。明诚发泄的同时，肠道不断地蠕动、收紧、痉挛，逼得明楼不得不暂时停下抽插才能守住自己的精关。明诚昂着头，眼睛闭着，眼角流出生理性泪水。明楼吻过明诚的泪水流过的痕迹，沾满明诚体液的手摸过明诚的脸，探入明诚无意识张开的嘴，翻弄明诚的舌。明诚下意识地含着明楼的指吮吸，明楼按着明诚吮吸的节奏，下身一点一点地抽插明诚的肠道，撞到明诚的身体深处的敏感点上。嘴上吮吸发出的水声和下身摩擦拍打出来淫靡的水声交织成一段暧昧的乐章。高潮过后，明楼并没退出明诚的身体。明诚的后穴一张一合地含着明楼半硬的器官，明楼揽过明诚的腰，靠坐到床头。明诚靠着明楼的右肩，明楼从床头柜上取过烟和打火机，点燃一支烟，自己吸了一口后，递给明诚。明诚刚承受完一场激烈的情事，手还是抖的，一不小心，烟头就掉在了明楼的左肩上，烫出一个小小的圆形伤疤。明楼抽了一口凉气，明诚赶紧熄了烟，“没事吧？”明楼低头看了一眼，“没事”，说完，摸上明诚光滑圆润的左肩，“以后在这里也给你弄个伤。”明诚笑笑，“你舍不得。”这小子就是吃准了自己舍不得吧？明楼狠狠地捏弄了一下明诚胸前的红点。明诚抬头吻过明楼的嘴角问道：“还来么？”“自己动。” 一夜浮浮沉沉，明诚最后连动都不愿动，明楼要抱他去浴室清洁也不愿，明楼只好用彼此的睡袍草草地给明诚擦过下身。明诚睡前看了一眼桌上的蜡烛，蜡烛早已熄灭，却有点点银光在蜡堆中闪烁。【End.】
11040627	Queens of England	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": null, "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by plumandfinch", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-30T00:00:00", "words": "448", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": "Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Why They Fought the War", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	There is no discussion allowed until Peggy can’t see her own feet any more. Only then would she begrudgingly entertain ideas. “Anne? Charlotte?” She looks up at him over her paperwork. “Are you naming queens of England?” “Ah!” he slaps the back of the chair he is leaning on, “Elizabeth! Mary? Mmm, not sure about Mary.” Peggy shakes her head, returning to her paperwork but he will not be dissuaded. “Edward? Richard? Henry?” “Now we’ve moved on to kings, I see.” “George? John?” There is a pause, “Wait, are those really all the kings you’ve had?” “Steven! I have got to finish this paperwork.” He tuts and putters back into the kitchen where he is ostensibly preparing dinner. After looking back down at her report for a moment, she leans back in her chair and fires off, “James, Charles, technically Phillip, during the reign of Mary the first, Edmund, Harold, Edgar, Canute, of course, and you forgot Victoria.” He pops his head back out of the kitchen, “Harold?” “Harold.” she says firmly. “Well, that’s no kind of name for a kid.” He disappears again and the sounds of his at times over enthusiastic meal preparation resume. It’s stew night, his specialty, and he’s just given it the final stir when he turns to find Peggy leaning her hip against the sink with her arms crossed, not meeting his eyes. “Honey, I’m not saying we have to name the kid now, but it seems like a good idea to at least have a list.” “But what if -” he waits and it is so quiet he can hear the soft tick of the clock in the living room, “I had a list last time.” He moves over and they stand at the sink for a long time wrapped around each other. -- He’s already in bed when she turns off the last light and sits down on her side. He’s reading so she snakes her arm through his and drops her head onto his shoulder. “There was, of all things, a Girl Guide. When we were in Poland, in ‘44 just before the Uprising. I was so impressed with her. She was so gutsy and totally in command of the volunteers she was assigned. She was really something.” “Sounds like someone I know.” Peggy curls in closer to him. “I’m just telling you because I thought then that if we ever, I mean we weren’t even a “we” in ‘44...” “Peg, we were a “we” from the moment I laid eyes on you at Camp Lehigh.” “Well, I’m just saying that if a list exists, I’d like Ilsa to be on it.” “Ilsa, I like that. Much better than Harold.” “Quite.”
11041941	there is no law that the	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Bellamy Blake, Clarke Griffin", "Fandom": "The 100 (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by twilightstargazer", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-30T00:00:00", "words": "1,375", "Additional Tags": "canonverse, Missing Scene", "Relationship": "Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Maybe some tiny, morbid part of her always knew it would end like this. Not like this exactly; out in the snow all by herself, the words ‘manual operation’ somehow making no sense and yet sitting heavy on her chest at the same time while her timer continues to blink, unawares that it’s no longer tracking the time until she leaves for survival, but the time left until her death. Clarke figures that a small part of her always knew since Abby’s vision that she wasn’t going to make it to space, but she’d be damned if she didn’t see to it that her friends got there. That doesn’t mean she’s okay though. The radio is clutched tight in her hand, trembling slightly and she decides to try one last time. “Raven?” she asks into the nothingness, voice small. There’s no reply. Licking her lips, she brings the radio closer to her helmet until it’s almost touching the glass, hand wrapped in an almost vice like grip around it. “... Bellamy?” she tries once more, hoping in vain that he can somehow hear her. Silence again, but just when she’s about to shove it back into the bag, there’s a burst of static followed by a crackle and then- “Clarke?” His voice is tinny, almost too weak to be heard over the interference, but she manages. Her eyes squeeze shut wanting to commit to memory the way his voice sounds like gravel, the way his tongue curls so gently over the consonants of her name as it’s the last time she’ll ever hear him say it. “Bellamy I-,” she pauses to swallow heavily. “I’m not going to make it back in time,” she tells him in one breath, biting the bullet. A beat. And then, “What the hell does that mean?” he growls Her eyes are stinging with the pressure of unshed tears and her helmet is getting foggy thanks to her rapid breathing. Still, she soldiers on, ripping the wires from the port and shoving them in her bag before she starts to climb. “It means,” she pants, pulling herself up rung by rung, “That the sat tower can only be operated manually. It means that I have to climb to the top and plug this in so it can transmit to the ring.” She pauses as the first tear drips down her cheek and takes a shuddering breath. “It means that my time is up. My fight is over.” “ No ,” he says, fiercely. “No you can still- you’re gonna make it back. You’re going to be fine. You’re fight is not over.” She laughs, watery and low, and hears Bellamy sniff as though he’s trying to keep from crying too. “Raven said I need at least ten minutes to get back to the lab. I have seven left and I’m not even finished. I’m not even halfway up the tower.” “I’m coming to get you,” he says, sounding so sure in his convictions that Clarke slips of a bar, swearing as she flails about for one heart stopping moment before she rights herself. On the walkie she can hear him asking if she’s alright, and she grips the bar tighter before bringing it up to her face. “Don’t you fucking dare , Bellamy Blake,” she tells him, her voice leaving no room for argument even as tears continue to slip down her face. “You are not leaving that lab for some stupid suicide mission. You are not dying today.” “Oh, but it’s fine if you do?” he snaps. “Nothing is fine!” she bursts, hanging more than fifty feet off the ground, a radio with its signal getting weaker by the second clutched in hand. “Do you think I want this? To leave you? The others? It’s the only choice. The only way for you all to survive.” She huffs out a weak laugh as the image her words conjure, merely an hour ago when they were cracking lame jokes and he stroked her face so tenderly. The thought of it makes her heart squeeze almost painfully in her chest, causing her to gasp out another sob. She thinks that the signal has dropped completely when he doesn’t reply immediately, and tries to ignore the dull ache clawing at her insides as she continues to climb, hefting herself up onto the platform at last. It’s only when her hands- half numb- are fumbling to open the bag does his response come through, a mere whisper through the radio. “Clarke,” he says, and her heart flips again. The connection is going bad fast and she can barely him say, “There has to be another way. I can’t just- I can’t lose you.” The tears show no signs of stopping, and she can’t stop the whimper that bubbles out of her throat at his words. “You have to. You have to let me go.” “Clarke, I-” “Take care of them for me,” she whispers. “Make sure Raven takes a break once in a while, and Monty is okay, and fucking Echo doesn’t kill everyone while you’re all sleeping.” His laugh is hitched on a sob and it just makes her cry harder, the words blurring as she tries to connect to the port. “And take care of yourself too.” She can see the death wave slinking over the horizon, fiery orange that promises to clear everything in its path. “ Promise me .” “I- I promise,” he says, and there’s no doubt in her mind that he’s crying too, clinging to the radio like a lifeline. There’s still so much she wants to tell him, so much she wants to thank him for and to talk about but at this point she running on borrowed time. “Bellamy I-” If she had more time, she would have written him an entire essay, a speech, a fucking sonnet if she had to. He deserves that much. Fuck, he deserves so much more than that, but all she can give are those three little words that are stuck in her throat, making it hard for her to breathe. Still, Clarke tries again, taking a shuddering breath and screwing her eyes shut in an attempt to force them out. “I love you.” This isn’t how she wanted to tell him. Not when she’s a few minutes away from her death, not when she knows she’s never going to seeing him again. Not when she hasn’t had the chance to explore that love, when she hasn’t been able to kiss him, or hold him, or touch him. Not when the concept of loving him like that was still new to her. All she wants is to be able to feel his arms around her more time, leaching of his warmth as she could pretend, just for a second, that everything was fine. But they don’t have that, and the true tragedy here is that their story was over before it ever really began. “I love you,” she says again, taking care to taste the words on her tongue. “I love you so much and I- I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I’m sorry we never had a chance together. I’m sorry- I’m sorry I’m leaving you like this.” She rests the radio on the ledge and finishes up connecting everything just like Raven told her. By the time she’s finished, she becomes acutely aware that the radio hasn’t made a single sound since she heard his last words. No beeps, no static, no crackles. Nothing. She grapples with it still, a sharp shock of pain flashing up her legs as she falls to her knees, trying to get back up and running once more, but no matter how many buttons she presses or how much she bangs it, the radio remains obstinately silent, and Clarke stays there, wet, heaving cries sounding from her body as she tries to come to terms with it. It’s only when the low grumble of a rocket blasting off cuts through the air does she lift her head, eyes red and puffy, and face tear soaked as she watches them leave, saving themselves. Eyes on the rocket, she brings the now useless radio up to her helmet and says, “I’m sorry you never knew how much I loved you.”
11047659	Sign Language	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Benton Fraser, Ray Vecchio, Bob Fraser (due South), Diefenbaker", "Fandom": "due South", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by sdwolfpup", "chapters": "2/2", "completed": "", "published": "2006-10-30T00:00:00", "words": "12,773", "Additional Tags": "Case Fic, woke up naked, First Time", "Relationship": "Fraser/Vecchio", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Fraser woke first. He kept still for a moment and took stock of the situation. He was on a cool cement floor, lying on his right side, with his right arm pinned beneath him and his left arm thrown loosely over his head. There was the gentle hum of air ventilation from somewhere above, and in his line of sight was a blank, gray wall. He was soaking wet, and water dripped from his hair down his neck, making him itch. His body ached all over, the gentle throb of fresh bruising. He was hungry. And - ah yes - he was naked.The circulating air rose goosebumps over his entire body as it passed over him, but he was otherwise still warm, which meant the room was being heated. Fraser rolled himself gently onto his back, right onto someone's foot. It poked ferociously into his kidney."Ow," Fraser allowed himself, twisting his arm under him to pull the foot out of the way."Unnnh." Fraser tilted his head up to see that Ray was waking up, too. Fraser’s eyes flicked over his partner to assess damage. Ray was also wet, also goosepimpled, and also naked.Oh dear. ******** Several Hours Earlier It was quiet in the Riviera, dark and still outside, when Fraser felt his eyelids drooping and his body releasing into relaxation. They’d been watching this same warehouse every night for a week, sitting for hours in the gloom and hoping for proof of the criminal deeds Fraser was certain were occurring inside. But with his job at the consulate during the day, even he was having trouble staying awake this evening. Slowly, his limbs went loose and heavy, sliding a bit from the rigid position he was trying to maintain. His left knee bumped gently to a stop against Ray’s.“Fraser?” Ray’s voice floated out of the darkness of near-sleep.Fraser roused himself and lifted his head, blinking hard. “Yes, Ray, I’m awake.”“Yeah, you are now.”“Sorry. It’s been a particularly busy week at the consulate. With the Japanese dignitary visiting-““And the Dragon Lady making you play party coordinator again, you’re swamped. I know.” Ray rubbed his hands over his face, his watch band glinting dimly in the low light from the streetlamp a distance away. He looked at his watch and sighed. “It’s two in the morning, Benny. I don’t think Girl Scouts stay awake this late.”“They’re not Girl Scouts, Ray, they’re using the Girl Scouts as a front.”Ray just nodded in response, so they fell into silent surveillance once again. Fraser’s knee was warm where it pressed up against Ray’s. In the backseat, Diefenbaker was snoring, interspersed with soft woofs.“You think wolves dream?”“I would imagine so. Diefenbaker is very far from the wilderness, I’m sure he misses it.”“I wonder if he dreams of girl wolves.”Fraser smiled in the darkness, his eyes tracing a too familiar route over the outside of the warehouse: start at the top left, track across the roof, down the right wall, and then back to the bottom left. No sign in any of the windows, no lights, no movement around the edges; there was nothing at all. But this had to be the spot. All of the tracking and interviews they’d done last week had led them here. Surely both he and Ray couldn’t be wrong. Relaxing again, Fraser let his leg settle a little more against Ray’s.“I bet he dreams about donuts.”“Knowing Diefenbaker, that is entirely possible. I’m sure pizza also figures heavily in his favorite dreams.”Ray laughed softly, and Fraser felt it vibrate through the connection of their legs. “I gotta tell you Benny, we’ve been on this stakeout too long if we’re talking about Dief’s dreams.” He shifted, and dropped his hands from the steering wheel onto his thighs. His fingers were long and pale against the dark fabric of his slacks. “It’s still better than being home tonight. Ma was supposed to have her yearly phone call with Aunt Gisella, and she always has to spend the rest of the night recovering by yelling at us like we were ten years old again.”“Has your mother considered not making the phone call?”Ray looked at him. “Are you kidding? Who else is she going to brag about the grandkids to that hasn’t already heard it a million times? It’s like fresh meat.”In the backseat, Diefenbaker woofed a little louder, and Fraser and Ray both twisted to look at him. Dief’s eyes were closed, his ears and paws twitching a little with whatever dream gripped him. Fraser considered waking him up, but he woofed once more and then stilled. They faced forward again, the rustle of their coats the only sound in the car. Fraser rested his hands on his legs, his little finger brushing Ray’s. They both stared out at the warehouse.“The problem with car stakeouts is there’s no place to play cards,” Ray opined after several more silent minutes. Fraser opened his eyes, having almost fallen asleep again. His right shoulder was slouched against the door, his left leg pressed more firmly against Ray’s.“I’m sure we could make room on the dashboard.”“Yeah, but it’s not the same.” Ray shifted, and the side of his hand pressed flush against Fraser’s. “’Course it wouldn’t be the same without Gardino, either.”Fraser nodded. “Louis was a fine addition to the group.”“And he stunk at poker.”He thought about chiding Ray for speaking unfavorably of the dead, but decided he was too warm and relaxed to get into an argument that had no purpose. He knew Ray still blamed himself for Louis’ death. Making a joke was likely a sign of healing.Fraser’s stomach rumbled low, but it was loud in the quiet of the car. Ray nodded his head towards the glove compartment, where Fraser found a chocolate bar inside. He stared at it for a second and then put it back, deciding to wait until dawn and a filling, fresh-cooked breakfast.Besides, Ray was curling his pinky finger around Fraser’s, a gentle, halting movement, as though he expected Fraser to pull away at any second. Fraser kept his hand still and stared out the windshield; in his peripheral vision, he saw Ray doing the same. It was even quieter now that Diefenbaker had stopped snoring, and Ray’s quick breathing was harsh and loud. Fraser’s eyes made the track of the warehouse in time with the touch of Ray’s fingers over his hand. Top left, gentle brush over the tops of Fraser’s fingers; across the roof towards the right, firmer now, but still soft as they caressed Fraser’s knuckles; down the right to the ground, Ray’s palm pressing against the back of Fraser’s hand; back to the left, and Ray’s hand covered Fraser’s entirely, the fingers curled around his, his palm warm and a little sweaty on Fraser’s hand.It was quiet for a long time while they sat like that, and Fraser counted Ray’s fast heartbeats through his hand. Unless those were his own, pounding strong and quick.Ray took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, his leg pressing firmly against Fraser’s. “Car stakeouts ain’t all bad though, right?” he asked, his voice going a little too high at the end.Fraser turned his head to look at Ray, but Ray kept staring with wide eyes out the windshield. There were little beads of sweat on his forehead, even though it was cold enough outside that they both were wearing coats. Fraser saw him swallow hard, his eyes dart quickly towards Fraser and then away again. Diefenbaker started snoring.Turning his hand over, Fraser gripped Ray’s fingers with his own. They were as strong and slender as he recalled. “They do seem to have their advantages.” Ray did finally turn to look at him then, while Fraser wondered what to do next. He’d made as many subtle advances as he could and then waited for Ray to move first. Fraser had been certain that his friend never would, even while Fraser wanted him to every day. Feeling Ray’s touch now, immersing himself in the possibility of it, was sharp and bracing like jumping into an iced-over stream; and he was having as much trouble catching his breath. He didn’t know what to do, or say; he could only stare at his friend and marvel.Ray swallowed again. “Is this…ok?”Fraser couldn’t help watching Ray’s mouth, the way his teeth flashed in the faint light. He couldn’t resist the instinct to lean across the brief distance between them and press his lips against Ray’s, finding them warm and soft and surprised. And he couldn’t help jerking away when a body slammed onto the hood of the Riv. ****** "Where the hell are my clothes, Fraser?" Ray was huddled in a corner with his knees drawn up to his chest, but he still managed to work the entirety of his irritation into short, sharp gestures with his hands.Fraser looked over from the vent he was examining. "I don't know, Ray. Presumably our captors took them prior to hosing us down. Our skin is much wetter than it would have been had we still been dressed. Perhaps they didn't want our clothes to be wet.""Nice of them to do that before they locked us away. But why did they do the same to Dief?" Diefenbaker whined from where he was curled up in the corner, licking himself dry. Ray ran his hand over his head and looked at it. "This is water, right?"Fraser sniffed his own hand thoughtfully, then tasted the liquid that had beaded up. "It certainly tastes like water." He took the few steps to get to Ray and grabbed his hand. Their eyes met for a moment before Ray looked away. Fraser sniffed and tasted again. A little salty, but that was likely from sweat. Cool and similar to the way his lips had tasted earlier. "Yours tastes like water as well"Ray yanked his hand away and gripped his knees again. "Great. Now you can add me to your list of Gross Things You've Licked.""On the contrary, Ray, you taste quite nice.” Fraser’s face suddenly felt hot. My God, was he blushing? He wasn’t sixteen. Fraser went to tug at his collar but remembered he had none. “Most humans have a fairly palatable natural taste.""You've done that a lot?"Fraser remembered the taste of fingers on his tongue, cold inside the heat of his mouth. "Just once." He shook his head and returned to his examination of the grate. "It's too small for us to get through.""I could have told you that." Behind him, Fraser heard Ray shift, and then sigh. "So we've got no clothes, we're soaking wet, there's no door in this tiny little room as far as we can tell, and the vent is too small for anyone except very large rats.""That would be a correct assessment of our situation, Ray.""Well thank you, Benny. I'm glad that I appropriately understand just how screwed we are." Ray shifted again. "You think they did this?"Fraser scanned the ceiling, certain that the entry must be there. He'd checked all the walls and the floor several times already, and the room was too small to have missed anything. "They must have.” He glanced at Ray, saw the first signs of that panicked energy making his limbs twitch. To distract him, Fraser said, “Let’s run through what we remember before waking up.""Ok, ok. We were in the Riv, staking out that Girl Scout warehouse because you thought it was part of some illegal fruit smuggling ring. We’d pulled up at nine and had been parked there all evening, pointlessly watching this empty building like we had all week, and then we, uh.” He stammered to a halt. And then Ray had caressed his hand and Fraser had kissed him and now they were naked together. Fraser tried to tug at his non-existent collar again while Ray fidgeted, looking like a horse about to bolt.“And someone fell on the hood of the Riviera,” Fraser finally supplied. Ray nodded, grateful, and continued from there. He was still conspicuously looking everywhere but at Fraser.“Yeah, and it better not be dented. That guy was on the hood and we got out and looked around and realized that the warehouse we wanted was actually the one we were parked right in front of across from the one we thought was it.” Fraser re-worked that sentence in his head to make sense of it and nodded. “That was when those goombahs started shooting at us from the roof, so we ran inside and they got us and threw us in a vat of nasty fruit.”“I believe it was some of the diseased fruit, actually. It’s a shame that they hosed us off, since that would have been evidence.”Ray glared at him, as though it were Fraser’s fault they were stuck here. “It still doesn't make sense why they'd throw us in here. Why fire at us and then not kill us when they had the chance?"“I should think you’d be grateful.”“Well of course I’m grateful, Fraser, but I just want to know what other horrible torture they have in store. And if there’s any way to bribe ourselves out of this mess.”“Ray, you know very well that we’ll have to arrest them.”“Arrest them? In case you haven’t noticed, we don’t have any clothes. What am I gonna do, knit handcuffs out of Dief’s fur?” Diefenbaker whined unhappily at being denuded in that way.“We’ll find a way to call for backup.”Ray grimaced. “Yeah, because what I really want is for Huey or Shanks to come down here and see me in my birthday suit. No thanks, Fraser, that’s more humiliation than I want in one night. Let’s just get out of here and then we can come back tomorrow with more cops and guns and clothing.”Fraser stared helplessly up at the ceiling. He knew the entrance was up there, probably by the light, hidden by the painful glare of the bare bulb. “They’ll have moved everything by then, Ray. They’re probably moving it now.” He looked down at his skin, mostly dry due to the ventilation. “In fact, we’re probably under the warehouse. They wouldn’t have had time to drag us out of the fruit vats, hose us off, and take us somewhere if they needed to clear out the entire building. They will assume we made a report of where we were staking out, and when we don’t report back in the morning, they know the police will come looking for us.”“Yeah but we didn’t make a report with this address, just the other one.”“Ah, but they don’t know that.”“You’re assuming they’ll leave us alive at all.”“There’s no reason to think otherwise. I believe their guns were firing rubber pellets. One hit the body on the hood and there was no blood or other sign a standard round would make.”Ray shook his head. “I swear, Fraser, the day one of your cases goes without a hitch, I’m going to buy all the lottery tickets I can and then fly to Vegas and place the winnings on a single roulette spin.”Fraser sat down in the corner opposite Ray so that between the two of them they could survey the whole room in case anything changed."Might I add that I'm proud of you for not overreacting to our confinement?" Fraser smiled across at Ray. "As evidenced by our experience in the vault, I would expect you to be up and shouting by now, but you've remained remarkably calm.""Yeah, well, I guess it's the not having any clothes on that does that to me.""Mmm, indeed. I'll have to keep that in mind." Fraser had been examining the wall again when he said that, and as the words registered, he felt his face flush with heat. "Ah, I mean," he coughed and glanced at Ray, who was grinning a little. "It's just a-a figure of speech. I-I didn't mean it like that," he finally stammered.Ray's smile drooped, but he shrugged with a careless air. "All's fair in love and war, Fraser. So," he clapped his hands sharply, startling Fraser. Diefenbaker jerked, too, woofing low. “The lumsquat farmers.”“Loquat.”“They washed us off and dropped us in a pit and are cleaning up above now. They don’t want us dead – at least not yet – or they would’ve killed us already. They also don’t want to let us go or they would have done that, too. What’s gonna happen to us?”“I’m afraid I don’t know, Ray.”“Then what are we gonna do?”Fraser looked across the gray floor at Ray, examined the long lines of his limbs as they curled around his body, was distracted by the glint of his necklace chain – the only adornment either one of them had been left with. It lay against his chest, nestled in the soft hair there. Fraser knew he was openly staring, but he didn’t want to look away. “We wait here.”They watched each other for several minutes. Fraser wanted to ask Ray about the kiss. He wanted to follow-up on it with more kissing and a closer examination of Ray’s naked body, but this was not the right time. Instead they just stared at each other and neither moved nor spoke, until Ray sighed and leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.“I hope we get out of here,” he said softly.“We will.”Diefenbaker whined and laid his head on his paws, closing his eyes, too. Fraser stared up at the ceiling until his eyes watered. ****** That Morning “You’re kidding, right?”“No, Ray. It’s just on the right here; you can let me out at the curb.”Ray smoothly pulled the Riviera to a stop in front of a tall office building with two flagpoles out in front. There was a sign over the doors, announcing the Riverside Plaza. Fraser checked the slip of paper with the address for the Girl Scout offices to confirm, and then grabbed his Stetson off the dashboard and smiled at Ray. “Thank you for the ride. Come on, Diefenbaker.” He got out and was surprised when Ray did as well. “You really don’t have to come with me, Ray. I’ll be fine.”Ray slammed the driver side door shut and hurried around the front of the Buick. “That’ll be the day.”Fraser blinked and settled his hat on his head. “What do you mean by that?”“You, alone with a group of Girl Scouts?” Ray paused and gave Fraser a once-over. Fraser straightened a little under his scrutiny. At his side, Diefenbaker was sniffing the air, surely already imagining all of the cookies he’d be given. “They’ll eat you alive,” Ray finally decided, grabbing Fraser’s arm and escorting him to the door. Overhead, the flags snapped in the brisk wind.Fraser let himself be pulled along, Ray’s grip warm and secure on his arm. Before they entered the building, he halted and pointed at Diefenbaker. “You are a wolf, a wild animal that lives on raw meat and going days without food. You are not to beg for cookies, do you understand me?” Diefenbaker woofed and tried to look innocent. Fraser “hmph”ed and followed Ray inside the building and into the elevator. They rode up to the twenty-first floor in silence.With a gentle ding, the elevator doors slid open and they stepped onto plush carpeting the color of a robin’s egg, and saw a pair of frosted glass doors. Ray pulled open one of the doors and ushered Fraser through. They were greeted by a tidy desk with an older woman behind it on the phone. Above her head on the darkly paneled wall was the Girl Scout logo in pine green. A tune he didn’t recognize played soft over the speakers, lulling him into a soporific state while they waited for the receptionist to finish her call. He needed to get this case resolved; the lack of sleep was starting to severely affect his response times.“How may I help you?” the woman asked after finally hanging up. She gave a look overflowing with disapproval to Diefenbaker.Fraser removed his Stetson. “How do you do," he searched for a nameplate and couldn't find one, "ma’am. My name is Benton Fraser, I’m with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This is Detective Raymond Vecchio.” Ray gave her a short nod. “We’re here to report a possible infraction on the Girl Scout identity.”The woman stared silently at Fraser, so he continued. “I believe I have evidence of an illegal loquat exporting ring that is using the Chicago Girl Scouts as a cover.”“What’s a loquat?”“Good question,” Ray muttered.“It’s a type of exotic fruit originally native to China and now grown in many nations of the world, including Japan, Turkey, and Brazil, as well as the state of Hawaii. They’re really quite delicious. They are similar to the apple in texture, and have a hint of –“Ray pulled out his badge and held it out in front of him. “Look lady, I’m a cop, he’s a Mountie, we’re after fruit. I know it sounds bizarre, but really, this is one of the less crazy things we’ve done in the last two years and so far our lives haven’t been put in danger doing it so I’m still in a good mood. Help me keep my good mood and just give us the list of any foreign visitors you might have had in the last two months.”The woman glared at Ray, smiled at Fraser, and got up, disappearing through a door on the back wall.Fraser looked over at his partner. “Was that really necessary?”“What? I was polite.”“You were terse.”“I was not terse. I was…succinct.”Fraser blinked. “Succinct, Ray?”“Yeah, It means, you know, getting to the point.”“I know what it means. I was surprised to hear you say it.”“I got one of those Word of the Day calendars for Christmas last year and finally opened it. I’ve made it through February so far.”“But it’s April.”Ray replaced his badge. “I’m taking my time.”A chorus of sharp, loud giggles cut through Fraser’s response, and they both turned to look at the door the receptionist had disappeared behind. Standing there were a handful of teenage girls in uniforms that were, Fraser had to admit, an unpleasant shade of green. He smiled and nodded at them, and it set off a fresh round of giggling. He could feel Ray’s amusement.“Why don’t you introduce yourself, Benny?”Fraser glanced nervously at the girls as they hovered in the doorway, hands covering their mouths, hiding the quality of their whispers if not the quantity. Even Diefenbaker hadn’t moved forward; he was pacing nervously back and forth at Fraser’s side.“Ah, really Ray, we can just wait for the receptionist to return.” Were there more of them? He couldn’t tell, but the doorway seemed darker.Ray rocked back and forth where he was standing, grinning openly now. It was infuriating and intoxicating. “I bet they’ve never seen a real live Mountie before.”“I’m sure they would be welcome to visit the Consulate should they ever have any questions.”“Ladies, please! Back to your From Stress to Success badge exercises!”The girls gave them one last giggle, a few waves, and then disappeared from view, trailing excited chattering after them. Fraser tried not to exhale too forcefully.The woman took her seat again and folded her hands on the desk. Fraser was certain that was a bad sign. “You’ll have to get a warrant before we surrender any documents.”“Come on, aren’t the Girl Scouts bound by some oath to help law enforcement?”The woman shot a withering look at Ray, who blanched a little. “We are always prepared to assist the justice system, as long as the standard rules are being followed. We do not have to willingly provide evidence that could be used to later incriminate us.”“You really think the Chicago PD is going to incriminate the Girl Scouts? Who do you think buys most of your cookies?”“Ma’am, while I’m certain that we can arrange to get a warrant and come back later, we truly only have the best intentions in our investigation.”She turned that stare on Fraser, and he had a sharp, unexpected memory of his grandmother looking much the same. He willed himself not to take a step backwards. “And why is the RCMP so interested in the Girl Scouts anyway? Don’t you have Canadian problems to deal with?”“Actually, ma’am, that’s a funny story-““No, it’s not. Come on, Fraser, let’s leave the Keebler Elves to their baking.” Ray headed for the door without waiting. Fraser replaced his Stetson and nodded at the woman.“Thank you for your time.” Outside, he found Ray holding the elevator for him. Fraser hurried to get in. “I thought we were making progress.”“That wasn’t progress, Fraser, that was stonewalling.”“They’re just Girl Scouts, Ray. I’m sure we could have convinced her to assist us.”He turned to Fraser. “I know you’re from Canada, so you don’t really get Girl Scouts, but listen to me on this one. They are not to be trusted.”“We do have Girl Scouts in Canada, Ray. They’re actually part of the Guides du Canada. We had a small troop in Inuvik. Of course the weather was limiting for which badges they could go for, but in the major cities they were just as established as your Girl Scouts.”“Fraser, I know Girl Scouts. Frannie was one for a year before she got kicked out for breaking almost every Girl Scout law. I know how they work. Once they close ranks, that green wall is unscalable. We’ll have to come back with a sledgehammer.”“A sledgehammer?”“The warrant.”“Ah.” They got into the Riviera and Ray pulled out into the street with a squeal of the tires. Fraser watched Ray barely make two yellow lights before he was compelled to ask, “Francesca was a Girl Scout?” ****** “You know, Buck Frobisher and I were stuck together in a cement room once.”Fraser opened his eyes and winced at the stiffness in his muscles. Bob Fraser was sitting in the fourth corner of the room, also naked. He was very pale, and Fraser wondered briefly if that was natural or a result of being dead. “Is that so?”“We were in there for eighteen hours before we managed to get ourselves out with a little bit of ingenuity.”He didn’t offer more, so Fraser glanced at Ray to make sure he was still asleep before asking, “What did you do?”“I stood on Buck’s shoulders to reach the ceiling and then I used my lanyard and the buckle from around my Stetson to pick the lock.”“That’s great, Dad. In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re missing a crucial portion of that ingenuity.”“A Mountie should never be without his uniform, son.”“I agree. Why don’t you get me one? Oh that’s right, you’re dead.”Bob stared dolefully at him. “Don’t take your frustration out on me, Benton.”Fraser buried his face in his hands for a moment. “I don’t have any idea of what they want, I have no plan, and I can’t protect Ray like this.”“It’s not your job to protect him. He’s an officer of the law, he can protect himself.”“I engaged his help on this case.”“You didn’t force him to come with you.”“I kissed him.”Bob blinked slowly at that. “Well.” He looked over at Ray, who was still sleeping with his head back against the wall, drooling a little. “Well.”“Well?”“Does it matter if I approve or not?”Fraser watched Ray sleep, the slow, steady up and down movement of his chest, the way his fingers twitched a little, reminding Fraser of Diefenbaker. “No, it doesn’t matter. But it would be nice.”“If it’s what you want, then I approve. But it still doesn’t help you get out of here,” he added. “A Mountie’s not the only one who wears a uniform.”“What?” Fraser looked over but Bob had disappeared. Ray snorted and choked out a cough and woke up.“Are they here? Are we dead?”“No and not as far as I’m aware. I’m sorry if I woke you.”“Nah.” Ray rubbed the back of his neck and groaned. “It’s a good thing or else my neck might have permanently stuck that way. Damn.”“I could massage your neck for you, if you’d like?”Ray stilled, his hand clenching the back of his neck. “Ah, no, that’s ok.”Fraser, disappointed, could only nod. Ray went back to the ministrations on himself while Fraser watched, noting the pull and flex of the muscles of Ray’s arm and along the long, clean line of his chest. Ray’s legs slipped a little and Fraser saw the soft, dark hair that trailed down his stomach.Fraser looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. “We should talk.” There was silence, so he glanced at Ray, who was staring at his own feet. “Ray?”His head bobbed up. “Yeah?”“Did you hear me?”“I thought you were talking to God.”Fraser chuckled. “No, Ray, I was talking to you.”“Oh. What about?”Fraser lifted his eyebrows in what he hoped was a meaningful manner. By the blush that spread down Ray’s neck, he guessed he’d succeeded.“No way, Fraser. This is not the time or the place or the clothing situation to be talking about that.”“It certainly is not the right situation, but I think the time is exactly right. Especially since we may not have time later.”“Oh my God,” Ray dropped his head onto his knees. “I don’t want a deathbed confession.”“It may not be,” Fraser supplied, trying to be helpful. For a man so open with his emotions, Ray could be such a mystery sometimes.“Fraser,” Ray rubbed a hand over the top of his head, and finally met Fraser’s gaze. “Benny.” Ray’s voice was low and warm, and it made Fraser’s stomach clench. “I liked the kiss, ok? But I don’t know what the hell to do about it.”“Do about it?”“Yeah, I just,” he gestured broadly. “Look I didn’t really plan anything beyond the hand thing.”“I see.”Ray was staring at him, now, frowning. “Don’t do that. See, this is why I did not want to discuss this here.”“It’s all right, Ray, I understand.” But Fraser had no idea what his friend was saying, what he wanted, what the caress of his hand had meant.“No, Fraser, you don’t. That’s the problem.” Ray leaned his head back again and stared at the ceiling. “God, you are so Canadian sometimes.”Fraser knew it wasn’t bad to be annoyed at the person he was attracted to, but he suspected it wasn’t healthy to be this annoyed. “I don’t think ethnic slurs are necessary, Ray.”Ray stared at him with eyes like a startled owl. “I wasn’t-“ he shook his head sharply. “Forget it. We can talk about it later.”“Fine.”“Fine.”To cover up his distress, Fraser started to whistle an old Canadian folk song. It at least gave him something to do with his lips besides kissing or arguing. He could feel Ray glaring at him, but he resolutely kept up the whistling, staring everywhere but at his partner.“Fraser.”Fraser glanced over and the whistle died on his lips. Ray looked furious, but there was something else in his eyes, which were focused intensely on Fraser’s mouth. “Yes, Ray?”“Stop. Whistling."It was silent after that. He and Ray stayed curled in their respective corners; Diefenbaker had stretched out into the middle of the room and was eying them both warily. Left with nothing to do but focus on Ray and his nakedness – and all of the inappropriate for confinement thoughts that that engendered – Fraser forced himself to replay the events since the body had landed on the car, hoping for some clue he’d missed before. In his thoughts, he and Ray had just gone into the vat of fruit when Diefenbaker leapt to his feet and barked once, breaking Fraser’s concentration. Diefenbaker lifted his nose to the ceiling, nose twitching furiously, as it always did when he’d caught the scent of some prey, whether it was rabbit or hamburger.Fraser tilted his head to see if he could hear what had alerted Diefenbaker’s nose. There was a sound that might be footsteps, although they were very faint and kept drifting in and out of his range.“What is it?” Ray asked, his voice shockingly loud.“I’m not sure,” Fraser whispered. “I think I hear footsteps.”“Really?” Ray tilted his head, too, mirroring Fraser. “I don’t hear anything.”“That’s because they’ve disappeared.” He looked at Dief, who seemed to nod his assent. “They must be doing a rotational watch of the area. They’re likely too busy packing to spare a stationary guard.”“And that’s good?”“Possibly.” Fraser stood and stared up at the ceiling again. The talk of guards reminded him of the conversation with his father. Uniforms. “I have an idea. But I’ll need your necklace.”Ray’s hand closed protectively over the cross hanging from his chain. “What are you going to do to Jesus?’“Nothing he won’t forgive us for later, I promise.”It only took a little cajoling for Ray to hand over the necklace. Once Fraser had it in hand, he examined it, and nodded to himself. The gold was a little tarnished, but the figure itself was solid. “This should do. Now I, ah, I need you to put me on your shoulders.”“What?”“It’s the only way we’ll be tall enough to reach the ceiling.”“But you’re….I mean we….” he gestured at them both, looking a little frantic. Fraser kept his features open, and as innocent as he could manage. He really did need Ray’s help on this. Even if the thought of Ray’s head being so near his groin was startlingly erotic. Fraser tried even harder to not imagine that picture, instead focusing on the cross still cupped in his hand. After a moment, Ray sighed like Fraser had asked him to give over all his worldly goods, including the Riviera, and he stood up. That was when Fraser saw what Ray had been successfully hiding.“Just don’t say anything,” Ray said, spitting the words out.“Ray, I’m not-““I don’t want to talk about it.”At least they had something to talk about. Fraser tabled it for later and nodded. “Understood.” They both awkwardly avoided looking at each other. “You should probably turn around.”“Yeah.” Ray turned and then crouched down, his back to Fraser. The light seemed to be bouncing off of the expanse of Ray’s back as Fraser stared at it, studying where it curved down into his hips and became his buttocks. “Just get on already, will you?”Fraser rubbed his forehead and willed himself to focus on the cross now clenched tightly in his fist, the edges pricking his skin. “Yes, of course. I was just,” Fraser paused. Just what? he thought. Just thinking of what it would be like to touch you, taste you? “Never mind.”The act of actually climbing onto Ray’s shoulders was awkward and Fraser was sufficiently distracted by the time Ray staggered to his feet. Fraser windmilled his arms a bit to try to give them both balance, but they still staggered around the room. Ray’s arms were like iron around Fraser’s legs; Fraser flexed his feet a little to keep the circulation going. Finally, after a few more stumbled steps and a little more windmilling, they were standing still, the light bulb just at Fraser’s eye level, nearly blinding him.Steadying himself with one arm on Ray’s head, Fraser lifted his other up to brush his fingers along the ceiling. “Shift a little to the left.” They jolted to the left and Fraser felt the ceiling change as his hand swept over the opening. “There!” Ray jerked to a stop and Fraser grabbed onto Ray’s head with both hands. Diefenbaker watched them, tongue lolling, eyes glinting with mirth. Fraser ignored him.“I found the entrance.”“Yeah I figured. Could you let go of my head?”“Sorry.” Fraser shifted his grip towards Ray’s shoulder, and found the opening again. As he’d expected, it was a wooden hatch, three feet by three feet, and the hinges suggested it opened upward. Fraser pushed on it, but it appeared to be locked. Directing Ray, they moved around until the cool kiss of metal greeted Fraser’s fingertips. The lock.“Excellent. Stop here.” Ray was panting a little, and Fraser’s thighs were sweaty against Ray’s skin. With deft movements, Fraser shifted the cross to his right hand and started to work it into the lock.“Do you even know how to pick a lock?”Fraser squinted, trying to keep out the glare of the bulb. He brought his other hand up to steady himself on the ceiling. “As a matter of fact, I read about it recently. The Chicago public library has quite an extensive collection on the subject.”“Great.”He was focused on the lock when Ray turned his head between Fraser’s thighs and rubbed his nose against Fraser’s leg. The bristles of Ray’s hair tickled the skin of his inner thigh, and Ray was blowing warm air against his other thigh. Fraser nearly dropped the cross.“Sorry,” Ray said, turning his head back quickly. “My nose itched.”Swallowing hard, Fraser focused on the cross once more. He swallowed again. “That’s quite all right.” After another half minute, the click of the lock was loud in his ears. “There.”They stood for a moment longer. “Are you going to pull yourself out or what?”“No, Ray. Diefenbaker first. We’ll let him scout the area and get our clothing and your gun back to us.”“Why don’t all three of us look for our clothes instead?”“It’s too risky. We don’t know how many people are out there, or even where we are. Now, crouch down so he can jump into my arms.”Ray groaned. “Remind me to hit the gym before our next case,” he said as he crouched down. Fraser swayed on his shoulders and waited until they both were steady before holding his arms out to Diefenbaker. “Diefenbaker, jump!”Dief stared at him.“This is no time to let your fear of heights get the best of you.”Dief whined.“Oh for heaven’s sake, I will not drop you. Now come on. Jump into my arms.”More silent refusal greeted this command. Underneath Fraser, Ray shifted his shoulders, re-settling Fraser’s body. “Come on, Dief. Benny’s heavy and I’m tired. We both know you’re going to do it, so just do it already or I’ll drop you.”With another whine, Diefenbaker sprang into Fraser’s arms and the trio tumbled to the floor in a sprawl of legs and fur. It took two more tries, Fraser explaining that he couldn’t very well climb back onto Ray with Diefenbaker already in his arms, and promises of whatever food he wanted, to get Dief to jump a third and final time. Fraser gripped the wolf tightly to his body while Ray grunted and heaved himself to his feet. “Lift with your legs, Ray,” Fraser reminded him. Ray grunted something that sounded like “shut up” and then Fraser was six feet higher.They stopped for a moment, all three breathing heavily. Whatever sexual interest Fraser had had when they started was completely wiped out by now. His arms were aching, his legs were slick with sweat, and Diefenbaker still smelled faintly of wet dog. Straining to hear over the harsh breathing, Fraser couldn’t make out any footsteps. He blew on Dief’s ear to get the wolf to turn his way.“Scout the area and report back. Three scratches on the door means that it’s safe. One means it’s not. Ready?” Dief yipped and Fraser nodded. “Go!” On the word, Fraser lifted Diefenbaker up and through the hatch with the last of his energy. He saw Diefenbaker’s back feet launch themselves off of Ray’s head just before Ray yelped and they fell to the ground. Fraser tumbled off of Ray’s shoulders and rolled into the wall.Fraser stared up at the ceiling, but Dief didn’t fall back into the room. His shoulder ached where it had slammed into the wall. “Ray, are you all right?”There was a soft groan and then an even softer, “Yeah.”Turning his head to stare across the room, he saw Ray lying on his back, also staring up at the ceiling. He had both hands pressed to his head. “Are you sure?” Fraser asked.“My head is bleeding.”“I’m sorry about that. He was panicking.”“Yeah well, at least he made it out.” Ray dropped his hands to his side and turned his head to look at Fraser. “Now what?”“We wait.”“Great,” Ray sighed. "It’s a good thing we took one for the loquat farmers.""Took one what?"Ray stared at him blandly and then said, "Never mind.”“Ray-““I don’t want to talk about it. Just let me lie here and bleed, ok?”Fraser sighed. “As you wish, Ray.” Ray looked back up at the ceiling. Fraser just kept watching him. ****** Four Days Ago Fraser stared out at the warehouse, planning the best way to watch it. A set pattern would be most efficient, that way he wouldn’t miss any shadowy areas in a haphazard search. He took a sip of the coffee Ray had brought for him and then blinked in surprise. “Is this vanilla flavored?”“Yeah, I thought you’d like it.” Ray glanced over at him through the steam rising from his open thermos. “You like it, right?”“Yes, I just wasn’t expecting it. Thank you, Ray. That was very thoughtful of you.”Ray shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “It’s nothing.” He closed the thermos and set it on the seat between them. “You know, I asked about locots or lakwats or whatever those are at the grocery store, and the fruit guy didn't know nothing about them, so I still don't understand why it matters if people have them illegally or not.""It isn't a smuggling ring; it’s an illegal exporting ring. They're sending fruit fly infested loquats to Hawaii in Girl Scout cookie boxes, which will severely damage the crop there. The loquat farmers of Hawaii will be ruined."“’Ruined’ seems kind of excessive, Fraser.”“It’s their only means of supporting themselves and their families, Ray. They bring in a considerable sum to the Hawaiian economy. Yes, even though you’ve never heard of them.”Ray shut his mouth, shrugged, and stared out the window. Fraser waited for something else, some remark about loquats and how Ray had never used them to cook a decent Italian meal, or perhaps a snide comment about the criminals using the Girl Scouts, but Ray wasn’t talking, he just looked forward and idly tapped out an uneven beat on the steering wheel. The quiet from Ray was unusual; his penchant for keeping up a stream of conversation was something of which Fraser had grown unexpectedly fond. Fraser had had a lifetime’s experience with silence. He looked forward to the timbre of Ray’s voice, the animation of his smiles.“Did you have any interesting cases today, Ray?” Fraser finally asked.“Nah, it was pretty quiet. You didn’t miss much.” He shifted in his seat and Fraser caught the faint scent of Ray’s cologne and the macaroni and cheese he must have had for dinner before picking Fraser up for the night. Fraser remembered Ray telling him that Mrs. Vecchio had recently started attending bingo games (“at the old ladies’ center” Ray had said; “senior center,” Fraser had responded; Ray had just smiled with a touch of wickedness, and Fraser had had to excuse himself before he did something inappropriate), and guessed that Francesca had cooked that evening.The warehouse remained still and dark. In the distance, Fraser heard a police siren wailing down the highway. “Inspector Thatcher had her first meeting with the Japanese Ambassador today,” he offered.Ray grinned a bit at that. “Did he make it out alive?”“Ray.” But it was a reflex; Fraser felt no real annoyance, just warm pleasure. “I wasn’t in the room, of course, and in fact only had a chance to briefly see the Ambassador myself, but the Inspector seemed satisfied with the outcome. And the Ambassador remained burn-free, from what I saw.” Ray’s bark of laughter delighted him.“What I don’t get, Benny, is how you even found out about this. Loquats and Girl Scouts? That’s weird even for you.”“You know, Ray, that’s a funny story. Some months ago, I had assisted Mrs. Devonshire, she’s the widow on the second floor, you recall? We helped her neighbor, Mr. Johnson, nearly six months ago, with finding his missing chinchilla. That was the one we found when he ate your tie.” He glanced at Ray and hurried on. “Regardless, I helped Mrs. Devonshire find her chinchilla. Did you know they have a breeding pair? It’s not really my place, but I suspect that Mrs. Devonshire and Mr. Johnson might also be dallying. I had been wondering if I shouldn’t find out for sure, which you know I would normally never do, except Mr. Johnson is very much not widowed-““Benny.”“Right. My apologies, Ray, I shouldn’t have mentioned it. Mrs. Devonshire’s granddaughter-““Is in the Girl Scouts and gave you a box that was filled with lakwats.”“Loquats. And no, Ray. Mrs. Devonshire’s granddaughter heard about how I had assisted her with the chinchilla, and she asked that I help her get a pony. Well I naturally assumed that she had had a pony previously, or else why would she ask me to get her one?”“The red suit made her think you were Santa Claus?” Ray asked, smirking.Fraser shot him an annoyed look. “Actually, yes. When I realized that the pony we were going after was not, in fact, hers, I put a stop to it, but she got very upset.”“So you bought her Girl Scout cookies and found the lumsquats in them.”“Loquats. And no, I bought her ice cream, which she dripped all over her dress. Her mother insisted that I pay for it to be dry-cleaned, which I suppose is fair, although I have reason to believe that Mrs. Devonshire’s granddaughter did it on purpose, as she had been successfully eating the ice cream up until the moment her mother came home and heard the pony story.”“Is there an end to this tale at some point? We only have six more hours out here.”“Eventually, Ray, yes. On my way to the drycleaners I ran into a purse-snatcher, well, what I thought was a purse-snatcher. I had somehow stumbled onto a movie set and apparently completely ruined the shot. I apologized, but I think I would have been fined if the director hadn’t realized I was a member of the RCMP. She has a sister, you see, who recently left Canada after time there with Habitat For Humanity.” Ray gave him a surprised look. “Canada has its own problems, Ray, including poverty and housing issues. We are just as culpable for our poor as any third world country. The United States also has Habitat for Humanity groups. They do a lot of good work.” Fraser saw Ray’s telltale signs of impatience - the squint of his eyes, the thinning of his lips - and decided to move on. “The sister had just returned to her home in Arkansas and hadn’t remembered to take any authentic Canadian mementos with her. In recompense for ruining the shot, I offered to provide her with something from the Consulate, which she could then send to her sister. And it was on my way to the Consulate to retrieve a small Canadian flag that I came across a Girl Scout arguing with a man who had just purchased a box of cookies and had instead found diseased loquats inside.”“You couldn’t have just said that? You couldn’t just say, ‘I ran into a guy who’d bought a box of diseased fruit instead of cookies’? You had to go through the entire last six months of history with your neighbors? You just keep talking and talking and being more of a Boy Scout than ever?” Ray threw his hands up in the air, hitting them on the roof of the Riviera. “I just don’t get you sometimes, Fraser.”Fraser blinked. “I was just trying to pass the time, Ray.”“Yeah, well, don’t.” He crossed his arms firmly across his chest. “And it wasn’t.”Still shocked at the vehemence of his friend’s reaction, Fraser was utterly nonplussed. “What wasn’t what?”“Funny. Your story.”“Oh.”Ray sighed heavily. “Just drink your coffee, Benny.”Fraser took another sip as directed. “It really is quite good,” he offered. Ray grunted, and they remained quiet for the rest of the night. ****** ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- "Fraser, I have to go to the bathroom.""Can't it wait, Ray? We're a bit trapped at the moment."“It’s been waiting for awhile now.”Fraser pursed his lips and tilted his head to the side, trying to decipher the faint sounds he was hearing, wondering which of them would be Diefenbaker. Had the wolf been recaptured? Was he injured? “Fraser-““Ray, please, I’m trying to listen.”“Geeze, sorry.” There was nothing beyond their own breaths rebounding around the small room, colliding with each other in the small space. Ray sighed with unnecessary weariness, and it was so loud and filled the room so full, Fraser suddenly couldn’t stand it anymore. He straightened and folded his arms over his chest. “We need to talk.”Ray looked up at him from where he was curled on the floor. With his arms around his knees and the wary look in his eye, he reminded Fraser more than ever of a cornered animal. And those are always the most dangerous, Fraser reminded himself, sitting down in front of Ray. “I thought we were gonna wait and talk about it later?”“We were. But clearly this issue is on both of our minds, and it’s interfering with my ability, at least, to come up with an escape plan.”“The kiss was that good, huh?”“Ray.” Ray had the grace to look guilty. “All right, all right. What do you want to talk about?”Where to start? Fraser came around it from the side. “I don’t believe that all you had planned was touching my hand.”“You better believe it, because it’s true.”“What if I had responded badly?”“Ok, I had a plan for that: I would have died of embarrassment.”“Then I’m sure we’re both glad it didn’t turn out that way.” Fraser smiled, and was relieved when Ray smiled back. It meant he was still with Fraser, willing to follow his lead. It was time to give him a clearer trail. “I have been wondering for a long time whether I was being too subtle with my signals. I know you’re a believer in signs, Ray.”“Yeah, well. I didn’t know if a guy’s signs would be different, you know?”“I do. If you don’t mind me asking, what was it?”The wariness was back in Ray’s gaze, accompanied by fear. Fraser wanted to reach out and touch him, give him warmth and something to believe in, but he needed Ray to find it on his own. “Do we really have to talk about this now? Those guys could be coming. And what about Dief?”“Diefenbaker knows the signal to alert us. And I’m sure we’ll hear our captors coming with plenty of time.” He kept watching Ray while Ray focused on everything but Fraser in the increasingly cramped room. It didn’t take long for him to run out of options and meet Fraser’s eyes.“This isn’t-““There is no better time, Ray,” Fraser snapped. “Just talk to me. That’s all I want.”“I don’t know how to do this, ok?”“Have you been attracted to men before?” Ray flushed. “Yeah. A few. But I never did anything with them.”“Then why now?”Somehow his skin got even darker. “Come on, Benny. Can’t we talk about something else?”“No. No matter what we do before Diefenbaker or our captors return, this will be on our minds. We appear to have nothing but time.” It was Fraser’s turn to look away. “And I just need to know.”“It was your dad.”Fraser jerked in surprise. Had his father been talking to Ray, too? “How do you mean?”“You remember last Christmas when you said your dad was in the car with us? Well I’m not saying he’s actually there or anything, but sometimes I feel like I can hear my dad talking to me, too. And I thought it was weird that you’d be the same way, you know? It was a sign. But then there was Victoria and I thought I’d read that sign pretty wrong.”“Ray, Victoria was-““I won’t talk about her now, too, Benny.” Fraser gauged the warning in his voice and nodded. That was fair. “What made you change your mind then?”“Hell, I don’t know. Irene’s death, I guess. I couldn’t stand being around you all the time anymore and not even trying. I sort of made a deal with myself that this stakeout was it. Put up or shut up, you know?”“Not entirely, no.”“Either I made my move or I dropped it entirely. You wouldn’t believe how many different ways I imagined bringing it up. The hand thing seemed the safest to come back from.” Ray rubbed his hands over his face. “So what about you? Why didn’t you do anything, if you were supposedly so interested.” There was more than curiosity in Ray’s tone, and Fraser felt unexpectedly guilty. But Ray had given him open truth, so he responded in kind.“I didn’t know how you would react. You go out on dates with women and never men, that I’ve seen. I value your friendship enough that I didn’t want to scare you away.”“So you thought I was a homophobe?”“Well I never said that, precisely.”“No, not precisely, but you were thinking it.”Fraser swallowed hard. “Ray, I think you misunderstand my point here-““You said you didn’t want to ruin our friendship by telling me you wanted me. Ergo, you thought that I would be freaked out by you wanting me. Ergo, you think I’m afraid of gay guys.” When had they diverged down this path? “Ray, that’s really not the point of the conversation.”“I think it’s a pretty fair point. That’s pretty close-minded for a Canadian.” It was then that Fraser heard more clearly the gentle teasing that he’d mistook for banked anger. “Ah. You’re joking.”“Mostly.” Ray grinned at him, and the feelings that Fraser had been so tightly controlling started slipping free. “I’m glad you initiated your move, Ray. And now I think it’s my turn.” Fraser rose up onto his knees, and the room seemed to constrict even more around them, pulling them close. He saw all of Ray’s muscles tense, like he was readying for a hit. “Don’t worry, Ray,” Fraser murmured, balancing himself against the wall with both hands while he leaned forward. “I think this will make my feelings clear.”The ceiling door opened with a startlingly loud creak, making them both jump. Fraser pushed himself off of the wall, and rolled to a different corner, away from any easy shooting access. He crouched there and listened to the angry conversation in Japanese above. And that’s when he finally remembered who the body on the car had been. “Ray!” he hissed, gesturing for Ray to join him. Before Ray could make it even that short distance, their clothes fell into the room, landing with a clink of belts and buckles. They both stared at the clothes, and Fraser felt more warmly towards his uniform than he ever had in his life. “Put on!”Fraser peered up at the ceiling, but he couldn’t make out any details. “Excuse me?”“Put clothes on! Back soon.” And the door slammed shut again. “Oh thank God,” Ray said, darting forward. He had his underwear and pants pulled on before Fraser could get the last piece of the puzzle to fall into place. “Ray. Stop. Don’t put them on.”He froze, panicked. “Are the clothes poisoned? Is there a bomb? Am I gonna die a horrible death?”Fraser was baffled by that train of thought. “No, Ray. I just want to finish thinking this through. It’s all related to the body that landed on your car. That was the Japanese ambassador.”“What?”“The ambassador who’s been visiting the Consulate. I really didn’t get a good look at him earlier, but our captors were speaking Japanese, and I got enough of a look that I can make the identification. He must have heard about what was going on, came to stop them, and was killed.”“Or maybe he was running it and they killed him to get his share of the money.”“If you want the more cynical view, yes.”“Cynical?” Ray laughed a little. “You are such a Boy Scout. But either way, why keep us here? And then why give us our clothes back?”Fraser was trying to keep ahead of Ray’s questions; trying to turn the puzzle around in his head to look at it the right direction. He focused on the Ambassador, and the realization of their plan hit him. He saw the ripples radiating out from the dead body, becoming waves that were going to drag he and Ray down. “Oh dear.”“Oh dear? What ‘oh dear’?” “I believe they intend to frame us for his death.”“That’s a stupid plan, we’ll never agree to that.”“Not unless we’re unable to defend ourselves.”“Unable to-“ Fraser saw the proverbial light go on above Ray’s head. “Oh dear.”“Now we at least know what’s going on. Remove your pants, I have a plan.”“And this plan involves us being naked still?”“No, Ray. But we’ll have to wear each other’s clothes.”Ray straightened, holding his trousers close to his chest. “This better be good. I’ve worn your uniform, it’s not that comfortable.”“They didn’t throw down your weapon, obviously,” Fraser said, while he started trying to fit into Ray’s clothes. Though they were roughly the same height, he was bulkier than Ray, and the pants were uncomfortably tight. “And we cannot be sure where Diefenbaker has gotten off to, or when he’ll return. So surprise is our only ally.” He pulled Ray’s silk shirt on and felt the seams give a little at his shoulders. The clothes smelled of cheap detergent – Fraser was certain that Ray would be angry about the mistreatment of his fine suit with sub par cleaning agents – and underneath it all, the faintest hint of Ray. Not enough, fortunately, to be distracting. Fraser shot a quick look over at Ray, but he was occupied trying to figure out Fraser’s uniform. “Here, let me help you.” Fraser started the process with sure hands, trying to ignore Ray’s warm breath on his cheek. The cold metal of the buttons chilled his fingers as he slipped them into place, one by one. Ray’s breathing hitched when the back of Fraser’s hand slid across Ray’s neck as he attached the collar. He and Ray were inches from each other. “The plan,” Fraser said, his voice low, “is to send you up first. They hopefully will not be paying much attention, and will just see the red of the uniform and the Stetson and assume that it’s me.” He slid the long, supple leather of the Sam Browne into place.“But what if they want me to come up first? I mean you. As me.” Ray asked. His voice was as low and breathy as Fraser’s own, his body radiating heat. Fraser felt his own body responding, eager. His fingers fumbled with the lanyard. “Uniforms create expectation. They will want to be sure of me first. When it’s you that they see, they’ll be startled, and you will have to make your move.” Fraser smoothed out the serge, felt Ray tense.“That’s your plan?”“For the moment, yes.”“Benny, even for you that’s a stupid plan.”“It’s also our only plan. Don’t worry, Ray, they won’t want to have to drag our bodies from here to wherever they’ve set up their crime scene, and it would be difficult to change our clothes without making it obvious it was done post-mortem, so they likely won’t kill you even if you can’t take them out.”Ray shook his head. “Great.” They didn’t move, just stared at each other, Fraser’s hands still on Ray’s shoulders. “Hey Benny?”“Yes, Ray?”“When we get out of here, it’s still your turn.”Fraser couldn’t stop his smile, even if he’d wanted to. “Understood, Ray.” They heard noise above and both tilted their heads up at the same time. “Ready?”“Ready.”The door creaked open again, and they took a simultaneous step back from each other to the darkest corners of their small room, leaving plenty of open space between them, filled with light. From above, one of their captors shouted, “Red first! Bring ladder up with you!”Fraser and Ray exchanged nods, and when the rope ladder dropped down, Ray exhaled heavily and grabbed hold. Fraser watched his partner as long as he could, until Ray disappeared into the light, dragging the rope ladder with him, out of Fraser’s reach. His chest was tight as he heard a shout, and then what was most likely furious cursing in Japanese. The loud crack of a gunshot made him jolt, and he rushed into the light, staring wildly at the ceiling. There were scuffling noises above, a shout, and then the solid thud of a body hitting the floor. He was still standing there, staring futilely up at the light when the rope ladder was tossed back down, nearly knocking him over. “Come on up, Benny, the water’s fine,” he heard Ray say though the blood rushing in his ears. The wash of relief made Fraser dizzy. He climbed quickly out of the room and was greeted by Ray’s smiling face, though his pale and sweaty skin belied his nerves. Ray was standing triumphantly over the two men sprawled on the floor. He helped pull Fraser the rest of the way up, and they stood there, holding hands, grinning at each other. “Excellent work, Ray.”“Thank you, Fraser.”“Yes, excellent work, gentlemen.” Fraser spun around to see three more men, each armed with forty-five caliber pistols and aiming them square at his and Ray’s hearts. “But not enough to make it out alive.” Fraser recognized the leader as the Japanese ambassador’s assistant. He’d been a quiet figure shadowing the ambassador, keeping meticulous notes and not making a sound. “What story will you tell about the Ambassador that would cause me and Detective Vecchio to shoot him?” Fraser asked aloud, trying to weave more time out of the man’s clear impatience. “That, Constable, is none of your business. Although since you won’t be alive to hear the story, I can understand your need to know now.”Fraser shifted so that he was standing almost entirely in front of Ray, even though he heard Ray’s annoyed grunt and the subtle shift as he tried to move to Fraser’s side. Fraser struggled not to roll his eyes at his friend’s persistence. “Then perhaps you will humor us?” he asked while trying to see into the gloom of the warehouse. There was a flash of movement, but he couldn’t tell for sure if it was Diefenbaker or not. “Not today, Constable.” He gestured with his gun. “Walk slowly towards us, we need to get you to your proper place. And you’ll have to change those clothes first, as well.” Fraser took a slow, sliding step to the side, now completely blocking Ray from the men. If that was Diefenbaker, he could get one of the men in back, which would provide enough distraction for Fraser to leap at the leader, causing his bullet to fly wide and miss. If that was Diefenbaker. Ray moved from behind Fraser, stepping up to his side, and Fraser sighed and recalculated his angle of attack. “You’re gonna have to change our clothes yourself. Why don’t you come do it now?”The leader laughed in an entirely unamused way and cocked his gun. “Why don’t you do what I tell you before I shoot your Mountie friend?” There was a quiet “oof” somewhere behind the three men, and a cookie box sailed out of the darkness and hit one of the men in the head. Fraser pushed Ray to the floor, landing hard on his friend, just as the leader’s gun went off and sent the bullet whizzing overhead. “Drop your weapons!” came a decidedly female, and extraordinarily commanding, voice. “Is that-“ Ray started, but he was interrupted by another cookie box slamming into the face of the leader, who shouted and dropped his gun. Ray and Fraser glanced at each other, and then Ray scrambled across the floor to pick up the weapon while the leader clutched both hands over his eye. “Jesus, you put my eye out!” he shouted. Fraser pushed himself to his feet just as Ray rose to his with the gun pointed at the remaining captor. “Drop your weapon!” Ray barked, sounding less commanding but more desperate than the woman. “Now!”The final man complied, and put his hands over his head. Out of the shadows, an army of older Girl Scouts materialized, led by the secretary he and Ray had talked with that morning. At quick glance there were 25 to 30 women standing there, looking steadfast and capable, holding cookie boxes in their hands, except for, Fraser saw, one in the back that appeared to have a truncheon. He wondered if truncheons were legal in Chicago, but the dark look on the face of her and her Scout sisters led him to believe now wasn’t the time to ask. Most of them wore jauntily tilted berets, but it didn’t serve to make them look any friendlier. They managed to be glaring at the now disarmed men while also giving Fraser and Ray highly skeptical looks at the same time. Fraser blinked hard, expecting them to all disappear, but they remained. “Huh,” he managed to say in greeting.The secretary, clearly the leader, sniffed in disdain. “You’re welcome.” Diefenbaker poked his head out from behind her legs and whined. ****** Later that night “I can’t believe we were rescued by the Girl Scouts. I will never live this down. And I don’t even know how I’m going to explain why we were wearing each others clothes without getting into the whole ‘naked together for hours’ part of it.” Ray pulled the Riviera to a stop in front of Fraser’s apartment; his whole body slumped with weariness and dismay. “At least our superiors are giving us tonight to rest before we have to make our reports tomorrow.” Fraser grabbed his Stetson from the dash and played idly with the brim. “Ah, would you like to come up, Ray?”Ray went still beside him, and when Fraser glanced over, he saw him staring out the window, looking much as he had earlier when he’d first touched Fraser’s hand. “Uh, sure. Yeah, that’d be good.” “Good.” They sat in that tableau for another minute before Ray shook himself and threw open the door. “Good,” Fraser repeated, following Ray’s hurried pace to his apartment. Diefenbaker followed behind, eventually heading for the fire escape, the click of his nails highlighting his departure.Fraser had had a lot of time to think since the police had arrived at the warehouse, thanks to the Girl Scouts’ call. Fraser certainly had to admire their preparedness: they hadn’t known there would be people there, but they’d brought First Aid kits anyway, and by the time the ambulance pulled up, everyone had been thoroughly examined and patched up where necessary, and Ray and Fraser had exchanged clothes once more, Ray with only a little grumbling at the tears in his shirt. Fraser knew his own uniform would need to be cleaned of the blood and dirt. Then, while Ray took his fellow officers through a brief review of the scene and helped make the arrest on the five men, and while the Girl Scouts examined and discussed how to recover their good name, Fraser thought. And he pondered. And he considered. And by the time he shut the door of his apartment and turned to Ray fidgeting nervously at the dining room table, he’d had enough of thinking. It was still his turn, Ray had said, and he would give Ray the definitive answer to the question he hadn’t voiced.Fraser whistled a little tune, and felt Ray’s gaze go straight to his lips. Fraser let them curve into a warm smile. “I apologize for not ‘making a move,’ as you say, earlier, Ray. But if I had, it would have gone much like this.” Fraser began undoing his uniform while Ray stood utterly still. “The two of us having closed another successful case, you drop me off at my apartment and I invite you up for tea or perhaps pizza, depending on the hour. You would, of course, agree.”Ray smiled a little at that. “I would?”“Of course.” Ray nodded, and the way his eyes sharpened made Fraser breathless. Fraser swallowed hard and focused past the sharp lust gathering in his body. “Then I would casually remove my serge, as we are friends and this level of undress is not unnatural. By then I would be watching you, though you wouldn’t know it. How rapid your breathing would be, how, if I looked at just the right angle in the light, I could see the pulse in your long neck.” Fraser could see those changes now, and others. The way Ray had shifted so that he was leaning towards Fraser. How his lips glistened where he’d wet them. The heat in his eyes. Fraser cast his gaze downward and saw that he was not the only one who was already hard. “And seeing these things,” he continued, setting his serge aside and moving closer to Ray, “I would decide that this would be the perfect night to let you know how I feel about you.” Ray had to lick his lips once, and then again, before he could speak. “And how is that?” he asked, his voice raw. But Fraser knew the time for words was over, and he closed the final distance between them, wrapping his hands around Ray’s arms and kissing him hard. Ray opened instantly to him, and the thrill of it sparked through Fraser’s body. It was Ray who pushed his body against Fraser’s, freeing his arms to bring his slender hands to Fraser’s face. They broke apart for a breath, and Ray whispered, “Benny,” before they were kissing again, hot mouths exploring. Ray trailed kisses across Fraser’s face, down his neck, and Fraser groaned when Ray nipped the curve of his shoulder. For all of his thinking, Fraser couldn’t have imagined how it felt to have Ray in his arms, and Ray pulled him even closer, rubbing up against Fraser with heat and strength. Ray was like a live wire, slender and sparkling and Fraser grabbed on, letting Ray stumble them over and on to the bed. He was whispering endearments, and his voice, the voice that Fraser looked forward to hearing each day, was full of yearning and tenderness and need, drugging Fraser. The world went soft as they removed each other’s clothes heedlessly, throwing them away so that hot skin met hot skin. The brush of Ray’s hair against Fraser’s chest made them both moan with gratitude. The press and slide of their bodies burned through Fraser. The world was alive with sound and heat, and as Ray’s hand came around him, Fraser cried out. There were words in his ear and sweat on his body and Ray’s hands and lips all over him. He slicked his hand on Ray’s wetness and gripped Ray, and Fraser stopped thinking entirely. He came with Ray’s name on his lips and Ray’s voice in his head, strong and sure like it always was, breaking through the years of silence. ******** Fraser woke first. His left arm was pinned beneath Ray; his right arm held the other man’s lean body to his chest. The morning light was warm on the bed, highlighting Ray’s leg as it stuck out from under the sheets. He kissed the back of Ray’s neck and gently extricated his arm. Ray stirred a little and then fell back asleep. Diefenbaker had come back in while they slept, and he lifted his head when Fraser got out of bed. Fraser whispered “good morning” in passing.When Fraser returned from the bathroom, Ray was sitting up in bed, blinking and looking uncertain. Fraser ignored the unpleasant shudder in his stomach and calmly asked “Is everything all right?” Ray clutched the sheet and dragged it up to cover his chest and then dropped it completely. “This is just…” He gestured aimlessly. “It’s gonna take getting used to. And probably a lot of lying to my mother.”Sitting down at the edge of the bed, Fraser rested one hand on Ray’s knee. The sunlight had made it warm to the touch. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, Ray. It will take time for both of us, I’m sure.” He rubbed his hand down and back up Ray’s calf and felt him shiver. The way he was arching towards Fraser instead of away from him put Fraser at ease. Ray just needed time. “But I think it’s worth it.”Ray looked shy and uneasy still, so Fraser leaned forward and kissed him again, feeling the tension melt out of him. Ray’s hand came up and cupped the back of Fraser’s head, holding him there with a firm grip. It was Fraser who had to break the kiss first, breathing hard. “Oh it’s worth it, Benny,” Ray murmured, stroking his hand down Fraser’s arm, until it came to his hand. “What’s that?”Fraser blinked lazily and looked down at their joined hands, and saw the letter he’d found taped to his door. “It appears I had a mail delivery sometime this morning. I’d forgotten when you kissed me,” he admitted to Ray’s obvious pleasure. Fraser opened and read the letter, then made a surprised sound. “I believe this is a first.”“What?”“It’s a letter from the Girl Scouts. They intend to name one of their new cookies after me.”“They’re gonna name a cookie after you? What are they going to call it, the ‘Frosting Fraser’?” “No, actually, the Maple Mountie. It’s a maple cookie with a hint of vanilla.”Ray was smiling at him, and something light and mischievous was in his eyes. “I’ll have to try some of those.”“Oh?”“To see if the Girl Scouts managed to make them taste as sweet.”“Oh.” Fraser leaned nearer to Ray, until their faces were inches apart. He was looking forward to tasting all of Ray’s flavors himself. “You’ll need to have lots of data to make a fair comparison.”Ray laughed and kissed him, tasting bright and warm. “Now that’s a challenge I can’t resist.” He lay back in the bed while Fraser got up to start the tea. “Hey Benny?”“Yes Ray?” There was no answer, so he turned to find Ray staring at him, a look of such startling happiness on his features that Fraser couldn’t breathe. Some signs were easier to read than others. “Ray-““Never mind,” Ray said, his gruff tone not hiding his joy at all. He kept talking, though, about their adventure last night, and the likely reception of their report this morning, while Fraser filled the kettle with water, slowly, so the faucet wouldn’t overwhelm his voice.
11039049	there shalt thou find	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Adolin Kholin, Kaladin (Stormlight Archive)", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by Dhillarearen", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-30T00:00:00", "words": "1,320", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": "Kaladin/Adolin Kholin", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Stormlight Archive - Brandon Sanderson, Cosmere - Brandon Sanderson", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	If by your art, my dearest father, you have Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them. The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch, But that the sea, mounting to the welkin's cheek, Dashes the fire out. O, I have suffered With those that I saw suffer: a brave vessel, Who had, no doubt, some noble creature in her, Dash'd all to pieces. O, the cry did knock Against my very heart. Poor souls, they perish'd. Had I been any god of power, I would Have sunk the sea within the earth or ere It should the good ship so have swallow'd and The fraughting souls within her. —The Tempest, Act I Scene 2 The bridgeboy was sleeping. It annoyed Adolin more than he cared to admit while under Renarin’s placid gaze: his brother had a way of asking just the right questions to make Adolin’s most jealously-held grievances seem like so much rockdust. But storms, if his father was trusting a former bridgeman with the protection of the royal family, surely he had the right to expect the man to do a little protecting instead of nodding off on the job. Don’t pout, Adolin, it ill becomes you, Navani’s voice said in his head. Adolin sighed and rubbed at a spot on his forehead. The bridgeboy had been useful in allaying Elhokar’s fears after the railing incident, and—as much as he chafed at having nursemaids— Adolin had to admit that Kaladin had done more than a decent job of corralling a mess of unruly bridgemen into line and stopping up a number of the security gaps around Elhokar, his father, and his aunt. If only the man weren’t so storming insolent! It was the storm that was making him so irritable. Being trapped inside, huddling while the elements wreaked havoc and kicked up a shrieking, Heralds-curst noise at it had always made him itch. The addition of his father’s visions had not helped, and now that he was being shepherded in with the high-strung Elhokar… Adolin leaned back against the gilded relief on the chamber wall (a scene of triumph from the histories, to match the others that lined the room, but Adolin couldn’t be bothered to remember which one) and forced himself to breathe deep. Renarin, seated at the wide table dominating the room, was nodding along politely to whatever Elhokar was saying. Not wanting to get involved in the dullness of that conversation, Adolin let his eyes stray back over to where Kaladin dozed. Even in sleep, he clutched his spear, curling around it with a single-minded intensity that reminded Adolin of mother axehounds with their young. Whatever dreams he was having weren’t restful. His face was creased in a grimace, and behind his eyelids his pupils moved, jittering under tightly drawn brows. “Serves you right for sleeping during a highstorm,” Adolin said. Kaladin didn’t respond. Against his better judgement, Adolin found himself feeling sorry for the man. He was always scowling when he was awake: if his dreams couldn’t give him a measure of comfort, what could? The cord that had been keeping Kaladin’s hair back had come loose, and despite the painful twist of his mouth, the hanging strands softened what Adolin had come to think of as an unforgiving face. Perhaps the slave brand should have ruined the effect? Adolin was a soldier, and no stranger to scarring, on himself or on others. He could see how Kaladin might even be handsome, if he ever bothered to unclench himself enough to try. Outside, the wind screamed upward to a higher pitch. Everyone inside the room flinched, except the bridgeboy, who simply nuzzled further into the wooden slats of the chair he’d appropriated. How tired was he, that he could sleep through this? Adolin thought back and realized, with a prick of guilt for his earlier disparagement, that aside from when Kaladin had been out patrolling he’d been a near-constant presence at his or his father’s backs since his instatement. Either flitting around in that silent, light-footed way of his or melting into the shadows until he saw fit to come forth with another presumptuous comment. Looking closer, Adolin could see the dark bruising under Kaladin’s eyes, the haggard sharpness to his cheeks. Much of that must have been a result of slave rations and bridge duty: the man was hardly suffering more now that he’d been made—shards!—a captain, especially since Adolin knew his father’s dedication to feeding and outfitting his soldiers. Still, now that he’d noticed it, uneasiness sat sour in Adolin’s belly and made his cheeks flush with something that felt dangerously close to shame. He’d order Kaladin to go to bed, after the storm let up. Or ask his father to, more likely: the bridgeboy had a particular resistance to Adolin’s authority. He could hardly allow the man in charge of protecting his family to get sloppy due to exhaustion. “Adolin, come settle a dispute for us,” Elhokar called, imperious as always. Fighting back a groan, Adolin pushed himself off the wall and made for the table. He allowed himself one last look back, lingering on the tense lines of Kaladin’s arms and back as he folded over himself in the narrow chair. That can’t be comfortable, Adolin thought, and then his brother drew his attention with a touch upon the arm, and Adolin was distracted by Elhokar’s spirited condemnation of whatever it was he and Renarin had been talking about. An uproar—running—the Assassin in White—was he here to kill his father or the king or them both or them all—the bridgeboy a blur with his spear, landing blows when Adolin was helpless— And then the bridgeboy returned, improbably, impossibly, looking like death itself but whole (two good arms, two, how) from a fall that should’ve killed him. Talking to his father and to Elhokar without so much as a salute or a “yes, sir.” The words to upbraid him were thick on Adolin’s tongue, but somehow they wouldn’t come. Instead he watched his father and the bridgeboy talk, a conversation wine-drenched in deeper meanings Adolin couldn’t understand. Renarin could, perhaps, but his brother was staring empty-eyed at the floor between his feet, and Adolin would bet that he hadn’t even heard Kaladin coming in. Was the bridgeboy—was Kaladin—still working after all that? Adolin could barely lift a fingertip, he was so weary, and he hadn’t been the one to tumble off a cliff. And he’d had his wounds looked at, besides. Didn’t Kaladin…wasn’t he hurt? (Hadn’t Adolin seen him hurt?) He didn’t understand this man, who he was or how he’d learned what he had or why he cared so much about some things and turned his back on others like they were refuse. He needed—storms. Adolin was going to have to keep watching him, wasn’t he. Kaladin reached for a lamp. “Hold here. I need to do something.” Arrogant storming…! (Much, much later, Adolin would think to wonder that the prospect of keeping a close eye on Kaladin hadn’t seemed enough of the chore it should have been. Instead of resentment, or even the suspicion that had come later, Adolin had felt…a stirring of his blood, a keening of his senses. Something, he would say to Kaladin, when the night hid his face and the sheets were cool around them, almost like the Thrill but not...destructive. I’m not a battle, Kaladin would say, tightening his arms around Adolin’s waist. You’ve been nothing but a battle since the day I met you, Adolin would reply, laughing, and there would be no sleep for either of them for quite some time.) Nay, good my lord, be not angry. No, I warrant you; I will not adventure my discretion so weakly. Will you laugh me asleep, for I am very heavy? —The Tempest, Act II Scene 1
11042220	Dong Jing Gou Wan Zou	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": null, "Fandom": "东京DOGS", "Language": "中文-普通话國語", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by 72yizhong", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-30T00:00:00", "words": "1,442", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": "丸奏", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Sweet Time“你这家伙，还能再不小心一点吗！？”用力甩上酒店房间的门之后，高仓奏终于忍耐不住，冲着工藤丸尾斥责起来。“哈？我又不知道那杯酒有问题！”丸尾下意识地反驳道。“那你就更应该谨慎！”奏一句话盖过了丸尾的声音。心知这次确实是自己的疏忽，丸尾只好闭上嘴不再狡辩，然而冷静下来之后，才发现事态更加尴尬——下身的反应已经到了无法忽视的地步了。奏当然也发现了丸尾的处境，他尴尬地咳嗽了一声，指着卫生间说：“快点进去解决！”丸尾闪身躲进卫生间里，立刻关上了门，随即响起了打开花洒的水声。奏也终于松了一口气，开始打电话给堀川，拜托他去公寓照顾一下由歧——看起来今天晚上是回不去了。打完电话之后，奏把脱下西装外套搭在一边，看到卫生间的灯没有打开，但是淅淅沥沥的水声还在响着，奏想起在美国时他收缴过不少违禁药物，其中有很多药不仅仅有催情作用，不由得有些担心丸尾。犹豫了片刻之后，奏敲了敲卫生间紧闭的门。“喂，你还好吧？”——没有回应。奏慌张地打开了门，视力极佳的他很快就在黑暗之中发现了丸尾的身影，那人正半蹲在花洒下，任由接连不断的水珠砸在他身上。“丸尾？你怎么样？”奏走过去拍了拍丸尾的肩膀，最先碰到的是冰冷的水温，然后是异常灼热的身体。一瞬间，奏的脑海里已经闪过了最坏的打算，他立刻起身，准备打电话给舞岛请求支援，然而刚踏出一步，就被一股极大的力道向反方向扯了过去。花洒中落下的水像是雨幕一样，顷刻间便打湿了奏身上的衣服，湿答答的寒意侵入了奏的大脑，他来不及反应，唇上就突然覆上滚烫的温度。工藤丸尾吻住了高仓奏。这并不是可以称得上情意绵长的吻，丸尾急不可耐地撬开了奏的牙关，像是在渴求着什么一样在他的唇齿之间掠夺。反应过来之后，奏也不甘示弱地开始反击，亲吻就这样变得近乎撕咬。与此同时，丸尾的手也顺着水流的方向从奏的后背一直抚摸到大腿间。隔着湿透布料的触摸本身就带着非日常的意味，奏从被捕获的唇间漏出一声低吟。丸尾在此刻放开了奏，重新获得空气的两人不约而同地喘着气，却又都被水呛到而一起咳嗽起来。也许丸尾连自己抱着的是谁都不知道了，奏心想着，觉得还是继续打电话寻求帮助，然而他才刚刚挣动了一小下，就被更加大力地圈入那人的臂弯中。“专家。”与滚烫的体温不同，丸尾的声音是办案是才会出现的冷静与认真，虽然没有直接叫名字，却让奏更加确信他叫的是自己。奏叹了口气，说道：“别在这里。”——这是他对丸尾仅有的要求。将湿透的衣物从身上脱下时就像是在剥离某种伪装与束缚。丸尾再次抱住奏时，怀里的奏不知是因为冷还是其他什么原因而微微发抖，丸尾环住他的腰身，在他的唇角与眼睑落下细细的吻。换来的是奏的一声抱怨：“多余。”如果是在平时，丸尾一定已经忍不住和奏吵起来，但多么不屑的话在此刻听起来都像是撒娇一样。承受着丸尾足够温柔的前戏，奏几乎在怀疑他是不是真的被下药了，然而稍微一动，就碰到了那人已经硬起来的器官，奏像是被烫到了一样，下意识地要躲开，却被丸尾抢先一步扣住了腿根。“我要进去了，专家。”“啰、啰嗦！”丸尾贴心的将枕头垫在奏的腰后，才将忍耐多时的欲望顶入，坚挺的分身被软肉严丝合缝地包裹住，丸尾心中被前所未有的满足所充斥，随后又被更加强烈的渴求所取代。埋入体内的灼热异物开始抽动的时候，奏下意识地合拢双腿，看起来却像不愿放开一样，丸尾伸手在他的腰上捏了一下，果不其然听到了又一声压抑的呻吟。“丸尾你——！”奏的双手扣紧了丸尾的手臂，随即在一个深顶之后变成了虚握。身体内的情欲已经被完全勾起，奏觉得丸尾八成是把药性传染到了他身上，于是故作不满地皱起眉，殊不知他蒙着些许水汽的眼睛让这一切看起来更加色情。丸尾俯下身吻住奏的眉心，贴近的身体让欲望陷得更深。奏觉得自己的理智都要被烧光了，引以为傲的警惕和谨慎在下身传来的暧昧水声之中无迹可寻，偏偏丸尾一次比一次用力，几乎要将这位来自American的刑警逼上绝路。“可恶……”然后这句带着颤音的抱怨也被丸尾堵住了。END
11024694	Holding Hands	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Sherlock Holmes, John Watson", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by Sherlockisactuallyagirlsname221", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-28T00:00:00", "words": "379", "Additional Tags": "30 Day OTP Challenge, Holding Hands, Fluff, Sherlock and John holding hands, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes & John Watson", "Series": "30 day OTP challenge", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	The brief feeling of a warm finger brushing against pale skin was all that was needed to make every thought about their latest case disappear from his mind. The people around them seemed to stop moving for a few nanoseconds as all, the dark haired detective could focus on was the hasty touch from the shorter man by his side. Before he knew it the feeling was gone and left him desperate for more. Sherlock’s eyes closed as he tried to remind himself that it only had been an accidental touch. There wasn’t anymore to it, just an accident. But there it was again, the soft touch of a sturdy finger grazing over his own. This time it wasn’t just a fleeting touch, this time it was more persistent. The time, once again, stood still for the taller man. A few moments later John had laced their fingers together, running his thumb soothingly over the back of Sherlock’s hand. Doubtful icy blue eyes met secure deep blue eyes as they looked at each other. An assuring smile was tugging at the corners of the others mouth. This wasn’t an accident then. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself and relax into the soft caress.“John?” His voice was almost nothing but a weak whisper as he bit down on the inside of his cheek. “Yes?” The answer came quickly from the blonde man. Azure eyes spotted a few, lonely grey hairs among the blond ones, before they dropped to their hands entangled in each other, desperately hoping that would be enough as a question.The response was a small ‘oh’ and then the touch came to an abrupt stop as John let go of his hand. The disappointment was clear in Sherlock’s expression. That wasn’t what was supposed to happen. Eyes searching the other’s face again as they continued walking side-by-side, silence filling the air between them.Then it was there again, the brief touch of their hands. This time it was a long and bony finger brushing against warm skin, before he intertwined their fingers once again, earning him a soft smile from the man beside him. The thumb started moving over the back of his hand again as a constant reminder of what was happening.
11057970	Yoga	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Jeremy Heere, Michael Mell, Jake Dillinger, Rich Goranski, Brooke Lohst, Chloe Valentine, Christine Canigula, Jenna Rolan", "Fandom": "Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-31T00:00:00", "words": "692", "Additional Tags": "boyf riends — Freeform, richjake, Pinkberry, not much christine or jenna in the beginning, they'll be there tho, Couples Yoga, jeremy is awkward and not flexible at all, they all suck at yoga except for chloe and brooke", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Jeremy Heere/Michael Mell, Jake Dillinger/Rich Goranski, Brooke Lohst/Chloe Valentine", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/F, M/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Jeremy had always thought that this time of his life, the beginning of his sophomore year of college, would be used productively. Studying, so that he could get good grades and move on and get a good job and live a happy life, and such. But, probably needless to say, since nothing ever worked out the way he thought it would, that wasn't exactly how things were going. Yeah. Instead of sitting in his dorm room with Michael, studying so that he wouldn't completely bomb the tests, Jeremy was sitting on a yoga mat, Michael at his side, watching the overly flexible instructors show some kind of pose in the front of the room. A pose that he already knew he couldn't do. And, judging by the look on Rich's face, who was sat beside Jake on the mat beside him, Jeremy wasn't the only not-so flexible person here. Okay, let's back up a bit. This whole "couples' yoga" thing started because Michael saw Chloe and Brooke posting pictures on social media of themselves doing just that. Graceful poses, perfect posture. Jeremy would admit, it was beautiful. But he was also quick to admit that he could never do anything like that. Those were even his exact words, to which, Rich had countered: "Pshh. I totally could." Which, brought about the following discussion:Michael, saying, "Yeah, I could, too!"Rich, agreeing, "Right? I bet Jakey and Jer could, too. If they tried hard enough.”And Jeremy had tried to point out, again, that he may be tall and lanky, but that he was the least flexible person on the planet, but Michael had jumped up from his chair with that excited look on his face that Jeremy knew he couldn't say no to. "Yeah! We should join their class!"Then Rich flew up from his seat, the same excited look on his features, and then Jake gave Jeremy this look that just said that they were in for some kind of experience. At the time, Jeremy was slightly excited yet mostly worried. It wasn't like he or Jake had any say at this point, however, because Rich and Michael already had their minds made up and were looking online to sign up for the classes. Back to where they were now. Both duos – Jeremy and Michael, Rich and Jake – were put in the same class as Chloe and Brooke. The girls didn't even seem to notice, at first, which Jeremy thanked the lord for because of how embarrassing this would turn out to be. But now, now that Michael was laughing at both how ridiculous the poses were and at how bad they were at them, they were gaining attention. “Look at that guy’s face.” Michael whispered to Jeremy. Jeremy overheard Rich chuckle lightly, which meant that Michael’s whisper wasn't nearly as quiet as he thought it was. They were being looked at, now. Was it possible to be kicked out on your first day? This was supposed to be a beginners class. But, they had joined in the middle of a unit, or something, Jeremy didn't understand how it worked, and the others didn't seem to care enough to pay attention, so the poses were just hard. He and Michael, and Rich and Jake, really, ended up on the floor more times than Jeremy wanted to admit. Michael managed to make it fun, though, which Jeremy heavily appreciated. He cracked jokes almost the entire time, and even just laid there on the mat and laughed for a solid five minutes, just because they had fallen from a particularly easy pose. (He probably would have laid there for longer, but they were getting nasty looks from the instructors.)“Well, that was fun,” Michael had stated as the class ended. “Next class is next week!”Chloe’s voice came from behind them, startling both Jeremy and Michael, “You’re coming back?”Jeremy watched as Michael and Chloe talked, Michael agreeing that they were coming back, and Chloe sort of rolling her eyes. Glancing over, it seemed like Jake and Rich were having the same conversation with Brooke. Yeah. They were definitely in for an experience.
11059236	this ones for you	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Clarke Griffin, Bellamy Blake, Madi (The 100), Raven Reyes, Monty Green", "Fandom": "The 100 (TV)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by andthelightbulbclicks", "chapters": "48/48", "completed": "2019-08-06", "published": "2017-05-31T00:00:00", "words": "60,535", "Additional Tags": "Ficlet Collection, Post-Season/Series 04, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Slow Burn", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, Clarke Griffin & Madi", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	“Come on, come on, come on, Clarke!”Clarke lets out a breath – part amusement, part exasperation, part nervous energy – as she trails behind Madi. The closer they get to the edge of the green, the more restless Madi gets.And the more anxious Clarke becomes.“They could have come down already and we missed it,” Madi continues impatiently as she breaks through to the clearing – their clearing. The one that’s been the setting for hundreds upon hundreds of radio calls at this point, all left unanswered.“I bet you we’ll be here until the sun goes down, just so they can come flying through the night sky in style,” Clarke calls out to her, making her own way through the green grass.She hears Madi snort. “And I bet they’re already making their way towards the green because someone had to make sure we ate before we left.”At that, Clarke lets out a small chuckle, the kind only Madi can get out of her. She feels the swell of pride she always gets when listening to Madi speak, she’s come such a long way since Clarke found her that first year. She tries to focus on that lightness as she lugs the satellite out to its normal spot, right behind where Madi has settled, watching the sky intently.Clarke dares to take her own peak at the sky, seeing clear blue.Nothing at all but clear blue.She lifts the radio, centering herself and clicking the button.“Bellamy,” she starts, like always. “It’s been 1,825 days.”Madi turns around to watch her at her words, encouraging smile on her face.“Today’s the day,” Clarke finds herself saying breathlessly. “Five years to the day.”Clarke has to pause at that.Five years.She never truly understood that length of time until she had to count every single day of it to stay sane.She releases the walkie’s button, waiting.Just like every other day, no response comes.So, she continues. “I’m pretty sure the air’s been safe for the past couple of months, but I get it. You guys wanted to wait, just to be safe. I’d say the same thing if I was up there with you. Wouldn’t want you guys breathing in toxic air.”Another quick glance at the sky, still nothing.“But I promise, it’s safe now. I mean, our green spot is really all there is right now, but the animals are coming back. The sky is blue, just waiting for a ship full of delinquents to break through it,” she adds, unable to contain the hope in her voice. “So Madi and I are making a day of sky watching and radio chatting, assuming that you guys have to launch at a certain time of day in order to get to us and not end up on the wrong continent.”Clarke watches Madi as she lays back in the grass, settling in for the day they have been counting down to for years.One more release of the button, one more gap of silence that should be filled by his voice.She clicks once more. “Like I’ve said, aim for our little corner of green in the world. We’ll be waiting,” she can’t help but add before walking over to plop down next to Madi, walkie and radio never leaving her side.“Now we wait?” Madi asks, excitement lighting up her eyes.Clarke wraps her arm around her, pulling her in tightly, reassuring herself that she’s not alone. “Sha, strik natblida. We wait.”Morning turns into midday, midday blends into dusk, dusk falls to night.Still, no ship in sight.“Wow, I was only half-joking when I told Madi you wanted to come down in style. You better hurry before she falls asleep, she won’t be happy if she misses her first look at the ship.”Still, no response to be heard.But Clarke refuses to let herself waver, even as Madi starts to nod off in the grass, anticipation leaving her hours beforehand.“I’m not falling asleep,” she mumbles, right before her eyes fall shut.Clarke just keeps watching the night sky, ignoring the way the stars seem to be mocking her.The panic doesn’t truly set in until Clarke sees the sunrise the next morning. As the pink hues bleed into the sky, she can feel fear start to seep into every part of her body, her soul.She withheld talking to him throughout the night, trying not to wake Madi. But at the first glimpse of the sun, Clarke can’t wait a second longer. She’s waited for too many goddam seconds.She clicks the walkie.“Bellamy?”Release, wait. When Clarke hears nothing for the 1,826th day, dread settles like a weight.Click again.“Bellamy.”Release, wait. Her hand starts shaking, making the walkie tremble in her grip.Click again.“Bell…,” she starts desperately, “talk to me. Please.”Clarke hears the distress in her voice, knows that she’s begging at this point. But it’s been five years. She’s talked to him for five years, stayed alive for five years, hoped and fought and dreamed for five years.They are supposed to be here after five fucking years.“Did I miss it?”Madi’s voice cuts through Clarke’s panicked haze, drawing her out of her own mind. Clarke turns to Madi, watching as she sits up groggily, rubbing her eyes and immediately searching the sky.A sky that is so painfully empty.She looks away from Madi as the young girl turns towards her, trying to hide the gutting disappointment written on her face, the tears burning in her eyes.“Clarke?” Madi asks, worry starting to creep into her words, “did I miss your friends landing?”Yes, she wants to say.Let’s go and meet them, is what she should be telling Madi right now.Instead, what comes out is a scream five years in the making as she drops the walkie and radio onto the green ground.She knows she scares Madi. Hell, she’s scaring herself.It takes Madi only a moment more before she’s wrapping Clarke in her small arms, trying to contain Clarke’s wails in her small, determined body.But nothing can stop this.Because for the first time in 1,825 days, Clarke finds herself wondering if for the past five years, she’s been talking to the dead. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Clarke feels the crazed panic racing through her as she slams into the entrance to Becca’s lab, trying to keep her hand over her ruined helmet.She feels the terror pumping through her body as she stumbles down the hall, knocking things over blindly as she goes.She feels the radiation from Praimfaya quite literally eating her from the inside out. And it fucking burns.She gasps for air, trying desperately to tear her helmet off of her head because it’s useless and she can’t breathe, and she’s dying.Somehow, she finds herself laying sideways across the tiled floor of the lab, still gasping for oxygen that her lungs won’t allow in, coughing up black blood when her body is denied what it wants. Her world is spinning out above her, the burning crawling through every single point in her body as her skins alights like fire.And then, she sees him. Ratty t-shirt, signature smirk, and all. Standing right next to her, just watching her.It’s not him, her brain tells her.He’s safe in space, her heart tries to remind her.But she’s just glad he’s here, glad he’s the last face she’ll ever see. She’s dying and even Clarke’s radiated brain knows who she wants most.It’s over.She feels it, knows it. Accepts it, even.So she just keeps staring at the Bellamy above her, unable to do anything more than keep her eyes on him, tears streaming across her burning skin, and take in her last moments.And when that becomes too much, she closes her eyes.Ai gonplei ste odon.Clarke wakes, lungs screaming for air. She coughs, chokes on whatever that awful taste is in her mouth. Blood, she realizes. Nightblood, clicks a second later.She lays there, trying to recollect where she is, what’s happened. You’re in Becca’s lab, she remembers. You should be dead.And then, Bellamy.She jolts to a sitting position, and immediately regrets it as every movement she’s made punishes her with a searing pain across every inch of skin on her body. She whimpers as the skin contact with her suit chafes the boils and blisters she can’t see, but can definitely feel. She tries not to look at the ones on her arms that she can see.She needs to get out of this damn suit.Clarke struggles, and crawls, and shimmies, and cries a whole lot as she works the suit off of her body. She yelps and screams, because hell, no one’s around to hear her. Every shift is a struggle, and her vision blacks out more than once from the pain, but minutes, hours, days later, she’s finally free of it.Then, and only then, does she even allow herself a spare thought.It worked. The nightblood worked.She allows herself two minutes of pure elation that it worked, which ultimately consists of her laying back on the tiled floor again, allowing the coolness to seep into her clothes and sooth her searing back as she smiles up at the fluorescent ceiling. Because, again, no one’s around to see her either. She’s alive.And then it’s back to reality.A reality where she’s the last human on Earth that isn’t sealed under the ground for the next five years or floating in Earth’s orbit for the next five years. Any way she looks at it, she’ll be damned if she’s not around when her mom comes out of that bunker, when Bellamy comes flying through the sky.So, even though her body screams out in protest, she fights to stand. She fights to take a step forward, and another, and another. And she fights to make her way up too many stairs to count.The world is on fire outside, but she’s going to survive it.She finds the food first.It won’t last her five years, maybe three months, four if she rations it to the extreme. But she just needs it to last her long enough for the Earth to start to settle, to allow her to go outside and scavenge anything that’s survived. Or to raid the mansion.Same goes for water. She’ll make it work until she has other options. She will have other options, eventually. There’s no other choice.It’s when she’s dragging herself through one of the upstairs rooms, still searching for any helpful supplies, that her heart lodges in her throat. She looks around the room, remembers vividly the last time she was here, holding Bellamy so tight that maybe, just maybe, they couldn’t possibly be separated again.Jokes on her, apparently.Her eyes look past where she’s imagining her and Bellamy standing just hours (days?) earlier, to find one more piece of hope.The radio.She makes her way over to it, knowing it’s a lost cause. But, what if?What if the lines cleared now that Praimfaya has passed?What if they clear up in the days, months ahead?Clarke radios the line that Bellamy had last used, speaking to Octavia. “Hello?” She asks, coughing a second later when her throat strains from disuse. “Can anyone in the bunker hear me?”She doesn’t expect anything, but she still feels a wave of disappointment when the line remains dead.Then, she switches the line to one she hasn’t used since talking to her mom, Jaha, and Kane when they were still in space. Back when they were all still at the Dropship.“Hello?” She tries again. “Bellamy? Can you hear me?”A second wave of disappointment, much stronger than the first, hits when only silence answers.“Come in Ark,” she says more clearly. “If anyone can hear me, it’s Clarke,” she pauses, refusing to let her voice waver, “I’m alive.”She doesn’t get a response, truly doesn’t expect one. Yet.“Look,” she starts, clicking the radio again. “I get if you can’t respond right now, I’m sure you guys are crazy busy up there getting that thing up and functioning properly. But at some point, if one of you can respond back, that’d be great.”She takes in the room around her again.“It’s not like I’m going anywhere anytime soon.” Because she’s completely alone for the next five years. “Once. I need to hear someone one time,” she says into the radio. “Just once. It can even be Murphy,” she jokes half-heartedly. Hearing Murphy’s voice would honestly be the happiest moment she’s had in forever. She knows they’re alive, they have to be. But the reassurance would be nice.“Alright, well, same time tomorrow then,” she trails off, before placing the radio back onto the table. Maybe she can scavenge a radio manual from somewhere in the lab, fix something if it’s damaged.But first, she needs to find a first aid kit. She’s not going to survive Praimfaya and then die from an infection.She’s going to survive.“Bellamy, it’s been two days since Praimfaya. Good news is I found some stuff to clean my blisters, so one point for Clarke. Bad news is there’s still 1,823 days before you all can come back. So, I guess 1,823 points for Earth. Screw you, Earth.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “You’ll never guess what I found,” Clarke says into the radio, her excitement clear to her own ears. “And no, it’s not a manual to fix anything with the radio or to improve transmissions or anything.”She’s spent the past two months searching every last inch of the lab for something to help her figure out if the radio she speaks into every day is even working. If anyone can actually hear her. Because well, it’s been two months, and for all the conversations Clarke’s had on a daily basis, not one has received a response yet.But her continued searching didn’t come up completely empty today.After leaving the appropriate pause to give Bellamy, Raven, anyone the chance to respond, she continues on. “Charcoal! I found a whole box of charcoal and a sketch book buried in a desk in one of the offices,” she tells them eagerly. “Becca must have used it to sketch out rough ideas for her machines and stuff, because there’s a few pages in the beginning with things that Raven would definitely understand and I have literally no clue about.”Clarke finds her hand not currently holding the radio running over the cover of the book in her lap reverently.She’s been holed up in the lab for two months.The worst of her burns have finally scabbed over, leaving tender, pink skin in their wake. The earth is still burning, forbidding her access to the outside. And she hasn’t heard another human voice since Praimfaya.If she allows herself to acknowledge it, she’ll admit it. She’s lonely.But finding the book, the charcoal? She feels herself the slightest bit reenergized. She feels something, after starting to feel almost numb from the isolation.She’s been walking around the lab like a ghost for weeks, refusing to lose hope as she talks to Bellamy, to them, every day. But she hadn’t realized the change in herself until now, and that scares her.“Don’t worry Raven, I’ll save Becca’s sketches for when you get back down here,” Clarke reassures, as she opens the book, rips the used pages carefully from the seams and places them back in the desk where she found her treasures.Once back on the couch, book and charcoal in reaching distance, she clicks the radio one last time for the day.“Guys, I can draw.”She starts with her dad.Another thing she’s found that scares her, aside from the burning planet outside, is that she might forget what they look like.How could she forget? How can people who mean the world to her, who she would do anything for, start to fade from her memory?So she starts with her dad, drawing his smiling facing looking back at her and putting every single detail that comes to mind into the portrait. Because she refuses to forget them, any of them.When she finishes her father, she moves onto her mom. After her mom, Bellamy.Raven, Monty, Miller, Murphy, Octavia, everyone she can possibly think of.She does those she knows, deep down, are still alive.She also draws those who she knows aren’t.Jasper, Lexa, Wells, Lincoln, Roan, Luna, Finn, Sinclair, and so many more.And throughout it all, every single day that she continues her portraits, she talks to Bellamy. She finds her days going easier, even talking to him while continuing drawing, commenting on who she’s drawing, what details she’s adding.And that, more than anything, keeps her going.“It’s so hard to capture her fierceness on paper,” Clarke explains while adding shading around Echo’s eyes, always the warrior.“Tell her that she looks like an angry panda with her war paint on,” she adds when the realization hits. “Not that she would probably even know what a panda looks like. I’m sure there’s a book up there with a picture you can show her.”She thinks that would get a laugh out of him, or at least an amused chuckle. She can’t, hasn’t laughed in what feels like years. She realizes then that she doesn’t know what Bellamy’s laugh even sounds like.She tries to focus on the unimpressed look on Echo’s face as she listens to Clarke’s commentary instead.“Murphy, I’m drawing your portrait with Emori’s.”Clarke just added the last strokes to the tattoo on Emori’s face when she made the decision. “You two are a set, a pair. I’m imagining you two ransacking the Ark over the past couple of months finding all the parts that Raven and Monty need,” she tells Murphy as she starts in on the sharp edge of his nose, her own fingers black from the charcoal.“So, you two get your own page. Partners on the ground, and up in space.”She continues to draw, having Murphy looking out from the paper, like the whole world amuses him.She ends up giving them another page too, one where Murphy’s looking like he only does when staring at Emori.“Alright, this is my last page.”She’s surprised the book lasted as long as it did. It’s kept her sane for a month and half. That, and talking to Bellamy.“I think you’re going to be the subject of it,” she tells him, as her hand starts shaping the smooth curve of his jaw. It’s fitting, finishing the book with Bellamy. Not that he hasn’t made numerous appearances already.“I’m starting with your jaw,” she describes, tracing out the rest of his face. “It’s so strong,” she adds mindlessly, “always reveals how you’re feeling whether you want to or not. I’ll add your freckles in later, there’s so many of them, so mesmerizing to look at, I have to get them just–”Clarke pauses when her brain catches up with her mouth.“Did I say that out loud?” She feels the alien feelings of a flush expand on her cheeks.She sits up straight, staring down at her work so far.She could blame her dwindling rations. They’re lasting her longer than they should, but she still can’t get outside yet, and the cut provisions could be messing with her head.But she knows that’s not it.She brings the radio back to her lips. “You’re so strong,” she starts, not knowing where she’ll end. “And they are so lucky to have you up there with them.”Clarke finishes the drawing in silence, finds herself tracing over it unconsciously afterwards.“I miss you,” she reveals into the radio after, as if it’s any sort of surprise. And then she calls it a day, both with drawing and talking. She’ll continue on with both tomorrow, like always.She may be out of paper, but there’s decent amount of charcoal left and a whole lot of floor space for her to cover. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- It’s when she hits the five month mark that Clarke finally acknowledges the fact that if she doesn’t leave the lab, she’s going to die.It’d be one thing if it was out of boredom, but it has everything to do with the fact that she’s completely out of food. The rations have lasted her far longer than what they were meant for, with her eating maybe one full meal by the time each day is through.But now she’s down to literal crumbs, and yesterday she found herself running her fingers across her ribs protruding under her skin. So it comes down to either possibly burning from the radiation levels outside or definitely starving to death in here.And Clarke would much rather break free from the repetition of the last five months.She’s made steady progress on her floor drawings, but it hasn’t had the same effect that the sketchbook gave her. Now, when she’s sketching the forest or the dropship or any of her friends or family, she can’t help but remember a time when she was trapped in a different type of cell, only thousands of miles up above in space.She’s sick of feeling trapped.That, and aside from food and freedom, she has another motivation to get outside, all having to do with the satellite she’s left sitting by the lab entrance.And the damn radio manual she finally tracked down.In a moment of pure curiosity, Clarke had tried booting up the computers one day, knowing that it was a long shot, and that the last time they were up and running she saw Praimfaya destroying everything in its path. But instead, she got a bunch of computers rebooting themselves.And that, finally, is where she found the manual, telling her that the use of a satellite could amplify radio signals and selling her on the fact that she had to get out of this place.She also found the computer system that had been tracking radiation levels before the big wave hit, and to her utter shock, seemed to be working.“That doesn’t even make sense,” she had muttered then, simultaneously glaring at the computers and trying to tamp down the hope rising in her chest.If the technology was able to survive outside, then why couldn’t she?“So, I don’t think I’m going to fry to death outside,” she begins speaking into the radio, “so I’m not going to say goodbye.” She takes one more glance at the radiation levels on the screen, then turns her attention towards the lab entrance. “If anything, if you can’t hear me yet, maybe getting outside with the satellite will change that.”She grabs the coat she had found in one of the office closets, eyes catching on some of her floor sketches in the process.“I don’t plan on going far, just to get some food from the mansion,” Clarke reassures him, anticipation starting to rush through her, “so I’ll tell you all about how everything is dead outside when I come back. No offense, but food has to take priority here, or else reading through that entire stupid manual will have been for nothing.”She pauses when her eyes catch on the corner of floor she uses for Bellamy’s drawings.“I’ll be back soon. I promise.”She’s right, about everything being dead.But thankfully, that doesn’t include her. She finds herself unintentionally holding her breath as she opens the door.The air could be toxic, calls a memory in her head.But she takes a breath, and another, and another… And nothing happens.No suffocating, no coughing. She’s fine.So she starts her trek to the mansion on the singed ground and through charred remains of trees, feeling alive with adrenaline while the whole world lays dead around her.She tries not to be fascinated by the permanent orange sky.It’s amusing how the mansion can survive two apocalypses and still look completely unharmed. But she supposes that’s the kind of luck there is in the world.She makes her away into the kitchen, brushing away the image of Murphy offering her a taste of his cooking, and heads to the cabinets for any of the foods she saw there last time.Despite the desire to take as much as she can carry, Clarke only grabs the minimum – a jar of peanut butter, some granola bars, crackers, and some bottled water. She can walk outside now, she’ll be able to come back anytime she wants, is her reasoning behind leaving the peaches and other jarred and canned foods.Eventually, she could just move from the lab to the mansion.But not today. She needs to report back her findings to her friends.Clarke finds herself in a new routine after that.Talk to Bellamy inside the lab, draw, check radiation levels, try reaching the bunker, get radio silence from the bunker, go for her walk to the mansion, talk to Bellamy again, this time outside using the satellite.Repeat.It’s a hell of a lot better than being locked in the lab, but she knows it’ll only be so long before the mansion’s supply runs out or her need to find any proof of the earth healing pushes her to wander off of the island.A month later, she decides that she’s going to treat herself to the peaches. She’s been holding off on taking them, leaving them in the cabinet for when she really wants them.And today is that day. Before leaving for her walk, she used up the rest of her charcoal.No more floor drawings either now.She’ll probably treat herself to one of the boxes of candy while she’s at it too.So she storms into the kitchen, whips open the cabinet door, reaches out her hand –Only to find that the peaches are gone.For a second, it doesn’t register.She left the peaches there every single day, so the peaches should be there now.She steps back, looks around the kitchen in confusion for an answer that nobody’s there to give her. She finds her eyes drawn to the floor, where a bunch of brightly colored balls of candy are still rolling away hastily from behind the kitchen counter.It’s then that Clarke registers the feeling of not being alone.Her instincts set in immediately, gripping a knife in her hand before she even realizes she grabbed it off of the counter. She hasn’t needed a weapon. She’s supposed to be alone.She moves silently, carefully stepping around the sugared candies as not to disturb them, and makes to turn around the corner and defend herself from whatever is hiding there.Instead, she turns the corner and actually staggers back at the sight in front of her.Clarke feels her mouth hanging open, tries to get it together, and finds herself crouching down and placing her knife far off to the side where she had come from. She refuses to look away, won’t even blink, fearing that the moment she looks away, she’ll be gone.“Heya,” she hears herself saying in a language she hasn’t spoken in over six months. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- For a moment, Clarke thinks she may be hallucinating. After all, she did see Bellamy that day when she thought she was going to die.But no. This is different.Bellamy had looked how he was in the early days, back at the dropship. For one thing, there hadn’t been a mark on his face, no signs of the struggles and fights he’d gone through on earth. For another, he wasn’t in the jumpsuit she had last seen him in, protecting him from the rising radiation levels.She knew he wasn’t real, even in her delirium.Now?She’s definitely coherent, and the little girl crouched in the corner of the kitchen, fear laced in her eyes, certainly has seen the unforgiving forces of the earth. As Clarke stays balanced in her crouching position in front of the girl, she takes in what little there is to her.She’s small.The child is no doubt young, probably no older than six or seven, but the thinness of her body and the frailness of her arms and legs makes her look even younger, especially as she curls in to get as far away from Clarke as possible.“Yu nou fir raun,” Clarke tells her gently, careful not to move forward closer to her or to make any large motions with her hands. The child is terrified. Clarke can see it in the way her eyes keep darting from place to place around the kitchen as if looking for some way to escape, but always ending up back on Clarke, the stranger who came barging in on her.Her clothes are tattered, probably have been on her body for weeks, if not months. But from what Clarke can see, they have the telltale signs of belonging to some grounder tribe.She probably doesn’t know any English, and Clarke’s speaking of her language is no doubt rusty. She feels the awkwardness in the little she has said so far, trying to stay calm as not to scare her off and drawing up words she learned less than a year ago herself.When she notes the girl watching her, eyeing her only slightly less hesitantly, Clarke speaks again in that same gentle tone. “Ai laik Klark,” she says while raising a hand slowly to rest against her chest, feeling the pounding of her heart as she does. “Chit ste yu tagon?”Clarke pauses then, hoping she’ll answer. A name, just getting her name could maybe prod her into talking more, or really at all.When she doesn’t answer, just continues staring, Clarke starts at the realization that there’s another living being in front of her. Someone else who is alive on this burnt planet.“Laik yu soulou?” She asks urgently, unintentionally leaning forward to look around the kitchen for someone else to pop out from a doorway or from behind the other side of the counter. If this little girl survived, a Nightblood most likely, then who’s to say that others haven’t survived as well?At Clarke’s sudden movements and change in tone, the girl’s head shakes back and forth quickly as she pushes her legs out in front of her, scooting her further into the corner.Clarke feels the frustration with herself rising. She hadn’t noticed how the girl was starting to relax until she’s curling up again, making herself as small as possible.And Clarke finds herself growing agitated too.After six months of solitude, there’s another human right in front of her. A child, no less, who appears to be completely alone.A child who has most likely survived six months on her own as well, and who won’t survive much longer on her own if her fragile form is anything to go by.Clarke needs the girl to trust her, to let Clarke take care of her.But she’s never been the one who is good with kids.Still, she has to try.She plops herself down onto the ground, out of her crouching position, crossing her legs in front of her and unintentionally sending forgotten balls of candy rolling in random directions.She doesn’t miss how the girl’s eyes track the various paths of the candy hungrily, and Clarke’s heart clenches at the sight.This child is starving and the first thing she grabs out of the mansion’s stores is balls of sugar, undoubtedly snatching the first thing she saw and tearing into it.Her eyes continue to follow the candies, and it’s clear she can’t help herself when she picks up the two that go rolling towards her and holding on to them like treasures, tight against her chest. Her attention then goes to the ones that are within her reach.The ones right by Clarke.“Here, let me,” Clarke says impulsively in the wrong language, before reaching out to grab the sweets surrounding her. She regrets it a second later when the girl’s attention is brought back to Clarke at the foreign words.It’s clear she had forgotten about the “danger” Clarke imposed with her need to eat.But Clarke pushes on, refusing to let up. “Teik ai,” she tries again, moving slowly and gauging her reaction to the movements.She doesn’t huddle back into the corner again, which Clarke takes note of excitedly, as she watches Clarke collect the surrounding candies in her hand.When Clarke has all of the ones she can reach in her palm, she makes to show that she’s moving towards the girl, whose attention keeps jumping from Clarke’s hand to her face.But still, she sits firm in her spot, determination written across her young features as she places her own hands facing up in front of her, cupping them together.She’s brave.“Em ste klir,” Clarke assures her as she pours the candies into the girl’s waiting hands, careful not to touch them. Once she has them all, she immediately slides them over to balance them in her one hand while the other starts popping them into her mouth quickly.Clarke knows she’s going to have to get her some crackers or something else soon to avoid her getting sick on an empty stomach full of sugar. Who knows when she last ate.But she can’t bring herself to look away from her just yet.“Yu laik klir,” Clarke adds softly. If she has anything to say about it, this girl is going to survive.“Madi,” a young, but strong voice says in response. Clarke’s attention immediately jumps from eager hands covered in sugar to that determined face again. “Ai laik Madi.”“Madi,” Clarke repeats breathlessly once she’s sitting again, notably closer to her than she was before. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Clarke watches Madi eat the candies for another moment before she forces herself to stand.She doesn’t miss how Madi’s eyes immediately track her movements, but tries to give her what she hopes is a reassuring smile. “Yu gaf dina in,” she tells her while gesturing towards the still open food cabinet, and silently praying that she’ll understand and not bolt the moment Clarke is turned away.But Madi needs to eat, and if nothing else, Clarke thinks they can be on the same page about that.So she turns away, makes quick work of grabbing one of the many boxes of crackers from the cabinet, turns back around and finds–That Madi is still there, still watching Clarke intently.Clarke also notices for the first time that missing jar of peaches laying on its side to the left of Madi. She smiles at that, trying to imagine this fierce, brave little girl trying to open the jar, failing, and resorting to the candy instead in her rush.Making her way back over to Madi, Clarke slowly reaches for the jar, giving Madi the chance to shift away if she wants to.She doesn’t. She watches as Clarke takes the jar, watches as she opens it and the crackers, watches as she dips one of the crackers in the jellied peaches, and watches as she raises it between them as some sort of offering.This time, she doesn’t wait for Clarke to place it in her hands, and instead reaches out her hands to take it from Clarke’s grasp.And proceeds to devour it in seconds, licking her fingers of any lingering jelly.Clarke huffs out what can almost be called a laugh, placing the food in between them and looking back to Madi. “Choj op,” Clarke says as she takes her own cracker and dips it before eating it, licking her own fingers of jelly. And eat Madi does, demolishing the crackers with Clarke.And well, that’s at least two things they can probably bond about – Madi needs to eat, and they both like peaches.For the first time in months, the weeks start to fly.With Madi there to take care of, Clarke feels her sense of purpose start to return. She gets Madi to come back with her to the lab that first day, but once there, Clarke realizes that they’re going to have to move their permanent residence to the mansion, at least for now. Clarke was fine sleeping on the couch in the lab, but there’s no way she’s letting Madi sleep on the couch, let alone the ground. She deserves a bed.So gradually, they move what little Clarke has claimed as her own to the mansion – her sketchbook, the radio, the satellite, and some clothes she packs into a bag.She catches Madi staring at the floor drawings every time they’re in the lab.And then they settle into yet another routine.“I can’t wait for you to meet her,” Clarke tells Bellamy as she sits on a charred log in the barren woods. “She hasn’t spoken since she told me her name, but she’s so smart, Bell. She understands what I’m saying, even if I’m speaking her language a little broken sometimes. And she’s so curious. It’s like I can see the questions she wants to ask in her eyes. I think if I give it another week or so, maybe she’ll start opening up. It’s only been three weeks so–”She cuts herself off when she catches herself rambling, staring at the radio for a second to collect herself.“How many times have I caught myself going on about Madi since we found each other?” She asks him, releasing the button and giving a pause for him to respond. She’s found herself doing it more and more, giving him the chance to respond even though she doesn’t expect it.She’s hoping one day she’ll be surprised.“She’s wandering through the woods right now. I told her to stay close, but honestly, if she survived in the woods as long as she did, who am I to tell her what she can and can’t do? I know I say this a lot, but I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t –”“KLARK!”Clarke jumps at the sound, dropping the radio in shock at the sound of her name. Her stomach drops right after at the realization that it was Madi, sounding absolutely petrified.“Beja! Sisen!” She hears Madi cry helplessly.And that’s what kicks her into action. “Madi!” Clarke yells as she runs through the deserted woods, heart pounding with the sheer panic of hearing Madi’s screams. “Where are you?” She yells, only realizing it’s the wrong language after the fact. “Dammit! Weron laik yu?”“KLARK! Beja! Please, please, please!”Hearing Madi’s voice, scared and speaking English, is like a jolt to Clarke’s system. She’s shaking as she runs towards the voice, blood like ice as she hears Madi’s pleas.Clarke hears the whimpers before she sees her, mainly because when she finds her, Madi’s fifteen feet up in the air, dangling in a grounder net above the ground.She should have known the grounders who helped A.L.I.E. would leave traps on the island. And that a fucking apocalypse wouldn’t destroy them.“Madi!” Clarke calls from beneath, searching urgently for anything to cut her down with. She’s taken to carrying a knife since finding Madi, but that won’t do her any good if she can’t find the damn rope that’s holding her up there.At the sound of her voice, Madi immediately looks towards the ground. “Clarke,” she calls desperately, “please. Please sis ai au.”“Okay,” she reassures breathlessly, “it’s okay, I’m going to get you down.” Her brain is too muddled to translate as she tears through nearby bushes in search of the rope, until she finally finds it, cutting it with one firm swipe and lowering the net’s precious cargo to the ground gently.Once the net settles on the ground, Madi’s in her arms almost instantly. Clarke is holding her just as tightly, adrenaline still roaring through her veins.“Mochof,” she tells Clarke over and over and over again. “Mochof, mochof, mochof.”Clarke just continues to shush her, rocking her back and forth in place. “You’re safe now. I’ve got you,” she soothes, trying to comfort the both of them.She tries to check Madi for injuries while refusing to let go of her. She seems fine, certainly scared, but for the most part unharmed. Her eyes catch on black trickling down Madi’s leg from a cut, probably from when the net had ripped her from the ground.“I’ve got you, strik natblida.”“I get it now.”Clarke glances over at Madi, fast asleep, huddled onto the couch. The lab had been closer, so Clarke had carried Madi there to clean the cut on her leg and the other various scrapes she had gotten.“I get why you did every single thing you did for Octavia.”After Clarke had finished, Madi wouldn’t let her leave her side. Clarke had stroked her fingers through Madi’s hair until she dozed off on the couch.When Clarke was sure Madi would be asleep for a while, she took the few minutes’ walk back to get the radio.“I thought I lost Madi today,” she whispers, eyes watching Madi’s steady breaths. “I know I’ve been scared before, and god, I’ve lost so many people,” she continues, finally letting the tears fall, “but it’s never been like this.”She takes a breath, steadying herself.“She’s my responsibility, Bellamy. We’ve taken care of so many people, but this? Thinking of being more to Madi, more than a friend? A sister, a caretaker, a– a mom?” Her breath catches on that last word.“She’s been listening to me talk to you,” Clarke says instead. “She’s picking up English already, I told you she was smart.”One more steadying breath, and she feels herself calming down.“She keeps hearing me say ‘please,’ Bell. Please answer. Please take care of yourself. Please look after the others.”She feels the smallest of smiles on her lips.“Please come home.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Bellamy wakes, he’s surprised that the lights are already on.Raven had eventually gotten the system up and running to make sure that they all were able to keep some sort of normal sleeping pattern.For Emori and Echo, it had been a huge adjustment. Going from having the sun indicate day and night for their entire lives to living in endless darkness with the sun as a constant neighbor, it had been a lot. For the rest of them, it was an unwanted reminder of how they had lived the majority of their lives, ruled by the Ark.For Bellamy, it was pretty much a waste of time. He didn’t sleep, no matter whether the lights were on or off.At first it was because there was so much to be done – get the algae farm up and running, make sure their oxygen source wouldn’t short out, start up the heating units, search for parts to help Raven and Monty fix pretty much everything – and then it was because of the dreams.Blonde hair, blue eyes. Brown hair, eyes marked with war paint. Blonde hair again, this time burning.Eventually, the dreams started to lose their sharpness, their vividness, but they never left him completely, no matter how many years passed.Then it was because he worried.He worried about Raven and Monty overworking themselves constantly for years, trying to maintain the Ark as their temporary home and figuring out a way to eventually get back to Earth. He worried about Harper feeling useless when she couldn’t figure out why one of them was feeling sick. He worried about Murphy, who refused to step foot anywhere near where he used to live with his mom. He worried about Echo constantly wandering through the dark halls, rarely speaking. And he worried about Emori liking space a little too much, and how she would react when they eventually tried to get back home.Between all of his worries, the dreams, and his need to keep his promise to protect and lead them all, he didn’t sleep. An hour here, two hours there, maybe a few more if he’d been awake for a day or two, but never through the “night” and never past when the lights came on to signal another “day.”Or in this case, the 1,825th day.But today, he did. Which meant he was going to be behind on his rounds.He finds Echo further down on her usual path than he normally does.“You’re late today,” she observes as he catches up with her, never slowing her wandering pace. He’d think her tone was reprimanding if he wasn’t used to it by now.“I actually slept through the lights turning on,” he tells her, matching her stride and continuing to look forward.He can see Echo’s head turn out of the corner of his eye. “You’d think it wouldn’t have taken you five years to do that,” she replies evenly, though Bellamy can hear the implication in it. Why now?“Maybe it’s a sign that things are going to change,” he says, slowing down so he can turn down the next hallway toward what they had designated as their “medical wing.”He hears Echo snort as she continues past him. “Sure,” is her only response.When Bellamy enters the medical room, he’s surprised to find that Harper isn’t alone.He’s equally surprised to find that it’s Monty that’s with her, and that Harper is crying.He pauses in the doorway, unsure whether to intrude, but Monty’s eyes are already meeting his, and Harper is turning toward what has Monty’s attention.“Everything okay?” Bellamy asks, taking another step into the room.Harper gives him a watery smile, “yeah, it’s just–,” she halts as she scrubs both of her hands across her face to wipe away her tears. “Just a disappointing day,” she finishes with a heavy sigh.At that, Bellamy feels his throat tighten.He nods in response, knowing anything he says will come out strained and reveal exactly how much he can relate. Instead, he nods and looks to Monty, who tilts his head in acknowledgment, telling Bellamy that he can take care of Harper.“I’ll just keeping going then,” he tells them, pointing towards the door just as Harper comes over to wrap her arms around him.“It’s okay to be disappointed, Bellamy,” she whispers before letting go of him and taking a step back, fresh tears already trailing down her face.He nods once more, then heads out the door.No it’s not.It doesn’t take him long to find Murphy and Emori, simply because they always end up back in the same area. If Emori isn’t watching Murphy tend to the algae, they’re both rummaging through the many rooms in Alpha Station, scrounging up possible parts for Raven and picking through the valuables that had been left behind.He sees Murphy first, sitting in a hallway with a book in his lap. When Murphy hears Bellamy’s footsteps, his head lifts from the pages.“Find anything good?” Bellamy asks, settling in next to him.“Another cook book full of foods that I can’t make up here,” Murphy replies with only the slightest bit of bitterness. At this point, he seems to have gotten over it.“And Emori?”Murphy tilts his head toward the nearest doorway, where Bellamy can faintly hear movement coming from within. “She thinks she found some screws that Raven’s been wanting, so she’s trying to get as many as she can.” He looks at Bellamy again, and Bellamy knows that Murphy is searching his face. “We’re fine, go talk to Raven.”Bellamy heaves a sigh, but doesn’t argue. He gets up from his spot and starts walking, feeling like he’s dragging his feet to their final destination.He hears, more than sees, Raven near the ship. Or, well, their very rough, makeshift ship.Instead of walking over to her, he heads towards one of the computer screens where a giant zero glares back at him in red.He had held on to hope that they’d make it by today up until the screen hit twenty days and Raven didn’t say anything for a full three days.Then, he knew.“Five years,” Raven says from behind him, no longer by the ship.1,825 days up in space. They’re supposed to be going back, and they’re not.In the past twenty days, Bellamy’s thought about how he’d react to today.Scream like he did that first day? Cry like he really hasn’t allowed himself to?He turns to look at Raven, who’s already watching him. “I just need you to say it one more time, and then I’ll leave you alone about it,” he hears himself say. One more time, and then he’ll move on to whatever comes next.Raven eyes him carefully, and then turns her attention to the zero on the screen that's mocking them.“Okay,” she agrees, gaze remaining on the screen. “Looks like we’ll be stuck here for a while.”Bellamy allows himself to take in a sharp breath, lets the crushing disappointment rush through him for a moment, and then he pulls himself together again. He doesn’t have time to wallow.“Alright,” he says with a nod, “tell me what I can do to help.”He watches as Raven eyes him up again, head tilted to the side, gears churning in her head. And for the first time, instead of telling him to take care of everyone else, she hands him a wrench. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “With me?”Raven looks at Bellamy, and he can feel her searching his face for something he’s not willing to show. “Always,” she tells him with a confidence that makes it sound like everything will be okay.But they’re back in fucking in space, in a ship that’s basically dead, without Clarke.Nothing is okay.They both turn back to the window where a burning Earth lights up the space around it. It’s almost like having a second sun, and the thought of Octavia being underneath it, Clarke being completely gone. It makes him sick.Raven can fix the ship up, and she can get them back to Earth in five years, but Clarke will never be there. And Bellamy will never be okay with that.They don’t speak for a while, just keep staring, almost mesmerized by the destruction in front of them. Then Raven heaves a long-suffering sigh, carrying the stress of the past few hours and the never-ending troubles that lie ahead of them with it.“I have to go see how Monty’s doing with the electric system,” she says, just as the lights flicker off briefly before turning back on. She curses under her breath, eyes glancing to the ceiling before landing back on him. Bellamy can feel her stare on him again, and tries to ignore the feeling of her trying to read him. “You should come with me, check and see how everyone else is doing,” she suggests as she turns completely away from the window as if she can’t look at it a second longer, even from the corner of her eye.But Bellamy can’t look away.And Raven doesn’t leave. “Bellamy,” she says more emphatically when he doesn’t respond. He turns to her, still not saying anything. “Come on, I’m with you, but we all need to be together in this.”Together.It feel likes that time Roan had stabbed him in the leg, hearing that word. Except this time, it’s right in his chest, completely knocking the breath out of him.“I just–,” he starts, trying to fill his lungs with a short breath. “You go ahead,” he begins again, somehow sounding like a leader when he feels like anything but. “I just need to be alone right now.”Raven hesitates for a moment before putting her own armor in place, face fierce with determination. “You do what you need to do,” she tells him when she sees she’s got his attention. She reaches out to squeeze his arm, as comforting as she’ll allow herself to be at this point. “You do that and then you come and lead us. She would expect nothing less from you.”And that’s just it.He has no idea what she would expect of him on his own. She was supposed to be here too, they were supposed to do this together.Raven lets go of his arm and heads back from where she came when he says nothing, footsteps fading at an unsteady beat the further away she moves.Bellamy waits until the sound of steps are gone, until he’s alone for the first time in what feels like forever. He’s been with somebody, friend or foe, every moment since they landed on Earth. He hasn’t been completely alone since leaving the ark.He lifts the bottle that was balanced on the sill of the window where he had left it. He grips the neck of it, reading the label mindlessly as his brain settles in a different time, a different place. I think we deserve a drink. Have one for me. The bottle is shattering against the wall a second later, his arm settling back at his side calmly.The sounds that erupt from him after that are anything but calm.He screams and screams and screams. Screams, and punches, and yells until he’s just as exhausted as when he thought Octavia was dead.She’s gone.She’s gone. He left her to burn to nothing on a blazing planet.Nobody comes to check on him, which is absolutely Raven’s doing. There’s no way that all of them haven’t heard him. But Raven told him to do what he had to do, what he needed in order to be the person that her and Monty and everyone else needs right now.He settles down on the ground next to the shattered glass and the liquor that’s spreading out in tiny streams across the floor, tilting his head back against the wall and turning to face the window again. He feels drained, not even human, in a way he hasn’t since losing his mom and Octavia what feels like eons ago.“I promise you,” he says to the Earth, he says to her, “I am not going to let your death be in vain.”So he gets up, boots crunching on the broken glass.He gets up, follows the path that Raven took when she left him, and finds the six of them gathered where Monty had been stripping wires.They watch him walk in, no one saying a word about hearing his screams or about anything at all. They watch him, and they wait for him to give them direction.He turns to Raven who gives him a nod, before turning her attention to where Monty had undoubtedly been working since they got the oxygen up and running.Looking at the others – Monty, Harper, Murphy, Emori, Echo – he knows what he has to do, what he has to say.He locks down the part of himself that wants to grab the nearest breakable object and throw it with as much force as he can. He locks down the part that wants to cry and scream some more. He locks down his heart, for now.And he starts using his head.“The next five years are going to be rough,” he starts, glancing at each of them. Raven stops her work to watch him, listen to him. “We all need to stick together, all of us, or else we’re going to die and that is not an option. I’m not– I’m not going to let her sacrifice go to waste.”Monty nods his head, never breaking eye contact. “For Clarke,” he says solemnly.The others chime in, and Bellamy wants to too. He really, truly does.But he can’t bring himself to say her name out loud. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- They’ve been up in space for ten days when Raven collapses.It happens when she’s in the control room with Monty – falls to the floor as soon as she went to get up from where she’d been reconnecting wires – he explains after he yells for help and everyone comes barreling into the room from different directions.“Is it another seizure?” Emori asks in a panic.Murphy rushes over to Raven, turning her on her side even though she’s not shaking and there’s no blood coming from her nose.Harper, having the most medical experience of all of them (which isn’t much), kneels down on Raven’s other side, placing her hand on her forehead, checking her pupils, listening to heart. “She’s not burning up, and her heart rate seems pretty normal,” she notes, voice holding steady even though there’s concern etched in her face.Bellamy stares down at the clutter of them, hovering over Raven, guessing what’s wrong and trying to remain calm. He watches as Raven starts to stir, chest rising with the deep breath she takes and her eyes fluttering open in confusion.Everyone steps back to give her space, except Murphy, who helps her up into a sitting position.“Did I miss the party or something?” Raven jokes groggily, glancing at each of them until her eyes fall on Bellamy and stay.“You fainted,” he explains. “And I’d bet it’s because you haven’t slept for more than an hour a day since we got here.”Raven scoffs. “Right, because you should be lecturing me about sleeping habits.” She moves to stand, albeit a little shaky, either because of her leg or because she’s still dizzy.Harper moves to help her, but Raven shrugs her off, missing the hurt laced in Harper’s eyes.“I’m fine.” Raven moves to go check one of the screens, ignoring everyone’s presence. “Everyone go back to what you were doing,” she orders, eyes purposely glued to the screen and avoiding eye contact.They look to Bellamy.He nods his head, and only then do they start to move back out the entryways they had come rushing through. Looking to Monty, Bellamy tilts his head, gesturing for him to leave as well. He does, if only hesitating slightly before following Harper out the doorway.When they’re alone, Bellamy makes his way over to Raven, standing next to her as she continues to scroll through numbers on the screen and ignore him.“Raven, you need to rest,” he tells her, facing her even when she refuses to glance at him. “If you keep this up, it’ll be more than just fainting. You need to sleep, give your brain and your body a break.”“Like you do?” She accuses, turning to glare at him.Bellamy sighs. “I’m not the one fixing the unfixable and keeping everything running so that we stay alive.”Raven turns to face him head on, giving him the full force of her glare. “I’m fine. Go worry about everyone else, hover over them so that I can get back to work.”“You need a break and you know it,” he continues, taking in the purple underneath her eyes. “You have been going nonstop since we got here.”“So have you!” She argues.“Yeah, except I had a moment to decompress,” he disputes, “you gave that to me.”Raven shakes her head, frustration coming off her in waves. “God Bellamy. Don’t you get it?”“Get wh–”“I don’t deserve a break!” She shouts, hand slamming down on the keyboard. “I don’t deserve time to decompress. You shouldn’t have had to decompress. None of you should even fucking be here!”It’s silent in the wake of Raven exploding. Bellamy stares at her, unable to comprehend how she could think she of all people hasn’t earned a moment to breathe. “Raven–”“Tell me something, Bellamy,” she cuts him off. “If I hadn’t sent that radio call to the bunker saying I was alive, where would you be right now? Not up in space with only six other people, right?”Understanding dawns on him instantly.She pushes on. “Where would Clarke be, huh?” Her name cuts through him, wounds still fresh. “She wouldn’t be dead, right?”Silence follows her words, Bellamy not knowing what to say.“The answer,” Raven reveals, sounding completely broken, “is that you both would be in the bunker. Safe. And Clarke would alive.”Bellamy watches as tears start to run down her face, but she does nothing to brush them away. He feels his own eyes burning.“You are all here because of me. You are all either dead or stuck in a tin can in space because I wanted to live, and I need you to forgive me for that,” she whispers, refusing to look at Bellamy as she says it.He feels gutted, listening to her condemn herself. He settles is hand on her wrist, pulling her attention back to him reluctantly. “I am never going to give you forgiveness for wanting to live. You can be as angry as you want for all the shit that has to get done up here, but I won’t let you guilt yourself into believing we’d all be better off if you hadn’t called for us.”Raven pulls away from him, taking a step away.“You want to know what would have happened to everyone?” Bellamy starts, refusing to let up until she fully understands. “Monty and Harper would have gotten to the bunker, only to find out they missed the chance to put their name into the lottery that would save their lives. The other grounders wouldn’t have let Emori stay, and Murphy would have left with her. Echo was banished, Octavia refused to even consider the idea of letting her in. They’d all be dead.”He hesitates for a moment. “And we volunteered to come get you because you deserved the chance to live just as much as any of us. Because you’re our friend and we care about you.”Raven stares at him, eyes wide and searching for the something she didn’t need. “You don’t need my forgiveness, anyone’s forgiveness. We would all do it again if we had to, for you. And you know she would have to.”He feels his heart splinter, try to break away from where he had locked it, but he knows it’s the truth.Instead, he watches as Raven accepts that truth in his eyes too, nodding as she wipes away her tears and exhales a breath.“Get some rest Reyes, or else I’ll put Murphy in charge of repairs.” It’s an empty threat, more so to break the tension than anything.It works though.Raven lets out a wet laugh, looking back to him with her unwavering strength. “Only a few hours,” she swears, exhaustion evident.“That’s all I ask,” Bellamy tells her gently.And to the relief of all six of them, she does. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Okay, so we’ve got the computers about as functional as they’re going to get with what Monty and I have to work with. Heating system will keep us from freezing death, at least for the near future. Algae farm is in its first stage of growth, there’s not much we can do to hurry that along. And water filtration is ready whenever we are,” Raven lists off to the three of them.Bellamy doesn’t miss Murphy’s cringe at the mention of the water filtration system.“We’ve got everything working well enough to keep us alive for now,” Monty adds on. “So, that’s something.”Bellamy nods, trying to mentally check off everything that’s vital to their survival up here. “That’s more than something. Two weeks, and we’re not dead yet. Great job.”Raven rolls her eyes. “Two weeks, and we have the literal basics so that we don’t freeze, starve, or dehydrate.”“We’ve got time for the rest,” he tells her, really tells all three of them. “Maybe you and Monty should take a break. Go rest, or help stock the med room. Anything to get you to relax for a few hours.” He takes a second to look over Monty and Raven. Since Raven’s collapse a few days ago, he’s been hovering, checking in, making sure they’re not overdoing it.It’s been driving them crazy.But he can’t help but begin to notice the bruises starting to form underneath everyone’s eyes, the way Monty’s hands shake because he’s straining them instead of letting them heal. They’re getting by on the bare minimum, and he’s hoping it’ll last until something gives – the algae grow enough, or they find some miracle stash of food somewhere.“I’m not going anywhere,” Raven states. “We’ve still got a long way to go before I’m going to be even remotely confident in letting things run on their own so we can work on a way of getting home. Steady the electric system so we don’t short out, hack into the Ark’s supplies database to see if there’s anything we can use, find extra parts for the oxygen scrubber before we find out it’s not working the hard way.”At that, Bellamy pauses. “And fix the radio, right?”He knows it’s not on the top of the priority list, there’s so much that needs to be done so that they make it up here and get back down to Earth. But it is important. If they can get in touch with the bunker, they should.Except then he’s watching as Raven and Monty eye each other, as if silently debating who’s going to break some sort of news to him. He hadn’t realized the pit in his stomach had gradually lifted over the past week or so until it plummets again.Monty apparently loses the mental battle.“We’ve decided that the radio isn’t something worth fixing,” Monty explains hesitantly, like breaking it to him gently is going to soften the blow. Bellamy can feel Raven and Monty, even Murphy, watching him, gauging his reaction before he can even process what Monty has said.Whatever it is he is processing, he’s not liking it. “And when did we make that decision?” If he can hear the challenge in his voice, then they definitely can too.Raven takes a deep breath, almost a heavy sigh, and Bellamy already feels the beginnings of a fight. “We made that decision when we decided we want to go back to Earth in five years. Or have you changed your mind on that?” She counters.To his credit, he doesn’t take the bait. But he also doesn’t back down.It took less than a day of them being on the ground before the first fight broke out. It’s kind of remarkable that it’s taken them two weeks in space before they truly start arguing over something minor.“I understand it’s not the most important thing we need to worry about at the moment, but I don’t see why we can’t try and fix it eventually,” he says in the most even voice he can manage. He feels his anger starting to bubble, knows it’s mostly unwarranted.Before Raven can speak, Monty cuts in, clearly trying to diffuse the situation. “We’re going to need to use parts from the communication system to build whatever we try to get home in. Even if we got the radio working, we’d have to dismantle it eventually.”“And that makes it not worth fixing? Even if we got in contact with the bunker for a day to see that they’re alive?” He argues, voice rising.“What then?” Raven protests. “You hear Octavia for five minutes like you did in the lab, only for it to be ripped away from you again? Is it worth the pain you’d feel after?”“Or the pain you’d feel if they got it working and nobody answers ‘cause they’re dead,” Murphy adds. “I’m with them, no radio.”For a moment, Bellamy sees red. “It’s a real shame nobody asked for your opinion then, Murphy,” he growls, just barely holding himself back from shoving Murphy into the nearest wall.Octavia and the rest of them being dead in the ground is not an option.Murphy still takes a step back, hands raised in front of him. “Hey, if you didn’t want my opinion, you could have just told me to go to the med room. Like you said, we need to stay focused, and that radio decides whether we go back or we stay here. I vote going back.”“There is no vote,” Raven says, voice pure irritation. “Monty and I need the parts for the ship, and we’re not going to do anything that will jeopardize anyone’s will to go back to Earth.” She directs her attention straight at Bellamy. He stares back, blood still simmering, still looking to fight.“I’m right. You know I’m right. So go take a break. Go chill out, anything to get you to settle down.” Bellamy doesn’t miss his own words being used against him.He levels them all with a final glare they don’t really deserve, but does as she asks, leaving the room fuming.He comes back later, after he’s calmed down and accepted the fact that he overreacted.Raven’s the only one there. She definitely notices him, and she definitely ignores him in favor of continuing her work underneath the monitors.Still, he clears his throat before speaking. “Knowing you’re right is a hell of a lot easier than accepting you’re right,” he tells her gruffly.He gets why the radio shouldn’t be fixed. If he didn’t hear his sister’s voice, he’s not sure he’d even care about going back. The heart he’s trying to ignore can’t take losing anyone else.But he’s still not happy about it.She slides out from where she is and reaches her arm up. Bellamy grabs her hand and pulls her up. “I don’t want an apology,” she tells him when she’s facing him. “I want you to trust that I’m going to do everything I can to keep us alive and get us back to the ground. If I thought the radio would help, I’d work on it. I need you to trust me on that.”Bellamy nods, tries out a smirk that probably falls flat. “If there’s one thing I don’t doubt, it’s your brain.”Raven shoves his shoulder, amusement dancing in her eyes. It only lasts a second, her face sobering immediately. She turns to press a few keys on one of the computers, where the screen lights up with bright red numbers.1,811.“Don’t focus on the radio,” she gestures to the screen. “Focus on that.”1,811 days until they can go back. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A year into being in space, Bellamy doesn’t think the others could say or do anything that could possibly surprise him.They’ve come to know each other on a deeply personal level at this point, most of the time in good ways, sometimes not. But it would take a lot for Bellamy to be really, truly surprised.And then Murphy says, “I got you a present.”His voice itself is enough to startle Bellamy since he was so engrossed in reading through a section of Raven’s notes on her initial rundown of supplies they will need for the ship.He’s been trying to decipher this symbol and that word for hours, and hadn’t realized the dull throb in his head, or just how hard he was concentrating on the paper until he looks up and has to squint at Murphy and Emori so his eyes can focus on their forms in his room.Once he’s able to see them clearly, he’s able to process what Murphy said, or – at least know what words he said. The context still isn’t making much sense to him.“You got me a–”“Present,” Murphy finishes, aiming for a casual tone.Which, doesn’t really clear much up.“Okay?” Bellamy says, hearing his confusion leak into his voice.Emori takes pity on both of them, bumping Murphy’s side supportively before explaining. “You’ve been squinting a lot lately when you read. We’ve all noticed, and Harper thinks that’s where the headaches are coming from. She says you’re straining your eyes.”Bellamy opens his mouth, ready to deny it. But Murphy cuts him off. “Think about it. Everything’s blurry on paper until you concentrate really hard, and then you have to let them adjust back before you can see your surroundings again. I bet you have a headache right now.”He glares in place of responding, not willing to lie, but also not willing to openly confirm Murphy’s assumption.When neither of them say anything else, Emori jumps back in. “On the ground, we didn’t really have these,” she says, placing a bag on the desk he was reading at. It’s lumpy, with whatever’s inside poking the fabric in different spots. “But John said one of them should hopefully help you, so he’s been picking them up when we’re looking for pieces for Raven.”Not knowing what to say, still not fully understanding, Bellamy reaches for the bag, opening it up to find…Glasses.More eye glasses of different shapes, colors, and sizes than Bellamy could have even imagined resided in this section of the Ark.He looks up at the couple, eyebrows raised.Murphy clears his throat, sounding almost – embarrassed. “One of them should make looking at small things a little clearer. I’m rooting for the leopard print ones.”At that, Bellamy lets out a foreign laugh. The vibrations, the sound, startle him. He hasn’t felt this kind of warm, this kind of happy, in a long time, but he’s grateful nonetheless. Maybe he does need glasses, and everyone else took the time to notice, to care, when he didn’t have a clue.“Thank you,” he says, trying to express how much this means to him in two little words. Glancing at the two of them again, Bellamy thinks that’s it. They came to bring him a ton of glasses to try out, and now they’ll move on to whatever they’re going to do next.But he watches as Emori bumps Murphy again, this one a little stronger, almost like she’s telling him to keep going.“Uh,” Murphy starts, pausing to glance at Emori, who smiles encouragingly. “There’s something else too.”Their uncertainty, the way Murphy seems to be treading carefully with what he’s trying to say, makes Bellamy alert all over again.“Another present?” He asks, trying to diffuse the rising tension in the room he doesn’t understand.Murphy smirks, giving a shake of his head. “Just try on the glasses, find the pair that work best, and then come find me.”Bellamy can’t shake the uneasiness that comes with how vague Murphy is being. But he looks at Emori, and she still has that look of encouragement on her face, so it can’t be anything that bad.“You find a way to get us back on Earth?” he quips, trying to break his apprehension.“A closer guess than you would think,” Murphy mutters as he heads into the hall.“We hadn’t gone through this section yet because I didn’t think there would be much to salvage,” Murphy explains as Bellamy and him make their way down the dimly lit hallway. “I mean, when I was locked up, there wasn’t much to begin with, and I figured whatever there was would have been cleared out once they sent us to the ground.”Bellamy continues to listen, trying to take in the Sky Box as they walk through it, trying to take in the place where so many of the people he cares about were forced to live.“Plus,” Murphy adds, “I hate this place almost as much as my folk’s quarters.”Bellamy nods, not knowing what to say. He reaches up to adjust the black frames he had chosen from the bag, just to do something with his hands.When they reach a particular door, they stop, and Bellamy can feel Murphy watching him. “I was never in solitary, but I heard the rumors. When I found this, I was just going to leave it. But, Emori thinks you deserve to see it.”Any uneasiness that had dissipated from when Murphy gave him the glasses comes back ten-fold. He wants to say he doesn’t know what Murphy’s talking about, but his heart tells him otherwise.“I’ll wait out here,” Murphy tells him, settling in on the ground, but watching Bellamy the entire time, like he’s afraid of how he’ll respond.Bellamy takes a shaky breath, hand almost shaking when he grabs for the handle to slide the door open.He steps in, and the air rushes out of his lungs instantly. He vaguely registers the door clicking shut behind him, but he’s too consumed with taking it all in.Because all around him, there’s Clarke. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- He hadn’t understood, didn’t get why Murphy had mumbled those words.A closer guess than you would think.But then he’s standing in front of a sole drawing on the ground of the cell – a clear night sky, the moon and stars shining bright – and he gets it.It’s not the scene on the ground that brings him to his knees, the accuracy shocking when she hadn’t ever seen such a night yet when drawing this. It’s not even the walls, where not a single inch of space is left untouched from charcoal.It’s that if he looks hard enough, he can see her.Clarke, running out of room on the walls and resorting to start her work on covering as much of the space on the ground as well.Clarke, who had started that drawing, and was pulled away before she could finish it, if the partial sketches branching out from the main piece are anything to go by.Clarke, who never came back to draw more.Everything about what she went through is here in this room, and Bellamy feels whatever cage or locks he tried to place on his heart shatter instantly.Before everything happened with his mom and Octavia, before his whole world shattered for the first time, Bellamy thought that he would eventually have to take on duties in the Sky Box. None of the guards particularly liked the shifts, which meant they were left to the newest members, and he was sure his time would eventually come where he would have to guard not only the people sentenced to the Sky Box, but those who were so terrible, so unpredictable, that they had to be locked up, completely alone – in solitary.But then his mom died and Octavia was taken.When news broke about Jake Griffin and his daughter, the former being floated and the latter being condemned to solitary until her eighteenth birthday, he was too numb to care.He thinks he might cry, now, start sobbing with the absolute pain that is breaking through his chest and trying to tear him apart with each gulp of air he tries to take in.Terrible, unpredictable Clarke Griffin, his ass.They locked her up. They kept her away from anyone who could possibly lend a hand or send a warning to someone who would listen about what was happening to the Ark.He doesn’t cry.No, instead, he reaches a tentative hand out in front of himself. He tries to steady the tremble, from sadness or anger (maybe something else, he isn’t sure) and brushes the softest of touches against that starry night.He jolts his hand away when he sees the smudge he made.He rubs the smear of black between his fingers, and can almost imagine that the drawing is fresh and that Clarke will come from behind any second and yell at him for messing up her work.Wishful thinking, he supposes.Getting back on his feet, Bellamy makes his way over to one of the four small, decorated walls.She was here. Probably drew anything to keep herself from going out of her mind with loneliness.There’s trees branching from various corners, and Bellamy finds himself surprised all over again with how accurate and detailed they are for having never seen the real thing yet.He briefly wonders if she based them off pictures she saw in Earth Studies, or if it was her own hopes and dreams of what the Earth held for her to find one day.Trees, and vines, and flowers, and beetles.Ships and pyramids, ancient buildings he always wanted to learn more about, even one very detailed picture of a scorpion – all for her to dream about one day seeing.He feels his heart thump harder and harder in his chest, released from its confines, now trying to simply burst as he resists tracing any of the sketches in fear of disturbing them.And with an awareness so sudden, Bellamy realizes what she would want him to do if she didn’t make it. She told him for stars sake.“I made a mistake,” he whispers to her hoarsely. “You didn’t want me to lock it away.”Head and heart. He doesn’t need to shut one down and focus on the other.He needs to use both.“You never believed me,” he accuses gently. Eyes burning, he laughs with a sort of dark amusement. “That nothing was going to happen to you,” he clarifies to no one.Bellamy moves to sit on her abandoned cot, apparently the only thing she had in this prison besides her charcoal. He rests his elbows on his knees, head settling in his waiting hands, and takes what he hopes is a deep, cleansing breath.“I’m going to use my head to keep them alive,” he tells her, staring at the ground, “and I’m going to use my heart to keep you alive.” Still, whatever’s left of it starts to crack into its final, minuscule pieces.He loved her, and he never told her. And he’ll live with that until the day he dies.The cot creaks underneath him as he moves to stand. He slowly turns around to take it all in once more, closing his eyes to feel her essence emanating from every corner. He doesn’t have faith in a greater being, or even the afterlife, but if she’s somewhere in these walls, watching over them, he hopes the second the Earth starts to heal, she finds it, and she thrives in it.“I love you,” he says, his voice the strongest it’s been, testing words that he thought a thousand times, but never voiced.And then he reaches for the door and slides it open, stepping out without another glance back. Murphy jumps to his feet, eyes immediately surveying Bellamy for damage he can’t see. “Good?” He asks cautiously.Bellamy nods his head, looks Murphy straight in the eyes so he knows he means it. “I’m good,” he tells him.Murphy’s shoulders drop a sliver in relief.“Find the key and lock it up,” Bellamy adds, and watches Murphy’s shoulders tense up two times higher than they were.“What?” Murphy asks, shock coloring his tone.“I want the door sealed,” Bellamy repeats.He’d never heal. He’d never be able to function how they all needed him to.“Thank you for showing me,” he tells Murphy sincerely, “but I can’t go back in there.”And he would. He’d go back again and again and again. Glutton for punishment.When Murphy doesn’t speak, but gives Bellamy his nod in understanding, Bellamy turns and walks out of the Sky Box.If he went back, let those fractured pieces of his heart continue to splinter and break, there’d be nothing left to keep her alive, to remember her.He can’t let that happen. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Clarke’s sharpening their kitchen knives when Madi strolls in from her daily walk.Two years after finding Madi, and not a single sign of anything living has popped up. No plants, no animals, and no people.But Clarke can’t bring herself to let those knives grow dull from them cutting through crisped foliage and charred trees around the island, searching for signs of hidden bunkers or storage areas. They haven’t found any other weapons throughout the mansion, no hordes of guns or anything, so she’s making do with what they’ve got.“Find anything interesting?” Clarke calls at the sounds of Madi’s shuffling. She turns just as she walks into the room, and Clarke will never get over the change over the past two years. How even under the circumstances, Madi at least looks healthy.Madi shrugs, placing a pair of smoothed rocks on the table in front of Clarke. “The water is getting strong in the stream. I followed it to the sea and found these,” she says, gesturing to her rocks.The rocks, are a normal thing.After the incident with the Grounder trap, Madi stayed close to Clarke when they wandered through the woods, eyes always trained to the ground for snares and nets.They had spent weeks searching the woods for other hidden traps, rigging them so that they were useless, leaving a few for their own use in case there were other Night Bloods that showed up that weren’t friendly.And in the process, Madi started collecting rocks from the ground that fascinated her.Some were sharp, others were colorful, all were small and caught her attention. With so little to entertain themselves, Clarke encouraged that curiosity that drove Madi, letting her relearn the freedom of walking through the woods on her own after that first incident and adding to her collection before coming back for her lessons with Clarke.Lessons that Madi excelled in, practically having English completely mastered.Clarke reaches out to grab the rocks, running her hands over the smooth edges. “That’s good. If the water is coming back, hopefully that means the plants aren’t far behind. The sea,” Clarke adds, treading carefully, “that’s farther than you normally go.”She ignores the uneasiness she feels at realizing Madi wasn’t in the vicinity like she thought she was, that if Madi needed her, Clarke probably wouldn’t have heard her.To Madi’s credit, she just rolls her eyes at Clarke’s hovering. “I was fine,” she assures Clarke.But her tone has Clarke’s attention, though she continues with her knives, not wanting to make a big deal of it. She’s learned all of Madi’s voices, in Trigedasleng and English. And this voice tells her there’s more.“I found something else,” Madi eventually says, having moved to sit next to Clarke.“Yeah?”Madi nods her head. “There’s a sleeping beast near the sea.”Clarke’s hands pause in their motions. If Madi hadn’t had her full attention, she has it now. “A what?”“A beast,” she repeats. “It’s sleeping under a lot of the burned trees. It didn’t move when I walked up to it.”Clarke stares at her, unsure what to say next, and Madi knows it, if the challenge in her eyes is anything to go by. She’d think it was Madi’s imagination, finally having a moment for little childlike, whimsical fantasies.But this is Earth. Kids don’t have time to be childlike and whimsical.“Are you sure it was sleeping and not dead?” She asks instead.For the first time, Madi appears the slightest bit unsure, looking down at her hands. “I don’t know. Its eyes were open, but it wasn’t moving. I thought sleeping made more sense if it had survived.”A beast. Was it even possible for something to live out in the woods? Something that’s stuck to the coastline, away from them?“Do you remember where it was?”“Yeah, it’s an easy walk,” Madi tells her.Clarke tucks the knives back into the cloth they keep them in, getting up to toss them in a bag. She keeps one in her hand. “You got your knife?”Madi pulls the small knife out of the pocket of her pants as she watches Clarke toss the bag over her shoulder.At Madi’s confusion, Clarke smiles. “Let’s go check out this beast, then.”Madi isn’t wrong.To a grounder child who had never seen such a thing, calling it a ‘beast’ is nothing but accurate, especially with the headlights rounded like eyes peering out from where it’s buried.But to Clarke, it only has one name.“Madi,” Clarke says breathlessly, hands already roaming over part of the cool exterior exposed from under the debris Praimfaya had left behind.“You found the Rover,” Clarke tells her excitedly.It takes every sharpened edge of those knives to cut the charred trees and brush away, but Clarke’s excitement fuels Madi’s, and before they know it, they’re standing in front of the full glory of the Rover, looking almost completely unharmed.Bellamy would hide it in the trees before he left it, in hopes that it’d be here when they came back. She can’t believe she never truly thought to go looking for it.“So, it’s not alive?” Madi asks, eyeing it warily.“Not in the way you’re thinking,” Clarke says. “But give it some time in the sun.”Madi just turns her skepticism on Clarke instead.“You want me to get inside it?” Clarke puts in a great effort to rein in her smile at the disbelief in Madi’s voice. “What’s going to happen?”“There’s only one way to find out,” Clarke retorts, pulling open the door to the driver side and sliding in.She lets Madi just watch her through the windshield, see that she’s fine, sitting in the Rover. She knows this is something completely new for her, and she can’t blame her for being leery.But she knows Madi, and Clarke sees the exact moment that determination sparks in her eyes.She’s yanking the passenger door open a second later, eyes roaming the interior for anything that could hurt them. She gets in, and very tentatively closes the door, almost bracing for something to happen.Clarke smothers her smile by reaching for the buckle to stretch across Madi’s small body, the question in her eyes immediate.“I never really learned how to drive one of these,” the buckle clicks, “I did it once, over two and a half years ago.” When Roan’s soldiers forced her to drive or die, when Bellamy came for her.She turns the key, and the Rover roars to life, making Clarke’s blood thrum. Madi’s apprehension only seems to grow.“So it may be a bumpy ride,” Clarke warns, and then presses on the pedal.It is a bumpy ride, the Rover jumpy over bumps and flying through the barren woods as Clarke gets a feel for it. But eventually, they get to a patch of smooth ground, and the wind, the speed, calls to Clarke.And they go faster.She looks over to Madi, and she doesn’t hide her smile this time. Not when Madi’s eyes are as wide as can be, the brightest smile Clarke has ever seen breaking across her face as her hair flies in every direction.They go around and around, Clarke getting more comfortable, Madi getting braver, sticking her arm out the window to feel the air whipping by them.And when the Rover’s power starts to ween, she steers it towards the mansion, bringing it to a halt right in front.They look at each other simultaneously, matching grins on their faces. “See, now,” Clarke says, “was that so bad?”Madi’s responding laugh is the best thing Clarke has heard in years. She feels it as much as Clarke does – the freedom, the possibilities.That night, once they’ve come down from the high, Clarke reaches for the radio.“I get why you have a thing for the Rover.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “So… we got lost,” Clarke tells him, sitting on the hood of the Rover.She hears Madi’s snort from inside the vehicle, the sound echoing out from the open windows. “You got lost,” she calls, “I don’t even know where we’re going.”Clarke rolls her eyes, doesn’t hide her smile. Madi’s in the back of the Rover, so there’s no one to call her out on it. “Hasn’t stopped you from telling me when to turn,” she shoots back teasingly. Clarke holds the button down through their exchange, just in case Bellamy can hear them. She wants him to hear Madi, know that she’s really not alone down here.Madi knows all about him, all of them, and listens to her talk to them every day.She just, hasn’t seemed to have any interest in talking to them herself.Which Clarke gets. Madi hears all of these stories about the people in the sky, but that’s all they are to her – characters in a bedtime story. Clarke knows they’ll love Madi, and Madi will warm up to them once she gets used to the wide range of personalities. But until they get here, all she has are the images Clarke describes for her.So Clarke holds the button so Bellamy can at least hear Madi’s voice while she calls Clarke out, and then continues laying out what they’ve seen so far on their first road trip away from the island. How neither of them have been happier in years, finding each other and their first ride in the Rover the only things beating it.It took Clarke another week and a half to finally feel like she had a strong hold on controlling the Rover, Madi and her adding driving practice as another segment of their regimented routine.And then they decided to break that routine, packing three days’ worth of food into the back of the Rover so they could check out the damage that Praimfaya inflicted where the bunker is, where her mom and Marcus, Miller and Jackson, Octavia and thousands of others are living for a little under three more years.It’s a good thing they packed so much extra food, for what’s supposed to be a day’s ride. Because again, they’re lost. It all just looks the same – burnt tree here, singed rocks there, crunchy twigs and dirt everywhere.She’s glad she brought the radio too. She wouldn’t want him to worry if she missed a day.Clarke tilts her head back against the windshield, looking up at the night sky. There’s stars speckling the darkness, and she hopes that one of them isn’t a star at all, but a station, keeping her friends alive.“I don’t want you to worry. I’m pretty sure I can get us back to the island if we can’t find the temple. We’ve driven around there enough that I can pick up what little landmarks there are. And,” she adds, smile turning to a smirk, “the Rover is still in one piece.”She decides not to mention the scratches and dents that have coincidentally popped up on it over the past week and a half. All of his worry would transfer to the precious Rover.No it wouldn’t, her conscience chides. He’d worry more that she’d get themselves killed by driving off a cliff, or into a tree or something.Clarke shakes her head, focusing back on the radio, on Bellamy.“I think we’ll find it tomorrow, I’ll keep you updated. Tell the others how awesome of a driver I am,” she says in goodbye.Sliding off of the hood, she takes one more glimpse at the sky, trying to picture him up there listening.She silently opens the back doors, slipping in as quietly as possible assuming Madi has already fallen asleep, and shuts them again. She’s learned Madi falls into slumber fast, and sleeps like a rock until Clarke wakes her up. But the way a dark pile of blankets shifts in the corner tells her otherwise.“Are you still awake?” It’s too dark to see anything in the Rover, so Clarke pushes one of the doors back open so that the moonlight can shine inside.“Does Bellamy really care about the Rover that much?” She asks, a question for a question.Clarke moves to settle in next to Madi, grabbing one of the blankets they had taken from the mansion. “I like to tease him because he always had to be the one to drive it everywhere,” she explains. “But I’m sure he’s just freaking out that I’ll get us hurt because I drive it into a tree too.”“Too?”Clarke smiles in the dark. “He drove one into a tree on accident before Praimfaya.” And then we were ambushed, she doesn’t say. “It can be dangerous if you don’t know how to drive it, which is why I wanted to practice so much before we left.”From what little of Madi’s face Clarke can see, she’d say that Madi looks almost thoughtful. “I like the Rover.”“Yeah, me too,” Clarke agrees.Madi turns so that she’s laying on her back, staring up almost like if she looks hard enough, she’ll be able to see the stars through the ceiling. “I like–,” she pauses.“You like…,” Clarke prods.“I like the way I feel when we’re in the Rover. I don’t think I can sleep because of it,” she admits. “I don’t know how to say it. Breik au?”But Clarke understands immediately, even if she feels a twinge in her heart. It’s the same feeling she’s felt since she pressed on that pedal the first time, and every time after. The same feeling that hasn’t settled since they left the island.She’s not entirely sure what the word is for it in Madi’s language, but–“Freedom,” Clarke says. “You feel free.”Free from Praimfaya, free from the mansion, free from the island. It’s the same way Clarke felt taking those first steps off of the Dropship and onto Earth.“Freedom,” Madi repeats, testing out the word slowly like she does whenever Clarke tells her a new word. She rolls back over so Clarke can see the glimmer of her smile in the moonlight. “I like the feeling of freedom,” she tells her on a yawn, before snuggling back under her mountain of blankets. “Bellamy must like it too,” she mumbles sleepily. Present tense, not past.He does. You and him deserve every freedom the world has to offer, she wants to say.Instead, Clarke turns her attention to the open back door, listening for any sound to convince her she should shut it again for their safety.But there’s not even any bugs humming in the night.They’re the only ones out here, and Clarke can’t bring herself to shut themselves inside like they do in the mansion at night.So she gently pushes the other door open with her foot, a breeze traveling in.She knows there’ll be no going back to the mansion permanently after this.Huddling under her own blankets, Clarke turns to face Madi even though she can hear her even breaths, signalling she’s asleep.“I like it too,” Clarke finally whispers, and shuts her eyes as another breeze brushes her cheek. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Three years later, the fish start coming back.“Uh, are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Madi calls from the shoreline, carefully working on rolling her pants up so that the ocean waves don’t soak them, and then routinely reaching up to adjust her beanie.When she and Madi broke into the latest bunker, they took full advantage of the stock of clothes that was there. Madi adopted that hat, and she refuses to take it off, even when the sun is scorching them. (Clarke had made sure to tell her about Miller and his beanie the first time she caught sight of it.)Clarke, makeshift spear in hand, doesn’t take her eyes off of the water where she’s wading, looking for any shine to flicker beneath. “How hard can it be?”At that moment, a fish darts by, and Clarke jabs the spear at it, aiming for the kill.And gets her spear jammed into the sandy floor of the shore.“Apparently very,” Madi snorts, striding through the waves to reach her.Clarke gives her a harmless glare before turning her attention back to the water. “If we had a net, then it would be easy,” Clarke reasons, eyes catching another glimmer in the water and missing yet again.“Then make a net. Or we can use one from one of our traps,” Madi tells her, reaching out for the spear, which Clarke gives only half reluctantly.“I would have if I had known we’d actually see a lot of them today,” Clarke mutters.Three years.It’s taken that long for the Earth to finally begin its healing, and Clarke and Madi have made it one of their many missions to find every last bit of evidence that finally, finally, things are beginning to change.There’s an area of vegetation just off of Becca’s island that seems to grow by the day, showing off a green that made Clarke cry the first time Madi pointed it out. She had to resist the urge to brush her hands over the soft greens in fear that she would stint their growth.Bugs have come back in abundance, much to Madi’s dismay. Clarke would say she’s thrilled with any sign of life that reveals itself to them, but then she remembers all the griping and complaining Madi did the first time she was covered in mosquito bites and itchy all over.They’ve heard little critters skittering around, and have gotten glimpses of stray fish starting to pop up here and there, but they’ve still stuck to the dried rations they find in the few bunkers they’ve scavenged through.And it’s been enough.Madi’s as healthy as ever, face maturing and curiosity bubbling, and while Clarke’s certainly not the same shape she was when Praimfaya hit, she likes to think that that’s for the better. She’s leaner, stronger. She can feel the muscles in her arms and legs and know that she’s doing well too.But that doesn’t stop her from wanting to devour one of those fish from the school of them they saw meandering through the waters. There’s finally enough fish to start to hunt, and Clarke wants Madi to get a taste of something fresh.A splash where Madi is catches Clarke’s attention, and there Madi is – arms holding the spear in a defensive position, and a fish flailing helplessly at the end Clarke had sharpened to a point.“How did you do that?”Madi just shrugs, head tilting to the side to observe the fish dangling in front of her. “Must be the Grounder in me.”Clarke rolls her eyes. “All of you is Grounder,” she tells Madi, treading toward her to analyze the fish. No malformations, good coloring, one head, two eyes. Normal.“I’ve got Skaikru too,” Madi reminds her, handing Clarke the spear so that she can give a closer inspection to the fish. Clarke smiles, the argument older than the fish swimming around them.“That you are, strik natblida. I think I’m going to test this one out, make sure it’s safe before you eat it.” It may look normal, but Clarke remembers vividly what happened to Luna’s people when they ate radiated fish from the ocean. Even if the nightblood protects them like it had Luna, she had still suffered. And Clarke won’t allow anything to hurt Madi.That night, they eat jerky as Clarke gets the fire going, and then she cooks the fish. The smell alone makes both of them reach for another piece of jerky.When it’s cooked through, Clarke rips off a chunk of the meat, giving it a sniff before popping it into her mouth and chewing.“How’s it taste?” Madi asks, eyeing the remnants of the cooked fish in a way that makes Clarke guilty. But she won’t risk Madi.“Tastes like fish,” she tells her after swallowing. She resists the urge to take another piece, or even lick the fatty juices off of her fingers, not wanting to rub it in Madi’s face. Given a few days, Madi can eat all of the fatty fish her heart desires.An hour later, Clarke’s stomach gives its first nauseous clench.“Clarke,” she hears Madi say. “Clarke, please. You need to wake up.”She tries to open her mouth and settle that worry that seems to be etched into Madi’s voice. But she can’t speak, can’t move.Her stomach roils, her body wanting sleep and relief from the pain.“Clarke!” She hears again, but Madi’s too far away.“Bellamy?” A pause, and then Madi’s uncertain voice echoes in Clarke’s ears. “I don’t know if you can hear me, or if you ever hear Clarke, but I need help. Clarke’s sick. Really sick. She ate a fish from the ocean and now she can’t get up. Her skin’s all red and it looks like it hurts. And if she’s awake, she’s throwing up and doesn’t know what’s going on.”It hurts, but Clarke forces her eyes open, coming face-to-face with Madi’s watery ones glaring at the radio. Clarke shifts slightly, but then a pain she’s far too familiar with races through her body – irradiated skin.“Now would be a good time for you to start talking on this box,” Madi demands, frustration and fear warring in her tone, all hesitancy gone.Clarke rolls over on her bed roll, gagging on nothing and catching Madi’s attention. But Clarke’s too tired to say anything, lying back down and closing her eyes again.“No Clarke, you need to stay awake,” she tells her, and Clarke can feel her kneeling on the rocky ground in an instant, right next to Clarke. “You need to wake up because I can’t do this without you,” Madi begs. She shakes Clarke’s shoulder, and to Clarke’s utter relief, it doesn’t start a new wave of nausea.“No fish for you,” Clarke mumbles, near unintelligible.Madi’s breathless laugh is hysterical and relieved, all in one.“Clarke’s getting better. She’s sleeping a lot, but her skin is getting better and she’s drinking water. I– I thought you would want to know so you’re not worrying. I don’t really get how this works, with you way up in the sky, but I hope you’re okay too. All of you. Clarke can’t wait for you all to come back.I can’t either.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “What time is it?” Madi sighs, dropping the hunk of rock she was hauling to the side, and wiping the sweat away from her eyes. Despite her love for the beanie, it was carefully placed in the Rover an hour ago after Clarke lectured her for the thousandth time about heat exhaustion.Clarke tosses her own piece of rubble near the ever-growing pile and takes a moment to glance at the sky. “Looks like about noon.” She squints as the sun blares down on them, immediately tamping down on the hope she gets every time she looks to the sky.Madi comes to stand beside her, one of her hands shielding her eyes from the sun’s brightness as she takes her own quick glimpse at the sun.“So another hour or so?” She asks, turning her attention to Clarke.Clarke stares up for a second longer, then looks at the small pile they’ve accumulated over the past couple of hours. It’s next to the one from the week before, which is next to the one from the week before that, and so on, and so on.Then she focuses on the remaining mountain of it that still buries the bunker, and a different kind of exhaustion starts to make its reappearance in her bones.They’ve got a year before the ship comes back and the people from the bunker can come out, and more and more, Clarke’s beginning to wonder if even with the help of her friends, they’ll ever be able to clear away the entrance to the bunker so that everyone can get out.But she doesn’t tell Madi that.The bunker’s buried under the remains of the temple, and each time Clarke sees it, she feels herself drag a little more.They’ve come every week for over a year to work on clearing some more rocks and debris, and even if to her, it looks like there’s no end in sight, for Madi, it’s a part of the routine they’ve structured to keep themselves going.The first day of their week, every week, they drive the Rover to the temple and they clear. It’s how they make sure they’re not losing days, and with one more year to go, their countdown is more important now than ever.“How about we call it early today,” Clarke says, putting a smile on that she knows Madi can probably see right through. “We can go to the river to cool down and see if there’s any fish to catch.”(Because after two more bouts of ARS from radiated fish, Clarke was finally able to eat the fish without getting sick, and they haven’t stopped eating it since.)Madi just eyes her skeptically, like she knew she would. “You don’t want to do our normal time?”Normal time. What did that even mean anymore? With just the two of them, why was there even the need to keep such regimented track of their time?She knew the answer of course.Bellamy, her mom…They kept track for them, to be as ready as they could possibly be for when it was time for them all to be reunited. Recently though, some days were easier to remember that than others.She’s pulled out of her thoughts by the crunching sound of Madi’s boots heading towards the never-ending debris and picking up a piece that’s manageable for her to carry. At Clarke’s questioning look, Madi lifts her eyebrows. “Do we want this cleared in a year, or what?”And like every time Clarke gets lost in her thoughts, when that hopelessness starts to tickle the edges of her mind, Madi plows through them, scaring them away with her relentless determination.The smile Clarke gives her this time is genuine, and they both know it. “Half an hour, and then we go wash off. If it’s cooler next week, we’ll stay a little longer to make up the time.”Madi’s responding smile is proud in a way Clarke never thought she’d need from a child so much younger than her. “That’s more like it,” she tells Clarke, and then hurls her rock onto the top of the pile.With the heat of the day, when they settle to sleep that night, bellies full on as much fish as they could catch, they end up on the hood of the Rover, staring up at the sky.Sometimes, Clarke stays up all night, just watching the stars glisten and imagining Bellamy and the crew looking back down at their healing planet.Other times, even glancing up hurts.But after Madi updated Bellamy on the progress they made today (something she’s wanted to do more and more), she had wanted to sleep on the hood because the air was cooler outside than in the back with the doors opened, and Clarke could never deny her such a simple request.Still, today is one of those days where it hurts.“I know you get sad sometimes when you think about them.”Clarke startles, thinking Madi had fallen asleep and unprepared for her words.Madi turns her head so that Clarke can see her eyes glistening in the light from the moon and stars. “It’s alright. I don’t really remember much about my family, but if I couldn’t see you for years, I’d be sad too.”Even though she says the words in a whisper, they echo like thunder in Clarke’s ears.She didn’t want Madi to know this piece of her even existed, how sometimes that tickle of hopelessness ends up being a clutch that Clarke has to fight off before the morning comes. But she does, because a reluctant and sleepy eleven-year-old brightens every corner that doubt lingers in when she begins grumbling that it’s too early for lessons or work.Not knowing what words would be enough to even begin to explain that, Clarke just reaches out for Madi, pulling her into her side and holding onto her tight. They don’t do this as often as they did when she was younger, but they both know that sometimes they just need the other close.“You’re my seingeda too, you know that, right?” Clarke whispers back, resting her head on top of Madi’s.Her head shifts when Madi nods. “Sha, nomi,” Madi mumbles sleepily.And it’s not that feeling of hopelessness that keeps Clarke up for the rest of the night, but the relentless smile that’s been on her face since hearing that one, scarily big, seemingly right word for the first time: nomi. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Do you think they could have loved me?” Madi asks on the 1, 827th day, voice rough from disuse and tears.They’re in the back of the Rover, huddled together close under the furs, purely for some sense of comfort.Because they didn’t come down.Because they’re not here.Because Clarke completely lost it.Because once she had calmed down, she somehow had found herself wrapped up in the furs by herself with Madi stroking her hair, and that role reversal was just a little too much to bear after everything else that had happened over the past two days.So she had tugged Madi under the blankets, and they let their tears soak the furs as they processed the crushing realization that after five years, it was still just the two of them, without a delinquent in sight.At Madi’s question, Clarke hesitates before responding, instead choosing to reach up and comb her fingers through Madi’s hair in the same calming way Madi had done for her the day before.She waits, cataloguing her own thoughts, her own feelings, and tries to figure out what’s different.Her throat feels raw from the screams she’d been holding in from the beginning. Her body feels tired from her fitful sleep where one delinquent or other made an appearance every time she closed her eyes again.But her heart? Her mind? Those spots where she holds them, him, closest?Nothing’s different, and it takes her a moment to figure out why.Clarke hums, continuing her ministrations on Madi’s hair. “Madi,” she whispers, pulling back so that her daughter can look up at her, read her face as she listens to what Clarke says. “I’m sorry if I scared you yesterday,” Clarke starts, knowing that she gave herself her first moment of weakness since Praimfaya, but it wasn’t fair to Madi to have to deal with it. Not like that.And it’s a pure testament to how scared Madi actually was when her only response is to huddle close again and mumble an “it’s okay” into Clarke’s shoulder.Clarke’s responding sigh lifts Madi up a little on her chest before she releases the breath. “It’s not okay, and I should have prepared us for the possibility that they wouldn’t be able to make it in exactly five years. That wasn’t fair to them either.”Madi tilts her head enough that Clarke can see the confusion start to settle in. “What do you mean?” She asks warily.“I mean,” Clarke whispers into her hair, “that if Raven were to radio right now, she’d yell at me to give her some fucking slack.”“That’s a new word,” Madi picks up instantly, her curiosity pulling her from the topic at hand for the briefest of moments.Clarke can’t help the small chuckle that bubbles out of her. “It’s only to be used on truly special occasions, to really get a point across,” she reveals secretively as she squeezes Madi tight.Madi squeezes back. “You think they’re still up there?” She asks, sounding only the slightest bit wistful.Searching to the parts of herself that still feel the same as they ever have since that first day in that first year when she found that radio and called to them for that first time, she grasps onto that hope inside her that refuses to waver.“We’re still breathing,” Clarke says, echoing a conversation from a lifetime ago. “After five years on this crazy, burnt planet, we’re still breathing. So I still have hope that after five years up in that crazy hunk of metal in space, they’re still breathing too.”They have to be.Madi contemplates her words, brows scrunching thoughtfully. “So what do we do until they figure out how to get down here?”“They need time, so we’ll give that to them. And until then,” Clarke starts, “I think we need a break from our routine, don’t you?”Madi smiles, almost like she’s amused. “This will be our third day breaking it,” she reminds Clarke. But after keeping the structure for so long, Clarke can see the gleam in Madi’s eyes, the hint of rebellion that’s building up in herself just as quickly.“I think it’s time for a little fun, don’t you?”“Can you teach me to drive?” Madi hedges carefully, as if she’s been saving the question for just the right moment.To Clarke’s credit, she does ponder it for a solid five seconds before caving in at the pleading eyes Madi lays on her. “Sure,” she says, following Madi as she immediately pops up to hop out of the back of the Rover, “it can be fun.”“I didn’t know you could be fun, though,” Madi teases, mood instantly shifting as she races around to the driver’s side of the vehicle.Clarke just jumps out of the back, looking up at the sky and calling on that hope again. “I can be fun,” she mutters, not to Madi, but to that big hunk of metal floating up there somewhere.She ends up glaring at an empty, blue sky, but she’s sure he’d appreciate the reference.Hours later, when Madi has managed to add at least three new dents to the Rover and driven them at speeds Clarke has never ventured to hit, they end up back at the lab.They both get out of the Rover and stand side by side at the entrance. “We haven’t been here in a while,” Madi points out, looking to Clarke, waiting to hear what they’re doing.Clarke just nods and moves to push the entrance door open. “We haven’t had a reason to,” she grunts as the pressure on the door gives way.“And now we do?” Madi asks, treading forward into the lab slowly, immediately stopping when she hits the first of the hundreds of sketches spanning the floors and walls.Clarke comes up behind her, giving her a little nudge forward. “Now, I have a story to tell you. One of warriors and monsters and a castle in the sky.”Madi nods before continuing her careful trek forward. “Let’s update Bellamy first.”And despite the lingering pain and disappointment that’s settled deep into her bones, Clarke finds herself smiling as she follows along behind Madi.After, when they’re scrunched up on the lone couch in the lab and the story is done, Clarke adds one more piece as Madi drifts off.“And those seven warriors in the sky, Madi, they are going to love you so much,” she murmurs softly, “every part of them will love you the moment they meet you.”“When?” Madi mumbles incoherently, probably not even realizing she responded.Clarke tucks her in close.“Soon,” she whispers into Madi’s hair, letting that hope wrap around them. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Madi, load the guns,” Clarke demands urgently, never taking her eyes off of the foreign ship in the sky, peeking into her rifle’s scope every few seconds to see more and more that tells her they’re not safe out in the open like this.Eligius Corporation.Prisoner Transport.“All of them?” Madi responds instantly, going from sleepy to excited to alert and ready to help, with only the slightest hint of incredulity at the sudden urgency in Clarke’s orders.They just found those guns a few months ago in a bunker scavenge. They haven’t needed guns in the six years they’ve been together. And now Clarke’s asking her to get every single one of them ready for immediate use when it’s supposed to be their friends coming down from the sky.“All of them,” Clarke repeats, her initial rush of excitement and anticipation now combining with adrenaline and fear, racing through her all at once. She gives Madi a nudge toward the Rover when she turns to see her eyes trained on the ship as well. “Madi, move the Rover and get under the trees. Now.”Madi moves back toward the trees, but halts after that lone step. “What about you?” She asks Clarke, her own anxiety only showing in her eyes that keep flitting over Clarke’s shoulder to the ship behind her.Clarke slides her rifle onto her back, moving a step away from Madi and toward the slope of hill that would bring her closer to the ship. “I’m going to go check out who’s on that ship, stay under the trees and stay hidden until I come back,” she instructs, fighting every instinct inside her that tells her to take Madi and run in the opposite direction. Back towards the lab or the mansion, anywhere that doesn’t have people, prisoners, in it.If these people are good, then they need to know. But there are no good guys.So if they’re a threat, they definitely need to know.“If anyone comes near you, shoot them. Aim for their legs,” she calls to Madi over the jets of the ship, getting louder by the second as it moves to land.Madi nods in response, takes one more glance at the offending object landing just on the outskirts of their green land, and then heads to the driver’s side of the Rover to climb in.Clarke races down the hill the moment the Rover starts rolling back into the tree line, ducking behind any foliage cover that she can find. But the closer she gets to the ship, the less places there are for her to conceal herself.The ground shudders as the ship settles onto the ground just as she hits the bottom of the hill, where the last patch of trees lie before the lands open up to nothing but burnt Earth. Breathless, Clarke shuffles behind an outlier bush under that last ring of trees, settling onto her stomach and pulling her rifle around to get a look through the scope again.She sees those same words mocking her – Eligius Corporation, Prisoner Transport – as the ship stills and quiets.“If it’s not our friends, who are they?”Clarke startles as she whips her head in time to see Madi settle into the same position Clarke is in, resting her own rifle on her shoulder to check its scope.“What–,” Clarke stutters out, anger and panic rising simultaneously. “I said move the Rover and hide, not follow me!” She whisper-shouts.Madi has the audacity to roll her eyes before squinting into the scope. “You said to move the Rover and get under the trees. The Rover is moved and,” she tilts her head up, “I’m currently hiding under the trees, so I’m doing exactly what you told me to do.”Clarke openly gapes, sputtering out some exasperated sound in place of absolutely losing it at the moment. “That’s almost exactly the opposite of what I meant.”Madi ignores Clarke’s response in favor of peering into her scope again. “Nothing’s happening. It’s like when the Rover shuts down – a sleeping beast – only, way bigger. A sleeping monster,” she settles on.“I’m more concerned about the monsters inside it,” Clarke mutters, moving back into position.“If they are monsters,” Madi says, leaning away from the scope to look at Clarke, “we do what you always say in the story.”A chill runs down Clarke’s back, knowing she never intended for the monsters in her story to become part of their reality again. “We kill them all,” Clarke responds on reflex, having said it over and over since the first time she told Madi the story of the warriors and their castle.It’s then though, that the sleeping monster comes to life again as one of the hatches on the side of the ship pops open on a hiss. Sliding out and down until it settles onto the dusty Earth, the hatch becomes a bridge running from inside the ship to the ground beneath.“There’s something moving inside,” Madi whispers, alert in a way Clarke has never seen.Clarke looks into her own scope again in time to see the same movement. “Not something,” she whispers back, “someone.”“A lot of someones,” Madi comments as they watch a man and a women peer out of the opening, searching, their own guns held ready to fire. When they deem it clear, they move further down the ramp, where more armed people move to file out of the ship, making Clarke’s stomach plummet further and further.She ducks her head, trying to keep calm as she lets her rifle fall to her side. The two of them were going to be no match for dozens of armed prisoners.“What are they doing with those people in the back?” Madi questions, eye never leaving her scope.Clarke looks up, eyes squinting to see what Madi’s talking about and finding it instantly. In the back, there’s a small group of people being shuffled out by a last few armed people. The first one out is ragged with long hair and a beard covering his face, the next is smaller with short black hair blowing in the wind.“Are they the prisoners?” Madi asks, pointing to the words that Clarke is already too familiar with. “Their hands are bound,” she notes.Clarke squints again, trying to see as much as she can with just her eyes. “I don’t think so,” she says, only half-aware. Because the other half is stuck watching the third bound person appear from the ship.A woman.One who shoves back the moment one of the armed guards pushes her along.One who continues on proudly even as she continues to limp forward down the ramp.Clarke gasps, the sound strangled for all kinds of reasons as she scrambles to pull her rifle up to get a closer look.“Clarke?” Madi calls at Clarke’s sudden movements. “Clarke, what is it?”But she can’t find the words to respond, can only focus all of her energy into holding in her sob as she sees the woman turn her head to spit some kind of retort to one of the guards.As Raven gets shoved to the ground when the guard doesn’t like what she has to say.As Monty turns back to help her, despite the other guards beginning to shout at him.As Murphy, and Emori, and Harper, and Echo begin to emerge from inside the ship too, all looking ready to fight despite the guards pointing guns into their backs to herd them along.As the first one, the ragged one, as Bellamy turns as well, and proceeds to plow himself into the nearest guard without the slightest hint of hesitation, slamming into the ground and taking the guard that pushed Raven with him.As a gunshot rings out, making Madi jump and Clarke see white. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Can I sit here? The other tables are full.”The words are odd enough, awkward enough, that all Bellamy can do is lift his head to look at Monty. Bellamy raises an eyebrow at him, but only gets Monty patiently staring at him expectantly.Bellamy makes a show of looking around the area they all had designated suitable for eating after they had shoved some miscellaneous tables and chairs into the room, making far too much seating for a mere seven people. He makes the obvious, well, obvious, when his glance around the room to all of the empty tables is slow and deliberate.They’re the only two in here.When Bellamy redirects his raised eyebrow, and undoubtedly confused look, on Monty, he lasts for another moment or so before he heaves a sigh and plops into the seat directly across from Bellamy. “That was supposed to break the ice,” Monty huffs, glaring as much as Monty is possibly capable of glaring.Bellamy blinks, still not fully caught up on what’s going on. “I was unaware there was ice that needed to be broken,” he hedges, “but uh, consider it done?”Monty rolls his eyes in response, folding his arms in front of him on the table and resting his chin on his arms, eyes looking up at Bellamy. “Murphy told me about finding Clarke’s cell in the Skybox,” he explains matter-of-factly.If Bellamy hadn’t been expecting this exact conversation all week from at least one of them, if not all six in some way or other, he would have flinched at the first mention of her name.But, he is prepared, so though her name cuts straight through him like always, he lets the initial hurt wash over him so that the dull ache settles again. “Being that was a week ago, I’m surprised it’s taken this long for word to get around. News travels fast when the population is a grand total of seven,” he quips, closing the book he had been reading and reaching up to adjust his glasses.Monty seems to be settling in for a full-length conversation.With a sigh, Monty rolls his head so that he’s cradling it in his arms, eyes remaining on Bellamy. “I’m trying to ask a question here.”“Being the first one was about needing a seat in a room full of empty chairs, I really can’t begin to guess what your next one will be.”Monty turns his head so that it’s buried in his arms as he lets out a groan. His body swells with the deep breath he takes before lifting his head to look back at Bellamy. “Harper and I broke up.”“I’m sorry,” Bellamy responds instantly, replaying the conversation so far in his head, trying to see if Monty was making it known without saying it. “Are you okay?”If Monty is being weird because he needs to talk about him and Harper, then Bellamy can do whatever he needs.But instead, Monty jolts up in his seat, immediately alert and pointing one faintly scarred finger at Bellamy across the table. “That,” he says, sounding equal parts frustrated and determined, “that’s the question I’m trying to ask.”Bellamy pauses, which Monty capitalizes on.“You literally ask if everyone is okay all of the time, but the moment someone tries to check on you, you shut us out and go off on your own,” Monty accuses in a way that is caring at the same time, which is a true testament to who Monty is as a person.Squinting, Bellamy moves to lean back in his chair and cross his arms. “So…”“So this is me,” Monty says, mirroring Bellamy’s position, “trying to ask if you’re okay without actually asking if you’re okay because I know you’ll just talk around the question until we somehow end up talking about how I am instead.”Bellamy opens his mouth, but Monty cuts him off. “No. If the next words out of your mouth are going to be some deflection on how you’re completely fine and that seeing Clarke’s cell had absolutely no effect on you, I’m calling bullshit.”Silence follows, Bellamy at a loss and Monty taking a breath. “I’m fine, for clarification’s sake,” Monty explains. “Harper and me breaking up sucks, and I’m sure there’s going to be some super awkward moments until we get used it, but,” he pauses, seeming to consider his words, “I’m okay. I know I am because I know exactly how not okay I was when Jasper died. And I know that I had Harper to help me through it, especially when it came crashing back to me when I had more than two minutes to myself up here to actually think.”Bellamy feels himself deflate, shoulders sagging at the mention of Jasper and knowing how hard it is to say the name of the person you cared most for when they’re dead.“But you?” Monty goes on, leaning forward and clasping his healed hands together. “When you lost Clarke, you lost your Jasper and your Harper all in one person, and you spent five minutes letting yourself feel that pain and then you just – stopped. You stopped acknowledging it and you stopped talking about anything other than what and who needed fixing, and I still don’t think you’ve really acknowledged the fact that a week ago you stood in the last place that Clarke lived before going to Earth and proceeded to tell Murphy to seal it up for good.”“I–,” Bellamy tries, but falls short. His eyes are burning with the hurt he’s been trying to embrace all week long.The hurt that tells him that she’s still living on through every aching beat of his heart. Instead, he releases a breath through his nose and rests his elbows on the table, letting his head fall forward.Monty reaches out to take Bellamy’s hands, forcing him to look up. “You don’t have to tell me that you’re okay, especially if you’re not. But know that we’re all here for you too. You care for us constantly, but we can do that for you too. That’s what a family does,” Monty finishes, squeezing Bellamy’s hands with his scarred ones.Instead of forcing a reply, Bellamy nods his head, gently squeezing back before letting go and standing up.“I’m not okay,” he finally gets out as he pushes his chair in, and the words, while minimal, hit with maximum pain. He’s not okay.Monty nods his head thoughtfully. Not in an ‘I told you so,’ but in an ‘I understand.’“I’m not okay,” Bellamy repeats, “but I’m getting there.” He picks up his book and focuses on looking at the cover instead of at Monty watching him. “Thank you,” he adds belatedly.Monty’s responding smile is one of small triumphs. “Like I said, that’s what families do. And I get it, I know.”Bellamy wants to ask what Monty knows.But he already knows the answer, and Bellamy wonders if he was the only one who didn’t know, or at the very least didn't acknowledge it, when it really mattered. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- On the three year anniversary of being in space, Monty surprises them all.“So… Don’t ask for the logistics, and don’t ask for whether there is any way of improving it, ‘cause I tried just about anything I could,” he starts as he makes his way down the hall to them, which immediately catches everyone’s attention. If nothing else, Monty is always pretty direct, and the fact that he’s talking around the point while lugging a crate in front of him only peaks their interest.They’re all gathered near one of the windows of the ring, watching as they orbit the Earth like they’ve done for the past two anniversaries of their arrival.Everyone turns to Monty expectantly as they watch him carefully place the crate down right in front of the window. Bellamy takes a step forward to peer inside, bending down to pull two mismatched bottles from the crate, noting the numerous other odd bottles resting inside. Standing up, he lifts one to hold in front of his face, squinting at the slightly off-colored liquid sloshing around in the full bottle.Monty steps forward, taking the lifted bottle from Bellamy. “Murphy had mentioned that the algae was starting to grow in surplus a few months back, so I made sure there was still going to be enough for us to eat and then I took a bunch to do some experimenting. And I–”“Hey!” Murphy interrupts. “You said you had no clue why the algae had settled into growing at a normal rate again,” he accuses.Monty only looks marginally guilty. “I didn’t want to get your hopes up, and then when I got it right I wanted to save it as a surprise. We’re officially on the downhill slide – three years down, two more to go.”Raven steps forward at that, pulling the other bottle Bellamy was holding from his hands and holding it up to scrutinize more thoughtfully than he had. A wicked smile grows on her face a moment later.Catching the smile, Harper walks over to the crate to pick up another bottle. “So we’re celebrating with…,” she says, less hesitant with talking to Monty directly than Bellamy’s heard since they broke up.“Moonshine.” Everyone turns to Raven as she responds, popping open the lid on her bottle and taking a whiff at the contents within. She coughs a second later, the sound echoing partially like a laugh. ”Holy shit Monty, it smells fucking awful.”Monty nods, his own smirk settling in, “it tastes fucking awful too, but it’ll get the job done.”“What job?” Echo asks, speaking for the first time, eyeing the bottles in everyone’s hands suspiciously.Murphy snorts, crouching down to take two bottles and handing one to Emori’s waiting hand. “Of getting completely wasted,” he says, before opening up his and taking a large gulp, instantly choking on a cough as he swallows. Emori pats his back hard as his coughing subsides, only to be filled by almost-hysterical laughter. “Holy fuck, it is awful.”“Is it safe to drink?” Bellamy asks, immediately hesitating from reaching for his own bottle, trying to map out a way to get everyone else away from theirs before it kills them.But Monty just rolls his eyes before taking a swig of his own, barely coughing, telling Bellamy that Monty has absolutely been test-tasting this for some time. “It’s algae-flavored liquor,” he deadpans, “it’s not going to kill anyone, but I make no promises on what kind of hangovers we’ll have tomorrow.”“I’m sold,” Raven says, just before drinking a mouthful of moonshine, gulping it down and smirking like a champ when she doesn’t even cough.It’s enough of a go-ahead for Harper and Emori to start drinking as well, and then it’s just him and Echo watching their friends drink and laugh, and slowly and gradually, get absolutely drunk.“What’s ‘wasted’?” Echo questions, observing the rowdiness progressing in front of them with an untrustworthy eye.The question, as simple as it is, draws an amused smile out of Bellamy. He checks the crate to find exactly what he thought he would – two final bottles. He picks them up and holds one out to Echo, who pauses briefly before awkwardly gripping it by its thin neck.“Only one way to find out,” Bellamy tells her before chugging some of the moonshine from his bottle. He sucks in air through his teeth as the burn of it settles right into his stomach in the most satisfying of ways.He’s already taking another gulp as he watches Echo hesitantly bring the bottle to her lips to take a small sip.Bellamy smiles encouragingly, and then lets the moonshine do its job.Hours later, when all that’s left are empty bottles rolling across the floor of the control room after they somehow migrated there with giggling and sleeping people sprawled across various surfaces, Bellamy has just enough hindsight to do a headcount. He counts to six a handful of times, then realizes that he’s been counting himself and that he’s still one person short.Stumbling back from where they had made their slow, drunken expedition, he makes his way to the window where they had started their celebrations to find Echo with her back to him, swaying from side to side while staring down at her planet.Bellamy watches silently as she continues her motions, her head continuously lolling from side to side, bringing another smile to his face.He must do more than just smile, probably lets out a small chuckle without realizing it, because a second later she’s turning towards him with eyes wide and bright. “How long have you been standing there?” She asks, continuing her sway as she makes her way towards him.Bellamy’s smile only widens. “How long have you been swaying like that?” He counters.She only hums in response, closing her eyes as she reaches him. “The music,” she explains, her body refusing to stay in one spot, “I’m dancing to the music.”“And what does this music sound like?” Bellamy indulges, moving to rest his hands on the outsides of her arms to try and still her. Watching the movements is starting to make him dizzy.Eyes still closed, Echo suddenly stills. She opens her eyes, beseeching Bellamy in a way he’s never seen. “Like home,” she whispers, eyes moving to his lips. “The music sounds like home.”And then, before Bellamy’s clouded brain can even begin to function enough to see where things are heading, Echo tilts up until her lips are colliding with his sloppily.It’s a cold shock to Bellamy’s system, pulling him from his drunken stupor and instantly placing a leaden weight in his gut.Echo pushes forward, lips still against his.As gently as Bellamy possibly can, he pulls back – holding her in place where his hands are still resting on her arms.This time, when her eyes open, they’re filled with a sadness that resonates in his bones as understanding dawns on her. “I miss my home,” she admits, taking a step back out of Bellamy’s reach, but never looking away from him.Bellamy sighs, dragging a hand through his hair. “I do too,” he agrees, glancing past Echo to see Earth gliding by in the window. “But until we can get back to that home,” he gestures to the window, “we have to do the best we can here to make this place feel like home.”At that, Echo sighs, drawing him back to her sad eyes. “Sometimes home isn’t a place, Bellamy,” she tells him softly. “Sometimes… it’s a person.”With the remnants of the moonshine scattering his brain, Bellamy feels his eyebrows scrunch, watches as Echo smiles gently. “I do not mean this unkindly, but I think your home wasn’t Earth, but the person who was left there.”Ah, Bellamy thinks. Or maybe says aloud as he moves to slide down to the floor and lean against the wall of the hallway.Echo moves to join him, leaving a fair amount of space between them. “I never told you, but I am sorry – for all that has happened and for the loss of your home.”Bellamy just heaves a deep, heavy sigh, not having the words or the energy to respond.So much for celebrating. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Ow, fuck,” Bellamy swears as he grips his hand in a fist to his chest.He pulls it away quickly to glance at the damage, only to reapply the pressure when he sees the blood flowing freely over his palm and down his arm.Shit. One day.Raven had left him to sort through the scrap metal Murphy and Emori have been collecting, trying to figure out which pieces are usable for Raven to reinforce the outside of the ship. He’s been injury-free for five years, and it figures that Raven finally lets him start helping out with ship repairs and he manages to slice his hand open on the rusted edge of metal the following day.Not risking another glimpse at his hand, he moves as discreetly as he can through the halls to Harper’s infirmary, careful not to drip blood onto the floor as he goes.He sends silent thanks to whoever’s listening when he sees that it’s empty when he gets there, allowing him to shuffle through their supplies and wrap his hand hastily. He rushes through the motions, ones he hasn’t had to do in years, and moves to put everything he touched back in its place.His good hand hovers over their remaining antibiotics, fewer than what they started with from the few illnesses everyone has dealt with the past few years. Harper rations it strictly, only using them when absolutely necessary.Bellamy readjusts a turned bottle, and then turns to leave and change his bloodied shirt before making it back to the scrap room before anyone notices he’s gone.It’s just a cut, no need to waste any medicine on it.“How’re you doing in here?” Raven calls out as she walks into the room.Bellamy pops his head up from behind the pile of metal he was working on before cutting his hand. “Still scanning through piles to see what’s the least rusted,” he tells her, watching her eye him.“You spent the past hour just staring at the piles seeing which one you want to go through first?” She asks dubiously.She takes a step toward him, and Bellamy turns his body so his hand is hidden from her line of sight. “Just making sure we’re using the best pieces to line the ship.”Raven snorts, making another step toward him. “We’ll be using more rusted pieces than not, so quit being so nit-picky.”“Then I’ll start with this one,” he says, making a show of picking up a piece from the top of the pile in front of him. “I’ve got this, you go fix some unfixable part of the ship.”That makes her pause where she is, exactly what Bellamy was hoping for. “If you say so, Monty said the soup will be done in an hour or so.”“Cool, can’t wait,” Bellamy answers, far more enthusiastically than he should when algae soup has been on the menu for literally ever.Raven just eyes him again before leaving, and Bellamy ignores the throbbing ache in his hand in favor of actually trying to find at least a few pieces of scrap that are rust-free before they eat.He makes sure to cover the wrappings with a sleeve at dinner, and then heads to his room straight after, not wanting to give anyone a chance to notice and tell him to quit trying to help Raven.He’s sure the burning pulse will dull by morning, he just needs to rest.“Bellamy?” He hears his name echo from outside of his room.He moves to get up, but his limbs feel like weights holding him down. “Bellamy,” the voice echoes again, still sounding so far away as his body starts to sway and move, not how he intends to, but as if someone is shaking him. “Bellamy, wake up,” the voice demands, shaking him harder and making his head spin.And as his head spins, the voice is joined by another and another, each one louder than the last: Asleep. Fever. Sick. And then, more urgently, and for some voices, more angrily: Hand. Infection. Fuck. It’s then that he feels the burning radiating through his entire body, centered at one point where his hastily-applied bandages are hiding an inferno.Idiot, is what he thinks, and hears, just as the voices get muffled and his mind goes fuzzy, letting him drift off into nothing.When Bellamy opens his eyes, he finds himself in Harper’s infirmary for the second time in so many days. This time, however, he’s lying in one of the spare beds they had placed in there in case of emergencies.He feels the movements of someone sitting next to the bed, so he turns his attention from the ceiling to accept the lecture from whoever it is that decided to wait for him to wake up.He turns, expecting an angry Raven or a concerned Monty or a hovering Harper.“Mom?” He croaks, voice strained from disuse and shock as he moves to sit up in bed.Because there, sitting to the right of him with a needle and thread in hand, is Aurora Blake, as calm and serene as he’s ever seen her.At his movements, she looks up and smiles at him softly. “Hey honey,” she says, gently pushing him back to lie down. He goes willingly if for no other reason than he’s too consumed taking her in and that she just touched him and he felt it. “You’re still recovering, don’t overdo it.”The shock settles into disbelief the longer he gapes at her and she continues to watch him back.“Am I–,” he starts, almost too afraid to ask. “Shit,” he settles back into his pillow, “don’t tell me an infection is what kills me.”His mom chuckles, light and happy in a way she never was on the Ark. “Oh baby, your friends said the same exact thing. That there’s no way after everything you’ve done, a cut on your hand was going to be what did you in.”Everything you’ve done.It twists him up instantly, making his heart sink. “Mom,” he starts, voice cracking, “I know I messed up. And I didn’t take care of O like you wanted and I’ve done – God, fucking awful things. I’m so–”He's stopped by Aurora shushing him, humming as she runs her hand gently over his face. The gesture has Bellamy closing his eyes and fighting back the sting of tears. He hasn’t seen this softness in his mother since he was a toddler.“Bellamy,” she sighs in the way mothers do, not continuing until he opens his eyes to look at her again. “I want you to take care of yourself, okay? Don’t let this be the end when you still have so much left to live for.”He closes his eyes on a sigh, ready to ask what she could possibly mean, but when he opens his eyes to look at her again, his heart quite literally lodges in his throat.“Now,” Gina says from where his mother was sitting just seconds ago, leaning back in the chair and crossing her arms with a look of amusement, “what kind of garden variety heroics got you stuck back up on the Ark?”“Gina,” Bellamy breathes out, eyes eagerly taking in everything he didn’t that last time he saw her, starting with that beautiful smirk.“Bellamy,” she says back, smirk turning to a smile as she leans forward to comb her fingers through his curls, the memory of the last time she did that sending a shock through his system. He resists the urge to close his eyes at the feeling, afraid she’ll disappear like his mom did if he does. “Your hair is longer than it was the last time I saw you,” she teases, eyes bright and playful.“I’m so sorry,” he replies instantly, ready for this apology more than the one with his mom. “I fucked up and you paid for it, and you didn’t deserve that. You deserved better than that, better than me.” If he only gets this time with her, he needs for her to know he should have done more, been more.He watches her as she takes in his words, but never stops combing through his hair. “You know,” she says thoughtfully, as Bellamy focuses on the impossibility of being able to feel her. “You deserve so much better too.”It’s enough of a jolt to bring his attention back to her face. Her eyes sparkle at whatever reaction shows across his.“I obviously would pick a scenario where things ended differently, but you deserve a happy ending just as much as anyone else. So wake up, go home, save the heroics for someone else for a change, and live.”Against his better judgment, Bellamy reflexively heaves a sigh, closing his eyes. He hesitates on opening them once they’re closed, recognizing the goodbye for what it was and knowing Gina will be gone, but also afraid to see who else he will see.Instead, he finds himself gasping for a breath as his eyes fly open and he lets out a pained groan.Six pairs of eyes with varying states of emotions stare back at him from around the room and he knows immediately that this, at least, is real.Six people waiting around so they could yell at his stupidity.It’s a toss-up for who will take the first lecture, but when Harper stands from where she was sitting against the wall, Bellamy will say it’s a surprise it’s not Raven or Monty first.Harper moves to the side of his bed, glaring with all her might until her eyes glance at his much cleaner, much neater bandaged hand, and her expression breaks. “Next time you cut yourself,” she starts, any built-up anger dissipating the moment their eyes meet again, “take the damn medicine and don’t scare the hell out of us.”The rest have similar sentiments, some more threatening in nature than others, until they leave him to rest and let his body fight off any lingering effects of the infection.It’s then, and only then, that he allows himself to think about who didn’t visit him in his feverish haze.And for all he understands why his mom and Gina were there telling him to keep going, he just can’t get why Clarke wasn’t there too, yelling at him that he didn’t have a choice in the matter.That she didn’t die just for him not to make it. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- When Bellamy sees a finger coming towards his face out of the corner of his eye, he slowly looks up from the book he’s reading and leans his head away from Monty’s prodding finger.“Uh,” Bellamy starts, leaning back further when the finger just keeps coming toward him to poke at his cheek. “Everything okay there?”They’re supposed to be planning out some final logistics on atmospheric impact per Raven’s orders – Bellamy reading up on any piece of nonfiction text they could scrounge up and Monty laying out a final equation to calculate the odds of their survival depending on how much the atmosphere rips them apart.Either way, they’ve done as much as they could possibly do to prepare. Six years and five days, and whether they actually make it alive or not, they’re finally going home.But Monty seems to think Bellamy’s face is more important than survival rate.“When did you get so scruffy?” He questions, probing at Bellamy’s beard again as Bellamy gives up trying to avoid Monty’s prodding. “Like, when did you become this shaggy dude with hipster glasses? Was it a choice? Did you even know you had a beard?”Bellamy deflects the interrogation with a roll of his eyes. “Don’t be jealous just because you can’t grow one,” he retorts, when truthfully, he absolutely has been so consumed with final preparations for their departure that he may have forgotten to worry about things like physical appearance. “And what the hell are hipster glasses?” He asks, resisting the urge to reach up and adjust his glasses because of the reminder he’s wearing them.“Excuse you, I’m not jealous,” Monty shoots back teasingly, falling back into his seat after poking Bellamy’s face once more. “I am a cultured person who recognizes that self-care still exists.” He shakes his head for emphasis, letting the short hair Harper had cut for him sway slightly. “Is this the point where you stop caring? We go home and you decide you want to look like a caveman to roleplay when we’re back on Earth?”Bellamy snorts, trying to glare but also failing completely. Everyone’s been just a little bit giddy the past week or so, readying for their final countdown. The one that ends with them leaving in hours. And if Monty teasing him keeps the light mood that’s settled, Bellamy will take it happily.They’re going fucking home.Or they’re going to die trying.“I think we should focus more on helping Raven get us through the atmosphere and less on my facial hair.”“Not to mention your head of hair,” Monty adds even as he gets back to writing out the equation, smirking all the while. “Really, it’s just so much–”Monty’s words come to a sudden halt when the entire room makes a sharp lurch, sending both of them off of their seats and all of their things on the table sailing to the ground. The lights above them flicker out for a moment before coming back on, with a dull siren beginning to echo through the halls as a red light Bellamy has never seen before blinks over and over in sync with the sound.Not just a sound – a warning.“You okay?” Bellamy calls as he stands up, stretching his hand to pull Monty up too.Monty stands, and immediately focuses on that red light, mind racing behind his narrowed eyes. “That alarm is from the original Ark systems. Raven and I didn’t need anything from it, so we didn’t touch it. It was set up to warn of foreign carriers reaching the dock entrances.”Bellamy watches the worry etch into Monty’s face. “Which means...,” he pushes, urgent.Monty looks at him, face illuminating red with every round of the siren.“Which means we have some unexpected company,” he says.Bellamy’s unsurprised to find everyone racing into the control room, eyes questioning and confused and the slightest bit alarmed. But underneath it all, he also sees the fight in each and every one of them. Six years of calm, but they’re not going to go down easily.If something’s looking for a fight, a fight is what they’ll get.Raven’s rapidly limping from one screen to the next, typing almost angrily as she pulls up footage from surveillance cameras he didn’t even know were in working condition.“What’s happening?” Emori asks, eyes scanning the video images that are popping up on more and more screens. Bellamy watches too, just as he sees movement on one of the halls that is far closer to where they are than he’s comfortable with.“We disconnected the sensors that moderated objects in close proximity to the Ring, like rocks and shit, a few days ago so nothing picked it up until it triggered the original assault settings.”“I’m sorry,” Harper interrupts, “assault? What the hell is it?”Bellamy’s eyes snap to a screen that shows the hall leading right to the control room, where there are people with guns moving in a formation Bellamy recognizes as a trained unit. “More like who the hell is it.”There are actual, living humans coming after them with weapons and the sudden change of events is so drastic Bellamy’s having a hard time accepting it.“Baga,” Echo spits, taking a defensive stance as they group together, just as the door bursts open and a spike of adrenaline Bellamy hasn’t felt in years courses through his body.Guns are instantly pointed at all seven of them, forcing them to remain still, all of them fighting against their own instincts to defend and attack.“No one good,” Murphy mutters as he tries to subtly move closer to Emori, all of them moving in sync to cover one another as much as possible.And Bellamy can’t really argue with Murphy. Not when three more people stride in behind the ones with guns, stances confident and arrogant like they’re in charge and the rest of them have no say in it.Basically everything Echo’s already said confirmed by the confident smirks of those three strangers.The enemy. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- A man from that trio, older than the others, walks up until he’s standing in front of the seven of them, boots echoing with each step in the deafening silence that follows them storming in.Bellamy watches as the man eyes each of them in turn, taking in their appearance, and Bellamy gets the distinct sense that he’s looking for something specific. The other man and woman do the same, eyeing them almost hungrily, the guy’s gaze fixating on Raven almost instantly.It makes Bellamy wonder if it’s been just as long for them that they haven’t seen other humans, and whether their six years without conflict is going to catch up to them in a matter of minutes.Taking a step in front of his friends, Bellamy draws all eyes to himself. “Quite the entrance to attack a group that’s unarmed,” he says neutrally, carelessly.The older man, definitely the leader, smirks. “I wouldn’t call it an attack, more of a,” he pauses, seeming to thing over his phrasing, “precaution. We were hoping to find some living beings here, but whether they’d be welcoming or not was a gamble.”“Then there’s no need to keep the guns up,” Bellamy replies, noting the soldier’s rigid stances, like they’re just waiting for some sort of surprise. “We have no weapons and we don’t want trouble.”Bellamy tries not to be consumed with observing all of these new people, not when his senses are telling him there’s nothing good about them.The leader seems to consider Bellamy’s words before nodding slightly, the guns lowering immediately. “My apologies,” he takes a final step towards Bellamy so that he’s standing in front of him and extends his hand. “My name is Paxton McCreary, leader of the Eligius ship.” When Bellamy just stares back purposefully, McCreary drops his hand and gestures to the other man and woman, who both smirk dangerously. “This is Charmaine and Vinson. We mean no harm to you and your crew.”At that Murphy lets out an ill-timed snort, pulling the attention to him.“Something funny?” The woman, Charmaine asks, challenges.Murphy only smirks, unwavering in his show of arrogance. “I’d think you were more interested in taking what you want from us and killing us than becoming all buddy-buddy.”Vinson, the one whose eyes still keep snagging on Raven in a way that sets Bellamy on edge, tilts his head at Murphy. “Now that’s irrational,” he drawls. “Not to mention messy,” he adds with a glint in his eyes.“Then what do you want?” Bellamy asks, hoping to keep the attention off of his friends for as long as possible. He knows they’re sensing what he is – the threat, the danger.“I’m hoping you can help us,” McCreary says, taking control as well again. “You see, we’re heading to that spotty green planet outside your ship, and I think you will be of great assistance to us when we get there.”“And what makes you think that?” Raven speaks for the first time, aggression coloring every inch of her tone as she moves to stand in front of their friends too, right beside Bellamy.McCreary smiles back confidently. “Call it intuition. There’s a ship docked outside that tells me you have similar intentions.”“And if we say no?” Bellamy asks, already knowing the answer and trying to figure how to keep everyone the safest the longest.“I’m afraid it’s nonnegotiable. Either you come willingly or you don’t, but I would suggest making this as easy as possible for yourselves. With so few of you, I would hate for you to make your numbers even smaller,” McCreary tacks on casually, with an almost amused lift of his brow.And there it is – the true nature of what they want and what they’ll do to get it.One wrong move and they’re as good as dead.“It’s funny how you think it’s only us, don’t ya think?” Murphy shoots back, saying exactly what’s starting to nag at Bellamy. “What gives you the idea that it’s just us? That there’s no one else around?”McCreary makes a show of scanning over them, almost like he’s counting them. He grins again like he’s in on a running joke, and Bellamy knows they’re missing something. “Again,” he says, carrying an innocence to his tone, “intuition.”Bellamy can feel the tensions rising from both sides – Charmain and Echo glaring at each other like that alone will kill the other, Vinson leering at Raven who stares back blankly even as she stands rigid next to Bellamy, the men and women with guns who seem to be waiting for any possible excuse to use them, McCreary standing there with the confidence that they’re playing right into his hands – and knows the calm is about to break. So he does what he thinks will keep them all alive – aware that’s now a short-term goal.He reaches out his own hand to Paxton, who doesn’t hesitate to shake it. “Bellamy,” is all he says, a test and a peace-offering all in one.And when he smiles like Bellamy gave him exactly what he wanted, like he already knew, Bellamy knows this truce will last no more than a day.Because the Eligius crew knows who Bellamy is, and he’s going to find out why.That truce, remarkably, holds for all of a few hours.Long enough for all of them to be herded from their living quarters for the past six years to the Eligius ship and for them to find out that they just entered onto a ship full of criminals far more dangerous than a group of underage delinquents waiting to be floated.It doesn’t take much for Monty to befriend another member of the crew, a cocky kid named Zeke who reminds Bellamy a little too much of Jasper, who tells them about the nature of the ship, their past, the mining colonies, and the crew’s recent awakening from hypersleep.How Paxton "Graveyard" McCreary is as close to a crime lord as they’ll ever meet and Charmaine is the one responsible for every one looking like they have military training with guns and Vinson is a literal-fucking-serial killer.How Zeke knows something else, but is unwilling to share more than the basic facts.It’s – a lot.And if that isn’t enough to set off every single possible warning sign in Bellamy’s brain, the moment Paxton pulls Bellamy and Raven to the side and tells them to tell him about Earth, Bellamy and Raven share a look.Not a single one of them mentioned anything about ever having been there. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Everyone’s on edge the second they start to try and separate them.It starts with McCreary pulling Bellamy and Raven away from the rest, and when they try to force the others to leave the room, they all coerce and persuade and eventually fight until they’re all locked up in neighboring cells with some bruises on all of them and burning determination fueling them as they feel the ship release from the Ring to head to Earth.“Well that went well,” Murphy notes dryly the minute they’re left along in their cells, prompting eye rolls from practically everyone.Bellamy moves to pinch his nose, realizing immediately his glasses are gone, a casualty of their fight.“What did you expect from a bunch of psychopaths who know way too much about us?” Raven asks from where she’s sitting on the ground, her bad leg stretched out straight in front of her.And that’s still the question none of them has the answer to. “Do you think they picked up a frequency from the bunker?” Harper asks, following Raven’s lead and settling down onto the ground.He had considered that too. Maybe the bunker had been trying to get in touch with them and the Eligius crew woke up and heard Octavia reaching out, telling them they survived.But before Bellamy could even dare to mention such kind of hope, footsteps echo off the hard metal ground, increasing in sound the closer they get to them.Bellamy’s immediately on the defensive, afraid that it’ll be Charmaine coming to inflict some kind of torture or Vinson coming to do something even worse.Instead, they hear laughter.“Man,” they hear someone call from the entrance to the cells, just before Zeke appears with a sparkle in his eye and a skip to his step, “you guys are wild.”Monty and Bellamy’s cells are adjacent, so when Zeke moves toward where Monty stands, Bellamy moves too so they’re as close as they can be with the bars in between them.“I mean really,” he carries on, everyone else staring at him from their sitting or standing stances in their own cells, but listening keenly nonetheless, “I never would have thought the chicks would be the ones kicking more ass than the dudes, but man, you guys put on more entertainment in the past hour than I’ve seen in the past hundred years.”And while over-the-top is certainly one way Bellamy’s quickly identifying with Zeke from every interaction they’ve had, he can also see the true, genuine excitement too, again reminding him far too much of Jasper.“Says the one who just woke from a cryogenic sleep,” Raven responds sarcastically from across the room, looking extremely unimpressed. Zeke takes it in stride, smiling sharply, “well there wasn’t much action then, now was there?” He shoots back.He glances back from where he came, surely looking for anyone to be listening in on their conversation. And then, when it seems the coast is clear, Zeke’s entire demeanor shifts, having everyone leaning in from where they are. “We’re heading to the green branching out from what was the United States, should be there within a couple days.”He hesitates.“McCreary wants to monitor and see if our scanners can pick anything up before we land.”And that hesitation, more than anything else Zeke could say, peaks Bellamy’s interest.Octavia, Bellamy thinks again, more confidently.“How did you know where we were from?” Harper questions, suspicion dripping from her tone. McCreary confirmed as much when he tried to ask Bellamy and Raven.Zeke rolls his eyes. “That’s definitely not your biggest issue right now,” he deflects, but also doesn’t deny.“So what is?” Monty asks, pulling Bellamy back to the issue at hand – they’re prisoners in apparent enemy territory. “If our biggest issue isn’t that a group of strangers seems to know everything about us, what is?”“Escape would be my top priority if I was being held captive,” Zeke offers, more serious than joking.“And then?” Monty pushes again, as aggressive as Bellamy’s ever seen him in the face of his friends being threatened. “We have nothing to defend ourselves with, what do you expect us to do against people who can pick us off in an instant?”Zeke’s face shutters, and in a somber tone so at odds with what they’ve seen of him so far, he stares straight at Bellamy. “You get the fuck away. You run and don’t look back, ‘cause the moment they realize you’re not going to give them shit, you’re dead.”Zeke reaches his hand into Bellamy’s cell, but Bellamy doesn’t look down at whatever’s being offered, instead holding Zeke’s gaze.Smirking almost helplessly, Zeke shrugs his shoulder. “I get you guys have no reason to trust me, but I’m not looking for anyone to die. I signed up for adventure, not murder.”“From what little you’ve said, it doesn’t sound like you signed up at all,” Raven points out.Zeke just shrugs again, not breaking eye contact with Bellamy. “Not everyone’s as bad as you think. Some of us aren’t the hard-core criminals you think we are. I’d say we’re more like,” he pauses deliberately with that sparkle returning to his eyes, “delinquents.”The word pulls Bellamy up short.“It’s not what it looks like, okay?” Zeke promises. “Trust me, one delinquent to another.”That word again, almost like a message.He stares at Zeke, answers Bellamy can’t understand flitting across his eyes. Those eyes glance down to his still offered hand. Bellamy looks down to find his glasses, miraculously still in one piece.As weird a peace offering as it may be, Bellamy understands it for what it is.They need help if all seven of them are going to make it out alive. And if their choices are the crime lord, the militarist, the serial killer, or the adrenaline junkie?Bellamy takes his glasses from the adrenaline junkie.He may not be telling them everything, but right now, Zeke’s the closest thing they have to an ally. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- They count four days until a small mob of soldiers follows McCreary and Charmaine in, opening all of the cells and hauling everyone to their feet to bind their hands together.Four days of them being precariously balanced between being safe behind the bars and being locked up in a ship full of psychopaths.“What’s going on?” Bellamy demands, fighting against the people shoving him out of his cell. He glances around as all of his friends receive similar treatment.Instead of responding, Paxton tilts his head in a signal the crew must have been waiting for, because then Bellamy’s being moved from the room swiftly and efficiently with Monty and Raven being pushed right behind him. He shoves back against the arms pushing him forward, trying to turn his head to make sure the others are coming too.When he sees that while Echo looks ready to murder and Harper, Murphy, and Emori are jostling and elbowing just as much as he is, they’re coming all the same.He finds he’s more concerned with the fact that Vinson has weaseled his way to be the one herding Raven along with Zeke nowhere in sight.They suddenly stop when they make it to a large door, metal creaking as it pops open and moves to lay out in front of them, actual wind rushing in. And in any other situation, Bellamy would probably cry from the sensation.“Well,” McCreary finally says, cocking a gun that is handed to him as Charmaine stands next to him and does the same. They’re readying for something, and Bellamy thinks they’re about to find out what. “I’d say welcome home, but my guess is things look a little different than the last time you were here,” he says almost mockingly, gleam in his eye.And then he and Charmaine are holding their guns out ready to fire and walking down the ramp cautiously.“Is it me,” Monty mutters from right behind him, “or are they acting like they’re expecting someone to shoot back.”Bellamy’s mind immediately goes to the bunker again, wondering if Octavia, Miller, and Kane are out there watching and waiting to see if they need to attack or not.A few seconds of stillness, everyone watching McCreary and Charmaine venture further out, and nothing happens.If someone is out there watching, they don’t show themselves as the crew gets the go-ahead to move forward.It’s sensory overload the second they’re out in the open.He feels the kiss of the wind on his skin and squints at the brightness of the sun and inhales deeply at the smell of the trees like he’s dreamt of for years. And he sees nothing but barren dirt laid out in front of them, right on the edge of those green trees he smells almost as acutely as he can hear Vinson prodding Raven along with ridicule to rile her up as they move forward.Bellamy knows Raven’s leg is stiff from being in the cells, knows that the walk is forcing her limp more than normal, knows Vinson will pounce on it before Bellamy can even turn his head.“Need a hand?” He hears Vinson say in a tone so at odds with his words as he moves to grip her waist, and Bellamy’s blood runs cold at the sight. Raven merely snorts in response, shoving him off as Vinson resorts to shoving her along again. “Come on Raven, what are you afraid of?” He taunts, even as Bellamy sees him push Raven again, each time more forceful and aggressive than the last.And Bellamy sees the fixation, the obsession, dancing dangerously in his eyes.He turns to watch Raven right herself, walking with a pride only Raven could. Bellamy tries to slow his own pace down the ramp, hoping to get himself and Monty closer to her. He turns again, they’re eyes meeting and Bellamy seeing absolute fury blazing in hers.They’re gazes hold for a moment, telling him to be ready for whatever comes next, and then she turns slowly toward Vinson, insuring she has his full attention. “I’m not afraid of anything. But you? How long will it take for your crew to realize keeping a serial killer around isn’t the smartest of tactics?”Vinson’s face hardens from mocking to cruel instantly as he pushes Raven too hard, forcing her to crash to the ground with a grunt of pain. But she still looks up at Vinson triumphantly. “You seem to be the only one here who’s afraid of anything,” she drawls sweetly, looking fierce even as she tries to get her legs under her.Monty moves to help her, guards are huddling in to pull Monty away, and Vinson looks just about ready to start kicking Raven as she tries to get her bearings, springing Bellamy into action as he knocks Vinson down before he so much as thinks about making contact and guards swarm around them.It’s a blur of adrenaline as Bellamy focuses in on beating his bound hands into Vinson’s face for every sickening leer and comment and push and smirk he’s directed at Raven since they were taken.He hopes that the others take advantage of the madness for what it is – a distraction. He wants them to do what Zeke said and run, hopes they know he would want them to leave him. Even if Raven and Monty can’t, if Murphy and the girls get away, it’ll be worth it.But then a gunshot is ringing out, freezing Bellamy on top of Vinson with the absolute horror that they did run, and someone paid for it.Vinson takes the opportunity to shove Bellamy off, landing in a punch to his face as Bellamy tries to search for his friends, only to see the mob of soldiers clearing and McCreary aiming his rifle to the sky.“Now Bellamy,” he says, tone soft like he’s speaking to a child, “I wanted to give you and your friends a chance to get some fresh air, and you ruined it.”And then, that rifle towards the sky finds a new target, facing right at Bellamy.Bellamy scans the crowd of people, sees Raven back on her feet, Monty holding her up, the others just behind them with guns to their heads.“I’ve tried to be nice,” he carries on, “but you have been of no help and now you’re proving to be more trouble than you’re worth.”With that, he takes a predatory step toward Bellamy, his intent clear as his gun doesn’t waver from Bellamy’s chest. “So I need to set an example for what happens when people don’t help me,” he explains, Bellamy not being able to help noting his speech is the truest testament to his crime days.Paxton "Graveyard" McCreary’s going to kill him.He’s going to shoot him right here, teaching everyone a “lesson.”Taking one last glance at the terror in his friends’ eyes, Bellamy stands from where Vinson had knocked him over, head held high as he stands toe to toe with McCreary, the only thing between them the gun.Paxton takes it for the challenge it is. “Any last words?”And yeah, the guy was definitely in the mafia at some point in his life.But Bellamy opens his mouth to speak anyways. If he’s going to die, he wants his friends to know they’re worth it. He understands how Clarke felt all those years ago – that if he has to die for them to live, he’ll do it willingly.So he opens his mouth to tell them, and immediately sees the glint in McCreary’s eyes telling Bellamy he was never going to get the chance to say a damn thing.The shot rings out a second later, and Bellamy tenses as he waits for excruciating pain to set in.When it doesn’t, he looks down at his chest and finds his shirt is as clean as it ever was – no blood in sight.He hears a gasp from in front of him and looks up just in time to see McCreary’s look of confusion as the gun he holds shows no signs of having made a shot. Bellamy’s attention falls to McCreary’s chest just as a deep red starts to bloom in the front of his shirt, blood spreading rapidly right before he collapses to the ground.And after that, well, it’s pure chaos. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Oh my god, did I shoot him?”Clarke’s ears buzz as her brain tries to catch up with the events of the last thirty seconds – the literal sight of Bellamy and the others making her practically euphoric, the first gunshot ringing out and making her heart plummet, the man then aiming his gun right at Bellamy making Clarke feel numb with inaction, the second gunshot coming from their hiding place and forcing confusion to fight through all of her other muddled emotions.Because the gunshot came from behind the bushes, but it didn’t come from Clarke’s gun.“Clarke?” Madi asks again panicked, too shaken up to pop her head out from the bushes. “Did I shoot Bellamy?”At that, Clarke whips her head to see the horror written across Madi’s features. “I didn’t want to hit him,” she whispers urgently as they start to hear the chaos unraveling near the ship, “but they were going to kill him. I had to do something.”So Madi did what Clarke couldn’t get her own body to do – she shot the enemy, gambled her lack of aim to take the chance and save Bellamy.The thought of Bellamy getting the bullet instead of the intended target has Clarke bolting up as high as she’s willing to chance while remaining hidden to see who exactly Madi shot. She hopes with every semblance of her being that she won’t find Bellamy sprawled across the ramp bleeding out, because she doesn’t think her heart would be able to survive it.Not like this, not when they’re this close.But when she peeks out above the bush as high as she’ll venture, all she sees is people scrambling everywhere, too many people shouting for Clarke to even try to pick up what’s being said. She tries to scan the people shuffling in and out of the mob, looking for any of the faces that she’s drawn hundreds of thousands of times. She directs her attention to their feet, searching for a body laid out on the ground and finding one who’s dressed like the man trying to kill Bellamy was.“Clarke,” Madi demands in a tone she’s never heard, pulling Clarke’s attention back to her as Madi still refuses to look above the bush. “Is Bellamy alright?”And that snags on Clarke’s thoughts too, because –“How did you know that was Bellamy?” Clarke questions, because even she didn’t recognize him at first, and Madi’s only ever seen drawings of him looking much different than his current state.“You said his name,” Madi tells her, leaning up from where she had ducked down. “When that man shot the gun up to the sky you called his name.” And Clarke would deny it solely because she has no recollection of it, but she knows she’s hardly in control of herself right now. She heard a bullet and saw white with the terror and dread she felt.She wants to run over there and drag them away from anyone who even thinks about hurting them.As Madi moves to take her first glance of the mess unraveling ahead of them, scattered shots ring out aimed towards the green woods, right above where they’re concealed.Clarke pounces to cover Madi instantly.Apparently whoever these people holding their friends hostage are, they’re smart enough to know any shooter would be hiding out in the green, whether they have someone actually telling them to shoot there or not.Clarke looks down at Madi, whose eyes are squeezed shut as she holds onto Clarke tightly.More shouting echoes to where they are, and the shooting halts as both of them loose tight breaths. Clarke’s body is thrumming with the adrenaline racing through her, fear spiking all of her senses into overdrive as she grips Madi’s shaking body close.“It’s okay,” Clarke whispers into Madi’s hair in the silence that follows the cease in shots. “You got the bad guy, you didn’t get Bellamy,” she assures her as much as herself.When no shots follow the silence, Clarke tucks Madi under her arm while she dares to stick her head up far enough to see what’s happening, and what she sees makes her stomach twist up more than she thought was possible.Because they’re going away.She watches as the organized group of people they watched exit the ship moves as a massive cluster back into the ship, and that finally kicks her into action.Their friends are somewhere in that mob of people, and she is not losing them to be locked up in another metal ship.So Clarke lets go of Madi and moves to her feet, careful to stay hunched over so that she’s still mostly covered. The more she watches the people move back into their own shelter though, the more confident she feels that nobody is looking for an attacker from the green anymore.Something’s going on, and she needs to act fast before they’re gone.She looks down at where Madi is still huddled, calmer now that there’s no bullets flying towards them, but still a child who should never have to worry about someone shooting at her. “Madi,” Clarke says softly, but directly, “go to the Rover and take it back to camp. Hide there and keep at least two guns on you ready to shoot.”Madi looks up at her, equal parts suspicion and fear. “What? No!”“Please,” Clarke begs. “I can’t leave them in there, and I can’t take you with me.” She feels her heart starting to rip itself in two, not wanting to leave Madi alone but not able to leave Bellamy and the others behind.Madi sits up at that, clearly feeling more comfortable exposing herself from behind the bush the longer no shouts or shots begin again. “Just wait a second,” she says, “you want me to leave so that I’m safe and you want to get go get our friends so that their safe, but who’s going to keep you safe?”Clarke opens her mouth to respond, but finds she doesn’t know what to say.But she needs to know Madi is somewhere safe, so that’s what she tells her.Madi seems to take it in for second, but then she responds, “I’m safest with you,” like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “We protect each other,” she reminds Clarke as if she’s forgotten, right before standing all the way up so that there’s no way she can hide. And if there was any question of whether or not anyone was paying attention in their direction, there’s their answer as Clarke stands to her full height too. She watches as the group herding into the ship gets smaller and smaller.It’s like Madi’s entire mindset shifts with the stubborn determination only someone her age could have in refusing to do as she’s told. “Now let’s go get our friends.”Clarke knows arguing with Madi will only waste more time, but still, she hesitates. If anything were to happen to Madi, Clarke couldn’t survive that either.But she also knows Madi. And if she says she’s going, she’ll either go with Clarke, or she’ll sneak along like she did when she followed Clarke to the bushes. So she fights down every instinct in her that’s screaming at her to not let her child head toward danger, resigning herself to call on that hope for one last herculean miracle.“You stay behind me and shoot anyone who even looks like they might want to hurt you.”“Got it,” Madi nods, readying her rifle to take a shot if necessary.Clarke thinks of Bellamy. Of Raven and Monty and Harper and Murphy and Emori and Echo.They’re right there.And that same determination she’s seeing in Madi settles in herself too.They make their move. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- As Paxton’s body hits the ramp, the thud that sounds out is the only thing Bellamy hears for all of a second.Then, that seemingly well-trained crew Charmaine had been leading falls to utter shambles as people scream over each other, shouting orders and shooting wildly without the guidance of their leader telling them what to do. And there’s a thousand different things that should be going through his mind, but all Bellamy can think is – this is it. If they’re going to get away, it has to be now.“Bellamy!”At his name echoing out above the chaos, Bellamy searches for the source to find his friends ducking to the side of the ramp, trying to avoid stray bullets. Bellamy dares to breathe a sigh of relief at seeing them no longer being held at gunpoint by any of Charmaine’s soldiers.Through the racket of shots being fired and the commotion of Charmaine trying to rally control of her troops near Paxton’s body, Bellamy hears his friends shouting his name over and over again, calling for him to hurry, knowing that the longer they waited, the less of a chance they had of getting away.He runs and ducks and dives until he’s being pulled in by whoever can get their hands on him first, hugging him fiercely before passing him to whoever’s next, someone unbinding his hands so that he can move them freely, and it’s then that he realizes that he should be dead. That that should be him on the ground bleeding out instead of McCreary, and the fact that he’s not has everything to do with someone outside of this ship.There’s still a ringing in his ears from the adrenaline and he can hardly hear what his friends are saying to him over the prisoners’ shouts, so he turns to look to Raven to explain that they need to leave now – only to not find her anywhere in sight.It’s then that he grasps what Harper is literally screaming at him, her hands in his shirt shaking his entire body.“He took her!” She cries, eyes manic even as she shakes the sense into Bellamy, pointing toward the entrance of the ship. “That fucking psychopath ripped her away from Monty! We have to get her!”And it’s like Bellamy’s brain is clearing of fog as he finally gets it.Vinson took Raven.“Okay,” Bellamy rasps, reaching out to stop Harper from shaking him while trying to think about what to logically do next when there isn’t any logic to it – leaving Raven isn’t an option, but they also need to leave now if they want to get away.Harper’s movements stop, her grip loosening in his shirt as he gets a second to think.Of course he wants to run in right now and get Raven back. He wants to kill Vinson on the spot.But he also wants the friends he has control of saving to get the hell out of here before they’re all trapped back in that ship.It’s too much to think about, with no right answer in sight. And he’s so consumed with what the fuck to do that when he goes to shout orders to the others, he realizes there’s no need to yell at all because there’s no more shouting, no more shooting, going on around them.“Hold your fire,” he hears a voice call out, as if not for the first time, but with a command that is clearly being followed.Bellamy watches as the soldiers hold position, aiming their guns at an enraged Charmaine and the small group of soldiers she had rallied.For a moment, everything is still as the soldiers slowly shift to make a path for whoever it is calling the shots.“What the fuck is he doing?” Monty whispers, as the owner to that voice makes himself known.As Zeke stands confidently in command, smile sharp and eyes trained solely on Charmaine.“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Charmaine snarls, echoing Monty’s sentiments even as her eyes skip around from place to place to see her soldiers waiting for the command of someone who’s not her.“It’s time this ship has some proper order to it. A place with a little less deranged leadership,” Zeke explains calmly, carrying himself with an authority Bellamy has yet to see.At that, Charmaine laughs, borderline hysterical. “So what, this is a coup? Have you lost your fucking mind?” She barks out.Everyone around them holds their breath as Zeke takes another step toward her so that they’re standing toe-to-toe. “That’s exactly what this is. The delinquents are taking over,” he tells her, and while Bellamy can’t see the look on his face, the threat in his tone is clear, even as Bellamy can still hear a hint of that wildness Zeke constantly carries with him.And as Zeke turns to address the giant group as a whole, Bellamy can see that playful glint still dancing in his eyes. “Take our former general and her followers to lock up, bring the body to the medical unit. Everyone else, I think it’s time to have a chat about what’s been kept from us by our supposed leaders. Meet me in the mess hall and I promise you I will explain everything our leaders have chosen not to.”Whispers follow Zeke’s orders, confused looks being traded all around, but they follow him as he walks back up the ramp of the ship.His eyes catch on Bellamy as he walks past him, and Bellamy tenses, waiting for another order to be called out to take them to lock up too.But instead, all Zeke does his send him a wink of the eye as he smirks at him and his friends.“As your ally,” he calls out to them as he walks by, “I’d suggest checking out those woods. I think you’ll like what you find.”Bellamy looks to his friends, his thoughts mirrored in all of their faces.Raven.“Get to the green,” he tells them, still not sure how much he truly trusts Zeke, not willing to gamble them staying here and regretting it later. “I’ll get her. I swear.”Echo looks ready to argue, Harper is already shaking her head in protest, and he knows it makes sense to bring someone with him.But he also doesn’t care. He’s not willing to risk any more of his friends’ lives when they’re so close to being safe, free.So instead, Bellamy does something he hasn’t done in a while – years, even.He ignores his thoughts in favor of his instincts, barreling through the crowd of people heading back into the ship.He enters back into their prison, listening as his friends’ disapproving shouts become more and more distant. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- They get to the foot of the ramp in record time without anyone spotting them.“Madi, stay behind me,” Clarke tells her for at least the tenth time as she takes her first step onto the metal grates. They’re so close.She takes another few steps before turning around when Madi doesn’t respond, only to find her glaring at the edge of metal digging into the ground, her feet still solidly on the dirt.Clarke backtracks so she’s in front of Madi, whose stare remains solidly on the foreign metal. “Hey,” she says softly, reaching out gently to tilt Madi’s gaze towards her, “you can stay in the Rover. I’d feel much better if you did stay there.”Their eyes lock, and Clarke finds exactly what she expected in her daughter’s – pure stubbornness.Madi shakes Clarke’s hand away, resolute as she steps onto the ramp with a deep breath. “Just like in the stories,” she mutters, more to herself than to Clarke.But Clarke finishes her train of thought anyways, taking a moment to grip her hand in comfort. “We fight the monsters, we save our friends.”“We fight the monsters and save our friends,” Madi agrees, squeezing Clarke’s hand before letting go. “I’ll stay behind you, I promise.”Clarke nods her head once before directing her attention up the ramp, moving forward as quickly as she’ll dare as she continues to watch the heads of the people who had been shooting at them bob together as they move slowly back into their ship.She feels Madi’s presence close on her back, reassuring her that Madi’s right behind her.And as they move forward, as Clarke keeps an eye on the shuffle of people, she realizes there’s a break in the crowd, a small group of people moving in the opposite direction. A group moving away from the ship, heading down the ramp and straight towards her and Madi.“Clarke,” Madi says warily, seeing exactly what Clarke does. Clarke also sees the end of Madi’s rifle point towards that group from the corner of her eye.And she’s about to do the same, until that group gets just that bit closer, where she can pick up on the details of them.Details that she knows almost better than she knows Madi’s or her own, even if they’re a little bit different than what she remembers.She watches her friends, her family, move to protect one another from the strangers at the bottom of the ramp aiming rifles at them.She watches her family move to protect themselves from her.“Madi, put the rifle down,” Clarke tells hers quietly, just as she moves to put her hands up to show she means no harm.They stop a little ways ahead of her and Madi, eyeing them cautiously.No one moves for a moment, no one says a thing.Clarke watches as one by one, her friends focus directly on her, squinting as if that will help them see something different than what they already are.She can’t help but count them – five instead of seven, Bellamy and Raven missing – and her heart does the strangest thing of bursting with joy while also clenching with despair.And while she’s trying to get a control on her own confusion at the missing pieces to the group, Monty takes it upon himself to step in front of the others, blinking over and over like he’s waiting for his vision to clear.“Clarke?” He calls, cautious hope bleeding into her name. “Is that you?”She probably looks just that bit different to them as they do to her.She takes a breath, takes a step forward.“Hey, Monty,” Clarke says, voice shaking with every syllable, everything feeling surreal. “Yeah, it’s– um, it’s me.”“Holy fuck,” Murphy curses further back, right before marching straight past Monty to gather her up in his arms.Clarke lets out a gasp of a laugh, wet and overwhelming in all of the best ways as Harper and Monty come closer too with oh my god’s and how are you alive’s and it’s complete sensory overload as they tug her into their own tight hugs.Emori and Echo look just as shocked, coming up to give her shorter, looser hugs, but still sharing sentiments of surprise and joy at seeing her alive and well.She takes a moment to look them all over – a little worn, a little older, but still everything she has imagined for years, minus two key people. Did the night blood work? Was that you who shot McCreary? Are there more of you? Where are the people from the bunker? They bombard her with questions, ones that Clarke can’t answer right now because Bellamy and Raven are still nowhere in sight.“Monty,” Clarke says, focusing on him over the slew of questions. “Monty. Bellamy and Raven, where are they?”Harper’s eyes widen at their names, guilt and worry washing over her face. “They’re still inside. The ship is full of criminals, and one of them took Raven,” she explains. “Bellamy told us to run and he went after her. He left before we could follow him.”Of course he did.Her heart plummets, any brief joy she feels at the reunion short-lived.“Okay,” she says, stepping away from them, voice sounding far steadier than she feels as she takes control like she hasn’t in so long. “You guys go, you don’t have to stay here. If you get to the trees you should be safe. I’ll go help them, Madi will show you where our Rover is and you can hide out until–”“Who’s Madi?” Harper interrupts, breaking Clarke’s list of commands with a jolt.In all the excitement of reuniting, Clarke forgot Madi was still behind her.“My daughter,” she says, turning with a smile to introduce her, “Madi this is–”But Madi isn’t there.“Madi?” Clarke says again, panic lacing the edges of the name as she whips her head around, trying to see where she went. The others look around too, more confused than anything. “Madi!” She shouts, this time dread creeping into her bones at the fact that Madi’s nowhere in sight.“Clarke, what–”“There was a girl with me,” Clarke cuts in, knowing she’s sounding more and more distressed. “She was right behind me, did you see her?”“Of course we did,” Monty reasons, reminding Clarke of how calm he always was in a crisis. “But then we saw you and our attention kind of shifted.”And gave Madi the chance to keep going.They didn’t have time to waste with reunions and happiness, not when she knew Bellamy and Raven needed their help.So she did what they set out to do.She went to fight the monsters who had them. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- With every second that passes, Bellamy’s heartrate ticks higher and higher thinking about what could happen to Raven before he gets to her.They already knew Vinson was a serial killer, but the more Bellamy saw of him when they were imprisoned – the lingering looks, the fixated stares – the clearer it was who his victims most likely were: women.And Raven’s as strong as they come.So he pushes, and shoves, and ignores the disgruntled protests of the miners all around him as he tries to figure out where the hell is the most rational place to go find a psychopath who has no sense to him.Someplace solitary is his first bet. Someplace Raven’s familiar with is his second, as if there were many of those to begin with.And it hits him.Bellamy breaks from the group herding back into the ship as soon as it clicks, sprinting as fast as he can towards the holding cells they were being held in before landing.And as soon as he hears the murmur of voices from outside the cells, Bellamy is hit with a combination of overwhelming relief that Raven’s voice is one of those echoing through the doorway and utter panic at the words spilling from Vinson’s mouth.“I was going to be nice to you after our little run-in outside, but– you were just going to run. You and your little friends were going to leave without a second glance back,” Vinson rambles, voice crazed as Bellamy peers around the doorway to find him pacing rapidly in front of Raven, who watches Vinson’s every movement carefully.Bellamy moves more fully into the entrance to catch Raven’s eye, her eyes flitting to him briefly before tracking Vinson’s motions again. Bellamy catches the slight shake of her head in warning just as Vinson moves to stand in front of her, his back to Bellamy.“We were going to have fun first, Raven. We’d just started the game, but now,” he laughs, his hand moving out of Bellamy’s line of vision, “now, we have to skip right to playing.”And when Vinson’s hand comes back into sight again, it’s with the sharp blade of a knife waving dangerously in between the psycho and Raven.Bellamy doesn’t hesitate a second longer, stepping into the room, hoping against all hope that he’ll be enough of a distraction to get Raven away. “I’m down for that,” he calls, his voice enough to make Vinson turn, his face already bruising from Bellamy’s bound fists earlier. “But,” Bellamy adds, his movements slow, eyes tracking the motions of the knife as he makes his way towards the opposite end from where Raven is, “I get to go first.”If Vinson’s in any way surprised, he doesn’t show it. Instead, he looks almost gleeful as he takes a step closer to Raven. Too close for Bellamy to get to her first. “I’ve got to hand it to you Blake,” he calls, stilling his movements and looking directly at him, “you’re a smooth talker when you need to be. But the only one I’m interested in here is your pretty partner.”“Who is not interested,” Raven spits out viciously.Vinson smirks back. “Well those are the best kind,” he tells her, wielding the knife in front of him again.Before he can bring that knife any closer to Raven, Bellamy lunges at him, hoping to barrel him over like he did outside on the ramp and give Raven a chance to run.Instead, Bellamy’s met with the knife swinging at him as Raven gasps his name out sharply.He turns to the side at the last second, but he still feels the hot sting of the blade hitting his skin. Vinson deftly avoids Bellamy, moving so that he’s closer to where Bellamy came in and forcing Raven and Bellamy to move closer together into the room.“Ah, ah, ah,” Vinson scolds, shaking the knife at them like he’s chastising them. “You got the best of me on that move once already. I swear,” he promises dangerously, “it won’t happen again.”Bellamy glances to Raven to see her eyeing his arm worriedly.He reaches up to his arm where the knife got him, feeling the stickiness of blood seep into his shirt and drench his hand. It’s enough of a gash for the blood to flow freely.As they watch Vinson wipe Bellamy’s blood off of the knife in the most calculated of ways, like he’s done this far too much, Raven moves closer to Bellamy so that they’re standing side by side. He feels her tension matching his, not knowing what the hell to do.They’re trapped in a room with a knife-wielding maniac, no weapons for them to use.“Now,” Vinson says, knowing he has their complete attention as he stands at the entrance of their only way out, “if you don’t mind Blake, Raven and I were just beginning to play.”Bellamy removes his hand from his wound, taking a step in front of Raven. “And I already told you. Me first.”There’s a beat of silence, tension thick as can be in the room as Vinson eyes them hungrily, until the click of a gun echoes from behind him.“Let them go, or I’ll shoot,” a small voice demands from behind Vinson, whose grin turns wicked as he turns to address whoever’s threatening him.It’s not a small voice, but a young voice.Bellamy can’t help but gape as a girl is revealed to him and Raven. A grounder girl, if how she’s dressed is anything to go by.But while Raven’s reaction mirrors Bellamy’s, Bellamy notes that Vinson doesn’t seemed surprised in the least by the appearance of this girl.“Miss Madi,” he croons, “I was hoping I’d get to meet you.”By the startled look on the girl’s face, on Madi’s face, the fact that Vinson knows of her is news to her.All Bellamy knows is that he feels any last defense in him that wasn’t already up spring awake at the predatory look he gives to this girl. That he knows exactly what that look means because he’s seen it enough times directed towards Raven.He can’t even spare a thought to the fact that she’s a grounder and what that could possibly mean, not when Vinson moves suddenly and uses whatever military training he has to disarm her almost instantly, tossing her rifle into one of the empty cells, far from their access.She squeaks in surprise as Vinson grabs her and drags her into the room.Bellamy moves forward on instinct, reaching his hands out in some form of surrender, of calm, to protect the girl somehow as Raven grabs at him to keep him from getting any closer.But Bellamy’s sole focus is on the girl, whose eyes are wide and terrified as Vinson places his blade on the skin of her neck.“I’ve got a better idea,” he tells them, looking exactly like someone who has everything he wants in the world. “How about she goes first.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Dammit,” Clarke curses, feeling her world start to shatter around the edges. “God fucking dammit!”Her vision tunnels as she looks up the ramp at the receding crowd of people going into the ship. Madi went right in, didn’t hesitate or wait.Clarke gasps in a breath, but she doesn’t feel the relief of oxygen in her lungs. Instead, she feels herself taking shorter and shorter breaths as her mind races with all the dangers Madi just threw herself into. She feels dizzy with the thoughts, vision clouding with sheer terror.“Clarke!” Emori shouts, giving her a shake for good measure. “You need to calm down. We’ll come and help,” she reasons, shocking Clarke out of her rising panic.“Do you have any weapons?” She hears herself asking them.At that, Emori’s face falls. “No, they took anything we had.”“But we can get to the woods on our own,” Echo says, speaking up for the first time, not seeming happy with the plan in the least but knowing they’d be of no help without something to defend themselves. “Go get your daughter, Clarke,” she orders, placing her hand reassuringly on Clarke’s arm.Clarke’s focus snaps into place at her words, knowing she’s right. Madi doesn’t need her to lose it right now, she needs her to come and fight.She looks to her friends, all of them prepping for a different kind of fight. One where she runs toward the enemy while they run away.They hesitate, of course.Harper steps forward to pull her in for one more tight hug. “This is not goodbye,” she whispers fiercely into her ear, even as her tone wavers with unshed tears. “We do not get you back just to lose you again, okay?” She lets go, gently pushing Clarke away in a way that tells Clarke she didn’t want to let go at all.Monty gives her a sad smile that’s more revealing than anything he could say. He knows all of the ways that this can go wrong. “May we meet again.”Clarke steps forward to grip him tightly in a hug, not having heard those words in what feels like forever. “We will meet again,” she says. “I didn’t survive Praimfaya just to be taken down by some rogue criminals.”“That you did,” Murphy chimes in, and Clarke would dare to say she hears a hint of pride in his voice. She looks to him, and he tilts his head toward the ship. “You get them. We’ll be waiting in the green in case Zeke’s army changes their minds.”And Clarke wants to ask a million and one questions – about who all of these unfamiliar names are they keep mentioning, what’s happened to them since going to space, how they ended up being hostages on this ship – but now’s not the time.Of all the ways she imagined seeing them all again, this certainly wasn’t it – two people short, the rest escaping to unknown territory on their own, Madi running into the fray of enemies on her own, Clarke chasing after her.After waiting and waiting for six years, she thought she’d have more time.But when were things ever easy?So instead of taking all of her friends and Madi somewhere safe, somewhere where the monsters can’t get them, she leaves them.She leaves them and begins running up the ramp right towards those monsters, refusing to glance back at them.There’s only a few stragglers making their way into the ship, making Clarke stick out far more than she would like to as she starts merging with the crowd.Madi sticks out too, she reminds herself.Madi is in there looking just as much like a grounder as she does, and if she’s in there, nothing and no one is going to stop Clarke from getting her, Raven, and Bellamy out.The further she pushes through the crowd, the more stares she gets.But for whatever reason, no one stops her.It’s clear that everyone is collectively moving towards the same destination, and she needs to break away from them before she gets trapped in an unmovable mass.As the crowd flows forward, they hit an intersection of hallways and Clarke makes her move.No one forcefully taking one of the hostages would head toward a highly populated area. They’d go someplace secluded, someplace no one would hear them.She breaks from the group, ignoring the curious, if not suspicious, glances that are aimed in her direction and marches down the empty hallway with pure adrenaline fueling her every movement as the shuffle of people, the murmur of voices, gets softer and softer the further she goes until it’s only silence ringing in her ears and her heart slamming in her chest.Clarke pauses at every new intersection she hits, listening for even a hint of voices to tell her where to turn. The ship is massive, and it could take her hours to find them at this rate.Then, she hears it.It’s just the lowest rumble of sound, and she prays it’s not soldiers or machinery that she’s making her way towards. Prays that she’s getting closer rather than farther.She follows the sound as it gets louder and louder, picking up on a male voice speaking as she heads down a lone hallway with a doorway at the end of it.“It’s okay to cry, sweetheart,” the voice whispers softly, but without a hint of true empathy, making a chill run down Clarke’s spine. “We won't judge. You were so brave coming in like you did,” he goes on, tone mocking, “So young… So strong…”Clarke may not have had much human interaction in the past six years, but it doesn’t take much to realize the voice sounds completely unhinged.She doesn’t need to hear anything more.Moving to peer in to assess the situation, another voice echoes out of the room before she gets the chance.“Now hang on.”Clarke freezes in her tracks.That voice, she knows.She’s dreamt of that voice more times than she can count, prayed to anyone listening that his voice would crackle over her radio on one of the 2,199 days she radioed him. And hearing his voice hits her just as hard as seeing him did when she was watching from the bushes.“Let her go, Vinson. She’s got nothing to do with any of this,” Bellamy reasons calmly.But Clarke can hear it.Six years, and she can still pick up on the stress, the worry, hidden underneath the calm.The other voice laughs. “See, that’s where you’re wrong, Blake. She’s got everything to do with it.”And then she hears the most terrifying noise – a sound she hasn’t heard since Madi got trapped in that grounder net all those years ago, a sound Clarke could have gone her whole life without ever hearing again.The petrified whimper of her daughter rings out from the room.“Tell me Madi,” the voice softens again while addressing her, “where’s your mom at?”Clarke’s already moving into the room before the last word is out of his mouth, raising her rifle to aim right at the man holding a knife to Madi’s throat.“Right here.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Maybe McCreary actually did shoot him.Maybe he’s sprawled out on the ramp right now, bleeding out as his friends watch on helplessly.Maybe his brain’s losing oxygen and it conjured up this whole messed up scenario, merging dream and nightmare together.How else could he explain the appearance of Clarke, looking every bit alive in the doorway of the holding cells?No reality would be so kind.But it doesn’t stop Bellamy from staring, from gaping, at her. He studies her, taking in everything from the grounder clothes she’s wearing to the red staining her short blonde hair to the far-too familiar determination etched in her face.It’s everything he’s forgotten over the years and then some, his brain doing a hell of a job conjuring up what Clarke would look like after spending six years on the ground.“Ah, there she is,” Vinson says, sounding far too happy with himself.Bellamy blinks.And blinks, and blinks. He waits for the image of her to disappear, for the trance to break and confirm the delusion for what it is.But when he focuses again, he’s still in the holding cell, being held back by Raven. Vinson’s still there with his knife, Madi’s still there with a bead of blood running down her neck, and Clarke’s still there aiming her rifle at Vinson, looking completely and utterly enraged.Bellamy turns to Raven, whose grip on his arm has turned iron-like as she stares at Clarke too, shell-shocked in every sense of the word, confirming that she’s seeing what he’s seeing.Which means–It’s like his body is hit with a shock baton – everything hurting, a ringing only he can hear blaring in his ears, unable to utter a single syllable.It’s Clarke.Beautiful, and angry, and everything he never dared to hope for because she died when the Earth did, six years ago.And yet, here she is. Alive.“What I don’t get, Blake,” Vinson calls, pulling Bellamy’s attention to him, “is that you’ve got all these beautiful women ready to go up in arms for you, and you do nothing about it. So much loveliness wasted because you don’t know how to appreciate them properly.”Bellamy’s gut twists as Vinson strokes Madi’s neck deliberately with the blade, drawing another whimper from the scared girl who tries to remain as still as she can in her terror. One wrong move and the knife will cut deep.It’s too much for Bellamy to stand as he yanks his bleeding arm out of Raven’s firm grip to take another step closer. “That’s enough,” Bellamy all but shouts, wanting, needing to get Madi away before anything worse can happen.Vinson looks delighted as he takes a step back from Bellamy and Raven, that much closer to Clarke. He keeps Madi in front of his own body as Clarke tracks every movement with her gun, eyes on the knife on Madi’s throat, on her daughter’s throat – one of many facts he’s struggling to wrap his head around.He glances back at Vinson and Madi, knowing Clarke can’t take the shot. Not when Madi’s being used as a human shield.Taking another step forward, Bellamy’s own gaze stays fixed on the calculated motions of the blade. The only way any of this could end in their favor is if they get that knife away from Madi and give Clarke a chance to shoot.“Show me how to appreciate them then,” he says, swallowing down on the acid climbing up his throat at what he’s asking, praying that Vinson won’t be able to say no to the trap Bellamy’s setting for him.It doesn’t stop everyone from freezing and staring at him in shock.Everyone but Clarke, whose focus doesn’t waver.Vinson tilts his head, considering.“Alright, Blake. I’m up to the challenge,” he says, not able to resist whatever obsession drives him. “You see, the first thing you need to do is drink in the uniqueness of each individual woman,” he explains, and Bellamy thinks he might be sick as Vinson brings the knife to caress Madi’s cheek, Madi flinching as she tries to remain strong. “The second thing,” he goes on as he lifts the knife away, pointing it at Bellamy like he’s pointing a finger.And thankfully, they’ll never know what the second step to being a serial killer is as Clarke takes the opening she’s given, avoiding Madi’s thin legs and blowing out Vinson’s exposed knee cap with a single shot.Bellamy moves as soon as the shot rings out, grabbing Madi’s arm and yanking her into his arms as Vinson curls forward with a howl, knife clattering to the ground.Raven dives for the knife right as Vinson hits the floor with a thud.Bellamy watches Raven move to stand next to Clarke as he feels Madi’s small arms wrap around his middle tightly, the action an echo of memories of his little sister holding him just as tight when they were kids. He cradles her head and hugs her back. “You’re okay, you’re safe,” he hushes when he feels her entire body shaking.She merely squeezes him tighter in response.He’s so focused on comforting Madi, he misses the conversation going on between Clarke and Raven as Vinson’s pained moans echo off the concrete walls.“Do we lock him up or kill him?” He picks up on Clarke asking Raven as Clarke glares down at Vinson, and Bellamy knows exactly which choice she wants.He knows what Raven’s response will be too even before she answers vehemently. “Kill him.”Bellamy tucks Madi’s head into his shoulder just as the second shot sounds out the moment the words are out of Raven’s mouth, leaving deafening silence in its wake.The silence holds until he hears his name being whispered into his shoulder, surprising him. “Bellamy,” Madi murmurs, hesitating before continuing, “I’m really fucking happy you’re alive.”It’s enough to startle a laugh out of him, overwhelmed in every sense of the word at this whirlwind of a child.“Right back at you kid,” he tells her, glancing up just in time to catch blue eyes watching them. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Bellamy tilts his head to look at her face, an endless number of questions flooding his brain now that the immediate threat is taken care of.Before he can even think of voicing a single one of his million questions though, her eyes fall to the girl still in his arms, calling Madi’s name with a shaky voice.At the sound of her name, Madi gives him a wobbly smile and one more tight squeeze before letting go of the tight grip she had on him and plowing into Clarke’s open arms, collectively bursting into sobs as the prior events catch up with her.He watches Clarke sway with her, hushing and humming to calm her down, and again, he thinks he might have stepped into some sort of dream as he stands there, unsure what to do, what to say.There’s just no way this is actually happening.It’s not possible that she’s here, not just alive, but with a kid who sees her as a parent.But then she speaks again, her voice ringing in his ears, and he realizes with a start he’d forgotten what she sounds like.“Look at me,” she says to Madi, cradling Madi’s head in her hands, tucking stray hairs behind the girl’s ears, “just breathe, okay?”Madi nods her head, following Clarke’s directions as Clarke takes deep breaths with her.“Good,” she soothes, gentle in a way he rarely ever saw. “We have to leave, do you think you can hold your gun?”Madi’s eyes widen, anxiety clear at even the thought of having to fight more. The sight kicks Bellamy into action, finally speaking up. “I’ll take the rifle.”Clarke’s eyes meet his again, and all the questions are there, right on the tip of his tongue, begging to be asked.But as quick as their eyes meet, hers flick away, looking back to Madi and tugging her toward the door. “Then let’s go,” she says, raising her rifle with one hand, holding onto Madi with the other. “I can’t imagine the rest of the ship’s occupants are any more friendly.”In the next blink, they’re out the door, leaving Raven and Bellamy to gape at the empty doorway.He opens his mouth to call out her name to tell them to hang on, to wait– and freezes.Six years.He hasn’t spoken her name in six fucking years because he thought she was dead and he just couldn’t bring himself to say it. And now here she is, on a mission to get them and her daughter out with not a second to waste on things like the questions ready burst out of him.Raven breaks his scrambled thoughts as she lets out a hysterical laugh he’s never heard before, the sound bubbling out of her involuntarily. “What just fucking happened?”Bellamy shakes his head for good measure, one final check to shake the delusion if it is one. But they’re still in the holding cell, Vinson’s lifeless body is still slumped on the ground, and the sounds of their rescuers’ feet are echoing as they head further down the hallway.“Only one way to find out,” he says, swallowing his questions for now as he picks up Madi’s abandoned rifle like it hasn’t been years since he’s handled one, knowing now’s not the time for questions when they’re still not sure if they’re in enemy territory or if they can trust Zeke at his word.So for now, they choose to follow the duo out of the Eligius ship and into a new and unpredictable world.A world where somehow, someway, Clarke Griffin is very much alive.They sneak past the entourage carting Charmaine and her group to the exact holding cells they just left, knowing they’re in for a shock when they find Vinson’s body there.But after that, it’s just Raven calling out directions to them so that they head in the right direction, her jaw locking every time she speaks as she bites down on her own questions.Bellamy can relate as he stops himself from calling out to her for the thousandth time, her name now begging to be said.They make it out to the ramp without running into any of the other miners, and then it’s just the four of them quickening their pace down the ramp, heading towards the green land he had watched grow back slowly and surely while up in space.He wants to take in the changing environment around him, he really does, but his focus refuses to waver from Clarke’s receding figure.At the top of the hill, he swears. When their adrenaline has subsided and they’re all safely at the top where the green land begins, he’ll say something.He turns to look back and make sure Raven isn’t lagging behind to find her limping over the rocky terrain carefully a few feet back, her waving him on when she sees him checking in.And when he turns to continue his own trek, winded a little from exertion, his breath is quite literally knocked from his lungs as someone slams into him.No, not someone.He recognizes her instantly, his arms wrapping around her to catch her on instinct.He stumbles for a moment on the slant of the hill, refusing to loosen his grip on her, but also not wanting to tumble back down the hill.She’s still holding onto him just as tightly when he gets his feet planted, her arms wrapped around his shoulders, her face tucked in his neck.“You’re so fucking late,” she mumbles into his skin, voice choked with tears that drip onto his skin.Somehow, against all odds, he starts laughing as his own vision blurs. “I’m so fucking late,” he agrees, tilting his head to rest in her hair and closing his eyes as his own tears flow freely down his cheeks as it really, truly hits him.She’s here, the physical proof in his arms telling him she’s every bit alive.“And I’ve got so many questions,” he tells her, feeling her nod against his neck.“I know, me too,” she says, picking her head up to look at him, her cheeks flushed and wet from her tears. She’s the absolute best thing he’s seen in years. “It’s just,” she pauses as she ducks her head on a smile like she can’t help it, making sure to look at him before finishing. “Hi Bellamy.”He finds himself smiling too, even if he refuses to look away from those beautiful blue eyes, ones he never thought he’d ever see again.“Hey Clarke,” he answers breathlessly, her name rolling off his tongue like it’s the easiest thing on Earth. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- She’s planning to wait until the Eligius ship is far out of their sight.Her focus narrows into the sole goal of getting them as far from danger as she is physically capable of.Don’t look back until you’re sure you can handle it, she tells herself.She’ll get them to safety, and then she’ll let everything hit her.Madi could have died.She killed someone.Bellamy is right there.It all fights to overwhelm her – the pure terror that coursed through her when that monster had Madi, the shock of taking another human life without a second thought, the ridiculous hope that her wildest wishes are finally within her grasp, trailing right behind her.And the only thing keeping her on that calm, single-minded track is the comfort of Madi’s solid warmth and reassurance that she’s alive and well beside her as they make their escape up the hill and the steady and unsteady footfalls of Bellamy and Raven behind them.But as soon as the steady footsteps halt, only leaving unsteady ones echoing to her ears, those emotions she’s been trying to keep at bay slam into her with the force of a thousand shock batons as she whips around to find him, fearing she’ll see him shot to the ground or not there at all, simply a figment of her imagination.Instead she finds herself staring at his back as he checks on Raven, his body heaving slightly with the heavy breaths he’s taking from exertion.She should turn around and keep going.He’s fine, they’re good, keep going.She should fight tooth and nail to push those emotions away until a safer time as Madi stands right beside her, leaning her head onto Clarke’s arm as she watches them too. “You didn’t even get to hug him yet,” she whispers, innocently observant even after everything she’s been through today.It makes Clarke smile as she wraps an arm around her fearless strik natblida.Madi knows how this particular part of the story is supposed to go. The princess sees her friends and doesn’t hesitate for a moment before wrapping them all in hugs six years in the making.The princess isn’t calm and focused. No, the princess is damn near bursting with excitement that they’re finally home.So honestly, fuck calm and focused.She’s spent six years talking to him on a radio, begging just to hear his voice. And now he’s here, and she’s done pushing the reality of that to the sidelines until it’s safe. At the very least, she should get to fucking hug him.All it takes is the smallest of nudges from Madi, a reassurance that it’s okay that she goes, that she’ll stay right where she is.So Clarke does what her heart’s been begging the rest of her to do since seeing him tied up on that ramp.She runs to him, knowing from experience he’ll catch her.Her name rolling off his tongue is still echoing in her mind even as Raven’s voice breaks through her delirious joy.“What, he gets hugged and I’m left to keep trudging up this damn hill?” She asks as sternly as she can with how out of breath she is.It only makes Clarke’s smile widen even more, if possible, as she finally looks away from Bellamy’s own watery eyes as he watches her like she might disappear at any moment, to take in the sight of Raven Reyes marching towards her with a determination that might just barrel all three of them right back down the hill they’re climbing.She doesn’t let go of Bellamy until Raven’s reaching out to grip Clarke in her own tight hug, long arms holding onto Clarke with everything Raven has in her. “How are you here?” Raven mumbles into Clarke’s shoulder, her hold strong and firm and real, just like the tears beginning to stain her shirt. Raven pulls back far enough to wipe a hand across her eyes. “I don’t know why I’m crying,” she laughs, “if anyone’s going to survive the fucking apocalypse, it’s you. I just– I can’t believe it.”“Me either,” Clarke agrees, her own tears threatening to spill again when Raven tugs her back in.“Clarke,” Bellamy calls as Raven finally loosens her hold, and she’s never going to get tired of him saying her name. And from the look of wonder on his face, he won’t either. “The others are somewhere around here too. I told them to get to the green land, but we don’t know–”“No I saw them,” Clarke says, letting go of Raven completely and glancing up the hill to where Madi stands watching them, the green trees standing tall behind her. She opens her mouth to tell them about seeing them on the ramp, but then her eyes trail further into the green where five familiar figures are slowly beginning to emerge. “I see them,” she corrects happily as Bellamy and Raven follow her line of sight and Madi moves to turn around too.They wait at the top of the hill for the four of them to trudge the rest of the way up. Clarke rejoins Madi’s side, tugging on her hand in a comforting squeeze when she picks up on Madi’s nerves.“Os?” Clarke asks her, slipping into Trigedasleng to give her something familiar to hold on to.This is it.This is the moment they’ve fantasized about for years – the two of them reuniting with the seven warriors from the sky – and to Madi, Clarke’s sure the idea is almost daunting. It sure as hell is for her. Everything’s going to change.Madi squeezes back, firm and strong. “Good,” she answers, giving Clarke a smile before pulling her along.Monty, Harper, Murphy, Emori, and Echo keep a leery watch on the ship behind them, ready to warn them if an attack is to come. They watch and wait, ready to help now that their missing pieces (plus two more) are safe.An attack never comes.It’s almost like Eligius’s crew doesn’t care that their prisoners are missing, or that two of their people were shot and killed. The entire ship has gone dormant.And once they reach the top, that dormant ship all but disappears from their minds as everyone moves and speaks at once. Disbelieving laughter fills the warm air, embraces are given readily, and over and over again, the sentiment is the same: They can’t believe it.They can’t believe Clarke’s here, with a child, no less.They can’t believe everyone’s still in one piece, nobody lost in the chaos of the past few hours.They can’t believe they’re actually home, on Earth.Clarke can.Many days were rough, but she and Madi knew this day would eventually come. Her eyes catch Bellamy’s over the flutter of voices and people, eyes just as warm as she remembers.She’s so grateful she never let go of that hope. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Madi shows them where she hid the Rover as soon as the excitement of reuniting has settled into a calm sort of happiness.Or as calm as they could possibly be under the circumstances, since as of an hour ago, everyone thought she was dead.There’s still so many questions that have been left unanswered, both on her part and theirs, but she can’t ignore the creeping need to get everyone someplace safe before they start those conversations.Someplace far, far away from that ship.There’s more disbelief once the Rover is revealed, with Raven and Monty immediately badgering her with questions about its functionality and sturdiness.“It’s gotten us around for years,” is what Clarke settles on in way of explanation, giving it a fond pat on the hood. She still feels that need to get away all too acutely.“That much is clear,” Murphy shoots back dryly as he takes in the dents and scratches that coat its surface. “What, did you drive it into a tree?” He quips, to which Emori elbows him in the side.“Only a couple,” Madi responds conversationally, missing the sarcasm as she moves to hop into the driver’s seat without a hint of hesitation. “Clarke’s a better lesson-teacher than driving-teacher, so they’re not all from me,” she adds on, for clarification’s sake of course.Clarke can’t help the smile that draws out of her as she watches the others eye Madi with a fondness even she didn’t think could be so instant.“You can drive it?” She hears Bellamy ask Madi, and it’s only then that she allows herself to watch him again. She’s been careful not to let herself stare, but it’s an uphill battle, especially when she always finds his eyes already watching her with a look she can’t quite get a read on.Except this time, his eyes then trail to Madi, his eyes light and curious in a way she can’t remember ever seeing.“Mm hmm,” Madi hums in confirmation. “I can show you,” she offers readily, already turning the ignition to bring the vehicle to life.The others jump at the sound, clearly not prepared for the guttural rustiness of the Rover.Clarke steps in before Madi can drive away with the eight of them in the dust. “Maybe when we don’t have unwelcome visitors looming so close by,” Clarke reasons, lifting her eyebrows at Madi when she holds her ground in the driver’s seat.Her stubbornness, young and carefree, holds for another moment before Madi’s rolling her own eyes and scooting into the passenger seat. “Fine.”And Clarke gives it to her, knowing Madi showing off a bit is much preferred to a shy Madi unwilling to talk.Clarke lets out a sigh as she looks back to the others, feeling self-conscious for the first time when she’s met with varying degrees of surprise, confusion, and amusement from them.“Um,” she says, moving toward the back of the Rover and swinging the back doors open. “Don’t mind the mess, we’ve been camping out in here for the past few weeks while scavenging. Just move the books and blankets out of the way and you’ll be able to fit on the benches and the floor.”She feels the others move to stand behind her, peering into their makeshift camp.“You’ve got a little home in here,” Harper says, marveling at the chimes dangling from the ceiling and the trinkets cluttering the floor.“Wait until you see our actual camp,” Madi calls animatedly from the front, her eyes glittering with an excitement that makes Clarke’s heart swell.They glance at Clarke for an explanation, to which she just shrugs. “It’s easier to show you than explain it. Plus I have a feeling we both are going to be doing more than enough of that once we get there.”At that, Raven moves to hop right in. “Then screw you losers, I’m getting some bench space. The rest of you can fight over who sits on the floor.”That’s all it takes for the rest of them to start scrambling into the back, pushing and arguing playfully until they’re all somewhat settled comfortably for the ride ahead.All but one, that is.She walks over to the right of the Rover where he’s tracing his hands almost reverently over the metal exterior on the vehicle, fingers dipping into the dents as he’s lost in thought.“You weren’t supposed to hear that,” she tells him, and watches as his brows scrunch in confusion. “I imagined you berating me time and time again for messing up your precious Rover every time we added a new scratch or dent,” she explains softly, her tone gentle though her words are teasing. It’s enough to pull him from whatever thoughts he was lost in.He gives her that same look, the one she wishes she knew what to do with. “I can’t believe it’s here,” he says, voice just as soft.I can’t believe you’re here, is what she hears hidden between the lines.Clarke takes a step towards him as his eyes watch her every movement, opening her mouth to say something, anything–“Bellamy!” Madi calls as her head peaks out from the driver’s side. “You can sit up here with me and Clarke! I’ll sit in the middle!” She says excitedly.And whatever moment there was is broken as he turns to smile at Madi. “Sounds like a plan, kid,” he says fondly before glancing once more back at Clarke.The smile he gives her is small, but full of promise.Later.They’ll get their chance to talk.She gives him her own helpless smile as he turns to walk in front of the Rover to the passenger side and swing open the door.When Clarke is the only one not in the Rover, she takes a moment to close her eyes and take a deep breath, listening to all the life radiating out of the vehicle.It’s only a second, and then she’s hopping into the driver’s seat and closing her own door behind her.She places her hands on the wheel, her whole body vibrating along with it.Madi bumps her leg with Clarke’s, much closer than she normally is with Bellamy squished in next to her. "To Eden?” She asks eagerly.She catches Bellamy’s eyes over the top of Madi’s head.“To Eden,” she confirms, and steps on the pedal. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “So what happened in the ship?” Bellamy hears Emori ask from the back, voice bouncing with every bump of the Rover. Her and Raven are sitting on part of what little bench space there is, with Murphy and the others sliding around on the ground near them. The question’s probably directed towards Raven, but she says it loud enough to invite any of the four of them who were there to answer.“Yeah,” Harper chimes in. “How’d you guys get away?”Bellamy turns his head towards them to respond, hesitating when he catches the look Madi and Clarke share silently right before they direct their attention back to the passing trees outside. “Vinson had Raven and me trapped,” he explains, pausing to meet Raven’s eyes in the back before continuing, “and then Clarke and Madi found us and got us out.”He imagines the look Raven sends back to him mirrors the one he just witnessed between Clarke and Madi.There’s no need to go into detail about what Vinson intended to do, what he could have done if Clarke hadn’t gotten there when she did. They all got away, that’s all that matters. And from that one look, Raven understands too.“And Vinson?” Echo cuts in, speaking up for the first time since they all reunited at the top of the hill, the name sounding like poison coming from her lips.“He’s dead,” Raven replies bluntly, choosing not to elaborate on that part either.Raven’s words settle in the air as everyone registers what she just said.“So we should go back then,” Harper says, and Bellamy thinks he’s the only one that catches the acceleration of the Rover increasing the moment those words are out of her mouth. He glances at Clarke to see her staring resolutely out at the pathway ahead of them, eyes trained on the landscape. Madi’s eyes keeping dancing from Clarke to the window, and back to Clarke again.He turns back to the group to see Monty nod his head from where he’s seated on the ground. “We should talk to Zeke. He said he was our ally, we should see if he actually meant it.”“Especially if he’s the one in charge now,” Harper agrees instantly, to which Monty seems almost startled that they are in agreement on anything at this point.“I’m not sure how hot of an idea that is,” Raven says, her own eyes watching the back of Clarke’s head intently. She’s picked up on it too.The Rover is definitely going faster.The others look at her in confusion and shock, immediately jumping into why’s and why not’s and he knows he’s going to have to acknowledge that feeling that’s been climbing up his spine slowly and carefully since Vinson was taunting Madi with that knife.“They knew,” he tells them, settling back in his seat as he lets himself accept the truth for the first time too.The Eligius crew knew Clarke was alive.They knew how important she was to them.They even knew about Madi and her relationship with Clarke. Where’s your mom at? Vinson’s voice echoes in his ears, just as the image of Madi’s terrified face morphing into shock flashes across his vision.He remembers the confusion he felt at the interaction, not understanding how Vinson knew anything about Madi at all, least of all about her mother.But then seconds later everything he had known to be true capsized as Clarke barreled into the room.He knew they were hiding something from them. That McCreary and Vinson were holding something over their heads, something even Zeke hadn’t been willing to reveal to them.But he never could have even began to imagine that Clarke was what they were baiting them with.The others stay blessedly silent, the truth hitting them too.“How would they know that?” Murphy finally says, sounding angrier with every word he speaks. “How the fuck could they have possibly known that Clarke was alive?”“Not just Clarke,” Raven adds, her voice distant as her mind races to find an answer. “They knew about Madi too. Everyone, including Zeke. Even if he is in charge there now, I’m not sure we can trust him.”Bellamy catches the tilt of Clarke’s head out of the corner of his eye, just as he catches her grip on the wheel tighten further at the mention of Zeke.Madi’s eyes settle on Clarke, watching her with concern.And Bellamy knows she feels the Rover going faster as well.The others continue talking over each other in the back, talking about the impossibilities of Eligius knowing, theories of how they could have possibly come across that information, and ideas of what to do about Zeke.But Bellamy’s eyes remain on Clarke and Madi.He watches Clarke’s hands turn white on the handle as her eyes stare off into the distance, mind clearly somewhere else as the conversations echo to the front.He watches Madi as concern etches deeper into her features.“They heard us, didn’t they,” Madi all but whispers, just enough for Clarke, and consequently Bellamy, to hear.The others carry on in the back, oblivious to what Madi said, but Bellamy’s hanging on to every word.Clarke’s eyes focus, coming back from whatever train of thought she was lost in. She blinks once before glancing at Madi, and then him, where her eyes stay.“Sha,” she says with a sadness that makes him ache, because even Bellamy knows what that means in Trig from what Echo has taught him.The single word rattles Bellamy in a way he didn’t think was possible at the moment. Too many impossible things have happened today for much else to surprise him.But before he can even begin to ask what it all means, he feels the Rover start to slow.The others may not have felt the acceleration, but they certainly feel the deceleration as their own conversations come to a halt.What’s even more shocking is the way Clarke pushes whatever she’s feeling somewhere he can’t see right before turning to address everyone in the back, any sadness or confusion he saw seconds ago replaced by a slowly growing smile.“We’re here!” Madi exclaims excitedly, any of her own hesitance and uncertainty dashed away by the arrival at their location as she climbs over Clarke and swings the driver’s door open to jump out, immediately racing to the back of the Rover.Clarke’s head turns to watch Madi for a moment before looking back at the others, and this time, he can see the glint of excitement in her own eyes too.“Well, this is where we live,” she explains, just as Madi yanks on the doors and sunlight floods the vehicle.The shock of light kicks everyone else into movement as they slide out the back, surprise and delight coloring their voices as they start to look around.“Welcome to Eden guys,” she calls warmly, even though he doubts they hear her.He feels her watching him as he stares out the back of the Rover, and when he turns to look back at her, her gaze doesn’t flick away.Her focus is entirely on him when she adds softly, “Welcome home, Bellamy.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- It takes time to explain.It starts with Clarke and Madi telling them how they created Eden – finding the greenest land that had grown back, choosing an area open enough to build while still having the shade of the trees to shelter them, looking for somewhere close to their favorite fishing spot, scavenging all around for materials once they agreed on a location.She relents to making a small fire as her and Madi speak only after their insistent confidence that the Eligius crew won’t be coming after them. And yet, her skin still tingles with lingering apprehension as they gather around the fire sharing stories, the fire bright and the smoke disappearing into the breeze. I called you. That then carries into telling them in the most condensed version she can manage of what the past six years have been like – how she survived the initial wave and found Madi, how the bunker is still buried in rubble, how she thought the Eligius ship was their ship this morning. I called all of you. Everyday, for years. At that, Raven snorts without a hint of humor. “We would’ve been down a couple days ago if they hadn’t gotten to us first.”That leads into them telling her and Madi what their past six years have been like as they share the jerky Clarke had stored before her and Madi had left on their scavenging trip turned rescue mission.“Ugh, don’t judge me when I eat this in two bites,” Murphy states as he licks the grease off of his fingers like it’s its own separate meal. They all nod along in agreement, Clarke noting how they seem to be savoring every bite they take. “Are you done with that?” Murphy asks Echo, even as she glares at him and tucks her own jerky closer to her chest.He’s joking. She thinks.While they continue to eat, they tell their own stories. Clarke listens as hungrily as they eat, wanting to know everything – every second, every single moment that happened after she watched from the top of that tower as the ship broke through the atmosphere and disappeared into space all those years ago.I never stopped. We never stopped. It gave us hope, even when things got tough.They tell her and Madi as much as they can, trading turns in adding to stories like a well-oiled machine, in sync with each other in a way Clarke doesn’t remember being there before. Emori tells them about the lights blinking on the moment Clarke had gotten the dish in place. Raven explains how she pretty much rebuilt the ship from scratch only to be forced to abandon it by Eligius. Monty, Harper, Murphy, and Echo fill them in on what they’ve learned of Eligius since being held captive. The six of them complain and joke about what eating algae all day everyday was like as they continue to carefully work through the jerky like it’s the most delicious meal they’ve ever had.Clarke can’t help but think it just might be.It takes time from both ends to explain six years of living in as little bit of time as possible, and Clarke’s not sure there’ll ever be enough time for everything she wants to know.She and Madi take turns sharing stories, just as Raven, Monty, Murphy, Harper, Emori, and Echo add story upon story when someone says something that then reminds them of something else.It’s equal parts exhilarating and overwhelming, having them finally here, listening to everything she wasn’t there to experience herself.And through it all, as her eyes jump from person to person who speaks around the fire, not able to get enough, she always ends up snagging on Bellamy again.Bellamy, who watches and listens attentively, but never seems to add his own stories in.She catches him watching her as much as she watches him, and she notes this smile on his face every time – amused by the antics and dramatics of their friends, but also happy in a way Clarke’s certain she’s never seen as the others rant and rave and joke. Like he’s used to it. Like it isn’t something entirely new for her, for Madi. You kept me sane, Bellamy. When things felt impossible, or Madi was hurt, or I felt so incredibly lonely, talking to you got me through it.The words run on repeat in her head. Every piece of the conversation she wants to have with them, with him, but is unsure how to do. The words are there, but she just can’t bring herself to say them, not with the way they’re smiling and laughing, not with how Madi’s eyes are bright even if she’s just as overstimulated as Clarke is.Madi knows these people, even if this is her first time meeting them in person. They’re the heroes from her stories come to life.So how can Clarke ruin that by telling them how exactly Eligius knew about them? The thought keeps her quiet as the others carry on.Raven said they knew about Clarke and Madi, but it wasn’t just that. They also knew there was a ship of people who had been on Earth once, floating around in space somewhere.Eligius knew her friends’ names.They knew who her friends were and they knew her friends had connections on the ground.All because of her radio calls.Eligius used whatever information Clarke unknowingly gave them to their advantage.So no, with the energy light around them and the laughter of her friends and Madi filling the air, she won’t tell them it’s her fault they were held captive. She doesn’t tell them about the radio. And Madi might keep looking at her expectantly, like she’s waiting for Clarke to start the conversation, but she doesn’t push it when Clarke doesn’t. We’re alive because of you all. And she very nearly got them all killed.The stories continue until Madi releases a yawn that she clearly had been withholding for quite some time.Yawns are contagious after all, and the others follow suit, reluctantly admitting their exhaustion from the events of today and the past few aboard the Eligius ship.Clarke shows them the areas she and Madi had built for all of them. They had made individual structures for everyone, not wanting to assume relationships would last six years, or new ones wouldn’t have formed. But still, the structures are big enough for more than one, and when Murphy and Emori head toward one together, she has to bite back on her smile.And when she sees Harper and Monty go separate ways, she’s glad they made more than enough.She tries to be casual when she looks to see where Bellamy heads, only to see him still by the fire.And she thinks she accomplishes the subtlety, until she turns back to Madi giving her an extremely unimpressed, knowing look.Clarke sticks her tongue out, wrapping her arm around Madi’s shoulders to steer her toward their own little hut.“Let’s get you to bed, strikon,” which only succeeds in making Madi scrunch her nose. She thinks she’s getting too old for such names.“It doesn’t look like Bellamy’s going to sleep yet,” Madi says slyly, arching her eyebrows exactly like the pre-teen she’s quickly becoming, probably hoping to remind Clarke she’s not little anymore.Clarke squeezes her shoulders in warning and acquiesce, even as she feels her cheeks warm as they duck into their wooden shelter.She doesn’t look back at him again, but she’s hoping once she gets Madi to sleep, he’ll still be there. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Are you going to go talk to him?” Madi asks casually as she moves to sprawl across her bed mat, clearly missing it after spending night after night in the Rover.Clarke hums in acknowledgement of the question, but continues her task of getting Madi’s nightly glass of water, reveling in the routine for as long as Madi will let her do it. She thinks the question is a continuation of the playful teasing Madi had started when she pointed out Bellamy by the fire, no response needed.“Because I wouldn’t mind if you did,” Madi continues. “I won’t be upset,” she insists, and that gives Clarke pause. She picks up on the tension in the otherwise casual conversation instantly, getting the feeling there’s more to it than the light tone from outside had implied.She had wanted to spend this quiet time with Madi not just to help her fall asleep, but to check in with her too. It’s been quite the day, and Madi’s experienced such a vast range of emotions that surely has her feeling overwhelmed and confused. And picking up on the sudden change in mood from the happy, smiling girl by the fire from a few minutes ago to now only confirms their need to check in. Still, Clarke gets the water filled before waiting to turn back to Madi, seeing if she says anything else. When she doesn’t, Clarke turns to find her now sitting cross-legged on her mat as she twists her hands, a tell-tale sign that she wants to say something but doesn’t know how to.Clarke can relate to the feeling all too acutely.She brings the water over to Madi, handing her the cup so she has something to do with her hands while Clarke moves to lay alongside her on Madi’s mat.When Clarke lays down, Madi follows, putting her water aside and snuggling into Clarke’s side like they’ve done thousands of times. They lay quietly for a moment.“How are you feeling about all of this?” Clarke asks into the silence. It’s dark in their hut, and Madi’s tucked in so close that Clarke’s speaking towards the ceiling.“Okay,” Madi mumbles, and Clarke can hear the but that hangs on the end of that one spoken word.“But it's a lot to take in, right?”Madi only nods in response, a sure sign that she’s close to tears. “Niron,” Clarke calls softly, only using the word in tender moments like these, “what has you so upset?” She reaches up to card her fingers through Madi’s hair, hoping the gesture will have a calming effect.“I’m not upset,” Madi says on a watery voice. “It’s just–,” she stops as she moves so that she can see Clarke’s face. “I knew everything was going to change eventually, and that we’ve been preparing for today for forever, but it wasn’t– it wasn’t–,” her breath hitches again, today’s events catching up with her.“It wasn’t how you expected things would happen,” Clarke finishes for her, thinking back to when Vinson had that knife to Madi’s throat.It should have been a happy occasion, watching their friends’ ship land from the sky. They would have run to them, and greeted them with relieved laughs and hugs. Clarke would have been able to give Madi a proper introduction, instead of guns and criminals and hostages. It’s exactly the opposite of what Clarke has ever imagined whenever she dared to venture to think about what reuniting with everyone would be like. But Madi gets what she’s saying all the same.She nods, biting her lip to keep her tears at bay.“It’s not that I’m not happy they’re finally here,” she says sincerely, as if Clarke would ever think otherwise. “It’s just– like you said. A lot.”Clarke sits up at that, reaching out to swipe the stray tears that escaped from the corners of Madi’s eyes.“And it’s absolutely okay to feel like that, honey. No one's going to fault you for feeling the way you do. I feel like it’s a lot.”“You do?” Madi asks, already trying to compose herself as she moves to tuck her hair behind her ears.“I do,” Clarke confirms, tugging her in for a hug. “Things are going to be different now, but I think it’s going to be a good kind of different. And if it’s ever not, and you’re not feeling great about something, I want you to talk to me. I always want to know what you’re thinking, and I’ll always want to make it better. You are one of the best things that has ever happened to me, Madi,” Clarke she says softly into the top of Madi’s head, “and I’ll do anything to make sure you’re happy and safe.”“Okay,” Madi responds, face still tucked into Clarke’s neck, no tension trailing the word like it had in the beginning. “Can you tell me a story until I fall asleep?”Clarke draws them back so that they’re laying down again. “With how often you remind me that you’re too old for things, I thought stories was going to be added to the list too,” Clarke teases, trying to draw a smile out of her.“Not your stories, Clarke,” Madi chastises quietly, even as she shifts to get more comfortable.“I should appreciate it while I still can, I suppose, since I’m sure you’ll be saying differently once you hear Bellamy’s stories.”“Yours will always be the best,” Madi mumbles sleepily, already beginning to drift off before Clarke can even start to weave a tale.Still, the honest sentiment has Clarke’s own eyes pricking with tears. “I love you, Madi,” she whispers into her daughter’s hair.“I love you too, Clarke,” she hums softly. “You can go talk to Bellamy once I’m asleep,” she adds with a sincerity that tells Clarke she truly means it.Clarke simply kisses the top of her hair. “Alright, I’ve got a new story for you tonight.”“Sha?” Madi asks, interest peaked despite sleep tugging at her.“It’s about the day our seven warriors arrived home to the kingdom.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- After everyone heads to bed for the night, Bellamy finds himself still radiating with an energy that will undoubtedly chase sleep away.So as everyone heads to their huts – things Clarke and Madi made for them under the impression that they’d be here someday to use them – Bellamy stays by the fire, trying to get a grasp on his thoughts and all the feelings that come with them.As Clarke and Madi spoke around the fire, he hung onto every word, wanting, needing to know how she did it. How despite every single odd on the planet being stacked against her, she found a child. They built a home together, planned for their friends’ eventual arrival.It makes him nauseas.Here they all were, up in space going about their lives, working to head back to Earth and hoping to join up with the others from the bunker, not even toying with the idea that Clarke could have made it.He would never forget her, of course, but he also could never allow himself that hope. It took him so long to even be able let his battered heart and mind lead as one.And here she was, down here, dedicating her time so that they - Bellamy, Raven, everyone - had a place to call home when they came down.She never doubted they were alive, even as they mourned her.Bellamy feels his mind spiraling, not sure how to settle himself again. The overwhelming guilt he felt for years about leaving her feels like it’s crashing through him with a vengeance, and he’s not quite sure what to do. All he knows is that the panic is rising and he’s defenseless against it.The snap of a twig nearby pulls his attention, his head twisting toward the sound to find Clarke standing on the outskirts of where they had all been sitting around the fire.The sight of her centers him far more than the sound had, even has his eyes catch on the foot that stepped on the twig – the foot that very purposely stepped on the twig.Bellamy looks back to her face with an arched brow, to which she smiles sheepishly as she takes a step closer to him.“I didn’t want to startle you,” she explains, taking another step, her movements almost careful. “You looked very deep in thought.” She hesitates. “Do you want me to leave?”Her words startle a strangled laugh out of him, because of course she’d know he was lost in his head. She’s always known him.But how could she think he’d ever want her to leave after everything?“Of course not,” he says, his reaction enough to get her moving again as she sits, clearly giving him space despite their proximity. “I thought maybe you had settled in for the night.”Clarke hums. “I wanted to get Madi to bed and check in with her.”“Is she okay?” He asks instantly, worried that he read Madi wrong from when she was by the fire while they ate. She seemed happy, energetic in a way that only a child can be. But maybe he can’t read anyone anymore, except for the six people he’s spent six years with.Clarke’s just as much of a mystery to him, and he hates it.She waits a moment before responding, like she’s really thinking about her response before she says it. “I think she will be. She’s so used to hearing stories about you all, it’s just a lot to have everyone here in the flesh now. Not–,” she adds in a rush, eyes going wide as her words register, “not that we wouldn’t want you here in the flesh! It’s just– I mean–”“I think you need to stop saying ‘flesh.’”She hangs her head on an embarrassed huff.She looks up with a smirk, giving him a pointed look that he thinks is not supposed to look as cute as it does. “I’m trying to figure out what to say,” she tells him softly, looking down at her hands again, making his heart clench. Not with heartache, but with a longing he feels down to his toes.“Me too,” he says honestly, finding himself mirroring her actions, looking down at his own hands unconsciously.This shouldn’t be difficult. This is Clarke, the person who knows him best, who he knows best.Six years ago, maybe, but he shoves that thought away as quick as it comes, refusing to let a gap form between them before they even have a chance. Not now, not ever again.He gets up from where he’s been sitting, moving around the area Clarke and Madi clearly made with the intent of having many people gathered around a campfire – laughing, joking, telling stories. He drags his hand through the colored scarves and banners tied onto nearby branches and trees, giving the place a welcoming feel just as the rest of the area does – their home. He can't help but wonder how many times she’s imagined it – all of them here, just as they were tonight.He refuses to let that gap widen.But no matter how many questions were ready to burst out of him earlier, it’s a statement that ends up spilling from his lips.“I thought you were dead,” he tells her as he turns toward her, trying not to let his voice break on the words. He had felt her eyes on his back, knew she had been watching his movements, but still, she had given him space, stayed where she had settled on the log.The sorrow that graces her features makes him regret the words.“I know,” she says sadly, as if she hadn’t been sure. As if she had hoped they knew she wasn’t. She takes a breath, seeming to shake something from her mind, but then continues. “But I am. We are,” she clarifies, glancing back at the hut where Madi sleeps. “And every second of the past six years was worth it knowing that our friends are safe and sleeping in huts nearby and you’re standing right in front of me.”At that, Bellamy can’t help but scoff. Not at her, but at himself. “Clarke, I left you,” he reminds her, as if that could somehow be news to her.She stands at that, her stance bracing in a way that is so achingly familiar.“I know that,” she says fiercely, crossing her arms. “And I’m glad you did. You did what you had to do so that you and the others survived.”“And now what?” He asks, sharper than he wants to be. But the guilt is clawing at him, trying to keep him in its clutches even as he feels Clarke act as his defense, trying to wrench him away from it.“Now we live,” she tells him, moving towards him. She reaches out to him, but hesitates. He’s not sure if it’s because of him, or herself, but when he reaches his own hand out to her, she doesn’t hesitate to take it.He’s hyper-aware of the warmth of her hand in his.The sigh she releases is full of relief, and instead of his heart aching with longing, it begins thumping a rapid beat in his chest.She tugs on his hand, pulling him back to where they had originally been sitting. “Tell me about space,” she requests gently as she settles back down on the log, her hand still in his dragging him with her.It has him smiling despite the path his thoughts had been taking him.“Only if you tell me about Earth,” he counters, plopping down closer to her, space between them be damned.She rolls her eyes, but it’s playful in a way he’s never seen. “The beard’s new,” she says with a tilt of her head, and he feels the sweep of her eyes across his face like a physical touch.It has him reaching unconsciously to rub at his chin before letting his hand drop. “The short hair’s new too,” he counters, and watches as she does the same, her hand lightly tracing over the red that keeps catching his eye.“Always quick with a response,” she says on a long-suffering sigh, even as she smiles, fingers still toying with her hair.He might never get used to that – a happy and alive Clarke Griffin, giving her smiles freely.But boy does he want to. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Clarke wakes the next morning feeling lighter than she has in years – possibly since before she was even put in lockup on the Ark.They had talked for hours, her and Bellamy.They talked about everything and nothing at all. He told her about raiding the abandoned books while up in space and reading them over and over and over again. How Murphy of all people found him glasses when those pages started to blur. Little tidbits of information that would seem pointless to anyone else, but he knew how important hearing about those small moments meant to her.She told him more about Madi and how peaches of all things became the bridge that connected them in the beginning. How now she could relate to how he must have felt raising Octavia. But at the mention of his sister’s name, now knowing there was nothing he could do at this point to help her, if she and the others were still even alive in the bunker, a shadow crossed his face that had nothing to do with the fire’s flames.Clarke wanted to dash the look away as soon as it graced his features.After that, they solely stuck to the little things, avoiding anything heavy and deep and painful for another time. She’s hoping they have more time than she can even begin to imagine to break down everything they want to know about each other’s past six years.But after hours of those little things, Clarke felt like a gigantic weight was lifted from her.She had been so worried when she first came back to the fire that she wouldn’t be able to do it. That after thousands of radio calls to him laying out every aspect of her day, she wouldn’t be able to do it all again, with him here – listening and responding and engaging.She should have known she could tell him anything, whether she knew he was listening or not.They talked until the fire burned to embers, and only then did Bellamy suggest to getting some rest.After watching him head to his own hut, closer to hers and Madi’s than any of the others (which had her immediately suspicious of her friends), she headed back to Madi, curling up with her daughter instead of going to lay on her own mat.“Os?” Madi had mumbled in a haze of sleep as Clarke snuggled up next to her.“Toli os,” she breathed in response before finally allowing herself to rest.“So, I’ve been thinking about something that you’re not gonna like,” Raven says as they again gather around the fire pit in the light of the morning, digging into bowls of oats. Madi and her had been experimenting with seeds they had scavenged ever since they were sure the ground would hold them.Bellamy had smiled softly at her as he had emerged from his hut, taking the space next to her not currently occupied by Madi without much preamble, grabbing the bowl she offered him with a duck of his head that had Harper lifting her eyebrows knowingly at Clarke from over Bellamy’s shoulder.“Excellent start to the morning, Reyes,” Murphy shoots back immediately, pulling Clarke from having to silently communicate back with Harper. “I too want to discuss something that’s probably going to immediately ruin my day as I eat food that quite literally has rejuvenated by taste buds after waking up safe for the first time in days.”Raven does nothing more than shoot her eyes skyward in response, taking a calming breath (huff) before continuing.“I think we need to go back to the ship.”And with that, Clarke’s light and carefree morning comes to a resounding halt with her spoonful of oats freezing halfway to her mouth.“You what?” Bellamy asks, even though she can feel his eyes on her dangling spoon and frozen stance.“Look,” Raven starts, obviously having a five-point argument already laid out, “if we want to get that bunker opened, we’re going to need some heavy machinery. Where else are we going to find that? This’ll give us a chance to feel Zeke out and see if he was just bullshitting us. And if he’s not, the ship is loaded with mining equipment that will probably do the trick like that.” She snaps her fingers for emphasis, but Clarke doesn’t even hear it over the ringing that’s beginning in her ears. Keep them safe. Get them away from Eligius. Take them home. The mantra that got her through the drive away from that goddamn ship yesterday pounds a steady beat in her head.“And if he is?” She hears herself asking sharply, even though her mind feels staticky with panic, that blade against Madi’s skin flashing in her vision. “Bullshitting you, that is,” she clarifies, though she’s sure she probably doesn’t need to.But she doesn’t care what they told her about the supposed “rebellion” on the ship – they threatened Madi, they threatened Bellamy, they threatened her friends, her family. She doesn’t care who this Zeke guy claims to be. He let her family be hurt.“Then the ship is still loaded with mining equipment that we need,” Echo chimes in from the other side of the burned-out fire. “You said yourself that the bunker is buried in rubble impossible for us to move. If we want to get in that bunker, we need the tools to do it.” And Clarke wants to be mad at her, wants to target her anger at Echo for no other reason than that she can see Echo strategizing like the spy Clarke remembers. But she can’t, because deep down, she knows that they’re right.“So what, we all just go back like we didn’t just escape from them yesterday?” Emori asks, thankfully being another voice of reason that Clarke could get behind.Her eyes slide to Madi, whose singular focus is on her breakfast.“No,” Bellamy says, and as Clarke turns to look at him, she finds his focus shifting from Madi, back to Raven and Echo. “If we go, it’ll just be a few of us. Me, Raven, and Echo should be able to feel out the situation to see what our next step is and–”“And me,” Clarke cuts in firmly as she watches everyone still around her.It’s Bellamy who she looks to, because she knows he’s going to be the one she needs to convince. “You, Raven, Echo, and me will head to the ship today and see if Eligius is worth trusting. Madi can stay here with Monty, Harper, Murphy, and Emori. You don’t have to stay here here all day,” she adds with a glance at the others, “Madi can show you the nearby watering hole.” Her quick glimpse at Madi has her already looking back at Clarke, eyes warring with relief that she can stay in Eden, and worry that Clarke will still leave.But she says it matter-of-fact, without any room for argument as her eyes leave Madi’s face to circle the faces of her friends, waiting to see if they’ll argue.Murphy breaks the tension with a scrape of his spoon against his bowl.“Well that settles that then,” he says around a spoonful of oats. “You deal with the criminals, and I’ll go swimming.” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “I don’t like this,” is what Madi tells her, voice serious, as soon as she has a moment alone with Clarke.Clarke’s currently packing a bag with some food just in case the thousand and one terrible scenarios currently running through her head end up happening.Clarke sighs in response, because she certainly doesn’t like it either, but if any of her friends are going back to that place, she’s sure as hell not going to let them do it without her.“I know,” Clarke says, “but I know the terrain better than they do,” she reasons. “We can’t afford them getting lost out in the deserts or something,” she tries to joke. It falls flat. Especially when Madi’s stoic expression refuses to waver.“I don’t get why anyone has to go back at all,” she goes on, voice going the slightest bit petulant.“Because we need help getting the bunker opened. You know that we did as much as we could,” she reminds Madi. They hadn’t been to the bunker in a while because they had made as many piles of smaller rubble as they possibly could. She doesn’t think even having seven more people would be enough to move the chunks of debris that remain there. “And if they have the tools we need, then Raven and Echo are right. We need to figure out if we can use that as allies, or if we’ll have to figure out another way to use them.”“A more violent way,” Madi mutters, which Clarke can't really argue with.She swings the bag over her shoulder as she fully turns toward her daughter. She places her hands on Madi’s shoulders. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” is all she can say.Madi’s level of violence solely comes from any training they do together and whatever hunting they do. Her shooting that man trying to hurt Bellamy yesterday and everything that happened with Vinson are anomalies that Clarke would prefer never to have to repeat.“So you’ll be back by sundown?” Madi asks, toeing with the dirt on the ground instead of meeting Clarke’s gaze.Clarke pulls Madi in for a tight hug that she returns ten-fold, as if her small arms alone could keep Clarke here.“Sundown,” Clarke promises.“What’s with the box?” Raven asks as she moves to hop into the back of the Rover.Clarke had Madi help her haul the container out from storage before she headed out with the others to the watering hole with one more parting hug. The box is now residing in half of the room in the back of the vehicle.Instead of responding, Clarke simply twists in her seat and stretches her arm into the back to pop the lid, revealing a majority of the weapons her and Madi have gathered over the years.“Cool,” Raven says casually. “An arsenal is in the box,” she announces conversationally over her shoulder.Echo follows in behind her, eyeing the guns and knives as well, picking up one of the blades to feel the weight of it. “Better safe than sorry, I suppose.” She tucks the knife into her clothes.Clarke exchanges a look with both of them before turning back around in her seat as Bellamy swings open the passenger door.“Ready?” He asks, turning around to see Raven and Echo continuing their dig through the weapons. His brows lift in surprise as he takes stock of everything she and Madi have found.“As we’ll ever be,” she mutters before starting up the vehicle, her stomach feeling like it’s full of lead.She slows down the Rover as the guards emerge into their line of sight.The ship itself is hard to miss, but she refused to allow herself to waver in even the slightest. She only allows herself to press on the breaks when the guards appear right in front of them.She watches Bellamy glance at the handgun Raven had passed to him during the ride. His expression mirrors the way Echo had looked with the knife, getting a feel for something he hasn’t had a need for in years.It’s only a moment though, because then she feels the full force of his gaze on her, checking in with her silently in a way she was worried they might have lost.She nods once back at him in response, which seems to be enough for him as he steps out of the Rover, taking the lead.“Shaw said you might show back up,” one of the guards (soldiers? criminals?) calls, but Clarke’s more concerned with the guns dangling loosely in their hands.“Yeah? So what’d he say to do if we did?” Raven snarks at them, moving to stand beside Bellamy, radiating challenge just as only Raven Reyes can. “To bring you to him,” the other one responds uninterestedly before turning to head back in the direction of the ship.The four of them give each other a look before Bellamy shrugs, moving to follow.That’s apparently all it takes to get Raven and Echo moving, but Clarke finds herself frozen for a moment as she watches them head toward their intended target – straight to the ship that held them as hostages. She glances back at the Rover momentarily, hoping it’ll be close enough if they need to make a quick escape or if someone gets injured or – she shakes off her thousand and one reasons before any of them can notice she’s lagging behind, and follows behind them, heading straight toward the belly of the beast.Again.Surprisingly, they end up walking through countless groups of people to get to the bottom of the ramp.Clarke sticks close to Bellamy and the others, eyeing the area around her with distrust and a reluctant curiosity. Because as silent and reclusive as the ship looked yesterday when it had all but closed in on itself, today is its opposite as she eyes the people milling about all over the area, hauling boxes into piles and hiking tents up in the area just inside of the green land.“Kind of reminds me of when we first came down,” Bellamy muses, glancing down at her with a knowing smirk, reminiscing back on times only the two of them would be able to recall.And Clarke is loath to admit it, but he’s right – the place is alive in a way that reminds her of the dropship.She just wishes the area was full of delinquents instead of hardened criminals. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “Well look who decided to pop up,” a voice quips as soon as they enter into a room with a long table in the middle. A man leans on the opposite side of it looking nothing but amused.She notes how neither Bellamy, Raven, nor Echo looks surprised to see him.Shaw, the guards had said. This must be Zeke.Clarke watches him move away from the table he was standing at, and with a jerk of his head, the men who had brought them in leave the room without a word so that just the five of them remain.“You’ve taken to leadership quickly,” Raven notes with just enough of an edge that makes it questionable whether she meant it as approval or not.“I’ve been leading the rebellion underground for a while,” he explains, eyes expressive in a way she wasn’t expecting from any of the people on this ship. His hands go up in a calming gesture like he knows what he’s getting into with Raven, which for some reason eases Clarke’s distrust just the slightest bit. “Now we don’t need to hide.”“That would have been helpful when were locked in jail cells,” Echo cuts in sharper than Raven had.To Zeke’s credit, he does look uncomfortable at that. “I did as much as I could to help you under the circumstances,” he reasons.And then, his attention falls on Clarke.Bellamy catches it immediately, clearly tilting his body closer to her. “This is–”“Clarke,” Zeke says, and just like that, whatever calm was beginning to settle in her disappears as her hackles rise. Her friends visibly tense at the ease of her name rolling off Zeke’s tongue.Zeke blinks wide-eyed, like he stumbled into accidentally slipping something and didn’t know it till now.But all Clarke can focus on is that he knows. Without a shadow of a doubt, he so very clearly knows about the calls, and Clarke’s mind is already racing with how many more people here could possibly know about them.“Funny you should mention that, ally,” Bellamy adds the word at the end in a tone that does nothing to hide his own distrust, further proven as he moves to get even closer to Clarke.It isn’t missed by the others either.“I’m curious to know how the hell you could possibly haven known that piece of information,” Bellamy continues in a threatening voice, deadly calm.“Me too,” Raven practically growls, as if betrayed, stepping closer to Clarke as well.Zeke’s eyes widen even more at her tone, but then they settle on Clarke again. She’s surprised she’s able to read the surprise and confusion in his eyes, like he made assumptions that he shouldn’t have.Like he thought she already told them.Like he can’t believe she hasn’t.She quirks an eyebrow at him in response to his questioning look, daring him to tell them about the calls that he shouldn’t even know about.Instead, he raises his hands in defense, much less casual than when he was trying to calm Raven.“Doesn’t look like my story to tell,” he settles on as his eyes stay on her, and Clarke suddenly feels the stares of her friends on the side of her head in response, but she refuses to break her glare with Zeke. The implication is very clear on whose story it is to tell.“They say you’re an ally,” Clarkes speaks up for the first time, still able to feel the tension of Bellamy so close to her, but choosing to ignore it.It does the trick, steering everyone’s attention away from suspicion about the calls. At least for now.“Because I’d like to think that’s the truth,” Zeke responds, the sincerity in his tone a reprieve from his open confusion.“Then we need your help with something,” Raven states, no room for argument as she picks up the threads of the conversation quickly.Finally, Zeke’s attention leaves Clarke.“Oh?” He asks, interest piqued as he turns to Raven.“There’s a bunker full of people that are trapped with debris from the apocalypse,” Bellamy explains.Clarke notes Zeke doesn’t seem the least bit surprised by the news. So does Bellamy, if the edge to his tone is anything to go by. She imagines his jaw ticking beneath his beard where she can’t see.Still, he goes on. “We need equipment that can move the rubble out of the way and–”“And you just so happen to have mining equipment that should do the trick,” Raven finishes.Clarke watches Zeke nod his head, processing what they’re asking from him. “Alright,” he says, “done.”The lack of hesitation has Clarke blinking in surprise.“Just like that,” Raven says, suspicion clear.“Just like that,” Zeke agrees, taking a step toward them. “I said I was your ally and I meant it. I would be more than willing to help, especially since I have a feeling Miss Clarke is going to be an indispensable resource about this beautiful green land moving forward.”“Great,” Clarke says, thankful her overwhelming relief doesn’t bleed into her tone. “So when can we start?” She can worry about being an ‘indispensable resource’ after she sees her mom.Her stomach does another summersault when Zeke raises a finger in response, looking every bit like someone who’s about to deliver a punchline. It reminds her of how Jasper would be when pulling a prank. “About that…”Clarke’s body locks up with tension instantly, not having realized how much she had relaxed. She doesn’t have time for fucking jokes.“About what,” Bellamy demands, his voice deadly and dangerous again – completely at odds with the soft tones he spoke by the fire last night.To Zeke’s credit, he takes their continuous distrust in stride.“It’s been a hundred years since those machines were running. It may take some time to get them functioning again,” he explains. “I sure could use a mechanic to help get them up and going again quicker,” he adds, voice full of faux-innocence as his eyes fall on Raven with what Clarke thinks is a playful smile.“Is that your way of saying you want to spend more time with me?” Raven shoots back without skipping a beat, though her own lips quirk.“Maybe,” he answers, and Clarke’s surprised he doesn’t finish the word with a wink. He’s very clearly radiating with ‘I’m flirting with you’ vibes.Raven’s smirk only widens, like the complete lack of hesitation was exactly what she was expecting.Clarke clearly did not get the full Eligius story from Raven last night around the fire.There’s a pause following his honesty, giving Clarke more than enough time to start to panic right before Raven shrugs her shoulders in agreement. “Fine. I’ll get them up and running faster than any of your people could anyways.”And the idea of leaving Raven here has Clarke’s throat closing up so quick that she can barely squeeze out, “Raven.”Raven looks back at her with understanding in her eyes. Clarke just got her back. Raven can’t possibly expect Clarke to be willing to abandon her here.“It’s okay, Clarke,” Raven assures her. “It’ll be no more than a few days, and then we’ll get to everyone in the bunker. Abby, Octavia, Kane, Miller, Jackson,” she lists off.“And I’ll stay with her,” Echo adds, having stayed quiet through the whole exchange. But Clarke knows better than to think she wasn’t doing her own silent recon of the area as she still eyes the surroundings with a level of distrust that Clarke can relate to.“Well then that settles it,” Zeke says. “The ladies here will radio as soon as Raven gets the machinery working and we’ll fly on over to your bunker to get the job done.”Clarke dares to glance at Bellamy, whose jaw is still tight, but Clarke can see the acceptance in him. If this is what it takes for him to get to his sister, he seems to be willing to do it. “We need a radio then to be able to check in and get updates,” he finally says. “Clarke doesn’t have a working radio.”Clarke feels her face burn immediately, eyes locking with Zeke in an instant. She wishes she wasn’t blushing through the glare she aims at him when he shoots her an amused, all-knowing smirk.“Well then we’ll get Clarke a radio,” is all he says in response, but Clarke can feel the amusement radiating off of him in waves.“Send updates every couple of hours, even if it’s just telling us that we’re idiots for worrying so much,” Bellamy tells Raven and Echo as he hugs them both goodbye. “And if we don’t hear from you, we’ll be coming with Clarke’s box of ammo to break you out.”Raven rolls her eyes, even as Clarke watches her hug him firmly back in response. “We’ll be fine.”“And if we’re not, we’ll call,” Echo assures him, clearly used to Bellamy’s worrying in a way Clarke hadn’t expected.Six years changes a lot, she supposes.Bellamy only shakes his head with a smile, before moving back to let Clarke say her own goodbyes. She hugs Echo first, telling her to be careful in a warning tone she thinks Echo reads. She nods back seriously, which gives Clarke the slightest sense of relief. She knows what she’s getting into.When she gets to Raven, she feels her eyes burn with tears she refuses to let fall. Thankfully, Raven seems just about the same as Raven tugs her into a suffocating hug. “You and I are going to sit down and have an actual conversation the moment we’re back together,” she swears into Clarke’s neck.Clarke chuckles, knowing any words she says will bring the tears. “As soon as you’re back,” she promises with a nod of her head. “I want to know everything that’s going on with this rebel leader of yours.”Raven pulls back with a snort. “It’s nothing,” she says, but Clarke can see the red staining her cheeks.“Nothing yet,” Clarke shoot back, reveling in being able to joke with her friend.“Clarke?” Zeke calls as he stands near the table he was at when they first came in. “A word?”Raven simply rolls her eyes, but she pulls Clarke in for one more quick hug before pushing her towards the rebel leader.She watches Bellamy go back over to the girls, the three of them speaking in hushed tones as she makes her way over to Zeke.Her apprehension increases the moment she sees that amused glint in his eyes again. “Your radio…,” he drawls, stretching his hand out to her when she’s close enough. She glances down to see a compact radio in his hand, much sleeker, and probably in far better condition than her radio that’s currently tucked under furs in her and Madi’s hut back in Eden.“Thanks,” she says curtly, wanting to take the radio and avoid and further conversation with him. But as she pulls on the radio, his hand follows as his grip stays firmly in place.Hers eyes meet his intense gaze.“Only a few of us know,” he whispers in what Clarke thinks is his attempt at reassurance. “Diyoza is the one who first intercepted them, so McCreary and Vinson found out from her. And I let them use me as their lackey in order to get intel from time to time, so I ended up hearing most of them too. You took care of McCreary and Vinson yesterday, and you don’t have to worry about Diyoza. She’s not leaving her cell for a long, long time,” he swears.It makes her stomach twist, but she also feels that same sense of relief – and possibly gratitude.“Thank you,” she whispers, pulling the radio into her hands as he finally lets go.Zeke steps back, his amused smirk still in place, but she can see the genuineness there too. She wants to believe this is the real Zeke Shaw, someone who could really be an ally for them. “Any time. But you should tell them. Or at least him. It’s obvious how much you care about each other.”And if there was even a sliver of doubt that he truly didn’t know about the calls, it’s gone. He knows who she made most of those calls to.She turns her head to find Bellamy, and as if sensing her stare, he lifts his head up to meet her eyes.“I’ll keep that in mind,” is all she can promise. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- “They’re going to be okay.”It’s the first words that have been said since he and Clarke said their final goodbyes to Raven and Echo at the Eligius ship and started their journey back to Eden.Bellamy says the words, believes them even, but they seem to hold little assurance for Clarke, to his dismay. She dips her head in a nod, acknowledging that she heard him, but her eyes never leave the path she’s driving ahead of them. Her focus is resolutely not on him, which leaves a sinking feeling in Bellamy’s stomach. Obviously things didn’t go entirely as planned, but they didn’t go terribly either.“Raven will get the mining machines running in no time and they’ll be back before we know it,” he adds on, wanting her to react in some way other than indulgent nods and unconvincing smiles. He doesn’t want to sit in silence when she’s sitting mere feet away from him.But he also doesn’t know what else to say.He had hoped they’d at least be where they left off the night before around the fire, but it seems one night hasn’t completely bridged the gap between them.It hasn’t broken down every barrier Clarke has built up, or even every one he’s built for himself for that matter.Last night was one step in a mile-long, six-year gap, and leaving Raven and Echo behind feels like ten steps back.But the nagging, incessant part of his brain insists on telling him to keep going. Talk to her. Assure her. Tell her. But the other part of him is hung up on the fact that something is still off. More than just her reluctance on leaving Raven and Echo behind with Shaw. More than that six year gap.His thoughts drift back to Shaw’s implications during their meeting – that Clarke isn’t telling them, him, something that the Eligius people know. Something that they’ve been using, manipulating, capitalizing on since they were hostages.Zeke all but said exactly that when Bellamy demanded answers.But why wouldn’t Clarke just tell him?He fears if he asks, she’ll feel interrogated. He doesn’t want her to think he’s suspicious of her, that he doesn’t trust her.There has to be a reason, but he can’t fathom something so big that Clarke–The Rover hits a dip hard, jolting him out of the line of thought he was heading down.He glances at Clarke again, just to catch her eyes flicking back to the path in front of her from where they were on him.“Where’d you go?” She asks, speaking for the first time, unaware of what thoughts were raging in his head. Her voice is soft, hesitant, in a way that makes him think she could take some solid guesses.The guilt hits him. He trusts Clarke, that has never changed. He trusts her with his whole being – his heart and all. He loves her.But that gives him pause. Because she’s here, alive, and he still hasn’t told her.He smiles back at her. “Nowhere that can’t wait,” he tells her, and means it.Maybe they’re both not being entirely honest with one other yet, but he’ll give her the time she needs.He’s waited six years, he can wait until she’s ready.It doesn’t take much longer until they reach Eden, land features already becoming identifiable to him.The rest of the ride goes by in silence, but one that is just a bit more comfortable than when he first broke the initial quiet.That silence, however, is completely shattered once Clarke slows the Rover to a stop and Madi immediately flings the driver’s side door open, excitement radiating off of her in waves.“You’re back,” she cheers, relief clear in the way she relaxes into the hug she gives Clarke as Clarke wrangles them both out of the confines of the Rover.Bellamy follows suit, clambering out of the Rover to find the others standing not far behind Madi.“How’d it go?” Harper asks, eyes glancing towards the back of the Rover where her friends should be hopping out at any moment. When they don’t after another second, he watches her brows scrunch with confusion and worry. Monty, Murphy, and Emori following suit the longer Raven and Echo don’t emerge.“What are Raven and Echo doing?” Madi asks on cue, pulling out of Clarke’s arms to eye the trunk too.He catches Clarke glancing at him again, knowing it’s him who’ll be the one telling them exactly where they are.“We left them with Eligius,” he starts, “but they’re going to be–”He can’t even get the word ‘fine’ in as everyone starts talking at once, concern and fear lacing every accusation and question. “You did what?” Emori demands, whipping around to face him.“Have you fucking lost it?” Murphy follows his girlfriend’s lead, anger dripping dangerously from his words.Monty and Harper eye him as well, just as hurt and distressed.Bellamy takes a deep breath, taking his friends’ shock in stride and trying to figure out how to explain what happened as quickly as possible to soothe their concern.“They’ll be fine,” Clarke chimes in over their words, bringing them all up short, Bellamy included. His head whips to hers, confusion etching into his own face at her assurance when he knows her fears match everyone else’s.Her silent implications on the way back told him she feared just the opposite of what she just said.And yet–“Bellamy’s right,” she says, eyes finally falling on him. His stomach swoops at the familiar communication flowing between them.I believe you, it says. I trust you.“They’re going to be fine,” she assures them again, which seems to be settling to the others, to his relief. “Raven chose to stay to fix the mining equipment we can use on the bunker. Echo stayed to keep an eye on everything. If anything goes wrong, they’re going to radio.”“After Echo destroys them,” is Murphy’s muttered response.Bellamy ignores the comment in favor of watching as Clarke squeezes Madi’s shoulder, all reassurance, as the girl still looks on in worry.“They gave you a radio?” Harper interjects, honing in on that important detail.No one but him notices, but Bellamy watches as Madi tilts her head up at Clarke in curiosity.“They did,” Bellamy says, pulling it out from where it’s attached at his hip and lifting it in Harper’s direction. “We can check in with them at any time.”Emori steps forward to take it from his waiting hand. “Starting now then,” she says with finality, heading back towards her hut with Harper not far behind her.Monty and Murphy eye them with apprehension, then eye each other. With a shrug of Monty’s shoulder, they both follow behind them.They’re not thrilled with what happened, but they’re not angry with him and Clarke either. He’ll take it.He looks back at Clarke to find her wrapping Madi in a reassuring hug, their eyes meeting over Madi’s shoulder.And it’s in that look, with a small smile forming on her lips, that Bellamy finally feels a piece of himself slotting back into place.They’re still a team, they still have each other’s backs, and that gaping valley between them suddenly feels just a little bit smaller. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Bellamy can feel the presence of someone waiting outside his hut as he wakes up the next morning.It takes him a minute to remember where he is, and with that, his body goes into full alert without his permission.He slowly remembers what happened the day before, running through the list of where everyone is. Raven and Echo are with Eligius. Clarke, Madi, Murphy, Emori, Monty, and Harper are here in Eden with him.There’s only so many people that could be waiting for him, and he could probably still narrow it down from there more, but years’ worth of constantly being prepared to fight sends his senses into overdrive as he listens for more movement outside.When none comes, he sighs with a huff.It’s ridiculous that he’s even acting this way, taking caution when there’s none to take. There’s literally no one out to hurt them right now, the Eligius camp included.So with that logic working to calm the unnecessary adrenaline rush, Bellamy pushes back the flap of his hut and walks right out, refusing to allow the moment he normally would to catalogue the area before leaving the confines of the minimal safety that the hut could provide.“Bellamy!” A voice calls instantly and excitedly from directly to his left. He whips his head around to find Madi nearly bouncing on her feet as she moves to walk in stride next to him.Bellamy huffs out a laugh at the abrupt appearance of Madi. If nothing else, at least the six years of absolutely no threats in space didn’t mess with his awareness of his surroundings. “Morning Madi,” he says while mirroring her smile, “you’re up early.”“Clarke wakes me up early every morning for lessons,” she complains with a roll of her eyes, petulance coating her words in a way that makes his smile widen.“We don’t change our routine just because our friends are back,” he hears Clarke say from up ahead. Bellamy looks up to find her working over a fire, cooking something that’s making his mouth water as the smells hit him.“Well we should,” he hears Madi mutter as he heads toward Clarke.Clarke’s smile is instant and brighter, a stark contrast to the stress she seemed to be under yesterday. “Good morning,” she says while pouring whatever she’s made into a bowl. She offers it to him with another smile, and it thrills him that he can note the difference in this one. It’s almost – shy, a word he’d never thought he’d use to identify Clarke.“Morning,” he responds with his own smile, bringing the bowl to his mouth and humming at the taste of it. It’s sweet and savory, everything that the algae never was. “It’s delicious, isn’t it?” Madi perks up as she watches him, taking her own bowl from Clarke’s outstretched hand. “Clarke only uses the berries on really special occasions.”“Oh yeah?” Bellamy asks, eyes lifting in amusement at Clarke. “What’s the occasion then?”Clarke rolls her eyes playfully, though that shyness lingers. “Just want to keep beating the algae expectation.”“Low bar to beat,” he jokes as he takes another sip of the creamy berries.“She made it ‘cause she remembered how much you like berries,” Madi speaks up before pointedly not looking at either of them as she looks down at her bowl with a smirk.“No,” Clarke immediately says with wide eyes, looking at him with a startled look that he finds far too endearing. “I mean, yes, I did, but I–,” Clarke stumbles over her words as she levels a look at Madi only a parent can before continuing after a breath, seeming resigned to having been caught out. “I hope you like it,” she mumbles into her own breakfast before eyeing Madi again in a silent reprimand.Bellamy brings the bowl to his lips again, no response needed as mother and daughter communicate silently in front of him, clearly in a disagreement he can’t follow. He can’t help the warmth that curls in his stomach and the smile he hides behind his bowl. He did love eating berries whenever Monty had deemed them safe enough to eat the first time they came down.He just didn't know Clarke took notice.The thought sends that warmth blooming further inside him even as he fights not to grin like an idiot. He focuses on Clarke and Madi to aid in the effort. It’s almost like watching a show of some sort as he watches the two of them, and he wonders if this is how the others have always felt when he and Clarke do the same thing.Clarke apparently wins whatever the argument was, because the next thing he knows, Madi is rolling her eyes and turning to direct her full attention on him. “Anyways,” she says with a side eye to Clarke that makes him smirk in Clarke’s direction. Clarke smiles back with amusement. “You promised you would go for a drive with me in the Rover.”“Madi,” Clarke scolds, which she ignores.“What?” She asks, indignant. “He said ‘another time’ when I told him I could show him that I know how to drive it. This is another time.”He doesn’t exactly remember saying it, but he definitely could have in the blur of finding out Clarke was alive with a child as they escaped from the people who had kidnapped them after he nearly was shot to death but saved by said child.“That doesn't mean he promised you,” Clarke tries to explain in exasperation, as if Bellamy isn’t there to give an answer. Seeing Clarke act so motherly is not something he could ever allow himself to imagine, but if he had, he’s sure it’d have been pretty close to what he’s seeing right now.“I’d love to,” he says to no one in particular as he sets down his bowl and feels the eyes of both of them on him.“Really?” Madi asks, all excitement and bubbling energy again, the pre-teen arguing with her mother completely vanishing.“Are you sure?” Clarke asks immediately after her. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”He sees it in her eyes as much as he hears it in her words. She’s giving him an out if he wants it.It’s just that, he doesn’t.“What do you mean? It’s exciting!” Madi interjects, a little insult gracing her voice. “I can show him everything you taught me!”He gives Clarke a reassuring smile before facing an ever-eager Madi. “I want to,” he assures her. She beams at him, launching into his arms in an unexpected hug before pulling back just as quickly. “Alright, let’s go! I’ll start it up!” And with that, Madi runs away into the tree line where Clarke left the Rover yesterday after returning from Eligius. She's a hurricane of energy in the same way Octavia was growing up.But he refuses to allow his thoughts to settle on that for more than a second.“She hasn’t been like that in a long time,” Clarke notes as she comes to stand next to him, her eyes trailing Madi into the trees. There's a hint of sadness to this wistful smile. “You did really good here, Clarke.” He allows himself to reach out for her hand, squeezing it once before making himself let go. He hopes she remembers saying those words to him once many years ago. “I don’t know how you did it – make it out here, build this place, raise a kid,” he lists off, “but you didn’t just survive, you thrived.”She ducks her head at his words, and her cheeks are a shade darker when she looks back at him.“I didn’t do it on my own,” she tells him, like it’s a secret to be whispered.He’d think she was talking about Madi, that’s the obvious assumption. But the way she reaches for his hand this time and squeezes again tells him it’s more than that.Like someone else could have helped her. Like it’s him she’s talking about.He just doesn’t understand how that could possibly be. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Bellamy can still feel his hand tingle from Clarke’s touch as he heads toward the Rover.He can also feel Clarke watching him from where he left her by the fire. She had squeezed his hand once more before sending him on his way to Madi.The feeling that he’s missing something is impossible to ignore as he rests his hands on the door of the Rover for a moment, the rumble of the vehicle soothing against his lingering confusion.“Are you coming?” Madi asks him through the window, eyes bright with anticipation as both of her hands grip the wheel in eagerness.It’s comical how unphased he is to see a twelve-year-old in the driver’s seat of a vehicle that will be moving with him in it in a few short minutes.He opens the door and hops in, shaking his head to focus on the now, and settles into his seat as she grins at him with excitement. The look turns expectant the longer she looks at him, her eyebrow lifting in a way that is achingly familiar to Clarke.“What?” He asks, feeling self-conscious for the first time with Clarke’s daughter, as if his face is giving away something it shouldn’t be. “The Rover does not move until everyone is buckled,” Madi recites verbatim of what he’s sure Clarke has told her countless times. He can’t help the laugh that escapes him.Madi is her mother's daughter, and it makes his heart that slight bit lighter seeing the connection so easily. Madi waits, if not a bit impatiently, eyeing his seat belt as he pulls it across himself and snaps it into place.He lifts his hands to signal he’s ready.He honestly didn’t even realize the Rover had seatbelts, the idea of buckling for safety sounding nearly archaic. He was almost always in a rush in the Rover, a life or death situation taking priority. There was never time to just buckle up and drive around for fun. The idea alone has him almost bursting with another startled laugh.“Sorry,” he apologizes earnestly so that Madi knows he’s not laughing at her. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in the Rover just to relax and drive around.”Madi’s grin turns mischievous, her hand lifting to shift the Rover into gear.“Who said anything about relaxing?” She asks, right before slamming on the gas. After nearly giving him a heart attack multiple times with how fast Madi was going, or how close she got to a tree or boulder, Bellamy finally catches a breath as the Rover begins to slow.She laughs with glee, giggling the entire time, hair whipping around her face and smile free. He couldn’t take that away from her, so he held on for dear life and hoped Clarke had shown her how to use the brakes.Madi finally chooses to stop near a meadow, slowing smoothly and parking the Rover perfectly in between two trees, confirming his nagging suspicions that she was showing off for his benefit.He’d give that to her happily. “Are you sure only some of those dents are from you?” He teases, remembering her telling him that Clarke made some of the dents in the vehicle too.She rolls her eyes as she shifts gears to park, her smirk answering his question.“Maybe a little bit more than some,” she concedes as she unlatches her belt and jumps out of the Rover. She heads towards the patches of purple flowers, her hands grazing the tops of them softly. “Come on, Bellamy!” She calls over her shoulder, tilting her head to check and see if he’s following her.He hops out, trailing behind her as she turns in a circle, looking towards the edges of the meadow with a soft smile on her face.He follows the trail of her eyes until his settle back to where the Rover sits still on the edge, the hunk of metal contrasting greatly with the beauty around them.“I used to think the Rover was an animal,” Madi reveals from beside him, her eyes now settling where his are. “A beast,” she adds.He tilts his head to the side, trying to look at the machine like a child, a grounder child no less, would. “I can see it,” he tells her, squinting his eyes for show before closing one eye and leaning his head forward, making her grin. “As soon as Clarke convinced me to get inside it, I couldn’t get enough. We felt free for the first time in a long time.” She says it quietly, and Bellamy knows her mind is some place he’ll never fully understand. But her words have his thoughts ringing about a time that’s constantly being alluded to, but never addressed. “I loved it,” she says, oblivious to his own thoughts.He wants to ask Madi, even though he knows he shouldn’t.“Clarke only taught me how to drive after the fifth year,” she goes on, glancing up at him. “After you couldn’t come down.”Couldn’t. Not wouldn’t, or didn’t.Couldn’t, as if she and Clarke knew that if they had had the choice, they would have made it down after those five years.“How did you guys do it, Madi?” He asks, the words slipping out against his better judgement, begging to be said for too long.He watches her distant look focus again. Her mouth rolls into a thin line, eyes glancing down at the ground as she clearly fights with herself about something. Bellamy’s heart rate ticks up with every second that passes.Madi’s face settles into one of determination as she nods once, to herself he thinks.He’d tell her to forget it, to not worry about it if it’s something she’s unsure about. But he also thinks he’s on the brink of finally getting answers. Now, the question is whether he’s truly ready to hear them.Madi turns to run her hands over the flowers again as she speaks. “Clarke always believed you all would come back. Her hope kept us going, even when things got really hard.”“How did she hold onto hope all that time?” Bellamy asks, voice tight in the same way it always was when trying to talk about Clarke while up in the Ring.There’s a pause as she turns to look at him knowingly. Madi’s smile is wise beyond her years as she says, “You. You kept her going Bellamy.”It strikes him deep, breath escaping him like he was sucker punched. He doesn’t know what to say to that, how that could possibly be.His expression must give him away as Madi sighs, glancing to the sky for a moment. He wonders how often she did that, looking for them to come down. “Clarke doesn’t want me to say anything about it, but she won’t,” she explains, leaving him only more confused. “And she should,” she says decisively, as if convincing herself.“Madi, I don’t underst–”“Clarke has a radio, Bellamy,” Madi says softly.“What?” The word cracks, breaks on the syllable. That doesn't make sense. He just told Shaw yesterday how Clarke didn't have a radio for them to use to communicate.“She called you. She fixed it after Praimfaya and used it to talk to you every day,” Madi barrels on as Bellamy’s world tilts on its axis. “She told you everything that happened to us and hoped every day that that would be the day you finally answered.”Bellamy feels lightheaded, his stomach tight like he’s going to be sick.He can’t wrap his head around it. Clarke called him for years. She never gave up on them, on him, never lost her hope.He had been hoping for some clarity on what Clarke had been keeping from him. But he could never have imagined that the answer would leave him with even more questions, even if it did explain why she always pulled into herself when a radio was mentioned.“She called us every day for six years,” he barely gets out, more statement than question, needing Madi to confirm he’s not misunderstanding what she just told him.She rolls her eyes at him. “We spoke to all of you at some point,” she explains. “But Bellamy,” she continues, her eyes imploring him, “it was you that she spoke to every single day.”“And I never answered,” he whispers, regret and guilt washing over him in waves as he tries to process it all. The whole thing sounds like something pulled out of his craziest dreams that would leave him sick upon waking.“Why wouldn’t she tell me that?”Madi sighs again, and he can’t help but feel as if she’s disappointed in him. “Do you have any idea how much she cares about you?” Madi asks him, eyes wide and earnest.He feels hope flare within him all at once, feeling like he could burst with it.Yes, he’s always known Clarke cares about him. But even he can tell Madi’s talking about something on a whole other level. A level that couldn’t possibly be reached after he left Clarke to die.But then, maybe it could.“I know you care about her too,” Madi says plainly, daring him to disagree with her. “Just admit I’m right,” she goes on, refusing to let him fight her on this. Her jaw is set with a determination that is entirely Griffin.She’s right.Madi’s daring him to deny caring about Clarke, loving Clarke.As if he could ever.The implications are there, but he still can’t fathom why Clarke would hide this from him. What was she so afraid of that she actively kept such a big part of her six years to herself?He wouldn’t know unless he actually got up the nerve to ask her himself.“I need to talk to Clarke,” he breathes out, looking to Madi as he takes a step toward the Rover.Madi’s already racing to catch up to him, reaching out to grab his arm and tugging him along as she moves ahead of him.“Then let’s go see Clarke,” she responds with finality, grinning widely with something that looks a lot like pride. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Clarke allows herself ten seconds to watch Bellamy retreat into the woods and head towards the Rover where Madi is waiting for him.Ten seconds of wondering if he’ll turn around to look at her. Ten seconds to shake the awareness of her hand squeezing his just moments ago. Ten seconds of wanting to call his name so she can tell him what she meant.And then she turns back to the fire, making sure breakfast doesn’t burn for the others.It’s not fair of her to keep skirting around the subject of the radio with Bellamy. He’s probably not even aware of what she’s doing, couldn’t possibly have a clue that the radio calls are even a thing. And yet, guilt wraps around her every time she catches herself somehow eluding to them instead of just coming out and telling him about them.Every time she thinks she’s ready to tell him, the niggling part of her mind that tells her he’s better off not knowing wins out.If he did know, everything would change. And Clarke fears it wouldn’t be for the better.How could it be? When the calls ended up causing so much trouble for him and the others. The guilt keeps slamming into her in waves every time she remembers them tied up on that ramp.She shakes her head, giving the custard a stir, only to feel embarrassment mix in with the guilt as her face ignites again at how Madi had told Bellamy about the berries.She’s being embarrassingly obvious without even trying to be at this point, and even Madi can see it. She fears what will happen if she actively tries to express to Bellamy how important he is to her. She’s saved from further inflection when Monty’s hut flap opens, a ruffled Monty emerging as his eyes catch on her immediately.He smiles gently as he walks towards her, and she feels herself smiling back genuinely, eager not just for the distraction Monty can provide, but also to finally just have more than a moment to talk with him.She hasn’t gotten a chance to do that with anyone besides Bellamy since bringing everyone to Eden, and a part of her can’t get rid of the feeling that her time with them is limited, ready to expire at any moment.She swore to Raven they would have time to talk when she and Echo returned to Eden, but Clarke learned a long time ago that the Earth is unforgiving and anything could happen.She’s hoping they’ve come to a point where time isn’t always of the essence. But if it is, please let it not be, she silently begs, she figures she should start with Monty.“I hope we didn’t wake you,” she says, pouring him a bowl before settling in next to him with her own unfinished breakfast. “You didn’t,” he assures while smiling at her in thanks, “though I had thought I heard more voices when I woke up.”“Madi took Bellamy for a ride in the Rover.” And Clarke is decidedly not thinking about it for fear of getting lost in imagined scenarios, each more wild than the last, of what’s currently going on with them.Monty nods in acknowledgement before lifting the bowl to his face to sniff at the berries.She’d find it weird if anyone else did it, but with Monty, it just reminds her of their first few days on the ground when he was constantly keeping them from being poisoned. Nostalgia hits her all at once. The sight has her smiling fondly.She must meet his approval since he starts eating eagerly. “I’m extremely proud of the algae farm keeping us alive for as long as it did,” he says between sips, “but I can also admit that I will be happy to never have to eat it ever again in my lifetime.”Clarke finds herself letting loose a laugh, humbled that he likes it.“What was it like eating the algae?” She asks, curious despite herself.“Terrible,” Monty answers without hesitation, smirking over the rim of the bowl while saying it. “Though I’ll deny ever saying that.”Which, fair enough. He can be proud of it while still being absolutely sick of it. “I managed to make alcohol with it at one point, but my first ever batch of moonshine beats it out by a landslide.”Clarke nods, loving hearing more about their time in space.“There was a time when the only things Madi and I could eat were spare rations we found in bunkers that we raided,” Clarke tells Monty, wanting to share a connecting story to his. “I can still taste the chalk of them, and I certainly will never eat one again if I can help it.”Monty nods in solidarity before lifting his bowl in front of him. “To never eating algae or centuries-old packaged food ever again.”She lifts her own empty bowl to tap it against his, happy to see that Monty didn’t lose this piece of himself.Everyone’s so different now, herself included, but there’s still pieces of themselves, the core pieces, that are still integrated into who they are.The pause that follows their toast isn’t awkward, but she wants to fill it nonetheless with more details about the Ring. Bellamy told her so much that night around the fire, but all of it had to do with the others. He repeatedly avoided anything about himself, and she was too afraid he’d stop telling her altogether if she asked.“What happened between you and Harper?” She finds herself asking instead, focusing on Monty again in an effort not to think about Bellamy on the Ring. She hasn’t had to filter herself during conversations in years, so she’s a bit out of practice for what to say when conversations lull. She almost regrets it as soon as she asks, but Monty’s responding smile is more wry than anything. He doesn’t seem to mind as his eyes skate over to the hut where Harper is sleeping.Clarke always liked seeing the two of them together. It wasn’t often that she got to see them interact with so many other things to worry about before Praimfaya, but it was still something that just made sense.Monty loved Harper and Harper loved Monty.When Monty realizes he’s been caught out at where he was staring, he huffs an embarrassed laugh and takes a breath before answering.“I think we both got worried that the only reason we got together in the first place was because the world was ending and we only had each other. So, we ended it. But then–”He stops, leaving Clarke hanging on every word.“But then,” she prompts gently as Monty gets lost in thought, or maybe a memory. “But then,” he repeats as he continues, “I was checking on Bellamy and I told him that I was okay with it and I realized that I actually wasn’t. And I’ve been trying to figure out how to fix it for almost five years.”Her heart breaks for him, even as her mind snags on him mentioning Bellamy.She knows better than most how much longer that amount of time can feel.She can see from what little she’s been around them the past couple days that Harper still has feelings for Monty too, without a doubt in Clarke’s mind.“Why haven’t you told her?”His mouth works to the side as he thinks it through. “I was afraid she wouldn’t feel the same, and then I’d ruin what we had in a place where we literally wouldn’t be able to avoid each other.”Clarke looks down at the empty bowl in her hands, Monty’s words hitting something deep in her bones. The logic is achingly familiar to her, her mind flashing to the times she stopped Bellamy from whatever he was going to tell her, only to have it haunt her for six years.Monty takes in her lack of reaction, giving her an understanding smile that she doesn’t quite understand herself.So she stands abruptly, feeling too exposed without having said a word.“Well I better pull some clothing from our storage for you guys to use,” she tells Monty, knowing full well he’ll see it for the escape that it is.“Clarke,” Monty says calmly as she turns away from him. It makes her pause, turning around to face his knowing look. “Are you really going to leave without asking me the question you’ve been dying to ask me?”Yes. She absolutely was going to.But it’s burning too close to the tip of her tongue to resist pouring out.“How was he up there?” ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- She asks the question with a wary voice, knowing full well that she doesn’t have to specify the he with Monty.Monty’s mouth tilts to the side again, a telltale sign that he’s thinking about how to phrase something, which only makes her insides knot with nervous energy.“Not great.” Her stomach plummets. “It was really bad in the beginning, and then he shut down everything he was feeling, which was a hell of a lot scarier,” Monty explains carefully, like he’s worried what her reaction will be.“You dying crushed him, Clarke.”Clarke’s breath hitches as she drops back down next to him, her body suddenly feeling too heavy to carry.“And I wasn’t even dead,” she whispers, lacing her fingers together so tightly her knuckles turn white. Monty looks at her in alarm. “Don’t make it sound like that’s a bad thing.”He looks off across the remains of the fire she had started, brow furrowed. “It was harder to see how much it affected him over the past couple of years because he constantly focused on us. Then when he found out you were alive, it was like something lit up in him again, like night and day.”She knows the feeling, felt the same way when she threw herself into his arms – like a piece of herself had finally slotted back into place.The only thing is, she knows why it felt like that for her. It’s harder for her to grasp Bellamy feeling the same way. It’s near impossible to wrap her head around the thought that he’d be feeling it for the same reasons as her.Could it possibly be that simple?Monty looks back at her knowingly, and she’d almost convince herself he could read minds from that look.He lifts an eyebrow at her, like staring at her long enough will give her an answer she already knows.Clarke ducks her head on a sigh.“I should maybe talk to him, shouldn’t I?”“Talking doesn’t seem to be the issue between you too. It’s the topics you both choose to ignore,” Monty muses. “It’s more that you’re both too stubborn for your own good and completely oblivious. Just tell him how you feel.”He gives her a fond smile. It’s the bluntest Monty’s ever been with her, and even then, his sincerity bleeds through softening the blow.“You should tell Harper how you feel too,” she shoots back, because she’s stubborn like he said, and terrified to acknowledge what Monty’s implying.More and more often now though, she can’t help thinking how even more terrifying it would be not to tell Bellamy the truth – to lose him all over again and never have him know how she really feels about him. Before Monty can respond, both their heads tilt towards the familiar sounds of the Rover getting nearer, Bellamy and Madi back far sooner than she anticipated.Knowing Bellamy’s so close while discussing him with Monty sends her stomach fluttering. The Rover pulls into the clearing just as Harper pops her head out of her own hut, glancing around at the going-ons.Clarke smirks when she sees Monty’s attention immediately catching on Harper. He seems to contemplate something for no longer than a second before nodding his head once, decisively, before turning to her.“No time like the present,” Monty tells her, smile wide and somewhat bold as he gets up himself. His brow lifts in challenge as he takes a step backwards, heading straight toward Harper.“Your move,” he mouths before turning to walk directly up to Harper. He says something to her that Clarke can’t hear, and then she watches as Harper nods with the shyest of smiles, and then she and Monty both head in the opposite direction of the incoming Rover.Clarke feels her mouth hanging open as she watches the duo disappear into the woods, knowing Monty is currently doing what she should be doing. She feels heat flooding her cheeks all over again at Monty’s implications.But she’s also not one to back down so easily.Her nerves are fraying as Bellamy hops out of the Rover, Madi hot on his heels as they both walk straight towards her as if they’re on a mission.She stands, shoving the nerves aside.Monty’s right.She’s waited for literal years. There’s no better time in the world than right now.“You’re back earlier than I thought you would be,” Clarke says as she walks toward them as well, wiping her hands on her pants as she goes to have something to do with them. “How’d it go?”She stops when they’re a few feet away, letting them take the last few steps.“It was so great!” Madi beams at her, bringing a smile to her own face. “Bellamy definitely thought we were going to crash,” she says far too proudly for Clarke’s liking as she watches Madi side eye Bellamy.To Bellamy’s credit, he doesn’t confirm or deny anything. He just reaches out to ruffle Madi’s hair while smiling fondly at her.The sight does nothing to help with the nerves currently raging inside her. It only makes her want to see it more often.She’s definitely going to have to talk to Madi about safe driving again at some point, but she’s too busy not chickening out at the moment to do more than lift an eyebrow at Madi and hope she gets the message that this is a conversation being tabled for another time.Madi’s indulgent eye roll tells Clarke she does.“Anyways,” Madi says, her giveaway that she’s up to something. “I was telling Bellamy all about the swimming hole on the drive back since he wasn’t here when I took the others yesterday.”Bellamy probably doesn’t realize Clarke can still read him so well, because the brief moment that his eyes squint in confusion tells her that was definitely not a topic of conversation he and Madi had on the way back.Clarke eyes the both of them for a moment, her suspicion distracting her from her inner turmoil, if nothing else.“Well,” Clarke says, making her distrust of what they’re up to known before focusing on Bellamy directly for the first time, “I can show you, if you’d like?”She curses internally for making it sound more like a tentative question than a casual statement.Still, the relieved smile he gives her soothes the nerves and sends her stomach fluttering.“That would be great,” he says, almost just as hesitant.Clarke allows herself the smile that stretches across her face as she tilts her head in the direction of the water. “It’s this way.”She turns when Bellamy moves to follow her, him matching her pace as they head into the woods. She pauses when she realizes Madi isn’t following behind them. Turning around, she finds Madi standing in the same spot, grinning from ear to ear.“You’re not coming?”“I think Murphy just called for me,” she calls back, taking a step away from them.Murphy certainly did not call for her.“You guys go! Take your time,” she sing-songs before making an unsubtle escape.Bellamy snorts next to her as she internally battles with confusion, nerves, and a whole lot of anticipation.“Okay then,” she hears herself saying. “To the watering hole we go.”She starts walking again, and Bellamy follows without a word. She’s hyper aware of his presence next to her as they continue walking through the trees, him feeling closer and closer as they go.She doesn’t think it’s on purpose until his left hand bumps into hers once, twice, and then grasps onto hers on the next swing.Warmth shoots up her arm unexpectedly as she glances up at him in surprised confusion.His face gives nothing away as he asks, “Can I hold your hand?”The words are so simple, so innocent, yet they send a thrill through her. She’d feel silly for smiling down at her feet if she had any room left in her with so many other emotions running rampant.She does allow for one more to mix in with all those other feelings though as she squeezes his hand.Hope. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- The walk down to the water is charged with an energy that originates directly from their intertwined hands.Neither of them say anything, but Bellamy has never been more aware of Clarke than in this moment. And that’s truly saying something with how constant his awareness of her is.He’s not sure what prompted him to take her hand, whether it was Madi encouraging him the entire way back or every moment with Clarke that he’s started looking at from a new perspective. But whatever it is, it gave him the confidence to reach out. And she didn’t let go.He knew if he backed down now, he’d find endless excuses not to tell her. It’s almost like Madi knew that too, not giving him a chance to even try to second guess anything before pushing them to head off down to the water together.Clarke’s quiet next to him, the buzz of life and the sway of the trees surrounding them as they continue walking. It’d be peaceful, but he can almost feel the tension in her shoulders radiate down to where they’re interlinked. It makes his own body feel on edge, almost ready to turn around and run before he ruins everything.But her grip is firm, and his head still spins with the knowledge of the radio calls.He can do this. Bellamy hears the water before he sees it. It’s been six years since he’s heard the sound, but it’s beyond welcome as it works to calm him, just like the ruffling leaves and the timber of Clarke’s voice do.It seems to soothe Clarke a little as well as he catches a small smile grace her lips out of the corner of his eye.“When Madi and I were trying to find a place to build Eden, we knew it needed to be by a water source,” she explains, and suddenly, it’s more her pulling him along as her excitement seems to grow. “We thought it would have to be closer to Becca’s lab since that’s where the water first started flowing again, but then we found this place.”Her voice gets louder the closer they get. Bellamy listens greedily to what she says, the thunderous sounds of water battling to drown her out.She glances back from where she’s ahead of him, a gleam in her eyes Bellamy’s not sure he’s ever seen. With the hand not gripping his, she pulls a few large ferns aside to reveal the water ahead of them.Last time he was on Earth, Bellamy only experienced water in lakes and streams – calm bodies of water where he could wash off quick and head on his away to more important matters.But this?He remembers seeing waterfalls in the few books Pike used during Earth Skills. He never imagined how much more incredible they would be in real life.The swimming hole is smaller than a lake, but is surrounded completely on one side with water gushing from up above. It makes a roaring sound that stirs the quiet of the surrounding woods. It’s a hidden sanctuary, protected by the falls and the nearby trees.It reminds him that the Earth can be beautiful when it’s not trying to kill them.He feels Clarke watching him drink it all in, a satisfied smile on her face as she pulls him down the hill they’re on. They head toward a bank on the edge of the water before Clarke lets go of his hand to face him fully.It’s the absence of warmth in his hand that brings him back to reality, remembering why Madi had suggested that Clarke take him here in the first place.“Do you want to go in?” She asks, blue eyes illuminated by the natural surroundings. I’ll go anywhere you go, he wants to say.But he has to say this first.“Madi told me about the radio calls,” he tells her abruptly, and he watches as those beautiful eyes of hers widen in a panic he can’t understand.Her mouth tilts open, as if she wants to say something, but the shock on her face is freezing her in place.“Wh–,” she starts, before huffing out a breath. “Of course she did,” she mutters, eyes looking everywhere but directly at him.“Were you ever going to tell me?” He knows she can hear the hurt in his voice just as clear as he can. He still can’t understand why she hasn’t.Clarke lets out a laugh that sounds near-hysterical, her head jerking back as she turns away from him, only to turn back again with a new resolve.“Was I ever–,” she stops, breathes, starts again. “Bellamy, do you have any idea what those radio calls did?”Now she’s angry, voice not needing to compete with the rushing water as it echoes through the area.“They helped you,” he says, remembering how Madi told him they gave Clarke her hope.Clarke scoffs at that, confusing him even further.“And they nearly killed you!” She exclaims, arms flailing up at her sides with the outburst.It stops him short, losing complete track of where this conversation was intending to go.“What do you mean?”Clarke heaves a sigh, eyes looking up. How many times have she and Madi done that over the years? Looking for an answer in the sky.“I know you never heard any of them,” Clarke explains, sounding suddenly defeated as she looks down at the gravel beneath her feet. “But the Eligius crew did. I’m the reason they found you. I’m the reason that you were brought back down here against your will. I’m the reason Raven was stalked by a serial killer. I’m the reason you were almost shot to death by a manic mob boss,” she pours out on a single breath. “You were perfectly fine for six fucking years and I nearly–”Finally, things click into place – why the Eligius crew knew about all of them, what Shaw kept alluding to, the constant edge Clarke seemed to be on.“Hey,” he stops her, taking two steps to get to her and wrapping his arms around her. She’s frantic, heaving breaths into his chest as he works to calm her down. “Clarke, none of that was your fault.”“But I–”“None of it,” he repeats firmly, squeezing her tighter against him. He speaks into the top of her head, feeling her breaths calm against his neck. “If they hadn’t found us, they would’ve headed to the green spot anyways and hunted you and Madi down. We’re all fine. There’s nothing for you to blame yourself for, especially for us ending up in the Eligius ship.”“You shouldn’t have even been there!” She argues, pulling away slightly so she can look at him straight on.This time, Bellamy feels his own guilt erupting to the surface. “Yeah, and you shouldn’t have been here on Earth for six years either,” he counters. “So if you want to blame someone for everything that’s happened, that’s on me.”His bitterness startles her out of his arms so she can look at him fully.“What are you talking about?”It’s his turn to scoff, feeling his own hysterics rising. “Clarke, I left you! I abandoned you on a planet that was literally on fire knowing it would kill you!”He watches Clarke’s eyes widen, before they narrow in determination. “You had to do that! Everyone would have died if you didn’t!”“Yeah, and instead I left you alone to live in literal Hell.”His heart is hammering as the truth lies there in the open between them – truths that look ready to obliterate any bridge they’ve been trying to build back to one another.Clarke steps on that bridge. She fights on that bridge with both feet planted as she rests a hand on his chest.The sensation burns through his heaving chest.When she looks up at him, her eyes are glossed over with tears, and he suddenly realizes his own are trailing down his face.“You listen to me right now Bellamy Blake,” she whispers ferociously, louder than the thundering water around them. The hand resting on his chest jabs him with a finger. “We did not survive literal Hell to be fighting over who fucked over the other person worse.”His brows lift in surprise at her words. He’s had her angry at him more times than he can count, but this simmering rage is something entirely new.“We survived and found each other again. I got Madi,” she goes on, her own tears now spilling down her cheeks. “And I will not let you blame yourself for something you had absolutely no control over.”The weight, the one that he’s carried since he closed that door six years ago, lifts from his chest all at once.“I won’t let you either,” he says, reaching up to wrap a hand around the one she still has on his chest. “You had no control over who picked up those calls. I just wish that I had.”Clarke’s laugh is watery, but genuine, as she brings her other hand to grip his hand in both of hers and looks up at him with a look in her eyes he wants to drown in.“I fell in love with my best friend over six years ago,” she tells him confidently, her eyes saying as much as her words, “and Eligius has six years of evidence proof of it somewhere in that stupid ship of theirs.”The breath whooshes out of him, convinced he heard her wrong even as she looks up at him with an uncertainty that grows with every passing second that he stares at her dumbfounded. He’s too struck to find words.So instead, he chooses to do the one thing he should have done a long time ago, closing the space between them with a kiss that is far too eager with how badly he’s wanted this.Clarke sways back with the shock of it, only to respond instantly with just as much force, pulling her hands from between them to wrap around his neck and threading them through his hair, making him sigh.His own arms wrap around her middle, not realizing he’s lifted her off of her feet until he feels her legs bend at the knees and kick back behind her. All the while, their lips never part as the smooth slide becomes as necessary as breathing.They pour everything into the kiss – the pain, the loss, the longing, and most importantly, the joy. With every glide of his lips against hers, he sees every moment he should have said something, every time he took for granted that he’d get another chance to tell her and let it slip through his fingers.“I’m yours,” he whispers into her lips as they both gasp for air, foreheads resting against one another. He thinks his heart might literally pound out of his chest. “In every sense of the word, I am yours, Clarke Griffin. I know far too intimately what it’s like to lose you, and I don’t want to think about what I’d be like without you ever again.”Tears are still rolling down her cheeks, but her smile is absolutely radiant. He can’t resist kissing her again just to get a taste of such absolute beauty.“I love you,” Clarke tells him firmly as they break apart again, as if the past few minutes weren't clear enough.Still, he knows the smile that erupts in his face is absolutely ridiculous.He places her back on her own two feet, though he tilts his head down to follow her anyways.“I’m so in love with you,” he responds easily, pecking her on the lips once, twice, then over and over again, drunk on the thought that he can.She’s giggling when he stops, and he wants to hear that sound for the rest of his life. He wants to make her sound that happy every second of the rest of their days.His head is spinning with the elation spreading through him, realizing that he actually gets this kind of happiness.He mourned this woman, vowed to never let her death be in vain.And now here he is, mesmerized by her joy as he wraps her up in his arms.Clarke Griffin is every bit alive and in love with him.And he’ll never take it for granted again. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- They do end up in the water eventually.Clarke’s not sure she’s ever felt quite like she does right now, feeling a natural high fueled by the man whose arms she’s in.After their argument-turned-love-confession, neither she, nor Bellamy, could seem to get enough of each other. And they certainly couldn’t keep their hands off of one another either. He’d sneak a kiss to her lips for the hundredth time, she’d run her hand up his arm and curl it around his neck. He’d trace his fingers down her sides until she was a giggling mess, she’d retaliate by threading her fingers into his messy hair to tilt his head up so she could kiss him again.And then the cycle would start all over again.She’s addicted to it already – the thrill that Bellamy could possibly want her as much as she wants him, that she can think about wanting to kiss him and actually do it.He mentions taking her up on her offer of going into the water, and they find themselves stripping down to their underclothes, eyes lingering on the bare skin that’s revealed.Clarke can feel his gaze burning into her skin as she yanks her shirt over her head, can see the bob of his throat when she slides her pants down her legs.It’s empowering as much as it is unexpected to know she has such an effect on him.She allows her own eyes to linger over his form as he does the same, stripping off his shirt in one motion and revealing so much new skin her throat grows dry.When he’s down to just his boxers, he steps towards her until they’re toe to toe, noses brushing softly. Her eyes close as he raises his hands to tuck them behind her ears, cradling her face in place as he dips down for a kiss that leaves her breathless.When he breaks the kiss with the lift of his head, she feels herself following up on her toes, searching for more as she opens her eyes.His smile is near-blinding as he beams down at her, and she’s sure she’s never seen him quite like this before.“Let’s go swim,” he tells her with a gravelly voice that makes her stomach swoop, taking a step away from her but tugging her along by her hand.They splash and float and soak and kiss for what feels like hours.Clarke finds herself floating on her back with her eyes closed, her arms stretched out at her sides and her hair fanning out in the water. She thinks the smile on her face might be permanent.Bellamy stands to her side in the water, one hand beneath her bare back, the other softly gripping the back of one of her legs as he pulls her gently through the water. She can tell he’s watching her face with a smile of his own without even looking at him.She’s finally at peace.No daydream, no wishful thinking could ever have done this justice. Her mind could never create the love pouring out between them, the pure serenity surrounding them in this bubble they’ve formed.“Hey love birds!” They hear Murphy call from the tree line they had come from, effectively popping their little bubble as Clarke opens her eyes and moves to stand in the water. She sees Bellamy’s cheeks turn a shade darker as she feels heat crawl up her own.“As happy as I am to see you two get your shit together,” Murphy shouts with his hands around his mouth, “Reyes radioed saying she got everything ready and working.”“Already?” Clarke calls back before glancing up at Bellamy.“Do you expect anything less from Raven?” Bellamy answers, smirk wry.She thinks she sees Murphy roll his eyes, but he’s too far away to be sure. “Just get your clothes on so we can go. She’s expecting us within the next few hours,” he tells them before turning back into the woods.They wade back over to the shore and get dressed quickly, words sparse between them besides asking to toss the other a sock or a shoe.Clarke can already feel the shift, and it makes something twist in her stomach uncomfortably.She’s sitting on a nearby rock lacing her boots up when Bellamy’s feet approach with a crunch, standing right in front of her as she glances up.He looks down at her with that soft smile, the one she’s only seen rare glimpses of before today.“You okay?”She looks down to finish her tie before standing, not hesitating to wrap her arms around his middle as a response.Things have already changed so much, and after the bunker is opened, they’re only going to change more.“I’m in this for the long haul, Princess,” he murmurs into the crown of her hair, swaying her slightly in his arms as the nickname radiates warmth within her.She nods her head against his shoulder before pulling herself together and stepping away from him.“Me too,” she tells him earnestly, leaning up to steal one more quick kiss. “Now let’s go get the rest of our family back.”She and Bellamy are met with knowing smirks and countless teasing remarks when they walk back into Eden hand in hand. Madi’s smile is contagious as she barrels into the both of them for a bear hug.Clarke wishes they could have this for more than a minute. But then they’re all piling into the Rover to head to Eligius.Even all of the good-natured teasing isn’t enough to quash the tension that seeps into the vehicle as Clarke maneuvers the terrain. Madi’s tucked into the front seat between her and Bellamy, staring resolutely ahead through the window as the Eligius camp comes into sight.Raven, Echo, and Shaw are waiting in the same spot Clarke left the Rover the last time they were here.Yesterday, she reminds herself.So much has changed in just over a day.They’re herded into the ship as Raven and Shaw talk circles around each other, the energy between them charged.Madi stays glued to Clarke’s side, eyeing everyone and everything around her distrustfully. Bellamy stays almost just as close, giving Madi’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze in an effort to ease her tension.They end up in a room where they all have to buckle into seats while Raven and Shaw situate themselves in front of a panel of buttons and switches, talking in what might as well be a different language with how much Clarke understands of it. And before she knows it, she can feel the ship lifting off, the camp the Eligius crew has set up for themselves growing smaller and smaller through the window as they head towards the direction of what once was Polis.They get there far quicker than the Rover had on the many trips out here that she and Madi made over the years, and the few crew members that made the flight with them unload the mining equipment Raven fixed quickly and efficiently until all that’s left is for them to leave the ship and watch the heavy metal machinery do its job.The contrast between the dry, barren land around them is a stark contrast to the luscious greens of Eden.The nine of them, plus Shaw, all end up standing in a line watching the construction begin, Clarke with the two most important people in her life standing on either side of her.She catches Bellamy eyeing the endless small piles of rubble she had told him about – Madi and her had spent months working to clear as much as they could.His face is unreadable, so she reaches out for his hand and gives it a comforting squeeze.His grip holds firm as he squeezes back in response, gaze pulling away from the neat rows of rubble to look at her, emotions conflicting across his face. “We’ve spent so much of our lives just fighting to survive. When do we get to start living? How do we end this part?”She opens her mouth to answer him, only to be stopped by the screeching sound of metal breaking, followed by a resounding boom as the bunker’s sealed door is lifted open.There’s a static silence as clouds of dust and sand bloom around the opening, everyone holding their breaths as they wait and see if there’s any movement from within.Please let them be alive. Please tell me they survived. Clarke feels Madi grip her other hand, giving it a tug to get her attention.“Clarke,” she whispers, as Clarke looks down at her, “look.” Madi nods her head at the dissipating dust, right where she sees a head emerge from the bunker slowly, a hand cautiously reaching out to shield them from the light.Relief rushes through her instantly at the sight.“They made it,” Bellamy whispers breathlessly, unbelievably, and Clarke’s not even sure he realizes he said it aloud.She holds her hands firm in each of theirs – Madi watching awestruck as more people begin to emerge, Bellamy searching each face for one in particular.She pulls Bellamy’s hand up to her mouth to kiss the back of it chastely, snagging his attention for a brief moment.“We finish it the same way we started,” she tells him in answer to his question.He smiles back at her in understanding, knowing exactly what she’s going to say.“Together.”
11030898	Desire	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Shirota Mahiru, Kuro \| Sleepy Ash", "Fandom": "Servamp (Anime & Manga)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by orphan_account", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-29T00:00:00", "words": "3,231", "Additional Tags": "Smut, Shower Sex, Grinding, Frotting, Oral Sex, Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, Orgasm Control, Orgasm Delay, Simultaneous Orgasm, Minor Swearing, hardly any swearing it's like one word, Fluff, Light fluff at the end, mahiru just wanted to shower but kuro distracted him, gdi kuro, they're all blushy and flustered and in love it's great, trying my best to write i hope this is okay, clearly can't summarize or title but that's okay", "Relationship": "Kuro \| Sleepy Ash/Shirota Mahiru", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	"K-Kuro…?"Mahiru didn't know why he'd stuttered; the situation, perhaps, seemed too intimate, what with how close the vampire was to the mortal and because the latter was dressed in only his boxers and a t-shirt.Vivid, red eyes stared down into widened brown ones. A hand was planted firmly on the bathroom wall to the right of Mahiru's head while an arm slowly snaked itself around the boy's waist. Kuro, who wasn't sporting his usual blue coat, inched closer, his sharpened eyes travelling down to Mahiru's lips."Hey! K-Kuro, what are you-?"The Eve was abruptly interrupted by a pair of soft lips meeting his own in a kiss, albeit, there was something about the kiss that told Mahiru that Kuro was holding back an urge - a strong desire of some sort - within.The flustered Eve pulled away, using his hands to push at Kuro's chest in front of him. His attempts at escaping the vampire's proprietorial hold were fruitless though; Kuro was still much into his personal space, the almost predatory look in his heavy-lidded eyes sending a shiver down Mahiru's spine.Mahiru averted his gaze from Kuro's, glancing off to the side nervously. "K-Kuro... I need to-"His next words came out as a quiet moan when he felt Kuro push his hips against his own, grinding against his clothed member. The vampire captured the teenager in another kiss, this time running his tongue along Mahiru's bottom lip. Mahiru moaned again, and Kuro took this as a chance to slip his tongue into the boy's mouth. The Eve refused to give in however, and pulled away from the deep kiss, his pulse racing. The sensual look Mahiru was getting didn't help matters either as the boy could feel his cheeks growing warm rather quickly."W-Why'd you even c-come in here? I t-told you I was going to shower and-""The door was open. You're too cute. It'd be a pain to ignore that."Mahiru flushed deeply, trying to look anywhere but into the lustful red eyes in front of him - eyes that always left him breathless. Although, right now, the continuous grinding against his bulge was likely the main cause for his erratic breathing."K-Kuro, I need to-- ah... shower I t-think you should-- ah! G-Go back to-""Don't want to, Mahiru."Kuro leaned in close, his lips hovering over Mahiru's pulse and his hot breath tickling the boy's skin before he skimmed his lips up to the Eve's ear to whisper a repeat of the same statement."Don't want to, Mahiru."Mahiru felt a twitch at his groin and he bit down on his bottom lip to hold back any embarrassing noises that threatened to escape his lips."Mm... K-Kuro... I really should... go shower now-" he stammered out nervously."Alone? What a pain, you're too turned on now. It'd be such a pain to ignore that.""K-Kuro!"Strong arms swiftly lifted him up and off his feet, and with the sudden loss of flat ground beneath him, Mahiru wrapped his legs around Kuro's waist to secure himself. He opened his mouth to protest, but Kuro was kissing him again before he could even begin. He decided to give up on resisting, letting his eyes flutter shut and allowing himself to become absorbed in the kiss.He didn't notice that Kuro was carrying him to the small, square shower of his bathroom until he was set down on solid ground again and the steady patter of warm water against the tiled shower floor could be heard. Mahiru opened his eyes then, becoming aware of where he was and just how small his shower actually was - there wasn't a whole lot of space between him and Kuro. He also realized that there was something that they'd forgotten."K-Kuro, we're s-still wearing-"A finger was pressed to his lips, silencing him. The finger then slowly traced down to his chin, only to be replaced by Kuro's lips ghosting his own."I love you."Mahiru's heart skipped a beat. It was intimate, it was honest, and the words spoken against his lips made him tremble. Kuro's hands then returned to Mahiru's waist, pulling him close as the vampire connected their lips in another sweet kiss. The kiss was gentle; Kuro's lips moved in a way that clearly told the Eve I love you and sent said boy's heart into a frenzy. Mahiru moved his hands to the nape of Kuro's neck, urging him closer and wanting to deepen their kiss. Kuro's hands found Mahiru's ass, and he squeezed gently, the effect being a pleased hum from the Eve. All the while, their clothes gradually became soaked in the water that sprinkled down upon the couple.Kuro seperated from the kiss eventually and nuzzled his head into the crook of Mahiru's neck, his lips brushing the soft flesh, almost teasingly. The Eve let out a sigh of pleasure when Kuro began to nibble and suck at his collarbone and neck in multiple places, forming numerous dark, purple spots on the once unmarked skin. Mahiru would have to cover the marks up later, but for now, he was willing to allow Kuro to satisfy his possessive need for him by marking him like this - after all, Mahiru was rather enjoying himself and knowing how possesive Kuro was of him made his stomach flutter excitedly, making him feel loved. A loud moan was elicited from the teenager when Kuro hit his sweet spot; the hands kneading his ass combined with Kuro marking him and occasionally grazing his fangs against his skin in all the right places was enough to prompt a series of shameless moans from Mahiru. He almost opened his mouth to beg for more when he felt Kuro's bites come to a stop, but the next words that were spoken in a low, seductive tone against his neck made him freeze."Take off your clothes, Mahiru."Mahiru shivered slightly at the demand before removing himself from Kuro's hold to take a step back. His face felt warm with something close to embarrassment, but he nevertheless obeyed Kuro's request. With shaky hands, he pulled his shirt off of himself before proceeding to strip himself of his boxers and exposing his frontal private part - Kuro, who was watching him closely, could definitely see how hard he was now that his member was free from its previous confines of his boxers. He tried to ignore this, instead tossing his drenched clothes out of the shower which landed on the bathroom floor and dripped water onto the ground. Mahiru knew he'd have to clean that up later, but right now, he couldn't find it in him to care about something that, in the moment, seemed so trivial. His attention was solely on Kuro in front of him, specifically on the male's lower half. Through the thin, white and currently wet fabric of the vampire's pants, Mahiru could see a perfect outline of Kuro's own member and how obviously hard he was; the view of Kuro's tight, wet clothing sticking to his skin and emphasizing his shape and body features was sexy, and Mahiru subconsciously licked his lips. His eyes then drifted back up to Kuro's upper half, seeing the vampire pulling off his own shirt and then continuing to undress the rest of his body, moving to strip himself of his pants and boxers. He did everything slowly - nearly lethargically - as if he was trying to torture Mahiru by taking so much time. He finished finally, ending with a careless throw of his clothing out of the shower. It was now that Mahiru could carefully observe Kuro's unclad figure.His pale skin seemed to glisten with the way that the water coated it evenly and Mahiru found that there was something that was so captivating about his posture and the way he stood, appearing so casual yet so effortlessly attractive at the same time. Kuro brought up a hand to pull back his light blue hair and display his vibrant, red eyes to Mahiru that seemed to brilliantly stand out more than usual. The look in his eyes was one of nothing but lust and adoration for his Eve who stood in front of him - a look that only flustered Mahiru further.Before Mahiru could admire Kuro any more, the Eve was forced against the cold, shower wall by the vampire as Kuro's slim fingers wrapped themselves firmly about his wrists. Kuro leaned in close to rest his forehead against his partner's - brown eyes met red ones, and Mahiru couldn't help but get lost in and notice the intensity of the emotions held in Kuro's eyes. The sight made him momentarily forget that they were both naked and currently standing under the spray of tepid water from above in his shower - a strange thought that they were the only ones in the world and that time had stopped crossed his mind fleetingly - until, once again, Kuro's lips were on his.Kuro wasted no time in forcing Mahiru's lips apart just enough to allow himself entrance to run his tongue along the inside of the Eve's mouth and prod the boy's tongue. Mahiru was completely intoxicated by it all; he was lost in the indescribably wonderful feeling of Kuro's tongue dominating his mouth and Kuro's hands feeling up his waist and upper thighs. It was Kuro after all, so naturally it sparked something like a fire inside of the Eve.Embarrassingly enough though, the teenager let out a sudden, high-pitched moan when Kuro's right hand happened to lightly brush past the boy's hardened length, resulting in Mahiru flushing a dark red colour and separating from the kiss to turn his head away from his partner out of shame. Kuro, sensing Mahiru's embarrassment, held the boy's chin in his left hand and gently maneuvered his face so that their eyes were on each other's once again. Kuro then leaned forward to presumably continue kissing him, however, he gently touched the corner of Mahiru's mouth with his lips and spoke."D-Do more of that..."His voice sounded oddly timid and there was a faint blush that dusted his cheeks prettily, utterly surprising Mahiru, although the Eve didn't have time to ponder over it as Kuro was again kissing him all over in a matter of seconds - on his neck, around his face, and on his lips - while his right hand reached down for Mahiru's hardened member.Kuro ran the tips of his fingers along Mahiru's length, barely touching him but still initiating enough contact to earn himself a desperate whimper of his name from the aroused Eve. Hearing this, Kuro reached for Mahiru's hands with his free hand, holding the boy's wrists together and bringing them to a position above his head. His hold around the boy's wrists was firm so that Mahiru couldn't move them apart, yet gentle so as to not hurt him. Kuro then wrapped his other hand around Mahiru's shaft, beginning to pump and pull at his cock."A-Ah… K-Kuro, please…" Mahiru moaned softly, his words sounding like a desperate plea. He instinctively attempted to seperate his hands, but Kuro's hold was strong and denied this."Hm? Is there something you want, Mahiru?" Kuro's sultry voice asked, his eyes fixed on Mahiru's bright red face. He knew exactly what Mahiru wanted, though - they both knew - and he knew that it was frustrating his Eve that he was feigning ignorance by asking and wasn't just giving it to him."K-Kuro… f-faster, please… t-touch me more there…" Mahiru whimpered, his painfully hard member aching for more than what Kuro was providing. In any other situation, Mahiru's pride would have never permitted himself to unabashedly beg for something like this and use such words, but he was desperately in need of it and wasn't thoroughly thinking about what he was saying at the moment.Kuro obliged nonetheless, the pumping and twisting of his slender fingers around the boy's cock becoming faster, thus drawing out louder and more needful moans from Mahiru. Pre-cum leaked from the tip of Mahiru's cock - he was getting close and they were both aware of this."K-Kuro, don't stop… ah, I'm almost-- I'm gonna-!"He stopped speaking though when Kuro unexpectedly pulled his hands away from pleasingly fondling Mahiru's member and from holding up his wrists tightly, instead bringing both of his hands to Mahiru's waist. Mahiru, through his lustful haze, gave Kuro a perplexed expression that only grew more in confusion when the vampire guided Mahiru to switch their positions so that Kuro was now leaning against the shower wall in Mahiru's original place, and Mahiru stood in front of him. Mahiru didn't understand what Kuro's intention was with this until the vampire gestured down towards his own neglected member and glanced away out of nerves. It then dawned on him - Kuro needed attention as well.Mahiru looked down at Kuro's hardened member, ignoring his own throbbing length and subconsciously acknowledging and admiring the size of Kuro's. His already warm cheeks heated up all the more and his heart rate quickened in anticipation of what he was going to do.Kneeling in front of Kuro on the tiled floor, Mahiru's face was aligned perfectly with Kuro's erect cock and after only a moment's hesitation, Mahiru tentatively stuck out his tongue to give an experimental lick to the tip of Kuro's cock. He withdrew in an instant though once he heard a soft moan from above, but when he glanced up and saw Kuro's flushed cheeks, he took it as a sign to continue. He pressed his tongue to Kuro's cock again, this time daring to lick a stripe along the length and inducing a gasp from the normally reserved and quiet vampire. In a way, it was a reminder to Mahiru that Kuro only became undone like this under his touches; it was a side of Kuro that existed for only Mahiru, and that only Mahiru knew of. That knowledge gave the Eve the courage to continue, a more secretive part of him, deep within, wanting to hear more of those sensual sounds escape Kuro's lips because of him. With this thought in mind, Mahiru pressed his lips to the head of Kuro's cock and began to tease Kuro by lightly mouthing at the skin there; an action that forced out an unexpected - from Kuro - loud whimper and that encouraged Mahiru to take Kuro in completely."Mm, shit… Mahiru!" Kuro let out a long, guttural moan of his lover's name and grabbed at the brown hair below him, gripping it tightly. He caught a glimpse of Mahiru's flushed cheeks and his head bobbing as he sucked, starting off slowly and uncertainly but beginning to move with more confidence and at a faster pace when the sounds that Kuro gave out into the near silence of the bathroom - the exception being the wet noises of Mahiru sucking and swirling his tongue around Kuro's shaft - began to unashamedly raise in both volume and pitch. Kuro closed his eyes and threw his head back, the overwhelmingly good feeling of Mahiru's mouth wrapped around his cock and sucking hard making his toes curl.Tasting pre-cum in his mouth and knowing that Kuro was near release, Mahiru withdrew and stood up from his kneeling position, facing Kuro. The expression that he was met with was one that Mahiru was proud of achieving in Kuro - his face was reddened, his eyes were shut in absolute bliss and his chest rose and fell rapidly as he panted heavily. Kuro looked, for once, so vulnerable, and it was all caused by him."Mahiru..." Kuro breathed, his voice faintly unsteady as he cracked an eye open to hazily look at the boy, who swallowed nervously in response to his name. They were both sensitive now and near their climaxes - it wouldn't take much for them to get to the point of release. "K-Kuro..." Mahiru's voice matched the unevenness in Kuro's as he lowered his gaze from the vampire's.Kuro grabbed Mahiru by the waist and pushed their hips together; their throbbing and oversensitive lengths touched, yet no other movement was instigated from there. It wasn't until Mahiru looked up again and met Kuro's eyes that the vampire began to rub and grind their sexes together. Mahiru uttered a soft moan of Kuro's name, rolling his hips to match the vampire's rhythm and movements and placing his hands on Kuro's shoulders to bring their bodies closer, wanting to gain more friction. Kuro leaned forward to lock their lips in a kiss, his hands moving to caress the skin of Mahiru's lower back as Mahiru dug his nails into the skin of Kuro's shoulders, likely imprinting red marks on the skin.Everything about the situation was perfect; the space of the small shower felt hot and intimate - as were their touches and movements - and the atmosphere was one of heavy lust, though present was also a strong, emotional desire that was felt by the pair for one another. Their faces were coloured crimson, their hearts raced from the passion that was thick in the heat of the shower, and their wet skin felt smooth under each other's fingertips as they endlessly touched and kissed each other, their tongues tangling and their saliva mixing. Their grinding became more frantic as they sought to reach their climax, and, in a matter of seconds, they both felt the tight knot in their abdomens becoming undone. They disconnected themselves from the kiss then, a string of saliva connecting their lips as they fastened an intensely lustful gaze on one another.Both Kuro and Mahiru cried out each other's name in unison as they came together, spilling cum onto their stomachs. They shut their eyes in ecstasy as a wonderful feeling flooded their bodies, white spots clouding their visions as the powerful orgasm overtook all their senses. Their bodies felt hot from the feeling and from the exhausting activity; their breathing was uneven and their hearts still raced as they rode out their orgasms together, their fluids mixing into one before being quickly washed away by the spray of shower water.They both held each other closely for a moment, steadying their breathing and not speaking a word.The silence that followed was calming, a sense of heartfelt love and relaxation finally in the air and apparent to the couple. Mahiru grew limp in Kuro's hold, his head resting wearily against said male's chest. The Servamp let his hand comb through his Eve's hair in a comforting manner and the brunet leaned into his partner's gentle touch."Aren't you glad I came in here now?" Kuro asked after a moment - though they both knew the answer to that."S-Shut up," was Mahiru's flustered reply, but there was a trace of a small smile that could be heard in his voice.He removed himself from Kuro's loving embrace to look into his eyes with fondness. He then stood on his tiptoes - being a few inches shorter than Kuro - to reach Kuro's height and pressed his lips lightly to Kuro's. It wasn't exactly a kiss, just a gentle touch that was maintained for a short length of time - a moment of time that he took to affectionately whisper honest words to his partner, words that he simply wanted Kuro to keep in his heart and believe forever."I love you."
11066088	CAT	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Billy Cranston, Jason Lee Scott", "Fandom": "Power Rangers (2017)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "General Audiences", "author": "by PinkRangerV", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-01T00:00:00", "words": "241", "Additional Tags": "Cat, hyperverbal does not mean sensical, Autism, the cat is a good cat, Pets", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	“Jason!” Jason was, against all odds, having a nice relaxing day at Billy’s house. Mostly because this time, he had brought his laptop. And Billy had good wifi. Wifi that didn’t come with conversations about What Your Future Looks Like or Why Haven’t You Done Your Homework Yet. However, when Jason looked up and saw Billy holding a cat, he realized there was probably going to be some kind of conversation involved. “Yup?” Jason asked. “Cat!” Billy sang out emphatically. “Cat cat cat cat CAT!” He set the cat down next to Jason’s laptop. Jason blinked. The cat blinked up at him, yawned, curled, and decided to take a nap. Jason glanced up at Billy. “Cat!” Billy said proudly. “...Cat?” Jason asked, hoping for clarification. Billy just grinned and nodded. Jason filtered through options. Billy was a great kid, and hyperverbal, but as he was quickly learning, ‘hyperverbal’ did not mean ‘made any goddamn sense whatsoever’. But he was being presented with a cat. So obviously the cat meant something. Something good, probably, because Billy was grinning. Jason tentatively petted the cat. “See? Cat!” Billy said excitedly. Oh! ‘Cat’ meant ‘pet the cat with me’! Jason grinned. “Yup. Cat.” He considered. “Is it your cat?” “No idea, I just found him. Let’s keep him!” Billy enthused. Jason considered. It was a very nice cat. And he did like petting it. “Come on, then.” He said. “Let’s go buy it some food.”
11079519	GiantCas Notes	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": null, "Fandom": "Supernatural", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by Whoharps", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-29T00:00:00", "words": "415", "Additional Tags": null, "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Giant!Castiel 'Verse", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Castiel's Measurments (in feet): ~Height: 204.5 \| Hand length: 22.5 \| Hand Width: 10 \| Head Height: 27 \| Leg Length: 94.5 \| Arm-span: 212 (in meters): ~Height: 62.3 \| Hand length: 6.9 \| Hand Width: 3 \| Head Height: 8.2 \| Leg Length: 28.8 \| Arm-span: 64.6 ~Hand Measurements (feet): Length: 22.5 \| Width: 10.125 \| Palm Length: 11.25 \| Finger Length: 10 \| Palm Width: 10 ~Hand Measurements (meters): Length: 6.9 \| Width: 3 \| Palm Length: 3.4 \| Finger Length: 3 \| Palm Width: 3 ~Hand Area: 228 ft2 \| 21.2 m2 ~Palm Area: 112.5 ft2 \| 10.45 m2 ~Weight: 152 metric tonnes \| 167.5 US tons ...oOo.oOo.oOo… Height: hand length-height ratio Hand: longer than the Impala (18 ft) - (216 in) .11(height)=hand length Hand length: 22.5 ft - (270 in) 0.11 x = 270 x = 270/.11 x = 2454.5 in x = 204.5 ft Head height: Height/7.5 7.5(head height)=height 7.5 x = 204.5 x = 204.5/7.5 x = 27 ft Leg Length: 3.5(head height) 3.5(head height)=leg length (3.5) (27) = x 94.5 = x x = 94.5 ft Arm-Span: Height + 5 cm Ratio: 72 : 74.68 \| 204.5 : x x = 212 ft Hand Length: longer than the Impala 22.5 ft 270 in Hand Width: Misha photo measurments Hand Length: 1.25" \| Palm Length: 0.625" \| Finger Length: 0.5625" \| Palm Width: o.5625" Ratio (inches): o.5625 : 1.25 \| x : 270 x = 121.5 in x = 10.125 ft Palm Length: Misha photo measurments Hand Length: 1.25" \| Palm Length: 0.625" \| Finger Length: 0.5625" \| Palm Width: 0.5625" Ratio (inches): 270 : x = 1.25 : 0.625 x = 135 in x = 11.25 ft Finger Length: Misha photo measurements Hand Length: 1.25" \| Palm Length: 0.625" \| Finger Length: 0.5625" \| Palm Width: 0.5625" Ratio (inches): 1.25 : 0.5625 = 270 : x x = 121 in x = 10 ft Palm Width: Misha photo measurements Hand Length: 1.25" \| Palm Length: 0.625" \| Finger Length: 0.5625" \| Palm Width: 0.5625" Ratio (inches): 1.25 : 0.5625 = 270 : x x = 121 in x = 10 ft Weight: BMI BMI=weight in kg/height in cm Misha: 6 ft, 180 lb - BMI: 24.4 205.5 ft = 6233 cm x/6233 = 24.4 x = 152085 kg x = 152 tonnes Hand Area: (length)(width) length: 22.5 ft \| width: 10 ft Area (including palm) : 225 ft2
11095233	STUCK One-Shot	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Mac (Foster's Home), Bloo (Foster's Home)", "Fandom": "Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends", "Language": "Español", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by N3k00Ch4n", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-04T00:00:00", "words": "2,893", "Additional Tags": "Yaoi, Shota, Romance, Friendship/Love, Friends to Lovers", "Relationship": "Bloo & Mac (Foster's Home)", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	¿Alguna vez se han quedado atrapados en un elevador con una persona cerca de ustedes dentro? Sin duda ese momento debe ser un tanto incómodo, es más, pueden pasar cosas extrañas ahí o quizás se aburran un largo rato esperando a que alguien venga a ayudarlos…pocas veces los elevadores se rompen o se atascan debido a la falta de luz pero este no es el caso, lamentablemente, no es el caso. Esto paso por otra cosa, además… cualquiera pensaría que alguna que otra situación incómoda, embarazosa o un tanto graciosa pasaría entre un chico y una chica si ellos están atrapados en un elevador pero ¿y si en este caso se tratase de dos chicos? Creo que eso tendría el doble de incomodidad y sería mucho más vergonzoso explicar porque se encuentran atrapados en un elevador.Bueno, esta situación tenía que pasar tarde o temprano y en este momento incómodo involucramos a dos personas. El primero es un niño de ocho años, de cabello castaño e inteligente llamado Mac y a su lado se encuentra un niño de la misma edad que él o tal vez un año menor pero tenía cabello azul y ojos con dos tonos de azul diferente, ese niño era su mejor amigo imaginario Blooregard Q. Kazoo o "Bloo" como prefería que lo llamaran pero… ¡un segundo! Aquí hay algo que no está bien ¿cómo fue que esos dos terminaron atrapados en un elevador? Para aclararlo tendremos que retroceder un par de horas atrás. Hace unas horas atrás… Mac y Bloo habían estado gran parte de la tarde juntos desde que Mac llegó a la mansión haciendo tonterías o divirtiéndose juntos como siempre lo hacían, con la única diferencia de que ahora nadie podía verlos, estaban solos y esa tarde tenían la mansión para ellos, hacer lo que siempre quisieron hacer, no había reglas que los reprimiera, eso era cosa de una vez en la vida y el niño de cabellos castaños dudaba que algo así se vuelva a repetir.Después de pasar un largo rato haciendo todo lo que siempre quisieron hacer pero que nunca podían hacerlo debido a las reglas que había que cumplir en la mansión, ambos amigos estaban algo aburridos y ya no tenían otra cosa para entretenerse hasta que volvieran los demás. El peliazul volvió a insistir con la idea de buscar un tesoro oculto en la mansión pero Mac le insistió con que no existía tal cosa así que no tuvo otra opción más que cruzar sus brazos en una seña de falso enojo pero de pronto tuvo una idea.Por supuesto, esa idea implicaba subir al elevador que los llevaba a todos los pisos que había ahí pero esto tampoco ayudaba mucho (además de que el elevador subía un piso tras otro y eso era algo tortuoso) así que Bloo optó por oprimir todos los botones para ver si eso los llevaba más rápido pero eso solo causo que a mitad de trayecto el elevador se atorara y ellos quedaran atrapados ahí por quien sabe cuánto tiempo.-Oh, genial…ahora estamos atrapados aquí-comentó Mac sentándose en el suelo del elevador.-No te preocupes, yo fui el que nos metió en esto así que yo lo arreglo-le dijo Bloo despreocupadamente, se acercó al panel donde estaban los botones del elevador y en lugar de reparar el problema solo lo empeoró más logrando que el panel sacara chispas debido a un cortocircuito en el sistema y esto provoco que se cortara la luz en el elevador. Volviendo a la realidad… Habían transcurrido solo unos minutos desde que se quedaron atrapados en el elevador, aún estaba oscuro, Mac seguía sentado en el suelo mientras que Bloo estaba apoyado en una de las esquinas del elevador cerca del panel de los botones ahora roto y con algunos cables desconectados saliendo de este. Ninguno de los dos intercambiaba palabras o se miraba, eso era algo imposible debido a la oscuridad. El peliazul se sentó en el suelo abrazando sus rodillas, su mirada se dirigió a lo que sería la puerta del elevador la cual podía ver apenas ya que sus ojos no estaban del todo acostumbrados a la oscuridad, el tiempo pasaba alrededor de ellos, no era mucho solo unos… ¿cinco? ¿diez segundos? Como sea, el menor habló para poder romper esa burbuja de incomodidad y silencio que había en ese espacioso lugar.-Todo esto es culpa tuya-le dijo Bloo a su creador en plena oscuridad.-¿De qué estás hablando? ¿Por qué dices que todo esto es culpa mía?-preguntó Mac sin poder creer lo que su mejor amigo imaginario le estaba diciendo.-Si hubiéramos ido a buscar el tesoro como te sugerí antes, nada de esto habría pasado-le respondió el peliazul algo molesto, él aún estaba convencido de que había más secretos y cosas ocultas en la mansión que nunca antes habían sido descubiertas.-Bloo…por última vez te digo que no hay un tesoro escondido-le respondió el castaño de mala gana, estaba empezando a cansarse de la insistencia del menor y ya no sabía que más hacer para que lo entendiera.-Di lo que quieras pero cuando salgamos de aquí encontrare el tesoro y te probaré que tengo razón-le dijo Bloo.Luego de eso, ninguno de los dos volvió a hablar, se quedaron otra vez en silencio pero manteniendo un pequeño contacto visual de vez en cuando, el ambiente volvió a tornarse algo incomodo y el peliazul podía sentir más calor debido al espacio reducido en el que se encontraban así que decidió quitarse su chaqueta celeste y se la amarró alrededor de la cintura quedando con una remera de manga corta color azul oscura, más oscura que su propio cabello y debajo de esta sobresalían las mangas largas de una remera de color negro. Debido al calor, el sudor mojaba la pálida piel de su cuello expuesto y cara; la respiración se aceleró en ambos, tanto en Bloo como en Mac, pocas veces el menor se quitaba la chaqueta o se la amarraba alrededor de la cintura.Por otro lado, por parte de Mac, el simple hecho de tener a su mejor amigo cerca de él, jadeando y mirándolo de vez en cuando con los ojos dilatados le producía un extraño cosquilleo en su interior…uno que nunca antes había sentido por nadie, es más, él suponía que jamás había experimentado algo así y mucho menos cuando miraba a Frankie. Bloo sentía que su mente comenzaba a nublarse de a poco por el calor, el espacio y el contacto visual que mantenía con su creador, podía sentir que su mirada lo estaba aniquilando en cierta forma y su mente comenzó a sacar ligeros deseos sexuales por el castaño… espera ¿qué? No, no podía estar pasando esto y mucho menos con él, no podía sentir algo por su creador más allá de una simple amistad ¿o sí? Pero por desgracia, el deseo en su mente y cuerpo de ser poseídos era algo que no se podía evitar.-M-Mac…-lo llamó Bloo, su voz se escuchaba necesitada pero a la vez algo triste, haciendo que Mac se sintiera mal por él pero al mismo tiempo un ligero sonrojo apareció en su rostro al escuchar la forma en que le hablaba su mejor amigo imaginario-e-escucha…yo…--¿Qué tienes que decirme ahora, Bloo?-le preguntó Mac.-Yo…lo siento ¿de acuerdo? Lo siento, se que soy torpe, egoísta y que echo a perder las cosas fácilmente-le respondió el peliazul avergonzado mientras escondía su rostro entre las rodillas-solo quería demostrarte que puedo ser útil a veces, nunca pensé que esto pasaría--B-Basta, no te culpes por esto…e-es decir los accidentes ocurren ¿no?-Mac sentía su corazón latir con fuerza mientras el tiempo transcurría con lentitud, es más, percibía cada vez más la nublada y atontada mente del menor, como si hubiera bebido o consumido algo extraño que lo puso de esa manera.-¡Ya no lo resisto más! Quiero salir de aquí…-No se puede, tenemos que esperar a que lleguen los demás o que alguien vea que el elevador está roto y venga a ayudarnos.De pronto sintieron como el elevador se sacudía un poco, esto hizo que Bloo casi cayera al suelo pero pudo sostenerse con ambas manos en el suelo evitando cualquier golpe, aunque…una luz parpadeo por un momento y alumbró el elevador mostrando a los dos amigos en una posición BASTANTE comprometedora: el peliazul se encontraba con las manos apoyadas a los costados de Mac y se miraban fijamente con un ligero sonrojo producto de la vergüenza y la incomodidad que estaban pasando, al tener tan poco espacio entre ellos podían sentir sus respiraciones cruzarse, sus ojos casi brillaban en la oscuridad. Por unos segundos ninguno de los dos hablo, solo se miraban fijamente, Bloo estaba por acortar más la distancia que había entre él y su creador para poder besarlo pero su poca cordura se lo impedía, sabía que eso estaba mal y su amistad podría terminar definitivamente con ese ligero "incidente".-Mac…estoy aburrido-el peliazul frotaba su mejilla contra el cuello del castaño y sus manos cambiaron de posición moviéndose hasta quedar cerca de su entrepierna.-Y-Y… ¿Qué quieres hacer?-le preguntó Mac, viendo lo que su mejor amigo imaginario estaba haciendo, es más estaba casi seguro de que Bloo no tenía ni la menor idea de que estaba haciendo, así que se removió algo inseguro. Bloo aún seguía mareado producto del calor pero a pesar de todo siguió tanteando terreno, terminando por respirar cerca del oído de su creador, esto hizo que se apartara un poco-¡Bloo! Lo que sea que estés haciendo, detente--¿Y…y si no quiero?...En ese momento las manos del castaño cobraron vida por sí solas, bueno, dos podían jugar a ese juego, bruscamente colocó amabas manos en los costados del rostro de Bloo para besarlo con hambre e intensidad, ante el repentino acto a Bloo le costó seguirle el ritmo pero luego de unos segundos pudo seguirle el ritmo y besarlo con la misma intensidad. Al acabarse el aire, se separaron un poco sonrojados y con un ligero hilo de saliva que conectaba sus bocas, las miradas de pasión y deseo desenfrenados junto con el calor que aumentaba la temperatura de sus cuerpos demostraban que estaban más que dispuestos a hacer realidad lo que iba a pasar dentro de ese elevador.Mac sintió como Bloo lo acercaba más a él y lo levantó para sentarlo sobre sus piernas. El castaño metió sus manos debajo de la playera de manga larga negra que su mejor amigo llevaba puesta, recorrió su pálida piel con suavidad y lentitud hasta alcanzar sus pezones, los cuales fueron acariciados y apretados levemente haciendo que el peliazul emitiera un leve quejido pero él no se quedaba atrás, sus manos cambiaron de dirección y descendieron por la cintura de Mac hasta llegar a terminar dentro de su pantalón y ropa interior, los movimientos continuos y tortuosos de arriba/abajo hacían temblar todo su cuerpo, provocando que cerrara los ojos echando su cabeza hacia atrás.-Aaah…B-Bloo…y-ya no…-Aún no termino, esto recién empieza...-la masturbación cesó y el menor pudo ver una mirada de molestia e insatisfacción en el rostro de su creador, no quería dejarlo así, lo empujo despacio de forma tal que quedara acostado en el suelo del elevador y el peliazul se colocó encima de él impidiendo que escapara aunque de todas formas no iba a hacerlo.Los pantalones comenzaban a ser una molestia para ambos, sobre todo para Bloo pero el intentaría aguantar un poco más, así que comenzó a quitárselos a Mac velozmente junto con su ropa interior. El castaño sintió su sonrojo aumentar aún más y desvió la mirada tapándose la cara con las manos, sinceramente no esperaba que alguien lo vea en esa situación y menos su mejor amigo imaginario.-Mac… ¿Qué sucede? ¿Por qué ocultas tu rostro?-preguntó Bloo-¿h-hice algo mal? ¡lo siento! De verdad lo siento, no se que me está pasando-acercó sus manos a las muñecas del castaño para quitarlas de su rostro-solo…--No, no quiero que me veas. Me avergüenza estar así…-le dijo Mac sin quitar sus manos de su rostro-e-es decir, no esperaba terminar en una situación así y mucho menos contigo--No tienes por que avergonzarte-el peliazul aprovechó que su creador estaba distraído para quitar sus manos de su rostro-Mac, mírame-este giró su rostro mirando a Bloo fijamente a los ojos-escucha, todo va a estar bien ¿sí?-hablaba calmado, como si la situación le calmara en algún extraño sentido, pero sin quitar una mirada de súplica por todas las ganas contenidas con las que andaba hace ya rato-en serio, no tienes porque avergonzarte…te prometo que no te haré daño--E-Está bien, te creo…Mac sintió en la boca dos dedos por parte del peliazul, como si nada los humedeció con su saliva como si su vida dependiera de ello y para cuando lo alejan de estos, cerró los ojos al sentir como Bloo introdujo el primer dígito en su entrada.-¿Qué?... ¡Aaah!-dijo Mac soltando un gemido incómodo, Bloo lo había penetrado con un dedo sin siquiera avisarle y eso le molestaba un poco, su cuerpo se tensó levemente-B-Bloo, debiste avisarme…e-eso duele…-El castaño se quejaba por la inesperada intrusión, pero sin embargo el peliazul comenzó a penetrarlo con cuidado y sin detener sus movimientos mientras lo miraba fijamente.-Lo siento, al principio duele pero pronto pasará, tranquilo…-le dijo Bloo con una pequeña sonrisa perversa en el rostro, tener una "fantasía" sexual hecha realidad frente a ti no era algo que pasara todos los días. Después de un rato el dolor cesó y se combinó con un placentero cosquilleo en el vientre, el cual envió escalofríos y sonrojos al castaño haciéndolo gemir de forma inevitable, el peliazul en cambio al ver a su mejor amigo y creador tan indefenso y bajo su control, sacó los dedos con de la más que ya dilatada entrada; se bajó su pantalón azul claro junto con su ropa interior liberando su miembro, lo posicionó en aquella estrecha y húmeda cavidad no sin antes llevar sus manos a la cintura de Mac antes de comenzar.Los nervios y el temor nuevamente se apoderaron del castaño y el peliazul tomó el rostro de su mejor amigo con ambas manos y lo besó para tranquilizarlo y darle a entender que todo estaba bien, después de ver que este le correspondía con intensidad, comenzó a embestir con fuerza sacándole quejidos y gritos de dolor, eso era algo que no quería hacer…no quería lastimar a Mac y aún así lo hizo, se sentía mal porque lo había lastimado, hubo un momento de quietud antes para dejar que se acostumbre a la intromisión, después de todo era su primera vez juntos. El peliazul besaba las mejillas de su amigo para calmarlo y cuando sintió un ligero movimiento de caderas, volvió a embestirlo, eran lentas y certeras pero aún así dejaban algo atontado a Mac quien no podía acallar o ahogar sus gemidos que salían de su garganta sin su consentimiento, el peliazul tuvo que taparle la boca para que no hiciera ruido, no supo cuanto tiempo había pasado pero probablemente no faltaba mucho para que los demás llegaran y vieran el desastre que habían hecho hace unas horas atrás.La penetración empieza a tomar un poco más de velocidad, ambos "amigos" unieron sus bocas con desespero y sus manos recorrieron todo a su alcance. Mac coloca sus brazos alrededor del cuello del peliazul para profundizar más el contacto, al mismo tiempo este corrió un poco la remera roja del castaño sin quitársela para morder con dificultad su hombro, al no poder hacerlo bien decide rasgar apenas la tela pero sin romperla debido al placer que le proporcionaba el castaño.Bloo acercó su mano al miembro de su creador comenzando a masturbarlo como hace unos minutos atrás pero ahora lo hacía al ritmo de sus embestidas tocando de vez en cuando el punto "P" de Mac, ese punto que hacía delirar a cualquiera por el placer en un acto sexual. Cuando la sensación de calidez nuevamente se apodero de ellos supieron que faltaba poco para terminar y que el preciado clímax se aproximaba, el peliazul le manda una mirada de deseo todo sonrojado y le sigue masturbando para que se venga. Mac da un gemido largo y se corre ensuciando a su mejor amigo imaginario, Bloo se corre dentro de su creador luego de unas embestidas más, era obvio que no durarían mucho ya que ambos eran jóvenes y por lo tanto inexpertos.Ambos calmaron su respiración y reaccionaron al darse cuenta de lo que habían hecho, además…el sonrojo en sus mejillas era más que evidente. Con cuidado, el peliazul salió del interior de su mejor amigo mientras este se acomodaba su ropa, los dos se miraron con cariño; no había nada más que decir y era evidente que después de esto su relación había cambiado, sus labios se unieron por última vez pero fue por algo distinto, eso marcaba el inicio de su extraña relación que aún no tenía nombre propio y que encogía el corazón de ambos amigos.Ahora solo quedaba esperar a que alguien viniera a ver lo que había pasado y los ayudara a salir del elevador roto.
11063685	Baby boy	{ "Archive Warning": "Rape/Non-Con", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Clark Kent, Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by Scarletbat", "chapters": "3/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-01T00:00:00", "words": "2,735", "Additional Tags": "Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Hatred, Daddy Kink", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Clark Kent/Damian Wayne, Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne, past - Relationship", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Batman - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types, Injustice: Gods Among Us", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	The insurgency and the Regime were taking each other head on. The so was crashing people were panicking but outside two remained fighting. “Bruce this ends now.” Clark growled and Bruce narrowed his eyes. “It ended when you crashed that ship Clark, our friends are going to die because of the dictatorship you call ‘justice’.” Bruce said and the Two clashed. Bruce striking Clark with a Kryptonite infused glove. “The world is burning because you refuse to give up on the pitiful pieces of filth that ruin the earth!” Clark spat before his eyes glew a bright red. ‘ High councilor we've stabilized the ship but the insurgency is refusing to back down permission to eradicate them all ?” Damian's voice boomed as Clark smirked “Slaughter them and I'll reward you their heads shall hand on the mantle after we bring a new dawn!” Bruce looked at Clark in disgust. “What happened to you?” Bruce asked and Clark shrugged. “I don't know what you mean, But what happened to you? This could've- no would have been ours, you turned against me Bruce!” Clark said as Bruce aimed for his jaw. “You're a murderer Clark I refuse to even attempt loving someone like you!” Clark grabbed Bruce be his throat. “I don't get it Bruce, your own son understands more than you, he fights for the right cause, unlike you, and he tries to love me unlike you!” “Bullshit Clark-” “No. I'm gonna talk and you're gonna listen. You left me on my own as a broken man but now?I rise as a god, I wanted you by my side but you turned me away because I couldn't conform to your methods. Tell me, why your son the one you're supposed to love and care for, came to me to beg for a father for my attention and devotion that he should've had? I gave him more than a father. but he doesn't mind.” Bruce's eyes widened. “How da-” Before he could speak Clark crashed their lips together. “He's a good boy and I let him know that, he cried the first time who would've thought? But he still took daddy's cock like a good little boy.” Clark whispered against Bruce's lips . A flash bomb forced the two apart. “ How dare you, you son of a bitch!” Damian snarled and Clark turned to face him. “Damian! Wonderful be a good boy and -,” Thwap! Damian had slapped Clark plain across his face. “I trusted you! I gave you everything, you sick Bastard!” Damian yelled and Clark grabbed his wrist. “Settle down before I throw you to the core of the earth, now Daddy's sorry you know you're irreplaceable.” Clark said and Damian growled “Old man how many times did he say this to you?” Damian asked and Bruce gulped down the lump in his throat. “Every night we were together.” Damian scowled at the revelation. “I, Damian Al Ghul am still a proud member of the regime but shall not be caught with Kal-El outside of meetings or any other Regime business.” Damian said but Clark wasn't backing down. “You're gonna listen to Him, remember what he's done to you! You were thrown away he didn't care that you're his blood son all he cares about is his way of justice!” Clark snarled and Bruce glared. “Harley retreat the ship is stable we have No reason to be here now.” Bruce said before flying back towards the earth. Clark scowled and Picked up Damian. “Put me down!” Damian snarled And Clark snorted. “Really you just blew our chances of ending them all you're lucky I don't throw you to the wolves, on second thought I might just if you… “ “If I what?” Damian asked reaching for his utility belt. “First touch the kryptonite and I'll kill you second you have to call me… ‘Daddy’.” Damian was enraged. “Not on your life you sick freak!” Clark scowled, so much like Bruce. “Guards make sure no one disturbs my chambers especially sinestro.” Clark ordered and the guard nodded “Yes high councilor.” With that Clark closed the door and threw Damian on the bed. “Now onto you, did you tell me no?” Clark asked and Damian nodded. “I don't do sick fucks like you especially as a replacement.” Damian spat and Clark scowled. “Get up.” Clark said but Damian didn't budge. “Get the hell up.” No movement. “You have two options get up or I'm just going to hurt you, which one Damian?” Clark asked and Damian sighed as he stood up. “Strip.” “You told me I could say no. “ “When you were obedient, I don't give that option to ungrateful brats like you, now I gave you an order.” Clark growled and Damian shivered as he began to remove his suit. “If you're not finished by the time I walk back over here, you know what happens.” Clark said and Damian nodded. “Yes sir. “ “Fix that as well you know what you're to call me.” Clark walked over to a corner of the room where stacks and stacks of Boxes were put neatly into order. Damian was disgusted with himself as he stripped, had he seriously let this go on? He should've say no when Clark caught him in the hallway, when his lips were pressed to his neck, When he gave him his..... First time. The last part of the suit came off and Damian sighed, crossing his arms and legs to guard from the cold. “I see you actually listened.” The fondness in his voice was so familiar. ‘ You're still daddy's good boy baby don't worry.” Clark cooed as he thrusted into Damian harder this time. “Daddy please, it h-hurts.” “Shhh let me handle that.” Damian remembered being in pain for days. But Clark didn't obviously, because he walked back over Camera and tripod in hand, shirtless. “I hate you.” Damian said and Clark shrugged. “I never said you had to like me.” Clark said as the camera came to life. “I just need a little home video, a little keep sake you could say.” In truth he just wanted to hurt Bruce, what better way to do so than this. “Just get it over with.” Damian said through grit teeth. “Now you know better than that.” Clark said in disappointment. “Why should I when you're just using me as a pawn in your sick little games with Bruce, you-you monster.” Clark slapped him. “I've told you Bru-Damian that -” “save it you know who you meant,who you want.” Damian hissed as he held his bruised cheek. “Baby boy come here.” Clark said reaching for him. “Don't. Touch. Me.” Clark didn't listen and he didn't budge when Damian started scratching at him, he just held him. “Shhh it's okay baby boy, I've got you.” Clark said as Damian began to cry, more than likely the younger man didn't even notice. “I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!” It was like that for the rest of the night until Damian was a sobbing mess begging Daddy for forgiveness. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Damian shivered as he scrubbed himself, the water itself wasn't from cold but the images in Damian's mind?He could've froze to death if they were real. He'd promised himself that after last night he would be free, free of Clark free of Bruce, free of Dick- Free of everything. "Nightwing report to the fortress of solitude High councilor Kal-El has requested you." Damian froze. No no no no- "He says be quick about it or else there will be consequences!" Damian pushed the button on the Shower wall, "Of course Sinestro." Damian turned the shower off the bile in his throat growing with every step. He took a second to look at himself, his hair had grown again nearly to his shoulders,Clark would make him keep it. Continuing his assessment he noticed his Green eyes were puffy and red, Fa- Bruce would look at him pointedly and force him to go upstairs allowing Tim to take his place. After all, Robin had no room to cry. "Nightwing, Kal-El is growing restless, hurry up!" Sinestro barked and Damian picked up something, a small gun and shot the speaker. He put his clothes on slowly the humiliation of last night catching up to him. He nearly cried again but the bright screen next to him stopped him.His communicator had started beeping ,but he crushed it to bits and pieces, The bright Kal-El fading to black. "Nightwing!" He rushes out this time. He takes the long way to the fortress, Asking the A.I to block all calls to his ship, it complies but that didn't stop his earpiece from going off. "Your disobedience is tiring you know?" Clark said in frustration and Damian sighed. "I'm-" "Why can't you just submit Bruce? This could be over by now but you had to be difficult, Damian is currently rebelling against me you turned my baby boy against me you whore." Damian had heard enough. As he expected the fortress was locked down the door only opening once Damian identified himself, but when he stepped inside something felt... Wrong. From there he walked carefully. He walked the halls with unease staff in hand, it was quiet. Too quiet. He walked towards Clark's room and input the code, Lois Lane's birthday of course, but when the door slid open Damian's jaw clenched. This time Bruce was pinned to the bed clearly enjoying the way Clark thrusted into him, But Clark looked his way and stopped. "Damian-" "Screw. You." Damian avoided Clark like the plague. In meetings instead of standing proudly by Clark's side, he sat on a completely different side looking down to avoid Clarks unnerving stare as he told their battle plan. At training he began with Diana instead, actually enjoying the Amazonian ways of sword training. But at dinner where everyone had assigned seats, he was forced to sit right next to Clark who smiled for the first time in days. "Let us celebrate another victory Starling City has accepted our beliefs and soon Gotham City will follow." The regime cheered not noticing as Clark bent down to Damian's ear."Can't avoid me here can you?" Clark's hand landed on Damian's knee as he smiled. "Sinestro has been eyeing you a bit too much though."Damian never ran so fast. Clark stood as if he was going after Damian. Until Diana put a hand on his shoulder. "No, allow me to go after Nightwing." She said before flying after Damian. Damian was quick, quick enough to escape the dining hall. He didn't notice Diana behind him."Little Warrior?" Diana called and Damian pulled his sword. "Relax I mean you no harm, Young Warrior." Diana said, and Damian hesitantly put his sword down. "I apologize for my defensiveness, Prince I am- how do they say? On edge." Damian said squirming uncomfortably."You are forgiven, but what is troubling you?" Diana asked and Damian gulped before sighing. "Kal-El." Damian said simply and Diana rose an eyebrow. "He-We, I acted as not just his consultant against Bruce. I acted as his Lover? Which with him involved, means we engaged in a sexual and Toxic affair." Damian said and Diana chocked on the words of malice in her throat. "There's more isn't there." It wasn't a question. "I discovered that Bruce and Kal-El engaged in a romantic relationship with each other, I was only a replacement." Damian said slightly twitching at the end. Diana was crushed, Clark had promised her the world. "I see." Diana flew away before Damian could speak again. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Diana was on a Warpath. Kal-El, make yourself appear now !” Diana commanded and Clark appeared smile on his face. “Diana how may I -” “Nightwing. Talk now.” Diana growled and Clark scowled. “It seems he told you, Damian is a special case he needs attention he needs to be taken care of, and I gave him the attention he needs, He absolutely loves it Diana.” Clark defended and Diana scowled. “What about us, Kal-El you promised me the world you made me your world Kal, not some spoilt child.” Diana said and Kal growled. “Damian is far from a child Diana and you forget who I am, next time you seek to intervene in my personal affairs, Don't ,” Kal hissed before shoving Diana aside. “Or you will be killed, princess.” With that Kal stormed out angrily. Damian didn't know why, why he missed Clark's hand roaming up and down his torso as he slept the light touches comforting him as he dreamt. He also didn't know why his feet carried him to Clark's room. His hand ghosted the steel, contemplating whether to leave or stay and let Clark control him. He'd risk it. “Kal-El? Daddy?” The door slid open to reveal Clark in a pair of blue joggers and no shirt. “I-i please.” Damian said pleadingly and Clark frowned slightly. “You need sleep Damian, if you do not trust me to take care of you, we do not have to we can just lay here.” Clark said and Damian stepped forward and put his forehead against Clark's. “Thank you D-” “ Kal, I want to earn that right back.” Clark said and Damian hugged him. “Thank you Kal .” “Always Damian.” And Clark true to his word only slept hands wrapped protectively around Damian's waist. When morning forced Damian awake he wasn't shocked to find Clark gone and a note by his head. Dear Damian, I apologize for my absence but regime business caught my attention but I promise you that next time, you'll have my undivided attention. With great promise, Kal-El/Clark Kent. Damian sighed, at least he had an explanation this time. A knock came and the door opened soon after. “Kal- What in Zeus's name are you doing here?” Diana asked and Damian winced. “Diana I- me and Kal-El did not engage in sexual intercourse, we simply enjoyed each other's company.” Damian said and Diana scowled. “How would they feel?” Diana asked and Damian rose an eyebrow. “How would the regime feel? how would they feel if their great leader was sleeping with one of his soldiers, using him as some concubine .” Diana spat “I am no concubine, I am-” “Don't you realize? Clark's gonna get rid of you and just Run back to Bruce, you were just a convenient whore !” Diana hissed and Damian froze. ‘ Damian wake up did you really think that he would stop ? She's right you were just here to make Bruce Jealous.’ Damian thought before sliding out of the bed, he felt the rage in him rise steadily his vision had gone from clear to a light red, but he couldn't he had to calm down. “Will that be all Diana, if so leave please before I call Kal-El.” Damian said and Diana narrowed her eyes before leaving. ------ Clark sighed as Sinestro suggested(Nagged) how it would be “sensible to crush the life out of the Insurgency and make them plead for their lives!”, It utterly bored Clark. “Sinestro please, I am tired and you are a buffoon, be quiet!” Clark snapped and Sinestro furrowed his eyebrows. “What is so important that you can't listen to my battle strategy?” Sinestro asked before Arthur and Barry burst in. “Kal-El a word?” Arthur asked and Kal rolled his eyes. “Sinestro we'll talk later, come up with something sensible by then. Aquaman, Flash you have the floor.” Clark said and Arthur scowled. “What is this I hear about you making Nightwing your concubine?” Kal nearly fell out of his chair . “Excuse me?” Clark's voice boomed and Barry winced. “Diana is running all through the base telling everyone and then we saw him leaving your room... “ Barry explained and Clark sighed as he rubbed his temples. “By Rao's grace…. Yes in simplest terms I'm sleeping with him, but he's not a sex slave as Diana led you to believe.” Clark said and Barry nodded. “Just hope sinestro hasn't heard yet, he's got quite the crush on Nightwing.” Arthur warned and Clark frowned. “ I'll handle sinestro, now go but Barry bring Diana to me, dead or alive no matter to me.” Clark snarled and Barry nodded before speeding off. ‘ The things I do…’ Clark thought before picking up his communicator. “Nightwing meet me in my quarters ASAP.” Clark said before walking out of the room. This was gonna be a long one.
11005665	Awkward bastards both of	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": null, "Fandom": "Supernatural", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by millygal", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-26T00:00:00", "words": "453", "Additional Tags": "Crack, Silly, Brothers", "Relationship": "Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "SpankedBySpike's BingoCard", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Dean’s POV -Why the hell are little brother’s so god damned difficult?It’s not like Dean’s saying Sam can’t take care of himself.Of course he can, he’s Sam fucking Winchester, but for the love of - why can’t he accept a little help every once in awhile?“Sammy, I’m not sayin’ you haven’t got this, but please, it’s just so much easier if you let me - ““NO! Dean, I’m so sick and fucking tired of you keep poking your nose in. If you thought I’d let you, you’d tie my damned boot laces every day.”“Watch out, you’ll hurt yourself. Sam? SAM?! Don’t be such a priss. Don’t walk away from me. Get your ass back here!”“Piss off.”“Come on, Sam. It’s not like I’m asking to decapitate the next vamp you come across, it’s just a little - now look, it’s all over the floor and I’m gonna have to clean it up and - LOOK OUT!”Typical, just typical. “Sammy, is there somethin’ you want to say to me?”Sam’s looking up at his brother from the flat of his back, covered in sticky greasy oozing disgustingness; he rolls his eyes and grits his teeth. “You were right, Dean, I should have just let you flip the damned pancakes.”Sam’s POV -Why the hell are big brother’s so god damned difficult?It’s not like Sam’s saying Dean’s concern isn’t appreciated.Of course it is, he’s Dean fucking Winchester, but for the love of - why can’t he accept Sam doesn’t always need help?”“Sammy, I’m not sayin’ you haven’t got this, but please, it’s just so much easier if you let me - ““NO! Dean I’m so sick and fucking tired of you keep poking your nose in. If you thought I’d let you, you’d tie my damned boot laces every day.”“Watch out, you’ll hurt yourself. Sam? SAM?! Don’t be such a priss. Don’t walk away from me. Get your ass back here!”Stupid irritating man. “Piss off.”“Come on, Sam. It’s not like I’m asking to decapitate the next vamp you come across, it’s just a little - now look, it’s all over the floor and I’m gonna have to clean it up and - LOOK OUT!”“Sammy, is there somethin’ you want to say to me?”Looking up at his brother from the flat of his back, covered in sticky greasy oozing disgustingness, Sam tries his absolute best not to kick Dean in the shins like a twelve year old. Smug bastard’s never gonna let him live this one down. “You were right, Dean, I should have just let you flip the damned pancakes.”That is the very last time Sam tries to make Dean breakfast. Fuck him, he can order take-out. Fin
11067429	Like Canned Peaches	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "F/M", "Characters": "Junkrat \| Jamison Fawkes, Mei-Ling Zhou, Roadhog \| Mako Rutledge", "Fandom": "Overwatch (Video Game)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Explicit", "author": "by FunkyMeihem", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-06-01T00:00:00", "words": "5,708", "Additional Tags": "Masturbation, Daydreaming, Unrequited Love, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Meihem - Freeform, junkmei, meirat", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Junkrat \| Jamison Fawkes & Mei-Ling Zhou, Junkrat \| Jamison Fawkes/Mei-Ling Zhou", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	“Brrrr! I get cold just lookin’ at ya!”He’d waited hopefully for a response to his attempt at casual conversation, brows lifted as he stared intently at the irritated woman in the fluffy parka who was clearly doing her best not to pay any attention to him. He’d even offered his most winning smile, the kind with slightly less teeth, before she fully turned towards him and sternly pushed her glasses up with one gloved finger. Her adorable little lips had pursed as she lifted her nose in the air and finally, finally spoke directly to him.“Then you should look somewhere else!”That had been their first real interaction. Mei turned him down flat.But then again, that had hardly been the first time Junkrat had been turned down flat by the object of his attentions. In fact, he was turned down flat most of the time, and knew the only solution was to keep trying. He’d made several attempts after that one, each just as unsuccessful as the last, and took increasingly desperate measures to make her look his way, maybe give him another irked scowl, or fling more of her mild insults at him. The accusations of being a horrible, no-good bully didn’t really bother him. He’d been called much worse than that over the years, with much more colorful junker vernacular. But he couldn’t help but notice that he was the only one in the entire group to earn that particular brand of ire. So, he figured that in his own strange way, he must have been special to her.And he liked that idea very much, being special to her.She was everything unknown to him; she was quiet where he was loud, she was soft and curvy where he was gaunt skin and bones, she used ice just as he used fire, and she was softspoken and polite where he was raucous and blunt. She had little apple-cheeks that dimpled when she smiled, even if it was never at him, and her little giggles sounded like tinkling bells that could grab his attention even through the constant ringing in both his ears. She even smelled nice, from what he’d been able to whiff of her before her giant Russian brick shithouse of a friend had grabbed his head and thrown him in the opposite direction, like vanilla extract that came in those little bottles that smelled wonderful but didn’t taste so wonderful, or flowers he didn’t know the names of.He’d never really seen a woman like her in person before. The women in the Outback were much like the men of the Outback; their brains just as baked as their half-starved bodies, with vicious demeanors, loud voices, leathery tits, and cunts that felt like being in the inside of a baseball glove. The sheilas on the covers of the magazines (at least the human ones, any pictures of omnic women were promptly destroyed with prejudice) were always almost as scrawny as the women in the Outback, always had their eyes closed or looked vacantly confused, and usually were half covered with text about the ten most beneficial yogurts or other things that women seemed to worry about in the outside world. Occasionally he’d get his grimy claws on the good kind of magazine, the ones where they arched their backs and got their tits out and bit their fingers and looked at him real seductive-like, but he usually spent more time trying peel the sticky pages apart without ripping the good bits, and trying not to imagine the previous owner as he did so.And then there was Mei, who was different from everyone in the best possible way he could think of, and he wished she didn’t hate him so much.It was a little after lunchtime, and most of Overwatch’s agents had eaten and left by now, leaving only a handful of stragglers and latecomers. Junkrat was normally the type to inhale his food within seconds and then spend the rest of his time trying to irritate the more leisurely Roadhog, but for once he left his bodyguard to eat his pasta in relative peace. Instead he was trying to subtly peek around his partner’s wide belly, staring at where Mei and Tracer were lingering at their table, chatting and laughing and not taking any notice of him.He rocked back and forth in his seat as the metal tip of his pegleg tapped against the floor, nervous energy left without an outlet except restless squirming. The back of Tracer’s spiky-haired head was blocking his view of Mei, and he wished he’d brought along a few of his concussion mines, maybe just to toss one under their table and blow Tracer up and off to the side without hurting her too bad, they probably wouldn’t get too mad if she wasn’t hurt much.“Shut up,” Roadhog said suddenly, and Junkrat became aware that he was making a distressed whining noise in his throat.“Didn’t say anything!” he snapped in reply, leaning over to try and peek at the ladies’ table again. “Can’t see anything, either. Ya think I should go over there, maybe? Introduce myself?”“They know who you are,” Roadhog said, lifting the bottom of his mask to take a mouthful of salad.“To just give ‘em a charming how do ya do, then! Nothing wrong with a friendly hello, yeah? Just say hi, maybe see what she’s wearing. Ugh, still can’t see, what do you think she’s wearing?”Roadhog shrugged. “Probably the same thing she’s always wearing.”“Yeah! Yeah she probably is! Probably those real tight stretchy leggin’s, and that blue tank with the- Oi, mate, what’s the top part of the tits again?”“Cleavage.”“Yeah, with the cleavage! Real ace cleavage, too. Some real High Distinction cleavage, top scores, best in the biz…Bet she already knows, though. She’s real smart, Roadie. Got degrees in weather or some shit, proper schoolin’ and everything, bet she duxed everything she’s ever done. You know what that means?”“What.”“It means we got a lot to talk about! She’s smart, I’m smart…maybe not book-schoolin’ smart, arroight, but I can teach her a thing or two about a thing or two! Wait! Wait, shuttup, Hog, they’re doin’ something!”Tracer collected her empty plate, laughed at something hilarious that Mei must have said before giving the other woman a one-armed hug, and then blinked off into the kitchens in a flash of blue. That left a full view of Mei, who was indeed wearing Junkrat’s favorite type of blue top with the cleavage, hurrying to finish the remainder of her meal alone.“Now’s my chance! How do I look?” He smoothed back the charred remnants of his hair, crunching slightly under his fingertips, before cupping his palm and breathing into it several times. “How do I smell?”“Hmm. Not good.”“Fuck you, Roadie! Er, actually…You got a minty?” He patted his own pockets, as though breath mints might have mysteriously appeared when he wasn’t looking.“No.”“What do I pay you for!? She’s not going to want kisses from yours truly if I still got rat mouth! Fuck, I think she just looked at me!…Okay…Okay, no, she was looking at the drink machine. That’s a good sign, right? This is my chance, fortune favors the bold. I’m gonna go say a real nice hello.”Hog didn’t bother looking up. “Okay.”Junkrat puffed out his scrawny chest resolutely, throwing both gangly leg and peg out the side of the booth before standing, sauntering as suavely as possible towards the end table where the little climatologist was already eying him warily above her glasses. He plastered on his usual smile, lofting his brows in what he hoped looked friendly instead of his usual deranged menace, and came to a stop beside her. “So! G’day, Mei! Couldn’t help but notice you was…uh…eatin’.”Mei’s stony expression remained unchanged, though she managed a gruff “Yes.”Junkrat swallowed, eyes darting. “Yeah, me too! Me, I love eatin’. It’s uh, near the top of my list of favorite things to do, eatin’. Had some kinda porkchop thingy, and some beans. You, uh…you like...beans? Heh! Yeah, dumb question, right? Who don’t like beans? Anyways, if you ain’t had dessert yet, I could get you one of them lil’ cakes to share if you want, the chocolate ones are-”He went to place one arm on her table and lean towards her, but his weight threw off the balance from its center stand, and the whole table suddenly tilted dangerously to one side, causing Junkrat to stumble as he hurried to steady it. Mei’s drink toppled to one side with a clank and splashed all over her front, causing her to shriek and jolt back in her seat.“Oh fuck! Fuck, sorry! Sorry! Fuck me, I’m sorry!” He grabbed a fistful of napkins from the dispenser and frantically began to try and pat down her soaked chest and face, but she brusquely slapped his hands away, lifting from her chair. Junkrat panicked. “It was an accident, swear it. Mei, wait!”She smacked his hand away as he reached towards her again, her jaw set and her lower lip out in a sort of puffy anger. “That’s Miss Zhou to you, and get your hands off of me! You’ve caused enough trouble! You are always causing trouble!”“W-well I don’t think that’s entirely fair, love!” he sputtered. “I mean, Miss Zhou. S’just a bit of water. Hey, water right under the bridge, eh?”She scowled all the harder at him, and even her scowl was adorable. “You probably did it on purpose!”Junkrat guffawed, placing an affronted hand to his chest. “I never! I’d never mean to spill water on your…uh, ya know.” He couldn’t help it. His eyes darted downward, down to where the wet blue fabric was clinging all the harder to her bosom, slick and wet and outlining the fabric of her bra and each breast beneath.“Zhè hái liǎo dé!” She snapped, covering herself with one arm and grabbing the wet wad of napkins from the table, flinging them in his face before storming off towards the kitchens.Junkrat stood stunned for a moment, the soaking wet paper sliding sickeningly down his eyes and nose before dripping with an audible plop onto the floor. Wiping the moisture from his face, he turned to glare with all the ferocity he could muster at the handful of other Overwatch agents, who had watched the whole thing transpire. They looked away and conversation slowly returned, as the defeated junker skulked back towards his seat, slumping down into it.“How did it go?” Roadhog asked mildly, as though he hadn’t witnessed it happening a few feet away just moments ago.“…Still workin’ on it, mate. Gotta think of a better opening line. Maybe she doesn’t like beans as much as I thought.”His partner merely sighed in that long-suffering huffing way inside his mask, the kind where Junkrat could tell he was secondhand frustrated but not truly interested enough to get involved. Roadhog had been hired as his standover man, after all, not his caretaker. Unless his employer was surrounded by people who wanted to kill him, which happened quite a lot, Hog preferred to stay out of his business and especially his nonexistent love life. Occasionally Hog would offer a rag or a pat on the back all those times that Junkrat had drinks thrown into his face, but he seemed to be mooning especially hard over the little Chinese woman for some reason, and Hog could tell that this one was going to lead to trouble. The younger junker already had that far-away look in his eyes, boot tapping away nervously under the table.“What are you going to do?”“I dunno. Probably gonna go have a wank,” Junkrat responded casually.Roadhog shrugged and shoved another forkful of tortellini into his jaws, clearly uncaring of his employer’s ‘exploits’ and more intent on his meal.The same could not be said of the silky-haired archer, who just happened to be passing by at that exact moment. Never one to pass up an opportunity to insult one of those he deemed beneath him, which was nearly everybody, he paused in mid-stride and curled his lip up on one side as he regarded Junkrat with disdain.“Disgusting,” he said, voice dripping with revulsion.Junkrat bristled at that, rising up to his full towering height as he exited the booth, staring the archer down. “Oi! Hamzo! Yeah, whatever your name is! Say it to my face!”“I did,” Hanzo replied curtly, and began to walk away.Junkrat was slightly dumbfounded, but yelled after him anyway. “Yeah!? Well! Ain’t nothing wrong with it, it’s all natural! Maybe you should look into it, might help you with that shit attitude! Yeah, probably jealous of me! Jealous, cause I get to have both my tits out at once! Right here!” He pounded both fists to his scrawny chest before peeking behind him to see if Mei had been there to be impressed by his verbal thrashing of the archer, but she was nowhere in sight.Shoving both hands into his pockets and bending back down into his usual slouch, the scorned junker turned and skulked back down the halls. He had business to attend to, after all.His trailer was a ‘safe’ distance away from the other areas of the Overwatch base, after he had blown up several laboratories and Winston had nearly had a mutiny on his hands when Symmetra and Torbjorn’s labs were blown up with them. Eventually they’d brought in the trailer for him, and simply left it out in the far yards away from everyone else. And that suited Junkrat just fine. The dorms were too square and sterile and comfortable and they had that creepy computer lady always watching them, and he’d never liked having neighbors. Neighbors usually stole your shit or tried to off you, eventually. Nobody ever visited him out here except Hog, who lived in the converted storage garage next door. Everyone on base had quickly learned to avoid the whole junker territory. Within a week the trailer was in a state that should have left it condemned; there were scorch marks everywhere, visible and invisible traps along the perimeter, a hoard of trash and junk parts piled high inside the barbed wire fences, and ‘KEEP OUT I MEAN IT MATE’ signs that Junkrat had lovingly painted himself.The weather was blisteringly hot, and Junkrat liked it. He threw open the screen door hanging askew in his entrance, deftly stepped over the trap under the welcome rug, and pushed his way past the piles of papers, bombs, garbage, and strange little projects he’d forgotten along the way. He pulled himself onto his little shelf of a sleeping area, though his body was too tall to ever stretch out on it fully, squirming onto his side and struggling briefly to remove his leg and arm. Had to get comfortable for something like this, after all. The mechanical parts clunked loudly onto the floors beside him as he sprawled onto his back, his single foot hanging off the edge of the hard mattress.He deftly undid his belt one-handed, unzipping and impatiently shuffling his shorts down from his bony hips. He’d expected himself to be half-hard already, as he usually was in any interaction with Mei whatsoever, but his donger had apparently been a little more embarrassed by the situation than his brains, and he was quite flaccid. Well, time to change that up.Reaching under the wad of coats and old clothes he used as a pillow, he retrieved a nearly empty tube, setting the cap between his teeth as he twisted it open with his single hand before using his tongue to spin it around, biting the end to force out an amount of the gel into his palm before spitting it aside to deal with later. He’d gotten good at using his mouth after losing his arm, although trying to explain this to the ladies didn’t always work in the way he hoped. Well, maybe one day if they were both lucky, Mei would get to know all the talented things his mouth was good at.He felt his cock twitch a little promisingly at that thought as he reached down, pulling the base into his hand and starting to smear the lube over himself before starting to coax himself to real hardness, pressing the broad flat of his thumb into the top, running his long fingers along the sensitive underside from base to tip. He felt warm and sticky and slowly relaxed as his length grew and stiffened under his touch, spreading his legs a little more in the cramped space as he shoved the stump of his arm beneath his head, staring blankly at the dirty ceiling a few inches away as he gently worked himself.He’d never bring Mei to a place like this, but maybe one day after they’d kissed and made up proper, she’d invite him into her room, he decided. She’d be wearing that blue tank top of hers and…oh yeah, just thinking of that peek of cleavage made him harder, grunting a little as he quickened his touch…yeah, those tight leggings of hers too. But he saw her in those a lot and wanted more. So she’d strip them off quickly, because she’d want him just as badly as he wanted her. She wore a sensible bra, he’d found that out by accident, and probably had panties to match. Yeah, little cotton numbers, no lace…maybe a little bow or two? Something subtle and cute, hugging those beautiful broad hips of hers, little strips of color on her curves. And she’d look at him but smile and blush a little…she’d want him.His hand stroked lazily up and down, adding a little twist on the head of his cock and he was starting to pant and groan above the wet shuffling noises of the lube inside his fist. “Yeah…yeah, that’s good…”He’d kiss her first. Not just jump on her like a starving dingo, like he normally did. Mei was too good for that, worth more than that to him. No, he’d kiss her proper, maybe after practicing on the back of his hand first just to make sure it’d be real good for her. Not too much tongue (he always used too much tongue), or at least not at first. Would it be awkward, maybe? She barely stood up to the height of his ribs, but that would be fine. He’d lean over her, maybe help pick her up on her little tippy-toes. He’d kiss her a lot, until she didn’t have any breath left, and she’d make sweet little noises for him as he’d hold her chin up towards him and kiss her again.But then, he wanted to get his arms around that soft little body, wrap them around her and hold her first, like real romance sorts of things. Okay, maybe he’d grope her ass a bit too, get two nice handfuls of that, but at that point she’d be wanting him to just as bad. She’d pull down the straps of her bra, undo those fucking awful hard-to-not-break clasps on the back, and it’d drop away and reveal those magnificent, glorious tits of hers. Fuck, they’d probably even bounce a little once freed…big, creamy white, milky, round, amazing tits…He grunted, speeding his wrist up a little as his hand worked more frantically around his cock, tightening and squeezing.He wanted his hands on them, even the mechanical one that couldn’t feel anything beyond basic pressure. His flesh hand, though, against her flesh, he wanted that most of all. They’d be full and soft, so soft and plush and pliable beneath his fingers, kneading them steadily. They’d have weight to them, each one charmingly crowned by peaked, large puffy pink nipples, the kind he wanted to suck on. The blurry pictures in his mind solidified a little more as he imagined her, her face flush and her arms around his shoulders as he’d urge her back towards her bed, half kneeling over her as he latched his lips onto one of the little velvety nubs. He’d suckle at her almost hungrily, rolling his face to one and then the other, maybe bury his face between them and be enveloped by softness. Maybe…Maybe she’d let him nibble at them just a little? Would it make her moan? Yeah, she’d like it, if he was careful with his teeth. Just a little threat of a pinch with his pointed canines before he’d soothe her by sucking them again. And he’d probably be content to drown himself in her bosom forever, but she’d want more, and he’d give it to her.His back arched and his head moved back against his makeshift pillow, eyes closed and chin pointed towards the ceiling as he continued jerking himself to the very thought. It was so hot inside his trailer, and his perspiration felt cloying and sticky against every inch of exposed skin, attracting little molecules of gasoline and aerosol and other poisonous things that slid and oozed down his temples and arms in every drop of sweat. The air was thick with it, almost radioactive. It felt absolutely perfect.She’d whisper things to him. Not mean things like she usually did, either, but nice things. Maybe in Chinese (He should learn some Chinese, that would impress her) about how much she wanted him right now. It was easier to imagine them in Chinese gibberish. She’d never said a kind word to him otherwise. But that was fine for now, those Chinese sweet nothings were all he needed. He’d lay her down, make sure she was all comfortable and whatnot on her blankets before spreading her legs for her, make sure she had lots of those fluffy pillows under her…she seemed like the type who would have lots of pillows, a real lady sort. He liked that idea more than he thought he would, really…the sight of her propped up amongst all that lace and silk and proper lady shit, with her legs spread just for him in the most un-proper lady way. She’d look real soft and pink and open for him, and he wouldn’t hesitate even a moment before he’d dive his head down between those milky white thighs. He’d wrap his arms around each thigh, but even his strength wouldn’t be able to stop her from squeezing him between them, until he couldn’t hear anything but the muffled sounds of her gasps and the blood rushing in his ears. He knew how to use his mouth and tongue, he’d show her everything he knew.And he’d eat her up…The thought made his body jolt off the mattress in a way that almost surprised even him, as though he was trying to drive himself into his fist all the harder. He was moaning loudly, hips moving in time with his hand as he writhed. His tongue lolled from his mouth almost as if he could taste her already, slavering as a rivulet of warm saliva oozed from one corner of his mouth and down his pointed chin.He already knew in his mind’s eye exactly what she’d taste like, too. He thought at first that maybe she’d taste like ice cream, like the treats he and Roadie would steal at the beach. He’d sure lick her like a creamsicle, he would. Then he thought maybe she’d taste like peppermints, spicy and cool on the inside just as much as her outside. And then, for maybe just a second or two, he thought she’d taste like pancakes? He wasn’t sure where that one had come from, maybe he was just still hungry. But no. After a moment he knew…She’d taste like canned peaches, like the best damn thing he’d ever eaten in his entire life.He had been a younger rat then, though he couldn’t recall how old. He remembered that he had been smaller and scrawnier then, but mostly he just remembered the hunger. There had been a shortage of food everywhere, and even his favorite old scrounging grounds and garbage dumps had yielded almost nothing. He had grown skinnier and weaker, and when he had finally been chased out of town for trying to steal from the wrong person, he wandered in circles for days out in the desert, alone save for the vultures that followed his every move. His stomach had shrunk, then swelled with the bloat of starvation, then shrunk again. He didn’t have enough water to waste crying and his mouth tasted like ash and dust, staggering about on bone-skinny legs as he sought quietly for a sheltered place to die.He had found a burnt-out abandoned ute somewhere amongst the rocks and sand, and hit paydirt when he searched and found that someone else had been using it as a supply drop. There, tucked in a satchel under one of the seats, was a collection of food fit for a king. He had wrestled one of the cans open with nothing but his bare hand and a nearby rock, his stomach growling and snarling in excitement the whole time. When he finally managed to dent the lid enough to twist it open, there they were…canned peaches. He had tilted his head back and drank deeply, his senses flooded with an overwhelming, almost cloyingly sugary sweetness as the syrup poured thickly into his open mouth. The bits of bright yellow-orange fruit were slippery and wet and luscious against his tongue, a better treasure than anything he’d found in that ruined old omnium. He hadn’t bothered chewing or savoring, just let them slide down his throat and into the cavern of his belly, where their sweetness pooled at the empty bottom. It had been an almost otherworldly experience, eating those canned peaches. It had been, and remained, far and away the best thing he’d ever eaten.That’s what she would taste like, he decided. Like eating those canned peaches all over again.He’d eat her until he was full. Until his lips and chin were wet and shining from peachy juice, and she’d have come for him at least twice. But Jamie, she’d whisper, I’m not full yet, I’m not done. And then she’d go back to Chinese again because Junkrat still couldn’t imagine her voice being nice otherwise, but he’d know what she meant. She’d want him to fuck her proper.His eyes rolled back into his head, singed lashes fluttering helplessly. He tightened his fist, thrust his hips up into it until the friction almost burned. He was a vocal bloke, he knew, and usually by this stage the entire Outback knew what he was doing. But the roos and lizards never gave a fuck and neither did he, moaning and grunting and hissing through his bared teeth, and sometimes whispering little encouragements to himself, because what was wrong with a little encouragement during any kind of job, especially a handjob?In his mind, anyway, he was speaking to Mei. “Nnnh! Gghh…good girl, you’re my good girl…Y-yeah, nnhh, there we go…”Her cunt would already be soaking wet and ready for him, easing her back into the mattress to kiss her again before mounting her. He’d slide into her, smooth as silk, and she’d be soft and hot on the inside like nothing he’d felt before. Better than any fist or cunt or arse he’d been in, for sure, because it was hers. He tried to imagine her cute little face, the expressions she’d wear as he fucked her, looking up at him with those big dark eyes, with her bangs in her face and her bun coming undone against her pillows. Noises, too, she’d squeak and gasp and make sweet sounds all for him. And call his name a bit too, he liked that. She’d welcome him on every thrust forward, so he could bury himself deep again and again until he was lost. He wanted all that.But mostly he wanted whatever it was within her, which wasn’t heat but was somehow hotter than any flame and more all-encompassing than any napalm he’d ever made, that thing that burned inside all that ice of hers, something he didn’t have a word for. But he fucking wanted it as much as he wanted any treasure, maybe more. And he wanted her to want him back, combine his fire and her ice, his destruction and her preservation, until they burned together in whatever beautiful and hellish storm such a combination would create. Something like an explosion, but nothing he could do without her.He needed it, he needed more heat, more friction. His own hand didn’t feel like it would be enough as he writhed atop the filthy trailer mattress. Sparks tingled under his skin and he knew he was reaching his edge. He panted and grunted helplessly, speeding his strokes over his aching cock. He wanted Mei under him, needed something under him. He twisted in the confined little space and threw himself onto his belly, balling up his pillows and mounds of clothes into a pitiful lump and pulling himself atop it, humping desperately forward with quick jabbing motions of his hips into his slick fist. Sweat rolled down his body, breath a painful-sounding rasp and his eyes open but unseeing.She’d tighten around him, squeezing and pulsing, crying his name. Their bodies would burn together and she’d open her eyes and kiss him, her lips tasting like those canned peaches, and she’d say that she lov-He almost screamed when he came, coming utterly undone as he pushed forward a final time. He felt it spurting hot and wet into his hand, dribbling through his fingers as he groaned and fell onto his back once more. He shivered, cum still leaking up onto his belly, pooling in all the ridges of his gaunt abdomen. The images of Mei’s smile were already fading even as he tried to keep hold of them, drifting away like little embers on the wind, replaced with a calming emptiness as he rested and tried to catch his breath.“Blech. Well, that’s a clean-up.” Eventually he was himself again, making a face at his mess-covered hand and carelessly smearing it onto some article of clothing (An apron? Why did he even have an apron?) on his bed nearby, grabbing a dirty pillowcase and wiping his stomach free of stickiness as well. He felt a lot better now, self-satisfied and lazing about in the stifling atmosphere of his trailer.He must have been so relaxed that he’d fallen asleep, because he found himself waking up when there was a sudden rapid knocking at his door. The sun had almost gone down and he grumbled as the buzzing in his head returned, groping with one lanky arm until it found the string dangling from the ceiling, activating the one sputtering light bulb above his workbench. Rolling off his bed and hopping towards the entry, he appeared one-legged, one-armed, and totally naked as he swung open the screen.“Yeah?”There was a high-pitched shriek as Mei staggered back, face burning red and covering her eyes. “MR. FAWKES!”Junkrat shrieked as well, trying to cover himself with one working hand and one nonexistent one, weight thrown off as his leg went out from under him, the screen door crashing shut as there was a heavy fall and a clatter of garbage within. A moment later the door swung open again, the junker frantically buttoning his shorts and his peg leg attached backwards. “Mei! I mean, Miss Zhou! I uh, I just didn’t expect anybody comin’ my way this evening. Er, what can I do for ya?”She peeled a finger away from her glasses, making sure it was safe before straightening politely and giving a little cough. “Please be more careful when you answer the door! Um, I'm just here to deliver a message. I’m here to invite you to a little party we’re having next week, and just trying to plan how many we’ll have.”Junkrat stared at her for a moment. “Pull the other one!” He frowned, gaze turning suspicious and wiggling his jaw to one side. “What’s that about?”She looked away, glancing over the piles of scrap and burnt-out oil barrels around her unhappily. “Well, it wasn’t my idea! Zarya wanted to invite Mr. Roadhog, but he said he wouldn’t go without you…I think. I think that’s what he meant. He doesn’t say very much.”“Well…uh.” He awkwardly leaned to adjust his leg, turning it on backwards and clamping it back into place. “I’m invited? Yeah! Sure! Sure, you’re going? Yeah, might as well make an appearance, right? And look, real sorry for the water thing earlier, honestly didn’t mean to-”Now it was her turn to look sheepish, though at least she finally looked at him with something other than disdain. “Oh! No, no, it’s fine. I actually wanted to apologize for that. I've been a little stressed lately, and... It was an accident and I lost my temper, I’m sorry I yelled. And threw wet napkins at your face. And you can still call me Mei.”Something like hope bloomed in his ribcage, expression brightening as he leaned on the doorway. “It’s fine! It’s all fine, darl. Like I said, water under the bridge. Or sand, if ya got that, wasn’t a lot of water back in Oz. Point is, it’s all fine, it’s all great.”She smiled like she wasn’t really sure about his joke, but she still smiled. “Oh, okay. Well, I’ll go tell Roadhog and Zarya that you’ll be joining us. I’ll, um…I’ll see you around, Mr. Fawkes? I’d better go. Oh, I almost forgot to ask, was there anything you wanted us to buy for drinks?”He looked her up and down, licking suddenly dry lips. “Yeah, Mei, love…You got anything that tastes like peaches?”
11002782	Stars Align and	{ "Archive Warning": "Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings", "Category": null, "Characters": "Dipper Pines, Bill Cipher, Pacifica Northwest, Mabel Pines, The Author \| Original Stanford Pines, Grunkle Stan \| Stanley \"Stanford\" Pines, Dot Matrix (Fanon Tad Strange), Original Female Character(s)", "Fandom": "Gravity Falls", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by ObscureUrsidae", "chapters": "1/?", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-26T00:00:00", "words": "690", "Additional Tags": "Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Epic Battles, well i hope so, Slow Burn, sword in the stone trope, Prophecies, Carries on from canon, cats and dogs, Human Bill Cipher, Bill is helpful at times, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Pacifica is a badass, Dot from Demonic Guardians AU, what are you doing here mr. Matrix, how very odd, set 8 years after canon", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": "Bill Cipher/Dipper Pines, Dipper Pines & Pacifica Northwest, Pacifica Northwest/Mabel Pines, Dot Matrix (Fanon Tad Strange)/Mabel Pines", "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/F, F/M, M/M", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Eight full years have passed since the events of Weirdmageddon. Dipper looks out at the mystery shack from the counter, propping his head up with his hands. So much has changed. He and Mabel had gone through High School and Dipper had gone to university, twice. He'd gotten a PhD in Psychology and a degree in Folklore & Mythology. Even though he was intelligent and successful, he decided to make his home back at the Mystery Shack, where he was surprised to find Pacifica working there."What's on your mind?" the cool voice hummed, he grunted in response. Pacifica wanted to work and live at the Shack because she wanted a life different from the one she was bred and raised for. It also amused her when she saw her family's reaction. The two had become as thick as thieves, the fact that they both lived in the Shack meant that every night was a slumber party. When Dipper was younger he was always curious as to how a girly slumber party would feel to be a part of, he experienced it when he switched bodies with Mabel but that was traumatic. I mean, he was already highly terrified of Grenda. However, Pacifica's version of a slumber party was a lot more chill, they painted each other's nails, talked relationships (but never pushed for details) and talked about mysteries. It was fun! He enjoyed her company.Admittedly, Pacifica had grown to be quite a beautiful woman. Blonde hair and blue eyes, which was one of Dipper's things to look for in a partner. Yet, he couldn't find himself attracted to her. She'd become like his second twin, his triplet! They were more like a teenage girl and her gay best friend. But Dipper wasn't gay. He was bi, but admittedly he preferred men. Pacifica was bisexual as well, but, like Dipper, she preferred the same sex.But where'd Mabel fit into the picture? Well, she didn't. Mabel stayed at home in Piedmont to attempt to open up a boutique, as fashion is her passion! They still saw one another occasionally, but barely. Mabel was still taller than Dipper, but they were both extremely tall. She was slightly chubby and actually had quite a bit of muscle, she took after her Grunkle Stan, that's for sure. Her braces were off by now and she still had a wide range of sweaters. Mabel had an hourglass figure, whenever someone mentioned it along with her weight she'd respond with a reference to Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass". Stanford and Grunkle Stan continued on their adventures, looking for mysteries. They'd repaired their long lost bond, it was refreshing. However, Stanford was incredibly strict with Dipper. All the mysteries in Gravity Falls had seemed to dissipate, but when Dipper begged to be brought along on an expedition, he was given a stern "no".Dipper could understand why, of course. He'd nearly been killed multiple times but mysteries were his passion. He appreciated Ford's worries but without mysteries, he felt empty.Dipper himself had grown with quite an androgynous figure. Like his sister, he had an hourglass figure, but it was very subtle. He was extremely skinny and tall, which made him stand out in a crowd. He and his sister were giants, Dipper was taller than the Stans by now. And so was Mabel. Dipper had longer hair now, he hadn't had it cut in quite a while, so it was either in a bun or a small ponytail. Unfortunately, like his great uncles, his eyesight had worsened slightly, so he needed glasses. He could see without them but everything was blurred and it annoyed him.Pacifica put a hand on his shoulder, following his gaze out the window of the door, "want me to take your shift?" she asked calmly, her hand moving up to run through his brown locks. He nodded and her hand left his head. He was free.His feet took him outside of the Shack and into the forest, his mind raced with thoughts and possibilities. He craved a mystery, something to stimulate his numbed mind.He needed a mystery.
11011458	Rule 704	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Jyn Erso, Han Solo", "Fandom": "Star Wars - All Media Types", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by wishfulfanficing", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-27T00:00:00", "words": "1,200", "Additional Tags": "Star Wars AU, Leia and Jyn are survivors, survivor strong, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault", "Relationship": "Leia Organa/Han Solo", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Leia tapped her fingers impatiently against the briefing room door, waiting for her brother. “I’m here!” he called from the hallway.“Finally. Shall we go in?” Leia said as she opened the door to the briefing room. Luke nodded and followed her inside. The pair found their way to of seats near the front and settled in as Mon Mothma addressed the room.“You’re all here because you’ve expressed interest in the public defender position in our Corellia office,” Mon Mothma droned. Leia nodded intently. “I assume most of you are familiar with what the office does. We handle misconduct complaints under the government agent Code of Conduct including workplace integrity, labor disputes, and of course accusations arising under Rule 704.”Leia bristled. Rule 704 was the sexual harassment and assault rule - she’d help write it. Writing the statute had helped her work through her own past of sexual violence, and the idea of defending people who were accused of doing the things she had suffered put a pit in her stomach. Luke sensed his sister’s discomfort and leaned over to her. “You ok?”“Yeah, fine.” Leia said shortly, taking a deep breath as she raised her hand. “Do we have any say about which cases we take on? For example, if we don’t feel like we could take on 704 cases…”Mon Mothma sighed. “No, you don’t get any say. This comes up a lot so I want you all to listen to me: the time will come in this job when you are asked to defend people whose behavior you might not agree with. Some of them will be guilty. If that’s not something you can do, I would reconsider applying for this position,” she continued patronizingly. “That’s one of the ideals we fought for: fair adjudication. It’s essential to the procedural integrity of the adjudication process. It’s imperative that you understand that.”Leia nodded; Luke noticed her turning pale. As Mon Mothma turned to finish her presentation, Leia started to gather her data pad. She stood up, nodded curtly her colleagues sitting between her and the door, and left silently.— “Hey? What was that about?” Luke asked, walking briskly to catch up to his sister. He could sense tension within her, but it wasn’t something he recognized.“What do you mean?”“Leia, hey!” He grabbed her arm. “You knew what you were getting into. Smuggler, murderers, rapists… everyone gets a fair trial. That’s how the system works. That’s due process. I believe in those things, I thought you did too.”“You don’t understand” she mumbled, shrugging off his grip.“Why? ”She turned away from him. “Because it’s never happened to you.“— Jyn and Leia sat at the café table; Leia had called her friend for a spontaneous caffeine break. Jyn sipped her black coffee pensively while Leia blew on her latte."Luke’s right, everyone’s entitled to a fair trial. But I’m not sure…” she trailed off.Jyn put her hand on her friend’s and smiled knowingly. “I know. I know.” She took another gulp of coffee. “Even rapists are entitled to a lawyer, but there’s nothing that says it has to be you.”“I know. But I just don’t know… Does this mean I’m in the wrong business?”Jyn shook her head. “Absolutely not. You belong exactly where you are. Look… I agree that the scales of justice have two sides, and they both have to be equal. But Leia… they’re already tipped in the rapist’s favor anyway. You can’t blame yourself for not being part of the system that is so incredibly corrupt.” She smiled. “You’re in exactly the right place.“Leia laughed. "Thank you for that. It’s so interesting, Mon kept going on and on about the procedural integrity of the adjudication process, and I kept thinking…”“What procedural integrity?” Jyn snorted.“Yes! Exactly!” Leia exclaimed. “Exactly.”Jyn moved to gather her things. “I gotta go, but… Don’t blame yourself for not wanting to referee a rigged game.”Leia nodded. “I won’t.”— Luke walked in to the loading dock of the Millennium Falcon to find Han on his back, looking up at the shield controls. He waved sheepishly at his brother-in-law, who smirked and pulled himself to his feet. “Jyn was here?” Luke gestured to the woman’s jacket on a nearby chair.Han nodded. “Yeah, she had coffee with Leia then came by to chat.”“Leia mad at me?”“No, she’s not mad at you. She’s mad at the situation. She’s mad at the structure.”“That’s all the more reason for her to take the job, she can work on changing things from the inside. Besides, it’s been so long since what happened.”Han rubbed his jaw pensively. “Sorry kid, I’m not with you on this one.“Luke made a face. “I don’t mean she has to get over it.”“I know that.”Luke paused for a moment. “Maybe if I talk to Jyn…” "I wouldn’t talk to Jyn about this,” Han muttered, shooing Luke a glance.Luke blanched. “Both of them?”“Most of them. Listen, for us, rape is a tool of warfare, but for them… for women… it’s part of their everyday lives.” Han wrung his hands, thinking about the nights when he held Leia after a nightmare or the days he watched Jyn scream with rage after a flashback. “It’s like they’re walking through sand, kid. They’re doing all this work for the Republic plus dealing with this… this THING. I don’t know how they do it. She has to do what she has to do to survive. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for her to want to put up a boundary.”For a second, the two men stood in silence. Luke walked over to the chair and sat down. His sister was stronger than him in so many ways; objectively, he knew what happened on the Death Star and in Jabba’s palace, and empirically he knew she was struggling, but he hadn’t let himself think about what that might mean. Leia hadn’t talked to him about what it was like living every day with the specter of PTSD looming over her. For the first time, his sister’s pain seemed real. For the first time he saw the way events and feelings that seemed so far away could suddenly resurface. He sighed. “She’s right, I don’t get it.”Han smiled and put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You don’t have to get it to be there for her.”—Han walked in to the apartment to find Leia sitting at their table, reading her DataPad intently. He walked over to her and kissed her forehead. She looked up and smiled at him. “Hey hotshot.”“Hey Princess.” Han pulled up a chair to sit next to her. “How did it go today?”“You know… I don’t think that public defender position is gonna work out. It’s important work and I’m glad they’re doing it, but I don’t think it’s for me,” she said plainly.“Mmmmmm,” Han muttered. “That’s fair.” He leaned in closer to her. “I talked to Luke just now.”Leia looked up from the DataPad at last. “Oh?”“Yeah… and I just wanna say… you’re fucking incredible.”Leia smiled. “I know.”
11044731	Leaving Him Alone	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": "M/M", "Characters": "Charles Xavier, Erik Lehnsherr", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Teen And Up Audiences", "author": "by TempusNoKitsune", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-30T00:00:00", "words": "1,532", "Additional Tags": "Erik is a Sweetheart, Honestly Charles What Are You Thinking, Charles Is a Big Dorkface, Alternate Universe - College/University, Friendship/Love, Idiots in Love", "Relationship": "Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "X-Men - All Media Types, X-Men (Movieverse)", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	Charles is rather small for a 17 year old boy. He is aware of that, almost painfully so. However, there’s not all that much that one can do to persuade biology to correspond with one's own ideals, and therefore, he is short, skinny, and painfully awkward. Though the awkward part isn’t so much biology as his own doing in ways of interest, personality, and his tendency to talk too much when he doesn’t want to, and too little when he does. This may not be unusual for the ordinary teenager, but Charles isn’t really just any ordinary teenager. He is most certainly more mature if nothing else. It’s for this reason that he expects he’ll be rather unpopular in college. That and he’s rather smart which can often tip a person one way or another. Either being loved and clung to or hated and ostracised. Either way, he’s happy just to get away from highschool, even though he’s only just turned 17, having earlier skipped a grade. The way that people look at him tell him that they all know that he’s younger, but to his relief most of the college kids above freshman level seem not to care, except for maybe his room mate. Erik Lehnsherr is not what others would call a “people person”. In fact, he rather prefered to stay in their room, making for awkward periods of prolonged silence and discomfort. Charles, after just one week of living with the guy, knows that his boyish charm is wasted. He’s just a little fly buzzing around Erik’s head, being terribly annoying, no doubt. When Charles first met Erik, he couldn’t deny that he was a bit intimidated. The guy was built like a thin waisted mountain, and had eyes of unwavering steel. He didn’t talk much, and for the first two months, hardly even says a word to him. However, Charles being Charles, insists on talking as much as humanly possible, starting up a superfluous amount of one sided conversations that ended mostly with an uninterested and unimpressed look from the other. So, he decides to leave Erik alone as much as possible, which works out just about as well as all other things do for Charles. That is, terribly. As soon as he has decided to not bother the other, he begins to find himself misplacing things and asking for his help. He has trouble with history and asks for Erik’s notes. He gets kicked out of a party and mopes on their couch, greedily snacking on the chips Erik offers him. In fact, he thinks, he spends more time with a rather unresponsive Erik than he does with anyone else at the school. He rants and raves to the man, hardly noticing the faces, the emotions that play on the others face. He stretches out too much on the couch, placing his feet in Erik’s lap, or tucking them under his thighs when his computer is taking up his lap. When he turns 18 he drinks too much and Erik spends the night gently rubbing his back before laughing at him lightly and leaving some water and aspirin by his bed for the morning. When he goes on his first date in college Erik looks almost like he’s about to block the door, and maybe Charles should have let them because the date goes horribly and he comes back feeling like a child. It’s nearly two years later, the day after his 19th birthday, that he realizes he’s completely botched his plans of leaving his room mate alone. He bites down on his tongue, looks at how he’s situated on the couch- all too much in Erik’s space -and blanches. “I’m sorry.” He blurts out that night after they’ve both had dinner. They’re sitting on their couch, the empty take out cartons still sitting on the table in front of them as the T.V. drones on about some episode he’s already seen too many times to count. “What?” He bites down on his lip. Releases. Bites down again. “I’m sorry. I-I meant to stop bothering you. To leave you alone, and I’m afraid I’ve done just the opposite. You really must think I’m terrible…” “Not particularly.” “I know you don’t really- wait….you don’t think I’m absolutely horrid?” “Maybe a bit annoying at times, but overall you’re not too bad.” Coming from Erik he’s just got the highest of praises, and he finds himself beaming like an idiot, only to see a slight quirk of Erik’s lips as well. Charles feels like his face is going to split, and since when did Erik’s smiles make his heart feel like it was going to rip out of his chest? “Well, good, yes. Okay, yeah. Thats-yeah.” And oh God Charles shut your gaping mouth, you’re like a fish out of water. He grins like an idiot for the rest of the night, flashing the smile at his companion before changing and slipping under the covers of his bead. Of course, as soon as his head hits the pillow his mind starts racing and his childhood friend, self doubt, rears its ugly head. And somehow, even after Erik expressly told him -sort of- that he wasn’t bothering him, Charles went to bed more determined than ever before to get out of the others hair. Of course this starts with him having forgotten to set his alarm the night before, leading Erik to forcefully shake him awake, and he spends his entire first class moping over the fact that he had already failed a plan that he hadn’t yet gotten the chance to put into motion before he decides that the morning didn’t at all count. Nope. Didn’t even happen. So began Charles Xavier’s great attempt to stop being an absolute pest to Erik Lehnsherr, which actually turns out to be quite a lonely endeavor. Actually, he had never really noticed just how much time he had spent with Erik. Whether it was simply sitting in there room, talking or in companionable silence, or gravitating around the man at parties or dinners or- oh God….did he have a crush?! Two years ago he might have begrudgingly accepted the possibility but now, now he was almost 20 years old, and he did not get crushes. Most certainly not crushes on the very person whom he was trying to give some personal space. The person with softly red hair, piercing ocean eyes, a toothy white smile, lean waist, strong- Alrighty, he was most absolutely screwed. Well done Charles, fall for the person you’re supposed to give personal space. Bravo. He pitched forward, slamming his forehead right on into his desk with quite a loud and painful thumping noise. Which was right at the moment that Erik decided to walk in. “Trying to give yourself a concussion again?” He groaned unintelligibly, curling in on himself as he felt more than heard Erik move closer. “You don’t smell like alcohol.” His head snaps up, and a curt, “No” makes its way out of his mouth before he catches himself, getting up to his feet and trying to excuse himself. It’s then that Erik actually grabs onto his far arm, meaning that he was now faced bodily with the others warm adonis body. Why? What have I done to deserve this. Dear God, look at his waist. “Charles, what’s wrong?” Crystal blues kept themselves turned down, knowing that if he look up he wouldn’t be able to help himself. He’d probably do something terribly stupid, like spill everything, or try to kiss him. “Nothing.” “You’re lying.” He tried, futilely, to pull his arm away. “No, really.” “You’ve been avoiding me. I thought that we were getting along.” Alright, ouch. “We-yes. I mean, I’m fine Erik really, please let me-” “Look at me.” A small shake of the head. “Charles, look me in the eyes and tell me that nothing’s wrong.” Well, there goes all his hard work, because Charles was many things and weak for the things that he cared about was most definitely one of those things. He lifted his head a bit defiantly, his chest clenching almost painfully as blue met steel. “Alright Erik, everything is wrong! I’ve always been a bother, first to my parents, then to my sister, and now to you. I promised myself that I would leave you alone and I failed miserably! And of course I go and-” “Charles-” “Make it even worse by fuc-” “CHARLES-” “Falling for-” And then his words turned to a jumbled up mess in Erik’s mouth. And okay, yes, wow, that was a lot better than he’d imagined it would be and holy shit Erik was kissing him… “...you.” Erik let out a low chuckle, breath puffing out over plush red lips. “That's very nice Charles, but I think I rather like your company.” ‘“Alright, yeah. I, okay. Does this mean-” “Yes.” “But-” “If it makes you feel any better, I’d considered us to be dating about a month ago.” Erik pushed gently past him to settle on the couch, easily patting the space next to him, and Charles took a few seconds just to comprehend everything. “And you didn’t tell me!?”
11021838	Crossfire	{ "Archive Warning": "Graphic Depictions Of Violence", "Category": "Gen", "Characters": "Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye, Winry Rockbell, other FMA cast", "Fandom": "Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003)", "Language": "English", "Rating": "Mature", "author": "by doomcake", "chapters": "2/?", "completed": "", "published": "2007-12-15T00:00:00", "words": "26,554", "Additional Tags": "Canon: Fullmetal Alchemist (2003), Post-Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa, Violence, Major Character Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Suspense, Drama, Politics, lots of swearing, Hurt Ed, hurt Roy", "Relationship": null, "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": null, "Collections": null, "Fandoms": null, "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": null, "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	It seemed to Edward Elric that every time he passed through the Gate, it had some new Truth to add to what he had learned the previous trip through its hazardous passage. He subconsciously contributed this to the fact that the worlds that the Gate sat between were each constantly changing. Not much of the Truth ever stuck once he'd made it through, but he was reminded of it each and every time he stood before the carved gray stone doors. This time, though, he hadn't honestly meant to summon the Gate. He thought he had destroyed this side of the Gate, and that Mustang had done his job on the other end like Al had told him he would. Bastard had probably either chickened out, or his scientist's mind would have taken over and insisted that he learned more about it before he had it destroyed. Besides, it should have been impossible for anyone on this side to summon it – it required a taboo alchemic reaction on the other side in order for it to appear, with human transmutation as the catalyst. Simultaneously, there should have been a circle on their side, along with a sacrifice to the Gate and the blood of a human who had already passed through it. At least, that had been the norm for every other Gate appearance that Ed knew of. All he knew this time was that the Gate-dwellers had his younger brother back in their clutches, and Ed wasn't about to let it get away with stealing his brother away from him again without cause or reason. What the hell had they done wrong this time – save from disobeying a blatantly corrupt government by smuggling a gypsy out of its clutches – anyway? For a brief moment, he wondered if the Gate had decided that Al hadn't paid for his body in full, and was back for the past dues. But Sloth – their mother's body with a homunculus' soulless conscience – had been sent back to where it belonged; the payment was moot now, was it not? In that case, the Gate actually owed Ed his leg back, at the very least. Come to think of it, now that Al's body and soul were reunited again, shouldn't he have his arm back as well? This is impossible, he kept telling himself, still trying desperately to come up with a reason for the Gate's return. If he could find a reason, he could find a way around it. Thus far, he had come up empty-handed. Alphonse was calling to him, voice reaching a high-pitched, panicked tone that Edward hadn't heard from his brother since they were children. It brought back a memory of his brother as a ten-year-old, when they both saw that accursed Gate for the first time, and the first time it had extracted payment from the both of them. No. This wasn't going to happen. He wasn't going to let it. Edward reached out with an angry roar, and this time he didn't miss his brother's outstretched arm. Flesh fingers curling around his brother's wrist, his brother returned the gesture, but before Ed could muscle them both away from the Gate's open doors and greedy arms, they were pulled inside the passageway filled with black-bodied, wide-eyed Gate-creatures. And then Edward again knew the Truth: they hadn't initiated the Gate's appearance; someone on the other side was bringing them back. The toll had already been paid, and the Gate would deliver as promised to the (probably dead) fool who had dared summon it. Ed couldn't imagine anyone who would have done something so idiotic – after all the Elric brothers had been through, after what Ed had learned about the Gate's true nature, after Eckhart's invasion that had destroyed nearly all of Central and parts of Lior… there should have been precautions made in order for nothing like that to ever happen again. This was somehow Mustang's fault, Ed decided. It didn't matter if Mustang wasn't the one behind the reaction – he was still at fault. But before Edward could come up with several choice words that he would no doubt shove in the bastard's face when he got the chance, the other end of the Gate opened wide. Much like coming to the end of a long train tunnel, the world flooded with bright white light, and when that faded, Ed blinked and realized that he was staring blearily up into a bright blue sky dotted with clouds, and that it was a surprisingly beautiful day. Head heavy, ears ringing with echoed whispers of now-forgotten Truth and a body aching from abuse delivered by disembodied hands, he blinked and slowly turned his head to see that Alphonse was unconscious beside him, but from a glance looked unharmed. Beyond his brother stood a very familiar white building whose entrance was still adorned with a green banner. They were in Central, back in Amestris – not Europe. Home. Edward blinked again, trying to figure out how exactly they'd managed to end up there, in the middle of a street in broad daylight. Surely nobody was so stupid as to try to summon them back here in such a public– There was chalk on the ground, crisp white lines and intricate symbols spreading under and around both Elrics. Though it had been years since Ed had cracked a single book on alchemy – something so useless in the world on the other side of the Gate, especially once the Thule Society had dissolved – he had little trouble recognizing the design. Someone really had brought them back. Intentionally, even. And whoever is responsible is dumb as fuck– The ringing in his ears slowly faded, and Ed suddenly realized that he could hear murmuring voices all around him that didn't belong to Gate-creatures. A large number, if he wasn't mistaken, and they sounded surprised. Rolling painfully on his side and trying to push himself up – his head spun horribly at the motion – he saw through double vision that the entire road in front of the military headquarters had been blocked off by a short, concrete barrier, and beyond that stood countless numbers of crisply-pressed blue uniforms. A demonstration. They were in the middle of a demonstration for the Amestrian military. Edward had done something like this before for renewing his certification as a National Alchemist, but that had been in the East, and it had been years since he'd challenged Roy Mustang to an alchemy battle. The sound of booted feet pounding against the pavement finally registered, and – speak of the bastard – wasn't that him approaching them at a run? What the fuck did you do to us, Mustang? But Roy Mustang – both of them – looked just as surprised as everyone else sounded. Ed almost commented that between two of them, at least they had one good pair of eyes. "Fullmetal?!" It was the last thing Ed heard before a stab of sharp pain pierced his head, and stars exploded in his vision as Central and the military and all Roy Mustangs faded from sight and memory. The task wasn't originally supposed to land on Colonel Edward Elric's desk. In fact, it was supposed to be something that was delegated out to one of his hand-picked, brand new subordinates, but somehow managed to find its way into his hands regardless. Ed had cracked under the wide-eyed, deer-in-the-headlights stares his staff had given him when he'd mentioned it. He couldn't simply make one of them do it alone – no matter that he really did have the authority, he just didn't have the heart – and he had a sneaking suspicion that a certain bastardly someone had anticipated that. Despite his very new rank, or perhaps because of said promotion, he had to comply. He had been shown his office for the first time the morning that assignment landed on his freshly-polished oak desk, in fact. And he had been told that he didn't have a say in the matter. Which he didn't, really, once he thought about it. He was still reeling from the fact that they'd actually ended up back in Amestris again after four years in that alternate world across a very greedy Gate (which should have been destroyed, come to think of it). That had been what, a week ago? Mustang moved so damn fast – Ed had barely opened his eyes in the hospital when he was informed that the "bastard Colonel" was now the "bastard Minister of Defense" under Amestris' new rule. Government reconstruction or some such; the title did give Mustang more power than any other military subordinate. He still had to answer to both Parliament and the Prime Minister. Well. That was fine and dandy; Mustang pretty much got what he wanted. Edward had also technically gotten his wish – Alphonse had his body back, and they'd both returned to Amestris (almost) whole and (mostly) well – but it wasn't the same thing. Unlike Mustang, Ed's life ambition had not been to gain power through alchemy, regardless of Mustang's claims to want to use that power for something damned noble (bastard). That sounded too much like his father for his tastes; he'd much rather spend the rest of his life with a more peaceful – and useful – practice of alchemy. Maybe somewhere where the military – or Parliament, for that matter – couldn't reach him. The country sounded nice right about now. Oh no, but he'd had the damned bad luck of the Gate dumping both him and his brother back into the heart of Central City. In front of the old main military headquarters, irony of ironies, and in front of a huge group of national alchemists and other higher-ups. In a place where nobody could deny that some sort of taboo alchemy was responsible for both his return and the return of his younger brother. Someone had it out for him in the Gate, Ed was convinced. And Mustang had it out for him too, already prepared with work for him as if the bastard had anticipated their return long before it happened. Once Edward and his brother were both released from the hospital after a day spent under the doctors' microscopes – Ed forced them to order their release on his insistence that he was "fine, damn it" – and under the military's microscopes for three more days of questioning, Ed realized that Mustang's inference to his renewed military conscription was actually official. Al hadn't yet been forced into a contract, but Ed had a sinking suspicion that Mustang had a few more cards up his sleeve to put his brother's talents under his ever-growing fiery thumb as well. The Elric brothers were back to make history, it seemed. And Ed was rather irritated that not only had he been roped back into the military and stuck under Mustang's thumb without missing a beat, but he had also hardly been given a chance to get his automail back. The last set of automail that Winry had equipped him with had taken a lot of damage in a rather bad scuffle over the uranium bomb that Huskisson had taken across the Gate with him; never mind the fact that it hadn't been properly serviced in years. He'd gone back to the prosthetics that his father had designed, but that was more suited to a simple rocket scientist's line of work. The technology from the alternate world was nothing in comparison to the pristinely high quality of Rockbell automail for an alchemist, especially one with a military rank. His request to be given at least enough time to track down Winry Rockbell and obtain new automail had been delayed; he'd been told he could call after her, but he was not to leave Central until the investigation after the Elrics' return was complete. Nobody had picked up at the Rockbell's place in Rizembul when Ed had called, which offhandedly surprised him, but he put all thoughts regarding the issue to the back of his mind. He couldn't do anything about it anyway. Well, damn. No wonder his head was spinning; all that bad luck that had landed both Elrics back to their homeland successfully, and not a week later he'd already been questioned half to death about something that – for once – wasn't his fault, stuffed into a starched-stiff uniform with way too many flashy rank bars that entitled him to a staff that didn't even know him, tossed into a cell of an office, and told to play the good host to the emissaries from Xing, all with shoddy prosthetics and a serious headache. Oh, and if he didn't do as he was told, Mustang had strongly implied that Alphonse Elric might very well be joining him in the dog pen. He hadn't said that directly, of course – Mustang and direct didn't belong in the same sentence, unless it was used in a negative context – but he hadn't needed to. Fucking conniving asshole. Ed sighed as he glared down at the accursed file of mission details. There had been an espionage problem, and Xing was the primary culprit on three counts in which the spies had been caught. They were after alchemy-related secrets of some sort, though the files had not indicated what exactly they were looking for, other than that the jeopardized information was located in the Central Library. The emissaries from Xing were on a mission to smooth the situation over in a more diplomatic manner, ensuring that the two countries wouldn't resort to arms over the mess. This meant that Edward's role had gone from being a colonel to a diplomat in one fucking day. Never mind the fact that he'd barely been a colonel for a week, if that. Typically, Ed knew he would never have to play the role of a diplomat, but he figured out rather quickly why he had been singled out for the task. Most of the diplomats under Parliament had little knowledge of science, much less alchemy, and were more interested in politics. The situation needed someone who was knowledgeable on the subject in question, but also someone who might not necessarily be able to offer up important state secrets. Edward was a renowned national alchemist, thus his reputation would appease the Xing emissaries' desire for any surface knowledge of alchemy. At the same time, Ed had also been gone for a number of years, and in theory, had not been studying alchemy during that time, and so he would be a safe choice for someone who would not only avoid giving away state secrets, but would also be unable to. All in theory, of course, and Mustang knew that. Ed was not in the mood for this, not yet. Maybe he shouldn't have checked himself out of the hospital so soon – he still wasn't sure what the Gate might have taken this time through, after all, and he could be the walking dead for all he knew. What if the Gate still had a price on his head? His hand closed around the stack of papers sitting on his desk. Damn it all. With a resigned sigh, he flopped down into the leather office chair – at least there were a few perks to his new position – and began thumbing through the file, looking for any particular cultural or political notes he should have regarding Xing's relationship with Amestris during the years he'd been absent. Research was still his forte; he was able to do at least that much on the other side of the Gate. There were also documents on Xing's cultural practices, and any other important information he would need to have on how to deal with the emissaries properly and respectfully. Ed had barely made it to the second page of the stack when he heard a timid knock at his door. "Come in," Ed called, not looking up from the file. "Excuse the intrusion, Colonel Elric, sir. I have the research notes you requested," his young assistant informed him once he'd timidly opened the door. "Just stick it on my desk, Murray," Ed replied. Murray nodded and approached his desk, quietly placed the file on Ed's desk, and turned and walked (rather quickly) out the door. Ed sniffed; he wasn't that frightening, was he? He sighed, wondering if Mustang had gone through the same process when he'd first received the same title Ed now had. He was going to have to teach his staff how to be more assertive, quite frankly, and he needed to begin building some semblance of trust. He felt like he was walking on damn eggshells, even in his own office. He knew he could likely trust his underlings – they had been hand-picked by Mustang, apparently – but they had yet to start trusting Edward back. Maybe he should have asked if Russell Tringham was still in the military; if the once-impostor was of a lower rank, perhaps he could be moved to Ed's office. But even so, Russell wouldn't let him live down his newly acquired legend status – which, apparently, was at least one step ahead of a famed status. Damn it, it wasn't his fault he'd practically become legend during his years as a national alchemist under Bradley's rule, and that his legend had become even more... legendary upon his return. Hell, he hadn't even come back by choice – one moment, he and Al had just been celebrating the fact that they'd managed to smuggle Noa out of German territory with little trouble (Ed didn't count getting himself stabbed in the thigh during a stupid scuffle with stupid road bandits as trouble, even if Alphonse did; besides, that had already – mostly – healed) and the next moment they'd found themselves staring at the Gate, which ultimately landed them back in Amestris with little to no warning. They hadn't even done anything wrong this time, unless the Gate somehow sided with Nazi racial policy enforcement. Doubtful, but Ed couldn't help but entertain the thought. From what he could tell in terms of the types of questions being asked during his brief interview with Mustang over the issue, something had gone incredibly amiss at a demonstration serving as the requirement for one national alchemist's certification renewal. Whatever the alchemist had been attempting to do, it couldn't have been a very good thing. It was certainly illegal by most standards; not quite on par with raising the dead, but close enough. And in the end, it became glaringly obvious that for once, the Elrics had nothing to do with the Gate's reappearance, which was why Ed suspected they had been so quickly released from immediate supervision. Except for the "house arrest" bit. That was something Ed planned to speak with Mustang about, especially if he was to go on this so-called mission. Bad prosthetics and the inability to go outside Central if necessary? Not good, for someone who wanted to appear as a strong – and yet amiable – host, and still had to make sure nothing happened to the Xingian guests while they were in town. Whoever had chosen him as the middleman probably wanted to start a war with Xing at this rate. Ed stared blankly at a sheet of paper he was holding up, and realized that he hadn't even been paying attention to what he was reading. With a frustrated grunt, he flipped back a page or two and tried reading again. In order to keep the peace – which was what Ed knew he'd actually been ordered to do here – he would take the apology from Xing with grace, smile and nod, and somehow let them know (inoffensively) that they hoped no further situations would arise. And at that point in Ed's orders, he'd decided the whole situation was bullshit. Seriously, who had made the decision to appoint Edward Elric – once famed for his quick temper – as the host? Edward was convinced that Xing still wanted something. This Prince Ling they were sending as their ambassador supposedly was there to make the apology, but from his profile, he looked more like a troublemaker than a proper diplomatic envoy. He had been imprisoned in his own country at least once, though the charge and sentence weren't stated. Several members of his family dabbled in Xing's forms of alchemy, which there weren't many notes on in the report, piquing Ed's curiosity. But as he read further into Ling's file, his gaze narrowed. From some of the reports, it looked like someone in Xing's royal line really was after information regarding human alchemy, at which Ed scowled and snapped the folder shut. The damned idiots obviously didn't know what they were messing with. The only things that such taboo practices brought were more empty promises of power, and along with that a toll from the Gate that cost more than anyone rational should be willing to pay for it. No wonder Mustang had kept a secret supply of brandy in his desk. Had he really dealt with this kind of bullshit during his years as a Colonel? Groaning and rubbing his face with his good hand, Ed decided that maybe he should go take a break, run to the store for some good hard liquor, and see if there were any good automail mechanics in Central that he might go to until he heard back from Winry. His automail had saved his life in more situations than he'd care count in his previous years as a national alchemist; he had no doubt that if he encountered such dangerous situations again, he'd need all the safeguards he could get to protect himself. And he thought he should probably get a sparring session in with Alphonse in the meantime as well; it wouldn't hurt. Despite the fact that he was not technically part of the military, Alphonse had opted to stay in a modest apartment in Central rather than moving back to the Elrics' hometown of Rizembul. Their home wasn't there anymore, Rockbell residence aside – he always felt at least a little guilty imposing on them despite their continued insistence that he was perfectly welcome – and he found that he would much rather stay somewhere where he could keep both eyes on his older brother as often as possible. Especially since Ed was forced to stay in Central for the time being, and Alphonse knew there were other eyes on him as well. It wasn't an easy task, making sure Edward didn't get himself into trouble. Hell, they'd only somehow found themselves back in Amestris what, a week ago? And it was only a matter of days after they'd come back when Ed had nearly started a fight in the hospital with Mustang. Forget the fact that Mustang was a rather important member of the new Parliament, if Al understood the new system well enough – it seemed enough like England's for him to be able to make comparisons. Edward was under the watchful eyes of other wary Parliament members, and any misbehavior could be oh so easily misread. Al had been the one who had to step between the two arguing alchemists, hoping that he could quell his brother's anger with some rationality. Needless to say, it had worked. Barely. Alphonse was relieved to find that Mustang was willing to act his age once in a while, even if Edward wasn't. But once they had both been released from the hospital with no further questions, it had been harder to keep an eye on Ed as he was whisked away by the military. Alphonse had nearly followed him, but knew damn well that his brother would give the military hell – and would likely try to kill Mustang for certain, Ministry be damned – if Al signed any kind of contract with them. It didn't matter that the military was no longer authorized to deploy national alchemists as weapons in times of aggressive war. They were to be used as defense only, should any neighborly aggression rear its ugly head, and only with Parliament approval. At least, that was what Al had understood from reading up on what he could find at the public library on Amestris' new laws. A lot had changed in the years that they'd been on the other side of the Gate, and Al couldn't help but wonder how exactly they'd been able to get back without trying, especially since Mustang had promised he was going to destroy it once they'd gone across the last time. He'd have to ask his brother about that later; he wasn't authorized to see the reports from their return, and apparently Ed wasn't, either. Yet. But it was apparent that something had gone terribly awry at a national alchemist's demonstration during the recertification process. Ed had probably figured as much out already, too, if not more. Al sighed, looking around his new apartment. It was small – only one room with a wrought-iron stove that sat to the side and could provide both heat and a cooking surface, a coat rack, and a ridiculously tiny chest of drawers. That didn't matter, though; he had hardly any clothing save for what he wore, and an extra outfit that Ed had insisted he pick up from a nearby tailor. There was a public washroom at the end of his hall, and a common kitchen on the first floor of the building. It wasn't much, but it was what he could afford for the time being without pulling too hard on Ed's government stipend. He would survive until he found his own job in the city. Suddenly, Al heard a small commotion outside his door, and before he could peek his head into the hallway to see what was going on, his door slammed open and nearly smacked him in the face. Glaring down at the intruder – down, the first clue – he sighed when he saw a rather irritated-looking scowl etched deeply into his older brother's face. For a moment, they stood in Al's doorway, staring at each other with narrowed eyes, until Al finally caved and nodded for his brother to enter. "You shouldn't scare my landlady off, Brother," Al admonished as he quietly shut his door, hoping fervently that the older lady who owned the building wouldn't throw him out for his brother's actions. "This was the third place I checked for a room; don't ruin it for me." Ed crossed his arms and plopped himself down on the edge of Al's small bed, which creaked slightly in protest under his weight. He said nothing as he just stared out the window, gold eyes smoldering, and a sour expression still on his face. Something was bothering him. "Ed?" "I hate Mustang," Ed muttered. Al raised an eyebrow. "Tell me something I don't know." And then he braced himself for a rant. Which he got. "First thing I see when I get back home is that bastard's smirking face, and without so much as a proper greeting, he's already ordering me around like he still owns me. We've been questioned like we're common criminals when – for fucking once – we didn't do anything wrong, and once he's decided he's had enough of that, he gives me a raise and hands me a bunch of far-too-green gophers who are absolutely useless, sticks me on a case that I was told was extremely important to fucking national security and that if I screwed it up I was going to be publically tarred and feathered, all without so much as a moment to catch my breath now that I'm actually back home. Goddamn that son of a bitch!" Al winced as Ed's voice rose in volume, looking nervously back at his door to make sure nobody else was going to barge in and give him an earful about the noise level. "Brother..." Ed sighed with a mumbled apology. "Look. Would you mind letting me work this out the good, old-fashioned way? For once?" And then Al sighed again. Ed looked him in the eye with an expression that told him he might get destructive if Al said no. "If it makes you happy," Al said, placating. Maybe he could beat some sense into his brother in the meantime. "Just... not for too long, okay? I don't want you to get too tired out while you work on your case." And he didn't want Ed's leg wound to get irritated again, but he wasn't about to say that. It was, for the most part, healed – and Ed hated to be reminded of the fact that he'd slipped up – but Al knew that the injury had been deep enough to leave some remnant muscle pain once in a while. He often wondered if the thigh bone had been hit; Ed still limped a little when the weather changed, and couldn't seem to sit still for long periods of time. Then again, Ed never really had been able to sit still for long. Ed shot him a glare at the comment, but then he also sighed. In some ways, his brother hadn't changed at all. He was still stubborn as hell, and far preferred action over words. Following his brother out the door, they headed for a nearby park that they now frequented for such ventures. It was an unusually quiet spot for such a busy city; not many citizens seemed to enjoy the longer walking paths it provided. Or maybe it was the poor choices on the greenery – some alchemist had done a horrific job of cross-breeding shade trees, and had ended up creating a gnarled, twisted breed of rather atrocious and frightening-looking vegetation. At any rate, Alphonse was grateful that they'd discovered this park; their sudden return had brought them a lot of unwanted attention (especially for Ed, who still hated the press), and it was pleasant not to have half a dozen eyes staring at them with questions they didn't want to answer while they were essentially trying to pulverize each other. Once they'd reached their usual clearing, both brothers tossed their jackets aside and stretched briefly before they fell into defensive stances across from each other. Not much had changed in their usual sparring sessions, either; while Ed had most certainly grown taller the last few years, Al still had the advantage of height, even in his own body. Of course, the matter didn't seem to sit well with Edward much once Al outgrew him – again – but at least fewer people made cracks about Ed's height. Al had his father's height, and he knew he was rather tall compared to the average Amestrian male. Ed shouldn't get so irritable over it – hell, Ed had even gained almost an inch on Roy Mustang, much to Ed's fiendish delight. (Al wasn't about to point out the fact that this was only the case when Ed wore his boots, in which Ed had placed arch support pads that did lend him a little extra height.) Before Al's thoughts could progress further, he realized that he saw the muscles in Ed's flesh thigh contract ever so slightly just before his brother sprang at him. Ed tended to strike first, trying – unsuccessfully – to gain the element of surprise over his younger brother. It didn't work this time, either; Al stepped back to avoid Ed's leg sweep, never letting his gaze leave his opponent. He could have taken Ed's leg out pretty quickly, but he knew it was unfair – Ed still had a healing injury there, and it only would have made Ed even more irate. Ed spun around into a low front stance, charging forward without much pause and feinting with his metal hand. Al simply stepped backwards and let Ed come towards him, moving his head out of the feint and blocking the real punch when it came towards his face. Al was out of range of the snap kick that followed. Predictable. Al wondered if Ed noticed that he hadn't taken a single swing yet, and was purely staying on the defensive. Ed probably would be angry once he realized it, but Al sincerely didn't want to hurt his brother. True, Ed was the one with the metal prosthetics, but Al knew that he was the better fighter, and Ed's leg still bothered him. He could tell as much by the occasionally stilted movements of the kicks, or the fact that Ed wasn't getting as much spring out of his jumps as he typically did. But that didn't keep him from staying on the offensive. Suddenly, Ed jumped back into a low crouch, and with a short growl he sent a flying kick aimed at Al's head. Stupid brother, Al thought with a silent sigh. Ed was going to hurt himself on the landing; he had entirely planned on the kick connecting, and it wasn't going to. Al grabbed his foot and – using Ed's airborne momentum – swung his brother into the ground and pinned him there. Ed struggled for a minute, until he realized that he wasn't going to be able to squirm out of Al's iron grip. "Damn it," he grumbled, scowling. Then, he sighed. "Yield." Al let his brother up with a cocky smirk. That hadn't taken long, for once. "Feel better now?" Ed glared at him, but couldn't hold the stare for long enough. "Yeah, I guess so." Then he smirked back. "You're a damn brute, Alphonse, even without the armor." Rotating his right shoulder, he frowned as the movements proved to be a little jerkier than they should have been. "Stupid, shitty prosthetics," he muttered. "There really is nothing like automail." Al's eyes widened in realization. "Ah! Brother, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to damage it!" he exclaimed crouching down by his older brother to look at the port. "It's not your fault, Al; I think it would've gotten messed up from something as simple as lifting boxes," Ed said. "Besides, this should be enough to force Mustang to let me at least track down my automail mechanic, wherever she's run off to." Ah, so that's what this was about. "You broke it on purpose, you idiot!" Al accused. "I did not! You're the one that slammed this arm into the ground!" Ed snapped back. "But you just said it wasn't my fault!" "Well, I changed my mind, then! If it's your fault, then it's not mine, and Mustang can't blame me for it and will actually listen when I insist that I get it fixed!" Al growled in frustration. "Geez, Ed, you're impossible!" he exclaimed. "I should just go ahead and tell Mustang exactly what happened – you forced me into a fight so that you could break it and have an excuse not to do your job!" "If it wasn't going to hold up in a simple sparring session, then it sure as hell wasn't going to last an actual fight if one comes up on this case," Ed said, picking his ear with his prosthetic pinky. The shoulder sparked a little again, causing the hand to jerk and jab harder into Ed's ear. "Ow, dammit! See what I mean?" Al scrubbed his face with his hand, frustrated, especially since he knew that Ed actually did have a surprisingly logical point. "You dumbass. You absolute dumbass." He offered a hand to his brother anyway. Some things just never changed. "Absolutely not." Ed sputtered; he hadn't expected Mustang to be so stubborn. "B-But Mustang–" "That's Minister of Defense Mustang or Sir to you, Fullmetal. And I said absolutely not. You're in the middle of an investigation, Colonel,and I will not tolerate you leaving on a whimsical hunt for your old sweetheart." Ed began to protest, but Mustang cut him off as he picked up a stack of papers and noisily tapped the edge of the pile on the desk, straightening it before he set it back down. "If you were so worried about breaking your prosthetics, then why the hell did you agree to a sparring match with your brother in the first place?" Ed gritted his teeth and looked away, fists clenched. "I needed the practice, Sir," he ground out. "I would at least like to be able to defend myself should the need arise on this case." "That's what your subordinates are for," Mustang replied coolly. "You don't think you've got them to sit around and look pretty all day, do you?" Ed scowled, and Mustang continued. "And if you get into a fight with the Xing emissaries, I swear to God that you'll be in such deep shit so fast, you won't even know what hit you. Besides, if you're that worried about your prosthetics, then perhaps you should look around Central for an automail mechanic. It's a big city, Fullmetal, and I'm sure we have plenty of shops to offer. You aren't the only amputee in Amestris." Mustang did have a point there, but then again, Mustang wasn't an amputee nor did he wear automail, thus he wouldn't understand how much of a difference a good automail mechanic made. Winry Rockbell was the best damn automail mechanic Ed knew, though Paninya's guardian in Rush Valley wasn't bad either. It was a damn shame that neither automail mechanic set up shop in Central. "This isn't like the old days, Fullmetal. You're not free to roam about as you wish; Amestrian citizens are not so comfortable having military-commissioned alchemists running around as they see fit. That was one of the conditions under our new contract with Parliament, and I won't be bending rules for you just because you think you're entitled." Ed tensed, narrowing his eyes irritably at the Minister. Mustang sighed and added, "Once General Hakuro is satisfied with the results of his investigation into your return from the Gate, and after you've peacefully heard out the Xing emissaries and sent them back home, I will then consider granting you leave. Then you can do as you wish." "So you're saying that once I finish getting harassed for something I didn't do, and after I finish a peacemakingjob that you forced upon me – you know damn well I've never been suited for keeping peace – then I can go fix my automail properly?" "If you insist on seeing it that way, yes." "This is a joke," Ed muttered irritably. "This is life, Fullmetal. Look at it this way – you're finding a rather convenient escape from what could have been a hefty legal suit against you for your history of taboo alchemy, and you're able to rebuild your reputation in the meantime. You are in no position to complain." Ed muttered "bastard" under his breath, knowing full well that Mustang likely heard him. He knew he was pushing the boundaries, but damn it, couldn't anyone see his side of the situation here? Unfortunately, Mustang was right – he was stuck, and it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Alphonse could have been dragged back into the fray. Once again, he would have to thank Mustang later for protecting him and his brother, but he wasn't in the mood to do that just yet. "Is that all?" Mustang asked. Ed simply nodded, avoiding eye contact as if it would burn him. "Then you are dismissed, Colonel Elric." Edward left Mustang's office in a frustrated, gloomy state of mind, but when his eyes fell on a stack of one of Central's daily newspapers on his way back to the barracks, he picked one up and flipped through to the advertisement section. Hopefully, there was a local automail mechanic or two who would place their ads in the paper. He really didn't have time to hold out hope that Winry would magically pop up in Central; she didn't even know he was back, nor did he expect her to, reasonably. No time for being bitchy or overly picky; at this point, just about any competent automail mechanic would do. Anything but crappy, broken prosthetics. Ah, there – four mechanics had put ads in the newspaper, and all were within a short walking distance of the military complex. Maybe this wouldn't be quite so bad after all; it would save him a rather awkward reunion with Winry, at the very least. Ed folded the newspaper under his arm, planning to make phone calls the next morning. It was a start. Alphonse was surprised to hear that his brother had actually agreed to see a local automail mechanic. Then again, Edward really had no choice, aside from sneaking out of Central – which would only get him in more trouble in the end. Ed probably knew that as well; they were no longer children, and couldn't as easily get away with those kinds of maneuvers as they once had. It would only make them look more suspicious to the Parliament-assigned investigators. Still, Alphonse couldn't help but worry about the fact that the Rockbells had been impossible to get in contact with. He was sorely tempted to take the next train to Risenbul himself to see what the situation was, but he didn't want to leave his brother with nobody to safely vent to just yet. Schezka had become closer to Winry when they'd last seen the two of them; perhaps she would know where to look? If Alphonse could get past security far enough to see her, that was. Well, maybe he could. He was an Elric, after all. And if he needed to, he could always call his brother and ask him to supply an escort. Even if the Edward was also under sharp scrutiny, it didn't mean that he couldn't command at least some measure of respect from those around him. It wasn't every day that renowned national alchemists could find ways to suddenly make themselves disappear entirely, and then magically reappear four years later without any overtly apparent Gate tolls. Apparently, that magic trick brought at least a little positive attention along with the vast amounts of negative press that seemed to dog the brothers in recent days. Then there was the matter of Hakuro's seeing-eye-dog watching him wherever he went. Although Al hadn't actually seen the person keeping an eye on him, he could feel a sharp gaze boring into the back of his head every time he left his apartment. It made him at least a little uncomfortable, even though he knew it was likely part of the investigation. He understood why everyone was so concerned about the Elrics' use of alchemy, but if they'd been watching this closely for over a week now, they should know by this point that neither Elric had even tried using it. Al wasn't sure he could anymore, not at this point; it had been so long since he'd tried that he knew he would be incredibly rusty. Not to mention the fact that he now knew how alchemic transmutations were powered. That thought also kept him from using alchemy, and he knew it was the driving force behind his brother's abstinence from the art as well. They had come to a common conclusion – alchemy was only to be used in the utmost emergency, and only then. Alphonse sincerely hoped he would never have to get to that point. A sudden curt knock on his door startled Alphonse from his thoughts, and he opened it to see his older brother, who had an unusually cheery expression. He couldn't help it; he sighed. "What did you do this time, Brother?" Edward beamed, ignoring the verbal barb. "I will be getting my new set of automail in two days," he stated proudly. "Two days! Winry would have told me three, and would have charged me twice as much for the same materials that this guy's using." "I'm glad you found someone competent enough for your tastes," Al said, truthfully surprised that Ed had actually agreed to go to someone besides the Rockbells for new automail. But on a second thought, Al realized that it might be Ed's attempt to put off seeing Winry again for as long as possible. He stepped aside and motioned his brother inside. "So did this new mechanic explain to you what kind of automail he was making you after you got measured?" "I told him about the old design I had and he picked up on it surprisingly fast," Ed noted as he plopped himself down at the foot of Al's bed. "Makes me wonder if Winry's design went public. The steel will be lighter, but more durable, the guy said." Al nodded; the weight of the older automail had put a lot of strain on Edward's skeletal structure, according to Winry. She had never told Edward that directly because of his sensitivity to his smaller stature in his preteens, but she had mentioned it to Al. The lighter metal would help him move easier, like the prosthetics did, but would offer strength and support that his current fake limbs didn't. But no matter the situation, not even automail could beat the way that one's own limbs could move. Al was a little frustrated that they had yet to accomplish that part of their original goal to gain their bodies back – he'd gotten his, but Edward's limbs had never returned, not even after Wrath's death four years ago. His brother never seemed to bring it up, which only made Al suspicious that something else had happened that he didn't know about, something that fit snugly in the four-year gap in his memory. "It'll be so nice to have my automail back," Ed murmured happily, stretching his arms over his head with only a slight pause as the damaged prosthetic shoulder gave him some trouble before he leaned back on Al's bed. "Hm," Al grunted in agreement, even if he didn't entirely agree. Ed deserved to have his actual limbs back, after all they'd been through – not even automail could top that. Perhaps that was where he would direct the focus of his research: why it was that Edward didn't gain his limbs back. Ed couldn't know that, of course. As soon as their traveling rights were restored, Al fully intended to leave Central to do some research in private. "Hey, Brother, it's getting a little late – why don't we go get something to eat?" Al offered, trying to divert the one-sided conversation. "Sounds good – but let's not go back to the base; rations there kinda suck. I'm starving!" Ed sat back up and got to his feet. That was another thing that hadn't entirely changed; Al's older brother still could eat enough food for ten men, and yet he still stayed lean. Al wasn't so lucky in that regard; his metabolism couldn't handle as much consumption as Ed's without noticeable consequences. The brothers left the small apartment house and headed towards one of their favorite nearby pubs. There were plenty of tables in the darker corners there, and it was nice that they still could slide in under the general radar at that place despite the fact that their return had made the news more than once. Al couldn't help but wonder if coming back "home" was really worth it. Ed walked down the street with his hands deep in the pockets of the loose pair of trousers he wore, button-up shirt unbuttoned and untucked; he was immensely glad to be free for the morning from his usual military attire. The starch that the laundry service used on the cloth made it stiff and itchy, and Ed was quickly reminded of why it was he hated the stupid uniforms so much in the first place. That, and the fact that he felt like a walking target when he went out in that get-up. It wasn't like the military had regained favor among the people overnight, no matter what kind of changes the government had gone through. Laying low was likely the wise choice in this situation, Ed decided about halfway to the automail mechanic's shop. There had been a time when hiding his identity as the famous Fullmetal Alchemist would sting his pride, but he had grown up in a time where blending in sometimes was the best defense. He had a feeling that this was one of those times. Nobody remembered what he looked like, right? As long as he kept his prosthetics properly covered, he wouldn't stand out. And besides, Al was no longer confined to a bulky suit of armor, which also aided in his disguise as the average Central citizen. The mechanic Ed chose from the newspaper had set up shop in a nice, two-story building with a proud wooden sign stating "Lucas Automail" hanging over the main door. The sign was new, as was the paint on the exterior, but the building's style gave away its older foundation. Ed guessed that the mechanic either had recently remodeled, or was new in town. He was willing to bet that the guy was new. From what he had discussed with the mechanic in his initial appointment, it seemed that the man was almost desperate for customers to build his repertoire. Perhaps if the automail was as high-quality as Edward was hoping it would be, he would give a good word out under his name. Well, he was about to find that much out. His fitting appointment would take place the following morning, barring any obstacles that his current assignment might throw his way. Speaking of the devils, the Xing emissaries were supposed to arrive that afternoon. Edward had taken the final opportunity to parade around in something other than a military uniform, and he was going to enjoy his walk, damn it. This was one more chance to pester Alphonse and grab a lunch that wasn't slopped on his plate by the military cafeteria ladies before he headed back to the dorms to change and meet his charges. He wondered what they would think of Amestris sending them a one-armed, one-legged escort, and then stifled that thought with a wry snicker. Oh, the fun he could have with Mustang, showing off his crappy prosthetics to the guests, making himself out to be a cripple… Mustang's words from the briefing came back to him at that moment. Deep shit, huh? But then there were the unspoken threats that hung above his head should he screw this up, the least of which dealt with his current travel restriction. Mustang was warning him – Alphonse could get caught up in this, if he wasn't careful. He couldn't let that happen. That wasn't Mustang's fault, either; it had to be Hakuro, the over-achieving son of a bitch. The thought put a scowl on Ed's face as he knocked on the door to Al's apartment. "What is it now?" his brother sighed when he opened the door. Edward blinked, startled. He hadn't been paying attention. Damn it, he was going to work on keeping his expression neutral in front of the guests. "Lunch?" He managed to say it rather neutrally, much to his relief. "Last chance for me to eat outside the military cantina before I get ensnared in the national parade of fools." Alphonse sighed again. "What, did you eat already?" "I haven't," Alphonse replied. "But you're not very good company when you're pouting like that, Brother." Edward scowled. "I don't pout." "Suit yourself." Alphonse pulled his coat on at the door as Edward waited for him outside, and then turned to walk outside once he'd locked the door. "Where to?" Ed grinned. There was one place that still had the best stew on this side of Amestris: the pub down the street. They also happened to have some of the best beer Edward had tasted since they'd returned. Then again, there weren't many Amestrian blends that could match up to a good German brew. Mustang wouldn't mind him having a little alcohol before he met with the Xing emissaries, would he? It would make him more amiable. On second thought, perhaps he could have done without the headache. Of course, that second thought didn't come until long after his third – fourth? – beer had worn off, and he was alternating between shaking hands and bowing until he thought his oversized head was going to roll off his shoulders when he awkwardly greeted the Xing emissaries mere hours later. Xing had sent three emissaries – and Ed sensed a fourth one standing a little further back in the shadows. A bodyguard, perhaps? The main party consisted of a wrinkly-faced, slanted-eyed old man, a younger man with the same kind of eyes and long black hair pulled into a low ponytail, and a young girl whose similar black hair had been pulled into twin buns on either side of her head. The older man was the only one of the three who appeared to be dressed formally, which came as a bit of a surprise. Weren't these guys supposed to be royalty? Edward had initially bowed when he'd met them – as was customary in their home country, he had read in the stack of required reading from Mustang – but they had stuck out their hands in greeting instead. When Edward reached to take their hands, they bowed in return at the same time, and Edward had to resist squawking in confusion. Instead, he laughed nervously. "I guess we have all done our homework," he said amicably. The young man chuckled as well, but his seemed more genuine. "Pleased to meet you, Colonel Edward Elric," he said in heavily-accented Amestrian. "I am Ling Yiao, of the Xing royal family. This is my advisor Wu," the old man bowed, "and my younger sister, Princess Mei. We humbly thank you for your hospitality." So the younger man was the prince, which hadn't surprised Edward in the least. He was much more unkempt and suspicious-looking than Ed had imagined he would be, however. Recovering his composure, Ed resisted the urge to rub the back of his head sheepishly, scrambling to recall how it was that Mustang wanted him to behave as an ambassador. There was something he'd written in the files about Xingian greetings, and for the life of him, Edward couldn't remember what it was. Shit. He plastered a forced smile on his face. "Please accept the humble offerings of our country," he said, straining. Hopefully that didn't sound too terribly weak. Xingians respected a general level of humility, didn't they? Was that what he'd read? The Xingian prince smiled appreciatively, and Edward hoped it was a good sign that he was on the right track. But on a closer look, there was something hidden in that smile; something Ed didn't like. He felt the beginnings of a cold sweat breaking out down his spine, and he suppressed a shudder as he turned back to the guests and motioned for them to follow him to their lodgings in the military complex. He somehow managed to keep up small talk in the government-assigned auto – and driver – on their way back to the military base. Prince Ling seemed to be incredibly interested in Amestris' line of alchemy, though his slightly strained vocabulary made it somewhat difficult for Edward at times to explain some of the more scientific aspects of alchemic practice. But the more Ed spoke with Ling, the less he believed that the gap in the vocabulary had to do with the language translation, and more with Ling's lack of knowledge in the subject. Xing had its own brand of alchemy, which Ed recalled that he once had the ambition to add to his scholarly repertoire. Which led him to the conclusion that Ling was neither a scientist nor an alchemist. Ling was almost too interested in Amestrian alchemy for someone with his lack of knowledge; perhaps he was looking for something of alchemic nature from Amestris, and was hoping to find information on it from Edward. Or maybe he was trying to get a leg up on his siblings; Mei, even though she was a child, seemed to understand basic alchemic principles better than her older brother. Perhaps the natural affinity for alchemy had skipped a few members of the royal line. Ah. This should be interesting. Edward was going to slide that observation into his report when all was said and done. If his suspicions were correct, the only aspect of alchemy that Amestris was infamous for – rather than simply famous – was the taboo aspect of human alchemy. And if that was something Ling was after, perhaps the Xing spies really had been tied to the government. He was going to need to tread carefully should the subject arise, as he was possibly one of the few left in Amestris that knew the truth behind human alchemy. Ling would never get a chance to know. Mustang would need to know this as soon as Edward found a way to obtain more solid evidence to support his suspicions. "Colonel Elric?" Edward turned his attention back to his charges with a quick smile and apology, and once he saw that they had arrived at the military base, he proceeded to lead the Xing emissaries to the barracks that had been specially set aside and prepared as guest quarters. There would be a special dinner that evening with several members of Parliament – Ed was grateful that he wasn't going to have to be the political jockey in this situation after all – as well as key members of the military involved in the espionage case. After that, Edward was to entertain their guests for as long as they wished; this was the condition he had agreed to in order to get the next morning off for his automail appointment the next morning. God, it would feel so good to have real automail again, Ed decided as his damaged prosthetic shoulder sent uncomfortable tingles across his back. Ling – as much of an enthusiastic bimbo as he appeared to be at times during their brief conversation in the auto – was obviously a fighter. Ed didn't miss the toned muscles in the Xing prince's arms, nor the way Ling carried himself when he walked. There was the slim possibility that these guests would behave poorly, and Edward knew as a fighter that Ling had probably picked up on the fact that he had two artificial limbs – and that at least one of them had a mechanical problem. Shuddering, Ed desperately hoped that nothing would come of the situation until he was ready to handle it. Until morning. It became a mantra, one that Edward was careful not to let slip from his mouth as he kept the terse smile in place during the tour of the military base. Ling continued to smile back in a disconcertingly deceptive manner that left Ed feeling extremely uneasy. Until morning. Damn you, Mustang. "Do you think I am unfair?" Hawkeye looked up from her post at the Minister's door, one eyebrow raised in query. Standing up straighter, she straightened her jacket and took a calculating breath before she answered. "If you're regarding the matter with Colonel Elric, Sir, you are doing what is in your power to help him out; whether he chooses to see that is up to him," she replied evenly. Roy shifted uncomfortably in his plush office seat, twiddling his gloved thumbs before his face. He had yet to break the habit of wearing gloves constantly, even if they didn't always have the flame signet stitched into them. He'd had to begrudgingly use plain gloves while in his office, as the outward image of an alchemic circle on his gloves were too reminiscent of a leader who wished to impose a powerful iron fist on his subordinates. At least, that was what Parliament had told him, in not so many words. He didn't necessarily agree, but that was no longer up to his discretion under the new rule. "Perhaps I pushed him too hard into this mission before he was ready," he said, words almost muffled behind his hands. "Alphonse confirmed that his prosthetics were indeed broken; maybe I should have let him get those fixed, first." "Sir, with all due respect, the timing was improper," Hawkeye reminded him sternly. "There was not enough time before the Xing guests arrived for him to track down Winry Rockbell, and you needed to give Elric something worthwhile to do while stuck in Central. You did all you could." Roy sighed, leaning back into his chair. "I know, but it doesn't help much. I feel like I've left him with his back wide open. Fullmetal hasn't used alchemy since he was last seen here four years ago; have you read that part of the investigation yet?" Hawkeye nodded. "I did, Sir." "He's out of practice, and if he needs to defend himself–" "Minister, Elric is now the rank of a Colonel. He has subordinates to help him with that." "Rookie subordinates," Roy muttered. The corner of Hawkeye's mouth turned upward ever so slightly. "You chose them yourself, Sir." Roy took a deep breath. "Try not to over-think this too much, Sir. If you think it would be wise, perhaps you could keep further tabs on Elric's whereabouts while our Xing guests are still in town." Roy nodded. "Fullmetal has an appointment in the morning with his automail mechanic; Falman has graciously offered to take over his duties overseeing the Xing emissaries until his return in the early afternoon." Hawkeye shot Roy an amused look; she understood the meaning behind that statement. Falman had been rather… pressed to make such a generous offer. "That was rather kind of him," Hawkeye said, playing along. Roy smirked. "Well, it'll give him something interesting to do, at any rate." There were a few moments of quiet, though those were common within the Minister's office during work hours. He shuffled several stacks of papers around on his desk, pulling one of them closer with a slight grimace. Xing wasn't the only problem that Amestris currently faced that might involve the military. While the country had stabilized a great deal since Parliament gained the reigns, Amestris still had its fair share of domestic problems. Some of the military's past actions still did not settle well in several regions, causing a great deal of domestic tension. One such region – which had been rebuilding well up until the invasion from the other side of the Gate that he'd had to destroy on the Elric brothers' insistence – was Lior, where many of the Ishbalan refugee groups had settled once Parliament had lifted the restrictions on where they could live and travel. It had been decided – wisely – by Parliament that there was no reason for the Ishbalites to be singled out and targeted anymore, as they clearly did not pose a threat. However, the fact that many of them had been able to move into Lior had put some further strain on the situation there. Apparently, not even all of Lior's people were as accepting of the laws as the government was. Roy had to admit that Fullmetal's return had come at a rather bad time. The people of Lior were still at least a little angry with him in general for starting things down the path that they'd gone. Of course, Roy had not mentioned this issue to Fullmetal just yet; he had hoped to get the situation under control before anyone from Lior heard about the Elric brothers' return and decided to make something of it. Maybe putting Fullmetal in such an open position as a diplomatic host with little backup hadn't been such a good idea… "Sir?" Roy hesitated a moment before he said, "See about finding the good Colonel a few good men who can keep an eye on him, Hawkeye. Don't let him know he's being watched, though." Hawkeye raised an eyebrow at him again, but when Roy shook his head, her expression relaxed and she nodded in understanding. This had nothing to do with Hakuro's investigation, and if that was the case, there was likely trouble brewing that could potentially involve Fullmetal. Even if Hawkeye didn't understand all that right away, she would catch on fairly quickly. He had chosen his subordinates wisely. "It will be done," Hawkeye said, and then she dismissed herself. Edward arrived at his appointment ten minutes early, clad in sports shorts and a loose-fitting t-shirt underneath a long jacket and loose-fitting pants to conceal the prosthetics. He'd learned a long time before that most people reacted strangely to someone with missing limbs, and he while it didn't tend to bother him, he had been told that it was important that he lie low on this appointment. After all, he was hosting the Xing guests; if someone was after them, there was always the chance that they would strike at him first. The mechanic, Caleb Lucas, greeted Edward by his first name as he entered the shop. Ed had opted not to give his last name out, just in case there might be a problem. He hadn't even mentioned his line of business, but the mechanic had never asked. Lucas didn't seem like the type likely to pry. Lucas was in his early thirties, most likely, and had light hair and eyes a shade of brown that almost looked reddish in some light. It would not surprise Ed if he learned that Lucas had some Ishbalan blood in his heritage. On his first visit, Ed had been only to the main room, which had several chairs that served as a waiting area in the front, and then a counter – and behind that, a few larger chairs for measuring. He hadn't been to the back, which was where Lucas led him to this time. Ed was a little surprised to find that the mechanic's back rooms in his shop were rather clear of debris and pieces. While the Rockbells had never been explicitly messy with their shop, Ed had never failed to notice the fact that parts and pieces were all over the house, enough to be called clutter in several rooms. This place seemed almost devoid of any sort of indication that the mechanic even had the materials necessary to make automail. Unless, of course, the man stored it upstairs – this was a two-story building, after all. "Right this way, Edward," Lucas said with a gesture into one of the back rooms. There was a hospital-style bed at the side of the room that had been propped up, and Ed caught sight of what looked like his finished automail limbs on a rolling table next to it. There was another chair with broad arm and leg rests that sat several feet away from the bed. Lucas motioned to the chair. "Please, have a seat." "Thank you," Ed replied, as removed his jacket and loose pants, leaving him only in his sports shorts and t-shirt. He pulled the t-shirt off as well, folding it with the jacket and pants, and then began working on the complex shoulder strap that held his prosthetics to the port. Unfortunately, once his automail had broken again in Germany, he wasn't able to fashion prosthetics that fit the port correctly and had had to resort once again to the strap. Once the prosthetic arm was off, it went on a pile of folded clothes on the floor next to the chair. Hopefully, Lucas wouldn't mind. The back of the chair was cool against his bare back, sending a small shudder down his spine as he removed his prosthetic leg. It was a stiff chair, meant for keeping him upright long enough for the mechanic to attach the automail; it reminded Ed of the chair that Winry and Pinako made him sit in when they performed this same procedure. It had been a while since they'd done it last, he realized, a strange feeling filling his chest as he thought of it. He almost felt guilty for not having them take care of his automail for him as they'd always done, but it wasn't his fault he couldn't get a hold of them. This was important, and it needed to be done now. Once he was free to track Winry down, Ed fully planned on having her inspect the new automail set for him to make sure it was up to her standards. "Well, Edward, I'm ready when you are." Ed blinked, finally noticing that Lucas had set up the new automail arm and leg on a rolling table. Damn, it was so nice to see a set of brand new automail after these last few years. He just wasn't looking forward to the pain he knew would come with reattaching the nerves within the ports. He hadn't felt that pain in a few years, but the recollection of it never quite faded from his memory regardless of the time that had passed. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Ed replied with a wry smile. "I'm sure you already know, but this is going to hurt quite a bit," Lucas said in warning, grimacing apologetically. "Oh trust me, I know." Ed snorted. "I've spent the last eleven years of my life putting up with it here and there." Lucas' grimace deepened. "Ouch. That long, huh? I'm surprised you were allowed to get automail at such a young age." "It probably wasn't the best of ideas, but what can I say? I was a persistent kid." Lucas chuckled as he made a few quick, last-minute adjustments to the arm before he began attaching it to the port. Once he was done with the preliminary attachments, he moved on to the leg. The nerves would be connected last. This time, though, he knew he had to be prepared to be hit with the same kind of pain twice; Lucas was the only one here, and he would have to flip both switches separately. "So, which one first – the arm or the leg?" Lucas asked light-heartedly. "Leg, definitely." Hopefully, the pain in his leg would have faded with the pain in his arm taking over so that he could at least walk to the bed on his own. "All right, then. Are you ready?" Lucas cast Ed a serious look. Ed simply grinned. "Ready as I'll ever be." Lucas looked back at the switch just above the knee joint on the automail, and counted down from three before he tugged it. Fire suddenly coursed up Ed's leg, traveling up his spine until it hit his jaw and seared into the backs of his eyelids. Grunting through clenched teeth, he took several deep breaths through his nose, trying to clear the spots out of his eyes. When he could see again, he looked up to see Lucas' surprised face. "Round two?" he said, voice shaking only slightly. Lucas' jaw just about dropped to the floor. "I have never seen anyone not cry out from that before. Man, you're a tank," Lucas said in awe. Ed grunted and offered him a half-smile. "Comes with practice," he lied. The arm's switch produced much of the same pain, though this time Ed had braced himself against it more properly, and barely even grunted. As soon as Lucas had pulled the switch, he had quickly helped Ed to his feet and moved him over to the bed. Even before Ed's vision had cleared this time, Lucas made quick work of the plates covering the attachments. "Stay as long as you need," Lucas offered. "I'll go get you some water; I'll be right back." Ed closed his eyes, listening to his own ragged breath as it evened out, waiting for the pain to subside. This was his least favorite part of having automail; fortunately, he didn't have to mess with it often. He had finally reached his full height – thankfully, he was taller than everyone had expected he would become, and it amused him to no end that he had finally passed even that bastard Mustang up – and wouldn't need to replace the automail when he'd outgrown it. As long as he didn't break the limbs entirely, he might be able to make this set last a very long time. It was a comforting thought, and it brought a smile to his face as Lucas came back in with the promised glass of water. "Thank you," Ed said as he took the water, his voice far more even than it had been the last time he'd spoken. "I'm impressed, Edward – that's some stamina," Lucas commented with a grin. "There aren't many who are tough enough to take that in as much stride as you have." The water felt good on his throat; even though he hadn't screamed, his throat still felt dry and tight from clenching his teeth so hard. He would be ready to stand normally in a matter of minutes, once his hand stopped shaking. "It still hurts like a bitch," Ed said, sitting up entirely, "but I guess I'm fortunate that my pain tolerance is better than most." "That is fortunate," Lucas said kindly. "I'll be in the front of the shop when you're ready to settle payment. Feel free to test out your automail first, of course, and don't feel rushed." Ed thanked him again, and once again found himself alone, and laid back against the raised back of the bed, working on breathing techniques Izumi had taught him all those years ago. A few moments later, Ed got impatient – he never really had been good at waiting long periods of time – and slid his legs over the side of the bed. Testing his weight on his good leg, he was glad to notice that his knee didn't buckle under him, or that his leg didn't shake. Placing his weight on the automail leg, he was surprised at how comfortable and natural it felt. Of course, he'd just spent several years with rather shoddy prosthetics – any automail was bound to feel like an improvement. But this was a well-made set of automail, Ed realized as he stretched his metal arm across his chest and did some squats. Not only did it feel comfortable and right, it felt extremely light – it didn't pull on his shoulders or his hips or back, and it wasn't difficult to move around. It didn't feel flimsy, despite the fact that it was practically weightless. Testing out his theory, Ed transmuted the blade from the back of his metal arm – he hadn't done that in an extremely long time, either, and the alchemic energy felt strange to him – and tried tapping it on the bedpost. Yes, it was just as nice as he was hoping it would be. Either the technology had greatly improved in recent years, or this guy was simply talented in his art. He was going to make sure to leave a hefty tip for Lucas. This was good work. Picking up his folded t-shirt, he pulled it on over his head, almost groaning in pleasure as he felt the gears in the shoulder and elbow move smoothly without catching. He snagged the rest of his clothes and prosthetics and went back out to the main room to find Lucas sweeping the floor near the counter. Lucas looked up with an amused grin on his face. "I should have known – ready to leave already?" he said good-naturedly. Ed smiled back. "I guess your automail wasn't tough enough to keep me down for long," he said, tilting his nose upward in an air of false snobbery. "I'll have to try harder next time, then," Lucas replied, playing along. Setting his clothing and prosthetics down on the counter – and flashing Lucas an apologetic look as he did so – he dug into the pocket of his jacket to find the voucher he'd pulled from the office to pull funds from his stipend to pay for his automail. Lucas was about to find out that his newest customer was a renowned national alchemist; hopefully, he wouldn't mind too terribly much. "Sorry about the trouble, but all I have are vouchers – I'm not really allowed to carry actual cash around with me," Ed said apologetically as he found the voucher deep in his pocket. He began tugging on the watch as well so that he could verify the voucher. Lucas' grin turned to an expression of confused curiosity, but Ed ignored it as he continued. The poor guy probably hadn't been expecting military personnel. "You see… ah…" "Ah, that helps explain how you were so tolerant to the pain," Lucas said. "You're military, aren't you." It wasn't a question, and it wasn't said unkindly. Ed let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "I am." He pulled out the watch, and handed it to Lucas with the voucher. "I'm also a national alchemist," he added almost sheepishly. "You'll need to verify that you saw my watch before they will redeem your voucher." Lucas took both the voucher and the watch into his hands, and his expression froze as he read the name on the paper. Ed had been expecting as much, but he felt a growing sense of dread boiling in his stomach when Lucas' grip on the watch tightened and his face suddenly darkened. "You're the fucking Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric," Lucas snarled. And then all hell broke loose. ----- CHAPTER BREAK ----- Something was entirely wrong in this situation, General Hakuro decided as he read through his stack of papers a second time. He had been the one in charge of investigating the bizarre return of the Elric brothers from wherever it was that they had gone. Of course, it had been on his own insistence that Parliament needed to look into the issue, and it had also been his own hand that had put himself in charge of the investigation. If his suspicions were correct, then there had been a rather unfortunate plan in play long before the Elrics had seen Amestrian daylight. There was still one important question that neither Edward nor Alphonse had been helpful in answering, and that was where it was that they had returned from. Some suspected that they had died and had gone on to the afterlife; others claimed the existence of an alternate dimension that the brothers had been transported to during that strange invasion all those years ago. There were even theories of time travel and curses placing them in a prison far away. As much as Hakuro was loath to admit it, the theory that seemed to hold the most water was the one about the alternate dimension. Edward and Alphonse were wearing clothes in a fashion that – while not outlandishly different from Amestrian style – was clearly foreign. Their patterns of speech were slightly altered and had a strange accent to them that nobody could place. Of course, the accent had faded after a short period of being back in Amestris, but Hakuro had made a note of it early on in the investigation. Was it even possible that an alternate dimension could exist? Hakuro wasn't an alchemist – hell, he wasn't even a scientist – so he was unable to determine if that was even possible without having to speak to someone with superior alchemic knowledge. Like Mustang. Unfortunately, Hakuro knew he couldn't afford to do that; Mustang had been Elric's superior before, and the two of them had some sort of connection that Mustang was likely to protect as much as he was able. It irritated Hakuro to no end, which was why he had not been giving his reports to Mustang before he sent them on to Parliament. But without Mustang's help, he really could only go on speculation on many issues that had come up during this case. As far as he could tell, the only facts he had were that the Elric brothers had been brought back from wherever the hell they'd gone via alchemic means, and that the alchemist responsible – a nationally certified alchemist, at that – had vanished without a trace. Hakuro had asked Edward and Alphonse multiple times where they had gone, and they had been rather evasive about their responses to that question. Then he had asked them if they had been trying to return from wherever it was that they'd gone – both had been insistent that they hadn't. In fact, Edward had even said that he had not practiced alchemy since the last time he had been in Amestris, nor had he even tried to practice it. Both brothers had claimed that they did not recognize the name of the alchemist who had brought them back, and when asked about what they thought might have happened to him, they had both looked uncomfortable when they'd given equally vague replies. The alchemist was likely consumed in the transmutation, as part of the equivalent exchange law of alchemy. Why had that alchemist – who clearly had never met either Elric, at least not to the brothers' knowledge – targeted them specifically? What was he aiming for? As a national alchemist, he should have known that the reaction would likely cost him his own life. Was he acting under his own scientific ambition, or had somebody put him up to the task? There were far too many questions in this investigation, and not nearly enough answers. Hakuro was not about to allow Edward or Alphonse out of Central until they at least gave him more clear answers about what they knew of alchemy, and where they had come back from. His first instinct had been to court-martial Edward – who had technically been AWOL, now that he wasn't obviously dead – but Mustang had been there to block that, and instead gave the young man a promotion. After that, Edward had been extremely tight-lipped, even while he had been drugged to the gills in the hospital while they were running tests. That move on Mustang's part had infuriated Hakuro, but he couldn't do much about it. Hakuro needed answers. He needed them to ensure that no other alchemists were trying something so risky; Parliament didn't like risk these days, not with outside countries pressuring them for secrets and land. He needed these answers in order to make sure that there weren't others performing taboo alchemy. There had been enough trouble as a result of previous acts of illegal alchemy, and Amestris really couldn't afford to have more problems. The world was a frightening place anymore. As angry as Hakuro was that the Elric brothers were not providing him with the answers he sought, he had to admit that they likely weren't at fault for their own return, especially after what he had so far uncovered. There was another force at work here that Hakuro had not yet found. He had a strange feeling that his best hunch was the one that the national alchemist who had disappeared wasn't acting alone, and that whoever his partners were, they were after something that had to do with the Elric brothers. Hakuro made a note to go have another talk with Alphonse, at the very least. Perhaps while Edward was distracted with their guests from Xing, Alphonse might be more willing to open up a little more if Hakuro approached the situation with a different attitude. He wasn't going to get his answers by forcing them out of the brothers, but Alphonse seemed to be the type who would listen to negotiation. Taking out a piece of parchment, Hakuro hand-wrote a note for Alphonse for a meeting, and made sure he handed it off directly to his secretary with explicit instructions before he headed home for that evening for dinner with his family. Patience, he told himself – if he was patient, the answers would become clearer in time. Edward had not been aware of the existence of the basement in the building until he had been thrown into the door that covered the steps leading down to it. The door splintered upon impact, pushing a sharp breath out of his mouth as his back slammed against the wall of the stairwell behind the door. The rest of the sudden realization vanished with the appearance of stars blotting out Ed's vision as his head cracked against one of the stairs. "You had to fucking come back," Ed heard Lucas say, and while his voice sounded distant, all small nuances of the kind, polite man he'd met days earlier were gone. "And you had to walk into my shop, of all places. You absolute son of a bitch." Ed's head felt like a twenty-ton weight as he tried to pick it up off the stairs, grunting with the effort it took just to get to his knees. His stomach lurched at the motion, and part of him whispered concussion over and over in the back of his mind. The feeling of being lifted up by the back of his jacket didn't help, either; he barely had a moment to collect himself before he was being shoved further down the stairwell. He was being herded like cattle. Hell no – oh hell no. Barely managing to stay upright on his feet, he waited for Lucas' hand to brush against his back once more before he whipped around – damn but he was dizzy – and snatched at Lucas' arm, catching him by the wrist. Wobbling only a little on the steps, he used gravity to pull Lucas towards him, and stepped aside as the automail mechanic stumbled past him, apparently surprised that Ed had managed the move. Blinking stars out of his vision, Ed put up a defensive stance until he saw that Lucas was nearly at the bottom of the stairs, and he was off-balance. Even if it made Ed feel like a damn coward, he turned and started running back up the stairs. If there was one thing that Edward had learned in his eleven years of constant struggle, it was that flight sometimes became the best option. He wasn't going to do well here, not in unfamiliar territory and with a concussion. A wall of bright blue light cut off his escape, forming into a wall once the light faded. Alchemy. Fuck. How could he not have seen this coming? He clasped his hands together and smacked them palm-first against the wall, almost surprised to see that it worked. The alchemic energy felt foreign as it flowed through his hands and into the material of the make-shift wall, and it took all the focus he could muster to keep the faces of people on the other side of the Gate from coming to mind as he drained their energy. Sorry. I'm so sorry. But even as the blockade dissipated, he didn't have time to step through his small opening. A hand closed around the back of his shirt, and he was flung forward into the wall with a force that left his nose throbbing. This time, he was the one being flung down the stairs, and he barely had enough sense left to soften the landing with a tight roll. As quickly as he dared, he got to his knees, trying to ignore the way that the world whirled and tilted about him. Trying to take stock of the situation, it became painfully clear that Lucas knew him from somewhere. He didn't recognize the man at all, nor had Lucas shown any indication of recognition until he'd mentioned his name. His reputation. Somewhere down the line of all those years hunting down the Philosopher's Stone, he had managed to garner himself a rather decent reputation; it had never occurred to him that he might have given himself a bad name in a few places. Sure, it made perfect sense, but he couldn't think of a single place where he'd managed to screw up so badly that someone would want to try to kill him outright years after the fact. Lucas was approaching – he had to think faster. Or move faster. Neither course of action seemed to be going well. "I'm going to extract payment for the wrongs you've done to my people," Lucas said, voice low and deadly sharp. His people. That started the gears turning in Edward's mind – where had he done something so monumental as to affect an entire population of people? Surely, the Ishbalites weren't still in trouble under the new government– That didn't matter, though, because Lucas wasn't from Ishbal. Right eyes. Wrong accent, wrong skin tone. Then where...? Ed didn't have time to finish that thought as Lucas came after him, arm pulled back for a punch. Dodging to the side, Ed wobbled as he fought to get to his feet. Lucas spun around and aimed at his ankles with a leg sweep, and Ed stepped backwards, clapping his hands together. If he could just delay Lucas long enough to try to reason with him, maybe– He backed into a table – metal, steel by the feel of it – and pressed a hand to it. The blue light from the alchemic reaction (god, that feels weird – don't think don'tthinkdon't–) filled the room as metal hands shot out from the side of the table, grabbing at Lucas. The mechanic dodged the first two attempts to grab at him, but a third hand snatched at his leg and caught it in a tight metal grip. When Lucas realized that he was caught, he snarled in Ed's direction. "Now that I have your attention," Ed said, voice tight, "I want to make it infinitely clear that whatever it was I've done to royally piss you off, I can assure you that I didn't mean to harm anyone by it." "You son of a bitch–" The metal hand gave his leg a hearty squeeze, interrupting him. Ed cleared his throat. "Since you're in such a mood for talking, maybe you could explain to me why the fuck you are trying to kill me." For a moment, Lucas said nothing, looking increasingly angry by the millisecond. Ed was growing a little concerned that maybe he'd missed something important, that he really had done something so heinous that it would turn what seemed to be a decent man into a sudden homicidal maniac of an alchemist-mechanic. "You can't tell me you don't know what happened after you left Lior, can you?" Lucas said, so angrily that spittle flew from his mouth as he spoke. Ed faltered, feeling the blood drain from his face. Lior – Lucas was originally from Lior. The accent– Fuck, how did I not hear that? "God, you're such a damned coward, not to even want to know what your heresy has caused there. Lior is in shambles, Fullmetal Alchemist. It's a bloody goddamned mess! Many have fled the city, the buildings are falling to pieces, and the government has been sent out to 'suppress' our cries for help on at least three occasions. My family is starving – the only reason I am here in Central is because this is the only place where I can make enough money to keep them alive." Ed didn't know what to say to that; truthfully, he had heard of the trouble in Lior, but that wasn't really his own fault. The priest Cornello had been duping the people with his alchemy, and was on the verge of using that ability to hurt people with it – Ed couldn't let him get away with something like that! Roze would have been dead, and Ed had no doubt that she wouldn't have been the only casualty. "That is a lie," Edward hissed. "Cornello was going to kill–" "The people there have no hope in anything anymore, and it's because of the seeds of doubt you planted when you told them that Leto did not exist with your phony demonstrations. Leto is angry with us, and it's because of you, you goddamned heretic!" Ed didn't even have time to let the last of Lucas' words sink in before the steel hands shattered, several of the shards impacting his legs as they scattered outward. A handful of them bit into the muscle of his previously injured thigh, and he hissed as he tried to move to the side. Clapping his hands again – weird alchemic energy vibes be damned – he slammed his flesh hand against the table again. The metal hand missed its mark, but instead of dodging to the side like he had before, Lucas charged at Ed before he had the chance to send another one in Lucas' direction. Ed ducked a left hook, head throbbing in painful reminder of the injury it had received earlier. Spinning low, Ed moved into a low back stance, hoping to at least defend himself long enough to get an opening. Instead, something hard cracked into his side, and he swore he felt something give just before the world turned gray at the edges. Color returned only after he was on the ground, head pounding, coughing and gagging and realizing that he could not breathe. "You never should have come here, Fullmetal," Lucas was saying, though his voice only half-registered in Ed's mind around the blood rushing in his ears. "I can't blame only you for what happened in Lior, so I'll be sure to leave a message for your boss. You still work for Mustang, right?" Ed could have sworn his heart stopped for a moment, but he couldn't get the breath to form the words. "Doesn't matter – I know he's still protecting you, at any rate. He'll come. By damn, he'll come to rescue his kicked puppy, and if he doesn't, this should be more than enough of a message." A rough hand grabbed his metal shoulder and turned him over to his back. The world stopped tilting just long enough for Ed to see a long-bladed knife stabbing downward, and couldn't move before its blade bit deeply into his flesh shoulder. His throat closed when he tried to scream. "Hold still – this needs to be as clear as possible." Before Ed's mind could register what was happening, pain blossomed in his chest, and the gray edges closed in on the rest of his vision once more. Roy Mustang massaged his temples with his fingertips, eyes stinging with grit. He hadn't slept much the previous night, not with the amount of paperwork he had to do. Hawkeye had stayed with him – for his protection and to provide some semblance of company, she'd said, but he had a sneaking suspicion that she was really there to make sure he didn't shirk his duties. The situation in Lior was giving him a headache. He had been informed that there might be another uprising on the horizon, whatnot with the racial tension there and the fact that even Parliament had had to employ force in order to suppress some of the other more violent protests. This one might be closer to home, however, and thus Mustang had been instructed by Parliament to arrange to keep tabs on anyone traveling to Central from Lior. He had in his hands a list of residents that were originally from Lior, and had ended up in Central for a variety of reasons, none of which sounded even remotely suspicious. Mustang began to wonder how much of that report had been fueled by rumor and paranoia. The last hour in his office had been spent staring at the paper, the names blending into one another as Mustang's vision swam from exhaustion. Wasn't there a meeting that evening he had to attend? What time was it, anyway? He glanced at his pocket watch, and saw that it was nearing two in the afternoon. Falman hadn't checked in yet, which meant that Elric still hadn't returned from his appointment with the automail mechanic. And he hadn't yet had lunch; the revelation of which made his stomach growl. Food would help. "Hawkeye," he said suddenly, and she snapped to attention. "Sir?" "Since you probably won't be letting me out of my office until my evening appointment, would you mind finding some sandwiches somewhere?" She blinked at him for a moment. "I'm sure I could come up with something, Sir," she said, apparently realizing that she hadn't had lunch yet, either. "Would you like coffee with that?" Roy smirked. Ah, what he would do without his trusty Hawkeye, he didn't know. "Please." For the love of God, please! "You'd better be here when I get back," she said, grinning. His smirk widened, and then she turned to leave. Even just the prospect of food and caffeine helped him concentrate a little more, and this time, he looked down at the paper with a determined glare. This job wasn't going to get the best of him, dammit; not when he'd worked so hard to get to this point. There would be no more distractions. The sooner he got this under control, the sooner Hawkeye would let him leave the office alive. That, and he could replace his scotch supply that she must have found. Work first, play later. Most of those who had traveled from Lior to Central were in the capital for work. With the tension mounting in Lior, many had left the city and few returned, leaving a nasty dent in the work economy. Many businesses had closed and moved elsewhere to look for a better customer base, and a large number of such businesses had reopened in Central. Roy felt as though keeping tabs on such honest-looking people would make him appear paranoid, which would only cause further trouble should anyone find out that they were being watched. And yet, Roy couldn't seem to remove them from his list of Liorians to suspect; any one of the people from Lior could have a reason to cause trouble. The headache returned. This was indeed a large mess, one that Roy wasn't sure he was up to handling at the moment. "Sir – I hope ham and cheese is okay with you," Hawkeye said, cutting into Roy's thoughts. He looked up to see her proffering a plate with a sandwich of that exact description sitting on it. He bit back on the comment that would have said any sandwich would be fine, as long as it was edible. Instead, he took the plate with a calm smile and said, "Thank you." The coffee was black and bitter, just the way he liked it. Hawkeye stood by the window, watching out over the courtyard of the newer Parliamentary buildings as Roy ate; he watched her out of the corner of his vision. She looked slightly anxious, as if she was waiting for someone to walk across the yard below. "Looking for someone in particular?" Roy asked suddenly. She stiffened, then turned and blinked at him. "Colonel Elric has not checked in yet," she replied. Ah, so that troubled her as well. "I have a feeling he's dragging his feet to get back here," Roy replied dismissively. "It's not like he is enjoying the task given to him." Hawkeye sighed, then pinned Roy with a sharp glance. "I know, but I also think that he's beyond the age of putting off the inevitable for so long." She was toying with him, the damn woman. "Are you implying something?" "Of course not, Sir," she said stoically, though her eyes said differently. "I wouldn't dream of it." "If you're that concerned about Fullmetal's whereabouts, maybe you should phone Alphonse. That would be the most logical place for Elric to be if he finished his appointment earlier than scheduled," Roy said, turning back to the stack of papers. "In fact, I would like for you to send a message along to our good boy Alphonse, and remind him to send his errant brother on his way should he stop by there." "Is that an order, Sir?" Roy smirked again. Hawkeye picked up the phone and dialed. "Alphonse? This is General Hawkeye–" Roy tuned out the rest of the conversation as he turned back to the list of names. Perhaps it would be wise to crosscheck any sort of identification that could be found on each of the persons listed, and he made a quick mental note to have Hawkeye send one of his subordinates to retrieve the information for him. "Thank you for your time, Alphonse," Hawkeye was saying. "I'm sorry to bother you." As soon as Hawkeye placed the phone back into the cradle, Roy was surprised to see Hawkeye's brows furrow in thought, and so he didn't even get the chance to open his mouth to ask for the identification papers. "Caleb Lucas..." she muttered. "Sir, was there a Caleb Lucas on that list of yours? The name sounds terribly familiar." Roy recalled seeing the name on the list, and matched Hawkeye's frown with one of his own. "He is," he replied, then as Hawkeye's frown deepened, he suddenly became suspicious. "What are you thinking, General?" "Alphonse has not seen his brother today, but he gave me the name and address of the mechanic Colonel Elric has been seeing." "Caleb Lucas?" Hawkeye nodded. "I hate to sound paranoid, Sir, but–" If this Caleb Lucas learns that he is equipping the Fullmetal Alchemist with automail, there might be serious trouble, Roy finished silently. He looked back at the list of names and occupations, finding Caleb Lucas' name quickly. "He is listed here as an automail mechanic; it doesn't sound terribly suspicious to me." "The Fullmetal Alchemist is a name that most people in Lior are loathe to hear, Sir. The least we could do is check in on him." Roy sighed; he too had a bad feeling that things could get messy if Elric's name got back to Liorian citizens, especially those living in Central. "I understand your concern, General. Assemble a small team – make sure to include a few of Elric's men – and have them ready in fifteen minutes. We'll go check on Elric." He looked at his watch – it was already nearing four in the afternoon, far later than Elric should have been. Perhaps it would be best to expedite the small detail. "Make that ten." "Yes, Sir," Hawkeye said with a crisp salute before she snatched the phone back out of its cradle. The more Roy thought about the situation, the less he liked it. Elric had become far more responsible about checking in this past week, especially since he understood the implications of his peacekeeping mission. He should have checked in by now, especially if there were complications concerning the automail attachments. Roy felt a pang of guilt for not having been more concerned about Elric's tardiness, and the guilt began to pool in a tight ball at the pit of his stomach. Something was terribly wrong, here. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pair of his ignition gloves. Hawkeye wasn't going to like this decision, but he was going to join them. Alphonse bit his lip as he placed the phone back into the cradle once he'd finished speaking with General Hawkeye. The fact that his brother hadn't returned yet – it had been nearly six hours since his appointment began – was troubling as hell. He wanted so badly to believe that Ed had simply gone for some kind of walk to test out his new limbs before heading back, but the part of him that knew better told him to worry. Edward likely would have stopped by Al's place first to show off the new automail. He couldn't do anything about it at the moment, anyway, no matter how badly he wanted to. Instead, he'd given Hawkeye the name and location of the automail mechanic that Edward had gone to see, hoping that she would be able to track him down on her own. Al sighed, glaring down at the note that was now crumpled in his hands. As much as he wanted to go out looking for his errant older brother, he couldn't so simply ignore Hakuro's... request for an audience. Al wasn't a fool; he immediately had read between the lines of the message well enough to understand that he would not only get himself in a great deal of trouble should he fail to appear, but he also knew that Edward would take a huge hit for it. It wasn't a secret to Alphonse that Mustang had blocked Hakuro from proceeding with Edward's court martial. Nobody had said anything of the sort directly to his face, but it was something that simply went unsaid. Even if it wasn't their fault that they'd been brought back to Amestris, there were going to be questions. Mustang had once again taken the role of silent guardian, regardless of whether Ed actually wanted his help. Truth be told, Alphonse was extremely grateful to have Mustang pulling for them, even if he knew that Mustang was likely reaping other benefits from the unspoken alliance. The note from Hakuro had contained a simple, concise request for a private supper that evening. There had been no mention of questions, Edward, or even a demand. Just a place, time, and a polite request to attend. And damned if Edward hadn't chosen to go missing on the one night that Alphonse felt the most uncomfortable canceling plans to look for him. Stupid brother, Alphonse nearly muttered aloud. He needed to get a nicer suit for dinner, and hoped that he could stick Ed's disappearance on the back-burners of his mind long enough to keep both himself and his brother out of trouble during "casual" dinner conversation. Hakuro was a shrewd man, and Alphonse wasn't about to give him any sort of foothold upon which he could build a case against them. After what they'd done for Hakuro, Alphonse had initially been surprised at how quickly the older man put through a demand for a court martial on Edward once they'd returned. Even though Al's memory of Hakuro was mostly through what he'd managed to extract in gilded tales from Edward during their travels in Europe, he had a feeling that the man had changed since their first encounter with him. That was another thing that infuriated him at times; he knew that a lot of things had happened in the four year gap he had in his memory, and while Edward had been rather generous in filling in most of the information Alphonse asked him for – the vast majority that Al hadn't figured out from his travels during the two years they had been separated – there were times that Edward hadn't seemed to be telling him the entire truth. Alphonse felt like he was being blindsided sometimes, and it made him want to tear his hair out. This was one of those situations; he hoped desperately that Hakuro didn't ask him questions that he would answer in such a way that he put them under suspicion simply because he was ignorant. After dinner was over, he was going to give Mustang's office a call. If they hadn't found his brother by then, he was going to go find Edward on his own, and then make sure his brother got an earful. Stupid, stupid older brother. Hawkeye did not like Roy's decision at all, but even against her likely better judgment, Roy stood firm upon his insistence to join the small "check-on-Elric" detail. The small knot of anxiety that had formed in the pit of Roy's stomach had grown, pulling on his insides and making him feel almost sick with worry. Damned if Fullmetal was old and experienced enough to take care of himself; Roy wasn't going to let the fact that he'd kept Fullmetal in the dark hurt the younger alchemist. He managed to maintain a stoic face, but by the way Hawkeye kept sending him worried looks, he had a feeling that she could tell he was tense. He needed to calm the hell down, and take this one step at a time. Maybe he was wrong – perhaps he would find Elric sprawled out on a couch, dozing off a round of painkillers to stave off the pain of the nerve attachments. Elric would be flustered to realize that he had overslept, and Roy would pounce on his embarrassment like a dog on meat. Or – if there was actually an altercation between Elric and the mechanic – perhaps he would find Elric smirking, sitting on his enemy triumphantly and mockingly scolding Roy for showing up too late to join in on the fun. At least, that was what Roy hoped he'd find. A good snarking match with Fullmetal was a far better outcome than seeing him, say, dead. Fullmetal was smart and strong; he should have been able to handle any problems that might have come up. Roy and his small back-up team had driven over as soon as Hawkeye learned that Elric's new automail mechanic was from Lior, just in case Elric hadn't realized it himself and had run into a problem. The poor bastard had run into a great deal of bad luck, if that was the case. Caleb Lucas was the only Liorian automail mechanic in Central. From the outside, Lucas Automail looked like an average two-story building, though when Roy pressed a hand against the closed door, he could immediately feel the displaced energy from several alchemic reactions. Roy's heart felt like it was throbbing from inside his throat, and he quickly motioned for Hawkeye and the others to be prepared. Something had happened here. Hawkeye slowly opened the door. Roy's first concern that Fullmetal had been taken entirely by surprise were quelled when he saw the utter destruction inside. The main counter had been splintered in several places, bookshelves were toppled, and tools and books were strewn across the room as if a hurricane had thrown them. There was no sign of either Elric or the mechanic. Hawkeye nodded over her shoulder to the other accompanying soldiers – Breda and Havoc, of Roy's band, and Murray and Daniels of Fullmetal's subordinates – and stepped over the debris to enter the shop. Roy followed her closely, gloved fingers poised just in case. He motioned to Daniels to have him watch the car, and stationed Breda at the shop's entrance. The three remaining soldiers followed him as he picked his way through the shop, fingers still in position and ready for action. The shop was too quiet, and had clearly been so for some time. Roy felt his stomach twist just a little in worry – Fullmetal's appointment had been a few hours ago, and if they hadn't heard back from him with the shop looking this bad, it could spell trouble for the colonel. Guilt soon followed; perhaps he really should have listened to Elric's appeal to the traveling restrictions so that he could have contacted Winry Rockbell instead. But again, the mechanic likely would have found another way to get to Elric, if the now-legendary alchemist had indeed been the target. There was a door at the back of the shop that hung open, half off its hinges. The fight had moved to wherever that door opened to – a staircase, Roy discovered once he was close enough. The staircase led downward into a dimly lit corridor, which Roy followed cautiously. He couldn't hear anything coming from the stairs, which felt wrong. Where was Fullmetal? With Murray stationed at the splintered door, Roy had Havoc and Hawkeye follow him down the narrow, dimly-lit stairwell. It wasn't quite wide enough to allow for the comfortable passage of more than one individual at a time. Hopefully, that wouldn't be necessary, though it would prove favorable for cutting off any attempted escapes by the mechanic. The stairs wound downward a quarter-flight at a time; Roy had counted four sections of stairs when the stairwell finally ended at an open concrete room filled with what one might expect to find in the basement of any automail shop. Scrap metal, spare parts, tools, and the like were scattered across the floor and workbenches, of which there were several. Much of the material had been clearly displaced by force. What struck Roy as odd for a mere mechanic, however, was the fact that a vast number of alchemic arrays were graffitied on the walls and floor of the basement. So, this mechanic was also an alchemist, it would appear. A well-read one at that. No wonder Elric had trouble with the guy. Maybe Elric was a little too rusty, and that thought send another pang of guilt through Roy's stomach for not listening and letting him train more. Roy cut off the thought, and instead focused on his current task: making sure that this alchemist-mechanic wasn't hiding behind some workbench, waiting to ambush their party. He heard nothing except for the faint hiss of his own controlled breathing, and the quiet footsteps of his party as they followed behind him. As far as he could tell, nobody else was there. That notion was destroyed the moment he passed a workbench near the far wall and found a larger open space at the back of the room. Roy's heart froze in his chest; in the middle of that open space, Edward Elric – the Fullmetal Alchemist – lay sprawled on his back, his bared chest smeared with blood, the smooth wooden handle of a long-bladed knife sticking up from his flesh left shoulder like a beacon, metal arm stretched to one side above a transmutation circle as if bound by an invisible force. His metal leg stayed rigid, an identical circle on the floor under it as well. He had been stripped to a pair of sport shorts, which were now ruined with blood and a few stray slashes through the cloth. It looked like he had been wearing a shirt at some point, but only tattered, bloody scraps remained, hanging pathetically around Fullmetal's torso. Fullmetal had been dressed as though he was there on a planned appointment to get his automail attached, not to fight. So he hadn't known anything, not until he had shown up. "Fullmetal!" Dropping his hand, Roy quickly closed the distance between the two of them and knelt in a growing pool of blood beside Elric's still body, trying hard to ignore the lukewarm liquid that seeped through the cloth of his uniform trousers at the knees. Half of Elric's face was smeared with blood and his lips were tinged blue; Roy tugged off one of his gloves with his teeth and pressed two fingers to the younger man's neck to check for a pulse. It was there – faint – but Elric wasn't breathing, at least not properly. Roy had to wonder if the blade in Fullmetal's shoulder had hit his lung, or if he had broken ribs. "Havoc! Call the medics, now!" Roy shouted over his shoulder, not quite managing to mask the panic in his voice. Havoc gulped and saluted before he whirled and ran back up the stairs. Turning back to his charge, Roy patted Fullmetal's cold cheek harshly. "Fullmetal – wake up!" When he didn't get an immediate response, he repeated the action, and suddenly Fullmetal's eyelids flew wide open in panic and he gasped painfully. Roy released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Get a grip!" Elric blinked slowly and seemed to have trouble focusing as he looked blearily up at Roy. A thin, grim snarl tugged at the corner of his blue lips. "Y-You idiot," he said, voice thick and hoarse from overuse – Roy realized he'd probably been screaming, and stifled the curse he wanted to utter. "Don't talk," Roy ordered, trying to assess Elric's injuries. There were several wounds on the younger man's chest that became the obvious source of the blood smeared everywhere, but while they looked gory, they weren't life-threatening. The shoulder wound was of more concern in Roy's mind at this point; if Elric was having trouble breathing, then there was a chance that the blade had indeed scraped his lung. Even if it hadn't something else was likely impairing his ability to breathe. He would need serious medical attention, and soon. Taking a closer look at the transmutation circle under Fullmetal's automail arm, Roy realized that it was for the concrete rather than the arm itself – the bastard had transmuted a section of it into a strong magnet and had used it as a restraint. There was a similar one under Fullmetal's left leg as well, likely for the same purpose. The magnets would have to be released first. Roy pulled out a piece of chalk to draw a circle to reverse the transmutation. "D-Don't," Elric said, making Roy pause. "Fullmetal, the magnets have to go." But before Roy could reach towards the circle, Elric pulled his pinned arm up with surprising speed and grabbed Roy's wrist. "D-Damn it, you… idiot," Fullmetal hissed breathlessly, making Roy raise an eyebrow. "B-Bomb – the bastard… turned it into… a bomb; I w-wasn't… his prim-...primary target." He coughed harshly, wincing from the movement. Blood spotted on his clenched teeth, and Roy knew they didn't have time for arguing. Then Fullmetal placed his hand over his chest, trying to wipe the smeared blood away. What the hell? The kid wasn't making any sense, unless… Roy's train of thought died the moment he saw the wounds in Fullmetal's chest – they had been deliberately carved there as a clear message: FUCK YOU, ROY MUSTANG. God. Fullmetal was being used as bait. Whoever had gone after him had a higher goal in mind, and knew the relationship between the Elric brothers and himself well enough to know that he would personally come after Fullmetal should the going get rough. There would need to be a more serious investigation launched into this case – it had gone from a simple suspect of upheaval to a potential assassin problem. "Shit." Roy scrubbed his only clean hand over his face. "Just the arm?" he asked sternly, trying to get Elric's glassy gaze to focus on him to make sure he had a lucid answer. He needed to know if there were any other traps laying around. It took the kid a moment to focus, but when he did, his golden eyes were dead serious when he slowly shook his head. "L-Leg, too," he said quietly. "You shouldn't… have been the one… to come after me." "Too late for that now," Roy muttered. "Someone had to come save your sorry ass." Fullmetal grunted, as much of a laugh as Roy would get out of him for his poor attempt at humor. After that, Fullmetal was quiet, giving Roy a chance to think the situation through. The bastard had somehow either transmuted the automail into a bomb that would be triggered by the magnet's release, or it had been a bomb in the first place. Either way, Roy had nearly blown them both up. God, if Fullmetal hadn't stopped him… Couldn't go there. Not now. Roy would have to remove the arm and leg, even if he really didn't want to – Fullmetal was in enough pain as it was. This was going to be tricky, trying to remove the arm and leg without jostling him too much and without setting off the bombs. The logical voice in the back of Roy's mind told him that he should have someone else doing this instead; it wouldn't do for the head of the military to blow himself up by accident. But part of him guiltily reminded him that he was partially responsible for dragging Fullmetal into this. Roy shot him an apologetic glance as he reached for the plated shoulder, fingers feeling gently for a release for the arm. Careful not to move the automail too much, he finally found the catch, and shooting another warning glance down at Fullmetal, he braced one hand on the automail and gave the younger man's shoulder a quick tug. A pained cry escaped Fullmetal's clenched teeth, but at least there hadn't been an explosion. Moving down to Fullmetal's leg, he pulled the catch there as well, and managed to get the leg free without moving the automail. Fullmetal hissed again as the movement jarred the blade in his shoulder. "Sorry," Roy offered lamely. "Asshole," Fullmetal said with a bloody smirk, but it quickly faded into a dazed expression. He was losing too much blood– Shit. "Stay with me, Fullmetal," Roy insisted, grabbing Elric's cold cheeks in his hands and forcing him to look at him. He was going into shock. Shit, shit, shit! "…M'tired." "Hang on just a little longer, and you can sleep all you want," Roy said, but Fullmetal's eyes slid closed anyway. "Fullmetal! Edward!" He harshly patted Elric's cut cheek, and Fullmetal's eyes slowly opened again, staring at a point somewhere beyond Roy. "Al?" he whispered. "He'll be here soon," Roy said, even though it was a lie. Alphonse likely didn't even know something had gone wrong yet; he would have to give the boy a call once Fullmetal was on his way to the hospital. "Don't sleep yet." "Sir, the medics are still fifteen minutes out," Hawkeye said quietly from behind. Roy swore again; that was going to take far too long. He looked over his shoulder and pinned Hawkeye a sharp glance. "Get the car ready." "Yes, sir," she replied quietly, and turned to motion to Breda. Roy looked back down at Fullmetal, biting his lip. He was going to have to pull the blade free; it was still pinning Elric to the floor, and it wasn't going to be pleasant. "This is going to hurt," he said softly in warning as he placed one hand on Fullmetal's flesh shoulder. Roy had to force his other hand from shaking as he gripped the handle of the knife with the other. Elric whimpered softly as the blade shifted ever so slightly with the movement, and suddenly Hawkeye was beside them both, holding Elric's shoulders down as she gave Roy a determined nod. To Fullmetal's credit, he barely uttered more than a muffled cry of pain through gritted teeth as Roy jerked the blade free. Blood spurted from the wound, flying in a small arc as Roy tossed the blade aside. Hawkeye had removed her jacket and was pressing it to the wound before Roy could even blink. "He's going into shock," she said quietly. "I know," Roy replied, also pulling off his jacket and spreading it across Fullmetal's bare chest. "We need to get him out of here; we can't wait for the medic. Is the car ready?" "It will be when we get there," Hawkeye said. "Winry?" Fullmetal asked. He'd probably heard Hawkeye's voice and assumed in his delirium that he was somewhere else. "Thought… you'd never come." Hawkeye cast a pitying look down at Fullmetal before she brushed his hair gently from his face. "Don't talk," she murmured. "So bossy," Elric whispered. Roy moved one arm carefully under Fullmetal's neck, and the other behind his flesh knee, careful not to move the automail bombs that were still attached to the floor. Fullmetal moaned as Roy stood, picking the younger alchemist up bridal-style (Fullmetal would hate that term, Roy found himself musing in giddy, panicked humor) and trying to ignore the blood as he clutched Elric to his chest and hurried for the stairs. Elric was heavier than he would have expected without the automail, but then again, the young man was now four years older and had grown more – filled out more – since the last time he'd been on this side of the Gate. The stairwell seemed longer than Roy remembered, and he knew he really should probably get back into better shape. He was nearly panting by the time he got to the main floor of the shop; Riza was right on his heels, and they both nearly knocked Murray over from his post at the top of the stairwell. "Colonel!" Murray exclaimed with wide eyes when he saw Mustang carrying his boss. "Cover us on our way out of the shop," Mustang ordered. "The assailant still hasn't been accounted for; he might still be out there." Murray gulped and nodded, taking a deep breath before he gripped his pistol tightly in both hands and moved in front of Mustang, aiming at the roof across the street on his way out the door. Breda was right behind him. Hawkeye followed behind Mustang, one pistol in each hand as she aimed behind the small procession. Murray paused as Daniels looked directly at him; Mustang could only surmise that they were communicating somehow. Teamwork – it was a good start for Fullmetal's subordinates. The kid would be proud. Daniels started the car, looking at the roof of the automail mechanic's shop once he'd done so. A curt nod, and Murray followed, turning to aim his pistol at the roof as well as he moved across the narrow street on the outside of the shop. He got to the car and quickly opened the door to the back as Breda continued keeping an eye on the roof, pistol trained and ready to fire in case. Mustang waited for a quick hand signal from Breda before he made his way across the street. Without looking, he knew Hawkeye was close behind, covering their retreat. He tried not to run; he wanted to avoid jarring Fullmetal's injuries if he could, but he needed to hurry at the same time. The longer they were in the open, the more opportunities Fullmetal's assailant would have to– The sound of a gunshot registered almost a moment after he felt a heavy blow smash into his shoulder. He staggered the last two feet to the open door, ears ringing as shouts and more gunfire erupted around him. The weight in his arms was taken from him and he was shoved unceremoniously into the back seat of the car, vision blurring. "Minister!" The car door slammed behind him. Someone was pressing something into his shoulder and had hands pressing his head down to his knees, and it hurt and ohgod– "Go, Daniels! Now! Gogogo!" Mustang hissed as his back and shoulders slammed backwards into the seat behind him, the faint sound of tires squealing as the car lurched forward. Several sharp pings of ricocheting bullets peppered the side of the car briefly before they were clear of the line of fire. "Minister? Shit, Mustang's bleeding!" "How fast can you get us to the hospital?" "Ten minutes–" "Not fast enough! Goddamnit, drive faster, boy!" "Roy, can you hear me? Roy?" "Damn it, Daniels! Stop driving like a grandma – this is not the time!" "Shit!" Mustang blinked, trying desperately to focus around the bright lights spotting his vision. Fullmetal needed him to stay focused, sharp. Pain flared from his shoulder, bringing him back to reality. Hawkeye was kneeling on the floor of the car in front of him, delicate fingers examining the wound. Blood coated her hands, but Roy wasn't sure if it was all Fullmetal's, or if some of it was his. "Are you with us, Sir?" she asked softly, once she realized he was watching her with some semblance of lucidity. He hesitated a moment before nodding once. Riza's shoulders relaxed slightly, and she turned her attention back to his shoulder. Dammit, I've been shot, it finally occurred to him. Taking stock, he realized that he was half-slumped against the car door, and that Murray was sitting diagonally in the other end of the benched back seat with Elric propped up against him. Murray was pale as he kept one arm wrapped around Elric's shoulders, the other around the boy's head. But even in comparison, Elric's face was sheet-white, lips still tinged that unsettling color of purple-blue, Riza's uniform jacket still draped across his chest. Blood was smeared everywhere in the back of the car as if it was the scene of a gruesome murder. "Ch-Check on Fullmetal," Roy said, voice shaking. Riza nodded, and then she wadded up what Roy could only guess was Murray's jacket - the kid was no longer wearing one at this point - and pressed it harshly against the wound. Roy hissed as pain flared from his shoulder and spread across his collar bone and down his arm. "Hold that there, Sir," Riza ordered firmly before she shifted along the floor of the car to get to Fullmetal. Roy watched through half-lidded eyes as Riza had Murray shift so that she could more easily work, and she hissed as she gently pulled the jacket down to expose Elric's bloody chest. Murray let out a soft, sympathetic moan when he saw the damage. The cuts were still bleeding, albeit sluggishly, and the wound in Elric's shoulder oozed blood at an alarming rate. The edges of that wound had become red and inflamed; Riza noted the change as well, as she frowned when she leaned in to get a closer look. She pressed an ear against Elric's chest, ignoring the fact that she was getting the young man's blood all over half of her face. Her eyes widened. "How much further?" Riza demanded. "Three blocks," Daniels replied uneasily, voice shrill with panic. "That is, as long as we don't encounter further traffic." "Gun it; Elric isn't breathing." "Damn it!" More curses came from the front seat - Breda's voice - but they were muffled by the time they reached Roy's ears. The car spun, but Roy no longer could tell which direction was up as black swarmed across his vision. He tried to fight unconsciousness, but lost as the blackness took over his mind as well. Roy jerked awake, eyes widening and not registering the sound of his own gasp until after he'd shot upright in the bed, dull pain blossoming in his shoulder from the movement. Hissing, he placed one hand over the throbbing appendage, grasping desperately for a recollection to remind him why it hurt, and why the hell he wasn't in his own bed and why his shoulder was hurting so damn much and why his stomach was lurching. White walls – crisp sheets – soft cotton pants – bandages binding his shoulder – stinging in the crook of his elbow, confirmed to be an IV line with a short glance... Hospital. Gunshot wound. Fullmetal not breathing. Fullmetal...? ... Shit. "Sir?" Hawkeye's voice, accompanied by the scrape of chair legs against the ground. He blinked, finally seeing the room and realizing that he wasn't alone. There were two shadows underneath the door to his room – guards, presumably – and then there was Hawkeye. Hawkeye had been sitting in a chair near the window, and was now standing beside his bed, looking down at him with a worried expression. "Sir? Are you all right?" she asked, fingertips gently brushing the back of his hand. She looked exhausted, but relieved when he managed to nod. Clearing his throat painfully – Hawkeye turned to grab him a plastic cup off the nightstand and fill it with water – he frowned and opened his mouth to ask questions. "Not now," Hawkeye said sternly, poking Roy's lips with the straw. He drank greedily. "You've only been out half a day, and you're damned lucky that you didn't need surgery to get the bullet out of your shoulder." Roy pulled away from the straw and opened his mouth to ask more questions anyway, but this time his stomach lurched again and interrupted him. Hawkeye apparently knew the nauseous look when she saw it, and grabbed an empty plastic bowl off the counter and held it under Roy's chin just before he hurled up the entire glass of water he'd just finished drinking. "Maybe I shouldn't have let you drink that so quickly," Hawkeye murmured once he'd finished. "The doctor did say that the painkillers might make you sick to your stomach." Roy could only groan in reply, glaring up at the IV bags holding the drugs. No wonder his shoulder didn't hurt as badly as it could have, though he could do without the nausea. He needed to be sharp – to know that his men were okay, that Fullmetal hadn't... "Fullmetal?" he managed to croak after a moment. Hawkeye hesitated as she moved across the room to clean out the bowl. "I'm sorry, Sir..." Roy felt the color drain from his face, and he almost didn't hear the rest of what Hawkeye was saying. "... supposed to be out of surgery an hour ago, but I haven't heard from his physician yet." Surgery. They wouldn't be doing surgery on a dead man, which meant– "...He's alive?" He was almost surprised at how drained his own voice sounded. Hawkeye nodded, but still didn't look back in Mustang's direction. "Yes, he is." For the time being – Roy heard the unspoken words almost as clearly as if they'd been said aloud. "How... how bad is it?" This time, Hawkeye turned to face him. "I... I don't know, Sir, but it's pretty bad." Roy wasn't sure if it was the drugs, or his own emotions getting out of hand, but he was certain he felt the weird, wet stinging behind his eyelids. His jaw hurt where his teeth ground together. Damn it. "You should get some sleep, Sir," Hawkeye said, hands smoothing the blankets covering him. "I will be sure to let you know anything as soon as there is anything to tell." "But–" "That's an order, Sir." Hawkeye glared at him sternly. "Your doctor has already given me temporary authority here. With all due respect, Sir, worrying yourself sick will not help Fullmetal recover." Roy had half a mind to retort that he was not worrying, and damn the doctor's orders, he was still in charge here. But the drugs spoke for him, lulling him gently back to the dark before he could open his mouth. Hawkeye's fault. He shot her one last glare before he drifted away again. The hospital room was cold, colder than what Alphonse thought was comfortable. Part of him knew that he was imagining it out of his own fear, but it was at least a little chilly in there to the nurses when they came in, wasn't it? Shivering, he wrapped his arms around his front, rubbing his shoulders and hoping for warmth from the friction. Turning an eye to the only bed in the room, Al watched as his brother slept, watching his chest rise and fall rhythmically to the tune of the machines he was hooked up to. An IV line ran from Ed's flesh elbow, keeping him unconscious. Al found himself staring where Ed's new automail limbs should have been, knowing that his brother would be unhappy to feel so immobile again once – not if – he awoke. Al bit his lip so hard he drew blood, and forced himself to watch out the window for a while. Minutes ticked by, and a nurse came in to check Ed's vitals. Al moved away long enough to give the nurse room, ignoring the pitying looks she sent his way once she'd finished and began walking out of the room. Perhaps he was being too hard on himself, but he couldn't help it. Al turned to watch his brother's impassive face, wincing at how pale and sunken it looked in his drug-induced rest. The doctors had said they didn't want him awake yet; otherwise there would be complications with the breathing tube they'd shoved down his throat. Once his lungs were repaired enough to let him breathe on his own, they said, Edward would be allowed to wake up and have the tube removed. Shivering again, Al rubbed his hands together for warmth before he reached over to Edward's face and brushed an errant lock of long, blond hair out of his brother's closed eyes. Grasping his brother's only hand in his own, Al pressed it to his forehead, trying desperately not to let the tears forming behind his eyelids fall. It had been close, this time – too damn close. Edward hadn't been breathing when they'd brought him in, and during their attempt to get him breathing again, his heart had stopped. They had brought him back, but they were wary throughout the entire surgery as they worked desperately to repair the rent in his lungs from a broken rib, and to keep the lung inflated so that it wouldn't collapse again. The concussion had only complicated the surgery further, making it last two hours longer than they had anticipated. Al whimpered softly, squeezing his brother's hand harder. He needed to stop thinking about in terms of what could have been. His brother was alive, still breathing, heart still beating. The doctors had been optimistic that he would recover, given time and plenty of rest. But Alphonse couldn't help but feel guilty that he hadn't been there with his brother, protecting and watching his back. Wasn't he the one who had damaged Ed's prosthetics in the first place? Not this cycle again. He had to take his focus off of the could-have's; blaming himself wasn't going to help his brother recover. Edward needed him, and Al wasn't going to let him down. Al looked up again at Edward's face, trying to imagine the glittering gold eyes that burned beneath the closed, bruised-looking eyelids, and a smirk twisting the lips that were currently crushed around the breathing tube. Ed would hate him moping around like this, hovering like a "damn mother hen," as he'd probably put it. "You really are a handful, Brother," Al murmured, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I turn my back on you for one minute and look at what you go do to yourself!" In Al's mind, Ed protested, insisting that it wasn't his fault he walked face-first into a trap. Al couldn't help but chuckle at the expression he saw in his mind on his brother's face, but it faded when it was slowly replaced with the still, dead expression Ed wore in reality. "I'm going to find who did this to you," Al said in a shaking, determined whisper. "I will find him, and I will show him that he chose the wrong family to mess with." A forced cough from across the room made Al jump in his seat, his ears burning with sudden embarrassment – how long had the other person been listening? "Alphonse Elric, why am I not surprised to see you here?" Al shot to his feet as soon as his eyes and ears finally talked to his brain and he realized who the voice and figure at the door belonged to. "Minister!" he exclaimed. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was you!" Mustang smirked, though Alphonse didn't miss the lines of pain around the older man's lips. Followed closely by Hawkeye, Mustang made his way into the room, standing as tall as he could manage with his arm in a sling. Alphonse offered his chair with a gesture, and before Mustang could refuse the offer, Hawkeye had ushered him into it. "How is he?" Mustang asked once he'd been settled. "Any change?" Alphonse sighed, finding himself staring at his brother. "None, though the doctor says it's to be expected. They don't want Brother to awaken for another day, possibly two." He looked back at Mustang, almost surprised to see an air of grief in the way Mustang leaned forward on his unrestricted elbow and regarded Edward with a worried frown. His free hand reached out to press against Ed's cheek, almost as if he wanted to verify for himself that the young man in the hospital bed was indeed alive. It occurred to Alphonse then that this was the first time Mustang had seen Ed since the day they'd both been brought to the hospital. "He's so pale," Mustang murmured, as if speaking to himself. Al chewed on his bottom lip. At first, he'd been angry with the man for being so obstinate when it came to Ed's repairs, but watching how Mustang beat himself up over the same issue gave Al an odd sort of relief, if not pity towards the older alchemist. For the first time, Al noticed how much older Mustang looked, seeing the early signs of worry lines around the Minister's eyes and lips and across his forehead. He looked tired, really and truly exhausted. Mustang had only been trying to protect them with the restrictions he'd placed on them, Al realized. He'd been telling his brother the same for as long in order to keep him from doing anything stupid, but Al hadn't really believed what he'd said until now. "Edward is strong, Mustang," Al said, placing a comforting hand on the Minister's shoulder. "He'll pull through this." Mustang smiled wearily. "It still doesn't make it any easier to watch him in the process," he said quietly. "But thank you." Hawkeye took that moment to direct Mustang back to his own hospital room. She turned after she got a nurse moving Mustang in the right direction, and then turned and matched Al's gaze with a serious expression. "Get some rest, Alphonse," she said. Al smiled and nodded. She tossed him a crisp salute, then turned and left the room. She was right – he really could feel the last several days of keeping vigil over his brother in the grit in his eyes and the bone-tired weariness that came with every movement he made, but he was determined to be here for his brother when he finally awoke. The doctors unhooked the drugs and removed the breathing tube two days later, and left it out once they saw that Edward was breathing on his own again. They placed a mask over his mouth to feed him oxygen while he slept, just in case. Alphonse waited four hours, noting with growing alarm that Edward wasn't waking up. The next nurse that walked in the door nearly stepped back in alarm when Al practically jumped her with questions; she took a deep breath and told him that Ed's body likely was trying to process the rest of the drugs out of his system before he would wake up. Even though she used a placating tone, Alphonse let the nurse's theory calm him. Panicking wouldn't help his brother heal. The doctor left Ed on painkillers in the meantime. Around lunchtime on the day after the doctor removed the breathing tube, Alphonse noticed a little color returning to his brother's cheeks. Alphonse sat by the bed and watched, hoping it was a sign of Ed's return to the world of the living. Another hour, and Ed's eyes started to move beneath the eyelids; thirty minutes later, his lashes fluttered and his eyes slowly opened. "Brother!" Alphonse exclaimed. "Oh, thank God..." Ed's half-lidded eyes wandered about the room before they settled on Alphonse, and then he frowned, moving his arm slightly to try to push himself up. "Lay still, Brother," Al said softly, placing a hand on Ed's arm. "They've still got you hooked up to an IV. How are you feeling?" "Where–" Ed croaked, ignoring Al's question. Al winced at how dry Ed's throat sounded, and moved to pull the mask off of his face long enough to let him drink something. "Hospital," he replied, bringing over a glass of water with a straw sticking out from the top. "Do you remember what happened?" Ed's brows furrowed in concentration, even when Al placed the straw on Ed's lips and let him drink as much as he could handle. He couldn't handle much, and pulled away from the glass after he'd drained half of it, still frowning. "Lucas," Ed said in a low voice. "Damn it." He swallowed, looking around the room again, as if actually looking for something. Mustang, most likely. Al placed the water on the tray next to the bed. "Minister Mustang visited earlier this morning to check in on you. I'm supposed to give him a call once you're awake," he said. "They released him from the hospital yesterday, though he's still off-duty until the doctors clear him." "What?" Ed's eyes went wide, and suddenly he was trying to sit up. "That stupid bastard– unghhh..." He slumped back against the pillow with a groan of pain, his flesh hand reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I told you to lay still, Brother," Al said with a sigh. "You had a concussion, so it's no surprise that you still have a headache. And you're not supposed to be moving around anyway, especially not with your other injuries. You managed to break a rib, and it hit your lung – they had to do surgery. You're lucky to be alive." Ed's jaw tightened as he clenched his teeth, and he only seemed to half-hear what Al was saying. "Damn it, that hurts," he said weakly, moving his hand from his nose to feel around his side. "Don't touch the sutures," Al said, putting his hand back on Edward's. "They're in your back; the doctor doesn't want you pulling them loose." Ed scowled, but complied anyway. "This sucks." "You never were a good patient," Al said with a wry smile. "Hang on, let me go get the doctor. Don't do anything stupid, okay?" "I don't feel up to mischief anyway," Ed replied seriously. Al frowned – it was as much of an admission of serious pain as he would get from his brother – but he turned to get a nurse anyway. When he returned with the doctor instead, Edward was already out again. The doctor moved aside the sheets and tested Ed's vitals before he moved to pull away the bandages around his torso. Al had to turn away; he couldn't stand seeing the message – plain as day, now that it was healing – that the automail mechanic had etched into Edward's chest. "The drugs are likely making him sleepy," the doctor explained. "He'll be pretty drowsy yet, but I'm glad to hear that he did wake fully. It's a good sign." Al exhaled in relief. "How long will he need to be here?" he asked. "He'll need to stay another several days, at least until we remove the stitches," the doctor replied, examining the sutures as he spoke. "I want to make sure he doesn't develop any other lung conditions in the meantime. We tend to keep an eye on pneumothorax patients for complications for a full week after surgery. I also want to keep him on the oxygen mask while he's asleep until we release him. Did he drink anything?" "He was able to handle a half-glass of water," Al said, "but that was about all." "If he was able to keep it down, that's also a good sign," the doctor said. "That means the drugs aren't making him sick to his stomach." "He's still hurting, though." "Did he say so?" Al snorted. "My brother is never one to directly admit he's in a lot of pain, but the fact that he said anything makes me worry." The doctor seemed to make a silent note of that bit of information, and then said, "I'll see what we can do about that." "Thank you," Al said. He waited in silence as the doctor finished his examination, and then began redressing the wounds and incisions. Once he was finished, he placed the mask back over Ed's mouth and nose, and then turned back to Alphonse. "Your brother is healing well," he announced brightly. "Give him a few days, and he'll seem more like his old self, I'm sure. Let me know if he wakes up again; I'd like to ask him a few questions just to be sure the head injury is healing well enough, but go ahead and let him sleep for now. He needs the rest." Al nodded and thanked him again as the doctor washed his hands, and then sat down by the bed once the doctor was gone. "You idiot," Al murmured affectionately as he brushed the bangs out of his brother's sleeping face. "I'm glad you're okay." If Roy had realized that checking himself out of the hospital apparently gave General Hakuro the right to come visit him in his own damn home, he would have stayed at least another day or two. Honestly, did the man have no sense of leave me the hell alone without Mustang having to point it out to him directly? His shoulder hurt, his painkillers were giving him a stomachache, and he just wanted to lay down and drown in a bottle of good scotch. Not that the alcohol would help his stomach any, but by the time he got to that point, he really wouldn't give a damn. "Minister Mustang," Hakuro greeted with a bow as he entered Roy's living room. "General," Roy said flatly. "To what occasion do I owe this honor?" Hakuro wasn't stupid, and did catch the subtle angered nuance in Roy's tone – he managed to look at least a little sheepish. "Is this a bad time?" Well. Really, it wasn't a bad time in terms of Roy's recently-vacated schedule. Roy was more irritated and crabby and not in the mood to put up with the political headaches he knew Hakuro was more than capable of providing. That part wasn't Hakuro's fault. Perhaps he'd at least see what the man wanted, and if Roy decided he didn't want to talk about it, he would bow out with a physical complaint of some kind, and have Hawkeye escort the man out of his quarters. "Have a seat, General." Roy gestured to the empty seat in the sitting area, across the coffee table from him. Hakuro sat. "What can I do for you?" Hakuro regarded him seriously, though he seemed to hesitate a moment before he spoke. "I want to discuss what happened at Lucas Automail, Minister," he said gravely. Ah. Hakuro wanted to know how Roy had managed to get himself shot in such a public spot, and why he'd been there in the first place. This was going to be a headache, but he knew that Hakuro was in charge of the report at this point. Roy sighed and then took a sip of the water Hawkeye had left for him on the table. "Honestly?" he said after a moment. "I'm not entirely sure of the full circumstances. From all appearances, Caleb Lucas attacked Colonel Elric during his automail appointment and critically injured him, and then either Lucas or one of his cohorts shot at the rescue party while trying to get Elric to the hospital." "Are you sure those shots were aimed at only you?" Hakuro asked. Roy hesitated. No, he wasn't certain that he was the only target on the scene. "It's uncertain; the message Lucas carved into Elric's chest was clearly aimed at me, but it does appear that the attack had initially been aimed at Elric alone. Lucas might have been trying to finish the job." Hakuro looked down at his hands. "You know the press is going to make this look like an assassination attempt," he said. "The questions they've been asking me have led me to believe they intend to indicate our guests from Xing as the suspects behind the attack." Roy choked on his sip of water. "What?" he exclaimed after he'd cleared his throat. "That isn't what happened at all! Caleb Lucas is a refugee from Lior – this does not have a damn thing to do with Xing or its espionage problem!" "You know how sensitive Parliament is to ethnic tension, Mustang," Hakuro said neutrally. "There are many in Parliament who would rather this not explode into another Ishbal. Besides, it was a logical conclusion for them to come to with the information they have. Colonel Elric was the one playing host to the Xing emissaries, and now he's in the hospital in critical condition. Not to mention the fact that the Minister of Defense took a bullet in the same fight. Of course they're going to come to that kind of a conclusion." Hakuro had a point, one that Roy was almost loathe to admit. However, should the public decide that the Xing emissaries were the ones at fault, and if something happened to them while they were there... "You do know that if the Xing emissaries are harmed that there could be full-scale war, Hakuro," Roy said. "We can't afford for that to happen, regardless of the fact that they were spying on us." Hakuro nodded slowly. "We will have to have the Xing emissaries escorted out of the country as soon as possible, then." "That would likely be the best course of action," Roy agreed, massaging his temples with his fingertips, fighting off a growing headache. "It will have to be done quietly, and before the public catches wind of it. Especially if the press has already released their very misinformed version of the story. We will also need to have an address ready for the press, just in case things get sketchy." "I'll have the speech writer get on that," Hakuro offered. Roy nodded gratefully; he wouldn't have the time – or likely the energy – to deal with that part as well, and part of him was grateful that Hakuro was stepping up to the task for him. Although the man could be nosy as hell, he was quite a handy ally. Hakuro didn't seem to be finished speaking yet, however. "Minister, there is also another issue I'd like to speak with you about..." Ah, there it was. The real headache. Roy knew then that he'd been too quick to assume that the General really wasn't going to bring this up after his brief display of teamwork. "General, I know you want to find out how the Elric brothers ended back up in Amestris so suddenly after having gone missing for all those years." If Hakuro was trying to look as though he hadn't been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, so to speak, he failed horribly. Straightening in a flustered flurry, he cleared his throat. "It has been a matter of general concern, yes." Roy resisted the urge to groan and complain of a sudden headache, but it would only make the situation look worse than it really was. As far as his own small investigation had gone, he could tell that neither Elric brother actually knew what had happened. There were indications of an outside influence on the situation – someone who clearly knew alchemy and had access to information on human transmutation, which didn't sit well with Mustang. This was something the alchemists should be handling, not a bureaucrat like Hakuro. "I'm sorry, General Hakuro, but I can't really tell you much more than what the Elric brothers have already told you," he replied. "It seems that the evidence points to the fact that they had nothing to do with their own return." "Where the hell did they go those four years, huh?" Hakuro pressed, clearly frustrated that his investigation was being parried once again. "If the Elric brothers had nothing to do with it, then why are you still protecting them?" Roy caught Hakuro's fierce gaze with a cold one of his own. "That, my dear General, is something I cannot answer for them. As far as I can tell, they went somewhere that no one else could go. Personal hell, for all we know." "You didn't answer why." "Because if I don't, nobody will, and you and your petty assumptions will needlessly put them in danger," Roy hissed. "If you had left the situation well enough alone, that issue probably would have been at the top of their investigation list once they stopped reeling from all the sudden changes we've managed to throw at them since. Instead, now you've got them thinking that any information they find on the situation will endanger them if they reveal it to us, and we've effectively been shut out of the damn loop." Roy pressed his fingers into his forehead as he paused. Hakuro wisely said nothing in the meantime. "You do know that this whole situation with Elric began when he stepped into that automail mechanic's shop because he couldn't get a hold of his own mechanic, right? He had shoddy prosthetics and wasn't left with a lot of options, not with the house arrest you threw at him the moment he came back." Hakuro managed to look effectively cowed as he looked into his hands, folded in his lap; he really hadn't thought about that possibility, Roy suddenly realized with disgust. It made him regret that he'd let Hakuro take over the investigation. That should have been left to Brigadier General Alex Armstrong instead, especially considering he'd been the one to try to smooth the situation over with Lior around the time of the outsider invasion. Come to think of it, that had been the last time Roy had seen Fullmetal before his most recent return. Armstrong was technically under Hakuro's command, which was why Roy had assigned Hakuro the investigation in the first place. He had hoped Hakuro would pass it on to someone like Armstrong instead of keeping it for himself. Suddenly, Hakuro looked up with a determined expression. "I understand what you're saying, Minister. I must apologize for my poor performance in this investigation, and am requesting that you have someone more capable take it over for me." Roy's jaw nearly dropped. Hakuro was admitting to the fact that he had royally screwed up the investigation thus far? Hah. There had to be some kind of catch, but Roy saw no games in the way Hakuro regarded him. Roy realized he must have said something that impressed Hakuro enough to finally acknowledge his position. Either that, or Hakuro finally saw how far in over his head he was. Now was as good of a time as any to nudge him in the right direction. "General," Roy said in a placating tone, "you do have more than capable men under you who could handle the investigation. Instead of having me reassign it, why don't you save the face by passing it on to one of them? I would suggest you pass it on to someone who might have a better sense of alchemy." Hakuro seemed to consider the suggestion for a moment before he replied, "I will take your advice into account, Minister." "Is that all you had to discuss with me?" Roy asked, squirming. His shoulder was starting to ache; he finally got a glimpse at the clock and saw that he'd missed his last dose of painkillers by about half an hour. Hakuro stood. "It is. I'm sorry to have intruded on you like this, Minister," he said, offering his hand out. "I truly do not wish to be antagonized further, especially since we all have the same goal in mind for Amestris." One of Roy's eyebrows arched. "And that would be?" "Peace," Hakuro said. Hakuro did have a point – they really couldn't afford to have the newly-formed government pitting leaders against one another at such an early stage. Roy took his hand with a smile, wincing when Hakuro shook it a little too firmly. It was indeed time for his medication. "Peace," Roy repeated, proud that he'd kept his voice even. Hakuro released his hand, saluted, and then turned to leave. Roy slumped back into his chair, grimacing as his shoulder twinged in protest. Mere seconds after Roy heard Hakuro close the front door, Hawkeye was there with a fresh glass of water and his pain medication. "You're a life-saver," Roy muttered as he took the pills and water from Hawkeye. Hawkeye smiled. "I didn't want to interrupt; it sounded like an important conversation." "Thank you," Roy said. For your better judgment, he added silently. "Sir," she replied, understanding.
11018961	Twins	{ "Archive Warning": "No Archive Warnings Apply", "Category": null, "Characters": "Alec Ryder, Ellen Ryder", "Fandom": null, "Language": "English", "Rating": "Not Rated", "author": "by TooLateToFall", "chapters": "1/1", "completed": "", "published": "2017-05-28T00:00:00", "words": "571", "Additional Tags": "Ryder Family - Freeform, Domestic, Fluff, Angst, Pregnancy, Established Relationship, No Spoilers", "Relationship": "Alec Ryder/Ellen Ryder", "Character": null, "Relationships": null, "Series": "Space Parents", "Collections": null, "Fandoms": "Mass Effect: Andromeda, Mass Effect - All Media Types", "Archive Warnings": null, "Categories": "F/M, Gen", "Bookmarks": null, "Chapters": null, "Comments": null, "Completed": null, "Hits": null, "Kudos": null, "Published": null, "Words": null, "Updated": null }	“Well would you look at that…” the doctor mumbles, moving the ultrasound wand over the swell of Ellen’s stomach.Ellen tenses immediately, every part of her on edge. Alec’s hand aches in hers as she squeezes hard. This isn’t the first time they’ve been pregnant; she doesn’t want to lose this one too. This can’t go wrong.There’s a moment of uneasy silence as the doctor finds the proper angle before finally turning the monitor towards them with a wide smile on her face. The couple stares at the monitor for a moment, at the baby-ish, blob-ish shapes on the screen, minds slowly processing.“Is that…” Alec starts, squinting, a smile starting to form.“Twins?” Ellen feels all the air leave her lungs with this one word. Twins. Twins twins twins. The doctor is talking now, gesturing to the monitor, pointing out features on the two and explaining developmental milestones, but Ellen doesn’t hear a word.Twins. She knows she should be happy- ecstatic, even- but she just feels a sense of dread build within her. Multiples were more prone to difficulties- low birth weight, birth defects, miscarriages, not to mention a slew of other issues. Given their track record, these babies were doomed.And if they did survive, then what? How were they going to take care of two babies? Alec was gone on tours all the time, and Ellen had a particularly active career herself. They could ask Ellen’s mothers for help or Alec’s family but…. Ellen didn’t want to admit to needing help with her own kids. If they even made it that far. Oh god… “Ellen.” The woman is called back to focus by Alec; his tone and the furrow in his brow make it obvious this isn’t the first time he’s said her name. After a moment, she realizes she’s squeezing his hand hard enough to break it.“Sorry,” she murmurs, loosening her grip.Alec looks concerned, not angry. He keeps his voice soft, trying to provide some semblance of privacy from the doctor. “You okay?”She glances at the doctor, then nods. Alec gets the message. Not here. Later.In the meantime, the doctor talks on, answering their every question.An hour later, as they’re driving back to their apartment, Alec reaches across the middle console and enfolds her hand with his own. “So. Twins.”It’s the smallest comment, the most innocent probe, but immediately she feels the pit form in her stomach once more. She doesn’t know what to tell him. The words lodge in her throat, stealing air from her lungs. She doesn’t know how to explain. Alec is patient, bless him. He doesn’t say a word as she trembles in her seat, just squeezes her hand and waits. When she finally speaks, her voice is soft, breathless. “What if they’re not okay? What if they don’t make it?”Alec matches her volume, voice soothing. “Ellen, the doctor said they look perfect, completely healthy.”“But what if they’re not?”“Then we’ll figure it out.” His thumb traces comforting circles across the back of her hand. “Ellen, right now, they’re totally healthy. We’ll keep in touch with the doctor, and we’ll take it day by day, alright?” Ellen leans against his shoulder and nods, though she’s not completely reassured. The dread still coils in her gut, but Alec helps. This isn’t the first time they’ve had this conversation, and it won’t be the last.

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