The Bird and the Garden 2: Restart!

Chapter 9: The Murder

"Th-then show them!"

"... I can't."

Y/N looked at Vao worriedly. "Why?"

Vao looked down, leaning closer so only Y/N could hear him. "Not here..."

A breeze washed over Y/N, ruffling his hair as Vao teleported them out of the crowd. They now stood in their room alone, the only sound being the murmur of students and the angry cries from Tyrian just on the other side of their door. Vao turned to Y/N, running a hand through his long hair. "I... I burned the uniform..."

"You... You what!?" Y/N hissed. "Vao, you destroyed evidence! That's not like the petty theft you usually get in trouble for! That's a serious crime! You can get kicked out of Beacon and thrown in prison for decades!"

Vao tossed his arms up in the air stressfully. Finally his voice raised. "And what was I supposed to do? I had my hands on the damned thing! My fingerprints, I would have been arrested for something I didn't even do!"

Y/N couldn't blame Vao. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't find it in himself. The evidence would have pointed directly to Vao - his fingerprints, and the fact that Vao didn't wear the men's uniform very often. He grimaced, sitting down on his bed. Vao had his scroll in his hands, calling someone.

"Hey... Boss, it's me. Yeah, something came up. Just get me the strongest you got." Vao hung up quickly after, shaking slightly. He started to move towards the door before it swung open. Sasha and Verde stood in the frame, the giant having to duck down to enter the room. She was shaking like a leaf, and Verde was paler than usual. Expressionless, but ghost-like. Y/N looked at them, fear beginning to etch itself into his features. "S-Sasha...?"

Sasha couldn't speak. She jumped when Y/N spoke to her, and it was up to Verde.

"Jaune," the artist whispered.

"Huh?"

"Someone ate Jaune."

...

Only a few hours had passed since Verde passed the news. Vao left immediately after to drink - Y/N wasn't going to stop him. Everyone was shaken up over what happened to Jaune. If anything, drinking until he forgot his own name would probably be the best for Vao.

No one was allowed outside of their rooms until the investigation was finished - which it wouldn't be for a long while. Sasha was sitting at her desk, her head laying in her arms and resting on the surface of the wood, still shivering as Verde tried her best to comfort her. And as for Y/N...

Y/N had pulled Pyrrha inside the room. Team JNPR was not allowed inside their dorm. Nora and Ren were still out in town; they didn't have any idea what was going on. But that wasn't what was important right now. What mattered was that Y/N calmed Pyrrha down.

The redhead was sitting on Vao's bed, still bawling her eyes out. Y/N could only sit on his own bed across from her, unable to form words. How could he? He couldn't imagine walking into his own room and seeing a half-eaten corpse in the bathroom. In all honesty, he felt it was something no one their age should have to see. If he strained his ears, listened last the crying of his traumatized friends, he could hear Ozpin talking to Tyrian and his uncle.

"... Teeth marks... Unnatural... Black sludge..."

Those were the only words he could make out. Giving up on his eavesdropping, he moved over to Vao's bed, sitting next to Pyrrha.

"... I'm so sorry..." He whispered. Pyrrha's head snapped up to look at him, her emerald eyes blazing with fury. Her pale face was red, and hot tears streaked down her face and dripped off her chin. She didn't say anything; her expression was all Y/N needed to see. He stopped talking, hesitantly reaching a hand out. It took a moment, but finally he pulled Pyrrha closer, embracing her in a gentle hug.